Job Search Mastery

Master The Job Search Coaching!

2012-09-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here is Master The Job Search workshop! Get one-on-one coaching, accountability, and develop that plan to get the job that's right for you! Don't forget that we offer a no questions asked full money back guarantee!

What You Should Never Compromise On While Building Your Career

2012-09-10T07:40:00.003-07:00

This story first appeared at Forbes on 9/10/12

As a career coach to mid- and senior-level professionals, and in my former work as a therapist, I’ve come into contact with thousands of questions, concerns, mistakes and crossroads that emerge in people’s personal and professional lives. Observing the long arc of many careers, I’ve noticed that the worst missteps – the ones that make us feel deep pain, regret, sorrow and remorse – are mistakes reflecting what people have chosen to compromise on or to give up in order to be “successful.” These compromises don’t feel like “choices” at the time, but they are, and they lead to common crises and challenges that are disastrous for the individual.

Below are the top five things you should never compromise on while building your career (or you’ll regret it deeply):

1. Your Standards of Integrity

I view “standards of integrity” as core principles and values that guide our behavior. Integrity is a choice, and while it is influenced by a myriad of factors (your culture, upbringing, peer influences, etc.), it can’t be forced. (If it is, you have played a part in that.) One who has strong and well-defined standards of integrity behaves with wholeness, integration, honesty, and does right by himself/herself and by others. Standards of integrity involve values and virtues such as honesty, kindness, trust, wisdom, loyalty, transparency, objectivity, acceptance, openness, empathy, and graciousness.

I’ve seen so many people in midlife awaken as if from a long stupor to realize that they’ve compromised their most core values in order to get ahead in their work or keep jobs they hate. It hurts them to find that they’ve walked away from who they are, and what they value and cherish most.

People mistakenly believe that in these tough recessionary times they have to give up on their values and integrity to stay employed, but that’s simply not true. Those who are guided by a strong sense of integrity fare much better in professional life, and will be successful where others fail.

2. Your Self-Respect

I’ve personally lived through the heartache of compromising my self-respect to stay in a job. Years ago when I was a corporate marketing professional, I knew that how I was behaving (because I felt pressured to), was beneath me. I wasn’t the leader or manager I longed to be, because I couldn’t manage and navigate through the toxicity, stress and overwhelm I felt in my job or in the organization. I tried to speak up about what I saw around me that wasn’t right, but I got crushed down. In the end, I completely lost my self-respect, and felt that I was “prostituting” myself in order to keep my job and maintain my high salary. I knew literally in the first week that the job and company were wrong for me. What should I have done? Find a new job fast.

3. Your Soul for Money

Money – and our relationship with it — is a topic that’s spawned millions of books, articles and seminars. Many of us struggle each day with maintaining a healthy balance and appropriate power dynamic with our money, and most of us fail. I’ve seen countless professionals give up their souls for money – not because they are struggling to pay the bills, but because they’ve become enslaved by their lifestyle and their need to impress. These folks have forgotten that they’ve come here at this time on this planet to do more than pay the bills, acquire things, and keep up with the Joneses. I’m not saying that fulfilling your financial obligations isn’t important – it is. I am saying that you are much more than your paycheck or bank account.

You know if you’ve sacrificed your soul for money – it’s a painful, debilitating state that you can’t pretend your way out of.

I know I’ll hear from many of you who will say, “Kathy, you’re nuts. I have to stay in this job I hate because I’m financially responsible for my family and it’s the only job I can get.” Not knowing your situation, I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that you absolutely do not have to work in ways you despise in order to do what’s necessary for yourself and your family.

4. Your Health and Well-being

In my corporate training and seminars, I see hundreds of high-level professional women who are brilliant, achievement-oriented and accomplished, but at the same time exhausted, depleted, depressed and demoralized. In the pursuit of a great career, they’ve compromised their health and well-being. Much of this has to do with the ever- complicated issue of work-life balance and how to stay competitive and ahead of the curve. But to me, it’s much more. Sacrificing your health and well-being demonstrates your lack of prioritizing yourself as important, failing to understand that you must care for yourself – and yes, put yourself first — before you can be of true service to anyone else, your organization, your family or your employer. If your body is shutting down, diseased or broken down from the way you work, rapid change is needed.

5. Your Legacy

Finally, the saddest professionals I know have sacrificed their legacy in the process of building their careers. What is your legacy? It’s what you will be able to say about yourself when you’re 90 looking back — what you’ve stood for, given, taught, imparted, and left behind. Not what you dreamed of being, but what you have been. It’s the impact you’ve made on the world, your family, and your community. This is not a dress rehearsal, but the real thing here, and so many professionals forget that they have this one chance to build a life that’s meaningful for them. Instead, they compromise their legacy in a vain effort to grasp “success,” accolades, security, or power. (If you want to clarify your legacy, values, standards of integrity and more, take my Career Path Self-Assessment).

If you think you have to compromise on any of the above in order to be employed or build a successful career, I hope you’ll think again. I’ve lived and witnessed the pain of giving yourself up in the processing of creating a professional life, and despite all your best efforts, it will never bring you the success, fulfillment and reward you long for.

What Successful Night Owls Get Done Before Bed

2012-08-30T04:30:00.005-07:00

This article first appeared on Fast Company on August 27, 2012.

We all know morning people are said to have a business advantage, but what about those night owls? They've got a competitive edge, too. Here are their productivity tips for the wee hours.

Early birds get all the credit. Research indicates that morning people tend to be more active and goal oriented, and such larks as Steve Jobs, Craig Newmark of Craigslist, and 25-year old David Karp, founder of the Tumblr blogging platform suggest that climbing the ladder ofsuccess is easier before breakfast.

So does that mean night owls are at a disadvantage? Research by Satoshi Kanazawa and colleagues at the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests no. The group discovered significant differences in sleep preferences and found that people with higher IQs are more likely to be night owls. They found an evolutionary shift from being active in the day towards nightly pursuits and that those individuals who preferred to stay up late demonstrated "a higher level of cognitive complexity.” Researchers from Belgium and Switzerland studying sleep habits found that early risers needed more rest than their nocturnal counterparts and didn’t focus as well later in the day as those who slept in.

Armed with that knowledge, Fast Company found a group of dedicated night owls to discuss their strategies for making the wee hours work for them. Most responded to our queries via email well past midnight. Here’s what they told us.

Pick One Project

Keval Desai, a partner at InterWest Partners and a former Google product director, says he’s only seen the sun rise in the past decade when he pulls an all-nighter. He replied at 2:22 a.m., close to his typical turn-in time of 2 a.m.

His penchant for working late was born of necessity when he was still in high school in Bombay. “My parents and I lived in a small apartment and during the day there was no privacy of time or space to concentrate. So the only option to get my studies done would be to work on it at night after everyone was asleep and there were no friends, neighbors, or random visitors dropping by.”

Staying up late is now a habit, and Desai says it’s common for him to leave the thinking work for the wee hours. “During the day most of my time is spent in meetings with entrepreneurs, and the only time I can find alone to do work that requires some concentration is when the rest of the household is asleep.”

He’ll pick one project per night. Daytime is for doing the research on tasks that “require synthesizing several different pieces of information, then applying some thought on key decisions that need to be made and then articulating those decisions,” he says. “I don’t go to sleep until the task is done in one night session.”

You’ll find Desai working from home after hours, although he says he’s logged plenty of nights at the Google offices and then drives home to San Francisco, 45 miles away. He’s a big believer in drinking a cup or two of decaf green or chamomile tea while ensconced in a spare bed with his laptop.

Combat Clutter

Laurie Tucker is the senior vice president for corporate marketing at FedEx who sent her response to us at 1:45 a.m., also close to her bedtime of 2 am.

Tucker, who rises at 6 a.m. most mornings to work out, is one of those (rare) individuals who only needs about five hours of sleep each night. “My mother only slept a few hours a night, and I can still remember visits from my cousins who were put to bed by their parents at 8 p.m., while my brother and I sat up until midnight watching TV with the grownups,” she says. Though her husband “loves to sleep” and hits the hay at about 9:30 p.m., Tucker has to make herself go to bed.

“I adore late night. When my kids were young, I loved having hours of quiet after they went to bed. I had team all over the world back then so I would do conference calls, respond to email, and catch up on reading,” she says. Now that her kids are grown and she manages a U.S.-based team, she has more time to read and think. “I love the quiet time to unclutter my mind.”

While she doesn't require as much sleep as most people, Tucker still believes late-night hours should be spent at rest. "Nighttime is for regeneration. Be at peace, feed your mind, and let your body rest.”

She avoids anything with caffeine at night, says that she goes to sleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow. Her energy level stays high all day, and she never naps. "My biggest challenge is to stay away from the kitchen--dinner to bedtime is a long stretch," says Tucker.

Hit The “Idea” Bar

Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief of and author of the new book I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This,Kate White was kind enough to spill some of her late-night strategies.

White goes to bed earlier than she used to (midnight or 1 a.m.) because she hits the ground running at 5:30 a.m. to work on her fiction. At night, you’ll find her hard at work on magazine editing, non-fiction book writing, and blogs.

“My craziest trick is that I regularly do my work standing up at a rolling butcher block counter in my kitchen. If I were to work sitting down, I’d fall asleep," White says. "I know it sounds awful, but I think of it as if I’m tending bar in the evening--a bar of ideas. And I always keep the kitchen TV on so it doesn’t seem too lonely. I drink several espressos at night, which really helps."

Late Night Rendezvous

CEO of the online meeting platform Groopt, Patrick Allen says his head doesn’t hit the pillow (or his desk) until about 3:30 a.m. That makes him the early bird among the site’s developer staff, who tend to stay up all night chatting on Campfire.

Located on the top floor or a quirky Victorian in San Francisco’s fabled Haight Ashbury neighborhood, Allen says the Groopt HQ is a haven for productivity, with feng shui that would make Confucius proud. “We firmly believe that to reach maximum productivity, you must work in the optimum environment, and this couldn't be more true for the night owl,” he says. Rather than revel in the quiet, Allen says it's not uncommon to find “three to five of our Troopers sitting around the coffee table at 3 a.m. hammering out user stories or crafting new experiments for cohort analysis,” which energizes him.

To be effective late, he says, you need to believe what you're doing is giving you an edge on the competition. "As Childish Gambino says, ‘While they be sleeping I'll be on to that new $hit.’"

To keep alert, they've stocked their pantry with fresh coffee, a Nespresso machine, and "mounds and mounds of Yerba Mate.”

Big Picture Thinking

Frank Aldorf, the chief brand officer of Specialized Bicycle Components sent us a reply at 1:49 a.m.--late for the guy who tries to turn in no later than half past midnight.

“It's actually fun working on this brand,” says Aldorf. But with a team in different time zones and a company that has offices in 28 countries, Aldorf’s day is mostly organized around meetings and connecting with people or travel.

“At night is the time when I get stuff done and can think about the bigger picture. It's focused. That’s the time when I can turn notes and ideas drafted on the fly into concepts and future projects. I read through saved articles and get inspired by my well-maintained RSS feed.”

Aldorf says he needs the right music on his headphones. “I can't live or travel anymore without my noise-canceling headphones and a station like KCRW.”

Aldorf doesn’t do caffeine at night and keeps the coffee consumption to 1 or 2 espressos a day. “Before I start my nightshift, I go for a short bike ride to sharpen my senses,” he adds, “But I know how important rest time is to be game the next day.” Which for him, starts back up at 6:30 a.m.

Lydia Dishman used to stay up writing until 2 a.m. Now she's switched to waking up early, albeit with a LOT of coffee. You can read more of her work here.

What keeps you up at night? How do you stay productive? Tell us about it in the comments below.

The Power of Dreams Series

2012-08-29T05:06:00.005-07:00

One of the best marketing campaigns that I have ever seen is Honda's "The Power of Dreams" series. My favorite is the "Failure: The Secret to Success" video. Do you think it's possible to be successful without going through failure first? Look at what the Honda team had to go through to get to where they are now.

Targeted List Spreadsheet

2012-08-27T09:13:00.005-07:00

As you begin your job search you should plan your approach. Who will you be contacting? Why will you be contacting them? You should have questions like these answered before you submit your first resume. You also shouldn't be so narrow in your search that you only reach out to a handful of companies.

Below is a document to help you in planning your search. There are 40 lines because you should reach out to at least 40 companies. Remember, 85% of all jobs are filled outside of the want ads. You're only going to find these positions if you're looking everywhere. Also make sure that you plan when you will be contacting the company. It's too easy to let distractions interrupt your call plan.

Fill this sheet out and then assess how your current job search looks. Should you expand your search criteria? Should you try reaching out to someone again?

Target List

Interview The Interviewer

2012-08-24T06:33:00.001-07:00

When you're hoping to land that great job opportunity, you have to work hard to focus on the right steps. The one thing to keep in mind is that you should be conducting your own research on the company and position you're interviewing for.

Bouncing around from job to job can be a detriment, or in the very least, cause pain when you're having to clean up your resume. So before accepting a position shouldn't you make sure that it will be the right fit for you?

When you sit down with your interviewer, interview them! It sounds weird but this is a great opportunity to learn more about what you could potentially be doing for a long time. Before you have that first meeting you should have already researched the company and people that you would be reporting to. Knowledge is power and it's freely available on the Internet, so use it!

Look for how fast the company has grown, how much have they grown, and how do they make their money. Then plug yourself into the equation. How can you help the company in these areas? If you're an accountant, you may point out a process that has helped a similar company reduce inefficiencies (be an expert in your field). Try to add value beyond proving that you can a "good employee."

When the time comes to have the interview, hopefully you will be prepared to have a high-level conversation with your interviewer. Answer their questions but don't let the opportunity slip by to ask them your questions. You're going to stand out when you say "company revenues were strongest last year, what role did this department play in that/"

2012-08-23T05:20:00.001-07:00

This article first appeared at Fast Company on August 22, 2012.

How much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. It can be the hour you see everything clearly, get one real thing done, and focus on the human side of work rather than your task list.

Remember when you used to have a period at the beginning of every day to think about your schedule, catch up with friends, maybe knock out a few tasks? It was called home room, and it went away after high school. But many successful people schedule themselves a kind of grown-up home room every day. You should too.

The first hour of the workday goes a bit differently for Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, career writer (and Fast Company blogger) Brian Tracy, and others, and they’ll tell you it makes a big difference. Here are the first items on their daily to-do list.

Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Seriously. Stop That.

Tumblr founder David Karp will “try hard” not to check his email until 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to an Inc. profile of him. “Reading e-mails at home never feels good or productive,” Karp said. “If something urgently needs my attention, someone will call or text me.”

Not all of us can roll into the office whenever our Vespa happens to get us there, but most of us with jobs that don’t require constant on-call awareness can trade e-mail for organization and single-focus work. It’s an idea that serves as the title of Julie Morgenstern’s work management book Never Check Email In The Morning, and it’s a fine strategy for leaving the office with the feeling that, even on the most over-booked days, you got at least one real thing done.

If you need to make sure the most important messages from select people come through instantly, AwayFind can monitor your inbox and get your attention when something notable arrives. Otherwise, it’s a gradual but rewarding process of training interruptors and coworkers not to expect instantaneous morning response to anything they send in your off-hours.

Gain Awareness, Be Grateful

One smart, simple question on curated Q & A site Quora asked “How do the most successful people start their day?”. The most popular response came from a devotee of Tony Robbins, the self-help guru who pitched the power of mindful first-hour rituals long before we all had little computers next to our beds.

Robbins suggests setting up an “Hour of Power,” “30 Minutes to Thrive,” or at least “Fifteen Minutes to Fulfillment.” Part of it involves light exercise, part of it involves motivational incantations, but the most accessible piece involves 10 minutes of thinking of everything you’re grateful for: in yourself, among your family and friends, in your career, and the like. After that, visualize “everything you want in your life as if you had it today.”

Robbins offers the “Hour of Power” segment of his Ultimate Edge series as a free audio stream (here’s the direct MP3 download). Blogger Mike McGrath also wrote a concise summary of the Hour of Power). You can be sure that at least some of the more driven people you’ve met in your career are working on Robbins’ plan.

Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First

Brian Tracy’s classic time-management book Eat That Frog gets its title from a Mark Twain saying that, if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you’ve got it behind you for the rest of the day, and nothing else looks so bad. Gina Trapani explained it well in a video for her Work Smart series). Combine that with the concept of getting one thing done before you wade into email, and you’ve got a day-to-day system in place. Here’s how to force yourself to stick to it:

Choose Your Frog

"Choose your frog, and write it down on a piece of paper that you'll see when you arrive back at your desk in the morning, Tripani advises."If you can, gather together the material you'll need to get it done and have that out, too."

One benefit to tackling that terrible, weighty thing you don’t want to do first thing in the morning is that you get some space from the other people involved in that thing--the people who often make the thing more complicated and frustrating. Without their literal or figurative eyes over your shoulder, the terrible thing often feels less complex, and you can get more done.

Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do

Feeling unfulfilled at work shouldn’t be something you realize months too late, or even years. Consider making an earnest attempt every morning at what the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a graduating class at Stanford to do:

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Customer Service” (or Your Own Equivalent)

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark answered the first hour question succinctly: “Customer service.” He went on to explain (or expand) that he also worked on current projects, services for military families and veterans, and protecting voting rights. But customer service is what Newmark does every single day at Craigslist, responding to user complaints and smiting scammers and spammers. He almost certainly has bigger fish he could pitch in on every day, but Newmark says customers service “anchors me to reality.”

Your own version of customer service might be keeping in touch with contacts from year-ago projects, checking in with coworkers you don’t regularly interact with, asking questions of mentors, and just generally handling the human side of work that quickly gets lost between task list items. But do your customer service on the regular, and you’ll have a more reliable roster of helpers when the time comes.

[Image: Flickr user Thomas Hawk]

Advanced Techniques: Free Speech

2012-08-22T06:47:00.002-07:00

This one might scare a few of you away. How would you like more leads than you know what to do with in your job search? Give a free speech at a local civic group.

When you're in the job market you should be marketing yourself. And market just like you're marketing a product because, well, you are the product. What better way to market yourself than to present yourself as a resource to people in the field that you're trying to acquire a job?

Local groups are always looking for good speakers. They receive the value of your speech and you will get quite a few rewards in return.

You get the chance to give a live sales presentation to sell yourself.
You get to do an audition.
You continue to cultivate your network.
You establish your presence in the community.
You help the community.
You build your speaking skills, your presentation skills, and your story telling skills.
You get to try out new material.
You will attract new connections.
You get the chance to have a meaningful impact on someone.
You may get to eat for free!

Don't just talk about yourself. Present on something of value to your audience and incorporate your stance as an expert into the presentation. If your strengths are in home owner's insurance then talk about home safety, if you were or are a commercial painter then talk about how select the best contractor.

Make sure that pick a great audience. There can be some different dynamics in each one so do a little scouting before you present.

Make sure that you have something to handout. Even if it's just a printed sheet with notes. Make sure that it looks good but then the audience will have something of value to hold onto. It should also have your contact information so they can reconnect with you.

Video tape it. Tiger Woods has a coach, not because the coach can "teach" him something but to have an extra set of eyes to help correct areas that Tiger wouldn't have seen. That's why should tape yourself. You're going to be focused on your presentation. When you watch it you will be able to see areas to improve.

Ask your audience to evaluate you. This is where you will find out if you had impact.

Hang around after the meeting. Be willing to network and personally get to know people. Remember, the more you network the more likely you will meet someone who is looking to hire or knows someone who is hiring.

Again, this is not for the faint of heart. But this is going to be one of the more effective tactics in your job search. If you're relying on sending out 20 resumes to job postings then you're going to be disappointed. Take actions that put you in control your job search.

Leave Your Job on Good Terms

2012-08-21T07:41:00.004-07:00

This article originally appeared at Baseline Mag.

Nothing destroys a career legacy faster than leaving your company on bad terms. So avoid doing anything that would diminish your professionalism.

By Howard Seidel

Successful executives usually accept and leave jobs on their own terms. Being terminated from a position is often a new experience for them—and almost always difficult. But landing the next big job may depend on how you leave the last one. Despite whatever pain and anger accompanies being forced out of a job, it’s critical to consider the following pointers as you move on:

Leave with grace.

Nothing destroys a legacy faster than leaving an organization in a way that others might interpret as a lack of class. Avoid doing anything that diminishes your professionalism, such as displaying open hostility toward your former company, bad-mouthing fellow executives, and failing to return appropriate company documents and property.

If anyone offers to hold a party for you at the company, accept graciously—not just for yourself, but also for the people who , want to say goodbye. Leaving with grace shows that you are proud of your accomplishments and that you are walking with your head held high through the front door—not slinking out the back. It also signals that you are open to people approaching you to offer help and support.

Negotiate your separation wisely.

Finalizing a separation agreement need not be contentious, but it should be done thoughtfully. Understand what the company is offering you as severance and think through whether you believe this is appropriate in the context of your employment agreement, the circumstances connected to your departure or the market benchmarks in your industry.

Understand the meaning of any noncompetes, especially if such an agreement is broader than any contained in your original employment contract. Consulting with an experienced employment attorney familiar with your industry can be worth the cost. However, getting lawyers negotiating directly too early in the process can ratchet up the conflict. It is typically more effective to use an attorney’s advice as background information to work out a fair separation on your own.

Forge a strong departure message.

The first question you will get from recruiters and potential employers is, “Why did you leave?” Have a good answer ready. The best answers are those that concisely, positively, nondefensively and credibly tell your departure story in a way that best protects your competence and integrity.

If your departure can be tied to broader executive-level changes at your former organization, make that clear. If your departure was an isolated event at the company, craft an explanation that focuses on culture, philosophy or fit. Your job is to minimize the salience of this departure, given the larger picture of your overall career.

Remember, potential employers and recruiters understand that not all arrangements work out at senior levels. They just want to ensure that what didn’t work at the last company doesn’t create risk for them in the next.

Align your references.

Your public statement as to why you left your last firm must be consistent with what your references tell a potential employer. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to tell your exact story; they just can’t tell the potential employer something that’s odds with your story.

For example, references might not be expected to know why you left, and they could be a little harsher than you can afford to be in discussing your former employer. But they can’t say you were terminated if you’re saying that it was your choice to leave. You need to know how a reference will answer this question.

Also, your references need to know what you are telling the potential employer. If there’s a conflict, find it out early and work it out before it becomes a costly embarrassment.

Try to repair relationships.

So the CEO fired you and you think it was unfair, and you want nothing to do with that person ever again. While that reaction is understandable, it is in your best interests to do what you can to repair that relationship. First, it is always valuable to have your most recent manager on your reference list, if possible; rebuilding the relationship provides you a chance to do that.

Even if that isn’t going to happen—or in the event you don’t trust the person enough to include him or her on your reference list—repairing the relationship with a former boss or colleague increases the chances that the person won’t torpedo your opportunity at a new organization if he or she is called blindly by a potential employer. And blind references are often used, particularly at executive levels.

Exiting an organization on someone else’s terms is rarely easy. But doing so in the right way can improve your chances of successfully reaching your next opportunity.

Howard Seidel, Ed.D., J.D., is a partner with Essex Partners, a consultancy that specializes in senior executive and C-suite career transitions. www.essexpartners.com

Incorporate The 3 P's Into Your Job Search

2012-08-21T03:40:00.003-07:00

You sit down with your interviewer and it starts to happen. Your hands start to sweat, thank goodness you've already shaken hands. You're starting to feel your heart beat against your chest and you now have to focus to keep you voice from quivering.

I've been there and it's the high-point of pre-interview jitters. Fortunately there's an easy way to combat these feelings. Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice the more comfortable you will feel during an actual interview.

There's a couple of ways to go about this. The first is to get a friend or family member to interview you. This is a very non threatening setting. If you know someone who has actually hired people then that's great but don't worry if you can't find someone like that. Just being able to do dry runs will help you feel more comfortable.

If you can't find anyone with hiring experience, print out a list of questions for them to ask you. Below is a sample list of questions Click here to view more potential questions.

What do you expect from a supervisor? - Best Answers
What problems have you encountered at work? - Best Answers
Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager? - Best Answers
Who was your best boss and who was the worst? - Best Answers
Why are you leaving your job? - Best Answers

The idea isn't to try to trick you or keep you on your toes. It's to get you thinking about how you will answer so that when the questions are asked you will sound confident in your response. You will also have less of a "searching for the right answer" feeling when you're being interviewed.

Can't find anyone to practice interview you? Head over to the contact form to schedule a one-on-one coaching session.

Unemployment Extension 2012

2012-08-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

This post originally appeared on about.com 8/20/2012 by Alison Doyle.

Federal extended unemployment benefits are in effect through 2012 with different levels of benefits available based on your unemployment status and the state from which you are collecting benefits. There will be no extended benefits for 2013 unless new legislation is passed by Congress prior to the end of the year.

The number of weeks of extended unemployment benefits are gradually being reduced to 73 weeks in states with high unemployment and 63 weeks in the other states.

As the changes are implemented, weeks will be cut from some of the tiers and there are new requirements for tiers to be available based on state unemployment rates. However, unemployed workers collecting state benefits that will expire between now and the end of the year will be eligible for extended benefits. Unemployed workers collecting extended benefits will be able to move to the next tier based on the new guidelines.

Here's more information on the changes:

Important: Check your State Unemployment Officewebsite for details on who qualifies for extended benefits and when and how benefits will be paid. Check the "Extended Benefits" section for information.

Avoid Unemployment ScamsThe only way you can file for extended benefits is through your state unemployment office. You cannot apply for benefits on third party websites, even if they say they will file for you. Here's how to avoid unemployment scams.

More InformationIf you have run out of unemployment or are about to lose your unemployment benefits, here'swhat to do when unemployment runs out.

You're Only 5 Degrees of Separation Away From Kevin Bacon

2012-08-20T06:20:00.002-07:00

Last Friday I wrote a post that included the topic "Six Degrees of Separation." I went back through the archives and found a post I had written on the subject. With the use of Social Media we now have more clarity into the whole "Small World" concept. After reading the article ask yourself, how far removed from your next employer are you?

Connect Marlon Brando with Kevin Bacon, ok.... go! So Brando was in Apocalypse Now which starred Martin Sheen who played Queenan in The Departed which also starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo played Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can beside of Tom Hanks who once co-starred with Kevin Bacon in Apollo 13.

So maybe I could do better at this game. Facebook and the University of Milan has announced that on average we are only 5 (4.74 actually) degrees away from anybody in the world. It was Stanley Milgram who first introduced the concept that we were 5.2, or six "hops" away from anybody in the world.

Milgram's 1967 "small world experiment" drew on 296 while Facebook was able to utilize it's 721 million active user database, which is more than 10 percent of the world's population. Facebook found that 99.6% of all users are connected by paths with 5 degrees (6 hops) and 92% are connected by only 4 degrees. These percentages were based on global users but when focusing on a single country the average falls to 3.

The internet has created a more connected world but Facebook took credit for helping us get more connected.

"And as Facebook has grown over the years, representing an ever larger fraction of the global population, it has become steadily more connected," the network said in a blog announcing its finding. "The average distance in 2008 was 5.28 hops, while now it is 4.74."

Facebook was willing to point out that there are differences in its study and the on Milgram conducted.

It is important to note that while Milgram was motivated by the same question (how many individuals separate any two people), these numbers are not directly comparable; his subjects only had limited knowledge of the social network, while we have a nearly complete representation of the entire thing. Our measurements essentially describe the shortest possible routes that his subjects could have found.

Have any interesting stories on the "Six degrees of separation" game or being connected to any celebrities? Let us know!

Get To Know People

2012-08-17T09:50:00.001-07:00

I don't agree a hundred percent it's not what you know but who you know. When you hear that phrase thrown around, sometimes it's used as an excuse. People think that they're not lucky enough to know the right people. Or maybe their parents weren't in the right social circles. Plenty of people have used who their daddy knew, the southern way of saying it, but who YOU know can be significantly more effective.

Now the complaint may be that you haven't been building your network of influential people during the past 10 years. That's not an issue since you likely know someone today who can introduce you to someone who is more influential.

Below is an article written by Adam Gotesfeld describing the results of Timothy Ferriss' challenge to Princeton students to contact the most hard to reach people.

Most Princeton students love to procrastinate in writing their dean’s date [term] papers. Ryan Marrinan ’07, from Los Angeles, was no exception. But while the majority of undergraduates fill their time by updating their Facebook profiles or watching videos on YouTube, Marrinan was discussing Soto Zen Buddhism via e-mail with Randy Komisar, a partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and asking Google CEO Eric Schmidt ’76 via e-mail when he had been happiest in his life. (Schmidt’s answer: “Tomorrow.”)

Prior to his e-mail, Marrinan had never contacted Komisar. He had met Schmidt, at Princeton University trustee, only briefly at an academic affairs meeting of the trustees in November. A self-described “naturally shy kind,” Marrinan said he would never have dared to randomly e-mail two of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley if it weren’t for Tim Ferriss ’00, who offered a guest lecture in Professor Ed Zschau ’61’s ELE 491 “High-Tech Entrepreneurship” class. Ferriss challenged Marrinan and his fellow seniors in the class to contact high-profile celebrities and CEOs and get their answers to questions they have always wanted to ask.

For extra incentive, Ferriss promised the student who could contact the most hard-to-reach name and ask the most intriguing question a round-trip plane ticket anywhere in the world.

“I believe that success can be measured in the number of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have. I felt that if I could help students overcome the fear rejection with cold-calling and cold e-mail, it would serve them forever,” Ferriss said. “It’s easy to sell yourself short, but when you see classmates getting responses from people like [former president] George Bush, the CEOs of Disney, Comcast, Google, and HP, and dozens of other impossible-to-reach people, it forces you to reconsider your self-set limitations.”… Ferriss lectures to the students of “High-Tech Entrepreneurship” each semester about creating a startup and designing the ideal lifestyle.

“I participate in this contest every day,” said Ferriss. “I do what I always do: find a personal e-mail if possible, often through their little-known personal blogs, send a two- to three-paragraph e-mail which explains that you are familiar with their work, and ask one simple-to-answer but thought-provoking question in that e-mail related to their work or life philosophies. The goal is to start a dialogue so they take the time to answer future e-mails – not to ask for help. That can only come after at least three or four genuine e-mail exchanges.”

With “textbook execution of the Tim Ferriss Technique,” as he put it, Marrinan was able to strike up a bond with Komisar. In his initial e-mail, he talked about reading one of Komisar’s Harvard Business Review articles and feeling inspired to ask him, “When were you happiest in your life?” After Komisar replied with references to Tibetan Buddhism, Marrinan responded, “Just as words are inadequate to explain true happiness, so too are words inadequate to express my thanks.” His e-mail included his personal translation of a French poem by Taisen Deshimaru, the former European head of Soto Zen. An e-mail relationship was formed, and Komisar even e-mailed Marrinan a few days later with a link to a New York Times article on happiness.

Contacting Schmidt proved more challenging. For Marrinan, the toughest part was getting Schmidt’s personal e-mail address. He e-mailed a Princeton dean asking for it. No response. Two weeks later, he e-mailed the same dean again, defending his request by reminding her that he had previously met Schmidt. The dean said no, but Marrinan refused to give up. He e-mailed her a third time. “Have you ever made an exception?” he asked. The dean finally gave in, he said, and provided him with Schmidt’s e-mail.

“I know some of my classmates pursued the alternative scattershot technique with some success, but that’s not my bag,” Marrinan said, explaining his perseverance. “I deal with rejection by persisting, not by taking my business elsewhere. My maxim comes from Samuel Beckett, a personal hero of mine: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’ You won’t believe what you can accomplish by attempting the impossible with the courage to repeatedly fail better.”

Nathan Kaplan ’07, another participant in the contest. was most proud of the way that he was able to contact former Newark mayor Sharpe James. Because James had made a campaign contribution to Al Sharpton, the website www.fundrace.org listed James’ homes address. Kaplan then input James’ address into an online search-by-address phone directory, through which he received the former mayor’s phone number. Kaplan left a message for James, and a few days later finally got to ask him about childhood education.

Ferriss is proud of the effort students have put into his contest. “Most people can do absolutely awe-inspiring things,” he said. “Sometimes they just need a little nudge.”

Adam Gottesfeld ’07, a Woodrow Wilson School major, is from Los Angeles.

After reading this article personally, I was encouraged in contacting those on my list. We don't have be hampered by what doesn't exist. If you don't have those special connections then make them.

A great way of connecting with people fast is to attend networking events. It may take a visit or two but your face will become familiar and you will start learning who has similar interests as you. Just don't create excuses out of things that can be fixed.

12 Things Killer Employees (or achievers) Do Before Noon

2012-08-16T13:22:00.002-07:00

This article originally appeared at www.businessinsider.com | Authored by Jada A. Graves

A recent study published in an American Psychological Association journal, Emotion, suggests that early birds are generally happier than night owls.

More than 700 respondents, ranging from ages 17 to 79, were surveyed and asked about their emotional state, health, and preferred time of day.

Self-professed "morning people" reported feeling happier and healthier than night owls. Researchers hypothesize that one of the reasons could be because society caters to a morning person's schedule.

It's certainly true that the working world does. Working "9-to-5" is more than an expression, but a standard shift for many Americans. It also stands to reason that those who like rising with the sun are also the most productive employees in the office.

Do you want to be more like them? Then take note of the tasks these high-functioning, productive, and more awake employees have completed before lunch:

1. They make a work to-do list the day before. Many swear by having a written to-do list, but not everyone agrees on when you need to compose it. According to Andrew Jensen, a business efficiency consultant with Sozo Firm in Shrewsbury, Pa., the opportune time to plan a day's tasks is the night before. "Some people like to do the to-do schedule in the morning, but then they might have already lost office time writing it out," he says. "It helps to do that to-do schedule the night before. It also will help you sleep better.

[In Pictures: 10 Ways to Boost Work Productivity.]

2. They get a full night's rest. Speaking of sleeping better ... lack of sleep affects your concentration level, and therefore, your productivity. Whatever your gold standard is for a "good night's rest," strive to meet it every work night. Most health experts advise getting a minimum eight hours of shut-eye each night.

3. They avoid hitting snooze. Petitioning for nine more minutes, then nine more, then another nine is a slippery slope that leads to falling back asleep and falling behind on your morning prep. Ultimately it also leads to lateness. "Anyone can be made into a morning person," Jensen says. "Anyone can make morning their most productive time. It could be that for the entire week, you set your alarm clock a little bit earlier, and you get out of bed on the first alarm. It may be a pain at first, but eventually you'll get to the point where you're getting your seven to eight hours of sleep at night, you're waking up with all your energy, and accomplishing the things around the house you need to before going to the office."

4. They exercise. Schedule your Pilates class for the a.m. instead of after work. "Exercise improves mood and energy levels," Jensen says. Not only that, but "there have been studies done on employees who've exercised before work or during the work day. Those employees have been found to have better time-management skills, and an improved mental sharpness. ... Those same studies found these workers are more patient with their peers."

5. They practice a morning ritual. Jensen also recommends instituting a morning routine aside from your exercise routine. Whether you opt to meditate, read the newspaper, or surf the Web, Jensen says "it's important to have that quiet time with just you."

6. They eat breakfast. Food provides the fuel you'll need to concentrate, and breakfast is particularly important since it recharges you after you've fasted all night. Try munching on something light and healthy in the morning, and avoid processed carbs that could zap your energy.

7. They arrive at the office on time. This one is obvious, right? Getting a full night's rest and keeping your sticky fingers off the snooze button should make No. 7 a cakewalk. If you're not a new employee, then you've already figured out the length of your average commute. Allot a safe amount of time to make it to work on schedule.

8. They check in with their boss and/or employees. We all know the cliche about the whole only being as good as the sum of its parts. In other words, if your closest work associates aren't productive, then neither are you. Good workers set priorities that align with their company's goals, and they're transparent about their progress.

9. They tackle the big projects first. You can dive right into work upon arriving in the office, since you made your to-do list the night before. And Jensen suggests starting with the hardest tasks. "Don't jump into meaningless projects when you're at your mental peak for the day," he says.

10. They avoid morning meetings. If you have any say on meeting times, schedule them in the afternoon. "You should use your prime skills during the prime time of the day. I believe that mornings are the most productive time," Jensen says, also noting that an employer who schedules morning meetings could rob his or her employees of their peak performance, and ultimately cost the company.

The exception to this, he adds, is if your meeting is the most important task of the day. "Sometimes you have to schedule a crucial meeting, or a client meeting, in which case you'd want to plan for a time when employees are at their peak."

11. They allot time for following up on messages. Discern between mindless email/voicemail checking and conducting important business. Jensen's company, Sozo Firm, advises clients that checking their inbox every couple of minutes takes time away from important tasks. Instead, set a schedule to check and respond to email in increments. Consider doing so at the top of each hour, to ensure that clients and colleagues receive prompt responses from you.

[See How to Use Your Work Email Efficiently.]

12. They take a mid-morning break. Get up and stretch your legs. Or stay seated and indulge in a little Internet surfing. According to Jensen, it's actually good to zone out on Facebook and Twitter or send a personal text message or two. "You should take 10-minute breaks occasionally," he says. "Companies that ban any kind of Facebook [use], texting, or personal calls can find it will be detrimental. Those practices increase employee satisfaction."

Just be sure not to abuse the privilege. "The best employees will respect their employer's time, and the worst-performing employees will find a way to waste time even if the company forbids personal Internet use," Jensen explains.

Maintaining Success In Your Job Search

2012-08-15T18:35:00.002-07:00

Searching for a new job can be a difficult and exhausting process. Just as an athlete plans, practice, and strives, so must you to maintain a path to success. Continuing the athletic theme, plan, practice, and persevere.

Plan

Regardless of whether you have a job or not, finding either the time or the motivation will be a persistent challenge. During the course of the day you will be bombarded by numerous interruptions and before you know it, it will be tomorrow. Make sure that you plan your work and work your plan.

Planning will not only protect you from procrastination but it will also drown out feelings of fear and doubt. When you have a plan you can focus on what's truly important, actions. Most people will focus on results and when those results don't come they will likely give up.

Practice

To steer a car, you have to press the accelerator and move forward. Have a plan and a strategy but don't let creating a plan as a way to procrastinate. Quickly develop your game plan and then go through with it. You will likely stumble which is ok. Just make sure that when you stumble, you understand why and then make adjustments accordingly. Then you do it again, again, and again.

Persevere

It's a tough market and it may take a little while to get the job you want. But don't give up! Think positively and feed your mind with motivational reading (make sure it's quality). I recommend that you read two books. The first is "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Vincent Norman Peale and the second is "Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill. They're a little dated but timeless material none the less.

Just a disclaimer: I do get rewarded by Amazon if click the links above. However if you like the site and enjoy the content then what better way to support us! Also, don't let money be a hindrance to your edification. Don't forget that your local library can be a great resource that doesn't cost a dime. Unless you're late on returning your books.

You will be amazed if you focus just one week on improving your mental outlook. Surround yourself with people that build you up and don't tear you down. And if you ever need a quick word of encouragement then please email me! After all, we all need some encouragement sometime.

Don't Let Fear Derail Your Job Search

2012-08-14T19:37:00.002-07:00

Fear comes in all shapes and forms and it can happen to even the best of us. Some may have the fear of being so exposed during an interview or it could be that fear having to "sell" themselves. For most however, the fear of failure leads the way.

Why is this so pervasive among so many people? Frankly, failing is uncomfortable. We don't want others to see us fail. We avoid situations where we may fail so that nay-sayers don't have an opportunity to say "told ya so." But when we avoid failure, we avoid the opportunity to learn.

Thomas Edison failed over 1,000 times before the light bulb worked. Mark Cuban, Internet mogul and current owner of the Dallas Mavericks, was fired from computer software sales job. Even George Washington had failure after failure during his professional and military career. Don't fear failure, just make sure you learn from it when it happens.

There are a couple of ways to reduce the fear of failure. Always make sure that you are as prepared as you can be. When you prepare you will feel more confidant about the course of action you're taking. Although, make sure that you don't use preparing as a way to procrastinate. Many people fall victim to analysis paralysis.

Practice is another great weapon to fight against the fear of failure. It's just like working a muscle, the more you do it the easier it will get. Novice sales reps are sometimes encouraged to call on incompatible customers. The object isn't to make a sale but to become comfortable with presenting their sales presentation.

If you want further encouragement, check out the video below. It's about 8 minutes long and talks very candidly about success being born from failure. Enjoy!

What Resume Items Can Kill My Chances at Getting a New Job?

2012-08-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

This article first appeared on Lifehacker and was written by Alan Henry.

When it comes to your resume, less is often more—but if you ask a dozen career counselors what they think you should include and what you should leave off, you'll get a dozen long-winded answers. Let's tackle some things we think you should definitely omit if you want to get your foot in the door.

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Long, Unnecessary Objective Statements

The objective statement is dead. Seriously—if you're tweaking every copy of your resume for each job you're applying for, then your objective should be "To get this job," not some generic, vague statement about the general type of job or opportunity you want. Pull this off of your resume and use that space for more relevant details about your work experience or accomplishments that'll help you land the job you're actually applying for. Photo by marshillonline.

Unwanted Personal Details

Be careful including things like your marital or familial status, religion, or other personal details on your resume that the potential employer could get in trouble for asking you—they may shy away from your resume for fear that someone will assume they've asked for this information. However, if you worked for years at your local church or a charity doing relevant work for the job you're applying to, by all means you should keep it on your resume. Even if you volunteered and it's applicable, put it on there—the fact that it's applicable is more important than anything else.

Every Single Job You've Ever Had

If you're applying to be a systems analyst at a technology startup, they probably don't care that you were a delivery guy for Domino's when you were in college, unless that's somehow relevant to the work you'll be doing at the startup. Keep irrelevant details and jobs off of your resume—especially if they have no relevance to your entire field, much less the job at hand. To that point, while there's no hard and fast rule on how long your resume should be, try to keep your resume as compact as it needs to be. I know, you may be tired of hearing that line, but a good rule of thumb is to only include details that are important for your field, then do another pass and make sure your details are critical to the job you're applying to. If your resume is three or four pages long (or more—I saw a resume that was 18 pages once) you need to trim it.

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Long Lists of Irrelevant "Special Skills"

While most employers definitely want to know you as a person and the things you enjoy in your off time, pull off all of those "special skills" that everyone has and just aren't important for your job. Things like "Microsoft Office (all ver.)" or "Windows and Mac Operating Systems" are not only implied for any job that requires use of a computer, they take up space you could use to make a real impact—or better yet, keep your resume trim and to the point. Granted, if you're applying to be an office assistant or typist, you may want to include your MS Office prowess—so it's not universally a bad idea. Just think in terms of what the hiring manager for your specific job wants to see.Photo by kafka4prez.

"References Available Upon Request"

Taking up a line on your resume with "references available upon request" is a waste of space. It started off as a way to imply that you had references who were willing to talk about you, but at this point it's so ubiquitous that everyone knows you have references, and that they're available if needed. Your hiring manager will ask for them if needed, or even ask for them up-front along with your resume. Again, don't waste space.

Lies

We shouldn't have to tell you this, but don't lie or grossly embellish on your resume. Everyone likes to put their best foot forward, but don't—especially if you're depending on references from one of those old jobs—put your references in the uncomfortable position of having to lie for you. Alternatively, you never know who's working behind the scenes at your potential employer—if you're applying to a company in the same field as your last job, it's fair to think someone there may have worked at one of your past employers, and may be familiar with your old job. Even worse, you really don't want to be called out on a skill your resume says you have but that you can't demonstrate.

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Optional: Jobs You've Been Fired (Not Laid Off) From

This is a tricky one. Some people say you should always pull jobs where you were dismissed for some infraction or disciplinary action off of your resume, especially if you're worried you'll have to explain it in an interview, or hand over your old manager's name and risk the potential employer calling that past one. At the same time, you run the risk of leaving a huge gap in your employment history on your resume, and you'll have to explain that away too. You'll have to decide which option is best in your particular case, but whichever route you choose, make sure you have a rock-solid explanation ready. Normally we would suggest leaving the job on, and then if they want to know why you left, you can just point to differences with the management or something else relatively innocuous. You won't have to raise suspicion unless you specifically tell them not to contact that company. Photo by Charlotte West.

There are plenty of other, arguable things you should probably leave off of your resume as well, like fancy, unreadable designs and formatting (there's a line between form and function—stray too far to the former and you may get attention, but for all of the wrong reasons), super-old high school accomplishments that can't possibly be relevant anymore, and more, but they're more case-merit judgement calls than anything else.

Remember, when looking at your resume, think like the person hiring for the job and trim off anything that would be useless to them. Write them like a reader, and try not to use the same resume for every single job you apply for—consider your resume a template you should tweak for each job you really want. It's tempting to shovel the same resume into the furnace of huge job sites like Monster or Careerbuilder, but you'll get better results for your time spent if you take the time to customize it each time. If that sounds like a lot of work, you'd better start now. Good luck!

When to walk away [Video]

2012-08-13T06:22:00.001-07:00

This video is geared towards sales professionals but it has a good point, sometimes you should walk away. Don't be thrown off by the fact that it's a sales based video. After all, you're in sales. You are going to be selling potential employers on why they should hire you. You may come across a job offer that in the end won't make sense for you or the employer. Pay attention to some of the things that Jill turned down.

Prepare to win

2012-08-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

One strategy that most people adopt in their job search is to blast a resume out to everyone. However most people will likely see a 5%-10% call back ration on resumes sent this way. The problem is that there's no differentiation between each resume sent.

You have to prepare to win on each resume sent or company contacted. Tailor each resume and each plan of action to each individual company your targeting. First, you'll need to research each company and position that you're applying for.

The Internet
I always like to start with a Google search. Within the first few search results, you'll see most accolades and complaints against a company. If you find a long list of RipoffReport.com posts then you should be seriously questioning why you want to work.

Don't forget to look at their website. Once you have taken a good look, you should have a clear understanding of what's important to them. Also, look for profiles of key executives. What type of people are making the decisions of the company?

People In Your Network Who May Know Them
Check your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to see who you know. If you know anyone there, ask them what they think. An insider's view is invaluable.

Their Employees
Use this one at your discretion. If it's a smaller company then you should expect that word will get back that you were calling in and asking questions. That may not be a bad thing as it will definitely show that you're willing to do the leg work. If you don;t know where to start, call a sales guy. They'll be happy to talk and will likely tell you more than you expect.

Now that you have done your homework on each company, customize each resume! Knowing what's most valuable to your potential employer allows you to highlight your best qualities that's most attractive them.

Employer Says She's Been Looking For A Year, Can't Find A Soul To Hire

2012-08-10T13:20:00.002-07:00

This article originally appeared on jobs.aol.com. There is some great advice towards the end. It's also proof to never assume that the competition is too tough.

For the country's 12.8 million unemployed, it may seem like the jobs just aren't out there. The average jobless American is out of work, after all, for nine months. But a somewhat different lament is coming, increasingly, from the employer's end: They can't find good enough people to fill all their open jobs.

There's a raging debate over what's going on here. Is it a "skills gap"? Too many bachelor's degrees? Not enough bachelor's degrees? A generation of over-coddled narcissists? AOL Jobsdecided to go to one frustrated employer and find out. Meet Kimberly Yasa (pictured above), director of market intelligence at ChemOrbis, which provides marketplace and trend information for the global plastic resin market.

Yasa says that she started hunting to fill an opening over a year ago, a work-from-home job that pays $30,000 to $50,000, depending on experience, but with no benefits (it's an independent contractor position). The only requirements are a four-year college degree and some writing and editing skills, so she thought she'd get a bounty of qualified, eager applicants. She didn't. And she's pointing her finger at one culprit: the Internet.

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Eighty percent of the applications that she's received didn't include a cover letter, she claims, and of the ones with a cover letter, three-quarters of them didn't even mention the position. One applicant even used the wrong company name.

"I do believe that the Internet is causing a vicious circle," she says. "You can too easily hit the send button. So a candidate gets used to sending 100 resumes. Of course they hear nothing back, because they weren't right for the job in the first place. So they don't want to put effort in the next 100 resumes."

More: 9 Small Towns With Big Opportunities

"They just want to throw them out there and see what lands," she says.

Yasa's opening is for a junior market analyst at her company, and no work experience is required. "We're looking to train someone from scratch," she says. "They don't have to be from my sector whatsoever. We would turn you into an expert."

But when she posted a paid ad last year on Monster.com she received only 64 responses after a month, and none of them were good enough to hire. So she posted the ad again last week on LinkedIn, and has so far received just 77 applications -- the vast majority of them worthless, she says.

More: 9 Ways To Tap Into The Hidden Job Market

"How many millions of kids graduated this year?" she asks exasperatedly. "How many are out of work? How many want to work from home?"

After going through this experience, Yasa has a few tips for job-seekers who have been sending out their resumes, but getting no bites.

Send a cover letter. "This is basic stuff," she says. "Everybody knows you have to have a cover letter." A cover letter, she says, needs to explain how the person's qualities match the job description. Without that information, she has to do all the work herself of combing a person's resume for the relevant skills. "I need to see how you fit and why you fit and you need to show me," she says. So many people, "just throw out their resume and hope that the company figures it out for them."
Explain why you want the job. Yasa says that she'll receive resumes from people with a background in other sectors, and isn't quite sure why they want to move into her's. "I don't bother to call them," she says. "I need to see their desire to work at this position. I want someone to be happy and enjoy this job and stay with me for a very long time."
Mention the position. So many cover letters, Yasa says, read like copy-and-paste jobs, recycled from a hundred other applications. Job-seekers should at the very least mention the position they're applying for in their cover letters.
Sell your services, not your goal. A lot of applicants, Yasa says, will talk about wanting the job to "better themselves," or "get real world experience," or "improve my skills." And while Yasa wants her employee to be the best they can be, job-hunting is a seller's game. "You can not sell me your betterment," she says. "That's not why I pay you money. I'm not paying you so you can round out your resume."

Yasa is still accepting applications for the job. If interested, you can view the job description and apply here. But don't forget the cover letter.

What's Your Strategy?

2012-08-10T06:54:00.005-07:00

It may seem like a simple process. Search the want-ads, browse Monster.com and aske everyone you know who's hiring. But if you'r only going through the motions then you may be spinning your wheels.

The job search process, and it is a process, is challenging enough. You may not feel that you're going through the motions. After all, you're probably dealing with stress of a painful job or even no job. Most people exert a great deal of effort trying to retain their sanity in a tough situation. But there is a way to be productive without adding to the pain. Have a strategy.

There's a cliche that still holds true, "if you don't know where you're going, how are going to get there?" If you don't define what it is that you're looking for then you're going to wandering instead of searching. A new job is too broad of a goal to define success. What do you want your new job to look like? What type of environment do you want to be in?

First, start by examining what makes you you. Think of the times that you've felt most productive or the most fulfilled at work. And then ask why you felt that way during those times. Did you enjoy being part of a team? Was it being able to take the lead on a project and claiming it as your own? In my last interview I said that entrepreneurship was important to me. Fortunately for me that was encouraged.

Once you know what you're looking for then develop a strategy for acquiring it. I chose not to use the phrase "find a job" because looking for available jobs will not be fruitful. Only 40% of open positions are advertised and 70% of all positions are filled by someone already know to the company. You have to go past the want ads.

5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask

2012-08-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

Today, Jeff Hayden posted a great article entitled "5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask" on Inc.com. When you're asked that final question, you should really have a great response. Check out the article as it goes into more detail about each question.

What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?

What are the common attributes of your top performers?

What are a few things that really drive results for the company?

What do employees do in their spare time?

How do you plan to deal with...?

Former Headhunter Explains How To Answer 11 Tough Interview Questions

2012-08-07T16:45:00.001-07:00

Today on Business Insider, Vivian Giang wrote an article on a former head hunter's take on 11 challenging questions. Unlike the tough questions previously posted, these are a little more practical and more likely to come up in an interview. Below are the questions answered in the article.

Walk me through your job changes.
What interests you least about this job?
What can you do for us that no one else can do?
What kind of decisions are most difficult for you?
What bothers you most about your job?
When do you expect a promotion?
Tell me about a time when an emergency caused you to reschedule you workload/ projects.
Tell me about the problems you have living within your means.
We have tried to hire people from your school/your major before, and they never seem to work out. What makes you different?
Have you ever had to make unpopular decisions?
How would evaluate me as an interviewer?

Follow the link to find out how to best answer these questions. At the very end of the article is a link to 8 questions you should ask your interviewer.

What Total Recall's Bryan Cranston Can Teach About Careers

2012-08-06T21:03:00.002-07:00

Recently, Bryan Cranston gave an interview on Total Recall and he skyrocketed to fame through his role on Breaking Bad. As I read what Cranston had to say, I couldn't help but think how applicable his words are to those on the hunt for a new or better job. Even if you're currently in the market for a new job, there are a few pieces of advice to take away.

I have ridden the hard work and sweat of Vince Gilligan all the way to another level. The best thing a director can do is to identify good actors and fit them in the right parts, and if you can do that in your pre-production, once you get to production you can let them fly, and let them feel safe to be able to experiment and try things. You’ll find happy accidents.

Woodrow Wilson once said "I not only use all of the brains I have, but all I can borrow." An unsung trait of great leaders is to surround oneself with great talent. But it is not just the leader that benefits from a network of great minds. At first glance it may seem that Cranston is admitting to riding Gilligan's coat-tails, but it is being part of the Breaking Bad production that Cranston was able to assert himself as a great actor.

Find someone who is already established and can teach you a thing or two. But it's not about just being in a situation where you can glean from a mentor. Bryan Cranston is an incredibly talented actor, but it's because of Breaking Bad's creator that the actor had the freedom to tap into his full potential. If there wasn't a foundation already laid before Cranston, we may have not seen one of the best performances on TV.

For an actor what I try to teach young actors – the best thing they can learn is to identify well-written material. The writing in our industry, in a story, is the most important element, bar none. It is always about the writing first.

So what I’ve been able to do – the thing I’m good at, really, is to identify well written material. Now that doesn’t mean the product is going to end up that way. It’s a recipe – and sometimes it doesn’t work – and you’re thinking, ‘oh well, wait a minute, I had all the ingredients, how did this happen?’ That’s going to happen.

But if you start with something that has good writing, you at least have a shot. If you start with something that is not well written, you have no shot of making something good. The best actor in the world can make “C” level material “C+” level material. Maybe “B-”, that’s it.

This is a little more abstract but bear with me. If you're hoping to someday find a good job then you must learn to identify good jobs. I love that he points out that finding well-written work, in our case a good job, is not a guarantee for success. I believe that most of us can improve our performance at work but I also don't believe that you can turn any situation around with a "can-do" attitude. Sometimes we get tied to failures, it happens. But when you're able to discern the good opportunities from the bad, you'll end up with a winner more often than not.

Well, the only thing that an actor really yearns for in a career is opportunity. We don’t ask to be given roles – [if you don't] just give me a chance to get in the room, we have no shot. How I got Malcolm in the Middle – everything – what I try to teach young actors is that, ‘please know, that without a healthy dose of luck, you will not have a career.’ How do you do that? I don’t know. Just keep working, keep working hard, have faith, and this is your life!

"Without a healthy dose of luck, you will not have a career."

Don’t give yourself some arbitrary number – ‘I’m going to give it a year – I’ll give it a good year’ – it’s like ‘stop now, go back to Idaho.’ You know? ‘Make some really nice potatoes. People will appreciate that.’ But it’s a joke – people, you’re either in this or you’re not in this. So that’s the first thing I say. But I was lucky to get Malcolm in the Middle. I was lucky to get Breaking Bad. And I have stories for those – but I don’t want to go in and monopolize that. But I know – the stars were aligning.

Sometimes you just need luck. Believe it or not, there are things that we can do to improve our luck. Click here to view Richard Wiseman's Luck Factor, a ten year study on the nature of luck. We're going to face rejection and seasons of doubt. But if you "keep on keepin on," you will eventually get that chance encounter or that once in a lifetime opportunity.

After you are able to get some level of success, like Malcolm in the Middle – seven years of doing a comedy – I got offers to do a goofy, silly, fun-loving dad. And had I taken those, I would have helped pigeon-hole myself as that guy.

You better – you better – if you’re on a hit show? You better save your money. You better, because you need to say no to those tempting offers of dollar bills to do the same thing you just did. To me it was no temptation. I just said no, I just did that. But you don’t know what’s going to happen next. I was very fortunate.

There's power in the word, no. It goes back to being able to select good opportunities over the bad ones. If you're in a situation where you feel the need to say yes to the first thing that comes along, then you may miss the opportunity to say yes to that great opportunity. If you're in a good place, you should still be looking for great opportunities. If you're in a dreadful situation then figure out how to at least make it temporarily bearable so that you can turn down the bad offers. Jim Collins, author of "From Good to Great," says that good is the death of great.

Have you ever had a good opportunity prevent you from accepting a great opportunity? Tell us in the comments below. And if you haven't seen Breaking Bad on AMC, then start up Netflix and catch the first four seasons!

Ten Tough Job Interview Question

2012-08-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

These questions were presented on Base Line Magazine. It's quite possible that you have already run into a similar line of questions during an interview. For those of you haven't try to answer them as if you were sitting across from your potential employer. And remember, it's not always about the final answer but how you got there.

How many hotels are in the U.S.?
How many would use a drug that prevents baldness
What is the profit potential of offering wireless Internet service on planes?
After streamlining and reducing costs for raw materials, can you think of another way to reduce the cost of making a piece of chocolate?
Interview me. Then tell me if you would hire me.
There are three products - tomatoes, luxury cars and t-shirts - what value-added tax is applied to each type?
Name as many uses for a brick as you can in one minute.
Tell me about a time when you changed the culture in the workplace.
Estimate the annual revenue of a multi-screen cinema. Try two different methods.
If you were to rank quality, customer satisfaction and safety in order of importance, how would you rank them? Discuss.

Have fun guys! And please comment below and let us know if you ever received a question like this. How did you answer?

Job Search Mastery

Master The Job Search Coaching!

What You Should Never Compromise On While Building Your Career

What Successful Night Owls Get Done Before Bed

Pick One Project

Combat Clutter

Hit The “Idea” Bar

Late Night Rendezvous

Big Picture Thinking

The Power of Dreams Series

Targeted List Spreadsheet

Interview The Interviewer

Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Seriously. Stop That.

Gain Awareness, Be Grateful

Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First

Choose Your Frog

Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do

“Customer Service” (or Your Own Equivalent)

Advanced Techniques: Free Speech

Leave Your Job on Good Terms

This article originally appeared at Baseline Mag. Nothing destroys a career legacy faster than leaving your company on bad terms. So avoid doing anything that would diminish your professionalism.

Incorporate The 3 P's Into Your Job Search

Unemployment Extension 2012

You're Only 5 Degrees of Separation Away From Kevin Bacon

Get To Know People

12 Things Killer Employees (or achievers) Do Before Noon

Maintaining Success In Your Job Search

Plan

Practice

Persevere

Don't Let Fear Derail Your Job Search

What Resume Items Can Kill My Chances at Getting a New Job?

Long, Unnecessary Objective Statements

Unwanted Personal Details

Every Single Job You've Ever Had

Long Lists of Irrelevant "Special Skills"

"References Available Upon Request"

Lies

Optional: Jobs You've Been Fired (Not Laid Off) From

When to walk away [Video]

Prepare to win

Employer Says She's Been Looking For A Year, Can't Find A Soul To Hire

What's Your Strategy?

5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask

Former Headhunter Explains How To Answer 11 Tough Interview Questions

What Total Recall's Bryan Cranston Can Teach About Careers

Ten Tough Job Interview Question

This article originally appeared at Baseline Mag.

Nothing destroys a career legacy faster than leaving your company on bad terms. So avoid doing anything that would diminish your professionalism.