Career Management Alliance Blog

I’ve seen professionals who not only can appear confident, but who ARE confident, very successful sales professionals for example, fall flat on their faces in interviews. It’s a very different ball game. Many of the most skilled and successful professionals are victims here. I only reference sales professionals because they are the people likely Continue Reading »

Comments Off

Guest article by Jimmy Sweeney, Author of the new, Job Interview “Secret” Be prepared. Be yourself. Be attentive. What’s so ’secret’ about these precepts that surely everyone knows? The secret is that few people live by them when it comes to landing a job interview. Many job hunters follow these instead: Protect your emotions. Protect your privacy. Protect your rights. In other words, Continue Reading »

Comments Off

Andrea writes: I stumbled onto your website, and wow, it has been extremely informative and I am looking forward to utilizing the information I learned in your tutorials in my upcoming interviews. I do have a question that I hope you can help me with. My question is: When being interviewed by a panel of people would it be appropriate at the beginning of the interview to write down the names of all of the panel members involved in the interview so proper spelling and inclusion on thank-you notes is assured, or should I ask the receptionist or secretary after the interview for the proper spelling of all panelists? Thank you for your time. Continue Reading »

Comments Off

www.betterjobbetterlife.com In this video, learn how the right interview practice and preparation tools can help you communicate your skills, abilities and fit for the job during your interview.

Comments Off

A finance executive recently contacted me for some coaching on how to answer the inevitable interview question regarding why he left his last job. He struggled to put those unpleasant details and experience into an answer that was both positive and truthful.

Positive

The tendency is usually toward bitterness when you’ve been let go ... for any reason. After all, you gave them 60+ hours a week, the best years of your life, kept them solvent ... whatever. You did your best and what thanks did you get? It comes through in your words, tone, and even body language.  Continue Reading »

Comments Off

Becca writes: I interviewed with a panel of 7 people for entrance into a radiology program. I have the name of the director of the program but not the other names of those in the panel. The panel interviewed me all at the same time. Is it acceptable to send one letter and address it as Dear Mr. Ray and interview panel? I’m afraid it is not feasible to get the names of the panel since they are students within the program. I interviewed on Monday and would like to send the letter today. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have. Continue Reading »

Comments Off

Amy writes: I have been on a lot of job interviews, but I am stumped because I have been told to expect an upcoming interview to be something I think called a situational interview. Is this a new kind of interview? What is involved, and how should I prepare for it?

---

The Career Doctor responds: In situational interviewing, job-seekers are asked to respond to a specific situation they may face on the job, and some aspects of it are similar to behavioral interviews. These types of questions are designed to draw out more of your analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as how you handle problems with short notice. Continue Reading »

Comments Off

You just got out of the interview.  You debrief yourself.  You are feeling fairly good about how you answered the questions.  You liked it because it didn’t feel like an interview – it was more of a conversation.  Good. Here is what I would like you to focus on and I SO wish we had gotten to talk about this before your interview.  What did the interviewer say?  NO! – not what do you think they said. What did they ACTUALLY say?  What words did they use?  The words matters.  I see plenty of self-deceit in these moments, we need brutal honesty.   Were you listening?  Listen. Continue Reading »

Comments Off

Judy writes: I’m in workforce development, and am working with someone who was fired from a bank for cashing a fraudulent cashier’s check; she claims that it was not her fault. I’m tending to believe her based on the whole story. How can she handle this in an interview when asked why she was fired from the bank? Continue Reading »

Comments Off

Earlier this week, I shared my tips on how to make your interviewer a fan…It’s very important to approach an interview with the right attitude. After all, it is exactly what all of your hard work has been leading up to! An often overlooked topic in hiring is that “fit” – a nuanced, maybe even “unfair” assessment of the interviewee is most likely the most important aspect of the hiring process. This is frustrating (for job seekers who KNOW they have the skills to do the job) and for the hiring managers (who need to somehow justify hiring one person over another because of what might be ambiguous or nuanced reasons). Continue Reading »

Comments Off