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Everyone wants to be seen as eloquent, intelligent and credible. Whether it’s through emails, phone calls, meetings or interviews, we have a daily opportunity to support this goal or detract from it. To ensure you’re being perceived in the way you want, begin eliminating these words from your professional vocabulary. Honestly . Many job seekers use this word when they’re hung up on how to kick off an interview answer. However, beginning a sentence this way can give hiring managers the impression that maybe your previous responses weren’t so honest. Just . This seemingly simple word is often used but rarely needed. It also packs a big punch to detract from your credibility and confidence and negates from the importance of your message. Instead of sending an email that begins with “Just wanted to check in…” say “I’m checking in on X, Y and Z.” The adjustment is small, but there is a big difference in the resulting impression you leave. Things . This is a valueless word that can

A mismatch between what a job candidate expects and what the company offers can contribute to a poor fit. About half of UK professionals have left a job in the first 12 months because of mismatched expectations, a new survey report shows. Incorrect or misleading job descriptions and training below an expected level were two of the leading causes for a role’s failing to meet the employee’s expectations, according to the What Workers Want Report 2018 by UK recruiting firm Hays. The research suggested that both candidates and organisations must work harder during the recruitment process to ensure a better fit and avoid disappointment. FOCUS ON VALUES Recruiters say this mismatch, as it relates to accountancy candidates, could be caused by a trend towards focusing more on culture and values than primarily on monetary rewards. Marcus Williams, associate director at global recruitment firm Morgan McKinley, said that as a younger, more values-oriented generation moves into quali

Here’s how to hone your emotional intelligence to benefit your team and your career. All leaders need some way to evaluate their current performance so they can continue to grow as decision-makers, managers, and colleagues. But what is the best way to find a full, honest account of one’s strengths and weaknesses—and then to act on it? Many leaders have the same questions, "How do I assess myself? How do I become more self-aware? And how can I turn that self-awareness into an effective leadership style?" Here are their four steps for becoming a more self-aware leader. 1. Look beyond assessments. Agreed that assessment tools—and there are many—can be helpful. They see these tools as a way for leaders to gain new perspectives on themselves, their values, and their motivations. “Anything that gives you a language to understand your thought patterns and behaviors can help crystallize self-awareness,”. “Leadership is dynamic, and sometimes you need to break out of th

The humble curriculum vitae has come a long way since Leonardo da Vinci reportedly prepared the first one more than 500 years ago. Over the past decade or so, however, the CV has continued to evolve from a mere snapshot of our qualifications and past careers to a statement of personal branding. At the same time, the advent of artificial intelligence means that employers can use applicant tracking software (ATS) to wade through thousands of CVs and sort applicants without having to individually thumb through each page. To make it through the first round of the application process and ensure that they stand out in subsequent stages, candidates need to understand more fully how the process works. Beating the bots. Even the best candidates may have a difficult time breaking through to a human. A vast majority of jobs listed online today are built within an ATS system, enabling employers to screen candidates initially using algorithms based on keywords. “If you don’t have the rig

“The best offense is a good defense.” This saying gets drilled into every athlete’s mind before any contest. Fight the competition by always taking a step ahead and outsmarting their every move. That’s where their daily training, exercises, and strict diets come into play. Job seekers are not much different from athletes, in the sense that they are also in a competition with others to win a highly-coveted prize. The game in this case is the job interview, with the job offer as the trophy for the winner. How does one succeed in the job hunting game? Like athletes preparing for a competition, job seekers must do practice drills before going to interviews. They’re not the usual type of athletic drills, of course, but the following exercises will help any interviewee win big and score the touchdown at their respective interviews. The Warm – Up: Once you get an invite for a job interview, learn as much as you can about the company who contacted you. Check out the company’s we