8 Ways to “Manage Up” — without Your Boss Knowing You’re Doing It

Beverly Flaxington

A Gallup poll (here’s the link) of more 1 million employed US workers showed that 17% of employee turnover is because of a bad boss or immediate supervisor. But the poll also concluded that 75% of all turnovers are influenced by managers — that is, a bad manager is often the tipping point in an employee’s decision to leave.

In my consulting and coaching work with employees, we spend far too much of our time working on “managing up” — helping employee deal with a difficult or incompetent boss. Oftentimes the boss has an unpleasant manner. The boss is a bully or a poor communicator. Sometimes the boss is disorganized and blames their employee as a result for any ensuing problems. Continue Reading

Interview Follow up for Maximum Success

It never hurts to show your appreciation when someone takes time out to help you.  As a job seeker, learn how you can make a lasting impression after an interview in the following post.

You have a killer resume and you feel like you aced the interview. If you want to maximize the positive impression that you leave following an interview, be sure to send a thank you note to the interviewer.

Link to article:

Interview Follow up for Maximum Success

4 Mistakes Employers Are Sure To Notice

Job seekers must be aware of how they conduct themselves during their job searches.  The following post explains four mistakes that will turnoff employers from these potential employees.

During the hunt for a job, it’s common to continually seek new ways to stand out to your potential employers. While job seekers are busy developing their unique elevator pitches, they might be overlooking the little mistakes that set them apart in a negative way to potential employers.

Not having the success you expected during your job search? Here are four mistakes employers might be noticing:

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4 Mistakes Employers Are Sure To Notice

Interview Answers from The Interview Coach, Carole Martin

Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

Q. In 2010, after getting laid off, I made the decision to put my career on hold so that I could care for my elderly parents. Now I’ve made other arrangements for them, I am able to resume my career path as a software developer. I have been a developer/programmer since the mid 80′s.

I am having a serious problem getting interviews and getting hired. I have no recent professional references. Second, I have some gaps in my employment because of relocation.  Third, I am not up-to-date with current technology.I am in my early 50′s and know no other trade.

Recently my wife lost her job. Until then we had been surviving on her income. Now we are in a dire situation with very little income.

What can you recommend? Continue Reading

Changing Careers or Re-Entering The Workforce – It’s In The Attitude

Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

Changing careers or re-entering the work force can feel very intimidating to someone who is facing a tough job market plus a tough sell. Employers are in the “driver’s seat” with so many applicants to choose from and this can put you in a position of feeling less qualified than others. Continue Reading

How Changing Your Attitude Can Improve Your Resume

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

As job seekers, it’s easy to believe that the process of looking for work is a cut-and-dried experience. You look for a job, type up your resume and cover letter, score an interview, and win the job. It’s easy, right? Well, not quite.

Actually, a lot of time and effort go into the job-seeking process—and how you feel about that process is not exempt from affecting the outcome. Believe it or not, your attitude about the job search could have an adverse effect on how you write your resume. And, of course, if your resume isn’t good, you most likely will not get the job. So how can you keep a good attitude about the job search? Continue Reading

Job Seekers: Keep a Positive Vibe

In recent years, you have constantly heard less than encouraging news about the job market. Whether it is that certain jobs are not coming back or the hardship specific groups of people face in finding employment, there seems to be a doom and gloom perspective about finding work. While you may be unable to control what is said concerning the job market, you can control your attitude; that is what matters most. Consider the following tips to help you keep a positive vibe in your job search: Continue Reading

3 Things You MUST Do to Ace the Job Interview

Congratulations! You landed the job interview. What now?
Many job candidates assume that their resumes will speak for them and that all they need to do is show up for the interview, looking professional and confirming a few questions about their skills. As a matter of fact, the interview is where the candidate needs to really start working! To improve your interview experience and increase your chances of becoming the preferred candidate:
Research. One of the top three deal breakers recruiters and hiring managers have identified is whether the candidate has taken the time to learn about the hiring company. Using the excuse that you’re “just” out of college and new to the job search doesn’t work. To learn more about a company, do an Internet search and review the news coverage, as well as the company’s public Web site (including annual reports and the About Us section, as applicable). You can also ask your friends and colleagues what they know about the company.
Adjust your attitude. Another deal breaker is not having a good attitude. Some employers have even said this is more important to them than the skill level of the individual. They are willing to invest in training if the candidate’s attitude is stellar and a good fit for the company. Always smile, no matter how you feel. Practice answering your interview questions in front of a mirror and check to see if you have a relaxed, approachable (and smiling) visage. Also, avoid using the interview as a platform for voicing your displeasure over your last job, boss, unsatisfactory school project, and so forth. No matter what the truth is, always formulate your answers to be positive and forward-looking. The past is just that. Learn from it and move on.
Create value. Employers prefer that you have the basic required skill set to do the job. To differentiate yourself from all the others who have the required skill set, demonstrate how you can help the company differentiate itself. When you talk about your skills and experience, do it in the manner that demonstrates how what you have done has added value to your past employer or how your unique problem-solving approach has been beneficial in adding value to an internship. Use quantifiable information, discuss efficiencies you’ve introduced and revenue or savings you’ve generated, if at all possible. Simply reiterating your skills in job-description fashion only proves you met the basic job requirements.
Sharon DeLay is a certified career coach with the goal of helping people find jobs they love and love the jobs they have. Visit our website or e-mail us for more information or to subscribe to her twice weekly blog or twice monthly ezine. (c) 2008 Permanent Ink Professional Development Services

A Primer on Interviewing for an Internship

No matter what time of year, it isn’t too early to start thinking about where to intern and how to interview for that position. Some of the preliminary steps to getting the interview are determining what type of work you want to do and then researching the companies that offer that type of work. Those subjects will be dealt with in their turn at another time. But for now, let’s focus on some essentials of interviewing for the internship.

Internships are geared toward providing a person with insider experience of the environment. You get to know the people, the office, the industry. Most importantly, you get hands-on experience with the work so that when your internship is completed, you have the fundamental skills and then some. You’re a valuable player. And given that you’ve done a good job during the internship, you just may have a permanent job offer waiting for your acceptance.

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What Makes a Winner

This week’s issue of BusinessWeek is devoted to competition. How to compete, what is competition, what it takes to win, the importance of winning.

What it boils down to is the fact that in order to be a winner, it’s important to have a winning attitude. The key to success is not seeing a defeat but growth from having made the effort and seen new ground, new alternatives, another way to go after the reward, or just seeing the prize for what it is.

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