Coffee, Careers, and Community

Career Corner 📰  

I've been scouring the news, articles, and everything in between to get a pulse on the job market and I have to be honest with you it's confusing. I've seen everything from unemployment is still low... to headlines of layoffs. We are most likely coming out of the "job growth market" into the gray area of "oops we over-hired" for certain jobs (the technology industry is one that falls under this category) to the looming question of how bad is the recession going to affect the job market. 

I think what's important to understand is that every industry is different, healthcare is still understaffed and there are plenty of open jobs in the tech industry.

Good news, U.S. payrolls jumped by 223,000 in December, beating economists’ expectations for a ninth straight month, as the labor market showed continued resilience in a slowing economy.

The unemployment rate also fell to 3.5%, from 3.6% in November, the Labor Department said. Meanwhile, hourly earnings rose 4.6% from a year earlier, after a revised 4.8% in the prior month. Slowing wage growth suggests inflation may also be easing, which in turn could temper aggressive interest hikes by the Federal Reserve.

What I see and hear more and more of is that people are re-evaluating what they want their work life to look and feel like. What we used to view as security is now uncertainty ever since 2020. This has caused many of us to take a good hard look at the work we are doing, where we are doing it (home, remote, hybrid), and whom we are doing that work for.

Gone are the days of climbing up the corporate ladder. The corporate ladder might start in the US and end in France these days. How do you digitally climb that ladder? Many are opting for a nonlinear career climb. It's not just about title and pay any more, employees want autonomy, flexibility, and more professional career development than ever before. It's no longer on HR's list of "nice to offer". but rather a "must offer" in 2023.

Ready to learn how to become the CEO of your CAREER in 2023, let's talk about what that looks like. Book a call with the link below. 

🎇 Linkedin Features you need to know about (and maybe use)

I could write 4 newsletters on LinkedIn features right now. Did you know they released over 90 new features in 2022? 

I hosted 2 #15MinsofFAIN shows covering around 20 of them. You can binge-watch them here:

Here are a few of my favorite new features:

1. ⏰ Scheduling post! It’s finally here and I just got access to it. When you go to schedule a post there will be a clock icon next to the “post” button. I think it’s about time that LinkedIn allowed this. Will you use it? Do you think it’s valuable?

A Blue Circle was added to Messaging with a Number in it to let you know how many unread messages there are for each conversation. My InBox tends to get a little full so I like this feature personally. It helps me notice if too many messages are piling up from one contact.

The new "message in the comments" is a game changer. This new feature makes it easy to message someone from the comment section

And finally, this appeared just last week so it's a last-minute addition that I haven't had a chance to look into and test out. While I know that AI is here to stay, I'm not sure this is how it should be used. Have we become this lazy that we can't create our own replies? Would you use this to reply on LinkedIn?

☕ Coffeeshop of the Month

My house! I’ve been whipping up Peppermint Mochas with my Nespresso machine and Starbucks has nothing on me! Easy recipe and low calorie and a fraction of the cost!Vanilla Almond Milk (unsweetened), sugar-free peppermint syrup (Torani), Nespresso peppermint pinwheel capsules (or your favorite coffee) top it off with whip cream and crushed candy cane sprinkles! What’s your go-to holiday coffee?

Where Can You Find Me? 

I was recently "on air" with Carol Blonder (Diamond) of Networking Arizona . We busted through some myths such as "what to work on first when you are starting a job search" and what age is a good age to pivot. Take a listen here:

And I'll be speaking at the Glendale Chamber of Commerce - Arizona breakfast on January 18th. The title of my talk is, "How to Build your Brand on LinkedIn like a Strong cup of Coffee".

And finally, LinkedIn Local PHX is back! Grab your business buddy and come join savvy business professionals for a night of business education, raffle prizes, and giving back to the community. This event has been dubbed, the "un-networking -networking" event because we say leave the business cards at home! We encourage .. wait for it.. meaningful conversations. *gulp*

I co-host The “B” Show, where we drink coffee and talk about career tips and trends every Monday at 7 am PST with my co-host Laura Bashore.Our 1st show of 2023 is a panel discussion and is sure to provide insider tips and trends from two well now recruiters, Ben White, MBA, and Nick Morrison who I am lucky to call colleagues and friends  

My LIVE show “15 Mins of Fain” Tuesdays at 2pm PST. This show is your bi-weekly tip on business development, my favorite tools I use in my business, and of course all things LINKEDIN. It’s short, sweet, and to the point!

Did you like this newsletter? Here are a few things you can do for me.

• Share a comment and your thoughts (I do want to hear what you think)
• Share this with a friend (DM, email, social post, etc.)
• Follow me - Mary Fain Brandt and my Company Page
• Ring the Bell on my profile to be notified when I post
• Follow my hashtag: #TrainWithFain

Till next time...thank you for reading! 

I’m on a mission to help job seekers land amazing jobs. Would you consider doing one of the following:

• Forward this newsletter to your job-searching friends or post about it on social media. This small act really helps!
• Recommend me as a paid speaker for your company events on networking, job searching, or leveraging LinkedIn.
• Recommend me to your friends and colleagues who are ready to take their career to the next level or just need a change.

Meet Mary Fain Brandt

Hi, I’m Mary, a LinkedIn Strategist, Business Consultant, and Career Coach. I work with Executives, Business Professionals, Entrepreneurs, and Career professionals who want to stand out as experts in their industry and get visibility using LinkedIn. 

I teach entrepreneurs, business leaders, executives, and career professionals how to fill their pipeline by using Linkedin in just one hour a day.

When I’m not live streaming or revamping LinkedIn Profiles, you can find me on the water- kayaking, boating, or boogie boarding. Or in the front row at a Country Music Concert with my hubby Joseph Brandt, LSSBBP .