NetKiEnt Career Blog

How I Built My Confidence by Tapping into My Own Experiences. You Can Too! Sebastien Le Derout by Unsplash. Media's impact on my confidence.  Media has played a major role in how people tend to view themselves and their place in society. I was not an exception.  “ Fake it until you make it. Never let them see you sweat. You have to be twice as good to go half as far .” These are the things that I and many of my friends were taught growing up in a black home.   The same statements were told to many black children in 1970’s and 1980’s. I grew up at a time where most girls were taught to be a secretary or a nurse; never a doctor or any profession that were (at that time seemingly) reserved for males. The Cosby show was one of the first black show that broke through the stereotypes and was the epitome of the American family. Mom was a fierce attorney and Dad was a doctor.   There were five children who seemed pretty “normal” by television standards. I adored the sho...

Three years ago, I posted an answer on Quora regarding unspoken rules during the job interview. At the time, I had no idea that it would still actively generate upvotes three years later. My goal was to help a candidate feel better prepared during the interview process. 177K+ views and 700+ upvotes later, I’m thrilled that my response still resonates. The following is the question and response (edited for better readability): What are some unspoken rules during a job interview? Unspoken rules of the interview that I share with my clients include: Dress professionally, be polite to everyone and arrive at least 15–20 minutes early. Have a firm handshake. Realize that you actually control the “climate” or “flow” of the interview. Approach the interview with confidence in your abilities (not arrogance).  Remember that the interview is a two-way street - your expertise is a blessing to a company. Approach the interview as a “discussion” versus an interview. Say the interviewer’s n...

  This article was first posted in 2017/2018. It has been updated for 2022. Have you ever heard the old adage, “The grass is always greener on the other side?” A better description would be “The grass always APPEARS greener on the other side.” It is a part of human nature to want more, to compare ourselves to others and think that their lives or in this case careers are more exciting or the companies they work for are super wonderful. We may even go as far as to say, “If I had (fill in the name)’s career, I would be so much further in my life.” Or “If I worked at (fill in the company name), I would be happier and better appreciated.” However, when we get to the “ other side ” we find that the grass was painted green and isn’t even real and not only that, we have also now been assigned the task of painting it green. By this time, unfortunately too late, we realize that the grass really isn’t greener on the other side at all and are now full of regrets.   We n...

I try to find different ways to give back. One way is to answer direct questions from people on quora.com. I actually see this question often across different social media platforms.  Below is my response with additional comments.  How are resumes changing in 2019? Nanette Kirk , President Answered Feb 4  on quora.com This is such a good question! Every year, I think there will be this great shift in resume writing that changes the industry. I do think that AI will be used even more in 2019. Many “professional writers” will/are writing articles indicating a particular “format” that includes fantastic graphics, tips, and tricks; however, many companies have not invested in more robust Applicant Tracking Systems so many of those graphic resumes will not make it past the initial scan. I think the content will still be king. A resume with strong content, the right keywords, and accomplishment statements will get the candi...

The following is a response to a question I received on Quora regarding a failure resume.  What is a failure resume and is it a good idea to have one?  A failure resume is one that lists all of a person’s failures with high emphasis on “lessons learned” from failures. It is supposed to highlight the candidate’s ability to overcome obstacles while being “interesting.” I don’t recommend anyone to submit one to a company unless it matches the company culture from a creative standpoint. The risk is too high. The key to a great resume is to emphasize “ What’s in it for the company .” While there’s something to be said about a failure resume; transparency, honesty, and humility, how would the company benefit and accomplish their goals? The candidate may have learned their lesson, but what action caused them to actually accomplish a goal? What is the  action  besides learning a lesson? A company wants to know what a candidate  can do and has done , not what th...

The interview: Preparing brings confidence, but over-rehearsing can kill it.  I answered a recent question from Quora that is a normal challenge for many interview candidates.  Many candidates over-prepare for the interview to increase their confidence and make a great impression.  However, because of their over-reliance on a "script" they often lose their confidence because they "missed" a key point or a word out of their script. Read more below: Does preparing for an interview hurt your spontaneity during the job interview? A savvy candidate would definitely prepare for the interview. However, It can go very wrong if the candidate over-rehearses. For this reason, I recommend to my clients to use bullet-points and not remember a script. A candidate who is over-reliant on a script can jeopardize the interview by doing the following: ·          Focusing more on the script than on the non-verbal cues of the interv...