One of my favorite things in #GirlsClub is bringing top women in business to our community for an intimate conversation and Q&A. We call it Wine Down Wednesday as we all sip, chat and enjoy the girl talk.

Recently, the amazing Amy Volas, Founder & CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, was kind enough to join us from her vacation to talk a bit about how to navigate a career move like a badass. We aren’t talking a job move, we are talking big picture here. Whether this move is an outside interview, or you are inquiring about a promotion at your current company, knowing how and when to toot your own horn is an art in itself.

But before we get into Amy’s pearls of wisdom, we want to give a big shout out to Katie Pawlik on locking down her new position at Sendoso. Cheers to you, Katie!

Okay, now back to the girl talk. During our chat, Amy revealed her 10 tips to be self-aware in the job market. Let’s do a little crash course:

1. First, know your “Why” – Why do you care about the things that are important to you? Be clear and concise in your explanation.
   1. This process should also highlight the things that make up your “no(s).” When presenting these items, it is important to give the interviewer an out, in the event your “no” is a deal breaker for the company.
2. Know what’s important to you (as a human, an employee, and in a sales environment).
3. Be clear on your “secret sauce” and/or “Super Power”.
4. Understand where you want to go in the future. Be open and engage in a collaborative conversation with the interviewer. Showcase your talents by treating them like one of your top clients.
5. Know your lessons learned and have the stories to pair with them.
6. Know your challenges.
7. Interviewing is a job, be specific with the interviewer about where you are spending your time. If you are planning to take notes, explain that up front; “If I look away, please know you have my undivided attention, I am just taking notes.”
8. Prepare by using the job description. Print it out and highlight it in a way that will make this a tool while you are on your call. Use color #1 to easily grab the items that you can execute like a badass. Use color #2 for the elements that you are not well-versed in. Be sure to create talking points for the second set of items. This tool will give you a resource during your dialogue. It should give you the confidence to avoid the dear in headlights feeling!
9. Specificity is important. It is the #1 reason a candidate does not move forward in the process.
10. Do your preparations a head of time and craft power statements about yourself.
    1. Why did I do what I was doing?
    2. Where did I do it?
    3. Who did I do it with?
    4. How did I do it?
    5. What were the outcomes?
    6. What were lessons learned?
    7. How does this apply to the job I am interviewing for?

Listening to Amy explain who she is and what lights her fire, in turn, lit my fire. She is such an unapologetically strong and honest presence in a world full of apologies. She reminded me that while it is amazing to have our circle lift us up, at the end of the day we need to be our own biggest advocate. We gave our hearts and souls to be here, and we should be proud. Thank you, Amy, for spending time with #GirlsClub and for sharing your wisdom.

If you want to continue to be inspired by Amy’s honest and badass approach to the world, you can sign up for Avenue Talent Partners’ e-mails here!