Every year as the holidays approach, most job-seekers and career changers make the mistake of halting all their efforts. They believe there is no point in pursuing new opportunities during the holidays, and that nobody is making hiring decisions until late January, so “why bother?” Many decide to do absolutely nothing from mid-November to the second or third week in January! Making these kinds of assumptions abo...

At the beginning of every career coaching engagement, I have clients do a “Values Clarification Exercise.” I always tell them that this may be the most important and powerful exercise we will do in the entire program.EVERYTHING is rooted in your core values – everything you do, say, wear, eat. Every decision you make, every relationship you choose, every job you take – how you plan and prioritize, how you treat people, what...

Now that it’s the spring, it feels like a new is beginning. As part of this “fresh start,” it’s a good idea to review and improve your resume. Many people ask me, “What are some quick and easy things I can do to enhance my resume and get better response?” To answer that question, I’ve compiled a list of common resume mistakes and “quick fixes:” Common Resume Mistakes – And The Reasons Why These Mistakes Are So Damaging 1. T...

People who are seriously considering engaging the services of a professional coach or consultant usually ask many questions about “what the advisor will or should do” in order to make the coaching relationship work for the client. This is certainly reasonable and understandable. However, there are also several “prerequisites” or standards that the client must meet for the engagement to be successful. Unfortunately, these cr...

Negotiating Ability? Your negotiating ability is a strength and an asset to your prospective employer. By doing it effectively right from the start, you are proving that when you’re on the other side of the desk, you will negotiate on behalf of the company to make the best deals, get the best prices, and generate the most profit. Some hiring managers even go so far as to say that when candidates do no negotiating...

The fourth quarter of the year is the most common time for employees to get laid off. One mistake many people make is that they leave themselves vulnerable by not being prepared for year-end changes in their work situation. If you (or anyone you know) were unfortunate enough to “get the pink slip” in December, the following six steps will help you re-gain control of your career and prepare for a successful transition:...

Once out of a job, mature workers have a much harder time finding employment, so much so that the Department of Labor reported that the average duration of unemployment for older people was 35.5 weeks, compared to 23 weeks for younger people (2010). We're with Ford Myers, president of Career Potential, to gain some helpful tips for mature workers.

Cover letters are not so much a part of your “Job Seeker’s Tool Kit” as they are part of the implementation of your overall “self marketing” strategy. That’s right – a cover letter is a sales presentation in disguise! With cover letters, you’re reaching out for a very tangible goal – a job interview. Cover letters are the most commonly used method to introduce your credentials to an employer. And they can serve as one...

Of all the subjects we cover in career management and job search, the one that seems to cause clients the most anxiety is INTERVIEWING. To ease my clients’ concerns, I often simplify the topic by reducing it to a handful of basic elements.When you boil it all down, job interviews are made-up of only five statements from the interviewer, which include four questions and one sentence. Sure, you’ll be asked more than five ques...

There is rarely, if ever, a time when you will be hired following just one interview. You will typically go through multiple rounds of interviews for any position. Conducting your own formal, written debrief after the interview will give you the information you need to refine and improve your performance for the future.Consider the following strategies for a comprehensive debrief of your interviews:Interview preparation:Wer...