The interview is the final stage before a job offer is made, so you must give an absolute command performance. Success means getting a perfect A+. Anything less and you come in second place. There is often a question behind the question, so answer their underlining concern. Here is my tough questions list. Study them carefully and develop your own tailored responses using examples.1. Tell me about yourself. - This is t...

As you may know, networking is the number one job search strategy. One of your initial steps will be to identify a list of networking contacts. You may be thinking, “I don’t really have a network! Where am I supposed to find all these contacts?” It may be a real challenge to generate names, but the list below may help you uncover all the connections in both your personal and professional life.1. Athletic Teams (ie. Golf...

Maintaining work/life balance is the hardest thing to accomplish in adulthood. Many people today are too busy making a living that they don’t have time to make a life. Don’t expect to continue down the same path and get any significant changes in your life. Where you go with your work/life balance should be by choice not chance. Don’t focus on what you can’t do; focus on what you can do!1. Ask Questions and Reprioritize...

I always ask my clients their age. I don’t mean to make them feel bad about how old they are. But someone that’s 55 is at a different stage in their career and life than someone that’s 25 or 45. As a career counselor, I know that a 25 year old client presents dissimilar issues than someone who may be close to retiring and asking themselves the question, “What’s next?” One of the pioneers in the field of career developme...

If you really want to find a job, then double your networking efforts. It’s the best job search technique. Networking is an art and science that anyone can learn. To be successful in your search, I strongly suggest a strategy that maximizes your networking efforts. Here are 50 pitfalls to avoid when you are either at a networking event or having individual networking meetings. I have highlighted my pet peeves.1. Being...

In a research study conducted by Dr. David Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, he discovered that 80% of Americans don’t have goals. Sixteen percent have goals, but don’t write them down. Three percent have goals, write them down, but don’t review them. Only one percent, the highest achievers, have goals, write them down and review them on an on-going basis. But do we really need to set goals to enjoy life? No,...

Fear is the number one reason my clients do not achieve their goals. Whether it is fear of failure or fear of success, this psychological obstacle can cloud one’s judgment and cripple learning and growth. Fear can lead to procrastination and perfectionism which DO NOT serve you! Here our some of my thoughts on fear based on my professional experiences in my private practice.What is fear?Fear is a common and natural emoti...

My clients struggle with making a career change because they think it’s done in one big leap. The fact is it does not happen overnight, so don’t do it cold turkey. Reinventing yourself will likely take a year or more. Take these incremental steps to make the transition.1. Evaluate the Situation – Where am I now? STOP and write down the key sources of your dissatisfaction (i.e., job duties, your boss, salary/benefits, co...

What happens during the interview will determine your future. Make no mistake, you are a commodity and the most successful job hunter is the one that can close the sale. Your Goal: Convince the interviewer that you are absolutely the best person to fill the position. Remember: Ultimately, every question an interviewer asks you is related to one simple question: “Why should I hire you?” All of your long hours of hard wo...

So much of the job search is out of your control. The interview is one of the few aspects of the job search you can control. The interview is a selection process for which you can practice and prepare. There are plenty of unusual horror stories committed by job hunters. The following is a laundry list of the most common things that are deal breakers: 1. Arriving late to the interview or arriving too early2. Showing up w...