Career Tools
Career Tools is a weekly podcast offering actionable advice to advance your career, whether you are a manager or not. It won the Podcast Awards Best Business podcast in 2010 and has been nominated in subsequent years. The show aims to help listeners jump-start stalled careers or sharpen their professional edge. Each episode provides specific steps to enhance productivity and career growth.
Episodes
How To Predict and Answer Interview Questions - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
Our guidance on how to read a job ad and predict what interview questions will be asked.
How To Predict and Answer Interview Questions - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
Our guidance on how to read a job ad and predict what interview questions will be asked.
Answering The Question: Why Do You Want To Work Here? (Hall of Fame Guidance)
Our guidance on answering the interview question 'why do you want to work here?'
How Do I Know I Have An Offer? (Hall of Fame Guidance)
Our guidance on how to tell whether you've received a full and complete offer.
Delegating To The Floor - For Directs - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This guidance discusses how and when to delegate to the floor.
Delegating To The Floor - For Directs - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This guidance discusses how and when to delegate to the floor.
The Delta File (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This podcast recommends keeping an ongoing Delta File, a private journal where you record organizational practices you find objectionable so that when you eventually reach a position of greater influence, you'll remember how those decisions felt from below and avoid making the same mistakes yourself.
Cover Letter Examples (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This is our guidance that gives examples of cover letters for particular roles.
Accepting A Job Offer (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This is our guidance on how to accept a job offer.
Keeping Your Job Search Confidential (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast describes how to keep your current employer from finding out about your search for a new job.
The Career Tools Rule of Job Applications - 75% (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast describes how to decide which jobs to apply for.
Results and Relationships - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast gives our most fundamental career advice: get results and build relationships.
Results and Relationships - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast gives our most fundamental career advice: get results and build relationships.
How To Create Resume Accomplishments (with Examples)
This is our guidance for how to create accomplishments for your resume that will be compelling to the people deciding whether to bring you in for an interview.
Systematic Career Documentation - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast tells you how to create and use a Career Management Document, the ideal tool for managing your career and making it easy to update your resume.
Systematic Career Documentation - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast tells you how to create and use a Career Management Document, the ideal tool for managing your career and making it easy to update your resume.
Answering Illegal Interview Questions - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast gives our guidance on answering illegal interview questions.
Answering Illegal Interview Questions - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast gives our guidance on answering illegal interview questions.
How To Be An Effective "Number Two" - Part 2
While not all bosses do, smart and effective bosses usually name someone on their team as their "Number Two." Being a good Number Two is good for your career. Here's how to do it.
How To Be An Effective "Number Two" - Part 1
While not all bosses do, smart and effective bosses usually name someone on their team as their "Number Two." Being a good Number Two is good for your career. Here's how to do it.
How Not To Multitask
This cast explains our guidance on what to do instead of multitasking.
How To Answer Questions About Career History - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast describes Career Tool's recommendations for answering questions about your career history.
How To Answer Questions About Career History - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast describes Career Tool's recommendations for answering questions about your career history.
How to Give a Decision Briefing - Part 2 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast describes how to give a decision briefing to your manager.
How to Give a Decision Briefing - Part 1 (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This cast describes how to give a decision briefing to your manager.
The Ethical Professional (Hall of Fame Guidance)
This guidance on ethical behavior serves as the foundation for all Career Tools, Manager Tools, and Executive Tools content. The principles outlined here are the underlying assumptions that inform every recommendation we make.
What Is Your Salary Expectation?
This cast is another in the series of how to answer the main questions that recruiters ask.
What Is Your Current Situation?
This cast describes how to effectively answer the "What's your current situation?" question from a recruiter.
360 Reviews - Providing Input - Part 2
This cast explains how to respond to requests for 360 degree input.
360 Reviews - Providing Input - Part 1
This cast explains how to respond to requests for 360 degree input.
5 Ways to Master Horstman's 3rd Law of Interviewing - Part 2
What is this Horstman's 3rd Law of Interviewing? We'll Take 90% Less Ability for 10% More Attitude Every Day of the Week.
5 Ways to Master Horstman's 3rd Law of Interviewing - Part 1
What is this Horstman's 3rd Law of Interviewing? We'll Take 90% Less Ability for 10% More Attitude Every Day of the Week.
The Basics of Calendar Management - Part 2
Part 2 of our recommendations about calendar management.
The Basics of Calendar Management - Part 1
This cast describes the first of our recommendations about calendar management.
Work-Life Balance: The Yellow Peanut M&M Analogy - HOF 2025
Our Hall Of Fame guidance on work-family balance.
Feel, Felt, Found
This cast describes a simple verbal tool for addressing tension, conflict or other ineffective emotions in the workplace.
How to Answer the Leadership Style Question
This cast describes how to answer the interviewing question, "Describe Your Leadership Style."
Horstman's Wager
This cast is about interview preparation, and the need for ethics and candor during the process.
Preparing For Your Review - HOF 2025
Our Hall of Fame guidance on how to prepare for your review.
How to Handle the Interview Weakness Question
In this cast, we share one of the best interviewing answer templates you'll ever hear. It's simple, elegant, easy to deliver, and surprise, surprise: it directly answers the question.
How to Handle Headhunters (External Recruiters) - Part 2
One of the skills that so many professionals could be so much better at with such little work is relationships with executive recruiters. The fact is, recruiters play important roles in corporate life, more today than they ever have before, and not just at executive levels. This is particularly true in the technology space.
How to Handle Headhunters (External Recruiters) - Part 1
One of the skills that so many professionals could be so much better at with such little work is relationships with executive recruiters. The fact is, recruiters play important roles in corporate life, more today than they ever have before, and not just at executive levels. This is particularly true in the technology space.
Got Email? - Part 2
In this podcast we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.
Got Email? - Part 1
In this podcast we talk about how to make your technology work for you, and how you can spend less time on email while getting more done.
Time (Priority) Management - Part 2
Time management is a fallacy. Time doesn't need you to "manage" it - it's been getting along just fine without you for billions of years. We can't manage time. What we CAN manage is what we do with that time. And yet, the overwhelming evidence is that professionals and managers do NOT "manage what they do with that time."
Time (Priority) Management - Part 1
Time management is a fallacy. Time doesn't need you to "manage" it - it's been getting along just fine without you for billions of years. We can't manage time. What we CAN manage is what we do with that time. And yet, the overwhelming evidence is that professionals and managers do NOT "manage what they do with that time."
How to Resign - Part 2
At least once in your career, and perhaps as many as five times, you're going to have to resign from a position. And this is one of those tasks or responsibilities that no one talks about, no one knows how to do, and therefore… many do it poorly.
How to Resign - Part 1
At least once in your career, and perhaps as many as five times, you're going to have to resign from a position. And this is one of those tasks or responsibilities that no one talks about, no one knows how to do, and therefore… many do it poorly.
How To Build A Network - Part 2
We suggest you Build and Maintain Your Network. It only takes THREE SIMPLE SKILLS, and we'll walk through them.
How To Build A Network - Part 1
No matter your role or stage of career, don't think for a moment that someone else is managing your career. Those days are long gone. YOU are managing your career. What you do - not only in job skills, but also in what we call "Transition Skills" - will be the primary determinant of your career success. You're not going to have the richest, most rewarding series of roles and opportunities by allow
How to Prepare Your Resume (Your Resume Stinks!) - Part 3
Your resume, regardless of the baggage associated with it, is probably your most critical career management document. While it's not something you ought to leave lying around on your desk for others to see, that doesn't mean you ought to treat it like something you dust off only when you really need it. It needs to be reviewed quarterly, believe it or not.
How to Prepare Your Resume (Your Resume Stinks!) - Part 2
Your resume, regardless of the baggage associated with it, is probably your most critical career management document. While it's not something you ought to leave lying around on your desk for others to see, that doesn't mean you ought to treat it like something you dust off only when you really need it. It needs to be reviewed quarterly, believe it or not.
How to Prepare Your Resume (Your Resume Stinks!) - Part 1
Your resume, regardless of the baggage associated with it, is probably your most critical career management document. While it's not something you ought to leave lying around on your desk for others to see, that doesn't mean you ought to treat it like something you dust off only when you really need it. It needs to be reviewed quarterly, believe it or not.
Engagement Surveys - How To Help Your Manager Succeed - Part 2
What you can do to help your manager when they get their engagement survey results.
Engagement Surveys - How To Help Your Manager Succeed - Part 1
What you can do to help your manager when they get their engagement survey results.
Digital Networking: Best Practices for Building Online Professional Relationships
Building a network in a digital world - a 2025 update to "Building A Network".
Stop Worrying About Job Security
Our guidance on the benefits of pursuing financial security instead of job security.
Measuring and Communicating Your True Professional Value
Our guidance on identifying, tracking, and communicating the metrics that reflect your true professional value—so you can improve performance, support your resume, and demonstrate impact to your organization.
How To Leverage Your MTDISC Style For Career Growth - High C
Our guidance on career growth strategies for High C’s
20th Anniversary Cast (CT)
Welcome to a special episode of Manager Tools. Today, you're listening to the live recording of our 20th anniversary podcast, captured in front of a fantastic audience of managers and leaders just like you.
How To Leverage Your MTDISC Style For Career Growth - High S
Career growth comes from leveraging your strengths and at the same time managing and mitigating your weaknesses. We all have a wide array of strengths, but choosing which ones to use first for career growth can be overwhelming, so in this podcast, we’re going to suggest just four targeted strategies that work with your natural tendencies as a High S to accelerate your growth.
How To Leverage Your MTDISC Style For Career Growth - High I
Our guidance on career growth strategies for High I's.
How To Leverage Your MTDISC Style For Career Growth - High D
Our guidance on career growth strategies for High D's.
Data Analysis For Beginners - Avoid Common Mistakes - Part 2
Part 2 of our guidance on the pitfalls of data analysis.
Data Analysis For Beginners - Avoid Common Mistakes - Part 1
Our guidance on the pitfalls of data analysis.
How To Use Your Work Notes - Part 2
Part 2 of our guidance on professional note-taking - and what to do with your notes once you’ve taken them.
How To Use Your Work Notes - Part 1
Our guidance on professional note-taking - and what to do with your notes once you've taken them.
What To Do When You Get A Raise
Our guidance on what to do with the money when you get a raise.
I Don't Want To Go Back To The Office (Hall of Fame Guidance)
Our Hall of Fame guidance on what to do if you’re being asked to work in an office after working at home and you’d prefer not to.
Getting Ready To Get Promoted - Chapter 8 - Documentation
Our guidance on documenting your progress when you want to be promoted.
Brainstorming with A High C
How to approach brainstorming if you’re a High C or you’re facilitating a group with a High C.
Brainstorming with A High S
How to approach brainstorming if you’re a High S or you’re facilitating a group with a High S.
Brainstorming with A High I
How to approach brainstorming if you're a High I or you're facilitating a group with a High I.
Brainstorming with A High D
How to approach brainstorming if you're a High D or you're facilitating a group with a High D.
Responding To Engagement Surveys For Individual Contributors (Hall of Fame Guidance)
Our Hall of Fame guidance on responding to engagement surveys for individual contributors.
How To Talk About Layoffs In An Interview
Our guidance about how to talk about layoffs in an interview.
Working In A Remote Team - Dealing With Timezones
Our guidance on working with colleagues in other timezones.
How Long To Wait For A Promotion And Other Career Moves
Our guidance on corporate timing and waiting for changes that you expect.
“Is My Company Going To Make Layoffs?” - How To Gather Layoff Intelligence - Chapter 1, Ask Your Network
What to do when major external changes threaten your job security.
Public Speaking: Dealing with Anxiety
Our guidance on dealing with anxiety when speaking in public
Recommended
LOVE SOMEONE with Delilah
Classical Christian Education
Veritas Vox - The Voice of Classical Christian Education
Enjoy Teaching Again | Elementary, Teacher Burnout, Student Behavior, SEL, Classroom Management
Entrepreneur Kids Legacy Show - Family Motivation, Business Boss Babies, Inspirational Speakers and Healthy fun food
McKinsey on Consumer and Retail
megahired.com
Telli Talks with Telli Swift
Harmonize Your Life: Conversation on Self-Care for Women of Color
Lighting the Legal Career Path
High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset
Pintastic® Pinterest Podcast
