The Career Confidante

The federal government is still hiring during the pandemic, with more than 75 percent of positions working outside the DC metro area. To apply for federal jobs, you need to know how to find the jobs, analyze the job announcement, and submit the right documentation to stand out while complying with the process. In this episode of The Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff will welcome Robin Schlinger, a federal job search expert and award-winning federal resume writer. If you want to learn how to find a federal job on USAJOBS, determine if you qualify, and improve your chances of landing an interview, listen in!

If you are job seeking and struggling with motivation and follow-through or are a coach who seems to have clients who can't move forward no matter how much support you provide for them, trauma may be playing a role. In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Teena Evert, a holistic career development coach. Teena will share how trauma impacts career work and could be jeopardizing your work in job search, interviewing, career transition, and career advancement. Listen in to hear her four guiding principles for trauma-aware career conversations.

If you are thinking about making a career change, you are not alone! Research shows 61% of women are planning a major career change post-pandemic (and we're guessing many men are, too!). How can you change careers, improve your job search, and land a job now? In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Elizabeth Craig. Listen in as Elizabeth shares her Pro-Active 5-Step Great Work Formula on How to Be the MVP of Your Career Change (TM). She will help you learn how to know yourself better so you can energize your capabilities and leverage your accomplishments to connect with meaningful work and careers. If you want to start your career pivot on the right foot, maximize your online applications, and hear the #1 activity you are probably not doing, listen in!

How do you advance your career, find a job, build your business, or make a great first impression when everything is virtual? The new challenges of the virtual workplace mean learning new skills from how to build your personal brand inside your organization to effective webinar presentations, virtual job interviews, and beyond. In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Elisabeth Sanders-Park. Elisabeth shares her practical tips for virtual excellence that anyone can use to stand out in the virtual workplace, connect quickly during a virtual interview, or bring more video into your work as a career practitioner. If you want new ideas and a spark of motivation, listen in and soak up some of Elisabeth's contagious energy!

Do I really need to send a cover letter? If you have been wondering if anyone is reading your cover letters or what to write to make your letter stand out, you are not alone. The cover letter is often the most challenging 200 words a job seeker – or even professional resume writer – will write. It is important that your letter is targeted and connects to the reader, and there are ways to make it easier! In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Thomas Powner. Tom shares his data around how many Fortune 500 hiring managers are reading cover letters (it will surprise you!) along with tips and examples for a letter that connects to the reader, stands out from the crowd, and moves the reader to want to interview you. If you want to speed up your job search through a powerful letter, listen in!

In a competitive job market, you need a strategy to stand out throughout your job search. From the resume to the interview, there are ways you can communicate to the recruiter and hiring manager that you are the obvious choice. In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Nickquolette Barrett, Certified Career Development & LinkedIn Strategist. Nickquolette shares tips for making yourself the obvious choice throughout the job search process!

Starting a side hustle or business can seem daunting, especially during the recession, but it can be the start to a great success story! In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Wendy D. Steele, author, business advocate, and career consultant. Wendy shares her story of leaving corporate life – twice – to follow her passion of writing, first to become a literary author and then start a resume writing services business. Today, she and her team serve clients across the globe. Listen in to hear her secrets for building a client base, surviving a recession, and more!

Do you cringe when you hear the word "networking"? For many people it can feel like an ingenuine process of making connections based on our needs or desires. And, having been on the receiving end of those interactions at least once, we know we do not want to use that approach. In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Berta Medina, a speaker and coach. Berta teaches listeners tools for genuine networking and how to ignite interest. With a unique, heart-focused process, she shows how you can acquire prospects to build your business, keep loyal customers, create brand ambassadors, advance your career, or speed up your job search with the power of networking.

You know that better sleep is important for your health and work performance. But, even when there is not a pandemic, getting enough sleep is not easy! Our mindset is critical for our career advancement and job search – handling challenging conversations, being innovative in our work, and much more – and sleep is where it starts. In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Dr. Patrick Wanis, human behavior expert, and Chris Burres, scientific researcher. Dr. Wanis and Chris share practical advice to break the cycle of stress and sleeplessness so you can be more effective in your job or job search and improve your peace of mind. If you are looking for solutions to restore your state of health and sleep during this challenging time, listen in!

There are more than 200 applications for every open position, on average. How can you stand out in that sea of resumes? How can you help employers see you as the most qualified for the position? In this episode of the Career Confidante, host Marie Zimenoff welcomes Matthew Warzel, professional resume writer and President of MJW Careers. Matt and Marie explore what you need to do in your resume to capture attention and answer frequently asked questions, including how far back to go and how to format your experience on your resume. Matt also shares recruiting trends he is seeing, a few tips on connecting cold with recruiters via LinkedIn and email, and other resources for your career and job search.