23 Apr
How To Create Stories That Sell You To Employers
Most of the resumes I see focus on what people do on a daily basis. The result is a boring list of duties and responsibilities that’s unlikely to inspire anyone to call them. Employers want to know what you can do for them.
The best way to show your value is to focus on what you’ve done for your current and previous employers. The impact you’ve made. The same is true for interviews. Employers don’t want to hear about what you do every day. They want to hear about your achievements in terms of the impact you’ve made.
Prepare for your interviews with stories that illustrate your value. Like all stories, there should be a beginning, a middle, and an end.
17 Apr
How To Establish Yourself As A Thought Leader
A tight job market means tougher competition. People who hadn’t considered moving a couple of years ago are passively looking. Those casually looking have transitioned from passive to active job seekers.
Today, standing out from your competition is essential.
If you’re a senior executive or pursing those roles, one of the best strategies is to have others see you as an authority in your industry, a thought leader.
One way to be recognized as a thought leader is to share knowledge with your community.
04 Feb
What To Do When You Don’t Get The Job
It’s always disappointing when you don’t get the job. It can be devastating when it was your “dream job” and you were one of the final two.
But, the fact is that there are at dozens of people applying for every position and only one of them gets hired.
If you’re not the one hired it’s OK to be upset. It’s OK to get angry. It’s even OK to cry if you want to. I’ve cried after finding out I came in number 2.
Give yourself permission and time to grieve. Then move forward. Here are a few steps to take.
03 Jul
4 Ways To Heat Up Your Job Search This Summer
After a tough winter, summer is finally here. Vacationers back up traffic for miles and sometimes there’s even a line at the beach. Time to sit back, enjoy the warm weather, and chill.
Not so fast.
Tempting as it may be, if you’re looking for a new job, this is not the time to slack off.
Even a decade ago, most people thought summer was not a good time to look for a job. In some respects, they were right. But, things are much different today. While recruiters and hiring managers may be taking long weekends, even week-long vacations, in our 24/7 world of work no one is ever really out of the office.
That means it’s not the time to kick back and wait for September. Here are four ways to keep your job search moving this summer.
11 Apr
4 Ways To Get Called Back After A Job Interview
You know achievement-based resumes get much better results than boring lists of responsibilities and job duties. However, a strong resume can only help get you in the door. Then it’s up to you.
During the interview, it’s up to you to sell yourself to the employer. You need to convince the interviewer to invite you back for the next round. And eventually to hire you.
If you want to make it to the next round of interviews, it’s essential to be prepared, stay in the moment, and treat everyone with respect. Here are 4 things to remember.
27 Jan
3 Career Transition Strategies
Changing careers can seem daunting. Even impossible. But, the truth is it can be done. Several of my friends and colleagues have done it successfully. I’ve done it too.
When you’re thinking about a career change, understand that every position has two parts: the job (responsibilities, duties performed, skills needed) and the field (the industry where the work is done).
For example, a marketing VP at an Internet start-up has strong communication skills, is a strategic thinker, and has experience creating marketing campaigns. She also understands the Internet industry.
By the same token, a director of operations in a pharmaceutical company can improve processes, manage budgets, and oversee a staff. He also has knowledge of the healthcare industry. He has both operations experience and healthcare expertise.
Keep this in mind when thinking about your job.
03 Jan
Self Assessment To Go – A Career Change Checklist
Choosing a career is a big decision. A decision that should involve more than thumbing through a book or newspaper and picking a job that sounds kind of interesting.
While your next job will probably not be your last job, you will be spending many hours each week at the office. If you’re working full-time you will be spending more time with your co-workers than with your family.
14 Dec
Mix & Mingle: Successful Holiday Networking
We all know that networking is one of our most powerful business tools. One of the things most of us forget is to continually nurture our network even when things are going well. The holiday season is a great time to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
Why are the holidays so great? When do you have a better opportunity to rekindle relationships? This is the perfect time of the year to get back in touch with people just to find out how they are doing. Make sure you take the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family – to do a little holiday networking.
30 Nov
4 Reasons The Holidays Are Great For Job Seekers
Despite colder temperatures, many job seekers regard the holiday season the same way they do the summer. They see it as another opportunity to take a break from job hunting. A time to sit back and enjoy the festivities.
As with relaxing in the summer, this is a big mistake.
As tempting as it may be, if you’re looking for a new job, this is not the time to slack off.
If anything, this is the time to ramp up your job search.
One of the best things about looking for a new opportunity during the holiday season is that most of your competition is on hiatus. They mistakenly think that no one finds a job during the holidays. For this reason they scale back their efforts.
13 Jul
How To Modernize Your Job Search
If you haven’t looked for a job in the last decade, or even in the last five years, you will find that things have changed. A lot. While searching employment ads used to be THE way to find a job, today it should be only one component of a job search.
Technological advances have transformed the way people look for work. The best strategy is to take a multipronged approach.
Stop Relying On Ads
Combing the job ads used to be the way you found a job. Today, searching employment ads and applying for jobs online should be only one part of your job-search strategy. Many jobs are found through networking, online and offline. Schedule at least 2 networking events a month if you’re actively looking for a new opportunity. A referral can sometimes open doors.