Archive by Author
Deadly Cover Letter Errors
Posted on 19. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
A cover letter is a crucial career marketing piece. Unfortunately, many job seekers ignore the cover letter or pass it off as “unimportant”. That is so untrue! The cover letter is very important and should accompany your resume whenever possible. “Resume and cover letter” is like “peanut-butter and jelly” – they go together and complement each other.
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Can Your Birth Order Affect How You Learn?
Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
While relating birth order to learning ability or career interests (I will look at the latter in my next post) might seem a little like relating personality to astrological sign, experts are convinced that the place that we hold within our families does have a bearing on how we think and learn, as well as on the general career direction that we are most suited to.
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The Audition Interview
Posted on 16. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
Back in August I did a couple of posts on group and panel interviews, both of which are fairly commonly used by employers. Another type of interview that you may come across, or can even request, is the audition interview.
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Is Your Fear Of Success Holding You Back?
Posted on 12. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
Fear of success – it sounds like a contradiction in terms, but for many people it is not only a very real issue, but also one which can hold them back every bit as effectively as the fear of failure.
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Career Change – Baby Step Into Your New Future
Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
Whenever we think about a major change in our lives, the temptation is to see the whole thing as so overwhelming that we just put our plans on the back burner…sometimes forever. When we think about a career change, for example, it is not only the direct change in our line of work which is affected, but perhaps our finances, our family situation and our location as well. The prospect of turning our whole lives upside down feels totally unmanageable and so we just continue to rot away in a job that we hate – the paradox being, of course, that if we do just that, it affects all other areas of our lives anyway!
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What Do You Do If You’re Overqualified?
Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
Being overqualified for a position can almost be as off-putting for employers as being underqualified. So, what are you supposed to do if you really want the job?
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How To Cope With A Younger Boss
Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
In years gone by, it was relatively rare for people to find themselves working under a boss who was younger than them, but with workers now staying on until sometimes well into their sixties and seventies, many older workers are now having to answer to managers who are young enough to be their grandchildren. So, how do you deal with a boss who looks like he’s only just out of diapers?
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Job Fairs – Be Prepared
Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
Job fairs are a great way to scout out new opportunities, as well as to make loads of new contacts. Attending a job fair, however, is essentially like attending a series of first interviews, so it is essential to turn up prepared. Here are a few tips to help you ensure that you get the most from the experience and make the very best impression.
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Get Ahead In The Promotion Stakes With A Focused Action Plan
Posted on 27. Oct, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
In today’s tough job market, employers need to be convinced that you truly understand the priorities, motivations, issues and problems which are specific to their companies. If you already work for the organization, these are things which you should already be familiar with, and if you are seeking a promotion within your existing company, you will presumably have researched the particular issues which affect the team or department that you hope to move into. All of this information can, of course, be used to create a first-rate resume, but what else can you do to really make yourself stand out? Create an action plan for the first month, or even the first few months on the job.
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Is Your Memory For Names Making You Miss Opportunities?
Posted on 26. Oct, 2009 by Matt Shelly.
You’ve studied all the rules and protocols of networking, you’ve worked out a cracking elevator pitch and you stride off confidently to your first networking event only to find that within seconds of being introduced to a new contact you have forgotten his name. Even in social situations, a poor memory for names can be highly embarrassing, but in networking it can mean the loss of big opportunities. It’s a rare person who will approach somebody for a second time having completely forgotten what they are called.
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