As a career coach, I work with hundreds of professional women each year who are in various states and stages of growth, leadership and ascension. In our work together, there are key steps we walk through over a period of weeks and months to help them achieve what they’re hoping for (and everyone’s desires are different and special, of course). One of the steps that corporate professionals are most resistant to, and inti...

Cover letters are not dead yet! And they can be an effective way to help the recruiter or hiring manager identify your talents and capabilities as a viable candidate for a job opening. A well-written cover letter can also help you stand out among your peers.Your cover letter should exude enthusiasm, motivation, and drive. The reader should be able to see at a glance how well you communicate, and what emotional intelligence...

The New York Times has run a regular Sunday feature column in which the CEOs of various companies talk about their hiring procedures. Their comments raise interesting points about resumes.For example, David Politis, CEO of BetterCloud, has advised new college graduates, “The first thing I tell people is, try to go where you can be a big fish in a small pond…where you can actually have a real impact on the business. That giv...

After my last blog post, I was flooded with comments and emails bemoaning the current state of interviewing. Many people reached out to me to point out that there is just as much, if not more, bad behavior on the part of the interviewers as there is on the part of those being interviewed. In the spirit of fairness, this week’s post will focus on Bad Interviewer Behavior.I have a client who recently went for a face to face i...

The Career Advisory Board that I established by DeVry University recently released the fifth annual Job Preparedness Indicator survey. This year’s findings indicate hiring managers are receptive to candidates changing careers, especially if their previous experience can be applied to the new position; but above all else, integrity is the No. 1 trait that candidates should possess. Our annual research surveys 500 hiring m...

People write to me all the time, seeking advice in securing their next position. Typical advice is to research the company, research the hiring manager, and above all, practice your interviewing skills. All of this, while important, comprises only 20% of the total challenge. In other words, your content is 20%, and your presentation is 80%. So, what are these ten things you should avoid? Here’s my list:1. Dirty, torn, or c...

As we head into graduation season, most grads-to-be are feeling a mixture of anticipation and anxiety as they prepare to launch into the real world. But there’s a percentage who likely have another emotion blended in: panic.If you are graduating this spring and still job hunting, it can seem as though everyone else has their future lined up, and it’s hard not to panic and be jealous of those who have already snagged a posit...

Almost every career expert can agree that networking is essential for careerists. With that advice, some may feel like you can’t get enough of a good thing. Running here and there, and attending every event possible is not the best strategy. Savvy networkers know when to pass on a networking event. The following are a few examples.When the group is not relevant.Not every event is going to support your career goal. If the s...

Unfortunately, many career experts and bloggers wield a powerful sword that pokes holes in job search strategy and touts sweeping simplicity.While the ultimate goal of a job search plan is one that you can use to smoothly navigate transition, plotting that map requires meaningful effort and thought work.Imbibe the latest article on job search, and you’ll read phrases dripping in adjectives like “simple” and “quick” and dire...

Congratulations! You’ve made it past the first few hurdles of getting your resume in front of a recruiter or hiring manager. They may have vetted you through LinkedIn and Google, and possibly you’ve passed the pre-screen interview. Now they are requesting references before moving you through the hiring process.1. Prepare the people on your reference list. First and foremost, get their permission. It is very important that y...