Tag Archives: Action Plan

Travel and Job Seeking

June 20, 2012 by Joyce Richman
No comments
What does job search and foreign travel have in common? Having recently returned from a business trip abroad, I’m not only brimming with fresh perspective and chock full of new learning, I see connections I’d earlier have missed. The learning: Airline personnel, flight cancellations, impatient travelers. When the few are assigned the work of the many and there’s a critical intersection of the few, complicated by a critical interruption of the many, chaos reigns.  The Continue reading →

School is Starting

May 29, 2012 by Joyce Richman
No comments
There’s something about the sights, smells, and start of fall and the school year that can get the kid in you revved up for what’s to come. You have to repress that urge to run out and buy a new lunch box, backpack and notebooks, because you’d look a little silly, given your age and station in life. If you’re a job seeker, your search can feel more like the first day of school in Continue reading →

Five Fresh Tips

February 21, 2012 by Joyce Richman
No comments
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 →

Job Insecurity

April 12, 2011 by Joyce Richman
No comments
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 →

Cut to the Chase on Job Searching

September 14, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
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 →

Questions from Readers

July 27, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Q:   I’ve been unemployed for the past 18 months and have worked dozens of part time jobs during that time. If I list each job separately, I’ll look like a major job hopper. What do you suggest I do? A:  State the obvious: that you’ve worked temporary positions since (give the date) that enable you to serve a wide range of client organizations in a variety of ways that add value. Q:   I’ve been fired, Continue reading →

Keeping Your Balance with Reorganization

July 13, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Heads up, friends and neighbors. Companies are reorganizing and if you’re working for them you know what that means: the earth is going to move under your feet. If you want to keep your balance even as those around you might be losing theirs, think about what you want to do, what you say and who you to say it to. Let’s begin with the “Don’ts”: Don’t engage in a whisper campaign against management. In Continue reading →

Check List of “Gotta-Do’s” Before Going to Interviews

July 6, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Whether you’re looking for a job or just thinking about it, you have work to do before you head out to your first interview. Here’s a quick list of gotta-do’s before you get going: Self-assessment:  This is your starting point. You need to clarify what you do well and enjoy doing before you start interviewing. Validate your perspective with those who know and can assess your performance. If they give you a thumbs-up, ask them Continue reading →

Summer Employment for Teenagers

June 8, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Parents, from your calls and emails it sounds like finding summer employment for your teenagers is top of mind these days. Just be careful. If you get too involved, their search will become your search, and even worse, they could stop searching before they even get started. “I provide our family gracious living; a fine home, cars, vacations, club memberships, you name it. I’ve been in a family business for a long while so I’m Continue reading →

Advice for the Advice-Giver

June 1, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
If you’re a frequent reader, you know that I typically offer advice to job seekers, providing strategies for getting and keeping jobs. I often suggest they contact you, as possible references, networking contacts, and prospective employers, and in turn, ask that when you offer your wisdom and perspective you’re doing it to help them stay on the road and out of the ruts they inevitably encounter. It occurred to me that you might want a Continue reading →

Eliminating Job Search Frustrations

May 4, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
It’s frustrating to send your resume to dozens, even hundreds of job openings and not get a response. It’s frustrating to interview and not get a call back that tells you where you stand. It’s humbling to feel as though you’re being judged and maddening to feel that you have no way to control the outcome. What can you do to shift your emotional responses to tactical actions? Eliminate one frustration at a time. For Continue reading →

Jack of All Trades; Master of None

April 13, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Bright, talented and articulate, he’s ready to do anything and seems poised to do it all. Yet he’s stuck. He’s the pin of a pin wheel, seeing multiple possibilities spinning by and instead of grabbing hold, is overwhelmed by them all. He’s concerned that: He’s a jack of all trades and master of none. His eclectic interests attract him to a variety of opportunities. He can’t focus on one job and dedicate himself to it. Continue reading →

Successful Applicants Ask Good Questions

April 6, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Successful job applicants know how to ask good questions. Good questions let interviewers know that you’re curious; you’ve done your homework; you’re listening to what they’re telling you; and you want to find as good a match as they do. Good questions focus on the future and explore ways that applicants can contribute to the company’s goals and objectives. Good questions keep the discussion energized and positive. Bad questions sound critical, cynical, confrontational, and close-ended. Continue reading →

Bottom Line: You Didn’t Have a Bad Reference, It’s the Interview

March 30, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Q:  I recently lost my job and have not been able to find another. I left my last job on not good terms with my former employer and I think they’re giving me a bad reference. I’ve had a couple of interviews with different companies and was told each time that I’d be getting a second interview. When I wouldn’t hear back I’d call and they’d tell me the position had been filled. Is there Continue reading →

Back to Basics

March 23, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Many job seekers start the hunt with a positive sense of urgency. You do all the right things, in the right order, and when weeks turn into months and nothing happens, you lose your way along with your energy. If you’re bumping, slumping, and sputtering, it’s time to get back to basics. Resume: The longer it takes to find a job, the more you’re apt to tinker with your resume. If you’re trying to be Continue reading →

Take Time, Take Charge: Do Circumstances Block Your Way?

March 16, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
The answer lies somewhere in the pause. How many situations have you made worse because you stepped in where you weren’t needed, said more when less was enough, and offered opinions when none were requested? How many times do you wish you’d said more, because less wasn’t enough? When you wish you’d offered a kind word or a statement of support? There is nothing heroic about speaking first if speaking last is the wiser choice. Continue reading →

It’s a Match Game: Strengths to Company’s Needs

March 2, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Pete’s miserable. Miserable. Said that he can’t remember feeling worse. He’s stuck with a nowhere job at a nowhere company doing work he was doing five years ago and he was bored with it then. How did he get into this mess and how does he get out? He had a great career (his words, not mine) with a large, hierarchical, autocratic company (my words, not his). He lasted for 10 years. Lasted, because he Continue reading →

Job Search After a Felony

February 23, 2010 by Joyce Richman
No comments
Q: “I’ve recently been released from prison and want to get back into my profession. I’ve been trying to re hone my skills but given my felony record am I just spinning my wheels? What do I say when I’m asked about the lapse in my employment? A. You’re not spinning your wheels, you will find employment, and you will have some real challenges ahead. Let’s start with the first hurdles to overcome, and go Continue reading →