We all forget things from time to time. Whether it’s where we put our car keys, the next main point of our speech, the names of our neighbors or the list of things to pick up at the grocery store, forgetting something can be frustrating or even embarrassing. That’s why there are so many ads out there for products that allegedly improve your memory bombarding the radio and television airwaves. But I have a secret for you that will help you improve your memory for free.
In most of the classes that I teach, the first exercise I do is to go around the room and get everyone to introduce themselves. This serves a variety of purposes but the one we care about right now is that it helps me learn everyone’s name. In most cases, I have everyone’s name memorized by the end of this exercise which usually prompts someone to ask me how I did that. And that’s when I share my secret for having a good memory.
10 Things You Should Know About Job Hunting
Whether you’ve been laid off, downsized, quit due to frustration, forced out or you’re absolutely miserable in your current situation – if you’re looking for work, you probably know how difficult it is to find a good job, especially these days. When the market is this competitive, you need every advantage that you can get so it’s time to boost your resume, learn how to interview and start hitting the pavement. Here are ten tips to get you started:
- Every company has its own style and procedures for the hiring process – make sure you learn it and follow it.
Are Business Cards Needed For a Job Search?
The answer is an absolute “Yes.” I’ve been to far too many networking events where job seekers have attended unprepared. Yes it’s good to bring a stack of resumes with you (and even better to keep them in your car and/or have one handy at all times) but having business cards are especially helpful.
Why Business Cards:
Business cards are small, easy to carry and most people in the business world are used to dealing with them. Some people have Business Card Scanner
that can scan them into their contact management system. Others have a filing system for them.
How to Have a Productive Meeting
Meetings are tricky. When done correctly, they can communicate information to the right parties or hammer out a sensitive issue. When done incorrectly, they can waste people’s time, make the meeting host look bad and de-motivate the people in attendance. It’s not overly difficult to have productive meetings; you just need to follow some basic guidelines.
Have a goal:
Never have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting. If you can’t list one or more outcomes that you expect from the meeting, then you shouldn’t have it.
Keep it small:
How to Answer the Strengths and Weaknesses Job Interview Question
“What are your strengths and weaknesses” is one of the most common and challenging job interview questions. The interviewer will usually ask for the top two or three of each. So you’re going to talk about your weaknesses? No need to panic. This question is a lot easier to answer than you may think — provided you’re ready for it.
In most cases, this is a question asked by someone in staffing or human resources. Although it can also come from potential bosses and peers. It makes a difference who asks it, and if multiple people ask it throughout the interview process, you’ll want to make sure that your answers are consistent. So let’s get into how to answer it.
Are You Taking Your Job Search Seriously?
Last night I attended a networking event and the topic of job searching came up. If you’ve attended networking events recently, you’ve probably noticed the same thing that I did: many (if not most) of the people that attend networking events are looking for work.
I shared a story from a speed networking event that I attended a while back. It struck me as odd how so many people looking for work didn’t think to bring business cards or resumes to the event. Others last night shared similar experiences so it got me wondering: are people taking their job search seriously?
How to Get Your Emailed Resume Read
One of the local papers had an article about how to increase the odds of your emailed resume being read and acted upon. I thought this topic would be a good follow up to my post on how to get your resume read. While I thought the advice was generally good, I had a few comments and some additional advice I’d like to share. The first three points are those from the newspaper with my comments added.
1. Use the Right Attachment Format