There Is No Debate

There Is No DebateThere Is No DebateWhy staying on message is one of the fruchtwein important things you can do during an interview.Regardless of which candidate flops or flies high tonight, theres no debate about it the best way for you to get ahead in your campaign for a better career is to mimic one of their most effective tricks.Pick three points and stick to them.Have you ever watched our candidates on TV? When the host asks them a real zinger of a question, youll notice they rarely get flustered. Instead, they reply right off the top of their heads with an answer that seems to be completely coherent and well-crafted.No matter what the question is, and no matter how aggressively or rudely asked, our candidates seem to have an answer ready at hand and they dont get distracted by the hosts badgering. I cant say whether thats good for us voters, but I can tell you its deadly effective for giving a great interview.Its called staying on message and they dont do it by accident.Before they go on TV, they write down (or have written down for them) talking points that make the key arguments they want to make. And whatever else happens, they make sure to get their talking points across.So in order to ace your interviews, youll want to have your own talking points.And heres the truly amazing thing - you dont even need to come up with them on your own. Unlike the fickle electorate, your target audience will tell you exactly what you need to say All you have to do is ask them.When you are setting up the interview, ask the recruiter or HR rolle What are the three key things youre looking for in this position? And why are they important to the company? (If youre not able to get this question in beforehand, you can still ask it right at the start of the interview.)They might say this position is for a new initiative, or this role is critical for the implementation of the strategy, or the boss needs an expert to help assist them in this area.Whatever the three key needs f or the role are, write down beforehand how you can accomplish those needs. Dont over-practice, just make sure that you know their three needs by heart, and youve got a reasonable argument for why you can help them.Then during the interview, if conversation gets steered away to the still-new NFL season (go Bills please?), the snow coming this winter, or the latest Brangelina gossip, you just make sure that you steer it back to how you can contribute on those three key needs.Stay on message and when you walk out, your message will stay behind with your future boss.Good luck with moving up this weekIm rooting for you

How To Deal With Being Denied a Promotion or Raise

How To Deal With Being Denied a Promotion or RaiseHow To Deal With Being Denied a Promotion or Raise8 Proactive Steps to Take After Being Denied a Promotion or RaiseSeeking a promotion or raise is an important career step - though its often an intimidating one.Ideally, your manager will reward you with a promotion or raise when the time comes, but if that time has passed and youre left tapping your foot, maybe you should offer them a little nudge. After all, it never hurts to ask.Before knowing whether or not your babo will give you a raise or promotion, you need to figure out how to ask first.Now, youve followed all the necessary steps and youve asked for the promotion or the raise you believe you deserve. Your manager calls you in to talk and youre met with a shake of the head Sorry, no. Whatever you do, dont panic. Yes, this response will feel like a punch to your soul and a hit to your delicate ego. You might feel disappointment, frustration, and even anger.Yet, its important to keep yourself together and to recognize that this is a crucial time in your career.Rather than storming out of your managers office, take these proactive steps to help you qualify for that promotion or raise in the future.1. Thank your managerTake a minute to process what just happened and then swallow your pride. Now, genuinely thank your manager for taking the time to consider your request. After receiving the disappointing news, this wont be the easiest thing to say, but its an important gesture thatll likely mean a lot to them.2. Ask for feedbackAlthough you might want to leave the room as soon as possible, stick around and ask your manager for feedback. This might add some salt to the already gaping wound, but soliciting feedback will show your manager that youre forward-thinking youre ready to continue to grow and work even harder.Make sure the feedback is concrete and that you can tischset actionable goals to overcome any setbacks. If he or she says you need to do better wor k, push for some details. What specific areas need mora attention? What are some examples of ways you can improve?3. Map out a planAfter leaving the meeting, try not to dwell on the negative news. Maybe you deserve a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine, but then its time to take proactive steps toward that promotion or raise youre after.With your managers feedback, map out a plan for yourself. This doesnt need to be a five-year plan. Rather, set some short-term goals you can accomplish within several months. What can you focus on improving? Are there any additional tasks you can add to your workload? How can you prove youre capable and qualified?When setting goals, try following the SMART method Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Setting realistic, specific goals is important, especially when you know exactly what you want your next step to be.4. Keep tabs on your winsTheres no need to document your every move, but try starting a brag book. This might be a small notebook you keep in your desk drawer or a Google document. Its up to you it doesnt need to be pretty.In your brag book, start logging your wins. Here are a few examples You completed a big project well before deadline, you received positive feedback from a client, you organized a new research committee, you recognized a problem and solved it before anyone noticed it was a problem. Note that these examples are vague. Youll want to include a few more details to help quantify your successes.Make an effort to add to your brag book each month or even each week. When it comes time to be considered for a promotion or raise again, revisit your brag book to remind yourself of your accomplishments.5. Stay focused on yourselfIts way too easy to start comparing yourself to your co-workers. How does Jack have a senior title when hes late to work every single day? Why did Jill get the promotion when you clearly complete more assignments than her?This, however, leads to rabbit holes of anger, fr ustration, and feelings of helplessness. After getting denied a promotion or raise, the only person you should focus on is yourself. If you need, lie low for a few days and simmer down. Whatever you do though, stay focused on yourself and your performance. Analyzing co-workers actions will be counterproductive.6. Give yourself a pat on the backSeriously you deserve a pat on the back. It took courage to ask for that promotion or raise, but you did it and at least now you arent left in the dark. Instead, youve spent time taking a good look at your job and your performance and youve created clear steps to help you achieve your goals.Try not to sweat it. Sure, it might feel slightly awkward when you bump into your manager at the coffee maker the next morning, but offer a smile to let them know its fine and that youre moving forward.7. Remember you have optionsYou should never quit a job because you were denied a promotion or raise. In fact, thats definitely the wrong reason to quit you r job.But sometimes this punch to the gut will lead to clarity (albeit not immediately). Maybe youd thrive better in a different work environment or in a different fleck altogether. There are always more opportunities out there, and sometimes thats a nice thing to keep in mind.Click on the following link for more advice on how to get ahead.If looking for another job is the right option for you, spruce up your resume with a free resume critique from TopResume.Recommended ReadingBuilding Your Case 7 Steps to Asking for That Raise5 Guaranteed Strategies to Getting a RaiseHow to Negotiate a Raise at Work Like Amy Schumer

How Nice is Too Nice at Work (Quiz) - The Muse

How Nice is Too Nice at Work (Quiz) - The MuseHow Nice is Too Nice at Work (Quiz)Your company is all about collaboration. They value team players, individuals who make time to work with others, you know, people who are open to offering their expertise or just serve as someone to bounce ideas off of. And so youre careful about being available, helpful, and generous with both your time and knowledge. Sometimes, though, its at the cost of putting your own work dead last. Or turning to your solo assignments after hours, when none of your colleagues are likely to seek your assistance.It turns out that theres such a thing called generosity burnout and if the above rings true for you, you could be headed there. Not sure if youre doing an OK job of balancing your workload and devoting resources to co-workers whore asking for help? Take this eight-question quiz from Harvard Business Review to discover if youre a selfless giver, an inconsistent giver, or a sustainable giver. Depending on where you land, you might want to reevaluate how far youre willing to be the offices go-to savior. Burnout, in any shape or form, isnt a desirable direction to be headed. And dont worry, its not that you cant lend a hand ever again- but rather that you need to set boundaries and clear expectations for your colleagues. In an article on setting boundaries at work without making anyone resent you, Muse career coach Melody Wilding recommends taking a moment to evaluate the individual demand and its potential effect on your schedule, well-being, and goals before saying yes to any request.Do that, and you should be able to find some kind of balance that works for both you and your teammates.