Soft skills

5 Business Networking Tips Anyone can Follow

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Learning how to network well is essential to job search and career success.  It doesn’t matter what level of business networking skills you have.  These 5 business networking tips can either help you get started or serve as a good reminder.   Use these 5 business networking tips at any event and see results. ...  read more

Laid Off? Now What – 5 Things to Do

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You have just been laid off.  Now what?  This can be a confusing and stressful time, and sometimes well-meaning friends don’t know what to say or how to help.   Don’t worry!  Your fellow readers Tamara, Ajantha, Judy and I have some great tips for you.  The best way to move forward after being laid off is to stay active.  I categorized the tips into five sections: Immediate, Practical To-Dos, Determine Your Path, Motivate Yourself, Start Job Search, and Enjoy Yourself. ...  read more

Acknowledge Your Effort for Showing Up

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show-up

“Acknowledge your effort for showing up.” That is what a Bikram teacher used to say to us at the end of every class.   To this day, I still repeat this phrase to myself during class.   It reminds me to appreciate myself for simply making the class, regardless of how inflexible I was, or how imperfectly I was able to do the postures during that particular class. ...  read more

Starting a New Job – 6 Tips for First 90 Days

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If you just got a new job, congratulations! This is a tough market, so getting a job is definitely an achievement. Now another type of work begins. The first 90 days on the job is critical to building a strong foundation for success at your new company. You may say, what do you mean? I know how to work. I would say I am sure you do but starting a new job involves more than just hard work. ...  read more

Success is about Working Smarter Not Harder

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work smarter not harder

Growing up Asian, we are told that hard work is always what is needed to achieve success.Like a good Chinese girl, I followed that advice and worked my butt off at McKinsey, my first job.Fortunately or unfortunately, I learned quickly that hard work is not enough, and sometimes does not even help. ...  read more

Resilience – Fall Seven Times, Stand up Eight

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A good friend of mine (thanks Jamie) forwarded this video to me, and I thought it would be fitting to share it here. More than half of the battle in a job search is actually the emotional aspect — thinking positive, staying in action, and “standing up” when you feel “knocked down” by the lack of results. This type of resilience is what will separate those who give up from those who persevere. ...  read more

Salary Negotiation Advice from a Senior Headhunter

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This is the second post in a series of three based on my interview with Steve Meyers, a Senior Headhunter with 20+ years of experience in executive search. To see my first post on general Job Search Advice from a Senior Headhunter, click here.

I want to write about salary separately since it’s such a sensitive and important topic in the job search effort.

Q: When company asks for salary history, can you refuse to provide?
Steve: I recommend every one of my candidate to leave it blank in the application and only provide it when the company insists. Many company do not insist on this information. ...  read more