As the familiar saying goes, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression". So, let’s just hope the first impression that you DO make is a positive one – especially when you’re in the market for a new job!

When looking for employment, most people meticulously update their resume, choose the perfect power suit, and arrive extra early for the interview; however, there is one crucial detail that some people seriously overlook--it is their email address. Over the years, Ignite has received numerous resumes and cover letters from applicants with email addresses that make one stand back and say, “You’ve GOT to be kidding!”

I first recall receiving a resume from pimpintraining@xyz.com. Needless to say, that individual did not get a call to schedule an interview! Since then, I have become somewhat obsessed with people’s email addresses and in essence, what their address “says” about the individual. Recently, iamanut@xyz.com and iambored@xyz.com came across my desk. I asked myself, “Are these applicants trying to be funny? Are they even aware of how silly they sound? Do they think a potential employer will seriously consider applicants who describe themselves as a nut and/or bored?” “Is princesstrish@xyz.net really from royalty or is she just high maintenance?”

yohomey@xyz.com, butterymama@xyz.com and bigboobs@xyz.com may be highly qualified for the job, but they already have a strike against them, before I even open their resume. Not only are these email addresses unprofessional and inappropriate, they also lead one to believe that the applicants are not to be taken seriously.

Do you want a potential employer to notice you because of your comical email address or because of your skills and credentials? Do yourself a favor and create a professional email address on yahoo, hotmail, or gmail--it only takes a few seconds and could make the difference between your resume getting put into the “yes” file or the “circular” one!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been assisting a client who is looking to hire an office manager for her small firm. Not being a full time recruiter, I’ve been overwhelmed sorting through the plethora of cover letters and resumes, weeding out the under/over qualified ones, and setting up telephone screening interviews with those who seem to fit the basic job requirements.

Research indicates that employers will spend no more than 30 seconds (and that’s if you’re lucky) reading a cover letter to determine if it’s worth their time to read further into the resume. So, what makes a cover letter stand out with a positive impression, so the hiring manager wants to learn more about you?

Well, based on my recent experience, here are a few “What NOT to Do’s” , if you want to be considered for the first phase of the selection process:
• Don’t misspell the name of the company or the person to whom you’re applying. (It’s almost like calling your new girlfriend by your old girlfriend’s name. Never a good thing!)
• Don’t embed smiley faces or cartoons in your letter. (Unless, of course, you’re six years old and looking to join a Brownie Troop, a :-) is not appropriate!)
• Avoid overdoing it with descriptive words about yourself. One candidate wrote, “I am smart, reliable, organized, calm, happy, easygoing, hardworking, dedicated, loyal, honest and tenacious” all in one sentence. (Wow! It’s a good thing she didn’t write that she is concise and to the point.)
• Don’t write your entire life story in a cover letter; on the other hand, don’t be too brief and overly familiar. One candidate simply wrote, “Cheers!” and signed her name.
• Unless you’re applying for a role in a religious organization, don’t put quotes from the Bible, Koran, etc. (You may think Jesus is “the way”, but keep it to yourself).
• Be sure not to claim that you’re a detail-oriented individual and fail to catch even one spelling error in your letter.
• Above all, don’t fail to ask someone who has good editing skills to proofread your letter (as well as your resume and any other correspondence to a potential employer) for grammar, spelling, formatting, etc. You only have a few brief seconds to make that first impression – make sure it’s a positive and professional one and takes you to the next step of landing the job!

So…make sure that your cover letter is concise, professional and grammatically correct. Gear the letter to the specific person/company to whom you are applying and wait for that telephone to ring or for that awaited email response!

When you have employment cutbacks, and as a result, have less people on your team, everyone’s contribution becomes even more important. This is why it is critical to take the time to select the “best fit” when you finally have a job opening on your team and are hiring a new employee.

We’ve learned from experience that when you hire someone who is obviously not a good fit for the job or the organization, telling the person early on, saves time, frustration, etc., on everyone’s part. When the situation is not so obvious however, it can be quite uncomfortable. Even though each party may eventually come to the same conclusion, both parties may make great attempts to make it work, investing more time, more pain, etc. My intention is not to be discouraging, but instead to be encouraging. Selecting a candidate who is a “best fit” is a skill that can be learned. With just a few shifts in your interviewing process, you can improve the way you select talent and ultimately enhance the productivity and cohesiveness of your team.

Start with a clear assessment of the “ideal” qualities that define a best fit for your job opening:

1) Write out a detailed job description, as well as a list of the qualities you are looking for in a new employee (i.e., organizational and time management skills, composure under pressure, team player, professional telephone skills, ability to work with clients, etc.) Clearly defining these will help you design the best questions to ask in the interview.

2) Choose five of the most important qualities from your list and create two behavior-based interview questions for each of these five qualities. Behavior-based questions ask for a specific example from a past job where the person demonstrated the quality in a “real life” situation. This will give you insight to the qualities he/she actually possesses and will most likely demonstrate in your job. (Past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior.)

3) Instead of asking a closed-ended (yes/no) question such as, “Are you good with clients?” ask, “Tell me about a time when you were with a client and they demanded something you were not sure you could deliver?” A second question might be, “Give me an example of an interaction you had with a client when you turned a difficult situation into a positive one?” The candidate’s responses will give you a concrete picture and allow you to determine if he/she works well with clients.

By asking ten behavior-based questions, (two for each of the five qualities) as well as specific questions about the applicant’s job experience and technical skills, you will have a strong understanding of the candidate and the attributes he/she will bring to your job.

While behavioral questioning is not a guarantee, it certainly will tip the odds in your favor to select the “best fit” for your job, your team and your organization!

So which is it? There seems to be a wide variety of opinions concerning the value of executive coaching. Some say it is the profession that people choose when they get tired of working and so they become a consultant, and that this person’s input is a waste of time. Others swear by executive coaching and some even say it changed their lives and careers. As an executive coach myself, I engage in both sides of this conversation with sincere interest. So is executive coaching fuel for the leader to improve or folly?
I believe that the answer to this question comes down to the person who is selected as the coach and how the selection process is structured. Just like most things you search for - a good doctor, dentist, hair stylist or mechanic - it generally comes down to how well you know what you want and how good you are at researching who the real deal is, versus the quack.

The first point of context that will help you successfully navigate the executive coaching course is understanding how it can serve an organization. What is the value of outside coaching? When assessing what coaching is, Paul Michelman wrote the following in an article for the Harvard Business Review, "The belief is that, under the right circumstances, one-on-one interaction with an objective third party can provide a focus that other forms of organizational support simply cannot."

Once coaching was viewed by many as a tool to help correct underperformance, whereas today, it is becoming more widely used in supporting top producers. In fact, in a 2004 survey by Right Management Consultants (Philadelphia), 86 percent of companies said they used coaching to sharpen skills. At an even more basic level, many executives simply benefit from receiving any type of feedback. "As individuals advance to the executive level, development feedback becomes increasingly important, more infrequent, and more unreliable," notes Anna Maravelas, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based executive coach and founder of TheraRising. As a result, she says, "Many executives plateau in critical interpersonal and leadership skills."

If what Maravelas says is true, then why do some people believe executive coaching is hogwash? The answer: because there are a lot of bad coaches out there and they give the profession a bad name. This is why how you structure your selection process and whom you ultimately choose, are so important.

If you are thinking of heading down this road and want to get the most benefit from your selection process, here are a few tips to get you started:

1. First things first:
Know that, without question, executive coaching is not therapy. If it is therapy you want, go find a therapist. This is business coaching and if it turns into therapy and the person is not a qualified therapist, he/she can do more harm than good.

2. Know what your goal is:
Have an idea of what you want to get out of this coaching engagement. You may not know exactly what your goals are, but at least generally, think about what you are striving for so you can appropriately select a coach who can get you there.

3. Know what type of coach you want:
I categorize coaching into three general categories:

a) Coaching primarily for relationship skills. This type of coaching requires a coach with a kinder, gentler approach and includes talking through many communication and relationship scenarios.

b) Coaching primarily for goal-achievement and growth. This approach requires a coach with a more directive and assertive style (i.e., someone who isn’t about the coachee’s comfort). Typically the coachee is given assignments, reading and a specific process to follow.

c) Coaching that is psychological in nature. This type of coaching utilizes testing, theories and proven models and focuses on a "what makes you tick" kind of process to get to the goal.

I am confident there are combinations of these three approaches; however you need to identify what type of coach will work best for you. All have value, if they match your goals and disposition.

4. Ask good questions:
I have found that most executives are poor at interviewing potential coaches because they do not know what to ask. Here are a few questions that every reputable coach should be able to answer:

• Tell me about your coaching process and philosophy? (Here, you are looking for a feel of what type of coach the person is and the length of the process, time commitment, and frequency of meetings. Probe for some of the tools and resources the coach might use.)

• Give me an example of a previous coaching experience that you would consider a success and what made it so?

• Describe your coaching style?

• How do you help identify what your coachee’s needs are? (Here, you are looking to see if they utilize a 360 feedback process or another method to ascertain needs that the coachee may not see in him/herself.)

• How do you measure success?

I am sure many who are reading this can give us more examples of good questions to ask a coach. If you have some, please let me know.

The coaching process can be a fabulous and engaging experience for leaders to partake in, which ultimately leads to growth and enhancement. Follow these basics and you’re sure to find a coach who is both reputable and skilled at assisting you in this executive coaching journey. Lastly, if in the selection process a particular coach has all the right answers, but you are uncomfortable with his/her style, don't choose that coach – it simply won’t work.

One last thought: As the coachee, be prepared for some hard work and be open to hearing a lot of feedback that might feel painful. You must work on limiting your defensiveness and focus on being curious about the learning that can take place. Remember, this coaching process is for you; it may align around company goals, but it is for your growth and you will choose what to share, what to change and what to keep the same. Being dismissive or defensive about the feedback will greatly limit your growth and the value this process can bring. After all, you are hiring this person to be your "truth teller"…embrace that gift.