My entire life, I just needed to know. I’d never let myself wonder. How great could I be? The not knowing would just kill me. A regret I’d never let myself live with. Ever feel this way? Ever wonder how good you could be at something if you let yourself be? If you—literally—gave it your all? After going through my entire career (eh, life) all-out with no brakes (yes, I meant brakes not breaks), I’ve learned a thing or two about being a maestro. I’ve interviewed, met with, helped,...

I realize it’s mid-November and the Christmas décor has already draped many stores for an entire month, but your career doesn’t take a holiday (nor do I). Today, I’m serving up a major lesson on why now is literally THE BEST time to job search. You’re at the start line of a 3-month hiring frenzy. It doesn’t matter whether the year is 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 or 2024 or any other years I omitted. It doesn’t matter what you do. Who you are. Who you were. Or, who you want to be. It's the SAME...

In my lifetime, I’ve prepared, oh, conservatively, about a bajillion job candidates for their interviews. Most are so worried about the wrong stuff. Most prepare backwards. They think What questions will I be asked? I need to come up with a good answer for [insert the dumb ones here about disagreements and conflicts and weaknesses, etc.]. Uh, no. As is, heck to the no! It’s not about what the interviewer asks. It’s about what the interviewer needs to know—so they hire YOU! Today,...

Who doesn’t want to sound more accomplished? Amiright?!?! More accomplished = more attractive to potential employers. I’m not talkin’ “accomplished “in the “overqualified” sorta way. I wouldn’t run that risk. I’m talkin’ “accomplished” in the I’m-smarter, more-knowledgeable, performed-more-repetitions, solved-more-problems, achieved-more-goals sorta way! If you sound more accomplished, you have a better chance of getting more too. True story. But, what if you’re, well, junior? Or,...

It hurts me when I see people make a mistake. It practically kills me when I see them repeating—on purpose—the same mistake. I’ve made lots of mistakes, so please don’t think I think I’m a know-it-all. I don’t judge anyone because they made different mistakes than I did. We’re all different and have walked different paths, experienced different things, and built different perspectives. I like to think, however, that age and experience have helped me test different theories and note the...

The job market is tricky these days. It’s always confusing for some, but nowadays it seems like it’s unknown for all. Good news. Your favorite career coach has yet another timeless lesson on steps you should ALWAYS be taking to protect yourself, your career, your family, friends, neighbors, and everything else connected to you! Yes, there’s A LOT riding on this. Which is why I like the always-kinda-stuff. The stuff that makes you bulletproof or, at least, gives you an ability to get up...

If you’re struggling in your job search, you’re in luck today! I’ve got 10 big tips to help you ignite your results. They’re not your run-of-the-mill-tips and you can’t get them anywhere else. I know this to be true because I’m the only person on the planet who wrote The Zebra Code: A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering Career Skills That Make You a Standout Professional. And that’s where these tips came from. You might think based on the title of my recent book it’s all about career...

I have a new podcast this morning titled How to Tell a Story That Wows the Interviewer | A Job Seeker Case Study because, well, it wows the interviewer and it’s a real-life example from someone I coached (hence the case study part). It’ll be the best 11 minutes and 13 seconds you spend all week if you’re in job-search mode next to the few hours you can spend with me live this Thursday at 11 AM CDT when I offer up my NEW, FREE Job Interview Playbook Webinar. Join me this week to crush your...

I spent more time coming up with complete title of The Zebra Code: A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering Career Skills That Make You a Standout Professional than writing the entire book. 7 months for the title. 6 months to write the entire book (really 5, because I spent a month polishing). True story. Why? I wanted to get in… Something unique (and avoid generic leadership-y titles like The Leadership Code yawn). Short main title (2-3 words only). A metaphor people will understand. Ability...

I’ve changed careers twice, which basically means I’ve got it down to a science. It’s absolutely brutal. You deserve the truth. How brutal? This picture of my office popped up in my “memories” on my phone. It's from August 25, 2015, a shade over 9 years ago. 3:43 in the AM. I was knocking off for the evening so I could catch an hour or two of shut-eye before Harley or Ginger started licking my face as if it was their food bowl. That’s a whopping 55 (calendar) days after I decided to...

What would you give to be happier in your job? In your office? In your career? Would you give 25 minutes and 52 seconds? If you’re willing to do just that, you’ll learn exactly what I’d do. Warning: I’m not going to say anything to you like smile, have a better attitude, or blah blah blah. I wouldn’t insult you with that trite stuff. I’ll get you focused on and building the six “deliverables” I’d create and have “at the ready” so I’d feel happier about my situation! If you'd like to...

Have you been struggling to get your career to the next level? Maybe you’re awesome at your trade. Maybe you are well networked in your company. Mayyyybe you’re even the go-to person that seems to be able to fix everyone’s “problems.” So, why is awesome you not getting awesomely ahead? It’s one thing to be great at your job. It’s entirely another to be all-out spectacular in your career. As a consultant, recruiter, business owner, and now career coach, I’ve long known skill stacking is...

Ever been snookered by a fake job? I mean, if you know you have? You might have been hoodwinked and didn’t even know it. Perhaps you applied and silence. I glanced over a survey from Resume Builder very recently (not a site I recommend, but they ran the survey so what the hey?). A few key findings... 40% of companies posted a fake job listing this year. 30% of companies currently have active fake listings. 70% of hiring managers believe posting fake jobs is morally acceptable. Their...

Asking questions in a job interview is so important. I know I’m stating the obvious, but just because something is obvious doesn’t mean people know how to do it—well! Today, I’m gonna give you a triple-header of high-quality questions. But, because I’m me and you’re you and you deserve more, I’m not just going to tell you what questions to ask. Just because you ask a question and get an answer doesn’t mean you got THE correct information. Or, know HOW to use the information. So, for...

Have you ever heard me speak of THE GREAT 8?!?! As in, like, how could you not have unless this is the first email you’ve ever opened from me? The GREAT 8 are the major accomplishments employers shoot for. Don’t sprain your brain: 1) revenue generation, 2) market awareness, 3) customer attraction, 4) customer happiness, 5) corporate growth, 6) employee happiness, 7) cost reduction, 8) process efficiency. K? K. You, as an employee, work on something that contributes to one or more of...

Have you ever been in a position where you were asked to sketch out your dream role? Perhaps during an interview, or maybe in a casual informational chat, where it seemed like the company was just intrigued by your background and potential? Imagine this: You walk into an interview, or maybe even a discussion with your boss, and instead of being handed a job description or assignment, you're asked, "What can you create for us?" Then, you whip out a crystal ball that not only predicts but...

Are you exhausted from trying to figure out the best way to say what you want to say in a job interview? As in, which method do I use? Why do I have to speak interview-speak instead of normal, human-speak? Why is the company telling me I have to use the STAR technique? What the hey is the STAR technique? Wait, now that I think of it, Coach Andy tells me that approach isn’t as good as his CAAR method. Exhausting, I know. You know who isn’t exhausted? Me. I never tire of thinking up...

Do you wish your LinkedIn inbox was flooded with messages from recruiters fawning all over you? Would you settle for a few each week? Seeing nothing? Well, you need to know what drives them to you. I might not know how to get the YouTube algorithm to send people my way, but I do know how recruiters filter their LinkedIn searches. I know that because we had corporate and executive recruiters show us their dashboards and walk us through their processes as we built our latest rendition of...

Feel like your resume is vanishing into a black hole when you apply for jobs? You're not alone. Most job seekers experience the deafening silence of applicant trashing systems that seem to swallow resumes whole. But what if I told you there's a better way? It’s not just another job search strategy. It’s a revolution in how you connect with potential employers. Let’s get you in control of this process. Let’s get you to bypass the frustrating barriers of ATS’s, AI’s, and so on. Let’s...

Today, you get a podcast on The Job Interview Formula Guaranteed to Get You Hired (CAAR). It’s titled that because, well, it’s an actual formula, which, if you use it, I pinky swear, you’ll get hired. It literally, IMHO, is one of, if not, THE, very best podcasts I’ve created on how to answer questions—like ANY question—in a job interview. I cover the emotional and feelings aspect of it. I cover the step-by-step tactics. And encore with a very-detailed example to drive it home so it...

Is it détente or mutual destruction? I’m not sure, but AI will change the game for employers and employees, especially in the hiring process. Someone asked me a few weeks ago about my thoughts on the recent Wall Street Journal article titled You’re Fighting AI with AI: Bots Are Breaking the Hiring Process. Here’s what I had to say. I hope, as always, it positions YOU best to succeed! If you'd like to build a great career and lead a rewarding life, check out some of these other places...

Here’s a line straight out of The Zebra Code… “Always remember, your success, in anything, will have more to do with where you place your attention than your ability.” There are no truer words when it comes to your job search. Most people think their history matters. (Not really.) Others think their skills matter. (Not if you keep talking about them.) Others, the even sillier ones, think keywords matter. (Dear Lordy.) Let’s talk philosophy today. Some tactics too. Let’s toss in a...

Are you getting paid what you’re worth? That was actually a trick question because there’s absolutely no way for you to know exactly what you’re worth. You’re worth is dependent on what someone else is willing to pay for you at this exact moment in time. You are like a stock, a house, or anything else whose value is determined by someone else’s desires, needs, challenges, and other factors which you know very little about. Even though your daily worth is a mystery, there are ways to...

If you don’t have recruiters and hiring officials and other important people in-boxing you on a daily basis, this podcast is for you! Checkout 7 Must-Know LinkedIn Tips That Get You Noticed to get yourself the right profile and professional brand that attracts employers and recruiters and potential colleagues! If you'd like to build a great career and lead a rewarding life, check out some of these other places where I share my teachings: 1. Check out the milewalk Academy, my coaching and...