We were lucky to catch up with Jill Vanderyacht recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jill, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

I’ve been an Executive Career Coach since 2016 but in the last 4 years I have seen more change than any time before. Huge shifts in the job market and also with technology have completely changed how we approach our careers and the job search.

Never before was AI and automation so prevalent and I see that many professionals are confused on how to utilize it or hesitant to embrace it. These technologies aren’t going anywhere and if we want to remain relevant and competitive, then we need to at least understand how to work with them in order to be successful.

The biggest mistakes I see right now are this: not using technology at all or relying on it blindly without even proofreading. I recently saw a candidate who used AI to rewrite her resume in response to a job advertisement. AI copied the job ad word for word- even the name of the business owner’s proprietary program- stating in the resume that she had created it! She clearly didn’t read through her herself and catch this. Not a great first impression at all.

On the other end of the spectrum from people who rely too heavily on AI are those who are afraid to try it out at all. Learning new technology is crucial and it doesn’t have to be hard. I frequently help clients learn how to get started and this is one of the areas I cover in my free job search workshops that I offer virtually.

We discuss the basics about how to set up a new account and also some quick and easy prompts to use that can help you improve your resume and cover letter in order to move your job search forward more quickly and efficiently.

I love helping professionals excel and seeing their confidence soar when they learn how to expertly market their skills and expertise. This leads to more opportunities for them- even in a competitive job market. I hope to be able to reach even more professionals to help them through what can be a frustrating time in their careers. It’s truly my passion to see them move forward and succeed.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my business in 2016, after 15+ years in the corporate world in HR, Recruitment and leadership roles. I wanted to take my passion for supporting employees in their professional development and grow it into a business where I could help others on a daily basis with their career advancement.

What started off as a part-time side business at first, flourished into a full-time role by mid-2020 and I’ve never looked back. I love that I have the chance to work with people from almost every career level, from entry level to executive, and from almost every industry. I’ve worked with clients from large organizations including: Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Nike, Adidas, T-Mobile and many others.

My career coaching provides them with strategies, expertise, and guidance to give them clear direction on their career path and make sure that they have actionable steps to get there. We partner together and work through each step one-on-one with an individualized action plan that explicitly addresses their career aspirations and goals.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

As I’ve worked to build my reputation, one of the best ways has been through active participation in networking groups related to my niche including networks with career coaches, small business owners and women in business. We have been committed to helping each other develop and grow our businesses and our visibility so that we can reach and serve more individuals with our message and services. We help each other with ideas, questions and when one of us just needs a different perspective or set of eyes on an idea. It has also been one of the best ways to connect and has given me the chance to build some great friendships along the way. We have helped each other reach new audiences and have referred each other to potential clients. Especially when starting out, word of mouth referrals can be incredibly influential and effective. I am grateful to these groups of fellow business owners that I have had the chance to join and contribute to.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Since I first started this work of helping people advance their careers, one of the most important aspects to me was the opportunity to really partner with them directly. I believe that there is great value in one-on-one conversations to get to the heart of who they are and what they do. I always tell prospective clients that I will be the one working with them directly- not an assistant or an email exchange. I like to get to know them and understand their background and expertise well so that I can truly be the best coach to them. I believe this is one of the reasons that they trust me and appreciate the work we do together. It has also resulted in them wanting to refer their friends and colleagues and in this way referral business has been one of the best sources of new clients for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vanderyachtconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/career_joy_with_jill/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/careerjoy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jvanderyacht/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQ817ZYQwyngmpy8GAxQfw

Image Credits

Teia Benson, Maven Within