“Does that make sense?”

In his Harvard Business Review Blog Network post, Jerry Weissman makes the point that for many people asking “does that make sense?” during a presentation has become a filler.  Other well know examples of fillers include: “like,” “you know,” “to be honest,” and the all too frequent and dreaded “um.”  Jerry is an expert at coaching business people to be successful presenters.  He has published several books on the subject including the  most recent book Presentations in Action: 80 Memorable Presentation Lessons from the Masters (FT Press: 2011).

I agree with Jerry’s point which is essentially that asking your audience “does that make sense?” can convey. . .  Read more

The Best of Seth

Seth Godin’s wisdom of the day. . . here is the conclusion of the post:

Reading every single trade journal, for example, or understanding the marketing, engineering and sales of your field–there are countless ways to go deep instead of merely paying lip service to the current flavor of the moment.” Read Seth’s entire (short) blog post here.

5 “Sticky” Interview Tactics

Nick Corcodilos (a.k.a. Ask the Headhunter) provides five “sticky” interview tactics which will help set you apart in today’s ultra-competitive job market.  Read the full article.  Here is a preview:

  1. Attach yourself to the work.
  2. Let the manager see you as an employee.
  3. Inspire employees to talk about you.
  4. Inspire employers to talk about you.
  5. Be there now.

So, who is Nick and why should you read this article?  Good question. . . Read more

Earn that Promotion — Become an MVP!

In his blog, John Keyser, outlines principals for success in your career.  Here is his list– the last bullet point summarizes the other points:    Become the MVP in the eyes of everyone for all you do.

  • Be positive, enthusiastic, and a source of positive energy.
  • Make things happen. Don’t wait. Contribute ideas. When you see something that should be done, do it or make the suggestion to the appropriate person.
  • Be authentic, yourself, and honest with people. Read more

The Tricky Interview Question. . . what to do?

Check out this article on CNN Money before you get stumped by the tricky interview question. You can’t possible have answers to every question that might be asked. Answering a questions like these, are about thinking on your feet and responding under pressure.

70% of Recruiters Have Rejected Candidates Because of Online Content!

This 8-page article from the NY Times is a comprehensive look at all of the issues related to online privacy. There some critical information for job seekers.  For those who want the short version, read the excerpt below:

“According to a recent survey by Microsoft, 75 percent of U.S. recruiters and human-resource professionals report that their companies require them to do online research about candidates, and many use a range of sites when scrutinizing applicants — including search engines, social-networking sites, photo- and video-sharing sites, personal websites and blogs, Twitter and online-gaming sites. Seventy percent of U.S. recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online, like photos and discussion-board conversations and membership in controversial groups.”

Increased Focus on ‘Soft Skills’ at Top MBA Programs

Many top MBA programs are increasing their focus on ‘soft skills.’  Why?

These are critical skills for all professional.  Whether you currently manage a team of 2, 20 or 200 people, skills such as speaking respectfully to subordinates, teamwork, and managing your own stress are all very important and will have a major impact on your success as a manager and a leader.

Traditionally, MBA programs have focused on the technical or ‘hard skills’ such as economics, finance and accounting.  There are a number of reasons for this including the fact that grading students in these subjects is more straightforward and lack of respect for ‘soft skills’ courses on the part of students and employers.  Also, many of the jobs that are filled by new MBAs do require these technical skills, so it becomes a Catch-22.  How far one advances beyond that first job will be largely determined by the ‘soft skills’ or ‘people skills.’

There is good news here for professionals without a business school background. . . many of the interpersonal skills needed to be a successful business manager and a leader of people are not learned in the classroom.

Read the full WSJ.com article by Mellissa Korn and Joe Light.

Thank You Notes Increase Your Chance of Success

This is from a national survey of more than 2,800 U.S. employers, conducted by CareerBuilder.

  • More than one-in-five (22 percent) hiring managers say they are less likely to hire a candidate if they don’t send a thank-you note after an interview;
  • 86 percent say it shows a lack of follow-through;
  • 56 percent say it sends the message that they aren’t really serious about the opportunity;
  • 89 percent of hiring managers say it is OK to send a thank-you note in the form of an e-mail, with half saying it is actually the way they prefer to receive them;
  • IT hiring managers are the most eager to receive e-mail, rather than written thank you notes;
  • The majority of those in the financial services like hand-written and USPS delivered notes better, but say that e-mail is still acceptable.

Thank you notes are not just for interviews.  Invest 5 minutes to stand out from the crowd after meeting a customer, prospect, mentor or business partner.  If speed is critical (i.e., timing is an issue) such as an interview or a competitive sales situation, send an email and a hand written note.  If speed is not critical, always opt for the hand written note.

So what should be included in a thank you note? . . .  Read the full CareerBuilder post here.

Empathy Communicates Trust

When I first started reading Peter Bregman’s blog post on the Harvard Business Review, I appreciated the advice he offered as the father of a 3 year old. I tucked this away in the mental file for the times my son has a similar experience.

As the article continued, I wasn’t sure how Bregman would turn this anecdote about a nine-year old girl who was disqualified from her swim meet into a business lesson which would be applicable to the workplace.  And in two simple sentences he does it:

“Empathy communicates trust. And people perform best when they feel trusted.”

It is that simple.  Leadership is about being authentic and there is nothing more authentic than practicing empathy with others.

The Last 10%

In his blog today, Seth Godin talks about the effort that is required to attain the last ten percent– the final push to the summit!  Great advice for all your professional (and personal) endeavors.