Most of us spend 70% of our lives working, yet struggle to articulate what we actually do. Matt Paddock, Director of Recruiting at AKQA, reveals how the stories we tell about our careers unlock hidden strengths, clarify values, and shape our professional futures—especially when navigating layoffs, AI disruption, and career pivots. From jazz musician to talent strategist, he shares why career storytelling isn't soft—it's survival.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
Can you clearly articulate what you spend most of your waking hours doing? Most leaders can't. And when disruption hits, that gap between the work we do and the stories we tell costs us clarity, advancement, and resilience. From 20+ years leading talent strategy working with global brands and conducting thousands of successful hires, our guest, Matt Paddock, discovered that career storytelling is a core leadership and career competency. Whether you're navigating layoffs, succession planning, mass organizational transitions, or wondering where AI fits into your professional value proposition, your ability to craft and articulate your career narrative determines your trajectory. In this episode, you will learn lessons from Matt's unconventional path from jazz musician at Oberlin Conservatory to recruiting leader and from high-stakes moments like managing mass layoffs, leading succession planning, and rebuilding after his own layoff. We'll explore how storytelling functions like journaling: helping us reflect, learn, and map out better futures in an uncertain world.
This episode is essential listening for leaders rethinking their professional identity, managing career transitions, or supporting others through change.
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ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Matt Paddock is Director of Recruiting at AKQA where he leads talent attraction for an award-winning, multidisciplinary team delivering creative innovation to global brands. He has over 20 years of experience in hands-on recruiting, managing talent teams, and working closely with business stakeholders to align talent with organizational vision and mission. Matt is a career-switcher from the arts who holds a degree in Jazz Studies from Oberlin Conservatory and a graduate degree in music composition from Virginia Commonwealth. After work hours Matt can commonly be found playing music with friends.
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FIND OUR GUEST HERE:
www.linkedin.com/in/mattpaddock/
mattpaddock.com/
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In the opening segment, Dr. Mira Brancu introduces guest Matt Paddock, Director of Recruiting at AKQA, and asks him to share his journey from jazz musician to talent acquisition leader. Matt highlights how his musical background informed his career transition. He emphasizes the importance of creativity and relationship-building skills gained from music, which proved valuable in his role in the creative industry. Matt discusses his experience managing talent teams and aligning talent with organizational goals, drawing parallels between his musical background and his current work in tech recruiting.
In the second segment, Matt and Mira discusses the importance of storytelling in leadership and its role in helping others make sense of uncertainty and change. Matt highlights how storytelling can draw people in and provide clarity during times of disruption, such as layoffs or the rise of AI, which is increasingly impacting various professions, including recruiting. They explore how storytelling can help individuals navigate uncertainty and envision their relevance in a rapidly changing world, emphasizing the need for leaders to effectively communicate and provide direction during times of change.
In this segment, Mira and Matt discusses the role of storytelling in career development, focusing on how different personality types, such as introverts and experts, can leverage storytelling to their advantage. Matt emphasizes the importance of understanding the audience's needs and context when sharing stories, rather than focusing solely on personal interests or expertise. They also explore how storytelling can be useful during career transitions, such as dealing with layoffs, by helping individuals reconnect with their value and find new opportunities through networking
In this closing segment, Mira and Matt discuss the importance of storytelling in career development, particularly for those experiencing job loss or career transitions. Matt emphasizes the need to identify and communicate fundamental skills and values rather than focusing solely on job-specific tasks. They explore how to effectively communicate career experiences through impact-focused narratives rather than just listing duties. The conversation also coveres how to prepare managers for succession planning by engaging in strategic conversations about growth opportunities and career aspirations. The discussion concludes with practical advice for developing storytelling skills, including seeking feedback from others and simplifying industry-specific jargon for broader audience understanding.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.810 Mira Brancu: Think.
00:00:00.950 --> 00:00:06.260 Mira Brancu: Career storytelling, which is what we're going to learn today, was fluff, but…
00:00:06.610 --> 00:00:13.679 Mira Brancu: I have come to appreciate it as a hard skill to develop, and yet essential to leadership. So…
00:00:14.690 --> 00:00:22.950 Mira Brancu: With that in mind, let me introduce our guest today, Matt Paddock. Matt Paddock is Director of Recruiting at AKQA,
00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:42.659 Mira Brancu: Where he leads talent attraction for an award-winning, multidisciplinary team, delivering creative innovation to global brands. He has over 20 years of experience in hands-on recruiting, managing talent teams, and working closely with business stakeholders to align talent with organizational vision and mission.
00:00:43.070 --> 00:00:56.120 Mira Brancu: And he himself is a career switcher from the arts. He holds a degree in jazz Studies from Oberlin Conservatory, and a graduate degree in music composition from Virginia Commonwealth.
00:00:56.420 --> 00:01:14.280 Mira Brancu: So, he's gonna share lessons from his own unconventional path, from jazz musician at Oberlin to recruiting leader, and from high-stakes moments like managing mass layoffs that he's, you know, had to do, leading succession planning, and rebuilding after his own recent layoff.
00:01:14.610 --> 00:01:18.289 Mira Brancu: So… Welcome to the hard skills, welcome, Matt.
00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:21.299 Matt Paddock: Thank you. I'm excited to be here.
00:01:21.650 --> 00:01:33.180 Mira Brancu: Absolutely. Okay, so let's start with the most obvious, what everybody, I bet, is asking and wondering about. How did you transition from music to talent acquisition?
00:01:33.770 --> 00:01:44.899 Matt Paddock: Yes. As much as I would love to say that there was a grand plan that I architected at the tender age of 25, 26,
00:01:44.900 --> 00:01:56.130 Matt Paddock: the fundamental reason was financial necessity, and I think any artist, any musician will understand it is a tough way to make a living, so…
00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:57.150 Matt Paddock: at…
00:01:57.540 --> 00:02:07.809 Matt Paddock: that point, I started taking my day job, as we called it, more seriously, and was actually genuinely surprised that
00:02:08.229 --> 00:02:16.640 Matt Paddock: it was working well, I was making money, I was advancing in my career, and it really did take a while to separate
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:20.470 Matt Paddock: where I had come from with where I was going.
00:02:20.770 --> 00:02:32.519 Mira Brancu: Yeah, so tell me more about that. How did you make meaning from that? And, were there sort of, like, aha insights about
00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:36.890 Mira Brancu: how the two connect in your mind.
00:02:37.220 --> 00:02:44.810 Matt Paddock: Sure. Yeah, I think a fundamental part of my career story is… is actually the…
00:02:44.940 --> 00:02:57.630 Matt Paddock: example that I had, which this is true, I think, of most people, my parents were entrepreneurs. They… my grandparents were in business for themselves, and so I had no…
00:02:57.630 --> 00:03:08.390 Matt Paddock: real paradigm for going to work. I never really had that model in my mind, and my parents, of course, thinking about me going into business as a musician.
00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:14.849 Matt Paddock: were like, that's fine, that makes total sense, because they had done that for themselves. And when I…
00:03:15.110 --> 00:03:22.610 Matt Paddock: Started going to an office and doing a, you know, 8 to 6, 9 to 5, whatever we're calling it now, job.
00:03:23.320 --> 00:03:39.019 Matt Paddock: there was just no… there was no frame of reference. You know, I'd never seen my parents do that, I didn't really have an understanding of what it meant to do that, so I was… I was honestly just going day to day, and
00:03:39.190 --> 00:03:48.620 Matt Paddock: I… I had massive imposter syndrome, and I can remember sitting in what was my first, kind of, real job in recruiting.
00:03:48.820 --> 00:03:58.150 Matt Paddock: And I was objectively doing well, but I was literally thinking, someone is gonna walk in and escort me out of the building because they've discovered that I'm…
00:03:58.160 --> 00:04:14.879 Matt Paddock: I'm actually a musician and not a recruiter. And it was just… it was a palpable thing. So, the meaning in it, again, I think came from the affirmation of feedback at work, of, you know, money in the bank, and the realization that
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:27.290 Matt Paddock: It was not only possible to do something else, to make money doing something other than playing saxophone, but there really was opportunity, there was advancement and fulfillment that way.
00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:32.540 Mira Brancu: Yeah, so interesting. Both kind of the,
00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:48.849 Mira Brancu: like, what you experienced as the transition, but also something we don't think about, the actual, like, traditional work environment. I don't even know that there's any traditional anymore, but, like, up until this point, the traditional work environment
00:04:48.850 --> 00:04:54.820 Mira Brancu: Was not necessarily, like, a normal thing for all people, and that includes musicians, so…
00:04:54.860 --> 00:05:00.300 Mira Brancu: I'm curious, then, Over the years.
00:05:00.970 --> 00:05:09.359 Mira Brancu: Have you seen any connections between, what you learned in the arts and music and music composition?
00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:14.259 Mira Brancu: And how it might translate to the business world and talent acquisition.
00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:30.940 Matt Paddock: Sure. I think one piece that I would point to is just creativity in general, and I work now in a creative industry, so it's not a controversial statement. Everyone who works in marketing and advertising
00:05:31.760 --> 00:05:35.330 Matt Paddock: Fancies himself at least creative-adjacent, right?
00:05:35.470 --> 00:05:39.610 Matt Paddock: But at the time, going into an office, wearing a suit.
00:05:39.900 --> 00:05:47.709 Matt Paddock: in sales, essentially, because that's what I was doing, was recruiting and staffing sales at the time.
00:05:48.400 --> 00:05:59.590 Matt Paddock: there wasn't… there was just a glimmer, and I think the glimmer was mostly in tech, and that, for me, has been one of the areas that I've been drawn to.
00:05:59.700 --> 00:06:07.080 Matt Paddock: Because there was a sense of possibility, of, we're making this up as we go.
00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:12.100 Matt Paddock: so early on, I got an opportunity to do some tech recruiting, and
00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:24.289 Matt Paddock: They weren't my people in the sense of musicians and artists, but there was a real similarity in terms of people that were inventive, that were…
00:06:24.290 --> 00:06:34.299 Matt Paddock: I think creative, and I, again, I think any developer, software developer, or tech person, especially now with AI, I think we've come…
00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:39.240 Matt Paddock: All the way to where, you know, the technology layer is just…
00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:44.209 Matt Paddock: this, catalyst, I think, for creativity.
00:06:44.330 --> 00:06:58.720 Matt Paddock: back then, it was a little harder to see the connection, but I did feel like I wasn't having to just turn off my creativity. I was problem solving. I think another aspect of
00:06:59.080 --> 00:07:01.890 Matt Paddock: Being a musician, especially, is
00:07:02.790 --> 00:07:13.000 Matt Paddock: I wasn't a solo musician. I was always with people, I was always in a band or a group, and in those settings, relationships are super important.
00:07:13.440 --> 00:07:24.809 Matt Paddock: You know, harmonizing is literally a music term. So, you know, having harmony and being in, sort of, good company, being good company.
00:07:24.820 --> 00:07:34.330 Matt Paddock: I think all of that lent itself to being a person in the workplace that people enjoyed being with, or as a recruiter even.
00:07:34.710 --> 00:07:40.590 Matt Paddock: being compelling, or being able to talk to people and
00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:48.130 Matt Paddock: Again, as we think of ourselves in talent attraction, being able to paint a good picture.
00:07:48.200 --> 00:08:01.240 Matt Paddock: and being an appealing person for candidates. You know, I'll be honest, I can't connect all the dots, but I think the creativity piece is the part that sticks with me as I think back to that time.
00:08:01.390 --> 00:08:20.669 Mira Brancu: Yeah, and I am, thinking about another connection. I don't know if it's right, but I'll put it out there as I think about… especially when I think about jazz, right? Like, within jazz, there's an awful lot of improvisation. You have to know the basic rules in order to improvise well, right? But then you also…
00:08:20.670 --> 00:08:24.540 Mira Brancu: Once you can improvise, you have to be, like.
00:08:24.540 --> 00:08:34.710 Mira Brancu: really attuned to what's happening around you, who's doing what, who's playing what, and can I build on it? Can I expand on it? And there's a bit of,
00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:45.669 Mira Brancu: Constantly being on your toes, and being ready to just adjust. And, in the world of constantly changing
00:08:45.720 --> 00:09:01.809 Mira Brancu: requirements and, pivoting and, finding the right fit for the organization, I could imagine a lot of those skills could also be easily translated, but you let me know if that's accurate or not.
00:09:02.300 --> 00:09:21.580 Matt Paddock: I mean, I love… first of all, I love the jazz analogy. I… I think, just like any other form of music and arts, jazz certainly isn't a monolith, so I know incredible jazz musicians who are also incredibly Type A and very rigid personalities.
00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:35.470 Matt Paddock: I know others who are, you know, very free-flowing and sort of the stereotypical artist. I think a misnomer about jazz is that it is just freeform and anything goes.
00:09:35.640 --> 00:09:41.500 Matt Paddock: You're exactly right, though. It's very much about listening, it's about paying attention, it's about
00:09:41.730 --> 00:09:53.180 Matt Paddock: following changes, and the change management piece is something I do think about a lot, that I just… I see people… I have seen people throughout my career who have struggled
00:09:53.560 --> 00:10:02.189 Matt Paddock: To change, and to your introduction, that's never more apparent than in a career moment, whether it's
00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:19.100 Matt Paddock: a promotion, a new boss, I've lost my job, I don't like my job, and I'm looking for a new job. All of those are change, and then just the normal change, we call it normal, but all of the things that are just coming at us all the time in the workplace.
00:10:19.100 --> 00:10:29.900 Matt Paddock: So, I think if a person isn't resilient and able to change and attuned, which again is kind of a music term, you know, attuned to others around them, it's like.
00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:37.640 Matt Paddock: They're going to struggle, and work, especially, is gonna feel… Truly, like, heavy labor.
00:10:38.070 --> 00:10:49.929 Mira Brancu: Yeah, and before we get into the career storytelling, not to beat this dead horse, but I… I feel like there's just so much meat on this bone, that,
00:10:50.540 --> 00:10:59.500 Mira Brancu: When you think about… The amount of knowledge and preparation and practice
00:10:59.640 --> 00:11:15.700 Mira Brancu: you need to get good at pivoting, to get good at being flexible, to get good at adapting. You need all of the, like, rules, the foundational stuff, to do it well. And so.
00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:33.059 Mira Brancu: When we then talk about, you know, career storytelling, or being able to go on an interview and explain why you had, you know, 10 different switches, or when there's, you know, a layoff, it's really hard to explain
00:11:33.060 --> 00:11:37.969 Mira Brancu: Unless you've done a lot of really foundational work.
00:11:38.010 --> 00:11:43.799 Mira Brancu: to have the language to be able to see the through line, right? And so…
00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:50.359 Mira Brancu: that makes me want to, like, move into the career storytelling piece.
00:11:50.460 --> 00:11:54.889 Mira Brancu: How… we're gonna talk about this most of this… this time together, but
00:11:55.210 --> 00:11:58.249 Mira Brancu: How did you, out of all the things you could do.
00:11:58.360 --> 00:12:05.649 Mira Brancu: and focus on, from your talent acquisition experiences, why career storytelling? Why did you sort of like
00:12:05.890 --> 00:12:07.660 Mira Brancu: Get interested in this piece.
00:12:08.420 --> 00:12:19.579 Matt Paddock: I've been interested in it because, to me, Mira, it's a fundamental in any recruitment conversation, and
00:12:20.060 --> 00:12:28.149 Matt Paddock: I think that we too often think of it as matchmaking, and if anything, AI has made this worse.
00:12:28.150 --> 00:12:40.849 Matt Paddock: where now people are just dropping a job description and their resume into, you know, an LLM, and saying, am I a match for this? Or write my resume in such a way that it's a match for the job.
00:12:40.910 --> 00:12:46.539 Matt Paddock: And those are definitely data points, and we can look at those and make connections.
00:12:47.070 --> 00:12:49.140 Matt Paddock: But at the end of the day.
00:12:49.260 --> 00:12:52.780 Matt Paddock: even if AI is interviewing people.
00:12:53.020 --> 00:13:08.670 Matt Paddock: there is a requirement as a candidate and as a worker that I'm telling my story, that I'm explaining to people, what do I do, where do I come from? It's the beginning of every meeting with new people, you know, we go around, and it's kind of a eye roll, but
00:13:08.760 --> 00:13:15.290 Matt Paddock: there is that icebreaker moment of, tell us about yourself, and some variation on that. And…
00:13:15.470 --> 00:13:23.929 Matt Paddock: And it's interesting to me how some people really can perfect that. It's not something we're just born with, it's something we learn.
00:13:24.410 --> 00:13:27.250 Mira Brancu: Yeah, absolutely. I,
00:13:27.610 --> 00:13:43.140 Mira Brancu: I have lots of questions about the Tell Me About Yourself. So, with that in mind, I'm noticing that we are going into the first ad break, so let's do that first. Then, we'll get into, that
00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:54.630 Mira Brancu: question in particular on why people stumble so much around it. So, we're reaching a brief ad break. You're listening to the Hard Skills with me, Dr. Mara Brancou, and our guest, Matt Paddock.
00:13:54.630 --> 00:14:02.890 Mira Brancu: The Hard Skills is sponsored by Towerscope, my leadership and team development consulting firm. You can learn more about it at gotowerscope.com.
00:14:02.890 --> 00:14:16.639 Mira Brancu: And I also wanted to share that today is the last livestream we'll be doing with the Hard Skills Show, so if you are listening right now, this is your last chance, Tuesday, December 16th, if you are here with us, 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
00:14:16.640 --> 00:14:19.060 Mira Brancu: on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Twitch.
00:14:19.250 --> 00:14:32.819 Mira Brancu: all over the place through talkradio.nyc, and you want to engage with us, leave us a message, ask us a question, this is your chance, your last chance to do that with me. And with that in mind, we'll be back with our guests in just a moment.
00:16:14.950 --> 00:16:32.279 Mira Brancu: Welcome, welcome back to The Hard Skills with me, Mira Brancou, and our guest today, Matt Paddock. So, Matt, you mentioned the infamous what do you do question, which gets us all stumbled, stumbling around, and it got me thinking about three types of people
00:16:32.420 --> 00:16:37.650 Mira Brancu: that I find, find, find this question especially challenging.
00:16:37.760 --> 00:16:52.379 Mira Brancu: I'll name them, but then I have… I want to sort of explore, like, the broader foundational stuff before we get there. The first I'm thinking about is introverts. Boy, this sounds like such a…
00:16:52.700 --> 00:17:07.890 Mira Brancu: like, schmoozy general question, and it… it's exhausting for introverts to get into something they want to get into deeply, and yet answer at a very surface level, you know? And so that's one thing. The second was.
00:17:08.470 --> 00:17:20.079 Mira Brancu: experts. Experts can get too detailed and bore the hell out of everybody, except other experts in their area, and I'm wondering, like, you know,
00:17:20.099 --> 00:17:32.350 Mira Brancu: about your thoughts on that when we get to that. And then also, people who are, multiply talented polymaths, or have a portfolio career where they have, like, 5 jobs.
00:17:32.410 --> 00:17:45.340 Mira Brancu: Hint, hint, like me, and, are constantly trying to, you know, change their LinkedIn profile. I'm talking too much about myself here, because they do too many things, right? And then what is the answer to that question then? So…
00:17:45.530 --> 00:17:51.040 Mira Brancu: Before we take those specifics, though, let me just back up a moment.
00:17:51.120 --> 00:18:05.880 Mira Brancu: When somebody is really good at career storytelling, what is the impact that you have seen in, you know, interviews, or communicating with employees, or in other settings as a talent acquisition person?
00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:17.069 Matt Paddock: Yes, I think the people that do this well are people that others are drawn to. So I mentioned before that
00:18:17.350 --> 00:18:24.699 Matt Paddock: to me, My profession, being a recruiter, is… is always about storytelling.
00:18:24.930 --> 00:18:40.930 Matt Paddock: I think that good managers, good mentors, are people that, whether we realize it or not, are painting a picture. Often in work, we say, oh, that person really has vision, or that person really communicates the mission.
00:18:41.290 --> 00:18:51.240 Matt Paddock: what I think we're really saying is they're great at storytelling, and they're great at helping me understand where we're going. I think that…
00:18:51.980 --> 00:19:01.559 Matt Paddock: the… job seekers… when I'm in an interview, and I can tell that someone is good at storytelling.
00:19:02.040 --> 00:19:10.900 Matt Paddock: it is an effortless conversation. We're… we're… I'm not having to drag The details out of them.
00:19:11.020 --> 00:19:17.199 Matt Paddock: And then to your point, which I know we're gonna get to, I'm also not overwhelmed or bored, because they are just…
00:19:17.310 --> 00:19:21.569 Matt Paddock: You know, on blast, and constantly talking.
00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:23.850 Matt Paddock: Without a real sense of direction.
00:19:24.310 --> 00:19:35.140 Mira Brancu: Absolutely, absolutely. And, the, you know, one immediate thought I have about the impact, because you said it sort of draws people in, is that
00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:44.519 Mira Brancu: humans need sense-making and meaning-making in their lives, right? Like, if we live in constant uncertainty and chaos, it is…
00:19:44.850 --> 00:19:46.719 Mira Brancu: Not pleasant.
00:19:47.070 --> 00:19:51.530 Mira Brancu: And if you have somebody in your life that can make sense of it.
00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:58.829 Mira Brancu: with some through-line, that we're going somewhere and there's a purpose to this. It feels
00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:07.010 Mira Brancu: like a vision. It feels like hope, right? So I'm curious from your perspective, given that, how useful
00:20:07.330 --> 00:20:13.040 Mira Brancu: And why is that so important with, for example, layoffs?
00:20:13.250 --> 00:20:14.480 Mira Brancu: And…
00:20:14.820 --> 00:20:22.579 Mira Brancu: large disruptions, and even navigating AI. I know you talk about, like, the applications. I'm curious how you make that connection.
00:20:23.910 --> 00:20:35.910 Matt Paddock: Well, I think we're in a moment now, and I'll sort of go backwards there, I think we're in a moment where a lot of people in specific areas are wondering
00:20:36.020 --> 00:20:37.960 Matt Paddock: if AI is…
00:20:38.910 --> 00:20:47.810 Matt Paddock: you know, fundamentally replacing parts of their job. And honestly, recruiting is one of the areas I like to say AI's really coming for.
00:20:48.420 --> 00:21:05.980 Matt Paddock: So many of the demos, we're seeing the idea of, like, you know, put 5 resumes in and tell me how these resumes match this job description. We're seeing a lot of tools that are assessing people. We're seeing people that are using AI tools to write better resumes.
00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:09.170 Matt Paddock: and all kinds of other applications. So…
00:21:09.290 --> 00:21:28.750 Matt Paddock: the story there is about how I'm relevant in 3 to 5 years, maybe 2 to 3 years, when AI is not just available, but maybe dominant, and maybe just woven into so much of what I'm doing.
00:21:28.890 --> 00:21:32.690 Matt Paddock: Obviously, designers, musicians, writers.
00:21:32.760 --> 00:21:49.140 Matt Paddock: strategists, analysts, finance people. I mean, one of my colleagues, or friends that I play music with here, his son is an underwater welder, and we were joking, that's… that's a job that AI's not taking, but…
00:21:49.140 --> 00:21:49.460 Mira Brancu: Yeah.
00:21:49.460 --> 00:21:59.280 Matt Paddock: You know, the amount of jobs like that that we know are just AI-proof in some way, it seems like it's getting smaller and smaller, right?
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:16.050 Matt Paddock: And in a workplace setting, when change comes, the same thing happens. It kind of starts at the edge, and then eventually it's just everywhere, and people's ability to get on board with it and understand how they fit in this new structure, whether it's a reorg or
00:22:16.050 --> 00:22:24.410 Matt Paddock: Some software system is being overhauled and replaced, a new manager, you know, many, many things can prompt that.
00:22:24.520 --> 00:22:39.679 Matt Paddock: But those are… and layoff, to hit the last one you mentioned, I mean, that's a huge moment of reckoning where I think very few people, day one after a layoff, are like, cool, I know what to do now.
00:22:40.290 --> 00:22:40.980 Mira Brancu: Yeah.
00:22:41.330 --> 00:22:51.040 Mira Brancu: I just had a kind of a realization as you were talking about what has been one of the most consistent things across,
00:22:51.310 --> 00:23:04.530 Mira Brancu: you know, human species, regardless of the many, many technological changes that we've gone through as a species. Storytelling. From the very beginning, storytelling.
00:23:04.530 --> 00:23:05.660 Matt Paddock: Painting on rock.
00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:07.450 Mira Brancu: going, right?
00:23:08.180 --> 00:23:13.760 Mira Brancu: big light bulb moment for me here. Okay, so…
00:23:14.080 --> 00:23:21.200 Mira Brancu: With that in mind, going back to, like, the people who might have some challenges with this.
00:23:21.410 --> 00:23:31.650 Mira Brancu: let's explore, experts, introverts, you know, multi-talented, multi-interested, people. What
00:23:31.810 --> 00:23:36.299 Mira Brancu: Are your thoughts, your recommendations for how they can
00:23:36.550 --> 00:23:44.390 Mira Brancu: Reframe this, or view this, or find a way to, step into this career storytelling skill set.
00:23:45.620 --> 00:23:51.800 Matt Paddock: Yes, I mean, introvert is a tough one. It's, it's, it's my opposite
00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:58.569 Matt Paddock: style, and what I… what I think of with introverts is…
00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:09.419 Matt Paddock: the mistake, I think, that extroverts make in assuming that because someone doesn't say a lot, that they… they don't have a lot
00:24:09.820 --> 00:24:24.459 Matt Paddock: going for them, or they're not thinking a lot, or they don't have incredible expertise to share. So, you know, in a normal workplace setting, I think the challenge for all of us, but especially extroverts, is how to find ways
00:24:25.360 --> 00:24:39.810 Matt Paddock: to make introverts comfortable enough to share what they know. And anyone who has an introvert friend or colleague has figured out they're brilliant, they have a lot on their mind.
00:24:39.810 --> 00:24:55.250 Matt Paddock: And it's just finding the right way to share it. And it's also recognizing that sharing, to some degree, and in certain settings, is really draining for introverts, where it, you know, in the case of an extrovert, it really charges their batteries.
00:24:55.330 --> 00:24:58.410 Matt Paddock: So… I think the introvert
00:24:58.910 --> 00:25:18.839 Matt Paddock: honestly is more likely to rehearse, think through the story that they're gonna tell, really take the time, craft it, practice it, and one thing they probably won't do is they won't overload. They won't be guilty of, you know, 100 words or 10 words would do.
00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:24.909 Matt Paddock: They may get nervous, but their nervous kind of looks like withdrawn, not over-talking.
00:25:25.040 --> 00:25:28.919 Matt Paddock: The experts, to the second one that you mentioned.
00:25:29.130 --> 00:25:34.510 Matt Paddock: Not that they're necessarily all extroverts, but there's a certain…
00:25:34.510 --> 00:25:43.680 Mira Brancu: affect, and I don't know what it is, but when someone becomes an expert, they suddenly feel entitled to spread that expertise around.
00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:56.560 Matt Paddock: And it can be abrasive, and it's about understanding what the situation needs. And I would say, in the storytelling vein, it comes down to…
00:25:56.560 --> 00:26:12.029 Matt Paddock: the type of stories that we tell in certain settings, right? Like, stories that we would tell a child versus stories that we would tell an adult. Stories that we would tell around a campfire when somebody says, tell a spooky story, or…
00:26:12.030 --> 00:26:21.550 Matt Paddock: stories about holidays and festive events. So, we all have the context, and I think what happens with experts is…
00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:26.700 Matt Paddock: They don't think about the context, they just think about what they want to share.
00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:27.180 Mira Brancu: Hmm.
00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:40.560 Matt Paddock: And frankly, anyone who's ever had a child understands this. My kids have been experts in my life together with them, where all they want to talk about is boats, or tanks, or elephants.
00:26:40.580 --> 00:26:50.870 Matt Paddock: And, like, that's an example of an expert who has kind of lost the context and is just non-stop talking about whatever they have learned to the nth degree.
00:26:51.990 --> 00:27:01.700 Mira Brancu: Yeah, before we get to the third, I just want to sort of, like, extract, you know, one kind of insight as you're describing these two, is,
00:27:01.990 --> 00:27:17.929 Mira Brancu: that they're not thinking about what the audience needs of them, they're only thinking what they feel about that situation and that question. And, you know, for introverts, it's more like, ugh, this stupid question again. I, you know, I don't even want to get into it, because
00:27:18.300 --> 00:27:29.119 Mira Brancu: I'm not going to be able to, you know, have a meaningful conversation, right? Or whatever assumption they're making about engaging in the response to that question. Rather than thinking.
00:27:29.170 --> 00:27:37.600 Mira Brancu: boy, what would be useful to the person in front of me to know about me, right? Yeah. And
00:27:37.610 --> 00:27:45.759 Mira Brancu: how can I create that connection that would feed me as much as them, right? And then with the expert, it's the same thing, like, rather than
00:27:45.760 --> 00:27:59.750 Mira Brancu: What are all the things I'm interested in that I would love to talk about? What are they interested in that they would love to hear from me about because of this context, right? Yeah. So, tell me about the last one, the multi-interested… Yeah. …say a lot of things about a lot of things.
00:27:59.750 --> 00:28:17.969 Matt Paddock: I mean, I think that polymath and the person with many interests, it's very similar to the expert. It's about that context and that filter. And for me, and I would just say, you know, I'm interested in a lot of things, and since this career switch we talked about.
00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:38.350 Matt Paddock: if someone wants to talk about music, I'm always excited to talk about music, but I need to know that they're interested in that conversation, so I'm not putting that out there, I'm not leading with that, and I'm also not leading with, hey, I'm about these 5 things. I probably need to find the one thing that's most appropriate for the audience and the timing.
00:28:39.040 --> 00:28:41.570 Mira Brancu: Yet again, we are going back to…
00:28:41.580 --> 00:28:59.689 Mira Brancu: listening to, just like in music, what does the other person or people on the team or in this environment do? What are they doing? What are they asking of me, or where I can connect? And just offer the connection piece instead of
00:28:59.840 --> 00:29:14.269 Mira Brancu: going off into a completely different ballad. Yes. Alright, so we're reaching another ad break. You're listening to the Hard Skills with me, Dr. Mira Brancou, and our guest today, Matt Paddock. We will be right back in just a moment.
00:30:45.810 --> 00:31:04.100 Mira Brancu: Welcome, welcome back to The Hard Skills with Matt Paddock today, talking about career storytelling, and I'd love to do, a deeper dive into some of these scenarios and contexts where it comes in handy, and one of the first things that you mentioned was around layoffs.
00:31:04.210 --> 00:31:09.120 Mira Brancu: you've been on both sides of this, right? You've been on the side of, like.
00:31:09.290 --> 00:31:28.270 Mira Brancu: hard decision-making by the organization for mass layoffs, and we've got, people on… and your experience with being laid off, and I would love to hear from both sides, where does career storytelling come in? How can it be useful?
00:31:29.080 --> 00:31:34.689 Matt Paddock: Yes, thanks for the question. I think, from personal experience.
00:31:34.940 --> 00:31:43.190 Matt Paddock: I dealt with this a few years ago, and one of the things that was really helpful for me
00:31:43.270 --> 00:32:02.829 Matt Paddock: what… just to paint the picture, laid off, unexpected, out in the workforce, and honestly not options lined up. Was not actively looking for a job. And, of course, the normal job seeker activity is important.
00:32:03.110 --> 00:32:09.089 Matt Paddock: But after I did find a job, what I realized is some of the most important
00:32:10.100 --> 00:32:13.700 Matt Paddock: actions I took were connecting with people.
00:32:14.370 --> 00:32:18.359 Matt Paddock: Talking to them about what was going on with me.
00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:25.239 Matt Paddock: And honestly, hearing them kind of play back to me, how they saw me, which…
00:32:25.350 --> 00:32:30.440 Matt Paddock: Which is… is really powerful. Like, I'm emotional thinking about it, because…
00:32:30.780 --> 00:32:38.570 Matt Paddock: You know, the overriding sentiment, at least for me, was, like, complete despair and panic.
00:32:38.750 --> 00:32:45.849 Matt Paddock: And just having people say to me, like, well, hey, you're gonna find something
00:32:46.020 --> 00:32:59.780 Matt Paddock: like this, or people are gonna want you because of this. And it's interesting, that's something that I would encourage everyone to do before you get laid off, particularly.
00:32:59.780 --> 00:33:19.649 Matt Paddock: is to find people that know you, maybe not people that know you with, like, a strong bias, right? Like, your family, your parents, you know, your children, they're always gonna probably see you in a way that is just different. So, I think in a professional setting.
00:33:19.790 --> 00:33:34.050 Matt Paddock: it's just important to have people who understand your value, and if you ever sort of lose that thread or need clarification, it's really great. And I think, you know, sometimes networking, most times, I think, is vastly underrated.
00:33:34.110 --> 00:33:40.389 Matt Paddock: And I think that's one of the things that networking does for you, is it kind of reminds you who you are, because these people
00:33:40.530 --> 00:33:46.000 Matt Paddock: act as kind of mirrors for you. So that's… that's a big piece of it that I… I found.
00:33:46.230 --> 00:33:50.950 Matt Paddock: I think that the importance of storytelling, to just answer the question is.
00:33:51.280 --> 00:34:05.700 Matt Paddock: You know, one of the first experiences I had, I was in staffing, and I was a recruiter, and we were sent to a mass layoff at a textile company. I won't name them.
00:34:05.820 --> 00:34:20.049 Matt Paddock: But, they were closing their, plant. And so, literally, these were, like, people sewing clothes. And this was in the United States, and…
00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:26.690 Matt Paddock: And that, in some cases, was all they had done for 20, you know, 30 years.
00:34:26.690 --> 00:34:28.469 Mira Brancu: You know, fast forward.
00:34:28.469 --> 00:34:41.789 Matt Paddock: probably 10 plus years into my career, I did mass layoffs at a printing plant for a company that I worked for at the time that was going through a major shift from print to digital.
00:34:41.790 --> 00:34:49.710 Matt Paddock: And again, you had people that had worked on a printing press for 20 to 30 years, and were having to reconcile
00:34:49.770 --> 00:35:04.160 Matt Paddock: what does my career look like in a digital age, or with the seamstress, like, what does my career look like when there's no sewing work to be done, you know, for major textile companies in the United States? So.
00:35:04.250 --> 00:35:13.769 Matt Paddock: you, at that point, I think, have to get really clear on crafting a new story, because the old story just does not… it doesn't play anymore.
00:35:14.360 --> 00:35:18.330 Mira Brancu: Yeah. What, what works?
00:35:18.650 --> 00:35:20.449 Mira Brancu: To be able to…
00:35:20.790 --> 00:35:33.179 Mira Brancu: process that kind of loss, or… I mean, there's a loss of job, but also identity, after 20 to 30 years of doing that, in order to feel like you have
00:35:33.550 --> 00:35:39.600 Mira Brancu: Something that feels… Like it's propelling you or moving you forward.
00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:49.430 Matt Paddock: Yeah, I think it's about identifying basic… values… basic…
00:35:49.980 --> 00:35:56.460 Matt Paddock: skill sets, and those skill sets, I mean, maybe in line with what we talk about here.
00:35:56.680 --> 00:36:08.649 Matt Paddock: It's not sewing anymore, it's not printing anymore, but if we think… if we step back and say, what's my work ethic like? Am I good with people?
00:36:08.770 --> 00:36:27.839 Matt Paddock: Am I a good communicator? Am I good at conflict management? There suddenly can be, like, a whole list of things that we never really think about, because we're just kind of immersed in them day to day. And a counterexample to layoff is, I've volunteered for military outplacement.
00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:40.770 Matt Paddock: And it's interesting talking to people who are in their 20- to 30-year military career, but about to go into civilian careers. They have exactly the same challenge of, how do I now translate
00:36:40.770 --> 00:36:56.479 Matt Paddock: this aspect of what I was doing, which is so dissimilar to anything in civilian life, and it… you've just got to break it down to those fundamental pieces. Once you do break it down, I think you can start building up a new story about how you're going to contribute in
00:36:56.500 --> 00:36:57.920 Matt Paddock: A new workplace.
00:36:58.320 --> 00:37:03.219 Mira Brancu: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I mean, some of the things that I'm thinking about is
00:37:03.420 --> 00:37:12.639 Mira Brancu: those are, like, translatable skills. A lot of people are not able to extract. What translatable skills do I have? Because they're thinking much more in the…
00:37:12.790 --> 00:37:31.740 Mira Brancu: content of their job, rather than the process of what it took to do their job, right? And asking other people to provide you with input from the outside, what do they hear, does help you access that. So, if you were to sort of start getting better at
00:37:32.230 --> 00:37:44.310 Mira Brancu: storytelling around your career, I could imagine some of those things are trying to think about what are the translatable skills, if I can't access it, who can help me access that information?
00:37:44.310 --> 00:37:55.860 Mira Brancu: You know, we, there's a lot to be said about doing informal 360s. Often, a 360-degree feedback assessment, for those who are not familiar, is
00:37:55.860 --> 00:38:11.349 Mira Brancu: basically asking, your superiors or supervisors, your peers, and your direct reports to give you feedback about how you're doing, but you don't have to have that formal process in place to do a 360. You can ask people
00:38:11.390 --> 00:38:18.739 Mira Brancu: who know you in lots of different contexts and roles outside of work, inside of work. Can you tell me a few
00:38:18.900 --> 00:38:38.609 Mira Brancu: ways that you see, strengths that I have that maybe I don't realize. Can you, provide me some insights into, like, what three words come up when you think of me, or what you admire about me that I wouldn't even realize, or something like that that helps you access some of those skills. The other thing that you,
00:38:38.830 --> 00:38:44.420 Mira Brancu: made me realize about, the, like, being
00:38:44.540 --> 00:38:54.380 Mira Brancu: In a situation where either you're, interviewing or you're talking with somebody about what you do, is that
00:38:54.790 --> 00:39:09.739 Mira Brancu: We do have a tendency, most of us have a tendency, to just list in bullet points the way our resume is listed in bullet points about the, again, the content, which is super boring for most people, instead of…
00:39:11.030 --> 00:39:27.620 Mira Brancu: you know, like, the journey you took to get here, and the insights you gained, and where you imagine yourself going. So if you do networking after you've been laid off, and… which is critical, I agree with you, being able to say, you know,
00:39:27.620 --> 00:39:46.750 Mira Brancu: I'm not exactly sure what I'm seeking, but here's… I can share with you what I've learned about myself, and what I'm excited about, and what drives me, you know, or, you know, what I know I love to do, regardless of role, regardless of job, right? Like, that starts getting at that storytelling skill set.
00:39:46.960 --> 00:39:48.180 Matt Paddock: Yes, it does.
00:39:48.180 --> 00:39:49.830 Mira Brancu: Others that you would add to that?
00:39:50.130 --> 00:39:56.780 Matt Paddock: Yes, I think you touched on a really important piece, Mira, which is the number one
00:39:57.780 --> 00:40:13.679 Matt Paddock: piece of feedback that I give almost everyone when I'm reviewing resumes is, stop telling me the functional parts of your job. Like, really, stop listing out what you did. Instead, talk about the impact that you had.
00:40:13.910 --> 00:40:20.080 Matt Paddock: And it seems subtle, but it's really not, because it's… it's all about…
00:40:20.370 --> 00:40:24.169 Matt Paddock: The… the difference that someone makes
00:40:24.790 --> 00:40:37.609 Matt Paddock: in the workplace, to their colleagues, to the company, could be making money, could be saving money, saving time, could just be connecting people and facilitation. But when
00:40:37.960 --> 00:40:46.219 Matt Paddock: when people Shift their thinking and try to write a resume in that way.
00:40:46.470 --> 00:41:05.090 Matt Paddock: it makes for a much better script in terms of storytelling. In other words, to your point, I mean, the people that show up and just read down the resume, like it's a PowerPoint slide, in answer to the question of, you know, tell me about your work as a podcaster.
00:41:05.220 --> 00:41:23.240 Matt Paddock: It's not… it's not interesting, it's not compelling, it doesn't… it paints a picture of someone who's on automatic and has not done a lot of reflection into, again, like, the value that they add and the impact that they're making.
00:41:24.130 --> 00:41:33.139 Mira Brancu: Absolutely, absolutely. Before I get to my next question, I just want to comment that we have, our engineers in the background, and they're tracking
00:41:33.140 --> 00:41:49.380 Mira Brancu: you know, who is listening live right now, and we have a good group of live listeners today, so if you all have questions, comments, additions, please add them. We would be happy to bring them into the discussion today. Or additions, things we're missing, right?
00:41:49.380 --> 00:41:59.180 Mira Brancu: Okay, so we talked about AI impact, we talked about… and our, you know, what does this mean for me, identity-wise? We talked about layoffs, and what does this mean for me, identity-wise?
00:41:59.310 --> 00:42:02.340 Mira Brancu: Succession planning is another area
00:42:02.680 --> 00:42:12.259 Mira Brancu: Where I think you have some thoughts about the connection with storytelling, and I'd love to hear what is that connection for you with succession planning?
00:42:12.730 --> 00:42:16.660 Matt Paddock: Yeah, I think that the succession planning
00:42:17.030 --> 00:42:26.860 Matt Paddock: conversation, having done it in sort of a black box, meaning we would get together in a room with executives and talk about people and their readiness to move.
00:42:27.370 --> 00:42:30.920 Matt Paddock: that it… I think realizing that
00:42:31.040 --> 00:42:47.470 Matt Paddock: for people is, do I want someone else telling my story, and what is their version of that? So, you know, with a manager, how would my manager represent my readiness to move, or to take on new responsibilities?
00:42:47.490 --> 00:43:02.820 Matt Paddock: And I think the key to succession, and really to growth, because what we're talking about is people feeling stuck, feeling pigeonholed, wanting promotion, feeling like they deserve a promotion, and yet they're not really…
00:43:03.210 --> 00:43:16.550 Matt Paddock: doing all they could to paint the picture to the people that need to understand that. And again, in essence, your manager is going to be the person who's telling your story when it comes to promotion.
00:43:17.450 --> 00:43:23.510 Mira Brancu: Mmm, say more about, prepping your manager to be able to do that.
00:43:23.940 --> 00:43:35.310 Matt Paddock: Well, I think it's managing up, first and foremost. I think it's back to that 360, where, you know, if you're in a situation where you're not having
00:43:36.550 --> 00:43:43.200 Matt Paddock: fairly regular one-on-ones with the manager. If you're not getting a regular review, at least annual.
00:43:43.200 --> 00:43:57.829 Matt Paddock: that's a real problem, because, again, that person most likely is just looking at your day-to-day output, and is looking at you very tactically, and it's important, I think, to understand and have a real good two-way conversation about
00:43:58.010 --> 00:44:01.680 Matt Paddock: Your upside, your areas for growth, what…
00:44:01.880 --> 00:44:06.200 Matt Paddock: Could be your next step in future opportunities at a company.
00:44:06.400 --> 00:44:22.100 Mira Brancu: Absolutely, absolutely. I'm gonna get back to more of that when we come back from the ad break, but we are reaching ad break, so we do need to take it. You're listening to The Hard Skills with me, Mira Brancou, and our guest today, Matt Paddock, and we'll be back in just a moment.
00:45:54.550 --> 00:45:58.190 Mira Brancu: Welcome, welcome back to The Hard Skills with Matt Paddock.
00:45:58.340 --> 00:46:10.180 Mira Brancu: So, one of the things that you had me reflecting on, Matt, is The difference between somebody…
00:46:10.430 --> 00:46:15.310 Mira Brancu: Who is meeting regularly with their manager and sharing
00:46:15.810 --> 00:46:20.520 Mira Brancu: Just what progress they've made with their projects.
00:46:21.180 --> 00:46:31.970 Mira Brancu: Versus somebody who's… Taking a much more proactive, agentic, strategic approach to the conversations where it's…
00:46:32.620 --> 00:46:42.609 Mira Brancu: Hey, I did this and this, and here's what I realized. I love doing training. Can I have more opportunities to do training? Or, I really miss…
00:46:42.830 --> 00:46:51.459 Mira Brancu: doing this thing that I did last year, and I no longer get to do it, but it was so energizing for me. Are there other opportunities? Or…
00:46:51.460 --> 00:47:04.959 Mira Brancu: I realized I have this gap in budget management, and I know that future, you know, in the future, if I want to be a leader, I need to know that, are there opportunities that you can help me get to with that?
00:47:05.330 --> 00:47:09.170 Mira Brancu: And that is a strategic conversation, not a, I did this, this, and this.
00:47:09.490 --> 00:47:15.630 Mira Brancu: Conversation, which is much more like performance appraisal-based, but it's not moving you forward.
00:47:16.580 --> 00:47:31.989 Matt Paddock: Yeah, yeah, no, I think that's dead on. I mean, I think that periodically, it's not going to be an every-week type of conversation, but I think that once the basic task updates and project updates are complete.
00:47:32.050 --> 00:47:41.069 Matt Paddock: it is important, I think, for everyone to check in with their manager on, just as you said, not just how am I doing, but
00:47:41.090 --> 00:47:51.400 Matt Paddock: to lead the way and say, you know, when I did this, I really enjoyed that. If you see opportunities for me to do more of that kind of work, please let me know. And…
00:47:51.400 --> 00:48:08.029 Matt Paddock: I think, especially in larger organizations, and sometimes smaller ones where people can wear more hats, there are real opportunities to get connected to work, make lateral moves, try, you know, a project with a different team, or get engaged with another manager.
00:48:08.190 --> 00:48:11.819 Matt Paddock: I think the best organizations are giving people opportunities
00:48:11.920 --> 00:48:29.619 Matt Paddock: And out of those opportunities come growth, and I think that all becomes part of the story, is, you know, being given different opportunities at work, and again, some of them work out great, some of them, it's like, well, now I know what I don't want to do. That's also part of the story, too.
00:48:29.910 --> 00:48:46.160 Mira Brancu: That's right, yeah, beautiful. We do have a comment from YouTube, a question for you, Matt. With AI being so prominent in the hiring process now, do you have any advice on how to make a resume stand out more when being reviewed? Great question.
00:48:46.160 --> 00:48:53.789 Matt Paddock: Yes, I absolutely do, and it goes back to what I said, that what AI does incredibly well right now is
00:48:54.090 --> 00:49:09.109 Matt Paddock: pattern matching, and it will write you an incredible resume based on a job description. It will write you an incredible resume based on other resumes. What it is not able to tap into, though.
00:49:09.110 --> 00:49:28.319 Matt Paddock: is the unique experiences and the differentiators that you brought to the workplace. So, it's going to create a list of detailed points. It's going to look great, and it's going to seem really thorough, but what's so often missing in
00:49:28.460 --> 00:49:44.409 Matt Paddock: I think powerful resumes, and I would extend this to anything, people who have personal websites, who have creative portfolios, it's understanding the thought and the impact that you had in the workplace, and that you had on other people, and
00:49:44.560 --> 00:49:58.459 Matt Paddock: again, maybe there's a world where you feed… you write that up and you feed it into AI, but at that point, you could have just written your own resume. So, I think what AI… there's a number of things that it does extremely well
00:49:58.530 --> 00:50:01.199 Matt Paddock: And I would certainly encourage you to have
00:50:01.220 --> 00:50:11.229 Matt Paddock: AI write your resume in relation to a job description, but then go in and make sure that you take a sweep of that as a human.
00:50:11.230 --> 00:50:27.110 Matt Paddock: To ensure that it reflects the real things that you did, and the differences that you made that you want someone to know that are really essential to you, and again, your experience as a worker.
00:50:27.480 --> 00:50:41.929 Mira Brancu: Yeah, and I would add, a couple of things to that. One is just an experience I had with a client recently that I've been working with around career development and sort of pivoting next steps, and
00:50:42.190 --> 00:50:58.609 Mira Brancu: yes, she probably used, you know, some AI support to be able to make this gorgeous, perfect connection, you know, between everything. However, the thing that struck me, I'm like, this is powerful right here, and AI would never have been able to do it
00:50:58.860 --> 00:51:05.189 Mira Brancu: is the storytelling that you brought up, Matt, which is… She recalled a time
00:51:05.370 --> 00:51:09.429 Mira Brancu: When she first started out her career within that industry.
00:51:09.600 --> 00:51:23.530 Mira Brancu: And what she learned from that. And the… the deep sort of feeling, connection, passion, you felt that right away through what she wrote in her cover letter, and… or you could put it on a resume or whatever.
00:51:23.740 --> 00:51:30.809 Mira Brancu: that already, I know, will make her stand out. Like, this is important to me because…
00:51:31.250 --> 00:51:31.600 Matt Paddock: Yeah.
00:51:31.600 --> 00:51:42.449 Mira Brancu: And then, I, I would say, again, Not to get… Over-caught up in the resume.
00:51:42.820 --> 00:52:00.489 Mira Brancu: Because, as you mentioned, the networking is really important. That's where people make connections with you, get to know you behind a resume, and might feel like, boy, you would be amazing in our culture because of what you mentioned about blah blah blah, and it's really hard to extract that from a resume.
00:52:00.790 --> 00:52:11.170 Matt Paddock: Yeah. No, I totally agree. I mean, I think we're very quickly approaching a point where everyone will use AI to write resumes if that's not already happening. So, to the person who asked the question.
00:52:11.170 --> 00:52:30.500 Matt Paddock: I think that, again, when we're living in that world, which you may be already, where 90-plus percent of people are using AI to write a resume, the differentiator will be that human-to-human connection. It'll be that human expression, you know, to your point, Mira, about someone having an insight that is just uniquely
00:52:30.500 --> 00:52:33.509 Matt Paddock: Unique to them, and maybe uniquely human.
00:52:33.510 --> 00:52:43.389 Matt Paddock: I think those are the things that are gonna… they stand out now, and they're gonna stand out even more when we have just a slew of AI-written resumes.
00:52:43.390 --> 00:53:02.700 Mira Brancu: Yeah. So, now, let's get real practical as we are closing out. If I am somebody who… this just does not come naturally to me, I've never been a storyteller, I don't even think that way. What are some ways to start practicing and improving this skill set?
00:53:03.180 --> 00:53:16.969 Matt Paddock: Yes. I think the first way is something I mentioned earlier about seeking out people who know you, who've worked with you, who, when they think of you, will say things that become
00:53:17.140 --> 00:53:31.929 Matt Paddock: part of that story. And I think also really trying… I said this as well, about the big… the big changes in life, big career changes, layoffs, you know, job pivots or career pivots.
00:53:32.190 --> 00:53:44.950 Matt Paddock: trying to break down what you do into fundamentals. In other words, I, for people who don't understand what I do, talk about myself as a professional matchmaker. I talk about myself as finding people jobs.
00:53:44.950 --> 00:53:53.809 Matt Paddock: And, you know, there are some easy-to-grasp things that are part of whatever you're doing.
00:53:53.810 --> 00:54:05.509 Matt Paddock: that will take something that might otherwise be kind of obscure and hard to understand, and make it easier for people to process. And you said this, Mira, and I really think it's dead on.
00:54:05.550 --> 00:54:24.540 Matt Paddock: it's less about crafting the perfect story, and then we're done, and it's one size fits all. It's really about understanding, how do I tell my story to this audience? And I'll go back to the transitioning military folks. When they talk to other military people.
00:54:24.800 --> 00:54:44.259 Matt Paddock: they understand each other perfectly well. It's when they're talking to people in the civilian sector that suddenly all the acronyms and the jargon is some… now meaningless. And I think everyone has that. Every little subculture at work, every little discipline or profession has that.
00:54:44.290 --> 00:54:46.020 Matt Paddock: And it's understanding
00:54:46.240 --> 00:55:03.289 Matt Paddock: okay, we've got to strip that sort of jargon and that specialty language out, again, down to something that literally at the, you know, the holiday table when I'm talking to my, you know, aunt or uncle, I can express it in a way that they will understand without any special context.
00:55:03.480 --> 00:55:16.070 Mira Brancu: I completely agree. Jargon, acronyms, things that are within our industry, things that were… came from our traditional professional training, are all
00:55:16.230 --> 00:55:26.490 Mira Brancu: great to connect with the people within our profession, and terrible in terms of connection with anybody else. It creates divides.
00:55:26.490 --> 00:55:28.149 Matt Paddock: Yeah. Create silos.
00:55:28.260 --> 00:55:30.610 Mira Brancu: And so the more you can just…
00:55:30.790 --> 00:55:41.670 Mira Brancu: sort of identify what are those things that create the divide between me and somebody else, and instead, what is a simple way to explain what I do.
00:55:41.840 --> 00:55:47.690 Mira Brancu: the better. And, for those of you who are
00:55:48.110 --> 00:56:02.080 Mira Brancu: you know, feeling like, oh, I have to be an inspiration. No, you don't have to be an inspiration. You don't have to be an inspirational storyteller. You don't have to, like, get on stages and be, like, you know,
00:56:02.420 --> 00:56:07.780 Mira Brancu: you know, Mel Robbins or anything, you know, and it's…
00:56:08.940 --> 00:56:16.680 Mira Brancu: Finding ways that this comes naturally to you, right, as a person. And,
00:56:16.840 --> 00:56:22.110 Mira Brancu: I will, you know, share that for me, What that has meant is…
00:56:23.370 --> 00:56:27.040 Mira Brancu: In order to get good at translating, which was what this is.
00:56:27.320 --> 00:56:34.089 Mira Brancu: I have paid very close attention to what causes people to ask more questions.
00:56:34.430 --> 00:56:35.479 Matt Paddock: And lead it.
00:56:35.650 --> 00:56:51.239 Mira Brancu: And the moment I see them asking more questions and leaning in, that tells me, write this down, Mira, because that's part of your story, because people love it, and are interested, and if I see them getting bored, don't include that, Mira. Nobody's interested.
00:56:51.240 --> 00:57:02.439 Matt Paddock: It's… that's a really uncomfortable truth, and I say this to people about resumes, that you are earning people's time one line at a time.
00:57:02.440 --> 00:57:14.479 Matt Paddock: that idea that, oh, well, you know, this is this great thing in the middle of the resume, well, guess what? They're not going to get there, because the top of the resume is just a list of keywords, and…
00:57:14.650 --> 00:57:20.460 Matt Paddock: The same is true with cover letters, the same is true in conversations, and we all know this.
00:57:20.470 --> 00:57:33.990 Matt Paddock: from socializing. If we're out at a party, and we start talking, and there's, like, an extended silence, and then we just kind of fade away from the other person. To your point, I mean, that's a failed communication.
00:57:33.990 --> 00:57:41.550 Matt Paddock: And there was no connection made. And I think in storytelling, it is about earning that attention.
00:57:41.550 --> 00:57:50.279 Matt Paddock: And it doesn't have to be dramatic, you don't have to be an extrovert to do it. It's really about something that's authentic.
00:57:50.280 --> 00:58:02.839 Matt Paddock: that's well articulated and clear, free of jargon and buzzwords, and very ownable, something that when I do lean in and say, oh, you mentioned this, Mira, tell me more.
00:58:02.920 --> 00:58:05.680 Matt Paddock: There is more detail to share.
00:58:05.930 --> 00:58:25.139 Mira Brancu: Absolutely. Okay, we are reaching, the close of this. If people want to learn more about your work, how, you know, you can help, where can they learn more about you? And those of you who are watching live, I am sharing one place that you can find, but Matt, for those who are listening, how can they find you?
00:58:25.310 --> 00:58:42.499 Matt Paddock: LinkedIn is a great, great place to be, so I would say that's a perfect starting point, and I definitely connect freely, make time to talk to people there, and it's been an incredible source of connection for me.
00:58:42.730 --> 00:58:58.099 Mira Brancu: Awesome. So, Matt, M-A-T-T, Paddock, P-A-D-D-O-C-K is how you can find him on LinkedIn. And, yeah, you can find us both there. And so, if you've had insights from this episode, and
00:58:58.100 --> 00:59:11.629 Mira Brancu: you, are inspired to do one thing, just one thing differently or new with this storytelling idea. Share it with us on LinkedIn, since we both live there anyway online, and, so that we can cheer you on.
00:59:12.070 --> 00:59:31.409 Mira Brancu: And also share it with us at talkradio.nyc. This podcast is also being livestreamed on and available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, Apple, Spotify, Amazon, all over the place, and it comes, you know, out on audio in a couple of days, so…
00:59:31.580 --> 00:59:36.819 Mira Brancu: Even if you're listening, follow up. You know, track us.
00:59:37.100 --> 00:59:54.610 Mira Brancu: And, I want to mention again that today is the last livestream we'll be doing through TalkRadio.nyc. After today's episode, we are taking a one-month hiatus, and we'll be right back on, the podcasting and YouTubing, stuff January 13th.
00:59:54.940 --> 01:00:03.249 Mira Brancu: And, with a slightly different structure. We will share more about that in the new year, but for now, I just wanted to share a huge
01:00:03.250 --> 01:00:18.769 Mira Brancu: thank you and shout out to the entire talkradio.nyc team, including our engineer, Jessica, our current engineer, Sam, who's been behind the scenes producing the show since the very beginning. We started with TalkRadio.nyc only a couple of months before
01:00:18.870 --> 01:00:36.160 Mira Brancu: after Jessica started, the whole team, including owner and director Sam Leibowitz, was there exactly when I needed them, with this level of support and hand-holding to get me started, and my show would not exist and be the success it is now without them.
01:00:36.660 --> 01:00:47.720 Mira Brancu: Also, a reminder, if today's resonated, today's episode resonated with you, you can share it with a colleague, leave a review, you can contact me through Gotowerscope.com.
01:00:47.950 --> 01:00:49.660 Mira Brancu: And, closing out…
01:00:49.930 --> 01:01:06.599 Mira Brancu: Remember, together, we can navigate these complexities of leadership and emerge stronger on the other side with some of the skills that you learned from Matt today. So thank you for joining me and Matt Paddock today on this journey. This is Dr. Mara Brancou signing off, and until next time…
01:01:06.760 --> 01:01:16.230 Mira Brancu: In the new year, stay steady, stay present, and keep building those hard skills muscles muscles, including, now, career storytelling. Take care, everybody!
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