The Power of You Podcast

When we are first laid off, it can be overwhelming.  Our income is going or gone.  And we face the prospect of going through a painful, barely understood process to get a job. This Power of You microcast … Continue reading "I have just been laid off and don’t know where to turn; what do I do? (TPOY071)" The post I have just been laid off and don’t know where to turn; what do I do? (TPOY071) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Those familiar with The Power of You will know that learning more and more about the positions, industries and organizations we are interested in is the most effective way to engage our network.  For those of us sticking … Continue reading "As an expert in my industry, what questions can I have for my network besides ‘Do you know anybody with a job’? (TPOY070)" The post As an expert in my industry, what questions can I have for my network besides ‘Do you know anybody with a job’? (TPOY070) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

As with many difficult questions, the main point of asking a nonsense question is to see how we handle the unexpected.  While nonsense questions may seem impossible to anticipate and have no set answer, this Power of You … Continue reading "How do I answer nonsense questions in an interview? (TPOY069)" The post How do I answer nonsense questions in an interview? (TPOY069) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

In a continuing series on Difficult Interview Questions, this Power of You microcast addresses how to answer future oriented questions like what we will be doing in five years.   Other Power of You microcasts referred to in … Continue reading "How do I answer interviewers’ questions about my future when I don’t know myself? (TPOY068)" The post How do I answer interviewers’ questions about my future when I don’t know myself? (TPOY068) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

At various times in the interview process, we may suspect, that we are being viewed as a flawed candidate.  This Power of You microcast addresses how to approach this sensitive topic.   Other Power of You microcasts referred … Continue reading "I can imagine some objections to my candidacy; how do I tell which, if any of these I need to worry about? (TPOY067)" The post I can imagine some objections to my candidacy; how do I tell which, if any of these I need to worry about? (TPOY067) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Interviews are the gateway to any job and so it is a good idea to know how we are being seen by our interviewers and what’s going on with the process generally. This Power of You microcast looks … Continue reading "How do I approach learning where I stand in the interview process? (TPOY066)" The post How do I approach learning where I stand in the interview process? (TPOY066) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Everyone knows that we need to send a thank you note after an interview.  This Power of You microcast shows how to go beyond thank you and create a note that furthers our candidacy and gives us a … Continue reading "What do I need to put in my interview follow up note? (TPOY065)" The post What do I need to put in my interview follow up note? (TPOY065) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

In a job there tends to be a focus on what we do.  This is rarely true in a job campaign where unfamiliar and last-minute tasks arise regularly. Other than our overall goal of landing a job, our … Continue reading "Can you make any recommendations how I can organize my time to make my career campaign more productive? (TPOY064)" The post Can you make any recommendations how I can organize my time to make my career campaign more productive? (TPOY064) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

We may choose to keep our personal life personal and not mix business with pleasure.  It does not have to be that way.  Many of the people we know socially would be glad to assist us professionally, if … Continue reading "How can I appropriately leverage non-work social media and social settings for help with my career? (TPOY063)" The post How can I appropriately leverage non-work social media and social settings for help with my career? (TPOY063) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Being open to a variety of options gives us more scope for success.  At the same time, it can spread us too thin.  It turns out that being persuasive about our ability to do a job requires more … Continue reading "I am frustrated by my progress even though I am pursuing a variety of job options. What can I do to improve my results? (TPOY062)" The post I am frustrated by my progress even though I am pursuing a variety of job options. What can I do to improve my results? (TPOY062) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Many of us feel the urge to move on from our current job and don’t get very far because we don’t know what else we could do.  This microcast identifies some ways to look at what we have … Continue reading "How can I find ideas for my next job? (TPOY061)" The post How can I find ideas for my next job? (TPOY061) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Whenever we are in a new or unfamiliar situation, like being out of a job, we tend to doubt ourselves and pay more attention to our fears than when we feel secure and in familiar territory.  The bad … Continue reading "I sometimes feel I am getting in my own way with my negative thoughts – what can I do to overcome this? (TPOY060)" The post I sometimes feel I am getting in my own way with my negative thoughts – what can I do to overcome this? (TPOY060) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

This microcast is the first in a series of samples that provide some ideas for the components of a good story.  This story is a little over two minutes and 300 words. Other Power of You microcasts referred … Continue reading "Can you give me an example of a good accomplishment story? (TPOY059)" The post Can you give me an example of a good accomplishment story? (TPOY059) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

We hear a lot about selling ourselves when it comes to the job market.  This can be a daunting prospect, but with some up front work, can be very manageable.  This microcast shows us how to get a … Continue reading "How do I get to the point where I can speak about myself with confidence? (TPOY058)" The post How do I get to the point where I can speak about myself with confidence? (TPOY058) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

We tend to think of our network as the people we know professionally and assume that building our network involves cold calls to people we do not know or becoming some kind of super salesperson.  In fact, networking … Continue reading "Who is in my network and how do I get other people in my network? (TPOY057)" The post Who is in my network and how do I get other people in my network? (TPOY057) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

It is tempting to think that a job campaign is like a lot of other things we deal with in the 21st Century: Do the necessary work up front, push a button and your result appears.  A 19th … Continue reading "I need to know more before I can put myself out there in the job market. How can I do this without feeling foolish? (TPOY056)" The post I need to know more before I can put myself out there in the job market. How can I do this without feeling foolish? (TPOY056) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Many interview questions can take the form of what is the Best?  What is the Worst?  Or the Most, or the Least.  Don’t fall for it.  This microcast describes how to answer the question, and change the game … Continue reading "Interviewers are always asking me what is the best or worst or most important this or that – What is my best strategy to answer these kinds of questions? (TPOY055)" The post Interviewers are always asking me what is the best or worst or most important this or that – What is my best strategy to answer these kinds of questions? (TPOY055) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

A job campaign has so many moving parts that it is easy to get lost in the process and end up feeling like we are engaged in random activity. In this microcast we take a step back to … Continue reading "How can I get confidence to sell myself in the marketplace when I feel unfocused and unproductive? (TPOY054)" The post How can I get confidence to sell myself in the marketplace when I feel unfocused and unproductive? (TPOY054) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

There are many questions we can ask our contacts.  While we will ask no two contacts the same questions, it is useful to have some basic questions to stimulate our curiosity.  The questions in this microcast are designed … Continue reading "Can you give me some good questions to ask my networking contacts? (TPOY053)" The post Can you give me some good questions to ask my networking contacts? (TPOY053) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Negotiation begins long before we receive our offer.  This microcast reviews how we can best position ourselves to improve our negotiating position starting from the time we target an organization. Other Power of You microcasts referred to in … Continue reading "What can I do to improve my negotiating position prior to getting the offer? (TPOY052)" The post What can I do to improve my negotiating position prior to getting the offer? (TPOY052) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Meeting with people is key to most job campaigns.  This microcast covers how to make the most of our contacts and how to manage our network.  The post I have very little idea who I should be meeting with or what to ask them. Can you help me get started? (TPOY051) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

While many interviewers may ask difficult questions as part of the interview game, some interviewers will ask illegal or inappropriate questions which we may not wish to answer.  This microcast outlines strategies and gives examples of ways to … Continue reading "How do I handle it when I am asked illegal or inappropriate questions? (TPOY050)" The post How do I handle it when I am asked illegal or inappropriate questions? (TPOY050) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Meeting with people is key to most career campaigns.  This microcast covers the basic components of the meeting so that we can get the most out of the conversation. The post Now that I have gotten someone to agree to meet with me, what do I say in the meeting? (TPOY049) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Classes may have us to working in teams or we may have friends we study with, yet in the end, the grade we receive is ours.  In the same way, just because the job we get is ours … Continue reading "Being new in the job market, I don’t know enough to land a job on my own. Who can help me? (TPOY048)" The post Being new in the job market, I don’t know enough to land a job on my own. Who can help me? (TPOY048) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

A job campaign commits us to change and often exposes us to all kinds of negative feedback, not least from ourselves!  These things can undermine our efforts. This microcast suggests some ways we can support ourselves so we … Continue reading "Can you give me some ideas how I can keep up my morale while I am working towards my next job? (TPOY047)" The post Can you give me some ideas how I can keep up my morale while I am working towards my next job? (TPOY047) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

To make the best use of our scarce career time it is worth taking a closer look at the process of getting a job.  Breaking what we need to do into its basic components allows us to have … Continue reading "I am doing everything I can to study and enjoy my last year in college – How do I manage a job campaign while I am doing all that? (TPOY046)" The post I am doing everything I can to study and enjoy my last year in college – How do I manage a job campaign while I am doing all that? (TPOY046) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

As much as stories are part of our daily life, we can lack the understanding or confidence of how to tell a good story in a work context.  The microcast illustrates techniques and flourishes to bring our stories … Continue reading "If telling stories is so important for my job campaign, how can I tell a good story? (TPOY045)" The post If telling stories is so important for my job campaign, how can I tell a good story? (TPOY045) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

It is common to identify a few people who we can bring ourselves to talk to, to talk to them and when that does not lead to a job, to feel stuck, feeling like we have nowhere to … Continue reading "Being a student, I have run out of people to reach out to – How am I supposed to get a job or find out what I need to know? (TPOY044)" The post Being a student, I have run out of people to reach out to – How am I supposed to get a job or find out what I need to know? (TPOY044) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

It is a good idea to remain positive about bosses, colleagues, clients, and most any aspect of work.  Yet many of the examples of our abilities and character that we would want to share involve dealing with bosses … Continue reading "How do I handle interview questions about problems with my boss? (TPOY043)" The post How do I handle interview questions about problems with my boss? (TPOY043) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

In our role as candidates we are focused on providing answers to the interviewer’s questions.  Without experience we need to learn those answers.  After a certain point that leads to having to ask someone.  And yet, in asking … Continue reading "How do I find the information I need to successfully interview and at the same time appear ready to do the job? (TPOY042)" The post How do I find the information I need to successfully interview and at the same time appear ready to do the job? (TPOY042) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Recruiters, sometimes called headhunters, offer the very attractive prospect of jobs that we do not have to find.  To take best advantage of recruiters, it pays to know how they work and how to deal with them.  This … Continue reading "What is the best way to work with recruiters? (TPOY041)" The post What is the best way to work with recruiters? (TPOY041) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

As new participants in the job market, we lack experience.  Even after an internship we don’t know enough about most jobs to be convincing about why we would be good for them, or whether we would like them. … Continue reading "How I am supposed to convince someone I would be good for something when I don’t know the first thing about much beyond my major? (TPOY040)" The post How I am supposed to convince someone I would be good for something when I don’t know the first thing about much beyond my major? (TPOY040) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Work is a place where we spend a significant part of our waking hours.  While many things about work are given, there are aspects of the culture, the environment and other intangibles that could be as important as … Continue reading "Can you share some examples of Values and Preferences to help me think about what I like about my work beyond what I do? (TPOY039)" The post Can you share some examples of Values and Preferences to help me think about what I like about my work beyond what I do? (TPOY039) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Everyone wants an internship not just for the experience, but because if things work out, then we are not required to look at all those ads and reach out to all those people.  While we hope that our … Continue reading "I’m a recent grad. If I don’t get a job through my internship, do I have any good alternatives to answering ads and networking to land a job? (TPOY038)" The post I’m a recent grad. If I don’t get a job through my internship, do I have any good alternatives to answering ads and networking to land a job? (TPOY038) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

When we are used to just “doing” our job it is sometimes easy to lose track of what is important to us and what we do well.  This microcast goes into some functions and skills so that we … Continue reading "Can you share some examples of functions and skills to help me think about what I like? (TPOY037)" The post Can you share some examples of functions and skills to help me think about what I like? (TPOY037) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

It sometimes seems like only an act of kindness can get us a job in the “real” world.  Why would anyone take a chance on us unless they know us?  What we have achieved in the academic world … Continue reading "Being newly graduated and without experience, how can I convince anyone I would be a good employee? (TPOY036)" The post Being newly graduated and without experience, how can I convince anyone I would be a good employee? (TPOY036) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Not everyone who seeks a job is an extrovert, which is just as well, as employers need  introverts to make their organizations run smoothly.  Many of those introverted skills and abilities, useful on the job, are also useful … Continue reading "I am not an extrovert and wonder how I can execute a successful job campaign. (TPOY035)" The post I am not an extrovert and wonder how I can execute a successful job campaign. (TPOY035) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Being new to the workforce, we may feel powerless and at the mercy of the job market.  Some would say ‘Beggars can’t be choosers.’  It turns out, though, that the most important quality in a candidate, as the … Continue reading "As a recent grad I feel I have to take any job to get started. Is that right? What if I hate it? (TPO034)" The post As a recent grad I feel I have to take any job to get started. Is that right? What if I hate it? (TPO034) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

It is easy to think that networking events are about becoming a guy who strides up to people, thrusts a business card into their hand while introducing themselves and delivering a hearty “Pleased to meecha!”  before turning to … Continue reading "I hate networking events – Do I have to go to them and if so, what do I do ? (TPOY033)" The post I hate networking events – Do I have to go to them and if so, what do I do ? (TPOY033) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Some students have the good fortune to get an internship in their industry of choice and many do not.  Yet employers only seem to be looking for candidates with experience.  How do we cross that gap?  This microcast … Continue reading "I have just graduated and have no experience in any industry I want to work in – How do I compete without any relevant work experience ? (TPOY032)" The post I have just graduated and have no experience in any industry I want to work in – How do I compete without any relevant work experience ? (TPOY032) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

The job market is overwhelming for everyone, especially when coming from the academic world and entering the wider working world with its different culture, rhythm and requirements.  This microcast lays out a few key truths about the job … Continue reading "I am just graduating from school and am overwhelmed by the job market. What should I do? (TPOY031)" The post I am just graduating from school and am overwhelmed by the job market. What should I do? (TPOY031) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Age prejudice can be a problem.  Many clients somewhere over 40 ask how they can obscure their age when in the job market.  It is sometimes helpful to downplay our age and sometimes not.  This microcast covers age … Continue reading "How do I mask my age on my resume? (TPOY030)" The post How do I mask my age on my resume? (TPOY030) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Because of its centrality to our job campaigns and as our only means of communication with some audiences we need to reach, a resume can be overwhelming to approach. This microcast lays out a step by step approach … Continue reading "How can I make updating my resume easier? (TPOY029)" The post How can I make updating my resume easier? (TPOY029) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

‘What is a resume?’ seems like an odd question to ask.  Everyone knows what a resume is. ‘It’s that annoying document without which we cannot talk to anyone about a job.’  I hope to this microcast gives you … Continue reading "What is a resume? (TPOY028)" The post What is a resume? (TPOY028) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Bragging is seldom effective.  It is better to relate the facts, that is, to tell a story.  Stories are our most effective way of conveying our value to our listeners, be they our contacts or interviewers.  This microcast … Continue reading "How should I tell a story about what I have done so I don’t have to brag ? (TPOY027)" The post How should I tell a story about what I have done so I don’t have to brag ? (TPOY027) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

This microcast shows three ways to convey value: claims, results and stories. Listening to all three helps us to understand what we get from each and why stories are the most valuable. The post Why isn’t sharing my results good enough? Why do you say stories are more effective? (TPOY026) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

The ‘greatest weakness’ question is one that job candidates fear the most and yet it is the favorite of many interviewers.  There are a number of approaches we can take to this question which are covered in this … Continue reading "How do I answer the ‘What is your greatest weakness’ question? (TPOY025)" The post How do I answer the ‘What is your greatest weakness’ question? (TPOY025) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Many people fear Behavioral Interviews (these are where the interviewer asks you what you would do in specific situations).  This microcast will show you why you should hope for these behavioral questions. The post Can you recommend how to handle behavioral interview questions? (TPOY024) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

With the double whammy of being tired of our job and it being the only thing we know how to do, it might seem like we should give up.  Yet, much of the current workforce is in exactly … Continue reading "I am so done with my current profession but it is all I know; How can I get a job I want? (TPOY023)" The post I am so done with my current profession but it is all I know; How can I get a job I want? (TPOY023) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.

Our cover letters need to be brief enough to match our reader’s attention span and interesting enough for them to want to know more.  This microcast cuts to the essence of what a cover letter needs to be. … Continue reading "What should be in my cover letter? (TPOY022)" The post What should be in my cover letter? (TPOY022) appeared first on The Power of You - Answers to your career questions.