Career coach

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7 Things You Need To Get A Job In 2024

What do you need to get a job? Most job seekers think a good resume and cover letter are enough to land job interviews and stand out to employers in the hiring process. In today's competitive job market, you need a lot more to get a job.

Here are the seven things you need to get a job in 2024. Let's see if you have all of them.

What Do You Need To Get A Job?

1. A Job Search Strategy

You do not want to waste your time applying for jobs that are going to ghost you. You need to know what types of opportunities and companies will actually hire you. From this moment forward, make sure you have a proactive job search strategy.

2. A Skimmable Resume

We call it the six-second resume. That's because recruiters and hiring managers skim your resume first to make sure you have the five or six main skill sets they put on that job description. Otherwise, you won't be considered.

3. A LinkedIn Profile That Is Searchable

Keywords are very important on LinkedIn. Recruiters and hiring managers use a tool that helps them find people who are a match for the jobs they are hiring for. If you don't optimize your LinkedIn profile with keywords, you will not be found.

4. LinkedIn Posts

You need to post on LinkedIn, especially if you are looking for professional jobs. LinkedIn changed its algorithm recently and people who actually post on a regular basis rank higher in search results, and that's how you're going to get seen more.

5. Answers to Behavioral Interview Questions

You need to be ready for behavioral questions in job interviews. Everyone is doing evidence-based hiring now, which means they're going to ask you questions like, "Tell me about a time when you did X or Y." If you don't understand what behavioral interview questions are and how to answer them correctly, you will end up giving too little information or too much information, and that'll get you ruled out.

6. A Follow-Up Process

You need to know how to follow up after each interview, whether it's a phone, video, or in-person interview. Following up correctly will help you stay in the running.

7. Salary Negotiation Skills

When you get to the final interview, you need to know how to negotiate salary like a boss. Do you know how to approach the employer to get more money? If you don't, you could miss out or leave money on the table.

Do you have all seven of these things? If not, I can help.

At Work It DAILY, we have a 7-day risk-free trial to our job search career coaching platform, and we recently dropped a new program called the Job Search Accountability Program (JSAP). We're going to make every single day of your job search easier.

Honestly, if you don't have all seven of these things, getting a job will be that much harder. But this is not rocket science or brain surgery. The Job Search Accountability Program (JSAP) gives you the answers to all of these things quickly and easily, all at your convenience. So, I hope to see you in there.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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7 Things You Need To Get A …

How To Make A GREAT First Impression Every Time

In this article, I'm going to tell you how to make a great first impression when you get asked the question, "What do you do?" I've been teaching you the basics of how to craft this message. But now, we're going to dive a little deeper.

Never Answer With Your Job Title!

Just to do a quick recap, the first thing you need to know is to never, ever answer, "What do you do?" with your job title. It's a wasted opportunity.

Second, you need to answer these three questions:

"What do you love to do?"
"How do you do it?"
"What are you going to do with it?"

The last thing you need to know is to incorporate and assess your personality and your workplace personas. How do you like to deliver value? Make sure that your answer incorporates those things.

What Is Your Workplace Persona

A workplace persona is the way you best communicate with your colleagues and get work done. It's how you like to create value at work using your professional strengths. If you don't know what your workplace persona is, I've got the FREE quiz here!

In my case, I am a commander. I'm a take-charge kind of gal. But I'm also an energizer, which means I'm going to deliver with energy and I'm going to try to convey in my explanation that I'm a mentor. I really want to be a visionary. I want to change the world. I am an optimizer. That's the message I want to get across.

If you asked me the question, "What do you do?" I'm going to respond with something like this:

"Well, I love helping people grow their careers. In fact, I'm making it my mission this year to help 10 million people on TikTok grow their careers and land better jobs because school teaches us everything except how to get a job. I know that times are changing and people need this information."

That answer isn't perfect, but you get the point! You know why I'm taking charge of this and why it matters to me. Hopefully, that came across in a way that's more memorable to you.

Managing Your Reputation Is Vital To Achieving Career Success

Everyone has the opportunity to do this. You don't have to be outgoing, but you do have to understand what your workplace persona is and how to use it to your advantage.

Don't waste a valuable opportunity to build your reputation! People cringe when they hear "personal branding," but I can't say it enough. It's just reputation management.

Your reputation matters. And when a recession hits and you lose your job, that is not the time to start managing it. The time is now.

Don't know where to begin? Work It DAILY can help.

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How To Make A GREAT First Impression …

How To Get A Higher-Level Job

You want a job that's one or two levels higher than your current job. How do you apply? Well, definitely not through an ATS.

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are designed to find exact matches, and if you are trying to land a higher-level job, you are not an exact match. But the good news is I can give you a workaround.

Lots of people get hired into higher-level positions, but not through applying online.

2 Steps To Get A Higher-Level JobÂ

Step one in this process is to learn to go around the ATS. You need to connect with people who work at the company. Not the recruiter. Not even the hiring manager. You need to connect with people who would be your peers in the organization.

Then, you need to focus on step two, which is to tell a great connection story. A connection story is how you feel connected to the mission of the company. What would get you up out of bed every day and want to crush it for them? You need to identify with these people who would be your future peers.

After you've found a handful of future peers to connect with, put together this connection story and send it to them via LinkedIn. Ask them to connect. Here's an example of what that connection request message should look like:

"Hey! Can we connect? I have a story I'd love to share about your company."

Then, when they accept, message them and share the story about why you're a huge fan of the company, and that's why you're really interested in the XYZ position, the higher-level position.

This going to prompt them to check out your LinkedIn profile and more than likely just forward it to the hiring manager, saying something like, "Hey, this person reached out to me. They're interested in the job you've posted."

Why does this matter? Because the ATS is run by recruiters who are told to find exact matches, and they're going to screen you out. If your LinkedIn profile gets forwarded to the hiring manager from a person who works in a totally different department, you're not going through that same screening process as other applicants who apply online. In fact, they're elevating you because they're saying, "This person made the effort to reach out and tell me their story. You might be interested in them."

Now your story gets in front of the hiring manager, and the hiring manager thinks, "Oh, love the story. Looks like they might be able to do the job. Let me pass them to the recruiter." And then the recruiter sets up an interview because even though you're not a match, they were told by the hiring manager to do so.

I've seen a lot of people get higher-level jobs when they follow these two steps. But let me be clear: When you're applying online, there's no resume fix or cover letter or LinkedIn profile tip that I can give you that's going to get you through the ATS and get you a shot at that job because you don't meet the requirements.

If you believe you can do the job, you've got to tell a connection story and talk to other people in order to get in front of the hiring manager.

This job search strategy works. If you don't believe me, sign up for Work It DAILY where I'm working with thousands of job seekers right nowâand these tips are working. Try us free for seven days.

These tips will help you conduct a proactive job search. It is a game changer, and it's really needed in this job market, especially if you're trying to get a higher-level job. You can do it, but you need new and better techniques to succeed. And I would love to teach them to you.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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How To Get A Higher-Level Job

Why Evidence-Based Hiring Will Be The New Normal In 2024 & Beyond

Do you know what evidence-based hiring is? Well, it's going to directly impact how you get a job in the future. If you want to understand evidence-based hiring so that you can make sure you're standing out to employers, continue reading...

Evidence-Based Hiring: What It Is & How To Use It To Your Advantage

Evidence-based hiring is a result of the broken hiring system that we have today. Right now, we send a text-based resume and cover letter and fill out a text-based application online, and all of that goes to a recruiter who, for example, is getting anywhere from 100 to 500 to even a thousand applicants for one job opening.

Recently, I talked to a recruiter who got 500 applicants and had to sort through them all and then rank them based on the criteria the hiring manager gave them. Then, they took the top 10 resumes and passed them on to the hiring manager. The hiring manager started calling these people and interviewing them. All 10 of them didn't move on in the hiring process. All 10 of them weren't qualified (or a good match) for the role. The resumes they sent in were so overdone. They weren't authentic and they didn't talk about their true skill level.

People are now using ChatGPT and other AI tools to write their resumes. When the candidates' true skills and experience don't match the resumes they sent in, the hiring manager and recruiter have to start the whole hiring process over again. This is a broken system, and this scenario is exactly why companies are shifting to evidence-based hiring.

Companies are now asking themselves, "What can we do upfront to get the evidence to authenticate that every candidate is who they say they are?"

ChatGPT has sped up the death of the resume. So many people are using it to fake their qualifications profiles and it's frustrating the heck out of hiring managers. In response to this, companies are moving to asynchronous video interviewsâthey send you a link, you click on it, and you record videos answering specific questions that will authenticate you and prove with evidence that you know what you're talking about. Then, hiring managers will evaluate those videos instead of a resume, and then you may move forward in the interview process.

Video in the hiring process is here to stay. Companies have to be able to authenticate talent when there's a sea of text-based applications that all look the same.

If you want to stand out in the evidence-based hiring process, you need to get proactive with video, and the way you do that is by using tools like McCoy. It's a free phone app that you can download that will let you choose what you want to share in 60-second reels. You record a video and then you get a URL that you can send off to a hiring manager to introduce yourself or include at the top of your resume or put it in other places so they can open it up and watch you and know that you are who you say you are and can do what you say you can do.

Evidence-based hiring is here to stay, and the sooner you lean into this and authenticate yourself, the better off you're going to be. You can prolong it for as long as you want, but evidence-based hiring is the new normal because the system has been broken for too long. So, however you choose to do it, you are going to need to have more evidence because a text-based profile or resume or application isn't going to cut it anymore. If you want to take control of your job search, you're better off downloading a phone app like McCoy and using it so that you can control your first impression and your messaging. It'll be the best decision you make in your job search.

And, as always, I'm here if you need help with your job search. Become a Work It DAILY member today (FREE for 7 days!).

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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Why Evidence-Based Hiring Will Be The New …

5 Traits Of People Who Are Respected At Work (And Get The Most Career Opportunities)

I had a sad career coaching call with an extremely successful woman recently. When she told me her career story, which I have all my clients do, her story was riddled with a highway of situations where she was taken advantage of, where she wasn't given the respect that she deserved.

As a career coach, I have each person tell me their career story because I can always tell, based on the story, where your sticking points and roadblocks are. And for this woman, it clearly was getting herself into situations where they wouldn't respect her. She was almost in tears while telling me this, but she was still so professional, and then she said, "What is it going to take, JT? What is it going to take for me to get into one of these environments and not be taken advantage of?"

I didn't want to give her a pat answer, so I said I was going to sleep on it and then come back and tell her the traits I see in people who are respected at work and, therefore, get the best career opportunities. I want to share those five traits with you because I think it's important that everyone hear them.

1. They See Themselves As A Business-Of-One.

The first trait I see in people who are respected at work is they always see themselves as a business-of-one. They don't work for a company. They work with them. They partner with them. Therefore, right out of the gate, there's mutual respect. Then, if they start disrespecting you, you can have a conversation and tell them that they're either going to get this right or you're going to go find a new partner because you're not going to be treated that way. You're not going to allow yourself to be treated that way. It's about setting boundaries and addressing the disrespect before it gets out of hand. Respected employees are able to communicate these boundaries without being harsh.

2. They Aren't Complainers; They're Curious.

Professionals listen to a friend talk to help him through a career challenge

The second trait is they aren't complainers; they're curious. Nobody likes to work with complainers. The people who are respected at work don't walk in and dump a problem on a manager's desk. Instead, when they see a problem, they meet with people and they get curious. They ask questions. They try to understand. In fact, one of their favorite phrases to use is "help me understand." They ask clarifying questions to get to the source of the problem so that hopefully the people they're talking to can realize the problem, but if not, it gives them permission to then point it out and have a conversation.

3. They Ask Questions Instead Of Bossing People Around.

The third trait is they get really good at "ask, don't tell." They don't boss everyone around. They don't tell everyone what to do. They know how to ask questions so that things become other people's ideas and they get permission to then share their points of view, their ideas, and their perspectives. It's how they get buy-in. It's how they get consensus. And, again, it's how they gain and keep people's respect.

4. They Talk About Their Results, Not Their Character.

CMO talks to his marketing team during a meeting

The fourth trait is they talk about their results. They don't talk about their character. You know that you have to be your biggest self-advocate in the workplace, and you're hired to save or make money. You're hired to solve problems and alleviate pain, so when you're talking about the results that you were able to get, when you're talking about what's actually valued, not that you were a great team player, etc., you'll stand out and be respected for the value that you create on the job. You're going to have to find strategic ways to talk about your results without bragging or sounding like a narcissist to make sure that people understand the quantifiable impact that you've had on the company, and the people who are respected at work do this well.

5. They Never Initially Disagree With Someone.

Coworkers talk to each other in the office

Lastly, the people who are respected at work never initially disagree with someone. This might be a hot take, but whenever they clearly disagree with someone, they don't say "I disagree." That's not how they lead the conversation. What they do instead is they find a commonality with the person, something they can agree on, and then they talk about that. These people know how to disarm somebody by talking about what they agree upon first before they discuss where they have differences or disagreements.

I'm sure there are more traits you could add to this list, but when I really looked at the people who are the most respected at work, who are incredibly successful and seem to get all the opportunities they want, they're doing these five things consistently in their careers. They have these five traits. And it's having an incredible impact on their brand.

If you're struggling with getting respect at work, I can help. Sign up for a Work It DAILY membership today (FREE for 7 days!).

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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5 Traits Of People Who Are Respected …

3 Things You Should Do When You Get A Bad Performance Review

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article that talks about the fact that people can expect harsher performance reviews going forward, and I have to agree with them. Therefore, I want to tell you three things that you should do if you get a bad performance review to help you protect your career.

1. Don't Take It Personally

When you get a negative performance review or you get a performance review with a lot of constructive feedback after getting great, positive performance reviews in the past, it might be due to shifts in the market.

I always tell my clients that problems trickle down in the workplace. Many companies are tightening their belts right now. They're changing strategies and trying to figure out what's going on, and so those problems become headaches to the leadership team and they're not just going to take the brunt of that themselves; they're going to push it down to the people that they're paying to help solve those problems and alleviate that pain.

Consequently, more people are going to be told that what they've been doing in the past isn't good enough anymore. Their company needs more from them. That's the trickle-down effect. Now, I want you to have the right frame of mind around this. Don't take it personally. This is business, and your "customer" that owns the business, that employs you, is telling you they've got changes and they need you to support them in those changes. So, try to stay objective when you get a bad performance review out of nowhere.

2. See How Your Boss Is Treating Other People

The second thing that I want you to do is see how your boss is treating other people. If you got a bad performance review but other people aren't getting that same feedback, if you're not hearing that other people got negative performance reviews, then I need you to be really careful because this could be the company starting to single you out for a restructure, layoff, or firing.

These types of situations are happening more and more now. What was good enough before is not good enough anymore. So, take a look around. Is everyone getting the same feedback? Or do you feel like you're being singled out? Because if you are, there's a good chance that your job might be at risk and I don't want you finding that out later. I want you to be more proactive, which leads to my last tip...

3. Get Your Job Search Tools Ready

The moment you see a shift in how others are treating you after a bad performance review, you need to increase your networking efforts and get your job search tools ready. Any good business knows that if they start to see a customer who's not satisfied or who's acting like they're not satisfied, you do what you can to make that customer happy again, but you also remember that customers have life cycles and this may be the end of the life cycle.

You don't want to be left without a customer. You don't want to be left without an income for your business-of-one. So, it's important that you update your resume and LinkedIn profile. Get ready to do informational interviews and start networking with people who work at companies you might want to work at. Just get that ball rolling. You never knowâa great opportunity might come along and this might be the push that you need to make that change. But you want to be prepared. You don't want to start looking for work when you suddenly don't have a job, and for a lot of people, that's what's happening right now. I want you to protect yourself from that.

So, to recap...

Change your frame of mind. Don't take it personally. Understand that problems trickle down.
See how your boss is treating other people. Is this you being singled out as a performance problem? Or is everybody getting this feedback, and what can you do to fix it?
Protect yourself. Update your resume and LinkedIn profile. Increase your networking. Do some passive job searching. Whatever it takes to protect your business-of-one so it always has an income.

I hope this information helps if you suddenly get a bad performance review at work. Remember these tips, and you'll protect your career.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

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3 Things You Should Do When You …

Why Companies Fire People To Save Money

There are a lot of companies that will choose to fire employees instead of laying them off. Let's walk through the instances when this happens so you can better prepare yourself.

Placing The Blame On You

Lots of companies right now are deciding to make significant cuts. They aren't making their numbers. They're not feeling financially secure. Whatever the reason may be, the biggest expense is people, so the fastest way to save money is to cut staff.

Now, most companies will be transparent about this and admit that it's a layoff. They didn't perform well. They need to make changes. They're laying you off through no fault of your own. It stinks, but nobody's blaming you. However, there are companies out there that will say that it's a firing instead.

When companies fire employees instead of laying them off, they're saying it's not their fault. It's not their fault you're suddenly underperforming and, therefore, they're going to fire you. How ironic is it that you were getting great performance reviews, everything was going fine, and then all of a sudden you're having a performance issue?

What normally happens is the company has figured out that they can get somebody to do your job for a lot cheaper. There are a whole bunch of people in the job market who will do your job at a lower pay. But if the company lays you off in order to save money, there are laws around discrimination that you could cite and then file a charge of discrimination against them.

Some companies want to avoid any risk of this, so instead they suddenly decide you're not performing and they document that and gather the paperwork to be able to prove that you're not performing (you're the problem) so they can fire you. This is how they avoid lawsuits. And when they fire you, they can replace you and hire somebody for less money.

You can never take your eye off the ball as long as you are working. If you're making a wage that you want to keep making, you need to watch your market conditions because if you're not growing, you're dying in your career.

Way too many people get into kind of an autopilot situation where they're not really growing and evolving with the market. And it's not just about amassing more skills. It's about strategically understanding the direction your career needs to go in so you stay relevant and in demand. You can have all the skills and experience in the world, but if you don't know how to package that up and market it correctly to employers, you're not going to differentiate yourself in the market and stay competitive.

Please be on the lookout for this situation in your career. The moment your company realizes they can have someone do your job for less money, you're going to become a performance issue. It's easier to fire you than it is to lay you off. Remember that, and make sure you know your unique value add (UVA).

Good luck, and go get 'em!

Need more help with your career?

Become a member to learn how to UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

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Why Companies Fire People To Save Money

Why You Get Rejected From Jobs Youre 100% Qualified For

You found a job opening you were a great fit for. You crafted your resume, wrote a polished cover letter, and submitted your job application with high hopes. After a few days or weeks, you get the rejection email, or you get ghosted by the employer, never hearing back about the status of your application. You were 100% qualified for the job. So, why did you get rejected?

The Bushel-Of-Apples Effect

You're not getting interviews for jobs that you're 100% qualified for because of the bushel-of-apples effect that happens when you apply online.

Think about it this way: You go into a store and decide to buy one apple. That's all you've got the appetite for and that's all you can afford. You walk over to the produce section and see a big bushel of apples. They all look good; they're all roughly the same size and same color. But you're only going to pick one. So, what do you do? If you're really hungry, you might decide to pick a slightly bigger apple. Or if you like a certain color, you pick that one and discriminate against all the other apples that are completely okay and worthy of being picked, but you can only pick one.

That's what employers have to do right now. And because of applicant tracking systems (ATS), they get thousands of applicantsânot 10, not 15, thousands. This is why you are getting rejected over and over again. It's not that you're not qualified for the job; it's the bushel-of-apples effect. You need to understand that the way to get selected is to not be in a pile; you need to go around the system. You need to be able to connect directly so that your message can get to a hiring manager and they can pull you from the pile.

This is what most job seekers do not understand today. That easy apply button and those online applications actually made job search harder because they make it possible for anyone to apply. You're going to have to put in the extra effort to find a good job, which means you're going to need to be pickier about who you apply to. Once you learn how to conduct a proactive job search (job shopping instead of job hunting), you can be way more intentional. You can pick who you want to work for and you can go after it differently so that you can get picked from the pile.

You're not alone, my friend. That bushel-of-apples effect is just killing your chances on those applicant tracking systems and it's going to require something different in order to get better results.

If you want to learn how to conduct a proactive job search, sign up for a Work It DAILY membership today. Getting the job search help you need has never been easier.

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Why You Get Rejected From Jobs Youre …

1 (Sneaky) Question You Should Ask In A Job Interview

If you want to make a great, positive, lasting impression in a job interview, there is one question you should ask the hiring manager. It's also a bit of a sneaky question because it will reveal something about this person and what it would be like to work at the company.

"What's The Most Significant/Positive Thing That's Happened To You At This Company?"

When you get to the end of the interview and the hiring manager asks you if you have any questions, look them in the eye, smile, and say, "Tell me about the most significant or positive thing that's happened to you here at the company in the last year."

The reason why you're asking them about the most significant or positive or exciting thing that's happened to them in the last year is that any time we get to talk to somebody and share a positive experience, we tend to associate them with being positive as well. We end up liking them more and feeling more connected to them. So, this is a way for you to achieve this with the person who's interviewing you.

But if you ask them this question and they can't quickly answer, or if they hesitate, or if they struggle to think of something, what does that tell you about the company? Why is this person not thinking of something positive? It makes you wonder.

Asking this question in a job interview is a way to look under the hood and find out if the company might be a fit for you. It will tell you a lot about the organization's values, goals, and workplace culture.

Now, in order to have the opportunity to ask these great questions, you need to nail the job interview, and that means getting the behavioral questions right. If you want to know how to answer the 18 hardest behavioral questions, sign up for a Work It DAILY membership today. It'll be the best money you've ever spent on your job search.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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1 (Sneaky) Question You Should Ask In …

The 3 Types Of Work Everyone Should Know

There are only three types of work. You either have a job, a career, or a calling. I have been a career coach for over 20 years and I can tell you that after working with thousands of people what you do for work falls into one of these three categories.

What To Know About The 3 Types Of Work

@j.t.odonnell
THE 3 TYPES OF WORK ##IKnowWhatYouDid ##jobsearch ##job ##career ##calling ##careerdecoder ##careeradvice ##careertiktok ##joblife ##careertok ##work ##1
â¬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

As a professional, you either have:

A job â it just pays the bills and doesn't bring you a lot of satisfaction other than the fact that it's taking care of you financially.
A career â not only does it pay the bills, but you feel like you're leveraging some of your strengths, so it makes you feel a little satisfied.
A calling â you're leveraging your strengths, and it feels like it's what you were meant to do, and you're getting paid for it.

The Problem

Now, the problem with this is that over the years, society has convinced all of us that the only thing we should be striving for is the callingâthat we should be in love with our work. Everything we do should feel effortless and we should get a big paycheck for it. And that's not how it works.

Your life is forever changing. There are times in your life when a job is the only thing you need. It's the only thing you can handle. It pays the bills, and that's good enough. And every job is temporary.

Then, there's the career. There are times in your life when you feel like you're doing satisfying work and you're getting the paycheck.

Then, sometimes, people reach the calling; they find exactly what they want to do in life. But the thing about the calling is that you need to be willing to sacrificeâyou need to be willing to do it even if you can't get a paycheck. Most people don't have the strength or the resources to go after the calling.

Stop Looking For A Calling And Do This Instead...

As a career coach, I want to manage people's expectations and I want them to be as happy as they possibly can be in the situation they're in. But to do that, everyone needs to understand that it's not one-size-fits-all.

Stop searching for the perfect calling in the big paycheck. Learn to assess where you are today. Understand what's currently going on in your life. Let's make a conscious decision about what type of workâa job, a career, and (maybe) a callingâyou need right now. And then let's work to improve that step by step.

They didn't teach us this in school. And, candidly, employers don't want you to know this because they want you to be forever stuck in a job, don't they? But there are good employers out there.

Good employers want you to feel fulfilled and satisfied. They can take you to the career level and maybe even the calling level. But they don't just grow on trees and they don't just fall in front of you. There's no magic fairy godmother to give you that calling or career. You have to figure out who you are and what your strengths are, and then we start to work with that and, like a puzzle, we piece it togetherâa beautiful, unique puzzle that is all you.

So, stop looking for a calling and simply focus on growing your career. If you "work it daily," you'll get to where you want to be in your professional life. I promise.

Want Help Finding Your Next Job, Career, Or Calling?Â

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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The 3 Types Of Work Everyone Should …

3 Mutuals You Need For Career Success (NEVER Treat Employers Like Friends Or Family Again!)

There are three mutuals you need to have with your employer, and if you don't have them, then you could find yourself in more than a few situations where you're really unhappy, especially when interest rates, inflation, and cost of living are up, salaries are going down, turnover is crazy, and everyone's frustrated.

You want to have three mutuals with an employer because that will allow you to build a solid partnership (not a relationshipâyou should never treat employers like friends or family!). Here are the three mutuals you should live and die by in your career, and why they're so important...

Trust, Respect, And Benefit: 3 Mutuals For A True Partnership

The first mutual you need with your employer is trust. The second mutual is respect. And the third mutual is benefit.

When you have mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual benefit, you have a true partnership, not a relationship. They're not your friends. They're not your family. You have a true and equitable partnership, and that is what you're always striving for.

Now, if you're sitting in this partnership and all of a sudden one day something feels off or you're not happy, take a step back and ask yourself, "What's changed?"

Did the trust factor change?
Did the respect factor change?
Did the benefit factor change?

Be honest with yourself. Then, if you can identify what it is, have a conversation with your boss and talk about how the mutual trust was broken or the mutual respect was broken or the mutual benefit was broken. Calmly and rationally talk about how you can get it back on track to an equitable partnership. And if you can't, then guess what? You know it's time for you to go find your next partnership (your next job). No hard feelings. You gave it a try. You tried to fix the partnership. The partnership didn't work. You're moving on.

When I coach Work It DAILY members, they learn to take the emotion out of this situation. They look at the partnership. They build an equitable partnership. They nurture that partnership. And if for some reason it changes, they try to fix it. And if it doesn't get fixed, they go find a new partnership.

If you adopt this mindset in your career, your career will change for the better. You will have so much more power over your career success. But let me let you in on a little secret. You don't just naturally get there. You don't just set out and go, "Okay, from now on, I'm just going to hold out until I get one of these partnerships with the three mutuals." You need to put in the work. You need to change your approach to job search. You need to know your unique value add. You have to put in the time to completely shift yourself from being an employee who feels like they have golden handcuffs on to being a business-of-one who knows how to run their business-of-one and get the trust, respect, and benefit they want and deserve.

You do not need to be a victim. You can be the hero of your career story. And it starts with building that partnership with your employer. It starts with mutual trust, respect, and benefit.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

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3 Mutuals You Need For Career Success …

The Biggest Mistake Job Seekers Make In Final Round Interviews (That Costs Them The Job!)

The interview process can take weeks to get through, and when you finally get to the final interview, you want to do everything in your power to ace it so you're the one they choose for the job. However, most job seekers don't know they're making a huge mistake in final interviews that could cost them the job offer.

In your first round of interviews, you're usually talking with a recruiter. You're doing a phone screen and they're just trying to figure out if you have the skills to move forward. Then you start to go through an interview, maybe two, where you're meeting with hiring managers and other people who would be your peers, and that's when they're whittling down a half-dozen candidates to the final two or three.

Then, it's the final interview. From coaching my clients, I've discovered that those who make it to the final interview and don't get the job are pulling back in that last interview.

#1 Mistake: Pulling Back (And What To Do Instead)

In the final interview, you know it's crunch time. And these clients of mine are emotionally aware and want to convey humility in the interview process. They don't want to brag. They don't want to be a narcissist. They don't want to be cocky. They don't want to oversell themselves and look desperate. So in an effort not to overdo it in that final interview, they sort of pull back. They don't want to oversell themselves or say something that isn't true.

The problem is, in the first interviews, they had more confidence. They conveyed more confidence. So all of a sudden in the final interview, when you're trying to be more technically accurate with what you say, you actually start to look like you're backing off, that you're not as secure about yourself.

While I don't want you to go in and be that cocky, over-the-top person, you do have to make sure that you deliver consistency with what you've been conveying throughout the entire interview process.

Now, how do you do that?

As a career coach, I teach my clients how to answer questions with a beginning, a middle, and an end. I also call it the "Experience + Learn = Grow" model. This is the best way to avoid pulling back in final interviews. It's also better (and far easier) than the STAR method, which people overuse and recruiters can spot a mile away because it feels canned.

With the "Experience + Learn = Grow" model, your answers sound authentic and you provide enough detail without overdoing it. That shows hiring managers you know what you're talking about and you will feel comfortable because you are telling them the truth.

This model works, and it's the final round interview where you want to nail things like your behavioral questions, those open-ended questions where you need this beginning, middle, and end storytelling format so that you give the right amount of detail, and you get the job.

For all of you out there who have ever made it to the final round and thought, "I don't want to overkill it," and then you didn't get the job, it's probably because you pulled back too much and looked like you weren't as sure of yourself. You fix it with "Experience + Learn = Grow." That's the way to do it.

Good luck, and go get 'em!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

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