Mastering the Art of Selling Yourself
Adelle Thompson, a career change expert and self-described self-doubt stopper, shares her unique insights and experiences in navigating a career pivot and how to master the art of selling yourself.
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Adelle is a certified life coach with over 12 years of experience in leadership and management. She is also the owner of AT Enrich, where she helps women gain the confidence and tools needed to build a career that they love and that pays them “stupidly well”.
In this blog post, we’re covering the following:
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1) Navigating a Career Pivot
Adelle studied early years childcare and taught kids for almost ten years. Only when she had her daughter, did she realize she wanted a different path.
“I had my daughter, and everything changed. [...] I realized that I was putting so much effort and energy into other people's kids, and I enjoyed it [...] but then I'd come home and not have that same energy for my daughter. I was tired, and I felt like she was missing out.” - Adelle Thompson
On top of this, she was underpaid.
“I was drained from my job, I felt like my daughter wasn't getting the best of me, and I wasn't getting paid enough. So I decided I wanted to change careers.” - Adelle Thompson
It was Adelle’s friend who told her she would be good for recruitment and although she was running a nursery and managing a team at the time, it wasn’t something she had thought of before.
“Call it lazy, call it strategic, I was not going to go back to school and study. I had already been in school long enough, and I needed to figure out a way to get what I wanted without having to go back to school.” - Adelle Thompson
So instead of going back to school, Adelle started researching, looking into CVs and how to update them, and asking people questions.
“I put together a CV based on [...] everything that I'd learned, everything I'd researched, everything I'd asked people about, and I put it out there, and I booked some interviews in the recruitment and human resources space. And one of the first calls I had, the person was like, your CV made me so intrigued, I had to call you.” - Adelle Thompson
However, Adelle explains that things weren’t always smooth sailing, her first interview was a nightmare and she left in tears.
“She told me how to stick to teaching. She said human resources is not for you. She was someone I looked up to.” - Adelle Thompson
However, the next two interviews Adelle went to, she got offered both roles.
“Two years after that pivot, the lady who told me I'd never do well in human resources reached out to me and offered me a role.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that people's opinions aren't what they're cracked up to be.
“I had two sides. My friend's opinion, where she said I'd be great in recruitment. [...] And then the opinion of someone who told me it wasn't for me, and then my ability to prove them wrong.” - Adelle Thompson
This was Adelle’s first pivot and she moved into an industry where she had zero experience or qualifications. She had a really good CV, some networking and research information, and the ability to sell herself.
“At the time, I didn't know that I was selling myself, just the ability to showcase how my transferable skills could move across.” - Adelle Thompson
2) Moving Forward Despite Others Opinions
People are always going to have opinions about you and what you’re doing. Adelle shares how she overcomes these opinions.
“Other people's opinions are not your business.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that when people have been taught to do something one way, they believe that is the only way.
“When we're making a transition, stop asking for people's opinions that haven't transitioned the way you're trying to. [...] When you come along and do it in a totally different way, not only does it smash to pieces everything they've always believed, but it almost angers some people.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that it angers some people because they feel it’s not fair.
“I think it's really important for us to understand that in life, [...] some of us will learn to drive as teenagers. Some of us won't learn to drive till we're in our 20s or 30s. Some of us will get married really early. Some of us will get married later in life. We all have different points that we achieve the same goals but in different ways. [...] If you believe there is only one way to do everything, then what you are saying is that anyone who has achieved it the other way is a failure.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle gives the example of entrepreneurs with no degree making millions and then on the other side, people with degrees making the same amount of money.
“You've got two people, two different routes, same exact result.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle recommends looking at the source of the opinion before you trust it.
“Who is the source? Are they living a life that you would want to live? [...] We need to stop taking opinions from people we do not want to swap lives with.” - Adelle Thompson
Then, there will also be the opinions of people who care about you and want to keep you safe.
“She wanted me to be safe. I've got a child. I need to pay the bills. And when she realized I decided I was going to make this move, then she got right behind me.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle urges us to look at the evidence of all the great things we have done to propel us forward.
“These women have all these accolades, they have all this proof, all this evidence that they've done great things. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of those great things and remind ourselves that we did those great things, and then use that as evidence to move ourselves forward and remind the people that doubt us.” - Adelle Thompson
3) The Catalyst for Change
When Adelle was in the HR space, she decided she wanted to make another pivot. We discussed the catalyst for that change.
“It started with me again, wanting to realign myself.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle knew what she wanted but she didn't know how she was going to accomplish it.
“I always write down my goals. I wrote it down and I said, I want to work three days a week but not lose money.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle wrote down that goal in January 2017 and by January 2019 it was her reality.
With this extra time, Adelle was able to start her own coaching company.
She was already helping her family and friends write their CVs and companies were paying her to write their interview questions for them.
“I never thought of that as something that could ever be a business. I was just using my skill set.” - Adelle Thompson
One very important thing that Adelle did, was she got very clear on who she served:
“I help single moms rewrite CVs so they can pivot.” - Adelle Thompson
Initially, Adelle didn’t refer to herself as a coach, however, people started calling her a coach. She did a bit of research and decided to do a training course.
“Degrees, courses, certificates, they're important if you want them, but it's important to know they're not needed for a transition. I wanted to understand what coaching was. I wanted to understand who was I in this coaching space.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle started her page in the middle of 2019 and she just kept growing it.
“I actually fell into entrepreneurship and I think it was because I was always helping people. People were always coming to me and asking me for my skill set. I never thought my skill set was valuable.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that she thinks she’s a bit delusional - a great asset to have.
“I believe that I can make anything work. [...] I believed that I could negotiate part-time hours for full-time money. So I tried.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle shares that she never knows exactly how something is going to work out or how she is going to reach her goals.
“Your only job is just to want it. Decide you want it, decide you can have it, and then the how will come.” - Adelle Thompson
4) Positioning Yourself for Success
Learning to sell yourself and your skills and negotiating are two skills that so many women struggle with.
Learning to Sell Yourself
“What are you great at? Don't worry about what you should be great at. What are you truly great at?” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that at her job in human resources, she wears many hats.
“What I know I'm great at is problem-solving. I can see a problem. I can fix it. I also know I'm a good communicator. I'm good at verbal communication. [...] I can speak to anyone, and they can connect and relate to me.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle used those two skills to help her get a great job.
“This is where you build your confidence. This is where you build your sales skills. [...] When I started selling myself, I just told people what I was good at and I kept telling people what I was good at.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that you first find what you are good at and then figure out how those things have helped you in your life and in your career.
“Selling is about what are you good at. How has that shown up in your career? [...] What are your strengths? What has helped you win in your career? What has helped you win at life? What has helped you win at being a mum? What has helped you win at being a partner? Who are you and what are you great at? Figure out how you can talk about those things repeatedly.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that selling is telling someone what you're good at and how it can help them. But until you figure out what you're good at, you can't tell someone else how it can help them.
“Being good at problem-solving is valuable to my company. It helps my company make money, and I can tell them exactly how because I've really honed in on the fact that problem-solving is my skill. I've really honed in on the fact that communication helps me get you new customers, helps me keep your current customers, helps me impact your bottom line.” - Adelle Thompson
Negotiation
Adelle explains that negotiation is just an even exchange.
“I know what I'm good at. You want it. This is how much it's going to cost.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that we negotiate every day.
“You have that skill set. People think we don't. You’ve already negotiated every day of your life. If you’ve ever convinced the teacher to change your grade because you felt like they missed something on your marks, you negotiated. [...] People negotiate in their relationship with their partner.” - Adelle Thompson
Selling and negotiation are two skill sets that you already have, you just have to look at them from a different perspective.
5) Patterns That Hold Women Back
In the coaching space, Adelle has noticed a few patterns that hold women back. She is sharing three of those patterns with us.
1. Women disqualify themselves
Adelle explains that men oftentimes think they’re great and will try their luck. This is something women don’t have.
“That's why women wait till they meet 100% of a requirement before they apply, versus men meeting 60 or 70. When I pivoted, I met about 30% of the criteria. Guess what? I made that 30% so valuable, people couldn't pass up interviewing me.” - Adelle Thompson
Women are not willing to try and they are disqualifying themselves.
For example, they’ve decided it’s not possible to ask for more money.
“Inform all your co-workers that you are not an industry norm. So why should your salary be an industry norm? [...] I saved the company 1.3 million. All I needed to do was ask them who else is saving you 1.3 million. No one else. So therefore I'm not an industry norm. I would expect my salary not to be an industry norm.” - Adelle Thompson
That’s Adelle’s thought process, although she explains that she is much more articulate when she is having her negotiations.
“Instead of disqualifying yourself, just try. [...] It's not that women can't do something, it's that they've never actually tried.” - Adelle Thompson
2. Self-doubt
Adelle explains that mindset work is really important.
“We doubt that we're even capable of amazing things. It takes the same amount of effort to doubt yourself as it does to believe in yourself.” - Adelle Thompson
However, when you’re stuck in a mindset loop, it can be hard to get out of it. Adelle explains that sometimes we have to action ourselves out of a mindset loop.
“When you're doubting your ability, it goes back to my first point, just try. [...] If you're telling yourself I can't, either prove yourself right or prove yourself wrong. The only way to do that is to take the action.” - Adelle Thompson
3. Women are afraid to have money conversations
Adelle explains that women are afraid to talk about money, not because they don’t want it, but because they can't equate their value to the big number.
She gives the example of a bottle of water costing different amounts depending on where it is being sold. For example, it costs a lot more at a music festival than it does at the newsagents.
“Sometimes you need to get yourself out of the location you're in.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle explains that she’s worked with marketers making 40k a year and marketers doing the exact same job making 100k a year.
“Change your environment. It's not that you're asking for too much, it's that you're asking the wrong person. Go ask someone else.” - Adelle Thompson
Adelle highlights the importance of getting more comfortable talking about money and to do your research.
“Ask people in the industry that you want to go into, what kind of salary should I be looking for.” - Adelle Thompson
She also emphasizes the importance of building your network so you have people to have these money conversations with.
Adelle explains that if no one has ever said no to your ask, you have never pushed yourself and asked for enough money.
To hear the full conversation, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 59.
About The Hosts: Archita And Olivia
ARCHITA
Archita Sivakumar Fritz is the Host and Producer of the Embracing Only Podcast. Archita is a MedTech and Life Science Strategist. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice for her insights into product strategy and nonprofit management, and the creation of inclusive cultures that champion a 'speak up' philosophy.
Following a successful 19+ year corporate career she now helps C Suite across organizations as a Fractional Product Marketing Leader through her company Ready Set Bold.
She works with individuals with 10+ years of corporate experience to find new paths away from toxic or underappreciative environments, enabling both personal fulfillment and broader organizational impact.
→ Grab your FREE resource to build your career transition here: https://embracingonly.com/cubicle-escape-blueprint
→ If you want to work with Archita you can reach out to her here: www.readysetb.
→ Book her as a speaker, moderator, or coach for your next company event or workshop.
OLIVIA
Olivia Grant Cream is the host and producer of the Embracing Only podcast. Nothing makes her happier than providing a platform to women who are changing the world.
Olivia is a proud US Veteran and HR Leader who is passionate about changing the face of corporate America by helping underrepresented people reclaim their power and live the life of their dreams.
She is an advocate for transitioning military members seeking second careers in the corporate landscape.
Olivia is a proud Jamaican and enjoys mentoring, coaching, classic cars, and nature. The way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
→ You can work with Olivia here: www.oliviacre
→ Book her as a keynote speaker or moderator for your next ERG or company event.