EP.28 TAKEAWAYS - Taylor Weil (Learning and Development Coordinator, UTA)
It’s Monday. The start of a new week. Could be at work or school. For The First Act Podcast, Monday’s have a different meaning. It’s the day where we get to share our favourite takeaways from the most recent episode. This past week Harry G interviewed Taylor Weil. Taylor works as a Learning and Development Coordinator at United Talent Agency. During the episode, we learn of Taylor’s background, how to approach interviews and why a breadth of experience is key to success.
As always, here are our favourite takeaways from the episode.
Learn to develop your story
Taylor took a leap of faith after finishing university and moved down to Nashville. Working in the music industry was her goal and Nashville was a great place to start. She reached out to everyone she knew that had any relationship with the industry. Each connection offered advice. Some provided introductions to relevant companies. Taylor finally landed a couple of interviews. There was only one problem. She had no relevant music industry experience. Most people who start off in a new industry don’t. So what do you do? Taylor figured that any recruiter wants to see transferable skills from past experience. She came to realize that the best way to do so is by telling your story. Each experience taught her a new skill. She just had to piece it together so that it was relevant to the job description. Taylor calls them interview anecdotes. Though a story she communicated why she was right for the role. Her passion came through naturally. Taylor ended up finding a role in radio promotion. It was the start of her career in the music industry.
We learn a really important lesson from Taylor’s journey. Learn to sell yourself. Take the time to craft your story. Each interview is a sales pitch. Why are you right for the role and the company? For each interview look at the job description. See what they highlight as important skills. Come prepared with interview anecdotes that demonstrate your ability.
Follow your gut
After high school, Taylor decided to study business at university. During the first semester she was drawn to English literature classes. Naturally, she took more English courses than required. She loved every second of the classes. Once the semester finished her friends sat her down. They questioned her choice to be a business major. She took the time to reflect on her situation. Just as her friends pointed out, Taylor realized she loved English. She decided to follow her gut and switch majors. It was one of the best choices she made.
Following your gut is a lesson that is filled with merit. Take notice of what you enjoy doing. Not what others say you would enjoy or what others are doing. We each have our own interests. Following a path that goes against your innate feeling is doing a disservice to yourself. You can either spend your waking hours wishing for something better or finding purpose in your work. Take the time to reflect on what you enjoyed about your experiences. Soon you’ll come across a pattern. There is wisdom in that pattern.
The importance of breadth over depth
Currently, Taylor manages the Global Mentorship Program at United Talent Agency (UTA). The program was created to support and help recent hires grow into their role. It’s an amazing initiative. Each participant gets matched with a current employee and has access to many courses that UTA designed. Taylor sets out to give each participant a good understanding of the business as a whole. She finds a breadth of knowledge extremely important. When starting a new role at a large company like UTA it’s easy to only focus on your division. Taylor explains that exposure helps the participants evaluate their career paths. It gives them a sense of direction. Not every participant will have the same path. Exposure is necessary for each person to know what careers are available at the company.
We can learn from the design of UTA’s Global Mentorship Program. When starting off your career it’s important to get a breadth of experience. Each co-op or internship program is built for this very purpose. Give students an opportunity to explore different areas before they decide on an initial path. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know. Take the opportunity to explore. The more experiences you have the better you can evaluate where you belong.