Informational Interview 2.0 Kevin Anselmo and Heidi Scott Giusto

As Cal Ripken is to baseball, Mitch Joel is to podcasting.

Ripken is the hall of fame baseball shortstop who played 2,632 consecutive games over more than 16 years. He never missed a game for injury, personal reasons, etc. Joel, the influential speaker, author and blogger, is the Iron Man of podcasting. He started his Six Pixels of Separation podcast back in 2005 to complement his daily blog. Since then, he has published a new interview with luminaries like Seth Godin and Henry Mintzberg every single Sunday since then. No breaks or holidays!

On episode 15 of the Informational Interview 2.0 podcast, he shared how this creation of consistent content took his career to new heights and has served as a source of learning.

"I was asking questions that I would selfishly ask if I could have coffee with some of these authors,” Joel said. “It was education for me. I wanted to learn. I wanted to understand. If I felt I had a particular perspective, I wanted to have it challenged. In that journey of a content creator I learned a lot. I found it stimulating and it spoke to my core.”

Godin has been on the Six Pixels of Separation podcast eight times. “There would be no Mitch Joel without Seth Godin,” Joel said.

Also noteworthy are his interactions with Nancy Duarte and hearing her thoughts around delivering keynote presentations.

“Any time I speak to her I feel there are 50 things I should be rethinking and doing.”

In the process of creating content, Joel was able to lead his agency to new heights. It led to opportunities to speak in front of thousands of individuals and then additional collaboration possibilities for his agency, which he ultimately sold in 2017.

"I thought there was an easier way to sell which would be to bang a drum by creating content,” he said.

On the episode, Joel also offered advice for students and young professionals on communications and career development.

As a former journalist in the music industry, he warns against creating content for the sake of it and just adding to the noise. Using social media to create a portfolio of work is important. He advises to consider the following four questions:

- Do you understand how to communicate?

- Do you have an area you want to communicate in - written, video - what does that look like?

- Do you understand the platforms?

- Do you understand what communication looks like with what social media is today?

He also thinks emphasis should be put on presentation of ideas.

“We are recording this on Election Day in the United States,” he said. “Regardless of who you are voting for, the candidates have an ability to stand up and express themselves. I do believe the ability to stand up and cogently share a concept with a group is incredibly powerful.”

The Informational Interview 2.0 Podcast is brought to you by the Global Innovators Academy's "Interview an Innovator" course experience and by Career Path Writing Solutions.

Naguib Attia, an executive for IBM, was facing a difficult task. In his role as Chief Technology Officer back in January 2014, he was involved in a project in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). There simply was a lack of talent in the region to deliver on a particular project’s goals.

To address this dilemma, he considered the following question: how can I take an individual and after just six months, prepare that person for a career at IBM? Naguib convinced his senior level colleagues that he could leverage his background in academia and experience as a practitioner to create an educational experience that would deliver on this ambitious goal.

As Naguib explained on episode 14 of the Informational Interview 2.0 podcast, the plan worked. He created a practical experience that not only developed the talent for this particular project in the MENA region, but also laid the groundwork for what is now a global educational initiative that has enabled IBM to address the skills gap in the marketplace. After 11 years as CTO of IBM’s Industrial Sector, Naguib was appointed VP of Global University Programs. As part of this initiative, IBM partners with institutions to provide technology, support research and create assets to advance relevant skills for today’s workforce. To date, 68,000 people have been trained worldwide.

“We want to take an individual from point A to point B - be a practitioner - in areas like data and cloud computing. We provide background to understand the topic. We give them the opportunity to understand the tools of the field and we provide hands-on experiences.”

According to Naguib, IBM doesn’t replace faculty content, but rather complements it through a partnership. This could involve coaching faculty, embedding IBM’s content in existing curriculum and providing some 2,900 IBM subject matter experts who are available to be guest lecturers in classrooms around the world.

“It is a matter of survival - companies need expertise,” he said. “What does the future of each country hold if you don’t have talent?”

As an example of impact, Naguib points to a university in Kenya in which the students earned their digital badges - credentials showcasing earned skills - even before their professors. The students shared with Naguib at a ceremony that the course experiences inspired them to take action and start a company around data security.

Regardless of what industry a student wishes to pursue, it is imperative that they have an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset. To develop this, Naguib advises that students “get outside of the box or curriculum. Explore the world behind the course title and collaborate with students across different disciplines. When you have this interaction, it creates the spark for you to innovate. The world doesn’t revolve around you; it revolves around the collaboration with others.”

Learn more about IBM’s Global University Programs at the following link.

The Informational Interview 2.0 Podcast is brought to you by the Global Innovators Academy's "Interview an Innovator" course experience and by Career Path Writing Solutions.

We need to communicate with empathy and purpose. Easier said than done! Thankfully, episode 13 of the Informational Interview 2.0 podcast will provide you with practical tips and guidance. Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications, developed a model for communications called FEEL: facing your Fears, engaging with Empathy, using Ethics and good judgment and unleashing the Love of your mission across communication channels for genuine engagement to build unbreakable bonds. Deirdre’s work now focuses on using this proprietary model in her work as a consultant. 

The “L” of the FEEL model - love of your mission - can be challenging for many, especially students and younger professionals. Deirdre shared that “things are going to change throughout your career. We all grow. What we think success entails at age 20 might be different by age 30 and in your 40s. But what is one thing that you really love to do and is a problem you are solving that people would pay for, yet you would do this for free.”

To find this mission, Deirdre advised that you:


Tune in to yourself.

Don’t be distracted by external forces.

Be wary of naysayers.


You can take the FEEL First Test at this link.

In addition, Deirdre shared that there are many ways we can innovate in our own careers by networking with other individuals. Conversations alone won’t suffice; you need to truly and actively listen. For example, based on the learning from the conversations during her research project, she is now in the process of authoring a new book entitled Answers for Ethical Marketers.

She encouraged others to also create content as part of their career journeys.

“When you do this, you learn, grow, expand your horizons and meet new people. You also open up yourself to new opportunities.”

To be more effective at content creation and develop clarity around career goals, Deirdre advised that you closely follow the work of other professionals.

“If you find a professional who is inspiring and you like their content, think about what they are doing. Look at their website, blog and social media channels. Engage and share their work.”

By doing this, you then have a foundation in place and can potentially reach out to try setting up an opportunity to connect for a phone call or meeting.

You can learn more about Deirdre’s work at her blog, connect with her on LinkedIn and listen to her podcast Women Worldwide.

The Informational Interview 2.0 Podcast is brought to you by the Global Innovators Academy's "Interview an Innovator" course experience and by Career Path Writing Solutions.

Everybody has a unique story, regardless of your background. Career development professionals needs to help students be confident, proud and able to articulate what their story is, explained Jonathan Stoll, Director of Career Education at Oregon State University, on episode 12 of the Informational Interview 2.0 podcast.

"It is very spiritual - it is reflection, awareness, having faith in yourself and recognizing your values,” Jonathan said. “Particularly with this generation, there is a desire to have meaning and purpose in one's work. For me, it is a matter of helping students navigate and articulate their story."

Jonathan, who hosts is own podcast called Soul Force Ones, also shared insights on how to overcome the negative stigma of networking by focusing on quality, not quantity, in meeting new people; how to take part in activism in a beneficial way; and the link between growth and spirituality, among other topics.

The podcast was co-hosted by Ashley Gunter, a junior at Rollins College who interned with the Global Innovators Academy this past summer.

The Informational Interview 2.0 Podcast is brought to you by the Global Innovators Academy's "Interview an Innovator" course experience and by Career Path Writing Solutions.

It can be a struggle to have clarity about our career direction and life decisions. This can certainly be the case for graduate school students. Dr. Beka Layton, Director of Professional Development Programs at the University of North Carolina, encourages the individuals she works with to approach career decisions by visualizing a triangle consisting of three related points: career, personal, and professional. Beka delved into this triangle and shared practical examples of how she works with students in an interview with Heidi Scott Giusto on episode 11 of the Informational Interview 2.0 podcast.

Beka also provided insights on:

- broadening student perspectives regarding their career planning

- networking by engaging in authentic conversations of mutual interest

- approaching networking with curiosity, relationship building and authenticity

- creating a structured environment for yourself/your students to explore options

- giving yourself "permission to invest in yourself"

In Beka’s role, she is responsible for career awareness and career development programming for biomedical PhD students. She also meets with trainees for individual career coaching and leads the Career Cohorts and Skills Certificate Series programs.

The Informational Interview 2.0 Podcast is brought to you by the Global Innovators Academy's "Interview an Innovator" course experience and by Career Path Writing Solutions.

Dr. Caitlin Ting, Director of Penn State’s newly-branded Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring, speaks to the challenges and adaptations her office has faced regarding this difficult time when students feel they are losing direct access to campus resources. 

“We’ve really had to innovate how we think about our offerings,” Dr. Ting explained on episode 10 of the Informational Interview 2.0 Podcast. “We’ve had to innovate also thinking about what the student needs are right now.”

We also explored with Dr. Ting a range of topics such as:

● Advice for guiding students towards clarity

● Maintaining a consistent network

● Managing expectations when it comes to new experiences and communications

● The value of supporting students early on in their college career

● Balancing the personal and professional with social media and online platforms

● Implementing professional development programs to benefit students

● Redefining what student engagement looks like with campus resources

● Encouraging educators to tailor their support to students

Follow Dr. Ting on Twitter.