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What not to do in an interview.
A group of hiring managers recently shared their biggest job-interview-candidate peeves. These are their replies, listed in order of frequency mentioned: “I’m always disappointed when candidates have no questions to ask me during interviews.” This frustration was mentioned several times, and conveys to interviewers that the candidate didn’t prepare for interview basics, and also that she doesn’t care much about the opportunity. Bringing along a list of questions and a notepad to record information is a quick fix for this faux pas. “Not listening to questions, and responding with...
read moreThe College Debt Dilemma And Tips To Solve It
College is back in session, and second by second, students are racking up more debt. As of this year, 43.3 million Americans owe a total of $1.26 trillion on student loans, and with an average monthly of payment $351. Graduates this year will pick up their diplomas owing, on average, $37,172. Former Colorado State University professor Richard Gutowski, Ph.D., knows this situation intimately, having taught and advised college students for decades. He’s put his best guidance in his book, “Debt is a Four-Letter Word: The College Experience”, and shares these tips for scholars and parents who...
read moreOver 40? You’re just getting started! What I learned from Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Checking out at a store a recently, the clerk asked if I qualified for their senior discount. “You have to be at least 55”, she said. After I’d finished flinching (this was the first time I’d been asked that), I proudly told her that no, I didn’t qualify, and that I still had one more year of non-senior-discount life to go. Then last week I was exposed to a different perspective on aging. A girlfriend and I had made the 10-hour drive to De Smet, South Dakota, to experience some parts of my idol Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life. There we were, standing in the Surveyor’s House (one of Laura ‘s...
read moreThe 4 C’s Journey.
I’ve been feeling inept about some things lately. Even after investing years of effort into researching and preparing for a new line of business (which I’ve finally launched—hooray!) I find myself a bit lost about how to proceed. I mentioned my lack of self-assuredness to a fellow entrepreneur a few weeks ago, and he nonchalantly commented, “Oh, that’s because you’re not at the confidence stage yet. You’re earlier on in the process.” He then went on to describe the 4 C’s Formula, which he’d learned in his Strategic Coach training program, developed by Dan Sullivan. It goes like this: The...
read moreKick Your Job Search into High Gear
If you are like many people, then performing a job search can start to wear on you very quickly. In my own job searches, I became fatigued after about 3 weeks—I would apply to job ads online incessantly, and then become disheartened when I didn’t hear anything. Struggling to land even an interview can be very discouraging, and can lead to you ceasing to apply altogether. Rather than letting your job search get bogged down, try the steps I’ve included below. Sometimes, to land that interview and find your next opportunity, you just have to change the way you do things to get more leverage out...
read moreResignation Letters: Do’s and Don’ts
Here at Career Solutions Group, we often meet with individuals who have decided to leave or have recently left their job. This decision often happens for a variety of reasons, depending on the person and situation. Needless to say, such a transition should be handled with grace. Our career counselor, David, wrote a great article on Tuesday outlining how to leave a job without burning bridges. One important aspect he mentioned in his article was the letter of resignation. Whether or not you feel a letter of resignation is warranted, it’s important that you write one. It offers a clean break,...
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