get a job

Have you ever given a little extra push when preparing and had it pay off?

Lots of successful people talk about working hard. Most of them talk about working smart, too. Yet I’m sure you know someone who is a hard worker, or someone who comes up with lots of fantastic solutions, and neither seems to ever get ahead even though they want to. How do we work hard and smart AND get ahead?

The key is not in the hard, or the smart - it’s in why you’re doing what you do.

I want to make it clear that you do need to work hard and smart if you want to get ahead. There is no way around those two. Keep that in mind.

Take working hard and smart and add a why. I’m talking about a purpose here, not some mere goal. People who have purpose get more accomplished, as in things they want to do, for two reasons.Read more

If you were hired for a new position today, what would you try to do on your first day?

It’s a question we should all ask ourselves. We’re in the process of hiring a new member to our team, and it makes me think back to my first day at AiM&M. They knew I’d fit in because of how I handled the first day. What did I do?

I jumped in and offered my help in what the team was doing.

We were still figuring out how to position this new technology to prospects. I overheard some of the conversation in the room, picked up on what I could, and gave advice on how to present it better. Immediately I had credibility because I was making something positive happen. The next day I was trying out our new angle myself.

Who cares if you don’t know everything about the company, or had their official training yet? You were hired for who you are, not who you’ll become. Find someone you can help out on day one. Get involved. It’s the best way to understand what’s going on, develop relationships, and make the most of your new position.

Besides getting a company’s attention and blowing them away in the interview, here are the 59 things you should consider just in case Plan A does not work perfectly.

1) Make sure your cover letter and resume reference the position you are applying for. It shows you paid attention, and in a downturn nobody wants to hire someone who’s not paying attention.

2) Some people say to skip the cover letter. I love them. It’s the best chance I have of getting to know someone before I call them on the phone.

3) Give the person going through applications some way of getting to know you in your cover letter.Read more

You got their attention and the interview. Here are two things an interviewer wants to know:

1) You can do everything the position requires, and more.

2) You like to work hard and get things done fast.

If you cannot meet both of those requirements, you need to ace #2. You will open more doors for yourself in life if you work a little longer, a little smarter, and a little faster than everyone else around you. Why? Most people clock in, get stuff done, clock out. The good ones are not worried about the clock, get more done, and want results. The best don’t care about a clock, get everything done, and get results.Read more

The average job seeker has little idea how to knock someone’s socks off when applying for a job.

In the two years I’ve looked to hire people I must say I’m underwhelmed. Maybe horrified is a better word. Horrified. I’m horrified at the applications I sift through whenever I post a position. Besides the usual pitfalls – misspelled words, no cover letter, no relevant information, and sometimes no relevant job experience – most people lack any kind of style OR substance which sets them apart.

What can you do about it?Read more