Tips for Work and Life with Andrew LaCivita

Not sure what's in the job description? Not sure how to use the information? Wondering where the hidden information is? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses how to use job descriptions to ace your interview! ——————– TODAY'S TOPIC: How to Use Job Descriptions to Ace Your Interview ——————– You'll learn advanced techniques to use job descriptions to wow interviews by knowing all the key skills and traits they're looking for in an employee. You can turn these dull "pieces of paper" into silver bullets for you! ——————– SUBSCRIBE FOR THE LIVE Q&A: Did you know you can attend these sessions LIVE for FREE? Yeah! ——————– I conduct my weekly "posts" LIVE as part of my LIVE OFFICE HOURS on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube Channel so you can get the Live Office Hours alerts. I conduct the sessions on THURSDAYS and vary the times because I have a very global community and want to provide everyone a chance to attend at a reasonable hour of THEIR DAY! You can chime in with your questions related to this topic or anything you want to discuss about your job search or career. If I don't get to your question live, I'll be happy to answer it in the comments section when the live airing is complete! ——————– FREE STUFF! ——————– These are all FREE. Help yourself: WEBINAR: HOW TO FIND A JOB YOU LOVE: 10 Steps to Find Your Dream Job 10X Faster DOWNLOAD: 10X10 JOB SEARCH FORMULA: The 10 Most Important Steps and 10 Tips for a Successful Job Search ——————– JOIN MY JOB SEARCH BOOT CAMP ——————– Want the most advanced and effective job searching program created? Check out my Job Search Boot Camp to find your dream job fast! 5 sessions, lifetime access, live events (plus recordings), ongoing coaching and so much more: – Start in the right place (your headline/pitch, your why, your needs, your questions for the employers) – Create marketing material that wows (resume, cover letters, LinkedIn Profile) – Run the perfect job hunt (most advanced job search strategies) – Interview to win the job (ace any type of interview and learn advanced selling techniques) – Negotiate like a pro (learn the nuances, psychology and steps to get paid what you deserve) Learn more and ENROLL HERE. ——————– CONNECT WITH ME ——————– I believe in being there for you wherever you are! Join my email list email list Get my books and trainingSubscribe on YouTube Join me on Facebook Tweet with me on Twitter Connect with me on LinkedIn Zip through my pics on Instagram Listen on my iTunes free podcast (I'm on all podcast platforms if Apple isn't your thing) ——————– WHO IS THIS DUDE? ——————– Andrew LaCivita is an internationally recognized executive recruiter, award-winning author, trainer, and founder and chief executive officer of milewalk and the milewalk Academy. He's dedicated his career to helping people and companies realize their potential, consulting to more than two hundred organizations and counseling more than eleven thousand individuals. He often serves as a trusted media resource and is the award-winning author of Interview Intervention, Out of Reach but in Sight, and The Hiring Prophecies.

Does your resume lack real power? Not sure what to say or how to say it? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses how to write perfect resume bullet points! -------------------- TODAY'S TOPIC: How to Write Perfect Resume Bullet Points -------------------- You'll learn the 7 essential questions you need to answer in every resume bullet point you write. Plus, you'll learn the perfect resume bullet point format! -------------------- SUBSCRIBE FOR THE LIVE Q&A: Did you know you can attend these sessions LIVE for FREE? Yeah! -------------------- I conduct my weekly "posts" LIVE as part of my LIVE OFFICE HOURS on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube Channel so you can get the Live Office Hours alerts. I conduct the sessions on THURSDAYS and vary the times because I have a very global community and want to provide everyone a chance to attend at a reasonable hour of THEIR DAY! You can chime in with your questions related to this topic or anything you want to discuss about your job search or career. If I don't get to your question live, I'll be happy to answer it in the comments section when the live airing is complete! -------------------- FREE STUFF! -------------------- These are all FREE. Help yourself: WEBINAR: HOW TO FIND A JOB YOU LOVE: 10 Steps to Find Your Dream Job 10X Faster DOWNLOAD: 10X10 JOB SEARCH FORMULA: The 10 Most Important Steps and 10 Tips for a Successful Job Search -------------------- JOIN MY JOB SEARCH BOOT CAMP -------------------- Want the most advanced and effective job searching program created? Check out my Job Search Boot Camp to find your dream job fast! 5 sessions, lifetime access, live events (plus recordings), ongoing coaching and so much more: - Start in the right place (your headline/pitch, your why, your needs, your questions for the employers) - Create marketing material that wows (resume, cover letters, LinkedIn Profile) - Run the perfect job hunt (most advanced job search strategies) - Interview to win the job (ace any type of interview and learn advanced selling techniques) - Negotiate like a pro (learn the nuances, psychology and steps to get paid what you deserve) Learn more and ENROLL HERE. -------------------- CONNECT WITH ME -------------------- I believe in being there for you wherever you are! Join my email list email list Get my books and trainingSubscribe on YouTube Join me on Facebook Tweet with me on Twitter Connect with me on LinkedIn Zip through my pics on Instagram Listen on my iTunes free podcast (I'm on all podcast platforms if Apple isn't your thing) -------------------- WHO IS THIS DUDE? -------------------- Andrew LaCivita is an internationally recognized executive recruiter, award-winning author, trainer, and founder and chief executive officer of milewalk and the milewalk Academy. He's dedicated his career to helping people and companies realize their potential, consulting to more than two hundred organizations and counseling more than eleven thousand individuals. He often serves as a trusted media resource and is the award-winning author of Interview Intervention, Out of Reach but in Sight, and The Hiring Prophecies.

Are you struggling to find that great job? Does it seem like your job search is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses why your job search is taking so long! -------------------- TODAY'S TOPIC: Why Your Job Search Is Taking So Long -------------------- You'll learn the reasons why your job search is lagging, how your demographic affects your ability to find your next job, and exactly how to allocate your job search time based on your age, income level, and other key demographics! -------------------- FREE STUFF! -------------------- These are all FREE. Help yourself: WEBINAR: HOW TO FIND A JOB YOU LOVE: 10 Steps to Find Your Dream Job 10X Faster: http://bit.ly/FindJobYouLoveWebinar-yt DOWNLOAD: 10X10 JOB SEARCH FORMULA: The 10 Most Important Steps and 10 Tips for a Successful Job Search: http://bit.ly/10x10JobSearchFormula-youtube -------------------- JOIN MY JOB SEARCH BOOT CAMP -------------------- Want the most advanced and effective job searching program created? Check out my Job Search Boot Camp to find your dream job fast! 5 sessions, lifetime access, live events (plus recordings), ongoing coaching and so much more: - Start in the right place (your headline/pitch, your why, your needs, your questions for the employers) - Create marketing material that wows (resume, cover letters, LinkedIn Profile) - Run the perfect job hunt (most advanced job search strategies) - Interview to win the job (ace any type of interview and learn advanced selling techniques) - Negotiate like a pro (learn the nuances, psychology and steps to get paid what you deserve) Learn more and ENROLL HERE: https://www.milewalkacademy.com/p/andrew-lacivita-job-search-boot-camp -------------------- MAKE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE FOR FUTURE LIVE EVENTS -------------------- Don't miss any future events! I conduct LIVE OFFICE HOURS on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL ON THURSDAYS! Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to get the alerts so you can join me LIVE: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewlacivita iTunes free podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- ABOUT ANDREW -------------------- Andrew LaCivita is an internationally recognized executive recruiter, award-winning author, trainer, and founder and chief executive officer of milewalk and the milewalk Academy. He's dedicated his career to helping people and companies realize their potential, consulting to more than two hundred organizations and counseling more than eleven thousand individuals. He often serves as a trusted media resource and is the award-winning author of Interview Intervention, Out of Reach but in Sight, and The Hiring Prophecies. -------------------- ABOUT TIPS FOR WORK AND LIFE® -------------------- Tips for Work and Life® is a weekly careers, hiring, and motivational show full of helpful job search strategies, career management and acceleration tactics, recruitment techniques, and self-help aids with the award-winning author, career coach, and trainer Andrew LaCivita. Tips for Work and Life® has been cited by several sources as a Top 5 Careers and HR Blog. Andrew includes these 3-15 minute multicast shows as part of his blog and podcast.

Have you ever wondered how to dazzle job interviewers when they ask, "Can you walk me through your resume?" Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses walk me through your resume: best way to respond! -------------------- SEE FULL WEBISODE ON MY BLOG -------------------- Check out Walk Me Through Your Resume: Best Way to Respond on my Tips for Work and Life Blog with the video, podcast, full transcript, and more!: http://milewalk.com/mwblog/walk-me-through-your-resume-best-way-to-respond -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alacivita iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- SUMMARY -------------------- Sad for them, but you should be doing back flips! It is probably one of the dumbest ways for a job interviewer to open up the interview, but it is one of the best things that could possibly happen to you. You might be puzzled. I know there are a lot of you out there puzzled because I get the emails and I get the questions on my YouTube channel and blog. You're wondering how to answer this. You say, "Ugh, I'm not sure where to start. I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure what to share. I don't want to share the wrong things." What you should be thinking is, "Yes. Thank you Mr. Unskilled Job Interviewer for lobbing me that sweet softball question so I can now totally control the interview and dazzle you with my professional highlight reel. So buckle up and prepare to be amazed." That's what should be going through your head because you now get to offer up whatever it is you want to share. Do's, Don'ts, Always, and Never-Evers… Before we get into the "here's how," I want to talk a little bit about the do's and don'ts to get you positioned in the right spot before you walk them through. First thing I want you to do is [it's actually before the interview ever starts, day before, week before, whenever it is, I want you to] look at your resume! 1] Look at the job description and determine what areas or activities or accomplishments in your resume most closely align and best suit you to do that role effectively. Think about those. Grab this tool to help you: Career Achievements Journal: 14 Points That make You Marketable, Get You Promoted, and Accelerate Your Career. It's got 14 great areas to investigate about any major project you do in your professional career. It'll provide questions to ask yourself and information to gather that will be wonderful to share [whether with your current employer or a perspective employer]. I want you to think through the resume and how it aligns to what it is they need in an employee. That's the first do. 2] The second "do" is make sure you bring a copy of your resume to the job interview. It's something a lot of people forget to do, but here's why you need it. You cannot be sure the job interviewer's actually going to have a copy. Even if he or she does have a copy, it's highly likely they have not read it. I know it's sad, but it's true. They're that lazy, which is why they asked you to walk them through it. They want you to read it to them. Extra sad face. 3] You also want to make sure before you start you know what direction to go. Ask them. There are basically three directions you can go through this exercise. You can start at the beginning of your professional life and walk them through your resume up to today. Ask them, "Do you want me to start at the beginning and bring you current?" You can start with today and go in reverse chronological order and work backwards to the beginning of your professional career. You can cherry pick those areas for them to determine whether you're a good fit for the job and have best prepared you for the role? They'll probably want you to go from the beginning of time to today, but regardless of which direction, you'll know. 4] Don't read them what's on the resume. Don't look at your resume and start reading. You'll be very dry. 5] Don't [just] talk about the activities you have on the resume. You'll lose them. You'll lose their attention. It's not that exciting what you were responsible for. Here's how to roll… Once you know what direction they want you to go (most of them are going to want you to go from the beginning of time till today), start going through your resume. When you start at the beginning (now for many of you I know that was 10, 20, or 30 years ago) remember not all the information on your resume is created equal in helping you get that job. It's not all as relevant. For those areas, especially the ones at the beginning of your career, I want you to walk through those very, very quickly. If I was interviewing and someone wanted to interview me for a practice leadership position and asked me to walk them through my resume, I might say, "I got out of college and started working as a programmer and then I became a designer and then I started managing projects that implemented software solutions." That took me [less than] 10 seconds to go through five years of my career because it's not very relevant! But, they asked you to start there so that's what you want to do. You want to go through the less critical areas very quickly. Then, when you get to a spot in your career where you think you have a home run accomplishment or achievement, take your opportunity to shine. Give them context on what was happening in that project. What did you do? What was the business benefit? Who were you doing it for? Who were you doing it with? How much money did you save them? How much revenue did you generate them? Get the career achievements journal I mentioned earlier to help you tell that story. It'll help bring context and color. Then move onto the next one and so on and so forth. Oh. I know what you're thinking… You might be thinking, "Andy, I could go on for an hour talking about myself, my resume." GOOD! Good, go do that. You get to script exactly what it is that you want to say. You might be thinking, "I'm not really sure. Maybe I'm running off at the mouth. I might bore them." There's ways after you hit each major area in your resume, just take a pause, look over to the interviewer and just say, "Is that enough there? Did you have anymore questions about that? Did you want to discuss that any further? How am I doing? Should I go onto the next point?" Just do what you need to do to give yourself a quick break. The fact of the matter is they turned control of the interview over to you so you now get to blueprint the dialogue that occurs. You get to tell them what you want to tell them, not what they want to ask you. That's the wonderful thing about getting asked that question early in the interview. If you want to learn more about how to respond to their questions or how to tell stories in a job interview, check out my free webinar called 3 Keys to Ace Any Job Interview. It's free. If you liked the video, give me a LIKE, a COMMENT, and a SHARE! Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post!

Do you feel you need to raise your confidence in your job interviews? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses job interview confidence: boost yours with these protips! -------------------- SEE FULL WEBISODE ON MY BLOG -------------------- Check out job interview confidence: boost yours with these protips on my Tips for Work and Life Blog with the video, podcast, full transcript, and more!: http://milewalk.com/mwblog/job-interview-confidence-boost-yours-with-these-protips/ -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alacivita iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- SUMMARY -------------------- Confidence and the way you exude it is one of the most important ingredients to a successful job interview! Let's level-set here. I know you all have varying degrees of confidence. Whoever you are, however confident or non-confident you are, think about when you were most confident. You probably felt super-knowledgeable about what you were doing or discussing. Knowledge breeds confidence. You also probably felt very prepared. Preparation breeds confidence. So, the first thing I want you to do is just take a deep breath. Remember, if you are in a job interview, you are likely qualified for that job and you can do it effectively. That's why the employer invited you in for an interview. So take some comfort in that. Now, the preparation part is something I can really help you with. That's what we're going to focus on in this video. Before we dive into that, I want you to think about the context of three biggest aspects of what's happening in a job interview: You've got you, and your story, and what you're all about. You've got the employer, the questions they're going to ask you, and the responses you give them for them to determine whether you're a good fit. You've got the questions you're going to ask the employer to determine if they're a good fit for you. Know your story. I'm sure some of you are out there thinking, Andy, I live with myself all the time! Of course I know my story. I won't argue with that, but there's a huge difference between knowing what you've done, being able to recall it in detail under duress, bringing real life into it with the color and details you give your story when you share it with somebody. Let's paint the scene. You start the interview. It's all about your story in the beginning. Somebody just asked you, "Tell me about yourself." Or how about this one, "Walk me through your resume." That's the best because now you can waltz right through it, you've got your resume to use as a crutch. Like I said, remembering what it is you did isn't so difficult. But, being able to share your story with some real life, that's where the confidence comes in. So, before you go into a job interview, I want you to think back. Sit down with your resume, pour your favorite cup of coffee, and sit at the coffee table. You've got no distractions. You're not under any duress. Go through your resume and think through the highlights on your resume and all the bullets you've got laid out there. What was actually happening at the time you were doing that? Remember, some of these activities you performed might be ten years old, but they could still be very, very relevant to what the employer wants to know. Who was on the project? What were you doing? Think about what the air smelled like. Think about the business problem. I have a great aid you can download I call my career achievements journal. It's got 14 points you should address for every major project in your career. Use those questions to stimulate your thinking so you could start to recall what was happening throughout the last 10 or 20 years of your career. So, when somebody says as you're walking through your resume, "Hey, hold it right there, that's really interesting to me. Let's talk a little bit more about that part of your career." Now, you're ready to say, "You know what, oh man, that was such a wonderful time in my life. I was on this 30-person project team, we were implementing this software system for our customer. I was managing a five-person SWAT team that was focusing on the architectural design and development blah blah blah." That is much different when you have it at your fingertips, even though it was 10 or 15 years ago, and you're able to articulate it with details. Details about what's going on at any moment in your story is what brings life to it. It helps the person paint a picture of what is happening, and it makes them feel as though you know your stuff, and you will come off as confident! Know your responses. When they start asking more detailed questions about your experience and your skill sets, knowing your responses and the details you want to share will be extremely important. For this point, I'll offer your a great e-book called Ace Your Job Interview, Master the Best Responses to the 14 Most Effective Job Interview Questions. If you look at the questions, you will see a pattern. There are a lot of very, very good interview questions the employer disguises, but they're all looking for the same 15-20 aspects about you. Use the eBook to get the questions and career journal to help with your responses. The preparation, your understanding of the most common and most critical job interview questions, and knowing your responses are somethings you can do in advance. You can use that career achievements journal to stimulate your thoughts and the details that go along with those responses. Knowing those responses cold will help you come off as more confident. And, you'll be ready for any question that comes along. Know your questions. And follow up questions. If you are well researched and have very well thought-out questions, these can be scripted based on your requirements and what's important to you. You get to do all of this in advance, so script out those questions. If you're looking for a bunch of questions, here's another giveaway for you. I have a free webinar called 3 Keys to Ace Any Job Interview. Attendees get a great e-book called How to Interview the Employer: 75 Great Questions to Ask Before You Take Any Job. Use those questions, take the ones you want, you'll never run out. There are plenty of them there for you to choose from. Here's your protip: it's not just good enough to ask well-designed questions, and be thorough, and show that you're researched. Confidence comes from able to quickly respond to what the employer says in his or her response to your question. So step number one is nailing the question you want to ask. Step number two is you spending some time, in advance, anticipating the employer's possible responses and being ready with your follow-up questions. That shows them you're confident. That shows them you know what you're looking for. That shows them you know how to investigate. Confidence comes from that, and if you are able to anticipate what the likely outcomes will be, you're going to be way ahead of the game. I hope you like those points. If you enjoyed this, give me a like, a comment, and a share! Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post!

Been invited back for a second job interview and want to make sure to ace it? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses the second job interview: 3 tips to get hired! -------------------- SEE FULL WEBISODE ON MY BLOG -------------------- Check out Second Job Interview: 3 Tips to Get Hired on my Tips for Work and Life Blog with the video, podcast, full transcript, and more!: http://milewalk.com/mwblog/http://milewalk.com/mwblog/second-job-interview-3-tips-get-hired/ -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alacivita iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- SUMMARY -------------------- Read more at http://andrewlacivita.libsyn.com/#u5yqdolJ2MApIXlq.99 Let's talk about the second job interview. You know the one. They loved you so much the first time, they invited you back! I'm going to give you three great tips. These are the exact same three tips I gave one of my Interview Intervention Course students, Hannah. She used them to get the job on her second interview. [Hannah, if you're watching, shout out to you. Hope you're enjoying the new job! For the rest of you, I want you to know the second interviews are not much different—tactically—than the first interviews. All those videos I've created on job interview tactics and my FREE webinar 3 Keys to Ace Any Job Interviewwill teach you how to answer and ask questions in a job interview. Use all that as foundational stuff. The second interview is about building deeper connections… The second job interview is about building a deeper connection, a deeper relationship, and more chemistry with the entire company. It is about getting them to imagine you as part of the team. You want them to feel as though you're part of the team. So, how do you do that? Sometimes when you're invited back, you are speaking with the same people you spoke with the first time, sometimes they're new people, and sometimes it's a mixture. Use these tactics across the board and adjust appropriately based on who you're speaking with… Ask Again. The first technique I would use is when you are speaking with somebody you have previously spoken with (whether on the phone or in an interview). Ask about something you've already spoken about. I call this the "ask again" technique. Say, "Last time I was here you mentioned [insert whatever here]. It really stuck with me. I thought more about it and I wanted to get more insight into that as it relates to [insert whatever here.] Could you elaborate…" This starts a deeper discussion on something you've already spoken about. Going deeper into the conversation on something both of you consider very important builds a deeper relationship. Ask More. The second tactic is to ask additional (new) questions. If you are speaking with somebody who you've previously spoken with previously, you want to make sure you're asking him or her a new batch of questions. If you're speaking with someone you haven't spoken with, make sure you have lots and lots of great questions. If you're not sure where to get these great questions, go to my FREE webinar 3 Keys to Ace Any Job Interview because all attendees receive a FREE eBook called How to Interview the Employer: 75 Great Questions to Ask Before You Take Any Job. You will never run out of questions. Plus, this shows you are well-researched and you are very, very interested in investigating this company further. And, you're doing it in a smart way. Be Inclusive. The third tip is to be inclusive of other people. By that I mean, reference conversations you've had with others in the organization. [You can even use this in the first round of interviews.] Whether you're speaking with somebody you previously spoken with or you're speaking with new people, one the best tactics you can use is to refer to what you and someone spoke about and then ask for their opinion. For example, "I talked with Susie the other day and she mentioned [insert whatever here]. I loved that and I'd like to get your insight on that. Could you elaborate on that as it relates to [insert whatever here]?" Consider the person you're interviewing. Whether he or she is a subordinate of Susie's, a peer, or a superior, you can adjust the angle of trajectory of your questioning and take it in the direction of that particular individual. You're showing them you enjoyed speaking with Susie, you found what she said delightful, and also want their opinion. You value their opinion and they with naturally see you as a team player. [You certainly sound like one!] As you start to reference others in the organization in a sincere way, the interviewer will start to feel like you are part of the team. As a bonus, this gives you an opportunity to make sure there is a level of consistency across their responses. Are they all on the same page? If you like this video, give me a LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE! Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post!

Want to join a company, but can't find a job opening? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he covers how to apply when there is no opening: 7 sentence cover letter! -------------------- SEE FULL WEBISODE ON MY BLOG + GET FREE DOWNLOAD -------------------- Check out Business Networking: How to Build Professional Relationships on my Tips for Work and Life Blog with the video, podcast, full transcript, and more!: http://milewalk.com/mwblog/http://milewalk.com/mwblog/how-to-apply-when-there-is-no-opening-7-sentence-cover-letter/ -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alacivita iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- SUMMARY -------------------- You want to work for an organization, but you can't seem to find a public job posting. You're not sure if there's an opening. You're not sure if they'll welcome you. You're wondering should I apply? If I apply, how should I apply? First things first… Should you apply or reach out to an organization when they don't have a job posting? Heck Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Three reasons: Great organizations are always, always combing the world for the greatest talent. They're always in hiring mode, whether they have a budget for a new position or don't have a budget for a new position. They are constantly looking for the greatest resources because they know the greatest resources don't always come along or are available when they need them. They'll trade up. If there are ten people in an organization, there's at least one or two of them the company would be willing to trade out for a better performer. It's just simple math. Now start adding a zero to those numbers. If there are 100 people in the company, that's ten to 20 people they'd likely trade out. What about a 1,000 people in the company? That's 200 openings, even if they don't have extra budget to hire additional resources. There is still 10-20% of their organization they feel they can improve with better resources. Less competition. There'll be a lot less competition. If there's no job posting, it's a deterrent for well more than 90% of the people. So most of them won't even try it. The ones who do, unless they're sitting next to you watching this video, they're not going to know exactly how to do that. This is going to give the recruiters and the HR people and the hiring officials more time to give your submittal more care and consideration. Now, how should I do it? There are seven areas to address in your introduction or your cover letter. When you want to target a company and don't see a job positing, reach out with this cover letter (introduction, email, etc.): Why you're writing to them. The reason I'm writing to you is because I want to join your company. But, you can't leave them there. You need to give them some context and some rationale as to why you want to work at that organization. Your rationale for wanting to work there. The reasons I want to work here are…based on my research…and then insert your rationale. What you offer and why you're a great fit. I offer X years of experience in this particular industry, doing these particular jobs which makes me a great fit to support your organization and the products and services it delivers. But you can't leave them there. You've got to drive a little nail into this one. That's number four… Home run accomplishment. Tell them about a significant accomplishment you know is going to be enticing and a great match for that company. A particular accomplishment I'm proud of or a significant accomplishment or a major accomplishment is…and then tell them specifically what it is. Pointing them in the direction of more evidence of why you're a great fit. For most of you, this is your resume. But, I don't want you to just point them to your [attached] resume. I want you to tell them exactly where in the resume you want them to look for more evidence that greatly aligns you with what they need for their organization. Welcome the opportunity to speak with them. I'd welcome the opportunity to speak with you… Thank them for their consideration. I want to thank you for your consideration… To see the exact language for my No-Job-Opening Cover Letter (AKA The 7-Sentence Cover Letter), head to the milewalk blog to get the download! If you enjoyed this video, give me a LIKE, COMMENT, and, of course SHARE with your friends. Expanding is what it's all about! Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post!

Are you in a situation where you could use a helping hand from your friends? Colleagues? Acquaintances? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses business networking: how to build professional relationships! -------------------- SEE FULL WEBISODE ON MY BLOG -------------------- Check out Business Networking: How to Build Professional Relationships on my Tips for Work and Life Blog with the video, podcast, full transcript, and more!: http://milewalk.com/mwblog/business-networking-build-professional-relationships -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alacivita iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- SUMMARY -------------------- No matter what your job is, over the length of your career, your network and it's health and strength is going to be your single greatest advantage in succeeding in your career. Sure, a lot of you starting now have some smarts, a good job, and are willing to work hard. All that sets you in the right direction, but over the long-term, over a multi-decade career that simply will not be enough to be truly successful. My 7 Key Success Factors for Business Networking There are two areas I want to review about networking: what makes it successful and how to actually do it! So, let's review my seven key principles for how to do it successfully and then a five step plan of attack to execute those principles. It's an all-the-time thing. You need to do it all the time. If you only do it when you need it, you're not going to be successful. If you need to network, it's already too late if you don't already have a healthy one. Be very, very consistent. Give value first. Take second. Give value first to others before you ask for something. It could be anything. But whatever value you provide—your time, energy, education, favors—give it first. Give more than you take. Put more into the networking bank. Keep making deposits before you make withdrawals. Do it live. This is not an email thing. This is human interaction. This is building deeper relationships. This is spending time with people. Do what you say you're going to do—build trust. Always follow through. Whether you're providing information, making a referral, etc. You want to be known for having a good "word," being trustworthy, and being dependable. Move it forward and expand their network. If the interaction between you and me dies with you, you haven't helped me build my network. So, you want to make sure you're thinking how can I help expand this person's network? Who might be good for him or her to know? You want to pay it forward, you want to move it forward, and you want to expand their network. The point is for both of you to grow your networks. Build a systematic plan that allows you to execute. You need to build a plan that makes you consistent, organized, and working toward building a healthy network that meets your goal and the goals of others. My 5-Step Plan to Build a Healthy Professional Network This plan has served me well for multiple decades. It's also helped me build and keep and extremely healthy network. This process works A. Set your networking goals. The first place to start is to set your goals. Don't just start dialing up people and emailing them. That isn't going to get you where you need to be. You have to have a goal. And what do I mean by goals? There are many, but let's talk about four: Educations and advancement of your knowledge Camaraderie Job hunting Grow customers, partnerships, etc. B. Build your relationship map by doing your research. Who do you know who can move you toward your goals? Who do they know? Who do you want to know? Who might know them? Build a relationship map. Literally build one. It could be a list of people, could be a diagram, or whatever it is that you want to do. C. Identify 60 to 100 people you can connect with who can help you meet your goals. Build a nice list of individuals. Spend an hour or so each month identifying the right people for you to connect with and contact. Do your homework. Be aggressive. D. Prepare standard messages you can modify. Draft 3-4 templates you can use to contact people and they tailor each one (in the next step) based on your relationship with them. E. "E" is for execute. Execute a consistent reach out program. For me, I contact five people at the beginning of each month. I go through my list of people and my relationship map. I identify 5-6 people I'd like to contact. I either call them or email them to see if they want to get together (phone, coffee, lunch, dinner, etc.). Give them a week to get back to you. If some don't, start contacting others and so on and so forth. Five people might not sound like a lot, but keep in mind you want to actually get together or speak with them. This is about spending time! Adjust your plan according. The point isn't to do it exactly as I've laid it out. The point is to tailor this or some plan to accommodate your needs. Feel free to adjust accordingly based on your goals. Most importantly, have fun and be generous! If you enjoyed this video, give me a LIKE, COMMENT, and, of course SHARE with your friends. Expanding is what it's all about! Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post!

Have you wanted to change careers, but don't know how? Want that job, but don't have the work experience? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses career change success: the first 7 steps! -------------------- SEE FULL WEBISODE -------------------- Career Change Success: The First 7 Steps on my Tips for Work and Life Blog with the video, podcast, full transcript, and more!: http://milewalk.com/mwblog/career-change-success-first-7-steps -------------------- CONNECT WITH ANDREW -------------------- Join Andrew's email list: http://milewalk.com/mwblog Get Andrew's books and training: https://www.milewalkacademy.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewlacivita Twitter: https://twitter.com/arlacivita LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlacivita Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alacivita iTunes free podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tips-for-work-life-andrew/id1120387046 -------------------- SUMMARY -------------------- Be encouraged! For all you out there watching (listening or reading this), I want to offer some words of encouragement. I know you can do this! I've done it three times. If I could do it three times, you can do it. The great news is you have the ability. It's also never in the history of the world been easier to make a career change with all the resources we have now to help educate you and get you going in the right direction. Have a plan… The problem is most people don't have a plan, which I'm going to give you today—the first seven steps of that plan. But first, a little perspective and motivation… I want to just give you a moment of perspective and I want you to tuck this away in the back of your mind as you watch this video or any of my videos for that matter. If I wasn't brave enough thirteen or so years ago to make a career change and then again two years ago to make another change, you'd never be benefiting from this video or any video I've ever created, or any training course, or anything I've ever done to help facilitate your career and your life. I want you think about as you're hesitating to make that change. Think of all those people in this world who would benefit from you doing so. So whether you are an old pro (like I am) wanting to make a drastic career change, or whether you're a college student looking for that first job, or anybody who wants a job where they don't feel like they have the requisite experience, this video is for you. I'm going to give you the first seven steps I would take. Let's roll… 1. Make sure you want it and make a list. It sounds silly, but there's a huge difference between a passing fancy and a burning desire. Most people fail not because of their ability, but because they don't have a good plan in place. They haven't thought it through about whether or not that career or that change is going to align to what makes them happy. So, the first step that I would take is I would list out all of my requirements I need in place to be happy. Make a list. It sounds simple, but very few people do it. BONUS: I have a three-part video series you can watch. It's called The First 5 Steps to Career Success: Get Your Career Focused, Organized, and On Track. Watch this to make sure you make the right list. 2. What are you willing to sacrifice? You have the ability to achieve your goals. You have the ability to make this career change or get that job. The reason a lot of people fail is not only because they don't have a plan, but also because they're unwilling to give up certain things in their life. You have to put in extra effort to compensate for the areas you're deficient. You need to "catch up." Think…nights, weekends, compensation, and so forth. You might have to take a little pay cut if you want to make a change. What are you willing to give up and not give up? Get clear on that and be committed to sacrificing those things that will prevent you from being successful in making this change. 3. Learn the capabilities and qualities. You need to discover the capabilities important for success in that particular career or job. What do I mean by capabilities? Here's an example. When a sales person is sells a product or service, knowing exactly how to sell that particular product is a trade skill learned through experience selling that specific product. That skill is usually something easily taught or learned. But, great sales people transcend product and services. They have foundational abilities like good leadership skills, good organizational skills, and good communication skills. They're good listeners. They know how to connect the dots for their customers or prospects to show them how their products and services will benefit them. They're good at psychology. These are foundational abilities that can be developed that make a great sales person a great sales person. If you want to be a chef, then you need to figure out what capabilities make awesome chefs. There are many ways to do that, but there are two easy ways. You could literally Google "what qualities make a great chef." A whole bunch of blog posts will come up and a whole bunch of books will come up. Read. Learn. See if those are qualities you think you already have or can develop. The other thing is you can do a little research with individuals who are currently doing that role or have done that role. There are lots of ways to get this insight, but you want to make sure identify the capabilities. We're going to use these in a later step in the process. This is a huge deal. 4. Do your reconnaissance with people currently doing that career or job. Talk to people currently doing that job—and I want to stress the word currently. Why do I make such a big deal about this? It's okay to talk to somebody who was a chef or a sales person. But, human nature is we tend to forget what it was like, what some of the struggles were, what it was like not to know what we know. Also, their techniques or their interactions with the world might be a little outdated. You want to talk to people who are currently going through it. It's fresh in their minds. They know what they're dealing with. It's front, it's center, and they can share it with you. You can start making a longer list of things you're going to have to evaluate and consider to know whether you're going to want to make this change. It might sound exciting when you're thinking about making that change, but if you don't have some realistic real-time data you're not going to be successful. 5. Build your Franken-Mentor. It's never been easier to get help and get educated on a career you want. I call this one "building a Franken-Mentor." When I became a trainer a few years ago, I didn't know how to work a camera. I didn't really have a great (social) platform. I didn't know what it was like to build a membership site or a training course or a number of other things I had to learn. I have seven different people it takes to help me shoot this video! LOL. I had to learn from many different people, who were experts at what they do. I took an entire army to deliver this video to you! Google them. Find their books. Find their blogs. Follow those people. Figure out and align those capabilities with individuals who speak on this or write on that or talk on that and start to learn. Over time, you'll find some experts are a little bit more effective than others. Continue to follow them. That's how you'll really start educating yourself. Go build that Franken-Mentor! 6. Anticipate and plan for the struggles. It's amazingly stupid to me people want you to envision success. (Yes. I just said that.) You hear a lot of people talk about, "Well, just imagine yourself successful." That's BUNK. (Yes. All capitals bunk.) You can't just imagine yourself into success! The better way to imagine yourself towards success is to envision the struggles you will encounter and anticipate them. Then, envision yourself working through them! Talking to the people currently in the job, researching the change you want to make, and then putting a plan together as to how you're going to overcome those challenges is what get's you through them and on to success. How will you react when you encounter that obstacle? I'll tell you how you'll react. You're gonna kill it because you were prepared for that encounter. When you hit it, you had already envisioned the struggle, anticipated it could surface, and were ready for it emotionally and with your plan! If you just envision yourself on the beach having cocktails, it isn't going to work. You probably have a dozen or so problems you have to overcome. All of us do. There's a bunch you'll prepare for through your research. There's some that will be unanticipated. But, everybody has three problems. You have a: Learning problem Marketing problem Job-interviewing problem (if you stay in the corporate world) 7. Execute your plan to overcome the struggles and advance toward success! Now it's time to execute! The learning issue we discussed a bit. Build your Franken-Mentor, get the books, follow the blogs, do the research, do your reconnaissance, talk to the people, start getting educated, start becoming more and more familiar. This issue is pretty straightforward. It just takes a little elbow grease. Most people are concerned about the "marketing issue." People always want to know, "What do I put on my resume? What if I don't have the right experience?" If you did step number three (Capabilities and Qualities) and identified those foundational traits you will be in great shape. The best employers know the capabilities they need to evaluate in a potential employee and they are hiring for the long term. They will notice that match in your resume. Here's what to do. Take whatever experience you have… If you're a college student, it's your internships, part-time jobs, school projects, classes, and whatever else you have at your disposal. If you're professional, it's whatever work experience you have. Use your list of capabilities, go through your work history, and start identifying the projects, the efforts, and work you did that built skills, which align to those capabilities. Put that information into your career profile, your highlights, and bullets in the professional experience on your resume. See How to Build the Ultimate Professional Resume for more on this. You also want to add this information in your cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Of course, prepare for some of the popular job interview questions in the same matter. That is, develop your responses using "stories" of developing those capabilities and how they match to the new job or career. You must focus on the capabilities. That's the biggest key to success to get over the marketing and job interviewing hurdles. Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post! Have you seen my FREE Job Interviewing Webinar titled 3 Keys to Ace Any Job Interview? There are several available times this week. Attendees receive an awesome eBook titled How to Interview the Employer: 75 Questions to Ask Before You Take Any Job. Check it out!

Confused about how to answer the dreaded "Tell me about yourself" question in a job interview? Join career expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita as he discusses tell me about yourself: best way to respond! This one goes out to all the people on my Tips for Work and Life Blog Subscription and my YouTube subscribers who've pelleted me with emails and comments asking to please shoot this video. This one's for you! Why the "question" is terrible… This question is terrible for a couple of reasons. The first reason is related to the employer. First off, it's lazy, it's ineffective and it doesn't guarantee the employer it will actually get the information they need to make a good determination about whether you're a good fit for the company. Great interviewers design well thought out questions that elicit specific information that allows them to make those determinations. The second terrible is it's even worse for you because it puts you in jeopardy of falling over one of the greatest tripwires in the job interview. The number one reason you do not get hired (see this video Job Interview Tip: The Number 1 Reason Why You Do Not Get Hired) is your inability to map your fit, value, qualifications, and skills to what the employer needs at the moment. Think about what's happening when you're in a job interview. You know you're fabulous. I know you're fabulous. The employer has even said you're fabulous by inviting you in for the interview. They think you're qualified on paper. They've also think the same thing about all the other qualified candidates who are interviewing for the job. But, only one or maybe a couple of you are going to get hired. He or she who best maps their skills and qualifications to what the employer needs is going to be the person they hire! Three techniques to nail this… How do you know what they need to make that determination? Ask The first technique is my favorite. When the interviewer asks, "Please tell me about yourself," just respond… "Hey, Mr. Lazy Interviewer Man, my background is lengthy and diverse. Is there any particular part of my background you'd like me to discuss so you can make a determination about whether I'm a good fit for your company?" Oh. I know there are a whole bunch of you out there saying, "Oh no, Andy I can't answer a question with a question! That's just bad form. I was told never to do that!" That's ridiculous. It's fine to answer a question with a question if you need clarification. They've likely asked you this question at the very beginning of the process or the very beginning of the interview. They dumped you into a wide-open field. It's okay for you to ask for some guidance. It only took you ten seconds to do that. Want to know what's worse than you answering a question with a question? That's you spending ten minutes talking about something that's fabulous about yourself that they don't care about or has nothing to do with helping them determine whether you're a good fit for what they need! Ouch. The more important thing we should focus on when you ask your questions is being able to anticipate the possible responses or outcomes. What could their replies be? The beautiful thing about your particular question is there are likely only two responses. When you ask, "Is there a particular part of my background," their response is going to be either yes there is or no there isn't. If they say, "Yes, there is a particular part of your background. Here it is…," you're golden. Just respond to what they cited. That's the best scenario. If they say, "No, there isn't any particular area…," here's your pro tip. Always bring a copy of the job description with you to the interview. If you ask that question and they say, "No, there's nothing in particular," then pick up the job description and say… "Okay, Mr. Lazy Interviewer Man, it looks like based on your job description you're looking for these skills and qualifications and the role has these responsibilities, so I'm going to share my background as it relates to the job description so you can get the insight to determine whether I'm a good fit for your company." Use the pro tip I cited with the job description… For those of you who simply refuse to ask the clarifying questions, go directly to the pro tip I just mentioned using the job description. Don't want to ask for clarification and don't have a job description… Sometimes you don't have a job description or it's so thin you don't have much to go on. No problem! Let's make the assumption if you are in a job interview you have some inkling of what the job entails and what background best suits it. When the interview says, "Please tell me about yourself," simply respond… "Okay, I'd love to tell you about myself. I assume the job entails [this and that] and these would be the skills you'd be interested in knowing I have so you can make a good determination about whether I'm a good fit for your company so I'll share my background as it relates to that." Now, you've given them your assumption about what the job entails and what you think are the important skills you need to have. If you are incorrect, there's not an interviewer out there who wouldn't stop you and say, "Actually, Mr. Smart Job Candidate, that's not entirely true. Let me clarify that for you. Here's what the job really entails and here are the skills we really need to assess." Now, you've got the information you need, you just got it a different way. If they don't interrupt you, take some comfort in knowing you're on the right track and off you go. Want more help getting hired? FREE EBOOK DOWNLOAD: Ace Your Job Interview: Master the Best Answers to the 14 Most Effective Job Interview Questions. Get it here: http://bit.ly/aceyourjobinterviewebook This eBook contains: 14 best job interview questions 43 variations of those same questions Why the employer asks them What the employer is looking for The very best responses FREE—VERY POPULAR—WEBINAR: 3 Keys to Ace Any Job Interview. Learn everything you want to know about answering and asking job interview questions. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/aceanyjobinterviewwebinar. Attendees get a sweet, FREE eBook How to Interview the Employer: 75 Great Questions to Ask Before You Take Any Job. Don't miss it! Like this episode? Please share it via social media and review it on iTunes! I can keep this blog and all future podcasts and videos ad-free and sponsor-free ONLY because you share my work! Please share or subscribe to my podcast and YouTube channel too! Want more advanced material? Join the milewalk Academy and grab some of the free offerings that support the instruction in this post!