The key is for you to tune into the radio station they are listening to (WIIFM) which stands for What’s In It For Me. You need to be focused on the the key things (needs) that the employer is interested in having by the person who they are looking to fill this position. You need to convince the employer that that person is you.

The best way to do this is by using ROC Power phrases. ROC is Result Oriented Communication which is describing your most compelling accomplishment in a concise, descriptive way, that is memorable and impactful to the listener.

If you would like to learn how to do this I am partnering with another Career Coach and offering a 6 class tele-seminar series geared to accelerate your career success.

You can learn more at: http://www.careersintransition.net/

Why not make the investment in yourself and get the interview and the job. We can do it and we can help.

• Meditation – Arrive early and spend a few minutes in meditation prior to entering the building for the interview. This will help you reduce your heart rate and feel calmer when you enter and meet the interviewer and it will be demonstrated in your body language.

• Music – Listening to inspiring or exciting music of your choice will help to energize you and make you more enthusiastic and excited.

• Smile- Nothing will disarm a person with a poor attitude faster than a smile. Having a smile will help you develop a relationship with the interviewer and isn’t that the entire goal of having the interview session?

• Self Talk – Did you know if you repeated to yourself how well you were going to do during the interview and you have done all of the aforementioned prep work that you would live out exactly what you have said. We hear so many negative thing that it is almost a requirement that we say positive things to ourselves if we plan to be successful.

• Coaching – Having someone coach you can make all the difference in making a quick attitude adjustment and point out things that you might not have been aware of. You might think it is not necessary to have a coach. Is it worth loosing the job opportunity that you spent hours in preparation to get the interview, not to mention the thousands of dollars in lost income just because did not think the investment in a coach was worth it? Winning teams have a coach why shouldn’t you?

Paying attention to your attitude before your interview is the key to making that first good impression and it can be the difference in getting the job of your dreams. If you need a coach I can help you accelerate your success. Contact me at: coach@interviewteacher.com

Here is the link to register for the webinar https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/129381970

It is being held today March 4th at 1:00 EST so hurry to the link and register. You will be glad you did.

Men and women have asked me, as the Editor of NowWhatJobs.net, exactly what motivated me to write my book and, subsequently, to start my website? Here’s my response.

Actually, I went through a rightsizing/downsizing exercise on three separate occasions during the decade of the 1990s. So I personally experienced what my book, “Now What? Discovering Your New Life and Career After 50,” is about on a personal level. And I can tell you that one of the keys is this: Instead of doing the minimum in the search process for a new job, you have to do the MAXIMUM. Instead of sending out one or two resumes each week, you have to work at getting a job as though it was your full-time endeavor. It is literally a job to get a job.

Make a plan

When people are downsized, the very first thing they need to do is to sit down and write out their plan. That plan needs to include interacting with friends, relatives, people at their current company plus men and women in their industry. The search process needs to include a results-based resume, where you focus on your accomplishments in your current and past jobs. This process also needs to include a visit to the local unemployment office to check out what government programs might be available for you in your unique circumstances. Plus, it needs to include an aggressive approach to looking for a job every day, as though this effort was your full-time job. In this way, you will be successful sooner.

IMPORTANT: Don’t ever consider giving up because at the moment you choose to quit you’ve already failed.

The more education the better

Part of the strategy which constitutes a winning formula is this: More education is always better to have. In other words, in the United States, we know that for most of this past year the unemployment rate for college graduates, for example, has been between 1.8% and 2.0%. So, in essence, there are no college graduates without a job. As a first step, if at all possible, go back to school to finish high school by getting a GED, for example. Next, consider either going to a local community college for two years to get an Associate’s degree or go to a trade school. Or, you can choose to go back to college and finish your Bachelor’s degree. Or, consider going for your Master’s degree or even a professional credential.

The more education you complete, the better off you will be, because of the lower unemployment rate for your higher education level.

Education and training are critical. The formula I have found is this: The more education you have, the less vulnerable you will be to being downsized, rightsized or losing your job. Plus, you will have an easier time finding a job on the next round, even if you find yourself temporarily out of employment. Remember that everything having to do with education and training is part of your resume going forward, whether you’re in your current job, in a future job in a different company or even in a different industry.

In addition, many companies offer training as one dimension of your benefit package. For example, I remember when I worked for McGraw-Hill, you literally had to go through so much training and/or education every year in order to meet your annual objectives. In other words, it was an explicit requirement of the job. Plus, each of us needs to realize that the overall job market is constantly changing, which means that we need to continue to update our skills, as well.

Retraining assistance

In the United States, please understand that if you’ve lost a job from a manufacturing company, in many instances, there will be assistance for displaced workers. This analysis even includes money to go back to school in order to get more education and/or training. So, it’s important to check out your County Jobs office to see what’s available for you in your particular circumstances.

Accomplishments go into your resume

One of the typical mistakes people make is this: They tend to look at their past jobs in terms of specific dates instead of their accomplishments in that position. But, if 10 people are being evaluated for the same job and essentially everyone has the same education level, with a similar job background, the man or woman, who enjoyed success in the last job or several jobs, will be the one who is hired every time.

In fact, as you’re talking with former employers and suppliers, it’s a good idea to even suggest to them what they might say about you in a letter of recommendation, which they can then send back to you.

One of the articles on my website, NowWhatJobs.net, has a discussion about the myth of the two-page resume. Many people think that two pages is too long, but that’s really not accurate. A professional human resources consultant/coach walks you through how to put together your resume. So that’s just one of many resources, which are available on my website right now.

Forgiveness is critical

The whole element of forgiveness is also critical in the process, as you go forward into the next chapter of your life. In other words, without forgiveness, which for a Christian is mandatory from the New Testament, but for others is simply a good idea, you simply wind up spinning your wheels.

The story that I imagine in illustrating this point is this: A man goes into a tavern or a bar, which is the same place every single night for the two months after he has lost his job. And the very same crowd of people at the bar every night has heard him tell the same sad (and tired) story, which you can appreciate after the 50th or 60th time of telling the same tale of woe, everyone around that man is getting sick and tired of hearing that story. So, now, people begin to move away from him. My challenge to the reader today is this: When are you going to give everyone a break and stop telling that same sad and tired story?

The next chapter might be your very best chapter

A layoff can be devastating, but so much of it has to do with your attitude and how you look at things going forward. It’s possible that next chapter of your life might be the very best chapter that you have ever experienced in your life.

Unfortunately, we must sometimes go through that dark tunnel in our life, before we can get to the meadow on the other side, where the light begins to shine. Then, we will have walked into that beautiful valley, which is the entrance to the next chapter of our lives.

——————-

James O. Armstrong, President of NowWhatJobs.net, Inc., http://www.nowwhatjobs.net, also serves as the Editor of NowWhatJobs.net. NowWhatJobs.net is the resource for job and career transitions for workers 40 years old and over, Baby Boomers and Active Seniors. Read NowWhatJobs.net for skills training, relocation options, job opportunities and much more. In addition, James is the author of “Now What? Discovering Your New Life and Career After 50″ and the President of James Armstrong & Associates, Inc., a media representation firm based in Suburban Chicago.

is a Toastmaster from Maryland who lived his dream and obtained his next dream job in part to being a active member of his Toastmasters club. I thought that his story was so compelling that I have added a link to allow you to read all about him and his interview experience as a result of being a Toastmaster:

….Little did I know that my first year with Toastmasters would also help me land my dream job. I’m retiring from a 20-year career with the Air Force this summer. For the first time in my adult life, I had to

Today, there is a greater demand for teachers nationwide than there has been in many years. Of course, there is not an equal demand for every teacher in every specialty, but there is a tremendous need for teachers precisely because so many baby boomers are leaving the teaching profession due to retirement. This development, in turn, offers a great opportunity for other men and women, who are also baby boomers, to take those positions from the retiring teachers.

Let me give you an example. A person who came into the picture as a substitute high school math teacher for our then junior in high school the following year joined the staff of Woodstock High School and became a full-time math teacher in her late 50s. I believe this is the type of transition our nation will see happen with greater frequency all across America.

In the past, my mother also went back to school to finish her Associate of Arts degree in her early 40s. Then, she earned her Bachelor’s degree, received her Master’s degree, and subsequently taught high school photography through the age of 70 at Parkway South High School in St. Louis County, Missouri.

And while the individual paycheck may not be significant relative to private industry, public sector pensions for teachers are really excellent. For example, the formula in the State of Missouri for a retired teacher is 80% of your previous income after 30 years of service. Teachers are paid a salary based upon their education level, with the max pay level probably being a Master’s degree plus 30 hours.

In my own circle, I have a good friend in St. Louis, who earned a Master’s degree plus 30 hours, and let us estimate that he retired at $60,000 in annual income from his Suburban St. Louis position. His retirement at 30 years would be 80% of that figure. However, since he actually worked 33 years, the percentage on the retirement formula was 88%. So, by taking 88% of $60,000, my friend made approximately $52,800 per year, which began at age 55.

Please bear in mind that teachers throughout our nation do NOT qualify for Social Security. So this becomes both a substitute for Social Security and a private pension added together.

But, if someone goes back to school and they qualify to become a teacher in their 40s, they could still work for the next 20 or 25 years. In other words, taking my mother’s case as an example, age 45 + 25 years = age 70.

The school districts, in turn, want good teachers, so they may continue to extend that teacher’s contract even beyond the normal retirement point, if it’s appropriate in a unique circumstance.

Continuing adult education instructor

One of my best friends from St. Louis retired as a public school teacher in mathematics after a 33 year career in a suburban high school. But, his real love has always been music over the years. So each week, he takes a one hour lesson on the mandolin and a one hour lesson on the guitar.

Then, at the local junior college during both the fall and spring semesters, he teaches a class on guitar. He said he doesn’t make much money doing it, but it’s very gratifying to him on an emotional level.

Ministry

Individual men and women may also feel the call to ministry later in life. That scenario pertained to my own father and my wife. My father went to seminary and graduated in his mid 40s and went on to a longer term career in the ministry. My book, “Now What? Discovering Your New Life and Career After 50,” contains 19 profiles, one of which is of my 85 year old father. My Dad is literally the senior associate pastor — senior meaning oldest — on the staff of St. Louis Family Church, which is perhaps the largest Protestant church in the Greater St. Louis area.

Ministry today is actually a common career track for men and women, as we get older. This happens with Catholic priests, it happens in the Protestant clergy and it happens in the Jewish clergy as well. My wife is also an ordained pastor, who is a full-time minister in charge of Fresh Harvest Church in Woodstock, Illinois and who is also the point person for Fresh Harvest Ministries. She is also involved with a ministry organization, which has a call to our nation and is located in Washington D.C.

Fitness trainer

I am also a member of the McHenry County College Fitness Center, which has every kind of conceivable exercise machine you can imagine from rowing machines to stationary bicycles to treadmills to a cross country ski apparatus, as well as all sorts of different weight-related machines. MCC’s Fitness Center employs fitness coaches, who have degrees, and these trainers come in all different ages. The oldest one, who once served as a coach for one of the Olympic teams, is today in his 70s. But, he still works on a part-time basis at McHenry County College in the fitness center.

I believe fitness should be one part of the transition we pursue, as we get older. In fact, many of the people in my exercise group, who work out three to five days per week at the same time in the early morning, when I use the facility, are actually in their late 60s, 70s or even 80s. The name of this group is “the Wild Bunch,” where I am perhaps the youngest person in the group.

Of course, it is always good to be “the youngest,” no matter how the group is defined.

““““““““““

James O. Armstrong, President of NowWhatJobs.net, Inc., http://www.nowwhatjobs.net, also serves as the Editor of NowWhatJobs.net. NowWhatJobs.net is the resource for job and career transitions for workers 40 years old and over, Baby Boomers and Active Seniors. Read NowWhatJobs.net for skills training, relocation options, job opportunities and much more. In addition, James is the author of “Now What? Discovering Your New Life and Career After 50″ and the President of James Armstrong & Associates, Inc., a media representation firm based in Suburban Chicago.

I never considered using Twitter as a networking tool but it makes perfectly good sense. Twitter allows you to comment and meet people in a non-time centered environment. You have the ability to share knowledge and comments that help others who you follow and who follow you. It is an opportunity to develop a relationship and leverage the relationships that other people have in their networks in a passive way that can work out to your benefit.

You can check out the entire post of Leveraging Twitter for Your Job Search on Darren’s blog by clicking this link. Best of luck to you in your job search.

I recommend that you come early and avoid the lines. Yes it is true that the early bird gets the worm, and it is suggested that you arrive by 5 AM. This is an opportunity to meet and greet many employers up close and personal all in one location. Here is a link to RSVP and let them know you will be attending:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/

Best of luck to you in your search and if I can be of any assistance to you please let me know.

When faced with a tough interview question it is best that you look presidential. In this video Colin Powell is calm cool and collected when answering a potentially volatile interview question. As you listen to the interview notice that he does not evade the question, but supports his position with facts.

When you are responding to an interview question, follow Colin Powell’s example, provide the supportive information and then provide your answer. This process is similar to building a house. The supportive information you provide is the foundation that you will build your answer on. The more accurate and complete the information is that you provide the stronger your answer and the more likely it will be accepted by the interviewer.

Remember to be presidential and answer your interview questions with information that support your answer. If you are affective at doing this you will be offered the job.

The role of Table Topics, which is asking a club participant to answer a question in a one to two minute response, is a great opportunity for you to develop your interview and self promotion skills. Table Topics is a standard role during most club meetings and you will not only learn from listening but also from participating as well.

Another great place to learn how to improve your communications is attending a Toastmasters Conference. At the conference you will hear world champion speakers while learning communication and leadership skills at a number of workshops. You will also have an opportunity to network with Toastmasters from all over the district. If you plan to be in the New York, New Jersey area on November 8^th then I would like to invite you to attend the Inaugural District 83 Fall Conference at the Woodbridge Hilton. We will have Rory Vaden , 2007 World Champion of Public Speaking First runner up, provide 2 keynote speeches. You can obtain registration information at http://tinyurl.com/fall83 . You can learn more about Rory Vaden at http://www.takethestairsspeaker.com/tour.html

Your mental attitude is one of the few things that you have 100% control of and can make all the difference between you being successful in getting the interview and the job offer or not. What are you willing to do to be successful? How far are you willing to go? How much time and effort are you willing to invest in yourself to be prepared for that interview?

These are the hard questions that you must ask yourself. How you decide to answer them can make all the difference in the world between your success and failure. Are you willing to do the research on the organization you would like to interview with? Have you used your LinkedIn.com contact to get an introduction to a decision maker in the organization you are pursuing? Have you had a mock interview to practice being in an interview situation? Are you willing to spend money on coaching to be successful in ensuring you have a targeted resume and know the right questions to ask the employer?

Success is being willing to take the steps that others refuse to. Success is preparing yourself to be more disciplined and purposeful about your approach to a job search. This is why I have shared the video or Rory Vaden with you. Rory Vaden is a member of Toastmasters, like yours truly, and was the 2007 World Champion of Public Speaking 1st Runner Up. This video is an excerpt for his signature speech “Take The Stairs” which focuses on being willing to do things that others are not to be successful.

You can see Rory perform this speech live at the Toastmasters District 83 Fall Conference which is being held on November 8th at the Woodbridge Hilton in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The theme of the conference is: Achieving New Heights One Step at a Time.

You can get a copy of the registration form at: http://tinyurl.com/fall83

Don’t be a follower, be a trend setter, a leader and be willing to take the stairs.

Sarah Palin appears not to have taken this advice in the interview that she had with Katie Couric. I have to thank my sister Shari for send me the following interview segments.

One is a parity of the interview preformed by Saturday Night Live. The other are videos of the actual interview by Ms. Couric.

It is hard to tell the difference between the two and at first I thought it was a joke, but to my surprise two of the three videos are real. The similarities are striking. I provide theses videos for your review as an example of what not to do when you go for an interview. Make sure that you do your research and come prepared to answer the difficult questions, because they might be asked and if they are you want to make sure you do not have a Sarah Palin Interview.

“What do you think of those sites where your resume is sent to hundreds of staffing agencies/recruiters?”

I believe that sending a resume broadcast is a waste of time and money. You want to send a resume targeted to a specific employer and job. You want to use the key words that the employer is looking for. It is like ordering a pizza. Let’s say you want an extra cheese and pepperoni pizza. When the pizza man comes he brings you a pizza with pineapple, anchovies and jalapeños on it.

Do you want this pizza? No, it is not what you ordered. Employers are the same way. They only want what the asked for. When you send a resume broadcast you are sending out a pizza, not knowing what was ordered and hoping that someone will buy it. Your time and energy would have been better spent writing a targeted resume to one of the employers who received the resume broadcast. You would have saved money and had a better opportunity to be asked in for an interview. You not only missed the chance of being asked to come in for an interview but you paid for the pleasure of being excluded!

I believe when you send out a resume broadcast you do yourself and the potential employer a disservice. Spend the time researching the employer, identify what they want, look at what you have to offer and how you can deliver it to them and you will get an offer for the interview.

You can learn how to do this yourself with Mastering The Art Of Selling Yourself. Click the link and take a look at the video to find out how. Best of luck to you in your job search and remember The Interview Teacher is here help you accelerate your success by giving you the individualized attention you desire.

Like you I was very skeptical that what seemed to be a childlike game could reveal personality traits and help you see which types of positions you would be best predisposed to do. Well funny enough it seemed to have worked for me. According to the Dewey Color System (not to be confused with the decimal system with the same first name) I am a:

CREATOR
Key Words: Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional
These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

2nd BEST OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY
You’re a PERSUADER
Key Words: Witty, Competitive, Sociable, Talkative, Ambitious, Argumentative, and Aggressive
These enterprising types sell, persuade, and lead others. Positions of leadership, power, and status are usually their ultimate goal. Persuasive people like to take financial and interpersonal risks and to participate in competitive activities. They enjoy working with others inside organizations to accomplish goals and achieve economic success.

I think I am a combination of the Creator and Persuader. But don’t take my word for it. Take the test yourself and you may discover a new colorful career. Just click this link. Then select the color you like best and you are on your way.