"Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress." ~ Mahatma Gandhi There have been a number of reports over the past two years of political disagreements, especially over the 2016 presidential election, driving a wedge between friends and family members. A radio interview of a father and son revealed their divide. An on-air TV interview highlighted … Continue reading Agree to Disagree Agreeably
Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious." ~ Will Rogers Will Rogers (1879-1935) was considered one of the wisest men of his time and one of the greatest wits. He once said, "I never met a man I didn't like." That might seem like a bit of a stretch for most humans, but a twist on … Continue reading A Sense of Humor is Good For Your Health and Good For Business
The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting. ~ Fran Lebowitz A long accepted workplace practice when women and men are present in any kind of meeting -- regardless of the industry or setting -- is men speak and women listen, or women speak and men interrupt them. On the whole, women … Continue reading We Interrupt this Woman…
"A company can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on firewalls,
intrusion detection systems and encryption
and other security technologies,
but if an attacker can call one trusted person within the company,
and that person complies, and if the attacker gets in,
then all that money spent on technology is essentially wasted."
~ Kevin Mitnick
Before the birth of the Internet, security breaches involving social engineering were in full force via the telephone and fax machines.
One well-known ongoing scam has involved telephone con artists posing as company-approved vendors. They'll call various departments in organizations until they reach someone willing to cooperate by providing equipment serial numbers, allegedly for repair or supply-ordering purposes. The scammers will obtain the name of the person who provided them with the information and then send invoices to the company for phony supply or equipment repair orders with fingers crossed that no one will check and simply pay them. Another scam involves obtaining those serial numbers and employee's name again, shipping below-standard supplies "authorized" by the employee, and then sending an invoice, usually for a charge far above what the supplies are worth. These scams don't work in every case, but they work often enough to keep them going.
Do not greet people with hand-shaking, avoid body contact with others
until the crisis is over. ~ World Health Organization
There is irony in the cultural lore of handshaking having originated in Europe during the Middle Ages as a lifesaving measure to demonstrate that neither person was carrying a weapon in his hand or up his sleeve, and today's declarations from medical experts that handshaking could possibly be a life-threatening gesture because it can transmit deadly viruses and bacteria.
The Post-Interview Written Thank-You
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.
~ James Allen
You’ve reached the end of your interview, or in some cases several interview sessions. Do you feel as though you’ve nailed it and the prize is yours? Or aren't you sure? In any case, now is not the time to drop the ball! You need to implement your follow-up strategy, starting with your written thank-you.
After the Event
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less
than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. ~ John F. Kennedy.
Your networking event is over, and now your real work begins! It’s time for action on your part. I’ve included a checklist below to help get you going:
"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you
had to overcome to reach your goals." ~ Booker T. Washington
An important element of your communications strategy is to identify and demonstrate to others your ability to get the job done through stories about your accomplishments. Employers, as well as recruiters and others who can connect you to employers, want to know about your problem-solving, leadership and team building skills and these can aptly be portrayed through stories that may be told at job interviews as well as -- when appropriate -- networking events, casual conversations and correspondence (cover letters, follow up thank-you letters, etc.).
“Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
~ Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!
Now that you have completed your prototype resume that you will customize for each position to which you apply, and have an understanding of the principles of the cover letter (see the previous three guest posts by Lyn Nelson), let’s turn now to your positioning statement. This composition is also referred to as your 30-second elevator pitch because it should be short and concise enough to recite between floors as you are riding up or down in an elevator – because you never know when you will run into someone important and you only have a few seconds to take advantage of the opportunity to make your case.
Nick: You got us a job at Google?
Billy: Well, not a job job. It’s an interview for an internship that could lead to a job. Nick, this might be the last chance that we’ve got.
~The Internship
While internships are not always the last chance (in fact, they really should be the first chance), they are a vital part of a student's college career. So, if you're a high schooler who is preparing for other aspects of college, make sure to keep internships high on the list as well.
