I love that so many interviews happen at coffee shops. Not only is it wildly entertaining, but it gives me plenty of useful information to share with you. During my most recent eavesdropping session, I got some tips on how to make yourself an appealing candidate, even when you lack experience. A young man showed up wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, carrying a file folder, and looking a little nervous. Let’s ca...

If you dream about having a different career, but don’t act on that dream, you may be operating under the assumption of a career myth. In this article, I expose 10 myths, sayings you’ve heard before that simply are not true. Let’s explore them. Career Myth #1: You can’t make a living doing something you really, truly love This is the grand-daddy of career myths, the belief that you can’t...

At a recent breakfast meeting with HR professionals, as we waited with coffee in hand for the program to start, I asked the recruiters and hiring managers sitting at my table about their perspectives on cover letters. Here’s what I learned: If there’s something that needs to be explained—perhaps a gap in employment or why you’re pursuing a job that you’re underqualified for—they&rs...

I’ve been walking several times a week with a friend. We hike through the hills in our neighborhood and at the end of the hour, I’ve easily gotten 90+ flights of stairs and 10,000 steps logged on my Fitbit. We chat the entire hour. We discuss politics, the economy, technology, work, family, new recipes we’ve tried and our weekend plans. We’re both self-employed so we often talk business strategy and...

I recently hired an assistant—someone to work remotely with me on projects, social media and client management. Even though this person won’t be working out of my office in Portland, Oregon, I decided to advertise the position locally. I know that there’s a lot of talent in this city, and given the flexible hours and OK-ish pay, I thought I’d have a pretty good chance at finding a fit. I was blown aw...

I’m seeing some interesting trends through my clients’ experiences, and after being interviewed for a trade magazine article about the current hiring landscape, I’m curious to see if these insights resonate with you. (Note to self: Get better about posting links to my interviews) The candidate with the most experience doesn’t always get the job. The combination of skills, experience and cultural f...

My husband’s last contract (technology consulting) ended in the fall. And since January, he’s been super-focused on his job search. And if you’ve been in a job search recently, you know that it’s a balance between applying for jobs (if you don’t buy a ticket, you can’t win the lottery) and focusing your search effectively.The Job Description About a month ago, he asked me to read a job description and tell him what I thoug...

No. You don’t have to use LinkedIn – nor do you have to have a resume or do any networking. But would you ever attempt to be in a serious job search without a great resume and tapping into your professional network? Probably not.So why, in 2015, would you attempt a job search without leveraging LinkedIn? Here are some interesting stats about how 10,000 professionals who recently changed jobs did it.But back to using Linked...

Oh, how I love this question. When people tell me that they’ve never had an interview when they didn’t get an offer, I ask only one question: “How long ago was your last job search?”Why?Because the whole hiring process isn’t quite as straightforward as you might have experienced it in the past. Even seasoned, confident job-seekers are getting thrown off their game and not getting offers after one, two or even three separat...

When I get asked by my clients how long their job search will be, I give them my general rule: “It will take longer than you think it should, even when the job market is humming along.” Your timeline isn’t necessarily in sync with hiring timelines, nor can you predict when the “right fit” job will come along. You may even base your time estimate on how long it took you back in 2009 when you were last looking. Throw those...