I’ve been interviewing with a nonprofit whose work I really admire. They recently told me that I am a finalist for the position, and as part of their vetting process, they want to conduct a reference and background check. I had no problem with that at all, until they told me that they needed a reference from my current employer! I told them in no uncertain terms that they could not contact my current employer, as they do no...

Success is measured by your results. You’ve had this ingrained in you:. It follows that if you didn’t get an offer after your interview, you failed. Your self-esteem takes a hit and maybe even depression sets in. “Nobody wants me.”You make all about you. You all have heard about how much a “bad hire” costs the company. Well it costs you as well. Your zeal to get the offer by overselling yourself with the “right answer...

Interviews: They’re all about pressing the flesh or running for office, or a first date. You are talking to a complete stranger. Sweat comes out of glands you didn’t know you had.Relax: It’s probably easier to just blow them off. If you want to know how to “blow” an interview, be sure to take any or all of the following actions:» Don’t prepare. Your intention to be spontaneous is important. Let them talk about their com...

No employer is going to hire you because you’re a good person–likable, presentable, etc. Not even if you really need a job, sad to say. You’ll have to do better than that if you want to land the new job you’re after.What you need to consider is why the prospective employer should care, why they would think you could be the answer they’re looking for. That’s it, pure and simple. Of course, it’s really not quite that simple.Y...

Interview preparation is hard work. You need to practice your STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) responses. You have to vet out possible behavioral questions and craft compelling responses to them. You must ensure that your image reflects your professionalism—your shirt must be ironed, and your shoes must be polished!Be sure that you are focusing your efforts in the right area, by narrowing in on what the interviewer i...

Time to retire the term “elevator speech” from the job seekers lexicon.Does it really work for job seekers? Isn’t a “speech” about 30 or 40 minutes? Most elevators are very short rides here in California.So what is the standard definition?From Wikipedia:“An elevator speech, or elevator statement is a short summary used to quickly and simply defines a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value...

I recently interviewed four candidates for an entry-level position on my team. One thing that is absolutely clear at the end of this experience is that college career centers are giving their students bad, outdated advice! All four of these young people had objective statements on their resumes, and presented themselves in the same bland manner. They talked about their academic achievements, and how great they were, but the...

Ever had a company hire you for a job that sounded just right for you–and turned out to be all wrong? It’s possible you didn’t do enough due diligence ahead of time, but on many occasions the fact is that the company was simply unethical in its approach to hiring. Unfortunately, you didn’t find that out until you went to work there.Unethical Hiring Approaches & Deceptive PracticesSome common elements seem to be part of thos...

I field many questions about professional references, and there is an abundance of both misunderstanding and erroneous information out there. I want to dispel the many myths that there are, so here are the top four things you should know about references.•They can say anything: Many people tell me that their former employer will only verify dates of employment and previous titles. That may very well be the employer’s forma...

You didn’t get the job. All factors point to you being the perfect candidate for the job too, which can be the most angering of the job-search process.You have the right experience, exude leadership talent, possess above-average interview skills—but you didn’t get the job. It’s likely that even if you ask the recruiter or interviewer you won’t get an entirely truthful answer as to why you weren’t their top choice.Here are 5...