Vitaver & Associates, Inc.

Many candidates make the mistake of believing that a little embellishment on a resume or in an interview won’t do any harm. Be forewarned. Human resource professionals are trained in how to read and profile prospective employees. You may think you are sailing through the interview when, in fact, your nose has grown an inch. Like Pinocchio, the wooden puppet in the fairy tale, you cannot tell a lie in an interview.

As for avoiding the Pinocchio effect, there are a few tell-tale signs of a liar at work. A fidgety job candidate who avoids direct eye contact and turns away from the interviewer may be considered suspicious. An astute liar, however, may change eye engagement patterns while fibbing by looking at the interviewer more intently. A confident candidate will keep steady eye contact throughout the interview but avoid staring.

Another telling clue is facial expressions that do not match the message: “I was promoted to president of the company after two days in the mail room,” claimed John while frowning with raised eyebrows. You get the idea. But rather than master the facial expressions of an honest person, it would behoove you to avoid stretching the truth in interviews. You may not pass the human life detector.

Donald Trump’s jump from the original Apprentice show to a new Celebrity Apprentice is testament to the entertainment value of the show. But the multi-millionaire is also spreading a valuable lesson through his tough love in the workplace. The reality TV show has hit at the heart of the real job market. Few hiring managers will admit to screening for toughness, but the tougher you are the more apt you are to get hired.
Hiring managers look for mental and emotional toughness and resilience. These traits are even more valued in a compassionate job like nursing or social work than in a testosterone-driven stock trading room. Importantly, workers who possess mental toughness are likely to deal better with stress in the workplace, the major reason for employee absence.
Absence due to stress costs companies billions of dollars each year.
One in four Americans has taken a mental health day to cope with stress. And 24 percent of workers report that they have quit a job due to stress. All tallied, over one million workers are absent each day due to stress.
In your next job interview, consider mentioning your daily yoga and meditation routine and providing evidence of
your ability to perform well under stress and when facing adversity.
Learn from the lesson of rock star Gene Simmons who took his firing from The Apprentice with grace. Donald liked him, “You are the toughest guy I know.” No, I’m a softie,” was Gene’s fatal response. “Gene, you’re fired!”

The latest buzz in the job market is marketing your personal brand. A job candidate no longer arrives with just a paper resume in hand. Today, she has a portfolio of online marketing tools, which may include a blog, a large Twitter following and an impressive LinkedIn network in your field. As the story of Tiger Woods reminds us, the higher we fly, the harder we fall. In other words, your personal brand is your reputation and it must be developed and managed with expertise.
How do you go about building your personal brand? Fortunately, this is a hot topic.
After a year in which many have tried their hand at personal branding, CIO has evaluated the strategies and come up with Six Personal Branding Mistakes That Can Threaten a Job Search.
I like this article on Personal Branding at 4Hoteliers.com because rather than focus on social media tools it focuses on your personal development as a personal brand — dealing with insecurity, diagnosing skills, and so forth.
Get advice from a personal branding specialist. Many recruitment professionals have developed expertise in how to use new tools (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube) and old tools (speaking engagements, articles) to promote You Inc.

If you are new to the workforce or, for whatever reason, do not want to use your ex-boss as a reference, through some creativity and ingenuity, you can develop new references.

Here are a few tips:

Volunteer – Many volunteer positions will provide a reference letter after three months. If they really like you, they may bend the rules and provide a good evaluation even sooner.

Teachers – Hopefully, you brought lots of apples.

Ask for references – Before leaving each job, make sure to ask for a reference letter, and keep it handy.

Former colleagues – You may not like your ex-boss, but is there a colleague or sub-supervisor who can vouch for your good work?

Friends are weak references – But do you have a long-time acquaintance who is in the same industry you are applying to? If applying for a bank job, your volleyball coach’s wife – a bank manager – may be willing to speak to your character.

Here is what not to do:

Avoid including references on your resume. You are encouraging less serious employers to call around on your references. Save them for serious job prospects.

Use Diverse References: A work, academic and volunteer reference is a good mix.

Keep in Touch: Make sure that when your prospective employer says your name, it will put a smile on your reference’s face.

If possible, give your reference a heads-up. It is a good opportunity to say hello and make sure they are not caught off guard.