It happens more often than you think: You apply for a job that sounds like the perfect fit and arrive at the interview ready to sell your skills and expertise. A few minutes into the interview, however, it becomes clear that the position for which you applied is definitely not the position they’re talking about […]
Continue readingConfidence, preparation, and playing it cool are the keys to getting what you want I was interviewing for my second job after university, I really wanted (and needed) the position, and after a couple of preliminary sessions with HR, I had a ‘final’ interview with the president of the company, a self-made, wealthy man who […]
Continue readingIn dating or job-hunting, we all just need some closure. We’ve all been there: You make the shortlist for a particular job, and maybe even have a preliminary interview; you get psyched up about it, do your research, envision yourself working in a new environment, and check your voicemail and email 42 times a day […]
Continue readingWhen I started high school, my mother was at pains to impress the following advice on me: “It’s very important that you get a reputation as a first-class student right from the beginning. It’s about expectations: If teachers approach your work expecting it to be worthy of an A, they’ll be less critical; if they […]
Continue readingGetting a raise is a lot easier when you can demonstrate you’re making a positive difference to the bottom line One of the questions I get most often from junior and intermediate workers is this: “How do I get a raise? I’ve been working at this company for a year now, and they seem […]
Continue readingThe other day I got a call from a recruiting colleague whose judgment I trust. “I sent you a fantastic candidate for that IT consultant role I know you’ve been working on,” he told me. “But he says he sent you his resume last week and still hasn’t heard from you. How come you haven’t […]
Continue readingIt happens more often than you think: You’ve been looking for a new job for ages without success, and then suddenly you receive two job offers more or less simultaneously. Why does this happen? Well, it’s probably because as you’ve gone through the job-seeking process, you’ve gotten better at targeting the right opportunities for you, […]
Continue readingThe job interview is oftentimes the last barrier to entry that prospective employees face when attempting to land a new job. From the employer’s perspective, the job interview is meant to accomplish three major things. First, the employer is interested in making sure that you have the requisite skills to actually perform the tasks you’re […]
Continue readingIt’s flattering to get offered a job. That doesn’t mean you should accept. The only thing worse than being stuck in a job you hate for years on end is taking a job only to flee from it 3 months later. A company who invests time and money to onboard you only to lose you […]
Continue readingThe working world is smaller than you think. Leaving a bad impression can have long-term consequences. Last week I was out for dinner with a friend who related this story: Three years ago, she was working as the marketing director for a small-but-growing business, which needed a junior designer-slash-social media manager to support increased demand […]
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