Raising Your Job Bar…

You may feel like you are reaching for the stars every time you set your career intentions or apply for another great job only to be turned down or ignored. It’s not like you are deliberately setting your expectations too high it’s just that you may need to lower your desire to match your expectation.  Just because you set your sights on something does not mean you should not do everything in your power to try to attain it.  Whether it’s a house, a car, a relationship or your next job, knowing what you want is half the battle between where you stand now and moving closer to what you want.

Lowering your desire to match your expectations does not mean you are settling or selling yourself short when it comes to attaining your career goals.  It means that you are setting realistic expectations and are able to manage your expectations against what you know are possible outcomes.  Having desire towards wanting to achieve something is the gas in the car to help you drive you to your next destination.  Expecting you’ll arrive there without gas is setting yourself up for disappointment and regret and an even longer walk to where you want to go.

When it comes to your career choices raising your expectations to match your desire means you are willing to look at what is not working in your job or your search and course correct until you feel you are aligning your expectations with your goals.  When your desire is strong, you have the necessary energy and will to realize any expectation you set for yourself.  Maintaining that level of uninterrupted focus and vision will help you realize your career goals even though you may become discouraged at not moving fast enough towards your goals.

Becoming who you want to be takes work.  No great work of art materializes over night. In order to achieve your own personal greatness you have to continue to visualize your dream job, your next career move with clarity and intention.  Wanting something bad enough is sometimes all it takes to move you from an okay job to your dream job. You will need to be responsive to opportunities and choices that appear in the road to your success and not question every turn with hesitation or fear. Understanding your limitations helps you realize what may be missing in your attempts to create the perfect job opportunity.

Listening to your self and believing you are capable of getting what you want may be all you need to realize your dream job.  Enthusiasm for something is contagious when you have the right attitude and are willing to engage others in helping you realize your goals.  Everyone wants to support a winner and someone they can get behind.  You have what it takes to succeed and raising your job bar to the heights of your desire is not wasting your time when you know what you want and are willing to do what it takes to get it.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

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Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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1-2-3 Hire Me!

Well it might not be as easy as 1-2-3 but keeping the interview process simple and to the point will likely help you figure out whether you have what it takes to land the perfect job.  Job interviewing like any first time encounter, needs to be direct, clear and to the point if you are going to make your first impression count.  Having a great resume or being referred by someone all help you open the door but what actually makes you walk in and take a seat may be the difference between knowing how to ace your 1-2-3’s.

You only have one shot when it comes to making a good first impression.  There are no makeovers or second chances when you are up for the role of your life.  Not to add pressure, but making a good first impression sets the stage for whether you will be called back to read for the part or likely hear the words, “Next” to give you an idea on where you stand in the interview process.

There are three simple rules to keep in mind anytime you are up for a new job or you are about to interview with someone for the first time:

  1. You Had Me At Hello:  Knowing how well you present yourself may make the first awkward moments of meeting someone knew less clunky.  How firmly you shake someone’s hand, whether you make direct eye contact and how well you hold your physical posture all are signs that you take yourself seriously and others should as well.  The first words you speak and how you address someone new all make a lasting impression when you are making your first introduction.  When you ramble on, fire away too many questions or fall into an awkward silence, you set yourself up for failure before you even begin.  Start by keeping it brief and making a strong first start instead of nervously fumbling over your self.
  2. I Robot:  Having a good script and sticking to it ensures you cover all the basis when it comes to highlighting your background and accomplishments to someone you are meeting for the first time.  Your ability to be relaxed and comfortable when talking about your self is the key to making someone notice you and not feel like you are programmed to answer on command.  Remaining calm, focused and relaxed ensures you are not going to blow a circuit if thrown a curve ball of a question and that you are able to keep up with whatever someone has to throw your way without a serious malfunction or break down.
  3. End It Like Beckman:  Making a good first impression is important but learning to end the meeting with a big finish will help you either seal the deal or kill your chances for ever getting a call back no matter how badly you think you aced the interview.  Having some set responses such as, “What are next steps in the interview process?” or “What is the best way to follow up” or perhaps, “I really enjoyed our conversation what’s the best way for me to get in touch again?” all help you to ease into the next step without sounding desperate or hard up for the job. Remember to make the interviewer feel comfortable and glad they met you and feel like they can’t wait to wash their hands after the meeting.

Learning how to follow up with a prospective job lead whether you are at the beginning or end of the interview process implies you are comfortable with change and new direction and know best how to make the most out of a new introduction even if it does not immediately yield a job offer.  Remember 1-2-3 hire me steps the next time you feel the need to trip over your own words before you even get out of the car for your interview.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

 


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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5 Things To Avoid In A Job Interview

Some of you may not always be in the interview seat and may actually be the one interviewing a prospective candidate.  Whether you are doing it as a favor to a friend or are a recruiter, or someone asked you to keep an applicant company while they are being shuffled from one interview to another, remember to put yourself in the candidate’s place and act “as if”.  We all know how nervous and intimidating the interview process can be.  Understanding that is the first step in making a candidate feel comfortable and less awkward during the rigorous interview process.

Here are some topics or actions that will likely make an already nervous job applicant see “red” or worse, run in fear before the interview even gets started.  Next time you are in front of a prospective candidate consider avoiding the following:

1.     “You are sitting in my chair!” Claiming your space during an interview may seem like a natural step for you but marking your territory with an unsuspecting candidate is likely to have them feel like they just stepped in a pile before they even sit down.  Physical and personal boundaries are important when meeting new people but rearranging people like furniture is not going to win you any high marks and will likely set the stage for a very tense first impression.

2.     “So, you’ve been married before?”  Finding ways to break the ice when meeting someone for the first time is an important first step in establishing a good rapport. Delving into their personal life and inquiring about their marital status or how often they date is not.  Finding the boundaries between “social” and “sociopath” will help you know just how close is too close for comfort.

3.     “When was the last time you had sex?”  There is probably no “good” conversation where this phrase is appropriate unless of course you are auditioning for a scene in “Masters of Sex.”  Inquiring about someone’s sexual activity is not appropriate topic of conversation for the office or in any professional setting.

4.     “How late do you like to work?”  It’s nice to know the work ethic of the prospective candidate, but inquiring as to their work preferences implies you may have a set of standards that are hard to match.  You can discuss work expectations but watch out when you want to know what time this person likes to go home and have dinner with the family.  At that point, it’s really none of your business.

5.     “Oops sorry, I farted.” It’s good to feel comfortable in your own skin, but when you are feeling a little to at ease you may miss the line between appropriate and crude.  Controlling your physical impulses to burp, fart or spit while in front of a candidate and not your family member will help you set a good example not to mention maintain self-control during the meeting.  And before you ask, yes this has happened in an interview!

We all want to make a good first impression and knowing that you are representing your employer when you meet someone new for a job means you should act as if your boss were in the room with you.  Your personal comments and actions during an interview are as important to a prospective candidate as what you may find on their resume.  It’s always good to try and make someone feel relaxed but remember making someone feel “at home” should not be taken literally.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

 


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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10 Phrases You Should NOT Use During a Job Interview

When it comes to putting your best foot forward sometimes it may feel you’ve put your foot in your mouth instead.  When we try to make a good impression on a job interview we inadvertently get nervous enough to stammer, chatter on or pick up old habits and phrases well are best left between texts among friends.  It’s hard not to wander off in conversation when you are in a job interview and feel like the questions have put you off guard or that you are taking some test where only a select few know the right answer.

There are things you say and things you don’t say when you are meeting someone for the first time and literally your job is on the line.  Job interviews are meant to be conversations about you and about the other person in a way that gets you both feeling comfortable with one another and are able to share important details about your accomplishments, work style and social skills.  Yes it is a test but not one where you need to feel “too comfortable” and let you guard down.

Next time you are in a job interview catch yourself if you find you are using one or more of these phrases in any part of the conversation because sometimes being too relaxed might not be a good thing:

1.   Will do: Ending your sentences in a phrase that denotes you will take action is fine in email but does not work when you are trying to act professionally and responsibly in a job interview conversation.

2.   For sure.  Ok I’m not sure when this over used term made it back into the daily vernacular but last time I think I heard this used was when Bevis & Butthead were popular.  There is just no appropriate place to end a sentence with this phrase in any conversation job interview or otherwise.

3.   Copy that:  Unless you are an air traffic controller or are in law enforcement, sounding like you are speaking to someone through a walkie-talkie is not a way to make the person feel engaged or understood during a conversation about you.

4.   Trending:  The world of social media is taking over “for sure” but not every conversation or subject or individual is “trending” regardless of how “in” this makes you sound.  Ideas trend, people do not.

5.    Selfie:  Yes they made it into the common language but attempting to take one of your self during a job interview would be the height of inappropriateness and believe me, it has happened!

6.    Viral:  Being enthusiastic about your accomplishments may make you want to “go viral” but it’s best to save that conversation for a medical professional and not your prospective employer.

7.    Game Changer:  Your job interview may very well be a game changer, but describing your career choices in such a way is not wise if you want to take the “d” out of drama.

8.    Chillaxin:  You may feel like you want to kick back and sip your Perrier with ease during your job interview but describing your work experience in such a way serves you better if you were applying for a job as a life guard.

9.     Man upNot sure where you’d use this phrase in a job interview unless you were describing your less than amicable relationship with your former boss, but showing how macho you are during an interview is probably not the best place to flex your resume.

10‘Aha” Moment:  Describing your choice to look for another job as if you found The Holy Grail is not likely to draw you any points.  Keep your true “aha moments” and self-realization exercises in private-no one really wants to know how you process your feelings.

Giving yourself permission to feel comfortable when on a job interview is one thing, acting and speaking as if you made a new “BFF” with the recruiter is another.  Keep the casual comments for your friends and brush off a few new phrases that will have you turning down job offers left and right.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

 


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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