The blog for all things Apochromatik.
Farther, Faster…
How to Excel at an Initial Interview: 5 Tips Learned Eavesdropping at Starbucks
“It’s just a conversation at Starbucks to make sure they want to call me back.”
“It’s a pretty low bar. As long as I come across as normal, I’ll advance to the next phase.”
“It’s at Starbucks. It’s just an initial interview.”
Do any of these sound familiar? Recently I’ve observed several initial interviews in various coffee shops where it seemed clear that the job candidates had those thoughts before the interviews. And afterwards, based on their performances, I am confident they each regretted that approach.
Job Interviews | VOTW 072919
For the next two weeks, we’re focusing on job interviews. If you have an interview on the horizon, you may be asked some variation of “what motivates you?” or “what makes you happy at work?” And even if you aren’t asked one of those questions directly, you should still think about — and be able to convey — what makes you feel good about your work. Beyond doing well in your interview, knowing what makes you feel good about your work can help guide your job search.
Ability Over Experience | VOTW 060419
Today in the Video of the Week we look at emphasizing our abilities over our experiences in both our own job searches as well as our hiring processes.
Are You Résumé Ready? You should be.
Are you résumé ready?
If tomorrow you hear about a perfect board position, how long will it take you to prepare your materials to apply?
You aren’t looking for a job right now. But what if you stumble upon the best next step for your career and the application is due tomorrow? Are you prepared to submit?
If you are looking for a new job, is your résumé one of those items on your procrastination list that you don’t have done?
Highly Effective References
Many job seekers put together a thoughtful job search plan, prepare their resume and cover letter carefully, and agonize over their interview attire, but when it comes to their references, they just type up some names, phone numbers, and email addresses and call it done. The good news: because so many people just throw their reference list together, this is an area where it’s easy to stand out.
3 Ways to Love Your Career Again
You’ve probably heard some version of the adage “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I think many of us would roll our eyes, at least internally, at that. But it is, in some respect, true. Even if you are planning to change employers or make a career transition, falling back in love with your current position can help you be more successful both in your career, but less obviously, with a job or career change. This week we’re going to present three strategies to fall back in love with your career.
Apochromatik's 2018 Top Ten Blog Roundup
2018 was a busy year. Now it’s almost in the history books.
So what better time than the last ten days of the year, when offices are a bit quieter and like seems to slow down just a bit then to take a moment to catch up on some great reading that you had every intention of getting to all year?
Make 2019 Different (and by Different I mean Great)
Everything old is new again. What popular 1930’s trend is back in vogue today?
I’ll give you a hint. Historically successful leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Disney, and Thomas Edison (all old, white guy business leaders) and even author and creative J.R.R. Tolkien, were famous for participating. The result of their participation was exponential growth in their businesses and pursuits and the “diversity” of thought they obtained from participation helped them accomplish far more than they ever could have alone.
You've had the Thanksgiving feast...now it is Cyber Monday!
You’ve had the Thanksgiving Feast...
Stood in line for the deals of the century...
Took a nap over the weekend and watched a game, binge watched that show you have been wanting to watch, or spent time with friends or family...
And now?
You are back at work.
Things haven’t changed since before the holiday, have they? They probably won’t change in the new year either. In fact, they probably haven’t changed for a long time now, right?
Are you ready to move your career to the next level?
One Common Mistake to Avoid in the Search for True Job/Career Satisfaction
Job satisfaction, and for that matter career satisfaction, can play a big role in our overall happiness. I don’t know many people who haven’t had the Sunday evening “workweek dread” come over them around 4:00 p.m. But if that happens to you more weeks and sometimes days than not, you might need to consider whether you have real job satisfaction.
Career Lessons from a White House Internship: Alongside a Stalker
When someone sees my resume, the item I’m most likely to be asked about is my internship in the West Wing of the White House. That is usually followed up by asking whether I know there’s a character named Amy Gardner on the “West Wing” TV show. (Yes, I do, and I have a great – mostly true – story about how she really could be named after me. And if you know any different, don’t tell me. I like my version better.) Until now, though, I haven’t publicly shared how I got that West Wing internship. It wasn’t due to connections or networking and certainly not any special expertise. Instead, I got my internship in the White House press office largely because of the lessons I learned from a stalker.
