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Box 16a
Friction is just about everywhere you look. But if you’re the person in charge, it’s your job to minimize it as much as possible. Every transaction, customer engagement, product delivery, etc., is going to have some level of friction. That’s true for anyone who doesn’t operate 100% by themselves. While you can never completely remove friction, reducing it pays dividends.
There are two types of friction in business: internal and external. External friction is when a company like Google has an issue that’s inconveniencing a million of their hundreds of millions of customers. That’s a big enough percentage of their user base to be worth their time to remove as much friction as possible, but an issue that affects ten people probably wouldn’t be worthwhile for them to resolve.
On the other hand, internal friction happens within your organization. Usually, it’s the result of issues with your core processes at work. I recently saw this while working with an organization that was rapidly expanding. They had one location that worked like a top — great communication, everyone knew their role, and there was a general understanding of where the bumpy areas were, and how those issues were to be dealt with.
My client took this to mean that they had great, easily transferable processes. Not so. What they had was a stable, well-informed team that knew how to problem-solve together. Trying to expand this institutional knowledge to the new team, my client quickly found that their processes were not as infallible as they’d believed.
When presented with the same problem, the first team would go left, while the second team decided that right seemed to be the way to go. When they had the first team help document the procedures they’d established, the second team found that several of these solutions and ways of doing things were organic workarounds rather than logical answers. This illuminated areas of friction and the ability to correct processes and procedures that would no longer require the workarounds. If they hadn’t tried to scale, who knows if they’d have found those improvements?
Perhaps ironically, friction is often the result of experienced professionals trying to make things run more smoothly. For example, a salesperson tries to enter an order but finds they can’t fill out all 19 boxes on the sales screen. As a result, they can’t complete the order. This problem comes from someone in accounting who, wanting to be as efficient as possible, realized that order forms would go more easily for them if everything was placed in its corresponding box.
That sounds great in theory, but in practice, this salesperson doesn’t know what to put in box 16a, and that’s creating a lot of friction in completing their orders. To remove that friction, the salesperson would need a way to opt out of filling in that box or better options so they don’t have to force the customer into something that doesn’t fit. But accounting might not appreciate that. Your role is to work that out for everyone. That might be you doing it, or it might be appointing someone capable of seeing all aspects and being empowered to resolve them.
For your own business, figure out where you’re getting in your own way selling products because of friction. These are places where there’s anxiety or stress on a team, and I’d highly encourage investing some time looking for these areas throughout your organization. The trendy term for these is pain points, and finding these areas of heavy lifting is crucial to reducing friction.
Sometimes, discovering points of friction takes some sleuthing. Other times it’s easy and you can walk into a department and ask them what the dumbest thing they do all day is. Sometimes you’ll get good answers, and sometimes you’ll get bad answers. Either way, keep asking. By operating in good faith and listening, you’ll be able to learn a lot about the role of friction in your organization.
When I started managing a new regional branch, I found that the most productive use of my time for the first week was to interview managers and sub-managers to find these pain points. There were some issues I couldn’t fix, of course, but there were many more that I could. This turned out to be a great way to make a good first impression with the new team as well as reducing friction with minimal costs, which benefited the organization, the team, and our customers.
Ultimately, the higher in the ranks that I rose, the more my goal became simplified to two essential points. The first part of that goal was setting a direction for the organization. The second part was getting out of the way. Clear yourself and as many hurdles as possible from your team’s path, and you’re removing friction. This way, your people will be able to accomplish the big picture things you want them to get done instead of being caught up shouting expletives at a screen because they aren’t able to fill out box 16a.
Practice Makes Perfect
Interviewing is hard work. I tell my clients, “You can prepare for 1,000 questions – and you will get asked question 1,001 – the one for which you did not prepare.”
Most of the hiring managers I have interviewed and spoken to about applicant interviews – they all tell me: “The applicants are not prepared, and it is obvious.”
One hiring manager was interviewing an early-career applicant. She could see he was nervous, and she decided to “break the ice” by asking him to tell her about himself. He asked, “What do you want to know?” She told me that because of his response, the interview was basically over. She assessed his response as unprepared, unwilling to engage, and uninterested in the process.
The hiring managers tell me that applicants do not do their homework:
- They are unaware of the company’s mission and vision
- They are unaware of the company’s competitors
- They are unaware of the company’s key leaders
- They sometimes do not even know for sure which company they are interviewing for
- They do not have a professional background during a Zoom or an asynchronous interview
- They do not present coherent responses – instead, they ramble and respond with 10+ minute stories that make no sense and have no tangible result
- They do not listen to the questions, and instead of answering a direct question, they answer using their rote memorized responses
Interview Coaching
As career coaches, we can help our clients navigate the interview process and progress through it effectively. Through interview coaching, I engage my clients in rigorous interview preparation and practice phases.
First, I ask them to prepare and write 12 accomplishment stories in the CPR (Context, Process, Results) format. These CPR stories position the client to respond to behavior-based questions. Most behavior-based questions are open-ended questions and begin with “describe a time, explain, or tell me about…”
These 12 stories will serve well for potentially dozens of questions.
For example, if the client prepares a story that says something like:
Context: As the estimator, engineer, and project manager for a small company specializing in the design and installation of customized commercial windows, aluminum doors, sliding glass doors, storefronts, and curtain wall systems, I collaborated with the owners and their representatives to develop the optimal system for their projects. I noticed that larger general contracting firms tended to obtain the contracts even if it was not their specialty. I decided to diversify our core business as a means of sustaining our operations and competing with larger contractors. I recommended to leadership that if we bid on smaller projects with smaller profit margins and diversified into other construction areas that were not our core business, we could increase revenue by bidding on lower-value, smaller projects. Management staff were only bidding on large projects as they believed it would bring higher profits, and they pushed back against my innovative concept.
Process: Taking action, I developed a plan that included bidding on smaller projects, utilizing a highly visible construction project as a pilot. I drafted a proposal to renovate and modernize a school for a contractor. I saw this as a long-term partnership and solution. We had a strong possibility of securing return business if we provided them with a competitive proposal and completed the project on budget and within their schedule. Leadership reluctantly approved my request, and I developed a proposal worth a total cost of $50,000 to furnish and install the windows. I led the project, selected the team, and trained them, and we completed the project on schedule, achieving the predicted small profit margin. The quality of the work we provided, along with the professionalism of the team, had the intended positive effect.
Results: As a result of my strategic plan, innovation, changing leadership’s mindset, and taking a risk on smaller projects, my company was awarded a “no-bid” contract with a contractor for a 10-year period. What began as a $ 50,000 project netted over $20 million in business across our core areas and the new, diversified construction areas, which I had predicted would be the future. Additionally, I was designated as the primary representative from my company. I provided them with proposals for all projects and was also selected to assist in developing solutions to address their construction challenges.
This story can then be used for many potential questions covering varied skill sets and competencies:
| Skill Set or Competency | Behavior-Based Question | Potential Response Based on the CPR Stories |
| Conflict Management: | Describe a conflict you addressed and how you resolved it. | Created a plan and influenced management to allow my plan to unfold by using a pilot program |
| Key Career Accomplishment: | Describe a significant career accomplishment. | Describe the story and highlight the multi-million-dollar revenue production for the company. |
| Team Leadership: | Describe your leadership/team leadership. | Selected a team for this vital project, trained the team, and motivated the project team to meet all milestones. Nominated them for monetary awards and professionally expanded the team to take on additional projects. |
| Project Management: | Describe a time you managed a project, the team, and the outcome. | Describe the entire story and focus on PM principles and methodologies. Describe the proposal development and pilot project. |
| Resource Management: | Give an example of managing resources and the outcome. | Tell the story and describe the management of money, expand on the budgeting aspect, and describe the talent management and training of the team. |
He can use this one story to answer questions about conflict management, project management, resource management, key accomplishments, team leadership, and more. If he uses the story and is asked another question where he knows he wants to use this story again, the client says, “As I described in my previous response, I also worked with _____________. Let me tell you more.” He spins the storyline to address the new question, focusing on a specific competency or skill set.
Each of the 12 stories a client develops will work within a grid, allowing the applicant to practice telling the stories and identifying which competencies and skill sets will work best based on the question posed by the interviewer. This process prevents the client from having to develop responses to 1,000 questions.
After my client has developed their stories and we refine them together, I engage the client in live/Zoom interview practice sessions, so they can become comfortable answering the questions and thinking about the questions posed.
I record the sessions, I time their responses (four to six-minute responses are plenty in most cases), and take copious notes. If a client lapses into responding to questions with answers like, “I am a hard worker and will make you successful,” I remind them to listen carefully to each question and respond with specific facts and stories of their accomplishments.
If a client veers off and jumbles a response, I coach them to review their CPR story and use the framework/grid to refocus their responses.
I always ask them, “What value does your response bring to the potential employer?”
This interviewing coaching process provides great confidence for my clients. I engage them in several interview coaching sessions to refine their experience and comfort with the interview process.
US Job Market Shows Signs of Cooling, But Resilience Remains in Key Sectors
The U.S. labor market showed mixed signals in March, as job openings fell to their lowest level since 2024 while hiring remained steady, and layoffs stayed relatively unchanged. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics points to a job market that’s no longer overheating but not in free fall either.
Total job openings dropped to 7.2 million, down from 7.4 million in February and nearly 1 million fewer than a year ago. This decline suggests companies are reining in recruitment efforts amid growing concerns over inflation, interest rates, and global instability. Yet despite the dip, the market remains far more dynamic than during pre-pandemic years, with hiring still strong in some sectors.
“This is what a gradual soft landing looks like,” said labor economist Diane Reynolds. “The job market isn’t crashing, but it’s certainly cooling off from the rapid growth of the past two years.”
Hiring Holds Steady—But Not Everywhere
Employers added 5.4 million new hires in March, matching February’s pace. The healthcare sector once again led the way, adding more than 51,000 jobs. Transportation and warehousing also saw strong gains (+29,000), likely boosted by pre-summer supply chain preparation.
Other industries experiencing hiring momentum include:
- Financial Services and Social Assistance, both of which continue to respond to growing demand for support and advisory roles.
- Education Services, particularly in early childhood and special education, saw modest increases.
However, this strength was not universal. Job losses hit several sectors hard, including:
- Technology, which shed an estimated 29,000 jobs, continues a trend of restructuring as companies shift priorities and consolidate roles.
- Manufacturing, particularly in automotive and electronics, where ongoing tariff tensions have created uncertainty.
- The Federal Government saw a reduction of 9,000 roles due to departmental streamlining.
Corporate Layoffs: A New Normal?
While the layoff rate held steady at 1.6 million, the headlines tell a different story. A number of high-profile employers announced major job cuts in Q1 and Q2, including:
- UPS eliminated 20,000 roles amid automation initiatives.
- Chevron cut up to 9,000 jobs in energy and support services.
Meta, Microsoft, Workday, and others in tech continued workforce reductions tied to AI integrations and operational shifts.
Estée Lauder, Kohl’s, and Wayfair trimmed staff as the retail sector realigns around post-COVID consumer behaviors.
Universities and media companies were also affected. Johns Hopkins University cut over 2,000 staff, while CNN, Grubhub, and the Washington Post implemented smaller but notable workforce reductions.
“We’re seeing a trend where companies are getting leaner not because they’re failing, but because they’re preparing,” noted HR strategist Carla Grant. “They’re streamlining for agility and cost-efficiency.”
Engagement Falls to a 10-Year Low
Even as the labor market avoids a dramatic downturn, employee engagement has quietly slipped into crisis territory. Gallup’s latest research shows only 31% of U.S. workers are actively engaged in their jobs – the lowest figure since 2014.
Among the key drivers:
- Unclear expectations: Just 44% of employees report knowing what’s expected of them at work.
- Lack of purpose: Only 30% feel connected to their organization’s mission.
- Wellbeing concerns: A mere 21% believe their employer genuinely cares about them.
Perhaps most concerning, managers, the people expected to drive culture and performance, saw the sharpest drop in engagement, falling to just 27%.
Hybrid Work Offers a Glimmer of Hope
One bright spot: flexibility. About 74% of U.S. companies now offer some form of hybrid work, which research shows can increase autonomy, reduce burnout, and help retention.
“It’s not just about location – it’s about control,” said workforce researcher Maya Jenkins. “Employees feel more engaged when they have a say in how and where they work.”
A Delicate Balancing Act Ahead
As 2025 progresses, the U.S. labor market seems to be tiptoeing the line between resilience and retreat. While certain industries continue to grow and unemployment remains relatively low, companies are hiring more cautiously, trimming headcounts where needed, and rethinking workforce structures in response to new technology and economic headwinds.
For job seekers, this means focusing on industries with sustained demand, like healthcare, logistics, and financial services, while keeping a close eye on employer stability and culture.
As the job market shifts, one thing is clear: adaptability and clarity, both from workers and employers, will be key to staying ahead.
The Most Nervous Person in the Room
“The words ‘job interview’. . .are a red flag. Danger ahead. Our instinctual brain causes us to react before we have analyzed the threat. Overthinking whips us into a state of constant anxiety and stress in the days leading up to . . . a job interview. . .” – upliftrecruitment.au, March 2025
In this article I hope to give you ways to help defuse some of that anxiety in your clients. A proven approach is to complete the phrase in the title above, but with an unexpected, and stress-relieving answer. Here it is: the most nervous person in the room is the interviewer.
Explain your words by tracing how every position is created. It all starts when an employee sees the need for a collection of knowledge, skills, abilities, and passions. These are often approximated by a job title. Let’s explore this with an example:
As the vice president of sales from my company, I’m convinced we need a new district sales manager. I’ve done my homework. But I can’t advertise the position or begin to interview candidates. That’s because it’s not my money to make this hire. It’s the company’s money.
So I must go down the hall to my boss. Only she can approve the funding. And in the back of my mind I remember she has hiring and firing power over me. Here’s how the conversation plays out:
“Boss, I’ve been thinking this out and I would so appreciate your enthusiastic support to allow me to hire a new district sales manager.”
I know the next words I will hear: “We can’t afford that!”
If I’m going to leave this meeting with my credibility intact I can only give her one answer. And it’s the answer that underlies every hiring decision made.
“Boss, I’m so confident about this I’m going to give you my personal pledge: the next district sales manager I hire will make our company a lot more money than it takes for me to find her, hire her, and retain her!”
I now have instant approval. And I have just signed up to be the primary interviewer.
But I’m worried. I see district sales managers in other companies who are not very good at what they do. And I think someone just like me chose that person as the best in a field of eligibles. If he could make that mistake so could I.
My boss and I know the cost of replacing an individual is roughly equal to three times the annual salary. Since that number is roughly $90K in the United States, any mistake I make will cost more than a quarter of a million dollars. No wonder I’m the most nervous person in the world!
But what a great opportunity for our clients if we expand their view. It is so natural for them to concentrate on themselves. But suppose we told them each interview is a great opportunity to help the very person who may get them hired.
This requires us to rise well above the toxic folklore to be seen everywhere, particularly in social media channels. You’ve seen those lists of the top 25 (or is it 75?) interview questions. The suggestion is salvation lies in knowing all those questions. All job seekers must do is memorize each question, associate it with the “correct” answer, and respond fluently and flawlessly, no matter in what sequence they appear or which words the interviewer uses!
It never occurs to thousands what it would have to take for those lists to be true. Even then, the approach is impossible. The authors suggest they coordinated with thousands of hiring officials in every career field and industry you can imagine and got all of them to agree not only on the questions but on the answers as well.
But there is a much more powerful and successful approach, limited to a single question our clients must remember! Our clients must get the hiring official to tell them what keeps them up at night when it comes to their specialty.
After all, all our clients are hired as problem solvers. By asking the question, they give themselves and the hiring official opportunities to explore issues most important to both of them.
I also remind my clients of something I am vain enough to call Orlando’s First Law of Employment when they deal with a company:
Everything you see
Everything you hear
Is condoned or encouraged by the leadership
Without exception!
If my client gets a general answer, it shows the interviewer doesn’t know what the biggest question is. And he’s already employed! If my client took this job, he would get no guidance and be set up to fail.
Fortunately, most interviewers can describe the problem. That puts both interviewers and applicants on very comfortable ground.
Here is where our clients prove their value. They tell the interviewer which problem they solved, how they did it, what the results were, and if there’s any particular context. Thanks to you, they will be very comfortable because you spent considerable time getting just that information, in just that order, as you put together their résumé and LinkedIn profile.
There is only one correction we need to make. Most job seekers, when they tell these stories, do so chronologically. That makes sense. That’s the way we live our lives. But when interviewers hear extended streams of background information first, they lose interest fast. So we remind our clients to always put the bottom line at the top.
Let me give you an example drawn from a recent résumé. Here’s how that story appeared:
Finding Potential Others Missed
Payoffs: Retained top performer who reacted very emotionally to hiring event he thought worked against him. Made time to listen – really listen – to his concerns. Soon recognized the stress of the moment was more than offset by his years of service. Kept $4M contract on course.
Now let’s listen in to the interview:
Interviewer: “Can you tell me about a time you had to deal with a demanding employee?”
My client: “I’ll give you the details in a moment. But here’s the bottom line: I retained a valuable team member when others urged me to fire him.
When I had to reorganize my division, one of my team members became irate. Because he had always been so capable, I made time to really listen to his concerns.
I soon realized he’d misinterpreted what I said. By keeping him on my team, everybody won. We continued to benefit from all we had invested in him. He felt his ideas counted. We both saw the need to think things through before we acted.
More often than we would like, some interviewers ask questions which are unclear. In that case, I suggest my clients answer those questions just as most US presidents conduct press conferences. They answer the question the interviewer should have asked, not the question they did ask.
The clients’ brand we both worked so hard to sharpen carries the day. I remind clients to fold in those brand elements in the interview. Those are things my client promises to demonstrate to the target company from day one. Here they are for the client I just described:
- Guide entry into new markets fast
- Transform change from threat to opportunity
- Think and act strategically
- Find potential others miss
- Maintain a healthy work setting
Please notice this provides the answer to the most critical question clients will ever encounter: “Why should we hire you?”
Many applicants focus on what they did in the past. That focuses on things done for other companies months and years ago. It’s backward looking.
But the intent of the question was focused on the company’s future. The question could have been posed this way: “What will you do to help our company prosper?” That’s very much forward looking.
This approach gives our clients confidence in three ways. First, it reminds them how capable they are.
Second, we should remind clients when companies ask them to interview, they think our clients are qualified. Why would firms ever interview someone they would never consider hiring?
Finally, we should point out our clients interview several times every day on the job! The boss says: “Jim, we have a problem.” Jim asks what the problem entails. There is a brief discussion. Then Jim works to resolve the difficulty. That is an interview! And it is directly related to job performance! Interviewing is something our clients already know they are good at.
Now I hope you have the tools you and your clients need so they see themselves, truly, as the most confident person in the room!
The Resume as Interview Prep
A résumé is more than a job application tool—it’s a foundation for interview success. Many clients don’t realize how the résumé writing process helps them clarify their story, highlight accomplishments, and build confidence. As their résumé writer, you can show them how it prepares them for the next step.
- The Story Gets Clarified | Writing a résumé forces clients to reflect on their career journey, uncovering patterns of growth, skills, and achievements. Seeing this transformation in a polished narrative helps them articulate their strengths with clarity, often for the first time.
- Key Accomplishments Get Identified | The C-A-R story model (or its many variations) used to build effective bullet statements on paper is the same model that works verbally in the interview. This is especially effective for articulating the value of soft skills.
- Skills Get Aligned | Working with you, the client learns to speak about the most relevant experiences that match the employer’s needs.
- Confidence Gets Boosted | A strong representation of their skills and qualifications helps your client feel more prepared for the rigor and uncertainty of responding to questions.
- The Discussion Gets a Roadmap | The résumé acts as a built-in roadmap since interviewers often draw from its content. It provides talking points to the interviewer. Clients who know their résumés inside and out will be ready to expand on these key points.
- Gaps and Weaknesses Get Addressed | The résumé writing process helps identify potential red flags, such as employment gaps, career transitions, or lack of specific qualifications. By discussing these with you, clients can prepare clear explanations rather than being caught off guard.
- Personal Branding Gets Strengthened | Crafting a résumé involves defining a client’s unique value proposition—the combination of skills, experience, and personality that sets them apart. This same branding message can then be reinforced in interviews, cover letters, and networking conversations, creating a consistent and compelling professional identity.
PARWCC members include some of the most skilled interview coaches in the industry. Clients who struggle with performance can benefit greatly from expert coaching. These professionals specialize in interview success, and résumé writers should consider partnering with at least one reputable coach to provide clients with a full spectrum of career support. But don’t underestimate your link in the service chain.
A well-crafted résumé isn’t just a document—it’s a foundation for career success. As a résumé writer, you’re not just writing words on a page; you’re shaping careers and preparing clients for the next step in their career journey. Your process matters, even if it’s more informal than working with a dedicated coach.
When clients walk into interviews prepared and ready to shine, your influence is clear. By guiding clients beyond the page toward a bigger picture, you solidify your role as a trusted career partner.
“A strong résumé doesn’t just open doors—it gives clients the confidence to walk through them.”
Successful Job Interviews Come Down to a Simple Philosophy
All things being equal, hiring decision-makers hire those candidates they come to know, like, and trust. This is a simple philosophical concept that is pretty much a constant throughout the hiring process. It comes down to, “Do I know you and like you well enough to trust that you can perform as expected when hired?”
In today’s volatile, technology-driven job market, outstanding resumes often get job candidates into interviews, but they don’t secure job offers. All things being equal, when choosing between competing candidates, employers hire people they come to know, like, and trust – and this only occurs in interviews. There, the human dynamics of verbal and, especially, nonverbal communications take over. It’s here, in this face-to-face collaboration we call an interview, where even the most qualified job candidates will falter if they do not come across as likable and trustworthy.
To achieve this trifecta requires a new interview prep strategy (Refer to PARWCC’s CIC certification: https://parwcc.com/certified-interview-coach-cic/). It involves communicating the ultimate results one can produce while simultaneously demonstrating cultural fit and values alignment. And then there’s the skill of creating genuine likability, a skill that extends beyond rapport building. I’ve interviewed hiring managers who have, on rare occasion, hired candidates who were not the best candidate or fit. But no one has ever told me they hired someone they didn’t like. So elite interviewing means taking these three concepts – being known, liked, and trusted – and communicating and demonstrating these attributes at higher levels than their competition.
Communicating Results One Can Deliver, Generate or Produce
First and foremost, companies hire people to solve problems and achieve specific results – trusting a job candidate can perform to expectation. A job candidate’s ability to clearly articulate what they can deliver, generate or produce in exchange for a paycheck is all-important. That’s the trust part – where potential employers gain a trust that a job candidate can meet and exceed their expectations. Employers need to envision and believe they will get a solid return on their investment in a new hire.
- Speak to the Employer’s Emotions: Outcomes are key. Rather than focusing solely on duties and responsibilities from past jobs, it’s important to address outcomes because past results indicate future potential. Numbers and metrics documented on resumes and in interviews create tangible proof of one’s value, so the more precise the results are when presented in interviews, the more leverage one has at winning a job offer.
- Tailor the Message: Seek first to understand the needs and goals of the company one is interviewing with, and then customize one’s presentation to address those needs and goals. And the messages must be emotionally enticing. It’s often called the ‘indispensability message’. It answers the question, what is it that makes you indispensable and highly valued? Like the movie, The Godfather, interviewees must communicate in such a way as to make interviewers an offer they can’t refuse. That offer is called the indispensability message.
- Provide Proof: Prepare specific, metric-driven accomplishments / achievements to provide real-world examples of results job candidates delivered, generated, and produced in the past. In reality, it is not storytelling, it is providing evidence of when and how job candidates contributed results in the past, that would indicate future potential. In most cases, this evidence – verifiable proof of producing past results – leads to building the trust factor. Ultimately, a job candidate’s objective is to leave no doubt that hiring them will deliver measurable, meaningful benefits to the company.
Demonstrating Cultural Fit and Value Alignment
An employee’s ability to produce results means little if they don’t mesh with the company’s culture and values. Cultural fit ensures that one will thrive in the environment and contribute positively to the team dynamics. Company cultures vary widely, but some common examples include collaborative, innovative, customer-centric, purpose-driven, and inclusive cultures. Collaborative cultures emphasize teamwork and open communication, while innovative cultures encourage creativity and risk-taking. Customer-centric cultures prioritize exceptional service, and purpose-driven cultures focus on a company’s mission and values. Inclusive cultures value diversity and create a sense of belonging for all employees.
- Understand the Culture: Before the interview, job candidates must research the company’s values, mission statement, and recent news. It’s easy to browse their social media, seek out employee reviews, and study their website. Are they formal or relaxed? Innovative or traditional? Community-focused or bottom-line driven? Dress codes, culture background, education, language, and appearance, are just some of the values-centered aspects that make up a company’s culture.
- Uncover the Company’s Hidden Culture: A hidden culture and values system may exist… but are not readily noticeable or accessible. Perhaps management styles are different than what is noted on a website or even during the interview. Maybe a stressful work environment exists when the environment was initially introduced as low-key and easy going. Often, there is a discrepancy between what the company posts on the website, and how certain people in the organization actually behave. If one knows the name of the person they are interviewing with, they can Google that person and look for values-based intelligence to address in upcoming interviews.
- Ask Insightful Questions: Questions like, “How would you describe the company’s culture?” or “What traits do successful team members typically share here?” show one’s interest in fitting in and thriving within the organization. “How would you describe the ideal candidate’s values and character?” is another strong question. When employers see job candidates as “one of us,” they feel safer and more confident offering them the job.
Building the Likeability Factor (Beyond Rapport)
While skills and fit are critical, likeability often tips the hiring scales. It’s about more than surface-level rapport; it’s about whether people feel comfortable with the job candidate, enjoy interacting with them, and believe working with them will be a positive experience.
- Mirror the Company’s Language and Attitude: During the interview, use verbal and nonverbal communications that reflect the interviewer’s / hiring decision maker’s communication style. If the interviewer sits forward, job candidates should sit forward. If the interviewer doesn’t smile much, the job candidate shouldn’t smile much. If the interviewer is highly engaged or laid back, job candidates should replicate that style. Likeable is created by demonstrating personality and cultural similarities – not differences.
- Be Engaged: People naturally like those who show sincere interest in them. Job candidates must be taught and inspired to listen more during the interview; to be fully engaged. It helps to nod, smile, and respond thoughtfully. When job seekers demonstrate that they are paying attention and are fully present, that speaks volumes in tipping the likeability scale in their favor.
- Display Authenticity: Authenticity resonates. Job candidates must come across as reliable and believable. This requires practice – mock interview training. It’s important that job candidates come across as confident, poised, and professional – not rehearsed or robotic. Genuine enthusiasm is contagious and leaves a lasting impression.
- Beware of the Twin Scenarios: Job candidates must be confident but not cocky, humble but not timid, proactive but not domineering, and they must demonstrate empathy but not weakness. Likeability often comes down to whether the interviewer thinks, “Would I want to work with this person every day?” The goal is to aim to make the answer an ‘easy yes.’
Tying It All Together: The Integrated Approach
Winning the job offer isn’t about excelling in just one of these areas. It’s about integrating all three into a cohesive narrative that answers the employer’s silent question: “Can I trust this person to deliver results, fit into our culture, and be someone we want to work with?”
The Coach’s Mission:
Prepare Thoroughly: Challenge job candidates to research the company, study the job description, and craft emotional communication that demonstrates results, fit, and personality. Practice articulating these without sounding rehearsed. There is no substitute for mock interview sessions to achieve mastery.
Be Strategic: Early in the interview, job candidates must establish themselves as professional and credible candidates that can deliver, generate, and produce results worthy of a paycheck. Coaches help job seekers create specific strategies, tools, and priorities to ace interviews, because no two interviews are ever the same. Each requires its own tactical preparation.
Simplicity is a Strategy: Interviewing, for most people, is uncomfortable at best, and terrorizing at the other end of the emotional spectrum. Public speaking ranks right up there, fear-wise, with death, snakes, heights, and being buried alive. So within the realm of interview coaching, keeping it as simple as possible helps job candidates focus on what really matters, in a confident and understandable manner.
Conclusion
Hiring decisions are rarely made on skills alone. Employers hire those they know, like, and trust. By clearly communicating the results one can produce, demonstrating that they fit seamlessly into a company’s culture and values system, and by cultivating genuine likeability, job candidates make it easy for employers to say, ‘welcome to our company’.
From Stats to Strategy: Why Career Coaches Need Labor Market Literacy
If you’ve ever felt like the phrase “the job market is weird right now” is coming up in every client session (or career-related conversation), you’re not wrong.
It is weird.
It’s been weird.
And it’s probably going to stay weird for a while.
But here’s the million-dollar question: can you explain why the market feels weird? And, more importantly, are you informed enough to tell them what to do about it?
Weird doesn’t mean unpredictable—if you know where to look, and I want to make sure you know where to look!
Last month, I kicked off the Thrive conference with a half-day bootcamp, including a session all about the Career Economy and the Data Every Coach Should Know.
It was packed with stats, trends, and decoding tools to help you take your market knowledge to the next level and become even more invaluable to your clients.
Let’s talk about why data matters in our world and how to use it to your advantage.
Labor Market Literacy Is a Differentiator
You don’t need to be an economist to talk about market trends, but if you’re coaching job seekers or writing resumes in today’s environment, you do need to understand what’s happening in the hiring world and how it impacts your clients.
Here’s what clients really want to know:
- Why is it taking so long to land a new role?
- How long should I expect my job search to take?
- Is now a bad time to job search?
- Am I doing something wrong—or is this just the market?
If your only answer is “Yeah, it’s tough out there,” you’re missing an opportunity to lead and add value to your services. When you can pair strategy with insight, you shift from service provider to strategic partner.
What Data Should You Actually Pay Attention To?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the acronyms and reports, so here’s a TL;DR breakdown of my go-to data sources that you can start using right away:
- Bureau of Labor and Statistics [BLS] Economic Situation and JOLTS Reports (Job Openings and Labor Turnover): Want to know where new jobs are being created, hiring is slowing, or how many people are leaving jobs? Start here.
- LinkedIn Workforce Reports: Great for regional trends, in-demand skills, and industry-specific metrics.
- Gallup Workplace Reports: Provides insights into employee engagement and satisfaction levels as a measure of overall workforce sentiment.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Long-term projections for job growth and career viability are broken down by career track, which is especially helpful for career changers.
You don’t need to follow every source down to the nitty gritty (good luck keeping your sanity if you try). A quick skim to keep your finger on the pulse will help you translate data into useful real-time actions for clients.
The Three-Question Decoder
To keep it simple, I teach coaches to run every stat, trend, or economic article through this filter:
- What’s changing?
- Who does it impact?
- What strategy should my clients deploy?
Here’s a quick example:
Let’s say job openings are down in tech, and remote postings are declining.
→ That’s what’s changing.
→ It impacts job seekers looking for remote-first roles in software or startups.
→ So maybe we coach them to expand location flexibility, broaden their target companies, or shift expectations around timelines.
Context can make a world of difference to a client who is fearful and frustrated while also reinforcing your expertise. Win-win!
Turn Stats Into Strategy
Here’s how to use labor market insights to elevate your coaching practice:
✅ Set realistic expectations: Clients feel more grounded when you explain why things are occurring in a certain way.
✅ Reframe “rejection”: Sometimes it’s not them. It’s the market. That knowledge can preserve confidence and keep people in the game.
✅ Target smarter searches: Data tells us where growth is happening and what skills are in demand. Use that to direct networking, upskilling, and outreach efforts.
✅ Stand out as a guide: Coaches who can translate complexity into clarity become indispensable. Period.
Your Clients Deserve More Than “It’s a Tough Market”
They deserve context.
They deserve a strategy.
They deserve a partner who understands economic conditions and how to respond.
You don’t need to be a data analyst. You just need to be curious, informed, and willing to spend a few minutes each month checking the pulse of the career economy.
That’s how you elevate your voice, differentiate your business, and lead clients through the chaos with calm and confidence.
Here’s your challenge this month:
Pick one labor market source and start following it.
→ Skim the BLS JOLTS summary.
→ Glance at LinkedIn’s latest workforce snapshot.
→ Read one article about Q2 hiring trends.
Then ask yourself:
- What changed?
- Who does it impact?
- And how can I help my clients respond?
Stay curious, stay informed, and keep leading with impact. You’ve got this—and your clients will thank you for it.
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie Callen, CPRW, CPCC
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