GovCentral

6 Sloppy Speech Habits to Avoid

Diane Diresta | Monster Contributing Writer — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:45:00 -0700

You may look good on paper or in your suit, but if you're looking to nail your big interview, looks aren't everything. How you sound is often more important. But many job seekers let careless speech habits sink their chances of landing that plum job.

The Bottom Line: You don't have to study elocution to speak well. Simply slow down, take time to pronounce all the syllables, and leave slang at home.

Companies want job candidates who are well-spoken and articulate, and recruiters won't represent a job candidate if they don't match the client's profile. According to Lori Zelman, vice president of human resources at Strategic Workforce Solutions in New York City, "The people most highly sought after are the ones who are succinct in the explanation of their work experience."

Here are six common language mistakes and how to keep them from sabotaging your interview or meetings with clients.

#1: Non-Words

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1. Non-words

Filler words such as "um," "ah," "you know," "OK" or "like" tell the interviewer you're not prepared and make you sound like a Valley Girl (or Boy). A better strategy is to think before you speak, taking pauses and breaths when you lose your train of thought. Everybody utters an occasional "um," but don't let it start every sentence.

2: Up Talk

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2. "Up-Talk"

A singsong or rising inflection at the end of every sentence creates a tentative impression and makes it sound as though you're asking a question instead of making a definitive statement. You need to speak with conviction when selling yourself in an meeting. Bring your intonation down when ending a sentence to avoid talking up.

3: Grammar

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3. Grammatical Errors

The interviewer may question your education when you use incorrect grammar or slang. Expressions such as "ain't" "she don't," "me and my friend" and "so I goes to him" aren't appropriate. Be sure you speak in complete sentences and that tenses agree. The interview is not the venue for regional expressions or informality.

4: Sloppy Speech

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4. Sloppy Speech

Slurring words together or dropping their endings impairs the clarity of your message. To avoid slurring and increase understanding, speak slowly during an interview. Make a list of commonly mispronounced words, and practice saying them into a tape recorder before the interview. Some common incorrect pronunciations include "aks" for "ask," "ath a lete" for "athlete," "wif" for "with" and "dree" for "three."

5: Speed Talking

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5. Speed Talking

While everybody is a bit anxious during an interview, you don't want your information to fly by like a speeding bullet. A rapid speaking rate is difficult to follow, and speed talkers are seen as nervous. Slow down your racing heart by doing some breathing exercises before the interview. To avoid rushing, listen to the question, and then count two beats in your head before answering. When you finish a sentence, count two beats again before continuing. Don't be afraid of silence. Pausing is an effective communication technique. The interviewer needs a few seconds to process what you just said anyway.

6: Weak Speak

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6. Weak Speak

Wimpy words modify or water down your conviction and in the end your position. When you pepper a conversation with "hopefully," "perhaps," "I feel," "kind of" and "sort of," the message you convey is a lack of confidence. Use power words such as "I'm confident that," "my track record shows," "I take the position that," "I recommend" or "my goal is." The language you use gives the listener an impression about your level of confidence and conviction.

This article originally appeared on Monster.com.

5 Ways to Keep Your Career Moving Forward

Caroline M.L. Potter | HotJobs — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:27:00 -0700

The adage says, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," and its wisdom is applicable to job seekers. It is usually far easier to find another job if you're already employed. But how can you ensure that the worst never happens to you -- that you're never left without a job and possibilities for your next opportunity?

Here are five suggestions from career coach Deborah Brown-Volkman:

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Keep Thinking Positive

It sounds deceptively simple, but try embracing the power of positive thinking when you're thinking about your career. "When you tell yourself something bad will happen to your job, something bad will probably happen," says Brown-Volkman. "If you tell yourself that you are marketable and confident and that you will always be working, your words can make this true."

Keep Thinking Ahead

If you're not following trends within your particular industry, you could be caught off guard by a layoff. Is your position or division vulnerable to outsourcing, further automation or elimination? Brown-Volkman says, "If your job is being eliminated or outsourced, you will want to know about it before you are in the room with the human resources person telling you that your job is going away."

She urges professionals, "Look for trends and then train yourself in growth areas. Having the right skills at the right time ensures that no matter what is happening around you, you will be needed and employable."
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Keep Your Resume Ready

Having your resume at the ready gives you confidence. You always know that if opportunity casually knocks, you're prepared to answer. Brown-Volkman reminds her clients, "Even if you are not looking for work, your resume reminds you of the contributions you make on a regular basis, something you can easily forget when you are immersed in the day-to-day. Whether you are looking for a job, or you already have one, an updated resume is essential for your career."

Keep Cultivating Your Network

Brown-Volkman says networking should always be a part of your professional life. "If you start to network only when you need something, you will have a lot of catching up to do," she says. Instead of waiting until the 11th hour, she advises workers to network in some way every day. "Wherever there are people, there is an opportunity to network," she says.

She also urges workers to network within their own workplaces. If coworkers understand what you do and your value, this could help safeguard your job in dicey times.

Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open

You're up on the trends. You're networking. You've got a current resume. You're thinking positive thoughts. Now it's time to get creative -- by creating your own opportunities.

Read up on what your peers are doing and what you aren't. Consider how you might strike out on your own -- or on the side. Brown-Volkman adds, "Rather than thinking, 'It cannot happen,' believe that what you want is possible and is within your reach. Then, make it happen."

This article was originally published on Monster.com.

2011 Federal Gov't Jobs Outlook

8 Do's and Don'ts to Landing a Temp Job

The Future of Government

Jake Dunagan | GOOD Magazine — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:03:00 -0700

Our current system of government rests on faulty assumptions about how people think and vote. To deal with the world's most challenging problems—present and future—it needs fundamental change.

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This guest post is part of GOOD's series with the Institute for the Future.

Last week Mathias introduced you to the need for futures thinking in our society. And it requires no lengthy argument to say that among the institutions in most dire need are those of government. I was trained, and spend much of my time working, as a political futurist, researching and writing on the history and possible futures of political systems. I’m not interested in forecasting what party will win the next election, but rather in how we will prioritize what matters in the world, and how we will organize ourselves in the coming decades in order to create favorable conditions for fairness, happiness, and sustainability at a global scale. The big stuff.

Most of the failings of government can be connected to the fundamental assumption that humans are rational creatures and the inherent structural biases toward mechanical processes and short-term thinking. Politicians understand at an almost cellular level: The future doesn’t vote.

Our systems of government incentivize short-term rewards at the expense of long-term gains. To be elected, and certainly re-elected, in our current system of two-, four-, or six-year cycles, our representatives must demonstrate measurable gains (or more promises of gains) to their constituents on a very short time horizon. Longer-term goals can be advanced within the current system, but these are rare accomplishments. It is, however, not rare to see a politician giving lip service to future generations all the while pumping their constituents with short-term benefits.

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Second, governance designs are outdated. We have spent the past 200 years designing and building governments as we would build clocks. We assume that reality is knowable, predictable, and mechanical. We believe that powers can be separated and balanced against each other, that deliberative processes will yield fair laws, and that the common good can be raised by the self-interested behavior of individuals. Well, virtually all the physical and biological science of the past two centuries have chipped away at the worldview that reality can be known objectively and managed predictably. We live in a chaotic, unpredictable world that can only be sensed by our limited biological and technological tools of observation.

The consequences of these structural dynamics were bad enough when we were just trying to organize people and resources within bounded geographical regions. However, the design failings of our governance systems take on existential scale and global importance in the current Anthropocene Era—where we are responsible for governing nothing less than “life on Earth.” The stakes have never been higher, and we need a new way of thinking about governance if we are to survive and thrive.

There is a term, "governmentality," that is used mostly in the rarefied air of political theory, but deserves wider application. In an unusually pithy definition provided by Michel Foucault, governmentality is the way government “conducts conduct.” The term refers to the particular “mentality” of government—the tools and techniques the government uses to “sense” and “think,” and how it creates and manages its citizens and its resources based on these sensations.

In the industrial era, we saw the rise of a governmentality of control through the management of enclosures: from the regimenting of time to the disciplining of space. In life, we moved from schoolhouse to barracks to factory. Now, the prevailing governmentality is one of ambient, embedded, and persistent control. It is a control that does not end when the five o’clock whistle blows, but is integrated into the very fiber of our existence. It is exemplified by the always-on corporate knowledge worker, who cannot draw a meaningful line between work and home, or between public and private. It is an era in which we brush up against government not just at the voting booth or at the DMV, but every time we share a song with a friend.

We need designers, political scientists, and social activists—all citizens who care about our collective futures—to do what hasn’t been done in generations: to take up the challenge of designing new systems of governance. And we can start by thinking about what kind of governmentality is needed to address the wicked problems of climate change, global inequity, and the technological disruptions of the 21st Century.

We need systems of governance that are open, accessible, and learning. They need to embody the latest thinking about how the world works, how people work, and how we can use our technologies to make life better for all. There are people working on the ground in regions all over the world trying to solve persistent problems with government. Innovators in Wiki-government, Government 2.0, and a host of social media-based platforms such as GovLoop and Expert Labs are experimenting with structures of governance drawn from the successes of the web to open up government and connect people.

Besides making the crafting of policy much more participatory, these initiatives also have the potential to transform the way representatives interact with their constituencies and with each other. Communication feedback loops will become much tighter and potentially more effective. “Taking the pulse” of the public was once done with surveys and polling—relatively slow, low resolution, and often biased processes. Now, with tools like Twitter, we can get a minute-by-minute update on public opinion and mood.

Researcher Mark Elliott and others are re-thinking governance in terms of stigmergy, the emergent process that enables complex structures such as termite mounds. Stigmergic collaboration and citizen wikis were the basis of the http://abri.org.au/bin/view/ABRI/">Australian Bill of Rights Initiative, and the New Zealand Police Act.

And within IFTF’s recent massively multiplayer forecasting game Superstruct, players designed dozens of prototype governance structures. Among my favorites was the group Quantum Governance. Quantum governance was a thought experiment that originated from a group of political scientists and students at the University of Hawaii in the early 1980s. It is based on the idea that we need to re-design government around insights from new physics, such as holism, uncertainty, and the effects of observers on reality—a very different approach from the mechanical system in place now.

These threads are starting to converge, and suggest the emergence of a new kind of citizen-based governance. We are using communication technologies and new insights from science to re-imagine how we "conduct conduct" on this planet. The scale of this re-imagination and re-design is unprecedented, just as the scale of the problems we face is unprecedented.

In the book The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein documented the way certain policies were rammed through Congress following crises and major upheavals. These policies were written well beforehand, just waiting for the right moment to execute. If we are to be successful in transforming governance for the 21st Century, we need to be designing future-friendly policies and systems right now, and be ready to act when the moment to intervene is upon us. And given the state of the world right now, there will be ample “shocks” to make cracks in our outdated systems.

Perhaps the future cannot vote, but we can vote on our future.

Jake Dunagan is a research director at The Institute for the Future.

Second illustration by Claire A. Thompson. Claire is a summer intern at IFTF.

Should Bashing Your Boss on Facebook Be Legally Protected?

Kathy O'Reilly | Monster's Director of Social Media Relations — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:41:00 -0700

Employees have been criticizing their bosses since the beginning of time.

Until the birth of social media, these conversations generally played out in lunchrooms or restrooms, around the water cooler, over a few cocktails at the local pub after working hours, and in the smoker’s circle outside the office building.

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Regardless if the criticisms were true or not, the context remained private for the most part, usually involving a few other employees who also had similar disdain and negative feedback regarding the boss. Now, via social channels like Facebook and Twitter, private thoughts shared among a few are becoming very public statements broadcast to the world in real-time.

Should employees be allowed to bash
the boss on Facebook? More importantly, should they be legally protected when they publicly disparage their boss in social media?

These questions and concerns hit mainstream media last week following a recent case in Connecticut where the National Labor Relations Board ruled that
companies can’t fire employees for complaining about their boss on Facebook.

To set the historical context around the recent ruling, in 2009, American Medical Response (AMR), an ambulance services company, fired one of their emergency medical technicians for posting a criticism of her supervisor on Facebook. Several of the woman’s coworkers agreed with her Facebook post, in which she “referred to their supervisor using AMR’s code for a psychiatric patient.”

Fast forward to October 2010, when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in turn
filed a complaint against the company on behalf of Dawnmarie Souza, the fired EMT. The NLRB argued that “the National Labor Relations Act made Souza’s comments protected speech; the act gave her the right to discuss terms of employment with AMR with her coworkers and other people.”

The NLRB also felt AMR erred in not providing Souza with union representation when supervisors met with her to discuss her Facebook post.

Next Page: Three Questions for Employers To Consider →

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What happens when the workplace and social media collide? What precedent does this now set in labor law and what repercussions will this ruling have on future employer/employee relations? And what does this mean for existing
employee policies and their use of social media?

HR blogger
Lance Haun recently authored an
article on The NLRB-Facebook Firing Case, looking at the Four Things Employers Need To Know. Lance brings up some interesting points, in particular, does this ruling only protect union employees and is this a victory for free speech, or something else all together.

We’d like to open up the conversation further and suggest additional questions for employers following last week’s NLRB ruling.

Social Networking: Three Questions for Employers To Consider

1. Isn’t this behavior just another form of workplace bullying or harassment?

While companies are going to great lengths to protect employees (including the boss) in the workplace, what is the employer’s role in protecting the employee being bashed publicly? If boss bashing is a form of workplace bullying, should such behavior be tolerated, let alone protected by law?

2. Are current social media policies/guidelines now at risk?

Even if employers have clearly defined social media guidelines established within their organizations, this ruling could challenge social media policies currently in place. If employees can now cite AMR vs. Souza in their own defense, existing social media guidelines may now need to be revisited by organizations.

3. What damage control and legal risks potentially lie ahead?

When a company’s dirty laundry is aired in public for the world to see, what negative impact does it have on the brand reputation of the organization, and what processes can they put in place to get back on track? If the information posted in a public online setting is libelous and slanderous, does boss bashing now put the company at risk for a potential lawsuit brought on by one of their own employees?

We suspect this is just the beginning of the discussion, and while we continue to watch how things will play out, we do predict two things in the aftermath of this current ruling:

1. Employers will be re-thinking their in-house social media policies immediately.

2. Anyone thinking about getting into social media law as a career choice will likely have excellent job security in the years to come.

This article was originally published on MonsterThinking.com.

Job Hunt To-Do-List for an Economic Downturn

2011 Federal Gov't Jobs Outlook

8 Do's and Don'ts to Landing a Temp Job

9 Memorable Questions to Ask at Your Interview

John Kador | Monster Contributing Writer — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:32:00 -0700

The landscape for job seekers today is more treacherous than at any other time in recent memory. In other words, if you want a job today, the hard work starts when you prepare for the interview.

That means not just nailing the questions you are asked, but actually asking the kinds of questions designed to make the interviewer sit up and take notice. It’s no longer enough to be qualified. If you want a job in today’s business environment, you have to shine, and there’s no better way to show your excellence than by asking excellent questions.
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Don’t squander the opportunity to shine by asking mundane questions the interviewer has heard before. Your goal is to make a statement in the form of a question. The statement is designed to:

• Highlight your qualifications.

• Demonstrate your confidence.

• Reinforce your commitment.

• Understand the employer’s challenges.

• Make yourself accountable.

• Advance your candidacy.

Questions are the best way to demonstrate that you understand the company’s challenges, emphasize how you can help the company meet them and show your interest in the most unmistakable manner possible -- by actually asking for the position.
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Based on my interviews with dozens of recruiters, human resource professionals and job coaches, here are nine of the most memorable questions candidates can ask:

1. What exactly does this company value the most, and how do you think my work for you will further these values?

2. What kinds of processes are in place to help me work collaboratively?

3. In what area could your team use a little polishing?

4. What’s the most important thing I can accomplish in the first 60 days?

5. Can you give me some examples of the most and least desirable aspects of the company’s culture?

6. Am I going to be a mentor or will I be mentored?

7. How will you judge my success? What will have happened six months from now that will demonstrate that I have met your expectations?

8. This job sounds like something I’d really like to do -- is there a fit here?

9. Now that we’ve talked about my qualifications and the job, do you have any concerns about my being successful in this position?

Use these questions as prototypes for questions based on the particulars of the position you are interviewing for. Make them your own and polish them until their shine reflects on you. Asking questions like these is not for the faint of heart but, then again, neither is succeeding in today’s hypercompetitive job market.

This article was originally published on Monster.com.

2011 Federal Gov't Jobs Outlook

8 Do's and Don'ts to Landing a Temp Job

Government Jobs: Extra Effort Can Pay Off

Caroline Levchuck, Monster + HotJobs — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 05:17:00 -0700

Do you want an employer with an established reputation? Are good benefits and an even better retirement plan important to you? Do you want to make a difference? Consider a career with Uncle Sam.

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The federal government is on a hiring spree and will be for the foreseeable future. "There's a huge need to get high-quality, top talent working for the federal government," says Tim McManus, vice president for education and outreach at the Partnership for Public Service.

There are thousands of different jobs at more than 100 different agencies. "There are 193,000 mission-critical jobs that need to be filled in the next two years, but that isn't the full spectrum of jobs available," McManus says. And because the majority of government jobs are located all across the US, it's likely that there are opportunities in a city or town near you.

A lot of job seekers overlook the federal government as a viable employer. Some think it's too complicated to find a government job for which they're qualified -- when, in fact, looking for a government job requires just a bit of extra effort.

Find Your Calling

McManus says, "One of the biggest obstacles for most people is that they simply don't understand the scope of jobs that are available with the US government. The unique thing about the federal government is that the skills needs are so diverse."

So whether you're an accountant or a new graduate with a history degree, there's likely an opportunity for you. Remember as you begin researching openings that the US government uses a set list of job titles that may not always mirror those in the private sector. Research job titles and descriptions at USAJobs to determine the positions for which you're best-suited.

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Tailor Your Resume

You may need to tweak your resume a bit when applying for a government position. Uncle Sam needs lots of details -- your Social Security number, the job code for which you're applying, dates and addresses for each of your employers and educational institutions, and more. Oftentimes, a federal agency may have a resume-building program you can use to apply. If not, make sure your resume is rich with details so your credentials can be easily confirmed.

Follow Instructions

Federal job listings follow stringent requirements in terms of where they're listed, how to apply, who is eligible and by what date applications must be received. You must adhere to the listing's instructions. If you don't, you will not be considered for the position, no matter how qualified you may be.

Follow Up

"Navigating the system is the next step," says McManus. "There may be some additional things that are required for federal employment [as compared with private-sector job searches]," he points out.

If you've applied to a government agency through the agency's online portal, you may well be able to check the status of your application online. If this isn't the case, wait a month or so after the closing date and make certain your materials have been received and that your application is complete.

Wait

As with any job search, waiting is involved when pursuing work with a federal agency. Depending on the resources available, it may take weeks or even months for human resources workers to review all the applications and narrow a smaller pool of people to interview.

"You have to stay with it," McManus advises federal job applicants. "If you look at the end result, the time and effort is worth it -- especially for people who want to make a difference. Working for the federal government is how they can make the biggest difference."

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See the original article at monster.com

8 Tips for Better Email Cover Letters

Larry Buhl | Yahoo! HotJobs — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:04:00 -0700

As the saying goes, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. If you're doing a job search or resume submission via email, the first impression any employer will have is from your cover letter.

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Some tips for creating successful email cover letters are the same as for paper cover letters: Be professional, with correct spelling and grammar, and -- very important -- do use them. Other tips pertain only to the electronic medium, and when disregarded, could ruin your chances before your foot is in the door.

Here's what you should you consider when crafting an email cover letter.

Don't Waste Your Subject Line

What you write in the subject line can determine whether your letter gets read, according to Lydia Ramsey, business etiquette expert and author of Manners That Sell. "Don't ever leave the subject line of your email blank and don't waste it by just inserting the job number," Ramsey says. "The subject line should be clear and specific to the job you're looking for." An example: "Bilingual CPA seeks account manager position."

Use Standard Cover Letter Protocol

Write your letter as the body of the email and include a salutation (use the receiver's actual name if you know it) and a standard closing. ("Sincerely" or "Warm regards" work well.) Leave blank lines between paragraphs, and use appropriate signature and closing lines. Include all the information in your signature line you would have on your business card, including snail mail address, phone number and email address. "Remember, your email address doesn't always automatically show up on the receiver's email program," Ramsey says.

Keep It Short and Dynamic

Managers and recruiters are busy. They want to get the gist of your pitch in 150 words or fewer. The first paragraph is crucial, according to Ramsey. "Hook the reader in the first paragraph by selling him or her your abilities," she says. "Use short paragraphs and short sentences to give a very brief bio on who you are and what you can do for them, and wrap it up in the second paragraph."

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Keep It Simple

If you write a cover letter in a word-processing program, strip away all formatting and save the file as plain text. The ideal line length is 40 characters. Some email packages automatically do word wrap for you, so your cover letter doesn't arrive in fragments. If your program doesn't do this, go to FormatIt.com, drop in your text and the free service will format your email for you.

Don't get cute. Save emoticons, abbreviations, and wild colors and fonts for your nonprofessional emails. The same goes for humor. Chances are, the reader won't think it's funny, and may even find it irritating.

Be Specific

Don't respond to an ad for a copywriter when you're really a graphic designer, says Diana Qasabian, talent director at Syndicatebleu. "It may be the tight job market, but we've been receiving more and more letters responding to a specific job from candidates who are not at all qualified for it," she says.

"We look for specifics in email cover letters, which means skills and abilities," she adds. "Embellishment and fluff are not necessary. It's not necessary to write, 'I'm a hard worker.' That goes without saying."

Keywords Are Key

Because many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATSes) to find and screen candidates, skill-oriented keywords will boost your chance at being discovered, a recruiter at a large technology company says.

"ATS tools track keywords that identify skill sets," she says. "So even if you're not right for the job you're seeking, strong keywords improve the chance that your cover letter and resume will be retrieved in a future search or be selected for a more appropriate job."

Play by Their Rules

Take the time to learn the company guidelines for submitting resumes, and follow them. Many companies list these guidelines on their Web sites. Also, don't include attachments unless they are requested. Some companies block all emails with attachments to prevent viruses.

Check It Again

Thoroughly spell-check and proofread your email letter. And remember, your email software's spell-checker won't catch grammar mistakes. Send it to a friend first and ask him to check it for content and style. If all your friends are tapped out, or even if they aren't, test your email cover letter by emailing it to yourself, and put yourself in the mind-set of an employer when you read it.

This article was originally published on Monster.com.

2011 Federal Gov't Jobs Outlook

8 Do's and Don'ts to Landing a Temp Job

8 Do's and Don'ts to Landing a Temporary Job

Megan Malugani, Monster Contributing Writer — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:20:00 -0800

If you’re a highly qualified professional who has been unemployed for a while, you may eventually have to find a “Plan B” job to pay your bills until the job market improves and you can return to your preferred type of work.

There’s no shame in that, but landing a temporary survival job can be harder than you think -- there may be dozens of applicants for a retail job at your local mall, for example.

Career experts offer these eight dos and don’ts for finding and getting hired for a survival job.

1. Do Choose Your Survival Job Wisely

“A survival job should be something you enjoy,” says Lynn Taylor, a workplace expert who is CEO of Santa Monica, California-based Lynn Taylor Consulting and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant. For example, if you’re a social animal with a passion for music, try getting a gig as a bartender in your favorite karaoke bar. “Your likelihood of landing even a survival job is greater if you demonstrate genuine enthusiasm, so don’t waste anyone’s time with a job you dislike from the start,” she says.

2. Don’t Give Up on Finding the Job You Really Want

Before turning to bartending, look for a survival job in your field -- even if it means taking a major step down. Doing so will provide consistency and focus in your career and put you in the right place should opportunities arise within that company, Taylor says. If you must take a survival job outside your field, aim for evening or weekend hours so you can use your days to search and interview for your desired professional position, she says.

Next Page: Do Tone Down Your Resume →

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3. Do Tone Down Your Resume

“Long, verbose resumes shout ‘overqualified,’” Taylor says. So tighten your resume and/or decrease your scribblings on application forms for survival jobs. While you shouldn’t lie outright about your work experience, “it’s OK to de-emphasize certain qualifications by taking high-level job titles, graduate degrees or other irrelevant work experience off your resume,” says Los Angeles-based career coach David Couper, author of Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career Even When You Don’t Fit In. Adds Garrett Miller, a New Jersey-based workplace productivity coach, trainer and author of Hire on a WHIM: The Four Qualities that Make for Great Employees: “Drop the corporate speak and power phrases, and instead highlight your strengths in relating to people and your work ethic.”

4. Do Stay Upbeat

A positive attitude is everything when searching for a survival job. Let’s say you were laid off from a high-level IT position and are interviewing for a job at a coffee shop. Your interviewers will sense your disdain if you can’t find any upside to making and serving fancy drinks to customers. “You have to look at it as an opportunity to grow and stretch,” Miller says. “It’s almost like a miniversion of ‘Undercover Boss.’ You’ll be gaining perspective, empathy and insight into experiences you had once not even considered.”

5. Don’t Come Across As a Know-It-All

Be confident during an interview, not cocky. You may be older and more educated than your interviewer, but that doesn’t mean you’d make a better cup of coffee. Bragging about your accomplishments won’t resonate with your interviewer, Miller notes, but what will impress are phrases such as: “I’m very teachable,” “I may not have chosen this career change, but I’m excited to learn new talents and skills from you” and “I will be here every day. You can depend on me”

Next Page: Don’t Lie →

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6. Don’t Lie

It’s great to show commitment to your potential survival job, but don’t go overboard. “It will hurt you if you lie and say this is the job of your dreams,” Taylor says. “It’ll come back to haunt you if you’re just looking for a temporary survival job but you lead your potential employer to believe otherwise.”

7. Do Prepare for the Interview

When conducting your job interview preparation, keep in mind the employer’s perspective, Couper says. Your interviewer will be trying to ascertain three things: Can you do the job? Will you fit in with the team? Will you cause any problems? Answering common interview questions of this nature in a satisfactory manner is your “golden ticket,” Couper says. Taylor says you can show your maturity (without bragging) and counteract the notion you’re overqualified with winning scripts such as these: “I’ve always gotten kudos for my people skills” and “I’m good at keeping the peace.”

8. Don't Share Your Sob Story

Don't go on a tirade against your former employer, complain about your debt or reveal too much about your personal woes. "If the desperation shows in your face, you won't come across as genuine" in your desire for the job, Taylor says.

This article was originally published on Monster.com.

How to Turn a Stranger into a Network Contact

Creative Ways to Improve Your Resume

How to Handle Sticky Situations in Your Cover Letter

Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:14:00 -0800

Are you wondering how to deal with a sticky work history issue? Whether you were laid off from your last position, took time off to raise children or are looking to change careers, the cover letter is the perfect place to address potential red flags.

One caveat: Keep the explanation brief. Writing a cover letter is an exercise in selling yourself, so the tone should be upbeat and positive. Review these examples to get inspiration for explaining your sticky situation:

Layoff

Last month, ABC Co. made the difficult decision to dissolve its operations, so I am available for immediate employment. I am eager to continue my ______ career and was very excited when I learned about your job opportunity -- it’s a perfect match to my qualifications and career goals.

Long-Term Unemployment

Although I was a top producer for ABC Co., my position was eliminated during a major corporate restructuring. I have been searching for a position in the industry, but the economy has made positions in ______ very difficult to find. In the interim, I have been networking at industry events and keeping my skills fresh, but I am eager to resume my career in the ______ field.

Medical Leave

(Note: Don’t disclose medical information that could jeopardize your chance of landing a job -- disclosure is your personal choice.)

After taking time off to undergo back surgery, I left ABC Co. (on excellent terms) to focus on my recovery. As I regained my strength, I went to school part-time and received certifications in ______ and ______. Now fully recovered, I have been given an “excellent” bill of health by my doctor, and am highly motivated to return to the full-time workforce.

Next Page: Time Off Caring for an Ill Family Member →

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Time Off Caring for an Ill Family Member

In the last couple of years, I served as primary caregiver to my father, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. During this difficult period, I kept my work skills updated by independently studying ______ and actively participating in industry news groups. At this time, I am available to return to work, and am confident that I would be an asset to your team.

Time Off Raising Children

After stepping away from the workforce to start a family, I am eager to resume my professional career now that my children are school-aged. I have kept my skills and connections current through active volunteer work, including leadership roles in school and charitable organizations.

Relocation

I plan to relocate to ______ to be closer to family, and your opening presents an excellent opportunity. I am available immediately for a telephone interview and can arrange to meet in person on short notice.

Career Change

Although successful in my ______ career, I have realized that the aspects of my work that I find the most rewarding are all in ______-related functions. I am currently pursuing a full-time position in this area, and am confident in my ability to excel in this field.

Next Page: Entrepreneur-to-Corporate Position →

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Entrepreneur-to-Corporate Position

After building a successful small business (where I grew revenues from zero to six figures in two years), I recently closed the operation to pursue my passion for the ______ field. Your opening is an excellent opportunity, and I look forward to speaking with you about how I can help expand your operation.

Job-Hopping

Although I have changed jobs more than I would have liked in the past few years, I am searching for a position where I can make a long-term commitment. If you agree that my credentials are an excellent fit to your needs, please feel free to call or email me to arrange a meeting.

Temp Experience

Most recently, I have contracted with ABC Agency and have completed a number of interesting assignments (detailed on the attached resume). While this work is rewarding, the short-term nature of temping does not let me provide the kind of enduring, value-added contributions I find to be most fulfilling as I could as a full-time team member.

Demoted

Budget cuts required me to take a ______ position in order to remain employed, but I am confident in my ability to step back up to a management position and hit the ground running. I would welcome the chance for an interview to discuss your goals and outline ways I can help you achieve them.

This article was originally published on Monster.com

3 Attention-Getting Tactics for Cover Letters

Monster+HotJobs staff — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:05:00 -0800

Hiring managers and recruiters can receive hundreds--or even thousands--of applications for each open job. Typically, they can spend only a few seconds scanning a candidate's cover letter before moving on to somebody else's. So if you're looking for a job, your cover letter has to capture a reader's attention right away.

Career coach Evelyn Salvador, the author of the recently released book "Step-by-Step Cover Letters," has some tips on how to do just that: "One way to get an employer to really notice your cover letter is to infuse it with personal-brand identification elements, such as a slogan, testimonials, or a mission statement. Each of these elements is optional, but it might just be the thing that makes your cover letter stand out from those of other candidates."

Salvador has specific tips for using one (or all) of these elements:

A slogan: This brief sentence or phrase can be placed under your name at the top of your letter, in the far-left margin, or in italics at the bottom of your cover letter. A slogan should succinctly encapsulate the value you bring to an employer--if you need help crafting a slogan, you can look to language in the job posting or on the employer's website for inspiration.

Salvador's examples include:

• For an elementary teacher: "Helping students take positive steps toward their future"

• For a sales manager: "Meeting challenges, overcoming obstacles and closing sales"

Testimonials: Stating what others have said about your performance adds credibility to the information you provide in a cover letter. Testimonials can include excerpts from letters of recommendation, customer thank-you letters, vendor satisfaction letters, performance evaluations, internship summaries, staff memos, and other commendations.

A mission statement: This element should be succinct and should clearly state what your mission is, specific to your career goal--it could describe what you plan to do or have done, what you believe in, or why your profession is important to you--or another statement that demonstrates the value you'll bring to the employer. Salvador's examples include:

• If the customer is happy and you are making a sale, it's a win/win. I believe in making customers happy."

• "Each step a child takes in his life has an effect on his future. I would like to help students take positive steps by creating an educational experience conducive to learning."

This article was originally published on Yahoo.HotJobs.com

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How to Turn a Stranger into a Network Contact

Charles Purdy | Monster+HotJobs senior editor — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:50:00 -0800

Whether you're looking for a job or trying to advance your career, networking is very important (in a recent HotJobs poll, 57 percent of respondents said that networking was a factor in landing their most recent job). And networking shouldn't end when you log off of LinkedIn or head home from a conference. Valuable contacts are on the perimeter of your social circle, they're the parents of your kids' school chums, they're sitting next to you on airplanes--basically, they're all around you every day. So how do you turn these people from relative strangers into valuable network contacts?
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Step 1: Identify good contacts.

An effective professional network has a wide variety of types of people, including people from outside your industry. So how do you decide whether someone you meet at a cocktail party is someone you want in your circle? Career expert Liz Ryan says it's more about "feel" than logic: "You've got a certain style and approach, and people who are comfortable with you and with whom you're comfortable will make up your A-list for network cultivation."

Look for people who are active in and passionate about their field (whatever it is), and who seem interested in what you're doing. Also, people who communicate well are likely to be "connectors" who have their own networks that you may be able to tap into.

Step 2: Manage your contacts.

Productivity expert Stever Robbins, the author of "Get-It-Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More," offers tips for managing the business cards you receive:

First, if you're at a conference or a similar event where you're receiving a lot of business cards, Robbins suggests jotting down quick memory-aid notes on the backs of cards--so when you enter the contact in your digital address book, you can record (in the Notes field) the name of the conference and what you talked about.

Then, immediately after you put a new person into your address book, send a brief "Great to meet you" email--with a note about your conversation and a brief follow-up.
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Step 3: Offer value.

Effective networking begins long before you need to get something from your network. First, you must demonstrate that you have something to offer--this builds a foundation of goodwill. Every time you talk to someone in your professional network, you should ask what he or she is working on, so you're aware of the problems your contacts are trying to solve.

In his book "Well Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships," executive coach Gordon S. Curtis offers suggestions on how to offer value to a new contact: consider how you could supply information, new clients, or interesting products--or even other contacts. Curtis explains, "If you make the right introduction, both parties will feel you've done them favors."

Next: Step 4 >>

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Step 4: Stay in touch.

Your efforts to meet, record, and court new contacts are wasted if you let relationships lapse. An effective networker is participatory and involved.

Sound like a lot of work? It doesn't have to be--in fact, your networking efforts shouldn't take a lot of time (don't "spam" your network by mass-sharing things of little value). Read an interesting article or book? Ask yourself who else might benefit from it. Planning to attend an industry conference or networking event? Find out how you can get more involved. Have something to say? Update your blog, and comment (thoughtfully) on the blogs of people in your network.

Step 5: Get back from your network.

If you've been conscientious about maintaining connections with your network, asking for something like an introduction or a favor will seem less like an imposition.

One key to getting results is to make specific requests of specific people. Sending your entire network a tweet saying, "My interior-design firm is accepting new clients!" probably isn't enough--because it's not speaking directly to anyone, and it's not offering a tangible value. A better tactic is a targeted message to the right people--for instance, an email, describing your expertise in decorating boutique-hotel lobbies and asking for an introduction, to a contact in the hotel business.

Be concise with your requests, don't pester people, and don't take it personally if someone isn't able to help you--the reasons may be beyond his or her control. And finally, don't forget to say "thank you"--if one of your contacts finds a way to help you, look for a way to help him or her, so your relationship will grow even stronger.

Job Hunt Checklist for an Economic Downturn

Do Your Research Before a Job Interview

This article was originally published on Yahoo.HotJobs.com

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• 3 Attention-Getting Tactics for Cover Letters

• The Dangers of Padding Your Resume

• Handling a Mid-Career Crisis

Creative Ways to Improve Your Resume

Charles Purdy | Monster+HotJobs senior editor — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:36:00 -0800

Career experts are unanimous on the importance of customizing our resumes for each new job we apply for. But for many of us, when it comes to revising our resumes, the first question is "How?"

It's easy to get stuck in rut when you're working with material you know so well. So here are some ways to take a fresh look at revising your resume.

1. Analyze the job post's wording.

An easy way to make sure your resume gets you in the door for an interview is to echo the language in the job post. Look for ways to use the words in the post; a resume reader--human or software--may be screening for them. (If there is no job post, check the company's website--especially the About Us page and any corporate mission statements--for language you might adopt.)

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If your resume says "supervise," but the job post says "manage," change it. If your last job title was "Social Media Ninja," and you're applying for a "Social Media Marketing Specialist" position, include the term "Marketing Specialist" in parentheses after your Ninja title (as long as you feel that this term could describe your past role).

Of course, don't stretch the truth!

2. Weed out fibs.

It's all too easy for little fibs to make their way into a resume. Several years ago, you added an unearned certification to your resume, just to get your foot in the door at a new company. Or you claimed competence in a software program you figured you could learn on-the-fly.

Then, as the years went on, those temporary resume fibs somehow became set in stone. Now's the time to chisel them out. Any lie--even a seemingly inconsequential one--can put your job search and your future job security in jeopardy.

Replace lies with truths--or set about making them true. It could be as simple as putting the word "pursuing" before that imaginary degree on your resume.

3. Get rid of the "objective statement."

Beginning a resume with an objective statement (a phrase that starts with something like "Seeking a challenging position ...") is out. As Lauren Milligan, resume expert at ResuMAYDAY.com, says, "Employers already know that your objective is to get a job, after all." She suggests, instead, creating a personal summary statement that "illustrates how you are better than other candidates for the job." She adds, "Identify a few areas in your profession that you excel at ... and that you really enjoy doing."

Tell the hiring manager who you are and how you can solve her or his company's problems, not what you want.

4. Get rid of redundancies.

Don't waste time telling hiring managers what they already know. Many people do this in their descriptions of past jobs. For instance, if your last job was as a copywriter for an online rug retailer, saying something like "wrote marketing copy for a wide variety of rugs" is unnecessary. Instead of taking up space with definitions no one needs, describe specific achievements. Did your work improve sales, get praise from management, or improve SEO rankings? Use job highlights, not job descriptions.

5. Cut unnecessary resume "stories."

Work Coach Cafe's Ronnie Ann advises removing things that are not directly related to the story you're telling about yourself and the job you're applying for. She says, "I have an abundantly varied job history--better than 'job hopper,' huh?--and remember back to resumes where I just wanted to make each job so full-bodied and rich that I was sure the employer would want to meet me. But as interesting as we may be as human beings, employers just want to know if we're right for their company--and specifically the job in question."

For instance, if you're both a professional accountant and a certified dog groomer, you might want to play down your dog-grooming experience when you apply for jobs in finance.

6. Look for ways to use exciting language.

Check your resume's verbs, and use strong verbs to make your resume more vibrant. For instance, "responsible for daily bank deposits" (no verb) could easily be "oversaw daily bank deposits" (strong verb). And as you find each verb, look at its subject--is it you? If not, should it be? For instance, in "duties included writing press releases," the subject is "duties." It'd be much better to say something like "Wrote all company press releases."

7. Turn your resume upside-down.

I'm serious. Turn your resume upside-down and look at it from a distance. This will help you analyze its appearance separately from its content. Does it look too dense? Is it heavier on the top or bottom? Emily Bennington, a coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job," says, "Sometimes a resume will catch my eye simply because it's formatted beautifully. I know the most important component is the content on the page, but you should also pay attention to the packaging. Trust me, hiring managers notice!"

8. Write a draft in a different format.

In his book "The Overnight Resume: The Fastest Way to Your Next Job," career expert Donald Asher suggests writing a letter to a family member about your job accomplishments as a way to rethink your resume. (Go ahead, brag a little.) Then he says you can start turning this into a resume draft by removing most personal pronouns ("I" and "we"), taking out articles ("a," "an," and "the"), and cutting transition words like "and" (unless doing so would distort meaning).

Thinking of your resume as a letter or a story (in which you're the hero), or some other medium, is a great way to start making it fresher, more personal, and more effective.

This article was originally published on Yahoo.HotJobs.com

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Do Your Research Before a Job Interview

Charles Purdy | Monster+Hot Jobs senior editor — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:13:00 -0800

You hear it all the time from career experts: "Research the company before you go into a job interview." But what does that mean, exactly? Here are some tips on using the Internet and tapping your network to gain information and insight that'll improve your answers--and help you ask the right questions.

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The company's mission

Your prospective employer's Web site is a great place to see the company as it wants to be seen. Look for its mission statement--something that outlines the company's values (perhaps on an About Us page or a similar page). Then consider how the position you want relates to that mission. Also think about how your experience and background have prepared you to support company goals. Don't parrot a mission statement back word for word, but do let it inform your discussion.

Recent company achievements

While you're at the company's site, look for a Press Room or Company News page that links to recent news releases. (Or simply do a Web search for news about the company.) Then think about the long-term implications of this news--not only for the company, but also for you when you get the job--and prepare some questions about the news if that makes sense. Your well-informed conversation may be a critical factor in your interview's success!

Your interviewers

Use the company site's search tool (if there is one) to search for the names of the people you'll be meeting. You may find bio pages or press releases that give you insight into their most visible activities at the company. Then look to LinkedIn or do a general Web search to get some more background information. You might find some common ground (for instance, a shared alma mater) you can bring up in conversation, or a recent professional achievement for which you can pay a compliment.

What to wear

The company's Web site can also help you determine how formally you should dress for the interview. Are there pictures of the executive team? If they're all wearing dark business suits, you should probably dress very formally. If the CEO is pictured wearing a T-shirt, business casual is probably fine (you'll rarely want to dress more casually than that).

The industry

Now broaden your search, and learn what general-interest and trade publications and blogs are saying about your employer and the industry as a whole. Search national publications for news on major corporations; use hometown newspapers to learn about small businesses or local industries. Depending on your field, you should be prepared to discuss your industry's financial prospects or other industry trends.

People on the inside

People who already work at the company are another great source of information--they can give you insight into business initiatives, corporate culture, and even personality dynamics. You can start on LinkedIn to see if you have any connections--but don't stop there. Look to professional organizations and alumni organizations you belong to, and ask friends and relations if they know anyone who might have information to share about your prospective employer.

Research yourself!

Now that you've found out everything you can about the company and the people who'll be interviewing you, search for yourself online--you can be sure the interviewers will be doing the same. (If you have a common name, use your name and your town or city, or your name and your industry, as the search term.) First, of course, make sure that everything a Web search reveals about you presents you in a good light. Then prepare to discuss the search's top hits--they might just come up.

This article was originally published on Yahoo.HotJobs.com

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Selling Yourself in a Job Interview

Charles Purdy | Monster+Hot Jobs senior editor — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:24:00 -0800

Every job interview is different--but there are some general principles that can guide you in just about any interview, for any job. When you're talking about yourself and your experience, keep the following six points in mind.

1. Be the Solution

Companies fill or create positions because they have problems they want to solve--for instance, ineffective advertising or long customer-service lines. So prepare for an interview by identifying the problems hinted at in the job ad (if there's no job ad, do some research into the company and industry) and then preparing examples of how you'll solve those problems--and how you've solved similar problems in the past. Practice telling stories about specific results you've achieved.

(And if you're changing careers, keep in mind that many problems are not industry-specific--for example, a lack of effective project management or a breakdown of teamwork. Offering solutions to these problems is a great way to overcome a lack of directly applicable experience.)

2. Be Specific

Avoid empty cliches--be prepared to back up your claims about your skills or characteristics with relevant and specific stories. For example, don't just say you "work well with others"--talk about the types of teams you've worked with, and what you've learned from them. Or if you're going to say that you're "detail-oriented," come to the interview prepared with a story about how your attention to detail saved a former employer money (or otherwise saved the day).

3. Be Positive

Avoid complaining about a former employer or laying blame at a former manager's feet--doing so will likely make you seem difficult to work with (or just disloyal). Even if you quit your last job in a rage because your manager was incompetent, saying something like "I felt I was ready for a more challenging position--like this one seems to be" turns a potentially interview-killing situation into something that makes you look very attractive to a hiring manager.

4. Prepare Sound Bites

Prepare three or four effective sound bites that highlight your past successes and your skills. A sound bite is succinct and direct, so it's catchy and easy to remember--"I've designed logos for three Fortune 500 companies," for example, or "My efficiency plan decreased product-delivery times by 15 percent without costing the company one cent."

When you're coming up with your sound bites, ask yourself, "What were my greatest achievements at my most recent job?" and "What sets me apart from other candidates?"

5. Prepare to Talk About Your Resume

Your resume and cover letter will likely form an outline for at least part of your interview. Because a resume has to be brief, it probably says many things that could be elaborated on or explained in more detail. Often a resume explains the "what" (for instance, "supervised two people"). Use the interview to talk about the "how," as well as skills you gained, praise you received, and so on.

6. Be Aware of Nonverbal Communication

You "say" a lot about yourself with nonverbal cues: your posture and your facial expressions, for instance. Sit up straight--leaning forward can make you seem closed off, as can holding a briefcase or purse in your lap. Maintain eye contact when answering questions, and smile frequently. Also, practice your handshake with a friend: an overly aggressive handshake can be as off-putting as a limp one.

This article was originally published on Yahoo.HotJobs.com

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High Turnover: When Everyone is Jumping Ship

Tom Fox | Partnership for Public Service — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:54:00 -0700

Last week in Washington at the Center for Government Leadership, the Partnership for Public Service trained nearly 190 federal leaders from more than two dozen agencies on business acumen. Two questions this week come from federal managers. Please continue sharing your ideas and questions by emailing me at fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org.

How can I engage an unmotivated employee? --Federal manager (GS-14), Small Business Administration

There's nothing easy about motivating your employees. Understanding and tending to their motivations requires almost constant care and attention.

As a starting point, you need to understand why their motivation is suspect. Has the person grown bored by performing the same task repeatedly? Is he having trouble with a new task that he doesn't fully understand? Does he enjoy the work? Is he having trouble with colleagues? The only way to find out is to ask.

Now, there may be any number of factors that could be affecting your employee's motivation. Some you can affect. Some you cannot. If there are personnel conflicts, you can mediate those differences of opinion. If this person does not enjoy performing the work required of their job, you can shake-up their portfolio. However, at the end of the day, the work needs to be performed.

Start by talking with your employee. Try to find out what is affecting their motivation. If you can do something about it, work together to address the issue. If not, help your employee move on to a better fit.

My department has turnover rates of about 60 to 70 percent. Through informal interviews, I know that most people leave because of micro-management and low morale. How can I initiate a discussion about our leadership skills in the department? --Federal manager (GS-14), U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Surfacing this data provides a useful starting point for discussion and action.

You should encourage your leaders -- with support from HR -- to look at your department's data from OPM's employee viewpoint survey to see there are any underlying issues around morale and retention. If you don't have data for your department, you might consider conducting a short, informal employee survey.

You might also consider 360-degree assessments -- anonymous surveys of a leader's employees, peers and superiors -- and executive coaching to inform your department's leaders about their strengths and weaknesses.

Finally, you might quantify the "costs" associated with losing folks -- recruiting costs, the opportunity costs of interviewing, productivity losses -- as a way of building a business case for change. For more ideas on this check out, Linda Bilmes and Scott Gould's book The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service. Note the profile of Jeff Neal's work at the Defense Logistics Agency in the book; he's now the Chief Human Capital Officer at DHS. That might provide you with some additional ideas.

Senator Kaufman: 'Your word is your bond'

Tom Fox | Partnership for Public Service — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:47:00 -0700

Sen. Ted Kaufman is the junior senator from Delaware appointed in 2009 to fill the unexpired term of senator now Vice President Joseph Biden. Kaufman was Biden's chief of staff for 19 years and was a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. One of Kaufman's senate endeavors has been his Great Federal Employees Initiative, an ongoing series of floor speeches honoring outstanding federal employees.

What did you learn about leadership while serving as Senator Biden's chief of staff?

Probably the most important thing, which is the single most important part of being a senator, is that your word is your bond.I have students I teach at Duke and I bring them up every year and they meet with senators, House members, staff people, lobbyists and think tank and media people. People in all those areas say the single most important thing on the Hill is that people can trust your word.

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What advice do you have for federal leaders on how they can best work with the Hill?

Tell the truth, and make sure you've got your facts right. Do not hide bad news. Stay ahead of the curve about what you're doing.
If you educate yourself about how the process works and how decisions are made, I think that is incredibly helpful. The biggest problem you have dealing with the Congress if you're in the executive branch or corporate America is the way power is shared. It's very different from a hierarchical organization.

You are the only current senator to have worked as an engineer. How does your background in engineering affect your leadership style?

I think there are different ways to approach it. Start making the rationale at the beginning. Where are we? What are the facts? And then get to the nuances. The other thing that I think is helpful from engineering is to deal with the whole system -- taking what we used to call a total concept to look at things.

What tricks and methods do you use to manage your time?

First off, it's really, really, really, important to have a good scheduler. I'm big on planning. I sit down at the beginning of the year and say, "Here are the things that I'll do this year and that I want to do." Planning the month ahead, planning the week ahead. I just think it's incredibly helpful having the senator involved in the big picture. The other is having a really good staff. Everybody's got to work together.

Why did you decide to lead the "Great Federal Employees Initiative"?

I was scratching an itch. It's bothered me for the last 30 years that some people felt like they could denigrate federal employees. In the federal government, we have so many incredible superstars. They're there because they want to make a difference. When I talk about federal employees, I don't just talk about the people who won the Nobel Prize or discovered the cause of cancer. If you look at the list, it's a mosaic that shows the overall quality.

John Gardner, who started Common Cause, wrote a book called "Excellence." He said (I'm paraphrasing) a society that values its philosophers and doesn't value its plumbers - because philosophy's uplifting and plumbing isn't - will be a society where neither its ideas nor its pipes will hold water.

Learn more about the Partnership for Public Service

The Federal Coach: Are Generation Stereotypes Real?

Tom Fox | Partnership for Public Service — Tue, 11 May 2010 08:05:00 -0700

If I refer to the Jersey Shore, does your first thought go to a vacation spot or to someone named "Snooki?"

Your answer may say a lot about your generation. Traditionalists or Baby Boomers are thinking of summertime memories, while Millennials are thinking about Snooki and her friends on the MTV reality show. Right?

Maybe. The truth is your answer probably says more about your television viewing habits than your generation.

There may be real differences among the four generations in the workforce today, but my recent conversations with government leaders -- and yes, there are Millennial leaders -- tell me the conventional wisdom may not always be accurate.

It's tempting to use generational models to simplify your teammates and subordinates, but the result might be mismanagement. Some differences are real and others are imagined. How can a leader tell the difference?

Assume nothing: If you're a leader, be alert to real generational differences but spend time getting to know each member of your team. If your new social media folks are Millennials, but the Traditionalists are making funding decisions, a clash of generations may be in the offing. You'll never really know, however, until you talk with individuals' about their experience. When did they feel the greatest pride in their work? What is their biggest frustration? Knowing what the real issues are will help you make the right management choice.

Ask questions: Regardless of whether the generational differences are real or imagined, you'll need to use a variety of methods to motivate each employee. Generally speaking, Traditionalists may be motivated when you entrust them to "complete their duty" while Millennials may be looking for coaching and mentoring -- but on an individual level, you won't know who needs what until you ask.

Screen for the talent of today, not yesterday: When it comes time to look for new talent, most leaders look for the traits that already exist. Thirty years ago government managers set out to find people willing to stay for 30 years. That was the norm. Today, though, you're looking at a different population. People are looking to move around throughout their careers, and leaders need to make sure they are changing with the times.

What's your experience with generational differences at the office? As a leader, do find these "Traditionalist/Millenial" generalizations helpful or harmful? As an individual, are you tired of being lumped into a generational stereotype that doesn't ring true for you? I'd like to hear from you, either in the comments section below or via email at fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org.

Please check back on Wednesday, when I interview Charlene Frizzera who served as the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from January 2009 until April 2010 or receive a reminder by following us on Twitter @thefedcoach.

Administration Announces Hiring Overhaul

Dawn Lim | Government Executive — Tue, 11 May 2010 07:54:00 -0700

The Obama administration unveiled a major overhaul of the federal hiring process on Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management announced.

The hiring reform memorandum will ask agencies to do away with hand-graded knowledge, skills and abilities essays by Nov. 1, at least in the early stages of the hiring process, Jeri Buchholz, associate director for human resources operations and policy at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said during a federal jobs fair Saturday on the National Mall. The fair was part of Public Service Recognition Week.

OPM Director John Berry said during Government Executive's Excellence in Government conference in April that he was surprised by the number of KSA defenders who emerged while he was working to reform hiring, but added he was determined to eliminate the essays, which have been required along with résumés.

Critics have said KSAs are cumbersome and turn away talented private sector employees not well-versed in the language of the bureaucracy. But defenders argue these statements are useful for narrowing the applicant pool, which has been large in the current economic climate. For instance, at NRC, 22,000 people applied for 252 positions in 2009.

Under the new guidelines, recruiters will have to find other ways to evaluate applications. Some might devise their own multiple choice tests, while others could require specific writing samples. The hiring overhaul will bring more flexibility into the recruiting process.

"There will be no one way on how to apply for a government job. Every vacancy could require a different process," Buchholz said.

"The challenge moving forward is to apply hiring tools used by the private sector, but still work within a merit-based system," she added.

An exception would be made for agencies that have arrangements with trade unions that require KSAs. In addition, recruiters might solicit such essays from a smaller group of applicants once finalists have been identified, Buchholz said.

Berry and federal Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients will be joined by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan during Tuesday's official announcement.

On Wednesday, OPM is hosting a closed-door meeting for human resources personnel that will further clarify new federal hiring practices.

How to Save an Interview Gone Wrong

Steve Berman | GovCentral — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:44:00 -0700

Everything was going so well. Your solid handshake was met with a warm smile from the hiring manager. The interview started off with some small talk that segued into some skillfully answered questions. You can already see what your desk is going to look like.

Then, as suddenly as a lightning strike, the interview takes a turn for the worse.

Whether it’s a question you weren’t prepared for or not-so-well-received answer it’s easy to tell when an interview has gone off course. And it’s quite possibly the most nerve-wracking, upsetting, desperate experience a job seeker can suffer.

Like Charles Sullenberger approaching the Hudson River, one can make the best of a bad situation, no matter how dire. However, saving a bad interview takes quick thinking and persistence. Are you up to the challenge?
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Sticky Situation No. 1: Drawing a Blank

You studied the company’s website and memorized the answer to every common interview question you could find. Then the unimaginable happens: you’re faced with a question you weren’t expecting. You can’t figure out what to say and the impending silence feels so awkward, you might as well be wearing nothing but your birthday suit. How do you fix this?

Solution: Focus on something you were prepared for.

While you don’t want to get in the habit of doing this, sometimes it pays to give a non-answer, especially when the alternative is a seemingly unending chasm of silence. Hey, politicians do this all the time. If the interviewer threw you for a loop with a question on how you handled a conflict with a coworker, change the subject to something semi-related that you did prepare for, like your collaborative skills on a challenging project where you excelled.

Next: The Devil's in the Details >>

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Sticky Situation No. 2: The Devil’s Advocate

No matter what, you and the person on the other side of the interview table aren’t going to agree on everything. Hopefully you won’t find much resistance to any of the answers you give during your interview, but you should prepare for scenarios where the two of you don’t see eye-to-eye. After all, some interviewers argue with candidates just to test how they’ll react under scrutiny. Still, a disagreement can be very unnerving, making you wonder if you just lost your chance at landing the job.

Solution: Find Common Ground

You don’t want to position yourself as someone who’ll change their opinion based on who they’re trying to impress, but you do want the interviewer to feel comfortable. Don’t get defensive or combative — try to smooth over disagreements with statements like, “I can understand that point of view,” or “You know, I never thought about it that way.” Then, even if you didn’t give the perfect answer, you’ll look flexible. That’s a better idea than changing your answer entirely, as that will lead the interviewer to think you’re just saying what they want to hear.

Sticky Situation No. 3: No Chemistry

You want the job. You spent days preparing for the interview. So why does it seem like your interview has all the excitement and energy of a bunch of turtles running a marathon? No matter what you say or do, the interviewer is yawning, looking at his watch, and pretty much doing anything besides showing you the attention you deserve. Since you can’t exactly suggest that they take five minutes to drink a cup of highly caffeinated coffee, how do you make sure you don’t put this person who has your future career in his hands to sleep?
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Solution: Involve the Interviewer

You might be the one getting interviewed, but everyone likes to talk about themselves. If you sense a lull in the questioning, ask your own open-ended questions. See what the employer is looking for in an employee. Ask what they like about working for the company (and if they have a hard time answering this question, you might want to take that into consideration).

Next: Calm Frazzled Interview Nerves >>

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Sticky Situation No. 4: Sweaty Palms Syndrome

To be nervous before and during an interview makes you human. To suffer the jitters to such an extent that you are shaking, stuttering and sweating profusely will sound the alarm to employers that you aren’t a stable enough person to work with every day. After all, if you’re freaking out so much that you can’t give reasoned responses, you won’t give a very good first impression.

Solution: Practice, Practice, Practice

The way to avoid rattling the table with your nerves is to prepare. Preparation can take many forms, depending on what works for you. For some, visualization is enough. Others need to practice reciting answers in front of a mirror or friend. The key for most people is to practice the same answers several times — if you only do it once, you might forget it when the spotlight’s shining on you. Practicing the same answer five times (or more) will trigger your brain’s memory. So even if you get flustered during the interview, you’ll find yourself reciting the intelligent responses you’d planned on giving.

Sticky Situation No. 5: Too Little, Too Late?

The hour’s almost up, and you have this lingering feeling that you haven’t done enough. Some of your answers were flat, or maybe you weren’t able to hit some of the talking points you’d prepared. However, the interviewer’s time is undoubtedly valuable; if they’re clearly wrapping things up, you can’t exactly beg for more time. How do you turn a mediocre interview into a good one when time is running out?

Solution: Post-Interview Damage Control

Focus on what you can do afterward. Thank you notes are required these days, but you should know that by now! You don’t need to keep it simple though, especially if you want to make a couple of points you didn’t get to during the actual interview. Don’t write a novel, but feel free to touch on additional skills and reiterate your interest in the position. In the case of a good follow up letter, sometimes the last impression can mean more than the first one.

Just getting an interview should boost your confidence. Something about you, your resume, cover letter, or references got you this far. No interview goes perfectly, but as long as you keep your wits about you and prepare for the worst, you have a good chance of staying in the running.

7 Stupidest Interview Questions and What They Really Mean

Jeff Hindenach | GovCentral — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:56:00 -0700

If you’ve been in the workforce long enough, the same inane questions will continue to creep up in interview after interview. What is your greatest weakness? Where do you see yourself in five years? You know, the small-talk questions that fill up just enough time between the really important questions.

But all those meaningless questions actually have a purpose. That’s why everyone uses them. But what are interviewers really trying to find out with these sometimes asinine questions? We’ve put together a guide of the seven “stupidest” interview questions to help decode the underlying meaning.

FIRST QUESTION >>

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1. Can You Tell Me a Little About Yourself?

Why It’s Stupid: The question is entirely too general. There is no way you can cover every facet of your life and personality in the allotted interview time. There is also no way for you to tell what specifically the interviewer wants to know about you without asking them to narrow their focus, which is usually the reason for the follow-up questions.

What It Really Means: The interviewer is testing your ability to interact with others. By putting you on the spot, your answer gives the interviewer an idea of how you present yourself in a social setting and a glimpse of what you think the most important facts about yourself are.

NEXT QUESTION >>

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2. What Are Your Greatest Weaknesses?

Why It’s Stupid: No one is going to give an honest answer to this question. Why would you openly talk about your greatest weaknesses in front of the person who is making a hiring decision? The most common answers to this question are filled with fluff and what we think the interviewer wants to hear.

What It Really Means: The interviewer is trying to see how honest you are, as well as trying to determine if you are able to overcome obstacles. If you say that your greatest weakness is ”working too hard,” that’s not an obstacle. If you give a legitimate weakness, such as not being able to multi-task, then you can provide examples of how you have overcome that weakness and are now an expert at multi-tasking.

NEXT QUESTION >>

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3. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

Why It’s Stupid: No one can tell where they are going to be that far into the future. Life happens. Things change. Which is why this question frustrates most job interviewees. But the question also seems to set a trap, making the interviewee answer in terms of where they see themselves within the company, afraid that any other answer will disprove their loyalty.

What It Really Means: No company expects you to swear a lifetime allegiance to the company during your interview. The question is a chance for you to speak to your long-term goals, give the company a better idea of your career development plan and how it could progress with the company. It also gives you a chance to speak to your strengths and highlight the areas where you believe you’ll grow the most.

NEXT QUESTION >>

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4. Why Do You Want to Work for This Company?

Why It’s Stupid: Most interviewees get annoyed with this question because it seems redundant. You wouldn’t be interviewing if you weren’t interested in working for the company, right? So it shouldn’t matter why you are interested, only that you fit the job description.

What It Really Means: The interviewer isn’t trying to gauge your interest in the position, but more your motives for applying. If you’re just looking for a paycheck, that makes it easier for the interviewer to go with a more ambitious applicant who is excited about the opportunity. If you’re applying to escape your current job, what’s to say you won’t be miserable with this company? It’s a way for the interviewer to weed out those interviewing for the wrong reasons.

NEXT QUESTION >>

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5. What Are Your Hobbies?

Why It’s Stupid: On the surface, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with a job interview. What does fly fishing have to do with accounting? Or running have to do with being a designer? The question seems to cross a line between work and pleasure that the interviewee doesn’t understand.

What It Really Means: The interviewer isn’t trying to pry into your personal life. They are just trying to get a more complete picture of what kind of person you are. How you spend your free time can speak to what kind of employee you are. People who have more creative outside interests might be better suited for a design position. It also gives them an idea of how you prioritize your life, and where your job will fit in.

NEXT QUESTION >>

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6. How Would Your Co-Workers Describe You?

Why It’s Stupid: You’re obviously not privy to your co-workers inner thoughts and feelings. And even if you do know how they feel, of course you’re going to pad the truth to make yourself sound better. In most cases, the interviewer will never speak to most of your co-workers, so what‚s the harm in embellishing?

What It Really Means: The interviewer isn’t interested in your little white lies, they are trying to see how you think others view you. Even if you are stretching the truth, your answer will give the interviewer an idea of how you view yourself and what you believe are your most important attributes. Considering you are discussing how others view you, it can also be a modesty test, separating those who are embarrassed about themselves from those who won’t shut up.

NEXT QUESTION >>

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7. Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job?

Why It’s Stupid: It seems like a simple question. It’s obvious you want to leave you current job cause you are unhappy, otherwise, you wouldn’t be looking for another job. If you’re qualified and ready to work, what does it matter why you’re parting ways with your previous employer?

What It Really Means: The interviewer wants to make sure the same situation that made you want to quit your last job doesn’t happen in this job. If you don’t see eye-to-eye with your current boss, they may question if you are a problem employee. Or if you felt like you weren’t progressing, they can make sure that you are constantly challenged in order to keep you around. It’s best to focus on how your previous job didn’t fulfill your career goals and explain how this new position can help you grow.