Unless you’re working in a well-developed organization, you may not come across meeting minutes. “Meeting minutes” are literally the minutes (or moments) recorded from a meeting. When there are many members in the meeting, it’s likely there will be plenty of information, recommendations, cross-talk, possible disputes, ideas, all sorts of …
3 Questions to Ask Employers on Interviews
An interview is an opportunity for the candidate and employer to evaluate each other and confirm if value matches the role offered. Mentioned in one of my previous writings, this engagement is a reciprocal relationship and should be treated as such. When the candidate forgets this, she becomes susceptible to …
How to Master E-mail Management
Two conversations over the past days sparked interest in covering E-mail management. Checking my inboxes from the multiple E-mail accounts, I thought having 40-60 new messages was a large number. Some of us are working with 1000-18,000 new inbox messages! Reflected on my time career counseling college students and this …
Cover Letter Philosophy
You might be thinking: a philosophy about a cover letter? What’s the importance of that? It’s important to understand there’s a philosophy to each document or activity involved in career development. These philosophies deal with the “Why” of them. So while one might know how to write a cover letter …
Corporate Mindfulness with Passionate Talk Podcast
A few weeks ago I had the honor of being interviewed by Gary Karp of Passionate Talk. In the sense of a formal “interview,” it was not. Rather, it was more of a conversation about the value of mindfulness and its importance in professional life. Gary has a skill with …
The 3 R’s of Effective Internships
In past centuries, when someone wanted to develop a skill and had the opportunity, he or she would be introduced to a master craftsman. After an evaluation based on criteria including potential for the craft, discipline, overall “the right stuff,” the individual became an apprentice. An apprentice was a direct …
How to Answer This Very Important Interview Question
If you’re not prepared, interview questions may feel like a grueling interrogation. While in the “hot seat,” you might be sweating, feeling gaseous and forgetting what you’ve practiced the night before. Interviewing is an in-depth experience that can be covered over several posts, which we’ll do over time. The important …
How to Create a Poised Presentation Mindset
There’s a general assumption that people prefer death over public speaking. Perhaps it’s the fear of it that weighs being in a casket lower on the scale. This fear in the mind of the possessor appears justified. After all, there’s much to fear about speaking in public right? There is… …
2 Tips to Avoid Digital Self-Sabotage
So you’ve clicked the “Submit” button on the online application. Or you sent the resume to someone specific by E-mail. Or you’ve just handed off your business card to a potential employer in an unexpected social event. This is an opportunity to congratulate yourself for taking that step, grasping the …
3 Principles of Practical Personal Power
“Personal power” is a catch-all term given to our ability to create our reality. This power is what enables us to step out of bed just as much as it empowers us to write a book, influence a team or dissolve a cold. As important as this power is, it …
How to Skill Build with a Company in 90 Days
On an interview it’s been my observation that questions of professional skill development rarely surface, unless asked by the candidate. In all the interviews I’ve personally been on, only about 2 employers asked me directly about how I’d like to grow with the organization. Every other time I was the …
The Yellow Chakra and The Office Bully
It’s a normal workday and you arrive at your desk. Ready to load up your computer, you receive a quick tap on the shoulder. “Hey, is it done yet?” your peer asks, referring to the project you’re working on together. Of course you didn’t choose to work with him; in …
Metaphysical Preparation for Job Interviews
Having been on the side of an interviewer and interviewee, and assisted people with their process I’ve come to recognize a few perceptions of this event. One, there’s a lopsided perception that the candidate must plead for the job opportunity. Two, the employer needs to be on their best behavior …
Is Your Job Description Successful?
Question: Is your job description successful? Every employer’s answer should be, “absolutely.” Even if you feel like your worst pitch could never grab the attention of candidates you seek, fear not because: Every description that every employer has ever created, posted anywhere, at any point in time on the Internet …
The Mindset That Paralyzes Your Job Interviews
Congratulations, Mill. You have a job interview! Mill sets the phone down; the company he’s always wanted to work with, since he actually thought about working not long ago, actually called him and scheduled to have him come in for a one-on-one meet with the hiring manager. No interruptions. No …
Professional Development 101: Tracking Performance
Tracking is everywhere. We check our phones to track the weather. And watch the news to track the happenings around the world. We can track our animals and grandparents with little chips just in case they become lost. We like to track our packages, especially when very excited about receiving …
The Art of the Teacher-Student
In my journey towards self-mastery, I’ve realized a prerequisite to reaching a new level is to accept the student role. There’s a time when I have to acknowledge I don’t know something or, could dramatically improve in some area, and so the I have to sit down, shut up and …