Tips for Work and Life with Andrew LaCivita

I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. Job search is rough. It's lonely. It's confusing. It's like the trifecta of pain.  I feel for you. I truly do. But, since I use a lot of "empathic concern," I'm not just going to feel for you. I'm going to act by sharing 10 secrets to stay positive in your job search on your way to better results. (If you're just dying to know what empathic concern is, check out page 11...

My entire life, I just needed to know. I'd never let myself wonder. How great could I be? The not knowing would just kill me. A regret I'd never let myself live with. Ever feel this way? Ever wonder how good you could be at something if you let yourself be? If you—literally—gave it your all? After going through my entire career (eh, life) all-out with no brakes (yes, I meant brakes not breaks), I'...

I realize it's mid-November and the Christmas décor has already draped many stores for an entire month, but your career doesn't take a holiday (nor do I). Today, I'm serving up a major lesson on why now is literally THE BEST time to job search. You're at the start line of a 3-month hiring frenzy. It doesn't matter whether the year is 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 or 2024 or any other years I omitted. It...

In my lifetime, I've prepared, oh, conservatively, about a bajillion job candidates for their interviews. Most are so worried about the wrong stuff. Most prepare backwards. They think What questions will I be asked? I need to come up with a good answer for [insert the dumb ones here about disagreements and conflicts and weaknesses, etc.]. Uh, no. As is, heck to the no! It's not about what the inte...

Who doesn't want to sound more accomplished? Amiright?!?! More accomplished = more attractive to potential employers. I'm not talkin' "accomplished "in the "overqualified" sorta way. I wouldn't run that risk. I'm talkin' "accomplished" in the I'm-smarter, more-knowledgeable, performed-more-repetitions, solved-more-problems, achieved-more-goals sorta way! If you sound more accomplished, you have a...

It hurts me when I see people make a mistake. It practically kills me when I see them repeating—on purpose—the same mistake. I've made lots of mistakes, so please don't think I think I'm a know-it-all. I don't judge anyone because they made different mistakes than I did. We're all different and have walked different paths, experienced different things, and built different perspectives. I like to t...

The job market is tricky these days. It's always confusing for some, but nowadays it seems like it's unknown for all. Good news. Your favorite career coach has yet another timeless lesson on steps you should ALWAYS be taking to protect yourself, your career, your family, friends, neighbors, and everything else connected to you! Yes, there's A LOT riding on this. Which is why I like the always-kind...

If you're struggling in your job search, you're in luck today! I've got 10 big tips to help you ignite your results. They're not your run-of-the-mill-tips and you can't get them anywhere else. I know this to be true because I'm the only person on the planet who wrote The Zebra Code : A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering Career Skills That Make You a Standout Professional . And that's where these tips...

I have a new podcast this morning titled How to Tell a Story That Wows the Interviewer | A Job Seeker Case Study because, well, it wows the interviewer and it's a real-life example from someone I coached (hence the case study part). It'll be the best 11 minutes and 13 seconds you spend all week if you're in job-search mode next to the few hours you can spend with me live this Thursday at 11 AM CDT...

I spent more time coming up with complete title of The Zebra Code: A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering Career Skills That Make You a Standout Professional than writing the entire book. 7 months for the title. 6 months to write the entire book (really 5, because I spent a month polishing). True story. Why? I wanted to get in… Something unique (and avoid generic leadership-y titles like The Leadership...

I've changed careers twice, which basically means I've got it down to a science. It's absolutely brutal. You deserve the truth. How brutal? This picture of my office popped up in my "memories" on my phone. It's from August 25, 2015, a shade over 9 years ago. 3:43 in the AM. I was knocking off for the evening so I could catch an hour or two of shut-eye before Harley or Ginger started licking my fac...

What would you give to be happier in your job? In your office? In your career? Would you give 25 minutes and 52 seconds? If you're willing to do just that, you'll learn exactly what I'd do. Warning: I'm not going to say anything to you like smile, have a better attitude, or blah blah blah. I wouldn't insult you with that trite stuff. I'll get you focused on and building the six "deliverables" I'd...

Have you been struggling to get your career to the next level? Maybe you're awesome at your trade. Maybe you are well networked in your company. Mayyyybe you're even the go-to person that seems to be able to fix everyone's "problems." So, why is awesome you not getting awesomely ahead? It's one thing to be great at your job. It's entirely another to be all-out spectacular in your career. As a cons...

Ever been snookered by a fake job? I mean, if you know you have? You might have been hoodwinked and didn't even know it. Perhaps you applied and silence. I glanced over a survey from Resume Builder very recently (not a site I recommend, but they ran the survey so what the hey?). A few key findings... 40% of companies posted a fake job listing this year. 30% of companies currently have active fake...

Asking questions in a job interview is so important. I know I'm stating the obvious, but just because something is obvious doesn't mean people know how to do it—well! Today, I'm gonna give you a triple-header of high-quality questions. But, because I'm me and you're you and you deserve more, I'm not just going to tell you what questions to ask. Just because you ask a question and get an answer doe...

Have you ever heard me speak of THE GREAT 8?!?! As in, like, how could you not have unless this is the first email you've ever opened from me? The GREAT 8 are the major accomplishments employers shoot for. Don't sprain your brain: 1) revenue generation, 2) market awareness, 3) customer attraction, 4) customer happiness, 5) corporate growth, 6) employee happiness, 7) cost reduction, 8) process effi...

Have you ever been in a position where you were asked to sketch out your dream role? Perhaps during an interview, or maybe in a casual informational chat, where it seemed like the company was just intrigued by your background and potential? Imagine this: You walk into an interview, or maybe even a discussion with your boss, and instead of being handed a job description or assignment, you're asked,...

Are you exhausted from trying to figure out the best way to say what you want to say in a job interview? As in, which method do I use? Why do I have to speak interview-speak instead of normal, human-speak? Why is the company telling me I have to use the STAR technique? What the hey is the STAR technique? Wait, now that I think of it, Coach Andy tells me that approach isn't as good as his CAAR meth...

Do you wish your LinkedIn inbox was flooded with messages from recruiters fawning all over you? Would you settle for a few each week? Seeing nothing? Well, you need to know what drives them to you. I might not know how to get the YouTube algorithm to send people my way, but I do know how recruiters filter their LinkedIn searches. I know that because we had corporate and executive recruiters show u...

Feel like your resume is vanishing into a black hole when you apply for jobs? You're not alone. Most job seekers experience the deafening silence of applicant trashing systems that seem to swallow resumes whole. But what if I told you there's a better way? It's not just another job search strategy. It's a revolution in how you connect with potential employers. Let's get you in control of this proc...

Today, you get a podcast on The Job Interview Formula Guaranteed to Get You Hired (CAAR). It's titled that because, well, it's an actual formula, which, if you use it, I pinky swear, you'll get hired. It literally, IMHO, is one of, if not, THE, very best podcasts I've created on how to answer questions—like ANY question—in a job interview. I cover the emotional and feelings aspect of it. I cover t...

Is it détente or mutual destruction? I'm not sure, but AI will change the game for employers and employees, especially in the hiring process. Someone asked me a few weeks ago about my thoughts on the recent Wall Street Journal article titled You're Fighting AI with AI: Bots Are Breaking the Hiring Process. Here's what I had to say. I hope, as always, it positions YOU best to succeed! If you'd like...

Here's a line straight out of The Zebra Code … "Always remember, your success, in anything, will have more to do with where you place your attention than your ability." There are no truer words when it comes to your job search. Most people think their history matters. (Not really.) Others think their skills matter. (Not if you keep talking about them.) Others, the even sillier ones, think keywords...

Are you getting paid what you're worth? That was actually a trick question because there's absolutely no way for you to know exactly what you're worth. You're worth is dependent on what someone else is willing to pay for you at this exact moment in time. You are like a stock, a house, or anything else whose value is determined by someone else's desires, needs, challenges, and other factors which y...

If you don't have recruiters and hiring officials and other important people in-boxing you on a daily basis, this podcast is for you! Checkout 7 Must-Know LinkedIn Tips That Get You Noticed to get yourself the right profile and professional brand that attracts employers and recruiters and potential colleagues! If you'd like to build a great career and lead a rewarding life, check out some of these...