Job interviewers don’t always get the real you, no matter how well-dressed, assertive, or perfect you think you are for the job, they can still see what they want to see.  BUT, you can persuade them to look at you a little differently and remember you specifically from all other candidate interviewees.

To start with, have you done your homework on the company and know good questions to ask about its direction and how your qualifications fit that to a tee?  Have you learned useful information about your potential job role that you can relate to your experiences?  If you were unable to learn about the job responsibilities in detail before the interview, as the Interviewer discusses these, can you easily recall and respond with correlate job successes you’ve had?

Being well-versed on the company and the job you’d be doing are ideal to learn about prior to interviewing and can come from building alliances with former or current members of a company.  If this isn’t possible, than any specific questions you can ask before you arrive at an interview will better prepare you than having the Internet job announcement as your only reference.

Being aware of your environment as you walk into the interview may allow you to share a compliment about something, such as their high-tech cubicle arrangement, which you may find “impressively designed to capture the best lighting,” for example.  This can show you have an eye for detail and can appreciate the environment in which you work.  It’s especially helpful if you notice something related to your work.  But if this isn’t your forte, better to leave this area alone.

Relax and be yourself, but also be appropriate in your energy to the person you’re talking with.  If they’re very soft spoken and you’re loud or excited, this could be a turnoff.  Enthusiasm is appreciated, but it’s best express it moderately so as not to appear overeager or at worst, uncomfortable – which shines a weak light on your people skills. (more…)

Having just finished reading the first book of “The Hunger Games,” and planning to see the movie tonight, I can’t help thinking of how it compares with the current job market.  Since it hit the box office bull’s eye and is breaking sales records, it’s clear millions of viewers are interested in this theme.

In the film, contestants must  fight to the death in a complex environment with limited resources and a minimum of training.  Sounds like pretty fierce job competition, doesn’t it?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics March report says 12.5 million people are unemployed.   That’s a lot of folks responding to the same job postings, going for the same interviews, and hunting for alliances and a competitive edge.   How can someone needing work have their wounds salved knowing these statistics and keep motivated to find satisfying work, let alone a paying job?  The President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is assuring us that they will and are fighting hard to ensure Americans jobs and stay competitive in the global marketplace, yet it gives slight comfort to anyone struggling to put food on their tables.

The Hunger Games reminds us that indeed survival is based on individual development, perseverance, and (more…)

Clients often hire me because I’m both a Life and Career Coach and they seek a solution to living a more well-rounded personal and professional life.  While there are many factors that can contribute to this, such as how often they give attention to and effectively manage their own health, career, finances, relationships and social time, I recommend a few broader questions that are important to consider.

1.  How far out does your leadership reach or your circle of responsibility?  (from personal to family and friends?  to colleagues and associates?  to your local community, city or county?  to your state?   to your nation or other countries?…..)
2.  Is this a time for expanding out with more challenging opportunities or learning to make wiser, discerning choices on what you do?
3.  Are you needing to pull back and replenish your personal reserves and, if so, how will you do that and for how long?
4.  When you’ve been at a similar crossroad of new change, did you do something that worked well you can tap back into for this time?
5.  Who are your best advisors to guide you during this process or you can use to simply offer support?

There are many questions to look at, depending on whether your circle will expand or be limited at this time.  Your life is a constantly changing tidepool, not a stagnant one.  Ideally you want to have many circles rippling together, touching one another, and expanding as you grow—but it doesn’t mean your life will look like the person’s next to you.  What makes you well-rounded must be challenging and fit with the rythm of your life as you want to experience it and be fulfilled by it.

A few past clients commented they were unfairly treated during job performance reviews or received criticism they felt was unwarranted, from their clients.  Maybe those comments seemed to come out of left field, when things were thought to be going well, or my clients have said criticism was delivered too harshly and not enough was offered about what they were doing right.

Get ahead of this happening, beat employers or clients in this feedback by requesting they review you more often and help them do it constructively.  Here’s an approach I’ve encouraged my professional and entrepreneurial clients to take:

Managers, Employees and Staff
Be sure to have clear benchmarks set for your work.  If it’s not clear, ask that these be reviewed with you.  At these different benchmark stages within the project or work requirements, interview any working partners and talk with your boss or supervisor for their periodic feedback rather than wait for semi-annual reviews. (more…)

It’s easy to get fired up with career ideas and be disappointed when work or clients don’t come quickly or easily and you feel like you’re stagnating.  Accept where you are and do your best to let go of worry about where you’re not yet.  Steadily move ahead by putting one step in front of the other, even if you’re taking small steps towards your intended outcome.  Since you never know where openings will come from or who will give you leads, it’s being diligent in your in-between actions that count.

Here’s 5 such actions that have helped me:

1. Talk to others about your plans, not your disappointments, to keep your own internal fire stoked.
2. Keep current on your industries trends and determine what other resources you may need.
3. Expand your contacts and schedule meetings with business peers to talk over possible liaisons or ask for referrals.
4. Build on former successes through re-contacting and nurturing former business clients.
5. Continue your marketing efforts and hone in and become expert on what works best, minimizing other marketing avenues if finances and time require this.

Stay optimistic that your in-between steps will bring you your desired results – they will!  And if you have difficulty staying steady on your path, consider hiring a professional coach who can help you see your path and escort you down it.