Unboxed Live Week-6

Hey friends 👋

Can you believe we’re already six weeks into Unboxed Live? If you’ve been following along, you’ve already:

• Adopted the generalist mindset as your career compass

• Crafted a compelling one-liner that captures your unique value

• Built your distinctive skill stack

• Developed your atomic influence strategy

Last week, we zeroed in on the art of narrowing without confining yourself, a crucial skill for anyone who refuses to be put in a box. And now, with the Positioning Guidebook in your toolkit, you’ve got a robust framework to articulate your professional identity.

This week, we’re wrapping up the Career Cheat Code series with a series of resources curated by our wonderful guest writer, Terra Milo. Terra is not only a brilliant marketing strategist and fractional marketing manager for impact-focused brands but also a proud GW member. She’s passionate about everything from high-level marketing strategy and implementation to LinkedIn branding and website reviews. Terra has handpicked the very best insights to help you embrace your true ✨generalist nature✨ and solidify everything you’ve learned so far.

So grab a cup of your favorite brew, settle in, and get ready to see yourself (and your potential) in a whole new light.

You’ve got this.
Ece

👋 Hey Generalists of the World, Terra here!

Our careers and identities are interwoven, so positioning ourselves as valuable feels personal. I hope these articles bring you hope and inspiration to own your generalist identity with pride.💜

1. 1+1=11 Portfolio Careers are the Future

In the Harvard Business Review, April Rinne perfectly describes how and why we choose to create a portfolio career and why it’s valuable.

“Broadening your career focus and professional identity is no longer seen as abnormal. It’s celebrated. The macro forces driving the future of work demand independent and adaptable thinkers.“

“Your portfolio narrative is the link — it is the story you tell to make connections between the skills people are hiring for and the skills you have developed through the breadth of your experience.”

If you read nothing else, read this article.

#ifeelseen

2. Stop trying to “find your niche”

But be ready to show your specific value.

This is where the T-shaped career makes sense. You have an area of deep knowledge and you make connections across multiple areas.

So find multiple niches and speak to them, with examples to back it up - reading this will help👇

3. Positioning ≠ Position. 5 Positioning Anchors

As generalists, we can’t rely on our job titles to convey the value of our experience and expertise. These 5 positioning anchors help tell the story:

1. The problem

2. Your capabilities

3. Your philosophy

4. Your process

5. The solution

Dive deeper here 🤿 

4. What is your ikigai?

Ikigai is the overlap of what you love to do, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

We know it’s cool to be a generalist. We’re adaptable, creative, and cross-disciplinary. The ikigai helps us uncover how to turn our passion into marketable skills.

P.S. I love the disclaimer that the author used BingAI to help write the article.

5. Lateral thinking spreads our value

Generalists excel at lateral thinking. Seeing multiple sides of a story, finding alternative solutions, creating new avenues, and more.

Check out this list of 11 examples of lateral thinking and use them to hype yourself in cover letters and introductions.

6. Generalist Rising

Figma has noticed that generalists are popular with startups, but there is growing demand at bigger companies now too.

Set yourself apart by showing that you can bridge perspectives and work cross-functionally.

7. Pros and Cons of being a generalist in nonprofit

Nonprofit leaders are looking to hire people based on work ethic, good moral character, strong communication, and talent above skill set. The winning combination might be your generalist outlook with specialist knowledge 👀

8. Self-promotion doesn’t have to be horrible

Approach self-promotion as an opportunity to help people through your lived experience so they don’t have to learn lessons the hard way.

h/t to Lucy for finding this article!

Your action item this week:

Discover your ikigai and write it down. Use this template to guide you👇

(You can make a copy and save it to your Canva so you can type on it - click the image below to take you there)