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When you hear the word "networking" you might think about being in a crowded room full of people nervously trying to strike up a conversation. Today's guest, Arne Blom, redefines networking and share's a better approach — without coming off as too desperate. Arne Blom is a former executive and career coach. He's held marketing, sales and general management positions at L’Oréal and J&J. In his last company assignment he was the VP APAC of Laboratoires Filorga, a french premium skincare brand owned by Colgate Palmolive.
He's lived in London, Mexico, Brussels, Lisbon, Thailand, Paris and Hong Kong, together with his wife and two daughters. He holds a Certificate in Professional Coaching Mastery from Transcend International in Hong Kong and is a certified coach (ACC) by the International Coaching Federation. He speaks fluent Norwegian, French, English and Portuguese.
You can chat with Arne here —> https://app.carrus.io/s/arne-blomHighlights
from the show:
[7:53] The definition of networking
[10:35] Why networking is important for your job search and the increasing importance as you move up the ladder
[13:12] Misconceptions, mistakes people have and why they are afraid
[16:30] What you can learn from Alice in Wonderland
[17:25] Step 1 of Arne's technique for networking and reaching out to people he doesn't know (the list
)[19:30] Asking potential hiring managers for feedback without the premise of "looking for a job"
[21:10] The second step in the networking technique (the pitch)
[23:00] The third step in the networking technique (the referral)
[24:00] Talking to assistants, PAs to get to the hiring manager
[27:00] Not directly saying "I am looking for a job" and the benefit of being indirect
[33:00] Asking for "feedback" instead of looking for a job
[40:30] Reframing Arne's technique: asking for feedback, sharing their experience, etc
[50:33] Talking to coaches who have the experience to draw upon
[51:14] Common misconceptions of coaching - defining 'career coaching'
Feedback, comments or questions about the podcast? Drop me a message any time at misha@carrus.io!
When all eyes are on us, it's easy to fall into people-pleasing and avoiding conflict, all at the expense of hiding our beliefs and personality. So how do we bring our authentic selves to stressful situations like a job interview? In today's conversation, career coach and former Uber leader Neda Jafarzadeh shares her tips to bring your best self to the interview.Neda was a Career Coach Manager at General Assembly, where she coached over 500 people seeking a new career path. She's designed and managed leadership and development programs for leaders of all levels – including executives – at Uber, and built the foundation for the Learning and Development function at Everlane focusing on leadership, team, and employee development.
She's also a Certified Professional Coach with New Ventures West.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedajaf/
Coaching: https://app.carrus.io/s/neda-jafarzadeh
Show Notes and Highlights:
[8:00] The difference between identity and authenticity. The what vs. the how
[11:00] What does "being authentic" really mean? Questions to ask yourself.
[13:20] Specific examples you can use to identify if you are being authentic or being fake
[15:00] The importance of pausing
[16:50] Tools to increase self-awareness and recognize how you feel
[19:00] The power of naming emotions. Check out Brene Brown's HBO show here that I mentioned: https://brenebrown.com/book/atlas-of-the-heart/ and her book The Gifts of Imperfection https://brenebrown.com/book/the-gifts-of-imperfection/
[20:30] Why being authentic can create discomfort
[26:40] Why it can be hard to be authentic in general, specific situations, and where you're at in Maslow's Hierarchy
[27:50] The overriding needs you have and what makes it tough to be real in an interview
[28:50] Pre-work for the interview, knowing your strengths
[29:00] Dealing with stern-faced interviewers
[33:15] Different ways people are being inauthentic
[33:57] The downfalls of faking enthusiasm
[36:36] Assessing your own strengths and weaknesses
[41:30] Sussing out your manager/future boss and if they're the right fit for you, and questions you can ask your manager in the interview
[45:40] Tips to judge your interviewer's style and whether the company is a culture fit for you
[47:19] Follow-up questions and digging deep once you have the job offer
[52:50] Joining a new company and the counterintuitive idea of taking ownership of your own onboarding plan
[58:00] Building a network in the first 180 days on the job, casual 1-1s, and leveraging your boss for intros
Questions/Comments/Feedback about this Episode? Drop me an email anytime at misha@carrus.io!
Today's guest is Tokyo-based Romen Barua, a serial entrepreneur and content creator. He likes things in twos: he runs two startups, has two beautiful daughters, and two shiba inus. He was formerly a recruiter helping some of the worlds coolest tech companies like Amazon and Uber. We had a casual chat and covered a lot, from advice on how to build a strong network, using LinkedIn to find a job, as well as how to use supercars as investment vehicles. You can connect with Romen and check out his businesses below.
Tokyo Supercars: https://www.tokyosupercars.com/
Wasabit: https://wasabit.jp/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tokyosupercars
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romenbarua/
Coaching: https://app.carrus.io/s/romen-barua-2
Show Notes and Highlights:
[2:30] Why Romen is taking this call in a walk-in closet
[5:30] Japanese subsidies to add a home-office
[9:05] The Tokyo supercars business and how they started up the business
[11:05] Why supercars like Ferraris make good investments (appreciating and depreciating assets)
[15:00] Supercar sharing experiences vs. commoditized car dealerships
[16:00] Renting out cars as a passive income
[18:00] Choosing the right car to invest in
[23:00] Romen's advice for building a network, introversion vs. extroversion
[28:00] Doing activities you enjoy and meeting like-minded people as a tool for networking
[35:17] The best way to find a job
[45:00] The benefits of working with your wife / finding more balance
[49:00] Romen's TikTok approach
Questions/Comments/Feedback about this Episode? Drop me an email anytime at misha@carrus.io!
Today's guest is Margaret Buj, an experienced recruiter and interview coach who specializes in helping professionals to get hired, promoted, and paid more. She has 16 years of experience recruiting for global technology and eCommerce companies across Europe & the US, and in the last 15 years, she's successfully coached over a thousand people to get the jobs and promotions they really wanted. She recruited for companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Avanade, Expedia, Typeform, Box, and King, and she's helped many clients get into companies such as Amazon and Facebook as well.Recognized as one of the Top Career Influencers to Follow in 2019, and with an award-winning blog, she's spoken at career events & conferences and has done training sessions or workshops in London, Monaco, Athens & Saudi Arabia. She's also been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine, interviewed for The Financial Times and Management Today, and has written the "Land that Job" e-Guide. Find out more and get her free interview resources at https://interview-coach.co.uk
Book a 1-1 career coaching call with Margaret here.In our conversation, we talk about why most people hesitate to self-promote at work and why this is holding them back. Margaret shares her stories and practical tips on how to make yourself more visible in a team or company without coming off as braggadocious. Research has shown, especially for women and minorities, that simply being good at your job isn't enough to overcome systemic bias — you need to build a network and take active steps to show the impact you're making.
Relevant links: Perfecting the art of self-promotion
Detailed notes from our conversation
Show Highlights and Timestamps
[3:10] The definition of self-promotion and misconceptions - and how to reframe self-promotion
[5:00] Why do you need to self-promote? Being invisible in your org even if you have great results
[6:30] Reframing from self-promotion to "visibility" and understanding the true value of self-promotion
[10:00] Who do you want to be aware of your work, decision-makers, and questions to ask yourself
[13:10] Tactics you can use for self-promotion
[16:00] Sharing feedback, public praise and indirectly promoting your achievements by talking about others
[17:15] Internal updates on Slack and easy ways to give praise
[19:00] How to set yourself up for a promotion and how to make your work more visible. Focusing on serving others vs. yourself
[22:20] Why we're afraid of receiving praise and how to accept praise. Not deflecting praise, just accepting.
[24:00] Other ways to set yourself up for an internal promotion / taking one for the team and ways to demonstrate your commitment
[28:11] The relationship with your boss and how to leverage them for the promotion
[34:00] How it's different for women
[38:00] Creating a career and promotion plan
[41:38] The biggest mistakes people make when trying to get promoted
Questions/Comments/Feedback about this Episode? Drop me an email anytime at misha@carrus.io!
Ridhima Khurana is a seasoned product manager leader who has held roles at leading companies like Meta, Google, Flipkart, Yahoo and more. As a career coach and mentor she has helped hundreds of people bag jobs at Shopify, Google, Meta, Affirm, Coinbase, Sofi, Robinhood, and many Series A/B/C startups. In today's conversation, we go over the power of saying NO and pushing back at work to advance your career. Want help to prepare for your PM interview or learn how to be more assertive at work?
Book a time to chat with Ridhima here.
Highlights and Timestamps
[3:57] How pushing back can help you chart your own career growth
[5:19] Situations where you might need to push back
[7:20] The art AND science of pushing back / what it really means/ and the first thing you need BEFORE you can push back
[9:00] When you shouldn't push back
[10:00] Rhidhima's story about joining Meta as a product manager / the dissolution of her team and how she turned things around
[18:55] Day to day push-back situations and how to deal with them / why the fear is there
[21:20] Opportunities from saying yes vs. assertiveness from saying no
[23:00] What happens if your boss gives you stuff you don't want to do - a step-by-step guide to communicating and prioritize with your manager
[25:10] A framework to deal with frustrating managers who don't give you enough context
[27:15] Pushing back to teammates vs. your boss ("unblocking" vs. solving problems)
[30:10] The power of saying "No, and" or "No, but." Disagreeing is okay as long as you have a solution
[34:11] Should you give constructive feedback on slack, emails, or in-person? [36:15] Coming from a place of caring before you give feedback
[40:00] Preparing before you give feedback
[41:00] What's at stake if you aren't assertive and are afraid to ruffle the feathers
[42:40] Creating your own career path
[42:40] Push-back during the interview process and how to do it
[46:10] The line between defensive and being assertive (curiosity-led)
Questions/Comments/Feedback about this Episode? Drop me an email anytime at misha@carrus.io!