Client Case Study

FROM COLD APPLICATIONS TO CONNECTED.

After four years running his own business, Paul returned to corporate with no network in that world and almost no response to his applications. He rebuilt through relationships and a rediscovered sense of his own value.

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The Challenge

After closing his business, Paul sent out application after application and got about two interviews from the whole process, neither of which turned into an offer.

The Shift

Instead of continuing to figure it out alone, Paul chose to invest in expert guidance, sensing both a strategic blueprint and an identity shift he needed.

The Outcome

Paul landed a corporate role built on rebuilt relationships and referrals from the Career Evolved community, one he treats as a launching point, not a ceiling.

Olivia Gamber

A Note From The Founder

Olivia Gamber, CEO

Paul had run his own business for four years. When it closed, he had to go back to corporate, into a world where his network had quietly disappeared. His relationships were in entrepreneurship. His confidence had taken a real hit. And with a young family and financial pressure mounting, he did not have the luxury of waiting.

He did what most people do first: he applied. Widely, cold, on his own. With a resume that included PepsiCo, TEDx stages, and international keynotes, he expected at least a callback. Instead he got near silence, and the silence started to erode something deeper than his job search.

What Paul needed was not another round of applications. It was a way back into relationship, and a way back into himself. That is the work we did together.

Coming Back Without A Net

Olivia Gamber

Yeah. So tell us, where were you when we met and you started the career process?

Paul

So I had been in corporate previously, but I've been running my own business for the past four years. So very much didn't have the network as I was transitioning back to corporate and closing down my business to feel like I had the relationships to come back because they were mostly in the entrepreneurship world...

It wasn't my intention when I started my business that I would come back to corporate, but at the same time, it felt like that was where I needed to be despite the challenges... I felt like I had the background and the resume to at least get several interviews, especially for jobs that I felt like I was definitely qualified, if not overqualified for, but just after doing it myself, it was incredibly discouraging, just not even getting a callback, not even getting any kind of response and having a small young family. I didn't have the luxury of just waiting around forever.

No Man's Land

Olivia Gamber

You've got PepsiCo, you've got TEDx stages, you're an international keynote speaker, like you've got really impressive resume, but then you still couldn't get that attention. So what were some of the challenges that you had to overcome to get on the other side of this?

Paul

What a lot of people don't talk about or think about is what it does to you from an emotional and a mental standpoint, when you come in, especially with a certain level of expertise and background, feeling confident, having created results before, and then going into the market and getting absolutely nothing... You start having self-doubt in terms of, am I really as good as I think I am?

When you're not hearing back, you start downgrading yourself and you start looking at, okay, maybe I should get a job that is lower in pay. But guess what? You're still not getting those jobs because recruiters are seeing that you're overqualified and know that you're not going to stay in that job. And they're wondering, okay, what is your intention here?

I can't even count how many applications I did. I barely got any interviews. I think I got about two through that whole process and the opportunities didn't work out. Cause I didn't have a relationship with the people that were interviewing me... I didn't think that my network previously could do anything for me or could support me in any way. So I completely wrote them off, which was a huge mistake.

Choosing To Fast-Track Instead Of Figuring It Out Alone

Paul

I recognize that in my time and in running my own business, that you can either continue to figure it out yourself and hope and pray something does happen, or you can pay for someone or find someone who is an expert to fast track your growth. And I think that really factored in me making the decision...

So when I came across [Career Evolved], which a little bit by chance, I think it was an Instagram video, and just jumping on the call, there was an energy of feeling like this was a place where I could not only find the blueprint to figure out what to do next, but that there was a component of mindset of transforming who I was as a leader.

“you can either continue to figure it out yourself and hope and pray something does happen, or you can pay for someone or find someone who is an expert to fast track your growth”

Owning The Value He Brings

Olivia Gamber

It's been, I know for so many people, this is a total rollercoaster emotionally and you feel powerless, but now that you've gotten through it, you feel like you've really mastered this process. What were the biggest wins or lessons that you want to share?

Paul

The type of connections I got to make, some of them, I never could have imagined... It gave me the confidence and allowed me to realize that I can reach out and connect with C-level executive and that they would be willing to take my call and they'd be willing to connect with me and support me.

Some referrals, a lot of referrals actually, that I ended up getting came from within the community.

I went through this massive transformation of going from the shell of myself before of not being in my power and not fully stepping into my confidence... to being on the other side now, being bold, being fully in my most powerful self and showing up in that way, knowing what I can provide, knowing how I can impact.

Now me showing up in this job, I'm not planning on staying there. I'm planning on moving way beyond that... Now I feel like the sky's the limit because I know who I am. I know the value I bring to the table. I know how big of an impact I can make. And if a certain employer doesn't see that, I now see that as, you know what, that's their loss. It's not mine. I get to find someone who can see what I bring to the table.

“I went through this massive transformation of going from the shell of myself before... to being on the other side now, being bold, being fully in my most powerful self”

“when you realize that whatever you believe to be true is what you will end up experiencing, you get the opportunity to be back in the driver's seat of seeing what is possible for you on the other side”

Ready to Stop Applying?

Paul rebuilt his career on relationships and a rediscovered sense of his own worth, not on cold applications. If you are ready for that same shift, let's talk.

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Read the full transcript

Olivia: here. Yeah. So tell us, where were you when we met and you started the career process?

Paul: So very much didn't have the network as I was transitioning back to corporate and closing down my business to feel like I had the relationships to come back because they were mostly in the entrepreneurship world. So coming back, you know, I think there was a lot that was involved, I think, in terms of my confidence wasn't where it needed to be, just especially after transitioning on my business, that really took a big hit for having gone through a lot of the challenges that I had there. And also feeling like the sense of, you know, failure in a way of closing down my business of

Olivia: we're, what were some of the challenges that you had to overcome to get on the other side of this?

Paul: recruiters are seeing that you're overqualified and know that you're not going to stay in that job. And they're wondering, okay, what is your intention here? They don't

[Question shown on screen]: So what were some of the challenges that you had to overcome to get on the other side of this?

Paul: I can't even count how many applications I did. I barely got, you know, any interviews. I think I got about two, um, you know, through that whole process and the opportunities didn't work out. Cause

Paul: I completely wrote them off, which was a huge mistake. If

[Question shown on screen]: Yeah, so tell us, where were you when we met and you started the Career Evolved process?

Paul: you can either continue to figure it out yourself and hope and pray something does happen, or you can pay for someone or find someone who is an expert to fast track your growth. And I

Paul: there was an energy of feeling like this was a place where I could not only find the blueprint to figure out what to do next, but that there was a component of mindset of, of transforming who I was as a leader, which I feel like was really needed for how I was going to show up and felt like this was a

Olivia: share to anybody that's like, is this going to work for me? Or, you know, just subtle. I don't know. Any last words for them?

Paul: when you realize that whatever you believe to be true is what you will end up experiencing, you get, you get the opportunity to be back in the driver's seat of seeing what is possible for you on the other side. I think even if someone gives you a golden treasure map and you don't believe that the golden treasure is the, on the other side, it doesn't matter what kind of tools or support or, you know, roadmap you try to gather because at the end of the day, if you're not going to get in the driver's seat and

Olivia: What were the biggest wins or lessons that you want to share?

Paul: now me showing up in this job, I'm not planning on staying there. I'm planning on moving way beyond that.

[Question shown on screen]: What were the biggest wins or lessons that you want to share?

Paul: I went through this massive transformation of going from the shell of myself before of not being in my power and not fully stepping into my confidence of being this, the most powerful, influential version of myself, going from that place of not realizing what was possible for me to being on the other side now, being bold, being fully in my most powerful self and

Paul: I feel like there was a ceiling for where I could go in my career. Now I feel like the sky's the limit because I know who I am. I know the value I bring to the table. I know how big of an impact I can make. And if anything, if a certain employer doesn't see that, I now see that as, you know what, that's their loss. It's not mine. I get to find someone who can see what I bring to the table

Paul: I needed to bring into the situation and, and realize that they can really support me to make the referral or make the first connection made all the difference. And I think having written that off, feeling like I was alone trying to network and, you know, having to do it the hard way, um, was a huge difficulty when I realized that actually, if anything, I needed to rely on relationships and making the right connections and continuing to serve and provide value, um, in a way that complimented my strengths was where I needed to be. But

Paul: it gave me the confidence and, and allowed me to realize that I can reach out and connect with C-level executive and that they would be willing to take my call and they'd be willing to connect with me and support me. So

Paul: some referrals, a lot of referrals actually, that I ended up getting came from within the community. So