The Savvy Networker

Written by Liz Ryan

If you're job-hunting today, you know that employers are looking for sharp, self-motivated people. Paradoxically, just about the worst way to convey your talent and motivation is to say in your resume or cover letter, "I'm self-motivated." Anyone can say that! The phrase falls flat. You can't afford to let done-to-death boilerplate language sink your resume like a boat anchor.

Resume cliches like "self-motivated individual" and "results-oriented professional" are out of date in 2010. You can do a better job of letting hiring managers know how you solve problems on-the-fly or leap over tall buildings in a single bound.

Here are ten of the deadliest resume phrases in use ("massive overuse" would be more accurate) and replacements for each one. You'll rewrite the replacement phrases to reflect your own accomplishments--and that's the key! We can't expect a timeworn piece of resume boilerplate to stand in for our own pithy, personal examples.

Kill this: Results-oriented professional

Replace with your own version of this: I love to solve thorny supply-chain problems

Kill this: Excellent team player

Replace with your own version of this: At Acme Dynamite, I partnered with Engineering to cut our product cost in half

Kill this: Bottom-line orientation

Replace with your own version of this: My accounting-process overhaul saved the company $10M in its first year

Kill this: Superior communication skills

Replace with your own version of this: I led a two-day offsite that yielded our 2010 product lineup and a $40K cost savings

Kill this: Possess organizational skills

Replace with your own version of this: Reduced customer-complaint resolution time from three weeks to one by revamping the process

Kill this: Savvy business professional

Replace with your own version of this: I'm a PR manager who's gotten his employers covered by Yahoo! and Time magazine

Kill this: Strong work ethic

Replace with your own version of this: I taught myself HTML over a weekend in order to grab a marketing opportunity

Kill this: Meets or exceeds expectations

Replace with your own version of this: Invited to join our executive staff at a strategy summit during my first year at the company

Kill this: Strong presentation skills

Replace with your own version of this: Was recruited to join Acme Dynamite after my boss heard me speak at a conference

Kill this: Seeking a challenging opportunity

Replace with your own version of this: I'm looking for a midsize manufacturer primed to grow its business in the Pacific Rim

Get the boilerplate lead out of your resume today, and replace it with concrete, visual stories that bring your power to life. Watch employers respond! You can't afford to send out another lifeless, sounds-like-everyone-else resume. Employers want the real you on the page. Try it!

Social Networking Basics for Job Hunters

by Caroline M.L. Potter

Which site is right?

Facebook. LinkedIn. Twitter. There are many sites that foster community online, but not everyone feels bold enough to sign up for all of them.

If you're skittish about social networking, LinkedIn may be the safest choice. LinkedIn has more than 41 million members from around the world, and its mission is to foster professional connections, unlike Facebook or Twitter, which can be used personally, too.

Getting Started

According to Krista Canfield, the career expert and spokesperson for LinkedIn, "I think the reason people are more comfortable with LinkedIn is because it's a professional networking site and you're representing your professional identity online."

Lauren Milligan, founder of ResuMAYDAY, agrees, "If you're just dipping your toe into the social networking water, the two easiest sites to navigate are LinkedIn and Twitter, because you have 100% control over the content." Remember, though, even if you're not comfortable with Facebook, you should have a passing familiarity with it as it's become an important marketing tool for many businesses.

As you build your connections on LinkedIn, be discerning. Reach out to people you do business with and coworkers as well as former classmates. Carefully consider each request you make and accept.

Canfield says, "I only try to connect with people I've worked with in the past and know and trust or expect to work with in the future. It's more a quality game rather than quantity." When sending a request, she recommends creating a custom message. "Unless you literally sit next to a person, you should remind people who you are and why you want to connect with them."

Good References

Then, says Milligan, "Do everything you can to get lots of recommendations on your LinkedIn account. (Insider secret: the best way to GET a recommendation is to GIVE one first!)." It may also be helpful to include your LinkedIn profile ID or URL on your resume.

"Twitter is a great way for broadcasting things and letting your network know what you're up to," says Canfield. "You could send out a tweet saying, 'I'm looking for a job in finance. If you know of anything, here's my LinkedIn profile.'"

Adds Milligan, "Use Twitter to position yourself as an expert in your industry and people will listen!"

What Not to Do

Don't spam people with too many tweets or status updates. If you're using any mode for professional purposes, be respectful of your contacts and followers.

Also, avoid collecting followers or connections that don't have real value for your network or your job search.

Says Canfield, "The right number of connections will differ from profession to profession. Someone in advertising may have many more than a lawyer or an accountant. When people have around 25 connections, that's when they see the benefits of being on a professional network. But, it's like having a phone book: Just because you have all those numbers, doesn't mean they can help you out."

10 Hiring Manager Deal Breakers

By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder.com writer

Everyone has encountered a deal breaker. That one unappealing characteristic -- no matter how attractive something initially seems -- that completely overrides any positive aspects. For example, you found a great apartment but it's a mile from the subway or your hot blind date acts like a cast member from "The Jersey Shore." Like anyone else, hiring managers have deal breakers too -- things that a job candidate does or says that immediately get their application sent to the "no" pile.

Here are some automatic applicant disqualifiers, straight from the recruiters' mouths:

"I provide personal PR consulting as part of my practice, and job interviews have come up recently. In talking with other managers, the worst interview blunder that I keep hearing about is young grads using social media speak during conversations, as if LOL is a real word. Most hiring managers are social-media savvy, but they want to know that their future employee can carry on professional conversations with all levels of the organizations -- using real words." -- Jules Zunich, owner, Z Group PR

 "The first thing that comes to mind when I think about deal breakers is the candidate's online personal brand. I Google candidates and if I find online content that is concerning, it's an immediate deal breaker. Examples of this include: pictures of the candidate drunk or acting in a promiscuous way or albums of pictures that represent a 'party animal' image; blogs or videos that are not in good taste; blogs, articles or any written content with below par writing and grammar skills; lack of professionalism or good conduct in group discussions (i.e. LinkedIn groups); complaints about prior companies and managers; and just a general usage of improper language on any social-media venue." -- Jessica Simko, human resource manager and owner, WorkandLifeSolutions.com

"A few of my common no-no's:

1. Bringing up salary in the initial interview (for an otherwise great interview, I'll excuse this if it happens during the Q&A at the end).

2. Speaking about scheduling limitations or prospective reasons to leave the position right off the bat.

3. Acting impolitely or speaking down to any person in our office (receptionists or secretaries included).

4. Telling me that dealing with people is your biggest challenge/weakness or least favorite thing. Very few jobs let you work without other people.

5. Consistently answering questions other than those I asked.

In general, it's often the little things that distinguish a good candidate from a bad candidate, so keeping all of those little things in mind is very important!" -- Josh, commenter on TheHiringSite.com

"Deal breakers I have seen include: having a really immature [cell phone] ring-back (I called one girl for an interview and her ring-back was some hip-hop song). Also, once a candidate didn't know what company they were applying for. Although the job posting didn't note the company name, the root domain of my e-mail should give away our Web address, and we were looking for someone that was tech-savvy for the job. Another time I told a candidate to dress fashionably for the interview because we were a fashion company, but she was a total mess when she came into the interview with loose clothing and really messy hair." -- Danny Wong, hiring manager, Blank Label Clothing

"Lying on a résumé. I had a marketing director e-mail me her old résumé (which I only had a paper copy of) and an updated résumé. The dates of employment on the updated résumé did not match the dates on the previous résumé and the first job listed on the previous résumé did not appear on the new one. When I asked for an explanation, she told me that she could not remember the dates of employment at her previous job and that she had removed her previous job from the new résumé because she wanted everything to fit on two pages. When I told her that I could not proceed with her candidacy because of the inaccuracies, she actually got angry at me. The second was a lawyer who, on a new résumé, changed the dates of his previous employments and removed one job completely. The funny thing was that he knew I had the previous résumé. The rule is simple: Liars need not apply!" -- Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO, Hurwitz Strategic Staffing

"Arrogance. When a candidate is overly confident, I find them to have a sense of entitlement, which is the last thing any employer wants to deal with. Remember to be gracious to anyone you meet during the job search process. Being humble will get you farther than being conceited." -- Elliott Martimbeau, recruiting manager at Sapphire Technologies

"One candidate I met recently came into my client's office and complained about the sign on the building. She said that it was too high up and was blocked by the trees surrounding it so she was unable to find the company. If you are this negative going into an interview when you're supposed to be at your best, think about how negative you'll be when you face challenges as an employee. Another candidate interviewing for a coordinator role asked for directions when I scheduled the interview. These days with Google Maps being so prevalent, candidates should be able to find their own directions, even if they don't have a GPS. Worse yet, she got lost on the way to the interview, and rather than asking someone in the neighborhood to help her, she called me. It took me five minutes to explain where the building was. Clearly this was not a person who was able to think on her own -- a deal breaker for a coordinator role." -- Abby Kohut, former hiring manager and author of "101 Job Search Secrets"

"Internally here when interviewing, we try and be somewhat forgiving as we understand everyone is only human. However, when the competition is high, there are things that can immediately remove people from consideration -- particularly if it's something that reflects on skills or attributes relevant to the job.

One of the big ones for us is spelling on a résumé, simply because it speaks to a person's attention to detail. If they can't check their own résumé over to ensure there are no mistakes, how could we expect them to do it once they get hired by one of our clients? So unless someone is a true superstar or has skills and experience that are in high demand, spelling mistakes are a deal breaker for us. The lesson here then is to make sure you triple-check your résumé before applying.

In addition, we've heard from a number of our clients about their personal deal breakers as well. While many are the same, we've definitely heard some unique ones. One hiring manager eliminated a short-listed candidate because her bra strap was showing. Another because a woman's skirt was too short. You never know the type of person you're going to be interviewing with and what type of quirky biases they may have. While some hiring managers' personal deal breakers might not exactly be fair to candidates, the bottom line is that they can and do eliminate candidates based on these personal judgments. Our best advice would be to err on the conservative or more professional side if you're ever in doubt." -- Greg Masiewich, manager, IQ Partners Inc.

There you have it, hiring deal breakers straight from the source. It appears that all of the disqualifiers mentioned above were caused by one thing: lack of professionalism. Remember, no detail is too small to be overlooked by a recruiter, so make sure you exude a professional demeanor during your job search. Whether it's in the way you dress, your manner of speaking, your online profile or even your cell-phone ring-back -- recruiters take everything into account.

10 Clues to Decoding the Interview

By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

Wonder whether you nailed that interview? While you won't truly know until you get "the call," there are many signs throughout the process that can help you determine whether or not you'll make the first cut. Following are questions and clues to help you decode the interview.

1. What is the interviewer doing?

"If I am interested in what a candidate is saying, I will nod my head, smile and likely jot down a few notes," says Inside Sales Manager Karen Nance. "I may also ask questions to probe further about what the applicant is talking about or share some thoughts on how this topic relates to the open position."

Nancy Kim-Phillips, owner of NKP Consulting in Chicago, says that candidates should observe the interviewer's body language for positive signs, "I find myself leaning forward when I'm interested in what someone has to say. I would expect the candidate to match my body language and lean in too."

Watch for negative signals as well. If the interviewer seems distracted, is checking her watch, shuffling papers or looking at his Blackberry, you're probably not captivating your audience. "I'll often put down my pen if I'm not feeling good about what the candidate is saying," she adds.

2. Were you engaged in dialogue?

"An interview is going well when there is a dialogue," Kim-Phillips says. "If I don't have to refer to a list of questions, and the conversation flows smoothly, it means there's a natural exchange of information we are both interested in. This can begin from the very first question, which is usually, 'So, tell me about yourself.'"

3. Did you hear positive verbal clues?

Lynn Hazan, owner of Chicago-based recruitment firm Lynn Hazan and Associates, says some interviewers may urge you on with positive words like, "Yes, go on...," "This is good..." or even "I like what I am hearing, tell me more..." These are all clear indicators that it's going well.

4. Were you reciting a monologue?
"A turn-off for me is if I ask a question and it becomes a monologue with a five-minute answer," Kim-Phillips says. In prepping candidates for interviews, Hazan suggests they prepare a concise 30-second and 60-second elevator pitch. "This, in a nutshell, is the ideal response to questions like, 'Why should hire you?'" she discloses. "I encourage candidates to practice in front of a mirror. There's no better way to judge how others see you than by seeing yourself," Hazan notes.

5. Did the interviewer interrupt you?

If the interviewer interrupts you or starts to look bored, it's time to change gears. Hazan suggests that candidates stop at the first sign of disinterest from the interviewer and ask a question like, "Am I answering your question?" Or "Would you like to hear more about this or would you like another example?" This may save the day and gives the interviewer a choice on where to proceed.

6. Did you ask questions?
As the conversation comes to a close, interviewers inevitably ask candidates if they have any questions. Kim-Phillips says that, "When I would ask, 'What questions do you have?' and there were none... that would close things out pretty quickly."

When interviewers give you the opportunity to ask questions, this is your cue to gain a better understanding of anything discussed during the interview. Questions like, "You said you want someone with a sales background; what else does an ideal candidate need to succeed in this position?" This is also a chance for you to demonstrate that you have done your homework on the company.

7. Were you asked about timing?
It's a good sign if you're asked about your availability. "I may start talking about time frame for making a decision, and ask 'How does this sound to you?' and 'How soon can you start?'" Kim-Phillips says.

"If I'm interested in someone, I want to know who my competition is," Nance adds. "I will ask, 'Where else have you interviewed?' and 'Do you have any other firm offers?'"

8. Were you a good fit?
The more the interviewer talks about what is going on in their company and how you will fit in, the better. Kim-Phillips says she never quite comes right out and says, 'I don't think this is a good match,' but might say 'We're really looking for the right match for this position.'

9. Were you invited to meet others in the company?
Nance and Kim-Phillips both say that if it is going well they'll mention that there are some other people they would like you to meet. They may even introduce you on the spot.

10. How long was the interview?
Most opinions about candidates are formed within the first few minutes. The rest of the time is spent validating these opinions. If an interview is less than a half hour, it's generally not a good sign. If you reach the one hour mark and the conversation is flowing enthusiastically and evenly between you and the interviewer, you may have hit a home run!

How to Answer: 'What Have You Been Doing Since You Were Laid Off?'

By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder.com Writer

When you first lost your job, you spent your time wallowing in your sorrows -- eating ice cream in your pajamas and watching Judge Judy all afternoon.  Then your determination kicked in, and you decided to find a new job. You perused job boards, polished up your résumé, searched for old co-workers on LinkedIn -- and occasionally watched Judge Judy all afternoon. 

While this may be the truth about what you've been doing since your last job ended, telling this to a recruiter probably won't be all that impressive. Though looking for a job is an admirable and necessary task for those out of work, telling a recruiter about your job search won't set you apart from the pack.

So how do you answer the "What have you been doing" question in an interesting, unique and truthful manner?    

Focus on activities you've been involved with

For example, if you have three kids, tell the recruiter how you've been able to serve as team parent for your child's soccer team since you have more free time. Or, if you've spent your extra time going to the gym, talk about how you've been focusing on improving your health. These things show that you're making the best out of a less-than-ideal situation.  

Activities like volunteering and part-time work can also yield transferable job skills.  If you've been helping out a local charity with its online marketing efforts or putting in 20 hours a week as a part-time receptionist, relate the experience to the job you're applying for.

"There are tons of transferable skills that are gained from volunteer work and unpaid projects," says Susan Fletcher, psychologist and author of "Working in the Smart Zone." "Community involvement, events you've participated in or even been in charge of, volunteer boards you've served on and organizations you've been a member of provide a network and skill set similar to a paying job."

Highlight self-improvement

Have you been reading up on your industry in an effort to stay current? Did you recently start a blog about your field or try your hand at consulting?

"Our chief technology officer likes to ask people what they learned last month," says Daniel Ruby, research director at Chitka, an advertising company.  "[Whether it be] a new coding language or a new database structure -- keeping up on the latest emerging skill sets is a very good sign that this is someone we want to hire."

Showing an interviewer that you've been developing your skill set while unemployed demonstrates that you are motivated and interested in furthering your career and have a passion for your industry. "We've interviewed several people who were laid off and had been unemployed for a while," Ruby says. "Personally, I like to hear about entrepreneurial ventures they've tried, whether it's building an ad-powered website, starting an online store, etc.  Like many tech firms, we love seeing the entrepreneurial spirit in someone. If they started a company and failed, that's great, because they started a company and were actively working to control their own destiny."

Lay the groundwork

You can't give an interesting answer to the question "What have you been doing since you were laid off?" if you haven't been doing anything interesting.  Although it may be hard to concentrate on anything but finding a job, it shouldn't be your sole focus.  Taking on volunteer activities, signing up for a class that will improve your skills, doing contract work or joining a job-search support group will not only help you keep your sanity while you're unemployed, but will also make you more attractive to potential employers. 

Keys to Researching Your Next Employer

By Beth Braccio Hering

"I know right away when a candidate doesn't know the current news about our company," says Chris Brabec, director of leadership talent acquisition for Western Union. "If you don't know the CEO is retiring, or if a company made a big acquisition recently, that's not a good sign. If a candidate can't tell me what the company does (or thinks Western Union still does telegrams), that's another sign she hasn't done her homework."

In a job market where applicants frequently cast a wide net with the hope that anybody will respond, job seekers sometimes cut corners by not thoroughly checking out potential employers. But failure to know about the place you claim you want to work at can make you seem unprepared and disinterested -- and cost you a job offer.

Here, experts weigh in on things you should learn before seeking employment and how to find that information.

What to know

"Companies have told us that one of the things they use to weed out candidates is that the student didn't know anything about the company," says John M. Thompson, executive director of career services at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

Among the things Thompson encourages his students to find out are:

• What does the company do?
  
• What are its products?
  
• What is the company's mission?
  
• Where are its offices?
  
• How big is the company in terms of employees/revenue?
  
• How is it positioned in its industry?
  

  "Everyone, but particularly for more senior-level roles, should know our stock price," says Yolanda Bush, director of human resources for Western Union. "Research the company's leadership team and the company's efforts around corporate social responsibility. This will help candidates position themselves to discuss how their skills and experience will help us succeed in the marketplace."
  

Julie Rulis, a senior recruiter for Western Union's talent acquisition team, agrees with her colleague's advice and adds, "If you are doing an interview at a company, find out if it's in the Fortune 500 and where it is on that list. Even better: Find out where it was a year ago, and if it's different, maybe ask why. It shows you've done your homework. A job candidate should know our products and services beyond just the basics. With all the tools available nowadays, there's no excuse not to know."

How to play detective

The "tools" Rulis is referring to are all the different ways a job seeker can find information. Abby M. Locke, master résumé writer and personal brand strategist for Premier Writing Solutions in Seattle, offers these suggestions:

• Review the company's website.
  
• Read press releases.
  
• Pay attention to industry publications.
  
• Use Google alerts to stay on top of current company news.
  
• Do an informational interview with past or current employees.
  
• Talk to a representative at a career fair or trade show.
  
• Follow key decision-makers on Twitter.
  
• Use LinkedIn groups and other online social media tools.
  

Online directories such as Bloomberg and Standard & Poor's also give information on many businesses. For additional help in finding appropriate databases, job seekers may want to consult their local library or the college career center of their alma mater.

Show what you know

Finally, while you don't need to be a walking fact book, be ready to incorporate your knowledge of the company into correspondence and conversation when opportunities arise.

"I ask job candidates questions like what they know about the company beyond what's on the website, how they feel they fit in with our overall values and corporate culture, or what they found out about the company in their research that they didn't know before," Rulis says. "This is a great opportunity to show off your preparation -- talk about our competitors or the fact that you read that we're entering an entirely new business segment."

Get to know your potential employers, and chances are they will want to get to know  you.

How Do I Find A Job When Nobody Is Hiring?

By Chris Tidball

Which word best defines today's economy?

A.      Downsizing

B.      Layoffs

C.      Mergers

D.      Outsourcing

E.       All of the  above

In the morning paper and on the evening news, these buzzwords have become synonymous with the Great Recession, a time of chronically high unemployment with no end in sight.  

Businesses continue to scale back, leery of increasing taxes, regulations and mandates that have them hamstrung.  Making matters worse is that the unemployment rate, typically a lagging indicator of recovery, is likely to deteriorate before it improves.

It is often said that perception is reality, which is why it seems like nobody is hiring. The reality is that nobody is advertising, but there are jobs.  The key to finding those jobs is to seek out not jobs but business opportunities.

While employers will move away from hiring people in the traditional 9-to-5 sense, there is actually an uptick in independent contracting or business-to-business relationships that limit a company's exposure to the rising costs of health care, workers' compensation, litigation and disability.

Searching classifieds, enduring cattle calls and answering questions that have nothing to do with your ability aren't going to land you your dream job.  Rather, consider the following:

·         What talents do I have?

·         How can I put those talents to work?

·         How can someone benefit from what I have to offer?

·         How much am I willing to risk for more personal freedom?

·         What price would I pay for a better home/work balance?

As an individual looking for a job, you have the power to create the product to present to the potential employer from the perspective of a self-starting entrepreneur.   By actively seeking out decision makers in venues such as Rotary clubs, chambers of commerce or trade organizations, you are taking steps to move to the front of the line. By devising solutions and positioning yourself as a business partner willing to absorb some costs and risks traditionally borne by employers, you have become the embodiment of what will define employment in the 21^st century

In my own situation, I saw a 20-year career fall apart as a bank too big to fail nearly fell into the abyss. Despite the overwhelming odds, I used the knowledge I had gained during my tenure to develop multiple business solutions, which are being sold to a variety of organizations looking to decrease costs while increasing productivity and income. This success came because I recognized the changing economy and understood that my full-time job was to identify new revenue streams.

Through the prism of history we have seen recession followed by prosperity time and time again.  People who take great risks may reap great rewards. Carpe diem is Latin for "seize the day" and that day is now, for businesses and individuals alike, to begin their quest for a more prosperous and successful tomorrow.

Why Your Job Search Is Not All About You

By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder writer

We all get calls from telemarketers. Their generic, impersonal sales pitches typically yield responses like:  "Really? Why would I let you spend 10 minutes telling me about your vacuuming services?  I have a vacuum cleaner in the closet." Click.

Chances are you have received this type of call. And chances are you have hung up before you even know what the caller has to offer.

Were the vacuum company to peek in your window for a few hours (creepy -- but go with me here) they'd find out you were a single parent with three kids, two shedding cats and a bad case of seasonal allergies. With this new background information, the call might go something like:

"Hello Ms. Murphy!  Since you're so busy you barely have time to vacuum these days, I'll send my professional cleaning service to your home. In addition to saving you time, our filter-equipped vacuums will get rid of the pet hair on your furniture and decrease the amount of airborne allergens in your home!"  Since the telemarketer just solved three of your most pestering problems, you're probably more inclined to listen to his or her sales pitch.

Vacuum cleaners and allergies aside, applying to a company without targeting your application to its needs is a lot like making a random courtesy call. Employers aren't going to pay attention to you unless they know what you can do for them.

Solve a problem, land a job

"You have a job for one reason: to solve a company's problem," says Debra Benton, author of "Lions Don't Need To Roar" and "The $100,000 Club."  "You do not have a job because you need or want one; that is irrelevant to the marketplace."  That means you need to stop focusing on what your strengths are and start focusing on how your strengths can help the company you'd like to work for, Benton suggests.

Putting it all out there -- strategically

Rich Dukas, president and CEO of Dukas Public Relations, says that targeting your cover letter to address the needs of each company you apply to is the only way to get noticed. "Specificity rules," he says. "I am impressed when a candidate spends the time to learn about our firm and tells me in a cover letter and interview how they would directly contribute to our business. Generic cover letters don't cut it."

Using employer-centric language when applying to a position can also help, Benton advises. "Every part of your communication should be them-oriented instead of you-oriented, from the first word in your cover letter," she says. "Instead of writing, 'Dear Mr. Smith, I'm interested in a job at XYZ ...' your letter should start with 'Dear Mr. Smith, You have an exciting position at XYZ that I'm interested in ...'.  Just making the first word 'you'  versus 'I' is the start of a myriad of ways to be company-oriented."

Tina Chen, director of operations at Carlisle Staffing in Illinois, says today's tough job competition makes it especially necessary to focus your job search on the needs of employers and how you can make their organization a better one.  "Employers are no longer just looking for 'qualified candidates' but rather those who will go above and beyond to justify their seat, so job seekers really need to stay ahead of the curve and lay their best assets on the table," Chen says.

The bottom line:  Employment is a relationship

Although it is important for your communication with a prospective employer to stress how your skills can meet its needs, employment is ultimately a relationship, and you still need to keep your own interests in mind.

"Take a step back, assess the potential employers that you would like to work for, do your homework and decide if there could be a  long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Look at it as 'job dating.'  In order for the relationship to work, both parties have to bring something to the table," Chen advises. 

Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner at Kensington Stone, an international search firm in California, also compares employment to a long-term relationship. "It's like a marriage of sorts," he says. "Most of us who are married realize that we wouldn't be married if leading up to the wedding it had been all about -- 'me' or, for that matter, all about my spouse's interests. The key is to understand that while your primary interest is you, it's not your sole interest." 

7 Questions That Make Interviewers Cringe

By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder writer

Chances are you've prepared answers to a variety of questions an interviewer might throw your way, but have you spent equal time considering the questions you want to pose to a potential employer? What you ask (and sometimes when) can speak volumes about your interest and work ethic. Keep interviewers from cringing -- and possibly questioning your suitability for the position -- by avoiding these seven questions:

1. What does your company do?

Sure, an interview is a two-way street designed for both parties to learn about one another. Yet how can a job seeker prove he is the person for the position if he doesn't even know the basics about where he wants to work?

"I feel that if someone is coming to an interview, he should have some background about who we are and what we do," says Tina Kummelman, human resources business partner for Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore, Md. "Specific questions are great, but the overall blanketed question tells me someone did not do his homework."

Bottom line: Don't waste the interviewer's time by having her recite what could have been learned beforehand on the company's website.

2. How much does the role pay?

It may be the answer you're dying to know, but seeking this information too soon can make you look like you're jumping the gun.

"Just don't ask it. It sends the wrong message," says Chris Brabec, director of leadership talent acquisition for Western Union. Adds colleague Julie Rulis, senior recruiter with the talent acquisition team, "I believe this question should be saved for later stages in the interview process. Asking about salary or benefits in the first interview isn't the impression you want to leave with an employer."

A better idea: Do some research ahead of time to get a feel for what similar jobs are paying.

3. What are the hours of this position?

"This one question makes me cringe more than any other," says Paul Solomon, president of Solo Management, a New York-based executive recruitment firm that specializes in financial industry recruitment. "Wall Street managers don't want a clock watcher, so when I hear that question I know the candidate will not be the right fit."

Rulis agrees. "Although I understand why candidates are eager to know this  upfront, it
can raise a question regarding their work ethic if asked too early in the process."

4. How many sick days do I get?

What goes through the interviewer's mind when hearing this question?

"We are in the business of developing leaders, not slouchers," says Gary Rich, president of Rich Leadership, an executive coaching firm in New York City.

Keep a potential employer from questioning your motivation (or your health) by looking this up in the employee handbook  later.

5. How much time do I get off?

Like numbers three and four, this question can make a potential employer wonder if a candidate is more interested in getting out of work than contributing. It is especially frowned upon in fields requiring significant motivation from the get-go.

"A career as a financial representative is what you make of it. Your hard work helps determine your rewards. You have the ability to be your own boss, build your own practice and arrange your own schedule, while making a positive impact on your clients' lives," says Randi Michaelson, a director of recruitment and selection for the McTigue Financial Group in Chicago who recruits career changers to work as Northwestern Mutual financial representatives. "In the beginning, it takes time, energy and commitment, but successful financial representatives -- like successful entrepreneurs -- are able to enjoy work-life balance among other rewards."

6. If I'm hired, when can I begin applying for other roles within the company?

"This question makes it seem like the candidate isn't really interested in the job she is currently interviewing for -- that she really just wants a foot in the door," Rulis says.

While ultimately you might have higher aspirations than the position for which you are applying, remember that an employer is looking for the best person to fill an opening for what the company needs now, not in the future.

7. Do you do background checks?

If you don't have something to hide, you probably aren't going to bother asking this one. If you do ...

Rich sums up the feelings most interviewers have after hearing this question, "I definitely don't want this person on my payroll!"

Want a Loan? A Sale? A Job?

Want a Loan? A Sale? A Job?

By Barbara Findlay Schenck

When Brad Newman introduced himself as an actrepreneur, I was hooked. Everything about his title told me he had information I wanted to hear. Over a few additional seconds, I learned that this actor and entrepreneur is the founder of Zentainment, "a socially conscious media company committed to growing brands that encourage you to dream big and live a sustainable life." From there, a longer conversation  and a business relationship  followed, all spurred by an attention-getting introduction that took just moments to deliver.

 
 

The elevator pitch rides into the speed-dating era
Today's economic environment has turned job fairs, trade shows, networking events and even sidewalk sales into buyers' markets where only those with quick, compelling pitches survive.

In the 1990s, high-tech entrepreneurs named these short spiels "elevator pitches" because they could be conveyed during an elevator ride. The tech bubble ballooned and burst (and ballooned again), but elevator pitches are here to stay. Everyone  whether seeking employment, sales or profitable business associations  needs one.

     

Is your introduction ready to roll?
"So, what do you do?"

Those five words are on the minds of everyone you meet, whether in person or online. Brad Newman's introduction helps provide a formula that can assist you in preparing your answer and attracting attention from those you aim to impress:

 
 

Describe yourself in five words or less. Use a distinctive title or phrase that makes people think, "This sounds interesting" or "This is what I'm looking for." Consider the difference between "I'm a copywriter" and "I turn browsers into buyers." Or, in Newman's case, between "social media entrepreneur" and "actrepreneur."

 
 

Explain what you do in one sentence. After introducing yourself, introduce your offerings. "Our name combines the words Zen and entertainment, which stakes out our media space," Newman says. "We're a media company that focuses on socially conscious content. That definition tells what Zentainment is and rules out what it isn't." Work on a similarly specific description for your business.

 
 

Define your target audience. "Our market is comprised of 30- to 49-year-olds who care about socially conscious living," Newman says. "By defining our market in that way, people immediately know whether our business is for them." In other words, Zentainment isn't trying to be all things to all people. It's focused on a specific target audience, which is a key to success in today's crowded business environment.

 
 

Communicate your vision. "We're committed to growing brands that encourage you to dream big and live a sustainable life, whether they're our own brands or ones for which we consult and serve as producers," Newman says. "Our vision is clear enough to keep us focused and broad enough to make us adaptive to the opportunities of a changing market and media world." It's also compelling enough to attract a growing contingent of Zentainment consumers and business clients. What does your business stand for? What attracts your customers and their loyalty? Your answers can serve as a magnet for growth.

Practice, practice, practice. Create a script that conveys who you are, what you offer, your market, and the distinctive benefits you provide. Edit until you can introduce yourself and your business in less than a minute, which is how long most prospects will give you to win their interest.

 
 

Shrink your introduction even further so you can tell your story in 20 words or less. That's how much space you have in most marketing materials and online presentations, whether on your own site, on social media sites, or on sites that link to your home page. If you're thinking, "Twenty words? You've got to be kidding," scroll back to the start of this column. That's exactly what Brad Newman used to get my interest.

5 Underhanded Ways Hiring Managers Say They're Not Interested

by Liz Ryan

Managing a job search today is an adventure that requires the interpersonal skills of a White House chief of protocol. Behind every hint and signal from an employer, deeper messages lurk. Much of my time as a job-search advisor is spent answering people who write me to say, "The interviewer said this or that, and then she looked at her shoes. What does it mean?"

Here are five dodges that employers use to tell job candidates "no thanks" without having to actually utter the words. The good news is that once you've received one of these weaselly brush-offs, you can turn your attention to more-promising job-search avenues.

"We're going to look at some other candidates."
Sometimes they tell you that you're one of three or five or some other number of candidates in the pipeline. That's fine. It's reasonable for a hiring manager to consider a number of people before making a hiring decision. The big red flag is when the hiring manager or the HR person says, "We're going to look at some other candidates."

Wait--you're going to go find some new candidates, after you've interviewed me? That's a sign to get out of Dodge. For whatever reason, you're not their cup of tea.

"We also have some qualified internal candidates."
If you were a hiring manager, who would you look at first: the people who already work around you every day or strangers who responded to a job ad? You'd look at your internal candidates, of course. You'd talk to those people, and if you wanted to hire one of them, you'd never place a job ad. When you post a job publicly, you're proclaiming to the world that you've already ruled out whichever internal candidates applied.

That's why, when you're into a recruiting process and you hear, for the first time, "You know, we also have some qualified internal candidates," it's time to cut and run. If there really are internal candidates, it's a huge disservice to those folks to not make decisions about them before bringing in outside people like you.

And an ethical employer owes it to you and other external candidates to make up their dang mind about internal applicants before wasting your time. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

"You're still in the running."
If anyone from the hiring organization says this to you, that's your cue to bail. This is the professional equivalent of your sweetheart saying, "You're awesome, but I think we should both see other people, too."

"We need to decide what kind of person we're looking for."
This is the mealy-mouthed manager's way of saying, "Whatever kind of person we're looking for, it ain't you."

"We're going to sit down and discuss all of the candidates next week."
Imagine that you're a hiring manager with a big, expensive problem to solve. (If you didn't have an expensive problem, you'd never have gotten approval to fill the position.) Imagine that the perfect person shows up, someone you know could solve your problem and let you sleep at night instead of tossing and turning. Can you imagine saying to that person, the one you desperately want on your team, "We're going to sit down and discuss all of the candidates?"

It would never happen. "We're going to sit down next week" not only means "We're in no rush to hire you" but also means "We don't mind telling you that none of us would burst out crying if you decided to move on to other opportunities."

Read the tea leaves, and save your energy for hiring managers who need what you bring to the table!

Ditch the Résumé Objective

By Nels Wroe, SLH Group

Your résumé is  spit-shined, polished, lightly buffed and glistening in all its glory. You've run it through keyword tests, tailored it to specific employers, focused on results you've achieved, and even printed it on coffee-scented paper stock (one can never be too prepared, right?).

But when it comes to that darn objective, you're never sure what to write. Will you sound too generic? If you get too creative, will it turn the employer off? Yet the truth is that the objective -- at least in the traditional sense -- is dead.

Ready to take its well-worn place is something far more important: a stark assessment of who you are through the eyes of your potential employer. Maybe your experience is solid, and the results speak for themselves -- but can employers truly relate to your experience in their world? Are you helping them see your potential through a lens they understand?

Potential is in the eyes of the beholder

Many job seekers get so focused on presenting themselves to a potential employer using the traditional "here's what I want to accomplish" objective that they overlook another, more critical component -- the valuable skills they already possess.

But why are those so important? Heck, it's results that count, right? Sure -- but only to a point. When faced with the choice between someone who blew past his sales targets but left a trail of upset co-workers and frustrated clients in his wake, and someone who can show equivalent results using a forward-thinking and team-oriented approach -- you can likely guess which one a hiring manager will go for.

Yes, employers want to see results. But they also want to see how you achieved those results. An objective will give them an idea of how you'd go about it for their company – so show them. Why waste your time, and theirs, with an objective that speaks nothing
to this?

Understand your potential

Before you can hope to sell a future employer on your potential, you need to understand it yourself. Anyone can say she has "tons of potential" or use phrases such as "out of the box" or "dedicated," but how can you quantify and describe this to employers in a way they can relate to? It's simple. You need to understand yourself.

Not in the vaguely New Age kind of way, but in the brass tacks, nuts and bolts of knowing your own work styles and competencies kind of way.

And there's the problem. Most of the objective methods used in the past to help us understand ourselves and our potential are not ideal for illustrating this to an employer.

Instead, assess yourself using one of the many tools that employers use to identify potential. These assessments provide accurate, objective and useful measures of your natural styles and competencies in the workplace. They can help you put your accomplishments into context -- and better yet, will help you explain how you achieved your results in language that employers can relate to.

(You'll also learn a thing or two about yourself along the way too, but don't let that stop you.)

The result will make a big difference in how you present yourself -- and how an employer will see you. For example:

Skilled sales professional with a 15-year track record of meeting/exceeding sales targets: two-year winner of top performer award, exceeded annual revenue targets by 50 percent or more in 2008 and 2009.

Turns into:

Skilled sales leader with a 15-year track record of exceeding sales goals using a highly adaptable and persuasive selling style. Exceeded annual revenue targets by 50 percent or more in 2008 and 2009 by building on strong organizational and goal-oriented skills.

An overly simplified example perhaps, but this new version answers a number of questions an employer is bound to ask about how you accomplished all those things on your résumé.

Still stumped on where to begin? Visit sites such as http://www.onet.net/ or http://www.shldirect.com/ (free to use!) to assess yourself. Or use recruiters or outplacement firms such as Teneo Talent (http://www.teneotalent.com/) that offer proven competency and motivation assessments. A bonus? These firms can also connect you with a career coach to help you further identify and understand your potential.

Crafting a résumé certainly isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, but this much is clear: The old rules no longer apply. So throw out that objective, and replace it with something that matters -- a statement about your true potential.

8 things that can kill your job chances

By Kate Lorenz on Jul 28, 2010 in Featured, Interviews, Job Surveys

In her new book "What Your Body Says," Sharon Saylor writes, "The most influential part of communication is your nonverbal. Your nonverbal can actually destroy or produce the results you want, such as inspiring employees to do better work, calming angry customers, creating fans in the marketplace and closing sales."

And according to a new CareerBuilder survey, your
body language can also hurt your chances of landing a job … especially a lack of eye contact.

In the survey of more than 2,500 hiring managers, 67 percent said that failure to make eye contact would make them less likely to hire a job candidate. Other nonverbals that hiring managers cited as negative included these seven things:

• Lack of smile – 38 percent
  
• Fidgeting too much – 33 percent
  
• Bad posture – 33 percent
  
• Handshake that is too weak – 26 percent
  
• Crossing arms over their chest – 21 percent
  
• Playing with their hair or touching their face – 21 percent
  
• Using too many hand gestures – 9 percent  
  

"In a highly competitive job market, job seekers need to set themselves apart in the interview stage," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. "All that pressure, though, may have some job seekers making body language mistakes that don't convey a confident message. To avoid these faux pas, and ensure you're remembered for the right reasons, try practicing ahead of time in front of a mirror or family and friends."

Haefner offers the following tips to avoid body language missteps during an interview:

• Keep calm. To make the best impression and avoid nervous body language, take measures to stay as calm as possible before the interview. Leave the house with plenty of time to get to the interview, avoid caffeine if possible and take deep, calming breaths.
  
• Practice makes perfect. The old adage proves true in this case, as you'll feel more comfortable the more you prepare for the interview, and in turn, it will help decrease your anxiety. Rehearse ahead of time with friends or family, do your homework on the company and be prepared for common interview questions.
  
• See for yourself. Viewing yourself while speaking can help you notice what body language mistakes you might be making without realizing. Look in a mirror while practicing interview responses or videotape yourself to figure out your typical physical movements, and whether or not you need to change them.
  

50 Tips for Surviving Your Worst Work Days

Karen Burns, US News and World Report

OK, you've heard about Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who had a major workplace meltdown last week. It was a classic "take this job and shove it" moment.

And, sure, maybe he shouldn't have done what he did, but did you catch yourself thinking, "I know exactly how he feels"?

If so, you have a lot of company. It's tough out there. Even if you like your job, even if you are grateful just to have a job nowadays, you probably get stressed out from time to time. It's normal.

But wait. Print out this list now, and on those days when it all feels like just too much, check out these tips before you do anything rash.

--Don't promise what you can't deliver.

--Learn to manage your emotions, instead of letting them control you.

--Cultivate a sense of humor.

--Resist perfectionism.

--Resist micromanaging (of yourself and others).

--Get the sleep you need.

--Try getting to work 10-15 minutes early.

--Take regular breaks.

--Take a walk at lunch, or do some stretching exercises, or jumping jacks, or something.

--Don't overdo the caffeine.

--Don't skip breakfast or lunch.

--Learn to recognize symptoms of stress (anxiety, headache, anger) so you can nip it in the bud.

--Make some friends/allies at work.

--Talk about your stress, to somebody.

--Pay attention to your breathing; slow it down, deepen it.

--Post family photos (or other images that make you happy) in your workspace.

--Focus on the now (i.e., don't agonize over the past, don't fret over the future).

--Take some alone time.

--Find harmless ways to vent; e.g., cry, or punch a pillow.

--Vary your routine.

--Stop trying to multitask.

--Remind yourself of what's really important in life.

--Beef up your skills; become better and faster at what you do.

--Make sure you truly know what is expected of you (you may need to talk to your boss).

--Try looking at situations from different points of view.

--Seek work that suits your personality.

--Learn to say "no."

--Always have a fallback plan (a "Plan B").

--Get better organized.

--Clean up workspace clutter.

--Stop procrastinating.

--Make your workspace as ergonomic as you can.

--Wear clothes that are comfortable and that you look good in.

--Try some "positive affirmations."

--Learn to manage your boss.

--Meditate/pray/contemplate.

--Avoid negative people as much as you can.

--Write down the things you like about your job.

--Make a list of all your achievements in the last year.

--Get clear on your life goals and take a step, no matter how small, toward those goals every day.

--Learn to love yourself as you are.

--Put a smile on your face.

--Get a hobby that makes you happy.

--Learn to prioritize. Learn to delegate.

--Stop comparing yourself to others.

--Ask for help when you need it.

--Break big jobs into bite-size pieces.

--Know your limitations and let others know them too.

--Don't try to control what is uncontrollable.

--Hang in there!

Karen Burns

10 Hiring Manager Deal Breakers

By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder.com writer

Everyone has encountered a deal breaker. That one unappealing characteristic -- no matter how attractive something initially seems -- that completely overrides any positive aspects. For example, you found a great apartment but it's a mile from the subway or your hot blind date acts like a cast member from "The Jersey Shore." Like anyone else, hiring managers have deal breakers too -- things that a job candidate does or says that immediately get their application sent to the "no" pile.

Here are some automatic applicant disqualifiers, straight from the recruiters' mouths:

"I provide personal PR consulting as part of my practice, and job interviews have come up recently. In talking with other managers, the worst interview blunder that I keep hearing about is young grads using social media speak during conversations, as if LOL is a real word. Most hiring managers are social-media savvy, but they want to know that their future employee can carry on professional conversations with all levels of the organizations -- using real words." -- Jules Zunich, owner, Z Group PR

 "The first thing that comes to mind when I think about deal breakers is the candidate's online personal brand. I Google candidates and if I find online content that is concerning, it's an immediate deal breaker. Examples of this include: pictures of the candidate drunk or acting in a promiscuous way or albums of pictures that represent a 'party animal' image; blogs or videos that are not in good taste; blogs, articles or any written content with below par writing and grammar skills; lack of professionalism or good conduct in group discussions (i.e. LinkedIn groups); complaints about prior companies and managers; and just a general usage of improper language on any social-media venue." -- Jessica Simko, human resource manager and owner, WorkandLifeSolutions.com

"A few of my common no-no's:

1. Bringing up salary in the initial interview (for an otherwise great interview, I'll excuse this if it happens during the Q&A at the end).

2. Speaking about scheduling limitations or prospective reasons to leave the position right off the bat.

3. Acting impolitely or speaking down to any person in our office (receptionists or secretaries included).

4. Telling me that dealing with people is your biggest challenge/weakness or least favorite thing. Very few jobs let you work without other people.

5. Consistently answering questions other than those I asked.

In general, it's often the little things that distinguish a good candidate from a bad candidate, so keeping all of those little things in mind is very important!" -- Josh, commenter on TheHiringSite.com

"Deal breakers I have seen include: having a really immature [cell phone] ring-back (I called one girl for an interview and her ring-back was some hip-hop song). Also, once a candidate didn't know what company they were applying for. Although the job posting didn't note the company name, the root domain of my e-mail should give away our Web address, and we were looking for someone that was tech-savvy for the job. Another time I told a candidate to dress fashionably for the interview because we were a fashion company, but she was a total mess when she came into the interview with loose clothing and really messy hair." -- Danny Wong, hiring manager, Blank Label Clothing

"Lying on a résumé. I had a marketing director e-mail me her old résumé (which I only had a paper copy of) and an updated résumé. The dates of employment on the updated résumé did not match the dates on the previous résumé and the first job listed on the previous résumé did not appear on the new one. When I asked for an explanation, she told me that she could not remember the dates of employment at her previous job and that she had removed her previous job from the new résumé because she wanted everything to fit on two pages. When I told her that I could not proceed with her candidacy because of the inaccuracies, she actually got angry at me. The second was a lawyer who, on a new résumé, changed the dates of his previous employments and removed one job completely. The funny thing was that he knew I had the previous résumé. The rule is simple: Liars need not apply!" -- Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO, Hurwitz Strategic Staffing

"Arrogance. When a candidate is overly confident, I find them to have a sense of entitlement, which is the last thing any employer wants to deal with. Remember to be gracious to anyone you meet during the job search process. Being humble will get you farther than being conceited." -- Elliott Martimbeau, recruiting manager at Sapphire Technologies

"One candidate I met recently came into my client's office and complained about the sign on the building. She said that it was too high up and was blocked by the trees surrounding it so she was unable to find the company. If you are this negative going into an interview when you're supposed to be at your best, think about how negative you'll be when you face challenges as an employee. Another candidate interviewing for a coordinator role asked for directions when I scheduled the interview. These days with Google Maps being so prevalent, candidates should be able to find their own directions, even if they don't have a GPS. Worse yet, she got lost on the way to the interview, and rather than asking someone in the neighborhood to help her, she called me. It took me five minutes to explain where the building was. Clearly this was not a person who was able to think on her own -- a deal breaker for a coordinator role." -- Abby Kohut, former hiring manager and author of "101 Job Search Secrets"

"Internally here when interviewing, we try and be somewhat forgiving as we understand everyone is only human. However, when the competition is high, there are things that can immediately remove people from consideration -- particularly if it's something that reflects on skills or attributes relevant to the job.

One of the big ones for us is spelling on a résumé, simply because it speaks to a person's attention to detail. If they can't check their own résumé over to ensure there are no mistakes, how could we expect them to do it once they get hired by one of our clients? So unless someone is a true superstar or has skills and experience that are in high demand, spelling mistakes are a deal breaker for us. The lesson here then is to make sure you triple-check your résumé before applying.

In addition, we've heard from a number of our clients about their personal deal breakers as well. While many are the same, we've definitely heard some unique ones. One hiring manager eliminated a short-listed candidate because her bra strap was showing. Another because a woman's skirt was too short. You never know the type of person you're going to be interviewing with and what type of quirky biases they may have. While some hiring managers' personal deal breakers might not exactly be fair to candidates, the bottom line is that they can and do eliminate candidates based on these personal judgments. Our best advice would be to err on the conservative or more professional side if you're ever in doubt." -- Greg Masiewich, manager, IQ Partners Inc.

There you have it, hiring deal breakers straight from the source. It appears that all of the disqualifiers mentioned above were caused by one thing: lack of professionalism. Remember, no detail is too small to be overlooked by a recruiter, so make sure you exude a professional demeanor during your job search. Whether it's in the way you dress, your manner of speaking, your online profile or even your cell-phone ring-back -- recruiters take everything into account.

14 Secrets to Career Change Success

By Curt Rosengren

Stop delaying.

Making a career change is challenging in the best of times, so this economy certainly doesn't help. Many people allow that to keep them frustrated and stuck—not just for now, but for the long haul. They think about making a change, decide they can't do it, and stick their dissatisfied noses right back down to the same grindstone. But what feels impossible today could be an open door in the future.

Prepare to feel fear.

You're 99.9 percent guaranteed to bump up against fear. It just comes with the territory. But it can actually be an enormously valuable asset. Productive fear shines a light on potential dangers so you can assess how to minimize or eliminate them. Ask yourself: Is this fear valid? What warning does this fear have for me? What factors would make this outcome more likely? What could I do about each of those risk factors?

Analyze yourself.

Start with questions like: What do I love doing? Why? When do I feel most energized? Why? What activities do I lose myself in? Why? What work sparks my interest? Why? What feels meaningful? Why?

Lay the groundwork.

Ask yourself, "What is it going to take to make the change? What do I need to put in place?" Maybe you need to start putting aside money for a career change fund. Maybe you need to start developing an expertise or building relationships in your new area of focus.

Take action.

There comes a time when exploring and thinking and noodling cease being productive and become just another way to procrastinate. Action creates opportunity. There are countless doors that will never open to you unless you take the first steps. Action is also a great antidote to fear. Sitting passively and letting life happen to you breeds fear the way still, stagnant water breeds mosquitoes. Stir it up a little.

Network. Once you have clarity about what makes you tick and where you want to go, you can start building a network. The idea is to create a framework that you can tap into when it comes time to make that change. Build your network before you need it.

Assume success.

There's a well-known self-exploration question that goes, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" It's a way to help people shine a light on their dreams. Tell yourself: "Success is inevitable. Now prove it." Assume that the only possible outcome is success, and then challenge yourself to prove how that can happen.

Pay attention.

Make it a habit to pay attention to two things at work: what you love about your job and what you dislike. Your goal is to understand the details of your experience, because that gives you something specific to work with as you pursue positive change. Think of your work as a big research experiment aimed at helping you uncover what energizes you and what drains you.

Find good company.

When you surround yourself with people who are positive and motivated, who believe in their potential, a funny thing happens. Even if nothing else in your life changes, it starts to rub off on you. It starts to change your paradigm.

Get knowledge support.

You don't have all the answers, so don't pretend you do. Take stock of what you need to learn, and find ways to learn it. Find mentors, interview experts, or take classes. The less you grapple with figuring out the answers, the more energy you'll have to use them.

Help someone else.

As you look at your goals, ask the question, "How can I serve?" How can you help someone? Where are your opportunities to give? When you focus on helping and giving, you are often the recipient of helping and giving from some other direction. I can't tell you the equation that translates your giving actions into benefits for yourself. But almost everything I have been able to accomplish in my own career has been driven in some way by focusing on how I can help others.

Deal with past failures.

Are there any failures in your past that are keeping you from your future? Are you playing it safe anywhere, not because it's the wise thing to do but because you're letting your fear close doors? What one step can you take to start opening those doors again? You can either learn and move on, or let that failure limit your life.

Be sure you're not getting in your own way.

Perhaps you find yourself spending too much time watching TV and not enough time working towards what you really want. Or it could be that your diet is so packed with junk food that you have no energy to do anything but come home at the end of the day and collapse.

Get back on track after a derailment.

If you ever wind up off track as you pursue your passion, take heart. You're in good company. It happens a lot. The important thing is not whether or not you get derailed, it's what you do when you realize that it has happened.