Friday, November 29, 2019

Want the Job Make a Connection with the Interviewer

Want the Job Make a Connection with the InterviewerMake a Connection with the InterviewerWant the Job Make a Connection with the InterviewerYou researched the company, sent your resume, and got called for the interview. As your interview with the hiring manager progresses, you become increasingly convinced that this is the right move. The job excites you. But at the same time, you know there are at least two other well qualified finalists. How can you become the first choice?It will likely come down to how well you connect with the hiring manager and other interviewers.As interviewing expert Michael Neece says The candidate who gets the offer is the one who makes the strongest emotional connection with the interviewers. I believe what he says, and not just because I work with him. Yes, the hiring manager should match an applicants skill set with the needs of the job, but its equally important to feel comfortable with the person who gets hired. It comes down to communication and build ing an easy rapport. If both sides can connect in the interview, the candidate has a good chance at landing the job.If I ever had any doubt about that, it was erased in an interview of my own in the mid-1990s that landed me the job. In the first interview, I sensed a strong connection with the hiring manager, even to the point where we talked about our favorite snack foods. Excited about the job afterwards, I wrote a thank-you note, and included a discount coupon for her favorite snack (I happened to have one in the house). Days later, my new boss referred to the coupon and said, Nice touchThe lesson here? Making a personal connection in the interview, especially with your would-be boss, can really help your cause.Here are three tips for finding personal connections throughout the interview processBefore the Interview Research. Do a web search on your interviewer(s). Try to find something you have in common, whether it relates to the job, the company, the industry, or something else (like snack food). For instance, if the hiring manager likes golf, a reference to a golf term cant hurt. Lets say youre explaining how you handled a previous work challenge When my project freund was out sick for several days, I felt as if I was stuck in a sand trap. So, I just kept my head down and blasted out of it by devoting a lot more energy and time. When I looked up, I was on the green.During the Interview Pay Attention. Keep your ears and eyes tuned in to what the hiring manager says, and anything in his or her body language that indicates excitement. Pick up on it and make a note (written or mental). If the topic is something you feel knowledgeable about and comfortable in addressing, engage. But dont overdo it and dont fake it. Keep it sincere and within the context of the topic youre discussing in the interview.After the interview (Last Chance) Send a Thank-You Note. The hiring manager has an impression of you already. How can you enhance it? Use the thank-you note to co ver any points you didnt address in the interview that you feel would boost your chances. Allude to something from the interview in which you felt a strong connection to the hiring manager to help you make your point. It may be a similar background, a mutual acquaintance, or some other common interest.It may even have to do with snack foods.

Monday, November 25, 2019

When Impatience Is Good for Your Career - The Muse

When Impatience Is Good for Your Career - The MuseWhen Impatience Is Good for Your Career Throughout our lives, were told to be a little more patient. From our parents when we complained while waiting in line for a rollercoaster, from our friends when theyre taking forever to get dressed (seriously Sarah, you dont need to spend two hours getting dolled up for the movies), and even from our managers when we think were ready for a promotion or to take on new responsibilities.But how often are we really in the wrong? And how often is our impatience, well, acceptable?The thing is, like some bad qualities, impatience can be a good thing in the right setting. Its a driving force for some of the worlds most successful entrepreneurs, and one could argue nothing would get done if we never questioned how fast something should take.Here are three times your eagerness can be bad for your career, and three times its actually beneficialIts Hurting it If You Expect Big Results Right AwayYou know th is, but the higher your expectations, the more disappointed youll ultimately be when they arent met. So, when were impatient that somethings taking too long to get off the ground, or our careers are moving too slow, we never fully appreciate the small strides we make along the way.Achieving some of your biggest goals will take time- and often, theyll take multiple tries and consist of many failures. Rather than twiddle your thumbs expecting everything good to happen right now, be patient that things will happen at the right moment, when youve put in the right amount of effort.Read mora 4 Ridiculously Smart Reasons to Slow Down at WorkIts Helping it if You Know Things Should Happen SoonerThat said, some things go on longer than you know they should- maybe youve done this before in past jobs or know from experience that somethings off. Let your impatience question systems that are outdated, inefficient, or slow- even if you cant directly change them, you can often start productive con versations on ways to do things better.Related 3 Useful Phrases to Say Instead of My Old Company Did This BetterIts Hurting it If Youre Too Quick to ReactYou sent someone an email yesterday, and they havent gotten back to you yet, so you send them a follow-up email. Then another one two days later. Then you ping them on Slack to see if they got your message. In the day to day, being impatient in how you communicate will only lead people to ignore you or dislike working with you. No one likes a nag.Give people the respectable amount of time to do something, and trust theyll get it done (and when they dont meet your deadlines, then you can follow up).Read MoreHow to Get People to Take Your Deadlines Seriously (Without Being Rude)Its Helping it If Youre ProactiveHowever, if your impatience just means that youre eager to get involved and help out, thats OK.The people who spin their impatience into a positive thing do so by focusing on what they can do rather than what they need from oth ers. Otherwise, when you find yourself getting antsy over someone elses delay, ask yourself What systems can I create to encourage people to work faster? What pieces can I do without them? What can I get started now to make it easier for them to finish later?Read More How to Stealthily Motivate Your Lazy Co-workers to Pull Their WeightIts Hurting it If You Want to Move Up Before Youre ReadyIf youre six months into your job, you probably wont get promoted. If youre 23, youre probably not qualified for a C-level position. If youre three weeks into a new role, you probably wont get to represent that next big account.These are unfortunately the realities of your career. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule (we all know a friend of a friend who got promoted after only three months), but for the most part, you shouldnt expect a raise or promotion or some other big career opportunity before youre truly ready for- and youve earned- it.Read More3 Questions to Ask Yourself if You Keep Getti ng Passed Over for PromotionsIts Helping it If You Find Ways to Challenge YourselfThat said, some of that impatience might just be a form of ambition. Maybe youre not qualified for a position bump, but youve mastered your job and are ready for more responsibility, so you talk to your boss about taking on new projects. Or, you plektron up a side gig. Or, you decide to learn to code so you can fix your sites problems on your own.Impatience can be an amazing thing when its converted into drive. It forces you to think of new and different places to take your career, push yourself a bit further, and ultimately achieve your goals.Read More How to Know if Youre Being Ambitious- or Just Plain Old ImpatientImpatience gets a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. However, when you choose to turn it into something productive and motivating, it can have a huge, positive effect on your career.The key is knowing when its acceptable to push forward, and when its better to wait it out.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Use color to get your next job  but not in your resume

Use color to get your next job but leid in your resumeUse color to get your next job - but not in your resumeYour resume should be black and white, but there are places in your job search to use color to represent your personal brand.The days of black-and-white TV are way in the past. It seems that everything around us is in vibrant color, yet most resumes and other career-marketing tools I see are devoid of color. Color is a valuable tool in your personal branding toolbox that will help express your brand attributes and create emotional connections with hiring managers and recruiters. Its the most effective element in your personal brand identity system for standing out in a job search, but to be truly effective, you must use it consistently.Related from Ladders12 tips for your best resume everHeres how to supercharge your resume in 38 minutes6 reasons recruiters say theyll toss your resume in the trashSo how can you use color in your job search?First, a word of caution When I sugge st that you use color, I am not recommending making your resume look like a giant rainbow, nor should you use color just for the sake of it. You must make a focused plan on how you will employ color as a tool to stand out and bolster your brand. Of course, you must first identify the color that best represents your personal brand. Its not about choosing your favorite color it means selecting the color that bolsters your personal brand message. You can watch this video and see below for some ideas bit.ly/brandcolorWhat color best expresses your personal brand attributes? If you dont know your personal brand attributes, you can get those who know you to share their feedback with this complimentary assessment www.reachcc.com/360v4registerHeres a brief summary of colors and the attributes they conveyRed. Use red to express action, passion, power or courage bit.ly/brandredOrange. Use orange to express determination, encouragement, strength or productivity bit.ly/brandorangeYellow. Use ye llow to express optimism, positivity, energy or vision bit.ly/brandyellowGreen. Use green to express the environment, calmness, growth or rebirth bit.ly/brandgreenBlue. Use Blue to express trust, reliability, integrity or truth bit.ly/brandbluePurple. Use purple to express luxury, spirituality, inspiration or dignity bit.ly/brandpurpleOnce you know what color reinforces your brand attributes, you can start to use it consistently in the job search process.Here are 10 ideas for how to use color effectivelyUse it consistently on all Web sites where you can customize the look (for example, YouTube lets you choose the color palette for your channel).Apply it to your Web site, blog or video blog, if you have one.Use your brand color as the background for your head shot or avatar.Add a stripe of color below your name and contact details on your resume.Use a colored envelope to send your cover letter and resume.Buy colored stationery to use for thank-you notes.Wear it. If you have a signatu re color, incorporate it into every outfit.Use it in your video bio - either as a background color and/or for the intro/outro.Use it on items you will bring to an vorstellungsgesprch (your briefcase, pen, mobile phone cover, etc.).Include it in your e-mail signature.