Category: Interviewing

Job Search Series – Your Positioning Statement

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“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. 

Job Search Series – Five Steps to a Modern, Effective Resume

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Your resume is still your most important marketing tool.

Guest Post by Lyn Nelson

There is a lot of buzz these days about resumes becoming endangered or extinct. LinkedIn is a major resource for recruiters. Employers are checking you out on social media. Applicants are (sometimes successfully) using video resumes or guerilla job hunting tactics. You may opt to use some of all of these avenues (in an intelligent and informed way, of course) as part of your job search. However, most of your job applications will still require the traditional application method that includes - at minimum - a resume. And even if your video resume or LinkedIn profile gets attention, you will still need a strong resume for an interviewer to use. So, make sure your resume is updated and modern to market you most effectively.

Job Search Series – Reduce Stress

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"That the birds of worry and care fly above your head,
this you cannot change.
But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent."
Chinese Proverb

It seems that we humans have an ongoing struggle to reduce stress in our lives. But whether we are coping with our work, social or private lives we can take steps to reduce stress, or as the Proverb says, keep those blasted worry birds out of our hair. 

But, first we should differentiate between chronic stress, which is the kind we wish to lessen, and acute stress, which might not be so bad for us. Studies have shown that the latter in small periodic doses of stress might actually be good for us, boosting our brain cells, focus, memory and resistance to disease. Acute stress comes in handy when cramming for an exam or meeting another deadline, focusing in an emergency, coping with a difficult situation or job hunting.

Dining Etiquette Series – The Wait Staff

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“It's hard to get a dozen CEOs to agree about anything, but all interviewed agree with the Waiter Rule…How others treat the CEO says nothing, they say. But how others treat the waiter is like a magical window into the soul.” ~ USA Today

Whether you’re the host or guest at a business or social function at a restaurant, corporate dining room, banquet hall or your own home, your strongest partnership in such an endeavor will be with the wait staff. As the quote above attests, you’ll be judged by the way you relate to and treat the wait staff.

Dining Etiquette Series – The Power of the Early Arrival

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Ford: …better three hours too soon than a minute too late.
 ~ William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2, Scene 2

“I must have missed it,” said Dumbledore cheerfully. “However, due to a lucky mistake, I arrived at the Ministry three hours early...”
 ~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter Eight, The Hearing  

Both Windsor citizen Ford and Hogwarts’ Professor Dumbledore knew that by arriving early they could accomplish their goals. Three hours might seem to be a bit of an early lead, but I think we’d all agree that it depends on the mission.

The Formal  Affair

If you are invited to a State Dinner at the White House, a charity ball, corporate black-tie dinner, a wedding or similar formal affair, punctuality is crucial. For some occasions, you may receive instructions on the suggested arrival time. In any case, it is advisable to arrive no later than 20 minutes prior to the time indicated on the invitation, and I advise to arrive 30-40 minutes ahead of time, because:

A New Year – A New Start – Dining Etiquette Series

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New Year’s Resolution: Perfect Your Dining Etiquette

To start out the New Year, in a series of posts I’ll be addressing a subject that is essential to the success of every professional – dining etiquette.  In fact, this is such an important topic and of great interest to students and young professionals that in 2013 I will be concentrating on this topic, as well as networking techniques, in my PROWESS Workshops   

An Un”Friend”ly Request

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Are Employers Crossing An Ethical Line By Requesting Facebook Passwords?

To Americans, the right to privacy is a precious freedom.  But, Constitutional issues aside, is your interviewer crossing an ethical line in asking you to provide your Facebook password?    

This dismaying development in the job-seeking process was first reported in March by the Associated Press and has generated a flurry of media commentary in ABC News,  The New York Times and Forbes, to name a few. 

As if your job search wasn’t stressful enough!  Now in addition to constructing the perfect resume, developing your marketing plan, networking and prepping for that hard-won interview, it’s possible that you’ll also be asked to share your Facebook password during the interview and hiring process.  Alternatively, you might be asked to log on to your Facebook page right then and there so the interviewer can take a tour!

Dress to Impress – Men

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The Professional Man’s Capsule Wardrobe Collection

"Clothes make the man,” said Mark Twain.  That saying has never been truer today, with a competitive job market and the importance of looking professional.  It cannot be stated too often that your wardrobe is essential to your professional appearance and career success.  Your professional wardrobe can be daunting to put together.  Thus, a “capsule” wardrobe, a set of clothing items and accessories that work together and can be mixed and matched, is the way to go for men, as well, and will provide variety and sophistication.  When your paychecks start rolling in, you should add pieces to complete or expand your collection. 

Dress to Impress – Women

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The Professional Woman’s Capsule Wardrobe Collection

Your wardrobe is essential to your professional appearance and career success.  For the young woman starting a new job, however, compiling a professional wardrobe can be daunting.  Thus, a “capsule” wardrobe, a set of clothing items and accessories that work together and can be mixed and matched, can be cost effective while providing variety, flexibility and sophistication.  Once you start receiving those paychecks, you can add pieces here and there to complete or expand your collection.

Introductions Deconstructed (Rules and Exceptions) – Part 3: Awkward and Special Situations

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The Rules
(And their Exceptions)
Part Three of Three Entries


This three-part series winds up by focusing on those awkward, unusual, new and special situations.

Who’s that lady?

You’re on vacation with your parents and you see your basketball coach and his wife in your hotel courtyard.  Oh, how cute, they’re holding hands!  Your parents want to meet them, so you walk over only to discover that the woman with your coach is not his wife, to whom you were introduced at your school’s sports banquet last year. 

You say: