Melissa Anzman's Blog

Practical Tactical Thursday – What Are Your Salary Requirements?

Salary is a sensitive topic for everyone – you want to get as much as possible when you join a company, and the company wants to get you at the lowest price possible. The system is definitely set-up in the employer’s favor, but you still hold some of the negotiation tools.

What are Your Salary Requirements?

You are worried about knocking yourself out of contention for a position based on your salary requirements. Which is a valid concern. However, and this is an important however, why would you be interested in a position below your actual requirements?

Most of us want to aim higher for our next role, ask for more than what our level can provide. More money is usually equated with success. So before you are asked this question, I want you to consider this: What are your actual salary requirements?

Before you feel the sense of desperation that tends to accompany a long job search, what do you need to make? What is your range?

Here’s a quick and easy way to determine your range:

It should be around $15,000 spread – anything more and you are either underestimating your worth, or not being realistic about your level.
The bottom of the range should be what you would feel comfortable with – the lowest number that will make the position worthwhile for you, on your balance scale. Most people’s lowest number is around their previous salary (perhaps unless you are in a lay-off situation).
The middle number should be what you perceive as a “step-up” and would have you excited for the next opportunity.
The top number is your, “OMG – I can’t wait to get out of bed!” number. It’s a stretch, perhaps reaching towards the next position level. It would make you grin from ear to ear.

Once you have your salary range, the thought around your requirements should be done! You know exactly what you are willing to accept, salary-wise, for any position.

So back to your original concern then – what if I knock myself out with these requirements?

Answer: It should knock you out if you don’t match what they can afford. Also, you have a range now, so you can flex your requirements based on each position you apply for. More on this, below.

Online Applications

Computers screen you in or out of contention based on many factors of your online application, including salary. So consider the title and level of position you are applying for and the type of company. General rules of thumb – if it’s a non-profit company, it will pay less; if it’s a huge corporation, you can probably negotiate more.

In the question about salary requirements, only insert your number if it is required. It usually is these days, but no need to include it before you learn more about the position if it’s optional.

Use your best judgment to determine which part of your range to insert. You can use resources like Glassdoor or Salary.com to do some research, but at the end of the day, it’s about what you are willing to accept. For example, for me – if it’s a position I am absolutely in LOVE with but I know that they may not be stacked with cash, I may enter my middle or lower number because I want the opportunity more than the money.

Make your decision based on what’s important to you for that role.

Phone Interview

Even if you did put your salary requirements in the online application, usually during your first phone screen, the recruiter will ask you what your requirements are. Again, it’s to not waste time for you or them, if they can’t afford you, or if you’re well below market (indicating not having the skills they need).

Give them your range, and stick to it. It’s something they are going to write down and share – so make sure you are very certain what your range is. This will be your negotiating zone during the offer – got that? This is the first step in negotiating your offer.

In other words, if you tell them your requirements are $50,000 – $65,000, then your final offer will be in that range. You won’t be able to negotiate again if they provide you with an offer at $65,000.

So be very comfortable with your salary range.

At Offer

I mentioned this above, but I want to be very clear here. You should negotiate your employment offer, always, but trying to negotiate outside of your salary requirements will not help your cause.

In fact, I have seen several offers rescinded because of this. It hurts your character and the perception of who you are before you even walk through the door isn’t something you will want to live with, if they don’t rescind your offer.

Your range is your range – respect that. They are working with you to get you within it, but if they offer you at the highest number, you have to change negotiation techniques as your salary is no longer on the table.

So what to negotiate then? I have a bunch of ideas here for you to check out. Think outside of the box here – benefits, vacation, bonus, and so on. But for the love of Nancy, leave your salary alone!

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Learning & Development in the Real World

It took me a long time in my career to understand that my success, development and growth were solely up to me. In school, the professors always made it sound like the company would care about our success; that they would foster us through different experiences to keep us on the right career path.

Turns out that may have been the case 15 years ago, but it’s definitely not the case anymore. Perhaps it’s because career ladders don’t really exist – at least not in their very strict form; or maybe it’s because company’s see their employees differently (as cogs instead of important personnel). Regardless, of the WHY, learning has shifted.

What Learning and Development Really Means

If you work at a big company, chances are your HR department has a special group with the specialty title of Learning and Development. While it’s different for each company, usually this group manages employee learning, leadership growth, as well as organizational changes. All important things…

But they are focused on it from the company’s perspective, not on how it will benefit you.

You have to take advantage of what’s available.

The most common complaint I heard when I was helping employees advance their careers within an organization, was that they weren’t able to attend the necessary pre-requirement courses to be considered for the next position. Their boss (or their own schedule), wouldn’t allow them to find the time to learn.

HUGE mistake. While corporate L&D can only take you so far, they can provide you with a ton of new information and knowledge – while your company pays for it. So whatever you do, make the time in your calendar to do it. If you have to work late for a week, then do it. If you have to use your breaks to catch up on email, then do it (although I’m frowning).

Find what your L&D department has to offer, then take advantage of it. Go on – I’ll wait for you to search their course calendar to find a few things. Seriously, do this now.

Classes will only take you so far.

One of the lynchpins for L&D departments, is to deliver training classes to employees. Everything from new hire orientation to very specific application training, they are there to help teach employees how to best serve the company. But learning in the classroom can only take your knowledge so far.

We’ve all experienced that – how many times have you taken a course and learned a lot, but never actually applied the things you were taught. My list is so freaking long, I can’t even count! Sometimes what we learn in the classroom is simply information to be added to our toolbox, but isn’t the point to improve ourselves?

One of my favorite examples of a course that I absolutely loved but found it difficult to apply, was Situational Leadership. I’ve even taught this course a few times. The information is awesome, the way it helps you relate to others is great… but if the entire organization (or department, or team) isn’t using the same principles, it makes it very difficult to apply.

You have to take the knowledge learned, and incorporate it into your work persona. It will take time, and it will take practice. But there is a reason you wanted to learn the information and skills provided in the class, so start acting on them.

You drive the bus – seek outside support.

I have said this a hundred times at least, but you – and only you, are responsible for your growth and development at work (and in life). You absolutely must create a growth plan. Determine what skills you want to have that are currently missing, and identify how to get them.

You must think bigger than classes – this is an investment in yourself! We learn best through doing, through application, through making mistakes.

Find a mentor who can help you figure out what to target/learn; shadow a colleague for a day to see what they do and what skills could come in handy for you; volunteer for a rotational assignment; get a second job to expand on skills that you want to learn; and so on.

The bottom line is that you have to consciously choose to expand your knowledge base… and then do something about it.

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Success in Different Shades: New on LAC

New Today on Life After College:

Success is defined differently for each person. To this day, when I come across someone who uses the word success to describe their career, it makes me pause and try and reverse engineer that person’s definition… and then I compare it to my definition.

And the comparison is what gets me every time.

When I was younger in my career, I used to judge other people’s definition of success. I’d consider their title, the company – both size and prestige, ponder how much money they were probably making, and determine where that landed them on my measuring stick.

Probably not that atypical, but based on where they landed in the comparison game, I would then feel better or worse about myself.

As I have gotten older and worked on who I am as a person, my own definition of success has changed and morphed into something completely unrecognizable by the definition when I was younger – in a good way, I think.  But I still have moments of comparison – twinges of jealously, questions of regrets.

At times, other people’s success has prevented me from moving forward. From taking action towards my own success. In the corporate world, it has sometimes blocked advanced to the next level or the ability to jump ship to a “better” company. In the solopreneur world, it has sometimes meant me not landing a specific client or working on a cool project.

When people give me advice or try to assist with a problem, my gut response is to consider how much I think they know on the topic – and whether or not they are successful enough to be providing that type of insight. And if not, I completely discount everything they say, roll my eyes, and nod my head.

Imagine how many awesome ideas I’ve simply ignored from people who cared enough to share ideas and thoughts with me; simply because I didn’t think they were successful enough – to my standards. I’m not sure if everyone operates this way, but I do know that it’s an easy form of entitlement or betterment – that person isn’t up to my level, so he just doesn’t know.

Continue Reading on Life After College

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Finding & Leaving Your Soul City

A little over a month ago, I asked the internet where to live on my next adventure. Let’s just say that my timing was… off, as I only had about two weeks to pick a new place, visit it, find a place to live, and make the move happen. Low and behold – I never settled on a new location.

But that was just an excuse for what was really going on. I have always been ready to move somewhere new – I never really understood what it meant to want to settle down in one place, find a city that felt “right.” To me it has always been about the experiences, the people I meet along the way, and learning new cultures and adjusting in uncomfortable environments.

Until this summer.

For the first time in maybe ever, I found a location that made my heart sing. (Yep, I just dropped some woo-woo on you). I finally got it – why people stay in one place for so long. There’s a feeling, a vibe, a calmness.

Maybe that’s just what my soul-city feels like, but there is no denying that something special happens. I absolutely loved living in Copper Mountain, CO; despite all of the challenges and inconveniences it provided. Being there, being on the mountain, literally changed my life and perspective.

Which brings me to today. Where I moved back to Atlanta, GA not quite a week ago. (Gasp, right?)

It’s hard to tell you the exact reasons why because they don’t sound all that logical to most people. As much as I love Copper, I can’t afford to live there year-round. Especially the way I lived there this summer (right at the base of the mountain in Center Village). I’m not sure if I can overcome the inconveniences and issues that comes with living there – not many people… ie., not many new friends or social life; driving to another town for groceries and mail; power outages when I can’t work; and so on.

In my mind, it was just too big of an obstacle to overcome right now.

Living in Copper was a dream – I could hardly believe that I was able to make it a reality… and thrive there. I wasn’t prepared for not wanting to leave – that has literally never happened to me before.

But I had to put my big girl pants on and “be responsible.” While doing well, my business is not quite yet in a place where the extra expenses that comes with living in a dream location, is responsible (and the realities of being a solopreneur).

The stress of trying to keep afloat and expand while money being so tight, would ruin my soul city. And I am not ok for that to happen, now that I finally found “my place.”

So I made a difficult personal decision based on a business need. Which leads me back to Atlanta.

Instead of going to a new city, I wanted to be around people that I know and love, be able to save money, have enough space for a desk somewhere at home, and focus on my business with the goal of getting back to Copper. So that’s what this year is about.

Atlanta isn’t a consolation prize or an awful place to be. In fact, I have enjoyed living here and am excited to be back. But it’s not my home. It doesn’t instantly calm me when I wake-up and look out my window. It doesn’t make my heart soar.

So after another drive across the country with Simmy (my cat), I am starting to settle into my new place here in the ATL. My expectations were low, my excitement level probably read more as dread to my friends, but that’s not the case anymore. My place is amazing, I ended up with a gorgeous view (all things considered), and have already started to find my new normal.

Oh, and did I mention that I’m working on a new project too? Yeah, it’s been a busy and exciting time – and so much more ahead!!!

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Practical Tactical Thursday – Jobs Come from Everywhere

How many times have you heard, “Jobs come from connections, not just cold applications.” So for those of us who don’t have huge networks, who are introverts, or who are just interested in positions that are outside of people we know, this saying almost instantly knocks us out of the running.

But here’s a little known secret – jobs can actually come from anywhere.

Knowing someone at a company, or networking your way into a company, will definitely put you ahead of the crowd, but it’s not the only way to “get your foot in the door.” When I tell clients this, they usually respond with skepticism: why is your advice so different than the other talking heads?

Here’s why: I have gotten just about every job, through cold applications. Yep, you heard me right – I found a job that was interesting, submitting my resume, and was hired. I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t network the heck out of the recruiter; I simply applied.

Sometimes your reputation and/or resume speak for itself.

There is a reason that there are accreditation’s for resume writers. It’s an art form. And having a resume that clearly shows your body of work and what you bring to the table, can trump a network connection.

The recruiter/hiring manager is looking for something. Just because a person they know handed them a resume, doesn’t mean that you are going to be that something. Instead, focus on how well your resume materials reflect not only your unique selling features, but also what they are looking for.

Follow up.

For the love of Nancy, if I have one more person tell me that they applied to 10 jobs and never heard back from them but didn’t follow-up, I’m going to start pulling my hair out. Remember, the first person to screen your resume is usually a computer. But a human is the ultimate gatekeeper.

When you follow-up, you can actually level the playing field of a personal connection. You are introducing yourself, after the fact – and ensuring that your resume and experience is the level to compare everything else to.

You have a built-in reason to “network.” You want the job, so tell the person who can help you get the job.

If they haven’t hired someone yet, then that person isn’t within their network currently.

This is something we all usually take for granted. If the recruiter/hiring manager actually knew someone for the role, the position wouldn’t be available (minus the mandatory listing period). That means that they need new connections and applications, to fill their need.

Get that? You don’t have to know someone for a posted position – they want to know you because they clearly don’t already.

The caveat.

When you do “know someone,” you often hear about positions before others. Perhaps your connection was in a meeting where a different department was talking about a future need for a role; or the budget was expanded for headcount. These are positions that aren’t yet posted or public, but can turn into real opportunities.

This is when it’s best to know someone. Before there is a position. Once it’s posted, it’s free game and the rules above apply. But beforehand, your network is a great job connector.

Knowing that, it’s time to start expanding your network to position yourself for a “pocket position” in the future. Maybe not for your current job search, but in case you’re ready to look for something new further down the road.

Cultivate these connections and relationships like you would a new friend. Get to know them, build a friendship, so when they do hear of something in the future before it’s listed, your name will be at the top of the list.

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Getting Out of Tactical Hell

What have I always hated about “work?” The consistent answer is being in tactical hell. I’m guessing you feel my pain. Being able to not only strategize, but tactical deliver is considered a huge differentiator in the workplace and in the solopreneur world. You don’t just think, you do.

But isn’t tactical hell… hell?

In the corporate environment, knowing the nitty gritty details and being able to execute them, is valued. Perhaps it even helps you with job security in some positions. When you become known as the go-to person for X, Y or Z, then your stock in the company goes up as well.

But how do you move past paying your dues with tactical delivery and transition into strategy and leadership?

I have worked at various small and large companies across the U.S. One of the most mind-boggling things that is consistent throughout all of them, is senior leaders, dealing with the tactical BS – constantly. Directors, VPs, and above wanting to stay intimately connected with the tactical delivery of their scope of responsibility.

It’s hard to let go of the actions and activities that made you successful to begin with. Letting someone else take over the details and delivery of your ideas is never easy.

But how can you successfully lead or be a strategic visionary, if you are so caught up in the little details? How is this scaleable as you move up?

I often find that people at the manager or director level who have a difficult time advancing up when they want to, are usually in tactical hell. It makes sense right? They are seen as being “in the weeds” and “deliver-ers” – neither of which are strong selling points to take on additional responsibility.

Wanting to execute on your own does ensure that things are done and done your way, but where does that leave you? In tactical hell and on a stalled out career path.

Solopreneur Tactical Hell?

As a solopreneur, I’ve been struggling with this more than I care to admit. In fact, it took reading an article several times and my friend Melani to say it to me about five times (subtly and then not so subtly because I refused to listen), for it to really set-in.

I’ve been building my business to leave me consistently in tactical hell, seemingly forever.

Not with everything I do, but with a few “activities” that tend to take up 80% of my time. For example, on my other site, I work with a lot of coaches and solopreneurs, helping them launch their products, courses, books, and websites. (I know – did I just double-agent secret life you? Don’t worry, I’m working on bringing it all under one roof). What I “sell” to select clients, is being able to hand over their idea and have me deliver the tactical components without a worry. And I truly love doing it.

It’s been a great differentiator for me. I help them deliver an idea into action (and making money)… but it’s me delivering. It’s me rolling up my sleeves, handling all of the minute details, and living in tactical hell.

Just like in the corporate setting – it’s not scaleable.

How will I work with 100x coaches/solopreneurs when my time is not infinite, but the details still take time? How will I be able to strategically plan my own business if I’m also looking in the weeds and not at the big picture?

It’s not going to be easy to move out of tactical hell. It never is. It’s a risk, a jump, a leap of faith, that you are more than your current differentiators. It’s not a light switch, it won’t happen overnight, and there will probably be a small part of tactical hell always left in the work we do.

What can you move past, grow beyond, stretch yourself to – outside of tactical hell? What would be possible then?

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Practical Tactical Thursday – Career Change Resume Concepts

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “I want to change career paths but I don’t know how to show that on a resume.” So taking into account the Resume Tailoring conversation, let’s walk through how to actually craft a Career Change Resume.

Your Career Change Resume

The most important thing to remember when going through a career change is that you are not starting from scratch (again). Regardless of what everyone around you is mumbling about! Your new mantra is:

You have gained skills in your previous roles, which are applicable and transferable to the position you are seeking.

1. Inventory your skills and make a road map to your new career.

Stick with me on this one, as it may sound a bit “old school.” But I promise, it works. In order to fully realize your skills that are transferable, you need to inventory the skills you have and connect them to the skills that are needed in your new career.

You’ll need a piece of letter-size paper and a pen. Fold the paper in half length-wise, and then proceed below.

Step 1: Research job descriptions for your desired new role and start picking out the top 10 skills that are consistently requested. Write the 10 skills down on the right-hand side column. Be sure to leave room between each one.
Step 2: On the left-hand side column, write down all of the skills that you have and utilize in your current (and previous) role(s). You should be able to come up with at least 10 – 15, but no more than 20.
Step 3: Connect the dots. Starting with the skills you currently have, draw a line to the matching skill on the right-hand column that you need. Sometimes it will be the same skill-name, but most likely you will need to interpret it.

For example, if you were an HR Coordinator in the past, looking to become a Marketing Coordinator, your paper may look something like this:

You have to infer skills to correlate and then you can write some notes as to why they are similar below each one in the right-hand side column. In the example above, I’ve shown that Onboarding new hires is related to Building relationships with new vendors because both are focused on creating connection from new acquaintances and being helpful. Scheduling interviews is similar to coordinating social media efforts because they both require a strict attention to detail and awareness.

2. Objectives are passé. Instead, create a relevant Profile.

When career changing, you do need to indicate on your resume that you are seeking something new-to-you, but you don’t have to say it so blatantly. Replace your outdated Objective section with a Profile section that indicates to the recruiter/hiring manager, what type of position you are seeking and your skills and accomplishments.

Old Way:

Objective: I am seeking a new position in Marketing, leveraging the skills I gained in Human Resources to advance my career in an area I’m more interested in.

New Way:

Profile: Marketing Coordinator with extensive experience in relationship building, cross-functional teams, and brand positioning.

Key accomplishment 1 (related to marketing)
Key accomplishment 2 (related to marketing)
Key accomplishment 3 (related to marketing)

3. Position your bullets appropriately.

The content of your resume may not need to change as much as you think it does; instead, you need to highlight the same skills leveraging the “right-hand column” words. Once you do that, you will have new bullets for each role that represent the transferability of each skill – be sure to use the correct language of what you did (no lying, we’ve covered that), but boost the recruiter’s understanding by also providing how it relates to the new career path.

Then put the most applicable bullets to the top – simple as that. You want to entice the recruiter to keep reading your resume – so your top bullet for each section should be a “wow” so that they see the correlation and want to learn more. You can keep in specifics from your old role to show versatility and uniqueness, but those bullets should always be below the new path-relevant ones.

This is a quick overview, but should start you thinking about how you position yourself in your “new career path” market – and realize it’s easier than you think, to set-out to try something that may be a better fit for you in the long-run.

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Stop Ruining Your Credibility at Work: New on LAC

New Today on Life After College:

As a solopreneur, I have been constantly told that one of the most important pillars of success is building credibility within your market or niche. Experts say that if you can show you are credible, then people will want to “buy-in” to what you are saying and selling.

But credibility plays an important role in a corporate environment as well – and it’s a component of success that is often overlooked as we climb the ladder.

Your credibility “record” at work starts with your first job application and follows you throughout your career. I remember earlier in my career, being worried that my failures would follow me like a report card to my next job… like your high school grades can haunt you through college. I thought there was an employee record that went with you. It makes me laugh now. And while a folder doesn’t follow you per say, your credibility does.

7 Ways You are Ruining Your Credibility
1. Not being responsive.

With as many emails as we get these days, it’s necessary to prioritize and respond accordingly. There are some emails that simply don’t need a response (think: thank you! emails), but pretty much everything else, particularly from your boss, needs some sort of acknowledgement.

It’s up to you to decide what your typical turnaround time is to set the precedent, but your credibility builds faster when you respond quicker.  If you are able to answer email requests quickly and efficiently and reliably, then people will start to see you as an expert in certain areas. Just be sure that when you do respond, it’s well thought-out, concise, and relevant.

2. Not being a “details” person.

There are definitely jobs that lend itself to more or less detailed tasks on a daily basis, but in every position, being detail-oriented is always part of the job description. Not being meticulous with details because someone else holds the ultimate responsibility or will come behind you and double check, can discredit your reputation extremely fast. 

If you touch it, you need to review it – with a fine tooth comb. It has your name on it and therefore, your credibility is at stake.

For many of us, this takes a lot of practice and diligence. But like any habit, the more you practice it, the better you will become at it. Review your emails for content and conciseness, flow through your projects to ensure details are reflected accurately, and examine your work before submitting it to the next level.

Continue Reading on Life After College…

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Practical Tactical Thursday – Resume Tailoring

I find that people are on the extreme ends of the resume tailoring conversation. Wait – you didn’t know that there is a conversation going on? What I mean is candidates either spend hours on updating their resume for every single job or they use a blanket resume and apply away.

Neither approach is going to work great for you. And both approaches are wasting time and energy.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on how we apply for jobs these days to set the stage… in most instances, we are “cold applying” through an online site that uses software to scan and read your resume.

I talk about how to hack an online application here. That being said, the quick and dirty is that a computer is the first set of eyes on your resume. It’s scanning for key words, boxes that you’ve checked in the Q&A portion of the application, and seeing if, at a minimum, you have what the recruiter has indicated as being critical.

A computer is the first set of eyes on your resume. Got that?

How to Tailor Your Resume Going Forward
1. Stop wasting hours on creating one resume for one job.

Yes, a tailored resume will help get your resume through the online screening process better, but spending hours on individual applications is beyond unnecessary. In fact, all you are doing is harming your chances of being hired.

Time spent updating every minute detail of your experience, you will never get back. The computer will not recognize the effort. The hiring manager won’t care. And you will have prevented yourself from applying to other jobs during the time you wasted.

2. Create versions of your resume.

This is the critical component for resume tailoring. It is never ok to have one resume for all positions you apply for. The best way to do this is to create versions of your resume.

For example, there are probably a few different types of job titles or descriptions that you are applying for based on your current level of experience and what you want to do. If I were applying to jobs, I would at a minimum have two different positions I’d aim for: Human Resources Partner and Employee Communications.

With those two positions being my target, I would:

Research these positions on SimplyHired without location information filled in and at the appropriate level. By research, I mean looking at job descriptions and figuring out what the important requirements and qualifications are. If you aren’t awesome at recognizing patterns, you can also upload a few different job descriptions onto a site like Wordle.
Based on the requirements that continuously come up in various job descriptions, you can assume that most positions within that specific field are going to want to see you demonstrate those items.

For example, for Employee Communications positions, you may come back with skills such as create messaging; work cross functionally with HR and business partners; deliver presentations and executive communications; and so on.


Using the information that you have discovered, you are now ready to start creating resume versions.

3. Editing your resume versions.

Using the same example as above, I would then create two different versions of my resume. Here is when you are going to spend time on your resume – but you are only going to do it once… before you start applying for jobs.

The more effective way to tailor your resume is by following these steps:

Create a base resume that includes all of your accomplishments. Don’t worry about formatting, design or page length for this one. This copy is just for you.
Create a second (and third, etc.) resume for each type of position you are applying to (HR & Employee Communications).
In each resume, take the bullet points from your catch all that apply to the relevant resume version. Remember, your skills are transferrable, so it’s all about positioning. For the HR resume, I would absolutely include information about my Employee Communications experience, but the HR bullets will come first – they will be in areas where recruiters will absolutely see them.
When you’ve completed updating each version with applicable bullets that are placed in order of importance, then you can work on formatting, design and length.

4. Apply to applicable positions using the “right” version of your resume.

Most job descriptions within similar positions have significant similarities as you found out above. So starting from scratch with each position is not necessary. Instead, use the version you’ve created for specific job “types.”

Your resume will end up being keyword rich and show your skills, experience, and expertise in such a way that the recruiter would have to want to meet you. You know, because you want to be friends with them.

Remember – your resume is to get your foot in the door. If you are able to create compelling resume materials that show your expertise, then you will be part of the “in” pile for the recruiter. From that point, it’s up to you to wow them with your interviewing skills.

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Interview Like a Popular Kid: New on Career Attraction

So excited to be featured on Career Attraction today where I’m talking about Interviewing.

Interview Like a Popular Kid – Career Attraction

“I want to be pop-u-lar” is a song many parents may be hearing these days as kids head back to school. And there’s a good reason to want to be popular. Never mind always having someone to sit with at lunch; lessons learned by the popular kids are also applicable when it comes to interviewing throughout your career.

If you want to be part of the “in crowd” (i.e. get the job at the company of your choice), consider these lessons from the “cool kids” (even if you weren’t one in high school).

1. Your Presence Carries Weight

Popular kids always have an “air” about them. They walk into a room and own it fully. When they make a statement or decision, they’re confident, and their body language exudes that.

Your presence in an interview setting, whether in a room or on the phone, needs to carry that same certainty and confidence. Having confidence and projecting that presence lead to you being seen as a natural leader—someone who can walk into any situation, take control, feel at ease and make others listen to you.

There’s a fine line between presence and cockiness, so don’t turn into a jerk. Instead, believe that the person you’re meeting wants to hear what you have to say. They believed in you enough to request your presence in an interview, so it’s critical that you exude the same confidence in yourself that they’re expecting to see based on your application.

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