The thank you note…important or insignificant?

In honor of the Thanksgiving weekend, I thought it appropriate to comment on the use of thank you notes – especially when it comes to the job search. How many times do you hear how important it is to send a thank you note after interviewing with a company? Should it be handwritten? Should it be [...]

Are you managing your job search to produce the greatest returns?

I was visiting my friend, Mike, in New York recently. Mike is a trader on the commodities exchange. He’s been trading for more than twenty years, and success at trading comes naturally for him. Well, perhaps on the surface. It wasn’t always that way. We got to talking about his early days as a trader. [...]

My skills are transferable…right?

How many times do I hear from people in the job search who say: “I don’t want to focus on any one industry because I believe my skills are transferable.” Guess what? No one else does. What if someone told you your skills weren’t transferable? What would you do then? Why do you think so [...]

Networking Pitfall: Offering to take them to lunch.

What? Why is this a pitfall? Who doesn’t like lunch? Well, I like lunch, but I don’t know if I like you yet. And the thought of meeting you for the first time over what may be the longest lunch ever…I think I’ll take a pass. I will, however, be glad to meet you for [...]

How to get a meeting with anyone.

So, you’ve done your homework.  You know with whom you’d like to meet.  You even have a referral to that person (and if you don’t, get one!).  Now what do you do? Well, here’s what you don’t do.  You don’t try and meet with them over email.  So often, I ask people if they’ve connected [...]

Thanks for the LinkedIn Invite…Who are you?

I just received another one.  Another LinkedIn invitation from someone, and I don’t have a clue who he is.  This happens a lot.  I’m not certain what prompts these strangers to invite me to their network.  I’m not certain why people I’ve barely said boo to want me in their network.  I know I don’t want them in [...]

Networking Pitfall: Call Someone Mr. or Ms.

After you’ve graduated from college, the only appropriate time to address someone with the title Mr., Mrs. or Ms. is when you’re meeting your parents’ friends or the head of country. And in the latter case, you’d use the title of president, prime minister, king/queen, raj, emperor/empress or whatever the rest of their country calls [...]

Why do we spend more time preparing for a water landing than a job search?

Every time I get on an airplane (which is quite frequently these days), the flight attendants go through the same emergency drill.  Not once have I had to open the emergency exit door, but I’ve had more instructions on what to do in the event of a water landing than most people have had in practicing their [...]

When was the last time you received a letter?

If you’re like most people, it’s been quite a while.  I used to love checking my mailbox for letters.  Now I’m lucky if I check it every two weeks.  My postal carrier has become an expert in stuffing as much mail that can fit (or not).  Thanksgiving Turkey…watch out!! And if you’re in the job [...]

Just one word to say about cold calling.

Don’t!  Just don’t!  Be very un-Nike-like.  Don’t do it!  Here’s what people are thinking when the phone rings.  Mentally, they’re saying “Who is this and why are you wasting my time?”  It may carry a little different tone when they say hello.  Then again, it may not.  Think quick, because that’s what it’s going to take to give them [...]