The Shimmering Careers Blog

You’ve prepared for your job interview. You know the company, you’ve practiced your answers, and you’re ready to explain why you’re a strong candidate. But here’s a reminder I give my coaching clients, and it has nothing to do with their qualifications. Smile when you greet the interviewer. And smile when you thank them at the end. Why those two moments? Because first impressions form quickly, and the final moments of a conversation tend to linger. Think about someone whose s

Here’s something I see all the time in my work as a career coach. People tell me about their jobs, their responsibilities, and what they’ve accomplished. But when I ask what makes them particularly valuable to an employer, many struggle to answer. They’ve become so accustomed to doing their jobs well that they no longer realize how much they have to offer. Sound familiar? Take Another Look at What You’ve Accomplished Think about the last year or two. Did you solve a problem n

“I'm a great problem solver.” “I work well under pressure.” “I'm a strong team player.” Sound familiar? These are things job candidates say in interviews every day. And they're almost meaningless. Not because they're unimportant. But because anyone can say them. Employers don't just want to hear what you're good at. They want evidence that you can solve their problems. Show Them What You Mean Instead of saying you're a problem solver, tell a short story about a problem you ac

You have the experience. You have the skills. You meet the qualifications in the job description. So why aren't employers calling? Here's something I see regularly in my work as a career coach: Being qualified for a job and giving an employer a compelling reason to hire you are two different things. A resume can document an impressive career without making a persuasive case for hiring the person behind it. Responsibilities Aren't Accomplishments Consider a resume that says: “

A job search is an exercise in analysis. You must analyze yourself and also the employer you hope will hire you. Ask not what the employer can do for you; ask what you can do for the employer. Keep that thought in mind throughout your job search, especially during interviews. The better you know yourself, the easier it will be to figure out what’s right for you. A useful piece of advice comes from a man who managed to make a successful career in theater and never had to resor

Research and networking complement each other in your job search. One under-used strategy takes advantage of that overlap and should be part of every applicant’s arsenal: the informational interview. Despite its value, the informational interview has become the poor relation in the family of career strategies. It gets little attention in job-hunting guides, but it should be a standard tactic for job seekers. If anything, the fact that it is so often forgotten makes it more va

Many of my clients ask what to do about age discrimination during the job search. The plain truth is if you’re waiting for ageism to disappear from the job market, one thing is certain: However old you are, you’ll grow much older waiting. Age-based discrimination may be illegal, but it remains pervasive despite its illegality. In any event, the law isn’t the recourse you need. “Failure to Hire” claims are difficult to prove, and that’s almost beside the point. You don’t want

Your resume worked. Your interview preparation put you in contention for the job. What next? What are the rules for following up after a job interview? If you halt your efforts to reach an employer after interviewing, you may undo much of what you have accomplished so far. There’s something you can do at the conclusion of your interview that will help your ongoing job search. Assuming the interview has gone well and you feel a comfortable rapport with the interviewer, take th

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

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

Consider a Hybrid Most resumes follow a reverse-chronological format. This is a great way to showcase steady experience in the same field. For people reentering the workforce or changing fields, this structure may not be perfect. An alternative is a functional resume that highlights skills and achievements first. However, there’s a problem with the functional resume that you need to understand: Rightly or wrongly, some hiring managers view it with suspicion. They like the id

Ah, the ever-evolving English language! Just when you thought your resume was polished to perfection with action verbs and quantifiable achievements, along comes "rizz" – the Oxford Word of the Year for 2023, originally coined by a Twitch streamer. For those of you who've been too busy tailoring your cover letters to keep up with Gen Z lingo, "rizz" refers to an individual's style, charm, or attractiveness, particularly in the context of wooing romantic interests. But the bur

Prepare for All Types of Job Interviews Previously, I’ve covered all sorts of interview scenarios, from video to phone to executive and more, but there are two scenarios that come up from time to time that deserve a few words to round out your job interview preparation. First, there’s the panel interview, one of the more potentially intimidating of its kind. There, you’re greeted by what is essentially a committee of interviewers. While the substance of a panel interview won’

Quitting is in the news this year. All kinds of quitting. First there was quiet quitting. This refers to people who don’t actually quit per se, but who are working strictly to the terms of whatever deal they agreed to. They do their jobs, but they don’t go above or beyond. No more extra hours. No more working on the weekend. No more being available 24/7. It’s about doing the minimum job requirements and trying to achieve a better work-life balance by giving less to the “work”

Growing up in a household where my mother, an accomplished scientist, often emphasized the value of curiosity, I remember her sage advice: "Curiosity is a sign of intelligence," she would say. She emphasized that by asking good questions, you not only demonstrate your intelligence but also convey your genuine interest. This lesson resonates in the context of job interviews. Your ability to inquire about the company, its mission, and its culture can set you apart and guide you