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Your #Career : You Need To Talk To Your Company’s #CEO —Here’s Why And What To Say… #SeniorExecs Don’t Need to Know you By Name, But they Should at Least Have a General Sense of your Existence & Function in the Organization.

April 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Soon after I got my first faculty job, I was sitting with a friend of mine–another psychologist–who’d recently been hired for her first job at another university. She said to me, “Our next task is to become independent nodes in people’s conceptual networks.” That was psychology speak for, “Now we need to make sure people know who we are.”

She was right. The reasons why it’s so important for people to know you who you are are all really simple but can be easy to miss: They can’t give you credit for anything you do if they don’t know what you do. They can’t think of you for new assignments if they don’t know you exist. They can’t plan for a future that involves you specifically if they can’t remember your past contributions.

In other words, you need to introduce yourself to some of the top people in your organization–or at least to people higher up than you and your immediate supervisor. Yes, these are people you don’t directly work with, and that’s precisely the point. Here’s how to strike up such a conversation, and what to say when you do.

LOOK FOR AN OPENING, NOT AN APPOINTMENT

You goal should be to keep it pretty informal, so don’t schedule a time to meet. There may be public events at the company that give you an opportunity to meet top-level leaders. I frequently give talks at small and mid-size companies that senior leaders attend, and there’s usually social time before and after internal events like these for other employees to introduce themselves. Yet I’m always surprised how few people make the effort just to say hi. Don’t let a chance like that go to waste.

Good leaders try to make themselves visible around the office. They might even just walk around on occasion intending to meet people. Or they’ll jump into meetings to listen in on what’s happening. In situations like these, it may feel uncomfortable to go up to the CEO or some other exec and start chatting. You might feel like you’re brown nosing. But leaders probably won’t see it that way at all–it’s what they’re hoping you’ll do. Chances are you’ll be seen as taking some initiative rather than currying favor.

If you’re worried about sticking your neck out, ask your boss for help. Good supervisors also want to be able to show off their team members. After all, part of what makes someone a good manager is how well they mentor new talent. So they’ll want their bosses to know they’re developing the people who work for them. If you have a supportive supervisor, see if there’s a chance to get an introduction to more senior leaders.

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WHAT TO SAY

The aim of having an introductory conversation with one of your company’s bigwigs is just to say hello, let the person know what division you work in, and share your excitement about what you do. That’s it.

If you get to have a longer conversation, so much the better, though you should probably just prepare a 30-second description of the most important project you’re working on. If you’re nervous, you might even want to practice delivering that short description to your wall or to a friend a few times to make sure it really is short and clear.

Even if the exec you say hello to doesn’t remember your name later on, they’ll be more likely to recognize you the next time they see you. Plus, your name will at least sound familiar if it’s mentioned again in context. That familiarity will carry some positive feeling along with it. Becoming an “independent node in people’s conceptual networks” isn’t as complicated as it sounds–and it barely takes a minute.

FastCompany.com | April 26, 2018 | BY ART MARKMAN 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : 6 of the Most Captivating #CoverLetter Openers (& Why They Work)…Let’s Cut Straight To The Chase: Most (if not all) #CoverLetters are Bad.

April 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Let’s cut straight to the chase: most cover letters are bad. In fact, Dawn Rasmussen, certified resume writer and president of Pathfinder Writing and Career Services, happily admits that “I love writing cover letter openings because I know how bad they usually are.”

But that doesn’t mean your cover letter is destined for the slush pile. By starting with what Rasmussen calls a hook, you can snag a hiring manager’s attention — and even a new job.

“The best openings — otherwise known as a hook — are attention-getters,” Rasmussen says. “Hooks are similar to headlines you see online that tempt you to click and find out more.”

How can you write a hook? You can open with a compelling quote, tell a story, use humor and much more. Here are six cover letter strategies you can use — plus examples you can emulate — along with the reasons why they work so well, so that you can get to writing.

Strategy 1: Open With a Quote

Dear [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Hiring Manager],

“It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.” — Earl Warren

As a public defender, my job is to keep justice alive, and I do this by relentlessly pursuing avenues to ensure that this is carried through for the people that I represent.

According to Rasmussen, this opening works really well because “it specifically addresses the underlying motivators that encompass both law [the candidate’s chosen industry] and the driving force for justice, which fits right along the lines of what a public defender does.”

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Strategy 2: Pique a Hiring Manager’s Curiosity

Dear [Hiring Manager],

I knew that I was destined for greatness when I was slimed on Nickelodeon. Nothing like being covered in green goo to help you realize your potential. “How does this apply to the open internship at Airbnb?” you may be wondering. Because I am collaborative, creative and tenacious enough to get a bunch of smelly slime dumped on me and still keep smiling.

Lindsay Mustain, Talent Paradigm‘s vice president of business development and job coach, says that starting a letter in a way that piques curiosity is “considered a pattern interrupt. It’s silly and interesting. It’s enough for someone to stop and get a little bit of attention and keep your audience interested in your story. Make sure it’s something interesting to read.”

Strategy 3: Show You Pay Attention to Company News

Dear [Hiring Manager],

According to a recent article in the Portland Business Journal, “ABC Corporation just signed a new lease on a 100,000-square-foot office park.”

Because [your company] is making the news with such a large new office space addition, growth is in your immediate future.

It is clear that your company is adding headcount, so having a sales team that can scale revenues accordingly is critical to your continued success. And that’s where I come in.

Accelerating revenues is a hallmark of my career, and since my background is in the same sector, I see a great deal of opportunity to help expand your company’s footprint in the marketplace and enhance the bottom line with new sales.

“Holding a mirror back up to the employer so they can see themselves in the news is a great attention-getter,” says Rasmussen. “But it also shows critical thinking skills — tying together that a new lease means more people and more money needed to keep operations afloat.”

Strategy 4: Tell a Story

Dear [Hiring Manager],

When Flight 1549 touched down into the cold, dark waters of the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, as a passenger, I thought my life was over.

Seeing the professionalism and calmness of the entire flight crew was something to which I immediately connected. I had thought about becoming a flight attendant in the past, but something clicked in that moment — and I realized that my desire to serve in this capacity was actually being born in that moment.

There’s a “wow factor” when you tell a story in the opening of your cover letter, Rasmussen explains. “It grabs your attention, and makes you think, ‘Here’s someone who had something major happen to them. I should read on.’” It also shows off your personality, too.

Strategy 5: Show Your Passion

Dear [Hiring Manager],

When I heard Elon Musk’s quote, “when something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor,” I knew I needed to tell you about the passion I have around the vision that Tesla has for infinitely scalable clean energy. I’ve been dreaming of a career with Tesla since I was in college and the Tesla Roadster became available.

Fact: businesses want to hire people who are passionate about their industry and company. So, show that passion, Mustain encourages. “You know the business, you know the founder, you know the mission,” she says. “You are a raving fan and educated about the company. You start with why you believe in them,” and then take the letter from there.

Strategy 6: Write Unconventionally

Dear [Hiring Manager],

Congratulations! You have just reached the last résumé you’ll need to read to fill the open operations manager position.

So relax, put your feet up and read on to find out how I can help your company reach its productivity, cost management and efficiency goals.

This cover letter opener is gutsy, but that’s the point, Rasmussen says. “The candidate is literally going directly to the key pain points of what the employer needs,” she points out, “but in an upbeat way without being too snarky.”

Glassdoor.com | April 26, 2018 | Posted by Jillian Kramer

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Your #Career : These Are The Smartest Decisions I’ve Made For My Career…From #SwitchingCareers to Finding Ways to Add Value to their #Employers , Three Writers from The Motley Fool Shared some of the Biggest Lessons they’ve Learned During their Working Lives.

April 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

A surprisingly high number of Americans are unhappy with their work; some estimates are that more than half of us don’t like our jobs. And while there are always things we have no control over, none of us should feel completely powerless. There are almost certainly things you can do to put yourself in a better situation.

Not sure where to start? Three Motley Fool writers who have lived it offer their experiences below, describing what they say was the best thing they each did for their career, ranging from the bold (completely changing jobs and industries) to the nuanced (taking action to be a more valuable employee). Keep reading below for valuable insight that could help you figure out how to improve your career.

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I TOOK A BIG CHANCE

In the early years of my working life, my goal was to be a professor or teacher. I started a PhD program, and after a year decided that a PhD and college teaching weren’t for me. I switched gears and became a high school teacher instead. I might have stuck with that, but budget cuts forced me to look for other work, and I ended up getting an MBA, with the goal of switching into a lucrative and satisfying career.

The MBA led to better-paying work, but it wasn’t terribly satisfying. I was soon presented with an intriguing opportunity, though–working as a writer and editor for a very new and small company called The Motley Fool. The prospect of it was exciting, as I’d always liked writing, and the fare I would produce for the Fool would even be educational, scratching my teaching itch. One big downside, however, was the pay–along with the fact that it was a small startup and wouldn’t necessarily be around in five or 10 years.

I took the chance and have not regretted it. Yes, I started out earning much less than I had been, but the company grew and grew, and within a number of years, I was earning more than many writers make. Not every job seeker can afford to take a big pay cut, but if you’re presented with an exciting opportunitythat has one or two drawbacks, give it some serious consideration. If I’d just stuck with typical MBA-type jobs, I don’t think I’d be enjoying my career as much.—Selena Maranjian

I CHANGED MY CAREER COMPLETELY

I landed a job at a hedge fund straight out of college, and while the pay was great, the environment was not. I hated being surrounded by greedy traders who were only interested in making money, and toxic coworkers who were constantly rude to me. But I stayed on for quite some time, not just for the money, but because it was something impressive to put on my resume.

Eventually, however, my unhappiness at work began to impact other aspects of my life, and so with my then-boyfriend/now-husband’s encouragement, I gave my two weeks’ notice to pursue a writing career. It was a risky move, to say the least. Writing isn’t exactly known to be a lucrative profession, and giving up a steady paycheck and health benefits for the unknowns of the gig economy was easier said than done. But once I started writing professionally, I became more content, even though it did mean a pay cut and some lifestyle changes as a result.

So there you have it: The best thing I ever did for my career was to change it completely. I now write full-time, and I’ve never been happier.—Maurie Backman

I MADE MYSELF MORE VALUABLE

In a prior career, I struggled for some time with the fact that I wasn’t particularly happy with my job. And I wasn’t unique: As Maurie wrote last year, more than half of us are dissatisfied with our work. And this dissatisfaction can be due to a litany of things, including pay, benefits, paid time off, opportunity–or lack thereof–for advancement, and satisfaction with the work itself.

For me, it was primarily a lack of satisfaction with the work, and I was letting it affect my job performance. That was further limiting my ability to improve my situation. I wasn’t exactly putting myself at risk of getting fired, but I wasn’t doing myself any favors, either–especially if I wanted to get out of that job and into something that was more rewarding.

So I put on my big-boy pants and started acting like a professional. This included sitting down and making a list of the pros and cons of my job, as well as what steps I could take to improve my situation. I realized that if I didn’t commit myself to being a better employee and partner, I was giving my employer little reason to consider me for career advancement. I also realized that I needed to gain certain skills if I wanted to move up.

By committing myself to the job and investing in my skills, I improved my work performance and earned a promotion into a role that was more fulfilling (and also financially rewarding). While I would eventually leave that industry to pursue a writing career (following Maurie’s suggestion above), my decision and actions to improve my skills and performance paid off in spades for years.—Jason Hall

FastCompany.com | April 25, 2018 | BY THE MOTLEY FOOL 4 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : The Three Smartest Ways To Use #LinkedIn Early In Your Career…Why Bother using LinkedIn. When you Don’t have Much #JobExperience to Put On your #ProfilePage ? Here’s Why–and How to Do It.

April 25, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

LinkedIn is a great place to build a network, diversify your knowledge, and find new career opportunities–even when you’re early in your career. Students and recent grads may neglect LinkedIn, thinking it’s premature to start investing time into the platform before actually building up a solid amount of work experience. That’s a mistake.

I’ve found unexpected opportunities lurking within LinkedIn that simply require some ingenuity to take advantage of. Here are a few tips that have worked for me in the past few years I’ve spent in the tech industry after graduating.

1. START NETWORKING CONVERSATIONS YOU CAN TAKE OFFLINE

Yes, LinkedIn is kind of like a database. You load it up with information on your interests, objectives, skills, and accomplishments so the leaders and peers you connect with can tell what you’re all about. Obviously, when someone checks out your profile, you’ll want it to be thorough and compelling.

But all the work you put into your profile is just a springboard for reaching out to other professionals in your industry. Whenever you come across someone you’d like to connect with on LinkedIn, your real objective should be to take the conversation you strike up offline as quickly as possible. Don’t treat LinkedIn the way you might operate on Instagram, racking up contacts you have no intention of interacting with in the real world.

LinkedIn is a means to an end, and that end goal should always be real-time conversations–ideally face to face, or by phone if necessary when you live in different places and don’t plan to visit soon. Using LinkedIn to set up face-to-face meetings with new people is a crucial and underutilized tactic for younger professionals working to build their networks in a meaningful way.

2. TREAT LINKEDIN LIKE A FREE SEMINAR

Learning quickly at a new job is one of the most exciting and daunting tasks entry- and associate-level workers usually face. First you have to learn your role and size up the work culture. Then you’ve got to get a handle on the industry and understand how your company is competing in the market. LinkedIn can actually help you with all of that.

So search for and join groups, follow leaders, comment on conversations, and share interesting stories. You can start by following industry-specific groups, first as an observer, and then as a participant as you get more comfortable. Make sure you also pay attention to what your company and its competitors are posting. Staying engaged–even by checking in on the chatter just once a week or so–can help you stay informed and ahead of the game.

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3. SCOUT FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES WHEN YOU AREN’T ACTIVELY LOOKING

Even if you’re not actively looking for a new job, you should be using LinkedIn to reel in potential opportunities pretty much all the time.

How? The first part is just network building: Add the people you meet through work and at industry events on LinkedIn, and follow up with personalized notes. This might not feel like job searching, but it’s a crucial precondition to hearing about openings that may bubble up. Plus, if you want to reach out later when you are ready to job search, they’ll remember who you are. The second step is to keep putting yourself out there. Write articles, comment on your connections’ posts, and share interesting news stories you read. This is another great way to lay a breadcrumb trail that potential employers can find.

When you’re early in your career, recruiters and search firms might not be as likely to land on your doorstep–they’re often retained to help organizations fill higher-level roles. So it’s all the more important to be proactive, treating pretty much all LinkedIn activity as a potential step toward your next role. With that said, when you do get contacted about job opportunities on LinkedIn, make sure to respond even if you aren’t interested. You never know if you might want to work with that organization some other time.

In short, LinkedIn is a great place to learn, grow, and build relationships–even when you don’t have the most impressive credentials to plaster your profile with. It’s a competitive business world out there, and early-career professionals should get engaged early in order to get an edge over those who don’t bother to do the same.

Stephanie Glass is the head of product marketing for Aera Technology’s AI solutions, where she’s responsible for product strategy and the execution of product marketing programs. She brings to Aera experience in AI, machine learning, planning, and analytics, with past roles at Anaplan, GoodData, and Jive Software.

FastCompany.com | April 25, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE GLASS 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : 5 Methods To Make Your #CoverLetter Irresistible To #HiringManagers …Writing #CoverLetters is a Boring but Necessary Part of #JobHunting . Here’s are Some Tips on How to Craft One that Catches the Hiring Manager’s Attention (in a Good Way).

April 25, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You’ve probably heard that many recruiters don’t always read cover letters when they review applications. Unfortunately, despite some grumblings about it being an antiquated practice, many companies still include it as part of their application process. Sure, sometimes they make it optional, but do you really want to risk getting put in the “no” pile because most of the applicants included a cover letter?

They’re not the most fun to write, but you can make your cover letter more interesting to read for hiring managers. Here are a few tips to turn your boring cover letter into something that the person on the other side actually wants to read.

1. START YOUR COVER-LETTER WITH AN INTERESTING ANECDOTE

Whatever you do, don’t start your letter with “I’m writing to express my interest in x position.” Hopefully, you’ve applied to the right listing or made that obvious in your subject line if you are sending the application by email.

A much more interesting way to grab the hiring manager’s attention is to start with a specific anecdote highlighting why you are a great candidate. In The New Rules Of Work: The Modern Playbook For Navigating Your Career, the cofounders of career site The Muse shared examples of engaging cover letter introductions. Here is one:

While you won’t find the title “Community Manager” listed on my resume, I’ve actually been bringing people together online and off for three years while running my own blog and series of meet-ups.

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2. WRITE IT LIKE A STORY, WITH A BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END

You want to brag about your impressive achievements and experience in your cover letter, but you don’t just want to restate what is on your resume. Otherwise, what’s the point of sending two separate documents? Fast Company associate editor Rich Bellis made this mistake in one application he sent for his second job out of college, and unsurprisingly never heard back from the hiring manager. Dana-Leavy Detrick, the founder/creative scribe at Brooklyn Resume Studio told Bellis that creating a compelling and unique narrative around yourself is something anyone can do at every level.

She went on to say, “Companies don’t just hire on requirements and qualifications–they also make hiring decisions based on culture fit and potential.” You can easily show this in a story that incorporates specific details on how your experiences can benefit the company.

3. TELL A COMPANY HOW YOU WOULD SOLVE A PROBLEM THEY’RE HAVING

Many candidates (especially those starting their careers) make the mistake of focusing too much on how the job will benefit them, rather than how they can benefit the company. As Drake Baer wrote in a 2013 Fast Company article, one of the best ways to show your value to the company is to understand their pain points and troubles, and then identify how you, as a candidate can help them. Beyond reading the news, you can try to organize an informational interviewwith people in the company (who aren’t your hiring manager) to find out more about their issues.

4. BUT DON’T GUESS WHAT THEIR CHALLENGES ARE IF IT’S NOT CLEAR

That being said, when you’re not inside a company, it’s easy to misidentify their problems. If it’s sensitive, current employees might not be entirely frank with you about what’s really going on. You can try to mitigate this by talking to more than one person, as well as former employees.

If it’s still not clear, articulate what you would do as a candidate if you were hired. Recruiter and professional resume writer Donna Svei called this an “opportunity letter.” Svei suggested writing about a time that you over-delivered on a project, and based on those experiences, how you’d bring that level of excellence to the role you’re applying for.

5. TAILOR YOUR COVER LETTER TO THE JOB DESCRIPTION, NOT THE COMPANY

It might seem obvious to you to link your experiences to the specific role, but you’d be surprised how many people fall into the trap of pitching to the company in general. As Buzzfeed’s recruiting operating manager Dan Geiger previously told Fast Company, a lot of entry-level hires spend their time talking about how great Buzzfeed is (something he already knows, because he works there.) According to Geiger, it’s better to show your enthusiasm “for the specifics of the role,” rather than the organization. After all, if you just wrote your cover letter with the company in mind, you’re making the recruiter and hiring manager do all the work. By tailoring your pitch to the role, you’re also demonstrating one key skill that many positions require–your ability to pay attention to details.

FastCompany.com | April 25, 2018 | BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON 3 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : Three Ways To Improve Your #InterviewProcess So You Can Make Better And Faster #HiringDecisions …These Things Might Not be Rocket Science, But they are Surprisingly Not Done with as Much Consistency or Rigor as you Might Think.

April 25, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Interviewing may not be the most effective way to evaluate candidates, but it is still the most common. There are other better predictors of job success, but some of those methods require more resources to manage than your company many have.

If the interview is all you’ve got, it doesn’t mean that you are relegated to a life of bad hires or lots of first year turnover. It just means that you have to get really good at interviewing.

Some of that comes down to building your skills as an interviewer, which can only really happen with a lot of real skills practice (Effectively “probing” a candidate for more information is easy in concept but is far from easy in reality).

Beyond building your skills, some of it comes down to building the right interview process.

The Point Of The Interview

As my wife frequently complains about, I’ll start with a bold statement of the obvious:

The purpose of the interview is to facilitate a discussion with the candidate so that you leave that discussion with the right information you need to make a hiring decision.

I’m certainly not going to win any business innovation awards for that statement. Here’s the thing, though. Everything that happens in the interview should directly help you achieve that purpose. Unfortunately, in my work with clients on their interview process, there are often parts of the process that aren’t actually helping them achieve that purpose, or there are key parts of the process that could help but are missing.

Three Ways To Improve Your Interview Process

These aren’t rocket science concepts, but doing them well requires some focus and diligence:

1. Have a pre-interview preparation meeting with whoever is involved in the interview

This important step is often overlooked. It is understandable. Business life is always busy. Many of us are cramming interviews into already over-booked calendars.

The problem of not taking a few minutes for a team preparation meeting is that it doesn’t give you and other interviewers the opportunity to get aligned on what you are all looking for. This often results in different expectations of the candidate, how he or she answered the questions, and ultimately whether the candidate was what we were looking for.

When combined, these often cause frustration with the process, delays in making hiring decisions, bad hires, or letting good candidates move right past you.

A good preparation meeting gets in front of these problems. Here are three key things to do during your preparation meeting:

Do a quick group review of the candidate and the resume
Do an overview of the role the candidate is interviewing for
Get alignment on the key questions you want to ask – both technical and cultural – and what kinds of answers you are looking for

To do it well only takes a few minutes but is invaluable in going into the interview aligned and focused.

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2. Have a post-interview calibration discussion with all of the interviewers

Post interview calibration sessions often don’t happen for the same reason that pre-interview preparation meetings get pushed aside. It feels like we just don’t have enough time. The interview is over, and you’re running to the next meeting (or interview).

When you don’t do them, though, you miss valuable opportunities to get multiple perspectives about the candidate from co-workers who sit in different roles. You also lose the opportunity to sort out and gain alignment on what was good or bad about a candidate so that you can apply that to others you are interviewing for the same role.

Without calibration, I’ve seen clients continue to miss opportunities to refine their candidate search process or criteria for who makes it to the face to face interview stage. And all of this equates to an unnecessarily elongated interviewing process, frustrated interviewers, and a belief that interview process just isn’t working.

3. Focus the interview on personal attributes and culture fit

There’s an important quote from Jim Collins, business consultant and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, “Good-to-Great.” In his work around what separated great companies from good companies, he noted:

“In determining the right people, the good-to-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience.”

Even with that, many interviews today still focus primarily on technical skills, knowledge, and abilities. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t care about those things because there are certainly required baseline capabilities to do the job. You can, and should, still assess those.

But use the bulk of the interview to focus on assessing attributes like learning agility, interpersonal effectiveness, and cultural fit, which have been shown to be much better predictors of short and long-term job success.

Join Shark Tank’s Daymond John, MailChimp’s Ben Chestnut, Drybar’s Alli Webb, Boxed’s Chieh Huang, Harry’s Jeff Raider, and hundreds of scrappy and trailblazing entrepreneurs at this year’s Grow Your Company Conference in New Orleans, May 30-June 1. To learn more and to register visit Growco Conference.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

PUBLISHED ON: APR 25, 2018

Inc.com |

By James Sudakow

Author, ‘Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit … and Other Stupid Stuff We Say in the Corporate World’@JamesSudakow

Your #Career : Are You Prepared for Your #JobInterview ? Don’t Say Yes Before Reading This….We’ve Simplified your Prep Work into Eight Foolproof Steps, So you can Walk into the #Interview Armed with the Information and Confidence you Need to Seal the Deal.

April 24, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Getting ready for a big job interview can be stressful, and the best thing you can do to calm your nerves is to ensure you’re adequately prepared. Improvising responses and questions on the spot works for some people, but there’s no reason to leave it up to chance, especially if you have your heart set on a new gig.

We’ve simplified your prep work into eight foolproof steps, so you can walk into the interview armed with the information and confidence you need to seal the deal.

Step 1: Get Acquainted With the Basics

If you haven’t done so already, look up the company you’re interviewing with on Glassdoor to get an idea of what they do, how big the company is, who their competitors are and what their business model is. How do they make money? What’s their core mission? What are their corporate values? You should be able to answer all these questions before heading into an interview with them.

Step 2: Research Your Interviewers

If you know who you’ll be meeting with, look them up and learn about their professional background. Find out what their role at the company entails in as much detail as you can, as well as what previous positions they may have held. This will help you ask more intelligent, insightful questions during the interview, showing that you’re an informed candidate.

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Step 3: Get Your Q&As Straight

On that note, come prepared with a few thoughtful questions for each interviewer so that you don’t feel pressured to think of them spontaneously. It’s also a good idea to review commonly asked interview questions, and consider what your answers would be. You can also check out the company’s Glassdoor interviews page to see what previous interviewees have been asked.

Step 4: Practice Makes Perfect

After you’ve done the prep work, rehearse your responses to questions you anticipate being asked, either by writing them out or having a friend or family member ask them. There’s no need to memorize a script, but practicing can help ensure you feel comfortable talking about your experience, skills, challenges and insights.

Step 5: Pack Your Bag and Plan Your Outfit

Get prepared with a professional-looking bag or backpack packed with copies of your resume, your portfolio, a notebook, a pen and anything else you think you might need for the interview.

Pick out what you’ll wear at least a day ahead of time, so you don’t have to worry about it the morning of. If you’re not sure what to wear, check out photos of the office on Glassdoor or the company’s website, then dress yourself a step above whatever you see online. For example, if everyone seems to wear jeans and T-shirts to the office, you definitely don’t want to show up in a suit, but perhaps you’d want to wear a nice pair of dress pants and a button-down shirt. This shows respect for the formality of an interview, but helps you avoid looking overdressed and out of place.

Step 7: Plan Your Route

If you’re heading into the office for an in-person meeting, make sure you have your route and method of transport mapped out. If you’ve never been to the area where the interview is before, you can even do a test run to see how long it will take you to get there. On the day of, be sure to add in buffer time in case of traffic, slow train service or other delays. If applicable, be sure you have also thought through how you’ll deal with stepping away from your current job duties should the interview occur during your normal work hours.

Step 8: Eat, Sleep and Relax

Getting enough sleep and eating well in the days leading up to your interview is crucial when it comes to being at the top of your game. It’s normal to be nervous before a big meeting, but don’t let that stop you from getting good shuteye the night before and some high quality, nutritious meals beforehand.

If you’re struggling to get to that calm, focused state of mind that allows you to make the best possible impression, try whatever relaxation techniques usually work for you, whether it’s meditating, listening to a podcast, watching your favorite TV show or fitting in a high-intensity workout.

Now go out there and crush your interview!

Glassdoor.com | April 23, 2018 | Posted by Julia Malacoff

#Leadership : How To Get Better At Saying “No” ….You Don’t Have to Let the Guilty Voice in your Head Get the Best of You.

April 24, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You’re running around with a million things to do, and you’ve barely made a dent in your to-do list. Then someone asks you to take on a project you definitely don’t have time for, and you answer “yes” without thinking.

Learning to say “no” is an ongoing challenge, but it’s a skill you can refine every day. Just like you diligently polish your writing and presentation prowess, you need to apply the same level of discipline when it comes to declining a request or invitation.

WHY IT’S SO HARD TO SAY NO

Why is it that saying “no” can feel socially awkward and disingenuous? When Fast Company‘s Michael Grothaus tracked how many times he said “yes” and “no” in a week, he found that he said “no” twice but responded “yes” to over 50 requests. “I say ‘yes’ to everything because I don’t want to come across as mean, lazy, boring, or uncaring,” Grothaus wrote in 2015.

You might feel similarly without even realizing it. Here’s a possible thought you might have (subconsciously or otherwise): “If I say that I can’t help with my team’s annual charity food drive, I’m pushing work onto others who are likely as busy as me.” You’re assuming that if you decline, you’re being impolite, so you really should just help out because others are, and it’s the right thing to do.

The thing is, that “should” indicates that you’re prioritizing being polite over being genuine. You’ve probably experienced that burdened feeling other times you’ve wanted to turn something down. Rather than going with your gut, you say “yes,” and then immediately feel the conflict. It’s sometimes helpful to ask, “If I don’t do this, will it matter in three weeks, three months, three years from now?” This way, you’ll get a more accurate picture of whether your lack of participation is genuinely critical.

It might not feel like it, but you’re largely in control of how busy you are. When you accept a meeting or an assignment that you don’t really have the bandwidth for, you might escape the discomfort of expressing your regrets but you give up the time to think, rejuvenate, and take care of yourself.

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WHEN TO SAY “YES” AND WHEN TO SAY “NO”

It helps to have a definitive system to be able to say “no” in a way that feels right. One thing you can do is create a list of your top priorities, and only say yes to projects that move you closer to them. Personally, I find it helpful to run through a mental checklist before accepting anything. Here are the questions I usually ask myself:

Is this urgent, or can it wait?
Can someone else besides me do it?
If I say “yes” to this, what am I saying “no” to?

If it does become clear that you should say no, remember that you don’t have to provide an explanation. Just be upfront, polite, genuine, and, if appropriate, offer an alternative solution. Here’s a good example: “I wish I could meet, but I don’t have a lot of free time this quarter. Would a quick phone call work instead? Let me know, I’d like to help.”

If you’re prone to overcommitting, this approach can help you determine what to take on and what to decline. I also like to keep in mind the following quote from entrepreneur Derek Sivers: “If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.” As Grothaus pointed out, the outcome of saying no is seldom as bad as what you think it might be: “The sky won’t fall, your family won’t stop loving you, and your boss won’t fire you–heck, everyone will probably respect you and your time more if you say ‘no’ more often.”

Mikaela Kiner is the founder and CEO of uniquelyHR, providing fast-growth companies including startups and scale-ups with flexible HR services. You can find her on Twitter @uniquelyHR or LinkedIn.

FastCompany.com | April 24, 2018 | BY MIKAELA KINER 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : These Are 4 Types Of #Bosses You’ll Have, And How To Deal With Them…Most Bosses you’ll have Fit into One of These Categories. Here’s How to #Manage Each–and When to Jump Ship.

April 23, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Many types of people become managers, and they employ many different leadership styles once they do. And considering the wide spectrum of personality traits there are out there, you’d think that would lead to a multitude of managerial types. But according to Ximena Vengoechea, you’d be wrong.

A design researcher at Pinterest as well as a Fast Company contributor who writes prolifically about management, work culture, and mentorship, Vengoechea believes most bosses basically fit into four categories:

Hands on, and in it for themselves
Hands on, and it it for you
Hands off, and in it for themselves
Hands off, and in it for you

“Obviously,” she adds, “the ones where they are in it for themselves are less effective for the individual.” Also a talented illustrator, Vengoechea maps out this framework like so:

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Here’s her take on what employees need to know in order to deal with each type of boss.

1. HANDS ON, IN IT FOR THEMSELVES

Vengoechea doesn’t mince words: “Get a new manager!” Bosses who hover and nitpick, either because they’re on a power trip or they just assume you’ll screw it all up, are bad at the fundamentals of supervising other people. “It’s hard to grow when you’re being micromanaged and your manager is taking all the credit,” she points out. You can’t work for someone who doesn’t trust you and only looks out for their own interests.

Of course, bad bosses who fall into this category can be broken down a bit further by their other quirks and habits. Some, for example, may be highly indecisive; others might set habitually unrealistic expectations. There are a few ways you can try to adapt to each of these habits, but that’s really just in order to make work livable while you finagle a transfer to another team internally or look for a new job altogether.

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2. HANDS ON, IN IT FOR YOU

Yes, this type of boss may have some micromanaging tendencies, but as Vengoechea cautions, “Don’t assume the worst from ad hoc check-ins. Your manager may just be proactive about helping you grow.”

Give this type of boss the benefit of the doubt (sometimes micromanaging is a symptom of work-related stress, by the way) and use it as an opportunity to improve how you communicate. “Let them know where you need their help and brainpower,” Vengoechea advises. That includes sharing when you don’t need it.

But as long as you can tell that your boss has your best interests at heart, try to see their hands-on approach as an opportunity for mentorship. As Vengoechea explained previously in Fast Company, “If a manager checks in outside of your normally scheduled one-on-one meeting, relax. Don’t automatically assume the worst and put your guard up. Consider the possibility that rather than trying to micromanage, your new boss may be trying to find ways to help, so be more receptive.”

3. HANDS OFF, IN IT FOR THEMSELVES

If your boss seems mostly concerned about their own status and advancement and uninterested in yours, that’s of course not an ideal situation. But it doesn’t necessarily mean you should run for the hills.

Vengoechea suggests first trying to test your theory about why your boss is keeping their distance–and, as she explained in a separate Fast Company story, it’s usually due to one of two reasons: “They’re either checked out at work in general, or they totally trust you.” She breaks down the best strategies for both scenarios here, but claims that in general, it’s smart to “be proactive about following up, show that one-on-ones matter, [and] widen their window onto your work.”

These efforts can all help build a bridge to a distant manager. But if you don’t make progress at deepening your rapport, Vengoechea says it’s time to look for a different boss. “It’s hard to grow if your manager doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”

4. HANDS OFF, IN IT FOR YOU

It’s not the worst thing in the world to have a boss who keeps their distance simply because they trust you to get the job done.

Here, too, the onus is on you to communicate what you need. Vengoechea suggests expressing gratitude for their trust and “share when you want more input, check in on their goals and how you can help, [and] ask for feedback.” As she put it in her previous article, it’s all about “acknowledg[ing] that you feel empowered to make decisions and run with ideas autonomously, thanks to their support. But don’t be afraid to spell out scenarios where their perspective might be helpful and productive for you.” Typically, a manager who cares about your professional development will make a greater effort to get more involved when you need that.

“Researchers have found that employees’ relationships with managers is one of the most decisive factors in the decision to look for another job versus stay put,” Vengoechea points out, “which means that the type of manager you have matters a lot–it’s going to determine your growth in a role or in a company, as well as your happiness and fulfillment day-to-day.”

So no matter what type of manager you have, Vengoechea says, “make sure you are following the key tenets of ‘managing up’ : Understand their goals, and how you can help; learn what communication style works for them (and you!), give feedback on them, and on what you need; [and] share your wins.” Not all boss-employee relationships are win-wins, but for those who keep these basic rules in mind, more of them can be.

FastCompany.com | April 23, 2018 | BY RICH BELLIS 4 MINUTE READ

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Your #Career : #Recruiters Look At This More Than Your #LinkedIn …Here’s what they are looking for when they scroll through your #Instagram and #Facebook accounts.

April 21, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

When it comes to getting your online profiles ready for a job search, you probably focus your attention on LinkedIn. However, a study by the job search website Simply Hired found that hiring managers are more likely to check your Instagram account.

Just 29% of hiring managers look at an applicant’s LinkedIn profile, while 38% search for social media accounts, the study reports. And there’s an important reason why, says Carly Johnson, project manager at Simply Hired: “LinkedIn is a great platform, but if you have someone’s resume, you’re probably not going to find much else about them; it’s pretty replicated.”

Johnson says recruiters often go to Instagram and Facebook to determine the kind of person the candidate is beyond their resume. “Instagram and Facebook show a living, breathing person,” she says. “It’s great to have a second level of information.”

Social media platforms offer a wealth of information about candidates.

CULTURE FIT

Posts and comments on social media platforms provide insights to a person’s beliefs, and they can reveal potential red flags, says Johnson. “You want to make sure candidates aren’t rude or offensive toward people,” she says. “Also, do their personal opinions fit with your culture?”

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Victoria Whiting, internship director at the marketing firm Agency H5, looks for characteristics on candidates’ profiles that fit with the agency’s five core values: kindness, smarts, integrity, passion, and hustle, she says. “It can be difficult to assess these values in an interview, as a candidate can come across as kind and passionate during an initial conversation, but later demonstrate the exact opposite,” she says. “I use social conversations and profiles to evaluate how this person would stack up.”

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Pictures reveal hobbies and interests, allowing you to get a bigger picture of a person, says Johnson. “Hobbies show that a person is well rounded,” she says. “You don’t want someone who is all about work and a robot.”

Twitter is a great place to showcase what interests you professionally, adds Whiting. “When evaluating a candidate, I check for a Twitter profile to see what types of articles are shared, where he or she gets news, what content is of value to the candidate, and how he or she engages with other people,” she says.

INDUSTRY FIT

If your job has a marketing aspect, employers might want to see how you brand yourself through social media. Whiting looks to see if candidates have a basic understanding of how platforms work. “We create Facebook content and paid ads for many of our clients, so it’s important that this channel is not overlooked,” she says.

When it comes to Instagram, profiles with well-curated content stand out, says Whiting. “Instagram is a great place to showcase your eye for cohesive imagery, brand development, engaging content, and clever copywriting,” she says.

THE LEGALITIES OF LOOKING

While there is no law against looking at a candidate’s public social media sites, it could pose a potential risk because you might learn protected characteristics such as a person’s age or national origin, says David Weisenfeld, legal editor for XpertHR, an HR services provider. “If the applicant somehow becomes aware that the employer accessed this information via social media and is subsequently passed over for the job, this knowledge could boomerang against the employer and potentially lead to a discrimination claim,” he says. “Even meritless claims could cost the employer time, money, and resources to defend, so this risk should not be discounted.”

Loni Freeman, vice president of human resources at the public relations agency SSPR, checks the LinkedIn profile of every candidate she interviews, and stops there. “Since I know this person is actively seeking a position with our company, I’m interested in learning how they are maximizing their professional candidacy,” she says. “I do see value in understanding the public personality of an individual; however, once you learn information about someone, particularly protected hiring information, you can’t unlearn it. It’s a slippery slope for a recruiter, and using personal information to make a professional hiring decision is risky.”

While not all recruiters look at social media, Johnson said Simply Hired’s study found that the number is higher than they originally thought. She offers this advice for job seekers: “If you have a public account, you’re better safe than sorry,” she says. “Make sure you’re comfortable with anyone seeing what you’re posting, from a friend to a future employer.”

FastCompany.com | April 20, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA 3 MINUTE READ