We’ve all been there. You are standing with colleagues grabbing coffee or in the conference room waiting for a meeting to start when someone mentions a phrase you’ve never heard of. Trying to play it off, you nod your head in agreement, blindly chiming in with something like, “Totally, I’m thinking about recareering in a few months myself.” Meanwhile, you’re racking your brain to think of what “recareering” means and wondering if you used it correctly in that sentence.
No need to be embarrassed. We’ve got just the cheat sheet. Bookmark this page of the buzzwords and phrases that everyone is throwing around these days.
1. Elevator Pitch n. A quick way to communicate your purpose, talents, and the mark you’d like to make on the world. Compelling and to the point, elevator pitches aim to pique someone’s interest and entice them to want to learn more about you.
Use It in a Sentence: In addition to listing past jobs, Leslie realized that the most important element of an elevator pitch is knowing how to convey her strengths in a succinct way.
2. Culture Fitn./v. 1. To express or exhibit the values, behavior, and attitude that complement a company’s current organization 2. hiring someone who fits within a company’s specific atmosphere. The purpose of the majority of interview questions asked during a job interview is to assess a candidate’s cultural fit. It’s increasingly becoming as important as the applicant’s skill level in determining whether an offer will be made.
Use It in a Sentence: Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins accused former employee Ellen Pao of not being a good culture fit for the company, prompting her termination.
3. Career Brandingv. 1. Marketing yourself in a professional setting 2. Tactfully painting a picture of your career accomplishments, talents, and skills to convey aptitude, leadership skills, and expertise. A resume, cover letter, portfolio, social media, and manner of presenting yourself are tools of career branding.
Use It in a Sentence: Alexis scrubbed her Facebook of photos from college to kick start the process of career branding before she launched a blog about life as a Millennial mom.
4. Side Hustlen. A way to make extra money by taking on a second (or third) job in your spare time. Whether driving for a ridesharing service or pursuing a true passion like wedding photography on the weekends, a side hustle is a chance to explore other talents without quitting your day job.
Use It in a Sentence: Before becoming a reality TV star, Kim Kardashian worked in retail and had a lucrative side hustle in which she sold her celebrity friends’ clothing on eBay.
5. Recareering v. To change one’s career, usually late in life. Not just a job change, but a move to a completely different career path with the goal of increasing money, position and influence.
Use It in a Sentence: Laid off from his job in finance, Paul considered recareering into the solar power field after reading an article about the hiring boom in California.
6. Thinking Talents n. Instinctive ways of thinking. They set you apart from the crowd, and will help you excel at work and find a career you’re passionate about. Do you want to know yours?
Use it in a Sentence: My thinking talents are all procedural and analytical. What are your thinking talents and how do ours compare?
Have you heard any phrases you didn’t know recently? Share with us in the comments below.
This post was originally published on Levo League by Amy Elisa Jackson
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.