In this episode, we chat with Jeffrey Manso, a charismatic and enthusiatic coach on a mission to help young people get a leg up in building their careers. Tune in to hear how the COVID lockdown became the foundation of Jeffreys coaching journey, how LinkedIn could be the new instagram and the unexpected benefits of networking.

The Comms Takeaways

Jeffrey: It’s just almost like learning how to drive, right? You could read all the books about driving, parallel parking, front bay parking, junctions, all that kind of stuff.

But if you’re not actually practically driving on the road, you’re not going to get good when it comes to driving as well. So. Yeah. Don’t be afraid. and I don’t even see failure as failure.

I just see it as a learning experience because in life you either win or you learn. And trust me, the learning experiences really shape you because it teaches you about things that you shouldn’t do next time

Maaria: Welcome to Pros and Cons. In this podcast, I talk to people about their professional and personal stories, uncovering the different ways and common themes of resonating with an audience. After all, communication is essentially storytelling. I’m Marie Genni and today I’m talking to Jeffrey Manso, an energetic and engaging career coach who is using his life experiences to transform the lives of young people entering the workforce.

Join us as we discuss the power of LinkedIn and how networking can build more than just job opportunities.

Maaria: Jeffrey, thank you so much for joining me today. Um, on this conversation about you and your communication. So from what I’ve seen of you online, I would describe you as a purpose coach using compassion and critical thinking to empower young people to unlock their potential and transform their careers.

Jeffrey: Mm.

Maaria: So that’s how I would sum you up, but do you want to tell me a bit about yourself and your career?

Jeffrey: Well, first of all, thank you so much, Maria. I really like that as well. And Purpose coach as well. It’s quite interesting. You mentioned that one as well, because that’s something that I, um, did call myself purpose coach before I transitioned to something else, which I’ll now get into as well. So, for those that are seeing me or for those that are listening, Hey, my name is Jeffrey Manso. So it tells you who I am. I’m a career coach and a keynote speaker. So I’m all about helping students and professionals find direction into the careers that they want to go into. So I do this by teaching them professional skills. One of the big things that I’m an advocate for is LinkedIn. So whether you’re on LinkedIn or whether you might not be on LinkedIn, you might not like LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is the place to be because LinkedIn is not only for jobs, but it’s also a great way to build your brand to also grow your um, build your network as well. So. That’s kind of the stuff that I do in terms of the work I do with young people, I go to schools, universities and organizations to help students with LinkedIn, I help them with their career choices, I just also empower them as well. And with organizations, I also work with, um, professionals, many of the early quiz professionals as well, just helping them find ways to advance in their careers as well. So that’s essentially what I do.

Maaria: And what inspired you to be a coach in the first place? Was it something you always wanted to do or did you fall into it?

Jeffrey: Um, I wouldn’t say it’s something that I’ve dreamed of. Like, it wasn’t like a childhood dream that I dream. I want to be a coach, but it’s just something, it’s something that I discovered in the pandemic. Like, even though we know the pandemic was a tough for You know, a lot of people like for me, I just felt like it was just a turning point in not only my career, but also my life because I sort of, I was just seeing myself helping people.

So when, when you’re doing a lot of dials, and the only thing that you can do is walk around the area. Literally, I’ll just be walking around the area on the phone, just helping people, pouring into them, inspiring them, encouraging them as well. Even during those times, I didn’t even know what the future was going to look like, but I was just, really just helping people.

And I, and I realized that I you know, enjoy making a difference in other people’s lives. So when other people started to see the value that I had, I was like, wow, you know what? Let me stop. Let me do something like this properly. So when I did research, I realized that you can actually do a career in culture, which is actually helping people.

So I’m like, okay, this is amazing. So I started off helping people coaching is now a vehicle can drive me to my destination. So I went and did training for a coaching qualification that was about three or four months. And then afterwards I just started to offer up my services to my phone book list and also my LinkedIn, just helping people find ways to grow within their careers or even just pivot into new careers. And then afterwards I started like, you know what, me start running the business. And then that’s how greatness coaching came about as well. So the main people I serve. It happens to be students because a lot of young people need help in their future careers as well and then also to professionals as well. Professionals are looking at me like, hey Jeffrey, I know you’re helping the young people, but hey, even though I made it to the end of the education journey, I’m still stuck. I still need help. I’m like, okay. Even though I surf it, don’t worry, I got you too. So, I know,

LinkedIn as well. Started to help them when it comes to networking as well. This is a very powerful thing, which I’m sure we’re going to get into later on as well. The whole relationship building as well, because sometimes you can only grow as far as your network. And you also need cheerleaders to help you.

And also you need people that can open doors for you as well. So those are the things that like, you know, Just encouraging someone as well, because I don’t just look at what I do as like career, I also look at it as life as well, because I’m speaking into their life, and it’s a big part of their life is their career as well.

Because let’s be honest, if you’re not in a career that you like, if you’re not in a career that fulfills you. it’s going to have a significant effect on your life as well. So yeah, that’s just, that’s just my story in terms of like how I got into coaching as well. And I must say, love it. Like, you know, when you find something that you absolutely love, it fulfills you. of my friends this morning, like every morning I wake up feeling excited, pumped up, ready to go. I’m like, let’s go. And I just feel like I just have so much energy and I just, that about myself, that I found something that I love. I found my purpose.

I found my calling. I’m doing something that I and I’m also making a difference to other people because it’s not even about me. It’s about people I’m called to serve well. So yeah, that’s my story and how I got into it.

Maaria: So you mentioned your coaching business, Greatness Coaching, and you’re using it now as your platform to help people. So you said after uni, you’ve Found sort of a way to, to bring your passion for helping people to life.

 what did you do at uni? Was it very business minded? Was it an easy transition to sort of start a business or did you, did you have a little bit of a journey on that as well?

Jeffrey: I’d say it’s definitely a bit of a journey. So in uni I did business management, so business management, um, for those listening and watching, it’s a business course that’s not really specialised in any area, it’s just a bit of everything. It’s almost like ordering a pizza, but you’re getting different slices, like ham and cheese are one. You get, you get a margarita on a, on another jalapenos are one. It’s just a bit all over the place. So you get a bit of marketing, a bit of management, a bit of law, a bit of of economics. So when I was in sixth form, I knew I wanted to do business, but I wasn’t quite sure which area to specialize in. So I thought, let me do business management.

So business management was essentially, um, a bit of everything say. when I graduated from uni, I didn’t really have. a clue about what I wanted to do. I mean, I felt like finance was the one finance. Let me work in finance, though.

I actually got into finance, doing roles where it involves me processing inwards is, uh, making you know, dealing with credit cards as well. And. I can’t lie, at the time, like, I was on such a low salary, like, 19, 000. Whoo! I don’t know how I survived that. I survived that in London

Maaria: Yeah, that’s, that’s a miracle in itself.

Jeffrey: yeah, yeah, yeah. I think there’s one thing that sort of got me because, you know, you process invoices, you don’t know how much other people get paid. So I’m processing invoices of this freelancer doing photography, three days of work. Invoicing 50, 000. I’m thinking, what? 50, 000

Maaria: I’m in the wrong business.

Jeffrey: What? I’m thinking, nah. I’m thinking this is a robbery. But, that’s what sort of made me realise that, you know, People can actually walk into something they love and get paid for it in less amount of days than me having to do 30 days.So I did, I did that about, um, I think three years. And then in the like, you know, when you have so much time on your hands, I ended up just doing like a whole, like, A whole like, you know, you just do a life audit. You look at every areas of your life, like especially in a career.

And I was realized that, you know what, I don’t want to do this. Let me just move into something else. because I thought, you know, I’m a creative person. I’ve always speak of creative ideas. Let me, let me jump in advertising did that in 2021. So I did social media advertising roles and also page search.

So page search is when you help, um, ads go up in the Google search rankings as well. So I thought, you know what, this is okay as well. But then I realized that, you know what, There was something deep down inside of me that wanted as well, which is, you know, the passion for helping people as well. And I said that, you know what, I think I need to be in education.

So that’s when I recently moved into the higher education where I’ll be teaching university students on like career development, employability um, professional development as well. And I’ve realized that I really love working with students as well, and I really love pouring into them. And one thing I learned about students You know, When you are teaching them, you have an opportunity to make a big difference in their life. Don’t just go through the teaching material. Try and speak life into them as well. So sometimes what I do in my sessions, I’ll just be empowering people as well. I’ll also be entertaining them as well. Sometimes entertainment is just a way of getting them engaged as well, getting them excited. Then I teach them the real thing as well. And then sometimes I incorporate singing into what I do as well. As well, just to just so they can really like dive into the message and I do all this just just to build rapport and build relationships with them as well. To the point where, you know, whenever we have classes, they always turn up, they’re always excited. They’re always looking forward to it as well.it everywhere as well. So like, you know, With students, you know, when you have an opportunity to point to them, give them experience, don’t just teach off the board, give them experience, give you know, come up with scenarios that relate to the world that they’re in as well. So with international students, I will never understand the pressure of living life on but if I can try and give you a good experience whilst you’re here in the UK, that’s great.

And I always look at it with international students, is that if you can help international students, you can help everyone. Because one thing about international students, you have to be patient. Home students, you ask a question, you might get answered, someone’s bouncing back. International students, I realized that, you know what, sometimes they need to process what I said to them. They need to process it in their mind and then come up with an answer as well. So yeah, that definitely taught me, um, the importance of, um, being patient. Hope I answered your questions. I feel like I’ve gone

Maaria: gone through a journey, but that’s brilliant. That’s actually a great segue into my next question. So you’ve talked about, the types of people who you’ve helped educate and your passion for helping students So you teach a range from sort of sixth form to sort of early career professionals.

 are there any, specific changes that you find you have to make or different ways of communicating between those age groups in particular.

Jeffrey: Yeah. I feel like, um, I have to use a lot of like simplistic language. So like, you know, one thing I learned about university students is that, you know, don’t try and act like you’re super smart because that’s when they switch off. If you start using words that even you, you’re struggling to pronounce, just going to switch off.

But if you use simple simplistic language, it definitely does help as well. And also one thing I’ve learned as well is that you have to be, you have to be entertaining. be an entertainer as well. Thank God that, you know, entertain. Entertainment that comes naturally to me as well. But I realized that it also helps with part of their experience as well. So they don’t just see it as, oh, I’m just coming to learn about LinkedIn and coming to learn about my careers. They know that I’m gonna say something that’s gonna make them laugh. I’m know I’m gonna say something that’s gonna tap into their world as well. And. It’s going to be a whole fun experience as well.

So I’ve learned to really be like an entertainer when it comes to six woman’s and universities as well. Um, I would say I’m probably less entertaining in corporates as well. Cause I feel like you have to be a bit more serious, but, but what I am, With is that I’m definitely more like say definitely more passionate and engaging and focus as well.

So really making sure that I give them the wisdom, the gems as well, and we really just break things down and make sure that people understand as well. Because sometimes what the problem is, is that a lot of like students and also early careers, they so used to people telling them to what you need to do this, you need to do that, but then you leave out the how.

I’m not telling someone to do the what, but then telling them to figure out the how, it’s going to be quite stressful. And sometimes most, most people don’t really know how to go about with certain stuff. But then when I teach them the what, and I teach them the how, how to do something, how to take action, it definitely helps.

And that’s where the transformation is as well. So if there’s anyone that’s. Listening to some, if anyone’s listening to me right now, and you’re thinking, what’s the best way of engaging students or early career professionals or anyone in your workplace or a what, show them how, show them how, so that after this, they finish listening to you, they can go home and they can take those actions as well, because it’s so easy to be motivated, it’s so easy to get all this motivation and to feel on top of the world.

But. motivation without action is just, you’re just going to be

Maaria: Hmm.

Jeffrey: honest. So

that’s what

Maaria: Hmm. Totally agree. Okay. So let’s delve into the how then, seeing as you brought it up. So do you have any specific techniques to break down sort of more complex topics or removing jargon for communicating to the younger audience that you communicate with?

Jeffrey: yeah, so with LinkedIn, so the reason why some people don’t like LinkedIn is because they feel like it’s very corporate. It’s about job suited and booted as well. One of the ways that I break down LinkedIn is that I say it’s the new Instagram. Well, some people may listen to me and think LinkedIn is the new Instagram.

Are you sure? for me it is. And the reason for that is because I follow a lot of creators. I follow a lot of people that. create content on LinkedIn as well, where they post insights about careers, they post insights about their journey, entrepreneurship, they talk about their stories as well. And I, I let people know that, hey, If you just think about LinkedIn for jobs, by the time you get a job, you’re not going to use it again. But if you use LinkedIn to grow your visibility, you can literally follow people who have the same interest as you. If you’re interested in finance, you can follow people who talk about finance and then you can eventually interact as well. I always remind people that when you follow the right people on LinkedIn, it definitely makes your experience much better as well.

So I’ll say, think about the things that you’re interested in. If you’re interested in politics, interested in tech, interested in project management. You know, Type those keywords in on LinkedIn and find someone that speaks about project management and then connect with them.

 How do you teach things in a simple way? Sometimes, the reason why some students may not understand certain information is because some people are teaching it in a very complex way. You’re using complex language, complex methods, people are not going to get it. And then it’s a struggle when it comes to coursework, assessments, exams. But if you teach it in a simple way, give real life examples, It definitely

Maaria: I guess that helps with your international students as well, if you can

break something down simply, it’s,

Jeffrey: me a lot.

Maaria: yeah.

Jeffrey: be patient

because when I started with them,

I was not patient, but I learned how to be patient because of them. And then now it helps me as well.

Maaria: Brilliant. So we talked a bit about LinkedIn growing your network, and it’s a great place for growing your network. So how do you think networking in general has changed as sort of younger generations are becoming more online?

Jeffrey: I feel like it’s changed in a, in a, in a way where networking is very essential. I feel like back in the day, you don’t really, you didn’t really need to speak with that many people. I mean, unless you’re an entrepreneur, you still need to speak But back in the day, it’s kind of like, you know, once you’re in your career, you’re able to work it for a certain amount of years.

Yeah. That’s it. You’re, you’re pretty much in there. You just have to great. And then you get that promotion and you get the salary increase as well. But I personally feel like in today’s world, you have to put yourself out there. You have to speak to people who are in positions that you desire to be in, and you have to play your cards right by asking them the right questions as well.

So if you’re reaching out to someone that you don’t know, you want to find out information about their career. Just ask them, Hey, what’s it like working in this particular role? But what are the challenges as well? Because, you know, when we look at job roles, job applications, every job is going to advertise it as the best thing.

They’re going to tell you all the biggest perks you can get. You’re going to get free parking. You’re going to get free table, tennis

Maaria: Smoothie bar,

Jeffrey: that come on. Let’s be honest with Parking

Maaria: yeah.

Jeffrey: be free anyway.

But another conversation for

another day anyway. But, um, when you reach out to someone and find out about the challenges that come with certain roles that gives someone an opportunity to then decide, is this career really for me as well?

Because, for example, like one, one, one industry that’s very booming. Everyone’s excited about it. Tech. I want to get into tech. Who’s in tech? Tech, tech, tech. You have to know what is actually in tech. actually in tech? And is tech really for me? Am I in tech because of the noise? Because it looks lucrative?

Or is this actually a career that I’m meant to be in as well? So when you speak to someone who’s in tech, for example, you can speak to them about their, about what they’re enjoying, but also what the challenge is, so you know that if you still decide to pursue tech, you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. So that’s one thing I’ll say about networking as well. That’s how you network online as well, but then also networking in person when you use websites such as invent bright, or you can even use LinkedIn, you can find events where you can find people that are speaking at events as well. About particular areas, whether it’s tech event, project management, finance, wherever it is, go to events in person, meet people who are also attending as well, speak to the sponsors, speak to the organizers as well. The best way to communicate if you’re shy about networking, go to the organiser straight away, because once you tell them who you are, you tell them what you do, they can always refer you to the right people as well, because sometimes when people go to networking events and they find out 500 people are going to be there, and then they go to the event, 500 people are there, they’re thinking, whoa, it’s a bit too much, how am I going to speak to 500 people? You don’t need to do that. Maybe just three or four, three or four people that can really help you when it comes to your career as well. And then when you approach them, you use what I call an elevator pitch, which is like a quick 30 second pitch to pretty much summarize who you are, what you do, and a call to action. So if I was going to a networking event, I’ll say I’m a career. My name is Jeffrey Mansour. I’m a career coach and a keynote speaker. I’m all about helping students and professionals find direction into the careers that They want to go into, would it be possible to have a chat with you to discuss ways on how I can collaborate with your organization to help some of your professionals and their skills as well?

And then a call to action I’ll say is, do you have a LinkedIn account? So we have, so I’ll get their LinkedIn, we connect, and then what I’ll do is move on to the next person as well. And then also another thing that I want to say as well, when it comes to networking is that may be here and be like, okay, I’ve been doing this, but what do I do now?

You have to follow up. So how you follow up is that you go on LinkedIn, to the person that you’ve, you’ve met, and then just, um, tell them again what you do, right? And the reason why you have to tell them again what you do is because the person you just met and you got their LinkedIn page, they probably have spoken to about 20 different people in a day.

So most likely they would have forgotten the stuff that you told them. So send them another reminder of what you do. Yes, I work with professionals, help them with directions to the careers that they want to go into as well. Okay. And then have a call to action as well. Um, I would definitely love to catch up with you again sometime later in the month, if you have a kind of the link, because sometimes some people have kind of the links where it’s easy to book calls in, send one to me, or if not, please let me know when you’re available and I can set up the meeting.

So when it comes to meetings, always set it up by yourself. Don’t let them set it up because they’re busy. Find out when someone is free, what day are they free? What time are they free? Get the email address and then have the meeting. You know, if you don’t, if you’re not able to go for, if you’re not able to pay for zoom, do Google me. the email address set it up. That’s it. I have a chat if there’s a way if there’s a process where You’re trying to reach out to someone even though you had a good conversation with them they don’t respond to you Just give it about up to a week then follow up So if you follow up again for the second time, they don’t respond to you. Then you can kindly You can kindly move on to the next person or if you feel like you need to person can really, really help me find out where they’re next going to be in person and them as well. Because sometimes, you know, with networking, we have to also make sure that we don’t take it personal.don’t, it’s not that deep, you know.

Maaria: people are busy.

Jeffrey: people don’t know you like that. Yeah. People are

busy.

Yeah. But also they don’t know you like that, but don’t see it as in a personal attack. Just see it as sometimes it’s just not meant to be. Even me to this day, as much as I network, there’s still some people I wish I can get contact with.

Then sometimes I realized that, you know what, what goal do I actually want to achieve? Okay, I know this person can help me, but it’s not really working. I’m going to go to the next person. So sometimes when it comes to networking, you have to think about the goals that you have, that you want to achieve.

And you have to ask yourself, okay, even though this person can open the door, if it’s not really meant to be, who else can I approach? You keep speaking to different people. And once you get different perspectives and ideas, it also helps you to gain clarity as well. That’s one thing I’ll say as

Maaria: Brilliant. and sometimes, sometimes it’s just the fact that they’ll come back to you later on. And so you leave it and then. Sometimes they come back.

Jeffrey: as well. Yeah. Yeah. Cause also, you know, yeah, cause you know, sometimes people also want to see what you’re about as well because they’re so used to people asking them for advice. Can you give me three tips? Can you give me all that? But people want to see, people want to know what are you doing as well.

So that’s why I always advocate for posting a lot of stuff on LinkedIn so people can see what you’re doing what I’m doing now. So, you know, it definitely helps when I approach someone or even when I connect because I know when I connect with you. is going to tell me you view my profile.

And I know when you view my profile, you’re going to like what I’ve been posting, and I know you’re going to respond to me because even when you take time to listen to what I have to say, I know you’re going to be inspired. So, yeah, if you’re going to reach out to someone, also make sure that you’re also, um, putting in effort to do your own thing as well.

So, if you want someone to give you a job, make sure you actually are going about applying for jobs. If you’re trying to grow your visibility on LinkedIn, make sure you’re going about growing your visibility as well. People have to see that you’re actually trying to make an effort for yourself, so that they can help you as well. We know that everyone has potential, but nobody wants their time to be wasted, and they don’t want to help someone who doesn’t really look like they want to help themselves. They just want someone to open the door, they go in as well. And even if someone may open the door, are you actually going to sustain the opportunity that you’ve just been given, or you might lose it very quickly? That’s something to be thinking

Maaria: And going back to sort of potentially a flip side of that is how do you determine if a networking relationship is valuable and worth pursuing, especially when on LinkedIn, you can have hundreds of connections. And if you go to an in person event, there can be hundreds of attendees. So how can you determine if you should pursue a networking relationship?

Jeffrey: Um, I guess how you should determine is based on how the conversation goes. If you have with someone and you feel like, you know, there’s scope for us to be chatting more, definitely that’s a sign that, you know, this networking relationship if you feel like, you know, you’ve spoken to someone, Even though you feel like the conversation has gone well, but you don’t feel like anywhere can go then that’s okay Because sometimes I go to networking events I speak to people where I don’t think I don’t know where it’s gonna go Nothing really may happen, but I’m not gonna be rude and be like, okay. See you later. Have a great day I’ll ask what’s your LinkedIn page and then I’ll keep you there So sometimes what happens is that I may just keep some people on LinkedIn for quite some time and then over time I may, I may decide to reach out to them based on what I see as well, because sometimes when it comes to networking, we know we can meet so many different people who are talented, gifted, great at what they do, but sometimes it’s just not the right fit or sometimes. We could not be too sure what you want to do with someone okay. Just keep in touch. You know, Reach out to them, say, it was great to meet you. Here’s a reminder of what I do. Let’s stay in touch. And then later on in the year or new year, you can reach out to them again as well. So sometimes in just like in dating, right?

It’s hard to know if someone’s the right person straight away, because everyone’s excited. Everyone’s in their best behavior. But take time to get to know someone when you have one to ones and then see what their vibe is like, see what their energy is like. And ask yourself, am I comfortable to continue speaking with this person? Am I comfortable to potentially work with this person? Am I comfortable to potentially collaborate with this person? Am I comfortable to even have this person as my accountability partner or as my mentor or as my coach? And if the answers are no, then that’s it. could be the last conversation. We have that person and then and then leave it.

Keep it moving. But one thing you should always do is make sure that you never burn a bridge because sometimes someone may ask someone may ask another person about you before deciding whether they should give you an opportunity. So when it comes to networking, you realize that the networking world is very small. Everyone knows everyone. You’d be so surprised. I don’t know how some people know, even me on my LinkedIn. I’m thinking, how do you two even know each other? But got time to be asking questions. I just know if you’ve been out there networking, you’re going to know people I know as well. So I know that your reputation is very important.

So if your reputation is very important. How you should treat people should be very great as well. So always be kind, always be respectful at all times. No matter who you speak to. Yes. Some people you may speak to instant chemistry, laughing, banter. The conversations are deep. You’re flowing. They’re flowing.

It’s like, and then there’s some, some people you speak to you. Hey, have to try and force it out of them. Like you have to go so, so deep just to get one more response. That’s annoying. That takes out a lot of energy. It’s okay. Yeah. But that’s definitely one thing that I would say as well in terms of determining which relationship, which network is worth pursuing as well.

Some networks turn into great things, some turn into great friendships, like some networks that I’ve had turn into great friendships. We meet outside of, of work as well. get to join the celebrations. I recently went to my friend’s wedding as well, which was nice as well. not saying do networking so you can go to Wendy and say, don’t say that for me.

But that’s just an example of how some, how deep some networking can go. And then some, it’s just strictly business. We’re here because we’re working together and that’s absolutely fine because you need those advocates

Maaria: Yeah,

Jeffrey: So that’s

Maaria: a hundred percent on the network. The networking world is like very small, especially in the background I have in sort of life science, biotech, sort of loads of people, know lots of people. So the, that pool is definitely very small. So we’ve talked about some of the. Benefits of networking, and I guess some of the unexpected benefits in your case would be getting to go to weddings.

Um, is there anything, is there anything else you can think of of sort of something you might not initially associate with a benefit to networking?

Jeffrey: and any other thing that I can associate

to a benefit of networking?

Maaria: Yeah, just like something unexpected that might happen out of building your network.

Jeffrey: Um, you get support, supporters. Because when you network with other people who naturally network when they remember the things that you’ve told them in terms of what you’re looking for, they will also be on the lookout because when they speak to someone else and they say, okay, I need someone to go to my school or university, they’ll remember, okay, I spoke to Jeffrey.

Jeffrey told me that he’s looking to help find direction to their careers. And then next thing you know, you get a referral. So one thing that you can get is referrals to opportunities. And one thing about referral, like word of mouth is very powerful. Sometimes it’s so difficult to get through to certain people, but sometimes certain people will take you seriously when you, when it’s come from a recommendation. So when someone else has recommended them that they have a great relationship with, they’re most likely to take that seriously. So that’s one of benefits as well. And sometimes you can also get a job as well. So even though some people may be various spirits. From the CV, because you live out what you do on a day to day, someone may say, you know what you practically do?

What’s been advertised. I would love to give you an opportunity. And some people I’ve seen on LinkedIn, they’ve literally been able to get opportunities simply off the, off of their content, sharing their thoughts. So I’m like, you know what, if people are getting opportunities just by sharing their thoughts, why would you hold back?

If you know that LinkedIn can be a place where it can open doors for you, why would you hold back, put yourself on LinkedIn, create content. You never know who’s going to. never know who’s, who’s watching and you never know what doors can open for you. So that’s of the benefits I would say for networking as well.

Networking can literally turn into a lot of stuff. Coaching can turn into mentoring, can turn into support as well. And yeah, one thing I definitely will say as well, just comes to my mind right now is mentorship. Like find a mentor in the industry that you want to go into. That’s one of the powers of networking as well, right?

You could go to a networking event or you can go online and say, Hey, I’m trying to get into tech, for example. And. I would love to, I would love to have a conversation about how things are going. And then after the conversation, once you show your case to yourself, once you like what you hear, do a quick call to action, I would love to, I would love to have you

as my mentor. And then someone will say,

Maaria: Hmm.

Jeffrey: what, I’ll love to have you a mentee, some may say, you know what? I don’t have capacity for mentorship because, you mentorship is, it’s not easy. You’re taking time out of your schedule. Most times, sometimes it’s not paid to help someone as well. But even if someone says yes or no, you will gain confidence to know that if you want something, you put

yourself out there, that’s what you need.

Maaria: Hmm.

Jeffrey: gives you

confidence because once you learn how to speak to people, You can get anywhere in your career and also in life.

Maaria: Definitely. Let’s go back to LinkedIn because you just mentioned it. And one of the things that you do is you teach students personal branding on LinkedIn. Um, so

Jeffrey: Yeah.

Maaria: have any tips that you can give people to improve the way they promote themselves on LinkedIn?

Jeffrey: Um, yeah. So one of the tips that I can use that I will say in terms of how they can promote themselves on LinkedIn is, just to show your story, show your story of, Of what you’ve been doing. You don’t need to talk about your personal life too much. Talk about your education journey, career journey, and also post content on interesting facts yourself or things that you find interesting or things that you’re passionate about as well. If you go to a networking event, youtake pictures of yourself in a networking event, take pictures of the guest speaker, take pictures of the companies that are there and you can use that as content. Let’s say, Hey, I was at this particular event yesterday. It was absolutely amazing. Shout out to this keynote speaker. He told me to believe in myself and believe in my dreams. And now I feel fired up and ready to believe in my dreams as well. And one thing I’ll say about LinkedIn is always ask yourself, What do I want to be known for? What do I particularly want to be known for? So there’s, yes, you might be, someone might be multi talented.

There’s so many things that you want to do, but what’s the main thing that you want to be known for? And then create content around that. Create content could be as easy as uploading a selfie of yourself, and say something inspirational. Right now it’s Wednesday, they do Wisdom Wednesday, say something empowering to your audience, say, you know what, it’s the middle of the week, I know some of you might be giving up on yourself as well, but I want you to keep going, you’re closer to your goals than you think, keep, keep, dreaming, keep, yeah. Wherever you can to empower people, to inspire them, definitely do that. So that’s definitely one thing I’ll say about, um, building your personal brand as well. And also connecting with other people. As you connect with other people and as they create content, also give your opinion what they said on their content.

So rather than saying, Great post, John. Ask, tell John, give, tell John what you think of what he said. Do you agree with what he said? Do you disagree? Or do you have a different opinion as well? Because when you put, when you give insights to what someone else said in the comments, what happens is that that person’s followers will see your comment and then they’ll go on your page and then they connect with you. That’s how LinkedIn works.

Maaria: And are there any, uh, don’ts that you would say not to do on LinkedIn? Hmm.

Mm.

Jeffrey: Like, don’t,

don’t try and act like you’re about a life that you’re not. sometimes I see some people’s profiles where it’s like, call themselves property guru, but you don’t own a property. You just, you just invested to a course and then all of a sudden you’re, you’re a property guru. Like don’t, don’t do that. Then one thing that LinkedIn will catch you out on is, is fakeness. Like LinkedIn doesn’t like fakeness. LinkedIn lacks authenticity and honesty. So when you be yourself, when you’re authentic, when you’re talking about who you are, when your profile matches, actually what you do, that’s that’s something that, people would, um, Um, appreciate as well.

So that’s definitely one thing I’ll say as well. Cause I know sometimes on Instagram, for example, even Snapchat, a lot of people will be, putting filters on, hiding their faces. And almost creating this persona of what they want you to think they are. But then when you get, you see them in person, they’re not really about that life. Right? So someone could be acting as if they’re so successful, very wealthy, but then you meet them in person and it’s the total opposite. Just be you. Sometimes the internet, Not just social media. The internet forces you to try and be someone so, so you can try and impress others. way of, the best way of making a great impression is to be you and be your authentic self, because we have to try so hard to be someone else.

It’s gonna be difficult, and you end up losing yourself. Don’t try and lose yourself to try and keep up with the Joneses or trying to be someone else. Be yourself. Trust me, you will naturally gain that confidence and. Actually, you just, you just enjoy life. It’s always easy. It’s easy to

Maaria: Yeah, don’t, don’t career catfish, I guess. It’s like career catfish, isn’t it? Uh huh. I’ll give you that for free. So, how do you balance nurturing clients, some of who are, you know, very young, just at the start of their career, and yet still challenging them to grow? How do you do that when you’re doing your coaching?

Jeffrey: I just let them know that, you know what, I understand your circumstances. I understand the difficulties because. I know that behind careers, like there’s life going on, right? There’s a lot of things, a lot of things that goes on in people’s lives that definitely does affect the way they go about with their careers in terms of thinking about their career or trying to pursue a career.

So I always acknowledge them that, hey, I understand what you’re going through as well. I also give them that reminder that you know what you have, you have the power to, to change your future. You have the power to control your situation. And if you just, pay attention, if you just focus, if you take action as well, these are the things that can really help you as well.

So I like to, um, I guess give my clients that sort of ability of being, being empowered. So rather than me telling them the answers, because I know I could tell some of the answers and they can do it, blah. If I’m telling you the answers to an exam and you get 100%, you’re not really going to learn anything. But if I take you on a question, if I take you on a pathway, I’m asking you questions to try and get you to think deeper about yourself or to think about things in a different way. Eventually, you’re going to have that light bulb moment where it’s kind of like, Oh, okay, I get it as well. So that’s something that I do as well.

I acknowledge the fact that you’re not in a good place, but I also praise them for making decisions to make us to make a change. And I also give them reality of what to expect in my coaching sessions as well. So if they agree, we are able to move forward. And if not, then we can just part ways as well. then, of course, I let them know that the transformation that you’re looking for is in the action that you take, not necessarily what I say. I can say some nice stuff, it may sound nice to you, but I don’t want, I don’t want my coaching sessions be things that sound nice. I want it to be impactful.

I want it to be empowering and I want it to also be reflective because you also have to think back on how the journey has been and also thinking back on where you’ve gone wrong. The pitfalls that you’re in and also thinking about the future self as well. So that’s definitely something that I’ll do when it comes to my coaching sessions. Always deal with the person first. before we deal with the actual goal that you want to achieve.

Maaria: And are there any particular cases that come to mind that Make you, that really resonate with you and make you feel really proud or, you know, is there a, a, not a, favorite but you know, is there, are there any cases that you’ve worked on with where they’ve just achieved or, uh, done something really spectacular?

Jeffrey: Um, I wouldn’t say it’s a, it’s like, oh my, this is my personal, it’s my favorite, favorite, favorite, but definitely one that I’m very proud of is I met a, I met a young lady that I was, um, Well, messaging on LinkedIn. So they approached me, they said they finished sixth form as well. They didn’t want to go to university as well. They were interested in marketing, but they didn’t know how to go about it. So just had a one to one call with them and I just agreed to. just to. coach them as well. And then from there, we started to do like an audit of like, you things that they’re interested in when it comes to marketing, because you know that marketing is such a broad term.

I want to work in marketing and that could be anything. Is that social media? Is it, um, Is it, advertising? Is it influencer marketing as well? What kind of, um, social media are you interested in? And then one thing that we realized is that she’s interested in social media management. So I gave her, um, some tasks to do as well. Things such as, you getting recognized qualifications that you can do for free that puts that you can put on your profile on LinkedIn, but also on your CV as well. So these would be things such as, you the Google Digital Garage or HubSpot as well. And then eventually, um, as I started to give her strategies on. Things to implement as well. I managed to have a conversation with a person who was running a course to help people get into digital careers. And then I managed to my client on to the program. And then as they did the program for about four to six weeks after that program, they literally was able to get a job in marketing.

So now. the early twenties, but now they’re working as a social media manager. And when I heard that news, I was like, I was just so thrilled and so happy as well. And I was like, wow, you literally went from a place of feeling stuck. You didn’t want to go to university. You didn’t want to follow the status quo to now, being in your early twenties, you’re a manager managing different social media accounts. Yeah, I was really like so joyful as well. So that’s one of my success stories, which I’m always proud to talk

about

as well.

Maaria: Fantastic. So we’ve talked a lot about your career as a coach, and some of your communication tips, especially on LinkedIn. tell me a bit about, uh, your keynote speaking and what you talk around. Is it a lot of the same stuff that you do in coaching?

Jeffrey: Um, yeah. So one of the things I talk about, um, in my keynotes is choosing the right career for you as well. it to always talk about making sure that you find a career that you enjoy as well, making sure that it’s something that you’re passionate about as well. I also talk about my story of what I’ve been through as well, as a career finance to advertise it to higher education as well.

And I always try to, leave people empowered to make, to let them believe that you can do any career that you put your mind to as well, even if you may have studied something at university, for example, that you now realize, I don’t want to pursue that path afterwards. You can really do something else as well. If you decided that particular particular parts you don’t want to do, take time to think about, um, the things that you like and what you see yourself doing. So what are three things? What are things that you’re good at? And also, like, what are some job roles that you can create yourself as well? So if you’re interested in football, of course, we know the main one is to be a footballer.

Cool. Well, not everyone gets to be a footballer, sometimes you could be a coach, you could be a physio, you could be a board of directors as well. So we really just trying to let people know that, Hey, if you have a particular passion for particular industry, here are the job roles that you can do in these industries as well.

So I think one thing that definitely help when, especially when I give talks is exposure. The more you’re exposed to the options out there. the better because then it can give you a sort of indication as to whether something is for you and then what you can do as well. Cause I always tie it back to LinkedIn is that you can reach out to LinkedIn speak to someone who’s in these particular job roles and just ask them questions about what’s this job role actually like.

So what you’re literally doing is that you’re literally doing your own survey. where you’re getting deep insights as to what something is really like, because no job role that’s advertised is really going to tell you what something is because they’re just one candidate. So they’ll always advertise it as the best thing, but then the professionals will tell you the truth. And then as you get, as you get rid of research and everything, you can make a decision as to what, which one you feel like is right for you as well. And even sometimes with careers, right. We just have to just work, just being it, right? There’s nothing wrong with being it. And then over time, over a month, we realized, you know what?

It’s not for us. That’s okay. Because sometimes we can overanalyze we can strategize. We can think about it so much, but if you don’t do it.

Maaria: You won’t know.

Jeffrey: going to know

if

it’s, you wouldn’t know.

It’s just almost like learning how to drive, right? You could read all the books about driving, parallel parking, front bay parking, junctions, all that kind of stuff.

But if you’re not actually practically driving on the road, you’re not going to get good when it comes to driving as well. So. Yeah. Don’t be afraid. and I don’t even see failure as failure.

I just see it as a learning experience because in life you either win or you learn. And trust me, the learning experiences really shape you because it teaches you about things that you shouldn’t do next time Because learning experience, it can be a painful experience, but it’s a humbling experience because it teaches us to make sure that we’re intentional about the things

that

we’re doing.

Maaria: Yeah, I think that point, first of all, about exposure is really important because from my own experience and my science background, I did a very general science degree at undergrad, and then I just didn’t know what was out there. So I just, I PhD because it was like the thing to do, but I didn’t realize there are so many things you can do with a general science degree.

And I think

people are knowing it now, but still, that’s a really interesting thing. pertinent point is like, there’s so many things you can do adjacent to what your primary, like career goal or study, um, is. And then the other thing about mistakes, absolutely would agree with that. Um, cause I applied for the Great British Bake Off years and years and years ago,

Jeffrey: Oh,

Maaria: back when they were like asking you three questions on the telephone and that was the telephone interview bit.

And I don’t remember the two I got right. But that one that I got wrong, it has been in there for over a decade, so

Jeffrey: Oh, wow. You know

what? Maybe

you can try

Maaria: maybe, who knows, watch this space, you might see me on TV screens baking a cake. Um, brilliant. So I think wrapping this conversation up, you’ve given so many useful, um, tips and, and advice on LinkedIn. and networking. So I think drawing that together, what do you think are the most important things for effective communication?

Jeffrey: I think always speak from the heart. Don’t try and speak. You might have been inspired by someone and you try to emulate them. Don’t try and emulate anyone else. Speak from the heart and just be passionate about what you’re saying as well. And just allow yourself to, to float, really. I think if you practice learning how to speak in front of others, it really is going to allow you to be able to communicate effectively as well, because in every job role, no matter the industry, You have to learn how to communicate, you have to learn how to speak what’s on your mind as well.

So if you can practice, learn how to speak, I think that will definitely help.

Maaria: Absolutely. Well, Jeffrey, thank you so much for joining me today. It’s been an absolute pleasure talking to you. I’ve had so much fun, uh, hearing your anecdotes and, and tips for LinkedIn especially, cause that’s the, uh, network I’m always on as well. So

thank you so much for, for joining me. Um, I do have one last question for you.

Jeffrey: Maria.

Maaria: Um,

so what is the one thing that you would like to leave listeners with?

Jeffrey: One thing that I would like to leave listeners with, don’t overthink the process. Make a start. If there’s something that you really want to do, make a start, make it happen. Just know that there’s always people out there that can help you to get to where you need to be as well. LinkedIn, take it seriously, is the next big thing.

You saw TikTok blowing up in the pandemic. is going to be the same as well. You know, always understand that you don’t have to figure things can literally get support as well. As long as you show how serious you are about the change that you want to see in your life, someone out there is going to help you.

That’s what’s happening to me when I showcase my passion and my enthusiasm, people believe in me, people refer me, people give me opportunities. People give me time. So everything starts from you. Yes. You can reach out to someone, ask them for help, but also make sure that you’re also doing something for yourself to allow you to. Be in a position where when you ask for help, no one’s hesitating. They just help you straight away. That’s one thing I’ll say. And also go out there, go be great.

Maaria: Jeffrey’s enthusiasm and energy really helped drive his messages home. And I love that he’s focusing that energy on helping young people navigate the often murky waters of careers and networking. Authenticity and being yourself was a common theme in our conversation. And it’s always good to remember that there’s no one quite like you.

Speaker 2: Be genuine about who you are and what you do,, and your message will come across more confidently. There’s beauty in simplicity. If you can’t explain your message in simple terms, then you risk losing a big part of your audience. Life science professionals can also draw from Jeffrey’s tips. By being authentic, you can truly be excited and passionate about your work. And as we’ve seen with our other guests on this podcast, that’s truly contagious. By honing the ability to share your work in the simplest of terms, you can engage with more audiences, allowing for more diverse feedback and potential opportunities.

You can find more information episode on the Mabwe website. Find the link in the show notes. If you want more pros and cons, why not subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform? You can follow us on Instagram at prosandcomspodcast, join in the conversation on YouTube, and let us know what you think of pros and cons by rating us on Spotify and Apple podcasts.