However, as in any other conversation between people, there are other, unspoken questions that hiring managers and recruiters are asking themselves at the same time.

If you can get the answers to these questions right, you are well on your way to being successful with your application.

So, what are the questions that hiring managers ask themselves?

Do I like this person? – This question will generally get answered (without you knowing it) in the first minute of the interview.  It’s important to remember that people don’t hire people they don’t like, so if you can build rapport with your hiring manager, you are well on your way.  So make sure that you smile warmly, shake hands firmly and find out something about the people who are interviewing you.

Can they do the job? – It seems obvious, but if you’re not making it clear that you can do the job (and better than every other candidate), then you’re in trouble.  You have to sell your skills and do it boldly so that recruiters feel confident that they are making the right decision in hiring you.

How will they add value? – With this question, hiring managers aren’t just asking themselves if you can do the job, but are wondering if you can do more.  Do you have the potential to lead, to keep learning, to increase revenue, to improve processes or to innovate?

Will they fit in here? – Culture in any organisation is important, so anything you can do to give the impression that you will be able to get on well with your potential peers will be extremely valuable.

Is what they’re saying true? – If you can’t be trusted, you won’t be hired.  It’s as simple as that.  Don’t make outlandish claims and don’t say anything that you can’t support.  People can generally smell a rat and will question your suitability if you continually exaggerate your capabilities.

These are the five questions that hiring managers often ask themselves.

Make sure that you give them a reason to respond positively to each of them and you will be well on your way to landing a great job.

If you need some help coaching in how to improve your interview skills, give us a call on 0400 530 135 to make an appointment with Darren.

Taken from Darren’s Better Life Coaching Blog.

My understanding is that there are a few key things to keep in mind when trying to catch fish:

• Using a boat is generally more effective than fishing off a pier
• You need to have the right bait and equipment
• You need to be patient
• You won’t catch a fish with every cast
• After you get a bite, you still need to land it
• Sometimes you’ll catch a particular breed of fish when you were trying for something else
• Local knowledge can make a big difference
• Sometimes you can do everything right and still not catch anything
• Sometimes you can do everything wrong and still catch something
• If you don’t cast a line, fish won’t just jump into your boat

So, how is this like looking for a job?

When job-hunting, you need to be aware of the following:

• Having a great resume and application letter is better than a mediocre one
• You won’t get every job that you apply for
• You need to be patient
• If you want a particular job in a particular industry, you need to use the right tools to get there
• Sometimes when you’re looking for a job, an unexpected opportunity will come up
• Getting an interview isn’t enough, you still need to land the job
• Knowing people who work in the industry or for the company that you are trying to enter can make a huge difference to your strategy
• Sometimes you can do everything right, but there’s someone else who’s a better fit for the role
• Sometimes you can do everything wrong, but you’re the best person for the job
• If you don’t apply for anything, you won’t get anything

Just like in fishing, there are no guarantees when looking for a job.  However, there are a lot of things that you can do to increase your chances of success.

Taken from Darren’s Better Life Coaching Blog.

Over the years, I have assisted many people from all walks of life with their careers and am unable to guarantee that my assistance will get them their dream job, just that it will increase their chances of success.

I’ve said before that looking for a job is like fishing, in that you can do everything right and come back empty-handed or do everything wrong and still land a job.

However, there is one guarantee that I can make.

If you don’t apply for that job, you won’t get it!

It may be that you didn’t think that you had the right qualifications or experience, so you didn’t apply.

It may be that you weren’t looking often enough at the job advertisements and didn’t see a job come up, so you didn’t apply.

It may be that your network didn’t know that you were actively looking so they didn’t tell you about an opportunity that had come up, so you didn’t apply.

It doesn’t matter why, all that matters is that you didn’t put your application in and this guarantees that you won’t get the job.

It’s the only guarantee in job hunting.

What should you do in those circumstances?

Here are six tips that I hope are helpful:

Make changes - As Tony Robbins would say, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”  If your current job-hunting strategy isn’t working, you need to make changes.  Change your resume, rewrite your application letter or find different job sources.  Don’t get in such a rut that you just go through the motions, make sure that you mix it up and increase your chances of success.

Get feedback – If you’ve been applying over and over again without success, there must be a reason (or two).  If you’ve sent in a lot of applications and aren’t getting interviews, don’t be afraid to call and ask if there was something missing or poorly presented in your resume or application letter.  If you’ve been interviewed a lot but keep getting rejected, try to get some feedback about what you could have done differently to improve your performance.

It takes a bit of courage to do this, but it can be worth it as the feedback you receive may make a big difference in your next application.  When you ask for feedback, don’t get defensive and don’t push it if they are hesitant to give you any meaningful information, just thank them and move on.

Change your expectations – I’ve known people who were out of work for over a year, because they were waiting for the perfect opportunity and wouldn’t take anything less than ideal.  That may be OK for the first few weeks, but there comes a time where you may need to swallow your pride and go for something more realistic.  Some people believe that taking a backwards step is a mistake that can set your career back a few years, but I prefer that you be employed and active than sitting on your backside watching and waiting for the right opportunity.

Get professional help – If you’ve been struggling for a long time, perhaps it’s time to invest in some professional assistance.  Maybe a career counsellor, a life coach or resume writer can give you the edge that you need to finally land that job that you’ve been looking for.

Keep smiling – This one is certainly easier said than done, especially after multiple rejections, but if you find yourself going to interviews with a frown, rather than a smile, your chances of success diminish dramatically.  Employers are drawn to positive candidates, so try not to let your circumstances impact how optimistic you portray yourself to others.

Never, ever, ever give up – I can’t say this clearly enough.  If you give up, it’s over.  If you keep trying, you’re still in the game, you still have a chance.

Taken from Darren’s Better Life Coaching Blog.

You would never find a goldfish in the desert.

A lion would never be able to survive by itself on a deserted island.

And a kangaroo wouldn’t be able to cope in the ocean.

Yet so many people find themselves in work situations that they’re just not made for.

They have natural abilities that aren’t being used.

They find themselves completing tasks that they aren’t equipped for.

They end up working with, and for, people who rub them the wrong way.

And their personal values clash with the organisation or business that they’re working for.

A giraffe in the snow is never going to thrive or be all that they can be.

And neither will you be able to reach your full potential or make the contribution that you are meant to if you find yourself working for too long in an environment that isn’t compatible with who you are.

Perhaps now is the time to change.

Perhaps now is the time to make a move.

So that you can be where you’re meant to be.

So that you can be who you’re meant to be.

So that you can make the difference that you’re meant to make.

Are you where you’re meant to be?

And if not, feel free to contact us at Advantage Resumes and Career Services on 0400 530 135 to help you to take the next step in your career.

Here is the first video, I hope it helps.

If you need help with interviews or resumes, feel free to call us on 0400 530 135 and we can book you in for an interview coaching session with Darren.

I haven’t been through the experience personally myself, but know many people who have lost their jobs through a company down-sizing.

As this is an increasingly common scenario, I’ve come up with three ways that people can respond to being made redundant.

You can take it personally – When someone experiences a trauma like redundancy, a natural reaction is to either get very angry or depressed about your situation.

You can think that your ex-employers have got it in for you or you can wonder what you’ve done wrong, but either way, to take it personally is not a resourceful way to respond to being made redundant.

In the current economic climate, thousands will be in your situation, but the people who act like victims will take the longest to get through the grief of losing their jobs and will be the least equipped to find new opportunities.

You can move on to another job – Some people who experience redundancy will bounce back quickly and find another, similar job without too much fuss.

It’s certainly a reasonable response and one that’s pragmatic and often seems necessary, but I can’t help feeling that being made redundant brings with it another, potentially even better choice.

You can follow your dream – I’ve heard it said that 80% of people don’t enjoy their job, so I would imagine that most people would just float from one job that they don’t enjoy to another.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Maybe being made redundant is an opportunity.

Perhaps this is your chance to do what you’ve always dreamed of.

This could be the moment that you pursue that dream job that you’ve put on the shelf for far too long.

No more excuses, no more easy options.

The time is now.

If you are made redundant, you have three possible responses:

• Take it personally.
• Move on to another job.
• Follow your dream.

Choose your response wisely.

Taken from Darren’s Better Life Coaching Blog.

Over the years I’ve helped many people to deal with their nerves in an interview situation. Here are my top 8 tips:

Remember to breathe. Obviously, you don’t need to learn how to breathe, but one of the first signs of anxiety is that we breathe faster and consequently, talk faster. If we deliberately breathe slower, we are more likely to speak in a more measured, considered and articulate manner. One technique is the 1-4-2 technique. That is, if you inhale for one second, hold for four and exhale for two seconds. If you inhale for three seconds, you hold for twelve and exhale for six etc. If you were to do this for a five-minute period during the hour before the interview, you will impact your physiological state, giving you more control over your nerves. You will also maximise the flow of fully oxygenated blood to your brain, giving you the capacity to think clearer and remember better.

Nail the first question. Generally speaking, the first question in an interview will be something like, “Tell me about the role that you are applying for.” If you are well-researched and practice hard, you should be able to give a clear, thorough response without too much heart-ache. Just imagine how much your confidence levels will rise during the rest of the interview if you really nail that first one. You’ll be more alert, you’ll have impressed the interviewer and you’ll be ready for more.

Maintain positive thought processes. If you think that you don’t interview well, you are going to be right. If, when asked a question, you are thinking, “I don’t know this”, “I can’t do this”, “Why am I here?” or “They must think that I’m stupid” etc. then you are not using your mind to think about the best response. Conversely, if you are positive about your capacity to communicate your skills and abilities to others, you dramatically increase your chances of being able to think without distraction about your response. We are all self-fulfilling prophecies, if we believe that we are going to be successful and act upon that belief, we give ourselves an outstanding chance of success. Also, if you are thinking positively and confidently, you are more likely to being sitting upright, not hunched over. Sitting upright allows you to use your diaphragm more in your breathing, assisting that process and relaxing the body.

Find confident role-models. Some people in our society seem to ooze confidence. If you find it difficult to imagine yourself without nerves, think of someone you know who would be able to perform in an interview with poise. What do they do? What is their body language like? What are they thinking when under pressure? What can you take from their example for yourself, you would be surprised at the results if you were to imagine some of their techniques and apply them to your life.

Physical exercise. One of the problems with nervous energy is that we have no way of expressing or releasing it. Going to the gym in the morning, walking or riding a bike to work can be helpful way of expending some of this energy so that your butterflies settle down a little. Exercise also encourages healthy blood-flow to the brain, which can only be of assistance. Be careful not to exercise to the point of exhaustion, as this would be counter-productive. Also, make sure that you shower afterwards, you don’t want to be known as the smelly candidate.

Remember your past successes. Most people reading this article would have been employed at least once in their lives. If you have ever been employed, it is also safe to assume that you have satisfactorily conducted yourself in an interview at least once in your life. Take this to mean that you are not that bad at interviews. If you can, try to recall what specifically you did well on that occasion. What was your body language like? What did you do well?

Have an anchor. Some people find it helpful to find a word, symbol or gesture that puts us in a resourceful state. Many athletes use this technique to great success when under pressure. Former Australian cricket captain, Steve Waugh had his lucky red hanky sticking out of his pocket. When he took it out to wipe his brow after every delivery, it would remind him of the need to concentrate on the task at hand. To develop an anchor, you need to get yourself in a relaxed frame of mind, where you feel totally focussed and positive. Once you have yourself in this state, find an anchor to remind your body of this state. You might touch your left elbow, clench both fists, have a trigger word or wear a favourite tie or shoes. Allow your mind to think of something else then repeat the process, each time associating the feeling of resourcefulness with your anchor. You will need to do this on multiple occasions, but if you get it right, you will be amazed at how you feel when you use this anchor in the future. Skilled exponents can change their whole state of mind in a moment using this technique.

Don’t exaggerate the consequences. I’ve heard lots of people say, “I have to get this job” and act as though it will be the end of the world if they don’t get it. Putting that much pressure on yourself can be counter-productive and place you in an unresourceful state. Whilst you will be disappointed if you don’t get it, it’s not the end of the world. With over half of the world’s population living on under $2.50 per day and over 80% on under $10 per day. Unless you are one of that number, getting melodramatic over a potential unsuccessful job interview is taking the problem out of context.

I hope that at least one of these tips is helpful.

This post is taken from Darren’s Better Life Coaching Blog.

Whilst these aren’t necessarily the best times to be job searching, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.

Having a positive attitude is one of the most valuable skills for job seekers, so here are some of the thoughts that optimists are able to maintain during such challenging times:

• Jobs are still being advertised, so there is still work out there.
• Every job that I don’t get is one step closer to the one that I will.
• I have skills and abilities that are employable.
• My optimism and enthusiasm for life makes me an attractive job candidate.
• Despite all of the setbacks, I aspire to greatness and know that I can make a difference in the world.
• Disappointing outcomes won’t get me down, they will give me lessons to equip me for the future.
• Whatever happens, I will never, ever, ever, ever give up!

I know that if you’ve been looking for work for a few weeks or even months, that it can be tempting to feel down about your endeavours, so I hope that these thoughts are helpful.

Repeat one or two of them to yourself daily and I trust that they help you to maintain the optimistic and resourceful outlook that’s required to navigate through challenging times.

This post is taken from Darren’s Better Life Coaching Blog.