On Careers
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Why the Little Things Matter in Your Job Search
Continue reading… 7 CommentsI’ve been thinking lately about the nature of candidate mistakes in the hiring process. The fact is, everyone makes mistakes. A single mistake generally says very little about you. It's patterns of mistakes that matter. But when you're on a job search, a small blunder can take on far greater importance than it would in most contexts. This is hard on job seekers, who can't possibly attain a superhuman level of perfection. It can seem unfair to be judged so harshly for mistakes everyone makes—typos, stupid comments, the occasional late arrival.
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7 Work 'Gifts' to Accept With Caution
Continue reading… 1 CommentThere are moments in the workplace when what appears to be a gift is more of a grab. Here are some “presents” that merit special caution:
1. Extra responsibility for your team. The superficial side cheers and shouts, “We’ve just been given more power!” The serious side says, “Since we didn’t get additional funding, they just cut our budget.” Sometimes, additional responsibility is a real opportunity, but it should be examined for downsides, such as overloading.
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The Best Kind of Job Training
Continue reading… 2 CommentsWhat do you think is the best approach to training employees? Face-to-face, on the job training, or using a Learning Management System?
Yes.
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Dreaming on Hold? Why It's Time to Start it Up Again
Continue reading… 3 CommentsWhen the economy tanked last year, you could almost hear people’s dreams screeching to a halt. They went into fear and self-preservation mode (and understandably so). Uncertainty reigned and people hunkered down to ride out the storm, setting aside their big picture goals as they focused on survival.
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What to Do if Your Job Interviewer is Incompetent
Continue reading… 34 CommentsLet’s face it. Not every job interviewer knows how to interview. Folks at smaller companies may not get enough practice. Or, your particular interviewer may simply be inarticulate, inexperienced, or untrained. It happens. For whatever reason, sometimes you’ll need to “run” a job interview.
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How to Listen to New Ideas
Continue reading… 1 CommentAccording to actress and comedian Amy Poehler, one of the key lessons of improvisational comedy is the term “Yes, And.” The idea is that the actor accepts whatever comes at him and instead of fighting it, in effect, says “yes” to it. The key, though, is the “and” part, which means you have to come back with something of value.
If you have watched improv, you already know how this works.
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Do Job Seekers Have to Use Social Networks?
Continue reading… 13 CommentsIt's become fashionable to insist that job seekers must use online networking tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or their job search will be crippled.
If you hate these tools and resent hearing you have to use them, here’s some good news for you: You don’t.
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Why Gimmicks Are No Good In a Job Search
Continue reading… 4 CommentsA very successful sales representative once revealed his secret. He said that he would listen carefully to learn a prospect’s needs and wants. He would then describe the pros, cons, and price of his product. His wrap-up involved asking—and I’m paraphrasing here—if the would-be customer felt the product would be a good fit.
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How to Move Forward With Action or Dream
Continue reading… 2 CommentsWhen it comes to creating a career that energizes and inspires you, there are two key pieces of the puzzle: You need to dream, and you need to take action.
Think about pursuing your passion for a minute. Which of these feels like your comfort zone? Are you more inclined to sit and dream about what could be, or do you feel more in your element just getting down to business and taking action?
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Can You Change Your Mind After Turning Down an Offer?
Continue reading… 1 CommentI received an excellent job offer from another company about 2 months ago. I really liked the position and they were very eager to bring me on board.
I turned down the offer because I wanted more money (a part was greed, a part was overconfidence, a part was fear of leaving my job ... yada yada yada) and the company was going through some issues. It is publicly traded and the company as a whole is hurting, but the division making me the offer was standing strong.
I took a new position in my current company, and realize that I made a terrible mistake in not taking the other offer.
I know that the other company has not filled the slot; one of the contacts there keeps in touch with me. -
5 Resume Tips for Job Hoppers
Continue reading… 41 CommentsHere’s a depressing truth: When hiring managers first scan incoming resumes, they're looking for reasons to eliminate them. One major eliminator is job hopping. Yes, employers do still want to see signs of “loyalty,” even if they don’t show much of that in return.
So, if you’ve had multiple shorter-than-a-year jobs, your resume may be going straight to the trash can. Try these tips:
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Why It's OK to Practice For Work
Continue reading… 6 CommentsThis has always confounded me.
In sports, teams practice daily for the weekly game. Plays are repeated over and over until the players get them right.
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How Employers Choose From Among Many Great Candidates
Continue reading… 9 CommentsI wrote recently about the fact that lots of great job candidates are getting rejected these days because there are more good candidates than there are jobs available in this job market. When I have tons of great candidates and only one slot to fill, it's a certainty that lots are going to get rejected. My point was that job seekers shouldn't beat themselves up because it's (probably) not them—it's the market.
In response, a few people asked how employers do make a decision when they have so many great candidates to choose from. Is it random selection?
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When Sensitivity Training Makes Us Too Sensitive
Continue reading… 0 CommentsDiversity training workshops often emphasize the importance of being sensitive to the subtle messages sent by others. All of those non-verbals and sub-verbals are supposed to be grasped along with the body language and whatever cultural differences that may come into play—lest one wind up on a witness stand.
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How to Make a Bad Job Less Bad
Continue reading… 2 CommentsSo many working people out there feel frustrated and stuck in their careers. They feel trapped in jobs that don’t fit, unable to make a change. Eventually, a negative perspective starts to permeate everything.
I see that a lot. By the time people come to me their frustration has often reached a boiling point. They typically want change yesterday and are up to their eyeballs in bad attitude. They need to improve their current situation while they lay the groundwork for something new.
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When You're Looking for a Paycheck, Not Personal Fulfillment
Continue reading… 6 CommentsIs "getting paid" a good enough reason to want to work somewhere? Personally, I'm not looking for much in an employer beyond a regular paycheck and health insurance; any sort of personal fulfillment I want in life I seek in my personal time. To me, a job is nothing more than a means to an end. I struggle in interviews with the "why do you want to work here?" question because the true answer (that they are hiring for a job I am capable of performing, offering pay suitable for my financial needs, and are geographically close to where I live) is generally considered to be the worst answer one can give. Do I need to pretend to care about the company itself, or that I have personal goals that incorporate a career somehow? If so, why?
Here's the secret: When someone asks the "Why do you want to work here" question, what they really want to know is, "If I hire you, are you going to be here in a few years, or is this just a job and you'll keep looking for something better?"
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How to Stay Positive During a Long Job Search
Continue reading… 4 CommentsWith a tough summer of job hunting behind you, you may be dreading the prospect of a tough autumn of job hunting ahead of you.
If so, you could not be blamed. It’s hard to keep banging away at something that doesn’t show results. Even worse, the hopelessness, anger, and depression you may be feeling can actually be harmful. Potential employers can smell desperation a mile away. It is, sorry to say, a turnoff.
[See 7 reasons you're not finding a job.]
So, right now your biggest problem may be staying positive. Try this:
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The School Speech You Didn't Hear From Obama
Continue reading… 2 CommentsSome of you may have heard President Obama's school speech. Others passed. That's OK. It's a free country. But since many of us have very short attention spans, I would like to give you my own school speech--a briefer and blunter version.
As you grow up, remember these things:
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How to Give Coworkers Advice Without Annoying Them
Continue reading… 2 CommentsHave you ever looked at another area of your company and thought, "They'd get better results if they did it this way instead?" If so, have you ever been tempted to tell them?
This is a sticky area. Even when your input is fantastic, if you don't present it in the right way, you can make people defensive and irritated.
[See what to do when you're frustrated at work.]
Some people handle this by never making suggestions to others at all, sacrificing the possibility of giving input that might really be appreciated. Others handle it by plunging right in, repeatedly, and over time end up alienating their colleagues.
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21 Ways Coworkers Make Your Job Harder
Continue reading… 2 CommentsOffice wars may be waged in indirect ways that allow for deniability. It helps to know the multitude of snares that are out there.
Here are 21 tactics others can easily adopt to make your work life much more difficult:
