A lot of people are looking for federal jobs today, and if you’re one of these people it’s important to look before you leap. Before you apply, make sure you scrutinize the announcement like an eagle scrutinizes a rabbit before swooping down to catch it and eat it. Scrutinize all you want, but please don’tRead… Read more »
Good leaders are always storytellers. People who knew Abraham Lincoln admired his storytelling skills from the days of his youth. Even if you’re new to public speaking, you too can develop your own storytelling ability. I’ve already written about the 10 Essential Elements of a Successful Story and about the 108 Most Persuasive Words inRead… Read more »
I’m white, Jewish and male. If I behaved like sociologists expect, most of my mentors would be “like” me. But I don’t. The lion’s share of my mentors are black, female and of a different faith than I. Though I’ve never personally been the subject of research on homophily —the tendency of individuals to associateRead… Read more »
A lot of people have coaches. Tiger Woods hired Chris Como as his “swing” coach. Top tier actors hire coaches to give them pointers on acting well. Even musical maestro Benny Goodman took clarinet lessons well after he became famous. Mr. Como and other “trade coaches” help their clients shine in their trade. Executive coaches,Read… Read more »
For a lot of people, writing the cover letter is the most excruciatingly painful experience of applying for a job. It shouldn’t be. Here’s why: 1) Cover letters are stories. Everyone loves stories. 2) Cover letters are stories on your favorite topic. You can write a story about yourself, and enjoy yourself while doing so,Read… Read more »
For all you “Mad Men” aficionados, the hit TV show is partially based on the life of Draper Daniels, a creative director at Leo Burnett Company, an advertising firm with a global reach. Agency founder Leo Burnett was legendary even in his day (he lived from 1891 to 1971) for the advertising icons he createdRead… Read more »
Just like a good fairy tale, a mentoring relationship should have a happy ending. Each mentoring relationship is different and has its own dynamics. Nevertheless, there are certain things you should think about when you are starting a relationship with a mentor. Just like any other relationship, these partnerships require love and caring to growRead… Read more »
My agency has a whole team of people with the title “Storyteller.” They’re job is to make sure that analysts, managers and others communicate what they mean in a coherent way so that our customers can make sense of the products we give them. Storytelling can mean a lot of thing to different people. InRead… Read more »
Can someone tell me more about the point/rank system on Govloop? I know that getting more points is good but what does it mean to be a “Rising Star?” When does one increae “rank” above being a “Rising Star?” (i.e., how many points/activity does one need to get to the next level and what areRead… Read more »
Networking should be fun, like eating chocolate. Here are a few hints. Jay 1) Job Shadowing — Imagine you’re interested in taking a job in another office at your agency. But you’d like to test the waters before you make the big leap. Shadowing the leaders in that office is a great way to learnRead… Read more »