Communications Coach 3 Things To Do Before an Interview

Communications Coach 3 Things To Do Before an Interview Communications Coach 3 Things To Do Before an Interview If youre in the job market, chances are youve come across a multitude of articles on the importance of making a positive first impression while networking or in a job interview. And for good reason You send a message about your competence and likeability long before you open your mouth. Therefore, youre supposed to dress professionally, avoid falling asleep in the waiting area, be nice, offer a firm handshake, smile, keep your arms uncrossed, and the list goes on and on.Theres nothing wrong with these tips. In fact, theyre great (if perhaps somewhat obvious). But if you constantly run through a mental list of dos and donts and worry about how you come across, you will shoot yourself in the foot. So stop worrying about getting every detail right and instead do something much more proactive and usefulPrepare.Prepare yourself, your mind and body, not just your clothing or your resume or your answers to possible interview questions. Your ability to make a great first impression abflugs long before the day of your interview. Get ready in advance and the first impression will take care of itself.Here are three things to do before an interview or networking event in order to make a great first impression1.) PracticeThat long list of dos and donts for making a good impression? Theyre all valid. But as with any test, cramming rarely works. If you dont want to cross your arms at a networking event (good tip), start practicing in everyday conversation. If you want to avoid slouching during your interview (definitely), start sitting up straight at your current job. If you want to smile and make eye contact with your interviewer (yup definitely want that), start smiling and making eye contact whenever youre interacting with people. All those things you want to do to make a good impression need to be second nature. Its a lot easier to be your usual self than to try out a bunch of new behaviors in a stressful situation. So change your usual. In addition, its awfully hard to think clearly when your brainpower is consumed with trying to look good. When making a good first impression has become a habit, you have more processing power for the conversation.2.) Decide how you want to berather than what you want to do or say. When youve got an interview or networking event coming up, choose a few words (no more than three) to describe how you want to be. It could be anything confident, dedicated, caring, professional, creative, smart, funny, passionate, bold, thoughtful, experienced, driven, quirky, friendly, decisive, hard-working You choose. For one minute, imagine how it looks and feels to be that way. Keep your word(s) in mind and your speech and behavior will naturally align. Often, we get hung up on what we should say. We figure out a script in our heads for answering questions and demonstrating our capabilities. But as you may have noticed, li fe rarely follows the script. People surprise us. Then we either stubbornly stick to the script we prepared or fumble for words as we try to recover. Neither of those makes a very good impression Certainly, its a good idea to be prepared for possible interview questions and have an idea of what you want to say. Do that. But instead of relying on having all the right answers, rely on yourself. Be grounded in who you are and what you bring to the table. Even if you dont get all the answers quite right, if youre crystal clear on who you are and how you want to be, you will come across that way. 3.) Release tensionDo this daily as you prepare to meet people at job fairs or networking events or in interviews. But also make a conscious choice and effort to do it before and during the event itself. Breathe deeply and let go of unnecessary tension. You dont want to be so relaxed that youre slouching or come across as nonchalant. Stay alert. Yet releasing tension through breathing brings man y benefits You will look more comfortable and confident. You will feel more comfortable and confident. Youll avoid nervous tics like bouncing knees or twiddling thumbs. Youll be able to think more clearly and quickly. First impressions are important. Yet worrying about it will backfire for two reasons First, worrying shows up in your nonverbal communication, and that makes a bad impression Second, worrying gets you stuck in your head, so you cant be present and fully show up.Want to make a good first impression? Stop trying. Instead, prepare yourself ahead of time and then trust that you can do it. Change your communication, change your life.Rachel Beohm has worked for over ten years in the communications field. She trains executives, HR professionals, speakers, and job seekers to present themselves powerfully through the use of nonverbal communication skills so they can achieve their goals. She coaches clients one-on-one in downtown Portland, OR, provides blogs and other resources online, and delivers workshops and keynotes across the country.Rachel is active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Medium. She also blogs regularly at her website www.rachelbeohm.com.HAVE TWO MINUTES?Learn how Jobscan can optimize your resume and LinkedIn profile for the tech used by most recruiters.How to Scan a Resume with Jobscan (208)How to Scan a LinkedIn Profile with Jobscan (253)??Full text tutorialFull text tutorial

Air Force Basic Training Recruit Leadership Positions

Air Force Basic Training Recruit Leadership PositionsAir Force Basic Training Recruit Leadership PositionsDuringAir Force Basic Military Training (AFBMT), training instructors (T.I.s) organize their flight within the first couple of days. As a new recruit, if you have shown signs of leadership or military knowledge (such as JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, or Boy Scout Eagle), the TI may select you to become the Dorm Chief, or an bestandteil Leader. These are positions of some authority that act as assistants to the TI. Leadership Positions During Basic Training Sometimes, though not exclusively, T.I.s will select older members of the flight for these leadership positions. Generally, older members have some leadership qualities learned through civilian employment, are generally more mature, and able to handle responsibility better than others under stress. But this is not a hard and fast rule. The T.I. has full authority to select the Dorm Chief and Element Leaders using whatever crite ria they wish. Its not unusual for the original choices not to work out, and the T.I. may make changes to the flight leadership after a period of observation. Dorm Chiefs and Element Leaders The Dorm Chief is the top leader of recruits in the flight. He or she is responsible for making sure that all orders, standard ops, and instructions are carried out correctly when the T.I.s arent around. You wont make many friends if youre selected as Dorm Chief, but you will learn about how to be an effectiveleader. To assist the Dorm Chief in this enormous responsibility, the flight is divided into elements, and an element leader is put in charge of each. The Element Leaders report to the Dorm Chief and assist in assuring that members of the element comply with orders and instructions. The bad news is that being a Dorm Chief or an Element Leader means that in plus-rechnen to being responsible for things you do wrong, you have the added pleasure of being responsible for things that members of the flight (or your element) do wrong as well. This is why real leadership skills will be important Not only do you have to demonstrate to your superiors that youre capable, you have to show your subordinates that youre all part of a team. The Flight Guideon The T.I. will also choose a Flight Guideon. While not exactly a leadership position in that the Guideon doesnt have the authority to tell people what to do, its a very important position nonetheless. The Guideon carries the flight flag and marches in front of the flight. When the T.I. commands the flight to march to the left, its the Guideon who turns first, and the other members of the flight align themselves on the Guideon. One disadvantage to being the Guideon is that you have to carry the unit flag every time your flight marches somewhere (which is most of the time). The good news is that the Guideon really stands out from the crowd. Your parents, friends and loved ones will have no problem picking you out during the Airmans Run or graduation parade.

How to be a company that attracts LGBTQ professionals

How to be a company that attracts LGBTQ professionalsHow to be a company that attracts LGBTQ professionalsHow to be a company that attracts LGBTQ professionals Papandrea, contributorWeve come a long way as a nation when it comes to LGBTQ rights and acceptance, but we surely have more work to do, especially in the workplace.In 30 states, its still perfectly legal to not hire someone or to fire them due to sexual orientation or gender orientation.The good nachrichtensendung is some progress is being made. The House of Representatives just passed the Equality Act bill that prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas includingemployment. (Its now with the Senate.)In the meantime, many private corporations are enacting their own inclusive policies that not only protect LGBTQ workers, but nurture them. (Just browse through the list of best companies for LGBTQ workersbased on theCorporate Equality Indexfrom HRC to see which ones are leading the wa y.) And while youre at it, check out Monsters list of best companies for LGBTQ workers.Becoming a company that welcomes LGBTQ talent requires more than just not discriminating against them its recognizing that diversity can be a growth strategy, says Nadia Rawlinson, chief human resources officer at Live Nation.Consumers are diversifying, cultural lines are blurring, social media is driving new levels of public and consumer accountability and the war for talent is at its fiercest to date, she says.To win that talent war, companies need to commit to diversity and belonging, says Rawlinson, which she describes as creating inclusion that is so powerful that employees feel safe to innovate. Companies that do this well will outpace their competitors.If youd like to attract more talent from the LGBTQ community, try emulating some of these best practices recommended by HRC, and used by high-performing inclusive companies.State your intentions loudly and proudlyIt sounds simple, but it rea lly is important to codify that you are an employer that does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, says Beck Bailey, acting director of HRCs Workplace Equality Program.If you have an employee handbook or a written nondiscrimination statement, make sure it includes sex and gender identification. The laws are uneven from state to state, so make sure youre very clear and articulate, he says.A good example of the type of wording you can include comes from Mastercard, which scored 100% on HRCs Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality. As stated on its career site Mastercard is an inclusive Equal Employment Opportunity employer that considers applicants without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.Create a welcoming candidate experienceIn addition to adding text to your employee handbook, be sure that job seekers know that youre a friend to the LGBT Q community as well. You can do that by including a welcome invitation in your job placements, says Bailey. Be explicit that all gender identities and all orientations are encouraged to apply.The reason its so important to put this in writing is that it sends a clear signal so that candidates dont have to guess what your intentions are, he adds.As you can imagine, top candidates will be more inclined to apply to an organization that is openly welcoming them, rather than those that keep them guessing. Of course, you have to go beyond just copying and pasting inclusive language into your job postings.We follow through on that messaging through our recruiters, who are knowledgeable about our commitment to Diversity Belonging, and walk candidates through a summary of our purpose, programs, initiatives and goals, says Rawlinson. Live Nation also provides candidates with a summary of its medical benefits, which contain LGBTQ+ and gender-inclusive language and benefits.Make inclusion part of your employer brandBeyond adding language to your career page, think about what other micro-signals youre sending to indicate that your company is LGBTQ-friendly, says Bailey.Do you have a rainbow sticker on your door? In the parts of your website where you talk about your values, commitments to the community, and where you invest philanthropic giving, do you support your local LGBTQ center? Things like that illustrate to potential applicants that you are serious about your commitment to equality.In other words, putting policies into practice the way companies like Pfizer do speaks volumes.Pfizer strives to be the healthcare employer of choice by providing excellent colleague benefits and support for LGBTQ colleagues and the broader, external LGBTQ community through public advocacy and sponsorships, says Willard McCloud III, vice president and global head of diversity and inclusion for Pfizer, Inc.For example, the company is an annual supporter of Out Equal Workplace Advocates, a gemeinwohlorientiert organization dedicated to achieving global LGBTQQ workplace equality, and a lead sponsor for the HRCs Healthcare Equality Index.Offer lots of internal support, tooIts important to remember that for many, the workplace might be the first place where they interact with people from the LGBTQ community, says Bailey.When people dont have a personal experience or reference point, they may inadvertently say or do things that are not welcoming, he says. Thats why its imperative to start some conversations about what it means to have respectful behavior toward all in the workplace.Companies can request resources from organizations like HRC or local LGBTQ centers, says Bailey. Its pretty easy to have folks come in and do training with staff for a fairly low investment. And theres online training and tools out there, he says. The point is that real change requires intentional dialogue.Something as simple as learning how to address people with their preferred pronouns is important when youre meeting with LGBTQ candidates, or introducing them as new hires to your team. If youre interacting with people who are visibly transgender, undergoing transition, or who are gender nonconforming, the thing here is that its about respect, says Bailey. Its interacting with people the way they want to be interacted with.As for LGBTQ job seekers, knowing that their prospective companies have support groups can help them feel confident about navigating a new workplace. At Live Nation, for example, there are seven active Pride Nation chapters dedicated to promoting a positive and inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.Be proactive with LGBTQ recruitingIf youre not attracting candidates from the LGBTQ community because your own network may be lacking in diversity, you should try expanding your search.Think about how to elevate or cross post your opportunities beyond your own limitations and your own net work, says Bailey. For instance, there are many local organizations that have either job fairs or community job boards, or you might try to engage directly with local colleges or universities, most of which have an LGBTQ center, he adds.Get in touch with those groups and let them know that youre seeking diverse candidates to fill your pipeline.Show your prideLots of companies do things in June to acknowledge pride month, so now is a great time to make your LGBTQ hiring initiative known.During Pride Month, Pfizer will be flying the Rainbow Flag at its world headquarters, says McCloud. Other companies will create social media campaigns to discuss what pride means to them, or to highlight their LGBTQ employees.Its worth noting, however, that celebrating pride is not just something that large corporations can do.Small/mid-sized companies need to be visible, too, says McCloud.For instance, participating and/or sponsoring events in local communities during pride month can say a lot about a companys focus on DI.Its not always big gestures, but rather even small ones like starting an ally program for LGBTQ people in your company that lays the foundation for a more diverse and inclusive work environment, he says.Nor is pride something that should only be acknowledged once per year. Bailey says its important to continue doing the work year-round if you want to be a company that truly champions the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ bias and stigma is still a very real thing in our world, he says. This work to make transparent what you are doing is really important.

Bouncing Back After a Job Rejection

Bouncing Back After a Job Rejection Bouncing Back After a Job Rejection After weeks of searching for job openings, sending your resume to multiple companies, and facing the uncertainty of the job market - you finally get asked to interview for what could be your dream job. This could be THE ONE, you say to yourself. You arrive on time, dressed smartly, with resume in hand ready to impress the hiring manager. Once the interview is over, you pat yourself on the back to reassure yourself that it went well. Then, as the endless hours and days go by, dread starts to set in until one day you receive the bad news that you didnt get the job.We regret to inform you that you didnt get the job. The words sting as you read the rejection email, you hit delete and begin another round of self-pity and frustration. Maybe a hot fudge sundae or a few drinks with friends will make you feel better? Or maybe their well-intended questions about how the job search is going is apt to make you feel mora rej ected and worthless?How can you get over a job rejection like this and get back on track with your job search?Recently Jobscan polled our members about their experience with job rejection and what they learned from this.Ok so, get back out there, immediatelyThe longer you hang your head in shame, the harder it will be to return to making your career goals a reality. Thats what Eugean Francisco said about his experience of being rejected for a teaching job he spent months pursuing. After completing a 90-day training program, passing a state and FBI background check, and scoring well on two professional exams - he welches sure he could get any teaching job he wanted. However, once he started interviewing with the handful of schools in his state that had available positions in his area of expertise (Art), he quickly found out this was not the case.Janet said, Accept that its a numbers game. Its easier not to take the results personal, and realize its just a matter of going on enough i nterviews. Im told it takes approximately 6 interviews.When one private school offered him a teaching job, he was overjoyed. But then, just days before he was to start work, he received a phone call from the dean of the school who said enrollment was low so they had to withdraw the offer of employment. This sent Francisco into a tailspin of depression that lasted much of that summer. He says, instead of allowing the rejection to take me down to that level, I should have just let things go and focus on finding the next opportunity. Instead, I internalized things and this set my career back by months.Find some supportA job search is never something you want to do on your own. Not having a job is considered to be one of the mora difficult experiences in life. According to Psychology Today, periods of unemployment can take their toll on a person and can cause physical as well as mental turmoil. Its common to experience low self-worth, feelings of failure, and hopelessness. This can be e specially true for men who are conditioned by society to be the primary breadwinners.Joe said, If you apply to a job online, your chances of being selected for an interview are much lower than if you ask a friend or former colleague at the company to ask someone in HR to look at your application.Its critical to seek support from a network of friends, family, and other job seekers to help maintain clarity and well-being during a job search and any subsequent rejections that may occur. Join a career network and start gaining more insight about companies you apply to. Finding a good career coach can help increase confidence levels. Even working with a resume writer or job placement service can help restore previous feelings of hopefulness.Alex told us, Dont get discouraged if you get denied for a position. Take time for yourself, be around friends and family, and get proper sleep/exerciseUse this as a learning opportunitySure you didnt get the job this time, but that is not to say that there is a valuable lesson to be learned through this experience. Consider the information that is on your resume and cover letter are they representing your complete value proposition? Is the resume format outdated? Did you leave something out when speaking with the recruiter? Do what 99% of job seekers dont do and reach out to the person who interviewed you to gather some feedback.Send a professional email message or handwritten note to thank the hiring manager for taking the time to consider you for the position and ask him or her to keep you in mind for future career openings.Tess, a staffing manager with Adecco zwischenstaatlich shared how when one candidate took the time to send a professional thank you card, even after getting turned down for a job he wanted, she saved on her bulletin board for a few weeks. Later, this simple gesture impressed her so much that it reminded her to call the candidate back for a more suitable job that came in. She was also able to offer critical feedback so that the candidate succeeded in landing the job.Maria advised, When I didnt have any job offer after a long time I started remembering past small victories related to work That gave me confidence and strength to continue.Lastly, and most critical - take heart that people get rejected often for jobs they want. Its just a matter of chance sometimes, and there are only so many jobs to go around for good people. Never internalize this rejection or think that you are not good enough. Just keep moving forward and become even more determined to find the job thats meant for you.Wilson said, Be disciplined and dont stop believing that you can find a job you really want and love.Tess C. Taylor, CCC, SHRM-CP is the founder and CEO of HR Knows, a career coaching and content development firm in New York. She is a seasoned and certified human resource professional and career coach, having worked in the software, health care, and service sectors for nearly 20 years. She is an award-w inning author of Corporate Wellness 30 Days to a Wildly Successful Health and Wellness Fair (free on Kindle) and has been featured in About.com, ADP Thrive, Dale Carnegie, HR Magazine, HR Gazette, and US News.Feel free to follow Tess on any of her social media channels for more career and business advice.

5 Quick Ways to Spruce up Your Resume for the New Year

5 Quick Ways to Spruce up Your Resume for the New Year 5 Quick Ways to Spruce up Your Resume for the New Year We professional resume writers see it every year. Christmas ends, and suddenly it seems that everyone has decided to find a new job. Most of us get so busy that we dont come up for air until March. If youre considering a job search in the new year, now is the time to get your resume in shape. That way youll be able to get a head start on all those people who wait until after the holidays.So here are 5 quick and easy tips to supercharge your resume.Update with all the latest information Most people wait until they absolutely need a resume, and then rush to try and update what they have at the brde minute, inevitably doing a poor job. Instead, spend some time over Christmas creating a powerful and thoroughly up-to-date ausverkauf document. (If you do this every Christmas and also any time you change jobs, youll never forget important achievements and youll always have an up-to- date resume should an opportunity present itself out of the blue).Make sure that who you are and what you do is clearly spelled out right upfront, in big bold letters No one has time to dig through your resume to try and figure out where you might fit into their organization. You need to tell them. Are you a Creative Director? Lead with that as your headline and then follow up with a strong tagline that communicates exactly what you have to offer. For example 10+ years of leadership experience for brands such as Levi Strauss, Sony and Apple. Record of creating award-winning packaging that drives sales growth.Keep an unswerving focus on results Employers need to see that you have made a positive difference in prior roles. If your job has anything to do with making sales or saving money or improving key performance metrics, lead with numbers wherever possible. (e.g. increased sales 9% by or saved $10,000 per year by .). If you work in a job where success cant be quantified, you can s till focus on the impact youve made. (e.g. improved the standards of patient care by and then explain how you did it. Or created a positive learning environment for the children by ).Decide on a core message and stick to it It can be tempting to try to communicate everything about yourself, but it will only confuse recruiters and make your resume less effective. When it comes to your resume, less really is more, so focus on telling a clear, succinct story with one central message. For example, if you manage social media, your message might be that you can drive sales through improved audience engagement. To support your central message, you can provide stats and numbers that back up your claims.Design for impact Often a well-written resume is rendered less effective by the way its laid out on the page. Take the time to review our resume samples and get ideas for how you can use simple formatting tricks to draw the eye to key pieces of information. Dont get crazy with fonts or imag es. Just focus on making sure that your core message jumps off the page. For more on how to write a killer resume, check out our free resume writing course. Itll transform your resume and your results.

Get the Scoop on References in Resume Before Youre Too Late

Get the Scoop on References in Resume Before Youre Too Late The Tried and True Method for References in Resume in Step by Step Detail You would rather notlage include things like an email address with a typo or a telephone number thats missing a digit. Ask each reference if theres any information they dont want listedthis will help safeguard your contacts private info, Nolan states. Needless to say, if you wish to earn a name for yourself and have a thriving career, you will need to get a polished personal brand in Brisbane. Its important to format your resume in a suitable way rather than simply including the job related particulars. Now that youre schooled on the best way to list reference on a resume, know your resumeand your referencesmay have to be altered slightly as you submit an application for different jobs. If possible, select references that are ready to talk specifically about your qualifications for the job for which youre applying. Your references are your pri vate evangeliststhey should know you quite well and be in a position to talk about your qualifications for the job which youre pursuing. The only time that it is acceptable to include references with the resume in a work application is when theyre requested directly in the work vacancy description. Its quite common to request a present employer NOT to be contacted, especially in the event you have other excellent references. Hence, its important you dont incorporate any false statements in your resume. Following your interview, your references could be a critical component on whether you get a job offer from a business. The expert references you mentioned are the appropriate person to concentrate on your abilities and expertise. Before including the names of the individuals, make certain that you inform them and inform them with the sort of job profile youre applying for. Dont consider coaching as a final resort fruchtwein folks have a tendency to turn to career coaching in B risbane as a final resort, but the reality is, it should be your foremost priority. As soon as its important to get people who can vouch for your abilities and techniques, offering a list of references right from the gate during work search isnt always the iverstndigung im strafverfahren policy. When youre asked for references, you may strategically select the best people to represent what you would like highlighted for the opportunity, she states. Put the title References at the peak of the webpage, followed by your name, so the prospective employer will know just what information is on the webpage. When you must provide references to a prospective employer, the ideal way to do it is to create a reference page youre able to share with them. Include all the required details When youre writing a reference page for your resume, make sure that you attempt to receive all the vital details in it. The sample reference page provided here can readily be adapted to satisfy your wants. You should make sure that all candidates are ready to supply you with a positive reference. Youll also discover a sample reference list. Below youll discover a sample reference list. It is essential to have a whole list of three or more professional references that may be submitted together with your resume, or provided to job interviewers upon request. The skills required vary based on the field youre applying for. Additionally, how you phrase your accomplishments and which ones which you emphasize will be dependent on the job for which youre applying. Adding your majors and minors on your resume may look to be a simple task, but having proper formatting to make sure that it looks both skilled and easy on the eyes can be challenging. Nowadays resume references have gained supreme importance whilst putting in an application for work in a well-known organization. Sometimes prospective employers will say how many and what sort of references they want. When used by employer s, references are sometimes a critical part of the interview practice. Resume references will assist the employer to understand your efficiency and your behavioral attitude at work environment. If you prefer someone to be a great reference, youve got to act as a mensch, Kay states. A great deal of people simply dont ask for permission, Kay states. If you know in advance your reference may be reached by a particular business, you can share your resume and the work description with your references. When you give out a persons name for a reference, to start with, be positive you have permission to use them as a reference. Ask permission whenever you want to include your private reference. Prepare a personal reference list in advance of requesting work, even if youre currently employed.

Counterpoint Why HR is a Necessity, Not a Necessary Evil - Spark Hire

Counterpoint Why HR is a Necessity, Not a Necessary Evil - Spark HireHuman Resources departments are taking a lot of flack lately. It seems the Toby Flendersons of the world have given poor HR people a bad rep. Im here to tell you, though, that bedrngnis only do I love HR (and no for the record I am not an HR manager) but that HR is crucial to the success of a company and its workplace environment.You may see HR as a necessary evil, or even an unnecessary evil, which plays bad cop to your workplace fun and games. HR staffs, however, do a lot more than just get people in trouble. They keep the structure of a company intact.A company needs someone on the inside to enforce rules and put everyone at ease that they work in a geldschrank and comfortable workplace environment. Without an HR team in place, keeping the safety of its employees at the forefront, a company can fall prey to not only problematic lawsuits, but a toxic workplace environment. Not all companies can afford to have an H R team, but if you have more than a few employees, even one in-house HR person can save countless hours from other busy employees and give employees a safe haven if problems arise in the workplace environment.HR departments play vital roles in maintaining a healthy workplace environment. The US Government has a system of checks and balances to ensure stability and balanced power. So think of HR as a sort of judicial branch of your company. There are the executives, the employees (sort of like Congress), and HR departments which enforce the agreed upon laws. Its not a perfect analogy, but it works to showcase how important HR departments are to the success of a company. A good HR teamisntcaught up in the minutia and red tape this article describes, they are instead focused on keeping a happy workplace environment with productive employees, avoiding legal ramifications in the process. A good HR team is a necessity.Do you think employees in your office view HR as a necessary evil or a necessity? Share in the commentsIMAGE Courtesy of Flickr byMike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

What Was Your Weirdest Interview Experience

What Was Your Weirdest Interview ExperienceWhat Was Your Weirdest Interview Experience?What Was Your Weirdest Interview ExperienceMost of us have experienced something weird in a job einstellungsgesprch, either a question that came out of the interviewers backside or some personality quirk that was just odd. Or maybe the whole interview was bizarre.Hiring managers have more than enough stories about weird behavior from job candidates, but sometimes theyre just as guilty themselves. Here are four weird interview scenarios Ive either read about, heard about, or experiencedThe I Cant Seem to Grab His Attention Syndrome. The interviewer makes eye contact with you only about 10% of the time because hes too busy picking lint off his jacket, playing with his tie, or tapping away on his laptop.The Multi-Tasking Interviewer. Youre there because youre interested in a job. Shes eating lunch and checking her email while trying to determine whether youre a good fit for the job.The Idiotic Interro gation. After reviewing your resume and highlighting a few points, the hiring manager questions your judgment with something like Why did you take such an awful job with an equally awful company? Or, You were at this place for a year and at that place for two years. Do you have a problem with commitment?The Question That Comes out of Left Field. Something like How many blades of grass are in left field at Fenway Park? (pun intended), or Why are manhole covers round?

Intention Is the Third Stage in Managing Change

Intention Is the Third Stage in Managing ChangeIntention Is the Third Stage in Managing ChangeIn the Intention Stage, the change agents and senior managers weigh the strategies and alternatives available to move the needed changes forward in the organization. They decide upon a specific course of action that will bring about change. They formulate a vision for the organization. The Intention Stage ends with the selection of an approach for moving the organization through to make the changes needed. The options in change management strategies and tactics are also considered. Strategies that will accomplish the approach are also determined. Up to this point, youve done a lot of thoughtful consideration of the problems your organization faces. Youve identified the need to make changes. And, youve considered the options that you have for the change and making the change. If youre following the recommended course of action thus far, you have also assessed the readiness and the willingness of the employees in your organization to pursue the course of action and the needed changes. Stage 3 Intention In the Intentions Stage, change agents, senior leaders, and managers must do all of the following to ensure success. Assess the impact of suggested solutions and improvements on the organization.If you are using an external consultant, assure that the organizations goals and needs are clearly understood and agreed upon in a written contract.Make sure that the appropriate people are involved from across the organization and that their input is considered, and when sensible, implemented.Involve as many people as appropriate and possible so that you are developing buy-in and support on the front end. This is far oben liegend to dragging your employees kicking and screaming after the changes have been put in place- kicking and screaming isnt pretty and it can undermine the chances of your changes succeeding. And, employee resistance can undermine everything because resista nce can even reach a point where employees are actively sabotaging the effectiveness of the changes. Consider additional strategies and methods for initiation and implementation to further reduce employee resistance to change.Examine the goals and direction of critical people and work units to assess the degree of conflict likely to arise and result from the selected solutions and strategies to accomplish it.Explore organization development and training options to assist with the next three stages of change.Inform employees about the selection process, the alternatives considered, why alternative solutions were rejected, and the rationale for deciding on the selected approach. The more you communicate with employees before you implement the changes, the more involved and committed they are likely to feel and act. You need to avoid the appearance and mistake of doing something to them- instead, create changes with them. Make sure that employees feel compensated, rewarded, and recogni zed for the extra time and effort that they expended in the evaluation process. You need to pay attention to this at every stage of a change process.Make sure that the senior members of the management team are onboard and supporting the need to change. In fact, this is a very important group to have by your side asyou implement any changes in your organization. If they dont support the changes, they will undermine and may even sabotage your efforts tomove the needed changes forward. They have too much influence over too many people if they are not on your change team. As many executives implementing change in their organizations have noted, their biggest mistake welches allowing the members of the senior team to undermine their change efforts for way too long before firing them. If they dont quickly come on board, they wont. You can trust this fact. Greg Scheesele, when leading a change effort at Pall Gelman Sciences Corporation said, I gave my senior team about eighteen months to g et on board. It was my biggest mistake. I should have known within 30-60 days who would support our changes. Decide which of the suggested solutions will best address the problems you have identified.Create and broadly share an energizing, inspiring vision of the future state to create widespread support for the change.Decide where and when to start. Determine whether you will be more successful starting in a single work unit or department to run a pilot or if youd be better off diving right in and involving the whole organization. See the six stages in change management. mora Related to Change Management Build Support for Effective Change ManagementChange Management TipsChange Management Wisdom

3 ways to test your startup idea before investing money

3 ways to test your startup idea before investing money3 ways to test your startup idea before investing moneyAs an entrepreneur, failure is part of the process. Not every business concept or product design will be a winner.The key is to spot the duds quickly, so you can focus your time and money on the ideas that have the most potential.But even though weve all heard the advice to fail fast, its hard to find actionable strategies for actually doing it.How can you determine if theres demand for your product or service, before investing the time and money to create it?After starting five businesses, Ive discovered three simple tests you can use to get started.1. Look for search trafficA quick, easy way to see if theres demand for your idea is to find out whether people are searching for it on Google.Obviously, they wont be searching for your exact brand name, but are they looking for a similar solution?You can find out with tools like SEMrush (which offers a free trial) or Ahrefs (whi ch I used to pull the numbers below).For example, maybe youre a foodie whos passionate about animal welfare, and you want to start mass-producing your vegan cheese recipe.Sure enough, the keywords vegan cheese reportedly get searched 34,000 times per month.Or maybe youre a software developer interested in creating an easy-to-use alternative to Photoshop.It appears that 3,700 people per month are searching for photoshop alternative.3,000 more are searching for alternative to photoshop. And 2,700 people are searching for best photoshop alternative.Are these numbers good or badeanstalt? It will be up to you to interpret the data for your specific idea and business model.Either way, this strategy is a perspektive to peer into the collective mind of the market, so you can see what people are looking for and what words they use to describe it.2. Look for competitorsWhile amateurs often view existing competitors as a bad omen, more experienced entrepreneurs are happy not to be the first mo ver.Why? Successful competitors are proof that demand exists.These early entrants have already done the risky work of validating the idea. Now all you have to do is compete.You can offer the product in a new location, market it to a new group of people, or differentiate based on features or price to carve out market share.The food delivery service space is a perfect example.After watching early movers like Seamless and Grubhub succeed, established companies confidently followed with their own food delivery apps.Leveraging its foodie customer base, Yelp purchased Eat24.Uber applied its successful driver model to meals and launched UberFRESH (which was later renamed UberEats).And payment platform Square acquired Caviar, giving restaurants a simple way to accept payments and deliver meals.Why did so many big companies venture into a space that already had established competitors?Demand was proven. So they looked for ways to differentiate and compete.3. Test your marketing copy on targe ted prospectsWhile this point might seem obvious, its also nuanced.Heres a quick breakdown.TestYour goal is not to see whether people think your idea is neat. Your goal is to learn whether they would be willing to pay for the product or service youre offering.your marketing copyWhen most entrepreneurs want feedback on a new idea, they get on the phone or meet a friend for coffee and have a conversation.Although this is fine for a first step, you wont normally be selling to such a patient audience.In order for a product to generate demand, its best if the value is quickly obvious to customers.Try to communicate your idea in 30 seconds or less. Or consider writing it down.Then, after your prospect has experienced the offer, gauge their interest and answer questions.on targeted prospectsYour mom may love your idea, but is she your target customer?Try to get feedback from unbiased people who you think could benefit from your product or service.The good news is, if your product or servic e truly solves a deeply felt problem, your target customers will be the people most excited to hear about it.Doing your due diligence can help you succeed fasterDue diligence is crucial in entrepreneurship because it helps you avoid losing time, money, relationship capital, and confidence on a bad idea.The three tests Ive shared are quick, simple ways to help you jumpstart that process. Obviously, there are more tests you can run. And its certainly possible for an idea that fails one of these checks to ultimately succeed.These evaluations dont guarantee success or eliminate risk, but they give you more data, empowering you to invest your time and money more intelligently.And that puts you in a position to reach your goals faster.Kyle Youngis helping creative people achieve big goals that matter.