This story from CBSNews.com is tremendous. In a nutshell, job loss and program cutbacks pushed this couple toward imminent danger of a downward financial spiral. So, they stepped totally out of their "normal" activities and started writing. Writing novels. Now, one year later they have sold over one million e-books, and one book has become a New York Times Bestseller!
CBS News Video
This is a great story of nerve, and willingness to move out of one's comfort zone.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Three Killer Questions in Interviews
Job interviews can be cordial, challenging, or chilling. In this latter category I offer three "killer" questions that can scuttle your prospects in a flash. Be prepared.
If you do have a current job, your killer question will be the innocuous, "Why are you looking to change jobs?"
Yes, why indeed are you looking to leave your current job? Years ago I had one interviewee answer this with, "To be perfectly honest, my boss is a jerk." Not a confidence-building response. Don't do this. Never, ever be negative about your current job situation. You can say you want a change, or a bigger challenge. You can say you want more opportunity for advancement. You can say you want to pursue a career path you always wanted to follow. But do not say you are unhappy about your job, your employer, or your colleagues. Why not? Because the person interviewing you will be thinking, "OK, this candidate is a whiner and has personal issues we do not want to bring on-board." Always say you are pursuing a change to move to new possibilities, never that you are running from a bad situation.
If you are currently not working the chances are good you will be asked, "Why have you been out of work so long?"
Being out of work in this stagnant economy is not a stigma. But you will certainly stimulate some speculation if you have been out of work for more than the seasonally-adjusted, average unemployment duration which was 36.9 weeks as of May 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the median unemployment duration is much less: only 17.3 weeks. The median measure indicates that one-half of all job seekers were out of work for up to 17 weeks before finding a job, and one-half were out of work for more than 17 weeks before finding a job.
Why is the average so much longer than the median? One answer is that many people stop looking while they live off unemployment benefits. Some people have drawn unemployment for up to 99 weeks. That's two years. The longer you are out of work the harder it will be to find a job, and the more a prospective employer might view you as a freeloader. It might not be fair, but it is what it is. If you are just at the beginning of your unemployment journey, focus your energies steadily and continually on job search. Use the process I describe in my book, Hired!, to deflect and overcome the discouragement that will inevitably come. Just keep looking - but be smart about how you look.
And whether you are or are not currently working, vacant time periods on your resume will bring the question, "What were you doing in these gaps between jobs on your resume?"
Today the job market is so convoluted that gaps in a resume are not an automatic disqualification. I spend quite a few pages in Hired! discussing how I have handled this issue with people I have assisted. (This blog entry goes more deeply into this topic.) Whatever the reasons for the gaps in your work history, be honest with the interviewer and turn the gap from a potential liability into an asset. If you have been filling-in your time with short-term or lower-paying jobs to make some money, explain that you took these jobs while continuing your job search. That will convey continuing initiative. If a job you took to tide you over is outside the area for which you are interviewing, explain that you did not list this job because it was not related to your job or career objective. Did you gain a skill, knowledge, or useful insight in the fill-in job? Then tell the interviewer how this "gap" has enabled you to benefit them better as an employee.
These three questions are simple, but potentially dangerous if you stutter or stammer, trying to think of how you will answer. Prepare ahead of your interview. In fact, prepare now because you might have a chance encounter tomorrow where someone might ask, "Really? What kind of work are you doing now?"
If you do have a current job, your killer question will be the innocuous, "Why are you looking to change jobs?"
Yes, why indeed are you looking to leave your current job? Years ago I had one interviewee answer this with, "To be perfectly honest, my boss is a jerk." Not a confidence-building response. Don't do this. Never, ever be negative about your current job situation. You can say you want a change, or a bigger challenge. You can say you want more opportunity for advancement. You can say you want to pursue a career path you always wanted to follow. But do not say you are unhappy about your job, your employer, or your colleagues. Why not? Because the person interviewing you will be thinking, "OK, this candidate is a whiner and has personal issues we do not want to bring on-board." Always say you are pursuing a change to move to new possibilities, never that you are running from a bad situation.
If you are currently not working the chances are good you will be asked, "Why have you been out of work so long?"
Being out of work in this stagnant economy is not a stigma. But you will certainly stimulate some speculation if you have been out of work for more than the seasonally-adjusted, average unemployment duration which was 36.9 weeks as of May 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the median unemployment duration is much less: only 17.3 weeks. The median measure indicates that one-half of all job seekers were out of work for up to 17 weeks before finding a job, and one-half were out of work for more than 17 weeks before finding a job.
Why is the average so much longer than the median? One answer is that many people stop looking while they live off unemployment benefits. Some people have drawn unemployment for up to 99 weeks. That's two years. The longer you are out of work the harder it will be to find a job, and the more a prospective employer might view you as a freeloader. It might not be fair, but it is what it is. If you are just at the beginning of your unemployment journey, focus your energies steadily and continually on job search. Use the process I describe in my book, Hired!, to deflect and overcome the discouragement that will inevitably come. Just keep looking - but be smart about how you look.
And whether you are or are not currently working, vacant time periods on your resume will bring the question, "What were you doing in these gaps between jobs on your resume?"
Today the job market is so convoluted that gaps in a resume are not an automatic disqualification. I spend quite a few pages in Hired! discussing how I have handled this issue with people I have assisted. (This blog entry goes more deeply into this topic.) Whatever the reasons for the gaps in your work history, be honest with the interviewer and turn the gap from a potential liability into an asset. If you have been filling-in your time with short-term or lower-paying jobs to make some money, explain that you took these jobs while continuing your job search. That will convey continuing initiative. If a job you took to tide you over is outside the area for which you are interviewing, explain that you did not list this job because it was not related to your job or career objective. Did you gain a skill, knowledge, or useful insight in the fill-in job? Then tell the interviewer how this "gap" has enabled you to benefit them better as an employee.
These three questions are simple, but potentially dangerous if you stutter or stammer, trying to think of how you will answer. Prepare ahead of your interview. In fact, prepare now because you might have a chance encounter tomorrow where someone might ask, "Really? What kind of work are you doing now?"
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Dress for Success
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. That is certainly true in a job interview. You can find dozens of books on the subject of dressing for corporate success. But we live in a very "casual" age, so it is not surprising that so many HR people have shared with me that too many job seekers today just don't "get it" when it comes to looking hireable.
I recently read an article by Brian Maynor (http://www.brianmaynor.com). Brian is a style coach and I want to share a few of his ideas for being properly clothed when you go on a job interview. I cover many of these and other in my book, Hired!, but Brian's suggestions are all spot-on. After all, this is his day job!
I recently read an article by Brian Maynor (http://www.brianmaynor.com). Brian is a style coach and I want to share a few of his ideas for being properly clothed when you go on a job interview. I cover many of these and other in my book, Hired!, but Brian's suggestions are all spot-on. After all, this is his day job!
- Keep your main colors neutral and understated. Navy blue and middle-hue blues look good on most people. Be wary of distracting patterns and textures.
- Use contrasting colors sparingly. A vivid scarf or tie can bring your neutral colors to life. But don't be so aggressive with one, or multiple, "pop" colors that three weeks later the interviewer is talking about your color wheel and cannot remember your name or face.
- Be neat. Whatever you wear must be clean, pressed, properly fitting, and well-coordinated. Make sure your hair is clean, properly cut, and well-groomed. Shoes must be polished! Scuffed or worn shoes have power to totally downgrade your entire look.
- Jewelry should not shout! Smaller is better. Pendant earrings are not a good idea for either women or men. One ring on each hand is quite enough. Look at yourself as a stranger would see you. Check your hands, wrists, neck, ears, ankles, and toes for any jewelry that will be distracting or controversial. When you find a guilty culprit: leave it at home!
- Do not wear cologne or perfume. Nada. Not even a smidgen. Many people have allergies to scents. What you think smells great might make your interviewer nauseous. Not a good scenario.
- Cover up or use makeup to conceal your tattoos (unless you are applying for a job in a bar). Remove all visible piercing jewelry. The interviewer is really not interested in your epidermal artwork.
- If you don't have an eye for color or style, ask a knowledgeable friend or family member to help. Let them review what is in your closet. If they can't find elements that work together, ask if they will go to the store and help you pick out the piece that will tie the others together. Be prepared to spend some money to assemble a professional look. It's an investment in your future.
- Ladies, the quickest path to not even finishing the interview, much less getting a job offer, is to wear clothing that is too tight, too short, too revealing, or just too provocative. In other words, "too anything." If you have any question about whether an item is "too anything," then it probably is.
- Being dressed "appropriately" is easy to grasp if you think of it this way: if you dress for your interview in the clothing you will wear on the job, then you are under-dressed for the interview. If you dress one level up from what you would wear if you work for them, you are dressed appropriately. For example, for a man, if the normal workday clothing is jeans and work boots (as in construction or trades), or just casual clothing (as in a shopping mall retail store) then one level up is a dress shirt and complementary tie, and chinos or Dockers slacks. If the workday rule is business casual (as in most office work) then one level up is a suit.
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