Why Not to Wear your Pants from 2005!

You’ve sent out resumes, networked, improved your LinkedIn, and finally landed an interview! You’ve made it—piece of cake from here, right? In preparation for your interview, you search the internet for answers to interview questions. You get hundreds of thousands of hits and don’t know where to start. You find a YouTube video that looks interesting. It’s not. But there is a funny Carpool Karaoke video you start to watch. An hour later you remember to think about getting ready for the interview tomorrow but it’s time to go to bed. The next morning you pull out the pants you wore to an...

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Using Social Media to Help Nail your Interview

I’ve written a number of posts about using social media in the job search: finding jobs, contacting recruiters, promoting a positive image, etc. But what about interviewing? The job interview is one of the most important parts of the job search process, as it allows the company to see if the candidate would be a good fit, and the candidate to scope out whether they like the company. This latter point is where social media can offer assistance. Before even considering the job interview, go back through your social media. Are all the pictures and content appropriate? Have you turned on your...

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The Interview – Critical and Seldom Practiced

The Job Interview is critical – its importance cannot be underestimated. It can be the reason you are offered a job, or not. It is also something we don’t practice much, a combination that almost guarantees nervousness. Just thinking about going through with an interview can cause anxiety. However, there are ways you can prepare for it, find ways to control your nervousness, and be the best you can be. I want to be clear that everyone is nervous during an interview. If you weren’t, you would not be human. But if you are too nervous you will come across as lacking confidence, being...

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Finding Meaningful Work

Finding Meaningful Work For me a “job” is work you do for the money. You may be no more connected to it than a paycheck. A “career” suggests a personal investment (i.e., in education and training), progression over time (i.e., promotions, greater responsibility, a ladder to climb), and a connection between your personal idea of a purposeful life and the work that you do. Many of us want a career but may not know how to find it. Here are some ideas. Self Knowledge You may have taken tests that are designed to provide you with information about your personal strengths, weaknesses, values, and...

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Use a Success Database to create your “Career Story”

Use a Success Database to create your “Career Story” Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you…?”  How do you respond to this question?  With a success story. Success stories are examples that describe your career accomplishments. When you use a success story to answer an interview question you arm yourself with convincing facts and evidence showing you’re qualified for the most challenging interview questions.  The more evidence you collect, the more confident you will feel about yourself! One story can demonstrate several good qualities. By gathering your success stories in one place you...

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