The Shimmering Careers Blog

There’s a skills gap in today’s mid-pandemic job market. Companies are struggling to attract applicants who have the skills they need. If you keep that situation in mind, there are ways to use the skills gap to your benefit in a job interview. You can also gain some leverage even if you don’t already have the specific skills that are on the wish list of an employer. You don’t have to be the perfect candidate. You do have to consider why they want to see you and what that mean

There’s a critical shortage right now that is holding up many cloud and edge computing initiatives. No, I’m not talking about supply-chain problems leading to a temporary shortage of some materials. I’m talking about the shortage of talent. In 2017, Gartner predicted that half of all companies worldwide would adopt an all-in cloud strategy by 2021. It hasn’t happened. Wait, that’s not quite right. Companies are adopting cloud strategies; they are just not following through on

In the first part of my job interview course, The Expert Guide to Job Interviews, part of my focus is on figuring out your overarching career goals as a fundamental first step in interview preparation. The basic idea is simple, though it’s often neglected: It really helps to have the proverbial dream, driven by the equally proverbial passion, to develop interview strategies that get you where you ultimately want to go. As part of the process, I’ve included a lot of material d

Your resume is the best supporting actor in your interview presentation for several reasons. But here I have a chance to emphasize the single thing that’s most important in eliciting the performance of a lifetime from that supporting actor. It’s a resume tip that bears repeating, especially because it works so well as a template for a great interview. Without further ado, here it is: A good resume is one that emphasizes achievements, and a great resume happens when those ach

In my job interview course, I’ve talked a lot about networking as a key part of any job search, and about its equal importance to the process of finding interviews. Whether you’re seeking formal job interviews or the informational interviews, networking is a time-honored and effective way to grab opportunities. But one part of the networking world has taken something of a hit in the era of Covid. The in-person get-togethers, the conferences or events geared specifically to ne

In my job interview course, I talk a lot about investigating the company in question. What are their values? And that includes their actual values, not just the ones they ostensibly adhere to. What’s the latest news from them? And what’s happening with their competitors and with the industry as a whole? The answers to those questions can give you an effective framework for your own answers to interview questions, and it’s still the case that they’re all good themes to pursue.

“Tell me about yourself” may be a fundamental part of a job interview, whether asked explicitly or not, but the answer you give is delivered with more than words alone. You’re also answering by how you look and act, and, human nature being what it is, first impressions – even the ones made before you say a single word – make for lasting impressions. We can decry the situation and claim that we’re not that superficial, but we’re not always able to separate style from substance

On June 8, Microsoft announced four HR initiatives, including a “commitment to publicly disclose salary ranges in all of our internal and external job postings across the U.S.” This adds to an existing commitment to stop asking job applicants about their salary history. This is good news, not only for applicants, but as a sign of progress toward a more equitable workplace in general, especially as it represents a growing trend toward disclosure not limited to Microsoft or to