Job Interviews

How to Write a Post-Interview Thank You Note

By on Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Thank You CardLess than 40% of job seekers take the time to send a thank you note after an interview, according to an article by MSNBC. But, this important follow-up can make the difference between receiving the job offer and being written-off as disinterested. In fact, because it’s such a rare step for most job seekers, it’s a very valuable tool to show your professionalism and enthusiasm for a job.

By being one of the few who take this important step, you can increase your chances of landing the job. The tips below can help you craft a winning thank you note.

Follow up quickly. It’s important to send your thank you note as soon after your interview as possible. Mailing it the same day is best. However, if the interviewers will be making a decision quickly, you may not want to wait for the note to arrive through traditional mail. In this case, consider hand-delivering or e-mailing a thank you note to ensure it arrives quickly.

Use correct spelling and grammar. The only thing worse than not sending a thank you note at all is sending one with lots of misspellings and grammatical errors. Before sending your letter, make sure you’ve thoroughly proofread it. If possible, have someone else look it over for errors as well. Rewrite your note if it includes mistakes – don’t scribble them out or use correction fluid. Sending a polished thank you note gives you another opportunity to let your skills shine.

Thank everyone who participated in the interview process. Often, job interviews involve meeting with multiple people. When you send your thank you note, make sure to thank each person you met with. To make sure you have the correct spelling of each person’s name, request a business card during the interview. While it’s best to thank each person individually, it’s also acceptable to send a group thank you. Sending a group thank you note is practical when you met with some of the individuals briefly or only interviewed with them in a group setting.

Restate your qualifications and interest. Not only is a thank you note your opportunity to express gratitude for the time interviewers took to meet with you, it’s also the place to restate why you’re the right candidate for the job. If there are any relevant details you forgot to mention during the interview, now is the time to share them. Also, make sure you end by professionally expressing your enthusiasm for the position.

When you make the effort to thank employers for their time, you set yourself apart from other candidates. By communicating your interest and gratitude in a concise and error-free format, you’ll leave a lasting positive impression.

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Workplace Relationships

Developing Leadership Skills

By on Monday, October 8, 2007

What does it take to be someone who influences others and spurs them on to success? Strong leadership skills aren’t just natural traits that simply appear without any practice. If you aspire to lead those around you, focus on developing your leadership skills now.

Build Team Unity. You can’t create a team from people who hate each other. That’s why in order to lead those around you, you must first establish team unity. Some ways to build unity are discouraging gossip, helping co-workers see the good in others and keeping a positive attitude. It’s far easier to tear a team apart than to build it up, so make sure your focus remains on the needs and success of the team as a whole, not just individuals among the team.

Encourage Others to Succeed. No one can succeed without some level of support from others. By helping your teammates get ahead, you’ll be laying the groundwork for your own future victories. Those you’ve helped in the past will feel loyal to you for what you’ve done for them. Not only that, but your reputation as a leader will grow as you help others to reach their potential.

Be an Example. Good leaders lead by example. You can’t expect those around you to admire you or aim to imitate you unless you provide an example of exemplary conduct with your own work. This means always acting with integrity and consistently producing high-caliber work.

By working on your leadership skills now, you can prepare yourself for future opportunities to inspire and motivate those around you. Remember, it takes more than just natural ability to be a great leader – practice is what turns potential into reality.

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Career Options Workplace Relationships

3 Career Tips for New Professionals

By on Thursday, October 4, 2007

startEntering the workplace for the first time is both exciting and a little scary. These mixed emotions are also often felt by experienced workers changing jobs. Whether it’s your first day of work or your first day in a new position, you’ll want to make a good impression and do your best work. Here a few tips to help make the first weeks and months at a new job go smoother.

Be humble. Even if you’re a quick study and your new job seems like a breeze, your new co-workers will like you much more if you come in with a humble attitude. Nothing bothers long-time employees more than being told how to do things by newbies. Wait until you’ve been at your new job a while before handing out advice. Not only will your suggestions be taken more seriously, your insights will most likely be improved by a little on-the-job experience.

Ask questions. As the new person, no one expects you to know everything – so ask as many questions as possible when you’re new. But, make sure you’re not asking the same questions over and over. This indicates you aren’t paying attention to the answers and is a bad move. Also, if you’ve been given training materials, review these first for answers to common questions. Then you may be able to formulate even more complex questions, which is a great way to demonstrate your desire to thoroughly understand your new responsibilities.

Learn from others. Your new co-workers are the best resource for learning the ropes at your new job – even better than supervisors. The reason is that your peers will tell you the unwritten expectations of the job. They also typically have more time and a better understanding of the specifics of your job duties. You can observe those around you to learn about the organization’s culture and values. Additionally, building relationships with your new co-workers will also serve as a foundation for continued success and teamwork.

At some point in your new career you’ll make a few mistakes, but as long as you keep a positive attitude, you’ll learn to fit in at your new job and impress those around you as you grow professionally.

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The Daily Grind Workplace Relationships

4 Tips for Knowing it’s Time to Quit

By on Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Do you ever feel left out in a team meeting? Do your co-workers exclude your from group discussions? Are you doing work that you find unrewarding? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it might be time for you to quit your job.

Often times, people tend to stay at one job because they don’t want to be seen as job hoppers, or that they can’t handle difficult situations. Other times, the need for financial stability keeps people in their current positions, despite the hardships they feel on the job. Below are several clues that might indicate it’s time to move on from your current job.

You dread going to work. If you find yourself moaning on Sunday about having to go to work the next day, you should consider why you feel this way. It could be fatigue or personal issues that are weighing you down. Try getting a little extra sleep the night before, exercising more or taking a few days off of work to clear your head. If you still find yourself checking the time throughout the day and waiting for 5 p.m. to roll around, then it might be time to find a new job.

You don’t get along with your boss. If you feel that you can cut the tension between you and your boss with a knife, chances are, they feel that way too. Try scheduling a meeting to discuss your problems and concerns before making drastic decisions. If you’ve tried to communicate with your boss about your feelings and nothing has changed, then it might be time to clean out your desk.

You get all the grunt work. If you feel that you’re being underutilized within your department while others take on more challenging tasks, then you might want to check in with your boss before you check out of your job. Talk to your boss about increasing your workload or presenting you with more engaging projects. Also, it could be you’re new to the department, so you might have to prove you worth. Remember, everyone has to do work on projects they don’t want to every now and again. However, if you’re constantly taking on the scraps while your co-workers get the good assignments, even after confronting your boss, then you might want to investigate another job opportunity.

You feel excluded from the team. If you find yourself on the outskirts of team meetings or your fellow co-workers ignore your requests to go to lunch or small talk, then you might want to inquire as to why you aren’t included. If you have spoken with your boss and tried their suggestions, and nothing has changed, a light bulb should go off inside your head.

If you feel that any of these pertain to you in your current position. Try communicating with your boss and/or co-workers first before you retreat into another job. It could just be a simple miscommunication. Letting your feelings known just might be the answer to your problems. If you have tried everything possible to remedy the situation to no avail, then you might want to start looking for a new job. Remember, it is OK to not feel as though you are a perfect match within your job, but if it starts to affect your health or sanity, then leaving might be your only option.

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Benefits Reader Surveys The Job Search

What Do You Want When it Comes to Benefits?

By on Friday, September 28, 2007

When it comes to job satisfaction, benefits ranked second to compensation among employees recently polled by the Society for Human Resource Management. But, the meaning of “benefits” is broad, and what employers mean when they say “competitive benefits package” in a job listing isn’t universal.

Typically, a good benefits package will offer some type of health care program, along with a certain amount of paid leave. But beyond that, offerings vary widely. And these days, there are a lot of options employers can consider when creating a benefits package. Since benefits offerings cost a company money, most organizations simply can’t offer everything. But many are starting to think outside the box when it comes to creating a benefits package that will attract top talent.

So, imagine you are sitting in on a benefits meeting with your HR department or company owner. It’s your chance to chime in and offer your opinion on a new program, or to save one you already use and love. If you could talk to the decision-maker at your company, how would you answer the question below?

more at twiigs.com…
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Career Advancement

Making a Name for Yourself

By on Friday, September 28, 2007

Do you walk the halls of your workplace and feel invisible? Or, do you find yourself constantly struggling to climb the ladder within your organization? Trying to make a name for yourself can be a difficult journey, but by following these few tips, you just might be able to become the person that everyone says hello to in the hall and that co-workers come to for answers.


Be proactive in seeking success. Don’t wait for your boss to approach you to give you more work. Talk to your boss and let him or her know you want more responsibility. Schedule a one-on-one time with your supervisor to discuss career options and career development. Also, don’t wait for yearly reviews; try to meet with your boss several times throughout the year to discuss your progress.


Ask for a mentor. Mentors within the organization can help you better understand the culture in your workplace. They can assist you in your development and help you identify the areas where you have weaknesses. These individuals also know the inner workings of your organization and can help introduce you to the people that can help move you up within the company. To help you chose a mentor, check out So, You Want a Mentor.


Build a network with other departments. To help get you noticed within your organization, try developing personal relationships with other co-workers in different departments. Volunteer for special projects or extracurricular activities that your company sponsors to help you get to know other individuals in your company. You’re building your brand and if you can extend yourself beyond your department, you can develop relationships with others who can potentially push you further in your career.


Be prepared for performance reviews. Make sure you have your I’s dotted and your T’s crossed before you go in for your performance review. Your boss might not know all the intricate details of the projects you work on or how far you have come on your professional development. It’s your job to keep track of your progress and have documentation of everything that you have accomplished when asking for a raise or new title. For tips on how to prepare, check out Earn What You’re Worth.


Making a name for yourself and building your brand can help you stand out and show your boss the value you add to your organization.

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Career Advancement

5 Attributes for Protégés to Demonstrate

By on Friday, September 21, 2007

find a protegeIn season eight of Seinfeld, Jerry and George Costanza had the following exchange:

George: I still don’t understand this. Abby has a mentor?
Jerry: Yes. And the mentor advises the protégé.
George: Is there any money involved?
Jerry: No.
George: So what’s in it for the mentor?
Jerry: Respect, admiration, prestige.
George: Would the protégé pick up stuff for the mentor?
Jerry: I suppose if it was on the protégé’s way to the mentor, they might.
George: Laundry? Dry cleaning?
Jerry: It’s not a valet, it’s a protégé.

George was certainly not interested in being a mentor for the right reasons. Later on in the show, Jerry reluctantly mentors a fellow comedian. It was a bad match from the beginning, but part of the problem was the comic protégé did not know his roll. Just as there are Be-Attitudes for mentors, there are Be-attitudes for protégés.

• Be organized. Whether it’s your initial meeting with a mentor or your 15th, you need to have an agenda. You’re not just meeting to meet. This is a learning relationship. Be mindful of the mentor’s time. Don’t waste it by not being prepared. Ask what time is best for them and be flexible. Consider meeting before or after work, or during lunch. You are both setting time aside, so try to separate your mentoring sessions from the work day.

• Be eager to learn. As a protégé, consider yourself to be a ball of clay that is open to being molded and shaped over time. If you open your mind to learning, thinking differently and trying new things you might surprise yourself.

• Be receptive.  Accept honest feedback and view it as an opportunity to improve yourself. Be receptive to change and your mentor can help you grow professionally.

• Be trustworthy. Trust is something that is hard to earn and easy to lose. Set ground rules up front that what is discussed in mentoring sessions stays in mentoring sessions – it goes in the vault. That is, unless you need help outside of the mentoring session and you ask your mentor to intervene.

• Be open to new ideas. You’ll have the opportunity to see things through the eyes of others. You are looking for perspective, and by considering different ways of doing things you’ll grow exponentially.

Now, armed with this knowledge you are ready to seek out your mentor. Let me know how your journey goes.

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