The Job Search Buddy: Networking, Visibility, and Getting Seen with Jodi Gorenstein

Joanne Skiles[00:00]
Hi everybody, welcome back

Vimala Pydi[00:00]
Thank

Joanne Skiles[00:01]
to Her Career Unplugged. I'm Joanne Skiles and I'm joined with Vimela and Jody Gorenstein. I'm really happy and excited to introduce a woman who spent over 20 years championing people, building culture and opening doors. And in no way is she slowing down. She's just going ramping

Jodi Gorenstein[00:20]
Mm-hmm.

Joanne Skiles[00:20]
up even more.

Joanne Skiles[00:21]
So Jody Goringstein is a global HR leader who has held senior roles at some of the most iconic brands, including American Express. She has an MA in organizational psychology from the Columbia University and a track record of leading complex transformations, MA integrations, and talent strategies across beauty, CPG, financial services, which is my favorite, and media.

Joanne Skiles[00:48]
Here's what makes her truly special, and why we knew that she had to be on the show. In the job market today, that has left so many talented professionals feeling invisible and questioning their worth. Jodi launched HR Super Connector. And this is a passion project that has become a lifeline for job seekers at every level. So she calls herself the job search buddy, cheerleader, and champion.

Joanne Skiles[01:14]
And her clients will tell you that's exactly what she is. She opens doors, makes introductions, and helps people get seen. Not just for any role, but the right role. So with over 12,000 followers and a network that spans multiple industries, Jody is proof that in a world of algorithms and AI, human connection is still the most powerful career tool we have. So

Joanne Skiles[01:38]
That being said, she is an AI enthusiast who helps others navigate their personal AI journey. And this is blending that best of technology with what we always talk about on the show, irreplaceable power of relationships. So Jodi, welcome to her career unplugged.

Vimala Pydi[01:54]
Welcome, Jody.

Jodi Gorenstein[01:54]
Thanks, Joanne. What a kind introduction.

Jodi Gorenstein[01:59]
I am so happy to be here. And I'm happy to be here for a lot of reasons. One is this is such a great community. I feel very passionate about women helping other women and especially through a job search. Job searching is tough. It is lonely. It is exhausting. And

Jodi Gorenstein[02:20]
I've been there myself and now my work and my career in HR has brought me to this place that I think I have was meant to be at, which is leading HR Superconnector and helping many people through the ups and downs of job search and really being there for them as emotional support, as strategic support.

Jodi Gorenstein[02:45]
as a sounding board, as a friend, and you know, I help my clients really accelerate their job search. So thanks for having me.

Joanne Skiles[02:54]
We are very, very happy for you to be here. So thank you so much. So thank you so much for being here. with that being said.

Joanne Skiles[03:05]
I'm gonna hand you over to my co-host Vimela, where she is going to ask you a bunch of questions. Vimela, over to you.

Jodi Gorenstein[03:11]
Great. Bring it on.

Vimala Pydi[03:13]
Thank you, Joanne. Jodi, thank you so much for joining us today and such

Jodi Gorenstein[03:18]
Thank you.

Vimala Pydi[03:18]
an incredible journey that you had and also helping others giving back to the community, which is a core for all of us here.

Vimala Pydi[03:28]
With that, I have a few questions. We can just go in more on your journey and how you can help our audience here in their job search.

Vimala Pydi[03:38]
as Joanne introduced you, had an incredible career that most of us dream of like American Express, and you worked with Cody and other companies where you had like really good roles as well. What was the moment you knew HR was your calling and not just a job?

Jodi Gorenstein[03:58]
Well, I love this

Jodi Gorenstein[03:59]
question because as a college student, I really struggled with trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. And I remember senior year of college really being down on myself because I felt like all of my other friends knew what they wanted to do. And I was lost. So

Jodi Gorenstein[04:19]
I floundered a little bit. I was an assistant. I tried to get a job in television. I worked in advertising, which ironically is where I met my husband on the advertising company softball team. And then it took a couple of other roles to realize where my passion was. So I wound up getting pulled into a role at American Express.

Jodi Gorenstein[04:45]
Because at the previous job I was at, I befriended my HR person who is still a very good friend today. Her name is Jen. And we both bonded because we did not enjoy working at that company. She got a job at American Express and said, Hey, you know, there's an assistant role open. I interviewed and got the job. And I was a little self-conscious over the fact that I was in an assistant role.

Jodi Gorenstein[05:11]
I was a couple of years out of college. I felt like all of my friends were on these rocket trajectories and I was still figuring things out. Well, a wonderful thing happened. And after about a year as a coordinator at American Express, my team got absorbed by another team. So I was technically out of a job. This was when rifts and displacements were very, very different.

Jodi Gorenstein[05:37]
So my job sat within the Philanthropic Foundation at American Express. And the head of the foundation, this wonderful woman, Beth Salerno, said to me, Jody, now that your role is going to be eliminated, you take as long as you want to find another job here at American Express. I mean, that does not happen today.

Vimala Pydi[05:58]
Yeah.

Jodi Gorenstein[05:59]
So I went across the hall and made

Jodi Gorenstein[06:02]
Booked a meeting with my HR business partner, Jim Dwyer, who I'm also still in touch with today. And I said, Jim, I think I'm interested in HR. I'm also interested in marketing. Do you have any advice for me? And he said, Jody, I have the perfect role for you. A coordinator role just opened up on the campus recruiting team. So I interviewed, got the job, and that was my foray into HR. So

Jodi Gorenstein[06:28]
I was the camp counselor for our summer interns who were coming in from top universities. I was marshalling Amex employees who were alumni of the schools that we were recruiting from and going on campus with them and with senior leaders within the organization, and I loved it. And that really only gave me a taste of recruiting because it was campus recruiting, but it was very high level and high touch.

Jodi Gorenstein[06:57]
And then from there I realized I really enjoy this. And I looked up and started meeting with more people at Amax, specifically in HR, to understand what people were doing. And I realized that the HR business partner role was really interesting. And the same reason it was interesting to me then, you know, 26 years ago, is is equally the reason why I love it now.

Jodi Gorenstein[07:24]
There the variety, I felt that there was something different every day, almost every hour of an HR business partner's world. And I felt that that HR role in particular was closest to the business. And obviously, as I've advanced in my careers and I've sat on executive leadership teams and I have been the right hand to CEOs and CFOs and presidents.

Jodi Gorenstein[07:51]
That still holds true. I really love getting into the business and d working with leaders to design a people strategy that will help support business growth and really just helping people at every level be their best selves at work. That brings me joy. So that's how I came to land in HR, very circuitous way. And I love telling that story. I do a lot of mentoring with my alma mater.

Jodi Gorenstein[08:18]
And I tell students right off the bat, they I'm nervous, I don't know what I want to do. And I say, you are 10 steps ahead of where I was at your age, because you're having a conversation with people like me. You're gathering information, you're learning, you're exploring, you are going to do great things. And I love helping folks like that. And I've helped people land for my alma mater, land jobs and internships and

Jodi Gorenstein[08:46]
You know, these are amazing students and now, you know, early career folks who I keep in touch with. So that brings me a lot of joy.

Vimala Pydi[08:55]
Yes.

Vimala Pydi[08:56]
That's an amazing story. It covers so many aspects of it on how you were persistent, went after your passion, and also when you said when you were affected by reduction in force that was the best thing. It's like a positive spin which we need, we definitely need in our career as well. So what an incredible story. I hope this connects with our audience as well and kind of look at

Vimala Pydi[09:25]
dive deep and look at their passion to drive their career. So the next question, I'm very curious and I'm pretty sure it will be helping our audience to tell us about HR Super Connector.

Vimala Pydi[09:39]
You also call yourself as job search buddy, cheerleader, and champion. Can you kind of like tell us the whole HR Super Connector story?

Jodi Gorenstein[09:49]
Absolutely. And like I said, Joanne and Bimela, I this is where I believe I was meant to be and where my career has been leading for some time. So I, like many, have been the wrong place in the wrong time. And I always say, you know, bad things happen to good people. I've had rifts in my background, and I've had to, you know, put on my big girl.

Jodi Gorenstein[10:16]
pants and move forward and I've I I've always believed in myself and I've always been strategic in terms of how to get that next job and I've always gotten an even better job than the one prior. So over two years ago, I really had a passion for helping people in my community through job search.

Jodi Gorenstein[10:40]
Again, because I'd been through it personally and I had the benefit of so many wonderful people who helped me, introduced me to people, sent me open jobs, suggested executive recruiters that I reach out to, and were just amazing people. So I wanted to give back. So anytime a friend, friend of friend, family member had someone who was going through a job search, they knew to send that person my way.

Jodi Gorenstein[11:05]
You should talk to Jodi. She knows how to strategically job search and where to spend your time and energy and where to avoid the energy sucks. So I would help people with their resumes, their LinkedIn, again, make introductions for them, keep my eyes open. As roles came across my desk, I would forward them on to people. But I would do it in the evenings or

Jodi Gorenstein[11:31]
On the weekends, talking to people on the sidelines of my kids' sports games. And then over two years ago, I realized this job market is really terrible. And it's unique in how challenging it is. And I realized people need more help than I have been giving for the previous 20 plus years. They need someone like me that's really in it with them day in and day out.

Jodi Gorenstein[11:57]
We all have friends, family who want to be supportive, but even with the best intentions, they're not always as helpful as we would want them to be, or they're too close, or they have a vested interest in what decisions we make. So I think being there for my clients who are the job seekers at every point through the journey and letting them just lay it all out.

Jodi Gorenstein[12:22]
Whether it's tears, whether it's venting, whether it's frustration, they know I've been there too and I get it, and I'm going to help them. So that really again means a lot to me. So that was the impetus of starting HR Superconnector. I I thought people need more and I have more to give. So I launched HR Superconnector. And again, as you said, Vimela, I

Jodi Gorenstein[12:46]
Help job seekers at all levels, C-suite to recent college grad, everything in between, every industry function nationwide. And I provide authentic, customized, strategic job search support. So everything from LinkedIn updates, resume updates, improving your LinkedIn algorithm, and doing the things that give you the LinkedIn points, networking.

Jodi Gorenstein[13:12]
How to leverage your contacts, how to not be embarrassed about reaching out to contacts that you haven't been in touch with in some time. When you reach out, how to ensure people respond and then actually book time with you? What to ask? Because many of us get on these calls with people we've known for years or new connections, and it's just kind of chatting without any.

Jodi Gorenstein[13:38]
direct goal for that session. And yes, we've all been there and you want to start off and say, I need a job, this is what happens. Can you help me? But I help my clients reframe and come from a place of, you know, a symbiotic, I would love to help you and I would be grateful if you could help me. And really being targeted in those conversations so that

Jodi Gorenstein[14:03]
Person knows whether it's someone you've known for 20 years or someone you just got introduced to or someone you sent a cold LinkedIn request to, and because they went to the same university as you, you want to leave them with a very short soundbite of what you're looking for and who you are, because that's the best way for them to help you. If you're broad and you say,

Jodi Gorenstein[14:29]
I'm industry agnostic. I would live in one of these seven cities. I'm interested in these varied roles. They don't even know where to begin to help you. So again, I help my clients with networking strategies that really they could use for life. I help them come out of their comfort zones, but only to the point that is still authentic to them.

Jodi Gorenstein[14:55]
I have plenty of clients that say, Jody, I don't like social media. I don't want to post original content. And I say, no worries. We're going to figure out a way around that. But we still want to work to get you seen. So the I work with my clients with in packages of hours. And the first is the get ready, doing the basics, as I mentioned, resume, LinkedIn, elevator pitch.

Jodi Gorenstein[15:17]
And then we get to get seen, which is where the magic happens. All this networking, contact strategies, what to say when you reach out, introductions that I make, intel I get from my vast network that I share with my clients. Because the goal is to find out about roles before they hit LinkedIn. Because

Joanne Skiles[15:38]
Yes.

Jodi Gorenstein[15:38]
once a role is on LinkedIn, A, you don't even know if it's real.

Jodi Gorenstein[15:43]
Is it fake? Is it has it just been posted for compliance reasons, but in actuality they have a final candidate or they've already gotten an accepted offer? Not to mention that hundreds and thousands of people are applying to those same roles. So the goal is really to get ahead and find out about roles beforehand. But even in the case of jobs on LinkedIn, in this get scene.

Jodi Gorenstein[16:07]
package, I reach out to contacts at the companies where my clients are applying to, as well as their target companies, and I get their resume seen, plucked out of the pile of the many people that are applying and in put in the hands of decision makers. Because when people, even if they don't know me, look at my profile, see that I'm recommending Joanne or Vimela, and this is why

Jodi Gorenstein[16:32]
They're appreciative of the recommendation because recruiters and hiring leaders can't go through every resume they get. They know there's they're inadvertently screening out really great candidates. So they're happy to get recommendations. So that's a bit about the get seen. And then my last package is landing the job. Interview tips, strategies, thank you notes, shoring up your references.

Jodi Gorenstein[16:58]
role-playing interviews over a Zoom and importantly giving guidance on how to negotiate the best offer compensation, which I have a great success in helping people do and get more than originally offered. So that's HR Superconnector at a whole. I have a website, I have testimonials, I love meeting with people and hearing what's on their mind, what's frustrating, what's working and not working in their search.

Jodi Gorenstein[17:26]
and really being their partner and jump starting their search in a very thoughtful way.

Joanne Skiles[17:31]
There's so many points that that I for example, just the networking part of coming out and talking and reaching out. my biggest pet peeve is when people reach out to me and they're very vague in what they want. And I'm like, if you could just tell me what you want, I could help you.

Jodi Gorenstein[17:46]
Rights, rights

Vimala Pydi[17:48]
See you then.

Jodi Gorenstein[17:48]
Exactly.

Jodi Gorenstein[17:49]
It's so much harder to help if you're vague.

Joanne Skiles[17:52]
And I want

Joanne Skiles[17:52]
to help, I want to help, but I just don't know what you want. And I'm like, I have

Jodi Gorenstein[17:56]
Right.

Joanne Skiles[17:56]
a very big network. Just tell me what you where you're looking. I can't give you twenty jobs, okay?

Jodi Gorenstein[18:02]
Exactly.

Vimala Pydi[18:02]
Yeah.

Jodi Gorenstein[18:03]
And and I truly believe, even though we see bad behaviors going on and candidates gang ghosted, I believe that the people in our network truly want to help.

Joanne Skiles[18:15]
Yes.

Jodi Gorenstein[18:16]
They they may be busy, you may send them a note at a time where they do not have the

Jodi Gorenstein[18:23]
brain capacity to read and respond to that note, which is why I always say you have to follow up several times. But I really believe in general, people want to help others.

Vimala Pydi[18:33]
Exactly. Yeah. And also there are so many layers of job search. So thank you so much for like unpeeling that onion and kind of showing us what goes behind building your strategy for your correct or

Vimala Pydi[18:49]
the dream job that you want, right?

Vimala Pydi[18:51]
know networking is one of the key areas, especially now

Jodi Gorenstein[18:55]
Yes.

Vimala Pydi[18:57]
in 2026, everything changed, the job market changed specifically.

Vimala Pydi[19:02]
They always say, I'm not good at networking. If someone comes to you and says that, what would you tell them? Where do they start?

Jodi Gorenstein[19:11]
Right. So what does not good at networking mean to you? It will mean different things to different people. It may mean I don't love cold networking. I don't love walking up to people at an in-person event who I don't know. It may mean I don't like cold outreaches on LinkedIn and sending a connection request to someone. It can mean a lot of different things.

Jodi Gorenstein[19:36]
Or I'm embarrassed to tell my story. Whatever it is, we break that down and delve into what it is. So if you're embarrassed or you don't know how to tell your story, well, that's part of the elevator pitch. And some of my clients need a more extensive elevator pitch, meaning they need more of a narrative, especially if they're pivoting from one thing to another. They need to explain and articulate that story and that.

Jodi Gorenstein[20:04]
thread that connects what they were doing and all their experience to what they want to be doing. And that story needs to come across clearly on their resume as well as their LinkedIn. So helping them, let's figure out how we're going to tell a story in a way that you feel comfortable. And by the way, you don't need to go into all the challenging details about why you left your LAFT organization.

Jodi Gorenstein[20:29]
You could just lead with this is who I am. I've 20 plus years of experience driving XYZ across A B C industries. I'm passionate about these things. And I left my last job at so-and-so company two months ago, three months ago, what have you. Like full stop. This is what I'm looking for now. Sometimes people feel like they need to overshare.

Jodi Gorenstein[20:53]
And how am I going to overshare? I don't want to burn bridges. Well, you don't need to. And by the way, ninety percent of the people that you're speaking to, they they themselves have personally been through a RIF or have someone close to them who has. So this is th everyone's been there.

Joanne Skiles[21:11]
Yeah.

Vimala Pydi[21:11]
ready.

Joanne Skiles[21:12]
people understand that again. You do not need you don't need to share everything. And it's very important to know that it's I left the job two months ago. That that's you can end it right there. And honestly, sometimes you should just end it right there. And that's fine.

Jodi Gorenstein[21:25]
Exactly.

Vimala Pydi[21:26]
right.

Jodi Gorenstein[21:26]
You control the narrative. So, you know, and I say this in terms of also when my clients don't have testimonials on LinkedIn, I always recommend find two people who can speak, you know, who love you, care about you, have worked with you, can speak broadly about your skills and experiences, and offer to draft that testimonial for them.

Jodi Gorenstein[21:47]
Number one, it makes it so much easier for them because again, back to I think people generally want to help, they're busy. And when someone says, you know, can you write me a testimonial? The initial reaction could be, I'm so busy, but of course I will do it. But when you say I will draft it for you, then they think, wow, this is so much easier. Yes. But secondly, you help to manage the narrative.

Jodi Gorenstein[22:15]
Because some people may write such a lovely testimonial for you, but it's very generic and nonspecific. It doesn't talk about your skills, your superpowers, how you worked with that person. So again, if you're drafting it, then you could help drive that narrative. And obviously they edit as they wish. I have plenty of people who say, again, Jody, I I don't feel comfortable on social media. Okay.

Jodi Gorenstein[22:40]
Well, we're not talking about Instagram and Facebook. We're talking about LinkedIn. And to look for a job, you have to, you have to leverage LinkedIn. You have to optimize it. Like, don't hate the player, hate the game. Like this is what it is. You have to leverage LinkedIn, but let's do it in a way that you feel comfortable with. And I share, these are the things that give you a lot of points.

Jodi Gorenstein[23:04]
These things give you some points, so you should definitely do more of those if you're not as comfortable with individual posts. But an individual post doesn't have to be you're writing a white paper. Many people do it with great success. It doesn't have to be that. It could be you're at an event. The three of us are at an event, or right now we snap a selfie and then post about the selfie. Videos and photos get a lot of LinkedIn points.

Jodi Gorenstein[23:31]
So that's so much easier. And then you tag the other people in the photo, you ask them to repost. That does wonders for your personal brand and how many eyeballs are on you. And you know, hopefully that person feels more comfortable with that kind of approach. The other thing is you have to keep track, right? I have my clients put together a Google Sheet.

Jodi Gorenstein[23:53]
With their list of all the roles they apply to target companies and contacts. And I'll review with them. Well, you only have five contacts on your contacts tab. Where are the rest? well, you know, I keep track in other places, or I'm not sure when I reached out, but there are other people. I said you have to put that all together and go through which are the ones I need to follow up with. And yeah, sometimes swallow your pride and know.

Jodi Gorenstein[24:19]
They might not get back to you after the first reach out. And that is not personal and it is not about you. I see it happen all day long with the reach outs I do for my clients. Sometimes it many times it takes that second reach out for the person to say, Jody, sorry I missed this resume. Looks like a great background. I'm handing it to the recruiter working on the role. If I stopped at that first reach out when I didn't get a response.

Jodi Gorenstein[24:45]
I'd be in a much different place than my clients would be.

Joanne Skiles[24:48]
Yes, the follow-up is very important the other side of it is they are also human. you just made me remember that someone did reach out to me on LinkedIn, but I was at Disney and so I forgot

Jodi Gorenstein[24:58]
Yeah.

Joanne Skiles[24:59]
about it. So I need to go back to it.

Jodi Gorenstein[25:01]
Right, right. And another good tactic

Vimala Pydi[25:02]
Yes.

Jodi Gorenstein[25:06]
on LinkedIn is I always recommend

Vimala Pydi[25:07]
Thank

Jodi Gorenstein[25:08]
when anyone sends a connection request, don't just hit the connect button. Include a note, the you know, personalized invite or add note option, depending if you're on your laptop or your phone. Because then you could provide some context, you know.

Jodi Gorenstein[25:23]
Hey Joanne, it was great to work on the podcast

Vimala Pydi[25:24]
in general.

Jodi Gorenstein[25:26]
with you today. I look forward to staying in touch because that way when we look at each other's profiles in two years from now, we're not scratching our heads. How did we get connected originally? Like you have a bit of a history there. So, and it helps you jog your memory. And I also think it helps you make a personal connection to people. Like when I meet with people.

Jodi Gorenstein[25:48]
I'm writing down the names of their kids and what are their k kids going to summer camp or one's nervous about starting fifth grade or a new dog because then I can follow because I care. These are people and they're spending their time talking to me or talking to me to help their clients and I owe that to them to help make that personal connection.

Vimala Pydi[26:11]
Exactly. Yeah, what a great tidbit over there, Jody, and plus one on sending that note, we know it's human, we know it's someone we know or through acquaintance through others as well. So that definitely helps putting in that message.

Vimala Pydi[26:27]
you're a walking encyclopedia of all the experiences you have. When you talk, I can feel like you have helped so many people. You have that connection with all the people you helped in the job search and you're talking out of experience as well, definitely.

Jodi Gorenstein[26:45]
Thank you.

Vimala Pydi[26:46]
Thank you for all the insights into job search just this past 15-20 minutes. Give us an overview of how job searching works and how we can improve when you work as a buddy and also a coach and mentor and I love what you said.

Vimala Pydi[27:03]
searching. And with that, I want to give it over to Joanne for some fun questions, rapid fire.

Joanne Skiles[27:11]
Yes.

Joanne Skiles[27:12]
So welcome to the rapid fire round. the goal is I'm gonna just ask you some quick questions, stay on your toes, and we'll see we'll see where we get at the end of it, okay? So best career advice you've ever received.

Jodi Gorenstein[27:27]
Best career advice I've ever received. really just do your best. Find something that you really are good at and enjoy doing, and the rest will fall into place. And something I've learned over the years is be kind to people because unfortunately I have encountered some of the most wonderful people.

Jodi Gorenstein[27:52]
as well as some people who have been incredibly unkind and that is just too bad. And some of us, you know, carry baggage around that from one job to the next and one company to the next. So, you know, with a a a word to others to really think about your personal brand and how you're treating others.

Joanne Skiles[28:12]
It's very, very important. Worst career advice you've ever received.

Jodi Gorenstein[28:18]
The worst

Jodi Gorenstein[28:18]
career advice I've ever received. well, it's funny, when I was thinking about leaving American Express, I had been there for 15 years, and I got a call from a recruiter with a job that was a complete 180 from what I was doing. Had no HR infrastructure, working for an old boys' club sales organization that didn't know from strategic HR.

Jodi Gorenstein[28:44]
What's completely different, very scrappy, versus at Amex, all of the players and people I worked with were just A plus people at what they did. And I asked a couple of friends, what do you think? I have this opportunity. And one said, That sounds really hard and challenging. You know, why leave Amex? And the other said, That sounds really exciting because it sounds like you could build something.

Jodi Gorenstein[29:10]
And experience something totally different and really diversify your experience. And I looked at both of those people and their career trajectory and I said, you know, I wanna be more like the person that said, take the calculated risk. And, you know, I did that. Was that the perfect job? No, but I really believe that that really

Jodi Gorenstein[29:35]
put my career into high gear because after that I realized wow there's a world outside of Amex and how although Amex is incredible, this outside world helps helps me, did help me leverage skills and muscles that I built at Amex, but I didn't really always have the opportunity to flex. So it really helped me build my skills and become a lot more resilient. So it was really the best move I ever made.

Joanne Skiles[30:02]
Yes. I

Jodi Gorenstein[30:02]
Besides following

Jodi Gorenstein[30:03]
my friend Jen to American Express from the job that we the company we both disliked.

Joanne Skiles[30:08]
I love it. I think that's great because taking the risk, taking challenges grows you and shapes you, even if you don't really know. As long as it's calculated though, right? You said calculated,

Jodi Gorenstein[30:17]
Yes.

Joanne Skiles[30:17]
which is important. One thing you wish you'd known at 25.

Jodi Gorenstein[30:20]
I wish I knew that I was going to find something that I loved and was good at and where I would be valued for what I brought to the table. Because again, there were some stressful years about not knowing and figuring out, and why does everyone else seem like they have it figured out and I don't. And also realizing like at different stages in your life, different things.

Jodi Gorenstein[30:46]
are more important, right? At some stage earlier in my career, w working in fun environments, getting exposure to lots of different people, that was very appealing. You know, now I'm the mother of two teenage boys and flexibility is important, but also being at an organization

Jodi Gorenstein[31:10]
whose mission and values really aligns with mine, where they truly value HR, because now after so many years working in the HR function, I have a spidey sense for organizations who don't necessarily know what good HR looks like or strategic HR, or just don't want that kind of HR.

Jodi Gorenstein[31:32]
The value of working with good people is really something that's super important to me now. And I loved many of the people I worked with earlier in my career, but I wasn't as focused on that.

Joanne Skiles[31:43]
very important. Meeting or email. Which one would you eliminate?

Jodi Gorenstein[31:46]
Which would I eliminate?

Joanne Skiles[31:48]
Yes.

Jodi Gorenstein[31:49]
I love meeting people in person. Whenever throughout my career, whenever I've had an in-person meeting or a business trip or a presentation, sometimes you have to psych yourself up for these things because it, you know, maybe is more anxiety ridden to go on a business trip and meet people that you've never met before or spent that much time with. But I always found a pattern that

Jodi Gorenstein[32:12]
Coming out of those experiences, I always felt great. Like I made great connections. I learned a lot about a business. I really made an impact. So definitely in person.

Joanne Skiles[32:24]
Awesome, awesome. So she's eliminating emails, which is okay. I

Jodi Gorenstein[32:27]
Yeah.

Joanne Skiles[32:28]
hate reading emails. So the last question what's next for Jody? Where are you headed?

Jodi Gorenstein[32:33]
So I've realized, you know, with HR Superconnector, and obviously I've iterated over the past two plus years, I'm really feeling great about the help that I'm providing to people. You know, I see my clients sitting up straighter, having more confidence about their ability to find a job, getting more comfortable with the things we talked about, reaching out, following up.

Jodi Gorenstein[32:59]
I mean, there's nothing better when my clients are getting interviews after interviews and we're getting great feedback on their resume. So this is something, like I said, I believe I was meant to do and I want to continue this. I'm also open to, you know, returning to a full-time job and maybe keeping some clients on the side to work on in the evenings and weekends because

Jodi Gorenstein[33:24]
at this point th I'm not giving up HR Superconnector. It's my baby. it's my passion. And like I said, I feel like I'm really making an impact.

Joanne Skiles[33:33]
I love it. I really love just how authentic and how much you do care about helping others. I mean, that's why Vimel and I created the show as well, is we want to help those

Joanne Skiles[33:46]
that are in their career. And so really, is there anything you want to leave, maybe to the listener who's right now in the thick of it, in the job search, and maybe they're feeling discouraged. Is there anything that you would like to leave them with?

Jodi Gorenstein[33:59]
Yeah, just r remind yourself you are great and wonderful and you're not defined by the bad boss or the people that weren't kind to you or a RIF that just happens, you know, regardless of anything that you did. Just try to ground yourself in your superpowers. And that's an exercise I go through with my clients. What are the things that you do better than others? That

Jodi Gorenstein[34:26]
That is part of your personal brand. If you haven't thought about it, think about it because that's who you are, and you should be super proud of those superpowers. And just know everyone has baggage and the feels over rifts or job search or getting ghosted. And there's no reason to be alone. And I realize that, you know, in some of my job searches and connecting with other people.

Jodi Gorenstein[34:53]
at my level who were also in transition looking for similar senior HR jobs. And the power of just being in a community like that where you are just 100% focused on helping other people and they you is really great. So tap into your community, your networks, don't be surprised when sometimes people disappoint you.

Jodi Gorenstein[35:19]
Because you thought that they might be more helpful or caring, but know that you will be pleasantly surprised by others who go out of their way to be kind and helpful to you, even though you didn't expect it. So, you know, do something every day that brings you joy and helps you remind yourself how great you are.

Joanne Skiles[35:38]
Well, thank you, Jody, so much for joining us.

Jodi Gorenstein[35:42]
Thank you.

Joanne Skiles[35:42]
and thank you everybody for listening. If you have if you're in the middle of a job search or you're just starting, like feel free to leave a comment. We're we'll go through them. We'll help you as much as we can. And until next time, stay curious, stay bold, and stay unplugged.