Career Success Partners

5 Common Mistakes First Time Job Applicants Make

Looking for a job is tough, and getting an employer to call you back for an interview is tougher. You have to impress the employer and prove that you are a responsible and respectable individual capable of getting the job done. But there are some things you may be doing that are hurting your chances of making that good impression.

1.       Triple-check your resume. Your resume may look presentable and your credentials valid, but typographical errors can kill the deal. Typos give the impression that you are careless and did not take the position seriously enough to look over the resume before handing it in. Read over your resume several times to check for punctuation and spelling mistakes, and then have someone else proofread it as well. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can catch details that yours may have missed.

2.       Triple-check your cover letter. If your application includes a cover letter, be sure that you have the employer’s name, title, and address correct. It is wise to call ahead of time and ask if the employer is still with the company as positions can shift abruptly. It would be of poor taste for an employer to receive a cover letter that was addressed to the wrong person. And again, check for typographical and grammatical errors.

3.       Change your silly voicemail greeting. When an employer calls you and you happen to be away from your phone, he or she does not want to hear an inane voicemail greeting from a potential employee. If the employer is calling to schedule an interview, that silly voicemail greeting of your Darth Vader impression can have him or her thinking again about whether you are right for the job.

4.       Change your silly email address. It’s difficult enough for your friends to type in your “[email protected]” email address, so don’t expect an employer to respond to such an address. You can easily register for a new email specifically for work on the number of free webmail clients available, and keep your old one for personal use.

5.       Prepare for interviews and dress appropriately. Appropriate dress differs from position to position, so you should research into what you should wear before the interview. You do not want to show up looking unprofessional and underdressed. You should also research into the position and company you are applying for to show that you are genuinely interested in the job.

This post was contributed by Donna Scott, who writes about the online degree programs. She welcomes your feedback at DonnaScott9929 yahoo.com

"Personal Excellence" - A KEY Element of Your Personal Brand

The depth, strength and quality of your Personal Brand is highly correlated with your level of achievement of Personal Excellence. 

Personal Excellence is a set of behaviors.  Those behaviors, when considered together:

• Draw others naturally to you .... strengthening and deepening your relationships -- personal and professional
• Leave a lasting and highly enthusiastic impression of you in the minds of those who come into contact with you .... creating advocates and cheerleaders .... and earning, growing and keeping the trust of others
• Facilitate the achievement of extraordinary results .... consistently .... and on an on-going basis

Achievement of Personal Excellence is the secret ingredient that catapults your personal brand and personal success out of the playing field of the mediocre and into the seats of the champions.  Fire up your Personal Brand with Personal Excellence .... and exceptional achievements will begin to manifest in your life immediately and going forward.

Personal Excellence  =  Peak Performance, Extraordinary Results

Personal Excellence  =  Strong Sense of Fulfillment and Purpose

Personal Excellence  =  Extreme Personal and Professional Success

The set of behaviors implicit in achieving Personal Excellence include ALL of the following.  Ask yourself how well you rate your personal behavior against these key characteristics.

Behaviors Implicit in Achieving Personal Excellence:

• Always Expresses Kindness and Compassion Toward Others
  
• Gives Without Conditions Attached
• Is Always Respectful of Others -- Respects Others' Time, Feelings, Culture, Differences
• Thoughtful -- Considers the Needs of Others -- Sensitive to the Feelings of Others
• Displays a Positive Mindset - Intellectually Optimistic -- Avoids Gossip, Criticism and Complaining -- Sheds Light and Inspires Hope In a Practical Manner
• Always Expresses Gratitude and Thankfulness -- Alert to Opportunities to Say "Thanks"
• Practices Excellent Manners -- A Role Model to Others
  
• Responsive and Timely -- Acknowledges Others; Returns Calls and Emails on a Timely Basis
• Attentive to Details -- Embraces the Idea That "Little Things" Count -- A Quality "Freak"
• Consistently Meets Deadlines -- Exceeds Expectations -- Regularly "Wow's" Others
• Takes Ownership and Assumes Responsibility -- Accountable and Highly Self-Motivated -- Shows Initiative
• Holds True to Values -- Never Compromises Core Values
• Dresses for Success -- Polished and Professional -- Sensitive to Established Norms for Dress
• Nurtures Relationships -- Personal and Professional -- Proactively Reaches Out -- Gives and Shares
• Fully Embraces Lifelong Learning  -- Reads -- Focuses on Self Improvement -- Thirst for Personal and Professional Betterment
• Listens Attentively and With Empathy
• Has a Strong Bias for Action -- Gets Things Done!
• Tactful and Diplomatic -- Thinks Through Actions and Behaviors in Advance -- Considers the Consequences of Actions and Plans
• Embraces Change -- Open to New Ideas and New Ways of Thinking
• Embraces Failure -- Willing to Make Mistakes -- Learns, Adjusts and Moves On
• Health and Fitness Conscious -- Eats Well, Gets Plenty of Rest, Exercises, Gets Routine Check-ups -- Role Models Health and Fitness

Anything significant missing from the above list?  Would love to hear from you at: [email protected].

Personal Excellence is a CHOICE.  Choose to be excellent in everything you do.  Always treat others with the dignity, respect and kindness they deserve.  Work with a "service to others" mindset.  Let YOUR personal magic unfold....and make a difference; it's up to you!

Job Interviewing Tips and Techniques for Executive-Level Candidates -- Make a WOW Impression!

Mastering the interview process is the key to securing that "dream job" or "perfect fit" executive level job that you're seeking.  It's tough enough to get INTO the interview process in today's current job market, but once you're "in play," you've got THOROUGHLY PREPARE and BE READY for every interview step along the way -- phone interviews, one-on-one interviews with the leadership team, group or panel-style interviews, etc.

The THREE keys to effective interviewing are PREPARATION, PRACTICE and PRESENTATION:

PREPARATION.  Prepare In Advance of EVERY Interview -- You simply CANNOT over-prepare for an interview.  Those who prepare and take the time to do ALL of their homework, put themselves at a major competitive advantage.  Consider ALL of the following steps in preparation for an upcoming interview:

• Know the Format.  Confirm ahead of time the format of the interview.  Will it be a phone interview, face-to-face interview, group interview, panel interview, lunch interview, dinner interview, etc?  You NEVER want to be surprised by the format -- it can definitely throw you off and affect your level of confidence.

• Know the "Players."  Find out as much as you can about all of those individuals with whom you will be interviewing -- Ask for their names in advance.  If you're working with an executive recruiter, ask him or her to provide you with that information. Do a "Google" search on all of the individuals.  Do a LinkedIn search on all of the individuals. Look for things in common with your background -- former employers, college and university alumni, professional organizations, outside interests, etc. Draw up a list of possible talking points.

• Know the Position.  Make sure you thoroughly understand the roles and responsibilities of the position for which you will be interviewing.  Ask for a job description, find out why the position is open, thoroughly research similar positions on the internet (job boards are a great resource for this exercise).  Confirm your understanding of the position with your key contact at the company.  Make NO PRESUMPTIONS about the position.

• Research the Company.  Thoroughly research the company.  Talk to those in your network that know the company.  Research the company on the internet.  If a public company, review publicly available financial statement information. What are the key issues currently facing the Company?  Why is the position you are interviewing for available?  Is it a new position?  If so, why?  Is it a replacement position?  If so, what happened to the former executive employee? What are the company's key strengths?  What is their market share for key products/services? What is going on with the company's key competitors?  What late-breaking news is available on the company? Set up a "Google Alert" for the weeks/days leading up to your interview to keep current on late-breaking news.

• Draw Up Insightful Questions.  Make a list of GREAT questions that you can ask.  Formulate separate sets of questions for each of the individuals you'll be interviewing.  Orient your questioning to each person's background, role and responsibility at the company.  Great questions = Great candidates.
  

• Draw Up a List of Questions That Will Likely Be Asked of You.  Put together a comprehensive list of some of the key questions that you will likely be asked. What are the most difficult questions that you could be asked?  Consider things such as: Gaps in your work experience; Short-tenure job positions (particularly those where you were employed less than one year;  Lack of experience in one or more of the key requirements of the job position for which you will be interviewing

PRACTICE!  This is the BIG ONE that most executive level candidates FAIL to give sufficient attention to.  My experience in working with hundreds and hundreds of executives and preparing them for job interviews is that THOSE WHO PREPARE almost ALWAYS outshine their competition.  Preparation = Confidence; Preparation = Relaxed and Calm Presentation; Preparation = Minimizing Surprises.  Ideas for PRACTICE include:

• Role Playing with a friend, your spouse, or an experienced coach. 
• Self-Observation. Practicing in front of a mirror.
• Video Replay. Video-taping yourself and critiquing your performance.
• Audio Replay.  Recording yourself and critiquing your performance.

As with anything, PRACTICE makes PERFECT.  Why leave ANYTHING to chance?  If the position you're planning to interview for is IMPORTANT, take the time to PRACTICE.

PRESENTATION.  On the "Big Day" you've got to SHINE.  You've got to "Wow" ALL of the interviewers.  You've got to create an excellent INITIAL IMPRESSION and you've got to leave a LASTING ENTHUSIASTIC IMPRESSION of yourself.  Consider these key tips for making a "Wow Presentation":

• Dress for Success.  Know the dress-style expectation ahead of time and take it up just a notch.  If it's business casual and they ASK YOU to dress business casual, then respect their request but take it up just a notch.  For males that means putting a blue blazer over your golf shirt and wearing impeccable shoes.
  
• Impeccable Grooming.  Speaks for itself.
  
• Watch Your Manners.  Show respect for everyone you meet -- the receptionist, the administrative assistant.  It may be that everyone's vote counts.  Be kind, be considerate, be nice.
• Smile and Be Engaging.  Interviews are serious, but let your personality come out.  Smile and show enthusiasm.  Be engaging. Practice an interview style that replaces "stiffness" with being more conversational.  Be interesting.
  
• Avoid Humor.  Leave the joke-telling to others.

A Few Final Thoughts:

• Keep your answers on-point.  Answer the question and avoid rambling commentary.
• Ask about next steps.  Asking "what's next" is a signal of your interest.  Know the next steps.
• Let EVERYONE know you're interested.  Don't leave anyone questioning your interest level.  Make it apparent and sincere.
• Pick up business cards or contact information on everyone you meet with.  You'll need this for follow up purposes.
• FOLLOW UP with everyone with whom you interviewed -- at a minimum via email.  Handwritten notes to some of the key interviewers can also make a positive impact.  Reaffirm your interest level.  BRIEFLY readdress any issues that a particular interviewer might have had.

PREPARE .... PRACTICE ..... PRESENTATION, your keys to an effective interview.

_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
[email protected]
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

I'm Not Getting ANY Results From LinkedIn. Is It Really Worth My Time? YES! Here's Why....

Career Success Radio Show - Listener call-in question from Corey from Washington, DC metropolitan area:  Corey asks ...."I'm Not Getting ANY Results From LinkedIn.  Is It Really Worth My Time?"

Great question Corey!
Listen to our response:

NOTE:  Each day, we choose at least one of our more popular listener call-in questions and post the answer in  a short audio clip hear.  All audio clips are generally 3 to 4 minutes in length.

A Reminder: Schedule Your "Big Rocks" FIRST This Week

As we enter a new week, I am reminded of the philosophy and guidance provided by Stephen Covey in his book "First Things First," and how important it is for all of us to schedule our BIG ROCKS on our calendar BEFORE we start the week and before we allow anything else to clutter up our schedule and weekly plan.

Your BIG ROCKS are those things that you KNOW are IMPORTANT and are key activities associated with accomplishment of your personal goals and work-related goals.  Because these big rocks tend NOT to be URGENT, it is easy for us to set them aside or replace them WITH the urgent.  The urgent MAY be important, but not necessarily so.

The simple message is if we do a better job of being proactive and consistent with scheduling our big rocks, a lot of the things that emerge as being urgent will disappear because we have done a much better job of advanced planning -- preempting many or most of those urgent matters and eliminating many or most of the daily "fire drills."

So what are some example of these Big Rocks?

• Scheduling time to plan your week -- an hour to 90 minutes to review your goals, your calendar, your to do lists, your inboxes, etc. and consciously map out your weekly game plan.
• Scheduling exercise time -- which tends to be the first thing we "let go" when things get busy.  Put it on your calendar and schedule AROUND this time.  Make it a priority.
• One-on-one time with team members -- spending quality time with key team members -- discussing their challenges, recognizing their efforts, supporting the work they do, providing coaching and mentoring.
• Quality time with family members -- getting involved in activities with family members -- immersing yourself in their lives.
• Reading and learning -- another activity that very easily falls by the wayside when things are hot and heavy.  Schedule time for personal and professional development -- chunks of thirty minutes -- first thing in the morning, between meetings, etc.
• Networking and relationship development -- communicating with your business, professional and personal network -- giving, listening, sharing.

Make it a point this week to schedule time for YOUR big rocks.  Communicate your intention to perform these "big rock" activities to others involved -- plant the flag by creating a commitment to someone else

Quick Exercise -- Identify at least THREE of your BIG ROCK activities and drop them on your calendar RIGHT NOW.  Let the other person(s) know via email RIGHT NOW of your intention with respect to this activity.  Create the commitment and STICK TO IT. 

All the best for a productive week to you!

Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
[email protected]
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com
239-285-5575

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

What Advice Do You Have in Getting Off to a Great Start in a New Job?

Career Success Radio Show - Listener call-in question from Drew in Columbia, South Carolina: Drew asks .... "What advice do you have in getting off to a great start in a new job?"

Listen to our response by clicking here -> Our Advice 

Posted via email from Career Success! Wisdom from Andy & Carrie Robinson

Time to Reflect Back on July and Plan for a Successful August

You've just wrapped up another month in 2009 - Time to celebrate your successes!

Listen to this 30 second audio clip to learn more: http://bit.ly/Celebrate-July

My Passion:

"Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day