10 Mistakes Job Seekers Make … And How to Avoid Them – Part 2 of 2
Mistake #6: Being Unplanned in Your Search Most people spend more time planning a vacation than planning a job search. I suggest the following tips to conduct a proper job search: a well-thought out methodology, daily solitude and planning, space in the home dedicated to the search, a tracking tool to measure your progress, and a system for accountability.
Mistake #7: Doing it Alone You pay a mechanic to change your oil; an attorney to create an estate plan. Why would you not invest in professional help with your job search? Career Coaches provide objective guidance, help you articulate your value, and provide a proven system for job search success. Many offer excellent advice on salary negotiations – often exceeding the job seeker’s expectations. If you can’t afford a Career Coach, take advantage of low-cost or free support from non-profit groups, universities, municipal programs, and so forth.
Mistake #8: Letting Others Control Your Job Search I suggest working with a small selection of professional recruiters – they can serve an important role in your search. But you’ll need to maintain control over the whole process. Of course, it is best to conduct your own research and target the right companies yourself. Remember: only you can “sell yourself” effectively and land a job.
Mistake #9: Not Preparing Well Enough for Job Interviews When you boil it down, all job interviews are comprised of five basic elements: articulating your value, conveying your knowledge of the company, asking intelligent questions, negotiating compensation, and following-through. Each of these items has to be practiced in advance, so you can “ace” the job interview. “Winging it” just won’t do! Also, be sure to do extensive research on the company and the interviewer ahead of time.
Mistake #10: Not Knowing Your Market Value You must research and assess your value in the marketplace, so you’ll be able to negotiate effectively. Never disclose your salary requirements – always get the employer to name the salary or range first. The time to talk money is when the employer has made it clear that you are their top candidate, and after they make an offer. It is very easy for even the savviest of job seekers to make these mistakes.
By learning how to navigate these potential pitfalls from the outset, your job search will be more productive and yield more positive results!
To read the entire article, click here. Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
10 Mistakes Job Seekers Make … And How to Avoid Them – Part 1 of 2
Many people make significant job search mistakes and never even know about it. These blunders are easy to make, and they can cost you the job offer or lose you thousands of dollars. Below, I reveal 10 of the biggest mistakes, and explain how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Relying on Online Job Postings In general, job postings and “want ads” produce little value. However, it is also a mistake to ignore them altogether. Some of the best chances for jobs from ads are in specialty trade publications and web sites of specific industries. I suggest you spend no more than five percent of your valuable time on public job postings.
Mistake #2: Mailing Unsolicited Resumes Unsolicited resumes are considered garbage, scrap paper and wasted effort. Secretaries kill them, HR managers file them away, and hiring decision-makers pitch them. I advocate abandoning this job search tactic completely.
Mistake #3: Looking Only for Job Openings Searching only for companies with “openings” is an obsolete job hunting method. The best jobs are rarely listed “vacancies” or “openings.” Rather, many good positions are created for the candidate, often at the interview. The key is to shift your focus from “openings” to “opportunities” (which exist nearly everywhere). Remember: every company is hiring all the time, if you have what they need when they need it!
Mistake #4: Ineffective Networking Networking should be the primary focus of every job search – occupying about 90% of your time. However, I find that most people go about it the wrong way – by talking too much and by asking for jobs. The best networkers are big listeners rather than big talkers. They have a clear agenda, and are not shy about asking for feedback and guidance. Remember: networking is more about giving than it is about taking, so always come from an attitude of generosity.
Mistake #5: Leaving Yourself Open to Too Many Kinds of Jobs Another key to a successful job search is to focus on finding the RIGHT job – not “just any job.” Critical factors to consider include satisfaction, growth potential, location, cultural fit, great co-workers, a pleasing environment and competitive compensation.
When the job market is really tough, it’s imperative to be more focused than ever. To read the entire article, click here. Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
One Chance to Make a First Impression – Part 2 of 2
Once you confirm the interviewer's primary needs and problems, share some "Accomplishment Stories" that relate your past successes directly to the prospective employer's situation. Making this "connection" will help you stand-out as the top candidate. Here are some things NOT to do, when trying to make a positive first impression. Do not:
- Take advantage of the other person's generosity or time.
- Arrive unprepared to talk intelligently about the employer and the company.
- Dress inappropriately for the meeting or interview.
- Focus only on your own needs (instead you should focus on the company's problems and challenges).
- Fail to make a connection between your past experiences and the prospective employer's needs and challenges.
- Forget to follow-up with a thank you note.
- Forget to ask questions about the company and the open position.
These items are also some of the main qualities interviewers are looking for in a candidate. So if you follow these simple suggestions, you'll receive better feedback and ultimately get more job offers. To read the entire article, click here. Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
One Chance to Make a First Impression – Part 1 of 2
It has often been said that, "You only get one chance to make a first impression." Whether you are networking, interviewing for a job or meeting new colleagues for the first time, here are some guidelines to keep in mind which will make a good first impression.
- Be mindful of the other person's time. Ask if this is a good time for them before proceeding into the discussion (or identify another time that would be better). When attending a scheduled meeting or interview, ask how much time the other person has, and hold to that timeframe.
- If you were referred by a mutual friend or acquaintance to the person with whom you're meeting, be sure to reference that person in positive terms. This helps to build a "personal bridge" and establish rapport.
- Take notes throughout the discussion. A person who doesn't take notes is simply not interested or engaged enough to be taken seriously.
- Arrive to the meeting or interview on time and fully prepared. This shows that you respect the other person, and that you are a real professional. Learn everything you can in advance about the company, the opportunity, and the interviewer.
- Be focused on the other person's interests and needs, more than your own. Present yourself as a solutions provider, rather than a job seeker. Offer to be of service and show genuine interest in helping the interviewer with his or her business challenges.
Passions and Gifts – Part 2 of 2
What I really like is …
- Working with very bright people who have good values
- Working with companies that are respected or where respect can be created
- Building a culture that will succeed and be a place where people can grow and enjoy work M
My greatest contribution is …
- Being able to do many different things well
- Accomplishing the mission, exceeding expectations
- Building an organization from scratch
- Saving the day – taking dire situations, fixing them and turning them into winners
I am particularly good at …
- Taking things that look like failures and making them into exceptional successes
- Developing people – getting them to be creative, committed and accountable
- Getting the job done quickly with practical, interesting solutions
I am known for …
- Creative leadership
- Overcoming challenging obstacles
- Rising to the occasion
- Seeing the core issues, problems, solutions
- Get to the heart of the matter quickly, intuitively analyzing the situation
I have an exceptional ability to …
- Be innovative
- Devise straightforward solutions that are efficient and practical
- Take complex problems and quickly developing elegant solutions
- Create solutions that get the job done
OK, now it's YOUR turn! Get out a pad and pen, or create a new Word document. Please complete the following sentences as candidly as you can. Feel free to provide multiple answers to each question. Keep your responses focused on the career and work aspects of your life (as opposed to your personal or social life, etc.) You can also come back to your answers after a day or so, and refine or expand them:
- At work, I love to …
- I feel passionate about …
- I am excited about …
- What I really like is …
- My greatest contribution is …
- I am particularly good at …
- I am known for …
- I have an exceptional ability to …
- Colleagues often ask for my help with …
- What motivates me most is …
- I would feel disappointed, frustrated or sad if I couldn't do …
After you've completed this exercise, ask yourself these important questions and write-down your answers in detail:
- Do your personal gifts, goals and passions correspond/align with your current career direction?
- What implications do these answers have on your current and future career choices?
- What is one thing you can do right now to enhance or change your current career situation, so that it will be more in-tune with your true passions and gifts?
Remember: it's never too late to take charge of your career and find the work you love – as long as you have the right resources and support!
To read the entire article, click here.
Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
Passions and Gifts – Part 1 of 2
Over the past several months, I have noticed that an increasing percentage of my clients have been expressing concerns about a lack of passion and meaning in their work. They will often say something like, "I know I'm lucky just to have a job, but I feel like I'm just going through the motions. I don't feel particularly engaged or excited about my work any more. Is this all there is?"
I believe that every working person has the right and responsibility to discover (or re-discover) his or her professional passion. With this in mind, I thought we would do something a little bit different this month. I invite you to do an exercise that has proven to be very powerful with my clients. It won't take you very long, and I can almost guarantee that the results will give you a whole new perspective on your own job or career path.
"Passions and Gifts" is a wonderful exercise to keep you focused on the larger purpose of all your work. It connects you to your "WHY" and is also a great tool to help sharpen your delivery during business meetings and job interviews.
Here is an example of this exercise, completed a few years ago by one of my clients:
Passions and Gifts (Sample)
At work, I love to …
- Build organizations
- Move things forward, solve problems
- Turnaround problem situations, get big results (generate, produce, achieve, create)
I am passionate about …
- Doing the impossible, taking on big challenges
- Creating new structures to achieve big results
- Solving problems, removing obstacles
- Getting the best out of people
To read the entire article, click here.
Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
Interviews: Types and Structure – Part 2 of 2
Approval: A series of sequential interviews, sometimes formal and sometimes informal (such as over lunch), conducted by team members, peers, or colleagues in departments with whom you would interact. Getting to this stage assumes that the hiring manager liked you and passed you along for the team’s approval. If everyone on the team gives you the thumbs up, you’ll have a good chance of getting a job offer.
Group: A more formal and structured interview, conducted by a panel of three to five peers and the hiring manager (at the same time) to narrow the field of applicants. Sometimes, this involves behavioral interview methods, hands-on tasks, or an assignment to work on a real-time problem that the group is facing. A conference call or video-phone format may be used in long-distance situations.
Offer: Hiring manager or human resources representative formally offers the job to the top choice. Their focus is now to provide you, their top candidate, with information you need to make a decision and enter into a win-win negotiation process. This will result in the best possible deal for both you and the company that wants to hire you.
Interviewing can be best described as two-way storytelling. You need to provide the interviewer with accurate, relevant stories about your career achievements and job performance. The interviewer needs to tell you the story of the company, describe the position in question, and explain specifically how they want you to fit into their picture. This will allow both parties to assess their level of interest in the other.
Think about the basic structure of a good story. It always includes these elements:
A beginning - in the case of an interview, this can be small talk, setting the tone, establishing rapport, and providing a personal connection between you and the interviewer. The key here is to be your best self – don’t force anything.
A body or middle - this is the substance of the one-on-one information exchange. All your preparation, accomplishment stories, personal strengths, abilities, and value statements can be used here to make a compelling case for yourself.
A strong ending or finish - the close makes sure the interviewer has a firm grasp on where you fit into the company’s landscape, exactly how you can add value to the position in question, and how you’re superior to the other candidates. This part of the story ensures that the interviewer is left with a good impression of you, your track record, and your ability to help the company meet its objectives.
In some cases, you’ll actually be taken through all of these interview steps before a hiring decision will be made – so be ready, and be patient. Throughout the process, be sure to tell compelling accomplishment stories, leveraging the three basic elements described above. These steps will ensure that you’ll stand-out as the “candidate of choice!”
To read the entire article, click here.
Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
Interviews: Types and Structure – Part 1 of 2
Once you've done your strategic networking, gotten some names and numbers, made some introductions, leveraged recruiters, and gotten referred to the right people in the right places, it's time to sit down and master the art of the interview. Let's start by looking at the phases of the interview process.
What follows is an outline of the different types of interviews, how they work, and what you can expect during each of these interview situations. Then, we'll review the specific questions that you should be prepared to answer — and those you should be prepared to ask — to maximize your success at every step in the interviewing process.
Types of Interviews
Informational: No specific job under discussion. Purpose is learning about industry, company, people, skills required, cultural fit, and perhaps generating additional avenues of research or more people for you to contact.
Screening: This is the first serious step in the interviewing process. Consider this a “live ammo exercise.” Used as the first step to narrow the field of candidates who are being considered for employment. Screening may be done by an outside recruiter or in-house human resources representative. Usually done over the phone.
Hiring Manager: An in-depth look at an applicant to confirm desired requirements and/or technical abilities, motivation, and overall personal and cultural fit with the organization. Typically 60 to 90 minutes in length, conducted by the individual for whom you would be working.
To read the entire article, click here.
Click here to watch helpful career success videos!
