Today’s job market can be grim for jobseekers. So when you are fortunate enough to receive an interview, highlight what you have done.

However, what is more important is where you want to go and why. Present a vision. Support it by describing the steps on how to get there, what you bring to it and how you will bring others there.

Passion is critical. Love what you do and use that to create the ladder to your vision.

Clients often ask how to get their body language to be inclusive and engaging without appearing too silly or moving too much.

Too many make the mistake of thinking that body language is just about arm gestures when it is really about the movement of the entire body. It begins with the relaxing of the shoulders, holding good posture and standing erect. And don’t forget your facial expressions.

Remembering these things will help you send a message through your body language which precisely matches the words you are using.

There have been many comments about the negativity on display in the Republican race for the presidential nomination. While some commentators suggest negative advertising works, it is generally seen as a bad way to win.

Today, especially in interviews, you have to refrain from saying anything negative about a previous employer or situation. Instead, you want to speak to what you can do and what your positive qualities are.

Once you begin a negative dialog, your listeners will be wondering what negative things you will eventually say about them.

These are individuals who prefer not to be with other people. They go out of their way to be alone. Of course, most people are social beings and want to congregate. However, if you are in a situation when being a social isolator appears to be a good idea, here are five things to do when you want to disengage:

1. Look away
2. Look down
3. Step away
4. Don’t shake hands
5. Frown

If you project one or more of these five expressions, you will always be a social isolator.

Tattoos are becoming more popular as individualistic self-expression. On Cake Boss, one of the bakers decided to tattoo his wife’s face on his arm as a token of his love. This was not a problem for him since he always wears a long sleeve garment. Also, in his industry tattoos are accepted. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Walt Disney has a very conservative dress code and culture. In fact, they just allowed their greeters to sport a tattoo as long as it doesn’t show while they are working. So culture does make a difference.

In general, you want to avoid tattoos that are revealed in a professional setting. If you decide to have a tattoo that you want to world to see in your free time, be sure you have comfortable clothing that will cover it up at work. Stay away from tattoos on your neck and fingers.

Eyebrows are critical because they shape your eyes and in most cases frame your facial expression. Two sets of interesting eye brows belong to Michele Obama and Mitt Romney. Often, Michele’s seem very sculptured. Mitt’s are so close to his eyes, it makes it difficult to read his eyes.

Clients often ask questions about their brows. Here are a few tips on how you can work with them to further enhance your eyes.

For women only:

Shape

The eyebrow color should enhance the skin tone and either match or complement the hair color. For example, blondes often use a taupe or light brown coloring.

Looking natural

Use a pencil to define the eye brow. Then touch it up with a brow brush.

Keeping the shape

It is important to have brows tweezed to keep their shape. It is better to under rather than over tweeze. My preference is hand tweezing versus waxing.

For men only:

The biggest challenge for men with dark eyebrows are in two areas: over growth between the eyes and/or the hair being so thick it partially obstructs eye movement. Tweezing in both areas will shape the eyes.

In some cases, folks like their eyebrows to be very distinctive because it helps define their unique brand. My thought is that if it shows as a positive feature, then it’s ok.

It’s important because your eyebrows send a message even before you speak.

According to a recent piece in the Chicago Tribune the most over used resume buzzwords are: creative, organizational, effective, extensive experience, track record, motivated, innovative, problem-solving, communication skills and dynamic. One of my favorite cliches that didn’t make the list is team-player.

Having written and read hundreds of resumes, I would agree with this assessment. Try and minimize these words on your resume. Especially:

Motivated (everyone is motivated otherwise they wouldn’t be applying for jobs)
Problem-solving (all work involves solutions to issues)
Communications skills (everything we do is related to communication skills)

You might want to use them if they are part of the job description. For example, if the job description reads, “Innovative Sales Manager needed for the Southwest Region,” you can describe yourself that way. 

The key to a writing a good resume is to use examples that show the meaning of those clichés by citing real experiences (like these examples from real resumes):

Secured financing for $1.4 million facility using comprehensive forecasting models; assisted in VEDA and SBA approval process. (innovation and problem solving skills)

Directed the technical application integration project using 6 Sigma methodologies which reduced transit times for China, US and Singapore from 36 to 21 days, saving $100K. (organizational, communication and dynamic)

Plus, these lines show what hiring managers really want to see- specific accomplishments.

Contact No Cliche Copy (www.noclichecopy.com) for a reasonably priced pro resume and cover letter.

Steve Wyrostek
Owner- No Cliche Copy

In the US it is considered the norm to offer a handshake when first meeting someone. In some cases a hug may also be appropriate. However, in other countries greetings are different. Since business is international, it would be good to know the greeting customs used in different countries.

Here are some examples:

India

This is land of Namaste. Place your hands in a prayer position at the chest, point your fingers upward and bow slightly while saying “Namaste” (nuhm-uh-stey).

South Africa

The traditional South African greeting is a standard handshake grasp followed by a shift of hands to an upward position, then back to the standard grasp – all in one fluid motion.

Japan

One bows from the waist with palms on the thighs and heels together. A bow ranges from a nod to a 90 degree bend at the waist. Levels of respect are indicated by the depth and duration of a bow. A small head nod is casual and informal.

When you visit these countries, using their greeting customs will be noted as a sign of respect.

In today’s business environment, especially in a small office setting, when is casual conversation just gossip? There is a fine line between both. First, it really depends on the office culture and the intent of the individuals involved. What might be an innocent comment can become very inappropriate.
 
I like casual conversations to be non-personal and non-controversial. So, wishing someone a nice day is easy versus saying you hope the individual feels better about a personal situation.

A good example about interpretation of intent occurred recently when I asked a new person in the office where she came from. I meant it like did she live in the area. However, this person thought I was asking about her heritage.

Talking about the weather is not a bad topic to get the conversation rolling on a non-controversial note!

Brad Pit was recently interviewed. One phrase from that interview sticks out in my mind: “When you are interesting to yourself you will be interesting to others.”

Being involved in different projects and remaining constantly refreshed helps you stay connected and relevant. One tactic is to move out of your comfort zone and try something new. Folks I find the most interesting are the ones always attempting new experiences.