Top 4 Tips for Women to Reach Their Career Goals

Posted by Joanne Flynn on 2/5/19 10:00 AM

There are some industries where leadership is still predominantly comprised of men. This doesn’t always mean it’s harder for women to advance, but you need to be proactive when you decide to seek new prospects. Of course, this is good advice even if you aren’t in a male-dominated field. If you’re ready to take charge of your life and start moving forward — whether you’re going for a promotion, making a career switch, or even starting your own business — use these tips to make that next step a reality.

Tip #1 - Market Yourself Wisely

  • Create Your Personal Brand: When you start your own business, part of the planning stage is developing your brand. Having a brand is no longer limited to business owners, though. You want to create a personal brand so potential employers know who you are and what you can offer. According to Northeastern University, the key to building your personal brand is to define who you are as a professional. Ask yourself what your best skills are, which projects motivate you, and where you expect to go in the future.
  • Tailor Your Online Reputation: Your personal brand is primarily created through your online presence. Start crafting that presence by being active in online communities in your field. Remember that your personal brand is impacted by your entire online presence too, not just the spaces where you engage professionally. Before applying for new jobs, it’s important to make sure your online reputation reflects a positive image because many employers use social media as a way to find out more about applicants. An easy way to develop a good online brand is to get the help of a reputation management company. Their job is to contract with writers who create a large quantity of online content for you, including blog posts, press releases, and articles, that demonstrate your volunteer work, awards, and other accomplishments.
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Tags: Candidate Tips, Careers, Soft Skills

Top 5 'Growth Potential' Questions to Ask Your Candidates

Posted by Steve Flynn on 9/16/16 9:00 AM

This is the fifth blog in our "soft skills" series. If you missed any of the other blogs in our series, you can view them here.

Did you know that if an employee leaves a company, it costs the company as much as 1.5 times more to replace that employee? That means that hiring people who have the potential to grow with your company not only saves you the time and resources of replacing them, but also saves you money.

To help determine if your candidates have the potential to grow with your company, here are the top 5 growth potential questions to ask during your next candidate interview:

1. Recall a time when your manager was unavailable when a problem arose. How did you handle the situation? With whom did you consult?

2. Describe a time when you volunteered to expand your knowledge at work, as opposed to being directed to do so.

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Tags: Soft Skills

Top 5 'Leadership' Questions to Ask Your Candidates

Posted by Steve Flynn on 9/7/16 10:00 AM

This is the fourth blog in our "soft skills" series. If you missed the first three blogs in our series, you can view them here.

Did you know that organizations with high-quality leaders are 13 times more likely to outperform their competition? With that being said, finding people who will be able to inspire, motivate, and influence others will be essential to your company’s success.

To help determine if your candidates have what it takes to become high-quality leaders, here are the top 5 leadership questions to ask during your next candidate interview:

1. Tell me about the last time something significant didn’t go according to plan at work. What was your role? What was the outcome?

2. Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone to see things your way. What steps did you take? What were the results?

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Tags: Soft Skills

Top 5 'Collaboration' Questions to Ask Your Candidates

Posted by Steve Flynn on 8/30/16 11:00 AM


This is the third blog in our "soft skills" series. If you missed the first two blogs on 'adaptability' and 'culture fit', you can view them here.

It's no secret that hiring people who are able to work well with others is essential to having a productive and happy team. Why is this important? Because 97% of employees and executives believe that a lack of team alignment can directly impact the outcome of a task or project.

To help determine if your candidates can work well with others, here are the top 5 collaboration questions to ask during your next candidate interview:

1. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle interactions with that person?

2. Tell me about a time when you were communicating with someone and they did not understand you. What did you do? What was the outcome?

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Tags: Soft Skills

Top 5 'Culture Fit' Questions to Ask Your Candidates

Posted by Steve Flynn on 8/23/16 9:00 AM

This is the second blog in our "soft skills" series. If you missed the first blog on 'adaptability', you can view it here.

Did you know employees who are a good culture fit tend to have greater job satisfaction, superior job performance, and are more likely to stay with the company? When 89% of hiring failures are due to poor culture fit, screening for this quality is key to finding the right employees for your organization.

Here are the top 5 culture fit questions to ask during your next candidate interview:

1. What are the three things that are most important to you in a job?

2. Tell me about a time in the last week when you’ve been satisfied, energized, and productive at work. What were you doing?

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Tags: Soft Skills

Top 5 'Adaptability' Questions to Ask Your Candidates

Posted by Steve Flynn on 8/11/16 10:00 AM

One of the toughest parts of an interview is screening candidates for soft skills, because you have less than an hour to figure out if the person has the qualities you are looking for in your next hire.

The good news is that behavioral interview questions are a proven way to more easily determine what someone will be like to work with.

When asked to prioritize some of the most important soft skills they look for during interviews, here’s how hiring managers ranked the following six in order of importance:

1. Adaptability

2. Culture Fit

3. Collaboration

4. Leadership

5. Growth Potential

6. Prioritization


We will focus on adaptability in this blog, and then focus on each soft skill in the coming weeks.

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Tags: Soft Skills