Updated for 2020. Time to close up for the year and start looking at the next one. When I think about the upcoming year, I want to come up with actionable, doable tasks that will help your career and job performance. Blue sky stuff doesn't cut it; only things that lead you to employment security […] Related posts: 5 actions to take before starting your job search 13 job and career actions to take for 2013 14 Career Tasks for 2014 ..read more

Regardless of the field you might be interested in going into, leadership experience will help your resume stand out.  There are five methods of showing your leadership skills on your resume. Let's take a look.See more resume tips and my approach to building resumes. Check out my Resume Tips page.Show that you produce results on your […] Related posts: Get an employer’s attention with your resume Experience does not equal a job skill How to best represent an accomplishment on your resume ..read more

Here is the frustrating question: “I need to redo my resume because I want a new job. What should I put in it?” It’s a frustrating question…because I can’t answer it. So, I ask questions. And then I start frustrating the person asking the question, usually because they don’t know the answers. You can’t blame the person, […] Related posts: 3 Reasons to Categorize Job Skills on a Resume Why soft skills should be included on your resume Poor job descriptions challenge Cubicle Warriors ..read more

One of my most consistent resume themes is that your resume must show your accomplishments. Logical — but where do you find your achievements to put on your resume? This is a big deal to a lot of people. Defining an accomplishment is one thing. What happens, though, is once you define an accomplishment, you are […] Related posts: You need business results on your resume – here are 3 sources to get them 30 Career Management Tips — Document your accomplishments Track business results for your performance review ..read more

Interview questions are tough to answer when they ask you to go negative on your current job, isn’t it? Going negative on interview questions, after all, makes you look negative. On top of that, any negativity towards your old supervisor is immediately viewed as you not willing to work towards the department goals. Answering interview […] Related posts: Questions to ask during the interview Interview questions only have three answers Interview questions need clarifying ..read more

Compared to the Great Recession, the economy is in pretty good shape. Employment is as well. That doesn’t mean the layoffs have stopped. Nor does it mean that outsourcing doesn’t continue. That global thing is real. But companies — or parts of companies — can still be in trouble. Bad things happening to employees are […] Related posts: Company, manager and team loyalty are misunderstood Don’t invest in your company stock 4 reasons to help the company – but your company loyalty sucks ..read more

Let’s get resume building back to the beginning for a bit. Let’s start with the basics and go through what sections every resume should include. Even though many, if not most, resumes don’t include all these sections. To their peril. Each section has unique attributes and all of them together strive to build a story […] Related posts: 4 critical review areas for updating your resume 3 Reasons to Categorize Job Skills on a Resume What ARE the keywords in your resume, anyway ..read more

Once your resume is out there, the next step in the hiring process is usually a phone interview with a recruiter. Someone who is an intermediary between you and a hiring manager interview. These interviews, done on the phone, require different approaches to answering the interview questions than a face to face interview. Here are […] Related posts: 5 rules for phone interviews 5 phone interview mistakes you must not make The 4-point framework for answering job interview questions ..read more

Forced choice interview questions put you into what my old debate days called a “dilemma”– no matter which way you answered, you lose. Pick one of two opposing choices and pick your poison. Let’s get some help on these forced choice interview questions. What is a forced choice interview question? Interview questions can be described […] Related posts: Interview Question: Where do you see yourself five years from now? Interview question-How did you prepare for this interview? Interview Question: Why should I hire you ..read more

Every person hired works on a team so teamwork interview questions are logical and expected. Candidates often answer teamwork interview questions with “willing to work long hours” or “willing to help a person on my team” answers — and fail. Instead of answering with what you are willing to do for the team, answer with […] Related posts: Build powerful stories to answer interview questions To answer interview questions, use a CAR 3 ways stories help you answer interview questions ..read more