Elevator Speech

How Fast is Your Elevator?

The classic elevator speech – a 30-second commercial delivered in the time it takes to get from one floor to another, crafted to introduce you to new persons who can help in your job search.
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ABC’s of Job Searching

Today, I was conducting job skills workshops at a library. While I was there, the library’s story time took place. A line of little munchkins came marching by the door and filed into the room adjacent to mine. It wasn’t long before I could hear laughter, excitement, and music drifting through the doorway. A rowdy round of the ABC’s followed. One of the workshop job seekers said, “I wish I was one of them! Life seems so much simpler and more fun.”

So I started thinking about writing the ABC’s of job seeking to possibly interject a bit of fun in my workshop. Unfortunately, I have never been known as a particularly “fun” kind of gal, and all I could come up with were the CCC’s for job searching. 🙂
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Please, Bring Me that Pie. I Need to Slam it into My Face.

A guaranteed way to fail the interview opener.

Let’s get to the point quickly folks. You’ve invested time and energy in tailoring the perfect resume. You get that much cherished call to come in for an interview. You invest more time and energy in tailoring your appearance and practicing the perfect confident (but not arrogant) handshake. You know your skills. You can boast a self-assured smile. You have the cordial laugh down to a science. And then you come into the interview room, pick up a nice lemon meringue pie and slam it directly into your face. Continue reading “Please, Bring Me that Pie. I Need to Slam it into My Face.”

I’ve graduated from college – now what?

This summer I received several requests from different friends of mine, wondering if I would work with their new college grad niece or nephew. I am always happy to assist individuals who are ready and willing to start a new career. I was very fortunate to work with a couple of young people who were motivated to find jobs and get started on the next phase of their lives. What I learned from working with them was that college might not equip everyone with the tools that they need to look for work. All that money that was spent on the education helped them become experts in their field, but didn’t necessarily give them what they needed to take the next step of finding a job. Below are some of the things I learned from my own experience and working with new college grads:
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