Here’s a summary of our tips for workers aged 55 and up:
1. Don’t wait to be laid off to look for a new job.
2. If you have been laid off, do a little soul-searching before deciding your next move.
3. “Dumb down” your resume.
4. Put personal networking first.
5. Target companies where the leadership skews older.
6. Be patient.
Read the full tips here (scroll down to the sidebar.)
1. You’re a brand. Act that way.
2. Know the company.
3. Know your interviewers.
4. Go ahead, wear a pantsuit.
5. Make eye contact.
6. Handle sensitive questions with finesse.
7. Ask the right questions.
8. Be assertive — ask for the job.
9. Get contact information and send individual thank you notes.
Many people say “Tell me about yourself” is the most difficult interview question. That’s wrong on two counts.
First, it’s not actually a question; it’s a request.
Second, it gives you complete freedom to say whatever you want. If you’re prepared, it’s the best single question you can be asked.
In the three videos below, Denham Resources offers an example of a GOOD response to “Tell me about yourself,” a BAD one, and an UGLY one.
Here’s the good response:
Here’s the bad one:
And here’s the ugly one:
My thoughts on the videos above is that the points made in all three are well-said. I would argue, however, that the GOOD answer could be much better. I’m a firm believer that interviewers tune out of long answers during interviews, and this is a long answer. It goes in too many directions. I think it’s better to stop after making a couple of points, and to do so in a way that an interviewer will naturally want to ask you a follow-up question.
Brian Krueger of CollegeGrad.com has some good general advice on “Tell me about yourself” here:
Here’s a chuckle: A reader asks Marie Claire’s “Cubicle Coach” what she should do at her next company outing — since at the last one her bikini top came down and she accidentally flashed everyone. CC’s advice: Go to the gathering, but “to avoid any easy memory association, stay away from the water. This time, stick to macaroni salad and Wiffle ball.”
We generally deal with the concerns of $100K+ executives at RiseSmart, but with commencement season upon us, we thought we’d offer some tips for new college grads looking to land their first job. Here are some tips from RiseSmart Blog contributor Heather Johnson:
The job interview, for anybody, can be a harrowing experience. It is even more frightening for the recent college graduate. You’re finally in the real world and everything has seemingly taken on greater importance. The safety net that supported you through the last four years is gone. You’re living on your own, your parents are more reluctant to help out, and you might live far away from your friends.
It’s time to carve out a living and the first interview is your first test. Here are five things to keep in mind so you can walk away with a positive feeling:
1. Preparation is crucial. Being prepared doesn’t simply mean that you’re ready with a quick response to any potential question the interviewer may ask. A big part of the interview will come when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions. Be ready to ask at least two or three. Make sure you’ve researched the company inside and out. This will show you have legitimate interest in the position.
2. Tend to every detail. Call at least three days before the interview for confirmation of the location and time of the interview. Find out the name of who you will be interviewing with. Have extra copies of your resume and references available. Drive to the office where the interview is taking place to ensure there are no snags the day you actually have to be there.
3. You can only make one first impression. Politeness and an easygoing manner are crucial. Pushiness is a turnoff. If you’re debating whether to wear a suit, wear the suit. Only take a seat when you’ve been offered one. Follow the interviewer’s lead and answer the questions asked.
4. Be punctual. This is a no-brainer, right? Well, this goes back to No. 2. Know where the interview is taking place and make sure you know how to get there. And get there at least 15 minutes early. If you arrive early and the interviewer is ready to start, this will only make you look better in their eyes. Remember you’re on their schedule.
5. Go short instead of long. If you feel as if you’re rambling then you probably are. The interviewer can only process so much information at once. You don’t want your major point to get lost in a bunch of unnecessary words. Be concise and thorough. This can be a tough skill to master so get a friend to ask you potential questions and practice!
[Heather Johnson is an industry critic on the subject of how to become a nurse. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.]
With Americans fearful of a recession, the competition for $100K+ jobs has become more intense than it has been in years. In this environment, it’s more important than ever for jobseekers to be well-prepared for job interviews — particularly when they are seeking their first $100K+ job.
To help candidates break the $100K+ barrier, here are five tips to help you in the interview process:
1. Brand yourself. To be a $100k+ manager or executive, you must have a brand — a one-sentence or one-phrase way to powerfully describe yourself in your interview. Don’t just tell the person where you worked and what your responsibilities were. Instead, tell them you’re a ‘sales turnaround expert’ who’s ‘tough-minded’ and ‘thrives under pressure.’ That’s the kind of meaty characterization that recruiters use in pitching candidates to employers, and it’s how you need to present yourself in the big interview.
2. Know the employer. One of the biggest differences between the candidate who gets the $100k+ job and the one stuck forever in five figures is doing your homework before the interview. If you can reference and react intelligently to what journalists, investment analysts and others have said and written about your potential employer, you present yourself as a leader who thinks strategically — not a worker bee who waits around to be handed a new task.
3. Dress for the part. Dress for the side of the $100K salary line you want to be on. For example, high-powered male executives are far more likely to wear French cuffs than sub-$100K managers. So add a couple of new shirts and some nice cufflinks to your wardrobe – at least for your job interviews. Female executives, meanwhile, tend to dress more conservatively as they move up the corporate ladder – favoring high-end pantsuits over skirts, cardigans and other early-career options.
4. Don’t ramble — be concise. Answer questions thoroughly, but then stop. If you feel the need to continue talking simply because the interviewer hasn’t asked the next question, you’ll come off as weak and indecisive — not a leader. Some interviewers like to put you in awkward situations just to see how you’ll respond to them. Don’t take the bait; stay in control – especially of what comes out of your mouth.
5. Ask for the job. If you want to win your first $100K+ job, you need to show mental toughness in your interview – so bring your hard hat, not your pacifier. Bashful people don’t become $100K+ executives. Do you want the job? Then ask for it directly. Employers respect assertiveness, particularly for leadership positions.
Heather S. Hughes has a great post at the Black Star Rising photographers’ blog where she discusses making the career change from newspaper staffer to wedding photographer. It looks like her career transition should go well — and the reason is how well she’s planned for it. As she puts it:
I chose wedding photography because it is stable (people will always get married), requires advanced planning (most are booked at least six months out), and will still allow me to work as a freelance photojournalist on stories I care about. I am taking the plunge now because wedding season starts soon…
To my credit, or not, I am an obsessive planner and enjoy organizing and making lists … I read a lot of books to help me with my lists, and things were added to it each week, which is why it is important to start this process before you leave your job, so you aren’t rushed into making mistakes. Lists also help you figure out what will make you happy and what you really want. They can reassure you that you’re making the right decision.
We know what many of you might say in response: I’m too busy — too engaged — in my current job to start planning for what I’ll do next.
Believe me, we understand. And that’s one of the main reasons we created RiseSmart. We know that $100k+ managers and executives often don’t have 30 to 40 hours per month to devote to searching for their next job online. And so we do it for you.
Now what’s your excuse for not planning ahead?
ABP. Always Be Planning. It’s about the best career advice we can give.
Reporter Erin O’Hearn of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia provides an overview of niche job sites in this report. We’re pleased, of course, that Erin chose to highlight RiseSmart in her coverage!
The folks at Bootstrapper called our attention to an excellent post providing links to tools, advice and resources for individuals who are looking to change careers. There are more than 50 links (52, to be exact), so check it out.
When people are assembling their resumes, they tend to get obsessed with finding the right format, the right fonts, and the right “power words.” But the biggest key to writing a successful resume is knowing your personal brand before you ever set fingers to keyboard.
Even though, for most people, the best resume format is a reverse-chronological listing of your past positions and responsibilities, this doesn’t mean your resume should read like a list. On the contrary, it means that you need to communicate your brand message so clearly that it connects with the reader, no matter the format.
It’s Not About Power Words
You can’t communicate a distinctive brand message by littering it indiscriminately with so-called “power words.” While certainly your description of past accomplishments should be driven by action verbs, too many people go too far with words like “optimized,” “enhanced,” “revitalized” and “solidified.” You’ll only succeed in making the hiring manager’s eyes glaze over.
How about coming up with words that really describe you? If you’re a sales executive, maybe you’re a “sales turnaround expert” who’s “tough-minded” and “thrives under pressure” but is still “popular for having an even hand.” If I’m a company struggling to get my sales organization off the ground, would I rather know these things about you – or that you have X years of experience “solidifying, optimizing and revitalizing”?
You can think of these words as your personal brand characteristics — and they should be reflected in all your communications to prospective employers.
Three Steps to Success
Here are three steps I recommend when you are ready to prepare your resume:
Come up with three to five personal brand characteristics that make you stand out from the competition.
Make sure these brand characteristics come through in your overview paragraph (every resume should have one), as well as in the accomplishments you list for each job you’ve held.
Connect these brand characteristics to the specific job you’re applying for with a well thought-out cover letter.
Hiring managers are busy people. They’re not trying to understand your “brand”; they’re mainly looking to find people whose experiences meet their checklist of requirements. But by taking a personal-branding approach to preparing your resume, you’ll give that hiring manager a strong sense of who you are — and what you bring to the table — even before that first telephone interview.
The powerful narrative you are communicating about yourself will click in, and you will quickly separate yourself from the job applicants focused on formats and power words. What’s more, as you get closer to landing your desired job, your positioning will be reinforced each time your resume is read and re-read.
So don’t settle for a resume that reads like a list. Create a resume that reads like you.
When people are assembling their resumes, they tend to get obsessed with finding the right format, the right fonts, and the right “power words.” But the biggest key to writing a successful resume is knowing your personal brand before you ever set fingers to keyboard.
