JEFF MARTIN: Okay, we're going to go ahead and start this.
00:01
So if we could, let's start recording, and if we can go to the next slide.
00:08
I'd like to welcome everyone.
00:09
I am Jeff Martin, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the American Anthropological
00:15
Association.
00:16
I am a white male.
00:17
I would like to add, an older white male with greying brown hair.
00:21
I'm wearing black-framed glasses, and I am now actually reporting to you from the cramped
00:27
confines from my bedroom instead of my apartment kitchen, such is the life of COVID-19.
00:34
Next slide, please.
00:37
Welcome to Acquiring New Skills for your Job Search.
00:39
This is a three-part webinar series, hosted by the AAA and designed especially for those
00:45
whose jobs or job opportunities have been disrupted due to COVID-19.
00:51
Next slide, please.
00:54
As I mentioned, it's a three-part series that is running through the month of September.
01:00
Last week, on September 10th, we had the "Art of Persuasion: Articulating Anthropology's
01:06
Value to a Prospective Employer."
01:09
Next week, on September 24th, Thursday, again, at 1:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, we'll be
01:16
hosting "Deep Hanging Out...
01:18
Digitally: Social Media Strategies for the Contemporary Job Market," but today, again,
01:24
I'd like to welcome everyone to "Demystifying the Fear around Job Searches."
01:29
Next slide, please.
01:32
To make this more accessible to everyone, we are going to have a number of features.
01:40
The first thing I'd like to do is to tell you that we will have closed captioning, and
01:47
for those of you who are new to Zoom and new to this, you'll take your cursor and scroll
01:53
down to the bottom of your Zoom screen you will see a number of icons, and you will see
02:00
one icon that says "Closed Captioning."
02:02
Click on that and then select "Show Subtitles," and that will provide closed captioning for
02:10
you.
02:12
We're also going to ask visual descriptions -- have visual descriptions appear in the
02:17
slide deck, along with self-introductions and comments, and as we said, each presenter
02:23
will describe who they are.
02:26
We're going ask everyone to please turn off your video and microphone, unless speaking.
02:30
This helps us for a number of reasons, but mostly for again, accessibility.
02:37
We're also going to ask that you take advantage of the chat function.
02:41
Again, if you take your cursor and go down to the bottom of the screen, with all the
02:45
icons there, you will click, and you'll see the chat function.
02:50
This is where you're going to post your questions, and if you would, please type the word question,
02:56
colon, and then pose your question.
02:58
This helps us quickly identify which are the questions and which aren't.
03:02
I say that, too, because the chat features is kind of an open forum for everyone to chat,
03:10
and it's to add or add to what someone else is saying.
03:13
What I love about this, in all the webinars that we've had, I am really thrilled to see
03:18
that people really do use the chat function.
03:20
It is not just for the presenters.
03:22
It's for all of you attendees, and I love how a lot of times the attendees will answer
03:26
questions themselves.
03:27
They'll say, "Oh, listen, I went through that and here's what I did," or "Here's a link
03:32
to a software package that I use that helps."
03:34
So it's great.
03:35
There's a great sense of community with that.
03:38
Lastly, we will be posting all of our resources on the AAA website, and if you -- when you
03:46
go to our website, to the left is the main box.
03:49
You'll see the "Stay Informed" tab, and under that, there's a selection for "Podcasts and
03:56
Webinars".
03:57
Select "Webinars".
03:58
It'll take you right to here.
03:59
It'll show you the title of the webinar, and there, we will be posting our recordings,
04:05
the PowerPoint Slides, the resources, as well as the chat, everything that took place in
04:11
the chat, including the questions and answers that we will be providing.
04:17
So, without any further ado, let me turn it over to Jenessa.
04:23
>> JENESSA SPEARS: Hello, everyone.
04:26
I am Jenessa Spears, a white woman with glasses and long hair.
04:31
I am in my home office and den in front of a wall of windows that provide a view of our
04:36
garden.
04:38
Next slide, please.
04:40
Welcome to the sixth AAA Career Webinar.
04:44
Here we are with "Demystifying the Fear around Job Searches."
04:48
What are we experiencing when we are searching for a job and what are some strategies to
04:53
put our best self forward?
04:55
Majority of attendees at these AAA Career Webinars are recent graduates and young professionals
05:01
who have limited experience with the job market.
05:05
We expect that this webinar will be particularly helpful for you.
05:08
The presenters will offer ways to identify emotions and limiting beliefs that could negatively
05:14
impact your job search.
05:16
You will also learn processes that can be immediately integrated to address these messages
05:22
and approach your search with confidence.
05:26
Before we get started, I'd like to thank all of the people who helped make this career
05:30
webinar possible, including our presenters, fellow organizer, Elizabeth Briody, and the
05:38
AAA staff.
05:39
I would like to acknowledge the staff individually.
05:41
Jeff Martin, Gabby Dunkley, Nell, Scott Hall, Shawn Ifill, Daniel Ginsberg, and Ed Liebow.
05:53
This slide shows the webinar outlined that you saw displayed on your screens if you joined
05:59
the webinar before we started.
06:02
The presenters will speak for about 20 minutes in total.
06:05
During the presentation, as Jeff said, please open and use the chat to ask your questions.
06:11
At the end of the presentation, we will do our best to answer as many of the chat questions
06:16
as possible, and we will respond to all of the chat questions in writing and post responses
06:22
on the AAA website under the September 17th webinar.
06:26
We hope you enjoy today's discussion.
06:28
I now turn the webinar over to Elizabeth Briody.
06:32
>> ELIZABETH BRIODY: Next slide, please.
06:37
>> Hi, I'm Elizabeth Briody, and -- whoops.
06:42
Gabby, can you go back?
06:47
Okay.
06:50
I'm Elizabeth Briody and I'm a white woman with eyeglasses and short hair, and today,
06:55
I'm wearing a blue top and I'm in my alcove, a little space in my house with a window.
07:02
Next slide.
07:06
However, I am standing in for Elizabeth Holland.
07:13
Now, let me tell you about Beth.
07:16
Beth has experienced not one, but two hurricanes within the last three weeks, and today, she
07:25
has no power.
07:27
So I offered to do her portion of the webinar after she had put in an amazing amount of
07:37
work into it.
07:40
So let me give you a sense of why we are doing this webinar about demystifying the fear around
07:49
job searches.
07:51
This webinar is about emotions, not the mechanics or the processes or the words associated with
08:01
finding work, and so, consequently, it's a little bit different kind of a career webinar
08:07
then in the previous five that we have had, and yet it's critically important, especially
08:13
for those who have little or no experience with the job market.
08:20
I want to explain even the title, "Demystifying the Fear."
08:28
In the last webinar that Beth Holland participated in in, July people reached out to her, sharing
08:37
their fear and negative self-talk that we all can experience.
08:44
Fear can fuel in action and procrastination and affect our confidence.
08:51
The team at the AAA thought that it would be a good topic to bring to a webinar.
08:57
Beth is part of an international organization called "Women Within."
09:05
It's a nonprofit community that offers a variety of personal empowerment programs to help women
09:12
know, embrace and lead from their truth, and an important part of this work is to help
09:18
women connect to their emotions.
09:21
Today, two of the leaders and coaches from Women Within will be leading this webinar.
09:30
There is also a brother organization called "ManKind Project" with a similar mission and
09:38
set of practices.
09:41
So even though this webinar is being presented by women who support women, the principles
09:48
can be applied to all genders.
09:51
In this webinar, we will first create a shared understanding of the emotion of fear and shame.
10:01
Then Alison will lead us in a visualization experience to shift the messages that do not
10:07
serve us, and we will end the webinar with practical strategies to implement the information
10:15
to your job search.
10:18
Next slide, please.
10:26
We have two important sources that you can search online.
10:30
The first is Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston.
10:36
She has spent the last two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy,
10:42
and her latest book is called "Dare to Lead."
10:47
A second source for you is Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and science journalist.
10:56
His book, Emotional Intelligence, was on the New York Times bestsellers list.
11:04
Next slide.
11:09
So I would now like to turn it over to Alison Davis and Jeanine Baker from Woman Within
11:16
International.
11:17
>> ALISON DAVIS: Thank you, Elizabeth.
11:23
Hello, my name is Alison Davis.
11:28
I am a white woman with long blond hair and eyeglasses, and I am sitting in my home office
11:37
in france.
11:42
We understand that you are searching for a new job or career, perhaps, at this time,
11:59
and what we know is that major life changes can bring up feelings such as anxiety or fear.
12:11
Feeling fear or anxiety is completely normal as we take a step into the unknown.
12:21
Our intention today is to explain how emotional intelligence helps us identify feelings and
12:33
understand how to navigate them.
12:35
>> JEANINE BAKER: Next slide, please.
12:40
I am Jeanine Baker, and I am a white woman with curly light brown hair, and I am sitting
12:47
in my home office in Houston, Texas.
12:50
As Alison stated previously, feeling fear and anxiety is normal when we are stepping
12:59
into the unknown, and also when we will experience fear often when we're stepping into the unknown,
13:07
and our response may be...
13:09
Next slide, please.
13:11
A fight, flight, or freeze response.
13:18
The fight, flight, or freeze response are our body's natural response to fear.
13:25
Our body has a stress response that reacts to perceived threats, or real threats.
13:33
We have hormonal and physiological changes in our body with the fight, flight, or freeze
13:40
response.
13:42
When humans are faced with the unknown, this is when the fight, flight, or freeze response
13:48
occurs, and this response may instantly cause hormonal and physiological changes.
13:57
Examples could be we could start sweating.
14:00
Our skin could become cool.
14:01
Our skin will be pale.
14:03
We'll notice our heart increase, our heart rates increasing.
14:10
When we are in the flight response, we want to save and preserve ourselves.
14:18
Our thoughts maybe, "This job application is too long.
14:22
It's too difficult.
14:24
It's too complicated.
14:25
It doesn't make sense.
14:27
I do not want to apply for a new job.
14:30
It just isn't fair."
14:31
That's the fight response.
14:35
When we are in a flight response, we want to escape the overwhelming threat.
14:43
We want to run away.
14:44
We want to turn off the computer when we see a job application come in, and -- or we want
14:50
to do something totally different to escape.
14:55
And when we are in the freeze response, we do nothing.
15:00
We are not looking for our job.
15:02
We may be hiding under our duvet and not even getting out of bed or our pyjamas.
15:09
Whatever response that you may experience, it usually involves feelings, and in order
15:17
to navigate this journey, with our feelings successfully, we need to call on our emotional
15:24
intelligence.
15:25
Alison?
15:26
>> ALISON: Yes, this is Alison.
15:30
Next slide, please.
15:36
The definition of emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control and express
15:44
one's emotions, and the ability to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and
15:52
emphatically.
15:55
So emotional intelligence enables us to monitor our emotions, to discriminate between different
16:03
emotions, to label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide our
16:10
thinking and behaviour.
16:13
We need to be willing to feel our feelings, to clarify what we are feeling, and to understand
16:22
what these feelings are telling us.
16:25
As we become more and more emotionally intelligent, we tend to experience that fight, flight,
16:34
and freeze response much less, and we're able to go directly to our feelings, feel them,
16:42
and identify what they're telling us.
16:47
So let's explore what these feelings are likely to be.
16:51
Over to you Jeanine.
16:54
>> JEANINE: Yes.
16:56
So there's five -- next slide, please.
17:00
There's five major categories of feelings, and they are...
17:08
Next slide, please.
17:09
Oh, opes!
17:10
I've lost my connection.
17:11
I've lost my connection, sorry.
17:12
Okay, I'm back.
17:14
I lost the connection totally.
17:20
Sorry, excuse me.
17:22
The five major categories of feelings are at sadness, anger, fear, shame, and happiness.
17:30
[indiscernible] we imagine that some of you are feeling bad or angry and possibly shame
17:38
that have -- that you're in this position of needing to find a new career or a new job.
17:45
And you may also be happy that you're being forced or are in a place when you're having
17:51
a new career.
17:52
So if you're feeling sad at this time, you are probably feeling a loss.
18:02
Something has been taken away from you, and that is what happens with sadness.
18:06
Something that you had before has been taken from your life.
18:11
If you're feeling anger, you may be acknowledging that something has been taken away from you
18:18
that you did not want taken away, and that you worked really hard at your career or whatever
18:25
it is that you're feeling this anger about, and it's gone.
18:31
One is annoyed and shows displeasure and possibly can have some hostility.
18:38
If you're feeling fear, you may be feeling threatened or unsafe, or you may imagine something
18:50
totally worse than what is really happening to you, or that something is dangerous in
18:55
your life.
19:00
Next slide, please.
19:02
To describe the shame feeling, I'm gonna use a quote from Brene Brown.
19:07
The quote is, "Shame is an intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we
19:15
are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging."
19:21
That's Brene Brown's quote.
19:24
So if you are feeling shame, you may possibly having these types of thoughts.
19:31
"I am not good enough, I am unworthy, and I am a failure."
19:38
"I'm not good enough, I'm unworthy, and I am a failure."
19:44
I will turn it over to you, Alison [clears throat].
19:48
>> ALISON: Yeah, thank you.
19:50
This is Alison again.
19:53
So let's look at how to navigate these feelings of first, fear, and then shame.
20:03
When we're feeling fear, we feel unsafe, and one of the ways to navigate fear is to create
20:14
safety for ourselves.
20:16
For me, fear can come up when I'm starting something new.
20:23
For example, when I applied for a new job in the past, or when I've taken an exam or
20:31
gone for an interview, and the way I create safety for myself is to reach out to someone
20:38
that I trust for support.
20:41
I share what's going on and together, we identify my feelings.
20:50
We work out what they're telling me and then create the safety that I need in order to
20:56
move forward, and I generally receive this kind of support from my coach.
21:06
With her help, I've also learned to identify and value my gifts and to connect with my
21:15
wise, resourceful self.
21:19
To you, Jeanine.
21:20
>> JEANINE: Thank you, Alison.
21:21
This is Jeanine.
21:24
Often times, underneath the fear is anger or shame, and shame is much more difficult
21:33
to identify and understand and for us to work with than any other feelings.
21:40
Our shame-based beliefs and our messages were created outside of our conscious awareness,
21:46
and usually at a very ear-- young age.
21:49
The shame messages are in response to our childhood experiences, our family, our culture,
21:59
religion, and everyday life events.
22:02
These shame messages create a sense of unworthiness and a false sense of self.
22:11
We get these shame messages from others and the layers of shame hide our true self.
22:19
We continue with the beliefs that we aren't good enough, are defective, aren't lovable,
22:27
not worthy, are an imposter.
22:31
We live in a shroud of shame.
22:35
We wear masks to hide our true selves, and shame blocks and stops us from reaching our
22:43
full potential.
22:45
So releasing these old stories or messages about who we are enables us to show up in
22:52
our authentic self and enhances our ability to succeed in our lives.
23:00
When shame comes up for me, when I apply -- have applied for a new position, the common message
23:07
that I hear is, "I am not good enough, and that someone else who is applying for the
23:15
same position is more qualified and better than me.
23:20
I feel like I am an imposter.
23:24
I have a message that I am a fraud."
23:28
Next slide, please.
23:32
So I have another quote from Brene Brown, and as you're imagining, she is the guru of
23:37
shame.
23:40
The next quote is, "Shame is the most powerful, master emotion.
23:47
It's the fear that we are not good enough."
23:53
When we are experiencing shame, often times, we can show up as perfectionist, never letting
23:59
anyone know, coming across that we're perfect.
24:02
Or we can be angry.
24:05
We can feel like a victim or a martyr, feel very alone, and then we possibly may isolate.
24:13
So, how do we break this shroud of shame to experience the goal to who we really are?
24:23
How can we find strength by exploring our limited beliefs?
24:30
Next slide, please.
24:34
Another quote from Brene Brown, "Shame derives it's power from being unspeakable.
24:43
If we name it and speak to it, we basically cut it off at the knees."
24:48
But Brene Brown says that there's three components of shame, and those components are secrecy
24:56
-- we keep our shame silent, and then we keep our shame silent, and then there's judgement
25:02
around our shame.
25:04
So, secrecy, silence, and judgement.
25:09
Shame does not like to be talked about.
25:12
Shame conspires us to keep our secrets.
25:17
To rid ourself of this shame, we must tell our story or the messages that we believe
25:23
about ourself, the false messages, to a trusted person, and let go of these secrets and the
25:33
silence.
25:34
So, let's begin to acknowledge our shame.
25:36
Alison?
25:37
>> ALISON: Yes, this is Alison.
25:41
So I'm going to be guiding you in a visualization exercise.
25:46
This exercise helps us see things in a different way.
25:54
So Jeanine talked about talking to someone you trust about what's going on for you.
26:04
I'm going to show you a way to work with yourself, and this is through a dynamic relationship
26:13
with ourselves.
26:16
We can support ourselves to shift from shame into presence, growth, and power.
26:26
Because the shame-based meanings we make up hold us in a fixed mindset, where there's
26:33
absolutely no possibility of growth.
26:36
Where there is shame, growth is shut down, but when we reconnect to our power, we can
26:45
break through stories and patterns that block us, that may have been blocking us for a very
26:51
long time, and when we do this, we open up possibility.
26:58
We can learn how to use our power on our own behalf by bringing it into relationship with
27:06
the less powerful parts of ourselves, the parts that have been isolated and stuck in
27:13
these old, shame-based meanings.
27:17
So, let's do the exercise, and if you feel comfortable, just gently close your eyes and
27:28
sense the part of yourself that shows up powerfully for a friend, or for a loved one, or elsewhere
27:40
in your life, where you are in touch with your strong, resourceful self.
27:46
Just think about an area of your life where you are capable.
27:54
It might be in your professional life.
27:58
The place where you feel that you're really good at something.
28:03
Take a step into that part of you that is capable and powerful.
28:13
And fully breathe into that space, that capable space, and allow your body to expand and your
28:23
chest to open.
28:25
Just take a moment to really breathe into that feeling in your body.
28:35
As you breathe, notice how this place feels.
28:44
Sit in the way you do when you feel that powerful.
28:50
Breathe as you do in that state.
28:55
Listen as you listen.
28:59
Now, bring in empathy and compassion, your ability to comfort, support, and love, and
29:14
bring in your capacity to be an impartial observer who can hold different perspectives.
29:23
And now, notice any parts of yourself in your body that might be feeling self-doubt or feeling
29:36
that you're not good enough, or don't deserve to have what you want.
29:44
Connect with one of these parts And allow the wise, loving presence that you
29:57
are turn towards this less wise, less assured part of yourself with empathy.
30:11
Allow your heart to open and be touched.
30:17
Feeling, empathy, and love for yourself, and have the wise loving part hold and connect
30:32
with that part of you that is stuck.
30:38
Continue to breathe, and as you breathe and connect, notice the softening, the softening
30:48
of that stuck part, and just allow your breath to help soften even further, and just ask
31:06
yourself, what is the deeper truth about who you are?
31:14
What is the deeper truth about you?
31:22
And create a statement for yourself, beginning, "I am."
31:30
For example, I might choose, "I am capable," or "I am resourceful."
31:42
The deeper truth is that "I am wise."
31:45
"I am powerful."
31:51
And just remember this statement, this "I am" statement, and if you have a pen handy,
32:01
write this statement down now, and maybe later you might like to write it on a card, and
32:15
then place the card with this statement written on it so it is visible on your desk as you
32:24
work, as you apply for jobs, as a reminder of what the truth really is about you.
32:37
We need to remind ourselves who we really are, beneath the shame, beneath the limiting
32:47
beliefs that pop up.
32:52
So this is something that you can do any time.
32:56
Just taking a few minutes alone to connect your wise, resourceful self, your capable
33:06
self, to the stuck part that's coming up, and just allow it to soften and reconnect,
33:22
and you'll begin to feel strong again.
33:25
So now it's time to end this process and begin to come back to the room.
33:35
Please be gentle with yourself as the day goes on and drink plenty of water.
33:44
Continue to connect with your wise self, and as I said just now, when you feel your limiting
33:51
beliefs come up, allow your wise self to send empathy and love to these stuck parts so that
34:00
they can reconnect, and you can step into the new belief about yourself you've just
34:07
identified.
34:10
Over to you, Jeanine.
34:14
>> JEANINE: This is Jeanine.
34:16
Thank all of you for this opportunity for Alice and I to be with you today.
34:23
We hope that we have helped you on the journey of beginning to demystify your fears as you
34:31
each continue or begin your job searches, and we wish you well on your journeys.
34:39
Next slide, please.
34:41
And if you would like more information and support, feel free to contact Alison or I
34:48
through our website, and it's the www.WomanWithin.org/Coaching.
34:56
So, thank you all and I will hand it over to, uh...
35:01
I'm handing it over to...
35:04
Elizabeth!
35:05
Correct?
35:07
>> ELIZABETH: Yes.
35:09
Next slide, please.
35:13
This is Elizabeth.
35:14
So we have some additional strategies for you.
35:20
When there is a moment of stress that arises in your life, this particular slide is showing
35:27
a lighted lightbulb, suggesting that moment, when a new idea comes
35:33
to mind.
35:35
Next slide, please.
35:40
So, as Alison and Jeanine so nicely articulated, the first thing you need to do is recognize
35:51
that fight, flight, freeze set of responses in your body, and what you're doing is you
36:00
are turning inward, you're naming the emotion, and in doing so that is already an important
36:11
step forward.
36:13
Keep in mind that fear feeds imposter syndrome.
36:19
For those who've not heard of imposter syndrome, we have a definition - simply feelings of
36:26
inadequacy that last, despite your evidence of success.
36:35
And then finally, ask yourself about your deeper truths.
36:40
In other words, who you really are?
36:42
Next slide.
36:49
A second strategy is to cultivate your strengths.
36:54
Where do you think you stand out?
36:57
From your teammates?
37:00
Your workmates?
37:01
Your classmates?
37:04
Think about what your colleagues or your clients say about you.
37:12
Certainly, they're going to be saying some positive things.
37:17
Start with what they're telling you.
37:21
It's data.
37:22
And then gather other insights from, perhaps, performance evaluations that you've had, or
37:30
comments that people have made about you, uh, messages from e-mails, and from all of
37:40
that, start creating your own positive messages about yourself.
37:48
Next slide.
37:53
A third strategy is to use those "I am" statements a lot.
37:59
So, first, think about incorporating "I am" statements right into that job interview,
38:09
or LinkedIn profile, or webpage, or even in conversations with people that are part of
38:18
your network.
38:22
Do the "I am" exercise to inform how you might answer, "What is your key weakness?"
38:29
"What is your key strength?"
38:33
Keep a list or an inventory of the positive messages that you know to be accurate about
38:43
yourself, and then reframe the imposter syndrome, and when you do that, you should end up thinking
38:58
and believing in yourself.
39:02
Your body will follow through on your thoughts.
39:10
You don't have to feel confident to act confident.
39:16
Next slide.
39:20
And the last strategy, pretty simple: practice, practice, practice.
39:26
Who do you practice with?
39:30
Well, we all have friends.
39:33
Hopefully, we all have mentors -- an old teacher, a clergy person, a mom, anybody in your life
39:45
who cares about you.
39:47
Have them work with you.
39:50
Practice questions that you believe that you will get in an interview setting.
39:56
Practice your responses, and then use all of these kinds of opportunities to be aware
40:05
of the fight, flight, or freeze responses.
40:12
Next slide.
40:17
So now, we come to the chat, and Jeff, I think we have a few minutes to try to answer some
40:25
of the questions.
40:26
>> JEFF: Yes, absolutely.
40:28
Thanks, Elizabeth.
40:29
Um, from what I'm seeing with the questions, uh -- thank you, that was a great presentation,
40:33
but a lot of the questions want to take it into what they are seeing as kind of a more
40:40
practical response and that is -- while it's up to us, it's also -- they want to talk about
40:50
how the job market is under a crisis, you know, how it looks with the crisis that we're
40:56
facing, not only for just 2020 in general, but within the field in general, and this
41:03
has been taking place over not just in 2020, but over several years.
41:08
So they were kind of saying demystify how one one goes about approaching employers for
41:12
jobs when there are just cutbacks everywhere and global slowdowns.
41:17
And that's for all presenters.
41:25
>> ELIZABTH: Jeanine or Alison, would you like to take that?
41:29
>> ALISON: Well, what I would say from my perspective as a coach and facilitator and
41:37
also career coach, is that it's quite a lot also about our beliefs and what it is that
41:46
we believe is possible.
41:49
I have a lot of experience of having positive beliefs going about the job search, looking
42:00
for what it is that you really want and going for it anyway in a very positive way, rather
42:07
then shutting ourselves down and having the fear come in.
42:12
In these questions, I am very conscious that fear is present there, and just approaching
42:20
it from a very positive perspective and believing that we all have unique gifts and talents
42:28
that we are here to offer to the world, and if we approach it from that perspective, someone
42:35
out there wants what you have to offer, and if you persevere with, you know, grit and
42:45
resilience and a positive attitude, you will find that person who wants you, who is just
42:53
waiting for you to apply and work with them.
42:59
That's one response that I would give as an energetic approach.
43:06
>> And I will dovetail on Alison's response and honor the people who are asking these
43:12
questions is sometimes for people that I've worked with and for myself personally: if
43:18
I have a fear, to verbalize it, to get it out, to share it with someone else, because
43:24
if they -- if I keep it, you know, keep it quiet, it can get bigger and bigger and bigger,
43:29
so verbalize my fear to someone I trust and then move in past that, and move into what
43:35
Alison so eloquently stated, about having that true belief in yourselves.
43:40
I don't know if that helps.
43:42
Those aren't concrete, like -- tick, tick, tick, but those are suggestions.
43:46
>> JEFF: Yes, um.
43:47
Oh, sorry, Elizabeth.
43:49
Go ahead.
43:50
>> ELIZABETH: I was just going to ask if Jenessa had something that she might want to say in
43:53
response to that question.
43:58
If not, I have a thought.
44:03
In terms of the job market under crisis, yes, we are clearly in crisis mode all around the
44:10
world.
44:11
However, the kind of work that I think every single person on this webinar either does
44:19
or wants to do is knowledge work.
44:24
T That is, you are not building cars in a factory.
44:31
You are not a construction worker.
44:36
You are someone who works with people.
44:42
Someone who has a lot of knowledge about how people think.
44:51
About the fact that people do different -- engage in different behaviours, respond in different
44:59
ways.
45:00
In that, there are jobs for people in that area.
45:10
I know three people, three friends -- colleagues of mine, who have gotten jobs during COVID,
45:19
and I don't know anyone who hasn't.
45:23
So I think it is partly a function.
45:27
You may -- whoever asks the question may be fearful that that's all you hear in the media
45:35
or in the people that you are speaking to, and I basically think that it probably is
45:44
inaccurate.
45:45
>> JEFF: Ok, thank you.
45:50
Yeah, so I think doesn't matter; what you're saying is -- I mean it does matter, but it
45:55
comes down to you.
45:57
This is one of the worst years we've had in a long, long time, but it's been this way,
46:03
as I've said, for, for years.
46:04
It's not just 2020, so it does come down to you.
46:08
Um I will also share that my mother always told me, "Persistence is better than brilliance."
46:14
She must have known something about me in giving me that advice.
46:18
Um, but so what they're also looking for is, um -- one thing I want to address, and Elizabeth,
46:24
this will be for you to help us out with, and again, Jeanine brought this up, and that
46:33
is concrete examples.
46:35
Concrete steps.
46:36
There are items out there that prevent -- that are preventing us.
46:42
It's ageism.
46:43
It could be people um, switching fields.
46:46
This has always been, within the field of anthropology, a concern, and I bring up Elizabeth
46:52
because we address that in a lot of our previous webinars.
46:56
Do you want to talk about that a little bit?
47:00
>> ELIZABETH: Yes.
47:01
Um, we've had four webinars in the month of July, and there are a couple in particular
47:09
that might be useful on this point.
47:13
The first one is on networking.
47:16
The value of networking, to get into a network that is different from the one that you are
47:23
in, becuase it is in those unknown networks that you will experience new people and new
47:32
opportunities, and then a second webinar that will probably be useful is to -- the fourth
47:41
one that we had in July, which is on the job interview, and there's a lot of good information
47:48
in that.
47:50
There are also responses to the chat questions from those webinars that are posted alongside
47:56
each of the recordings of those webinars.
48:02
[background voice] >> DANIEL: Hi.
48:10
So, my name's Daniel Ginsberg.
48:14
I am the Director of Education and Professional Practice at the AAA.
48:18
I guess if you're, can't access the visual, I'm a male-presenting white person with glasses
48:25
and a purple suit jacket, and you can see some windows behind the and my hair's kind
48:29
of in my eyes.
48:30
My colleagues asked me to come on and participate in the Q&A today.
48:36
Where I think what I'd like to do is to voice some of what I'm hearing about this from the
48:42
community of anthropologists, in talking about some of these really like affective issues
48:45
that might come in when you're talking about the job market.
48:47
I noticed that we started by talking about Daniel Goleman, who's a psychologist, and
48:53
Brene Brown is a social worker, and they're coming from a really different background
48:58
to what a lot of anthropologists are coming from, where we're really trained to look at
49:02
things in terms of structures and systems and how the situation is what it is.
49:09
I can, I can feel positive about it, or I can feel badly about it, but that doesn't
49:13
make jobs appear, and so I guess what I would say, and this is something, you know, even
49:18
if I go to a therapy session for myself, I find myself laughing at myself as I'm talking
49:22
to my therapist, and saying, "Oh, this is, you know, I've been to graduate school, and
49:25
so I'm gonna, of course, I'm gonna talk about social theory."
49:28
This is how I process things, right?
49:31
And so I wonder -- I'm not.
49:32
I hate to ask people to speak outside of their own area of expertise, but really, if what
49:37
we're hearing from members and in the chat is that we're in crisis.
49:43
We've been through crisis before.
49:44
People can find jobs in a crisis, but at the same time, if you've been, let's say, working
49:51
as contingent faculty for a number of years and hoping every semester that enough students
49:56
turn up that you can keep your job, I think, if I'm that person I would be frustrated with
50:02
the advice that would say, "You just need to think positive."
50:06
And so I wonder if there's a way to reframe it in a way that anthropologists might find
50:11
a little bit more relatable.
50:24
>> JEFF: It's open to all presenters.
50:31
>> JENESSA: This is Jenessa.
50:36
I'm a -- my profession is as a consultant to nonprofits, government agencies, and many
50:45
organizations that are deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
50:50
We expected as a small, small firm, really small shop, to really have a difficult year,
50:59
but we are in the business of helping solve real, complex human problems, and it is, as
51:11
Elizabeth was saying earlier, it is the role of anthropologists to be able to ask questions,
51:18
make connections, think creatively about how to solve these complex problems.
51:25
So I would agree with what Elizabeth said earlier and say that we are well-positioned
51:33
to make a case for our role in solving these, and it's, you know -- part of that is being
51:45
able to find your voice and finding that confidence.
51:48
So it's really, it's "both and."
51:50
It's not just the system.
51:52
It's how you interact with that system and your willingness to engage and make changes
52:00
to what you see happening.
52:04
Part of that includes networking as well.
52:13
>> JEFF: Um, I do see one question in there about what the AAA can do for the community,
52:31
and there's -- the answer is always more.
52:33
We can always do more, but I also want to direct people to our ACE Careers section on
52:41
our website for job postings.
52:43
I know it's not enough -- it's never enough, but you will find helpful information there.
52:48
>> DANIEL: If I could offer, I guess, an answer to my own question, and this is not really
52:55
comprehensive; it's just sort of speaking from my own professional experience, but I
53:01
think -- my read of some of the questions that I was reading on here, and also in some
53:07
of the social media chatter around this webinar, is that people have been taking exception
53:12
to the idea of limiting beliefs.
53:15
It's a phrase or a framing that might not be familiar to people or might be uncomfortable
53:20
because there's -- you could read it as implying that what's limiting you is nothing more than
53:25
your beliefs, which I don't think is ever really the case.
53:30
There are real, material limitations, but that's not to say that there aren't are also
53:34
beliefs that limit us.
53:36
I think that one thing that's implicit in a lot of the way that the questions are framed
53:40
to say, "How can you talk to me about limiting beliefs when there's only two tenure-track
53:44
jobs in archaeology?"
53:46
The idea that I'm only qualified for tenure-track jobs in archaeology is also a limiting belief.
53:49
There are any number of things that one might do with advanced degrees in anthropology,
53:55
and my advice to people tends to be that you can use your anthropological training to find
54:01
out what those opportunities are.
54:02
That's a way to sort of build from a position of familiarity and a position of strength.
54:08
I think one of the sources of fear for a lot of people is to say, "I have been on this
54:14
professional sort of, launch, glide pathway into a tenure-track job for maybe a decade,
54:21
and now I'm seeing that there isn't one there for me to arrive at."
54:25
And so that's where a lot of the fear comes in, and I think, given that we're coming to
54:30
this with some level of research training, the way that I would encourage people to respond
54:36
to those fears -- I mean, I've said, just speaking for myself.
54:39
that one of my own coping methods -- sorry -- my coping methods when I'm in an uncomfortable
54:45
or difficult situation is to turn everything into fieldwork, you know?
54:47
I'm at a party.
54:49
I'm socially anxious.
54:51
People are there that I don't want to talk to.
54:52
I would rather sit in a corner or leave, but I have to stay for reasons, and so I'm going
54:56
to pretend that I'm doing an ethnography at this party, and I can make that flip in my
55:01
head and feel a little bit less awkward.
55:02
That's sort of a mundane example, but the counterpart to that when we're talking about
55:06
jobs is to say, "Let's pretend that I'm not trying to figure out, you know, pretend for
55:11
half an hour, that I'm not faced with a life or death question of "How do I pay the bills?"
55:16
but instead we're faced with an ethnography of whatever people might do with degrees in
55:23
anthropology, or whatever might, people might do that I'm interested in and care about and
55:28
could see myself making a contribution to.
55:31
How might I learn who those people are?
55:32
How might I talk to them?
55:33
These are basic questions of anthropological fieldwork, and if you can turn it on your
55:37
own job search, things might come available, or even sort of become visible to you that
55:41
might not have been visible before, and to think of it maybe as a research project, rather
55:46
then as this sword that's about to fall on your head like in the myth, even just for
55:52
a little time.
55:54
Maybe something will turn up and maybe it won't, but I think, as far as limiting beliefs,
55:59
I don't know, that's how I would tend to think about it.
56:02
That's how I would answer my own question.
56:08
>> JEFF: Okay.
56:12
Um.
56:14
I think I see we have a few minutes left, so Elizabeth, do you want to wrap up and then
56:18
hopefully bring us to the next week's webinar as well, which will hopefully bring this discussion
56:25
forward?
56:27
You're, uh, you're on mute.
56:32
>> ELIZABETH: Uh, okay, so we'll just summarize quickly here.
56:40
Recognize the fight, flight, and freeze responses.
56:45
Cultivate your strengths and create positive messages.
56:50
Use the "I am" statements.
56:53
And practice with a mentor or a friend.
56:57
Next slide.
57:00
Jenessa, did you want to end this one?
57:05
>> JENESSA: Well, just as a reminder everyone, please complete your evaluation of the webinar,
57:12
which will be e-mailed to you.
57:13
You'll be able to see today's materials under the September 17th webinar on the AAA website
57:20
and everything will be up in just about a week's time, and don't forget to look out
57:25
for the next career webinar coming your way next week.
57:28
Thanks, everyone.