Every week I check dozens of “career” blogs and other online publications, looking for things that will help you find a job, get promoted, develop your skills, and keep everything in perspective and balance. Here’s the pick of the lot for this week. I’m pointing you to items about interview questions, social media, unlocking your potential, finishing what you start, and more wisdom from Peter Drucker.

From CareerRealism: 6 Questions You MUST Be Prepared to Answer During Interviews
“Increasing your chances of getting the job are pretty simple if you’re well prepared for your next interview. If you’re ready to answer some of the most common questions, you’re a step ahead of your competition. Here are six questions that will help prepare you and get you closer to getting that dream job.”

Wally’s Comment: Preparing for standard questions is just good planning. This post suggests six popular questions and also ways to deal with them.

From Social Media Today: Can You Put a Value on Virtual Relationships?
“More and more relationships are being developed online first. It’s true for professional networking, as it is for dating. People are connecting with “the right” people online before they connect offline these days. The reason for this change is the evolution of first impressions, the amount of background information available to us with a click of the mouse, and the use of the web as a people filtering device. People have less time than they did a decade ago, and are much lazier, as well as bombarded with noise, from advertising, to social feeds. We don’t want to waste our own time, and we do want to meet people who have mutual interests. That’s why there are Ning networks, forums, Facebook fan pages (and groups), LinkedIn groups, and other special interest communities. ”

Wally’s Comment: Dan Schawbel has written a lot of excellent material about personal branding and the ways that social media and traditional media interact. This post is one of his best. Dan looks at the value of different kinds of relationships, how they may fit into your strategy, and how to grow your online network. This one merits a bookmark so you can return to it.

From Mary Jo Asmus: Unlocking Your Potential
“Most of the leaders I know and work with dream of making a big impact in their organizations and communities (or world!). Many (though not all) have a healthy dose of self confidence. Most have been successful, however they define it, but they know that they have more in them – a potential that is not yet realized. So behind closed doors – what do I hear from those leaders about what prevents them from reaching their full potential? What can they do about it? My two cents worth:”

Wally’s Comment: When you read this post, you will be tempted to think, “How does she know about me?” What you’re reading are the observations of an experienced and mindful executive coach. Mary Jo Asmus has coached a lot of people like you and me and she’s developed the skill of drawing general lessons from specific situations.

From Management Craft: Confessions from a Natural-Born Starter About Follow-Through
“I am one of those folks who has lots of energy and focus when starting things but who tends to quickly lose interest. I am a world class starter – but not a natural finisher. I bet many of you share this trait, too. I can count many accomplishments that I have brought to fruition, but MANY more projects that were abandoned mid-stream. Some of these efforts deserved better from me.”

Wally’s Comment: Yep. This is me. How did Lisa Haneberg know? The great managers, like great scientists and great authors are finishers. Some people come by that naturally. The rest of us have to learn it. Lisa shares some hard-won wisdom about how to finish that important project even while six great ideas are begging you for attention.

From Ed Batista: Peter Drucker on Excellence, Careers and Planning
“Most of my clients and students are seeking to be more effective and fulfilled as professionals or are in the midst of a career transition–or both.  A resource to which I’ve referred people for years is Peter Drucker’s brilliant essay Managing Oneself, and it’s time to do so again.  Here are a few key excerpts and the questions that they inspire in me.”

Wally’s Comment: When you have a moment, send a thank-you to Ed Batista for reminding us of this incredible essay. I re-read it, for perhaps the twentieth time and I was reminded of how very much quality advice is packed into such a small space.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Tools and Strategies for Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.