If you are looking for career progression, job satisfaction, and a new and exciting challenge … then there is a big difference.  A career is a strategic step in the direction you are taking your life. What is your dream job and where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years? Remember, it doesn’t matter how fast you are going, if you are going in the wrong direction. So be clear on an end in mind.

When you are deciding if it is a career move you are making, you must think about the value proposition and alignment to your long-term goals.  What skills, experience, and connections will this job give you that will get you closer to your end goal. If you can’t think of any, then it might be just a job.

What should you look for in a career start employer? An organisation that values their employees, hires great people, and invests in their team. It is important for you to figure out what is important to you on an individual level and compare that with your career start organisation. Some suggestions: regular feedback from the direct report, goals and transparency, training and development, fair compensation and agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

If you do background research and are unable to answer all of the questions you have about your potential growth with the company… ask! The interviewer will be impressed that you have a long-term goal and plan to get there. If it is aligned with the organisation’s goals, they will see you as an investment. Detailed questions about your potential fit and progression show that you are looking to invest yourself in something that will contribute to your longer term plan, this increases engagement, and you will be better in your role that someone who is just doing it for the money!

• What are the organisations’ goals?
• How do they align with you personal goals?
• What is the manager’s vision and goal for the role?
• Does the organisation support internal promotions and movement within for career progression?
• Do they have an example of someone who has moved within the organisation?
• Are the manager and the organisation invested in employee development and how is it demonstrated?
• Are there training or development opportunities?
• What is a realistic timeframe for progression in your role?

You took our advice and swung by a Human Resources event for the sole purpose of getting a job.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s what you do:

1. Dress appropriately
   Dress like you would for an interview when you go mingle. Sure, there will be people there who are very casual but most will be dressed corporate. It is easier to feel like you fit in when you don’t stand out like a sore thumb.
2. Stop texting
   I get that it can be incredibly awkward to be alone in a room full of people you don’t know when you haven’t had a drink and it isn’t 2am and dark.
   Put your phone in your pocket and a smile on your face, no security blankets allowed.
   The thing you might not know until you’ve been to a couple conferences yourself: most of the scary professionals are also at the conference alone. It looks like they are travelling in packs or pairs and everyone knows everyone, but the fact of the matter is more often than not they are just like you, alone. Sent to learn something new, network, and represent their company and when they got there in the morning they also had to begin with the introductions.
3. The approach
   Pick out a loner
   This can be a good approach when you are still new, it can be intimidating to approach a group of people. But a loner… well really you are doing them a favour by talking to them aren’t you?
   Confidently approach said loner and say something along the lines of “Hi (extend hand for confident handshake while maintaining eye contract in a not creepy way) I’m ________.”
   Interrupt
   This works very well if you are outgoing and charming. Walk up to a small group and say something along the lines of, “Hi, I’m just going to interrupt… so, what are we talking about?” This works well with a big smile so they know you aren’t trying to be rude, just wanting to say hello and join the conversation.
4. Make small talk
   Still scared and don’t know what to say to a stranger? Ask them how they are enjoying the conference? Which presentations really stood out for them? Are they from the area, or did they have to travel to attend the conference?
   People like to talk about themselves but don’t like impromptu interviews. Be genuinely interested in who they are and have a conversation before jumping straight into “Whom do you work for? Are you hiring? Do you want to hire me?”
5. Be transparent
   Don’t claim you’re a big deal and try to sound cool. Be honest. “I am just beginning my career and am actually here to meet with some HR Professionals to see if I can learn ________.” Or, “This is my first networking event, but I understand how important it is and I thought it would be a great opportunity to meet some experienced professionals and pick their brains.” People who are already on track in life have some great insights and generally like to try to help the newbies by sharing… it’s also a bit flattering and an ego boost to share your wealth of knowledge and experience.
6. Ask
   If you feel the conversation has gone well and you have found some common ground, thank them for taking the time to share with you. Let them know how truly appreciative you are that they have given up some of their networking time to give you that great advice/insight. Then just ask for it, “______ would you mind if I take your business card? I have really enjoyed this conversation and would like to add you to my professional network.”

- Erin Pfeiffer

For many of us, the first time you meet with a prospective employer for a job you really want can induce the same emotions and behaviours as a first date with someone really hot. Sweaty palms, anxiety that can only be shaken off by a stiff drink (not recommended for interviews)… saying inappropriate things at inappropriate times, and generally wishing you’d just stayed home and watched American Idol auditions so you can laugh at someone else’s rejection like you’d planned.

Unfortunately for all of us, it is as true in life as it is in our careers that you simply cannot avoid meeting a potential suitor for the first time if you want the relationship to get to second base. Even if you have an amazing connection with someone inside the protective orb of the World Wide Web, there comes a point when you will need to stop tapping your keyboard, get dressed, and attend a meeting in the hopes you could be tapping something else… like your new keyboard at your awesome new job.

So, apart from having to physically attend an initial meeting, what other parallels between dating and interviewing can be drawn and utilised to improve your chances of success? When first impressions are everything and you’ve only got one chance to impress, how do you make an Employer fall in love with you?

Treat a first interview like a first date.

I won’t bore you with the basics. If you don’t know that you shouldn’t attend an interview (or a date) with bed-head, and talk about the time you went on a Contiki tour and ended up incarcerated in Mexico with the intention of sounding awesome and cool, there is no helping you. Please stop reading this and start watching Jersey Shore.

For everyone else: Based on consistent feedback we get from Hiring Managers – and from finishing the Sex and the City Box Set – we’ve identified 5 factors that can be the predictors of failure or success in both scenarios. Or, in more relevant and momentous terms: the difference between 1^st base and a Home Run.

1.   Dress appropriately to Impress the appropriate people

Wait a minute… this sounds like a basic! And you look bored!

Well, it’s not. You might have heard the term “dress to impress” and thought it’s pretty self-explanatory, but this concept is open to wild interpretation. Ever turned up to a date at the movies wearing a three piece suit? Result = Epic Fail. Similarly, overdressing for an interview at a company with a cool and funky culture can be just as bad for your chances as underdressing for an interview at a traditional corporate. You need to do research on the company and find out who they are so you can dress appropriately. Still no clue? Do a walk-by (without being creepy) or ask around.

In practical terms, if a company has a cool and funky feel about them… 

Men, wear suit pants with a business shirt. A good guideline for the jacket vs. tie vs. both dilemma: if you don’t wear a jacket wear a tie; and if you don’t wear a tie, wear a jacket. Ladies, team business pants or a skirt with a fashionable top and understated accessories. Dresses/skirts should be mid to knee length. Minis really have no place in an interview.

If you identify a company as a bit more corporate…

Men, it’s simple. Always go a full suit and tie, clean shaven and tamed hair. No excuses. Ladies, it’s similar to the funky approach, but replace your top with a business shirt and jacket. Minimize accessories. Makeup for both scenarios should be suitable for looking nice at a funeral, not a nightclub. Less is more!

Your presentation should empower you. If you make an effort, you’ll feel great and it will show.

2.   Know your Audience

Assumption is the mother of all… well, you know.

Just like talking to a diehard party girl about your standing date with your couch every Saturday night; if you want to be successful you need to know your audience and what they want. Miscommunication of experience, skills, goals, and ambition can occur if you don’t first seek to understand why an Employer is hiring and who are looking for. Don’t assume that you know what they’re looking for from their Ad or from a Recruiter. Ask!

• “What are you looking for in an ideal candidate for this role?”
•  “What are the behaviours and characteristics someone would need to demonstrate in order to be successful?”
•  “What type of person would fit your culture and the team?”

Tip: The sooner you can gather this Intel in the interview, the sooner you can show how you fit their criteria. Additional Tip: If you can’t demonstrate something they want to see yet, focus on your awesome attitude, your willingness to learn new skills, and your ability to learn them fast.

3.   Wow, I know what you mean! That was like the time when I… 

Not all experience can be gained through a workplace setting. You might have additional skills and life experience you can draw on to make you a more suitable suitor/candidate. Have a think about what experience/exposure/knowledge you’ve got in common with the company and the role, even if it is outside the parameters of traditional work experience. Some areas you can draw on are:

Sport: Use to identify leadership, tenacity, dedication, determination, achieving goals

University: Great for examples of teamwork, innovation, creativity, time management, working to deadlines

Travel: Draw on to demonstrate independence, adaptability, maturity, courage, risk-taking, street smarts

What’s the link to dating? Don’t make stuff up. If the relationship gets serious, it can come back to bite you.

4.   Close the Deal

Unless the night went badly, you want to see this person again. Whether it’s securing that second date or getting the green light then and there, there needs to be some agreement on the way to move forward. It is advisable to be a tad more eloquent than, “So, you and me, how ‘bout it?”, and a great question is:

 “Is there any reason you wouldn’t put me forward to the next round?

Don’t be scared about asking this. Ever heard the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. If you did indeed veer off course, and you don’t ask this question, you won’t get any insight about where you went wrong and there’s every chance you’ll do it again. Worst case scenario, you’ll get some direct feedback on why you’re not the right person this time, and you can use constructive feedback to perfect your strategy and delivery next time. There might be an area of concern they have that you can address on the spot and quash their concern, and don’t discount the possibility they will say “There’s no reason I wouldn’t put you forward, you were great!” too. Either way, you’ll show you are keen and taking the process seriously. Man up and do it. You’ll live.

5.   Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up 

It’s not advisable to wait 5 days so you don’t look desperate. Employers don’t subscribe to the “treat ‘em mean keep ‘em keen way of life – they love candidates who show they want to work for them. After they have conducted first round interviews, I often get asked by Employers which of the candidates have followed up with me regarding their application.

After your interview, follow up by calling the Recruiter or Hiring Manager the next business day to ask if there is any feedback from your interview and when you can expect to hear back by. If they don’t answer the first time you call, call again twice before you leave a message, and wait 24 hours after leaving the message to call again. There’s a fine balance between follow up and harassment, so make sure you respect people’s time and conflicting priorities. No one likes a stalker. Timely follow up shows you are keen and interested, not desperate. Possibly a strategy that could also save some time in the dating world too. Just saying.

Hank Stringer

Talk your way into the job you choose….qualified or not!

Could you hear yourself saying….?

“Sir, my goal is to succeed. I plan to do that by working hard to provide value and service to our clients and my co-workers. I will fall and stumble at times, however I am determined to use these opportunities to learn and improve myself. I would be honored to work with your firm and hope I am blessed with the opportunity.”

Does reading this make you a little sick? Are you saying to yourself, no way I could say something like that? A lot of people moving into the workforce I have been exposed to do have that attitude. Instead, the thought has been, “If they want me they will come and get me or offer me a job when they meet me”. Well, that may be the way it works, but the reality is it is possible to talk your way in to a job of interest.

A person, especially a recent grad or one new in their career presenting themselves this way will get the attention of a hiring authority or a large company and particularly the owner of a small to medium sized company. Why? The attitude and desire of the talent is everything to a company hiring. Find someone willing who is honest, hardworking and wants to improve themselves in order to get ahead and a number of skills needed for the job can be learned. In fact, many companies may find that attitude is more important than one having the specific skills needed, combined with a questionable attitude.

• Attitude matters
• Present yourself as optimistic and positive
• Show you are willing to learn and improve
• Smile – everyone likes to work with happy people

Want that special job? Talk yourself into it with the right words and attitude.

One last point to make, this strategy can’t be faked for long – you have to live it.

This post originally appeared on Glassdoor.com

Guest Blogger Hank Stringer is a member of the Glassdoor.com, Clearview Collection and CEO of Stringer Executive Search and Chief Strategist to Novotus – a professional recruiting agency. In 2006 he co-authored Talent Force: A New Manifesto for the Human Side of Business” (Prentice-Hall. 2006) with fellow Clearview contributor Rusty Rueff. Hank’s experience includes founding Hire.com, an early Internet recruitment solution acquired by Authoria in 2005. He has also served as a senior recruiter for Dell Inc. and Tandem Computers.

You know that interview question where they ask what you want to be doing 5 years from now? What do you say?

We hear a lot of “I don’t know.” That’s cool, we get it – you’re looking for your first “real” job now, and 5 years seems like a long time away. With no experience under your belt, and no definitive plan for how you are going to get your corner office, you don’t know how to answer that question.

Here’s what the employer is thinking when you say “I don’t know.”

• Are we just a stepping-stone for them?
• What’s going to motivate them to do well in this role?
• What makes them think they are going to like this job?
• They obviously don’t plan on staying with us long enough to work their way up. 

Doubt. That’s what that is. Do you want to go into an interview and have the interviewer doubt your abilities to do the job because you haven’t dedicated your life to laying out your career path? No, of course you don’t.

I’m not saying make it up, but have an answer based on what you like and don’t like now. If you are wrong and you decide 5 years from now that you don’t want to be Team Leader at McDonalds anymore, you want to do something more corporate… no one is going to hunt you down and say, “When I interviewed you 5 years ago to be a Cashier, that is not what you said you wanted to be doing.”

It is important to find a job that makes you happy. It helps if you are naturally aligned to be successful and on route to reaching a bigger goal. Having a goal doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind in a few years if you are off the mark when you set it. You can tinker with it if you were a little wrong, or overhaul if you were way off. Just have something bigger to work towards and challenge yourself!

Think creatively about your transferable skills and how they might benefit an employer. Then, market yourself on your CV with these skills and be prepared to offer examples in an interview.

Here are some fun examples that will get you thinking creatively, but you’ll need more depth for the skills you actually present!

You are:

• A hands-on and fast learner
  If you get a new mobile and are over the ‘texting’s weird’ feeling and can check your voicemail by the end day
• Adaptable to change in a dynamic environment
  If you swap between PC and Mac and can figure out how to close the browser window on either
• Solutions focused with time management skills
  If you have helped a friend or a family member adjust the volume, change the screen brightness, or find a document on a computer you’ve never used before, in less than 5 minutes
• Up to date and comfortable learning new systems
  If you’ve been able to transition your Super Mario Kart skills from Super Nintendo, to N64, to GameCube, to Wii seamlessly
• Able to multitask and prioritise
  If you can watch TV, SMS your friends, Facebook stalk your ex, and eat a piece of pizza all at the same time

Obviously these examples are a bit tongue and cheek since they are everything older generations hate about Gen Y’s, but be creative and you’ll have adjectives for your CV in no time!

Work life balance is more achievable if you enjoy what you are doing. It makes the line between the two a little blurry, saving you from counting down the minutes until you are free from your desk. If you join a company that has values and a direction that align with your own, creating this grey area is much easier.

Look for these things as signs that you’re on the right track to eternal happiness in the grey area between work and life:

1. Work somewhere with happy people.
   Not necessarily with painted on clown smiles (though that might be a bonus), but somewhere where people seem to be enjoying themselves while working. Look for genuine smiles around the office and little to no physical violence.
2. People are accountable and avoid the blame game.
   There are no mistakes, only learning opportunities. If mistakes are made and people are taking ownership and pulling out the learning, instead of pointing the finger, that’s awesome.
3. There are no power trippers.
   The managers and other employees are comfortable in their roles and aren’t trying to demand respect or force followers. The people are bought in to a common goal and the leader has earned their respect.
4. There’s no I in TEAM.
   People are quick to offer help and are sincere in doing so, not just trying to get credit. A bunch of people working collaboratively, not competitively, leads to an innovative and fun workplace.
5. Get’r done.
   To make sure the business will have longevity, things need to get done. If people are achieving their objectives and revenue is being generated… or will be soon, you’re on the right track.

What shouldn’t you say when they notice a significant gap in your employment history and ask what you have been doing?

1. “It’s a bad economy right now, no one is hiring.”
   Really? No one seems like a bit of a stretch. Look for an answer that shows you are able to take some accountability for your unemployment, not that you feel helpless and like a victim. For example, the combination of a slow economy and mistakes made while job searching, demonstrate your ownership of your situation and ability to learn from mistakes. As a Career Starter, finding employment is a great learning experience for you. Employers can appreciate that you might not get everything perfect your first try; it’s what you learn that counts.
2. “I used to be pretty good with an abacus.”
   If you have been out of the industry for a while, how will the interviewer know you aren’t going to be out of touch with the industry? Take some time to do the research to get up to speed with the changes, challenges, and current trends in the industry, to demonstrate your initiative. Freelance or volunteer work to stay involved is an even better demonstration of your effort to keep your skills up to date and in practice as well as continually improve. If you have been taking courses and growing your skillset in your time off, highlight this to demonstrate you are invested in yourself and your education and not complacent.

“So why did you leave your last role?” 

1. Don’t trash talk
   Nobody likes a whiner. Don’t pass the buck and try to shift focus off of yourself by speaking badly about others. The first thing the interviewer is going to think is that you are trouble and hard to work with. Not an ideal hire. You know your last boss was an a-hole and he fired you because his girlfriend totally had a crush on you, don’t tell anyone else that. By playing the “he said, she said” game, you just look like a catty teenage girl – not a good look on anyone.Take responsibility for what happened, and focus on what you have learned from the experience. People make mistakes, it’s your ability to bounce back and learn from them that makes you an investment.
2. Spin
   Be optimistic and take your job search as an opportunity. Let your interviewer see how passionate and enthusiastic you are taking your next career step, planned or otherwise. If you were “let go” from your last role, speak factually about it not emotionally, and use creative and positive diction wherever possible.You don’t need to jump into elaborate details and tell the whole story play by play, who pushed whom into the sandbox first. It sounds childish and you want to demonstrate that you are moving forward in life not backwards. Focus on the opportunity, the enthusiasm you will bring to the role, and how you have been using your time off work constructively to look for the next step, or enrolled in courses. Be an optimist.
3. Keep it real
   A direct question deserves a direct answer. If you lie or try to be evasive, the interviewer, like most human beings, will not appreciate their intelligence being insulted with you lying to their face. They might call you out… awkward. Or they might just say “Thanks but no thanks. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” If it was a personal conflict that got you canned, you can use your references to clear your good name.

Christmas does two things for me every year:

1. Draws my attention to the fact that I am broke and have terrible money management skills (but a lot of fun)
2. Unleashes my inner creative as I craft my family’s presents out of macaroni noodles

Then, without fail, my New Years resolution is to create a budget, stick to it, and save money this year.

If any other creative types have found themselves in similar financial peril, here are some of my issues and the solutions that are going to help me on my quest for financial stability this year: 

1. Problem: I don’t make enough money
   How do you know that you don’t make enough when you have absolutely no idea what your expenses are? You don’t. Have you ever bothered to calculate how much money you need to live.Solution: Make a list of monthly expenses, or better yet, make a budget map. Like a mind map, write down all of your expenses and colour code them by priority and necessity, make the life or death stuff bigger and the just for fun stuff smaller. This will draw your attention to areas where you can save a few bucks. I found it helpful to write down everything I spent money on for one month and then used that as a starting point ($30 a month on chewing gum… really!?).
2. Problem: I don’t have a mansion with a helipad… yet
   It is much easier to work towards a goal, when you have a goal. Visualise what financial success looks like for you.Solution: Set realistic goals of financial success for you. For example, in 1 year I will have enough money to buy a Ferrari, in 5 years a mansion, in 10 years I will be retired with a Yacht that looks like a pirate ship. Not realistic for me now… but future me can refer back to this.
3. Problem: Spread sheets are boring
   If you like colour and you like to be able to see the big picture… more than anything, if you need a reason to use glitter.Solution: Create a financial vision board. A place for your goals to hang out and mingle with one another in a picture. By putting this somewhere you see it regularly, it stays at the front of your mind and encourages you to reconsider small splurges or unnecessary spending. This will contribute to saving for something more meaningful.
4. Problem: I can’t see my money growing
   If you’re one of those, “I need to see it to believe it” people, keep motivated by creating a visual of your money growing and getting closer to your goal.Solution:  Create a visual representation of your savings. You could draw a graph, use a computer program to make a graph for you, or create your own save by numbers picture. Yes, save by numbers is my personal paint by numbers/graph hybrid that I am sharing with you.
   Save by Numbers Directions: Draw a picture of what you are saving for with different saving amounts in each blank space and then fill them in with colour as you get there.
5. Problem: I haven’t been invited to a pool party on a Yacht
    Please help me out with this one when you get rich.