You only get one shot at making a first impression. Small mishaps that might be overlooked if they happen occasionally when you are already an employee are considered big mishaps during a job interview where there is no previous behavior to compare the interview behavior to. Here are 5 things to remember on interview day.1. Arrive at the interview destination 10-15 minutes early. Cutting it too close to the scheduled time o...

Sometimes people list pieces of information on their resume that no longer have a place there because they are outdated or irrelevant. Here are a few of my favorites. Are you guilty of any of these or are there any others you would add to the list? 1) Your SAT or GMAT scores 2) Your dated GPA from 10+ years ago or the fact that you graduated cum laude 3) The fact that you are an Eagle Scout 4) A hobbies list that reads “Enj...

Many people tell me they are great interviewers once they get in front of the hiring manager. And while you might be relaxed and a great conversationalist during the interview process, are you truly prepared for the interview or just turning on the charm and “winging” it? Here are five tips for acing the interview.1. Be able to articulate your value proposition to an employer from a 40,000 foot view. Focus on three key stre...

Over the past few months I have landed several long and short-term projects that I never would have had a shot at if it weren’t for social media. By spending less than 15 minutes a day on an easy and fun strategy for building relationships, I was found by the people who needed someone with the type of expertise I possess. Through my profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, I became top of mind and relevant to people all...

Understanding how co-workers and bosses give and receive information is important, and knowing their preferences can help improve communications and general job satisfaction. Savvy professionals are always looking for clues to a person’s preferred style of communication. Most social psychologists recognize that there are four basic temperaments or communications styles. One widely accepted concept for acknowledging...

The New York Times recently published an article exploring the value of creating an online career portfolio to showcase your work and offered several suggestions for leveraging online platforms to create and promote your professional brand. This strategy is a growing trend for people in job search as well as those proactively managing their careers. In a recent report on global hiring trends released by Career Directors Int...

It pained me to watch Ann Curry’s goodbye on The Today Show today. Job loss isn’t easy for anyone; having to make the formal announcement on national television was obviously very difficult for her. She showed all the classic emotions of job loss…shock, grief, fear, denial, and perhaps a tinge of anger. Obviously Ann is in a much better place than many of us. She is being reassigned, she will still command a nice salary,...

Creating a resume where all the content lays out on the page in a way that is easy to read and visually appealing can be challenging. Sometimes in their quest to get all the content on one or two pages, the writer resorts to using design strategies such as a smaller font, tighter margins, or compressed spacing to trim the document. But these strategies are flawed and can make the resume harder to read. Others allow the cont...

Keywords for resumes refer to the buzzwords or search terms that recruiters and hiring managers are using to source candidates for their open positions. Keywords generally relate to skills that are specific to the job function, industry, or business environment. Keywords have become increasing important in the past few years as more companies are relying on ATS or Applicant Tracking Systems to source candidates. ATS system...

Usually the tone of this blog is pretty positive but every once in awhile I feel the need to rant about something that is just plain stupid. And I’ve had my share of stupid recently. I’ve been reading about and talking to people who have had bad job search experiences. Here are my top five. 1. Requesting social media passwords. This one is at the top of the list because of the recent Associated Press article about a job see...