Why Employers Look for Fit
Your first goal when looking for a job is to get an interview. You offer your candidacy by submitting your résumé. The challenge is that you’re in competition with a large number of very qualified applicants. If you’re lucky, your résumé gets you an interview. The decision to invite you for this coveted meeting was …
Considerations Before Accepting That Coveted New Job
The job market seems much better lately, and more and more offers are being extended to applicants. Some move into the new positions from other jobs, and others from being in transition. In both cases, those job seekers miss out if they don’t take a holistic approach to specific evaluation of the new opportunity.
Often, …
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Get a Job
Don’t misunderstand the title of this blog. It’s not about sexual preference. It’s about networking. Every morning, when I take my walk, I observe groups of teenagers waiting at street corners for their school buses. Two things are common to these groups. The kids are not talking to each other, and the majority of them …
Feeling Good is a Relative State of Mind
I don’t pay too much attention to local news via newspaper or television, but I constantly listen to NPR and the BBC and read The Economist and The Week. What these media sources have in common is that they report on international issues. My focus is usually on the Big Picture and not so much …
Beware of Career Marketing Firms
Last week I received a request from a family member of mine in transition. He was asking me to evaluate a proposal he had received from a career marketing firm. He wanted my opinion because I’m a career coach–and because I myself had once been victimized by a similar firm.
His proposal cover letter opened …
For Those in a Job Transition, Not Knowing Hurts the Most
As a career coach who sees people in transition every day, I’ve concluded that the single biggest obstacle for people in transition is not knowing what they don’t know regarding what it takes to win that fierce competition for getting a decent job.
I don’t intend to blame anyone; I’m merely pointing out the fact. …
Do You Have That Spark in Your Eyes?
Itzhak Perlman was recently interviewed by Charlie Rose, who asked Perlman what he looks for when selecting those few special Juilliard School students he wishes to work with. Years before, he himself was a student at Juilliard. “Is it skills or talent?” Rose asked. Perlman’s answer was that talent is not easily defined and that …
How to Improve Your Interviewing Skills
An interview is a business transaction wherein the objective of the hiring manager (the person who has the authority to hire) is to make a selection among job candidates called in for interviews. A candidate has two challenges: first, to convince the hiring manager that he is the ideal candidate for the position, and second, …
The Secret Behind Reference Checks
Reference checking is not standard. Smaller companies typically have neither the manpower nor the funds to do thorough reference checks, which could cost hundreds of dollars. Conversely, larger companies do reference checks but at varying levels of thoroughness. Different from the typical applicant’s concerns–which have to do with performance–companies typically do background checks for security …
Volunteering While in a Job Transition has Many Hidden Advantages
While in transition, you’re after a paid job, not working for free. It’s natural to feel that way, but in fact volunteering could be the thing that gets you your next position. It’s happened often to job seekers. Volunteering has many rewarding facets, and most of them remain hidden till you uncover them by performing …