It’s hard to truly understand the applications of a concept if they have never been applied to a real-world situation. With the increasing importance of soft skills in the business world, how does one go about acquiring them without jeopardizing one’s career?

A great way is to start getting involved in your community.

Take, for example, a third grader named Jake (pictured above). Jake, the son of my friend Sue Schwartz, has been getting his head shaved every year since kindergarten to support St. Baldrick’s Foundation and their childhood cancer research grants. Sue recalled his first year:

“I think he just wanted to be bald, but when I told him he had to raise $50, he didn’t flinch. He asked everyone he knew for $1.00 (because a dollar is easy to part with, right?) and pretty soon he had raised $156.”

At the tender age of six, Jake was developing the soft skills of interpersonal interactions and persuasion, and these helped him to surpass his initial goal by more than 200%!

This year marks a continued development in his skills. Jake has recruited a friend to join him this Saturday, May 19, to be shorn. Their team, the Fuzzy Falcons set forth a goal to raise $1,000. Because of his leadership as team captain, as well as the phone calls and personal visits he has been making, Jake has guided the team to exceed their goal!

(Now, I think it would be awesome if Jake and his friend could double, or even triple, their original goal. Will you support them, as I have? Just click here to be taken to Jake’s page and donate before the big day!)

Perhaps the bald look is not for you. There are numerous other ways you can get involved in your community! It could be through an annual event like a run/walk or golf outing, or maybe something more regular such as serving on a committee or volunteering to work with someone who uses an organization’s services.

Just take a look at the resources available to help you find the right volunteer opportunity for you. Not only will you be helping someone else in need, you will be helping yourself develop those critical soft skills that will help you in your career!

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

Interviews always make for a nervous time. For some of us, that may mean that we have butterflies in our stomachs. Others may have more outward signs of the jitters. One of those signs, excessive talking, can be particularly problematic. If not reined in, it can cause you to be knocked out of contention for a job that you really would be quite qualified for.

How can you control your not-so-inner Chatty Cathy/Charlie during an interview?

1. Develop answers for common interview questions and practice them.
There are many lists of interview questions that can be found on the Internet. A couple that I like come from Quintessential Careers: Established Job-Seeker/Career Changer: 20 Traditional Job Interview Questions and Situational Job Interview Questions & Excellent Sample Responses (there are 20 questions in all for the latter link, so be sure to go beyond the first 10).

Whatever resources you use, make sure that you develop your own answers. Using the answers that may be suggested online is a bad strategy because 1) they won’t necessarily reflect your perspective or experiences, and 2) you will have a much harder time trying to recall something that you have had to memorize word-for-word. That can lead you to talk more than necessary.

2. Anticipate questions that are particular to your field and the position.
Even with all the guides that you have access to, they won’t necessarily hit on the questions that will be specific to this job interview. You know your industry, so think about the aspects of your work that are critical and how you have been able to successfully carry them out. Also look to the job description, the website, and any current news on the company to determine what may important to this company. The better you can answer these questions, the more you look like someone who is already part of their team. If you ramble on, you may come across as someone who has a hard time focusing on what is important.

3. Know the stories that highlight you unique value.
Stories are key to a successful interview. They paint a vivid picture of you putting your knowledge and skills in action, they demonstrate your thought processes, they convey your enthusiasm for what you do. However, poorly told stories that go on and on or pull in extraneous information can cause your interviewer to lose interest. Practice these stories so they can be delivered well.

4. Do a mock interview.
Practicing is important, but it’s also important to know how you are coming across. If you can work with a career professional or get a friend to help you, that’s great. If using a friend, make sure s/he doesn’t say nice things about your performance just to make you feel better. You need someone who is going to give you honest feedback; if you need to improve in some areas, you need to know that.

If you don’t have anyone to work with, videotape yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy — even the webcam on your computer would work for this purpose. When watching the recording, don’t go to the extremes (too complimentary or too critical). Just look at yourself realistically, giving yourself credit for what you are doing well and being truthful about what could use some improvement.

5. Bring along a pad of paper and pen to jot down notes at the interview.
One reason why this works is because it channels nervous energy. Instead of your mouth going a mile a minute, you can be capturing on paper key points from the interview. Even this needs to be tempered, however; too much note writing can be a distraction to the interviewer and can be perceived that you are not really paying attention.

6. Consider using something like Interview Angel to help you get organized.*
Brent Peterson has created a powerful tool to help job seekers bring all the pieces of one’s career together into a cohesive package. The Interview Angel padfolio guides you as it asks questions designed to bring forth the stories that demonstrate your value, and it keeps your information organized so you can study from it to prepare for your interview. Being organized definitely cuts down on the nervousness that leads to being overly talkative.

How else do you minimize chatty behavior on a job interview?

*Note: I have not received any compensation from Interview Angel. It is just a product that I really believe in as a helpful tool for job seekers.

Image courtesy of bpsusf

When buying a car, do you just look at the amount of the monthly payment?

In theory, you shouldn’t. You also may want to consider: the full sales price, the interest rate, the length of the loan, and the overall cost to you when that final payment is made.

Of course, your decision is also made depending on what features matter to you: a comfortable fit, good gas mileage, room for the family, a particular type of motor, adjustable seats, a certain stereo system, and so on. By looking at each of those factors, you are able to make a better informed decision about the purchase you are considering.

The same thing holds true with naming a salary range. Why would you give a set number without knowing more about the full compensation package or other factors that come under consideration?

Here’s a list of benefits that could come into play when looking at a compensation package:

• Health insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles
• Dental/vision insurance
• 401K match
• Life insurance — What amount is offered by the company? How much additional insurance are you able to purchase, and what is the premium for it? Can you purchase life insurance for your spouse and children?
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vacation time
• Holidays
• Bereavement
• Uniform
• Specialty equipment (safety boots, safety glasses, etc.)
• Annual bonus

Another thing to think about is location. Cost of living differentials make a big difference. For example, the salary you are making in your position in Wisconsin won’t go near as far if you are looking at a job that would necessitate relocating to New York.

That doesn’t mean that you just take your salary and adjust it for a different area’s cost of living. You also need to look at the salary that the market is willing to pay. I remember during my nonprofit career, I applied for a position in Massachusetts and was contacted for an interview. The salary sounded fine until I got a look at the cost of renting an apartment. My husband and I nearly choked when we saw that. We realized there was no way we could make it happen because, while there was a big cost of living differential, salaries for our fields did not go up by the same rate.

And then there’s the corporate culture and the fit with the company. Depending on your personal take, some folks are OK with working in a position that pays well but has a less-than-ideal culture. For others, you couldn’t pay them enough to work in an environment that is not a good fit.

Based on all of that, your desired compensation can fluctuate. Only you know what the final answer will be.

What else do you take into consideration when thinking about salary range?

Image courtesy of Greg Gjerdingen

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

How do you envision the typical day of working from home? Freed from a daily commute, do you perceive it as a leisurely day, complete with jammies and bunny slippers? Or maybe you think it entails flexibility to set whatever hours you want to in order to accommodate your loved ones’ schedules and your own preferences? Are those of us who work in home offices blessed with a better work/life balance because of this set-up?

Consider the downsides:

• The constant interruptions from family members, pets, neighbors who drop in without notice.
• The expectation that you will be able to promptly complete a variety of household chores (laundry, dishes, cooking, etc.) during the day because you are home.
• The belief that you are more available to be a chaperone for your child’s field trip than someone else who has an outside office to go to.
• The fact that work is always there!
• (You can insert your own sticky points here.)

Recently, I participated in a discussion on an elist of career professionals about one other challenge to working at home – BOUNDARIES! Some of my colleagues had great suggestions on working around this particular issue with loved ones…

To read the rest of this post, go to the Bottomless Briefcase!

Many thanks to my colleagues for their contributions to this post:

• Becky Felix of Felix Résumé Group
• Lisa Parker, CPRW
• Lisa Rangel of Chameleon Résumés
• Pat Schuler of KickButt Sales Training

Image courtesy of Kevin Dooley

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

Maybe you’ve thought about hiring a career professional, but you keep hesitating because you wonder, “Is this really going to help? Am I going to get suckered?”

It’s an unfortunate reality that some folks who seek out help end up getting a raw deal. Of course, this happens in pretty much all industries, and it’s fairly easy to paint everyone with the same brush when a negative story is heard.

So what can help you know that you’re talking to a professional who will help you? I’ve based this list off of a few points from this post written for businesses hiring consultants.

You’ll know you’re talking with a great career professional when s/he says:

“I don’t know, but let’s find out.” I know it seems counterintuitive to put your trust in someone who says this. After all, this person is supposed to be the expert! But really — do any of us know everything about our specific fields? If we’re being honest, the answer is “no.” There’s always something new created or a process that is modified due to a technological advance of some sort or a different approach that’s called for to reach an ever-changing target audience.

The same holds true for the career industry. Changes are happening all the time, so if the career professional you are talking with is willing to say that they have something more to learn, you know the person isn’t satisfied with the status quo. Plus, they are giving you the level of honesty you need when going through this process.

“I can’t do it all for you.” Some folks may think that hiring a career professional will magically get them that next great job. If anyone takes claims that you just have to sit back and wait, run away! Working with a career professional is a team effort — your career is your own unique story, and it can’t be properly told without your involvement.

To gain a clear understanding of your experiences and interests, to craft a great résumé, to develop stories from your career that clearly demonstrate your accomplishments and knowledge — all of it requires information that only you can provide. And then, once you have your materials in place, you need to put in the time to network online and offline, to prepare for interviews, and to appropriately follow up. While you have hired someone to work with on your job search, you still need to be in charge of your career! The time you put into the process will be evident by what you get out of it.

“You don’t need me to do that.” Once in a while, I get a client who comes to me requesting a service they don’t really need. Maybe they are asking for an update to their résumé, but the résumé is rather strong. Clients deserve to know the truth — if I think a résumé is good except for a couple typos, I’ll say that. Anyone who would fabricate a need when there isn’t one is not helping you; they are just bilking you out of money.

“No.” That’s not a word customers like to hear. In this case, however, you are hiring a career professional because of his/her expertise in navigating the job hunt. You want this person to share their knowledge of the industry with you and guide you in the right direction. If the person you hire simply executes what you ask for without providing any context for what may or may not work, you might end up with a finished product that won’t help you.

What do all of these items have in common? They’re not anything you would hear from someone who is a yes person. This is really a good thing because it means that you have found someone who is authentic and honest with you. While that might take you aback initially because it is not what you are expecting, it will end up serving you well in the long run because you are getting the best from them.

What are some other indicators that show you have made a good choice?

Image courtesy of Tim Green

Does this article resonate with you? Imagine what could happen if I was working for you and your career!

A recent search that brought a reader to The Job Quest was “how to engage people.” It’s a pretty important skill to have for each part of the job hunt, and it really boils down to one thing:

FIND OUT WHAT MATTERS TO THEM!

You can be the most eloquent speaker or writer on the planet, but if folks don’t give a fig about the subject, they won’t be engaged — not even a little!

So let’s discuss how to make the magic happen!

In Writing

The cover letter and résumé give you the chance to show the hiring manager a bit of your personality and what s/he can expect from your performance. But don’t make it all about yourself.

Now I know, you may be scratching your head over that one. ‘How do I talk about myself but not make it about me?’ you might wonder. You talk about yourself in terms that relate to them. Enter their world and match your experiences with their needs.

When you think about it, it shouldn’t be that big of a stretch for you. Ideally, you are identifying target companies and positions that are interesting to you, as well. You should have skills and accomplishments that are in line with what they need. If you have a hard time coming up with something, is it really that good of a fit? Chances are it’s not.

Once you have identified your strengths and experiences that are of value to the company, frame them in terms of the language that is used in the job description and on the website. This wouldn’t be a word-for-word rehashing, just peppering your descriptions with language that mirrors how they talk about their values and issues. Doing this will make it even easier for the hiring manager to make the connections between them and what you’ve done.

In Person

Engaging people when interviewing and networking is somewhat similar to writing in that you frame what you are talking about in terms of topics that interest the interviewer/conversation partner. To do this well, you need to do some research.

Interviewing, while being nerve-wracking because you (presumably) want the job in question, does have an edge for being easier to prepare for because you are focusing on one company and its particular situation within the market. Networking presents a bigger challenge because there will be a variety of people there representing different interests.

While you may try to orchestrate things to talk with certain folks, you really don’t know who you will be talking to at the event. Because of that fact, you need to find out who is going to be there and spend a little time learning key facts about them. Jotting down a few notes to use as a study guide is a very beneficial way to prepare beforehand. Also, you should take a broader look at current events within your field to know what is occurring and to get a sense of how each of the different players fits in with those happenings.

How else do you effectively engage people?

Image courtesy of ObservePoint

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

How important is education to a career?

It’s something I’ve talked about before. I know that there are many successful people out there who have made gobs of money without a formal education. I know that there are plenty of people who have degrees, but are unable to apply what they learned to the real world.

BUT…

I still find myself coming down on the side of education. Part of the reason for this is because of my own experiences.

Recently, I decided to become certified as a résumé writer. In the certification process, I submitted samples of my work to have them judged by a committee of highly regarded résumé writers, wrote essays on my philosophy for working with clients to find their shining accomplishments, and took a one-hour exam.

The same week that I received my certification and updated my network on this accomplishment, I noticed an uptick in the number of prospective clients contacting me and in referrals from new sources. The timing of it all is more than just a coincidence; I am sure of that.

So why does education matter? Here are a few of my thoughts on it:

• Someone else other than you says that you can do the work. It’s one thing when you say, “You should hire me because I am awesome at this!” But, having a degree or certification is like having another establishment say, “You should hire Joe because we’ve seen his work, and he is great!” That implied testimonial means something.

• It establishes a standard that is recognized. I’ve no doubt that the quest for good talent is quite challenging. One thing that makes the search a little easier for the company is to look at the candidates’ education and certifications. Now, in reality, does that mean that an applicant with a lesser degree would not be able to do the work as good as (or better than) a person with a higher degree? Not necessarily. But consider it from an employer’s perspective: say they get 350 résumés for two positions. 100 candidates have educational backgrounds similar to employees who already work there and are successful in their jobs. Because they already know what they can typically expect from folks who have attained that level, those are the candidates who are most likely to be considered further.

• It elevates you in the eyes of your peers and your superiors. You may be saying and doing all the right things in your current position. But is there a seed of doubt among your peers because you haven’t received the same depth of training they have? You won’t know because they probably won’t tell you.

Of course, there are exceptions. If you are like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates by possessing a ridiculous amount of talent and having amazing ideas that can’t wait for an education to be completed, then by all means, you should do what you need to do. But for those of us who don’t fit that criteria (myself included), education is an ideal way to get a leg up.

Image courtesy of Sean MacEntee

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

Today, we have a guest post by Erin Palmer on how knowing your weaknesses can be a benefit.

Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is a pretty standard job interview topic. Knowledgeable job seekers have most likely found a clever way around the weakness question, naming traits an employer would love to have in a worker: “Well, I’m kind of a perfectionist,” or, “I tend to take the job home with me; it drives my spouse nuts!”

What if you really took the time to openly examine and understand your weaknesses? Not only would your honesty and self-awareness likely impress a prospective employer, but you could take steps to eliminate those shortcomings. Knowing your weaknesses can make you a much more effective and marketable employee.

Never Ignore Your Weaknesses
Ignoring your weaknesses can sabotage your job performance. No one is perfect, so ignoring your weaknesses is like lying to yourself. As many say, “Admitting you have a problem is always the first step.” You can’t fix the things that are holding you back in your career until you’ve correctly identified what they are. Chances are, you already have some sense of what you need to improve upon. It may just be buried in the back of your mind under, “things I don’t like to think about.”

Now is the time to be upfront and honest with yourself. Think about where you ideally want to be professionally and compare it to where you are currently. What is keeping you from getting to where you want to be? This is a practical exercise that can help you identify your weaknesses, the roadblocks keeping you from achieving your career goals.

Do an Honest Self-Assessment
Once you have a handful of areas to work on, it’s time to get specific. The more precise you are about what needs to change, the more targeted your action plan can be – and that increases your odds for success. It isn’t enough to say, “I have trouble with authority.” You need to dig deeper than that. When, why and how is this a problem? A more accurate assessment of the situation might be, “I snap at supervisors when they try to give me instruction too quickly on how to use a new technology.”

Identifying specific weaknesses is only part of a thorough self-assessment. You also have to be clear about how those weaknesses are affecting you. What impact have they had on your life, in and outside of work? What have you lost out on because of them? This isn’t fun to think about, but it’s necessary. First, it tells you exactly where you currently stand. Secondly, it adds fuel to the fire, motivating you to change and grow.

It’s important to bring a trusted friend and/or family member into this process. Even the most self-aware among us block out things that are just too painful or hit too close to home. Solicit wise counsel from people you know have your best interests at heart, and then be smart enough to receive it graciously.

Be Proactive About Change
Once you know where you need to go. It’s time to map out how to get there. Prioritize your weaknesses and attack them one at a time. Taking on too much can leave you overwhelmed and defeated, like fighting a war on too many fronts.

Devise your action plan. Now is the time to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) goals and start small if you need to. You are likely embarking on a long journey, but if you take one step in the right direction each day, you are going to see results. Remember to assess your progress frequently. That’s the great thing about measurable goals; they make it easy to hold yourself accountable.

Keep Your Weaknesses in Perspective
You’re not alone. Everyone has things they need to work on. Don’t let your weaknesses beat you down and steal your self-esteem. All things considered, you are a valuable employee and a pretty terrific person – becoming more so all the time, as long as you stick to your plan for personal betterment.

In our “never let ‘em see you sweat” culture, it’s become taboo to admit imperfection. However, by ignoring your weaknesses, you rob yourself of the opportunity to grow, evolve and improve. Take a little time to examine your shortcomings and plot a course of correction. Your professional and personal life will thank you!

This guest post was contributed by Erin Palmer .on behalf of Villanova University’s master’s degree programs in human resources Erin also works with Villanova’s human resources certification programs. She can be reached on Twitter @Erin_E_Palmer.

Image courtesy of Bart Everson

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.”
~Carl Jung

Without a doubt, it’s important for job seekers to know themselves – what they like, what their aptitudes are, and so on. How else can you understand your own personal vision and find that good job fit if you don’t? But on the job search, you need to do more than “look into your own heart.” You ultimately require the correct frame of reference — an external context.

Initially, hunker down with yourself. Taking the time to think through and write down what you have liked and not liked in the various life experiences you have had allows you to identify values that are important to you and those things you want to pursue further. Really, what would it matter if a company holds a position that is fundamentally different from yours? Or has an opening for a position that is not interesting to you? Of course, it wouldn’t matter.

When it comes time to explore opportunities, get a good grasp on job descriptions, values that are promoted on company websites, the latest news from companies themselves, and any insider information that can be gleaned via networking or services like Glassdoor. You need this information that is external to you to shape how you look at yourself.

Now, swing your attention inward again. This second introspective look should appear much different than the first time you did it because you will be bringing with you everything that has been learned about companies and opportunities available. Ask yourself questions that get at answers that companies will care about. For example, “How would I solve this problem they are having? What are some examples of how I ‘walked the walk’ regarding X value?” Rather than being so singularly focused on yourself, the external frame of reference allows you to look at yourself through their lens. You see what attributes about you matter to them.

The bottom line is that you want to align yourself with the company so that the hiring manager readily sees a good fit between the you and them. This needs to come through clearly in your cover letter, your résumé, and your interview. If your internal focus is done without having an external context, the answer to a question like “Where do you see yourself in five years?” may not have anything to do with the future direction of the company. Giving an answer that is such a clear mismatch will knock any candidate out of the running.

Image courtesy of Jeremy Jenum

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!

In reading an article about the recent passing of legendary news broadcaster Mike Wallace, I was struck by something that his son, Chris Wallace, said:

“The interesting thing is, he never mentions ’60 Minutes.’ It’s as if it didn’t exist. It’s as if that part of his memory is completely gone. The only thing he really talks about is family–me, my kids, my grandkids, his great-grandchildren. There’s a lesson there. This is a man who had a fabulous career and for whom work always came first. Now he can’t even remember it.”

There absolutely is a lesson there. So many folks have their careers and their identities so entwined. When there is a setback at work, it viewed as a major personal failing. If there is a layoff, it’s as if an arm or a leg has been cut off. Should our careers really have that much importance in our lives?

Not really. In fact, a nurse who worked in palliative care recorded the regrets of her patients, and “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard” was #2.

So what is the answer? In a word: balance.

Now, I’ve said before that balance is impossible, and it is when you look at things in the short term. Really, there is no way to have a completely equitable divide between work and home life in a 24-hour span. Heck, you’d have a hard time finding that balance even if you stretched the time frame out to a week. And sometimes, even a month (or six) can look pretty lopsided if you have an intense project at work. But expand your horizon to encompass years, and then, yes, you should be able to see more of a balance in your work and home life. Probably not 50/50, but the scales shouldn’t be tipping so heavily toward your time at work.

And if it does? Well, then you have some choices to make. Perhaps this is what you like to do, which is fine. I remember reading an article a while back about a man who had multiple college degrees, was an expert on many topics, and worked long hours. The thing that stood out to me was how he responded to people who ask him when he has time for fun. Paraphrasing him, he answered, “I don’t relate to them because I am having fun.” (I should note that he was also single at the time he was interviewed.)

That’s not to say that he is making bad choices for his life. Really, I applaud him for having such self-awareness that he directly is pursuing the life that makes him happy. But is this for you? I’d venture to say that people who actively choose that kind of a life are more the exception than the norm.

So, I’d suggest that you should start taking a long view at your life and see how it looks to you. Are you happy with how it looks? Or are you afraid that, at the end of your life, you will be regretting the amount of time you spent focused on work? Will you even remember your work?

Image courtesy of winnifredxoxo

Does this article resonate with you? Let’s work together for you and your career!