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Michelle A. Riklan
Certified Resume Writer, Career Coach, LinkedIn Profile Writer, Trainer, Facilitator, Author, Columnist, Speaker
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Career Newsletter
Volume II, Issue 7 July 2012
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Riklan Resources, LLC 522 Highway 9 North #290 Manalapan, New Jersey 07726 (800) 540-3609
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Greetings!
Welcome to our July career newsletter!
 As summer has settled in and the fireworks of July 4th are behind us, I believe it is a good time to gear up and start evaluating where we are in our careers. While there may be a tendency to slow down during the summer months and to be a bit more passive about networking and job search, this is the perfect time for self-reflection and plan development. (And you can begin this process with a notepad at the beach or pool!) For starters:
Prepare your personal inventory....
- Who am I and what do I do?
- What skills and talents do I have?
- What am I good at and what do I like to do?
- What skills and talents do I need?
- What am I "not so good" at and what do I not like doing?
- Answering these initial questions will help you to gain clarity, prepare you for meeting with a career coach, and can assist as you proactively seek new opportunities.
Enjoy the summer! Watch for our next planning tip in August's career newsletter.
Kind regards,
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Our list is growing! If you would like to advertise in future issues, please send an e-mail to robin@riklanresources.com.
Please feel free to send suggestions for improvement and additional areas that you would like to see covered in future issues to michelle@riklanresources.com.
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It Happens
by Michelle A. Riklan, ACRW, CPRW, CEIC
It happens! Sometimes we really prepare and the interview goes south, sometimes we didn't give the interview the preparation that it deserved. Even if you really bombed the interview, that does not mean that all is lost and you should write off that opportunity. Wouldn't it be better to leave that potential employer with a positive impression?
Keep in mind, that no matter how much coaching we receive, advice that we get, and books that we read about interviewing, we cannot ever guarantee who will be on the other side of the desk. They may be a seasoned and experienced manager who is trained with interviewing techniques, or they may be someone who does not have a clue how to conduct a proper interview. Either way, they are the person you need to impress and it is best to be prepared for either scenario and every scenario in between.
Interviews can be stressful. If you are unemployed, you may be anxious and wearing a "desperate" face on your sleeve. So take a deep breath and you will be more in control of the interview. In advance, here are a few things you can do:
- Dress appropriately - Make a good first impression. Find out in advance the culture of the organization so you are not too formal or too casual.
- Be well-groomed - Personal details (five o' clock shadows, chipped nail polish, dirty finger nails, scuffed up shoes...) are a reflection of whether or not you will be a detail-oriented employee. Make a positive impression and show the potential employer that you really take your meeting seriously.
- Stay focused on your goal - Often candidates feel they have established a "positive rapport" with an interviewer because they "bonded" over children of similar ages, or other personal commonalities. This is detrimental. While still being friendly, you will need to understand that this meeting is a professional meeting and it is about business. Telling your life's story, recent family hardships, and relationship issues do not endear you to an interviewer. It shows you are an unfocused chatterbox.
- Be on time - ALWAYS! Enough said.
- Do your homework - Do not walk in without arming yourself with information.Understand the company, the position, and what is going on recently that has had an impact on the organization. In the interview, you will need to sell the value that you have to offer. You can't know what you have to offer that may be valuable if you do not know what they need!
With all of that being said and done, what if you still blew it?
Well, if you have the skills that the company needs and the mistakes are "small" (keeping in mind small mistakes are characterized differently by different people), you may be called back.
If you really feel that the interview did not go well, it is still best to attempt to leave a lasting, positive impression. Even if this job did not come through for you, you never know if another position will become available.
- Make sure to figure out where you can improve, and work on this for next time.
- Don't beat yourself up. We can't all have perfect days and things happen. Learn from it and move on.
- ALWAYS follow up with a thank-you note. (I recommend the old fashioned, handwritten letter. In today's electronic age, going that extra mile with a personal touch really makes a difference, and the handwritten letter is so unexpected today, that I believe it leaves a more positive and lasting impression.)
- Use the thank you/follow-up to clarify anything that you feel you may have forgotten that is important.
- Reiterate your strengths.
- DO NOT draw attention to "mistakes" that an interviewer may not have noticed, (For example: "I'm sorry, I realized my fly was open!") but DO take this opportunity to smooth over obvious rough patches, (For example: You asked me in the interview about "XYZ". After thinking through the question a bit more, I don't believe I gave a sufficient answer. My thoughts on XYZ are...)
Even though the interview may not have yielded the results that you would like, the only real harm you can do is leaving that interviewer with a negative impression. End on a positive note, whether you get the job or not.
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| "What's Your Name Again?" Memory Tricks for Networking Events.
by Sherry Mirshahi-Totten, CARW, CEIC
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Have you ever met someone at a networking event and then realized you've forgotten their name? It happens to the best of us! But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to work on getting better at it. After all, as Dale Carnegie once wrote, "A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language." Remembering a name sends the message that you were paying attention, you care, and you respect the other person.
The good news is that remembering names can be actually very easy. Here are three memory tricks you can use at the next event you attend:
- Create a rhyme and say it a few times in your mind. So, if their name is Mary, you could think "Berry Mary" and imagine her with a basket of berries in her arms. The more unusual the rhyme and the corresponding image, the better!
- Use the name as much as you can. When the other person first says their name, always repeat it back. You can pose it as a question ("You said your name was Mary?") or you can use it as you introduce yourself ("Hi Mary, my name is Sherry.") Use their name again in the middle of the conversation and again at the end when you part.
- Look at their business card before putting it away. It better cements their name in your mind and you can use it to take helpful notes.
Bonus tip! Take time out to shuffle through the business cards of those you've met. This also helps you associate their name with their business and brand.
With the above tips, you'll boost your memory and make your next networking event even more successful!
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Career and Leadership Coach Sherry Mirshahi-Totten helps smart, driven, emerging and established women leaders (and a few cool guys too) get clear on their unique talents, and learn how to confidently market themselves on paper and in person.Sherry has 5+ years of experience writing resumes, and cover letters and providing interview consulting in the DC, VA, and MD area. She has earned the Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW) certification and the Certified Employment Interview Consultant (CEIC) certification.
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Suggested Reading: The Career Artisan Series: The Hidden Job Market - Proven Strategies, Done-For-You Letters & Phone Scripts
By Mary Elizabeth Bradford, CERW, MCD
This smart guide is worth its weight in gold and has helped thousands of job seekers shorten their job searches, get bigger salaries and land quality interviews and multiple offers. If you have a career - if you have a job - you need this book and you need this information.
Cost: $3.99
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Author, speaker, Internationally Certified Advanced Resume Writer and Internationally Certified Master Career Director, Mary Elizabeth Bradford is a career-services industry expert and is known as "The Career Artisan." Known as one of the world's foremost authorities on the hidden job market, Mary Elizabeth has shown thousands of jobseekers worldwide and at all levels how to get off the job board treadmill and land interviews and offers. Mary Elizabeth obtained her Certification as an Advanced Resume Writer and Master Career Director through CDI and is one of only a few recipients worldwide to be awarded with CDI's Master Career Professional Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been published in multiple law and Business Journals and career-related websites throughout the world including The Wall Street Journal, FORBES, Businessweek, The Wisconsin Law Journal, The Boston Business Journal, The San Antonio Business Journal, The New Mexico Business Journal, Netshare and others.
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Do you have a career related product or service that you would like to promote in our upcoming newsletters? Contact us at robin@riklanresources.com for more information.
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For Smartphone Users, Work Creeps Into Everything
This interesting article talks about how smart-phones and increased employee accessible can create blurred boundaries between our work and personal lives. What's your opinion?
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There is no security in life, only opportunity.
--Mark Twain |
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| About Riklan Resources
Riklan Resources offers the following services:
- Resumes that land on the top of the pile!
- Coaching that puts you ahead of the competition.
- Training that ensures career advancement.
We want you to reach your top potential!
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