Career Tools

This cast reveals the most important concept a laid off manager must know: Finances Rule. it is the first in a series designed to help both prepare for and navigate through a layoff. Most of us fear being laid off. It’s a good fear to have, frankly - being laid off is a difficult [...]

This cast describes how to leave an effective voicemail. If you’ve ever gotten a voicemail which sounded like, “[your name], this is [their name], call me,” you know why we’re doing this cast. Phone manners have been steadily decreasing for decades. When boys used to call for Mark’s daughter Kate, they would slouch verbally through, “Is [...]

In this cast, we describe how to be effective in everyday conversations.

This cast describes how to answer the interviewing question, “Describe Your Leadership Style.” This is perhaps the third most important interviewing question, after, “Tell me about yourself,” and behavioral questions. It can be a tough one if you haven’t done some thinking about how you lead and motivate others, and why others perform well when [...]

This cast is about interview preparation, and the need for ethics and candor during the process.

Today, we cover the 2nd in a two-part series on Horstman’s Wager. Last week we covered the basics as to why “Playing the Game” doesn’t work … today we get into the details of the dreaded Horstman’s Wager MATRIX. During the show, we refer to the printed matrix included in the slides for [...]

This cast is about interview preparation, and the need for ethics and candor during the process. We’ve been pleased by the demand for our interviewing product - close to 1,000 purchases so far, and the early feedback has been quite powerful. If you would like to read what folks are saying, you can see that [...]

More and more, companies are using psychological and behavioral tests as pre-employment screening devices. They supplement their interviewing processes in order to ensure less false-positives.This is wise, in our judgment, based on what we see of interviewing. Too many companies don’t screen rigorously enough, and have started enlisting more cerebral and/or technical techniques [...]

This cast describes an effective way to take notes. If you go to meetings all the time… no, wait. BECAUSE you go to meetings all the time, you need an effective way to take notes. There are certainly a LOT of different ways to do so, but if you ask a hundred or so executives, [...]

Today, we finish up our two part series on writing effectively.

This cast teaches how to improve your writing quickly.

We’ve talked about thank you notes hundreds of times. They are fast becoming a nearly lost art. That’s too bad, because they are always appreciated. We know too many managers and professionals who keep them for years! Mark often talks about the basket under his desk full of cards, which [...]

In this cast, we share one of the best interviewing answer templates you'll ever hear. It's simple, elegant, easy to deliver, and surprise, surprise: it directly answers the question.

Mark recently blogged about the crazy advice being given - by the Wall Street Journal! - about how to handle the perennial interviewing question, “Tell me about a weakness.” He was stunned by how wrong some of the suggestions were, as well as the implication that a clever interviewee could trick the interviewing manager [...]

We’ve talked about the importance of interpersonal skills before, with casts on handshakes and meal etiquette. While for many, they might not sound like managerial subjects, the fact is that career management skills are part of the modern manager’s repertoire. And, as surely you’ve read, business gets done at dinner, at parties, at [...]

Well, once again, we’re barely getting this out in time to call it an October cast. But, I think you’ll find it worth the wait. This month, Mark and I want to share a cast from our upcoming Interviewing techniques product. This particular cast is one out of 14 casts on Interviewing. [...]

You’re a manager, and that makes you human. You’re human, and that makes you mess up. You mess up, and that means you apologize. It’s really that simple. So how come no one seems to apologize anymore? Unfortunately, for all kinds of reasons, the art of apologizing has fallen from favor. We [...]

In a previous cast, we talked about how many managers don’t understand the importance of taking recruiters’ calls, and walked through step by step (hey, this is Manager Tools) how to handle those calls. What to say, and what to learn, and how to proceed. But there’s another side to the recruiting relationship, isn’t [...]

Most folks just don't realize HOW important resumes are, and not just as pieces of paper. In our Resume Cast (Your Resume Stinks), we talked about the PURPOSE of resumes: to create an interview. Now just imagine...wouldn't it be great if its value didn't end there? It doesn't! yes, the resume itself gets you the chance to sell yourself, but buried in the resume are the PERFECT seeds of success, if you've followed our guidance. Listen in to an interesting cast about how your resume and your interviews can be perfectly connected.

Can there possibly be anything more to say about business meal etiquette? Yep! Today we conclude our 2-part series on Meal Etiquette.

Good business practice demands good relationships - with customers, suppliers, team members, and bosses. And good relationships usually means breaking bread together. So, are you up to speed on how to have a business meal? Or even worse, HOST the meal yourself?You are? GOOD! Then you already know when to start talking business, and whether it's different at breakfast, lunch and dinner. You know how much alcohol to drink, and how many glasses of wine there are in a bottle. And the ideal way to pay for a meal, or what to do when the check comes. If you know all THAT, then we bet you also know where to seat your guests, and yourself, whether there are 2 or three of you. And, of course, what to order, and what NOT to order. Soup, you say? NO.And if you're not sure... that's why there's a Manager Tools podcast covering all that and more.

Today we cover the 2nd part of our series on Preparing For Your Review. After you've listened to the podcast, I think you'll agree that if you follow this simple process you will be in a position to not only get the best possible review possible this year, you will also have all the information you need to improve your performance (and your next review!) over the coming year.

At least once in your career, and perhaps as many as five times, you're going to have to resign from a position. And this is one of those tasks or responsibilities that no one talks about, no one knows how to do, and therefore… many do it poorly.

At least once in your career, and perhaps as many as five times, you're going to have to resign from a position. And this is one of those tasks or responsibilities that no one talks about, no one knows how to do, and therefore… many do it poorly.

Today's show is the third and final part of our series on resigning. If you have to resign, distinguish yourself my resigning professionally. With the completion of this series, you now know how!

We spent a lot of time at the end of last year talking about how to write someone else’s review.What should you do to prepare for your own?Think of it this way. Suppose you had three folks working for you, and one of the three spent a couple of hours over the previous months preparing for their time with you. They had reviewed the entire year, prepared better information for you for their review, and had taken their time writing their self-evaluation, including specific data to support their points.Wouldn’t that be impressive? If there were a close call to be made, might it go in your direction?In this cast, we walk you through everything YOU need to do to prepare for YOUR review with YOUR boss.And if you think it’s too early, think again – the timeline is THREE MONTHS! ;-)And, by the way, during the show we promised a couple of things. You'll find all of these in the Manager Tools website under Tools section under Preparing for Your Review Documents (http://www.manager-tools.com/preparing_for_your_review_documents/). 1) A complete transcript of the entire show 2) A Powerpoint presentation (in PDF form) with a detailed outline of the review preparation process 3) A detailed note-taking form to guide you through the process. Folks, no note-taking required ... we've done all the work for you. As we discussed on the discussion boards, these are examples of what you'll get with our premium membership program ... which will be announced shortly!Note: So everyone can get a look at the documents associated with this podcast, we're making this month's member-only cast available to ALL listeners. Enjoy!

Today, we follow-up with part 2 of our 3-part series on Resigning. Usually not a lot of fun contemplating, and certainly no more fun executing. However, IF you have to do it, there IS a professional way to resign. You CAN leave your job and feel good about HOW you did it, AND leave a great impression on the way out. Now, how often does that happen in your workplace today?

Today's show is an interesting one ... At least once in your career, and perhaps as many as five times, you're going to have to resign from a position. And this is another one of those tasks or responsibilities that no one talks about, no one knows how to do, and therefore many do it poorly. It's not hard to do well, and in this series of casts, we make it a simple step by step process. If you're thinking that you already know how, consider that we recommend you need SIX WEEKS to do it well.

Today we cover the second in our 2-part series on mentoring. Also, June 26th represents the 1-year Anniversary of Manager Tools. We previously discussed having a special second part of today's podcast where we would discuss our thoughts about this last year, as well as discuss our plans for the coming year. Unfortunately, the "discussion" was an hour long! So, rather than bundle it with this podcast and create an incredibly large download, we will release an additional podcast in the next day or two with that discussion. Look for it in your podcast player of choice shortly!

Every week, we get questions about people's resumes on the discussion boards. Our resume casts are some of the most wanted of all our work. It's pretty obvious that more and more folks are tuned into their own careers, and how to manage them. That's a good thing, as we've said before, because no one else is managing it for you. And, because so few people manage their careers at all, it only takes a little to get a competitive advantage.

Today, we cover the second in a two-part series of podcasts on Time Management.

The first of two podcasts on Time management.

If you're a manager, don't think for a moment that someone else is managing your career. Those days are long gone. YOU are managing your career. What you do - not only in job skills, but also in what we call "Transition Skills" - will be the primary determinant of your career success. You're not going to have the richest, most rewarding series of roles and opportunities by allowing someone in HR to know enough about you to get you where you need to be. And succession planning won't save you either.

The hand shake is the most important professional greetings in the world today. There are many cultures in the world, and there are places to bow, and places to hug, and places where cheek-kissing is perfectly appropriate. The handshake, though is the preferred greeting for most of our audience.

Last week, we discussed the "Listening" side of communications. This week, we cover the other side, the "Responding" side. Of course, responding when you're in agreement is the easy part. However, how do you respond when you disagree or there is potential conflict? That, my friend, is what this week's podcast is about!

We talked recently about managerial communications, looking at the various ways you as a manager can deliver your message and the organization's messages to your team. There's more to talk about there, but we're going to tackle a different type of communication this time.

In this special podcast for our registered subscribers, we're going to share our first set of recommendations in self-development. We believe that you cannot consider yourself an effective, professional manager unless you engage in regular reading. To that end, we have a suite of recommended reading, both periodicals and books, and some suggestions on how to fit them into your schedule.

Your resume, regardless of the baggage associated with it, is probably your most critical career management document. While it's not something you ought to leave lying around on your desk for others to see, that doesn't mean you ought to treat it like something you dust off only when you really need it. It needs to be reviewed quarterly, believe it or not.

This week's podcast addresses a topic that many of you might be surprised about: your resume.

In this podcast we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

In this podcast we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

Got Email? Of course - what manager doesn't? We know managers who get 200 (or more!) emails every day. Email is a necessary evil in the corporate management world, and highly effective managers know how to get the most out of their email WITHOUT spending too much time on it. In our latest podcast, we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.

Mike and Mark discuss a friend's stalled technical career. What's the secret to reinvigorating his career?