http://www.kristidaeda.com

This will be the last post here, but there’s already some new, great stuff to read on the other site.  Looking forward to seeing you all there.

If you’re interviewing with me, there are two major aspects of your answer that I’m looking for at the start.

1. DO NOT badmouth your current/previous company or supervisor.
2. Disclose enough information that I believe the answer is authentic.

Yes, in some situations these goals are in direct conflict, so giving some thought as to how to handle this question in advance is well-advised, especially if you find rule #1 a tough one to follow.

Still, the answer should always be the TRUTH.  So the first step is to examine your motivation.  Then, keep the following in mind.

The gainfully employed

What the employer thinks: If this is your position, you’re in great territory.  An employer’s ideal is someone who is employed and thriving in their role, so make sure that’s what they see.

What you say: Talk about how much you’ve grown and the opportunities you’ve had to contribute, then focus on what you hope to contribute in a new opportunity.  A lack of growth opportunities or interest in learning a new industry or returning to a previous industry are valid.  New insights on your highest and best use or underutilized talents are also fine.

Sample script: “I’ve really enjoyed my five years with Company X, and it has prepared me for the next step in my career.  I believe I’m ready to handle project management responsibilities, and that kind of growth is not currently available within my organization.  Your organization seems like a great opportunity for me to apply the skills I’ve developed while really stepping up and adding more value.”

The unemployed by choice

What the employer thinks: This can raise some red flags.  If the ideal is to transition from one successful role to another, the interviewer wonders why you deviated from the norm.  They may think you were actually terminated but aren’t saying so, or perhaps you made a rash decision to leave in reaction to too much stress or a dispute with your supervisor, neither of which are good things.  Your job is to allay those fears.

What you say: Again, honesty is important, but you can stay at the high level.  If you had a family issue, say so.  If you did make that rash decision or if there were other issues, touch on them on the high level, then emphasize the lessons you’ve learned and how you plan to move forward.  If you’ve been unemployed for some time, be sure to mention how you’ve used the time to better position yourself for growth.

Sample script:  “After five years with Company X, I realized that my career aspirations weren’t in sync with the company’s direction.  At the close of my last major project, I saw an opportunity to transition out with minimum disruption to the organization.  Since then, I’ve been pursuing a certification in project management and exploring career paths that appeal to me.  I now feel confident that I can add value in a role like the one we’re discussing today.”

Laid off/Downsized

What the employer thinks: Take heart.  In today’s economy, no one will doubt the veracity of this claim.  In fact, it’s likely not to affect your image when interviewing.  Still, you have to lay it on the table.

What to say: Be honest, and give just enough detail to prop up your story.  Then focus on your next move.

Sample script: “In October, my company elected to eliminate my division as part of cost cutbacks.  I was one of five people laid off at that time.  Since then, I’ve been actively looking for an opportunity that is a good fit for my background and skills and where I feel that my talents will be well utilized.”

Dismissed for cause

What the employer thinks: Okay, can’t lie.  This one is problematic.  You need to help the employer understand why your previous issue is not a predictor of future results.

What to say: I think the only way to emerge from this successfully is to keep it short and simple, insert a mea culpa of some kind, and talk about either why it will never happen again, or why this position is a completely different situation.

Sample script: “To be perfectly honest, my employment was terminated.  The scope of my position had changed significantly in the last six months of my tenure, and my results were not on target with the new expectations.  I learned that operations is not my forte, and that’s why I’m looking for a sales-focused role like this where I’ve had proven positive results in the past.”

That’s it. But your answer will not stand alone.  Two more things to keep in mind:

• A company with sound hiring practices will check your references, so anticipate the information that might come out and handle it tactfully and professionally.
• Anything you say invites follow-up questions.  After you prep your response, brainstorm potential follow-ups and be prepared for those as well.

This can be one of the most uncomfortable questions to tackle, the other biggie being salary which we’ll tackle later.  If you can confidently tackle this one, you will definitely set yourself apart from the crowd.

If you’d like to keep up with our Interview Question of the Week, be sure to subscribe in your feed reader to receive updates to the site.

http://www.kristidaeda.com

I started simple as I got my footing in career blogging, but I’m ready to take things to a new location and a new level.  The new site will evolve over time, but should provide a better look, enhanced content, and more flexibility moving forward.

If you are reading this in a feed reader, click here to get the new feed.

The new site and new feed are active now.  I’ll continue to post to both locations for a week or so, to help all of you get up to speed.  Thanks for all of your support so far, and look forward to seeing you at the new place!

Go check out the competition.  Search LinkedIn for keywords that might find someone like you.  Chances are, you see hundreds or thousands of search results within miles of you.  Your profile can easily be lost in a sea of people with similar backgrounds and career interests.  How do you get attention from a potential client, employer or influential contact?

One way to break through the clutter: a killer headline.

A headline is your chance to make a personal statement about who you are, what you believe, and what you have to offer.  It’s an opportunity to pique a reader’s interest or connect with an employer’s need.  While the profile speaks to qualifications for a job, a headline can speak to motivation.  Profile: professional, Headline: personality.  Use this space to sell yourself as the individual that you are.

Some things to keep in mind when writing a headline:

• Keywords — Ultimately, the higher in a search you appear, the more likely you are to be scoped out by a potential connection.  Understand what keywords are most likely to be used in a search for someone like you.  You’ll want to pepper them through your profile, but having them in your headline will help your search positioning.
• Catchy — If your headline can make a reader stop and wonder, you’re in good shape.  Try to craft something that will induce someone to click on your profile, even out of sheer curiosity.

Some examples:

Marketing maven with a passion for online communities.

IT specialist devoted to creating stable, scalable solutions for small business.

Office Manager and your next indispensable right hand.

Or, whatever makes sense for your situation.

Now, if you’re looking for a new opportunity like me, you may also want to consider putting that information in your headline.  Here’s my current headline as an example:

So, go take a crack at making your own splash in LinkedIn search, and let me know how it goes.  What’s your headline?  Share it in the comments below.

]]> http://careeradventure.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/howto-linkedin-2-write-a-killer-headline/feed/ 0 Kristi linkedin-headline2 http://careeradventure.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/reminder-free-resume-critique-offer-enter-by-friday/ http://careeradventure.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/reminder-free-resume-critique-offer-enter-by-friday/#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:05:54 +0000 Kristi http://careeradventure.wordpress.com/?p=123 ]]> Just a reminder that I’m offering a free resume critique to one lucky Career Adventure reader. All you need to do to enter is email me by this Friday. The winner will receive some concrete suggestions for honing their resume, everyone else will get a chance to share in the tips.

The first step in managing your attention is eliminating distractions, which could mean any number of things depending on the level of focus necessary for the task.  For instance, my first cut is the television, any computer notifiers (Outlook, Tweetdeck), Instant Messaging of all flavors, web email, etc.  You may consider clearing your desk of papers or turning off the phone.

But even setting the stage may not be enough.  Routinely managing your attention requires discipline.  Try making your workday an exercise in decisiveness. If you have a pretty good system for organizing your life, you know what you have to do on any given day.  When you sit down to start work, choose that thing that is most important for you to accomplish today and do it.  Don’t let the temptation to review and rethink things creep in.  Of course, allowances must be made for new information — for instance, you may decide that if a client calls, that outweighs the task at hand.  But understanding and living by your priorities will make your entire workday more effective.

If you find 100% focus on any one task taxing, try setting aside one hour in the morning and afternoon to practice this skill.  You can set aside those tasks that require the most sustained focus and know that you’ve earmarked this space to achieve them.  Over time, you can maintain a higher level of focus over a longer period of time.

In another post, we’ll talk about some of the technological helpers to maintaining this level of focus.  In the meantime, if you’ve got tips, share them in the comments!

Photo owned by percivalsmithers (cc)

An announcement of sorts…

I started this blog with a focus on job transition, offering ideas and resources for people who are looking for new positions.  But really, and especially in this economy, we’re all in transition.

Even those of you who are settled in established positions are likely working towards the next step in your careers.

Since I’m just as passionate about helping people improve themselves in their current roles, I’m going to widen the scope here.  You can expect to see more content on effective management, professionalism, networking, and more that should be pertinent to everyone in the working world, job holders and job seekers alike.

If there’s any particular topic you’d like to see, please let me know.  In the meantime, thanks for visiting.

Humor is the instinct for taking pain playfully.

–Max Eastman

Everywhere you go nowadays, it seems someone has lost their job.  Your brother, your cousin, your dry cleaner’s daughter…  The bright side for the unemployed?  The stigma of job loss is dissolving.  Chances are if someone hasn’t experienced it personally, they’ve either known someone, or watched competent peers go through it in their own companies.

So, job loss is less shameful, perhaps.  But is it ever funny?

An article from Workforce.com examines the controversy over recent ads by Monster that use humor to point out that not everyone is in the right job.  Some say that humor in light of the slew of corporate layoffs and ever-increasing unemployment is out-of-step with public sentiment, as so many people are either out of work or grateful to have any job, regardless of how well it may suit them.

Job loss can be difficult, demoralizing, scary.  But dwelling on the negative doesn’t benefit anyone.  So, here are some guidelines:

If you have lost your job… Make all the jokes you want, but don’t focus on mocking either your former employer or yourself.  If you indulge in negative talk about your employer, either seriously or in jest, you may find this tendency sneaking out at inappropriate times.  Like a job interview.  Harboring resentment doesn’t get you anywhere, and if you’re not vigilant, you may reflect it in your body language or tone of voice.  And don’t be too hard on yourself, either.  Your mindset about your own capabilities will affect your effectiveness while networking or interviewing as well.

If you are a “survivor”… Recognize that times around your workplace are tough.  A little laughter can break the tension, but you want to avoid comments about those individuals who did not survive the layoffs, as you don’t know who maintains close relationships with those individuals.  You can lose trust and credibility with your coworkers.  And don’t think that just because someone doesn’t come to the office every day that they don’t hear what’s going on.

If you’re managing survivors… You’re subject to the same rules as above with one additional restriction: no jokes about who will be the “next to go.”  The possibility of further layoffs will be on your team’s mind and interfering with their productivity.  Bringing additional focus on the possibility, even in jest, won’t help them regain focus.

Alright, so a little levity on a Friday is in order.  Want to enjoy some job-loss humor without risking your career?  Thank Dilbert.

But a couple of life changes (parenthood, unemployment) have seriously reordered my definition of a career path.

So, reading today The ONE Question Every Entrepreneur Must Ask by Scott  Ginsberg (aka The Nametag Guy), I thought about how applicable the question is in other contexts.

The question that Scott poses (and I encourage you to click through and read the original) is:  What are YOU building?

Scott attacks it from the standpoint of entrepreneurship, but all of  us can benefit from answering this question.  Even as a cog in the greater wheel, we have the opportunity to build things within the span of our control, and often far beyond it.

So, as a job seeker I am asking myself the question, and using it to help me determine what the next step for me should be.  What are YOU building?  And is it the work and the life that you want?