Experience Points # 4

with Mandy Brown, Coach & Mentor

Hi Reader,

I hope this Valentine's Week you're showing yourself some love!

I received a lot of positive feedback for the last couple of issues of Experience Points. Thank you! 🥰 Feels incredible to be writing for y'all.

If you find any of today's newsletter helpful, please let me know or consider buying me a coffee. Either way, I love hearing from y'all!

Critical Recap

Guidance (job hunting) - my method of prepping for interviews (includes free tool)
Saving Throws (wellness) - what happened when I learned I'm autistic
Proficiency Check (business acumen) - basic types of US business formation
Loot List (resources) - resources for business research, small business owners, and autism exploration

Guidance!

Last week, I wrote about how the hiring manager considers risk when interviewing. Hopefully, Reader, this moved you away from the "just take a chance on me" mentality.

But now you need to prepare for an interview! 😬

Small rant first - Interviews are awful. As an autistic, I just want to get to work--not go through the seven social circles of hell to get to doing the work. People ask questions with so much subtext, which is difficult for me as an autistic.

No, Mandy, that person doesn't really want to know why you're leaving your current workplace. They actually want to know if you know not to talk poorly of your past employer. 🙄

The system we have for interviewing doesn't necessarily even measure the skills needed to do the damn job. You know what I never have to do in my current job? Make eye contact. 👁️👁️ Yet if I were in person interviewing for a role, not making eye contact would likely disqualify me. So I have to mask in order to get the opportunity to not need to mask. It's a mess.

But we still gotta eat, so here's how I methodically prep for interviews:

First, always, always save the job description after you apply. Often, the opening is taken down while the company interviews. If you haven't saved the opening somewhere, it will be difficult to prep.

Next, use this document to prepare. I recommend only doing this prep work once you have an interview scheduled. This is a lot of prep work for a job application.

Here's how to use this document:

In Column A of this sheet, list the job duties, competencies, and qualifications, one per line. In my example, I have "Applying in-house editorial guidelines and stylesheets, taking an active role in keeping them up to date and relevant."
In Column B, take on the perspective of a hiring manager or recruiter. Remember that managers are looking to reduce risk. What could you ask someone to prove they met this particular requirement? So, going with my example, a hiring manager might ask, "Tell me about your past publishing experience."
In Columns C-E, select the checkbox that is applicable to your background as it relates to Column A: Does Not Meet, Meets, Exceeds. If any part of the job application says "bonus if you have experience in X" and you have X, check "Exceeds." If you didn't have any experience using editorial guidelines, you'd select "Does Not Meet."
Repeat this for every item of the job application.
For every item you marked "Meets" or "Exceeds," consider which stories you can share from your past experience that show you have the experience needed for the item in Column A and will bring value to the role. Put these notes in Column F.
For every item you marked "Does Not Meet," consider how you are closing (or can close) this gap. Put these notes in Column F.
Use Column G to list any questions you have as it relates to the item in Column A.
Use Column H to write a quick summary of your qualifications as it relates to Column A. (This will matter closer to salary negotiations.)

Use this document to prepare for the interview. Have a friend ask questions similar to those in Column B so you can practice answering them out loud.

Most interview questions can be boiled down to "Have you done this before?" or "Could you do this in the future?" However, most interviewers don't ask directly. Make sure to always end your answers pointing to the future. The more the hiring manager can envision you in the role, the better for you.

So, that's my process. Respond to this email with any clarifying questions you might have, and I'll answer what I can.

They did it!

One of my mentees just accepted their first ID role!🥳 Transitioning out of the classroom is such a challenge, y'all.

I am so freakin' thrilled for them I don't need even need my morning coffee.

🎉 Take a moment with me to send some positive congrats energy their way. 🎉

I still have some 1:1 mentoring slots available, including a few on a sliding scale. Click here to learn more.

Saving Throws

Around the same time that I left education for the corporate world, I learned I’m autistic. Discovering this was an accident. I was looking for something to support my daughter and found a list about how autism presents in non-male individuals.

I read the list to my partner and asked, “Who does this sound like?”

“Oh, that’s easy. You!”

Jim from the office making a cringe face — Was not prepared for that answer....

But honestly, learning that I’m autistic was revolutionary. It was like learning that I had been wearing shoes three sizes too small my entire life and finally getting a pair that finally fit.

So much made sense. This was why I had/have those social hiccups. This is why I’ve always hated crunchy peanut butter and gelatin-fruit cups. 🤢 This is why I have to touch all the clothes while I shop. Why I can’t tell when someone’s mad at me… just epiphany after epiphany.

You mean, there’s nothing morally wrong with me? I’m just wired differently. There's a reason I'm this way?

So I stopped struggling to change my nature and instead started redesigning my life for me. I gave away all the clothes I had forced myself to wear over the years. I turned all the volumes down, turned off all the notifications on my phone, and turned on the captions for my TV. I got a seat for the shower and gave myself earplugs to wear in the movie theater!

And I gave myself permission to make social mistakes without holding onto them years later.

As I embraced my needs, everything around me improved too. My relationships deepened because we were better able to understand the other’s communication needs. My body relaxed because it no longer had to endure overwhelming stimuli. And I’m more gentle with myself, kinder.

So why am I sharing this with you?

Even if you’re not neurodivergent, give yourself a moment to pause and consider.

What parts of yourself might you be repressing because of societal expectations? These are often attached to "should" or "why am I so..." or "why can't I just" self-talk.
What if the aspect of yourself that you’re resisting actually isn’t a character flaw?
What if it’s highlighting a need? Your hidden strength?

Karen Faith's take on speaking to yourself and showing love for your Shadow Sides.

Take note of your self-talk this week and consider how you might work with your nature instead of against it.

Proficiency Check

“

What kind of business should I make my freelance practice? I noticed you're an LLC, but your partner's business is an LLP. And then I see other companies that are Inc. I'm just me, and I don't have any idea which of these I need....

First, I'm not a lawyer. While I did take US Business Law in my EMBA program, please only take my information as educational and not formal legal advice.

To determine what kind of business you need to set up, you need to answer a few things:

Who will be in charge of the business?
Who will hold personal responsibility for the business's debts/actions (liabilities)?
How will income be taxed?
How long will the business exist?

There are four basic types of business formations:

Sole proprietorship Who's in charge - in many states, you're already considered a sole proprietor. You are the only owner of the business and make all the decisions. Who holds personal responsibility - you are liable if anything goes wrong. How will income be taxed - you pay income taxes How long will the business exist - only exists as long as you're alive, though others may be able to inherit business assets (not the business itself). Limited liability company Who's in charge - you or more owners Who holds personal responsibility - the company How will income be taxed - you and other owners pay income tax How long will the business exist - can exist indefinitely, even if owners pass away Partnership Who's in charge - you and business partner(s) Who holds personal responsibility - you and the partners How will income be taxed - you and partners pay How long will the business exist - can exist indefinitely, with conditions Corporation Who's in charge - you and members Who holds personal responsibility - the company How will income be taxed - the company and the shareholders How long will the business exist - indefinitely

Sole Proprietorships and Limited Liability Companies tend to be the most common among freelancers. The main difference between the two is liability. In an LLC, the company holds liability but not the individual owner(s). In a sole proprietorship, you and your company are considered the same legal entity, which means you personally hold the liability of your company. In many states, you're already considered a sole proprietor, though check your local laws to find out if you need an official filing. Many individuals choose to start as a sole proprietorship and move to an LLC when they have funds to file as such.

There are more particulars about partnerships and corporations, but for the most part, for the purposes of answering this mentee question, most freelancers don't file as either of these.

Side note - my partner's LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership, which is a combo of a Partnership and an LLC. His business lawyer may have recommended this formation because he and the other business partners don't live in the same state. But you'd have to ask him for more clarity. Not my circus, not my monkeys.🎪

Have a business question? Ask me here or email me.

Loot List

Gartner has a LinkedIn Newsletter! - Gartner helps other companies be successful by providing consultations, industry research, etc. Some of that research is in their LI newsletter.
Score.org - I've had a few colleagues recommend this organization. They offer free business mentoring, courses, and webinars.
Embrace Autism - This site has tests that give insight into the autism spectrum. I've heard of individuals taking these results with them to diagnostic appointments. But even if you're not pursuing an official diagnosis, I've found the results to be helpful in understanding my specific needs.
Samantha Craft’s Autistic Traits Checklist - A lot of autism research is white, cis-men centered, which means the indicators society uses to diagnose autism are skewed. If you're not white and male (and maybe even if you are), you may find this list helpful for "atypical" presentations.