The Reunion

[00:00:06] Hey everyone, welcome to the Boomband Showcase. I'm Jeff Taylor, I'm your host. And I'm Madison Kiefer, I'm the Showcase Sidekick and the Players Coach. Coach, love it. We're so excited about our show, let's jump right in. Welcome to the Boomband Showcase, guys. Hey guys, welcome back. You know, we were talking and more and more of our guests have gotten jobs. And, you know, we'd like to take credit for, you know, all of this success.

[00:00:35] But the most important thing is that each of you has been on a journey and you're finding some success at the end. And I thought other people would really like to hear from you because there's a challenge market out there right now. And there's not a lot of positivity. And so I thought we could maybe bring a little bit today. So I want to welcome each of you, Hecker, Erica, Justin and Kerry.

[00:01:01] And we're not going to do the normal format, although we might bring some stuff back from each of your shows. So why don't I just, you know, get you guys talking a little bit. How are you doing? Doing great. Doing great. Having a really good time now that I've closed that chapter and moved on to a different chapter. So really fantastic. Yeah. Hector, you were on our very first episode, which is now coming up on almost a year ago, which is crazy.

[00:01:30] But yeah, you were the OG of the Showcase. It really is the honor. It really is. It's been fantastic. Obviously happy to go into lots of detail about it, but just can't sing your praises enough. Thank you. Well, I think what's fun about you, Hector, is I think I found you just by offering out to the universe, does anybody need some help? I'm just willing on a Friday or Saturday to talk to people for half an hour.

[00:01:58] And I think you like, bam, you were in there and we had a great conversation. And, you know, maybe you could describe a little bit of the journey that even you and I went through at the very beginning. I think that there were some suggestions that were made that I think you took to heart. I'm curious what you remember about that conversation. Well, the first thing that I remember was, oh, my goodness, I'm talking to somebody really, really important.

[00:02:27] So I better be ready. But no, I mean, I think you couldn't have been more genuine but honest. And you really pressed me about where I was and where I wanted to be. And also how to narrate the story.

[00:02:50] And so that was really, really important for me to incorporate as I really began the process for finding employment. But also potentially even opening up the possibility of maybe there's some pivoting that could happen, things of that nature. It was a really dynamic conversation and definitely something that I took to heart.

[00:03:18] And that obviously evolved into being invited to the first showcase. So it could have been better. Yeah. I'll come back to you, Hector. Erica, how are you feeling? I feel great. I don't think you were out very long. Give us a little arc of your experience. So I was out for July to December. I started my job in December.

[00:03:45] And I actually got my job from a LinkedIn recommendation. Somebody recommended me on LinkedIn. And my current boss found me through that and reached out to me and asked me to apply. And that's what's awesome.

[00:04:03] So I guess if I reflect, I didn't do pre-interviews with each of you really on purpose because I think it's important that there's sort of this raw journey. So it took you about six months from when you left your last position to getting this job. And I don't remember the words you used to describe your search. Do you remember?

[00:04:33] Like my super? I remember my superpower. That's fine. I don't remember what I used. Probably painful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so, you know, I guess I'll come right into you. Like, is there something that you did differently as you were starting to really sort of ramp up your search?

[00:04:58] Was there one thing that stood out for you that you would, you know, I guess send a message out to others that are listening right now that will encourage them? Make the connections. And it's about who you know and that personal interaction. There's nothing that can help you more than that. Yeah.

[00:05:18] Did the person in your network that ultimately, like, I guess was the nearest connection to the job, was it someone you knew or was it a person? Was it someone you worked with? Somebody I worked with. It was his former boss that saw me. It was his former boss. So you were able to use that connection to get introduced to him? Yes.

[00:05:48] So he there's a like an endorsement, I think, on LinkedIn. Yeah. You can endorse somebody's post. And it she she found me by seeing his endorsement. Yeah. And then directly messaged me. Yeah. Right. Let's let's continue on. Justin, you're a more recent guest. Tell us about do you remember the emotion that you were in, like when you were on the show? I remember.

[00:06:18] And and so like you haven't started your new job yet. But let's talk about that journey a little bit. Yeah. I remember the emotion that I was very, very nervous. Just because I've never done this before. But the thing was, you were really relaxing to talk to. So I had a lot of fun doing it. But, yeah, I was incredibly nervous. And in terms of my job search, it's either took 16 months or 10 months, depending on how you calculate it.

[00:06:47] Because I started searching for a new job in February of 2025. Yeah. When I realized my department was going to be eliminated. But I've been unemployed since the beginning of October because I used to be a government employee and took the deferred resignation program. Yeah. So, really, it's been an incredible journey, both good and bad. The reason I got this job is it's a place I used to work before. And I really enjoyed working there. And I'd still work there if I hadn't gotten a job with the federal government. But I saw an application.

[00:07:17] I reached out to an old coworker and was like, you know what, can I use you as a reference? I had the talk with the recruiter in like a week, I believe. I gave an interview on Monday, verbal offer on Tuesday, and a written on Wednesday. And that's how 10 months came down to three days. It was just head spinning. How fast that went.

[00:07:39] So, I wonder if there's a suggestion in the middle of this that sometimes looking forward is also looking back. And the idea that, you know, sometimes the grass is greener and sometimes it's not. But and you realize, I guess, on the receiving end, especially at Monster, I had this opportunity where I had a lot of what we call boomerang employees.

[00:08:04] And they'd go off because they were appealing to other companies to have, you know, to get them to go and work there. But at some point they would realize, you know what, the culture at Monster, the spirit of the way we approach things was a little bit hard to replicate. Even as you got past the promises of another company, it just really wasn't there. And so I would always welcome people back. And I would always have them talk.

[00:08:32] I had a Monday morning meeting where you get eight or nine hundred people in a room and talk. Right. It was a big meeting. And anybody that came back, I would always have them go up and talk. And and sort of like this conversation, they would say, what do you want me to say? I said, you know, say whatever you want. Right. Because the fact that you you made a choice physically to come back into this environment, no matter what you say,

[00:08:56] it's going to be amazing because it's going to be that, you know, that kind of convincing words from experience that Monster is a great place to work. And and so I think that the fact that you were able to go back to a coworker, I think that's that's really good. I think that says so much about you, too. Right, Justin, because it's always the question of would you hire that person back? And they were like, yes, we would hire Justin back. So that really says so much, you know, about you and your work ethic, too. So that's awesome. That's a good point.

[00:09:26] That's a question that is a lot of times is a reference question. You know, would you hire the person back if you had the opportunity? And I always love when I can say, look, if I had the job or if I had the opportunity, I would offer them the job back because that is very convincing. Good point. Carrie, let's pull you into the conversation. How are you doing? I'm doing good. How about you? I'm good. Tell us about your your journey was a little bit shorter, I think, in between jobs. Yeah, it was. So I left my former employer, which was Monster.

[00:09:55] I'm a former Monster. Back in August, there was there were some layoffs and I was one of those hit with that. And then my journey continued until I started the new job in January. So it was about five months unemployed. Yeah. So, Hector, how long was your journey? My official journey was 19 months.

[00:10:20] I was looking probably about three or four months prior to that, knowing that some changes were happening. Yeah. But I was kind of the other end of the spectrum here. It was a little bit longer. All right. And Erica, you were six. Justin, how many months were you? Either 16 or 10. But let's go with 10. Let's go with 10. And then, you know, Carrie, yours was five. Is that what you said? Yes. Yeah.

[00:10:46] So I think this is important just to take a breath for a second because a lot of people listening are like, OK, I've been out for six months. I've been out for nine months. Like, this is all normal right now. And that doesn't mean it's comfortable. That doesn't mean it's something you can sort of check the box. Oh, yeah, I'm in my 10th month of job search. No problem. But I think the reality is, is this sort of is the new normal.

[00:11:08] If we were to blend the rate of each of you, I mean, it's probably close to a year or maybe nine or 10 months that you've gone through that process. So, Carrie, how did you find the job that you ended up taking? So I was very lucky. A lot of friends and former co-workers were very generous in referring me to various jobs over my time off. So the job I ultimately accepted was a referral from the husband of one of my best friends from college.

[00:11:37] He is actually on the team that I'm working on. So I think that helps a lot that it was not only a referral for the same company, but for the actual hiring manager who we share. So that gave me definitely a foot in the door. And it's been a wonderful experience just having, you know, a built in trusted friends within the team. Somebody that I know very well who has been mentoring as I go through and helping me to get acclimated along the way. So it's been wonderful. And I'm very happy with my new position.

[00:12:09] So let me get this the string again. It was a friend. Give me the string. So the person who referred me is a close friend of mine who was the husband of one of my best friends from college. So I've known him, you know, for a very long time. My friend has been close with me for about 25 years, you know, since college. But yeah.

[00:12:34] So this is the mining of your network that it's, I think, one of the things that is sort of paralyzing is people say, just use your network. And they're like, oh, my God. Like, I don't even have a network. But yes, everybody has a network. But the definition of a friend of a friend whose cousin knew this person who used to work with them that then referred me like whatever these stories are. And it should be. Hector, I don't know.

[00:13:03] Did you share what the connection of yours was? No, no, not yet. But go ahead. Go ahead. Well, so let me just because I heard the connections for Justin or the connections from Erica. Just heard him from Carrie. What are the connections that got you to the job? Well, they were multifold. But the reason I say that is because I'm actually doing three different gigs.

[00:13:29] And so one of them is one of my former executives moved on into a new company. And so once an opportunity presented itself, I was able to land that really through that executive. The second role was really on LinkedIn.

[00:13:57] It was actually it was an easy apply situation. I had a number of strategies that were in place. But it ended up becoming an easy apply that ended up working out. So in that role, I'm the only U.S. employee. So it's it's it's it's a bit of a challenge there sometimes. But and then the third role, I decided to really kind of pivot and open a business.

[00:14:25] And so as soon as I really made that choice, kind of all of these kind of came into motion within two, maybe three weeks at most. So it was it was definitely a. An unexpected blessing. Yeah, that's interesting. So it's almost like when the stress kind of was off of it, off you a little bit. Right. Because you were 19 months. And but then as soon as you're like, hey, I'm going to be an entrepreneur. I'm going to do this.

[00:14:55] Took the pressure off. Everything kind of came your way. So that's interesting. Yeah, exactly. Right. So so we sometimes talk about a cash stack. Right. And, you know, I'm not quite sure how it's all stacking for you right now, but are these fractional roles or how did you work it out? Yeah. So for me, it was it was a pivot. I had started the entrepreneurial side before the other two roles came in.

[00:15:22] So so I was in that mode. It was in that process. And as part of that kind of evolution, because I was always W2 before. Right. So as part of that evolution, I said, you know what? You know, two layoffs in three years, I'm going to build something on my own. And and so I did. And I knew I couldn't do both with the you know, with the responsibilities of full time plus, you know, opening. Right.

[00:15:51] So that's when I pivoted to to go into fractional roles. And and that is when it immediately opened right up. So you mentioned a little in the email when you and I were going back and forth, Hector, what you're doing as your company. I think it's fascinating. You should share with what you're doing. Yeah. Well, thank you. So so with my background, I've always put in innovation to to to industries.

[00:16:17] And and so I ended up opening a A.I. smart technology vending machine business. And so it's really bringing a an opportunity into an industry that maybe hasn't evolved nearly to the modern customer. And so I'm starting off with that more local and then hoping to scale over time.

[00:16:44] Eventually, we'll see how it goes, but potentially create an off ramp from corporate America and into sole entrepreneurship. Great. All right, Carrie, back to you. What are you going to do? What am I doing now? Yeah. Oh, so I work for Aetna doing strategic marketing for B2B insurance. B2B insurance of dental vision and supplemental. So that's my my product that I own for the marketing.

[00:17:13] And the team I have is quite robust. It's a very large marketing organization. So there's many nuances and things to learn different than Monster, of course, because it's a whole different industry. Yeah. But yeah, I work closely with the salespeople and, you know, various folks from marketing and the creative and design team. And we produce a variety of assets that are needed for those insurance plans. Yeah. Did you find moving industries was difficult?

[00:17:40] Or did you find that it was a very easy kind of industry pivot since you kept your same type of role? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I expected that it would be more difficult than it has been. But I found that the folks who work at Aetna and CBS as a whole, because Aetna is part of the CBS health company, everyone has been extremely helpful and very forgiving for anyone that's new coming in. They're really willing to answer questions. And they say, don't worry, it may take you, you know, months, a year, 10 years to really feel like you know what's going on.

[00:18:09] So that made me relax a little bit. But everyone is just willing to help. And, you know, over time, things have made more sense. And I'm feeling like I'm in a groove now about six months into the role. So are you remote? I am mostly remote, but occasionally go into the local office. Yeah. How about you, Erica? I work for a cell therapy company. I am a project manager. And I'm in a wheelhouse, I think, right, if I remember? Yes.

[00:18:38] I worked at a gene therapy company before. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And are you remote? No. I travel into the office four days a week, but my commute is 18 minutes. So it's ideal. Very easy. Right. That's great. Jonathan, how about you? What's it going to be? So I'm doing a government IT contractor. I'm working for a government IT contractor doing change communications. So basically, they're switching over a huge financial system.

[00:19:02] And I'm going to be helping people understand why they're doing that and how it benefits them, essentially. Yeah. And just like Erica, I only have like an 18-minute commute, too. And it's two days a week in the office, which is beautiful. It's right down the road for me, basically. Yeah. That's great. And then, Hector, are you kind of based home? Yep. I'm fully remote. Yes. Let's talk about that idea of being the only employee of an international company.

[00:19:31] That sounds like an interesting choice and also something that we could probably learn from. Like, how did you get that opportunity? Is that the easy apply? That was the easy apply opportunity. And it was really just a leverage of merging into the United States market and needing somebody with my background to, you know, ensure that it's done well. Yeah.

[00:20:01] So you found a job posting that actually started your process. Erica, how about you? Even though it was in your network, did you see a posting? I did not. How about you, Carrie? Carrie? No. The friend who referred me sent me the job application link, like a referral link from his internal system. Okay. So there was a posting in there, but the way you found it was through your network. Exactly. Justin, yours was through your network. You never saw a posting, I'm assuming, right?

[00:20:31] I actually did see a posting, but I did do it through my network after I saw the posting. Okay, great. That's where we go. So what I like about this is I think sometimes postings get a bad rap, sort of like the old way of doing it or whatever. And that they say that networking and referrals are the best source. A lot of times the initiative for these network or referrals comes from a job announcement or some job energy that's out there that you put out in the world.

[00:21:00] And so, you know, I have a big theory that the idea of a job announcement where you get 1,000 people to apply is not ideal. But you still see the activity set in all four of you where, you know, there was a posting or there's some energy. Maybe, Erica, yours wasn't exactly that. But I think that there's an energy around the postings that I think we send out there into the world as a thing to keep doing as a job seeker.

[00:21:28] Let me – a couple of you said you were really nervous to be on the podcast. I don't know. I have an interesting perspective on this because I don't think either Madison and I are very intimidating. But I think maybe there's something crazy on the other side of that. Tell us about the podcast experience for you.

[00:21:51] Was it a good job search moment and were you nervous coming in and then were you – how did you feel on the other side of it? One of the things I will sometimes ask is do you feel like you were in a safe place when we were in this process? Let's just talk a little bit about it because I'd like to encourage more people to do it. We have enough pipeline of people that want to be on the show. But I think we can expand this show in lots of different ways.

[00:22:19] And in some ways, Boom Band is actually the ultimate way to expand that work. So what are your thoughts, Hector? Yeah, I think – I mean I really didn't have a point of reference, you know, being the inaugural episode. I had no idea. You were brave. You were brave. Yep. So the nerves around that were a little bit higher I think as a result.

[00:22:44] And I think it was also that I had never done a podcast before. And so I think when you kind of add it all together and I think Boom Band did a phenomenal job of this mystery guest. And, you know, what was that like? Was that someone who was going to take one of us and directly hire him? Was it a coach? You know, what did that look like? Yeah, you stayed close with the mystery guest.

[00:23:12] Because Donna Starr was the mystery guest on yours. And I know you stayed close with her, right? Yes. Yeah, we're still close. That's awesome. And I would give her updates. I would keep, you know, advice. I was really leaning on her a lot. And she was so generous with her time. Yeah, so it's interesting. We decided not to continue with the mystery guest. And Madison and I have just sort of done it with our groups.

[00:23:42] Did any of you have a mystery guest on your show? Justin, I think, is the only one that didn't have the mystery guest. Yeah. Erica, did you interface with your mystery guest at all afterwards? I did not. My job came pretty quick after. Yeah. How about you, Carrie? I did. I had Tom Dowd. And he was very generous to offer, you know, a session outside of the recording. And we did meet.

[00:24:07] And he was extremely generous with his advice and helping to fine-tune my resume and give me tips for, you know, how I could fine-tune my job search as well. So I took his advice to heart. And I think it really helped. Yeah, that's great. Were you nervous coming on to the show, Carrie? I don't know if that's the right question. What's that? I don't even know if that's the right question. I had never done a podcast before. So, yes, slightly like what Hector said, similar to that.

[00:24:36] But I was more excited and just feeling so thankful to be given the opportunity to be part of this. It was only episode two when I joined. So I didn't have a lot of points of reference either. You know, just the first episode, I watched Hector's episode and tried to prepare for it. But I was more excited and feeling very lucky to be part of it. Yeah. Did you use your tape from the show at all? I did. I posted it on LinkedIn.

[00:25:01] I did a couple of posts to kind of help promote boom bands and then try to get myself some more visibility with it at the same time, just to let people know I was out there doing this as another thing to feature as I was looking for a job. So that I was hopeful that maybe potential employers would see my post if they looked at my profile, maybe watch the video. They could get to know me a little bit before checking out my application. So I don't know. Yeah. How about, Justin, for you? I think you shared that you hadn't been on a podcast before, right?

[00:25:32] I had never been on a podcast before. And I remember going into the room and saying my first words to you were, oh, that was such a sales pitch. I'm sorry. That was my first words going into the room. Because I was overthinking what I was going to say. I was trying to say all the perfect right things instead of just being, you know, me. But you're saying head, shoulders, knees, and toes in Japanese, which is still one of my favorite moments of the showcase. So you did great. Thank you. It was fun to do that because I had to bring back my Japanese a little bit. And it was just like, oh, yes, okay, that's how you do it.

[00:26:02] Yeah. Erica, what was your kind of sense going through the process? I had also never done a podcast before. And I'm not a huge fan of public speaking. So I think that my biggest fear was watching myself after, not the process going through it. Yeah, a lot of people don't like hearing themselves or seeing themselves in certain situations, right?

[00:26:30] And so, yeah, I think that's real for everybody. You don't think you sound the way you think you sound when you get in a situation where you can listen to yourself. Even after the first podcast episode, I watched it back. I was like, I sound like that? Oh, God. What am I doing with my face? So I think we're on episode 20 of the show, and this is sort of a bonus round.

[00:26:57] And so we've been doing them sort of like it's working out every two and a half weeks or something like that. And I think what's been fun is the show has evolved through time, but it's also it's longer. And, you know, we started with four guests and then we went to three guests. We had a mystery guest and then decided that the two of us would just do it together. And I think we've gotten into like a little bit deeper conversations, gotten to know the players a little bit more.

[00:27:27] We've started to incorporate a little bit more boom band work. So I guess, you know, just to close this out, I want to just maybe ask each of you, is there a lesson learned? Is there is there a thing that you would, you know, just talk to the people that are still looking right now, encourage them, give them give them some good words here to keep them going? I'd love to hear. Carrie, why don't we start with you?

[00:27:54] Yeah, I would say just lean into your network and be open to any opportunities that come your way. I found, you know, people coming through LinkedIn. Some recruiters reached out directly to me for opportunities. People were very generous offering their assistance, referring, things like that. So just say yes to all things. And even if it's an interview that doesn't pan out, it was an experience that can help you prepare for the next one. So they're all worthwhile and it's worth doing for whatever comes your way. Yeah.

[00:28:24] How about you, Justin? So, yeah, as one of my networking leaders says, you will land. It might take time, but you will land. And what you have to do is you have to diversify. You can't just apply to everything. You can't just network. You have to have different ways of looking at it. So be willing to step out of what you're doing, take a real look, see what's working, see what's not, and change things up. Because eventually something will hit. It just might take some time. Yeah. Yeah, it's funny.

[00:28:51] I was looking at the questions that I asked each of you. And, Hector, the question I asked you or one of them was, what would your role be in a plane crash? And it will land. You don't know how it's going to land. But I think the synthesis was be resourceful. And so what's your message to seekers?

[00:29:16] Yeah, I mean, I think really don't be so hard on yourself. There's a lot of things out of your control. However, if you can remain consistent, if you can remain really dedicated, intentional, strategic, but open. And if you see something that's like, this isn't really in my wheelhouse, but I have all the skill set, that could make a lot of sense.

[00:29:43] And I would also say, and it's easier to say on the other side of this. And after 19 months, believe me, I was struggling with this. But it's a gift. And I say that because it forces people into reflecting who they are, reflecting what they want. And who they were is not necessarily what you want to be or need to be moving forward.

[00:30:11] And so use the time. Use the opportunity as a gift. And when you do land, you're immediately in a better situation because you've had that reflection, because you've then maybe pivoted or transitioned to the new version of you. And so for me, absolutely has been all of those things. And I wish that for everybody listening. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:30:40] Keeping your center is one of the things we talk a lot about on the show, right? Is that it's going to be hard. And you're going to go through that process. But to try not to lose yourself, I think your message is really great here. Erica, close us out. Don't be afraid to try something new. So if what you're doing now, I had a pretty good job before I was laid off, but I didn't love it. So same thing as Hector said, I was kind of excited for a change.

[00:31:10] And don't be afraid to change. Definitely use your network and you'll get there. I have to ask, how's Candy Crush coming? Because I know that was part of your funny question. That was an app. So how's your Candy Crush? I haven't played since I got this job. I've been doing a lot of diamond art, though. Yeah. We had talked about that. Yep. Yep.

[00:31:34] I think this idea of quiet staying, Erica, you reminded me of this when you said I was in a job I didn't really love. And I hear a lot of people that have jobs sort of quiet staying right now because of the turbulence in the marketplace and some of the macroeconomic stuff that's going on and, you know, just the job process in general. I think the reality is this is if you have a job right now, celebrate that. And but also lean in.

[00:32:04] Don't just coast because this is a very difficult time right now as companies are making changes and they're going to be looking at who's leaning in. And so I think that that's really important. And just on the on the side of Erica, you saying I didn't love my job. You know, there's new opportunities. There's also like lean into the job you have. And so that'll be true for all of you in your new roles.

[00:32:26] And actor, maybe you in your ass stacking of fractional work to continue to build reputation so that you have choices. Justin, I saw your little friend come up and wanted to say hi. He did. Yeah, he was rubbing against my computer. And so you do. You always do on LinkedIn. You do feline Fridays. I do. Yeah, I have to post. He must know it's Friday. He's like, I want to I want to be seen. He does. He loves to be seen. He is a very much a diva cat and I love him.

[00:32:56] That's all right. Well, one of the things I always ask at the end of the show is, you know, give me a sign that you love your life and you don't have to love every bit of it. But you need, you know, it's great to love your life in total. So you guys willing to do that again? All right. Let's do it. You love your life. Woo. Congratulations, you guys. It was so good seeing you again and good luck in your roles and your journeys. And just thanks for being part of the Boom Band family. Yeah.

[00:33:25] Please keep sharing the Boom Band story. We need more people to build their dossiers. We'll be right back. And we'll be right back. Any of these players, or maybe you even want to be on the show yourself, email showcase at boombam.com to connect with me.