Category

Interview Prep

21 articles from fifteen years of writing for senior executives.

Executive interviews are not senior versions of ordinary interviews. The evaluation shifts from whether you can do the job to whether you think like an owner of the whole business, and that catches out capable people whose answers still describe their function.

These articles cover the preparation that actually moves the needle: building validation stories that prove a claim rather than assert it, handling panels and boards, what changes when an employer decides by written committee feedback, and the follow up that keeps working after the room closes.

July 14, 2026

Face to face interviews: how to prepare so confidence is the easy part

Nine concrete steps to prepare for a senior-level interview, from researching the panel to the follow up note. Written for executi

Read

April 5, 2023

Career Search - Avoiding The Pitfalls of Electronic Resumes and Job Postings

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS When I work with my clients, I often hear that they struggle with the technical as

Read

April 5, 2023

How Job Search Is Like Online Dating

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS In honor of Valentine's Day, I think it timely to point out the similarities of job searc

Read

January 27, 2023

8 Tips To Kickstart Your Career Search

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS Whether you have just been laid off or have been working on a career campaign for

Read

May 1, 2020

5 Tips to be a Successful Networker

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC About 85% of open positions are filled through networking. This means that

Read

March 17, 2020

A Message from Linda

To our clients and friends,With all of today's health concerns due to COVID-19, we wanted to let you know that our primary concern

Read

March 1, 2017

How to Bring Positivity to the Interview Process

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Positivity is contagious. It can uplift the people and the energy surroundi

Read

February 1, 2017

5 Body Language Tips that will Boost Your Effectiveness

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC You are an executive. You want to present yourself with confidence and pois

Read

January 9, 2017

17 Ways to Kick Start Your Career Search in January 2017

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Send Your Thank You Notes Be sure to send thank you notes within 24 hours o

Read

January 9, 2016

Job Search Planning for 2016

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC There's nothing like a new year to make time refresh your career planning.

Read

November 30, 2015

Passive Job Market Application Strategies

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Here are a few strategies that will help make your passive market applicati

Read

May 6, 2015

5 Old School Job Search Tactics That Still Work Today

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Some of the job search tactics of yesterday are still applicable today. You

Read

January 26, 2015

4 Top Social Media Platforms for Jobseekers: Why you should and how you can get online bef

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC You've landed an interview - congratulations! A great way to secure your ch

Read

January 3, 2015

Four Great Ways To Build Your Resume While Looking For Your Next Executive Position

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC There are lots of creative ways to build your resume while you look for you

Read

December 15, 2014

How To Build Your Confidence Before A Job Interview

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC After all of the networking, emailing, and inquiring about jobs, you've fin

Read

November 3, 2014

7 Steps To Finding Your Next Job With A Recruiter

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC Are you ready to find your next job, but feeling paralyzed about how to sta

Read

October 21, 2014

5 Job Interview Mistakes Executives Need To Be Aware Of

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS,CCMC,CJSS,CSMCS Landing your next dream job is a little more complicated than it used to be. With mor

Read

February 22, 2014

Fast Facts For Phone Interview Savvy

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS You have created a killer Value Proposition, an attractive resume, attended networ

Read

March 13, 2013

Older Jobseekers: 4 Tips to Prepare For Career Search Success

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS Many older workers have been shell-shocked with how hard this challenging economy

Read

February 10, 2013

Career Search And Preparing For Remote Interviews

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS All of your hard work has paid off and now you have been contacted to schedule an

Read

March 4, 2012

What Do Career Search And March Madness Have in Common?

By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS Another exciting season of NCAA Men's Basketball is moving in the direction of the playof

Read