While you may not have come right out and said it, you communicate a lot about yourself in how you respond to or ask certain questions. So pay attention to these unintentional little cues!...because managers are looking for some very specific character traits during the interview. Don't disappoint.What the manager is looking for: HumilityWhat you give them: GrandstandingDon’t make things up or ever overstate your role to...

How do you ever really know if it's the right fit? Sure, salary level, title, geography and job description are all easy facts to turn to in making your decision. However, remember that your true satisfaction in your job is not likely to come directly from any one of these things. Know where to look and what signs to pay attention to that will indicate if a company is the right match.It's true! You don't fall in love with y...

A discussion about salary is no minor detail! It not only has a direct effect on the level of offer made, it can literally make or break a person's candidacy with a company. There are some definite rules to salary negotiation that every candidate should know. So keep the following ten commandments in mind during the interview process and also follow my detailed advice in a prior post on what to say when posed with a salary...

I've gotten a lot of response about the post on admitting to weaknesses during the interview process. There was one question in particular that I'd like to share from a high-level Finance Professional who felt he asserted himself too much/ the wrong way with upper level management and is looking for a way to "admit to this weakness" without jeopardizing his candidacy. He writes... "I recently read an article you wrote regar...

Candidates make mistakes during the interview all the time. And the worst thing you can do is to ignore them and try to forget that this has happened. Trust me, the manager won't! So just like in the movies, remember that you can always "cut and do a retake" to make things better when necessary.These small errors can be turned into a positive very easily with a sense of humor, a little bit of humility and a desire to make a...

How do you answer the toughest interview question in the world - "What is your biggest weakness?" Whatever you do, don't try and avoid the real answer. What the manager wants to know more than anything else is NOT what your actual weaknesses are, but if you are honest enough to admit you have one.Everyone, and I mean everyone, has shortcomings. You know it, I know it and the manager knows it. Think about how foolish you sou...

*Props to my colleague Christina Woodward for suggesting this topic. She left a big company (Pepsi) a year ago to join our little start up Seven Step Recruiting and had thoughts to share about how this type of move affected her job search with us and other smaller companies she interviewed with.Since it is much more common for candidates to go from a big company to a small company when changing jobs than the other way aroun...

Every company performs some level of due diligence on the people they hire. Whether the HR person does this themselves or hires a 3rd party to conduct a formal background check, count on everything you say to be double checked.Know that any informational discrepancy could cost you the job, even if it involves something very minor or ends up being a completely innocent misunderstanding. So always apply the "background check"...

There are way too many stories about candidates who blow off the importance of reference checks and end up losing the offer. It makes no sense. It's like stopping just before you reach the end zone to tie your shoe and getting tackled. References are the critical last few yards of scoring a touchdown. If you assume it's a done deal and don't pay attention here, you'll lose out. Don't treat this as a rubber stamp and mere ad...

At the end of EVERY interview, you will be asked if you have any questions. It is unbelievably common for candidates to say "no". Understand that not asking questions is tantamount to telling them you are not interested. If you are, don't blow it by being misread...be inquisitive!Hiring managers aren't asking if you have any questions just because they want to help get you more information. The rationale goes beyond this. I...