When it comes to pulling off a great job interview, knowledge is power. The 30-60 minutes that you spend with a hiring manager in an initial interview is your one chance to make a great impression and get your foot in the door. Every second that the interviewer spends briefing you on the position, its responsibilities and the company is time that you could be using to form a bond with this person. If you’re adequately prepared for the interview with research on the role, the company, the industry and even the interviewer, you can use these precious minutes far more effectively than if you were just nodding along to their usual spiel on the position. In order to stand out as memorable against the dozens of other people that are being interviewed, you need to spend as little+ time on the basics as possible and that means doing your homework.
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This was the day you had been hoping for. After a 3 month search by a recruiter, vetting of a candidate that everybody unanimously felt was perfect for the role…you receive an acceptance to your job offer to someone we’ll call ‘Joe’. Your remote office in the Washington DC area will finally have its senior technical Mid-Atlantic sales leader. The candidate will begin work in 30 days, which is standard, and time to finish up unfinished business.

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Studies show that employees are increasingly getting jobs via referrals, recommendations and word-of-mouth and less so via job boards. Employee referrals are the most effective way to find a job at the moment. But, before you go rushing out to networking events and social media job forums, save a small, special thought for the art of cold calling, which has the potential to be one of the most effective ways to make quality contact with employers via word-of-mouth. Incisive cold calls can nudge people, introduce, create an impression, make some one stop and listen, jog memories, and set appointments in a way that can’t always be achieved via social media and emailing alone.
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Just as the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca defined luck as “what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” the same is true for achieving career success.

There are an infinite number of ways to define career success. It’s always personal, it’s usually multifaceted, and it often evolves over time. Some measure success in terms of salary. Others view it in terms of title, level, or professional designation. Another gauge may be the reputation that can be cultivated in their chosen industry or field. Yet another focus may be the perceived impact and importance of their work.
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Six Subtle Signs You’re About to Lose Your Job
For Busy and Confident Executives, These Warnings Are Easy to Miss

Steve Walker, a veteran executive for Safeway Co., figured his long tenure offered protection from a layoff. He figured wrong.

He lost his job as vice president of corporate retail services last November amid cost cuts at the supermarket operator. Mr. Walker now realises there were warnings. For instance, he says, his usually friendly boss turned terse during his final months.
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Eight Surprising Rules That Will Get You The Job

At 76 years old, Bill Ellermeyer is an elder statesman of the job search world. He founded an Irvine, Calif. outplacement firm in 1981, which he sold to staffing firm Adecco in 1990, then ran that office as a division of Adecco subsidiary Lee Hecht Harrison until going out on his own as an independent coach in 2004. He specializes in what he calls “career transitions” for people who have lost their jobs at the executive level, mostly from the c-suite or as vice presidents. Some of his clients have been out of work for more than a year when they come to him. He pushes them until they find a new position. After three decades in the career coaching business, he’s come up with eight rules, some counter-intuitive, that he says promise to land his clients a job.
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