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I recently received a question from one of my blog followers, Cindi, about how to beat an internal candidate in a job interview.  I've never been asked this before but I think its a great question!

Cindi says: “I have read and will continue to read, your columns and articles on your website and I find them informative and useful (Thanks, Cindi!). I work full-time as an Administrative Assistant and I have been looking to switch to a different employer – into the community college area – still as an Executive Assistant. I have had two interviews, called back for a second interview and even had that third follow-up phone call. I am one of the final two candidates; however, the internal candidate always wins out at the end. The employer’s only reason is “the internal candidate will make the transition easier”. How ...

It's a new year and for many...that means a new career or job search. If that's you, you're in good company. This is one of the most popular times to job search. As I coach whose worked with 200+ clients, I see job seekers with various levels of knowledge and comfort when it comes to how to navigate the modern job search. I see the differences between those are successful and those who just complain and bad mouth recruiters all day and wonder why they aren't employed.

If you are planning to change jobs this year, consider what's changed in the last few years.

The 2019 job search is...

Digital. We all know how much online job boards have the changed the search process. But the onset of this technology doesn't give you carte blanche ...

Do you struggle with how to “sell” yourself to employers? Do job interviews make you nervous? This is a common struggle those who are looking for a better job. However, I believe that the best interview is the authentic interview. Rather than selling yourself, you need to just be yourself. Confidence and authenticity are key to positioning yourself for the job that you deserve.

First, we have to acknowledge that most interview questions are complete garbage. Truly, they are.

Where do you see yourself in five years?” (Is anyone going to answer that honestly and do they even know??)

Or, how about this one: “If you were an animal, what would you be?” (This is a REAL interview question!)

Most interviewers are not trained in interviewing. They are busy with ...

You might be wondering why I’m telling you in the title of this article to stop networking. Isn't that what every job seeker is supposed to do all day long??

Networking has become synonymous with just handing out business cards and hoping someone will give you a job, and this is why so many people hate it and avoid it. This is a very powerless way to approach a job search. I want to put the power back in your hands and reveal what it means to make true connections and how it can make all the difference in your career. So if you’ve ever been told to network but don’t know what that means, this article is for you.

The most successful job seekers view networking as an opportunity to connect with others to ...

 

Finding a new job after being let go can be an intimidating experience. It's natural to feel a range of emotions you get fired. Many people feel frustration and anger towards their previous employer, as well as uncertainty about their future prospects. Having to explain a termination in an interview is difficult, something most people probably aren’t looking forward to doing.

On this topics, the following question came to me recently from a listener of my podcast: “How do I get around answering honestly that I've been fired from a job? I've read all the online answers. They're still too vague.”

Yes, many online answers are vague because the answer really depends on your situation. The best rule of thumb though is to be honest without divulging more than needed. What might ...

https://youtu.be/PcbctFQ-Gxk

Long-term unemployment is generally defined as being unemployed for 6 months or more. No one ever intends to find themselves in that category, but it happens. It happens even to smart, experienced people. Brilliant people. I know because I've worked them and gotten them out of their unemployment. Job searching is a skill that has to be learned and it's certainly not taught in schools.

Here are several tips that will help you get off of the unemployment carousel...

Update your skills. Having out of date skills will kill your job search, especially if you are in technology, but even if you aren't. While you are not working, that is the BEST time to take classes, earn certifications, and so on. Not only will you get out of the house and be more productive, you ...

It's every job seeker's goal to find a new job as fast as possible. No one wants to spend one minute more on their job search than they have to, and I don't blame them.  I teach my clients a proven, three-step process that involves researching potential employers, making contact at your target companies and then applying as the last step.

Naturally, we're all looking for a shortcut, though. The job search express lane, if you will. This causes a lot of people to skip the first two steps in the process and go right to applying for the job without any research or contact with someone at the company. And as a result, their search ends up taking longer and longer.

Now, factor in being a 50+ job seeker, and the process gets even harder. I primarily work ...

In part one of this series, we laid the foundation for what you really need to focus on in order to convert your interviews into offers (hint: it’s not the resume). Here are the remaining three factors that you need to consider.

Give compelling examples of your past success. I teach my coaching clients the CAR format that easily pulls out accomplishments and keeps your answer focused and on point, eliminating the needs for the interviewer to ask follow up questions. Always be specific and brief and never give generalizations. One specific example is worth a thousand generalizations.

Ask thoughtful questions at the end of the interview. When given the opportunity, always ask the interviewer questions. Ask questions not just for the sake of asking but ones you’d actually want to know the answer ...

Many of my clients focus heavily on the role of the resume in their job search, believing that a better resume will get them the job. Sometimes that is the case, but let’s be clear here folks, resumes don’t get people jobs. Your resume will get you interviews (sometimes), but interviews are what get you job offers.

Time after time, the clients who get the best and fastest results in their job search campaigns are the ones who take a comprehensive approach and invest time, money and effort into improving their interviewing skills, as well as their resume.

Strong interviewing skills + strategic networking +referrals = job offers.

In this two-part series, I will outline five specific steps you can take to elevate your interview performance and increase the number of offers you receive: <...

If you've looked for a job at all in the last few years, you know that the recruiting landscape has changed dramatically. Many people still underestimate the role of social media in their job search though. If you don't have a clean, professional and value-based presence online, it will affect your job search results.

According to research done by JobVite in 2016, over 90% of employers now use social media in some way to screen job candidates before hiring them. This number has increased dramatically in the last ten years. In addition to viewing your profiles, they are also doing basic online searches to see what kind of results your name produces.

Let's take a look at some recent research and see exactly how deeply social media ...