You may already know that I’ve spent my career as an executive recruiter. Over the years I’ve reviewed more than 100,000 resumes, have interviewed more than 40,000 executives, and have placed thousands of executives at Fortune 500 companies… so I know what it takes to help someone land their dream job. 

I've consolidated my 20+ years of experience in recruiting into a proprietary framework with the goal of helping the next generation achieve personal and professional success… we call this our Fearless Formula.

Our Fearless Formula begins with a Fearless Digital Profile.

Having a digital profile on our platform replaces the need for a young person to create a traditional resume and provides a well-rounded, multi-dimensional look into their:  

• personality and soft skills 
• leadership, work, and volunteer experience
• accomplishments and awards 
• personal interests and career aspirations  

As a recruiter, the first thing I always advise anyone to do when interviewing for a job is to “own their own narrative”. A Fearless digital profile puts the power in the users’ hands and allows them to tell their story in their own words. 

Building a Fearless digital profile will help a young person grow their professional network and differentiate themselves as a strong candidate in any college, internship, and job application process. 

We at Fearless also know how important it is to have a strong foundation of soft skills and critical life skills in order to be successful, especially when it comes to the future of work. Research tells us that employers believe soft skills are more important than hard skills or past experience, and it’s predicted that 2/3 of jobs will be soft skill intensive by 2030.

To build that strong foundation, we believe every individual needs a combination of Emotional Intelligence, Rationality, Adaptability, in addition to Intelligence. 

So, what is Emotional Intelligence? Emotional Intelligence, otherwise known as EQ, is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, relieve stress, and defuse conflict. Emotional intelligence helps build critical “human” skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and communication skills. We believe that EQ is comprised of the following building blocks::

• Communication – Verbal, non-verbal, and written communication
• Self-awareness – Conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, desires, strengths, and weaknesses 
• Empathy – The ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place

EQ is 400% more powerful than IQ when predicting success in the workforce. Additionally, people with higher EQ earn an average of $29,000 more each year than similar colleagues with a lower EQ.  

Next is Rationality- Rational thinking (RQ), like intelligence, is a measurable cognitive competence. Smart people do foolish things because intelligence is not the same as the capacity for rational thinking. Building rational thinking skills helps to positively face challenging problems with clarity, creativity, commitment, and conviction. We believe RQ is comprised of the following building blocks:

• Critical Thinking – Analyzing facts to form a judgment
• Problem Solving – The process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues
• Building Resilience – The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; mental toughness

Then there is Adaptability (AQ). In a world of uncertainty, one thing is clear: change will be constant. Those who have the capability to adapt will be the ones who thrive. We believe AQ is comprised of the following building blocks:

• Adaptability – Adjusting to new conditions; being able to reframe the situation 
• Agility – The ability to move quickly and easily
• Handling Complexity & Ambiguity – Approaching the unknown with curiosity and a growth mindset 

And the last piece of our formula is Intelligence (IQ). Intelligence is a combination of what you learn in school and what you're born with. Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills while integrating cognitive functions such as perception, attention, memory, language, or planning. We believe IQ is comprised of the following building blocks:

• Knowledge – Facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education
• Reasoning & Logic – Thinking about something in a valid, sensible way
• Capacity for Abstract Thinking – The ability to think about objects, principles, and ideas that are not physically present

This, in a nutshell, is our Fearless Formula. Developing emotional intelligence, rationality, adaptability, and intelligence, along with building and maintaining a Fearless digital profile– will help ensure that our teens and young adults are on their way toward a Fearless Future!