Time for a Career Check-up!
How does your current career measure up?
Are you where you want to be? This workplace still has some great jobs just waiting for you to find them. But, success is no accident. You need to clearly define what you want in a new job, a promotion, a BIG salary increase; and then identify and start conducting the action steps to achieve that goal. Be realistic is setting your goals though. Thinking you will double your salary next year is a fantasy. Set a reachable goal instead, such as, “I’ll increase my salary 20% when I land my next promotion within the next four months.”
Are you ready when opportunity knocks?
Is your resume updated so you can send it to a potential employer on a moment’s notice? Will your resume standout among the competition? Take our Resume Assessment Quiz and find out!
HR Manager Melinda Combs, who has hired hundreds of professionals, revealed that human resource offices sort resumes with a quick 15-second glance to determine if they should take a closer look, and they eliminate 80% or more. Resumes get noticed when you describe specific results and accomplishments. Note what you have increased or decreased, how you saved money, and how you contributed to productivity and the bottom line. Be concise but offer substance for how you can perform their job.
Are you ready to face an interviewer?
Whether it’s for an internal promotion or a new job, you must practice in advance. The most difficult questions you’ll encounter in a job interview are the commonly asked behavioral or situational interview questions. The interviewer uses a probing style to ask questions seeking very specific examples. You may be asked, “Describe a mistake your boss corrected you on recently.” or “Give me an example how you managed an argumentative customer.” The interviewer is looking for details of your past abilities and specific work performance. The best approach is to give short, concise, specific answers that never exceed 60 seconds. Be sure to include the details so that the employer can envision how you dealt with the situation. Take our Interactive Interview Quiz to help you be prepared.
My career counseling clients say these behavioral or situational questions are the hardest type of interview questions, especially if you are not ready for them. You don’t want make a fatal error by offering something vague and poorly phrased that might hurt your candidacy. So be prepared with concise, detailed examples of your experience that will impress any interviewer with your capabilities. And, be ready for the salary questions … more and more employers are probing early in the interview. For help you can listen to our downloadable MP-3 Salary Negotiations Strategies.
No one can predict the future but today’s economic indicators suggest that unemployment will rise and job openings will slow down so NOW is the time to take action if you want a more prosperous tomorrow.
Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah and Dr. Phil is considered America’s top career coach. Robin has a busy career counseling practice providing individual career coaching, resume writing services, interview preparation, salary negotiations, and outplacement, to clients nationwide. She is the best-selling author of:60 Seconds & You’re Hired!; Soaring On Your Strengths; What to Do with the Rest of Your Life; Winning Resumes ; and Winning Cover Letters . A dynamic national speaker, Robin has spoken to over 1200 audiences sharing her insights on how to improve their lives and obtain greater success. Contact Robin at: 425.226.0414, or email: RobinRyan@aol.com, or visit her website: www.robinryan.com
