Interviews can be tricky. You always want to put your best foot forward. So, naturally, you prepare examples of your key skills, prepare some case studies to talk through, plan a nice outfit, and always be punctual. But sometimes one simple question can throw things completely off course.Often that question is, “Why did you leave your last job?”Of course, there are lots of reasons why you might be searching for a new career. Maybe you moved locations, decided to change roles, or simply wanted a new challenge. However, if you were laid off from your previous job, you need to be honest.

Getting Stumped In An Interview Question

Rising costs, increasing interest rates and inflation are the driving force behind a lot of firms’ decisions to cut costs and help their bottom lines. It’s also not uncommon for entire project teams to be let go as a company rationalizes and decides a particular business goal is no longer viable.With a looming recession on the horizon, many of us will have to face these tough conversations with potential employers. But don’t worry: we’ve got the tips you need to turn a potentially awkward road to nowhere into an opportunity.

The Ground Reality: Markets Are Down

Getting laid off from a role is a disheartening and often stressful situation. It can really take its toll on you both financially and mentally. Before you start to apply for jobs and attend interviews, you need to deal with your emotions first. Things such as writing out how you’re feeling, or talking to a trusted friend or mentor can really help.Once you start to feel good about yourself again, you’ll make a far better impression on your interviewer.

Deal with Your Emotions First

Before you attend your interview, spend some time thinking about how you’ll talk about your last role. It helps if you can write down maybe two or three sentences to explain why you were let go.For example, “Due to changing company priorities, my department was downsized. Unfortunately, this meant that my role was terminated.” When people are in job interviews, they tend to waffle. If you have a clear answer prepared, you won’t go off on a tangent when you’re nervous, or completely stall on the spot.

Less Is More

We know this can be tricky, especially if you left your previous employment on a bad note. However, it is really important to stay calm and positive when talking about your last role. After all, the hiring manager is trying to figure out if you’re a team player. They’re also evaluating your resilience. So, be honest, keep your body language neutral and whatever you do, do not raise your voice.

Don't Shout Or Lose Your Balance

The best way you can describe a termination is to steer the conversation away from why it happened and instead focus on what it taught you and how you dealt with the disappointment.For example, “After I was let go, I realized that I needed to develop my skills in x area, in order to move up the career ladder. I enrolled in an online course and spent a lot of time on personal development.” Focus on what you’ve learned, and accept responsibility for any mistakes you made.

Put A Positive Spin On It

There’s a big difference between putting a gloss on a bad situation and telling a lie. If you were fired for misconduct at work, don’t say that you quit on your own terms. Remember that your potential employer could contact your references or previous managers for more information, so don’t hide anything.

Don't Lie

To make sure that your meeting ends on a positive note, take a moment at the end of the chat to recap what you think you can bring to the organization. List out your key skills and attributes, focus on your development, and talk about how you can help them reach their goals.

Tips And Tricks

Getting laid off is something that happens to millions of people around the world every single year. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it could make you a much better, more resilient employee in the long term.

The Bottom Line

Getting laid off is not something to be embarrassed about. Here are some tips for navigating the question in your next interview.

Stashed ideas

What to say in an interview if you were laid off

We usually dislike challenging situations, conflict with others, and struggle with our work or habits. But what if it were a part of the training of life? What if every conflict, failure, difficulty, hard emotion … were exactly the lesson we needed to learn? What if every challenging person and situation were our teacher?Every day, ask yourself two simple questions:<ol><li>What was my biggest challenge today?</li><li>What lesson was I supposed to learn from that?</li></ol>Reflect on that. Jot it down, and internalize the lesson. Commit to practicing it.

Daily Life Lessons

2 Questions to Deepen Learning from Life

Many negotiators worry about their BATNA - what they’re left with if a negotiation doesn’t work out. BATNA is your default state. It is crucial to determine your leverage in life's most important negotiations, such as a job offer, sale or purchase of a house, or daily business dealings. If you feel confident about your BATNA, you’re more likely to “stick to your guns” and not negotiate as hard.

BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)

You always have a BATNA but must differentiate between not having a BATNA and not liking your BATNA. For example, you may not wish to stay at your current job (your BATNA), but it may be best to keep looking for new opportunities until you find a better job offer.

Don’t panic if you think you don’t have a BATNA

Your BATNA needs to be nurtured.  If you seek a job, ensure you're networking and going to recruiting events. If you're looking for a supplier, talk to a good number that fits your broad criteria.

Be proactive about your BATNA

If the other party ask you about your BATNA, don't lie. Don't claim you have offers you don't have. Instead, signal that you have a BATNA without revealing exact details. Keep the focus on the current discussion and relationship. For example, “I have other interesting options, but I prefer to talk about what it would take to work things out with you.”

Don’t lie when asked about your BATNA in a negotiation

If you have multiple offers, don't play them off against one another. It is often shortsighted and can result in a worse outcome. An exception may be where the price is the main term, such as a home sale.

Don’t start a bidding war

Telling your first choice they're Number One can promote goodwill and move the negotiation forward. If you tell them they’re your top choice, and they agree to your terms, accept the offer on the spot. If they don't agree, let them know that you will think about it and weigh your BATNA, including other offers.

Share your top choice and target terms

If a party makes an offer, thank them for it. If you have multiple offers, remind yourself how fortunate you are, and consider releasing some of them, so you don't waste other people's time.

Be gracious

Your best alternative to a negotiated agreement determines your leverage in life’s most important negotiations, such as a job offer or the sale or purchase of a house. It applies to everyday business dealings, too.

Be a better negotiator by having a “BATNA”

Do you have a passion for making your community better? Do you want to help people experiencing poverty or discrimination, improve lives through education, work in international affairs, or protect people’s health and safety? 
If that’s the case, you may be interested in a public service career.

The Do-Gooder

<ul><li>You want your daily work to feel meaningful and to contribute to something bigger than yourself.</li><li>You have a passion for a particular mission or topic, possibly for personal reasons. (For example, some people work in public health after watching a family member or friend experience an illness or injury.)</li><li>You’re motivated by the benefits or perks of certain work settings, like excellent retirement plans at government agencies or a vibrant culture in a particular nonprofit organization.</li></ul>

Reasons For Choosing A Career In Public Service

You might work for a federal entity like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Or you might work for a state or local government in similar, smaller departments, or for elected officials or the courts. Civil servants—such as postal workers, public school teachers, police officers, and county social workers—are also government employees.

Types Of Organizations: The Government Sector

Nonprofit organizations pursue “charitable, religious, educational, or scientific” purposes, according to the IRS. They cannot make a profit, and must use any extra funding toward their mission or purpose. The nonprofit sector is incredibly diverse, comprising 1.3 million different organizations in the U.S. Some nonprofits you may have heard of include Habitat for Humanity, the Sierra Club, Save the Children, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Red Cross, religious organizations, and arts organizations.

Types Of Organizations: Non-Profits

While they may be less traditional, public service jobs also exist in for-profit companies. Some companies incorporate corporate social responsibility into their work, ensuring that their goods or services are beneficial for people and the planet while also earning a profit. Others take that idea further to become “<a href="https://bcorporation.net/about-b-corps">B Corporations,</a>” which are specific types of for-profit entities legally committed to balancing profit and purpose (e.g., the Body Shop, <a href="https://www.themuse.com/profiles/allbirds">Allbirds</a>, and <a href="https://www.themuse.com/profiles/patagonia">Patagonia</a>). Some for-profit companies are government contractors, which implement some of the work of government agencies.

Types Of Organizations: Private Sector

There are hundreds of different kinds of jobs in public service. As in any workplace, functions such as human resources, IT, accounting and finance, marketing, communications, community outreach, and public affairs are needed to keep an organization running smoothly. But there are a few other kinds of employees that are particularly in demand in the realm of public service.

Kinds Of Jobs In Private Sector

Program managers focus on designing and delivering the core service of the organization. This can include conducting assessments of a community’s needs and strengths, planning and implementing a program, and conducting evaluations of a program’s effectiveness.Program managers often need specialized training or knowledge of a particular program area. For example, someone designing a public health program like a diabetes education initiative would need a background in public health, nutrition, or other related fields.

Jobs In Public Sector: Program Manager

Many jobs in public service require specific training or credentials that align with the particular mission and work of the organization. An educational organization will hire teachers, therapists, social workers, and librarians; an environmental organization may hire a fisheries biologist, an environmental educator, a sustainability specialist, an environmental scientist, and a park ranger; a city government might hire an urban planner, a civil engineer, an emergency-preparedness specialist, and a water treatment specialist.

Jobs In Public Sector: Technical specialists

Some organizations hire policy analysts, advocacy specialists, and others whose roles include analyzing the possible impacts of proposed legislation in terms of effects on the community or the cost to taxpayers. These roles often require some extra training in policy analysis or public administration, as well as political savvy and strong analytical, writing, and persuasive <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/communication-skills-workplace-improve-job-search">communication skills</a>.

Jobs In Public Sector: Policy Analysts and Advocacy Specialists

Roles in fundraising and development exist primarily in nonprofit organizations. You might focus on institutional grant or donor report writing or on appeals to individual donors. Some roles are even more specialized, like jobs focused on asking people to include a nonprofit organization in their will (planned giving) or running large-scale fundraising events.

Jobs In Public Sector: Fundraisers

A few suggested steps to help you get started:1. Decide what mission you care about.2. Decide what job you want to do.3. Find out what qualifications you’ll need.4. Do some networking, informational interviews, and career exploration.5. Search for open positions.

Find a Public Service Job

Regardless of what type of public service job you’re applying to, it’s important to <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/what-it-really-means-to-tailor-your-resume">tailor your resume</a> to match the language of public service—particularly if you’re entering the field for the first time. So carefully read the job description and make sure you’re using the keywords from the posting in your resume and emphasizing qualifications that are relevant to the position.

Preparation: Resumes

If you’re applying for government and civil service jobs, here are a few pointers:
<ul>
<li>Follow all instructions. You might be required to fill out special questionnaires, answer essay questions, or even take a civil service exam.</li>
<li>You may need a federal resume. The federal government has a specific resume format so you may need to restructure your resume significantly—especially for civil service or federal government positions.</li>
<li>Exact qualifications matter. Many government job postings include a specific number of months and years of experience you need in a given role or with a certain skill.</li>
</ul>

Government Jobs: Important Points

As opposed to a typical resume, where you’re trying to be concise. If the job requires specific skills, clearly describe how you used those skills in any past job that you did or you may not make it to the next round.

Applying For Government Jobs: More Is Better

For some public service jobs—especially those in fundraising, policy analysis, communications, program management, or other functions where writing is a critical part of the role—a cover letter is an important part of your application. Consider it a writing sample that can prove you have the skills to do the work, or not.

Cover Letter

Do you want a job that helps people? A career in public service might be just right for a do-gooder like you.

How to Make the World Better *and* Make a Living

We all go through different phases in each of our careers. Your Season has profound implications for the jobs you look for and even the way you search for your job. At different points in our lives, we want different kinds of jobs:<ul><li>Growth: When we prioritize learning and earning more — and we’re willing to put in the time</li><li>Lifestyle: When we want to prioritize our time outside work, such as taking care of family</li><li>Reinvention: When we want to completely reinvent ourselves, including the role and even industry we work in.</li></ul>

Career Seasons

In the Growth Season, we’re motivated by moving up the career ladder and making more money. We’re willing to put the time in and we don’t mind working hard.  People in the Growth Season want more experience and more money…and they’re willing to work for it.

Growth Season

People in the Lifestyle Season still value their work and career, but they also have other equally important goals. Here’s a classic quote describing the Lifestyle Season:Notice these phrases, which instantly tip us off to the Lifestyle Season: “Flexibility” (or “flexible schedule”), “downshift,” or “family.” You may think about work/life balance if you’re going into a Lifestyle Season.

Lifestyle Season

Reinvention Season describes people who want to totally reimagine and change the course of their career, usually by switching industries. You’ll hear typical phrases like “fresh start” to describe this Season.

Reinvention Season

<ul><li>No Season is better than the others. No judgment against any Season — it’s YOUR Season. You choose what’s right for you now.</li><li>We naturally move in and out of Career Seasons as we get older. Just like actual seasons. While it makes sense to want all of these things to happen simultaneously, some things are just more appropriate for certain Seasons. </li><li>Even if you feel like you could be in multiple Seasons, you need to pick ONE. This is hard, especially for top performers who like to go above and beyond. But you will find that trying to do more than one at a time means not doing your best at either. </li></ul>

A Few Notes About Seasons

I’d like to introduce the concept of Career Seasons to you — which will help you find a job that’s perfect for you in this season of your life.

Career Seasons: Choosing a Role Based on the Lifestyle You Want

Group chat is an important tool in the communications toolbox. It is valuable for special cases and less useful for general cases. When used appropriately and sparingly, it's great. But it becomes a potential enemy when it systematically controls and diverts your attention away from doing great work.&nbsp;

Group chat and messaging tool for business

<ul><li>Hashing things out quickly. Throw in some words and a picture, get some quick feedback and move on.</li><li>Red alerts, such as a crisis or a server that's down.</li><li>Having fun is essential. A chat works great to develop culture, make inside jokes, emojis, and meme generators.</li><li>A sense of belonging. This is vital for remote workers to greet, let people know they're out for lunch, and generally feel part of something.</li></ul>

Group chat is great for

Group chat as the main method of communication leads to:<ul><li>Mental fatigue and exhaustion. Group chat feels like an all-day meeting with no agenda.</li><li>An ASAP culture. Everything must happen now!&nbsp;</li><li>Fear of missing out or not having a say. If you don't pay attention all the time, you might lose out.</li><li>Thinking a line at a time instead of complete thoughts at a time. People can jump in before you can fully present yourself.</li><li>Implied consensus because "we talked about it in the chat room."</li><li>Knee-jerk responses. You only have a small window to make your point before the writing scrolls away.</li><li>Lack of context.</li></ul>

Group chat as the primary method of communication

As a rule of thumb, use group chat in real-time sometimes, asynchronous most of the time.<ul><li>Don't expect everyone to be in chat all day.</li><li>If it's important, slow down. The conversation is not suitable for a chat room.</li><li>Announcements aren't chats. Send announcements via email or whatever that provides synchronous communication.</li><li>Give everyone a chance to have a say. Thoughtful feedback = time + an answer, not just an answer.</li><li>Treat group chats like conference calls. Limit it to three people as more can become chaotic.</li><li>Summarise instead of drip information.</li><li>It's OK to be unavailable.</li></ul>

How to make a real-time/asynchronous split work

We still lean on chat too much, and I'd like to see us make a major effort to cut back. Understanding the positives and negatives, and how they play off one another, is central to getting the most out of something. Ignoring the pros because the pros are so good, or dismissing the pros because the Cons are so bad, leaves you with a false sense of comfort and a cloudy picture of the reality on the ground.

Since then, quite a few business chat and messaging tools like Hipchat, Flowdock, Slack and others have sprung up. And we’ve since rolled group chat and instant messaging (we call them “pings”) into…

Is group chat making you sweat?

Life doesn’t owe you a thing. Every person on this planet is facing some struggle. It may be mental, it may be physical, it may be one you can totally relate to or not at all.&nbsp;Everyone has a bunch of demons locked in their closet and life offers little sympathy and help to make them go away. Whatever you want, it is your responsibility to go out there and do what’s necessary to get it — regardless of what life throws at you.

Don’t fall into the entitlement trap

When you say, “What an unbelievable performance!” all you’re really doing is placing something out of your own realm of possibility that’s actually already proven to lay inside it.<blockquote>“Give others and yourself more credit. It just happened, you witnessed it, you just did it, believe it.”</blockquote>

Never say anything is “unbelievable”

<ul><li>McConaughey’s next lesson addresses our often backward approach to finding happiness: “Happiness is an emotional response to an outcome. If I win, I will be happy, if I don’t, I won’t. It’s an if-then, cause-and-effect, quid-pro-quo standard that we cannot sustain because we immediately raise it every time we attain it. You see, happiness demands a certain outcome, it is result-reliant.”</li><li>McConaughey suggests focusing on joy instead: “It’s not a choice, not a response to some result, it is a constant. Joy is the feeling we have from doing what we are fashioned to do, no matter the outcome."</li></ul>

Seek joy, not happiness

The only way to not get dragged into a never-ending cycle of wanting more is to define success for yourself. What do you really want? If the answer is still money, that’s fine! But maybe you’d prefer being healthy and fit, having a happy family, or a thriving marriage. Maybe, you want to be famous, spiritually sound, or leave the world a better place. The answer doesn’t matter half as much as asking the question. What does success mean to me?

Define success for yourself

Instead of making choices that’ll cost us tomorrow, we can also create outcomes that pay us back. The concept of ROI — return on investment — can be applied anywhere. Whether it’s setting up the coffee maker and laying out your clothes the night before, preparing for a job interview well in advance, or not sleeping around with committed guys and gals, every choice you make that’ll leave you happier and a little more relaxed tomorrow is a choice worth making.

Make decisions you’ll be happy about tomorrow

In 2015, Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey gave the commencement address at University of Houston. Speaking to some 4,000 graduates, he shared personal stories and lessons he hoped would help…

Matthew McConaughey’s 5 Rules for a Good Future

Recruiters favour a résumé tailored for the specific job you’re seeking. They are put off by generic documents that look like they’ve been sent out time and again.
Despite this fact, most candidates don’t bother to customize their résumés. That’s quite shocking in light of the fact that most job seekers typically apply for upward of 100 to 200 jobs.

Tailor Your Versions

When it comes to length, one size does not fit all.
It used to be that the classic one-page résumé was a must. But today you’ll want to think again about what length your résumé should be. You have choices depending on how far along you are in your career.

The Right Length

If you’re wondering what must be included on your résumé, fret no more. The gold standard consists of five must-have sections.
<ul>
<li>Personal Information: 99% of résumés</li>
<li>Education: 99% of résumés</li>
<li>Work Experience: 97% of résumés</li>
<li>Résumé Summary or Objective: 95% of résumés</li>
<li>Skills: 95% of résumés</li>
</ul>
It’s important that your résumé presents a full picture of your skills and shows how they align with the requirements of the job you’re seeking.

The Basic Ingredients Of A Resume

It’s important that your résumé presents a full picture of your skills and shows how they align with the requirements of the job you’re seeking.
Soft skills are key in the workplace of the future and provide a crucial advantage, even in technical jobs. The areas most frequently noted and the proportion of résumés mentioning them: communications (14%), customer service (9%), project management (7%), time management (6%), and leadership (5%).
It’s also important to note any certifications you’ve achieved.

Share Your Skills

Today’s world is undergoing rapid change in technology, the environment, management structures, and the very shape of the workplace. Employers are looking for people who have a creative side and a life outside of work.
Reading, blogging, traveling, music, and sports are the most common hobbies listed. But don’t just list the topic—show how your hobby is relevant to your candidacy. For example, if you’re applying for a job in finance, you might put down some of the relevant books you’re reading.

A Well-Rounded Profile

5 ways to reboot your résumé this fall

It's the little things when trying to access a person.Without a doubt, one of the best life skills there are is the ability to gauge a person’s character and personality accurately. It’ll help you find stronger relationships and avoid a lot of pain and frustration.

Potent habits that can reveal a person’s character

if you notice a pattern where someone fails to follow through with any of their commitments—or regularly changes them—it can reveal someone who isn't reliable, doesn't hold themselves accountable for the things they say, or doesn’t value you all that much.

Commitments

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”

Just have a look inside the person's car and see if it was clean, organized, and tidy, or if there were food wrappers and empty soda cans everywhere. In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink:_The_Power_of_Thinking_Without_Thinking">Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking</a>, Malcolm Gladwell shared a study where the personality of 80 students was assessed by those students’ closest friends versus complete strangers who only spent 15 minutes visiting their bedrooms.

Check Their Car

We all make mistakes. But when you address it in a respectful, kind, and fair way, how do they respond?<ul><li>Do they apologize and commit to avoiding it?</li><li>Do they make excuses, get defensive, or go silent?</li><li>Do they blame you, accuse you of making it a big deal, or go back in time and list your transgressions (that they never mentioned before and have been saving just for this occasion)?</li></ul>

The Reaction Of Making A Mistake

On the other hand, if you make an honest mistake and apologize, how do they respond?<ul><li>Do they respect you and share how they feel? Do they take it in stride?</li><li>Do they make things personal and say, “You always ____” or “You never _____?”</li><li>Do they belittle you, hold a grudge, or insult your character, intelligence, etc.?</li></ul>

How they act when you make a mistake

I’ve noticed some people have a “split personality.” For example, when some guys see women they’re attracted to, they suddenly act friendly and happy; once those women leave, they're back to their old selves. I knew guys like that and, if we went out on a Saturday night, their eyes would dart all over the room searching for women as they half-listened to their own friends.The thing about people like this is they don't really have an established sense of self—who they are changes completely depending on who they talk to.

How they act with people they want something from

I once knew a guy who was obsessed with how he was portrayed on social media—his posts, profiles, and stories were designed to present him in the best light possible. Yet in reality, he was just a relatively average guy who was good at his job.We eventually had a falling out, but looking back, this was one of the biggest warning signs. Because, like on social media, he was overly concerned with how people thought of him, he made his friendships calculated, and he chased validation and approval.

Fake Social Media Life

Without a doubt, one of the best life skills there are is the ability to gauge a person’s character and personality accurately. It’ll help you find stronger relationships and avoid a lot of pain and…

7 Little Things That Can Tell You A Lot About Someone

There is no such thing as talking about yourself in a vacuum. Connection implies having two sides in the relationship.If you go into a conversation thinking only of yourself — your reputation, your goals, your achievements — the other party is going to sense that right away and you’re going to come across as self-centered and arrogant.

Believe everyone has an interesting story to tell

Yes, your work says some things about you. Certainly if what you say and what you do don’t align, you’re going to lose credibility.Don’t rely on your colleagues or friends to tell your story either. While it’s wonderful when they do, they only know a part of your life. No one else can read your mind and know your passions, your motivations, what you’ve learned, and what your dreams are.

Your the narrator of your life

Avoid the mistake of over-focusing on what you did. Nothing is more snooze-inducing than reciting a factual timeline of your life, your resume, or your achievements. The part that builds connection, that turns your story from a couple of black and white statistics into a colorful film, that adds the spice and herbs to your otherwise bland potatoes, is the passion and personal motivation behind your facts.

Find your nuggets of “why” and focus your story around those

Don’t lie about your accomplishments. Don’t stretch the truth, either. Don’t go about wearing your curriculum vitae on your forehead and ensuring that everyone in your vicinity gets exposed to your list of good deeds. If you’re telling a story where the facts emerge naturally, don’t try to hide or play down the awesome things you did because of modesty.

Don’t leave out the facts of your achievements for humility’s sake

Get to know yourself and what your most authentic and interesting responses are for the common questions you’re asked.

Know your “story clips” that you can call up in any situation

Get out there and speak up. Express yourself as you really are, in your one-of-a-kind brilliance. Be understood. And in the process, you might just find out that you aren’t alone.

Go out and tell your story

Sound familiar? Growing up, these sentiments were constant choruses in my household. If I boasted to a friend about acing a test (“SO easy!”) and was within earshot of my mom, I was sure to see her…

What to say in an interview if you were laid off

2 Questions to Deepen Learning from Life

Be a better negotiator by having a “BATNA”

How to Make the World Better and Make a Living

Career Seasons: Choosing a Role Based on the Lifestyle You Want

Virginia Roberts