The Secret to a Successful Interview

The Secret to a Successful Interview How many times have you been to an interview for a job you were perfect for, you  had exceeded all the qualifications, the person seemed to like you, and things  seemed to go perfectlybut then you called or emailed to follow up and got the  dreaded “We went with another candidate” response? Your resume was perfect, you looked like a million bucks, you smiled, you  researched and demonstrated you knew the company inside and you, and you “sold  yourself” like the complete, perfect package. So what was missing? What sealed the deal for another candidate? What could they possibly have that  you didn’t? Well, because we can’t see every other candidate being interviewed, it’s often  difficult, if not impossible, to tell what other candidates said, did, or had  that you didn’t. However, I recently talked to an HR professional who really understood what was  important in a good worker, and what an interviewer is looking for in any  candidate they hire. I’ve also found that nearly all interviewers see this trait (mostly  unconsciously) as the most important quality in a candidate. It also happens  to be the easiest thing to demonstrate, instantly make you stand out in  almost any interview line-up, and makes any employer look upon you as a highly desirable candidate, but almost no one who goes into an interview focuses on it. How to stand out in any interview The key ingredients to a successful interview are: PASSION LOYALTY. When most of us read interview books that tell us to “sell ourselves” to an  employer, it’s usually all about trying to sell yourself to the employer’s logical brain… but what’s the one thing employers want from workers more than  anything? For example, what if you were in an interview, and the interviewer said: I just  interviewed a candidate with a perfect grade point average, who has more  experience than you, and has worked for X, Y, Z companies… why should I choose  you? Almost anyone would be stumped for an answer! This is where you override the interviewer’s answer by teaching them a different  way of looking at things by using passion. Imagine you said: You know, one thing I’ve found all my life is: there’s nothing you can’t  teach a person. You can teach a person to do any job on the planet, but the one thing you can’t teach is passion! I like to challenge myself every single day: I  like to learn from others, and I work hard to give the best I possibly can to  people. I believe you’re looking for someone who’s honest, who can give you  loyalty, and who is looking for a company they can grow with. I’m looking for a  company who is passionate about what they do, who is constantly pursuing  excellence, and wants employees who are going to love what they do, love coming  to work every day, and who can grow with you, learn, work, and be a team player. No matter how good someone’s qualifications may be, there are many other factors that are even more important than someone’s education or experience, and he  could come here to get career advancement, then just up and leave. I value  honesty when I give my word to someone I keep it, and I can tell you that  if you’re loyal to me, and willing to help me grow, I’ll be loyal to you, and  look forward to growing with you as a company. A good interview is all about what you communicate This is very powerful, because it sends all the messages about you that go much  deeper than just communicating that you look good on paper (because a lot of  candidates do). You’ve communicated something that will truly stand out to an employer:  you’re honest, a team player and someone looking to grow and learn  (meaning you’re open to working with others). This is significant, especially today, when you consider that you’re up against  30 people in an interview. You need a way to stand out that goes beyond just smiling, showing a good resume, or experience.  What employers are really  interviewing is you; their main goal is to make sure you’re the best fit for  their company and are going to be a good long-term investment. If you can  communicate that you’ll be the biggest asset to the company because of your  passion and dedication, many times that’s more important to employers then  what’s on your resume alone (and I’ve had many HR professionals I’ve spoken with  confirm this). Remember to show yourself Remember on your next interview that passion is the biggest asset you can take  with you to stand out. If an employer knows you want to be the  best at whatever you do; that you have a desire to work hard, and do whatever it  takes to make the company a success that will stand out a lot more than simply  your resume or experience alone. Chris Nosal is a communication skills, marketing expert, and blogger, who  consults with businesses and marketers through private consultations. You can  learn more about Chris at his  blog.

What Recruitment Can Learn from Minecraft and Gen Z

What Recruitment Can Learn from Minecraft and Gen Z I am very fortunate to have a gorgeous 5 year old. However, over the last 6 months a game called “Minecraft” (which is like a digital version of Lego) has taken over our lives. Having had to endure hours of this game, I have realised how much I learn from him and how different we see the world around us. It has really puzzled me to why he would spend hours on a game with no specific goals, but here are some of the things the world of recruitment could learn about this generation from this game: Community: Mineraft was designed with the main principle of building a community, in order for the game to be interesting, you play multi player. There is a heavy focus on engagement with my son playing with his friends and cousins across the world. There is no advertising on the game and no rule book or manual. When you first start, you are reliant on the community for ideas and tips however, there is over 68 million videos uploaded about Minecraft on YouTube. But once you get to grips with the game, its good manners to give back. This is why it is such a successful community full of user-generated and downloadable content whether it be videos, other worlds,  mods or skins. The game was made for Generation Z  because it is cultivating collaborative and intellectual stimulating. READ MORE:  How to Build a Talent  Community: Look for Sheep with Mice. Entrepreneurial: This generation are going to be the most entrepreneurial ever having watched Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and most recently Jan Koum come before them. My son’s idol is a chap by the name of Stampy Longnose a 23 years old who still lives at home with his Mum and Dad and makes a living from YouTube. Currently working 10 hours a day in his bedroom, Stampy has  2 million subscribers to his channel with some of his videos having as many as 11 million views more than Eastenders or Coronation Street have on television. His living costs come from advertising to give you an example his most popular video would have netted him $77,000. Not bad for a day’s work. My 5 year old seems to only ever talk about having his own business, maybe because I am entrepreneurial. He sells his old toys on eBay to fund the new ones he wants switched on right? We talk about unemployed youth but are these guys ever going to want a 9-5? RELATED:  Sack Your Boss! How to Become an  Entrepreneur  in 6 Easy Steps Digital native: My son is from a multi-device family and has been using an iPad and smartphone since he learnt to walk. Facetime, Skype and even Whatsapp are the ways he communicate with others.  Even though he is still learning to read and write, he can’t tell the time but since he started school he has been learning how to code via code.org. I am part of Gen Y and would consider myself tech savvy but these guys are something else! It’s like technology is in their blood just look at the way they watch television via YouTube and Netflix! Just recently my son wrote his first story about Minecraft on Prezi and made it look easy. My mind boggles because I can’t even begin to think what he will be capable of when he enters the work place! It’s all about me! God, are they demanding! Most of their communication is instant and with so much information out there, they are self-educating.  They are also self-aware and this is only going to continue just look at the #selfie craze! Creativity: With all these YouTube videos, photos, multimedia presentations, and personalized content, they are also the most creative generation yet. My son’s mind never stops, but the amazing thing is he doesn’t have problems only solutions Start preparing: With the first Gen Z population starting to enter the workforce, recruiters just aren’t ready for them. Most recruiters still can’t get social media and are still using LinkedIn as their main platform, whereas Gen Z have only ever known social media. Generation Z represents the greatest generational shift the workplace has ever seen. If you’re not going social and prepared, you’re not going to get the best talent in the future.

The career passion myth and how it derails you

The career passion myth and how it derails you You do not need to have a life full of passion. What is that life, anyway? You probably don’t even know what passion is. But if you really thought about what you were aiming for when you talk about passion and careers, eventually you’d get to the idea of engagement. This is not a controversial thought: that you would want to be engaged in your work. Engagement is one of the most important aspects of your worklife. Almost every study about what makes people happy at work comes down to engagement. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,  author of the book Flow, transformed the idea of work passion to be the idea of engagement. The work we do leading up to engagement is just practice time until we are so proficient at what we’re doing that we enter the state of flow, which is such a high level of engagement that we don’t even notice time passing. Getting to the state of flow requires years and years of practice at a single thing so that work is so much a part of us that we can get to the high level of flow. (As I write this post, I think to myself that I should be there with writing, and I can get there sometimes, but then every time I think, Am I there? and I stumble. So part of flow is not thinking.) Sonja Lyubomirsky talks about workplace engagement as a result of having control over one’s time and being able to make people feel good. Janitors, she finds, are happiest at work because they can control their workday and they can see immediately how they are helping people. Lawyers, by contrast, are the most universally unhappy, because they have little control over their hours and they are generally dealing with people who hate that they have to hire a lawyer, whatever the lawyer is doing. Lyubomirsky’s research is freeing because she finds that happiness comes from the most simple lives, rather than the lives with big, complicated, impressive careers. (You can read her book, The How of Happiness to find out why I realized that it’s hopeless for me to be happyI relish the complications of life too much. But there’s still hope for me in the engagement arena.) When you say you want to do something you’re passionate about, you really mean, when you think about it, that you want to do something that is right for you. Something that is fulfilling and feels like the thing you should be doing with your life. Ironically, you can prepare kids for this adult-life hurdle by letting them play unlimited video games. Because video games are engaging, challenging, and social. This is why I took my kids out of school. So they could learn how to find their own paths to engagement. However schools train kids to subdue their own drive in order to pass required tests. Then we toss those kids into the adult world and tell them to do what they are passionate about. So you need to bridge the gap between what you learn in school to pass tests and what you need to learn about yourself to have a good adult life. This comes down to Myers Briggs. So heres the link  to a fast, free Myers Briggs test. So go take the test. You will be one of sixteen personality types. Only two or three types of personalities are made for saving starving babies in Sudan, and rescuing crime victims from chains in dark basements. Most people would be psychologically destroyed doing that kind of work. Most of us need stability and order and predictability in our lives. Some of us need to control other people. Some of us need to be alone all the time. All of these types of people should not be doing that traditionally meaningful, passion-filled work of saving lives. You will find, after discovering your personality type, that you are well suited for a particular type of work. It might not be what your dad wanted, or what your wife wants, or what fits your idea of who you wish you were. But if you do the work that meets the core needs of your personality type, you will feel passion. Because you will be engaged in your work. If you refuse to pay heed to your core personality, you will always feel that youre searching for something elusive in your career. Are you an ISTP? You need to use your hands to make things. Are you an ENTJ? You need to lead people. Are you an INTJ? You’ll go nuts if you don’t get something done every day. Are you an INFP? You’ll go nuts if you have to get something done every day. Figure out what you need in your life to be fulfilled. Find that work. Then, as long as you have control over your hours and you can see how you help people, you will feel good about your work. And you know what happens when people feel good in their work? They stop asking themselves bullshit questions about what they are passionate about.

3 Tips For Maximizing Speaking Engagement Value - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

3 Tips For Maximizing Speaking Engagement Value - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As a regular speaker at conferences and events around the world, Im often asked what are some tips for maximizing the value of speaking engagements. Here are my 3 top tips to leverage your speaking engagements: 1. Wow your audience Dont skimp on your PowerPoint time. Bullet points are rarely going to impress anyone. Do things differently. Leverage unique imagery, PowerPoint smart art, etc. Want to get really creative? Learn how to use Prezi.com for your presentations. Over the past 2 years, most of my presentations have been created with Prezi. It takes some learning, but if you get good at creating a Prezi youll knock your audiences socks off. A recent Prezi I created and utilized to great results 2. Use identifying bookends Start your presentation with a slide about yourself and your company. Leave it on the screen for a few seconds longer than feels comfortable. End your presentation with the same slide. Include links to your social presence and your email address to give people simple access to connect after your speaking engagement. 3. Dont be a robot No one wants to hear you speak. They want to learn. Make your presentations engaging. You dont need to impress people with your verbose language. Speak simply and clearly. Early on in my speaking career, Id always make sure I had an industry friend in the room of my speaking engagements and I would simple present to them. Its easier to be yourself when youre pretending to just be talking to someone you know.

How to Write the Writing Test to Put on Resume

How to Write the Writing Test to Put on ResumeYou need to write a test to put on resume in order to make your resume look impressive. The use of the writing test to put on resume is a tool that would be more likely to get the attention of those who read your resume. It will make your resume look impressive. However, you have to learn how to write a convincing writing test to put on resume in order to show your capabilities and skills to the employer.Resume should not just be a collection of facts or data that has been fabricated or had been taken out of your head. When you write your resume, you should do it with honesty and sincerity. Also, when you write your resume, you need to write down all the skills and qualifications that you have obtained while doing your work. There are many things that can go wrong during the job search. You can easily take the company's mind off the job opening by exaggerating your abilities or skills.Writing the test to put on resume to put to test in yo ur resume is very important. This is because most of the resume writers make use of this writing test to put on resume. With this writing test to put on resume, you can create your own outline and the list of skills and qualifications that you want to put into your resume. The resume that you create with this method will most likely be more convincing than any other resume you have ever created.In order to write the written test to put on resume properly, you have to be extremely meticulous. You have to check if everything is included in your resume. This way, you can include information about your personal attributes that can make your resume look more convincing.You should also put your strengths and abilities at the top of your resume. It is advisable to put your strengths at the top so that it will seem more professional. Be sure to focus on your strongest ability, which will come from your strengths. You should emphasize your strengths because it will make your resume look more impressive.The next area that you should focus on is your skills. You have to include your skills as much as possible because these are more significant. You have to make sure that you include all the information about your skills, because these are the things that will set your resume apart from the others. This is because your skills are what will attract the employer.The employment market is filled with lots of job openings. You should try to get the attention of the employer by putting your skills and talents on the resume. If you are able to write the writing test to put on resume to put on test to put on resume correctly, then your resume will definitely become impressive.By doing this, you will surely convince the employer who is interested in your resume. He or she will be more open to taking your resume and helping you out. You will also become more confident in showing your capabilities and skills on your resume because you did not over exaggerate your skills and capabili ties.

The Happiness at Work Newsletter is back - woohoo! - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

The Happiness at Work Newsletter is back - woohoo! - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog After a long hiatus, weve reactivated the Happiness at Work Newsletter. The latest newsletter talks about happy balls, work as punishment and happiness and rockets :o) You can read it right here and you can subscribe to future newsletters here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Career Solvers Nominated for TORI Award

Career Solvers Nominated for TORI Award I am pleased to announce that Career Solvers was recently nominated for a TORI (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award by Career Directors International. Career Solvers has been nominated for this award 29 times since 2006 and won 11 awards for Best Executive Resume, Best Technology Resume, Best Sales Marketing Resume, Best International Resume, Best Creative Resume, and Best Cover Letter.The competition draws hundreds of entries from resume writers from all over the world and it is an honor to be a nominee this year. Career Solvers Nominated for TORI Award I am pleased to announce that Career Solvers was recently nominated for a TORI (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award by Career Directors International. Career Solvers has been nominated for this award 25 times over 6 years and won 10 awards for Best Executive Resume, Best Technology Resume, Best Sales Marketing Resume, Best International Resume, Best Creative Resume, and Best Cover Letter.The competition draws hundreds of entries from resume writers from all over the world and it is an honor to be a nominee this year in the category of Best Cover Letter.You can click on the link to learn more about Career Solvers cover letter writing services.