Interview Horror Stories-Even When Its Not Halloween - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Interview Horror Stories-Even When Its Not Halloween - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Each year as Halloween approaches, Hollywood and the rest of the entertainment business roll out the horror features that are always a staple at this time of the year. All of the “horror” stories, however, are hardly fictional or strictly limited to the movies and TV. Where the job interview process is concerned, there are all too many real-life “horror” stories taking place today in the job market. Despite the fact that top talent is scarce, and rapidly becoming more so, many companies continue to treat such candidates badly, and in some cases, very badly. These top candidates are oftentimes treated with inexcusable disrespect and a total lack of common courtesy and consideration. For now, these companies may be able to get away with such shoddy treatment of top tier talent, but in the long run, this practice will cost the companies and brand them poorly. I am already seeing social media backlash that, whether companies realize it or not, is already costing them. Let me relate a few recent examples. Interview Horror Story One In mid-September, on a Friday afternoon, a $5 billion dollar firm had a “final” interview with a candidate. On the following Monday, the candidate was told he needed to come back in the next Friday for now, yet one additional “final” interview with another person at the company. A burdensome though hardly rare occurrence anymore. In the case of this particular candidate, though, who, in his current job, travels 50%-60% of the time, it was extremely challenging. He had to change his entire travel schedule for the week, rearrange customer visits, find a way to take yet another vacation day and had to pay some airline change fees out of his own pocket. Still, after the “final-final” interview, it seemed that his sacrifices and minor inconveniences would end up being worth it. After an hour and a half conversation with this “final” person at the hiring company, he stands up and tells the candidate, “Welcome to the team! You will have an offer next week!” Since it was the candidate’s wedding anniversary that weekend, he and his wife went out to celebrate both their wedding day and the pending great new job! You can imagine how crestfallen the candidate was when, on Monday morning, he got a call from the company telling him, “An internal candidate has surfaced and we need to evaluate him.” Late this month the company called and told me that they had decided not to hire the internal candidate, and wondered if the above candidate was still available and interested. (What I wanted to say when I took the call) “You have got to be kidding, right?!” (What I actually said when I took the call) “No, I’m sorry. He already took another position with XYZ Company (one of the hiring company’s main competitors).” Interview Horror Story Two Another multi-billion dollar company had to fly the candidate our firm was presenting in to one of its remote locations. Due to severe thunderstorms the flight was diverted to an airport about 150 miles away. Since the airline had only one scheduled flight per day to that remote location, the candidate would have had to wait until the next day for another flight. When the candidate called the company and explained the situation, he was told to rent a car and drive to the company’s remote facility. Sounded reasonable, but there was just one little, unavoidable problem: The candidate, who had been unemployed for a while, had cancelled all of his credit cards in order to avoid further financial hardship while he searched for a new career opportunity. And as you may be aware, one needs a credit cardâ€"no cash accepted!â€"to rent a vehicle! The company’s response? “We are no longer interested in the candidate because he doesn’t appear to be ‘fiscally responsible.’” Actually, the reverse is the truthâ€"the candidate was (and is) a very fiscally responsible individual. He merely did what any fiscally responsible person should do to make sure his financial house stayed in order, i.e., he cancelled his credit cards to avoid incurring unwanted debt during a time when he could least afford it. As was the case here, all too many hiring companies and hiring managers simply make invalid assumptions without having complete information. Interview Horror Story Three Another candidate presented to a hiring company had endured the crucible of the job interview process for 2 ½ months. During this period she had FIVE separate interviews! While admittedly, the hiring company sought a particular skill set for the open position, the hiring manager was so impressed with the candidate’s obvious technical knowledge and new business development skills and history that he soon began focusing pretty exclusively on our candidate. He was doing what a smart hiring manager would do . . .hire for talent and focus on training skills. Plus, the candidate demonstrated considerable initiative by locating a colleague with the skill set the company sought and was doing some training with them to come up to speed on the required technical skill sets. All of this, of course, impressed the hiring manager, so after the fifth interview, which took place on a Friday, the candidate was told, “We would like to make you an offer.” The following Tuesday the company began calling the candidate’s references, had the candidate fill out an application and started the background check. On Thursday, a vice president with the hiring company stepped in and said the candidate couldn’t be hired because “She doesn’t have a proven track record within the skill set desired.” I wish I could say that these three examples of interview “horror” stories are isolated incidents, or rare occurrences. Unfortunately, however, I can’t say that. These types of situations continue to routinely occur among great companies. Why? Maybe it’s merely a matter of the job market having been a seller’s market for so many years that some companies haven’t yet recognized that it’s timeâ€"way past time, actually!â€"to “shift gears” and start getting a more realistic picture of the pool of top tier candidates. The number of TOP candidates for virtually all skill sets and in all industries is a finite number. Too many companies are at the very real risk of becoming widely branded as companies to be strictly avoided by TOP candidates! Do you have your own interview “Horror” stories to relate? If so, I would love to hear from you! ___________________________________ Check out Skip’s latest book in the “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets Career Development/Management publications series,  Career Stalled? How to Get  Your  Career Back in  HIGH  Gear and Land the Job Your Deserveâ€"Your  DREAM Job! Going on a job interview soon? Know someone who is? Download Skip’s FREE PDF entitled,“How to ACE the Job Interview, by clicking  HERE.

How to Write a Resume For Scientific Writing

How to Write a Resume For Scientific WritingScience and medical writing jobs are some of the most challenging positions that can be filled today. Scientific Writing Jobs require writers to be able to compose a clear and concise introduction, a more detailed description of the position, as well as complete research sections for each and every scientific paper that are submitted to a journal. The writing resumes should also contain an overall plan for the professional to follow during their first year. There are two common areas that scientific writing resume focuses on.Writing resumes should contain an introduction which is an essential aspect of the document. If you have not written a resume before, it is very important that you pick a topic that will catch the eye of potential employers. For example, if you have never written a resume before, you could choose a topic that includes the ability to write or a degree in science.In order to make your resume for scientific writing stand o ut from others, you should be able to highlight your qualifications. If you have worked as a nurse, then this is the perfect opportunity to include this information. If you have published scientific research, then you could give examples of the papers that you have written. Or if you have participated in a variety of scientific research projects, this is also a great area to list them all. Be sure to list the projects that you have completed which will help to focus your appeal to prospective employers.Another way to make your science and medical writing resume stand out is to add a section that highlights the areas of expertise that you possess. You could highlight your specific skills in writing that you would like to use for future projects or how you can be useful to a doctor or scientist. Make sure that you include these specific skills in the document so that you will be able to effectively transition to a new job after completing your first.A science and medical writing resum e should also have an overall overview of the work that you have done in recent years. This will help potential employers understand how much experience you have with the field and provide insight into how you would handle a new job. It is a good idea to list all of the projects that you have completed while in the field so that the employer can easily see how you progressed throughout your career.A science and medical writing resume should also be able to capture the interest of the reader by listing what type of paper you would like to submit to a journal. This is a good idea to list specific fields that you are interested in working on if you want to transition your career after finishing your science degree. This will give you the opportunity to continue to develop your writing skills and ensure that you are able to move into a different job after completing your first professional degree.It is also important that your science and medical writing resume contains a detailed descr iption of the requirements that are associated with the job that you are seeking. These requirements may vary based on the job and its location, but they should include a request for an application, as well as a reference letter. Your resume should also contain a list of sample publications that you have published, as well as a description of the subject matter of each paper. This information should be included in order to show that you are up to date on the newest scientific developments.It is important that you look over your science and medical writing resume and decide whether or not it should be submitted to an organization. You should be able to find out what specific types of documents you will need before you submit your application to an organization. This will ensure that you are able to write a quality science and medical writing resume that will allow you to move forward with your career.

All the News thats Fit to Print

All the News thats Fit to Print The New York Times tag line rings in my head without having to think. Quite the branding theyve done. It is just too bad that so many quality papers are struggling or stopping their presses. I guess they didnt have innovative teams guiding them and looking toward the future or at least watching the trends. From a personal standpoint, do you have the innovation to re-invent yourself to compete in the market? Have you been watching the trends within your occupation and industry? It is quite easy to fall into a comfort zone of complacency and turn our radar off. So what can you do to stay current? Read. Read about your industry through trade publications, read about the cutting edge trends across the country in Fast Company. Read about national and international topics in The Week. Sit down on Fridays with the Rochester Business Journaland subscribe for free for their daily digests. SmartBrief compiles stories and events by industry and you can subscribe for free. It is also a good idea to read about things going on outside of your industry/occupation. Ask other people you respect what they are reading. Lets not forget about blogs. Either company blogsor blogs written by great minds/thinkers. I enjoy reading blogs and seeing who they are siting and have listed on their blogroll. Dig a little and find new sources to stimulate your thinking. Do you have a favorite news source? Please share it in a comment.

How to master the Tell me about yourself question - CareerEnlightenment.com

How to master the Tell me about yourself question There tends to be a few go-to questions that interviewers love to pull out the bag.  One is guaranteed to come up straight away, acting as the ice-breaker: Tell me about yourself.It can be so easy, especially when youre pumped with adrenaline, to spurt out your life story and enthuse about your hobby as a stamp collector.  However, the interviewer is looking for something slightly different!With enough preparation (and some relaxing breathing techniques!), youll be able to offer the interviewer what theyre looking for so that youre one step closer to landing that dream job.What do they mean?A potential employer isnt interested in where you grew up or how many dogs you have, theyre interested in your  working  life.  Its the perfect way for them to get familiar with you and gently ease you into the interviewing process.List your biggest accomplishments  Its important to have a few of your biggest  achievements prepared before going in.  Employers  â€œwant to hear stories that poi nt to a specific and relative outcome or accomplishment, experience, or even a failure they can measure against their perceived needs,” writes Allan Hay in  Memory Mining. Perhaps it was  when a boss praised you and you received a promotion or that time when you solved a problem.If you are a recent graduate then dont fret!  Take an example from an extracurricular activity or a project you were involved in.  If youre applying for a media job then mention working at your student newspaper or at the radio station.  This is also the perfect time to discuss your volunteer work it demonstrates the seriousness of your character and your commitment to helping the community.The S*T*A*R approachIts important to not just list a success story and leave it at that.  Thats why the tried and tested approach of STAR is so successful.  Although its used for a lot of behavioral questions (you know, those Tell me a time when ones), it can also really help structure your answer here too.STAR is an acronym for four key concepts. Situation:  Set the scene for your story.  For example, a time you worked together as a group or solved a conflict.Task: Next, describe your responsibility within that particular situation.  What was required of you?    Perhaps you had to complete a group project under a tight deadline and had to tackle some obstacles.Action:  You then describe how you completed the task.  Perhaps you were the project manager and went the extra mile to create high-quality work, despite having little time to do it.  Its important to focus more on what you did here rather than your coworker or team. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. Result: Finally, explain the outcome or results of the project.  Did you learn anything from it?    Be sure to emphasize you r accomplishments and how the experience helped you.However, there are a couple of things to consider whilst using this technique.   Its important to speak specifically rather than in general terms.  Include how many people were in your group, how long you had before the deadline and then quantify your success.  If you remain generic then the example will not have that much of an impact.Additionally, its important to remember to tailor the answer to the company.  Always try and match your answer to the job description and the values that the business upholdsWrapping up The best way to close your answer is to explain why youre interested in the position.  Remember its  them, not you.  Its important to always have the interviewers interest at the forefront of your mind.Additionally, youll want to stress that  the position is in line with your plans and career goals.   It proves that the candidate has done their homework and that youve considered the requirements necessary for the role.Be sure to go through your answer a few times before attending the interview.  It shouldnt sound too rehearsed but flow naturally.  If you have that sorted then youll be on to a good start!

Blocking Your Time (for Overly Committed, Perfectionist, Somewhat Structured Creatives) - When I Grow Up

Blocking Your Time (for Overly Committed, Perfectionist, Somewhat Structured Creatives) - When I Grow Up The 8 Days a Week Planner can be purchased from Bobs Your Uncle. So from my prior time management posts, youve come to expect my talking talking talking followed by a distorted print screen (I dont try to give you a distorted print screen I just dont know how to fix it!). But this is gonna be different: this is an interactive exercise. Yeah yeah, I realize that a blog cant be interactive, but what you can do is print out this post fill it in, or email me for a Word document that you can work within. I hope to offer this as a free exercise on my website sometime within, oh, the next 5 years. Or months. OK, months. So now youve managed your to do list and your weekly task lisk. But now how do you actually find the time to do everything you need to? Easy. By Blocking Yo Time Before You Lose Yo Mind. Yes, Im consistent with my silly names. Lets get started. First step of Time Blocks: Dont talk about Time Blocks. Take your tasks write them down. Use the left hand column of the chart below to put each task on its own line. Second step of Time Blocks: Assign each task a category. Sample categories include: Business Direct Revenue Business Indirect Revenue Personal Obligatory Personal Social Personal Health Personal Creative Use the right hand column in the chart below to assign a category to each task. TASK CATEGORY Third step of Time Blocks: List the categories you came up with assign each one a priority number (1 is Super Top Priority, with the numbers going up as the priority goes down). Whats most important: performing in a local show (Personal Creative) or building a website for your business (Business Indirect Revenue)? Try to throw out the shoulds focus instead on your wants/needs. And dont think that just because a category has a high number that itll be forced off your calendar you can make time for everything that you want! CATEGORY PRIORITY Fourth step of Time Blocks: Heres where youre going to be blocking your time by category. Yes, its excitingly scary. But if you do this and follow through (theres always a catch, aint there?), you will become more focused and therefore will achieve all of your hopes and dreams, complete with rainbows and kittens and sparkles. Or something more manly, if you prefer. For example, here is what my Saturday looks like: 11a-12:30p: Personal Social 12:30-1p: Personal Obligatory 1-2p: Personal Home 2-4:30p: Personal Health 4:30-6p: Work Indirect Revenue 6p-12a: Personal -Social Now, for me, I know that Personal Obligatory means cleaning my house myself. I know Personal Home is any home-related tasks like buying small baskets to display my toiletries in the bathroom or cleaning my kitchen. I know that Work Indirect Revenue is anything having to do with building When I Grow Up Personal Social could be talking on the phone to a friend or watching TV with my man. It might seem very strict, but it enables you to do what you want within those Blocks. And by blocking your time like that every day, youve been in the time you want to devote to running, or journaling, or making out with your significant other. I have to be honest in saying that, when I first made a schedule like this, I had trouble sticking to it. I liked the idea of saying, Wednesday nights from 8-10p is Personal Creative time but in reality I know its not that easy. Life happens! Invites happen! Commitments happen! And some of them, like going out for dinner for your spouse’s birthday, just can’t be moved to a non-Personal â€" Creative night. So when Life happens, you dont reject the invite. Instead, you just flip-flop for that week: swap Personal â€" Creative time with Personal â€" Social time you’re good to go. As long as you dont get caught in the trap of moving things around so much that they keep getting delayed ( delayed delayed), you should be good. Because I spoiled ya with those beautiful, expensive, detailed charts, I created one for each day of the week! You can thank me later: MONDAY TIME CATEGORY TUESDAY TIME CATEGORY WEDNESDAY TIME CATEGORY THURSDAY TIME CATEGORY FRIDAY TIME CATEGORY SATURDAY TIME CATEGORY SUNDAY TIME CATEGORY Having trouble? What it really boils down to is that you need to be honest with yourself and figure out whats really your #1 priority and how much time you really need to devote to that goal. Really and truly. For me, I thought hanging with my friends was the same as completing my schoolwork was the same as building my business was the same as watching TV, which is when I started to get that gasping-for-air feeling. Its actually very scary to Grow Up and say, Right now, I need to concentrate on graduating from school in time not being rushed with my requirements. I am not going to miss class for a happy our, or delay writing my research paper because I want that time to veg in front of the TV. And while I still dont like disappointing my friends with nos to their invites, it actually feels good reinforcing my #1 goal. Also, I know that Ive blocked Fri Sat nights for social time I can always see them then so its not like Im ditching my friends or holing myself up in my apartment e very waking moment. Fifth final step of Time Blocks: Follow it. This, my loyal trusted reader, is the hardest part by far. If a week-long commitment is too much, do a one day commitment. And then if that wasnt painful, do another. And another. Be true to your schedule above and see what happens. And if Life Happens, flip-flop. Another little known rule of Fight Club. SUPER EXTRA TOP SECRET BONUS TIP!!! Its been proven that 45 minutes is the optimal time for uni-tasking: its not too long, its not too short, and its the perfect amount of time to trick yourself that youll only do a task for 45 minutes so it wont hurt too bad. If youre not looking forward to a task or category, but you know its gotta get done (cleaning the bathroom, anyone?), take a deep breath, set a timer for 45 minutes, and go. No stopping until the timer goes off. At that point you can either walk away from the task (My face looks gorgeous in that toibowl!) or take a bathroom/wine break and reset for another 45 (Im on a roll! Shower scum, here I come!) I guarantee results or your money back.* *Please note that this super extra top secret bonus tip is free.

Tax Deductible Use of Professional Resumes

Tax Deductible Use of Professional ResumesEvery qualified candidate for employment will, after some time in the job, need to know that they are showing their potential employer that they have an ability to write professional resumes that are tax deductible. It is unlikely that this requirement will be made any easier to meet than in the case of a new employer, but of course many people will become aware of the fact that they can make tax-deductible uses of their professional resumes, before they come into regular employment. In the case of a new employer, the new employer can make a tax deductible use of the professional resume.There are a variety of ways to make a tax deductible use of a professional resume. Some of these include the ability to contribute to training and education in the profession for a former employer. A few examples of this would be employment in the same field as the previous employer or an employer that recently opened a new branch in the same field as the prev ious employer. This can also include the use of a professional resume to train a number of people in the field.Other options for making a tax-deductible use of a professional resume include using the professional resume as a record of employment information. This can include the addition of contact details and a list of previous employers. This can be quite a useful thing to have in case of unemployment, because the employer can be sure that the former employee is actually trying to get a job.An individual can also make a tax deductible use of their professional resume by describing their time in their field. The use of a professional resume can often include the addition of training information. There are many occasions where the inclusion of this will help the prospective employer to make a tax deductible use of the professional resume.One thing to bear in mind about making a tax-deductible use of a professional resume is that it is most certainly not a requirement that the person sending the resume use it in that way. It is up to the employer to decide how they want to use the professional resume. The ability to make a tax deductible use of a professional resume for training and education purposes is to the individual's advantage, but it should not be seen as a standard position. It is expected that the former employer would encourage the individual to use the professional resume in other ways.An employer should be made aware of the fact that there are employers that will be making tax deductible uses of their professional resumes. This can be expected to happen in the case of a new employer. In the case of an employer that is experienced, however, it is quite likely that the new employer will make a tax deductible use of the professional resume. The choice of which way to make a tax deductible use of a professional resume, however, is down to the individual employer and their preference.When you are sending a professional resume to your prospective employe r, there are a number of things that you should keep in mind. This will help ensure that the resume is effective in the market. The ability to make a tax deductible use of a professional resume is one of the things that an employer will be interested in, but it is one that they will also likely use in a way that will be beneficial to them. With this in mind, it is most likely that the employer will take some extra steps to ensure that the resume is treated as if it were a form of formal training.

Who Else Wants to Learn About Owl Purdue Resume?

Who Else Wants to Learn About Owl Purdue Resume? The Advantages of Owl Purdue Resume Imagine the standard of writing you'll receive from an inexpensive essay writing service. Citing your work can be difficult, so to aid you, here are a couple resources you may use while writing your next paper. Something as simple as finding the best person to control your resume cover letter might have a significant effects. Before beginning to write your resume, it's a fantastic idea to comprehend what you're writing, why you're writing it, and what's expected as you write it. Details of Owl Purdue Resume You're able to check our samples to see several diverse formats. The key thing is understanding how to find information on citations. Although the resume's format might vary, it should incorporate the info below. A business letter format is for an official system of communication between at least two parties. New Step by Step Roadmap for Owl Purdue Resume If you get a permanent and local address, you may want to play with columns. For example, your name typically appears at the very top of the resume and is normally the greatest item. Employing an internet site design template created especially for a resume website is normally a terrific method to make your non-public site. A superb event flyer template serves the goal of presenting each one of the data in a well-organized and intriguing way. Where to Find Owl Purdue Resume Understand what's very detailed. The exact first key is to comprehend how resumes are arranged. Resumes ought to be regularly improved, customized and modified as a means to suit the needs of the task seeker. What You Need to Know About Owl Purdue Resume Employing a resume builder may also be a fantastic learning experience for you. The Interactive Resume resource includes a sample resume on which you are able to click each section to find out more about different sections of the resume and the way to compose each section of the resume. Making your resume is vital. Creating your resume is vital. The application must sell the thought of the undertaking or else the reviewer is not going to look at the undertaking. Tailoring your work application to suit a potential company isn't different. Whilst choosing resume templates decide on the one which complements the work experience in place of the work account. To start with, they should be extensive. What Does Owl Purdue Resume Mean? Resume builders are an exceedingly fantastic means that might help you organize your continue. 1 good means to use job application builders is to create the the majority of the countless options out now there. A continue builder can be enormously helpful for anybody who's sense confused by the work application procedure. It can be quite useful for anybody who is feeling overcome by the resume method. The Nuiances of Owl Purdue Resume Since you may see, it is straightforward. The Purdue OWL provides global support thro ugh internet reference materials and solutions. The Purdue OWL is happy to supply users with Podcasts on a selection of writing topics. When publishing the resume for any coach, it's imperative to incorporate all the coaching related skills in the work application that could force you to stick out from various coaches. If you have to miss an interview, you need to cancel it in advance. Developing your resume is critical.