When it comes to job search and recruitment, there’s a secret in the hiring market. While you don’t have an expiry date, from the perspective of recruiters, there is such a thing as candidate “freshness.” By fresh I mean the degree to which the person reviewing your resume, talking to you on Zoom, or interviewing you considers you a hot commodity. That is, a candidate who is a great catch. There is an implicit bias for candidates new to the market vs. those who’ve been job searching longer.

This …

The Saturday edition of the Globe and Mail is a weekend tradition in my house. So, I was pleased to be interviewed for this past Saturday’s edition on Asking for a Raise - Soul Search Before You Ask.

Why us?

I have been digging deep into how to answer specific interview questions. Tell me about yourself and Why should we hire you? are definitely worth a read if this subject is of interest to you.

Next: “Why do you want this job?” “Why are you interested in this job?”

Good questions. Why are you? Alas, so many job seekers have trouble answering this question because their presence in this interview is a result of three reasons:

1. A desire to have a new job (fair enough)

2. Broadcasting their resume to …

Career development challenges

Which direction should I take my career?
Should I apply to this job posting?
Should I take this job offer?
Promotion? I guess that is the next logical thing...

I have observed over the years that personal decision making as it relates to career direction, job opportunities, and other issues that impact how you make a living is a weak skill set for most people.

Why is that? I think most people aren’t good at career decision making for 4 reasons:

1. Not enough practice

How ma…

Marketing guru Seth Godin posted a great quote. He applies it to marketing. Have a read:

“What Bootsy said: Here’s some profound marketing thought from Bootsy Collins.

“You have to bring some funk to get some. You just can’t walk in a place and expect to get some funk. If you ain’t bring no funk, then you can’t get no funk… Another thing is, you can’t fake the funk or your nose will grow.”“

Now, if this quote resonates with you, think about your work. Your career. Your solobusiness. Doesn…

5 steps to breaking through the wall

How often do you have a project / task to do, but find yourself in neutral, with your wheels spinning? Staring at your computer screen, messing around with email, flitting from one piece of paper to another, and getting more and more frustrated because you have an objective, a deadline, and you are getting further and further behind?

It happens to me, but not as often as it used to.

There are different forms of being stuck and in an upcoming article, I write abo…