Downshifting. Does it ever make sense to take a step down the career ladder? If you can get past that nagging, inborn sense that “going lower” can only be a sign of downward career mobility, the answer is yes. Taking a lesser position can help move your career forward if the job fits into a larger long-term plan. Read on to find out when a lower position might make sense, and how you can make such a transition successfully. When to take a lower position.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS | Downshifting can help mo…

Sharp readers are going to catch me stating the obvious on occasion...that's ok. Often, the most obvious is really a profound truth. Here is one that can make your life a lot more pleasant, and increase your chances of success:

Try and work and do business with people you like and respect.

Being successful in your work, career and business dealings to a large extent is about putting yourself in situations that fit.

Cultural fit. Environmental fit. Job fit. And, people fit. If you can't stand…

Checking off the boxes to being hired

Some interview questions are more important than others. Why should we hire you is the most important interview question. The question comes in two basic forms:

• Why should we hire you? Or, why you over someone else?

• What would you bring to our company?

Common Mistakes in Answering the Why Should We Hire You Question

I rarely see people do well with the why should we hire you question. Here are the most common mistakes:

• Candidate doesn’t spend enough time on the qu…

Such an innocent sounding question…No! It is a trap, and one that most people fall into. This common opener in interviews is not an invitation to recite your resume. Nor, spend 2 minutes talking about your favorite hobby. This is an opportunity – a predictable opportunity, to craft an engaging, intriguing executive summary of who you are and why you are there in the interview. There is no hard and fast rule as to how long it should be, but let’s say up to a minute.

• Interviewers are known to make …

Heather's "Marketing at Microsoft" Blog posted a really nice piece today on the true nature of networking...profiling the bad networking types, and what true networking really is. (In case you don't read it, the punchline is RELATIONSHIPS folks). I spoke on this subject last week at a presentation, so it was great to see such an insightful piece. Good read. Bad recruiter networking: ""