If you’ve been out of work for a while, you may face a well-documented bias against the unemployed in your job search. But fear not; there are ways to easily fill the gap, preempting any potential uneasiness about your unemployment while reassuring employers that you’re current in your field. Here are three of those ways, followed by what to say when asked about an employment gap in an interview.
When you’re in an interview with a bad or inexperienced interviewer, they’re not giving you the opportunity to truly make the case for your candidacy. They’re not asking you the right (or any) questions, and in fact they may be turning you off by their behavior.
Very often, however, you can find a way to change the subject back to their number one question, “How can you help me?” and thus do both of you favor; they will get their answer and you’ll stand out from the competition as the candidate who answered this key question. Let’s look at how to improve your outcome in four of the most common bad-interviewer scenarios.
You can improve your odds of getting promoted by first setting the stage: show that you’re ready for the role, differentiate yourself by demonstrating leadership and build supportive stakeholder relationships. In addition, ensure that they’re thinking about you as promotion material by having “the promotion conversation” with your boss. Let’s dive into each of these four areas.
The single most effective thing you can do in an interview is to make your experience come alive through stories or examples. Yes, you need to get other things right in an interview as well: ask the right questions, prep for handling issues with your candidacy, follow-up effectively and so forth. But telling a good story is the most powerful way to stand out from the competition, since our brains are wired to remember the imagery, the drama, and the emotion that’s conveyed in a good story.
Building and leveraging a network of mutually beneficial career relationships is easier than you may think. And having this network of relationships is crucial in today’s environment, where being good at your job is simply not good enough, or where applying to lots of jobs is an inefficient way to search. Whether you’re eyeing a promotion or seeing layoffs on the horizon, your network will help you. In a job search, your network will enable you to shortcut the application process and tap into the hidden job market where you’ll find the best opportunities.
Here are some ideas to help you to quickly build and optimize your network of career-advancing relationships.
Even if your resume, pitch and communications skills are stellar and your background is in demand, you may still be in for a long job search. Many opportunities simply won’t pan out through no fault of your own; budgets, priorities and hiring managers can change unexpectedly. To ensure that you’ll have a quick job search, play the numbers game to win; have many things
Business prospects or employers are probably searching on LinkedIn for someone like you. The single best way to ensure you’ll show up in their searches, and stand out from competitors, is to have the right profile “keywords.” These are the words or phrases that resonate. They’re used in search queries, and answer your target audience’s main question: “How can you help me?”
Profile keywords have benefits beyond boosting your LinkedIn search ranking. Since search engines like Google and
In most workplaces, the key to achieving job security and advancing in your organization is to demonstrate leadership. Going above and beyond the status quo for the greater good will improve your chances of getting promoted. Plus, taking initiative to improve the organization may be the reason you get to keep your job if layoffs are in the forecast.
No matter where you are in your organization’s hierarchy, you are leading if:
In a job search, your “job” is now sales (you’re the product), regardless of what you do professionally. If you can adopt the mindset of a successful salesperson, you’ll see opportunity where others might see rejection. Successful salespeople are good at finding ways to turn apparent rejection into opportunity.
Want to Succeed in Your Job? You Need a Plan
by Robert Hellmann • On-the-job Success