Paul Freiberger's Blog, page 5

BOOK EXCERPT: When Can You Start? How to Ace the Interview and Win the Job

Put Yourself in Good Company

Once you’ve made sure that your chosen industry is the right place to conduct your job search, it’s time to figure out which company’s door to knock upon. In order to make the right call, you need to learn as much as possible about each potential employer.

In the category of “things you need to know,” you’ll find the following key questions, to which you should have all the answers before sending out your resume:

How big is the company?
What is the firm’s growth potential?
Has there been any recent news regarding the company?
What is the culture of the company like?
What kind of management style has this firm adopted?
Are there any policies particular to this corporation?
How is this business perceived by the public at large, as well as by its peers?
How profitable is this company?

When you take the time to do the research on companies before you apply to them, you can ensure that you won’t be blindsided by anything that might be included in a job offer down the line.

Sometimes, your research may uncover that, in order to work for one of the better companies within an industry, you will need to relocate. If that doesn’t fit into your plans, then be sure to focus your attention solely on companies that are geographically tolerable to your current situation.

That a firm has a lot of name prestige is not enough reason for you to waste your time as well as theirs if you don’t have any real intention of working for them. You may think that it’s a good thing to be able to say that you turned down a job offer from a Fortune 500 company, but while that provides you with a temporary ego boost, it really doesn’t get you any closer to long-term employment.

Your First Impression Begins Before You Know It

A new client told me about a job interview that had gone so, so well. Or so he thought. Everyone seemed impressed with his resume, his accomplishments, and his education. But the job went to someone else. It turned out that he may have blown the interview before even entering a conference room. Nervous and rushed, he walked into the entrance of the company’s offices and lost his temper with the receptionist. You never know who has an influence on a hiring decision. I discussed this situation and the importance of the first 90 seconds of a job interview in a recent interview program on job interviews on CKLW-AM Radio. Remember to turn on the charm early!

 

When Can You Start? aims to improve job interview skills

 

I’m ready to rock your job search.  More than two years in the making, my book, When Can You Start? How to Ace the Interview and Win the Job (Career Upshift Productions) is available.  I’m proud of it;  time will tell if it proves as helpful to job interviewees as I expect. Rather than repeat the contents here, you can take a look at a description on Amazon. Such a deal!

Thirsty for Power, Senator Rubio discovers his resume headline

It can never be too early to talk about the 2016 presidential election, can it? The current tenant of the White House was inaugurated more than 500 hours ago and got the chance to give a big speech about the state of things. It was high time for the Republicans to trot out Florida’s Marco Rubio and jumpstart his campaign, so they gave Rubio the chance to deliver a rebuttal to Obama’s take on the national condition.

That seems like quite a plum. The Senator gets a chance to establish himself on the national stage and give the people a sense of what he’s all about. If he’d thought much about the fates of those who came before him – Bobby Jindal, Mitch Daniels and Paul Ryan come to mind – he might have had second thoughts, but this was Marco’s chance to give the people a taste of his electoral magic.

At heart, politics is a job like any other. When you’re applying for a job, your resume needs a headline: “Operations Executive with Success in Turnarounds” or “SEO Marketing Manager.” Short and to the point, your headline is your brand, the takeaway that connects with anyone who’s considering you as a candidate, whether you’re a candidate for a job or for elective office.

You need a headline.

Did Rubio take advantage of this golden opportunity? To answer a question like that, it always pays to consult the hive mind of the Internet, and the Internet has indeed spoken. When Marco Rubio, more than half way through his speech and with a look of feral panic in his eyes, was stricken by an unbearable thirst, he became the very thing that is the hallmark of the Internet in these troubled times: a meme.

Rubio-the-meme was born when he stopped speaking and reached for a water bottle that was far, far away, stretching and twisting to achieve his goal and never – not once – breaking eye contact with the camera. With that, his words no longer mattered.

Twitter erupted, of course.

“That was the most ill-advised drink of liquid since Socrates took hemlock.”

“You’ve heard of arch-conservatives? Rubio is a parched-conservative.”

“The Rubio water thing is the move that launched a 1,000 .gifs.”

“Jesus walked on water. Rubio drank it.”

This was Marco’s moment in the sun, but it was not the warm and friendly sunshine of a spring day that follows a bone-chilling winter. It was the hot, broiling, high-noon sun of summer in Tampa, or an average day on the planet Mercury. No wonder he was thirsty.

Having created his own Watergate, Rubio’s thirst for power may never be slaked, but if his electoral chances have suffered, it’s not because he lacks experience in foreign policy – even if he can’t see Russia from his front porch. Like a true man of the world, Marco had, after all, reached for something exotic, that beverage from the far-off land of Poland, a nation justly famous for its springs. The European Union will welcome his presidency.

 

Girl Scouting for Science, Math, and Engineering Careers

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is forging a new education partnership by teaming with Sigma Gamma Rho, a well-known African American sorority to promote awareness of potential careers in science, technology, engineering and math among African American girls and their parents. The National Science Foundation is sponsoring the initiative as part of the NSF effort to bridge the gap between girls and these 21st century careers.

It’s part of a common emphasis on helping girls develop to their fullest potential. As GSUSA Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chávez put it, “Girl Scouting and Sigma Gamma Rho have the same goal: to build the nation’s future leaders by helping girls dream big and accomplish much today.” Toward that end, the sorority will be working with local Girl Scout councils nationwide.

The initiative is already yielding results. According to Sigma Gamma Rho National President Bonita Herring, “Response to Imagine Engineering has been terrific. We surveyed 250 girls who took part in the initiative, and more than two thirds of them said they now understood how ‘someone like me’ could become an engineer.” For many of these girls, this was the first time they had perceived science, technology, engineering, and math careers as an option for themselves.

Herring added, “Through this continued partnership, we are going to do great things together for girls.”

Offer to NRA

I’ll offer a free resume to the first NRA official who resigns to help stop the madness and help save lives.

Think Outside the Box (of Fruitcake) this Year

Is there someone on your gift list who would enjoy something a bit more helpful than a fruitcake this year? Say someone who is currently job hunting and needs more than fruit and nuts to get them through these tough times?

Consider offering the services of a professional resume writer  giving the job seeker an edge over the competition.

In this highly competitive world, it is imperative that job seekers have the tools necessary to separate them from the pack, and nothing is more important for first impressions than a well-written resume.

A professionally prepared resume is as thoughtful a gift as you can give someone struggling to get back into the working world or someone looking to take a step up in their career.

The best thing of all about giving the gift of a professionally written resume is that once they land a good job, they will think back to you and hopefully return the favor next year by not giving you a fruitcake.

What APEs Know About Books

Once upon a time, not very long ago, books made their way to bookstore shelves only after traditional publishers gave their stamps of approval. Now, with the popularity of iPads, Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers, sending sales of e-books skyrocketing, self-publishing has come into its own, opening up e-publishing possibilities for good authors who might otherwise be overlooked. The only problem is that navigating this burgeoning industry is not always easy. Making the details available in a very readable e-book called APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book, authors Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch have made this complex process very understandable.

APE is a boon to would-be authors. Combining Kawasaki’s knowledge of traditional publishing with Welch’s background in e-publishing, the two have created a book that covers the self-publishing industry from the basic question of whether to write a book to ways to market it effectively once it’s published. Their “goal is to help you succeed as a self-publisher as quickly and easily as possible.”

Based on the simple premise that self-publishing affords authors complete control over every aspect of their books and over the profits as well, the authors point out the pitfalls of traditional publishing while highlighting the benefits — along with the high level of work required — in self-publishing. While getting a book published is still no easy task, Kawasaki and Welch’s conversational tone makes this book quite accessible. Moreover, their insider knowledge of the publishing industry provides readers with a window into a world that is often confusing and frustrating.

As the book notes, traditionally published authors gain little reward for the time and effort they expend writing a book and then conforming it to a publisher’s ideal. The monetary advance, if any, is generally small. To make matters worse, on publication of the book, even the marketing often falls to the author, who generally lacks effective promotional tools. With sound advice and memorable anecdotes of other authors’ experiences,  APE provides systematic, but not formulaic, instructions on how to undertake the three roles of successful self-publishing: author, publisher and entrepreneur.

For aspiring authors, whether they have considered self-publishing or always hoped to take the traditional route, APE is an excellent resource. While the first reading may provide an overview, readers will certainly find themselves returning to this book for the wealth of information it provides.

 

Guy Kawasaki

Sandia Labs has jobs program for wounded veterans

I’m glad to hear about a program started by Sandia National Laboratories (New Mexico) with the goal of aiding wounded veterans develop new career skills and get experience and find jobs. Under the Labs’ Wounded Warrior Career Development Program (WWCP) approved applicants get training and are hired from one to three years with a chance at a permanent job. Wounded veterans interested in working at Sandia can go to the woundedwarrior.sandia.gov website, click on “View All Jobs” and enter the keyword “Wounded.” That will bring up current Wounded Warrior job openings.