Handling Hidden Social Advantage in the Job Process

The Stanford Graduate School of Business reports that we respond to the (over) confidence of upper-class workers, even when they’re wrong. The result is “we may be reinforcing an already unfair social hierarchy” since rich confident people have an immediate advantage when walking into the room. “We can’t help but fall for their bravado, endowing them […]
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3 Trends in the Time of COVID

Here are three things I’m seeing while recruiting during COVID: Video conference interviews are taking the place of in-person interviews. I am guessing that even after COVID, interviewers will replace initial phone screens with video conference calls. Prior to COVID, only a handful of interviews were conducted by video conference, and I recall having to […]
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Interviewing During Pandemic: 5 Tips for Video Conference

Interviews are hard, phone interviews are harder, and videoconferencing is hardest of all because of potential technology and performance problems. Give it your best shot by doing these 5 things: Before the call, troubleshoot the technology, and practice on that platform or videoconferencing in general. Find a quiet, well-lit spot. Figure out where to set […]
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How to Answer the Interview Question “Where Else Are You Applying?”

When preparing for an interview, you already know to prep for the question “Why are you interested in us?”, but you should also be ready for its close cousin “Where else are you applying?” The interviewer is asking to assess your interest level. For example, if you say you are only interested in software, would […]
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Five Questions Lawyers Always Ask Me

I help lawyers get jobs, so they ask me a lot of questions. Five I often get: Is it really that helpful to post a picture on LinkedIn? You may want to protect your privacy, but the odds are overwhelming that pictures of you are already floating out there over the Internet. Plus, you really […]
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#1 Way to Be Persuasive (& It’s Easy!)

Lawyers love words but often mess up the delivery by speaking too fast or in a drone. I always tell lawyers to vary their speed and volume for the best effect when in important face-to-face meetings like interviews. And now I love it when science backs me up — changing up your cadence and volume indeed […]
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Awkward Pauses in Interviews

This recent post on how to handle awkward pauses in interviews made me laugh, but the struggle is real. What should you do when your interviewer is weird and has super long pauses? I agree with the response of the columnist, an HR advisor: Sometimes interviewers are just awkward people. Or they could be giving you […]
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Is it Better to Interview Early or Late in the Process?

If the employer gives you the choice, should you interview early or late in the process? The Wall Street Journal notes that interviewers get fatigued by the end but also that they remember better the candidates they saw last. The column concludes if you think interviewers will get tired out by the end, then go early, […]
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First Round Interviews Are Usually Phone Screens (not In-Person)

I agree with this recent Forbes post that first round interviews are now phone calls, either with the hiring manager or with HR, instead of an in-person. Employers prefer phone interviews because they can fit candidates into their schedules and cull them faster. The hard part for candidates is showing enthusiasm over the phone and gauging […]
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