Podcast
Looking for a new job or want to move up in your company? Lesa teaches you the tools and strategies you need to land your dream job, increase your promotability, and successfully navigate your career.
297: Do's and Don'ts of Interview Etiquette
Today, we’re covering interview etiquette — what to do, and what not to do. I’ve talked about several of these points on previous episodes, so I’m including links to those here.
296: The Importance of Body Language in Job Interviews
Body language, or nonverbal communication, can make or break your interview. No matter what is coming out of your mouth, a trained interviewer will pay attention to what you are saying with your facial expressions, arms, posture, and general demeanor. If what you are saying is at odds with your body language, a trained interviewer will believe your body language. The caveat here: Be yourself. Here then, are 11 tips for conveying appropriate body language during a job interview.
295: Help! I'm an Introvert and I Hate Networking!
When it comes to networking, it’s not about introverts being socially awkward. It’s about the drain on their energy. It’s about having to initiate a conversation (they generally DON’T want to do this). It’s about small talk, which seems pointless to them. I’d like to offer the flip side of networking for introverts, followed by 13 tips for you introverts to…if not love networking, at least not hate it so much. Maybe even enjoy it a little.
294: Common Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking a Promotion
Today, I’m diving into 14 reasons why people fail to prepare themselves for a successful attempt at a promotion. For the purposes of this episode, I’m talking specifically about internal promotions – although many, if not all, of these strategies will apply if you are seeking a higher position with a new company.
293: How to Improve Your Time Management and Productivity
Today, I want to talk about how to improve your time management and productivity as a key way to increase your chances for promotion. If you’re like many people, you may role your eyes at the term “time management.” If you’re structured and organized, you may think you’ve already mastered time management. If you are unstructured and disorganized, you may think it’s hopeless…a skill beyond your ability to master. Here are my top 12 strategies to improve your time management. In each instance, I’m giving you some of my tips as to how I implement that strategy.
292: Pros and Cons of Using a Third-Party Recruiter
I get a lot of questions about using recruiters in my clients’ job search, so I wanted to dive into this topic and my perspective on the role of recruiters in your job search. Now, let’s dive into the vocabulary you should be aware of regarding recruiters, as well as the pros and cons, in my opinion, of choosing to navigate your job search this way.
291: What Should I Wear to a Job Interview?
We’ve gotten very relaxed in our dress since Covid, especially those of us who have worked from home. Even many companies have relaxed their dress standards — so what does this mean for how to dress for a job interview?
289: What to Do if You Aren't Getting Any Job Offers
Oftentimes, people who schedule a consult with me are doing so because they have been job searching with little to no success. One of the questions on the scheduling form has to do with the number of applications they have completed, the number of interviews with different companies they’ve had, and the number of job offers they’ve received. I ask for this information because it helps me begin to narrow down where their problem might be. Let’s look at each step of this process, and what to do if your problem is in that step.
288: Identifying Potential Red Flags When Looking for a Job
I want to start by talking about an internal “red flag” – this has nothing to do with the company you are applying to and everything to do with YOU. Each time you make a job move, it is so important to evaluate your current job for your motivated skills you'd like to seek in your next job, while also being aware of your burnout skills you'd like to avoid. When you don’t do this work, you risk jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire…or, at best, not progressing in your career towards your ideal job. Now let’s talk about the possible red flags an employer could be waving right in front of your face.
287: How to Tailor Your Resume and Other Materials for a Specific Position
I think most people have gotten the memo that you are supposed to tailor your resume, cover letter, and any other materials to the position you are applying for. This tailoring, if done correctly, will greatly increase your chances of making it through the ATS – and compelling the human on the other end to want to interview you. I DON’T think most people know what tailoring actually means, so let’s dig into this today.
286: Should You Use AI to Create Your Resume?
There’s so much in the news about Artificial Intelligence (AI) replacing jobs. In the resume writing world, there is a widespread belief that is, unfortunately, being spread by some people who have created AI-based resume writing platforms they want you to purchase. I first want to start with how I have incorporated AI into my resume writing practice, then we will delve into ways you can DIY and outline when you should turn to a professional to write your resume.
285: Want to Work from Home? Resources and Strategies
Since Covid, the number of people working from home — or wanting to work from home — has multiplied exponentially. Today, I want to offer resources and strategies to help you land a WFH job. A note here: your desire to WFH shouldn’t be the primary consideration as to which jobs you pursue. You still have to enjoy the work and exercise your Zones of Genius. Let’s get into it!
284: Free Resources on exclusivecareercoaching.com
From time to time on this podcast, I will mention a free resource available to you via my website. Today, I thought I would go over all those resources for you. As a reminder, the URL is exclusivecareercoaching.com.
283: What is Happening in the Job Market — and What it Means for Job Seekers
According to an article from the Wall Street Journal, nearly four million workers left the labor market in the first months of the pandemic — the lowest level of employment since 1983. There were many reasons for this but now, we’re starting to see a post-pandemic resurgence of midcareer workers. There are plenty of statistics and forecasts for how this will continue to develop, but for now, let’s get more personal to job-seekers in this market and discuss what you, as a candidate, can do to make the hiring process more palatable and successful for you.
281: How Employers Are Using AI in Job Interviews and How to Prepare for an AI Interview
Today, we’re talking about how employers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job interviews — and what that means for you as a job seeker. AI is being used in the interview process via Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots, sentiment analysis, facial expression recognition and visual perception, speech recognition, tone analysis, and decision-making. We’ll talk through some definitions, some categories of tools that companies use, and how to prepare for an AI interview.
280: What You MUST Do in Your Job Search if You Are Pivoting Careers
Let’s start today’s topic with defining a career pivot, a career reinvention, and a two-step pivot, which achieves the same goal as a Career Reinvention but may allow you to stay at or near your current level. Then we’ll delve into what you need to actually do in your job search if you are pivoting careers.
279: Five Cool Tools on LinkedIn You Probably Don't Know About
Today, I want to share some tools on LinkedIn that many people I speak with aren’t aware of. We’ll delve into the advanced search function, cultivating a differentiating, on-brand background, utilizing the featured content section, how to leverage the connections of your connections, and break down the when and how of private mode.
278: What Role Should Job Boards Play in Your Job Search - and Which Sites are Best?
Today, we’re talking about the role that job boards should play in your job search, as well as the most used/best job sites. As I have said repeatedly on this podcast, 1) job boards should NEVER be the only strategy you are using in your job search, and 2) the amount of time you should spend on job boards depends on the of the position you are seeking. As we talk about how to use job boards, keep in mind that there are general boards, niche job boards, and industry-specific job boards. Let’s dive into some of my favorites for each!
277: Behavioral Interview Questions Don't Come Out of Thin Air — How to Know What You're Going to Be Asked
Today, I want to talk about behavioral interview questions. Specifically, where do they come from? How can you know what you’re going to be asked so you can prepare appropriate CARL stories? The answer to these questions begins with the job description. We’ll work through how to best prepare yourself for these questions and then stick around to the end for our DIY vs. DFY segment!
276: A Look Inside My Coaching Practice
This week, I wanted to give you a peek inside my coaching practice…to pull the curtain back, Wizard of Oz-style. Sure, I mention the various things I do with clients throughout episodes, but I’ve never given you the full tour. Here we go.
Let’s work together