Asking for Honest Feedback

August 3, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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You can repeat your mistakes or learn from them. That’s up to you. Life’s lessons are many and varied. Some are easier to understand than others. When it comes to interviewing it’s hard to know what comment, question, response, smile, frown, or explanation got in the way of your winning first prize. There are too many X’s and Y’s, too many unknowns, and too little opportunity to find out what worked and what didn’t. To Continue reading →

Managing Up Mistakes

July 14, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Tad was so busy managing up to his boss his subordinates fired him. “You’re kidding me! What happened?” Well, it’s the cautionary tale of a high-achieving, very focused fellow who knew the only place he wanted to go was up. With a combination of good grades, dazzling smile, and an ingratiating personality he easily gained acceptance to his first choice in undergraduate and graduate schools. He was first in his class and first of his Continue reading →

Fired. What Went Wrong?

July 13, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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If you’re looking for a job and don’t know why you lost your last one, pause. You have a chance to go back to square one. “I don’t want to go back to where I’ve been. I’d rather put the past behind me. If I keep thinking about why I got fired I won’t have the courage to get another job.” That makes sense. You don’t want to start second guessing yourself and as a Continue reading →

A Cautionary Tale

July 9, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I typically dedicate this column to active job seekers, providing strategies, techniques, and best practices to enable them to reach the kind of outcomes that will be personally and professionally satisfying. I got a call last week from Alex (not even close to his real name) who asked that I tell you his story. It’s not about how he’s looking for a job. It’s about why. Alex was fired four weeks ago. He wants to Continue reading →

Change Your Behavior, Not Your Character

June 16, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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“I’m intimidating. I know it. I don’t like it. I’ve never known what to do about it. Believe me, I’ve tried. It’s my personality. My whole family’s like that. My mom’s direct and my father more so. My brothers and sisters are all competitive go-getters. We earned our stripes around the kitchen table. Every meal was a potluck of competing voices and spirited debates. We argued about everything you shouldn’t; from politics and religion, to Continue reading →

Maximize What You Do Best

June 15, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Everyone needs to know what they do best so they can match themselves to the jobs that require their skills and strengths. Before I have described someone who was struggling with this challenge and frustrated because he couldn’t figure it out. After making a series of bad career decisions he had managed to dig himself into a financial rut matched only by the dimensions of his personal funk. He had lost the heart, drive and Continue reading →

Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

June 12, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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“Don’t worry! You’ll be great! If I can do this job anybody can!” You do worry. You don’t know what you’re doing, what your boss expects, and you feel like you’re failing. You want guidance. “What are you worried about? I’d tell you if there were a problem, you’re fine!” You’re not fine. You’re making mistakes. You’ve tried to figure it out but you’re in over your head. You’ve asked for help but your boss Continue reading →

What’s Your Story

June 11, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Three people, three challenges. The names aren’t theirs, but the stories are. And many of you share them. Daniel doesn’t know how to describe his career dilemma other than to say he is, “…lost, clueless, and stuck. I can’t get started because I don’t know where I want to go. I don’t want to interview because I know I’m flat. I’ve been told I act like I don’t care if I get the job.  That’s Continue reading →

Asking Questions: The Key to Successful Communication

June 9, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Words, particularly value-laden words, mean different things to different people. Some interpret language figuratively and others, literally. If we were to think before we speak, clarifying our intentions to maximize the value and appropriateness of our impact, we’d have fewer misunderstandings. We may not realize the influence our body language or facial expressions have upon the communication of the words we choose to use. Some of us are highly animated and transfer more energy than Continue reading →

Never Settle for Less

June 8, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I’m at the beach. It’s raining. Not sprinkling. Showering. Misting. Or any of the displays that suggest wait-a-minute and the sun’s bound to come out.  This is a rain that’s going to stay for a while. I better get used to it. It came advertised. I saw it on the weather channel, read it in the paper, I heard it from forecasters who added their personal and chipper “don’t bother going to the beach this Continue reading →

Attitude: The Difference Maker

June 1, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Everyone has an attitude. How you project that attitude has enormous influence on how you are perceived. Those perceptions and interpretations by prospective employers make the difference between a winning interview, and one that doesn’t quite get it. Attitudes are influenced by events and your reactions to them. You may be a great communicator, a motivating team builder, and an all around wonderful catch, but if you’re stuck in a bad place, all those attributes Continue reading →

American Idol vs. Your Career

May 30, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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American Idol, Fear Factor, The Swan. Whoever says that today’s popular television programming isn’t educational, hasn’t been watching reality TV. Job seekers can learn plenty from watching these shows and noting the striking similarity between the would-be star’s chase for fame, fortune, and success and their own job search. Case in point: American Idol. Job seekers and Idol hunters begin the chase competing against legions of applicants, all varying in age, background, appearance, talent, discipline, Continue reading →

Costly Coaching Mistakes at Work

May 29, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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“Two months ago I had a superior performance review. Today I don’t have a job. If you asked me what happened between then and now, I’d have to tell you I don’t have a clue. All I know is that last Friday I received a voice mail telling me to meet my boss at 5 pm. I may not know much, but I do know it’s never good to have a meeting with your boss Continue reading →

In Tough Times, Stick to your Strengths

May 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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“Joyce, I feel like I’ve been drop-kicked and hoodwinked. I was hired and fired and never paid a dime in between. I can’t ever afford it, but right now, a month after the holidays, well, this is as bad a time as it can get.”           I asked the caller to describe what happened, and here’s what he said:           “I’d been out of work for a long time, laid off from a company that Continue reading →

The Power of Attitude

May 23, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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There’s a lot in life you can’t control and plenty that you can. You can worry yourself into a frenzy about the former and over-do the latter. You can change your perspective about both and live a little longer and be a little nicer, to yourself and those with whom you live and work.           That’s easy to say, and hard to do, if you’re stuck in a mindset of “this is who I am Continue reading →

Feedback: The Key to Success

May 22, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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How open are you to receiving feedback about your work and workplace behavior from a perspective different from your own? How aware are you of other outlooks, viewpoints that collide, values that contradict, and standards that differ from those you envision to be right and just? If you want to lead the team or just stay on the team, ask for input and listen to what you hear. Employers and co-workers are paying attention. And Continue reading →

Resolutions for your Career

May 21, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Up and at ’em! It’s a few weeks past the honkin’ and hollerin’ dawn of the new year and I bet you haven’t made out your list of New Year’s Resolutions. Surely there are countless things you resolve to do differently this year; dozens of ways you want to be, think, and do that are new and improved over the not-so-hot ways you did them last year. So, get in gear, pencils sharp, paper ready. Continue reading →

Fearing the Lay-off

May 19, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I know it’s tough to be laid off, and scary to be without a paycheck. The market’s tight and the competition’s stiff. It’s hard on the person getting the news and the family that has to deal with the aftermath. I’m a layoff “survivor”. That means I’ve lived through several organizational cut backs, deep and shallow, and I’m still here, working, until they cut me loose. Before you tell me how lucky I am, and Continue reading →

Re-invent Yourself

May 17, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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At the insistence of well meaning friends I attended the revival of a well regarded, albeit mighty dusty Broadway musical. I expected to see a warmed over version of what I had seen in the past and was as delighted as I was surprised to find that the show was as fresh as if it had just been washed and fluff dried. The actors’ exuberant performance rang with enthusiasm and invited the audience to be Continue reading →

Overcoming Obstacles in the Workplace

May 16, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Do you work with these people? “He wears me out. No matter what I position I take, he takes the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, I like honest disagreement, but he takes it too far” “She blocks, obstructs, you name it, she’s in the way of progress. Ten of us agree and she’s the lone dissenter. I’d fire her, but she’s right more times than she’s wrong. ” “She nods agreeably whatever the subject. I Continue reading →