Foremost Consulting

When you receive a job offer don’t celebrate, not yet, it is premature. I know it is the goal, the brass ring and the prize, but actually there are a few steps yet in the process, shortened somewhat, if you don’t have a current job to resign from first. But let’s not get side-tracked because even at this late stage you must remain focused, even more so. This is the critical part and, even here, it can get screwed up if you are not concentrating on the task at hand and that is – what is your decision? There is an old saying among sales persons that suggests, “Time kills all deals.” There is a cycle, an ebb and flow if you will, or a level of interest that progressively builds and gains momentum during the interview process. It is at

Most things in life are not self-destructive or detrimental if applied or acted upon in moderation; of course, too much of anything can be bad for you – this is well-known, common sense. Last week I sought to illustrate the need for projecting self-confidence whilst describing the difference between that and arrogance or hubris. I received an email from a reader who is concerned and seeks to avoid being seen as bragging so I think the subject bears additional explanation and clarification. Readers of my blog live and work in different parts of the world and from different cultures, so no one single formula works for everyone – nor should it. I try to champion the cause of the individual in opposition to the soulless, generic collective, which seeks to reduce and categorize people into boring, ineffectual and un-dynamic sameness. Although

At the heart of what job interviewing is and has always been, is the task of marketing yourself, demonstrating during a process of elimination why you are the person they have been looking for – the right person for the job. So it is necessary, is it not, for you to demonstrate why a hiring manager should hire you – that’s the whole point, isn’t it? If you want to rely on your resume and let it do the talking for you, well, then you’d be like most others sitting around with their fingers crossed, wishin’ and a-hopin’ – yeah well, good luck with that. You have a duty and responsibility to yourself to be your own best spokesperson, marketer and sales person because somebody’s gotta and if not you, then who? The manner by which to best assemble and present

During the past 10 years, but more so since the economic slow-down occurring since 2009, I have been observing the strangest of trends; on one hand, I hear people lamenting their lack of success in finding a good job. Meanwhile, I hear company managers complaining they are having difficulty finding people for key positions. Now at face value, this sounds odd and contradictory. But I’ve identified an underlying issue and cause, when each side tells me how hard they are trying and, indeed, they feel convinced they are expending energy. However, I am not convinced of the veracity of their claims because I see something else, another trend permeating both employment and business sectors. Indeed, the job market in general is more stagnant, no doubt, but there is something else happening that I think is making matters worse than they

Yeah, it’s nothing new, the growing lack of soft skills is a problem for companies, and senior-level executives recognize they have this problem. Increasingly, more and more people lack the skills we take for granted. In a company environment this deficit has a wide ranging effect, negatively impacting every aspect of an organization’s effectiveness, dragging down overall performance, which, in turn impacts profitability and by extension, share prices. It’s a lose / lose proposition; those at boardroom level get it even if, at the lower echelons, they do not. I contend it’s the result of a digitally-connected world where we virtually interact; meanwhile, we’ve disconnected and separated ourselves from the real world and real people. I am sorry but video conferencing and Skype are no substitutes for face-to-face meetings, which involve an actual handshake. It’s no wonder there are so many

My blog is focused on empowering the individual job seeker; that is my stated goal. My aim is not one-sided, I am not anti-corporate or anti-management. For many years, I conduct my work on behalf of both job seekers and company managers who all seek the same objective -- but view it from their own perspective. In the case of this blog entry I want to focus on the company, the hiring side of the process. That which companies claim they want is increasingly at variance with what they do or, more appropriately, the manner and conduct of the interview process is often a clear contradiction – the result of which can leave both sides frustrated and dissatisfied with the end result, or lack thereof. It is repeated so often we don’t even notice it because it should be obvious and

I’ve noticed a lot of advice for job seekers is very direct, about how an individual is supposed to behave or in what manner they should conduct their activities when seeking a job. I myself am not shy about suggesting people be more directly engaged and pro-active, but I have a suggestion; when you read anything you should always take the source into account. True objectivity is rare, and especially when you read articles that project the writer’s own perspective – this is good advice anytime, regardless of the advice or commentary you read, see and hear, because you need to draw your own conclusions from whatever information is offered. Too much of the advice I see being offered suggests that you should not actively engage or take any significant initiative, as if to do so is breaking the rules. They

Last week I suggested you are wasting a lot of time if you are predominantly applying for jobs online, playing the jobs lottery and hoping your number comes up -- this is not a winning strategy by any standard! Before the advent of the internet, snail-mailing lots of resumes was no more effective, but at least back then your envelope did land on the desk of real people and those to whom it was addressed. Currently, in our time, it may be easier and less labor intensive; you can send emails faster and more widely, but that’s a panacea to make yourself feel as if you’re doing something when you aren’t, really. You do realize that by usual methods, following other people’s rules, you are in reality reaching very few real people, so all your efforts amount to 90% smoke

How many times have you heard it said, possibly by someone you know who complains, “…there are no jobs”? Well, I don’t entirely agree although there are obviously fewer jobs and according to labor statistics (in the U.S.) a growing number of people have just stopped looking. No doubt it is a tough environment and talk of economic recovery rings hollow and means nothing to those who struggle. But I argue that some people and their flawed assumptions and their efforts, which can only be best described as flaccid and in reality half-hearted, make them their own worst enemy. I suggest it is the misguided belief in faulty and ineffective job search methods, on which the majority rely, which leave many feeling powerless to influence their own destiny. But before we continue we need to clarify something; there are jobs out

You can interview with the best intentions, seeking to demonstrate your suitability for the job for which you’re interviewing. You can ask all the right questions and thoroughly evaluate the position for which you applied. You can have a good interaction and overall feeling of satisfaction with the limited knowledge available to you when you make your decision to accept a job offer. But it isn’t until you arrive on that fateful day to begin a new job when you’ll in fact come face to face with the actual, life-size, hi-def big picture that is your new work environment, in person. You never really know until you start whether or not you’ve made the right decision. Even so, everyone wears their best face when you start a new job, it’s the honeymoon period so if there are glaring issues during this