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“He Said. "David, you must remember that in all the functions we have in life, art is the one place where we can crash our plane and walk away from it". And that's so right. Creating something is the one area where you mustn't have caution or inhibition. If you make a startling, disastrous mess, it's fine, because you can reach out and reevaluate and plunge off into another direction.

Bowie on Eno and art Interview Magazine September 1995”
― David Bowie

“This is all the unexpressed love, the grief that will remain with us until we pass because we never get enough time with each other, no matter if someone lives til 60, 15, or 99. "So I hope this grief stays with me because it's all the unexpressed love that I didn't get to tell her.”
― Andrew Garfield

“Sure, I’ve written about women and sex and madhouses, just like Bukowski did, but I’ve also written about many other topics, often utilizing other stylistic methods in doing so. Bukowski would probably have been annoyed with the rambling tone of my poems in Cells.”
― Scott C. Holstad, Cells

“Salute to those who choose commitment over the counter offer.”
― Dax Bamania

“Cynthia Shapiro's take on Self-Talk

Cynthia Shapiro, in her wonderful book, What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get A Job Around Here? says:

What you’re telling yourself with your inner voice comes through in every stage of your job search process.

When you have negative or insecure self-talk constantly running through your head, it will tend to govern the tone of your cover letters, e-mails, phone screenings, and interviews.

Cynthia shares how successful athletes visualize getting baskets, making touchdowns, or hitting home runs.

Job seekers need to do the same thing. We need to visualize succeeding in interviews, excitedly sharing our achievement stories, and enjoying getting to know hiring managers and their teams.

Your self-talk plays an incredible role in your life. If you say anything that sounds the least bit negative, STOP yourself, and say:

I’m better than that. I’m capable and talented.

I’m going to share my achievement stories with hiring managers and help them understand how I can help them solve their problems.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Your Beliefs

When it comes to job seeking, I like what Saint Augustine said:

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.

Because I follow this strategy, I believe I will be hired.

I also believe I'll be hired, since my last employer gave me more chances to learn how to get hired than most people have in their lifetime. Because of those experiences:

I realize I must stand out from all of the other candidates.

I stand out by clearly communicating my track record of solving complex problems.

The best way to communicate how you can solve problems is to include your stories of overcoming obstacles and resolving work issues in:

� Your Cover Letter
� Your Resume
� Your Achievement Stories
� Your LinkedIn Recommendations
â€� Your Portfolio.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“The Impact of Others' Opinions

Sooner or later we all confront other people's opinions.

When this happens, remember what my 58 years taught me:

Not everyone will appreciate you and everything you can offer.

Many people think:

If you don't live life as I do, something is the matter with you.

We know they couldn't be more wrong.

While we’re waiting for them to figure that out, don't let these people
bother you.

Move on and �
� seek out those who are wise enough to truly appreciate you and all you have to offer.

Remembering that just because,
Some people don't believe in you, is no reason not to pursue your wildest dreams.

After all,

Their beliefs are just opinions, not facts.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Before You Can Be Successful, You Need To Know What Failure Looks Like

One of today’s best job search experts, Liz Ryan, described what failure looks like for a job seeker:

The worst -- and most common -- interview mistake you can make is to be a forgettable applicant, and to leave the building without leaving any impression whatsoever on your interviewer.

Managers are busy. They are overloaded with information the same way we all are. If you don't make your mark in your job interview, all traces of you will have left your manager's memory before you get home.

Many job seekers believe they should just sit there, respond to a hiring manager’s questions and then ask one or two questions at the end.

That is a recipe for failure.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Now that you know what failure looks like, this is how you leave a lasting impression.

The hiring manager needs to know what you can do for her. She’s looking for what you did, because that’s the best indication of what you can do for her.

Depending on your years of experience, this can range:

� from having mastered Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and Vlookups, to writing VBA code to automating the work of your department and reducing cycle time 80%.

� from how met your sales quota three years in a row to how you went to the Achievers Club five years in a row for exceeding quota by 25% or more, and

â€� from organizing an industry conference for 100 guests to organizing and running five industry conferences where attendees numbered between five and ten thousand.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Appreciating Your Work

Before you can write your Achievement Stories, you need to appreciate your achievements. You cannot take your work for granted.

Malcolm Forbes, Forbes� magazine’s late publisher, said:

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.

What usually happens is that if we do something, it seems commonplace, not special, just ordinary. However, when we see someone doing something we cannot do, we’re impressed.

What we’re not considering is whether the person who impressed you can do what you can do.

We’re also not asking ourselves:

“Why did you keep your job so long?�

“Why did you get raises?�

“Why did you get promoted?�

“Why did you receive those awards?�

“Why did you get recognized as often as you did, via awards or complementary messages from your boss and others?�

If you’re not getting raises, promotions, awards or complements, there could be a number of reasons. It might be that your company cannot afford to provide raises and promotions. It’s possible that a boss may think that if you get awards and compliments, you’ll ask for a raise, which her budget doesn’t permit.

Unfortunately, there are also times when a boss may not want to draw attention to you because she’s afraid of you, afraid you’ll outshine her, afraid you’ll get her job.

Of course, you need to be careful around someone like this.

I once gave a presentation to a group of people, including my boss and her boss. After the presentation, my boss’s boss said it was excellent. All my boss did was look at me for what seemed like a long time. As long as she worked there, she never let me give another presentation.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Important Warning

Before you raise a red flag and say, “I can’t do this,� remember: being shy about sharing your strengths can result in not getting offers. If you get offers, they will be at lower salaries.

For example, I have a friend, who I’ll call Jonathan. I coached him on the value of achievement stories. I also recommended him to a staffing firm. He told me later that they never called him back.

They never called him back, because he never spoke of his achievements.

Staffing firms are paid to provide great candidates to prospective employers. If someone can’t promote themselves � if someone cannot explain why they are a great candidate � they’ll never get a call back, whether it’s from a staffing firm, a hiring manager, or anyone else.

While I understand that my friend probably views Achievement Stories as bragging, I overcame this hurdle. When I talk about accomplishments, I say:

“I’m blessed with the ability to…�

“I’ve been fortunate enough to…�

“Leadership appreciates how…�

“Co-workers appreciate how…�

This is an ideal way to communicate your achievements, because hiring managers prefer humble candidates. But they do want to hear about your achievements.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Responsibilities or Achievements?

A common belief among job seekers is, “I need to explain my responsibilities in prior roles.�

No. Hiring managers determine that by looking at your job title

One way to do both is to list achievements, highlighting your responsibilities. Amy Michalenko describes this excellently, when she says:

A duty describes what you did and an accomplishment describes how well you did it.

For example, “planned eventsâ€� would be considered a job duty, whereas “raised $100,000 by selling out tickets to a 200-person charity eventâ€� is an accomplishment.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“What is an Achievement Story?

As noted in the Hiring Manager’s Secrets chapter, hiring managers want to know:

How you made money for your employer,

How you saved money for your employer,

How you made yourself, your department, your division, or your company more productive.

They want to know how you made a positive difference.

This is your time to answer the above questions with real-life examples from your experience.

According to “Ask A Manager� blogger, Alison Green, resumes that stand out tell the reader what you accomplished that someone else wouldn’t have in the same position.

For example, if you’re like me you may have:

� trained managers to sell products through a new ordering system by documenting the process and conducting training sessions,

� took on the work of two laid off employees, or

� developed a budgeting system enabling managers to customize their budgets based on their unique needs.

Alison also says that the hiring manager wants to know,

“Were you solely interested in producing acceptable work, or did you do an impressive job?”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“How To Collect Your Achievement Stories

Before we can write our Achievement Stories, we need to identify each and every one. This will take some work, but the payoff is employment and higher wages and salaries.

Because I want you to look as impressive as possible, I’m going to remind you of all of the places where your achievements can be found:

Performance Reviews

I worked at a place where, at the end of every year, my boss had to convince his peers why I should get a raise and or a bonus. As a result, my performance reviews were a great place to find achievements I might have forgotten about.

Awards

Every time you receive an award, you have evidence that you are special. Depending on the number of achievements, you might want to list your awards as achievements. Usually, the reason you received the award is an achievement.

Promotions

Getting promoted is an achievement. Your promotion says to the hiring manager, “This woman is so good that we gave her more responsibility and a higher salary.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“How To Collect Your Achievement Stories
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Before we can write our Achievement Stories, we need to identify each and every one. This will take some work, but the payoff is employment and higher wages and salaries.
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Because I want you to look as impressive as possible, I’m going to remind you of all of the places where your achievements can be found:
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Performance Reviews



I worked at a place where, at the end of every year, my boss had to convince his peers why I should get a raise and or a bonus. As a result, my performance reviews were a great place to find achievements I might have forgotten about.
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Awards



Every time you receive an award, you have evidence that you are special. Depending on the number of achievements, you might want to list your awards as achievements. Usually, the reason you received the award is an achievement.


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Getting promoted is an achievement. Your promotion says to the hiring manager, “This woman is so good that we gave her more responsibility and a higher salary.

Bosses and Coworkers

If you’re wracking your brain trying to think of achievements, consider giving a list of the achievements you’ve identified to bosses and co-workers. Then ask them, “What’s missing? What have I left out?�

Emails

If you have access to your old emails, go through each one to see what you can find. I did this every year when my boss asked for my achievements, this gave him the ammunition he needed to negotiate for my raises. This is the ammunition you need to win over the hiring manager.

LinkedIn Recommendations

Just the other day, I was reading my LinkedIn recommendations and was reminded of an accomplishment I had not included in my LI profile or resume.

As you read each recommendation, think about the work you did with that person. It may jog your memory and help you remember things you’ve left out.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Identify Your Strengths With Strengths Finder 2.0

One tool that can help you remember your achievements is the ‘Strengths Finder� "assessment. The father of Strengths Psychology, Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D, along with Tom Rath and a team of scientists at The Gallup Organization, created StrengthsFinder.
You can take this assessment by purchasing the Strengths Finder 2.0 book.

The value of SF 2.0 is that it helps you understand your unique strengths. Once you have this knowledge, you can review past activities and understand what these strengths enabled you to do.

Here’s what I mean, in the paragraphs below, I’ve listed some of the strengths identified by my Strengths Finder assessment and accomplishments where these strengths were used.

“You can see repercussions more clearly than others can.�

In a prior role, I witnessed products being implemented in the sales system at breakneck speed. While quick implementation seemed good, I knew speed increased the likelihood of revenue impacting errors.

I conducted an audit and uncovered a misconfigured product. While the customer had paid for the product, the revenue had never been recognized. As a result of my work, we were able to add another $7.2 million that went straight to the bottom line.

“You automatically pinpoint trends, notice problems, or identify opportunities many people overlook.�

At my former employer, leadership did not audit certain product manager decisions. On my own initiative, I instituted an auditing process. This led to the discovery that one product manager’s decisions cost the company more than $5M.

“Because of your strengths, you can reconfigure factual information or data in ways that reveal trends, raise issues, identify opportunities, or offer solutions.�

In a former position, product managers were responsible for driving revenue, yet there was no revenue reporting at the product level. After researching the issue, I found a report used to process monthly journal entries which when reconfigured, provided product managers with monthly product revenue.

“You entertain ideas about the best ways to…increase productivity.�

A few years back, I was trained by the former Operations Manager when I took on that role. After examining the tasks, I found I could reduce the time to perform the role by 66%. As a result, I was able to tell my Director I could take on some of the responsibilities of the two managers she had to let go.

“You entertain ideas about the best ways to…solve a problem.�

About twenty years ago I worked for a division where legacy systems were being replaced by a new company-wide ERP system. When I discovered no one had budgeted for training in my department, I took it upon myself to identify how to extract the data my department needed to perform its role, documented those learnings and that became the basis for a two day training class.

“Sorting through lots of information rarely intimidates you. You welcome the abundance of information. Like a detective, you sort through it and identify key pieces of evidence. Following these leads, you bring the big picture into view.�

I am listing these strengths to help you see the value of taking the Strengths Finder Assessment.”
― Clark Finnical

“Capture the Quantitative Impact of Your Accomplishments

Examine everything you’ve done, but don’t merely report what you’ve done. Report the quantitative impact, that is, the numbers that resulted from your achievement. That’s what hiring managers care about most. For example:

When I was in school, I worked in the University’s Personnel department. During my time there, the Director asked if I could explain a monthly report she received from Accounts Payable.

The report identified everything charged to Personnel. Unfortunately, neither the Director nor her team could understand what it was saying. After some analysis and research, I was able to translate the confusing report into something the Director could understand.

What I did not do was ask the Director and her team for the financial impact of now being able to understand the report.

While what I did was a valuable story to share at my next interview, it would have meant a lot more if I’d identified the dollars saved or some other quantified impact.

As noted earlier, a few years later, I worked for a high-tech company that sold equipment to Fortune 500 firms. The company wasn’t winning the large deals like they had in the past, so I was asked to investigate.

I identified the process breakdown causing the problem. I also created a short-term solution, so that the company could start winning bids again while the long-term solution was being developed.

What I did not do � and almost have to kick myself now for not doing � was to ask for the value of the deals we were now winning. Those $$$ would have clearly explained the positive impact of my work. It would have been a wonderful talking point in my resume.

After my job was eliminated for the second time in 13 years, I started doing a better job of quantifying the impact of my accomplishments.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“How to Quantify Achievement Stories

When hiring managers, recruiters, and staffing firms see a resume or LinkedIn profile or attend an interview with verbiage but no numbers, they don’t know what those words mean.

In fact, they know next to nothing until you add the numbers that explain the impact of your work. Here’s how you can resolve this issue.

Work With Finance

Sometimes the impact of our work is not always clear. At times like this, reaching out to one of your friends in the Finance Department can be very helpful. Finance has access to numbers that are not always readily available to other departments.

If you’re no longer with the company, explain to the Finance associate that the numbers he provides could make the difference in determining whether you land another position.

Using a Range

Per Lily Zhang of the Muse, one reason job seekers avoid quantifying is not knowing the exact number. Lily suggests using a range. Using my work experience, here’s what that means:

Before: Chaired weekly product manager meeting.

After: Chaired weekly meeting with 7 to 12 product managers so plans could be discussed and coordinated. Confusion and rework were eliminated.

Frequency

Lily shared that one of the easiest ways to add numbers is to identify the frequency with which you perform a given task. This can help the hiring manager understand how much you can handle. For example:

Before: Responded to pricing requests from the Sales Force.

After: Responded to 15 to 20 pricing requests from the Sales Force on a daily basis.

Scale

Everyone on the hiring side of the business loves when candidates provide numbers, because numbers explain the impact of what you’ve done.

The most meaningful numbers are those associated with making money, saving money, and driving productivity. Here are a couple examples from my work experience:

Before: Reduced time to perform Operations Manager’s role; after analysis showed tasks could be batched and performed at the end of the month.

After: Reduced time to perform Operations Manager role by 66%; after analysis showed tasks could be batched and performed at the end of the month. Asked Director if I could take on the responsibilities of employees who were laid off.

Before: Analysis revealed misconfigured offers; worked with other departments to correct errors. Implemented process to prevent future errors.

After: Analysis revealed misconfigured offers; worked with other departments to correct errors. Recognized $7.2M. Implemented process to prevent future errors.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“How To Write Achievement Stories

Because you’re asking people to take a chance on you, you need to show them why they should take a chance.

We live in a world best summarized by the words of Grant Cardone:

Sell Or Be Sold!

Practically, everything we hear and read on TV, radio, and the internet is an attempt to sell us something.

When you find yourself in front of the hiring manager, it’s essential that you sell yourself.

Selling yourself means helping the hiring manager understand why she should hire you.

Hiring managers want to know how you’re different from all of the other candidates. If you can’t answer that question, you won’t get a second interview.

After my job was eliminated in �95 and �02, I knew I had to quantify the impact of my work, so I would be ready for the next time.

As a result, I took detailed notes on everything I did that 1) earned money, 2) saved money, and 3) increased productivity.

I also took detailed notes on everything that set me apart from other candidates.

Because everyone responds well to stories, and detailed stories add to your credibility, I created Achievement Stories.

Achievement stories are also known as STAR stories. STAR is short for Situation � Task � Action � Result. Another name for Achievement stories is SOAR stories. (See explanation below.)

Situation

First, provide the context of what was happening. This is the before picture, namely what was going on at the time, before you took action.

Obstacles

These are the issues and problems which you had to overcome to be successful.

Action

This is where you explain what you did to overcome the issues and problems.

Results

This is where you share the outcome of your action â€� both quantitatively and qualitatively.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“How Enthusiasm Multiplies The Impact of Achievement Stories

American businessman, Paul J. Meyer, said:

Enthusiasm glows, radiates, permeates and immediately captures everyone's interest.

Because I've enjoyed the work I've done and I've enjoyed solving these problems, my enthusiasm captures everyone's interest.

When the hiring manager sees your enthusiasm, she’ll like the fact that you are excited about your work. She’ll also find you hard to forget.

I brought 17 Achievement stories to my last interview. I’m not saying that I had the chance to share them all, but I did share many of them.

I also took hard copies of my achievement stories, so that I could refer to them in the interview. I later offered these hard copies to the hiring manager.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Where Are Achievement Stories Used?

Achievement stories are used in your resume, your LinkedIn profile, and your interviews:

In your resume, your achievements will be bulleted sentences.

In your LinkedIn profile, it will be a more detailed paragraph.

In your interviews, achievement stories enable the hiring manager to understand your accomplishments in detail.

They are also great additions to your cover letter and portfolio.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“What If I Don’t Want To Brag?

I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it again because it is critical�

Before you raise a red flag and say, “I can’t do this,� remember: being shy about sharing your strengths can result in not getting offers. If you do get offers, chances are they will be at lower salaries.

I have a friend who I’ll call Jonathan. I coached him on the importance and value of achievement stories. I also recommended him to a staffing firm.

He told me later that after his interview, the staffing firm never called him back. They never called him back, because he never spoke of his achievements.

Staffing firms are paid for providing great candidates to prospective employers. If someone can’t promote themselves � if someone cannot explain why they are a great candidate � they’ll never get a call back, whether it’s from a staffing firm, a hiring manager or anyone.

While I understand that my friend probably views Achievement Stories as bragging, I overcame this hurdle by describing my accomplishments this way:

“I’m blessed with the ability to…�

“I’ve been fortunate enough to…�

“Leadership appreciates how…�

“Co-workers appreciate how…�

This is an ideal way to communicate your achievements because hiring managers prefer humble candidates.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“Will Spelling Keep You Out Of Interviews?

Whether we like it or not, hiring managers judge job seekers based on how our resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles are written.

That’s why it is essential that you turn on Microsoft Word’s spell-check so it catches every error in your resume and cover letter.

But don’t stop there, after turning on Microsoft Word’s spell check, copy all of the verbiage in your LinkedIn profile and paste it into a Word document.

Here are some of the reasons I say this�

� 5,908 LinkedIn Profiles contained “Universiry� where they meant to write “University�.

� 34,254 profiles contain “Graduat� where they meant to write “Graduate�.

� 25 English teacher’s profiles contain “Colege� where they meant to write “College�.

If you’re not getting interviews, take a second look at your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profiles.

Hiring managers get to choose who they want to hire. Don’t let your spelling be the reason they don’t hire you.”
― Clark Finnical, Job Hunting Secrets:

“YOU AIN'T GOT THE ANSWERS SWAY”
― Kanye West

“What do you think is the most important step in creating three-dimensional characters?

People don’t make sense. They lie without even realizing they are lying. They are selfish while believing they are selfless, etc. I think the biggest thing I focus on is making sure that my characters are recognizable and knowable but not convenient or streamlined. Real people are messy. They are interesting because of the mess. I try to recreate that on the page”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid

“Whatever life throws at you, grab it.

Ref- Anam, Q (2021. July1). Aspiring Leaders Interview, Authors Bridge.”
― Anam Qureshi

“She had done it alone, without support or gas, and when she had come off the mountain, she had been an instant star, chased through airports by reporters and hounded for interviews”
― Jennifer Jordan

“I'd left the soon-to-be-blue doors open, and Clementine had let herself in. As we entered the kitchen, I could see her putting the finishing touches on two bowls of something chocolaty.
"What is this?" I asked, taking a closer look.
Clementine finished her plating and stepped back. "Nutella mousse with hazelnut liqueur, served with chocolate-dipped hazelnut shortbread."
She was good; I had to give her that. Nico and I shared a deep, genetic affinity for the chocolate-hazelnut spread. Without hesitation, I picked up the spoon and dug in.
An intense, perfectly complex Nutella taste met my tongue. My eyes slid shut. "That is so good."
"Try it with the shortbread," Clementine instructed.
I dipped the chocolaty-end of the shortbread into the mousse. The crunch of the cookie set off the rich mousse like a dream. A chocolaty, hazelnutty, Nutella-y dream.
Dragging my attention away from dessert, I looked to Nico to see his reaction.
He stood staring at me, spoon in hand, mousse untouched.
I frowned at him. "What on earth are you waiting for? Eat!"
Nico scowled but dug his spoon into the mousse. He took a bite; his face froze.
"Seriously," I said, working two more spoonfuls, "I might lick the bowl."
Nico shrugged. "It's pretty good."
Clementine squared her shoulders. "Pretty good?"
"You want the job?"
"Yes, I do," she answered.
"I'll think about it," he told her, his expression guarded.
"Thank you," Clementine replied, unfazed.
I scooped another bite of mousse. "This shortbread? It's perfect!"
"It's the French butter. I get it from your grandmother's supplier--he gives us, I mean, me, a good deal. I bake croissants for him. He imports French butter but can't bake. Isn't that sad?"
I nodded, nibbling at the shortbread. "The butter certainly imports a richness of flavor that's quite special.”
― Hillary Manton Lodge, A Table by the Window

“The Ninety-Day Interview. Eight steps to following during your first ninety days. 1. Stay Late, Show Up Early. 2. Accept Every Lunch Invitation You Get. 3. Always Ask About Acronyms. 4. Say Something Really Stupid. 5. Have a Drink. 6. Tell Someone What to Do. 7. Have an Argument. 8. Find Your Inner Circle.”
― Michael Lopp, Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

“Your bellwether team is where you gather the most perspective. The coworker interviews are going to find some informational gems, and their opinions will greatly affect your decision to hire, but bellwethers are your constant. When they tell you, “This guy is going to change the face of your team,â€� you believe them because they are rarely wrong. There are three key bellwethers I have for each interview.”
― Michael Lopp, Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager