Tag Archives: jobsearch

Preparing for the job interview – let’s think about values

Posted on 14 September 2011 by | Leave a comment
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Is it really the time try for an Oscar?

So you’ve landed a fantastic job interview.

It’s a great organization and the role you’ve always wanted. You have the experience and you have the qualities they say they need. But can you convince the panel that you are the one they want.

Will they think you will fit in? Now, don’t dismiss this out of hand thinking that demonstrating the right competencies will be enough.

They may never write it down or confess it to you, but their view of your “organization fit”, your compatibility with the organization’s values and their mode of operation, will influence the panel.

Note; I’m not talking here about discrimination on grounds of race or sex, although I do think age discrimination is often an element.

Job interviews and assessment centres give organizations lots of opportunities to find out about you and your values, and whether they think you will fit in. So do reference checks!

How can you prepare to make the right impression?

Well, in my view you, unless you are an actor at Oscar standard, it really isn’t wise to try to fake it! Nor do I think faking it is ethical – but that is something for you to think about.

Before the interview, as part of your research into the company, look at what they stand for and where they are likely to be on the moral issues of the day. Next spend some time thinking about your own moral compass and what you stand for. Then determine whether you are truly a good fit!

If not, then think very seriously about how much you want this particular job and what it really means to you! Clashing values can lead to lots of frustration on both sides.

When you have made you assessment and committed to the interview, think about how to articulate who you are and what you stand for – how to make your values clear in what you say.

Related articles
I am Wendy Mason and I work as a Personal Development Coach, Consultant and Writer I work with all kinds of people going through many different kinds of personal and career change, particularly those;

  • looking for work
  • looking for promotion or newly promoted
  • moving between Public and Private Sectors
  • facing redundancy
  • moving into retirement

I am very good at helping you sort out what you want, overcome obstacles and handle change.   Email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com for more information

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Posted in Job interview, Job Search, Leaving the Public Sector

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Preparing for the job interview – let’s think about values

Posted on 14 September 2011 by | Leave a comment
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Is it really the time try for an Oscar?

So you’ve landed a fantastic job interview.

It’s a great organization and the role you’ve always wanted. You have the experience and you have the qualities they say they need. But can you convince the panel that you are the one they want.

Will they think you will fit in? Now, don’t dismiss this out of hand thinking that demonstrating the right competencies will be enough.

They may never write it down or confess it to you, but their view of your “organization fit”, your compatibility with the organization’s values and their mode of operation, will influence the panel.

Note; I’m not talking here about discrimination on grounds of race or sex, although I do think age discrimination is often an element.

Job interviews and assessment centres give organizations lots of opportunities to find out about you and your values, and whether they think you will fit in. So do reference checks!

How can you prepare to make the right impression?

Well, in my view you, unless you are an actor at Oscar standard, it really isn’t wise to try to fake it! Nor do I think faking it is ethical – but that is something for you to think about.

Before the interview, as part of your research into the company, look at what they stand for and where they are likely to be on the moral issues of the day. Next spend some time thinking about your own moral compass and what you stand for. Then determine whether you are truly a good fit!

If not, then think very seriously about how much you want this particular job and what it really means to you! Clashing values can lead to lots of frustration on both sides.

When you have made you assessment and committed to the interview, think about how to articulate who you are and what you stand for – how to make your values clear in what you say.

Related articles
I am Wendy Mason and I work as a Personal Development Coach, Consultant and Writer I work with all kinds of people going through many different kinds of personal and career change, particularly those;

  • looking for work
  • looking for promotion or newly promoted
  • moving between Public and Private Sectors
  • facing redundancy
  • moving into retirement

I am very good at helping you sort out what you want, overcome obstacles and handle change.   Email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com for more information

StumbleUponPinterestLinkedInEmailBlogger PostRead It LaterGoogle ReaderFacebookShare

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Job interview, Job Search, Leaving the Public Sector

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Job search – Time to think again about social media

Posted on 23 August 2011 by | Leave a comment
Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...

Image via CrunchBase

Job Search as it was

Those of us now facing the prospect of redundancy and enforced early retirement grew up in a world of job search with nothing akin to social media.  In those days you had one CV painstakingly typed out and posted to people.  The next generation attached that same one CV to an email and sent it.  Then we learned to turn that one CV into several to meet the needs of a particular job and a particular employer.

 

Job Search as it is now

Now things have moved on again.  Your CV has become an active living part of your job search, very much tied into how you present yourself on line and your “personal brand”.

 

Most large employers these days and many small ones will research on line applicants for significant appointments.  They will put your name into a search engine like Google and see what comes up! This may come as a shock to many leaving the public sector, where keeping a low public profile has been regarded as an asset.

 

The chance that they will find nothing about you on line is becoming more and more remote. I surprised a very traditionally-minded Civil servant recently when I found a reference to him in a government document now on line.  He had been proudly proclaiming that I would find nothing. In reality, in job search, having nothing about you on line would be a clear disadvantage because it sends a message that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with modern office tools.

 

So rather than leave it to chance, you need to know yourself what is on line about you and take steps to influence it for the good.

 

There are huge advantages in using social media in your job search anyway and I have explored them here before – see Using Social Media to Network.   There are risks but you really can influence Google to your advantage.

 

First, make sure you have a well-completed LinkedIn profile.  Fill it out completely using key words – the words people will use to find someone who does your type of work. Putting in those key words won’t just help people search for job candidates on LinkedIn, they could also help you rank higher up the Google page when someone does a general search outside LinkedIn.

 

Then check what else is on line about you already – put your own name into Google. If there is something unhelpful, where you can, do your best to put things right!  For example, if there is an unflattering picture of you on Facebook, ask the person who put it there to remove it.

 

Now for the sake your future job search, be careful in future how you use social media.

  • Remember that what you tweet, lives on forever and may appear in a future Google search.
  • Have care on Facebook – what you treat as private may not be treated in the same way by “friends”.
  • If you blog be aware that your post will live on to be read by potential employers.

 

Overall you need to integrate the social media approach to job search with the traditional approach you’ve used in the past.   You need to be consistent!  Don’t let there be any surprises on line for recruiters. Make sure the candidate they see in the application form lines up with what they find on line.

 

  

I am Wendy Mason and I work as aPersonal Development Coach, Consultant and Writer 

I have worked with many different kinds of people going through all kinds personal and career change, particularly those;

  • looking for promotion or newly promoted
  • moving between Public and Private Sectors
  • moving into retirement

I am very good at helping you sort out what you want, overcome obstacles and handle change. I would like to work with you! I offer face to face, telephone and on-line coaching by email or Skype.

Reade more at http://personaldevelopmentcoaching.net/

Email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)2084610114 or ++44(0)7867681439 to find out more or go to wendy-mason.com

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Job search – Time to think again about social media

Posted on 23 August 2011 by | Leave a comment
Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...

Image via CrunchBase

Job Search as it was

Those of us now facing the prospect of redundancy and enforced early retirement grew up in a world of job search with nothing akin to social media.  In those days you had one CV painstakingly typed out and posted to people.  The next generation attached that same one CV to an email and sent it.  Then we learned to turn that one CV into several to meet the needs of a particular job and a particular employer.

 

Job Search as it is now

Now things have moved on again.  Your CV has become an active living part of your job search, very much tied into how you present yourself on line and your “personal brand”.

 

Most large employers these days and many small ones will research on line applicants for significant appointments.  They will put your name into a search engine like Google and see what comes up! This may come as a shock to many leaving the public sector, where keeping a low public profile has been regarded as an asset.

 

The chance that they will find nothing about you on line is becoming more and more remote. I surprised a very traditionally-minded Civil servant recently when I found a reference to him in a government document now on line.  He had been proudly proclaiming that I would find nothing. In reality, in job search, having nothing about you on line would be a clear disadvantage because it sends a message that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with modern office tools.

 

So rather than leave it to chance, you need to know yourself what is on line about you and take steps to influence it for the good.

 

There are huge advantages in using social media in your job search anyway and I have explored them here before – see Using Social Media to Network.   There are risks but you really can influence Google to your advantage.

 

First, make sure you have a well-completed LinkedIn profile.  Fill it out completely using key words – the words people will use to find someone who does your type of work. Putting in those key words won’t just help people search for job candidates on LinkedIn, they could also help you rank higher up the Google page when someone does a general search outside LinkedIn.

 

Then check what else is on line about you already – put your own name into Google. If there is something unhelpful, where you can, do your best to put things right!  For example, if there is an unflattering picture of you on Facebook, ask the person who put it there to remove it.

 

Now for the sake your future job search, be careful in future how you use social media.

  • Remember that what you tweet, lives on forever and may appear in a future Google search.
  • Have care on Facebook – what you treat as private may not be treated in the same way by “friends”.
  • If you blog be aware that your post will live on to be read by potential employers.

 

Overall you need to integrate the social media approach to job search with the traditional approach you’ve used in the past.   You need to be consistent!  Don’t let there be any surprises on line for recruiters. Make sure the candidate they see in the application form lines up with what they find on line.

 

  

I am Wendy Mason and I work as aPersonal Development Coach, Consultant and Writer 

I have worked with many different kinds of people going through all kinds personal and career change, particularly those;

  • looking for promotion or newly promoted
  • moving between Public and Private Sectors
  • moving into retirement

I am very good at helping you sort out what you want, overcome obstacles and handle change. I would like to work with you! I offer face to face, telephone and on-line coaching by email or Skype.

Reade more at http://personaldevelopmentcoaching.net/

Email me at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)2084610114 or ++44(0)7867681439 to find out more or go to wendy-mason.com

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Posted in Job hunting, Job Search

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Track Your Job Search Progress

Posted on 18 August 2011 by | 1 Comment
Google Docs

Image by Kinologik via Flickr

 [This post is from the very useful About.Com Job Search Pages ]

 

Guest Author Traci Pederson has spent over 10 years in various IT positions. She is now working from home and shares her suggestions and tips for tracking your job search progress.
Are you someone who has been working the Internet and other areas for telecommuting work or home-based businesses? Confused, yet not sure what you have done or where you are going with it. I have been there and still am sometimes. I have worked out some tips and suggestions that can help you navigate these waters.
I have found that one of the most useful things I started doing was to keep track of everything I am doing. I use a simple spreadsheet, like Excel. And I do mean everything. I have one file where I enter all the information from any job sites that I join. Information such as the username and password I created, what type of job site is it ­ freelance or regular or specialty. The date that I joined and whether I posted a resume to the site or filled out their own skill assessment list goes in the file too. After about the fourth or fifth one joined anyone can be forgetful!
In another file I……Read the rest of this post at the link below. 
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