A somewhat sad but true fact is that nepotism does rain rampant in the world of make believe and it’s better to know what you are up against when you apply for your next job or internship.  It’s not enough to have the right skill set but it’s even more important to have the right connections.  Finding a job is not as easy as it looks and you would think with the advances of technology, it might have gotten easier.  Not so.  The tried and true, “good old fashioned way” still holds court and finding your next gig is really about being “All In The Family.”

Giving it your all, calling in the shots, focusing, following, listening and playing your A-Game.  When you’ve given it your best shot in your job efforts and have shown up to deliver your best, it’s now time for the hard part, to sit back, trust and yes, wait.  Finding the resolve to release control over the job process when you know in your heart of hearts that you’ve showed up and delivered your best is not always easy.  Playing the waiting game, replaying the meetings, interview, follow-up over again in your head thinking maybe you could do something differently is not going to help the process move any quicker for you.

I know you know what you are talking about but does anyone else?  We often say things to sound prolific, savvy, or with it, but do you know how it sounds to the person sitting on the other side of the desk?  It would be nice to walk around with a tape recorder all the time and hit “playback” to listen to the pearls of wisdom that trickle from your lips especially when you are in an interview.  Trying to impress is one thing, but sounding like a moron is another. Here are five unexpected side effects when you open your mouth in an interview.

We all like to be right.  Some like it for the sake of being right as others like to just make a point.  When you are on a job interview or perhaps when you are presenting to a client, you may not always see eye to eye. It’s okay to disagree because guess what, despite what you may have heard, the client isn’t ALWAYS right.  It may be hard to put yourself in a position where you have to argue your case, especially if you are on a job interview, but knowing where you stand and what you stand for depends upon how secure you are in your beliefs.  It might be nice to placate your client but in some cases, realizing you know best and following your instincts may be your best defense.

Having the common sense to know how to properly lay out your professional background without relying on a template you’ve pulled off the internet, is going to save you a lot of time and aggravation in the long run when it comes to writing a smart, concise and relevant resume-even if at times you feel like no one is reading it!

During this holiday season and sometimes throughout the year, we need to be reminded that it’s ok to give, share and spread the wealth especially in a crowded job market.  Even when it seems like there are hundreds of job seekers applying to just one job like there are holiday shoppers rushing to the stores on Black Friday to grab up the last of the sale items, we need to remind ourselves there’s room at the Inn for all of us if we just slow down and step back and be willing to help.  You may feel the need to rush to get through your “Job Seeker To Do List” wondering how many more resumes you can send out or how many job interviews you can line up before the new year. When you think you’ve done enough for yourself and you are not sure what gifts you can share, think of those who are still struggling this year who have not been as successful as you and next time you hear of a job you are not interested in or perhaps is just not right for you, remember you can easily jus, pass it on.

“Our fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasures”

                                                                        ~Elizabeth Glaser

There are special people who come and go in your life, who leave a lasting impression.  Christine Kent, our beloved Career Coach, Mentor, Executive Recruiter, Counselor and Confidante, passed away on Saturday, September 8^th at 46 years of age from a brief but terminal illness. Christine’s last blog on greenlightjobs’ in July addressed the fears we face when challenged with insurmountable obstacles in our path towards finding what we truly want in life.  Christine quoted from Elizabeth Glaser in that blog, and it seems a very fitting tribute in part to the fear we all must conquer in our lives regardless of the situation we face.

You can’t be anymore inspired or motivated to change your job, rethink your career strategy or plot your next move as outlined in the new movie, “Horrible Bosses.”  Okay so this may be an extreme way of dealing with a problem and it’s time comes to make a career change.  But, hey desperate times as they say require desperate measures.  I’m not suggesting you hire a hit man (or wanna-be hit man) to take out your boss or any colleagues who might be getting in your way towards career advancement.  However, when it comes time to really reflect on how miserable you might be, keep one thing in mind: any alternative starts to look good when you are stuck in the middle working for a horrible boss.

It might not be that easy! Jumping, moving, changing are all actions that require you to either think or leap before you move.  Taking a different route in where you want to go in life and in job takes certain courage more than it takes foresight.  Sometimes you think any road looks better than the one you are on.  Knowing you have choices in how you get there might help lessen the burden of thinking you’ve got to decide fast in order to get back on track.  Not so.  There are many roads that lead to your goal.  Choosing one that’s right for you are part of the process and it’s not so much about racing to the get there, it’s just important you eventually get there.

We all get caught up in questioning the reasons why we choose to work.  Some of us think it’s the only way to build a career and follow your life’s dream.  Others see it as a means to pay the bills, one paycheck at a time.  And others still, have the attitude, “Well, what else would I do with my time if I didn’t work!”  Do you ever stop and wonder why we “work?”  The concept of “work” is a bi-product of the Industrial Revolution where you needed to produce in order to survive.  But today, work has taken on a whole new meaning or has it?  Have we just bought into the notion that we are living in a material world and it’s the only thing we need to focus on in order to move through this lifetime?