Client Case Study

FROM FEAR TO EXECUTIVE OWNERSHIP.

Errin arrived in a new city with no network, no job, and the sting of being fired for the first time. She left with a Director of Operations title, a seat on the executive team, and a mindset that no longer bends to her circumstances.

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The Challenge

Errin had just moved to Nashville with no professional network and was searching at the executive level for the first time after being fired from her VP of Operations role. She was willing to take anything just to have a job.

The Shift

She separated her worth from her title, replaced job-board applications with in-person networking, and rebuilt every outreach conversation around how she could serve, not what she needed.

The Outcome

In about four and a half months, Errin landed the Director of Operations role at a growing security and protection services company, joining the executive team with direct access to the CEO.

Olivia Gamber

A Note From The Founder

Olivia Gamber, CEO

I remember when Errin and I first spoke. She had just moved to Nashville, knew no one in the city, and was trying to run an executive-level job search from scratch, in a state where she had zero relationships to lean on.

She was honest with me from the start: she was in a lot of fear, and she was willing to take anything. Not because she lacked ability. She had been a VP of Operations. She had run real teams and real budgets. But she had also just been fired for the first time in her career, and that experience had quietly convinced her that her worth was negotiable.

What struck me was how much of her energy was going into job boards and applications that kept coming back as rejections. She was working hard and getting nowhere, which is its own kind of exhausting. The real work wasn't going to be a better resume. It was going to be helping her separate who she is from what happened to her, and then teaching her a way of building relationships that job boards can't replicate.

This is the story of what happened when she did both.

ARRIVING WITH NOTHING BUT FEAR

Olivia Gamber

I just, I remember when we met, you had just moved to Nashville. You knew no one, you were in a lot of fear because you'd not had to do a job search at an executive level and in a completely new state. And you were honestly, you were willing to take anything when I met you. So like, where's your mindset now? Like, what were the biggest shifts that you saw with the transformation?

Errin

I think talking with you, that first conversation, it was helping me understand my worth. And I was being underutilized, underpaid, but I enjoyed the job I was doing... it took listening to what your message was and getting out of this fear of, you can't keep applying to job boards. Like those, they're not going to work for me. I found a job that way, but it took a very long time in getting multiple rejections.

LEAVING THE PAST IN THE PAST

Errin

...you told me to write down 50 things of why you didn't deserve to be fired. Because I had never been fired before. I couldn't write down 50 things because there weren't 50 things that I felt that I deserve to be fired for it. It was out of my control.

And I had to start writing down those self... had to start looking back on my self doubting beliefs. I think it's what you label Olivia and just reread those on a daily basis.

“My job will not be my identity.”

BUILDING A NETWORK FROM ZERO

Errin

I had never done so much networking in my life in a city that I didn't know anyone in... I had to put myself out there because I understood that networking is very important. Having these connections are very important... And my connections were really only past coworkers. And once I left that job, it was like, see you later.

So going and meeting them and then being invited to other networking events allowed me to meet more people and additional people that then I started to get emails and saying, I know this company is hiring. Let me introduce you to the CEO.

“I wasn't getting those career promoters that introducing me to CEOs and being someone who's like, if it doesn't work out, I know someone else.”

OWNING THE ROLE, NOT JUST TAKING IT

Olivia Gamber

No, I think it's just cool to see you really owning your executive identity. Because when we met, I don't think you were really owning it like that you were an executive. And so it's just awesome to see you and your power and owning your worth. Congratulations.

Errin

Thank you. I think too, you've said it a lot to me, Olivia... Don't think the position is too high for you. The industry may be different. And you'll learn that. But don't think that you shouldn't be in this role because you've never been there before.

I've learned now that the skills that I've learned over the years and how I go about tackling different tasks that are given to me in my work ethic, that's why I deserve to be in a C-suite role... I now have this confidence of, I deserve to be in these roles.

“If you follow the steps and believe in them, good things will happen.”

Ready to Stop Applying?

Errin stopped mass-applying and started building relationships that led directly to a CEO. If you are ready to trade job boards for a real strategy, let's talk.

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Read the full transcript

Olivia: were kind of, honestly, you were willing to take anything when I met you. So like, where's your mindset now? Like, what were the biggest shifts that you saw with, you know, the transformation?

Errin: I

Errin: I think talking with you, that first conversation, it was helping me understand my worth. Um, and I was being underutilized, um, you know, underpaid, but I enjoyed the job I was doing. I

Errin: it took listening to what your message was and, and kind of getting out of this fear of, you know, you can't keep applying to job boards. Like those, they're not going to work for me. I found a job that way, but it took a very long time in getting multiple rejections

Errin: I had to start writing down those self had to start looking back on my, my self doubting beliefs. I think it's, it's kind of what you label Olivia and just reread those, um, on a daily basis. And I'm not going to lie. Some days were tougher than others. It was kind of an up and down experience of emotions of, you know, today was a really good day. I got, you know, outreach done. Um, and then there were days where I haven't heard back from anyone, but I had to kind

Errin: I know what I can do and what I can, uh, accomplish and how I can help this company move forward.

Olivia: just see a really stronger force of, like, just strength in your tone and your, just your, the way you're talking. So congrats. I see it just, like, in front of me.

Errin: if you follow the steps and believe in them, good things will

[Question shown on screen]: How do you feel?

Errin: I'm excited to start with a company that is growing, that I kind of get in on the ground floor to help them grow.

Errin: I will have access to the CEO and they're looking for my opinion. I'm able to talk with them going forward with how the company should make decisions. They're small. So I'm going to be part of their executive team and

Errin: a couple of weeks ago, coach had sent me over, um, an email kind of reconnecting me with the CEO and saying, Hey, I think, you know, if you have something, um, open, cause I know you're looking for a couple of positions, I think Aaron would be great for it.

Errin: you have value. Um, that job wasn't who you are. That was just a small part of, of who Aaron was.

Olivia: when we met, I don't think you were really owning it like that you were an executive. And so it's just awesome to see you and your power and owning your worth. Congratulations.

Errin: Don't think the position is too high for you. The industry may be different. And you'll learn that. But don't think that you shouldn't be in this role because you've never been there before.

Olivia: that I was not going to find something the way I was doing it.

Errin: I just, I really needed the, the rebrand and just the, the, the, the mind shift of just how I think about going about. And that's really opened me up to other things in my life that I want to do. You know, my, the job will not be my identity. And I

Errin: I had never done so much networking in my life in a city that I didn't know anyone in. So I knew going to these networking events, I wasn't going to know anyone, but I had to put myself out there because I understood that networking is very important. Having these connections are very important. And my

Errin: I wasn't getting that before had I not joined career evolved. Um, I, I wasn't getting those career promoters that, you know, introducing me to CEOs

Errin: it can't come from, well, I need a job. You know, can you find me a job? Can you help me find? No, it's cool. Do you know that I can talk with to see how I can help them and how I can serve them? And that's the mindset that I've gone into every kind of outreach that I've had, um, with some of the, the C suites and CEOs.

Errin: Cause I think that's what happened when I went into this interview, they did most of the talking, um, on, you know, what they're looking for and they're growing. I just listened. And then when they asked me specific questions that kind of had them sit back and think, Hmm, that's a, that's a good idea.