You may hear, “Dress to impress,
you’re always on stage.”
Being yourself can be hard but just try to gauge.
Hold your head up high and get the job done.
Be true to yourself and you’ll
know that you’ve won.
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Spell check doesn’t count as editing—just ask any manger [sic] or, on
one of my résumé examples, where I wrote business singular when
I meant it to be plural businesses. There are some techniques to tighten
up the process, which include waiting until the day after writing to
proofread, printing something out, reading it backward, and reading it
aloud. What you must remember is that your mind substitutes missing
and wrong letters and words naturally for you. As much as we may convince
ourselves that we can do it on our own, you should not proofread
your own work.
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com
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To get a job, you might try to get
your foot in the door.
Seek something you are passionate about and
you’ll never be bored.
If you have a significant amount of expertise in a certain field, there are plenty of opportunities to contract and consult. There are pros and cons. The consultant or independent contractor is typically paid better, because companies don’t have the extra expense of health benefit costs and they have a clear ending deadline, paying only for actual work being done. For both parties, it can become a trial for potential full-time work. On the downside, as a contractor, you must always be concerned with the length of your contract, and try to stay ahead of when the next potential contract may come. Additionally, contractors often put in a lot of work in a condensed period of time. However, you get higher pay and have an independent and entrepreneurial approach to getting the work done. At the very least, it can bridge the gap between full-time jobs. It is worth an individual assessment to see if it can work for you.
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com
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He makes a mistake and gets cast out the door.
It’s true, maybe he could have given us more.
We all come up short under many circumstances.
You’ll find greater success when you
give second chances.
Without shoving my résumé and marketing plan down everyone’s
throat, I wasn’t shy about including it in emails and handing it
out as much as possible—when it made sense. In addition to attaching it
to every networking invitation, I made it part of my daily routine to create
an online profile with companies I was interested in, and also uploaded
it to career-assistance websites. These types of opportunities surround
us if we look hard enough. For example, I found a strong information
source with Career Management Associates. CMA is an HR consulting
firm for Northern New England (www.cmacareer.com). Although more
jobs will come from networking connections, there are opportunities locally,
regionally, and nationally where companies and recruiters actively
scan these types of websites. What could it hurt?
Another reason for getting the résumé out there is an objective opinion.
Being unemployed had me staring at my résumé for what seemed
like hours each day. As your résumé is being circulated, people will inevitably
provide unsolicited advice (or solicited if we’re smart enough to
ask). Some of the better pieces of feedback came from these objective
observers. A second set of eyes can also pick up on any typos. If you are
adjusting the résumé along the way—as you should in order to target
positions with your competencies—you may miss a crucial edit. What
always seems like a simple, quick change has a tendency to go unnoticed
until the most inopportune time.
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com
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Many have said, “Hope is not a strategy.”
Hope may put wind in the sails, but if hope’s all
you have it’s a tragedy.
Work can get done with quite
a bit of satisfaction,
And culminates by realizing the hope within the
vision when you take true action.
Effective listening skills will get you far in the interviewing process.
Interviewing is a two-way dialog, not just a question and answer
session. The discussion goes both ways. However, many times candidates
feel the need to talk as much about themselves as possible, as quickly as
possible, in order to make sure they fit everything within the interview
timeframe. It’s good to be able to confidently talk about yourself (e.g.,
“It’s Not Bragging if It’s a Fact”), but the overall quantity must be carefully
thought out. Unfortunately, I fell into this trap in one of my interviews.
In doing my homework for a position, I learned that the hiring manager
was concerned that, although I was a leader of many tasks specific
to the role for which I was interviewing, she wanted examples of when
I’d rolled up my sleeves and actually done the job. I was prepared with
multiple examples, and tried to find a way to include them all—and I
mean all. I needed to better listen to the questions, stay succinct, and remain
on task with my answers. I overwhelmed the interviewer and spent
most of the time talking, and in my own view, unfairly dominating the
discussion. The interviewer most likely felt that she’d lost control of the
interview, that I wasn’t engaged, and that I was simply sticking to my
own agenda. Listening skills are critical to ensure that both parties get the
most out of the dialog. Ironically, I went back to my handwritten notes
and noticed insider information that I needed to remember: “(Hiring
manager) likes to talk.”
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com
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We’re always harder on ourselves, though
I couldn’t say why.
We create self-imposed pressures that
may make us cry.
Give yourself a break and take a deep breath;
Focus on giving your all, and you
will be your best.
As an interviewer, I once sat back for twenty minutes and waited for
a candidate to finish answering the first question of the interview,
“Tell me a little bit about yourself professionally.” The answer was rambling
and meandered all around with no particular end in sight. I could
have stopped him, but part of the interview was to determine how effectively
an individual could communicate with others. When in an interview,
it’s important to provide an answer that has context to the question,
supported with a strong example, than a quick wrap up and conclusion.
Rambling creates questions in the interviewer’s mind about your overall
communication style, skills, and ability. You obviously don’t want oneword
responses, but you do want to use solid and supporting examples
using an economy of words.
As I teach in From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide,
there can never be too much practice and preparation, whether you are
doing mock interviews or practicing in front of a mirror using any one
of the thousands of “typical” interview questions you can find on the
Internet. It’s not about memorization—it’s about using an economy of
words that hits the interviewer between the eyes with an unforgettable
impact. Pull out a list of ten to twenty questions, write out your answers,
and practice speaking them. The self-assessment on whether you are babbling
or hitting the mark can make a huge difference in being invited
back for more interviews, or even offered the job.
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com
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