December 18, 2013, TGIW: Unhumping Hump Day - CareerGuy.com

December 18, 2013, TGIW: Unhumping Hump Day

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

Dec 18

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”–Ella Jane Fitzgerald

Wishing you a couple wonderful holiday weeks ahead, and a Sweet Spot New Year.

What do I mean by “Sweet Spot”? I mean that place where work no longer occurs like work…where you are actually oblivious to Mondays vs. Fridays…and where you are sometimes amazed that you actually get paid for what you get to do!

Sounds like magical thinking? Well, perhaps that’s why the majority of folks don’t get there. But know that some do, and you can be one of them…if only you first start to consider it as possible.

As a consideration for your new years resolutions in development, why not have 2014 be the year where it all comes together? With a vision of you in your Sweet Spot, along with a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual roadmap, your next year could have you doing things and meeting people you never imagined possible…until now!

What one resolution can you make NOW to move toward the kind of days you can’t wait to begin…every day?

Got Passion? (I wrote a whole eBook on it too!)

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” –Steve Jobs

Q & A

Media Source: CNBC.com

Topic: Acceptable job interview lies?

Reporter Query: I want to write an article that features a list of five questions (give or take) that job interviewers frequently ask where the person being interviewed sometimes lies, and it’s not a big deal to the employer. For example, I am firmly of the belief that whenever a job interviewer asks “Where do you see yourself in five years,” that any response given by any applicant is a lie, and that employers are aware of this.

CareerGuy Response: Hi Daniel, As to your query, I agree that the question you mention above is inauthentic because nobody knows where they will be in five years. Taking a job is like today’s marriage vows on the part of both employee and employer: you state your intentions, and then you just give it your best shot. No guarantees.

In addition to that interview question, another one that has traditionally been respononded to inauthentically is “What do you see as your greatest weakness?” In the old days, most people came up with something good about themselves and couched it in terms of a weakness, such as “I’m such a perfectionist that I end up staying late at work and my wife gets mad at me.” Right. Sure it is. However, in today’s more psychologically adept world, those types of answers don’t fly as much, as just about every hiring manager and HR person has heard them. They are looking for people to be consciously self-aware of their real weaknesses, yet like it when the weakness is followed by a self-generated solution, such as “I tend to take on more than I should in terms of work and responsibilities, which sometimes affects not just me but my coworkers and work environment in terms of stress. So, I have learned to step back and reserve my default “yes” answer for a bit to look more closely at whether an additional task can seriously be accomplished by me or should be tackled elsewhere. This keeps me pressing the envelope of what I can truly do well while also not taking me down for the count…which does nobody any good.”

About the Author

DARRELL W. GURNEY, Executive/ Career Coach and 20-year recruiting veteran, supports people at all levels to make fulfilling and profitable career transitions. His first book, Headhunters Revealed! Career Secrets for Choosing and Using Professional Recruiters, was winner of the Clarion Award for Best Book by the Association for Women in Communications and was reviewed in Publishers Weekly. His newest book, Never Apply for a Job Again: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest, has been endorsed by bestselling thought leaders such as Harvey Mackay, Keith Ferrazzi, and Dr. Ivan Misner. A personal and business brand strategist, Darrell’s Stealth Method of networking has helped folks expand their reach within both careers and new client circles. He speaks, leads workshops, and is a media expert on subjects such as recruiting, networking, and finding one’s passion. He was recently named Networking Expert for BeyondB-School.com and offers webinars and programs that get MBA students and working professionals out, connected, and landed.

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