Episode 10: Career Coaching Spotlight with Chris Ricci

What is career coaching and how can it help job applicants and early-career people get and crush their next interview? Hey there, listeners! Welcome back to another episode of Leaving the Nest. I'm your host, Kathleen Pellegrino from ROCS Grad Staffing. Our mission is to help you find a job out of college and thrive in the real world. I'm joined today by Chris Ricci who has over 35 years of senior management experience from AOL, Accenture, and Verisign. Currently, he works as a career coach at his company NVA Career Coaching where he helps his clients achieve their career objectives by sharing his advice on networking, job searching, resume building, interview prep, leadership development, and competence in the workplace. In today's episode, Chris will share his process for career coaching, his best practices for communication and networking, and what he looks for in a successful interview. And much more! Obviously, he and I have a lot in common and we certainly see eye-to-eye on these topics. I'm super grateful he's reached out to me to join the podcast to share his advice with all of you. Enjoy! In This Episode: [01:17] - An introduction to today's guest, Chris Ricci. [03:03] - What did it look like when Chris "left the nest"? [05:44] - Chris reveals how he stumbled into a strategy that got him connected with big companies. [08:19] - We learn Chris' view on networking and communicating and how he has been able to move up in his professional career. [10:15] - This is how Chris addresses younger professionals on an elevator. [12:34] - How can you make the recruiter and the hiring manager want to know more about you? Chris shares his perspective. [14:25] - Chris' thoughts on early-career people and ghosting recruiters. [17:14] - We hear Chris explain how a career coach helps early-career people. [19:03] - Chris shares a story about a job applicant that lived in his neighborhood. [20:45] - The process Chris uses for career coaching is access, branding, networking, and interview. [23:11] - The branding phase features the creation of a resume and a LinkedIn profile that each use thought-provoking keywords. [25:15] - The different approaches for connections that are segmented into high, medium, and low categories. [27:23] - Mock screening and mock interviews can often yield disappointing results. Chris explains why and how he addresses them. [29:20] - What does Chris look for in a mock interview? [31:23] - The importance of a value statement on a resume and in an interview, according to Chris. [33:10] - Coaching agreements ensure Chris can give early-career people his full attention. [36:01] - How have recruiters helped Chris in his career? [37:40] - This is the biggest piece of advice Chris would give someone who's looking for a job or is early in their career. [39:49] - Make "finding a job" your daily job. [42:00] - Chris views career coaching as a game to win. [44:02] - Even if Chris is busy, he shares how he makes time to work with his clients even on short notice. [46:55] - How we can connect with Chris. Resources: ROCS Grad Staffing NVA Career Coaching Free Resume Review Connect with Kathleen: [email protected] LinkedIn Call: 703-579-6677 Connect with Chris: LinkedIn Call: 703-606-8125