Career Contessa Founder Lauren McGoodwin on Entitlement, The Illusion of The Perfect Job and Managing Her Business

Meet Lauren McGoodwin, the founder of Career Contessa. Lauren generously  shares the story of how she started her business, her motivation and how she built Career Contessa from an idea to the  leading career site for millennials offering career tips, career advice, job listings and career coaching. 

Lauren shares her story of how she struggled to find her place after graduating from college, and how a role in recruiting gave her the idea for Career Contessa. From day one, Lauren has been driven to help people find the opportunities she could not find and to have the career advice so many of us are missing. For those of us who lack connections or career mentorship, Career Contessa wants to be your trusted advisor.

In our conversation we discuss topics ranging from Lauren’s book Power Moves,  to common career mistakes, “watering your own grass”, entitlement,  and how a false narrative of the perfect job can hurt your future. This is the advice we wish we had when we started our careers. 

https://www.careercontessa.com/

Power Moves by Lauren McGoodwin

The Career Contessa Podcast

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Topics Discussed:

  • Lauren shares the story of how she started Career Contessa and its purpose as a leading career site for millennials, offering career advice, job listings, career coaching, and job resources.
  • Lauren discusses her struggle to find a job after college and how her experience in recruiting gave her the idea for Career Contessa. She emphasizes her drive to help others find opportunities that she had difficulty finding herself.
  • Lauren explains her motivation for writing the book, "Power Moves," which aims to help people build fulfilling careers. She describes it as a comprehensive guide to building a healthy, successful, and fulfilling career on one's own terms.
  • Lauren discusses the importance of reframing our perception of our careers and provides examples from her book on how to do so.
  • Lauren explores the concept of the ambition trap and the feeling of entitlement that can hinder progress and success in careers. She highlights the challenges millennials face in managing their expectations and adjusting their narratives.
  • Lauren shares the timeline of how Career Contessa grew, from its start as a school project to offering career coaching, creating online courses, and expanding through various media platforms.
  • Lauren discusses the challenges she faced in transitioning from a predictable work environment to running a startup. She also offers advice on staying organized, establishing processes, and maintaining consistency.
  • Lauren envisions the future of Career Contessa, aiming to provide the best resources and adapt to changing trends and preferences, such as creating content in different formats to reach a wider audience.
  • Lauren provides advice for individuals building their own businesses, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing an email list, marketing strategies, and consistency.


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