The Power of Not Very Powerful People

We know from networking training that people love to be asked for advice; it makes them feel important and seen. The problem is we often focus only on who we consider powerful, and they get asked a lot. It’s the connected, but not powerful, people who may have the best leads. Talk to everyone.

Telling a Difficult Story

Many jobseekers have a back story that makes it challenging to compete for jobs. If you’re one of them, having been fired from a former job, having personal or financial problems, or having a criminal background, the idea of handling the story in an interview is probably keeping you up at night.

What Color is your Power Suit?

We humans react strongly to color. Color theory is an important element of any design, and it played a part in the clothes you’re wearing right now. In this recent political season, you can bet that many stylists spent many hours helping candidates send the right message through style and color. If you can’t afford your own personal stylist, here are some general tips on color in the interview.

Fidgeting and Your Career: Calm = Power

There’s little doubt that when a person stands quietly, with relaxed posture, she seems more confident. Humans rely on hundreds of non-verbal signals when we’re communicating: smiles, involuntary grimaces and your eyes tell much more than what you say with words. We associate fidgeting with nervousness, and nervousness with unfavorable traits like dishonesty, guilt, or lack of self control.

Why Didn’t I get the Offer?

You may have experienced what you consider to be a great interview – I mean a GREAT interview. You waited; maybe you even decided not to pursue other opportunities because this job and the chemistry in the interview felt so right. But the call didn’t come. It can be frustrating.

Prepare for a Phone Interview

The credit for this post goes to Susan Heathfield, a Human Resources expert who has been covering HR for about.com since 2000. In her HR newsletter, Vol. 11 No. 81, dated July, 2010, she writes an excellent article for recruiters about how to construct questions for an effective telephone screening interview. Viewed in reverse, you can use her questions as a way to prepare for a phone screening – or any in-person interview.