What I Learned from Auntie Em's Story Time

Posted on July 10, 2020July 11, 2020 by Emily Wong

As the youngest of eight, I’ve been blessed with lots of nieces and nephews, many of whom now have small children of their own. Normally, I can count on connecting with most of these families at least once a year, since we’ve been going through a bit of a growth spurt with weddings and new babies.

As we hunkered down in March and came to grips with the possibility of not seeing our family “live” in 2020, I was also feeling special compassion for parents of younger children who were suddenly thrust into the roles of second-grade teacher and camp counselor while maintaining their “day” jobs and navigating new technology, to boot.

I knew that if my own boys were still in elementary school, I’d surely be pulling my hair out. So, with the idea of connecting with the little ones while (maybe) lightening the load of their parents, I reached out to see if they’d be interested in virtual story time.

Damien reading along to *The Three Bears*.

Here are a few things the kids have taught me:

Meet them where they are and be flexible.
I’ve found that this time together isn’t necessarily just about me reading to them. Some want to read to me, some want to show me their artwork, and some want to just demonstrate their tumbles or model their Halloween costumes. Following their lead is much more fun than sticking to an agenda.

Don’t shoot for perfect. Aim for presence.
Trust me: kids don’t care what our hair or home office looks like. Being present 100% is what matters. They have funny stories to share, and they appreciate a good listener. And they definitely won’t notice that strategically placed orchid in the background of your Zoom meeting. When my niece Greta drew a picture of me (scroll down), it didn’t include the bookshelf in the background. There’s a reason for that.

Be open to new opportunities and discoveries.
Letting the children lead means I’ve been introduced to some excellent new kid lit. My new favorite book is The Day the Crayons Quit, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award winner. I may be biased because it was first read to me by Abby (see below), who has a way with presentation. But If you’re a parent of young children (or an auntie or uncle) and looking for more material, I highly recommend this book.

Abby reading *The Day the Crayons Quit*.

When you think you’re being of service, you may be surprised.
Let’s face it: for all my good intentions, I didn’t free up time for these parents. If anything, this is just one more thing they have to add to their schedule. But I can certainly say it’s helped me.

Seeing these kids once or twice a year at weddings is great. A happy atmosphere and crazy dancing always help break the ice and reunite us as a clan. But to have this one-on-one time with each family is a chance for me to really get to know them, see what they’re up to, and most important — learn what makes them giggle.

I’ve told them I can’t believe we didn’t do this pre-SIP. But even as I said that I knew why: under normal conditions, we’re all just too darned busy. I’ll have to remember this when things open up again.

So, what does this have to do with our careers? Well, as the line between our personal and professional lives blurs, I’m finding that we can apply learnings from each aspect of our lives to other areas. Meeting our clients or customers where they are and being a good listener are a couple of examples. Showing some humanity by letting go of the need for perfection is another. And let’s all lighten up! Let your customers veer a little from the agenda so you can learn what they really need.

This is a strange era that can be overwhelming. I’m grateful that in the midst of it all, I’m reconnecting with my nieces and nephews — a boon that may never have transpired otherwise.

To parents of small children, I salute you!

LinkedIn Q & A

We can now use up to 220 characters for our LinkedIn headline, but should we?

The nice thing about this new feature is that you’re more likely to complete that killer headline without running out of space for that one last character. However, once you’ve seen them written, 220 characters can look clunky. So don’t feel like you need to use the entire space just because you can. The “About” section now allows for up to 2600 characters (vs. 2000 in the past), so if you have something to add, that may be the better place for it.

What’s with that new LinkedIn #opentowork photo frame?

This has been a topic of discussion for a number of my colleagues and me, and we generally don’t recommend it, as there’s still bias among recruiters for those who are currently employed. If you want to find new opportunities, do it the time-proven way: look for openings in industries that are growing, then contact those within your network who may know more about the job or the company. Target roles where your skills are transferable. In the meantime, continue to build strong relationships by finding ways to help others. Nurturing relationships through generosity has a way of coming back in the form of help when you need it. As a last resort, try the frame, but proceed with the understanding that not every hiring manager likes this approach. And never use it as your only tactic for finding a job.

Should I include the fact that I’m laid off or furloughed on my resume or LinkedIn profile, given these strange times?

Although recruiters and hiring managers are likely to be more understanding of unemployment status than they were in the past, the purpose of your resume and LinkedIn profile is still to showcase what you can do for potential employers — not to explain your circumstances. If you feel it’s necessary to go into this, you can share in the cover letter, after you’ve written about how you can solve the company’s problems or improve their business.

Zoom Tips

I’ve been holding group meetings of 3+, and haven’t been kicked out of my Zoom meetings yet. Even though the allotted time for meetings of more than 2 devices is supposed to be 40 minutes, Zoom seems to be offering some grace to basic plan subscribers.

If you’re using a background picture and you’re finding that you’re disappearing into it, it’s not related to your subscription level. Rather, it’s related to your equipment. You would need a green screen to stabilize the image, but these may be overpriced right now, due to high demand. If you really need to hide your background, there are room dividers available for under $100.

You can turn off Zoom’s mirror effect. Zoom allows you to turn off the mirror image, which is helpful if you want to show your company’s name on your green screen. It also helps when you’re holding up a book and want to show the words as written, as you would for young readers :).

To your health!
Emily