Tips from Maureen Francisco on Seizing Opportunities

There are opportunities for anyone who wants to take them.

That’s the insight Maureen Francisco offers anyone who feels like they’re in a rut. Now, the opportunities might not be pretty, and you might have to make some sacrifices. But the opportunities are there.

Maureen is a media figure, public speaker, producer and author who emigrated from the Philippines when she was five years old and spoke very little English. Today, she’s an entertainment personality and now runs her own company. How did she get there?

By seizing opportunities.

“People complain now that there aren’t opportunities in this country anymore,” said Maureen when I spoke to her. “My grandmother came to America in her fifties and got a job in the laundry department of a hotel. It wasn’t glamorous but people were counting on her.”

Following your dreams is important, but you can’t shirk responsibilities at the same time. That’s a lesson that Maureen feels a lot of young people need to learn.

“When I first came to this country, I could barely speak English. I struggled to express myself. My family, especially my father, pushed me out of my comfort zone. I was taught to be independent early on so that I could get a job.”

Even with helicopter parents and years of college education, people forget that getting a job in this world is about selling yourself. “I had to become more outgoing, especially if I wanted to work in television,” said Maureen. “In order to make it, people need to be networking constantly and working on their interpersonal skills. You also have to put in the legwork. I drove up and down the states of Oregon and Washington to land my first reporting gig.”

Being young and trying to get started is tough enough, but Maureen also found being a woman played a role. “Being a woman who’s barely five feet tall, people automatically underestimate me. Instead of fitting a stereotype, I tried to put myself out there so people could get to know me. I also was results-oriented, so doing more than was expected started shifting people’s mindsets.”

Maureen knows that the job market is tough and all this talk about fiscal cliffs has got people worried. She also has great advice to make sure you give yourself the best chance possible to size opportunities when you find them:

• Live with Integrity, Creativity & Excellence: Make smart choices, be honest, write down your goals, thoughts and ideas and then go for it. Don’t let the obstacles and excuses excuse you from your responsibilities and goals.
• Activate Your Job Search: Take the time to put together a great resume and cover letter. You may even need to do a job shadow, intern or volunteer in order to learn more and be better qualified in going after certain jobs and/or goals.
• Throw Away the 9-5 Mentality: Take the time needed to get the work done in the quality it needs. This sometimes means doing more than is expected or asked of.
• Always be Networking: Take initiative in meeting new people, especially those that work in the industry you work in and/or the industry you want to work in. Then continue to build upon and foster these relationships to last a lifetime. Treat everyone around you as though they could be your next employer.
• Always be Looking Ahead: If it’s a promotion you want, start demonstrating you have what it takes.
• Don’t be Afraid to Ask: Do your homework and be in a position where you’re prepared and educated in asking for promotions, raises or in simply asking tough questions.

“When you’re an underdog, you always have to do more than is expected of you. You’ll see that there are plenty of successful independent young women out there — and they had to work very hard to get where they are today. By working hard, they could make opportunities for themselves.”

MAUREEN FRANCISCO Maureen is the co-owner of NW Productions, a media and production company, and is the author of It Takes Moxie: Off the Boat, or Out of School, To Making It Your Way in America. Learn more at www.maureenfrancisco.com

Tagged as: education, Gen-y, job search, Maureen Francisco, opportunities