Welcome friend! M. Michelle Nadon, Talent Development and Exec Career Coach at Media Intelligence reached out to me about her latest book, Careers AF! 2nd Edition New rules, new tools for the post-pandemic gig economy. The book is aimed at anyone looking to enter the job market and I was curious about her work. She agreed to do an interview and I am happy to share it with you today.
Before we dive into the interview, let’s learn a bit about Michelle: Michelle Nadon is known for her comprehensive knowledge of the media and entertainment industries. Since 2004, she has been the leading provider of recruitment and cutting-edge career coaching resources for the Canadian media and cultural sectors.
mediaINTELLIGENCE (mI) is renown for continuously evolving its career coaching resources and services to meet — and surpass — industry standards. Now in its 19th year, mI has undertaken recruiting assignments with all major Canadian networks. We’ve also worked with dozens of independent production houses and cultural organizations, and delivered proprietary career development training at many Canadian colleges and universities for nearly 20 years!
Prior to founding mI, Michelle’s portfolio included managing policy and regulatory compliance with Bell Media. She served as General & Operations Manager in two post-production houses. For five years, she worked in production with TVOntario’s English & French public broadcasting networks. Earlier in her career, she worked with industry leader Nelvana on award-winning 2D and 3D animated series.
Michelle is fluently bilingual. She holds certificates in Advanced Blogging, Social Media Marketing, The Alliance Atlantis Banff Television Executive Program, and Queens’ University’s Executive Marketing Program. Michelle lives north of Toronto with her “Littles”, HEro & maRL, and spends all of her spare time, goodwill and company profits on animal rescue and animal advocacy through C4P Animal Rescue.
Hi Michelle! Welcome to Armed with A Book. It is a pleasure to host you on the blog! Can you please tell me and my readers about yourself?
First and foremost, I’m a media professional – I have worked in talent development (all levels) in the media industry for two decades. I also teach professional practice, and recruit at the senior level.
How did you get into career coaching and recruiting? What drew you to this profession?
When I was 40, I launched mediaINTELLIGENCE. Basically, I formed the company whose services I NEEDED in my industry. I was on contract most of the time; un- or under-employed the rest of the time. I knew I had skills and knowledge, but didn’t know who to convey that to hiring managers. Indeed, I didn’t even know how to find the hiring managers, let alone woo them. So I launched a recruiting company that placed an equal focus on the talent’s needs and skills.
In working with job seekers, have you found differences between those entering the job market for the first time, those starting on a new career path or those seeking something new in their chosen career path?
There are distinct differences between new grads, millennials, seasoned staff and new immigrants. Each is at a different (human) developmental level. A new grad does not have the same career needs as a boomer! Essentially, new grads need help getting a foot in the door. Millennials need to learn how to climb the corporate ladder. Boomers need to how to run businesses/consultancies in the digital age and new immigrants need to learn how to navigate the new local labour market.
What is the best career advice you have received?
“Get it done, mitch, just get.it.done.”
Tell me more about establishing and realizing professional goals. How have your goals changed with time?
I came out of the womb goal-driven, with an astounding amount of personal drive. When I was 5 years old, I saw myself as a writer. When I was 12, I could see my future apartment, with book-lined walls. Each year, on my birthday, I treat myself to a new goals “wish-list”. And each year, I systematically work my short-, mid-, and long-term goals into my schedule so that they all get done. AND, they get done!
Resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, there are so many documents and websites to keep up-to-date, especially when one is job seeking. These seem tedious tasks. What has helped you stay motivated?
Reinventing myself annually on my birthday is how I stay motivated. I just develop a new wish-list for who I want to be this year, and how I want to be. What do I want to have achieved at the end of the year? By systematically working towards realizing each of my goals, it allows me to be organic in nature, pursue my passions, and realize greater successes: all of which are extremely motivating to me. Further, I discovered years ago that motivation follows action. Most people wait to get motivated to act, but it’s actually the action that creates additional motivation!
How has the job market evolved since the pandemic? What are its benefits and challenges?
The job market post-covid 19 has levelled the playing field for job seekers. It’s a “buy’er’s market” for the first time In my professional experience. However, it is also a great deal more competitive. Remote work means that more people can apply for the same jobs. So one needs to be prepared with:
a) clearly stated goals
b) up to date marketing tools and
c) a strategic job search (not just applying to everything because you can).
How is Careers AF! 2nd Edition different from the first edition?
Careers AF! 2nd edition now includes a whole new section on how to start your own small business; as well as another full new section on post-pandemic best practices, video interviews, self-screening to determine eligibility, and how to navigate artificial intelligence systems.
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself and your book?
Initially I wrote Careers AF! to learn not only how to write a book, but also to compile all the knowledge and best practices I’ve accumulated in the hiring space. Now that I know how to write a book, I have two more I’d like to produce in the next few years, on my passion projects: animal rescue and animal advocacy.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your author journey, please feel free to mention them below!
Too many to mention – I’m a voracious researcher! ☺
Thank you so much for your time! 🙂
Tell us your thoughts on this post in the comments. We would love to hear from you!
Thank you for hanging out with us today. Connect with M. Michelle on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Cover image: Photo on Unsplash
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