Minisode 6: How to Fast Track Yourself for Career Growth with Rachel Oliveros
Failed it! Fam – Are you trying to grow swiftly in your career?
On today’s minisode, improve it! Podcast Manager, Rachel Oliveros, is back again to talk to us about how she was able to set herself up for career growth using the yes, and mentality. Listen in as she shares the steps she took to climb the career ladder quickly!
About the Guest: Rachel Oliveros is a Loyola University Chicago alumni where she majored in Marketing and studied abroad in Rome. Rachel has had a history with improve it! prior to working on the podcast, starting as an intern to a Client Services Associate. And now, as the Podcast Manager of failed it!, she works closely with Erin to do all things podcast and help listeners understand that you must fail in order to improve. On top of being creative with show graphics and communicating with inspiring podcast guests, she also enjoys working in Digital Advertising Sales with ViacomCBS. Reach out to her if you're interested in being a guest on The failed it! Podcast!
About the Host: Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
Minisode 6 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
Welcome to failed it! Hello failed it! Family. We have a star in our midst - today Rachel Oliveros, our podcast manager, is joining us for this minisode. Welcome, Rachel.
Rachel (00:23):
Hello. I'm so happy to be back.
Erin (00:25):
So happy to have you back. And I'm going to preface this for all of our failed it! Family listening. Rachel and I have been talking before we hit record, she has this lovely, like, like raspy voice today. I'm like, Rachel, I'm loving this. This is like meditation station yoga for your brain. Okay. Rach. We have so much to discuss today. So we are going to give the failed it! Fam a crash course in how to fast track yourself for career growth using what we love improv comedy. So if you haven't listened to the minisode we have with Rachel, she was our very first minisode, she is the brains behind this operation. So much love to her for making the show work. But can you give us two to three sentences, a quick intro of yourself, your role at improve it!, and then what is your full-time job?
Rachel (01:20):
Yes, of course. So, as she said, I'm the podcast manager with improve it. And basically what that means is that I'm the person, the go-to behind the scenes, communicating with guests, creating show notes and graphics, transcribing episodes, and just all the things you need to help grow the podcast with Erin. And it has been amazing, but my full-time job is actually at ViacomCBS, and that's a digital account manager in the advertising sales department. So what that means is that I work with movie studio business clients who want to put their movie trailers on our digital brands and create media plans for them. So I handle everything from pre-sale to post-sale communication.
Erin (02:04):
Oh my God and I have had the pleasure of watch of watching this rising star get to where she is today. Rachel was our second intern ever at improve it. And then she became an associate with us and she, this was all while you were still in school and college at Loyola and then she went to Rome to study abroad. We lost her, but then she graduated and we have just stayed in touch ever since. And she is such a dear member of the improve it! Family. And so I thought, who in the world could we have on the show to talk about fast-tracking their career growth? And then it was you because I've had a front row seat to watching you grow these past three years. Actually, it's been longer than that because we've known each other about five years. But since you graduated three years ago, you have just blossomed and just really fast track yourself into this awesome opportunity with ViacomCBS. So as you know, we use improv comedy around these parts to train on soft skills and you had a front row seat to that. So what does the words yes and mean to you?
Rachel (03:18):
Gosh, yes. I remember taking a workshop and using yes, and for the first time and I was like, oh my gosh, this is changing my life because so yes, and it basically means being inclusive when you're having conversations with others no matter like, if it's just with your friends or if it's in, in your team at work, if somebody gives you their opinion, you accept it by replying with yes, and, and then you include your own take on it rather than shutting someone down. And that's why yes, and is like so important when you're communicating with people because you're being inclusive.
Erin (03:51):
That's it! That's it. Okay. So we're going to take this. Yes. And, and I'd like to, yes, and your career since graduating actually, because you were one of the hardest working college students I've ever met, you had like four jobs. When you worked with us two jobs.
Rachel (04:12):
I had three internships per semester.
Erin (04:15):
So crazy, so crazy. And then she's like, I gotta go, I gotta go. My other job. I'm like, okay, when are you going to sleep? You know? So I'm so proud of you, but I wanted to give the failed it! Family, some tangible steps to fast track their careers using some improv techniques. And I also wanted to use your life as an example, Rach. So failed it! Family, get out a pen and paper. If you are trying to fast track your career growth, we have four steps to helping you do that. Some of which use our philosophy of yes, and so the first step is step one, define your barriers. So what are the things hindering you from preventing your career growth? So Rach for you, you were right out of school when you first entered the world of corporate America, which most people are. What were some of the barriers that you had to overcome in the beginning of your career?
Rachel (05:14):
Yeah. So my goal as a college student was to become a worker in the entertainment industry. And it's hard to do that when you're not in LA or New York. So I think like the first and foremost barrier was that I didn't know anything much about the industry and it was a very competitive place to be in. So that was already hard in it in and of itself. And then when you're like there getting that interview, you have to prove you're good enough. So it's like hard to compare it. It was like hard to think that you were good enough for the role because you didn't know much. And then you constantly compare yourself to others. So the good thing though, about the barriers is that it's based off of my own self control. So like that obviously changed later in life as I grew.
Erin (06:02):
Totally, so you had your own limiting beliefs about yourself. You had a little bit of comparisonitis, which we've talked about on the show before, which is all normal. I know anybody listening here has had those things and experiencing the experience, those feels for themselves. So that's step one failed it! Fam identify those barriers because when you can actually speak them out loud, they don't control you. You control them. All right. So now step two is what we call, define your, or design, your yes and environment. So what do we mean by this? As Rachel said yes and is a space where judgment is postponed or everybody feels like their voices heard it's inclusive, you feel supported. So who do you need is your yes and coach? Who is that? Where are you working? Is it an environment that fosters this feeling of yes and, and who do you have in your corner to help fast track your career growth? And I just want to caveat, we've become like the five people that we spend the most time around. So choose wisely here. So Rachel, for you, how have you designed your yes and environment to get you to where you are right now?
Rachel (07:22):
Yeah. So I think the people around you, I mean, you mentioned that you become the five people you spend most time with. And I think they're the most important when it comes to designing your yes and environment. So I have chosen mentors and friends. I mean, including you, in my life that continues to cheer me on supports and believes in me, especially when you're feeling down on yourself, they're the people that lift you back up and really believe in you. So that's the most important I would say. And then I didn't know this before, but like, as I continued my interviews with ViacomCBS, I realized that culture is a huge priority of theirs. And that was an environment I definitely wanted to be in. They support you and they emphasize that they want you to grow within their company. So that was another important thing. And then just like conversations that I have with people using the yes and mentality when, when talking with them in and outside of the workforce I mean, nobody likes to be shut down. So inclusivity is very important when it comes to designing this yes and environment. So using it yourself and making that important for others to use it around you as well.
Erin (08:34):
Yeah. And I love it so much. I think so failed it! Fam what Rachel is saying is essentially just design, the environment that you want to be a part of and start that environment with you. So if you're yes anding somebody, if you're postponing judgment, hopefully the people around you will follow suit, but you have to have the type of environment that you want to work in in mind. That leads us to step three, which is create clear goals and timelines. And we have so many tools. You have so many tools at your disposal to failed it! Fam for this, you can create a vision board, which we've talked about on the show. You can use Rachel and I's favorite tool Asana, which is a great project management software. You can use an Excel spreadsheet, but we want you to dream big, know what your goals are and then create specific timelines against this. One great way to do this is to yes and yourself. So if your, if Rachel's dream was, I want to work in entertainment. Yes. And I want to work in entertainment in LA. Yes and I want to do this by the end of 2022. So Rachel, what tools do you use to, or what did you use to create clear goals and timelines for yourself?
Rachel (09:55):
Yeah. So when I, when I was out of college, I had big dreams and I want to do this and that. And there were hard goals too. So I would make sure to like write them out long-term and short-term goals and create a timeline for that so that I'm constantly doing things that will help me get there. And one of the things that my friends and I always do is manifest. Like we love the word manifest. So we always talk about what our goals are and how it will happen as opposed to hope that it will happen. And then another thing is that like similar to your vision board idea, I actually changed my phone backgrounds to what it is that I want. So for example you use the yes and I want to be in the entertainment industry and moved to LA. I actually changed my backgrounds to Palm trees in California, because that's what I wanted to do. And I'm actually making it happen this fall.
Erin (10:49):
There's a large audience clapping, so proud of you, she has had, and this is why Rachel was chosen for this episode. Not only is she the amazing woman behind this show, but she's had three promotions, three promotions in three years, Rach. Is that right? Yeah.
Rachel (11:06):
And in the industry, I'm in two and a half years, I started at Viacom in October 2018 and two promotions.
Erin (11:13):
That's amazing. That's amazing. And so anyone out there listening, it can be done as long as you have the clear goal and the timeline to do it. So your goal is to move to LA and you had a timeline. I remember you and I talking like, I want to be there by 2022. And you're going to get there. You're going to get there by the end of 2021, which is fantastic.
Rachel (11:32):
Yeah. And I wanted to be promoted within two years and that I made happen too, which was awesome. And like, especially in the pandemic, it was insane to think about. And, but it worked and it happened. And another big thing too, is that like, make sure you're networking with people who you look up to or want to be like, which goes back to choosing your mentors and friends in your life that want to support you and help you grow.
Erin (11:57):
Yes and. Okay. That leads me to step four because we know the journey that you were on. I want you to fast forward a little bit, and this is for you too failed it! Fam this step four that we want you to think about for fast tracking your career growth is create a version of you five years from now, write her or his name down and give them a short bio, a two to three sentence bio. So Rach, we're going to stop thinking backwards for you. We're going to think forward for you right now. So step four, create a version of Rachel five years from now. What's her name? And tell us a little bit about it.
Rachel (12:39):
Okay. We're going to go with her name is Rachelle is going to be an expert in the advertising and entertainment industries. Having been in the workforce for eight years, then she worked her way up to the top by going above and beyond on digital campaigns and growing and maintaining great relationships with her clients and coworkers. Having learned a lot already, she offers mentorship to people in their early careers to help them achieve their goals. And then in addition to her full-time role, she will continue to maintain the growth of the Forbes top podcast, which provides leaders the support they need to thrive in their roles. I had to add that in there.
Erin (13:22):
Thank you so much. Okay, Rachel, we just, first of all, I love this Rachelle. Okay. Yes. And second of all, we just let the field of family in on a little secret that we want to be a Forbes top rated podcast. We're going to make it happen. One way you can help us is just to leave us an iTunes review. That's all we need from you failed of him. All. We need to soft plug soft, hard plug right now, and we have some changes coming up for you too. So that's really exciting, but I love this Rachelle. Okay. I'm dying and failed it! Fam. What I want you to do is do this for yourself. Take a pen, take a paper, take the notes section of your phone and do this. All right. So let's recap. Your four steps.
Erin (14:02):
Number one, define your barriers. What are the things preventing you from your career growth? Number two, design that yes, and environment, know the environment that you want to work in, who you want to surround yourself with. Step three, create those clear goals and give them timelines. Step four, create a version of you, name him or her five years from now. And here's the final step that I'm just going to throw in. Remember that life is improv and you may go off track from time to time and things may shift and life may happen, but these steps will help fast track you to be the person you want to be and help you improve your it. My failed it! Fam that's the thing that only you can bring to the world. So we can only control one thing through this process. And that's the vision that we have for ourselves and our attitudes going through it. Before we go, Rachel, how has your attitude shaped your career growth?
Rachel (14:59):
Yeah, so I mean, like I said before, I think all my setbacks for things that I can myself control. So I would say my attitude changed because I became very confident and really believed in myself. They tell you, you need to be your biggest cheerleader and that's what I became. And my mentality now is like, if I want to, I'm going to get it.
Erin (15:20):
I am so proud to have a front row seat to Rachelle's life. And I've watched that confidence bloom. I've watched you blossom and Rachel, I'm so proud of you and you are the, the avatar for this episode. This is you. You have done all of these things. So thank you so much for sharing your story failed it! Fam. We hope that this episode gave you some tips that you can apply immediately to your career. Rachel, thanks for being here.
Rachel (15:53):
Thank you.
Erin (15:55):
And to the failed it! Fam fail yeah!
Rachel (15:58):
Fail yeah!
Erin (16:01):
Hey friends, thanks for tuning into failed it. I am so happy you were along for the ride. If you enjoyed this show, please head on over to iTunes, leave us a five star review and subscribe to the show. So you never miss an episode. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Now, if you're really feeling today's show, please take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram at keeping it real deal and share it to your stories so we can bring more people to the failed it! Family. I'll see you next week, but I want to leave you with this thought, what will you fail at today and how will that help your future successful self? Think about it. I'm so proud of you and you are totally failing it. See you next time.