You already have one of this pair!
I was walking down main street when I saw the sign. The plan wasn't to go in. I just wanted to see the place. Mystic Connecticut is a short trip from where I've been working. It's the kind of town tourist brochures describe as "walkable," which I love. Its claim to fame? Mystic Pizza.
The movie that started Julia Roberts career was actually inspired by a real life pizza place. You can read the whole story is on the back of their menu.
The sign floated at the end of the Main Street. I'd just walked the length of it after arriving by train and settling into my second-choice hotel At the other end of Main Street from Mystic Pizza, my first-choice hotel was booked solid. The Whaler's Inn is Connecticut cute, right off a Pinterest board for interior decoration. White with blue shutters. Perfect location. #HotelEnvy It's so popular, I couldn't get a room last minute. #SpontaneousWeekendTrips The place I was staying took me a few blocks in the other direction from what's got to be the cutest, most nostalgic coffee shop/ train station combo ever.
By the time I'd crossed the draw bridge and walked the length of Main Street, it was getting dark and I was cold. I went in.
Do you remember Bennigan's? It's a lot like like that. In a sweet, "Ode to Julia" way. The waitress (who didn't look anything like Julia Roberts) was the nicest waitress I've ever had. Ever. I'm guessing the staff get special Mystic Pizza training because there's something memorable about the service here that makes you think these servers know a secret the others aren't in on. My Mystic pizza arrived on this special air-flow-y tray. No question they'd spent some of their movie-inspired profits perfecting the pizza and the presentation. Why not? #WhatEverYouDidItWorked #GreatJob! An abundance of Mystic Pizza slice emblazoned swag - from post card to potholder - was on offer too. I was this close to buying an apron for my friend Michael. He's a chef. I sent him a picture instead 👇
Seeing the pre-stellar birthplace of Julia Robert's career got me thinking. Why do some some careers struggle to move past the "I'm staying at my second-choice hotel" phase? Amiright? Here's what I know for sure: (as Oprah loves to say.) If Julia Roberts can go from working at Athlete's Foot and Ann Taylor (Yep, she worked at both) to super nova actress, you can attract the far fewer number of fans it takes to get your first-choice job, Court. If you're thinkin', "Good Lord! What's Courtney been smoking?" Let me tell you ... Right before Christmas, I got this message from Cynthia. She's won just about every sales award in the book. Despite being the Julia Roberts of medical sales, she's been looking for a new job and hearing... crickets. The message came in just when I was kicking off a new project. It's one I've been chomping at the bit to finish because I've been getting "please look at my profile!" requests by the dozens. I glanced at her profile and spotted the problem immediately. My new project was weeks away from being done, yet the fixes for her profile were such fast easy ones (to me.) they were making me crazy! I couldn't wait. I sent her the first draft and made her promise not to show a soul! "Do this ASAP!" I wrote in an email with the draft pages attached. Think makeovers. Ones that show you before-and-afters with the edits right on the page. A few days later, she sent me another message.
The little details make all the difference. When Cynthia applied the fixes to her profile ....Kaboom! Get what Cynthia got and bring the "Phenomenal" into your career arsenal! You've got a profile. That's part one. LinkedIn Booster Shot is officially open.
https://www.courtneykirschbaum.com/boostershot
This'll finish the job. If you like visual learning and could use some motivation and inspiration in an easy flip-book meets makeover format. Come in out of the cold. There's room available at your first-choice hotel. You're a star! Court.
Ps - See Cynthia's interview-getting profile makeover on Pg. 25 of Booster Shot. Also check out the profile makeover of a corporate turnaround strategist and consular operative from a foreign embassy Pg. 53 (Think: Jason Bourne meets Bridget Jones!) Pss - Meet the former nuclear trained surface warfare officer who shows you a clever, effective, ethical way to get readers to go from "thinking about it" to "doing it" when it comes to contacting you. (oh and meet his dog 🐶 too!) Get it here >>> Psss Booster Shot is an instant digital download, best part. I'm in the learning area every day to answer your questions. I'll be at the front desk. Need anything, just ask.