Blog - Ruth Sternberg, Confident Career Search

You Get What You Expect. Why Not Expect an ‘A’?

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, How do I Feel More Confident?, Imposter Syndrome, Master Your Mindset

When the envelope arrived in my mail, I felt my stomach tighten. I had turned my paper in to my graduate school advisor late, and I thought, “Well, I did the best I could under the circumstances. I probably will have a lot of critical … Read more about You Get What You Expect. Why Not Expect an ‘A’?

Not getting noticed? Think like an artist.

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Find Your Professional Direction, Get an Interview, How do I Feel More Confident?, Identifying Transferable Skills, Imposter Syndrome, Job Search, Master Your Mindset, Resume Writing Tips, Your Resume and Personal Marketing

I approached my art table the other evening with a strong urge to make something. I knew there was something that needed expression, but nothing emerged in my brain. Instead of abandoning the enterprise, I looked at what I had already been … Read more about Not getting noticed? Think like an artist.

Job Search Stalled? Try the Buddy System

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Essential Job Search Tactics, Job Search, Master Your Mindset

Picture this: You are in kindergarten. The class is going on a walk, away from the classroom, and your teacher assigns each student a “buddy,” so no one gets lost. Imagine on your first day in third grade, your teacher pairs you with a current … Read more about Job Search Stalled? Try the Buddy System

Resume Not Working? You Are Overlooking This.

Filed Under: Essential Job Search Tactics, Get an Interview, how do I answer interview questions?, How do I Feel More Confident?, How to Handle a Job Interview, Interview Like a Pro, Job Search, Your Resume and Personal Marketing

Once upon a time not very long ago, I wanted a certain job. I knew there would be competition. I knew I had to stand out. There would be lots of people with my skills interested in the role. So, I did what most people do: I revised my … Read more about Resume Not Working? You Are Overlooking This.

The Hiring System is Broken (a story we tell ourselves)

Filed Under: Essential Job Search Tactics, Get an Interview, Ghosted by Recruiters, Job Search, Master Your Mindset

I’m going to say something that might not be popular with my readers: If you are not getting a job offer, it is time to consider that you might be the problem. There, I said it. I felt I had to say something, because I see so much posted … Read more about The Hiring System is Broken (a story we tell ourselves)

How do I answer Those Tricky Interview Questions?

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Get an Interview, how do I answer interview questions?, How to Answer: "Tell Me About Yourself?", How to Handle a Job Interview, Interview Like a Pro, Job Requirements, Job Search, Skills

You probably wonder sometimes when you’re talking to employers, “Why are they asking me that?” Because sometimes the questions seem so, well…canned, or in some cases, disconnected from anything practical.It’s not done to throw you off. I … Read more about How do I answer Those Tricky Interview Questions?

How to Find the Hiring Manager When It Seems Hopeless

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Essential Job Search Tactics, Find the Hiring Manager, Find Your Professional Direction, Get an Interview, Ghosted by Recruiters, Hear from the Experts, Job Search

You found a great job online. You want to apply. Trouble is, you don’t want to get lost in the crowd of applicants. You know that many people will have at least your base qualifications, and though your resume is terrific (you got a … Read more about How to Find the Hiring Manager When It Seems Hopeless

How do I talk About My Mistakes?

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, how do I answer interview questions?, How to Handle a Job Interview, Imposter Syndrome, Interview Like a Pro, Job Requirements, Job Search, Skills, Uncategorized

There’s a certain terror that strikes when you make a mistake at work and can’t fix it fast enough. Take this nursing student, whose story was part of an article on the Cosmopolitan UK website: "I worked on a care of the elderly ward. I tried … Read more about How do I talk About My Mistakes?

Should I Hire a Resume Writer?

Filed Under: Get an Interview, Hear from the Experts, Hire a Resume Writer, Job Search, Resume Writing Tips, Skills, Your Resume and Personal Marketing

A lot of people think that hiring a resume writer is a waste of time and money. Ok. I get it. It seems like one of those things that you could just do yourself. I mean, what's the big deal? It's just a list of what I did in my various jobs. A … Read more about Should I Hire a Resume Writer?

How to Fight Ageism in Your Job Search

Filed Under: Essential Job Search Tactics, Fighting Ageism, Find Your Professional Direction, Get an Interview, Identifying Transferable Skills, Imposter Syndrome, Job Requirements, Job Search

It's both exciting and dizzying to stand on the edge of an unwritten future. Yet, when I meet a college graduate who is just diving into the opportunities awaiting them, I am excited for them! Some days I would give anything to stand there again … Read more about How to Fight Ageism in Your Job Search

As Luck Would Have It, You Just Might Get an Offer

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Find Your Professional Direction, How do I Feel More Confident?, Imposter Syndrome, Master Your Mindset

When I coach people in career transition, I emphasize control. I say that there are things you can control, like your own responses to job postings or answers to interview questions. You can control how you reach out to a contact and how you choose … Read more about As Luck Would Have It, You Just Might Get an Offer

Lacking Motivation to Look for a Job? The solution may be very close by.

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Find Your Professional Direction, How do I Feel More Confident?, Imposter Syndrome, Job Search, Master Your Mindset

Many career experts compare looking for a job to dating. And it’s true. You are looking for a great relationship and sometimes it takes a while to find it. But I got to thinking: There’s one relationship that often gets overlooked. I’m … Read more about Lacking Motivation to Look for a Job? The solution may be very close by.

You are the Artist Who Creates Your Job Search Tools

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Essential Job Search Tactics, Get an Interview, How do I Feel More Confident?, Job Search, Master Your Mindset, Your Resume and Personal Marketing

I get frustrated when I bake. I can read the recipe. I can see how much flour and how many eggs I need to use. I can measure the salt. I have the right utensils and pans. But I can’t always get the result I was hoping for. Cookies burn. … Read more about You are the Artist Who Creates Your Job Search Tools

Taking the Mystery Out of Networking

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, Essential Job Search Tactics, Get an Interview, Job Search, networking

I moved to a different state 2.5 years ago. It was a sudden decision. My husband had been out of work for more than half a year, and we began to realize that his prospects would brighten if we relocated. So, he broadened his search, and here we … Read more about Taking the Mystery Out of Networking

Think of Yourself as Jazz Musician

Filed Under: Boosting My Confidence, how do I answer interview questions?, How do I Feel More Confident?, How to Handle a Job Interview, Imposter Syndrome, Interview Like a Pro, Master Your Mindset

I live in Rochester, NY, and we just finished the annual International Jazz Festival. It’s a highlight of our region, featuring famous and not-so-famous, extraordinarily talented musicians. It opened with concerts by Bonnie Raitt and Pat … Read more about Think of Yourself as Jazz Musician

Ruth is a gifted master of words. I hired Ruth because I needed someone who could clean up and reorganize my resume and LinkedIn profile. Ruth took in my career… Read more “Maria Blauvelt”

Maria Blauvelt

I was really struggling during COVID after getting laid off. I just could not seem to break through and get noticed. I had used Ruth’s services before and gotten a… Read more “Sam Lewis”

Sam Lewis

I am truly honored to have the privilege of working with Ruth. She took the time to reach me on my level, and assist me in honing my interviewing skills… Read more “Randall Johnson”

Randall Johnson

Ruth is passionate about her clients. She truly cares and loves to see us find our next “Big Step” on our career journey. She is engaging in conversation and she listens. She… Read more “Karen Diehl”

Karen Diehl

Ruth worked to help me understand my strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. She not only built a great resume and LinkedIn profile for me, but also coached me to believe… Read more “Matthew Knouff”

Matthew Knouff

Ruth is a tremendous resource for help in overhauling a resume and building a LinkedIn profile. She is very knowledgeable about what it takes to get noticed by recruiters. Ruth… Read more “Dan Carson”

Dan Carson

I highly recommend Ruth as a career coach. She provides clients with concrete tools and advice to create a plan of action. Ruth truly understands the job search process, from… Read more “Francesca Fuerman”

Francesca Fuerman

Ruth became passionate about my professional experience immediately. She knew I was struggling to effectively portray my depth of experience in writing for effective recruitment by employers. Once I had… Read more “Anthony Bahr”

Anthony Bahr

I felt so confident in myself after working with Ruth, after I was able to take a step back and look at my résumé and see just how accomplished a person I… Read more “Logan Weissler”

Logan Weissler

When you said to me, ‘Okay, we got this. We are going to figure this all out and get you into these companies,’ I felt my whole body relax and… Read more “Cathy C.”

Cathy C.

Ruth took the time to get to know me and understand my strengths and abilities. She overhauled my résumé, which was essentially a list of job tasks, and created an attractive, compelling… Read more “Jillian O.”

Jillian O.

Ruth is an amazing, thorough, and professional résumé writer with an eye for bringing out your hidden story and value. Over the course of a month we were able to transform my résumé from zero… Read more “Craig M. Chavis, Jr.”

Craig M. Chavis, Jr.

Ruth has a gift for listening to her client’s needs with real empathy, and for translating their background into words that accurately reflect relevant talents. Moreover, Ruth is the kind… Read more “Cory Joyrich”

Cory Joyrich

Working with Ruth was an excellent experience. Coming out of the military, I spent several years working with resumes that never seemed to achieve the goal of interviews. After realizing… Read more “Calvin Jones”

Calvin Jones

Ruth fit a wealth of resume advice and career guidance into a one-hour video-call! She led me through my resume and showed me exactly how to reformat its content for… Read more “Veronica Dye Johnson”

Veronica Dye Johnson

I worked with Ruth to gain a different perspective on my resume and LinkedIn profile. Her process is in-depth, starting with a questionnaire that pushes you to really consider the… Read more “Mike O’Brien”

Mike O'Brien

In preparing for my nursing career, Ruth was super effective in organizing the details of my education and work experience. So effective that she helped me secure a position in… Read more “Alexandra Reynolds”

Alexandra Reynolds

My experience with Ruth was amazing, I would highly recommend her to anyone for that personal and professional touch. Ruth is great at listening and helping you find out what… Read more “Marcia Johnson”

Marcia Johnson