On Careers
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When Your Job Hunt is Stalled
Continue reading… 0 CommentsAfter you’ve been on the job hunt for a while, you may start to think nothing will work. You may start to feel very negative about your prospects. You may even want to give up.
Unfortunately, you still have bills to pay, and you still need to find a job. So here are two suggestions on how to persevere:
First, Do Less.
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4 Spots for Frustrated Job Seekers
Continue reading… 10 CommentsAfter my weekend rant about job boards and the entire job search process--including HR departments that are too overworked, understaffed or unwilling to even acknowledge job seekers today--it's a good time to direct job seekers to four new and different career resources.
1. @careerealism. For those who don't recognize the meaning of the "@," this is the twitter address of a clever idea from noted careers/jobs expert JT O’Donnell. She has about dozen career experts who have agreed to give 140-character advice to job seekers with tough questions. If you visit the url with the same name, you can see over 60 questions already.
2. AskTheHeadhunter’s blog and site. Nick Corcodilos is the brutally honest, forthright and insightful headhunter who serves up tough love to job seekers while taking job boards and others to the woodshed. He tells like it is. And if you read any of his articles, you will be a better job seeker, by far. Spend some time on his site. You can thank me later.
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Can You Appeal a Job Rejection?
Continue reading… 3 CommentsCan you appeal a job rejection? Short answer: No. Well, usually not.
Every few weeks or so, I'm contacted by a job candidate who asks me to reconsider our rejection of his or her application. Here's the internal dialogue in my head when this happens, and I can almost guarantee you it's the same for other hiring managers: "Reconsider the decision? But we rejected you for a specific reason, because you weren't a match with what we're looking for. On what basis are you suggesting we reconsider? Oh, no basis. You just want us to change our minds and decided to take a shot at it. Well, on the off chance that some sort of horrible clerical error happened, let me pull out your resume and make sure. Hmmm, let's see... Yes, the decision was right the first time."
Unfortunately, the reality is that you got rejected for a reason. Maybe your qualifications aren't as strong as you thought they were, or maybe they are very strong but other candidates' are stronger. Or maybe you don't have an accurate understanding of what the job is all about, and therefore your opinion of how qualified you are is built on an erroneous foundation. Whatever it is, you have to remember that the hiring manager knows what she's looking for better than you do.
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To Motivate Employees, Get Out of Their Way
Continue reading… 2 CommentsManagers and supervisors are often looking for ways to motivate employees. Here’s one that is welcome regardless of the condition of the economy: Get out of their way. Here are some approaches:
• Eliminate those weekly staff meetings that have turned into giant time-wasters. Only hold meetings that are necessary.
• Don’t rely on your “open door” policy. That only works if you walk out the open door to discover what rules and practices are keeping your employees from doing a good job.
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How to Find the Genius in Your Mistakes
Continue reading… 2 CommentsLet’s face it. We all screw up. If you think you never make mistakes, you’re either in denial or playing life waaaay too close to the vest.
For many people, mistakes are painful. They are reminders of how they’re not good enough, proof that they don’t have what it takes, or any one of a bazillion other negative stories. And, of course, perception tends to create reality.
The funny thing is, those same mistakes have the potential to be the building blocks for insight, abilities, and even success. It all depends on how they’re used.
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How to Survive Sabotage and Save Your Job
Continue reading… 1 CommentLayoffs have been announced and it’s likely that more than half of my department will be affected. Several of my coworkers are actively trying to destroy the reputation of everyone else in the group (including mine). I suppose they are doing this in the hopes that they will be the lucky ones. What should I do to increase my chances of surviving?
I’m going to say something that a ton of people will vehemently disagree with: Most managers are smart. Oh sure, not your manager, who is a big idiot and all, but other people’s managers are. Honestly and truly. If you can see that these people are attempting to sabotage others’ work, your manager can see it as well.
Don’t go running to the boss every time Heidi or Steve tries to take credit for something you did, or cry foul when they forget to invite you to important meetings. Sure, you can point it out, but do so politely and without malice or anger. Yelling and screaming, no matter how justified you are, makes you look like the crazy one.
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The Secret to Being an Interview Star
Continue reading… 2 CommentsIt’s hard enough just getting a job interview--when you do get one, you definitely want to make it count. Of course you’ll be punctual, appropriately clad, armed with extra resumes, and brimming with enthusiasm.
But if you really want to stand out, you will do this: Learn to tell a good story.
Humans are hard-wired to love stories. You know, the kind with a beginning, middle, and end. Your interview will have more impact and be more memorable if you talk about yourself and your qualifications in story format.
