August 2013

There is no one thing, no magic move or act that will singularly get you a job you seek. Instead, you should look to improve small things here and there in your efforts and when you self critique your interview performance afterward. For most people it’s about making fine adjustments and the difference between being average and excellent is actually not a very big leap. There are a ton of things you can do to increase your chances and improve your efforts during your job hunting and interviewing efforts. Sure, you’ve got to be qualified but is almost never only about qualifications. Let’s take, for example, the simple matter of asking and answering questions in an interview situation; I mean, how much more simple can it be, right? Whether it is a case of the nerves, enthusiasm or something else, in

When it comes to interviewing and negotiating, what do you do when, after an extended amount of time, everything just – stops – you hear nothing but crickets and you’ve not received any information or correspondence? Make an effort to contact the last person with whom you’ve met to see what’s going on but, if you still can’t get any info, you can wait around collecting dust, or you can utilize the Take Away Close. However, be forewarned, it should be your option of last resort, when you’ve exhausted all other avenues. It’s not a threat but instead a statement and using it as a bluff or crying wolfwill get you the same result as the shepherd boy in the fable of Aesop. A sharp sales person might use this close to push the indecisive to be less so and to

Putting the best spin on any given subject appears to be the order of the day, regardless of what it is. Some may say they find it hard to find the truth amidst the spun versions of almost anything and everything. And it appears most people are just fine with this, they hear what they want to, happily smile and go on with whatever they are doing. “Tell me what I want to hear and I’m okay” seems to be the prevailing attitude. That is, until they realize things are not necessarily as described and they feel misled. But, even then, more often than not, too many can be easily soothed back into their walking slumber with more hollow words of reassurance as they resume shuffling forward  for the time being. As you may imagine, this extends to the employment realm, where

Understanding and using closing technique is a critical tool at your disposal during the interview process. That’s assuming you want to take part in the process and are not merely going along for the ride, or simply nodding in agreement when you think it’s appropriate. If you want to take charge of your life and where you’re going, you should be taking charge of and asserting yourself – that makes sense doesn’t it? On July fourth of this year, I posted a blog that  begins to explain what a Close is and its purpose. In basic terms, it is the way one asks for and gets decisions. And, along the way during the interview, you can use closing technique to gauge the situation as it progresses. At the time, I referred to the Assumptive Close as one of the most basic

On August first I posted a blog listing 10 reasons why you should have more confidence at your next interview. Today I’d like to share a few more reasons from a different perspective. Companies seek to portray themselves as having it all together, organized, with all eight cylinders firing away, a well-oiled machine. And as such, you, the applicant should be in awe and on the defensive; they want you to feel that you’re the one who’s supposed to prove yourself to them, if you seek admission and advancement to the next step and perhaps ultimately a job offer – that is if you measure up. Indeed that is your task but often the façade they throw up for people to see is just that. I’m here to tell you it ain’t always so. What if I told you most of

Last month, on July 22, I posted a blog entry entitled The Great Equalizer: Being an Active Participant. Following an email from a reader I thought I would comment a bit more about what I am suggesting. When you interview the spotlight shines both ways, indeed you are under more pressure as they evaluate your suitability for the job, but you are, or should also be, considering their suitability as a potential future employer. Often people fail to think in this way and this posture by itself can lead to poor decision making. I am not suggesting the interview is a you vs. them duel of wits; it’s not meant to be a stare down to see who blinks first and, trust me, the applicant will always lose that little game. Interviews tend to be rather formulaic and understandably so, because each

Let’s say you worked hard, have done your best and were able to fend off other contenders for that new job you were seeking; you’ve been made an offer, great and congratulations. What’s that you say? You want to think about it? Okay, but don’t take too long. Consider this; any smart manager worth his or her salt has a back-up Plan B, a secondary candidate. True, there is no prize for second place when pursuing a single job position but, until there is an acceptance and signed job offer, the race is not over. While you may be relishing your supposed victory, the process is not concluded in the mind of a clever hiring manager. If they’re smart and if they have a choice, they have not bet all their money or chips on you alone. And I assure you

The short answer is it all depends. Most people have a presence on Facebook, for example, as well as on other social media. No one in our modern society should be surprised that, by having a public presence, you’ve chosen to abrogate a measure of your privacy. But deep down we already know this, and recent events have only validated the rumors, and the conspiracy theorists many ridiculed in the past were correct all along. Although I am writing with everyone in mind I am aiming more specifically at young people, who are trying to establish and launch their careers. Clearly, among many there is a shortsighted and naïve perception that it’s no big deal, that everyone posts stuff. Nobody considers whether it can haunt them later. I recall doing some really stupid stuff when I was young but, fortunately, there

If you are nervous about the interview process, you are no different than most who seek employment, regardless of experience or position. The more they want the job the higher level of anxiety they may be feeling. I don’t know many people who like to interview, much less look forward to it. But there are those who feel more confident than others. Confidence by itself isn’t enough to get you a job offer, but it clearly is helpful to your efforts when observed by a hiring manager. And just for the sake of mention, an over-inflated ego, hubris or arrogance is not synonymous nor a substitute for confidence. It is likely that when you are competing for employment you’re not alone and, in fact, a company you seek to work for might have received a hundred or more resumes. But this