How to get unstuck in your career 🤷🏻‍♀️

From retail employee making $7.45/hr to Xbox Content PM at Microsoft

Apr 08, 2025

It continues to be tough out there in the job market. Many of you are applying and trying to network but still not seeing results. Today’s newsletter is jam packed with both quick tips and long-form advice to help you get unstuck. You got this 💪🏻

Resume Rescue has been keeping me busy throughout the rest of the month ~ thanks to those of you who choose to work with me! If you’re looking for more resume support, you’re welcome to book a package starting Apr 28th. Remember, you can always leverage my free templates and resources first.

Let’s start with something funny 💀

Don’t be afraid to ask!

Asking questions opens doors. If you don't ask questions, the door will never be open.

Many times, we stop ourselves from asking for what we want because we fear rejection or embarrassment. No one likes hearing "No," so we avoid asking altogether. But that fear often holds us back—and later, we’re left wondering what could’ve been.

Being told “No” just means you're right back where you started. If you hadn’t asked, nothing would’ve changed anyway (aka the world isn’t ending 🙃)

When you don’t ask, you eliminate the possibility of getting what you want because people may not even be aware of what you want in the first place.

Making the ask creates an opportunity. If someone is too busy to help you, they may still redirect you to someone else!

While you shouldn't expect anything, you can still try your best to make it easy to say "Yes!" by showing up as your best, authentic self and presenting a strong business case *cough* go create a career walking deck *cough*

Personal Example 🌱

At one point, my team had no budget to extend my contract. Feeling a bit disheartened, I reached out to a Sr. Director from another part of the company—someone I’d once had a coffee chat with as an intern. I knew it was a long shot, but when I asked if there might be an opportunity to join her team—she actually said yes. And not only did she offer me a new contract... I ended up getting a raise!

👉🏻 Original Blog Post: Don't Be Afraid to Ask

Note: I am simply sharing my learnings from having 400+ coffee chats all the way up to the C-Suite level. From here, you're empowered to do your own research and make your own decisions! If you want to talk things through, you’re welcome to book a career chat with me.

#WIPWednesday

We’re all a work-in-progress ~ Sometimes, we just need to talk it out and help each other get unstuck. This pay-what-you-want series is for those of you who may not be able to afford expensive career services but would still like some extra support. You are not alone in the struggle!

Last month, I launched my first #WIPWednesday drop-in session where we talked about getting ghosted after interviews, using AI for resumes, how to connect with interviewers, and a bunch more. I plan to share snippets on my LinkedIn every Wednesday in case you missed it!

Our next one is coming up on Wed Apr 23 at 6pm w/ special guest Aleenah Ansari—equal parts storyteller, creative problem solver, and journalist at heart rooted in the stories of people behind products, companies, and initiatives. She’s currently a Customer Story Development Manager at Salesforce who focuses on messaging for web stories and videos. She also writes about travel, entrepreneurship, mental health and wellness, and representation in media for Insider, The Seattle Times, Joysauce, and more. Learn more about her at aleenahansari.com.

I recently spoke on ex-Microsoftee, TJ Walia’s, T-Talks and shared some insights on how to find clarity, build a personal brand, and land a role you actually love. We cover some topics like: How to find your personal philosophy, why your resume doesn’t matter as much as you think, how to use networking to unlock hidden job opportunities, why fear is the real thing holding you back, building your Career Walking Deck, and using AI like Microsoft Copilot to boost your growth. Watch now!

Albert didn’t just land a job at Microsoft. He created one—after years of getting told he didn't have enough experience or the right background. Read about Albert’s career journey from working at Rite-Aid for $7.45/hour to managing global campaigns and storytelling for one of the biggest brands in gaming #Xbox.

#ICYMI ~ LinkedIn Quick Tips 🌟

In the spirit of experimentation, I have introduced an anonymous advice column for you to submit job hunting and career related questions for me to answer in the form of a blog, LinkedIn post, TikTok, etc. Please submit your questions here!

Find out who’s hiring and connect 👀

I continue to re-share job hunting tips and job opportunities from hiring managers and recruiters. There are lots of opportunities out there, so I hope you can find your next one through my LinkedIn Career Community through networking. I only re-share hiring posts that are new (within 48hrs of me seeing them) so you get the latest.

Job hunting resources to bookmark 🌻

→ Career Walking Decks continues to rank #1 on Bing + Google

→ How to find your next job in 3 steps

→ How to handle rejection when job hunting

→ 7 green flags that hiring managers look for in successful candidates

→ Land Your Dream Tech Role: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market

Thank you so much for showing your support for #kkarenism by staying subscribed and making it to the end of this newsletter, which is now being read by 1K+ people every month! Please pay it forward by sharing this with someone who is job hunting or making a career move so we can all grow 1% together 🦋

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