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This is episode 74 of the Get a 6-Figure Job You Love podcast. It’s called How to align yourself to the job offer that meets your standards, an interview with my client, Anna Lisa McLean.
Hey there. Welcome to the Get a 6- Figure Job You Love podcast. I’m your host, Natalie Fisher. I’m a certified career mindset coach, who also happens to want to skip all the BS and get to what it really takes to create real results for you in your career. On this podcast, you will create real mindset shifts that will lead to big results and big changes in your career and your income. No fluff here, if you want to get a six figure job you love, and create real concrete results in your industry and make a real impact, you’re in the right place. Are you ready? Let’s go.
So in this interview, we’re going to go through what Anna Lisa’s done, how she’s been able to achieve the goal. So, setting a goal and achieving it. She started working with me, she set a goal, and she achieved it and now she’s on the other side, talking about how she achieved that goal. So listen to how she describes herself before and after, and how her thinking has changed. So everybody who comes on the podcast has gone through some up and down, right? The difference between the fact that they had support along the way is that, not only are they doing it faster than if they hadn’t have had support, but they also had a better experience of the whole journey. Because when you have support, and you have someone who knows you’re doing it, who knows you’re getting there, it’s done. You really just move along a lot faster than you would if you’re just kind of floundering on your own, right?
And, not to say you can’t get there on your own, but it just takes longer. So, listen in on this episode where Anna Lisa gives us all the details about how she was able to secure this offer, and the beautiful part is, she didn’t even have to negotiate, she suggested her number and they agreed to it. So that’s where you want to be, that’s the ideal situation, and this is what’s happening, this is what we do when we work together, what happens with my clients in the program. So I will see you on the other side, let’s play the interview.
Hello, hello. Welcome. Today we have a special guest, we’re here with Anna Lisa McLean, who has just landed a job as a community engagement issue specialist for the government in the field of transportation. I’m very excited to have this talk with Anna Lisa today, she’s going to share with us how she got from where she was to where she is now. Anna Lisa, please go ahead and tell us a little bit about you and your new role.
Hi, Natalie. So nice to speak with you today, I recently landed a new role, you mentioned as a community engagement and issue specialist, with a government agency doing strategic communications for the various new construction projects that are happening with some of the transportation infrastructure. And with your guidance and your coaching, I have been able to elevate myself in terms of my career direction and meeting the goal that I initially set with you in terms of achieving this role and the salary and like the complete benefit package that came along with the job.
Very exciting. And I’m so excited to kind of talk about your journey and everything that was involved in that journey and I’m really going to dive in and explore how it was that you were able to achieve this so that others can benefit from your experience. So let’s start with, what did you originally come to me for? I remember there was some confusion about what you wanted to do, do you remember that?
Yeah. So, being a communicator, there’s so many different roles that you can take on whether it’s media relations, internal communications, external communications, social media, and I just felt it was very extensive in terms of the direction that I could go, and I needed some clarity on that in terms of my own personal strengths and skill sets. And you helped me immensely in terms of helping me to focus on myself in terms of what skills I had to bring and how I can better focus myself in terms of directing myself to specific positions that spoke to me and the skillsets that I could provide.
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Yeah, absolutely. And I think that we kind of nailed that down pretty quickly after we started working together because you had some, if I recall correctly, you had some limiting beliefs around what was involved in certain things. And I think it comes down to what you can get your energy behind, what you can start to feel passionate about and then be like, yes, that excites me, I want to go do that. And then be able to kind of wash away all the limiting beliefs that come up in your brain about why that might not be possible, why you might not be able to, et cetera, et cetera.
So, yeah. We nailed that down and now fast forward, you’re in this new role, so it’s super exciting to see that come full circle. What do you think was the biggest shifting belief in getting you to where you are? So, you’re a different person now than when we first started working together, what do you think was the biggest belief that you had to shift in order to get where you are?
I think a belief about myself in terms of knowing that I’m worthy, and I do have skill sets that employers would definitely love in terms of me being able to provide value to their organization, and insights that I definitely have, and just focusing on what I could bring to them and how we could create some synergy here with potential employers that I had interest in in terms of, the skillset and what they had to offer. So, I think that really helped me to change my mindset and the direction that I was going in from a mental standpoint. So I think that really helped to redirect me, instead of me feeling that I need to be able to offer the potential employers all these various skillsets that they needed.
Yeah. Really well said. And I remember that and I think this is a common belief that a lot of people have, is I need to be able to do so many things like, in the field of communication or in the field of marketing or whatever field you’re in, people have this belief that they need to be able to do everything, right? They need to be jack off all trades and everything on the job description needs to be checked off, and when it comes down to it that’s not true.
And so you’re a perfect example of that and, being able to zero in on the things you did really well and the things you wanted to be doing, right? So how do you feel about your new role, moving into your new role? What are you most excited about?
I’m excited about the opportunity of working in the government and being able to create strategies around communications and working with a team of professionals who have a lot of experience, and me being able to engage with the public, and work within an organization that is doing good for the public and for generations to come. So I think that excites me to be able to touch some public infrastructure that benefits us all.
Yeah. That’s huge. It’s such a huge impact that you’re going to be able to have, just going into this role and all the impact that you’re going to be able to have using those skills. And I think about it and I think, if you hadn’t have continued on, if you hadn’t achieved this, it would be a waste of what you’re capable of, right? And I think of all the people out there listening and thinking, getting discouraged or not having success and a lot of people do give up or quit or just take a long break and, it ends up taking a long time and it’s like, that time could be spent using your skills and your brain for like the best that you could possibly use it for. So, so happy that you’re going to be starting and they’re very lucky to have you.
Thank you.
If you were to go back and talk to your past self, where you were, because I know the process is not linear, sometimes it takes a little while. What would you advise your past self, with what you know now?
What I would advise is to try and get into a positive mindset, look at what you bring to the table in terms of your value values. What your skill sets are, what you value in life and the types of roles or organizations that excites you, or you have interest in and hone in on that and, don’t give out up. Build a plan for yourself and continue on it, and don’t give up and continually reach out and contact folks and
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network and continue to interview and continue on a positive track. And everybody has different time intervals and I think you just have to continue because what is out there for you, you will end up getting.
Absolutely. Yeah. And I think you just kind of summed up the key to success right there. So if you were to advise somebody else who doesn’t have any idea of where to start or what to do, or maybe what resources to start with, I know you found me, we started working together and then you continued to listen to the podcast and put positive information into your brain, which is I think why you were so successful in the end is because you really went deep on the information and you kept going with it. What would you advise somebody who’s never really had outside help before, who doesn’t really know what coaching is, what would you kind of advise them?
I Think there’s so much information out there these days and I think it’s important just to start looking in general in terms of different avenues, in terms of ways you can connect to other people, any type of coaching information that you can find out there, any mentors that can assist you or people in potential industries that you’d like to connect with, and start talking and connecting with people I think is extremely essential. And look at possibly getting coaching, because coaching is invaluable, I think. Especially on a personal level because it’s a one-on-one coaching opportunity for you to really reevaluate yourself and help direct you in terms of next steps.
Yeah, absolutely.
[crosstalk 00:11:19] that you want to achieve.
Yeah, really well said. And the investment that you made has now tripled, more than that, it’s going to just play dividends for the rest of your life, which is really something that people don’t really know unless they go all in with it like you did. So what do you think is different about the way that you interviewed and you interacted with people in order to get this role, versus before you had the role?
Your interview mindset, that’s kind of where I’m going with it. You did some things in that interview, you spoke confidently, you showed them your value through the way that you were being. How do you think you were able to do that?
What helped a lot is your coaching, because so in the past, in interviews I found myself being very robotic, and not really having a conversation with the employer. And for me, what I’ve noticed is that a lot of employers now, they really want to have that kind of conversation, not really an interview. And I find with the help of your coaching, I was able to be myself, understanding the need to be myself and the need to, relax and kind of really understand the line of questioning in terms of the types of interview questions and how best to answer them in terms of my skills sets, and some of the great accomplishments and results that I’ve had. And also, being able to laugh and tell a joke in an interview, and let them have a bird’s eye view into the type of person that I am.
And I think that really helped to boost me in terms of being the ideal candidate in roles that I’ve interviewed for. So I felt that really made a difference, and it helped my personal mindset too in terms of, not being as nervous and being more confident and just taking it as conversation and just highlighting myself as well as getting to know the employer and having a proper conversation that would allow me to obtain the information that I needed about this particular role and, for them to learn more about me. So I thought that was very helpful in my success.
Absolutely. Yeah. And I love everything you said, it’s like you took everything you’ve learned and you just integrated it so well, so congratulations to you and, you should be very proud of yourself because, it’s not something that’s easy for everybody to do, right? And I think what I hear you saying is that, you decided that you were enough and what you had to offer was enough, and that’s a huge thing, right? Because if you don’t decide that then that’s where the second guessing comes in, right? So that’s kind of
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what I hear you saying is like, you were confident, you are worthy, you know you have skills and value to offer, and that comes through, and that’s where the results come from.
So, great talk about the interview mindset, love it. So how do you think your life is going to be different now in this role, financially because the salary’s a lot bigger and, your day to day experience of life?
Well, my day to day experience in life is going to be different in terms of the group that I’m going to be working with. I’m going to be expanding my knowledge base with government infrastructure projects which I’m really excited about, also I’m going to have the opportunity from a communications perspective to get involved in more engagement projects to increase my experience in, as well as being able to engage in the project from public engagement perspective, which I really want more experience from.
So I think, overall it’s going to open the doors for me in terms of what my next step will be after this opportunity, now I’m open to more from the public sector. So I think it’s [crosstalk 00:15:38] Yeah. Amazing. And look at you already thinking ahead for yourself, so good. And so, how do you think you were resourceful in creating this result for yourself?
Well, that’s interesting that you asked that because, previous to this role I was actually with another government agency, but it was on a short term contract, and I had recently accepted there and this interview came up for a full-time role with another agency. And I thought, I’m not going to stop the interviewing process, I’m going to continue and this role possibly might be more advantageous than what I’m in now at the contract level where I was. So I decided to continue my journey in terms of job interviewing and job searching, and this is where I landed.
So, I could have been satisfied with a short term contract, but this ended up being the best opportunity and I’m glad that I went in there still with a positive mind focus in terms of not stopping at the contract and furthering this opportunity with being able to interview for a full-time role. So, I think I didn’t stop the process even though I was gainfully employed at that point.
Yeah. I’m so glad you brought that up because that happens a lot, right? And a lot of people they’ll start interviewing and then they’ll have, like you were in the position where they have something and then they get more opportunities coming, and they think, should I keep going with these opportunities or I already have something, should I keep it? And so I think you just have to go with your gut feeling there and like you wanted to take this opportunity to see what it was all about and it definitely paid off.
And sometimes it’s hard because you have to go back and go back on the other opportunity and say, ‘look I’m not going to be able to take it.’ And I remember that we talked about that. For others listening, because I know that this happens a lot, it’s happened to several of my clients, they get that opportunity and then they don’t know what to do. How did you handle that when you had to go back and change your mind essentially?
Well, I was a bit uneasy about it at first because the organization that I was at, it was a great team, some really smart professional folks. And it was another area of opportunity within the government structure that I was able to learn from. So, how I handled it was, I was upfront with them and let them know that this full time opportunity came around and they were very gracious towards me and they completely understood the opportunity that was ahead of me. And they were definitely happy that I was able to find a full-time role and, it was a good exit and they were supportive of me pursuing this opportunity.
So sometimes when you have fear about, you don’t want to burn bridges or affect the department you’re in or, what’s going on in the organization. You really have to go for what’s beneficial for you without burning bridges or-
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Yeah. And I think you did it really well. And I think that just for everyone listening, the thing to remember is, you have to do what’s best for you all the time and you can’t stay somewhere for somebody else or because you don’t want other people to get upset or disapprove, and anybody in your position would probably do the same thing, right? And people get over it, it’s okay and so I’m glad that it worked out really well in that case. And just kind of showed you that you’d found a good culture, and you were just moving to something that suited you better, but that you were surrounded by good people that understood.
And that’s again something that you created for yourself moving along this process, right? So Another thing. And then you did mention earlier on in the conversation about how you asked the right questions to them in your new position to know that it’s something that worked for you.
Can you talk about your mindset around there? Because I think that’s really important to mention when you’re looking for the role is, you asking them and interviewing them and knowing that you want to make the right decision for yourself, not just taking whatever.
Yeah. I think it’s very important to understand what you as an individual value, what your values are, what your ideal organization is, and what your ideal manager is in terms of their management styles, the day to day tasks in a role, to see if you’re understanding what is required and that equips you with more information to know whether or not this role would be ideal for you or not. I think it’s so important to kind of dial down to those nitty-gritty questions, and it helps you better evaluate opportunities where there’s no surprises when you get into an organization, although you can’t know everything but, I think it just better helps equip you make a better decision and, you feel better in terms of your ability to obtain the information that you require to make those decisions.
Absolutely. Yeah. And not being afraid to just ask those questions, because a lot of people they do get kind of hesitant like, oh, if I ask this, what are they going to think, right? And it’s like well, you got to take care of yourself. So, that’s another really important foundational scale to landing the perfect role, something you’re really excited about. And knowing that you didn’t hold anything back at the process and that you asked what you needed to ask so that you can move confidently in there. So what do you think was the most helpful thought that you had, about yourself and about the process, any helpful thoughts that come up that you could share with us?
I Guess, what I would say in terms of helpful thoughts would be that, again it comes to mind again that the idea that I’m worthy, I’m worthy of this opportunity, I’m aligned to everything that I’m attracting to myself from a positive perspective. And then I have something to give back to employers, and I think that’s really important, although it might seem like an eery fairy thing, I think [crosstalk 00:22:13] lot of that.
No, I think it’s super important. And I think one of the main reasons why people don’t land their roles is because they don’t feel worthy of them. You have to feel worthy of that before you can get it, it’s a law, right? So huge. And for people who are struggling with that and struggling with feeling worthy, how did you get to the point where you could confidently feel worthy and understand that that was a truth.
I think meditation helped a lot, also working on some of the stories, negative stories that I told myself, and just realizing that those stories really weren’t tangible. And what was tangible was me and what I had to offer and just removing those negative types of stories and working on pulling out the positive within myself. I think that definitely had a big impact.
Yeah, definitely. And I love that you keep coming back to that because that is the thing that I have to bring people back the most to, is like, okay, so that didn’t work out. Okay. Well what do you have? What do you want to do next? And that’s what you were so efficient in doing, and I think when we get really
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efficient in doing that, that’s when we start to get on the right track, and when we can put ourselves back on the right track faster, the results come faster. So yeah, you nailed it.
So what do you think has been your biggest strength throughout this process? Sometimes people refer to the job search itself as the job search. So, what do you think your biggest strength throughout your job search has been?
I guess like tenacity, sticking with it. Like you said, sometimes you can get negative feedback or, for periods of time I wasn’t getting any feedback on job applications or sometimes my networking contacts were following up with me or they weren’t leading me in any specific direction. I think not getting as you said, railroaded or off track by any experiences that may feel negative or they could be truthfully negative but just not dwelling on it and allowing yourself to be drawn into that.
Because that can easily happen, and that’s where the self-doubt comes in and the unworthiness, so I think it’s like a constant, I don’t want to say battle but, it’s a progression where you have to get over that hump and realize that you have worthy and somebody’s else’s opinion of you or, you shouldn’t take that to heart because sometimes there’s other variables that are going out there in the world that aren’t personal, in your regards.
So I think just getting over that hump and continuing to continuously be at your process, like continuing the process and, your time is your time, everybody has a different length and time in terms of achieving their goals. But, what is important with that is sticking with it and staying with your process. You see that’s where you get the results in the end.
Yeah. And I think what you said there was very valuable in terms of the progression, and I think the wording that we use is so important. And it can be like a battle in the beginning and I think you get more efficient at it and it’s like, I like to call it redirection, like you redirect your brain, and you get really good at redirecting it. And then you just get into the habit of, okay, this is how it works, right? Instead of where a lot of people fall is, in that trap of the negative thinking and taking that negative feedback to heart. And it’s really hard not to do it especially in the beginning so, thanks for sharing that and sharing how you were able to do it.
And so, as far as your new role goes, did you have to do a salary negotiations for that? Or were you kind of in line with it and it worked out really well.
Initially I did a salary negotiation with that and, it wasn’t I would say a very hard process, I made a suggestion, the HR representative came back to me and it was in line with what I was requesting in terms of their initial first offer. So, it worked out well for me but-
Fantastic. And I think that’s just a clear symbol that you were aligned with what you already knew you wanted, sorry I interrupted you, go ahead.
Well that’s okay. What I’m just going to say on that, I think it’s a very important process, the negotiation process, and I think, a lot of people downplay the negotiation process, and it’s so important in terms of being able to highlight your value in terms of your past experience, and any other credentials that you have. It’s very important to highlight that and it’s a game, and you need to have that conversation with HR, because it’s important to be paid for and the value that you bring and never underestimate what your value is.
Yeah, exactly. And having that decisions made ahead of time, knowing what you wanted, knowing that you were worthy of that, knowing all those things really helped you make that process easy, I believe. And just knowing that you were going to get that, whether it be there, another place or in whenever, you were going to get that and just knowing and having that understanding of it. And having the courage to have that conversation, put your number forward, a lot of people, they have a number in mind and then they shrink it down because they’re like, oh, what if they don’t want to pay me? What if this
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doesn’t work? This just all shows that you were solid in your value and your belief and everything that we talked about.
So, just beautifully move through that process and through all the things that could have derailed you but didn’t to get you to that point. So, amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. Was there anything else you wanted to share with us today? Anything around, thinking of the people out there who are in this process right now, who haven’t gotten to the point where you’re at yet, who are hoping to get to that point, any words or anything that comes through for you that you want to share?
Okay. Well, I would say as I mentioned before, work on the mindset, the mindset is the most important thing. Outside of your resume, outside of looking for work, looking for opportunities, work on the mindset. The mindset is the most powerful tool that you can channel in terms of use using it to achieve your goals. Without the mindset, I just find we create so much negative barriers in terms of being able to direct ourself and to achieve any goals that we have set out for ourselves. So I think the mindset is underrated and essential in terms of bringing you to the next step and-
I’m just nodding my head so much over here. I’m just like, thank you for saying that. It’s kind of reiterating what I’ve been trying to tell people forever, right? Because it’s like I always say, you can’t out act negative thinking or negative stories or negative programming, you can’t out that. You can go out and do a hundred things and if you’re still believing that you’re not worthy, it’s still not going to show up for you. If you’re still believing that you’re not valuable, it’s still going to show up for you so, thank you so much for saying that.
And then, just out of curiosity, because mindset can be kind of a nebulous term for people they’re like, hey, our mindset can be dismissed very easily. How would you kind of define mindset as far as how it worked for you? As far as how you worked on it?
Mindset being knowing what you want, your belief system, I think has a lot to do with the alignment of your mindset.
Yeah. Nailed it. I would add to that, your thoughts, your sentences that you have going on in your brain, it’s kind of the same thing with a bunch of different ways to describe it. So like the stories, the sentences, the beliefs. All that contributes to how you feel, because if your mindset is in line, if your mindset is strong, then everything else kind of falls in line, as you’ve just kind of demonstrated for us. So thank you so much. That was amazing.
Thank you.
Those are all my questions. Thank you so much for being on, and I know for a fact this is going to be super valuable for a lot of people. So again, couldn’t be more appreciative of your time.
Thanks, Natalie. I hope I was able to answer your questions and add some value too.
Yeah, and you didn’t even have a script. You didn’t even know what I was going to ask. Fantastic. Hey look at you go.
I was like, oh no, I hope I’m not rambling on.
Not at all though. No, everything you said was very, very valuable. All right. Let’s say goodbye now. Okay, bye.
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