2020’s Helpful Resources in Review!

I’m sitting here writing this at 11:24 PM ET on New Years Eve! The past few weeks I’ve spent some time reflecting on the past year as well as writing down some thoughts and goals for the year ahead. In January, I had written this post: Why does 2020 feel different? where I shared some of the planning tools and other resources I had recently found to kick off the year on a great foot. Wow, am I glad I got into a routine of planning, gratitude, working out, and spending time to reflect on wins because I needed it for the year ahead! I highly recommend establishing some sort of positive routine for yourself – something that makes you feel good – so you feel like you have some control when life gets turned upside down. If you have a routine, I would love to hear what has worked for you and be able to share that with others too!

Although it was a weird and difficult year in many ways, I think it’s worth celebrating the good that did happen. A lot of virtual connection, learning and events still took place despite us not being able to be together. I wanted to sum up the year for my network incase you missed any of this awesome news/resources!

Firstly, back in May I had attended an online webinar with Dr. Sasha Heinz, PhD about goal setting and I shared the take-a-ways in a blog post here. I wanted to kick off with this first because we are going into a new year after all and I know goal setting is top of mind for a lot of us. The main theme you’ll find from my post is that goal setting is not a complicated, overwhelming process and goals don’t have to be HUGE. A big piece of our wellbeing is ACHIEVEMENT. Humans are goal directed organisms. We like to complete goals no matter how small, and achieving goals is a big factor in our happiness. I hope you set some goals for yourself this year! (: Let me know if you do, I’d love to hear them.

In April, I was sick of my social media feeds being so negative and I wanted to infuse some positivity into my network’s feeds. I created the Meet the Buffalo #HRCommunity blog series where I introduce you to NINE amazing people in my network and share what they do at work and how they are handling COVID-19. If you’re looking to meet some amazing people and make some new connections, all of their LinkedIn profiles are linked in the blog posts. Reach out to them! I have a couple more guests actually in queue right now so stay tuned. I’m excited to keep this going!

If you don’t know Orlando Haynes, you should! We met over LinkedIn and I learned about his Career Talks podcast series where he has guests come onto LinkedIn live and they discuss career related topics. I’ve listened to many episodes and have gained a ton of value and I know you will too! I was honored to be a guest where we talked about my signature LinkedIn framework of connecting, posting and engaging intentionally to grow your career, network, attract opportunities to yourself and reach your goals. Be sure to connect with Orlando and follow his content. Check out our episode here!

Although DisruptHR Columbus didn’t take place in person April 30th, the organizers at Willory did an AMAZING job at keeping the speakers and sponsors well connected and engaged. Instead of the big event, on the 30th we hosted a virtual HR roundtable which over 100 people attended live and the recording is here on YouTube. This discussion was so much fun. I learned a ton from the other speakers – handling COVID, keeping teams engaged, what strong leaders look like during these times, what we are doing for fun while at home and for fun with our colleagues virtually, and more! You’ll enjoy the conversation and find amazing new people to reach out to and connect with.

I presented my annual webinar for the University at Buffalo Alumni Association and this year I picked the topic: Creating credibility as a young professional! You can view the recording here. I honestly revisit these slides often even though I’ve presented it so many times. Impostor syndrome can creep in and as a young professional I love revisiting these tips when I’m feeling overwhelmed! In the webinar I talk about building relationships and networking within the organization, navigating how to move up, work-life balance and more.

Did you hear that my friend Angela Champ wrote a book?! It’s called the Squiggly Line Career and you can buy it on Amazon. Tips and stories for career seekers, recruiters and hiring managers. Having a “squiggly line” career is NOT a bad thing, and Angela will show you how to leverage it. (I’m blessed to have been able to contribute a few lines on page 62 when Angela is talking about the power of LinkedIn. Thank you again for the opportunity Angela and CONGRATS on this amazing resource that will help so many!)

I realized in September I was having serious trouble falling asleep. I felt stress come on when my head hit the pillow and it was hard to quiet my mind. But of course.. my amazing Twitter network came to the rescue and I put together a blog post of all the suggestions they shared to help with falling asleep/getting better sleep. What I’ve loved the most has been the “Nothing much happens – bed time stories for grown ups” podcast. I’m asleep within 25 minutes each time I play an episode!

It was a big year also for Empower Camp. I’m so proud to be on the board and a Camp Counselor for this organization. We pivoted and did virtual camp in August, which consisted of a car parade around the city of Buffalo to drop off boxes to the campers filled with crafts, snacks and fun and then we had two Zoom sessions. We also created our ABAR (anti-bias, anti-racist) task force and started meeting monthly to hold each other accountable to learning something new – systemic racism, bias, allyship, etc – and sharing it with the group, as well as look at Empower Camp as an organization and our systems/structure to see how we can be an even more diverse and inclusive organization and environment for our campers. I’ve opened my eyes and been more intentional about learning about racism and privilege since George Floyd’s death.

I have so many wonderful connections who started podcasts and I am so happy for them! It’s a lot of work. Chuck Privitera, Mike Ayalon and Karen Sharp-Price are a few that come to mind. You can find their podcasts on my website here!

Personally, I put the LLC on Claire Petrie HR & Training this year, got my amazing logo (thank you Casi Hall!) and was able to work with so many wonderful people who have boosted their LinkedIn activity and therefore have been able to share their personality and voice with the world to attract opportunities to themselves. This work is so rewarding for me and seeing the light bulb moments and shifts in confidence with my clients keeps me waking up every morning. I was also awarded the University at Buffalo’s School of Management Aluma of the Year Award. I love spending time with my alma mater’s students sharing my experiences, answering questions and doing whatever I can to help them launch into their professional careers. Although there was no awards banquet this year, hopefully they’ll let us 2020 folks join into the 2021 event this year. (: Fingers crossed there is one!

A big THANK YOU to all of my colleagues, connections and friends for having conversations with me and keeping me going this year! The insight you share, time you spend, etc does not go unnoticed. In such a tough year, thank you to those who continually reached out and checked on me and others, it meant so much. I hope you can find something to celebrate as we bring 2020 to a close.

If you haven’t already, join my email list and let’s stay connected in the new year! Cheers to a healthy and successful 2021 – I’m rooting for you! 🎉