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For any professional or middle manager, getting a decision-maker in your company to approve your project proposal can be a tall order. That goes double if the idea is a risky one, market conditions are unfriendly, or you're dealing with a slow, reluctant decision-maker. But it’s not impossible. Utilizing forethought and a dose of pop psychology can dramatically raise your odds, says leadership and communications coach Mike Figliuolo, in a post... Read more

It's one thing to learn the employer offered someone else the job you were hot for. It's another to learn you never even made the cut…because a purveyor of "artificial intelligence" screened out your resume. In a world where seas of resumes are initially sorted by screening software, it's still possible to outsmart the machine on your way to the top of the heap. It just means a little more…well,... Read more

You may feel desperate. In fact, you may very well be desperate. But blurt out, "I'll take anything!" at a job interview, and you may blow your chances of being offered a job. "I've seen a lot of desperate people and they are very scary," says Cathy Fyock, director of recruiting for consultant Resources Global Professionals, headquartered in Irvine, Calif. "When an interviewer hears those three words, it's a total red... Read more

When you think “first impression,” an image of you, confidently shaking the hiring manager’s hand, might come to mind. But a hiring manager has a very different picture – that of a mile-high stack of paper. In order to show off that slick new suit and those freshly-shined shoes, your cover letter needs to rise to the top of the heap. “Hiring managers do indeed look at cover letters,” says... Read more

You might have hated it when your mother told you to say thank you, but the truth is it's good advice - even today, and especially during a job search. Not only are thank you notes an essential part of the process, but overlooking them could end up costing you the job. "If a candidate doesn't send a note after meeting with me, that's the end of the process for that... Read more

It's interview day. You're dressed to the nines and you've followed every tidbit of advice you could glean from business magazines and your peers. You walk into the conference room and, even though the air conditioning is cranked, you're sweating. If you only knew what the interviewer was thinking. Surprise. The first thought that often crosses an interviewer's mind isn't likely to be about how you're dressed - unless you’re wearing... Read more

You blow a deadline on a big project. But you can't help that you came down with the flu the day before. You run out of gas on the way to a client meeting. But it wasn't your fault. You just didn't have time to stop at the gas station and you were sure you had enough to make it. You miss the due date to turn in your expense report. It... Read more

You have redefined "Take One for the Team" to mean "Take 'Em All for the Team." In fact, if your life story was a made-for-TV movie, you'd be the one knocking down all of your teammates so that you could catch the ball and run it into the end zone - every single time. Impressive? Not really. Playing the martyr can backfire. You're inadvertently sending the message that you need... Read more

It's a typical day-in-the-life. You drop off the kids at school while you're answering a text message from a client and leaving a voicemail for your boss. And that's before you hit the drive-thru for your morning coffee. In a world of tweeting, PDAs, and social networking, the pace of life has never been more frenetic. So, your coworkers and clients will certainly understand if you're a few minutes late. Won't... Read more

If you've spent a sleepless night or two worrying about your job and what - if anything -you can do to hang on to it, you're not alone. So, what might give you the edge? A dedicated following on Twitter? Bringing doughnuts to staff meetings? Completing yet another professional development class? None of the above. What employers want most isn't tweets, chocolate-glazed or gold-framed. "Employers want to know that you... Read more