Friday, February 22, 2013

Job Seekers: What’s your STORY? - Part I

 By Mary Salvino, Career Coach


When hiring managers are looking to fill a position, they go through a series of steps to find the best candidate to fill the position.  The search for the best candidate begins with a well-written job description that attracts large numbers suitable candidates that will then be culled according to a pre-determined set of skills and abilities.  Once the pool of candidates has been reduced to a manageable size, the top candidates will be invited for an interview. 

If you are one of those candidates who have been invited to participate in the interview process, you can assume that all of the other candidates who will be participating in the interview phase of the competition are just as qualified to fill the position as you.  Now, your challenge becomes how to demonstrate that you are a ‘better’ cultural fit for the company. 

One of the many ways that you can demonstrate that you are a better cultural fit than the candidates is through the effective use of storytelling.

A ‘story’ is a powerful medium for sharing and/or interpreting experiences.  A story can be a very effective tool in the interview process insofar as it gives listeners the opportunity to become engaged to the both the story and the storyteller. Well-presented stories help the storyteller express thoughts in a manner that is easily received by those who are listening to the story, i.e. hiring managers.  Good stories are universal insofar as they bridge cultural, linguistic and age-related divides; they will draw listeners in and force them to feel and connect to the storyteller. 

Good stories have a beginning, middle, and an end.  Noteworthy stories are persuasive and they ‘program’ listeners to accept what comes next and ultimately ‘bond/connect’ the listener to both the story and the storyteller.   A ‘story’ is:
Short – Brief and to the point
Thoughtful – Allows time for reflection; lesson learned
Organized – Has a beginning, middle and end
Relatable – Demonstrates how the experience relates to the job
Yarn* – By definition, a series of events ‘spun’ to create emotional connections between the storyteller and the listener

Stories under-gird information the storyteller wants to share and once the storyteller has mastered the art, that skill can then be used to help influence others.  In the case of looking for a new job, telling a good story can be the glue that helps the candidate stick out in the minds of hiring managers long after the interview has taken place. 

 “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou



Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Show you care and share this article with your colleagues, coworkers and friends. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, the Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. It is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future career opportunities. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please send an e-mail to Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca.

Friday, February 15, 2013

My Birthday Celebrations

By Mary Salvino, Career Coach


Birthdays mark the passage of time.  This year, I am asking my readers to help me celebrate my birthday by doing something that some would consider ‘unusual’.  Rather than send me a card or a gift, I would like you to do something different.  I would like you to do something that you don’t normally do.  Anything goes: it can be helping someone else; it can be showing support for a person or a cause; it can be reaching out and calling to someone you haven’t  talked to in a while; it can be bringing  treats into the office for your coworkers; it can even be asking your ‘secret crush’ to join you for a cup of coffee.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.  

The activity you choose does not have to be costly, complicated or contrived, it just needs to be something that will force you to think about what is important and give you a reason/excuse do something about it.    Please help me celebrate my birthday by being generous with your time and affection. 



P.S. I am not ashamed to admit that I stole this idea from a friend.  If you feel like sharing your thoughts on the idea, what you did and your results, I would love to hear from you.


Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Show you care and share this article with your colleagues, coworkers and friends. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, the Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. It is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future career opportunities. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please send an e-mail to Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca.

Friday, February 8, 2013

This is NOT Your Average Application Process!

By Mary Salvino, Career Coach



It is not a secret that companies will receive hundreds of applications from hopeful candidates for every advertised opportunity.    In an effort to cull the number of applicants, some companies have opted to use Applicant Tracking Software [ATS] that may or may not allow the job seeker to feature his or her skill set in an optimal manner.  Some job seekers have worked around this hurdle by ferreting out and using the contact information of the person in charge of hiring for the position and sending their applications directly to that individual.

As the ATS systems evolve, so do the methods for culling the number of applicants efficiently.   Some companies choose to advertise on niche job boards only after they have advertised the opportunity of the company’s website and still others will create ‘prohibitive’ job descriptions that give job applicants the opportunity to self-eliminate from the competition. 

One of the more creative methods used to cull applicants has been used by a music school in Frankfurt, Germany.   This music school, the University of Hannover Academy of Music, is an elite school for musicians.  Hannover sought to recruit people who had a very specific skill, i.e. those with ‘perfect pitch.’ If you are born with perfect pitch, it means you can identify a specific musical note without any other external assistance or context.  Some studies suggest that less than 3% of the population have perfect pitch, i.e. only one in 10,000.  [As a comparison, 98% have absolute colour recognition.]

The University of Hannover’s Music Department designed an application process that included placing audio advertisements on the radio. Given that people with ‘perfect pitch’ can identify every note on the musical scale, the Hannover School of music communicated to them in a way only they would understand.  In addition to the written copy, the advertising also included musical notes to spell out the school’s e-mail address.  This ingenious advertising campaign did two things:

One: It gave the school heightened awareness and spoke to the creativity of the school.
Two: This commercial became the first entrance exam.

The advertising campaign was a huge success for the university.  Given that only those with perfect pitch would pass the test by emailing the school, the university was successful in their efforts to woo the most talented crop of new students into their program.

Granted that the University was looking to recruit students for their program, there is certainly no reason why this same sort of creativity cannot be used to attract job candidates with a very specific skill set.

Have you been involved in a ‘creative’ job interview process?  What was the criteria?


Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Friday, February 1, 2013

How to Organize Your Job Search



Now that you find yourself in the unenviable position of looking for a new job, it’s time to get serious about the ‘how’ you are going to get through this temporary phase in your career history Diving into this project without a plan will only lead to an increase in stress levels and feelings of inadequacy.  Once these feelings grab hold of your psyche it is likely that you will become overwhelmed and the job of finding new and suitable employment will feel like a lost cause.  You can’t let that happen!  No good will come of that!

Here are five simple secrets to make getting organized easier.
  1. Get Motivated: Attitude is everything.
“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.”
~ Nikos Kazantzakis

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence”
~ Confucius

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
~ Ayn Rand


  1. Set and Track Goals: Daily, weekly and monthly
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you”
~ Jim Rohn

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.”
~ Walter Elliot


  1. Establish Deadlines:
“The natural urge when running a distance is to push harder and finish sooner – to race against time.  Every second behind a deadline is a little defeat,”
 ~ Joe Henderson

“A man on a mission is far different than a drone on a deadline.”
~ Anonymous


  1. Designate Rewards: Mini goals = mini rewards; Major goals = major rewards
    • Step away from your computer screen every 90 minutes and do something physical for at least 15 minutes – e.g. Go for a walk or start cleaning out a closet

  1. Apply an Effective Organizational System:
    • Set up a job search calendar of events that includes a follow-up schedule
    • Set up a separate e-mail address account that is solely related to your job search   
    • Install a timer and alarm on your computer and use it
    • Only check e-mail at designated times during the day and RAFT its contents at first click [RAFT = Read, Action, File and Trash]

  1. Surround yourself with support: Inspirational books/poems/notes and mentors
·         When written in Chinese, the word ‘Crisis’ is composed of two characters – one character represents danger and the other represents opportunity

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn”
~ Author unknown

“Obstacles are those frightful things that you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”
~ Henry Ford

“Life is full of obstacle illusions.”
~ Grant Frazier

“There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.”
~ Beverly Sills

“Life’s problems wouldn’t be called ‘hurdles’ if there wasn’t a way around them.”
~ Author unknown

“The secret to getting ahead is to get started.”
~ Mark Twain


If you have any thoughts on the subject or motivational quotes to share, I would love to hear from you.



Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com that is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. This blog is also dedicated to those who stand a little taller each time they picked themselves up after failing and those who gained the wisdom and humility from those experiences to help others do the same. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca