Colorado Jobing Community Blogs

Workers in Happy Relationships  

We can conjecture that employees who enjoy relational health at home, in their intimate relationships, and among their peers are more productive, more effective team members and make better leaders. They are happier, healthier, more confident, positive, and motivated.  

Studies show that individuals in happy, stable, and successful relationships have greater skills in areas such as communication, flexibility, listening, problem solving, collaboration, personality compatibility, and conflict resolution. The connection between these skills and the workplace are obvious ­and are worth cultivating.

According to a 2006 study, when dual-income couples are happy in marriage, they are more loyal to their employers, thus turnover is lowered. The cost-saving benefits of not having to train new employees leads to greater profitability.  

We found several studies that break down the returns on investment (ROI) in employee wellness programs. While most companies report initial losses because of having to find the "right fit" for their employees, long-term results show savings of $1.40 - $4.90 per every dollar spent, and an ROI of up to $6.85 for every dollar invested in employee relationship wellness programs.  

When your company invests in such relationship wellness programs, like those that Connection Coaching, LLC offers, you will benefit by greater loyalty of your employees, reduced turnover, more effective teamwork, increased sales, productivity, and positive morale of the workforce. Who wouldn't want that? Happy Couples = Effective Employees = Profitable Businesses - a winning formula!

Greg R. Thiel CFLE, MA, & Author

Connection Coaching, LLC

303-798-2456 x3

www.RelationshipCoach.us

A few weeks ago I attended a nice networking event. The group that hosted the luncheon  provided sub sandwiches, chips and drinks. They did a presentation on their product and did not try to do a hard sell – you could sign up if you wanted – no pressure if you did not want to. Part of the networking included 40-second commercials plus passing and exchanging cards with everyone.

Within three days, I received three email newsletters. I had not spoken with any of the people that sent the emails unless you count listening to their 40-second elevator pitches as a two-way conversation. Two of the emails advertised products, services and webinars. The third email was a first: it included a canned video presentation saying “what a pleasure it was to meet you yesterday” – not my name – just “you” which I assume meant all 25 people whose cards this person had collected  plus everyone she’d met at any recent event she'd attended. She included a bio of herself and her photography business. There were no questions about me or my business. I unsubscribed and received a phone message asking if I had accidentally opted out when I didn’t recognize that we had been at the same event. Uh, no, I did it on purpose – but I didn’t tell her that.

Personal networking and social networking are no different. Whether you are looking for a job, selling a product or service, listening, asking questions about others makes them feel important and they in turn may be willing to help you. If you go to a event and are telling everyone you meet what a great marketing manager, project manager, business development professional you are or have the best product and everyone should buy it, chances are you are turning people off.

Same with social media. Whether you are on a social network including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or are blogging, you want to engage others and give people a reason to follow, "friend" or connect with you. You can do that by posting "expert" helpful information, commenting on other people's posts, "retweeting" or sharing their Twitter posts. Ocassionally you can talk about your job search or product and ask others for help as well. You just don't want to over do it. 

When networking in person, ask how you can help others and listen while looking directly at them, and not at the person you want to speak to next. Don't send your resume to people you’ve met at events and tell them all about your great abilities and successes without having a conversation. Your email will probably be deleted. Nobody cares about you, your product or service. Haven’t you met this jerk at the party before?

According to Wikipedia: “Social media has become extremely popular because it allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal, political and business use.” Relationships? Yes. Compare it to dating and marriage. You don’t get married the first time you meet someone (although my parents did 90 days after they met and were married until they passed), you date, get to know each other, then decide to get married – maybe eventually.

So, the next time you are networking online or in person, remember it’s never about you. It’s about how you can help others, be nice, and be social.  

ARE YOU ON DISBILITY AND LOOKING FOR WORK?

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT LOSING YOUR BENEFITS?

ARE YOU AFRAID YOU CANNOT COMPETE IN THIS JOB MARKET?

The number one reason people on disability such as SSDI and SSI. (Social Security Disability Insurance and Social Security Insurance) do not look for work is they are afraid they will lose their benefits when they return to work. After taking anywhere from 6 months to over a year to get on benefits the possibility of losing them, by returning to work, is a definite concern.

I am Steve Gehrke, my company SKG Career Services is an EN or Employment Network for the Social Security Administration’s “Ticket to Work” program. This program is designed to help people on SSDI and SSI gain part time or full time employment. This service is provided at no cost to the candidate or to the employer that hires them. What I have found in my work helping people with disabilities find work, is their situations tend to fall into three categories. Situation one: Their mental or physical condition will get better and some day they want to get off benefits. Number Two: They would like to get off benefits some day but they are not sure if they will ever be well enough and Number three: They know the odds are their condition is going to only get worse but they want to work (and not lose benefits) and be as productive as they can. In any case all of these people WANT TO WORK.

KNOWLEGED IS POWER: The best advice I can give is if you are on disability and want to work is DO IT. If you are on SSDI a trial work period of 9 months is provided whereby you can earn any amount of money and still receive your full benefits. After that if you are making over $ 980.00 (SGA) in a calendar month you will lose your benefits. For the next three years (EPE) if you lose your job for any reason (or if your income falls below SGA currently $ 980.00) you can get back on benefits by making a phone call to the SSA and letting them know the change in your situation. The idea is give you a chance to work your way back into the world of work without the threat of permanently losing your benefits. You will also retain your government medial benefits.

If you are on SSI the formula is different. No trial work period is offered. The formula is too complicated to get into here but basically you lose a portion of your monthly benefit depending on how much money you earn. When your monthly earning reaches approximately $ 1413.00 you lose your benefit completely.

So you can see it is important to understand these formulas so you are not surprised at how working will affect your benefits. I am not a benefits expert, my focus is on doing one on one work with candidates on disability to support them in finding work; but I do understand the basics. After I start working with someone that wants to work I highly recommend the person contact a Social Security Benefits Planner. They float from Workforce Center to Workforce Center . To set up an appointment all one needs to do is call the workforce center nearest you and tell them you want to see a Social Security Benefits Planner.

If you have any questions or want to speak with me about finding a job I can be reached at

SKG Career Services

720-231-8093

Steve Gehrke

www.yourtickettowork.com

Click on EN’s click on Colorado

I'm the first company listed on the web site.

So what is the big deal about Twitter? There are so many headline stories about Twitter. Some say it will be gone tomorrow and don't waste your time. Yet it keeps growing dramatically and companies are using it to "tweet" their jobs. When I recently signed up to blog with Jobing.com, Andrea Hoffman told me they have two people devoted to social media which I know includes Twitter. So just how do you tweet your way to a job? Here are ten tips to Twitter your way to jobs.

1. Just go to www.Twitter.com and choose your screen name of up to 15 characters. If you are "branding" yourself, you can choose your name if it is available. Or choose a title that describes what you do. You can always change your screen name.

2. Upload a professional looking head shot that you use in all your social networking sites. This also shows consistency in your brand and helps people recognize you.

3. Although this should be your lowest priority (but hey it's fun), you can choose a free background at http://www.twitterbackgrounds.com and you'll have a big choice. I chose one that matches the colors of my website. Remember to keep it professional.

4. Put your job pitch in your Twitter bio. You have 160 characters to write your elevator pitch. Make those characters count. Cut out unnecessary words.

5. You have one link so make it a good one. Use it to direct people to your LinkedIn profile or your resume. A good place to create your online resume is www.VisualCV.com. Plus you can download your LinkedIn profile right into Visual CV so you have a great start to your online resume.

5. Tweet about your jobs, your aspirations, your interviews, etc. Keep it all positive - no one wants to read about your negative experiences. It's okay to occasionally tweet a link to your resume.

6. Which comes to the next topic: the @ which is a mention, RT (retweet) which is used to show that you are tweeting content that has been posted by another user and DM is a Direct Message. So if you see an @ before your Twitter screen name like @joguerra (my screen name), someone is mentioning me or sending me a message that everyone can see. DM is a direct message between me and another Twitter user and is actually D joguerra. So a D then space and the screen name. When people RT or retweet your posts, thank them. It's the social media thing to do.

7. Show you are an expert in your field by tweeting interesting comments, article links, blog links in your industry. Use Google alerts at http://www.google.com/alerts to look for interesting articles and "tweet" the link with a comment. Use keywords in your industry to set up and receive alerts via email or add it as a "feed" to your reader. If you don't understand the feed, don't worry. Just have an email sent.

8. Look at hashtags (#) in your industry. Hashtags are a powerful, simple tool for tracking topics, live events or breaking news. Go to http://hashtags.org/ and enter #jobs. You'll see a list come up with all type of jobs. This will give you an idea of how to search. When you click on the results, you will be taken to another page that shows all the jobs relating to the hashtag with links to the actual job.

9. Use Twitter search to find information on jobs. Go to http://search.twitter.com and enter keywords with your industry, zip, city, job titles, etc.

10. And lastly, you can get lost in cyberspace as you find interesting links to articles as well as a lot of unnecessary junk. So limit your time on Twitter. It is very helpful for finding a job, but can also be a big time bandit.

I could go on with pages of information as there is so much more to Twitter. So I'll be posting more tips in the future.

So you have just hired a fabulous new employee that you are certain will be a great fit in the organization and will play an essential role in helping you reach your department goals.  How do you plan to develop this new member of your team?  It is quite possible that your new rising star came from a company environment that suffered from trust problems, in light of so many corporate layoffs happening around us.  Give your new employee a chance for a fresh start.  Here is what you can do to build a trusting business relationship.

Avoid misunderstandings by explaining what you expect from your new employee above and beyond what is included in company policies or handbook.  How often should they be checking in with you?  What decision-making authority do they have?  How do you expect them to be interacting with clients and co-workers?  What aspects of their work product do you want to review and approve?  Your expectations are going to change as your star employee assimilates into the organization.  Make sure to keep them in the loop and the lines of communication open.

Take the time to really get to know your employee.  Find out what is important to them.  Asking them some of the following questions will show that you care about their happiness and satisfaction level in the workplace.

 

How do you like to be recognized for doing a stellar job?

What really keeps you engaged at work?

What would make you quit?

What is your preferred means of communication?

How often would you like to receive feedback about your performance?

What are your work/life ambitions?

Give your employee useful feedback.  Feedback should be objective and fact-based.  Your feedback should be intended to influence growth.  Provide concrete evidence free from emotional influence.  Here are a couple examples:  Instead of saying, “you didn’t prepare enough”, say “there were figures not included in the report such as…”.  Instead of saying “nice job”, say your ideas for solving the problem were innovative and effective”.

To maintain that trusting relationship with your staff, keep the following questions in mind as you consider your supervisory responsibilities.

Do I make sure my employees know how their jobs are tied to the company strategy?

Do I make a point of keeping them informed on all news and changes affecting the company and their jobs as soon as possible?

Do I get back to them immediately when they are waiting for a decision from me that affects their lives?

Do all my actions reflect and support the company’s values and do I keep my promises?

Do I speak positively about them to their co-workers?

Building trusting relationships is the key to an engaged and productive workforce.

 

Many companies nowadays are recognizing the value of an educated employee. An educated employee provides the employer with the mind-set, the expertise, and the confidence to be an employee that contributes well to the organization. Having continuing and adult education on your resume shows your employer that you are serious about your growth as an individual and about bettering how you work. There are a variety of ways to obtain education and to find the program or degree that best suits you and the field that you are in, or want to be in.

Unfortunately for a lot of people though, the consistent concern is with cost for tuition. Many schools cost thousands of dollars for you to earn your degree. This can often times be a hesitance for people to pursue more education. For some people, it is not worth the hassle or worry of possibly going into some temporary debt--- even if it could mean that the reward on the other side of your degree is probable. It is up to the individual to decide if going to school is worth it or not. However, in this economy and the large amount of competition that is out in the work force today, obtaining continuing and adult education is becoming more and more necessary.

Many companies are recognizing the writing on the wall and the conundrum that their employees face. On the one hand, companies realize that their employees do want to continue their education to better their careers and contribute more to the organization. But on the other hand, they realize that many people cannot afford such a thing. So what these organizations have done is instill Tuition Reimbursement Programs. Typically (although it depends on the organization), if you are interested in a particular education program and want to take advantage of your company’s Tuition Reimbursement Program all you have to do is pay for the program yourself and then you will get reimbursed by your company.

The key thing is to check with your employer to see if they offer a Tuition Reimbursement Program and what the guidelines and steps are to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. A great way to use your Tuition Reimbursement Program money is to get a Certificate. A Certificate can be a quick and inexpensive way to bolster your resume to make yourself as marketable and attractive to future and current employers. Accounting and Business School of the Rockies offers five Certificate programs in areas such as Professional Bookkeeping, Administrative Assistant, Office Manager, Call Center/ Customer Service, and Microsoft Power User.

A Certificate from Accounting and Business School of the Rockies will provide the opportunity for you to get in, get out, and get on with your life in as little as three months. For more information about Accounting and Business School of the Rockies, feel free to look at our web-site (http://www.ABSRschool.com) and come by on June 30 th from 3pm to 6pm for our monthly Open House. You won’t want to miss a presentation at 5pm on the differences of Microsoft Office 2007 compared to Microsoft Office 2003 either! If you have any questions or would like to RSVP for the event, please contact Daniel Seatvet at Daniel@ABSRschool.com or 303-755-6885. We are located at 5420 S. Quebec Street, suite 100 in Greenwood Village, CO 80111. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

In this difficult economy where finding a job can take months, there are alternatives that many people do where you can work part-time to generate income or make the step full-time to become your own boss, setting your own schedule, and working as much or as little as you want. It’s no surprise that being self-employed is a desire for a lot of people and being out of work can afford the time to start up a small business where you can work for yourself. There are no routine and pointless widgets to produce, your pay is equivalent to how much work you put in, and you have the freedom and flexibility to create the life you want, when you want. The ever-growing field of Accounting and Bookkeeping sees a lot of people hone in on their entrepreneurial instincts to do just that. Have you ever thought about going into business for yourself?  It can be done without a large investment and can be done from home.

Accounting and Business School of the Rockies is hosting a FREE seminar on June 12 th from 10:00am to 12:00pm on “How to start your own bookkeeping business”.

The seminar will cover many helpful topics and include time for questions and answers. The seminar will cover topics including but not limited to:

·         Pros and cons of starting your own business

·         Opportunities in bookkeeping

·         Generating profit

·         Licensing requirements and other legalities

·         How to get and keep clients

·         Start up costs

Please RSVP to Daniel@ABSRschool.com or call 303-755-6885 as seating is limited.

If you can’t make this seminar contact us about the next one or come to our next Open House on June 30 th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. 

We’ll see you soon!

This post brought to you by Accounting and Business School of the Rockies

5420 S. Quebec Street, suite 100

Greenwood Village, CO 80111

www.absrschool.com

In this difficult economic time it can be discouraging and overwhelming to be looking for a job and get denial emails or letters on a continual basis. Often times, the reason that a person might not be the right fit for a certain position is because they are lacking one or two key skills or areas of experience to be thrust into that next level of employment. One area that a job-seeker can do to sharpen their resume and make themselves more marketable is to pursue adult continuing education.

As such, the options for adult continuing education can also be overwhelming. It is important that you as a prospective student choose the right school that is exactly what you are looking for and that will give you a leg-up over your competition. A very popular avenue to take these days for job seekers who are looking to build their resume with more education is to pursue a certificate. Certificates are an inexpensive, quick way to get the focused and quality education you desire. Instead of committing two, four, or more years to getting a degree, you can get a certificate in a matter of months and get on with your goals and dreams for vocational success.

Accounting and Business School of the Rockies is such a place that offers students just that--- the opportunity to get in, get out, and get on with your life. We are an occupational or vocational school, but more importantly we help improve people’s lives. We specialize in certificate programs designed to provide quality hands-on business training in a short period of time. Our school provides skills that are used in the real world and can be immediately applied to the business world. Our programs make you immediately more marketable to current or prospective employers or to potential clients.

Rather than concentrating on full degree programs, which require many years to complete, our focus is on providing specialized classes and focused certificate programs where each class hour contributes directly to the student’s goal of enhanced skills, greater earning potential and increased knowledge in accounting and business. Our certificates include:

Professional Bookkeeper Certification
Office Management Certification
Administrative Assistant Certification
Customer Service/Call Center Certification
Microsoft Power User Certification

Obtaining the career and life you want is easier than you think with Accounting & Business School of the Rockies. Go to http://www.ABSRschool.com or call 303-755-6885 for more information. We are having an informational Open House on Wednesday, May 27th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm where you will have an opportunity to meet with teachers, staff and alumni. Come by anytime!

Attention Employers:

Smoky Hill United Methodist Church is pleased to sponsor a Career Expo April 16, 2009 from 10am to 4:30pm at 19491 E. Smoky Hill Road, Centennial, CO 80015.

As a Community Resource Center, connecting Aurora and Centennial professionals is a priority for our community. 

We know you are looking for top talent and this region of the Metro area has many individuals ready to make a difference within your organizations. Degreed and non-degreed individuals with experience in a variety of industries will be available to speak with you in person.

This opportunity offer you an economical avenue to meet personally with the quality talent in this area.  In addition, we have connected with resources in the area that can offer individuals and organizations information and opportunity to grow.  Workshops include:
Opportunities for Employers to learn more about how the Stimulus Package is affecting insurance coverage ie. COBRA and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and how the Division Of Insurance is protecting consumers-both organizations and individuals-all the time. From 10am to Noon representatives from Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison’s office will be available to take YOUR questions about how these legislative changes both Federal and State, affect you and your organization.

The Denver Business Journal will be on hand offering strategies to those interested in using this key tool for job search or to develop a growing business. HR Professionals and Arapahoe Douglas Works will be on hand all day for resume reviews. Learn about new and growing companies like What’s Next Career Transition Services and Meet Your New Employee can assist you in filling your workforce needs.  David Sandusky will be presenting at 1:30 as well.

And of course…Networking, Networking, Networking with Hiring Managers from various industries.

Free Parking for all and No Charge for Job Seekers
Employers- Price: $75   
Registration includes a 6 x 6 booth, covered table, two chairs, signage, a wastepaper basket, and lunch.

The registration fee is $75 for up to two representatives. The cost is $50 for each additional representative above two.  A small fee for electrical access will be charged. 

Sign up today for priority spacing!

Workshop Schedule:

• 10am-12pm-DORA-Colorado Division of Insurance
• 11am-What’s Next Career Transition Services- Phil Chipouras
• 1:30pm-Navigating the Denver Business Journal for Job Search
• 1:30pm Your Brand-David Sandusky

All Day—Resume Review
All Day—Meet Your New Employee.com-Video Resumes-Live
And More…..

Employers interested in exhibiting at this event can contact
Deanna @ 303-589-9592 or email ames0822@earthlink.net, or Carol @ 303-690-9816.
Mention this ad to waive all late fees.

Participants and Employers include: Denver Business Journal, Interim Healthcare, Your Brand with David Sandusky, Farmers Insurance, Devry University, Primerica, Amica Insurance, Arapahoe Douglas Works, Colorado Division Of Insurance, Meet Your New Employee, What's Next Career Transition Services, Western Governer's University 

 

Let’s forget for the moment that being generous is the right thing to do. Whether you work for yourself, a small company or a Fortune 500 corporation, giving has some great perks!

1. Increased personal satisfaction - A magic thing happens when people are given an opportunity to help other people. The care they have will translate into more productivity in their job or life. An employee who cares about his or her job will do better work which increases productivity. Absenteeism, employee turnover, tardiness and other issues may become less of a problem. 

2. Customer attraction – In this difficult economy, giving can be a strategic advantage. Potential customers will be even more likely to become regular customers or clients if you are involved in the community or if you visibly support philanthropic work. If your organization demonstrates its values by helping others, making a difference, and giving back, then a connection is created that will never be made with a glossy brochure, clever advertising, or perfect press releases. Customers or potential customers will notice your good works and it will be another reminder to them to patronize you or your business.

  Reduced expenses – If your organization spends any money at all on advertising and PR, it costs money. The best advertising is, of course, word of mouth. It’s almost a sure thing that your company will get noticed for doing good (and even if the work isn’t noticed your employees will notice, which will increase employee satisfaction).

Obviously, if you are doing the external work in your community, you need to be doing the internal work too. It’s pretty important to take care of the troops first.

Put a caring account in your budget. This type of spending has an ROI that very well may trump any other single line item.

Here are some ideas to create a caring culture:

-         Offer financial counseling for employees. If people are worried about their personal finances, they’ll likely be less productive when they’re working. Help them solve a problem and they’ll help you solve yours.

-         Send home a catered dinner to an employee who has been ill or who might have a sick spouse or child.

-         Give a single parent a coupon for a house keeping service like Merry Maids, or a massage or spa treatment, or dinner for two to the restaurant of his or her choice.

-         Hire a tax accountant to give advice to your employees. Helping your employees save money might help your organization too..  

-         Give exceptional employees opportunities to give to organizations that they care about on company time. They’ll walk two miles when you ask them to walk one later.

-          Send an exemplary employee to a ballgame, concert, play, or premier of a blockbuster movie.

-          Find a cause your employees care about in your community. Invite them to brainstorm ways you can help that cause and get them involved with volunteering. Someone who gives their best to others, gives their best at work too.

If these things seem extravagant and costly, think how costly it is to lose a good employee and how difficult it can be to find (and keep) a good one even in today’s market. Show others how much you care and they’ll reward you with loyalty, performance, and results.

Contact inspirational speaker Tim Richardson at 800-226-4473 or www.TimRichardson.com about speaking engagements in motivation, creating  a service culture, and how to Get RICH by giving.

 

Many times over the years I have been asked how to advance one's career, change industries, get a raise, obtain a leadership position, get a great job when relocating, and have more fulfillment in one's career? The answer that I most often come back to is to become an expert level interviewer. While this certainly sounds simple, it is not so easy without making a big commitment to yourself and your future success.

The reason for this answer is that all matters related to a successful career are going to rely on your ability to sell yourself in an interview. Everything happens in the interview, there is no getting around it. You may be the best negotiator but if you can't get the offer, then there is nothing to negotiate. Your resume may be great and get a lot of interest but the interview could be your downfall. The better your interviewing skills the better chances you will have of beating the competition and receiving a great offer.

The interview first and foremost is simply a conversation with a purpose. The purpose is for you to learn about the prospective company and for the company to learn about the value you will bring to them. Will you be a good fit to their corporate culture, do you have the integrity and values they have, is your management style similar, do you have the correct set of skills and experience to help them increase their profits and grow the business, and many other questions?

As you progress in your career the interviews become more challenging. At the beginning you may have met with only a few people and the hiring manager. When you moved into middle management, there may have been 5-10 people to meet, at the senior management level you would have had more than 10 interviews including interviews with the executive team, as a C-level Executive you would have met the executive team and perhaps had a board level interview and perhaps multiple conversations with critical decision makers. The higher the salary the bigger the expectations on you. There are more places to shine or to fail.

Over the years I have placed candidates who, in some cases where less qualified than their competitors, but had superior interview skills. The person who will get the offer is going to be the person who is an expert in selling themselves. With an economy in free fall this skill set becomes even more important.

Over the course of this blog I will be writing about the many aspects of being prepared, developing strong interview skills and creating effective strategy to win offers in any economic climate.

If you are located in the Denver area and can attend my free Interview Seminar on February 20th, at the Jobing.com office, you will learn about these various aspects of becoming an excellent interviewer. There is more information on the Jobing.com website.

 

 

I have been asked many times lately to give the best strategies for answering questions in a job interview.  I found the perfect article to share.

 

Tammy Fisher - CSP

Area Manager SOS Staffing

 

 

 

Response Strategies for Interview Questions

By Michael Neece



Every question thrown your way in an interview presents an opportunity for you to make your case for why you're the best person for the position. You want to highlight your positive qualities and avoid giving reasons to disqualify you. That said, think about your overall response strategy for the interview.

Examples Speak Volumes

For each quality you present, make sure you're prepared to describe a situation where you demonstrated that quality. Basically, you always want to be able to back up any claims you might make. For example, if during the interview you say that you work well under pressure, be ready to describe an example where you did work effectively under pressure and delivered the results required.

Steer the Interview Your Way

One thing to guard against is getting lured into the interviewer's game of alternative or trick questions. Be like a politician. The next time you watch a debate or press conference, notice the kind of questions reporters ask, and then observe how the politician responds. Politicians often answer questions indirectly by presenting information they want to convey. You can do the exact same thing in a job interview.

For example, if the interviewer asks if you prefer to work alone or on a team, he may be trying to get you to say you are one way or the other. But you don't have to play this game. The reality is that most jobs require us to work both independently and in teams. Your response to this question should show that you have been successful in both situations.

Your answers also need to provide the reason to hire you, and you want to avoid providing reasons not to hire you. Before responding to any interview question, take your time, breathe and think about your answer. Thoughtful answers delivered clearly are much better than empty answers given rapidly. And you're not being measured by your response time.

Be Clear and Concise

Be honest and succinct with your responses. Tell the truth in as positive a manner as possible, and don't discuss things or events in a negative fashion. Long answers are less effective than concise responses and tend to make interviewers suspicious. If you are talking more than 90 seconds without interaction with the interviewer, you may be providing more detail than is needed. If you feel you may be talking too long, just stop and ask the interviewer a question like, “Am I giving you the level of detail you're looking for?” This prompts a response and promotes an open exchange of information. Besides, if you're putting the interviewer to sleep with your long-winded answers, asking a question will wake them up.

Open the Conversation

After your response, ask the interviewer a tag-on question, such as, “Does that give you what you were looking for?” This ensures you are understood accurately, conveys that you want to be sure you're providing what the interviewer is looking for and promotes two-way communication.

You deserve the best, so practice your responses to frequently asked interview questions, and prepare to be your best when it matters most.

 

In today’s economy, managers are getting beat up more than ever. They’ve always had to juggle the competing demands of their bosses, employees and customers, but now there’s added pressure to get things done faster, better and cheaper. By the way, if you’re a manager, you probably have fewer people to accomplish all this with, and the threat of failure is losing your job.

That kind of pressure can make anyone start searching the job boards. But I’m here to tell you, it’s universal right now. When times were better, did you like what you’re doing? If so, there may be ways to regain your satisfaction with your current position and get your groove back. Start here:

Take inventory: What are the results you’re expected to produce? If you don’t know, it’s a great time of year to schedule a check-in time with your boss and set goals. Otherwise, take stock of how well you’re executing. What areas are you satisfied with? What areas need work? Chances are, you’re doing more right than you think.

List what you love: What kinds of activities leave you feeling accomplished? How can you spend more time doing them and less time doing the things that leave you drained? Delegation may not be an option with a reduced staff, but could you barter with another department head to trade some specific responsibilities?

Don’t underestimate an overhaul: Sometimes, it’s easier to make little changes that add up over time. You identify new actions and work with them until they’re habit, and then you add a new change, and so on. But it can be incredibly galvanizing for you and your team to make a sweeping, well-considered change. What really requires new thinking? How can you involve your team to solicit their ideas and give them ownership in the solution? You might be surprised by the excitement this generates.

Dance like no one’s watching: Like a pro football player who loses his innate love of the game, managers can forget why they do what they do in tough economic times. Reconnect with what’s meaningful to you about your position, and concentrate on doing that well. The rest will take care of itself.

Jaimee Abbott is a Management Coach based in Denver, Colorado. To reach Jaimee or take advantage of a FREE coaching session, visit www.MojoForManagers.com.

I truly wish that I could have a job wrapped up for each of you under the holiday tree.  I also wish that the job you have could be with a company that truly takes care of its employees (more on that in my next post).  Since I can’t do that, my colleague, Jaclyne Barrett , MHR , (jbarrett@heckersdevgroup.com) with over 12 years of job coaching and human resources experience, and I (jheckers@heckersdevgroup.com), with over 28 years of career coaching, are offering you the best we can do.

On Friday, January 16 th , from 10 AM – 2 PM (bring a sack lunch) in the Jobing.com community room, Jobing and our company, Heckers Development Group, LTD , are offering a free class in proactively and aggressively finding work in the new year.  Jobing’s Community Room is located at 14 th & Speer in the King Soopers Center .  When you register, you will receive directions and a parking code in reply, as Jobing has graciously agreed to allow everyone to park for free.

The class is free and nothing will be sold or promoted, including our services, Jobing’s site, or anything else whatsoever.  We will cover:

Writing a Winning Résumé and Cover Letter

Effective Networking

Optimizing Searching Job Boards

Interviewing Effectively

While the class is free, it is limited to 50 people by the size of the room.  Please register by giving your name, immediate past title and cell phone number (in case of blizzard…this is Colorado , after all) and REGISTER in the subject line.

This free workshop is for those who are white collar, management or professional workers only.  While we’d love to be able to help blue collar workers, skilled laborers and unskilled laborers, we just plain don’t know anything about that area.

But we do know plenty about finding employment if one is a white collar, management or professional worker who has been RIFed from his or her job, and we want to share this with you.

If you are currently unemployed and “waiting for some irons in the fire,” please come home from fantasy land and do something real for your job search and register.  Everyone we ever have come in to speak with us has “irons in the fire.”  98%+ of the time these “irons in the fire” are completely illusory.  Unless you’re simply waiting for an offer letter from a company who has made you a verbal offer, you do not have any real “irons in the fire.”  And it is unlikely that there will be a “Miracle on 34 th Street ” to deliver a job to you.  Register for the class, and leave sugarplum dreams for the night time.

And remember that everyone thinks four things.  1).  They’re an above average driver.  2).  They’re an above average lover.  3).  They’re an above average interviewer and 4). They have a good enough network.  They’re almost always wrong on at least 3 and 4 (and probably 1 and 2, as well….).  Only a fool would think that he or she is an “above average interviewer.”  Even if true, unless you’re trained, you will not get the job if you’re up against a trained and skilled interviewer.  Our clients get offers, on the average, 3 out of 4 times they interview, versus the nationa average of about 1 in 10 (depending on position).  If your average isn’t the same or better, you’re not an “above average interviewer.”

Everyone seems to think their network is “good enough.”  It isn’t.  Unless you have 250 – 300 active people in your Rolodex, your “network” is probably not going to help you.  We have over 850 active people in our Rolodex, and many others who we can call on from time to time.  And we still network to find more!  Shouldn’t you be doing the same?

And keep in mind that you should be getting at least one interview for every ten networking meetings.  If you’re not, your network and/or your networking skills are far from “good enough.”

If you have questions or would like to schedule a free coffee meeting with us to review your résumé prior to the workshop, please call Jaclyne Barrett at 303.480.5484 , and she will be happy to set up some time for you.

Try to have a great holiday.  Don’t worry, be happy.  Jobs are out there and we want to help.  I hope to see many of you at our free January class.

Heckers Development Group, LTD is a small, family owned, career transition and executive coaching firm in Cherry Creek.  John Heckers, MA, CPC , BCPC has over 28 years in helping people change jobs and careers.  Jaclyne Barrett (jbarrett@heckersdevgroup.com) has over 12 years as a professional coach and Human Resources Officer at various companies throughout the Front Range .  We will be happy to speak with you regarding your career.  To find out more about us, go to www.hekcersdevgroup.com.  Read our other blogs at http://employmentskills.blogspot.com and http://executiveexpert.blogspot.com.