Category Archives: Navigating Change

Job Interviews: What to Do Before

Conducting a successful job search is like running a marathon . . .and my college age daughter, Barbara, is preparing for that next lap.  She aced a telephone interview last week and now moves on to several face-to-face interviews scheduled down in New York City.  Even though these interviews are for summer internships the process is almost exactly the same as applying for full-time employment.  Great practice!

So here we go . . . preparing for a personal interview starts way before you even walk in the door.  “It does?” says Barbara.  “Oh, yes” says Career Coach Mom.  As I’ve coached hundreds of job applicants over the years, I already know that you have a great resume; have reviewed questions you may be asked; prepared several success stories and taken the extra step of complying a career portfolio that you can leave with the interviewers.  But there is more . . .

5 “Must Dos” Before the Interview

Here are my five “must dos” to ensure that you are feeling fully prepared, rested and at the top of your game for those face-to-face interviews. Don’t take it lightly – this is part of a successful job search strategy.

  1. Confirm where the interview will be held (address, office number etc.).  And then make a trip over a couple of days ahead to make sure you know how to get there – subway stops, freeway exits, street numbers etc.  Nothing is worse than finding yourself lost and then running late to the interview!
  2. Plan your evening before your interview carefully.  Keep it low stress and make sure to get to bed a bit early.  Relax but stay focused on the next day.  Try not to get distracted or distressed by other issues or concerns – those can wait for now.
  3. Leave yourself at least double the amount of time you think you need to travel to the interview.  You never know what can happen – road construction, traffic jam, subway delays etc.  You will be much more relaxed knowing you have a wide cushion of time.
  4. Arrive at least 20 – 25 minutes early to give yourself time to check out the waiting area; zip into the restroom to freshen up; turn off your cell phone and then to be ready when they call you.
  5. Breathe! And smile . . . let your natural style and personality shine through.  The bottom line is that your ability to positively connect with the interviewers is going to make or break the interview at this point.  And at this point, you will be so glad that you feel good; you look good and you know that you are are right on target with your answers and follow-up questions.

Once it’s all done, celebrate.  Treat yourself and your support team to a nice dinner, glass of wine or maybe a day off from the job search.  Enjoy – you’ve worked hard for it!

Posted in Career Tips & Strategies, Career Transition Skills, Communication Tips, Navigating Change | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Cover Letters: Keep Them Simple But Targeted

It can be tempting to minimize the importance of writing a well-thought-out cover letter.  After all, when you’re done writing or rewriting your resume over and over again you are just eager to get it out in circulation.

Slow down and remember that your cover letter is just as important as your resume.  Without it, your reader may never look at your resume.  But with a clear and concise cover letter your potential employer or networking contact becomes interested in learning more about you.  That’s what you want.  And hopefully, your reader is also motivated to invite you to discuss the position further or to come in for a formal interview.  Bottom line . . . your cover letter opens up doors for you to move to that next step in the hiring process.

Keep It Simple & Targeted

But you don’t have to start from scratch.  Use the hard work you put into your resume to identify what makes you unique and valuable to this specific employer for this specific position. Note that I’m saying “specific”.

Your cover letter must be very targeted.  It should clearly tie in your qualifications, skills and talents to what this potential employer is looking for – their needs at this time.  You are positioning yourself as their best solution.

Keep it simple by remembering that your cover letter just needs to do these five things:

  1. Introduce Yourself
  2. Capture the Reader’s Interest in You
  3. Highlight & Link Your Qualifications to the Needs of the Reader
  4. Identify the Clear Value You Will Bring Upon Hire
  5. Motivate the Reader to Call You!

An excellent resource is “Cover Letter Magic, 3rd Edition” by Wendy Enelow & Louise Kursmark, Career Masters Institute, 2007.  I use this book all the time because it gives a clear road map (with six steps) on how to identify your key selling points; condense them into strong summary sentences and then how to integrate them into customized cover letters.  Almost makes it easy to do!

 

 

Posted in Career Tips & Strategies, Communication Tips, Navigating Change, Networking | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Decluttering Your Office Space

It’s a challenge!  Stuff just accumulates.  When work is busy and I’m moving fast from developing training to working with my wonderful coaching clients, time just gallops by.  Yes, things get done, projects organized, papers filed . . . most of the time.  But in the whirlwind of daily work life,  it’s tough to keep up with it all especially the paper follow-up and those technology glitches that can stop me cold.

And I’m not the only one that struggles with “stuff” overload . . . even my corporate attorney Dad, who at age 93 still works, has been talking for weeks about not being able to find anything on his desk.  I tried to help him yesterday and even I couldn’t find anything on his desk.

Is it hopeless?  Is it worth the effort?  Yes, but it takes real determination ’cause frankly it’s not much fun to unload the office and start reorganizing from scratch.  But “decluttering” is the best thing you can do for your psychological health, your work productivity and your pocketbook.

Here’s How to Start . . .

These three steps work well for me – modify for what works well for you.  As my twin sister would say “Don’t over think it.  Just keep moving”.

First, set the timer for 45 – 50 minutes so you have an end in sight (or go by project).

Second, identify one small area – the top of your desk, a supply cabinet, a bookcase – just one area that feels doable.  Now literally walk over and pick up everything in that space and carry it into another room.  Yes, just pick it up (don’t sort it) and just carry it into an empty room and put it down on a table in three rough piles:  Keep, Maybe, Toss.  Later you’ll go in and do a quick sort of those piles.  Warning . . . don’t put it on the floor because you’ll never get back to it.

Third, once you’ve cleared out this area stand back and look at it.  It looks different doesn’t it?  And I bet it feels different as well.  Clutter drains energy.  So when you create this physical space you are also creating even a more powerful psychological space.  Give yourself a pat on the back – you did it – and now the ball is rolling.

Keep up the momentum by decluttering another small area each day.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised how one success builds on the next.  You’ll find that there is an optimum time to do this.  A time that you don’t mind doing something kind of mundane and mindless like decluttering.

Putting Things Back

But now you need to bring some things back.  Decide how you what your office space to look.  Be bold.  You may decide to move your furniture around, switch up the pictures, change the decorations or maybe just bring in some fresh flowers each week.  Make it yours and make it good for your soul.

Now go back to that room where you have your three piles.  Touch each item first and decide if you really need it to do your best work.  Is it really necessary?  Is it functional?  Does it contribute to making your office space “feel good”?  Keep it simple and don’t over think it.  But just bring back about 1/3 or less of what you took out.  Remember, more is better!

Now, tomorrow (Saturday) my twin sister and I will head down to my office to continue the momentum of decluttering.  With her help and a bit of nagging we’ll knock out a couple of hours and then hubby Wally will come in on Sunday to help with rearranging the furniture.  That’s before the Super Bowl game!

Posted in And a Bit More, Career Tips & Strategies, Navigating Change | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Fire & Ice Again in Northern Nevada

I’ve been writing about resiliency, hope and optimism in this blog weaving in real life stories.  Here is another example of how our routine lives can suddenly be changed forever.  Here’s what happened.

Fire . . . just when we thought Northern Nevada was through with its share of community crises another huge wild fire hit Reno last Thursday afternoon, January 19th. The winds were blowing at 80 miles an hour with gusts of over 100 miles an hour – not terribly unusual for our upper desert.  But one accidental spark over in Washoe Valley was enough to begin a fire that burned 3,700 acres of rugged sagebrush; ranch land, horse pastures and 20+ houses.

As a wall of fire crested the ridge right above our local high school and just down from our house my husband and I zipped over to help our good friend, Yvonna Estep, evacuate her home.  Within minutes Yvonna, along with all her neighbors, was packing up her dog, cats and personal belongings into her car as the police were going door to door enforcing the mandatory evacuation.  We left a hastily scribbled note on the door saying the house had been evacuated – important for the final sweep.  As for us there was no time to waste . . .

Ice . . . the irony was that it was snowing so hard on the Donner Summit that it was difficult for the California Interstate Fire Services to make it over the mountains to help Reno.  After all, fire trucks usually don’t carry snow chains.  I never heard the end of the story but I’m sure they finally made it – they always do.

So later that night, over a glass of wine, we huddled around the news to learn that temperatures had dropped and with the beginning of a snowstorm down here in the valley the fire was being contained.  It took another full 24 hours for the highway between Reno and Carson City to be reopened up for local residents to return to their homes.  When I drove through on Sunday morning the rebuilding had already begun.

This is our 5th major community crisis for Northern Nevada in as many months.  We’ve been on national news too many times.  But no doubt Nevada is resilient and will rebuild.  That’s hope and optimism.  And there’s truly never a dull moment in Northern Nevada.

 

Posted in And a Bit More, Inspirational Leadership, Navigating Change, Personal Development, Your Time & Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Resiliency” at Friday’s Beer Club

It’s Friday night at our regular beer club gathering and we’re having a lively conversation about a recent workshop I had given on “employee fatigue”.  Several people were weighing in on the complexities of today’s work world and the resulting stress of trying to keep up in order to keep one’s job.  Lots of ideas were being tossed out along with the rounds of beer.

I introduced the idea of teaching ourselves resiliency.  One of our colleagues, who had had a tough day at work, questioned what resiliency really was – did it even exist?  I assured him that yes, it does and what a gift it is for those that have it.

What is “Resiliency” Anyway?

Emotional resiliency is simply the ability to successfully respond and adapt to difficult life situations.  Resiliency is a subtle, quiet quality that one might not notice or appreciate unless they are looking for it.  Resilient people often don’t even know they possess that quality – it’s just the way they’ve learned to see and cope with life.  Resiliency is actually a learned skill that improves with age, practice and experience.

Learning How to be Resilient

The best way to learn how to develop your own resiliency is to watch others.  In my workshops, I ask people how  they learned to be resilient.  Almost always they say it came from watching someone close to themselves – maybe a parent, grandparent or someone in a mentor role. .They may have also learned by going through multiple tough times themselves.  Additionally, they do these five things:

  • Acknowledge the Reality & Move On
  • Expect Change & Be Ready to Adapt
  • Stay Connected with Others Everyday
  • Learn From Past Experiences
  • Find a Bigger Meaning & Purpose in Life

It sounds like alot.  How does one do this?  it takes self-awareness and the willingness to practice seeing and living life from a different perspective.  And a key component is emotional optimism.  A resilient person is an optimist person.  See my next blog for my favorite tips on how to self-coach yourself to be more optimistic and therefore, more resilient over the long run.

 

 

 

Posted in And a Bit More, Career Tips & Strategies, Navigating Change, Personal Development, Your Time & Energy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment