Upcoming Events

Leveraging Your Job Competencies in the Interview

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 10:00 am to 11:30 am DBM (Drake Beam Morin) Oxy Building, SW Corner of LBJ & the Tollroad Open to DBM clients only

Salary Negotiations

Friday, August 17, 2009 10:00 am to 11:00 am DBM in conjunction with Tatum Partners One Lincoln Center, North Tower, Suite 800 Open to invited DBM clients only

Overcoming Hidden Hiring Objections

Saturday, September 12, 2009 10:00 am to 12:00 noon Career Design Associates 2818 S Country Club Rd, Garland Free, open to the pubic RSVP: options@career-design.com

You're Hired: How to Beat out Your Competition

December 2009 Evening presentation, Date and Time DBA Jewish Family Service 5402 Arapaho Road at Montfort Free - Open to the public, Limited Seating

Need a speaker for your next meeting?


How to have a good job interview

Two 5-Star Ratings on Amazon

by Mitch Byers :: May 18th, 2009 :: Posted in Uncategorized |

This month, two readers provided reviews of InterviewRX on Amazon.com. Here are their comments:

This is a great book for any job seeker. It not only covers all aspects of interviewing – but covers how to prepare. The insight of how recruiters work in invaluable.
Tom Jackson, Dallas, TX (May 17, 2009)

If you only read one book on job hunting, this is it! I am a career coach who refers to the information in Byers’ book more than any other. Byers’ suggestions to help readers figure out what truly is most important to the employer and then to play to the true values of their interviewer are practical and effective. He explains how to package your background so as to be easily appreciated in light of the employer’s needs.

This is a “must read” for anyone who is job hunting!

Ann Parrett (May 13, 2009)

Speed Networking: Students Transitioning into a Professional Environment

by Mitch Byers :: February 22nd, 2009 :: Posted in Uncategorized |

Last week, I was one of several local professionals invited to host a table at a Speed Networking event sponsored by the University of Texas at Arlington. The event was to help new graduates or upcoming May graduates to introduce themselves in a professional environment. A few had jobs in the field of choice, but most were looking for an internship or their first professional role.

All attendees were bright and eager for opportunity to network and receive feedback on their 30-second introduction. [More...]

3 Insights into Successful Job Descriptions

by Mitch Byers :: January 22nd, 2009 :: Posted in Selection & Hiring |

1. Too many companies write three paragraphs about the company and only write three sentences about the job. They have it flipped flopped. Use words to sell the challenges of the opportunity, not the company. Once a candidate begins to think of themselves in the role, then it is easier to sell the company. Job first, company second. Provide a company web address and if a candidate is interested is in the job they will naturally want to know more about the company. This is a particularly effective strategy for smaller to mid-size companies without strong name recognition.

[More...]

Are competencies part of our DNA?

by Mitch Byers :: October 5th, 2008 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career |

“Competency” as defined by Richard Boyatzis, a professor of organizational behavior, is “an underlying characteristic of an employee which results in effective and/or superior performance.” Lyle and Signe Spencer, in their book, Competency at Work, define competency as “an underlying characteristic that is causally related to…superior performance in a job or situation.”

Job Competencies include different types of thinking, such as Analytical, Conceptual or Strategic – together, these are the components of Critical Thinking. A superior sales person would be particularly strong in Relationship Building, Persuasion, Interpersonal Understanding, and Customer Service Orientation. In training, a superior performer would also have Persuasion skills along with a high level of Integrity and be able to Develop Others. A few more of the 24 job competencies include Organizational Awareness, Organizational Commitment, Initiative and Flexibility.

At a recent talk at Dallas Baptist University (Frisco Campus), I was ask if “underlying characteristics” are something we learn or something that is part of our DNA. [More...]

Speaker Coop Listing

by Mitch Byers :: August 24th, 2008 :: Posted in News & Events |

To help publicize the various career-centric topics I have presented, I have join a great local group call SpeakersCoop.com. The site is billed as a one-stop resource for speaker coordinators.


The website connects speaker coordinators with dozens of speakers from North Texas. [More...]

Resource for Millennial Professionals

by Mitch Byers :: July 29th, 2008 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career |

For the growing number of Millennial professionals, there is a career resource website all about you: Employee Evolution. [More...]

Marketplace Reality: Working Harder AND Smarter

by Mitch Byers :: July 27th, 2008 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career |

With all the talk of our economy sinking into recession, it is time to increase your productivity in the workplace to assure your position is secure.
Mildred Cup writes about emerging trends in the workplace. She shares recent industry research in her article, Taking On More Work Can Benefit You in Tough Times.

  • 68 percent of employees say it is a good time to increase workplace responsibility – up 5 percent from last year
  • 50% of employees say it is a good time to look for a new job with a higher salary – down 4 percent from last year

[More...]

Interviewing Tips: Your First 60 Seconds

by Mitch Byers :: July 24th, 2008 :: Posted in Interviewing to Win |

“Quick, tell me who you are and what you do in less than a minute.” This is the topic of Barbara Rose’s article, Learn to Sell Yourself in 60 Seconds. A three step strategy is used to develop an effective “elevator pitch”:

  1. Say who you are
  2. Say what you do
  3. Say why you do it better

Rose suggests avoiding generalities like, “I enjoy helping people.” [More...]

Interviewing Tips: Career Advice from Carnival of Careers

by Mitch Byers :: July 24th, 2008 :: Posted in Interviewing to Win, News & Events |

InterviewRX was featured in Carnival of Careers #7 this week, hosted by Eric Folgate. Carnival of Careers presents the “best and brightest articles and blog posts from some of the most talent career and small business blog authors.” Thanks to Eric for choosing my “Law of Six” post for this week’s Carnival.
If you are in job transition, this is a GREAT place to visit. Every week, you can expect a dozen or more tips, tactics and tidbits that will help you tackle the interview and put you over the top. In the most recent edition, there were three posts that caught my interest.
[More...]

Interviewing Insight: Don’t Miss the Tipping Point

by Mitch Byers :: July 16th, 2008 :: Posted in Uncategorized |

Author of nearly a dozen books, Jeffrey Fox shares, “The job interview is a sales call to sell yourself.” The goal of the interview is for the hiring company to “buy” you. At which point you receive an offer letter [More...]