Chan with a Plan

How to reinvent yourself and get out of your comfort zone to grow your career

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Rebecca Scott, a professional that grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada. Not only did she pivot her career trajectory from psychology to marketing but moved to the big city of Montreal, Quebec, not knowing a single person and not even having a job lined up when she moved. She shares her career pivot and the trials and tribulations that came with it in order to grow to become the person she is today in hopes of guiding others, contemplating making the same drastic change she made herself a few years ago. 
 
QUOTES
“I ended up going to Montreal, I wouldn't say on a limb. But I knew I wanted to change my life because I just wasn't happy. There was something inside of me that just wasn't at peace and so I knew I needed to make a change.” - Rebecca Scott
“[When it comes to speaking French] I'm not going to be perfect. I'm going to mess up. But as long as I keep practicing and keep putting myself in these situations, then I'm going to get better and that I think is the best way to immerse yourself in any language is to be in the heart of it, and to be forced almost to speak it ” - Rebecca Scott
“[When it comes to making a career change] I would say plan, but don't over plan because you don't actually know how things are going to go once you move to a new city. So yeah, I looked for interesting jobs. At the time, I think I was using Indeed and I knew that I could use the skills that I had gained from doing research and working in academia [to pivot to a different career].” - Rebecca Scott
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:30] Meet Rebecca
[6:03] Going over Rebecca’s decision that Montreal was the perfect place to move to, to start a new chapter of her life and her experiences living there so far
[15:27] Rebecca’s journey in pivoting into Marketing
[22:19] Additional creative projects Rebecca pursued outside of work
[29:10] Building a social circle from scratch in a new city
[34:24] Whether Rebecca would have done things differently, based on what she knows now
[40:37] The level of importance of what school you got your degree from in building your career
[41:52] Biggest career challenge Rebecca had to overcome, to get to where she is today
[43:57] Contacting Rebecca
[45:10] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Rebecca Scott on LinkedIn
We Just Like To Talk Podcast
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

5 reasons why people stay at a toxic workplace so you don’t make the same mistake

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max provides 5 reasons why people stay at a toxic workplace and don't take action to leave even though it will affect them physically and mentally for the long term so you can see the signs and don't make the same mistake. In addition, Max also provides a strategy on how to start planning your move to bigger and better things to finally leave your current toxic workplace behind. Based on this past week's episode with Jean Tien on how to overcome bullying in the workplace and take back your career.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:27] Not finding the same or better compensation elsewhere
[2:13] Fear of finding something worse
[2:57] Being comfortable with where they are and sticking to a routine
[3:32] Connected with other people at the company that they get along with and don't want to leave them behind
[4:28] Lack of confidence and don't believe they can find something better for themselves
[5:27] Max's action plan on how to start planning and taking action to leave your current toxic workplace behind to get something better and something you deserve
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

How to overcome bullying in the workplace and take back your career

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Jean Tien, an intuitive mindset coach, specializing in working with female corporate executives ready to experience more in life without burnout. She shares her own personal experience with workplace bullying and provides strategies and advice on what she did to overcome it so you can do the same thing and take back your career. 
 
QUOTES
“Once you submit to [their bullying] and they see that they have control over you, in that sense they pretty much live off of that, they thrive off of that and there’s a compound effect to that as well, meaning like they see it, they know it, they keep kind of like sticking that dagger within you.” - Jean Tien [9:23]
“If your end goal is to have the [bully] fired, I wouldn’t go to HR, I would reevaluate that end goal because unless it’s illegal, it’s most likely not going to happen and it actually looks poorly and reflects poorly on you.” - Jean Tien [26:08]
“I think the 1 career lesson that I’ve learned that I think has helped me along the way is really to understand that what I do at the office is not about me.” - Jean Tien [37:25]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:35] Meet Jean
[4:17] Types of bullying Jean has experienced throughout her career
[8:56] Overcoming fear based bullying
[15:43] Standing your ground 
[25:31] When should you go to HR to report bullying
[32:00] Difference between bullying and harassment 
[34:52] Strategies to overcome a bullying boss 
[37:12] Biggest career challenge Jean had to overcome, to get to where she is today
[38:14] Contacting Jean
[38:39] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Jean Tien Official Website
Jean Tien on LinkedIn
Jean Tien on Instagram
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

3 big interview mistakes that are costing you the job

EPISODE SUMMARY
One of the essential components of a good leader is communication, and Max highlights 3 big interview mistakes when it comes to communication in the interview that you need to avoid that is costing you the job. Based on this past week's episode with Danielle Cobo on how to become a better leader in the workplace to get that promotion
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:42] Not listening attentively and not answering the question that's actually asked
[3:14] Rambling or speaking in generalities
[4:09] Not making it a conversation
[5:34] Summary of the 3 interview mistakes
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

How to become a better leader in the workplace to get that promotion

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Danielle Cobo, a Career Coach focusing on helping professionals discover their vision, recognize the power within and create the life they desire. She shares top qualities people need to become a great leader in the workplace and strategies on how to get promoted if you feel stuck with where you currently are in your career.
 
QUOTES
“When it comes to wanting to transition from individual contributor to a leader, it really starts with you, and investing in yourself and your development as well as maybe leaning into discomfort, and knowing that you get to take risks.” - Danielle Cobo [13:07]
“Servant leadership is really understanding who are the individuals on your team, so one of the recommendations I do for anybody that’s in a leadership position, is sit down with your team, with each individual person and look at their individual development plan.” - Danielle Cobo [16:00]
“The higher you go up, the more you’re not only implementing the current, you are also looking further out as to where the direction of that company is going to go.” - Danielle Cobo [31:12]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:21] Meet Danielle
[3:11] Talking about the job search, applying online and why sometimes people don’t apply for roles they are interested in
[8:46] The importance of diverse teams
[10:01] Leadership qualities companies look for when hiring
[13:40] Advice on being stuck as an individual contributor but want to move up to a management role with no prior management experience
[15:44] Overview of the Servant Leadership style and why this leadership style is the future to building and retaining talent
[22:48] Disconnect between company offerings in educational and professional development opportunities and the lack of employees taking advantage of them
[26:19] The importance of companies creating a roadmap for their employees to provide direction for their career at the company to retain them
[29:16] Different leadership qualities you need to develop to start moving up the corporate ladder
[32:30] How to show executives that you have the potential to succeed at the next level
[33:51] Cross-functional leadership
[35:03] The importance of active listening as a leader
[38:04] Whether to continue to try to get promoted at a company after being rejected multiple times or time to look elsewhere
[40:45] Biggest career lesson Danielle learned, to get to where she is today
[42:51] Shifting your mindset to become more confident in order to achieve your goals
[46:31] Contacting Danielle
[47:20] Outro
 
RESOURCE & RELEVANT LINKS
Danielle Cobo
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

Is a Data Science bootcamp worth it?

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max provides advice for his listeners that are looking to pivot to a technical field such as data science, and whether paying thousands of dollars to attend a bootcamp to build up your skills is the best move to make this career change happen. Based on this past week's episode with Alyssa Fedgo on how to get into Data Science with no prior experience.
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:27] Start of the discussion whether attending a bootcamp is the right approach to make a career change into a technical field such as data science
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

How to get into Data Science with no prior experience

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Alyssa Fedgo, a professional that started her career in a non-technical role as an Office Manager for a health startup, to building up her skills and making the right career moves over the years to be able to get into her dream field of Data Science. She shares her journey in hopes of providing insight and guidance for other professionals looking to make the same move into Data Science and do it successfully without all the trial and error that comes with changing career paths. 
 
QUOTES
“[Once you’re finished a bootcamp or certification] if you stop learning, you are going to be kind of stunted in your career growth, especially in data science.” - Alyssa Fedgo [12:06]
“[When it comes to building my skill set to get into data science] making sure that I’m learning Python because Python or R is key in data science.” - Alyssa Fedgo [17:11]
“As a Data Scientist from my experience, you also need to have more skills in the planning of an entire system, so you need to understand how the data is structured and stored, is there a better way for it to be stored, is there a better way for it to be queried”  - Alyssa Fedgo [24:49]
 
TIMESTAMPS
[1:12] Meet Alyssa
[3:36] How Alyssa started her career
[5:06] Learning curve from going from a non-technical role to a technical role with no formal training
[6:46] Going from Office Manager to Data Analyst at Alyssa’s 1st company
[8:37] Learning lessons in Alyssa’s 1st data oriented role
[12:13] Advice on what to do after you finished your bootcamp or certification to continue growing your skills and being marketable as a data scientist for the long term
[13:23] Resources to build your SQL and SAS skills if you decide to start as a Data Analyst 1st
[13:55] Making a move from Data Analyst to Data Scientist
[15:54] Main differences between Data Analyst and Data Scientist
[16:43] Skills Alyssa built up to prepare her to become a Data Scientist
[18:40] Alyssa’s process on learning Python
[19:43] Why Alyssa took the self learning route then taking a data science bootcamp to build her skills
[21:17] How Alyssa pivoted from a Data Analyst role to a Data Scientist Role
[21:51] Walking through Alyssa’s experience interviewing for a Data Scientist position and how she was able to showcase her abilities successfully without prior formal Data Scientist experience
[24:22] Major difference between being a Data Analyst and being a Data Scientist that Alyssa has experienced since starting her journey in data science
[25:25] Discussing what a Data Scientist actually does, compared to what people perceive a Data Scientist does
[27:30] Battling imposter syndrome when Alyssa was starting as a Data Scientist
[28:58] Continue to build your skill set as a Data Scientist if you don’t have as much opportunity to do so at work
[30:29] Discussing whether Alyssa could have went straight to Data Science from an Office Manager or she needed the Data Analyst role 1st to successfully move to Data Science
[32:03] Data Visualization and what tools to learn
[33:06] Managing expectations of your hiring manager on what you can and can’t do as a Data Scientist when you start off in your 1st role in the field
[34:22] Advice on how a professional can go from a non-technical field to a technical field such as Data Science
[35:40] Soft skills you need to succeed in Data Science
[36:18] Common mistakes entry level Data Scientists make when starting their career
[37:28] Alyssa’s career goals in Data Science in the next few years
[39:46] Data Science trends professionals should watch out for
[40:47] Biggest career challenge Alyssa had to overcome to get to where she is today
[41:33] What to do when a piece of programming code is not working and how to resolve it
[43:00] Contacting Alyssa
[43:40] Outro
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Alyssa Fedgo on LinkedIn
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group

5 questions to ask the hiring manager to spot red flags to avoid taking a job that could derail your career

EPISODE SUMMARY
Max gives you 5 questions to ask the hiring manager during the interview process to potentially spot red flags to avoid taking a job you may regret later. Based on this past week's episode with Lauren Felter on Job Interview Red Flags: Signs of a Toxic Environment
 
TIMESTAMPS
[0:46] New role or replacing someone
[1:30] Work/Life Flexibility
[2:41] Company culture
[3:24] Issues and challenges
[4:15] Personal development
[5:08] How evaluating the interview process can be a good indicator of what the work culture/dynamic will be like if you decide to work there
 
RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS
Chan With A Plan
Chan With A Plan Facebook Group