Sometimes great ideas for a new blog come at the oddest times. Out walking in the crips night air, an idea popped into my mind. I was mulling over how difficult some people find it to answer the question of why they should be hired, or what they bring to the table, or what makes them the best – all of these lead to the same message – and I pondered how people really like an easy-peasy formulaic method, and voila! One popped up. Here’s a formula that’s sure to ... Read more

The key Human Resource function is recruiting; after all, employers know that their business success links directly to the performance of their employees. Do you as a job hunter realize that your success is also linked to your choice of employer? Choose the wrong company and your career stagnates if not tanks, requiring considerable time and effort to re-establish it. Choose the right company, and your career soars to heights you may only have dreamed of. But how do you determine whether the potential employer is close to perfect? ... Read more

What do you think? Is it useful to drop a name here and there in an interview? For instance, would the following work in “selling you” as a great Quality Assurance Manager?

“I’m active on LinkedIn and have over 300 contacts. In fact, I managed to get within two contacts of Johnny Depp!”

Not so likely! Although it might work to prove you’re a great social networker. But there is a kind of name-dropping that would absolutely help and what’s more, anyone can use it. It is related to the people named on your reference page. Imagine answering a question like this:

“I have earned a fine reputation when it comes to managing timelines in project managing complex and major projects. In fact Sharon Gee, one of my references, also my Program Manager for several of these projects, will attest to this. She often remarks on how grateful she is that I manage to meet each and every milestone deadline. In fact she jokingly wonders if I have found a way to make time stand still while I catch up on details.”

Now that’s name-dropping that’s worth trying. ... Read more

Marketing and sales are an artform that is also based on science. The science comes from knowing what motivates people to act, and the art comes in how articulately and convincingly you present your case. Every job hunter is conducting a self-marketing exercise: in selling services that the employer wants to purchase. Learning a few marketing tricks might be useful. ... Read more

Last week a mother called me looking for interview help for her son. This isn’t unusual – I have lots of parents calling, looking to give their newly graduated children an employment push! But this fellow had been out of school for 10 years! And his issue? Mom shared that he needs interview coaching as he struggles with maintaining eye contact. This is not something that an interview coach can “fix”; all we can do is point it out, with sensitivity of course. The “fix” is beyond the scope of an interview coach’s role. ... Read more

The other day I caught up with a client. She is a delightful, energetic and articulate young woman who absolutely loves one particular retailer, who must remain unnamed! Sally, as I’ll call her, enlightened me with how she landed her latest position with her retailer of choice. Having heard of a potential opening, Sally reached out to her best inside contact to get the details. This contact immediately sent an email to the hiring manager, introducing Sally and urging her consideration. This is sometimes referred to as a pre-emptive reference, which is highly effective. To follow up, Sally penned an email to express her interest. Now, I would normally advocate against an effervescent use of exclamation marks to express sincere and passionate interest, but given the employer and given Sally’s personality, it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just like that. ... Read more

AS a resume writer I encourage my clients to submit lots of documents to me as I prepare to write. I typically receive an existing resume of course, sometimes a cover letter, a letter of reference, and a performance review. Recently a client emailed a speech he had composed in preparation for accepting a work-related reward. And another client emailed me a speech she had prepared to introduce herself to her staff as their new manager. These all help me to understand my client and serve their career goals best. You might be surprised to hear that ... Read more

A lot of people are people-pleasers (there are scads of self-help books on this). We’ve heard the phrases that describe people-pleasers gone overboard – phrases like yes man, doormat, and brown noser. We could add the parrot to that unflattering list of names. The person who seems to lack ingenuity, who simply parrots back what he or she thinks the listener wants to hear. ... Read more

A recent telephone call from a prospective client led to this blog’s topic. Seems this fellow had had an interview for a job that he was so sure he was absolutely perfect for, that he’d not only neglected to prepare, but had behaved in a self-admittedly cocky manner. He didn’t land an offer. ... Read more

Just this week I wrote an article on how the fear of change can equal career stagnation. Email me if you’re interested in reading the article; glad to share. And that got me thinking. Communicating your embrace of change, your adaptability to nimble and continuous evolvement, would be a wonderful addition to your job hunter’s interview tool-kit. Today change is a constant, and the speed with which technology, processes, products and services morph these days is dizzying! And we can’t deny that without change our employers may lose out to competitors, which would leave us free of the need for change and free of a job! Here are a few quick ideas on how to pull this into the interview. ... Read more