Discover Your Career Weekly Q&A 1

Today was my very first Facebook Live weekly Q&A session!  I was nervous all morning approaching it but I think it went well.  Or at least I'm happy with how it went.  You guys sent in some great questions before and during the event that helped it go smoothly!  I really need to work hard on looking in the camera though!  You can see the live Q&A session here.

I've outlined the questions that I answered and some details.

Question 1: How do you follow up after an interview and with whom?

• Always send a thank you email to everyone who interviewed you – business card, LinkedIn or through the person who arranged the interview.
• Format: Greeting, thank them, talk of something of note, remind of fit, explain interest, looking forward to next step, sign off.

 
Question 2: Can you send a follow up after you haven’t heard.

• Yes but…
• Did they state a timeline? If so, 24-72 hours after.  For example, end of week, send a follow up on Monday/Tuesday.
• Format: greeting, thank them again, remind of timeline, looking for feedback as so interested, sign off.

 
Question 3:  how to stay inspired and find a job during a lengthy and demoralizing job search

• two aspects: tangible and emotional.
• Tangible:  these are the practical things that you can do
• RESUME: has your resume been getting you interviews?  If not, reexamine.  Some tips and tricks that I’ve written about.
• NETWORKING: do you have a networking strategy in place? I go through a quick and simple strategy you can set up.
• INTERVIEWS: a lot of this is out of your control.  Only look at what is in your control – your stories that you answer with and the questions you answer.
• The emotional piece, link to 9 ways to stay inspired.
  • Be Healthy – sleep, move, eat
  • Be Prepared – resume, cover letter, plan your week using the Dream Career Planner, engage with people (ie network!)
  • Be Happy – gratitude practice, find joy, congratulate yourself.
  • The importance of a positive mindset is discussed.

Question 4: On Pinterest I see all these amazing resume formats and templates, where can I make one and do they work?

• Yes and No.  Some industries they work better, some not. 
• They do not work for ATS.
• If you want one for networking and when you know no ATS, Canva has some a way to make them.  I have a modern template that I use very sparingly.

Question 5: Is it best to send a resume in PDF or Word format.

• Most ATS like Word over PDF with only a few preferring PDF. 
• Most corporate recruiters and all agency recruiters like Word.

 
Question 6: What was your experience that made you such a strong proponent of the informational interviews.

• My very first informational interview that my DAD set up for me led to my first job out of university!
• Other reasons why informational interviews are important are discussed.

 
Question 7: What is the worst thing to do in an interview.

• Referenced newsletter and what to never ever do.
• Really the worst thing is being late!  You start from a No and then have a major obstacle to overcome.

Questions 8: Can you tell me more about your Career Coaching Packages

• You can learn more here.  Essentially they are following my Job Search Roadmap and are customizable to the client. 
• 4, 8 and 12 sessions.
• 4 is perfect for those who are in a lengthy job search and really need help righting the ship.
• 8 is perfect for those who want to deep dive into a particular area while still having time to focus on the others, typically used by those in a job search who really want to spend a lot of time talking about interviews and/or networking.
• 12 is ideal for career change, it gives us a lot of time to work together to come up with a plan of action

 
 Thanks to everyone who joined and to those who watched later!  I'll see you next week, same time and same place!