Whats the Worst Interview Question to Ask

Whats the Worst Interview Question to Ask Youve probably experienced plenty of job interviews in your time, and whilst you may have prepped yourself as much as possible, there is always that one question you hated being asked. In fact, you hated it that much that now that the shoe is on the other foot you probably avoid asking that question yourself when you are recruiting. Our panel of 10 recruiting experts share their thoughts on what they think is the worst interview question to ask Leela Srinivasan Any question that begins with, “How would you…?” is subjective and not based in reality. If you ask a candidate a hypothetical question, their answer is necessarily made up, and you risk hiring the person who knows what the answer should be rather than the person with the experience to do the job. Much better is starting with ‘Tell me about a time when…’, then probing deeper to understand how the candidate handled the situation and their role in driving impact. In other words, behavioural interviewing for the win :). Leela Srinivasan, Chief Marketing Officer at Lever. Amy Volas Do you have kids? Are you pregnant? Are you in a relationship?   What do you think about todays political climate?   If you were on an island and had to escape and you didnt have tools, food or water, what would you do and how long would it take you? Amy Volas is  Chieftain of Avenue Talent Partners. Lars Schmidt Where do you want to be in 5 years? Its irrelevant to the current interview, and an obvious stock question. Cmon, youre better than that. Show some creativity! Lars Schmidt  is the Founder of Amplify. Chad MacRae What’s your biggest weakness? People just make things up. It’s important to be self-aware, there are other ways to ask that question. Otherwise, you’ll get canned responses. Instead, you might ask: What skill do you feel like you’re still missing? Chad MacRae is the Founder of Recruiting Social. Stacy Zapar I think everyones tired of your greatest weakness by now. Most answers are pretty canned and uninformative anyway. There are different ways to ask that question and get more meaningful responses. Perhaps ask about an area of opportunity in a past review and what steps they took to improve and how it all turned out. ?Much better than hearing Im a perfectionist again and again. Stacy is the Founder of Tenfold The Talent Agency. John Feldmann Interview questions are like a stock investment portfolio â€" diversification is key. Asking too many of any one type of question most likely will not provide the adequate information required to identify a successful employee. Generic “tell me about yourself” questions, behavioral “tell me about a time when…” questions, Google-type brain-teaser questions â€" which are the worst? Limiting the interview process to only one type of question instead of incorporating them all â€" that would be the worst. John Feldmann  is a writer for Insperity Recruiting Services. Erin Wilson Rather than pick specific questions I would say the worst interview questions come from ad hoc interviewing practices. It’s amazing how many companies just wing it. The go through the trouble of lining up 5-6 people or in other words $500-600 of time spent interviewing one person on site. Would you ever spend that kind of money without putting one second of thought into it? I expect to see hiring teams partner with their talent teams to co-design thoughtful processes down to the question showcased by models and an overall interview architecture. Erin Wilson  is Founder and Talent Engineer at Hirepool.io Maren Hogan “Tell me about yourself.” Not only is this an awkwardly, broad question, many people ask this question. You want to ask those curveball questions that generate interesting responses. Especially with our ability to source social media, asking candidates to describe themselves during the interview is an empty question. Ask impactful questions like: what do you do best? Who inspires you and why? What are your expectations? What motivates you to come to work every day? These speak volumes. Maren Hogan is CEO and Founder of Red Branch Media. Craig Fisher What is your current or most recent salary?.   Why?   In the U.S. women earn, on average, 79% of what their male counterparts earn.   One of the few ways to break that cycle is to stop requiring salary history to dictate what a job will pay an applicant.   Ask salary expectations if you must.   But a job should pay an equitable wage, period. Craig Fisher is  Head of Employer Brand, CA Technologies, and Allegis Global Solutions. Will Staney The worst question to ask someone is “What is your biggest weakness?” You’re never going to get an honest answer during an interview. It’s almost setting the interviewee up to lie on your first meeting, setting a precedence that you very well don’t want to set early on. Let the candidate reveal their character early on or by asking other questions and not with silly questions like this one. Will is the  Founder Principal Consultant at Proactive Talent Strategies.

YouTube Resume Writing Tips - 3 Ways to Improve Your Resume

YouTube Resume Writing Tips - 3 Ways to Improve Your ResumeYouTube resumes, which are short documents that are written using video formats as a medium to add a personal touch, have become one of the most frequently used methods in obtaining a job at the most respected recruitment agencies. Thus, you might want to keep in mind the following YouTube resume writing tips. They will help you get more and better results for your resume.One of the most significant YouTube resume writing tips is to make your resume as interesting as possible. You should think about the benefits and challenges of working for your potential employer. You can also write about how you have incorporated video into your resume. You can also add in details about your professional experiences, which can be an added plus factor for your application.Apart from this, you should try to make your resume look more professional, by writing it in a document that is in video format. You can get a professional copywriter to h elp you with this part of the job. This will help you make your resume appear more professional.Another crucial tip is to read your resume through. When you are drafting your resume, you can do so by yourself. This is important because you need to ensure that you spell all the right words. The spelling errors in your resume can be of serious disadvantage to your application.However, if you are still having trouble with your spelling, then you can simply pay for a professional to proofread it for you. You can also write out the name of the employer to be contacted when he or she contacts you. If you are hiring a group of people, then write down the companies that you have signed up.You should also make sure that you have completed your tasks efficiently and effectively, and you have shown that you are able to meet deadlines. This will allow you to be regarded as reliable and an efficient employee. Thus, you can go a step further and make sure that you include all your achievements an d qualifications.Finally, you should also have a good grasp of the type of work that you will be doing on your resume. You should write down the duties that you will be performing on your resume. It is important that you clearly state all of the required qualifications and experiences for the position that you are applying for.A well written resume can always be helpful in getting a job. Make sure that you take advantage of the YouTube resume writing tips to prepare your own resume. It will allow you to easily get accepted to an organization.

How to Run Your Own Mini Vision Retreat - Classy Career Girl

How to Run Your Own Mini Vision Retreat We all love the feeling of January 1st, right? We love looking back over the last year and reflecting on what went well (or what didn’t…) and we love the idea of setting the pace for the year ahead of us. Are you doing this in your professional life, too? I contest that you should. And here’s why: Several years ago, I was in a particular season of life in which I was questioning all things career. Perhaps youve been there too, or maybe youre there now. Either way, Im sure you know how difficult of an inner debate this is. I had many conversations with trusted mentors during this time and one of the greatest bits of wisdom they ever gave me though I didnt know it at the time was to take a personal yet intentional day off of work to reflect and plan. A vacation day. A Personal Day. Paid time off not a weekend. To take this time on a weekend would be to steal precious rejuvenating time with family and friendsand this time of reflection was not to be relaxing or meditative. This was to look at scary truths, ask hard questions, and feel uncomfortable with the answers. I tucked this suggestion away for later, almost forgetting about it until December of 2016 as I was facing self-initiated self-employment. I began getting many words of business wisdom from MANY different sources. All trying to be helpful, but ultimately confusing me and stuffing my brain with more than it was able to fit! My mentor’s words from years before floated like a whisper in my mind: Take a day to reflect and plan. I felt like I could hold myself up in a conference room and just THINK. and REFLECT. And PACE. And MUTTER. So, I did it. I scheduled a day to use a local conference room and held what I called, The First Annual Rogue Business Vision Retreat.” I actually NAMED it. I did! It was magical and I will be doing it more than once a year, perhaps twice or maybe even FOUR times! I believe that whether you own a business, work in a business, or dont work at all, vision retreats should become a part of your year. Many have asked how I run my vision retreats, so I’m happy to offer up some helpful guides as you look ahead to hosting one of your own. How to Run Your Own Rogue Mini Vision Retreat 1. Find a New Space Where You Dont Already Work Removing yourself from the familiar automatically alerts the mind to a new way of thinking. Rent a conference room for an afternoon, reserve a private co-working space, or ask a friend if you can use their office/conference room. No distraction from phone calls, no piles of paper that youll fiddle with when you come to a speed bump in your retreat, no roommates or husbands asking where the trash bags are… just you and this new space that youll be thinking new thoughts in. You will want to find something with just enough space for walking around, but not too much to where you feel distracted. I also suggest finding a place with a MASSIVE whiteboard. Well get to that in a bit. 2. Dress Comfortably, Prepare Snacks, and Bring a Blanket This part sounds obvious until youre one hour into the retreat and you think, boy I could really go for a snack, or, Wow Im cold, but you may not be in a space that offers easily-accessible snacks or you might be in a public space with controlled temperature. So now you have to leave to get nourishment or feel cold for the rest of your retreat time. Focused thinking is hard mental work, and you want to provide the best opportunity for your brain to function at its highest level. So wear those comfy pants and a loose shirt. Put your hair up. OR if you think better when you dress up, do it! You do you! 3. Bring a Whiteboard (Unless There is One Already) and Many Colors of Dry-Erase Markers In fact, this should be the gift every person gets when they graduate high school. A 34 whiteboard with a mass amount of dry-erase markers.  Steve Jobs used whiteboards all the time, and I have a couple in my small attic office. Isn’t everyone’s goal to be cool like Steve Jobs? Why am I so obsessed with whiteboards? Because you can write something down and then erase it. Or move it. Or rewrite it because the first time you wrote it, it was sloppy. Whiteboards force you to literally put a word or an idea on a board with your own hand and DO something with it. Even if its to erase it. Ive found whiteboards to be incredibly helpful in my work life, and I dont know how I ever functioned without them. 4. Name the Day and Make an Agenda. Type it in Word and Print it Out This  will feel really, really ridiculous. But get used to that, because youre going to need to get over doing lots of silly things like talking to yourself as you run your own meeting (because who else will?). Making a literal agenda will help you in a multitude of ways but most importantly: Your mind will only take something as seriously as you tell it to. Make an agenda with a schedule (yes, starting and ending times), talking points, objectives, and be ready to make a list of actionable ideas. Here are some suggestions to help you start your first vision retreat: What are words to describe yourself? Your business? Your Art?  Use this tool to help guide you in this exercise. What are your ACTIONABLE goals for your artistic, business, or personal life in 6 months? 1 year? 5 years? What are your dreams? Do they scare you? If not, dream bigger. Use the words and goals of yours and write a Personal Mission Statement that touches on your relationships, profession, and, if applicable, your art. For the self-employed: Who is your ideal client? What have you learned about yourself in the last 6 months? For those unsure of their current career path: Write an exhaustive list of the things that come naturally to you in your current job, and also things that you love to do. Then, write the opposite. Things that arent natural to you, and things you dont love to do. For those confused about anything and everything: Been there. Just write it on the whiteboard. Evaluate what you write. See what happens next. Prepare questions you want answered, but give yourself grace to let some things go unsolved:  Write down a list of questions you want answered. For my most recent retreat, I wanted to know what tasks I LOVED in my first six months of my self-employed time. I ended up not having a concrete list, but it did spur me on to other topics I didnt even realize I had questions about! Write every single question down that your mind has spinning in it. Everything. Even down to What will I make for dinner. Get it all out. Make room on the shelves in your brain to fill with new ideas! [RELATED: How To Envision a Great Future Career For Yourself] 5. Run Your Own Meeting I alluded to this earlier but I want to expound. If youre the only one in the room, then you are the one running the meeting. Use this as practice for running meetings in the future. Call the meeting to order, welcome the attendees. I kid you not, I literally said at my first meeting: I want to welcome everyone here today. Members in todays meeting include Leslie Thompson the marketer, Leslie Thompson the manager, Leslie Thompson the entrepreneur, and Leslie Thompson the chicken nugget. Welcome, all! Im excited for today! Dont feel weird. Set yourself up for focus and awareness! 6. Try to Stay Off of the Wifi and Hide your Phone I would say to leave your computer behind, but sometimes the vision retreats require research and comparison, and taking notes in a word processor is helpful, especially if you want to archive the things you touched on. Do try to administer self-control and dont get TOO distracted. Though I do believe that every hour or so a good ole youtube video (like this one.dont you just want to click on it?.) might help give your brain a short break. 7. Take #Selfies Document the day. Document the process. Document the excitement in your eyes after you spend a couple hours being intentional about how youre spending your time. Heres one of mine if youre needing some inspiration. Im always up for sharing a #selfie or two. I could go on with more suggestions, but I would prefer you try it for an afternoon and see where your mind takes you. Schedule it NOW! Your thinking pattern should be structured but allow space for meanderingso there will be moments of uncertainty, and you should always feel free to follow all rabbit trails you come across, but ultimately know where the main road is. I trust that this exercise will prove to be an important part of your year as it has become in mine youll look forward to it and begin to find your own flow during these retreats. Some may be longer than othersbut ALL will be beneficial. Would love to hear what you think about this, so please do share feedback  here.

7 things you dont know about women and work

7 things you dont know about women and work One of the earliest pieces of advice I got when I started getting paid to write was to not write about women. So I have spent a good part of my career trying to figure out how much of myself to put in the picture. My first monthly column was in Business 2.0 magazine, and every time I wrote about women my editor deleted the section. When I insisted on writing about what its like to be pregnant   he fired me and suggested that I try to write for Yahoos women section. I didnt, of course. I wrote for their finance section, because thats where you get paid the most. And they fired me because the stuff I wrote geared toward women was off-topic. When I negotiated my first book deal, I had to present a ton of metrics to show that my audience was half men. And when I was just writing for myself on my own blog, and I could write about whatever I want, I realized that if I wrote about women and sex, men would stick with me through the women stuff. (Heres a link to women and sex for men who are about to give up on this post.) This is all to say that todays post is death to professional writing. The more I write about women the more career trouble I have. But people send me tons of great research about women and work, and it piles up, because I get scared to write too many posts about women. Heres the best from my pile: 1. Women make the best fighters. I have documented this on a small scale with my bickering at work  and at home. However now its clear that this goes beyond psychic war: Women are more ruthless in life-or-death battle than men are as well. This research comes from the Council on Foreign Relations. In an interview with a retired Colombian colonel about  his experiences fighting female members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), he said that any sensible soldier would shoot the women first. The women had a Kamakaze-like mentality that made them the most deadly opponents. 2. Women keep other women from getting ahead.  I know you know this intuitively, but heres research to back your intuition: Young human resource employees have a bias against interviewing pretty young women. Bradley Ruffle, economist at Ben-Gurion University,    attributes this tendency to our evolutionary goal of competing against other women. Also, women enjoy being the only woman in their arena, according to research from Michelle Duguid, professor of organizational behavior at Washington University, (via The Economist). Women see their solo stature as special (a perception which is likely valid) and women are likely to balk at adding another woman when they are the token woman. 3. US women would rather clean than take care of kids.  It turns out that social pressure in the US to work full time is as bad as social pressure to be thin. Its true that women are leaving the workforce in droves to take care of their kids. But polls show theyd rather work part-time. In case you thought some women were born to stay home and take care of kids, most find it difficult but they do it anyway. How do we know? Economist Daniel Kahneman writes, in his book Thinking Fast and Slow,  that its more pleasant for women to mop the floor than take care of kids. Which is why I bought a $300 vacuum cleaner. Because there is something really pleasing about being able to turn on the vacuum and clean things up. Whereas the efforts I put into my kids at any given moment often turn out to be useless. 4. Dutch women work part-time and dont care that they have no power.  Seventy-five percent of women who work in the US work full-time. And they say they dont want to, according to Pew Research. Their instinct is right that they will feel better. We know this because Dutch women work part-time and they are happier, according to a piece by Jessica Olien, in  Salon. Very few Dutch women work full-time and very few say they want to. It turns out that the real barrier to women being happy with their choices is women feeling okay with a sub-par career. Which is not surprising. Women like being high achievers. Look at school: women are outscoring men to the point that its easier to get into college if youre male.  Women graduate college at a higher rate than men and women earn more than men in their 20s. Its crushing for women to get accolades their whole life and then give it up. 5. Canadian women feel pressure to leave work for one year for each new child.  Can you imagine the US workforce if our culture said taking leave from work is what successful women do? The woman whos the director of development for my reality TV show  is from Canada, and she just came back from a year-long maternity leave. When I commented about what a big deal that is, she said that in Canada maternity leave is state funded, so people wonder whats wrong with you if you dont take it. When we talk about what cultural pressures women have, I think the biggest one is to perform at a high level in the workplace. But the workplace for high achievers is absolutely not set up for people with children. 6. US  Moms who launch startups have rich husbands.  The hardest part of a startup is the long hours coupled with insane instability. Which means that most women have no interest in startups. However, a startup is the perfect way to have control over your work life and still have interesting work if you can fund the startup yourself. The New York Times has an article about this that is full of good examples of moms who are using a startup this way. The average age for a first-time entrepreneur is 39. Women who do this and have kids are women who have rich husbands. Why? Because women would not do a risky venture like a startup if they were risking money they needed to put a house over their kids heads. Women would not do a startup if they couldnt afford full-time child care. And women would not have a career big enough to fund a startup themselves if they also had young kids. What if you dont have a rich husband? Have kids early, wait until they are grown up, and then do a startup. 7. Most women dont care about being right. They want to be liked. The majority of women have an F in their Myers Briggs score, which means they care more about feelings than ideas. I am not burdened with this F trait. In fact, like most entrepreneurs, I care more about being right than earning money. Which is why I can throw caution to the wind and continue writing about women. And maybe its okay that I keep losing gigs because I write about women, because earning a lot of  money makes you mean, and  thats true for men as well as women.

Getting Help With Your Resume in Tualatin

Getting Help With Your Resume in TualatinIf you are looking for the most effective way to write a resume, then consider yourself lucky because Oregon has the perfect options for you. Resume writing in this state is made easy by the specialists who can assist you with the process. The best part about hiring them is that they will not only guide you with the process of writing your resume but also provide you with tips and tricks on how to improve it as well.Hiring resume writers in Oregon means you will have someone by your side every step of the way, ensuring that you will not miss anything, make any mistakes or come up with the best resume possible. They will be with you every step of the way and you can even be able to connect with them anytime as and when you need their help. There are people who often forget that there are other things to consider when it comes to writing a resume. A professional will help you make sure that the information you give about yourself and your skills and abilities are absolutely accurate.You should consider hiring a resume writer in Tualatin if you need to write a resume that is impressive enough to get you the job you want. The professionals who work in this region know exactly what it takes to get their clients noticed. This is because they are able to give practical advice on what to include and what to leave out in your resume. The most important thing about writing a resume is that it should be able to stand on its own merit, so you should also be very careful in what you put in your resume.The staff of a resume writing company in Tualatin will guide you by pointing out what can be included and what should be left out. It is all about being creative when it comes to your resume and making sure that it is able to catch the attention of the employer. You can still choose what to leave out of your resume and what to include depending on what the employer requires of you.There are times when employers can be very picky when it comes to hiring people for their company. Most of them are looking for people who have good work ethics and they want to see that they are indeed interested in your job. By using a professional, you can ensure that you are getting a favorable response from the employer.Oregon has numerous companies that offer resume writing services. To get the most out of them, make sure that you look into the various aspects of the services. Look into the amount of time it takes for them to prepare your resume, the level of expertise they have, what the packages include and what the payment is like.When it comes to writing a resume, you should be aware that there are many things that can go wrong when you are preparing it. For example, the mistake you made in the past can often come back to haunt you if you do not understand what you are supposed to be doing. It is wise to make sure that the resume you are about to write is professional and does not contain any errors.After you have finished the resume, you can send it off to the employer. Hiring professional writers in Tualatin means you will not be paying for their services and you can send the resume off at your own time. It is also wise to be cautious when you are hiring people to write resumes because not all of them are trustworthy.

9 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp During Unemployment

9 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp During Unemployment I am surprised how many job seekers become dull during unemployment. Now we can discuss how he or she becomes dull while working a job, but that is for another time. Dull people miss opportunities passing under his or her nose. WAKE UP! Is this you?Working a temporary or contract position is the ultimate because you’re earning while building relationships with your co-workers.Of course, we have to include a side hustle. That can also fill in space.evalIf you’re not working in some capacity, laziness could be at your doorstep. Yes, you become lazy, sleepy, and sedentary! It affects everything and every part of your life.Here are a few signs you’re becoming dull during this time of your life:You are not meeting new people and perhaps too comfortable around people who don’t care enough to challenge you.You can’t sit down to read for more than a few minutes without agitation.Your health is declining, moody, and not eating as healthy as you can.You’re finding comfort and compl acency OK by casually responding to job leads.You’ve given up on hope and faith in your abilitiesâ€"you’ve become a settlerâ€"you’ll take anythingHere are a few suggestions to remain sharp during a long search:1. Find a place outside your home to read career and job search related articles, books, or videos. I find it useful especially in meeting others and adding to your network.2. Join a Job Club (they still exist), LinkedIn groups, Twitter chats. Challenges aren’t always direct, but when you hear other people’s successes and failures, you’re more motivated. Then when you’re succeeding is certain parts, you can encourage others. Courage, patience, persistence, perseverance, and resilience if often underestimated and underused in our lives. You can’t put a price on those attributes. Or, you can create one and invite those in your neighborhood.3. Get out and workout. If you don’t have a gym membership (by the way, check out your local YMCA, park district, for affor dable memberships), then look up “Playground Workouts” on YouTube. There are many rigorous and challenging workouts to learn and do. It has been proven exercise challenges you mentally.4. Read and write. It doesn’t have to be something career related. You just need to feed your brain in a way to keep you sharp. Too many people want to sit in front of the television or computer to participate in mindless activities. It is better to be in learning mode than distracted. Writing will counteract dullness even quicker (that was a non-scientific statement). Crossword puzzles help as well as writing poetry.5. Teaching/coaching/instructing/mentoring. Career related is a first choice although you’re not limited to your industry. I would say even helping your kids with homework is a way to remain cognitively engaged. If you don’t have kids, volunteer. Tutoring is useful to your mind and skills.6. Volunteer. It’s a great way to hone and build skills best to market yourself. Experien ce you lack volunteering can help you get what you need to get hired. If you’re looking for a leadership position then joining a board of directors is not hard at all. Sometimes, there is a vetting process, but most non-profits are looking to fill seats.7. Keep a schedule. When you’re unemployed, it is a very good time to maintain or gain discipline. A schedule will sharpen your focus and impress people you network with because you have a purpose. Even if you’re single and living at home with your parents, a schedule will help keep you discipline. It’s best to fill your schedule, especially during the week.8. Practice interviewing. Since there are so many books to read with interview questions, it’s hard to narrow down to one choice. But more importantly than the book, practice with someone who can help you get better in answering questions.9. Help and serve family or extended family members. Why shouldn’t others benefit from your extra time? When you focused on yourself , there are temptations of depression and unhealthy doses of isolation. When you look for opportunities to give to family members, it only makes the time you spend serving better and more fulfilling.There are so many other ways to sharpen your mind at a time.It happens too often where people will go to interviews stumbling on frequently asked questions, unfocused, and lacking clarity. I have had clients who were asked in an interview what they have been doing during unemployment. Employers want to hear more substantive than, “Looking for a job.”

7 tips for re-entering the workforce

7 tips for re-entering the workforce Maybe your firstborn child came into the world. Perhaps you had to care for an aging parent. Or, quite possibly, you just packed it all up one day and decided to travel the world. Whatever the case, people leave the workforce every day for extended periods of time. Some never come back, but others decide they want to return or quite simply, financially-speaking, they need to return. When someone hasn’t held down a full-time job for a number of years and then decides to come back to work, doing so is not always easy. Things change over time. Skills might be outdated. Technology has changed. Best practices 10 â€" or even five â€" years ago are long gone. Where do you start? Integrating back into the workforce can be challenging, but it is doable if you are properly prepared. Where do you start? Sharon Schweitzer, founder and CEO of Protocol Etiquette Worldwide, left a good job as an employment attorney and took a two-year sabbatical in the Czech Republic to research her genealogy and learn the language. When she was ready to re-enter the workforce, she realized bridging the cultural divide was much more fulfilling for her than litigating it in the courtroom. Schweitzer began educating herself with formal intercultural training, and today she advises Fortune 50 companies on intercultural and international etiquette. She says even though re-entering the workforce might feel like you’re starting over, you can leverage your past employment while focusing on the new opportunity you’re after. Sharon’s seven strategies to make a smooth transition back to the workforce: 1. Analyze your decision to return Ask yourself some very important questions: How enthusiastic are you about returning to employment right now? Intuitively, do you feel ready to return? What are your child care or parent/family responsibilities? Do you have back-up support from your significant other, family, and friends? 2. Easily explain gaps in employment When it comes to the past “chapter” of your life, many job candidates worry about the gap in employment. It can simply be stated as, “head of household,” “travel blogger,” etc. When you go in for the interview, you can explain in more detail the reason for the break and what you learned from it. 3. Brush up your skills Consider taking a course or doing a certificate program to update your skills, or check with your local community college or YWCA/YMCA for affordable courses. Research industry trends, leading employers, and key players. Join professional associations, review websites, and read trade journals. Be able to speak knowledgeably about what’s happening and who’s hiring. 4. Dress the part Confidence starts from within. Make sure the person staring back at you in the mirror is beaming with pride, confidence, and is ready to conquer the world. Assess your hair, wardrobe, and all that impacts a first impression. 5. Have your pitch down pat Confidence is more than just appearance. It’s a huge boost to draft and practice an updated career pitch and “elevator speech” with nonjudgmental friends and family. Know how you’re going to respond when someone asks you, “What do you do? 6. Focus on relationships If you’re having trouble re-entering the workforce, sometimes it really is about who you know, so start networking. While many people turn to online networking or social media these days, nothing beats good old-fashioned in-person networking. Schedule breakfast, coffee, and lunch to meet face-to-face with your network of personal and professional contacts, and share the news that you’re looking for a new position. The most crucial message to deliver when you’re re-entering the workforce is how you are chomping at the bit to return to work. Your high level of enthusiasm and eagerness to attack a new opportunity with vigor makes you stand out. 7. Don’t settle What if the dream job you finally get doesn’t turn out to be so dreamy after all? Like most things in life, it’s best to love what you do. If you find that the new job leaves you empty or dissatisfied â€" or it isn’t a good fit or not what you were hoping for â€" sometimes it’s better to move on. Not only are you going to be unhappy if you stay, but your lack of enthusiasm and negativity will impact others around you and show up in other areas of your life. Keep looking and find your way to a rewarding career in corporate America, another industry, or running your own business. When it’s time to get back into the workforce after a break, start preparing a few months ahead of time. Not only could it take you some time to find a good position, it’s also going to take you awhile to get your A-game back. But don’t be disheartened. Once you reclaim that forgotten knowledge and get back into the groove, it will feel like you never left.

Career Corner Love Your Job! Finding Fulfillment at Work Part III - Hallie Crawford

Career Corner Love Your Job! Finding Fulfillment at Work Part III Today we continue with step 2 of our 5 step process to help you get started on identifying your Career Values and making changes to feel more fulfilled at work. Step Two: Circle those Career Values which are present in your current job and which are not. For example, if you have a value of achievement but you don’t get to see the results of your work every day, you may feel unfulfilled. Your value of achievement is not being honored. Circle it. Do the same for the other values on your list. Keep this list in front of you for the next week to add and delete things from your list. Notice when you aren’t enjoying a task at work, does it step on your values? Make a note of the times when you aren’t feeling fulfilled and what was happening at the time. What values were not being honored at that time? Need help clarifying your Career Values? Here’s a quick solution…a Jumpstart Career Coaching Sesssion. In this one-hour session you get to ask as many questions about your career goals as time permits. If you feel stuck where you are and just need a little boost to get you moving forward, sign up now. For free tips, tools, and expert advice on finding a career youre passionate about, visit my Web site at www.halliecrawford.com. Heres to having a career your love!