I’m Looking for a Job. Let Me Know if You Hear of Anything.

April 8, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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I don’t know about you but I get a number of broadcast emails that say something like, “I’m looking for a job. Let me know if you hear of anything.” In most cases, I don’t know the sender and even in those cases when their names are familiar, I’m not aware of their talents or the specific jobs they are seeking. As a result, I’m not a good resource for them in their job search. Continue reading →

What Does It Take?

November 26, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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What does it take to advance in an interview? There are many personality attributes that impact the outcome of that first interview: Your energy, your self awareness, your level of preparation, your curiosity, and your sense of optimism. Those elements, if positive, in combination with being a reasonable match to the opportunity, should move you through to the next round. What does it take to improve your odds of keeping your job or getting another? Continue reading →

Four Completely Avoidable Mistakes by Job Seekers

October 15, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Job seekers, you, like the rest of us, are human (that was never in doubt) and like the rest of us, you can make mistakes. Here are some of the avoidable mistakes I see you making that not only trip you up, they cause your job search to take longer than necessary. You don’t know what you’re looking for and expect the interviewer to figure it out for you. They don’t. They won’t. Hear that Continue reading →

Get Out of Your Way, and Get the Job

October 8, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Old habits can get in the way when you’re looking for work, especially if you’re used to people calling you instead of you calling them and when you’re expecting job offers to appear without doing the heavy lifting. Open-ended, ambiguous questions have a way of messing with your head if you prefer the kind with “yes” or “no” answers, and trusting yourself more than the wisdom of others can be a let down when they Continue reading →

Get Organized in 3 Easy Steps

September 2, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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If you’re among the  “organizationally challenged” you can understand the dilemma this job seeker finds himself: “I was excited. I had an interview. The first one I’d landed in over a month. I didn’t know how to find the company so I called their switchboard to get directions.  That was smart, right? Except my call somehow went through to the president of the company. He was very patient with me, even when I couldn’t find Continue reading →

Sharpen Your Communication Skills

July 9, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Sharpen your writing and speaking skills folks, because the lights are on and they’re shining on you. With every resume, cover letter, telephone call, networking meeting and interview, you’re presenting your skills and abilities in the two ways most of us have learned to communicate; you’re either writing or talking. You better be good at both. A worried reader comments that, “Introverts like me don’t have a chance against extraverted competition.” Instead of focusing on your Continue reading →

Confidence

June 18, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Bam. That’s the sound of your confidence hitting bottom.  The longer you’re out of work, the bigger the hit your confidence takes. Pretty soon you’ll have trouble remembering what you did well and why anyone was foolish enough to pay you for doing it. The good news is, you’re not alone. The bad news is, there’s no great comfort in having company. Is there real reason to be concerned? No, you are employable, you do Continue reading →

Try Again

August 14, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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If you’re willing to think through your answers and select the responses most likely to lead where you want to go, you can turn a potentially difficult interview into an honest, open exchange of relevant information. When you’re asked, “why were you fired?” don’t play victim or blame the person who fired you. Accept accountability for your role in the outcome and connect your strengths to what employers want and say they need. Why did Continue reading →

Rise & Shine

August 7, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Rise and shine. I understand you have a job search to conduct, a position to secure and a success story to write; that the company you’re in and the job you’ve had were good enough when you signed on, but that’s changed. What happened? “When I got this job I had a college degree and three years experience under my belt; I was just beginning to realize that I had something to offer an employer.  Continue reading →

The Dream

June 13, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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You’re having a struggle. You’re trying to identify the career direction your life should take and despite your best efforts you can’t figure it out. You’ve sought advice from your best friend to your dad’s business partner; you’ve read self-help books, walked in the woods, read the want ads, and nothing’s helped. Then, one night, you have a dream… You’re standing in the great check-out line of life, and you’re handed a clip board and Continue reading →

Five Fresh Tips

February 21, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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By request, I’ve prepared some interviewing tips for you. If you like these, you’ll get five more next week. Extraverts! Don’t talk too much! You’re so good with words you don’t seem to know when to stop using them and you’re talking your way in and out of great opportunities. Instead, stay on point and make your points calmly and succinctly. Don’t repeat yourself. And don’t interrupt. Sell yourself on track record and potential, not Continue reading →

Question: The Job Search

December 13, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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Thanks for sending me your questions about job search. Here’s just a sample of what you’re asking: “I’m a career changer having a tough time finding a job in my new field of interest. Do you think that a headhunter will be willing to work with me?” Headhunters (more politely known as recruiters) will not work with career changers. They will work with individuals who have a proven track record of success in a specific Continue reading →

Job Insecurity

April 12, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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Feeling insecure at work? Want some fear insurance? Make a plan. Everyone needs a strategy that’s ready to launch when necessary so that there’s no need to be afraid. “What if I’m laid off? Who will take care of me? Who will help me?” We get downright childlike when the “I don’t want to think about it” actually happens. It’s the grown up version of “I want my mommy!” It’s understandable that employers and employees Continue reading →

Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Interviews

March 1, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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We’re getting calls and emails from readers who have questions and concerns about layoffs. Here’s a sampling: “With all this talk about layoffs, I’m so worried I can’t concentrate on my job. What can I do?” The last thing you want to do is worry yourself out of a job. Change your unrealized fear from something you can’t control to something you can. Put together an employment emergency kit. Fill it with a financial plan, Continue reading →

Job Search Gauntlet

October 19, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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A recent caller wanted to know how to search for jobs that are closer to somewhere else than to where he lives. I figure that if I’m going to tell him, I ought to share the same information with you. There are barriers to conducting an out of town search and ways to overcome them: Barrier: The prospective employer doesn’t want to interview someone who lives “somewhere else”. They don’t want to incur travel and Continue reading →

Cut to the Chase on Job Searching

September 14, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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Let’s cut to the chase:  The best way to find a job that’s a match or has potential for being one is to network. Seventy-five percent of available jobs are found in the ‘hidden market’. Spend seventy-five percent of your time looking for them there. Does that mean employers don’t advertise their openings? They do when they must but most would rather hire people they know personally or prospects referred by people they know. Most Continue reading →

New Year’s Resolutions

January 19, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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It was hard to find much to cheer about in 2009. People and institutions seemed to let us down on a regular basis. Rather than place blame, let’s figure out what we can do to make 2010 a better year than the one we just left. Get better. Get better at making promises, keeping promises and delivering more than you promise. Get real. Find facts and face them. Face facts and deal with them. Deal Continue reading →

Lonely Layoff? Get Moving!

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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It’s easy to get stuck between lonely and cranky when you lose your job, particularly when your neighbors and friends still have a job to go to. You know you have to get on with life and start interviewing, but you’re having a tough time getting off the couch and putting on your shoes. If that’s your situation and you have the energy to read this column, I have some ways to remedy your situation. Begin Continue reading →

Rejoining Your Life After an Unexpected Layoff

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I bet you know him. He goes to work early and stays late. He’s known as a company man. He’s dedicated, loyal, with a work ethic that challenges the most diligent. His only fear is failing health even though he’s never taken a sick day. (He’s never had a day that he stayed out sick. He’s had several sick days.) He’s just been laid off and never saw it coming. He was starting to think Continue reading →