If job postings are windows into the working world, maybe somebody needs to clean the glass, because it can be awfully hard to know what you’re really seeing! That’s why the first letter in REAL stands for “Read between the lines” when you read job postings. In this post I’ll tell you how to do that, as well as how to Evaluate the fit, Apply with an advantage and Learn from the experience so...

Let’s say you’re looking for a regular job. Meanwhile you’re doing a little consulting or freelancing to cover the gap. If you put freelance work on your resume, will employers believe it and respect it? The answer is yes – but only if you do it right. In today’s gig economy, freelancing is much more common than it used to be. It can be a great way to fill the gap after leaving a job....

Want to move, but need a job first? Employers tend to be leery of hiring from out of the area, but networking has a way of opening doors. How can you network in a different city or state where you don’t know people? Job search networking begins at home(town). You may not know anyone in San Jose, Austin, or New York, but maybe you know people who do. Start with your friends. Ask them if they know anyone in your t...

A common complaint of interviewers is that many candidates talk too much in interviews. There’s a list of questions the interviewer needs to get through, and there’s only so much time. How can you give concise interview answers while still sharing enough about your skills and accomplishment. Here’s your secret weapon: the expandable interview answer. (Thanks, E.B., for giving my little technique a name!...

Whether you’ve been staying home with children, recovering from a major illness or unemployed for any reason, getting hired after a long break can be tough. How can you convince skeptical employers that you’re ready to jump back into the nine-to-five? One: Demonstrate Your Commitment Employers want employees who are passionately committed to the line of work they’re hiring for. Ways to show your dedica...

To boost your chances when applying to a job, send your resume directly to the hiring manager–the person who would be your boss–not just to human resources. So how do you find the email address of the hiring manager? It can take a little trial and error, but the great thing about the following methods is that they’re all free. Try the easy way. Google their name and the word “email” or...

“How many people do I have to interview with to get this job?” At some companies the answer is “quite a few,” either one person at a time – a sequential or serial format – or all at once as a panel interview. It’s not like they mean to gang up on you, although that may be how it feels! The usual reason for this kind of process is to enable a better hiring decision incorporatin...

Whether you’re 25 years old, 40, or 55, career change is possible when you apply a combination of strategy and perseverance. The first thing you need to do it to recognize that career change is usually an incremental process. You probably won’t go from finance to public relations or from engineering to nonprofit management in one leap. You’ll need to patiently complete a number of steps, as described be...

In the past there’s been a rule of thumb among career coaches that finding a job takes one month for every $10K of salary. In 2018 it’s been a lot faster than that: in one survey of recent hires, 58% percent said their job search lasted two months or less.So that’s how it has gone for other people. Now, let’s talk about the real question. What can you do to get your next job as soon as possible?...

As spring is followed by summer, hopefully your job interviews will be followed by reference checks! Don’t be knocked out of the running by any of the following deadly myths. Myth #1: Employers will only contact the persons you include in your references list. Not true. Many will contact others; it’s neither illegal nor particularly difficult. They can even discover and contact past employers you haven&...