Gimmicks—video resumes, sending cookies to your interviewer, etc.—will not get you hired. But what about those situations in which the candidate is subjected to gimmicks, and is asked to perform parlor tricks for the interviewer? Yet another symptom of the lack of interview training on the part of managers, these types of questions are highly effective—at screening out top talent. My client Jeff has 20...

One of our recent interview coaching clients expressed to us how she believes ageism was preventing her from landing a job. So, she hired us to help her beat ageism in her interviews. She wanted to outshine the millennials (aka beat the kids). Okay! I'm game.... We learned that she was reaching out to her vast network, all on her own, to find people at companies where she wanted to work. She had been land...

Dear Deb: I’m extremely frustrated. Over the last three weeks, I had a series of very successful interviews with a company that is a major player in my industry. They even flew me out to the west coast to meet the development team I would be working with. Before traveling out to the west coast, the hiring manager coached me on each of the people I’d be meeting with, gave me some intel into the key issues the...

Read the original post on Lindsey's blog. “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” It’s one of the most clichéd pieces of advice. That’s because it’s true — especially if you are job hunting. Research shows that recruiters typically only give your resume a six-second glance, and some people say the first seven seconds of meeting someone are the...

Strong GPA. Check. Impressive internship. Check. The right technical certifications. Check. Seems like you’ve found the perfect candidate. But before you make an offer, there’s one more area to assess that can make or break job performance — soft skills. According to a LinkedIn survey, more than 60 percent of hiring managers say these can be challenging to screen for. Here are some tips t...

In the job interview process, getting the offer may seem like 'the easy part. But mishandling this big moment can cost you thousands in lost salary – or even the job. It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. – Tony Robbins This post is based on chapter 17 of my book, Get That Job! The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview. The Big Moment: Getting the Jo...

On April 8th, 2017, the New York Times published an article titled, “The Utter Uselessness of Job Interviews.” The article went on to say that data-driven interviews are more effective in determining which applicants will be successful at a company than human-led interviews. The data is the data and the data doesn’t lie. I had 14 people contact me and ask me what I thought about the article. I...

Job searching can feel like a never-ending quest. The seemingly unending polish of your resume and cover letter, and relentless searching for position postings that match most (if not all) of your career must-haves. It can be exasperating to not hear back from the companies you originally thought would call you within minutes of your submission. So when a job recruiter calls you, it can be tempting to simply ask “w...

Read the original post on Lindsey's blog. What kinds of interviews yield the best candidates? According to research from Glassdoor Economic Research, more difficult interviews lead to more satisfied employees. And that can be daunting if you’re the candidate — whether you’re a recent college grad, trying to score an internship, or looking for a big career leap. Chances are you’ve probably p...

Wouldn’t it be great if job searching were a “piece of cake,” with no real challenges or speed-bumps to get past? Theoretically, that would mean you wouldn’t face any serious tests of your self-respect and integrity during the job search. Is that likely to happen in practice? Maybe not. Even the best-planned and -executed job search campaign can encounter obstacles. The list of possible obstructio...