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 →

Been blindsided lately?

October 1, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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It’s noon and you’re driving to a crosstown lunch meeting with a key client. You were late leaving the office and now you’re stuck in traffic. It’s hot, you’re frustrated and agitated and focused on one thing only: getting to the restaurant before you lose the client and the account. The car in front of you is barely moving so you lean on the horn and pull out to pass it and ka-bam! You’re hit Continue reading →

Fresh Batch of Q&A

September 24, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Here’s a fresh batch of questions that I’ve received from readers and I wanted to share them with you. Q: I consistently have great ideas, share them with my colleagues and no one shows any interest. Next thing I know, my manager sends out a memo praising the creativity of my co-worker and describes my idea! What can I do to start getting credit? A: You can have great ideas, fresh perspectives, and problem solving Continue reading →

If You Want Them to Do a Good Job, Give Them Feedback

September 17, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Joe hadn’t received performance feedback in several years. When it finally came he wasn’t prepared and took it like a kick in the gut. “You have to be kidding! All this time, I don’t hear anything, and this is what you have to tell me? That people have a problem with me? A problem? They ought to be lovin’ me; they owe their jobs to me. This is the thanks I get? We’ll just see Continue reading →

Unspoken Messages

September 10, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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If you don’t think that body language has power all its own, read this employer’s account of an interview he recently conducted: “The applicant’s resume described a real go-getter who had accomplished a great deal in a short period of time. His academic credentials were as impressive as his letters of recommendation. You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when he settled into the chair across from me. The live version of the paper hero 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 →

The Cautionary Tale of Sam Smiley

August 27, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Sam Smiley went into sales because everyone told him he’d be a natural. He was affable, caring, beloved by old ladies and gents, wee babies and young nannies. Sam took to sales like a duck to water until business fell off and he had to sink or swim. No matter how much Sam sweet-talked his customers and asked about their children, he wasn’t able to meet his sales targets. Now he’s going to lose his Continue reading →

More Quick Q&A

August 20, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Thanks to your calls and emails I’ve readied a quick sampling of the questions you’ve been asking: Q: Which of the following should I be sure to include on my resume: gender, marital status, age, race, health, height, weight, and religion? A: Stay away from all of them. Q: We have a family crest which I am very proud to include on my stationery. I’d like to include it on my resume. A “good friend” Continue reading →

No-fail Prep Strategies for Any Interview or Networking Meeting

August 13, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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If you have a networking meeting or an important interview coming up, you want to be ready. And, there’s no time like the present to brush up on your preparation strategies. Go to the company’s web site; review their history and their mission statement. Learn their product mix, business locations, and if they’re global, where they are headquartered. Read profiles of their senior officers and if they publish an annual report, look it over. If Continue reading →

Interviewing Mistakes

July 30, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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In career coaching, there seems to be one topic that clients can’t get enough of — help preparing for an interview.  Interviewing, like public speaking, seems to raise fears of mythical proportions.  So, I thought I’d point out some common interviewing mistakes that you’d probably prefer not to repeat. I’ll tell you what they are and what you can do about them but fair warning, this might not be pretty: You’re getting there late and Continue reading →

Struggling Through Good Times and Bad

July 23, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Dave Duckit lost his job because he wouldn’t fight to keep it. Hannah Highway lost her job because she valued being right more than she valued doing the right thing. Larry Leeway lost his job because he needed more room to maneuver than his company had space to give him. What are the stories behind the headlines? Dave Duckit: Dave acts laid back and appears to be a get along, go along person, but don’t let Continue reading →

Feedback Done Right

July 16, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Why do so many employers wring their hands and pull their hair when it comes to giving feedback? You’d think they’d have figured out how to do it with all the workshops and websites out there, promoting the 10 best ways to crate up cranky people and the five best ways to defend against fussy folk. When you get down to it, employers aren’t worried about giving feedback; they’re worried about the reaction they get 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 →

Constructive Feedback

July 2, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Getting a job is half the battle. Keeping it is other half. When you’re an entry- level employee you’re evaluated on what you’re able to produce. If you’re accurate, effective, and efficient and demonstrate a proactive desire to achieve more, it’s likely you’ll be awarded more responsibility. As you advance it’s also likely that you’ll be expected to transition from being hands-on and tactical to becoming hands-off and strategic (a transition, that for some, is 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 →

Stuck at a Career Crossroads

June 11, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Two people are stuck at a career intersection. Each wants more than he has and doesn’t know which way to turn. Sam is quick, spontaneous, and always in motion. He’s bright and loves a challenge, particularly if it combines mental and physical dexterity. He won’t stay with something long, so once he gets what he’s after, he moves on to whatever’s next. Sam is dutiful and respectful; absent minded and inattentive. He’s always apologizing for Continue reading →

Over…Under… Just get out of the way

June 4, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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You are driving us to distraction. You are the people who over-promise and under-deliver. You fall short of our expectations because you created and inflated them. You disappoint, frustrate, and spend more emotional capital then you have, and then you’re surprised when there’s nothing left in the Bank of I Trusted You. You’re optimistic and well meaning, that’s for sure, and in your effort to please us, you agree to meet our demands and objectives Continue reading →

What Works Works

May 28, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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What works is what works. Enough of that ‘you’re broken, I’m not’ stuff. It’s de-motivating and it’s counter-productive. Employees and job seekers don’t want to hear what they should stop doing, they want to know what they should start doing. They want to be more self-aware; they want training and development; not detailed descriptions of their personal warts and professional deficits. When you perseverate on what’s gone wrong in your career, or the choices you’ve Continue reading →