Job Interview 101 How to Avoid Mistakes

Job Interview 101 How to Avoid Mistakes Job hunting can be hard. The endless emails, the countless rejections and the insane amounts of cover letters saved in your documents. It can be a long process, but theres no better feeling than landing a job interview. Yes! Finally you can prove how  perfect you are for the position at stake. Resume Writing Lab have created this interesting infographic, filled with only the best job interview tips and tricks. But now youve bagged yourself an interview, you need to ensure you make the perfect first impression in the interview room. Top 3 mistakes: Over-explaining the reasons why you lost your previous job:  Whatever you do make sure you dont spend too long explaining why you lost your previous job. Its easy to sound unprofessional and irrational which you definitely dont want! Be concise, honest and professional. Not asking any questions:  An interview should be a two way conversation make sure you show your interest by asking questions. Think of it as an interview for them too why should you want to work there? Overselling yourself:  No one likes a show-off. Other non-verbal mistakes: Avoiding eye contact Knowing nothing about the company youre applying for Bad posture Bad handshake Biggest influencers in an interview: What an applicant says is the number one influence that employers take into account during an interview. Confidence levels comes in at a close second along with level of grammar and quality of voice. 55% of employers think that clothes, behaviour and the way the applicant enters the door has the biggest influence on their decision Does it really matter what you wear? 70% of hirers admit they dont want applicants to be trendy or fashionable. 65% of employers prove that clothes can become a decisive factor in a choice between two candidates. So in other words, yes, clothes do matter. 3 top tips for a successful interview: Show up to the office 10 minutes early Be prepared Make sure you look smart. RELATED: 5 Things You REALLY Must Do Ahead of a Job Interview Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics [Featured image: Shutterstock]

How to Use Nanny Skills on Writing Resume

How to Use Nanny Skills on Writing ResumeNanny skills can be an effective way to market yourself. Not only does it help you find employment faster, but it also increases your credibility and a personal bond with the company. Here are four ways to use Nanny Skills on Writing Resume.The first thing you want to remember when using Nanny Skills on Writing Resume is that you must always write in a manner that fits the personality you have. If you show that you are overly emotional, there is a chance that they will dismiss you. Instead, write in a calm manner to clearly convey your professionalism.During the interview process, if you are going to hire a nanny, it is a great time to try out different positions. From time to time, you will want to talk about each position you had the last time you were employed as a nanny. So, if you are trying to make yourself stand out during an interview, this is a great time to introduce yourself.Another important thing to remember about Nanny Skills on Writing Resume is that you are not required to leave out the specifics of your job title. Everyone knows that nannies have a variety of duties, but the positions that need to be listed in the resume are those you need to state on the application. If you do not state these things, then you may have a chance to cover them up on your resume.Speaking of covering up on your resume, remember that Nanny Skills on Writing Resume does not require you to put your boss and position. In fact, you should always mention the name of the person that hired you to the person who hired you for the position. This is an excellent way to show that you were honest during the interview process.Finally, when using Nanny Skills on Writing Resume, you should always highlight your accomplishments, accomplishments that have been written about in the newspaper or in magazines. It is important to be more than just a nanny. You should also showcase your enthusiasm for the industry.The last thing to remember when u sing Nanny Skills on Writing Resume is that you should not read too much into what you read. As a nanny, you will be exposed to a lot of families and activities that you will never be involved in. So, it is important to remember that you are just as good as any other nanny on the market.When used correctly, Nanny Skills on Writing Resume can show that you are professional and eager to learn new things. Plus, if you have a good attitude towards your career, it can bring you further success. So, why not use Nanny Skills on Writing Resume?

One Face-to-Face Interview and Youre Out! Why - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

One Face-to-Face Interview and Youre Out! Why - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career You worked diligently on your résumé and cover letter, polishing them to perfection. Then you submitted them both for a position you sought. Soon thereafter you received a screening call from the hiring company’s Human Resources Department. You evidently passed that test with flying colors because soon thereafter the hiring manager contacted you to set up a “face-to-face” interview onsite. Wow! It seemed as though you might be well on your way to landing the job, right?! Well, maybe. But then again, maybe not. You honestly believe that you did quite well in the face-to-face interview. Actually, you felt as though you were so thoroughly and completely prepared that you literally ACED the interview! But guess what? Within a week here comes the dreaded “Thank you for applying . . .” letter. Much to your surprise (and chagrin) you’re now completely out of the running! What happened?! No matter how well prepared you are, or how well you believe you did during the initial face-to-face interview with a hiring manager, you still could be summarily excluded from further consideration after just one interview. Hey, it happens, and oftentimes you may never learn the true reason(s) for your fate. Be that as it may, here are the TOP FIVE reasons candidates, even TOP candidates, find themselves out of the running after just one face-to-face interview: Despite what your résumé indicates, the hiring manager simply didn’t think/believe you had the experience, technical skills and/or background to perform the job as he or she expects. You may have had the requisite experience, technical skills and/or background to do the job, but the hiring manager felt other candidates were more qualified than you. The hiring manager may simply not have liked you or how you presented yourselfâ€"for whatever reason(s), valid or not. The hiring manager may have concluded that you would not be a good “cultural fit” for the unit and/or the company, e.g., you may have been “too loud,” “too quiet,” or “too-something.” No matter how well you prepared and practiced before the interview, you still ended up “blowing it” for any number of reasons, none of which you may ever be able to understand. Now, an exception to reasons listed above is if you happen to be pursuing career opportunities through a “headhunter.” (No, I am NOT soliciting new job candidates to present through this post!) Almost always he or she will conduct an “after-action” report with the hiring manager, in order to determine, specifically, why the candidate he or she presented for the opportunity was excluded from further consideration. Beyond that, though, if you are pursuing career opportunities on your own, you may never learn the true reason(s) for being eliminated from the running. Now What?! So, where do you go from there? Well, for one thing, regardless of how many interviews it may take for you either to win a position or to be eliminated from further contention, always, always, always be sure to send a Thank You card or email immediately following the interview. Remember, you’re a professional, so always act like one. Always take the high ground. You know you have a lot to offer professionally. Don’t let the fact that you just received a “rejection letter” from a hiring company knock you off your game or unnecessarily dampen your spirits. Treat this latest rejection as just one of the many “bumps” along the road of life that everyone encounters! Get back in the game, immediately! Ideally, during your new job search you will have been exploring numerous career opportunities, and not have been relying solely upon the single opportunity for which you have just been eliminated. That way, when various career opportunities go southâ€"as you should expect some will!â€"you will still have other, equally promising opportunities in the works and in various stages of development. To put it in yet another perspective and context, as any good, successful general knows, it’s unrealistic, self defeating and counterproductive to expect to win every single battle. Instead the object is to ultimately win the war. “Winning the war” for you is landing the job you seek, the job you deserveâ€"Your DREAM Job! Just keep on keepin’ on, don’t be dissuaded by minor setbacks and rejection, and constantly ensure that your job hunting skills, tactics and strategies remain sound and flexible, where necessary. If you’ve positioned yourself, professionally, as a TOP candidate with a LOT to offer a hiring company, not every company to which you apply of course will automatically perceive you in that light, but you know what? Quite a few of them will indeed perceive you in precisely that way and you will end up ultimately being successful in your quest for a new, very promising career! ______________________ This post is an excerpt from Career Stalled? How to Get YOUR Career Back in HIGH Gear and Land the Job You Deserveâ€"Your DREAM Job!, the latest book in the “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets Series of Career Development/Management Publications. Going on a job interview soon? Know someone who is? Download Skips FREE  How to ACE the Job Interview! publication by clicking HERE. Learn how to interview the way Superstars do!

A Personal Branding Tale - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

A Personal Branding Tale - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Once upon a time. You have been looking for a new job for months and you just landed an interview with a great company doing something you love. On the day of the interview you put on your best business attire and head out the door â€" you look like a true professional. On the drive to the interview you listen to some music you like to calm yourself or pump yourself up â€" whatever floats your boat. You pull into the parking lot feeling excited and walk into the lobby feeling confident, cool and collected. You walk up to the receptionist and pronounce your name clearly. You let the receptionist know you are here for an interview with Ms. I’m Hiring. As you sit in the lobby you keep telling yourself that this job is yours for the taking and before you know it Ms. I’m Hiring walks into the lobby and calls your name. You and Ms. I’m hiring walk to the corner office and you sit down ready to kick off a great interview. The interview goes great â€" you have good business and personal rapport going with Ms. I’m Hiring and Ms. I’m Hiring can tell you have done your research on the company. Everything seems like a fit and you have clearly expressed your desire for the job and Ms. I’m Hiring believes that you are a good candidate for the position. Ms. I’m Hiring ends the interview by saying you will know who received the job within a few days. Ms. I’m Hiring heads back to the corner office feeling good about the candidates she has interviewed but realizes she has a very tough decision on her hands. Ms. I’m Hiring reviews her notes from the all the interviews and has identified the top three candidates for the position â€" you are one of the candidates. Ms. I’m Hiring reviews the top three resumes and they are equally good. She reviews the work experience for the top candidates and they are all equally qualified. She goes over each interview with the top three candidates and they were all equally good as well. Feeling stressed Ms. I’m Hiring decides to leave the office and go home for an early evening jog to think things over â€" after all the weather is beautiful outside. She gets back from her jog and she still has not made a decision â€" the candidates are all so good. Just before bed Ms. I’m Hiring decides to Google the candidates to see what she finds on the top three candidates. She enters candidate number one’s name and finds nothing. She enters candidate number two’s name and finds nothing. She enters your name and finds your professional blog and personal website. She reads some of your posts and really likes your creativity and ideas. Ms. I’m Hiring closes her laptop, goes to bed and sleeps peacefully. The next day you receive a phone call and Ms. I’m Hiring says â€" you are hired â€" I really enjoyed your blog. When can you start? You say today. When will you start creating your personal brand? How about today? Author: Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

How Much Is the Fee For Writing a Resume?

How Much Is the Fee For Writing a Resume?If you are looking for an easy way to get your resume to stand out among the rest, you need to consider how much is the fee for writing a resume. Resumes have gotten very high quality and they can also get really expensive over time. Most people want to save money and save time, so if you are considering going to a resume writer, make sure you know how much it is going to cost you. There are things you can do to reduce the fee to as low as possible.Hire a writer that writes for you. You may be paying for a writer, but you may also be giving them a commission. Sometimes the fee is negotiable and it may not matter to you what percentage of the fees is paid to the writer. Some writers will be willing to work for a lower fee than others.Keep in mind that the fees are negotiable. For example, you may be able to get a lower fee if you offer to pay a deposit up front. If this works for you, write down a deposit amount that you are willing to pay to h ave your resume writer to write your resume. This gives you the flexibility to change the amount you pay once you are familiar with your resume writer.You might be able to negotiate with your writer in order to cut the fee as part of your business relationships. The writer might be willing to trim the fee as a sign of your commitment to the relationship. Be prepared to negotiate the fee with your writer.You should also consider the fee per hour. With these writers, you might be able to reduce the fees in exchange for a certain amount of hours. If you are willing to commit to having a certain amount of hours written in order to get a lower fee, then this is a good option for you. Some people may not be able to find a writer who will work this way.Ask about the fees for customization. Some companies offer a certain amount of fee for customizations and you might be able to negotiate some of this into the fee. In most cases, if you have a lot of expertise or if you have special skills, you will be able to negotiate this into the fees.If you are only writing a resume and you don't have skills that are required for the job, this is one of the things you might be able to eliminate some fees. Usually these companies will need more information before they will work out the fees, but if you can give them your research on the company you are applying to, they may be willing to work with you. A resume writer will usually offer a lot of guidance to their clients, so you might want to take advantage of this opportunity.These are some of the ways you can determine how much is the fee for writing a resume. It can help you save money and be sure you get quality work done. Be sure to ask as many questions as you can, because you may be able to negotiate the fees.

Performance reviews are a big fat waste of time - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Performance reviews are a big fat waste of time - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Welcome to your annual performance review. In the next 90 minutes we will: Review your performance over the last 12 months Follow up on the goals from last years review Set new goals for your professional development and career Handle any problems you might have had in the last year Fill out this 8-page form required by HR Coach you to better performance Get your totally open and honest feedback to my leadership And of course, we will both pretend that the results of this little chat will not in any way influence the salary adjustments coming up in two months. Now any questions? It seems that no one likes performance reviews. Joel Spolsky, the CEO of Fog Creek Software certainly doesnt: At two of the companies Ive worked for, the most stressful time of year was the twice-yearly performance review period. For some reason, the Juno HR department and the Microsoft HR department must have copied their performance review system out of the same Dilbertesque management book, because both programs worked exactly the same way. First, you gave anonymous upward reviews for your direct manager (as if that could be done in an honest way). Then, you filled out optional self-evaluation forms, which your manager took into account in preparing your performance review. Finally, you got a numerical score, in lots of non-scalar categories like works well with others, from 1-5, where the only possible scores were actually 3 or 4. Managers submitted bonus recommendations upwards, which were completely ignored and everybody received bonuses that were almost completely random. The system never took into account the fact that people have different and unique talents, all of which are needed for a team to work well. (source) Almost every medium-sized or large company does performance reviews. Everybody does it and I think its time to stop! Performance reviews are fundamentally broken. Managers hate them and fear them and resent the drain on their time. Employees often leave reviews demotivated, cynical and with no clear idea of how well theyre doing and how to improve: Research into British workers found a quarter of respondents thought managers simply regarded the reviews as a tick-box exercise, while one in five accused their bosses of not even thinking about the appraisal until they were in the room. Almost half (44 per cent) did not think their boss was honest during the process, 29 per cent thought they were pointless, and a fifth felt they had had an unfair appraisal, according to the YouGov poll of 3000 workers. Only a fifth believed their manager would always act on what came up during the review and 20 per cent said their boss never bothered to follow up any concerns raised. (source) There is a lot of advice out there on how to fix performance reviews but in my opinion, performance reviews would still be worse than uselss, even if we could fix everything that is currently wrong about them and the very fact that companies fell the need to have them, shows that something is seriously broken in our workplaces. Heres why performance reviews and appraisals are such a waste of time and why our workplaces would be better off without them. 1: Everybody hates them Managers actually cite performance appraisals or annual reviews as one of their most disliked tasks (source) and as we saw above, employees dislike and distrust the process too. Performance reviews are supposed to be about giving people feedback on their past performance and setting goals for the future. This is impossible in a format that people dislike this intensely. Studies show that if youre in a bad mood (and lots of people are during their review meetings), youre not open to criticism and suggestions. Youre also almost certainly not in the mood to make big plans for your future growth and development 2: They try to do too much Tom Coens and Mary Jenkins in their 2000 book called Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They Backfire and What to Do Instead argue that employee reviews take on too many tasks at once. Theyre about communications, feedback, coaching, promotion, compensation and legal documentation. Good luck doing all of that in an hour or two! 3: They become an excuse for not talking for the rest of the year Yeah, I know that Johnson in accounting is lagging a little and seems dissatisfied, but his performance review is coming up in 4 months well handle it then. No. No, no, no! In fact, If you have good, open, honest communication between managers and employees, if people constantly know what they do well end where they can improve then you have no need for a formal review process. 4: They are too structured and formal Many companies have noticed that formal reviews are not working and the response, overwhelmingly, has been to formalize them more. There are now more questionnaires to fill out before, during and after for both employees and managers. More boxes to tick. More ratings on a 1-5 scale More time spent preparing. But heres the thing: This actually detracts from the value of the conversation you will have. The more you structure the conversation, the less likelihood that you will actually get to talk about whats important. The more boxes to tick, the more likely it is that it will get treated as an exercise in filling in the blanks. 5: They focus too much on the quantifiable Joel Spolsky has another good example: one friend of mine was a cheerful catalyst, a bouncy cruise director who motivated everyone else when the going got tough. He was the glue that held his team together. But he tended to get negative reviews, because his manager didnt understand his contribution. Many of the most valuable and important things we contribute to the workplace do not fit into those little check boxes. If a manager doesnt understand this during the year, he will most certainly not get it in the performance review. 6: They may not be formally connected with promotions and salary negotiations in reality everyone knows they are A lot of companies have noticed that performance reviews go even worse when they also double as negotiations about salaries and promotions. Consequently they have separated these two processes and will first have appraisals and then later on salary negotiations. Riiiiiight. Does anyone expect this to work? Will managers forget everything they said in the appraisal when setting salaries later on? Will employees fall for this and be more honest, rather than try to make themselves look good? Of course not. But trying to pretend thats the way it works just adds another layer of deception to the whole sorry mess. 7: No one says what they really think Managers can hold back from offering negative feedback because they fear conflict. Employees often dont offer honest criticism of managers and workplaces out of a fear of offending and the knowledge that, regardless of formal policies, the content of this talk will affect your salary. In short, everyone is on the defensive from the beginning. 8: They take a LOT of time Everybodys busy these days, and on top of your regular tasks, once a year you have to find time to prepare for, execute and follow up on the performance reviews. To make matters worse, very few companies factor in this time in peoples schedules and give them a lighter workload during those weeks. This means that rather than doing it right, many people focus on doing it fast and just getting it over with, making the whole process worse than useless. 9: They become a crutch for bad managers If youre not capable of giving your employees regular, specific, timely and relevant feedback (good and bad) you should not be a manager at all. And formal performance reviews are not the solution! The managers who actually do manage to give worthwhile performance reviews are invariably also those who dont need to have them because they already excel at providing regular, constructive feedback. What to do instead A 2006 Harvard Business Review article talks about how to fix employee reviews by doing things like: Have them more often than annually Make their purpose clear Give continuous feedback Add forced ranking of employees (worst idea ever!) But I think the solution is a lot simpler: loseem. Stop having formal employee reviews, whether annual, semi-annual or quarterly. Theyre not only a waste of time, theyre actively harmful to motivation and happiness at work. As Peter Block says in the foreword to the Abolishing Performance Appraisals book mentioned above: If the appraisal process is so useful, we should consider using it in our personal lives. Would we say to our spouse, significant other or intimate friend, Dear, it is time for your annual performance appraisal. For the sake of our relationship and the well-being of the family unit, I want you to prepare for a discussion of your strengths and weaknesses and the ways you have fallen short of your goals for the year. Also, honey, I would like for you to define some stretch goals for the coming year. (source) Good luck with that :o) Your take What do you think? Do you know of companies that have abolished performance reviews? Do you know of any that have them and do them well? What happened at your last performance review? Please write a comment, Id really like to know. Related posts The problem with metrics How NOT to lead geeks Top 5 business maxims that need to go Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Memorial Day Tribute To My Dad, Joseph Caprino - Kathy Caprino

Memorial Day Tribute To My Dad, Joseph Caprino Last week, we buried my father, Joseph Caprino, in upstate NY where I grew up and where he lived for 50 years with my mother.   Dad died at 92 of prostate cancer and suffered from dementia. Its been a very hard several years for him and for my mother in her care of him, during which time he also suffered from scoliosis and spinal stenosis and diabetes, and couldn’t stand erect or walk without assistance.   Watching Dad’s decline was incredibly painful for all who knew him.   He went from a vibrant, brilliant, fun-loving and incredibly active individual who served in WWII as Captain of the 656th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was an avid golfer, and earned 7 patents in silicone rubber technology.   In his last year, he lost his ability to reason and move about, and became dependent solely on the love and care of my mother and the amazing volunteers and staff at the Joan Nicole Prince Home who tended to him tirelessly during the last three months of his life. (Here’s more about Dad’s life.) My mother and I sat with Dad for several hours after he passed, waiting for the funeral home to come and collect his body.   During that time, I had the chance to reflect in a new way on my father’s life and impact on me.   I experienced a myriad of thoughts and feelings that my normal, crazy-busy life and work didn’t allow me to focus on.   I thought about life, death, meaning and purpose, regrets, joy, what makes life worth living and what I want to leave behind.   I had the stunning realization then that no matter how “prepared” you think you are for the loss of a beloved, you’re simply not.   You have to learn and experience through time just how to adjust to being who you are in the physical absence of this individual who helped shaped you into being. The Yiddish proverb “Man plans and God laughs” rings very true to me these days.   My friend Jean shared, Adjusting to the loss of a loved one is a very difficult thing until the memories are fully rooted in the place where our loved ones once were.  So true. There are some vitally important lessons I learned from being Dad’s child, and from observing how he lived his life, even through his suffering at the end: 1.   Live so you have no regrets The experience of losing Dad helped me realize even more clearly how important it is to live your life in a way that you will not regret, bemoan and wish you had done things differently.   Through each choice he made â€" in his words, deeds, and beliefs Dad lived each day to the fullest (we called him the “funster”), embracing each moment as a way to get the most out of life.   I believe he would say now that he had no regrets.   I think too that he knows he always did his best, even if that “best” fell short of what others thought he was capable of.    That inspires me â€" I have a new rule that I’m going to stick to with fierce commitment: “I promise to live each day so that I have no regrets.” How to do that? I’m going to try to always do my very best, forgive myself when I fall down, and let my Highest Self shape my actions. 2. Be impeccable with your word The fabulous book The Four Agreements shares the rule “Be Impeccable with your word” as a core agreement we need to make with ourselves in order to live fully, joyfully, lovingly and meaningfully. Dad followed this principle to the letter.   I kid you not when I say that in my 52 years, I never heard him speak ill of another.   I remember numerous times when I was child coming home from our Greek church services on Sunday in the car, when my sister and I would be ridiculing something we didn’t like, Dad would say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” That was his way of telling us to please stop tearing others down. Since I read The Four Agreements (which was a true life-changer for me), I have tried to be impeccable with my word â€" to not “sin” against myself and others with my words.   Dad paved the way for me to understand that our words can be used as a salve for the soul, or as weapons of destruction. I choose the former. 3. The lasting power of sweet, gentle kindness My dear friend Helen shared with me when she learned that Dad had died: “Kathy, I am so sorry about your dad. I remember him as a truly original character who was so friendly and funny and took me in like his daughters best friend at the airport on our way to London. What a sweetie. I am sorry for your loss.” Helen and I met in the JFK airport when we were 20 years old, on the way to our year abroad program in London.   We’ve been friends ever since, and I never knew she experienced Dad that way or remembered those moments so long ago, and am so grateful to know it now. There was a gentle sweetness and openness about Dad always, even when he said embarrassing things to my friends and I wanted to hide (like, “Hi Sally, you married yet?”).   Everyone loved him despite his flaws.   He never meant ill or harm, and being with him felt to most people like being embraced in a huge, warm bear hug of love and acceptance. In our world today, and in my work in the media in particular, I see how we’ve let so much cruelty, snarkiness, judgment, hatred, cynicism and negatively creep into every moment of our lives.   The news, the media, in our pop culture, we’re bombarded by negativity, fear, pain and suffering.   Call me crazy, but I’d rather focus on gentleness, kindness, love and compassion â€" in the world around me and in what I choose to let into my sphere.   I opt to focus my work and shine my light on people who are changing our world for the better, making their impact in a positive, caring way.   I know this to be true (and it was reinforced in my therapy training) what you focus on truly expands and grows, and you can indeed shape your experience of happiness, joy and fulfillment with committed, conscious action, despite your environment and genetics.   In honor of Dad, I commit to expanding my experience of goodness, love, joy and exuberant fun, just as he did. * * * * * * This Memorial Day weekend, I’d ask you to bring to mind someone who has shaped your life positively.   What did they teach you and how have they influenced your growth?   Write a blog post about it, share a Facebook post, and shine a light on their lessons (and share them here if you would!).   Let’s do one thing today that will honor their memory and make our lives more joyful and meaningful.   Let’s remember those who brought happiness and positivity into our world.  Happy Memorial Day to you, my friends. (Please take a moment too to read about the amazing Joan Nicole Prince Home that cared so lovingly for my dad in his final weeks. Your donations to the home, in honor of all those who could benefit from hospice care at the end of their lives, would be ever so deeply appreciated.)