Tag: Executive Coaching

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What’s the Secret to Being the “Right Candidate for the Job?”

Ivy League logo

It can be tough being a candidate, whether it be for a job or even one of those roles of a more public political variety.

Even if you’re seen as a slam dunk pick  (think Hillary Clinton as the “inevitable choice” during the 2008 presidential campaign), things derail. The same is true of job candidates.

A client recently was being wooed by a firm until he thought they’d gone frosty on him; his hunch was that they’d decided he was really a “generalist” in background when they’d figured out they really wanted a “specialist.… Read the rest

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No Goal + No Plan = No Performance

Man on the Moon (book)

“No, no, no” I thought to myself as the senior executives at the leadership team retreat I facilitated outlined their “objectives” for the year.

A goal is simply something you plan to do; it becomes more meaningful when you have a time frame attached to it.

Goals are not, as I saw at the retreat, a rostering of things that people might do, might consider, or might explore with no time frame attached.… Read the rest

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The Perfect First “Real” Job?

Skills Like This

Is there a perfect first “real” job?

Probably not. But there are some real stinkers to avoid if you have the choice.

And I’m not talking about summer jobs, volunteer work, and or that paid – or unpaid internship – that might be out there. All of them, IMHO, are important.

But for serious importance it’s hard to match that first fulltime real job.… Read the rest

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[Life Back West] December 2012 – “Mr. Watson, come here. I need you.”

Colorful Door

Life’s choices and chances come to you in so many ways that if you’re not looking you most likely miss more than you catch.

More often than not you focus on what you’re losing or lost, not what you could have gained.

The passing of a year, and meetings with some former colleagues this week reminded me of one simple fact; we regret more what we think we’ve lost than what we’ve likely gained.… Read the rest

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Are the End of Year Holidays Good for Job Hunting?

Nothing Like the Holidays

It’s the end of the year, and common wisdom says that people have packed up shop and that it’s a lousy week for job hunting.

Maybe.

But as John Greathouse notes on his blog, “Conventional wisdom isn’t.”

The next two weeks will be a time when people’s schedules – if they’re not in company shutdown mode – will be unpacked, thoughts will be directed to things apart from work, and folks will be relaxed.… Read the rest