For many people, interviewing is not a natural act any more than going on a blind date is. You are asked a bunch of questions about your work. You answer them. They ask a bunch more; you answer them. You’re graded on your performance (you receive a job offer or not). Yet interviews are predictable processes and as such can be planned for

What does an employer want to know about you?

1. Do you have the skills to do the job that needs to be filled?

2. How will you fit in with my company?

3. If I hire you, are you someone I will need to worry about? Continue reading →

Imagine for a moment that you have created a wonderful product. You are excited at the possibilities of attaining name, fame and wealth marketing this product. You create a business plan and a marketing plan. You plan an excellent packaging and a presentation that would do justice to the benefits the product offers to the world and you get all set to market it.

Let us get back to reality. You are that wonderful product. You have created the product after years of studying, qualifications and building up your personality. Continue reading →

What is contract programming, you ask? Well, when companies need specific computer programming expertise, for temporary periods of time, they generally hire a contract programmer or an employee of a consulting firm. Contractors almost always have a higher hourly wage than a salaried employee and are often paid for overtime. Contracts can last from one to three months to many years, depending on the situation. A contract programmer generally does one thing: program (code) for the duration of the contract. So, contract programming is just an area of computer consulting. Other areas of computer consulting include custom developers, network consultants and information technology (IT) consultants. The contract programmer can work via two forms of contracts: 1) “W-2 ” contracts and 2) “1099” contracts. Continue reading →

The universal acceptance of computers into our daily lives, both at work and at home, has decreased the image of computer users as being “geeks.” The word geek itself has evolved a bit – going from meaning a socially inept person who gets along better with computers than people, to someone who is an expert with computers, a guru even. In fact, many computer service companies utilize the name geek in their nomenclature because of this new meaning. Continue reading →

Preparing your resume can often seem like a daunting task. You’ve done your research, but there is so much information, and how do you pick from the countless formats?!

Writing your resume doesn’t have to be so scary, in fact, if you keep a few simple tips in mind, you’ll keep yourself ahead of the competition.

1. Objective

If the objective statement doesn’t match the job you’re applying for, your resume is likely to end up in the circular file. It is important to customize the objective so it expresses your goals and keeps the HR manager interested in learning more about you. Don’t be vague! Remember, your resume is a marketing tool-and that begins with a clear, concise objective. Continue reading →

Before we start discussing how to search for a six figure salary job, let’s set a goal. The goal I suggest is to double your income every five years. That may sound like a stretch. Well it is? but it is a doable stretch goal.

I set this goal for myself twenty years ago when I graduated from a small public college. I grew up an average kid from Philadelphia. I had average grades in high school and college. And I never went to graduate school. At the time I graduated from college I had never been west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Twenty years later I can tell you that I have lived and worked on three different continents and I’m vice president of a large publicly traded company. Continue reading →

Your resume (or curriculum vitae), combined with the cover letter, are the master keys to opening the prospective employer’s mind and door so that you can proceed to the next step in the process – the big interview!

RESUME WRITING TIPS AND STRATEGIES

Here are 10 valuable tips for anyone writing their own resume, or who is having someone else write one for them. These tips and strategies are an abridged version of what is contained in my new eBook, “Instant Home Writing Kit”. Continue reading →

Whether you are an accountant, virtual assistant, or a corporate executive, your job skills are constantly refined. A new sales presentation you’ve organized or the new spreadsheet package you’ve mastered should be included on your résumé. You may have new skills that could turn your dead-end job into a new career in another field. If you update your résumé continually, it makes it easier to send it out at a moments notice. Your résumé should be well written, typeset and laser printed. It should also be suited for your targeted employer and field, focusing on your key experience. It should be free of all grammatical errors and appealing to the eye. Continue reading →

Phone interviews are de rigueur with many organizations.

Companies conduct phone interviews for a number of reasons.

It’s a way to screen out the dead wood.

It gives the next interviewer baseline information from which to work.

It saves money.

So, how do you prep for a powerful phone interview?

And how is it different from a face-to-face interview?

Recently, three of my clients aced their phone interviews. Here’s what we learned works. Continue reading →

When communication breaks down in your office or factory and workers lack motivation, what are the roots of the problem?

On a study tour of a Fortune 500 food company, Peter Grazier, an international consultant specialializing in employee involvement, stopped to chat with an elderly machine operator.

Within minutes, the operator began discussing a solution for quickly clearing bulk food material from a clogged hopper – apparently a frequent problem. The visitor asked him if he had ever told this idea to his supervisor. Continue reading →