Who is Steve Urban?
I'm a recruiter, COO and author with 30+ years in business. I started at KFC at 15, ran retail stores, became a COO, and in 2013 I started Riderflex with no outside money and an old laptop. Riderflex completed 4,000+ placements. I wrote The Riderflex Guide, The Riderflex Guide 2.0 and my memoir, Stormwalker's Grit.
How should I prepare for a job interview?
Do your freaking homework. Most people don't. Read the company website, including the mission, news and financials. Study their social accounts for culture. Look up the leadership team and the people interviewing you. Have a real reason you want the job beyond a paycheck, and bring good questions. Most candidates skip four of those five steps.
How do I answer "tell me about yourself"?
Most interviewers have only skimmed your resume. Have a short four-minute walk through your career ready for that opening question. Save the specific wins and numbers for the end, when they ask if there's anything else. Broad up front, specific at the close.
What if I don't meet every requirement in the job posting?
A perfect-match resume rarely exists. Name the gap yourself before they find it. If they want ten years and you have seven, say so, explain why you're still the right person, and show you're willing to learn what's missing. Bringing up your own weakness first keeps you in control.
Should I send a thank-you note after an interview?
Yes. The gurus who call it old school are wrong. Send a personal thank-you to each interviewer within 24 hours and mention something specific you talked about. If they didn't give you a timeline, follow up again in one to two weeks. If you act like you're okay falling off the face of the earth, some will let you.
Should I tell an employer my current salary?
That's the one question I'd avoid answering directly. Your current number becomes their ceiling, and it follows you into future jobs. Research the market range, steer the talk back to the value you bring, give a researched range of your own, and push salary talk until there's a written offer if you can.
How do I know if a job offer is actually good?
Base salary is one line item. Weigh the commute, benefits, work environment, the manager, vacation, growth, travel, remote options and whether you care about the product. Some people use a 20% rule: the new job should pay at least 20% more take-home after taxes to justify the move.
Is it okay to ghost a recruiter or employer?
No. Don't go dark on people. Ghosting wastes everyone's time and can quietly get you blacklisted through word of mouth. If you're declining, pick up the phone and tell them. Texting to avoid a hard conversation is hiding.
What should I do right after a layoff?
Feelings first, then process. Admit it hurts. File for unemployment right away, set a budget for the transition, and take a week or more to rethink what you want. Then fix your resume and LinkedIn, tell your network, and search every single day.
I'm over 50 and job hunting. What should I know?
Seriously consider a good offer instead of waiting for the perfect one. Searches take longer than you expect and severance goes faster than you think, and that leads to desperation later. You also don't have to list every job you've ever had on your resume. Good enough now often beats perfect later.
How do I make my LinkedIn profile work for recruiters?
Recruiters search with keywords, so give them the keywords. Put your expertise in the headline, name your industry and the size of the companies you worked for, call out leadership and revenue results, briefly explain frequent job changes, keep your photo current, and make it match your resume.
Should I quit my job to start a business?
Answer some honest questions first. Do you have a year of living expenses saved beyond your startup cash? Is your partner 100% on board? Can you handle stress and give up balance early on? Are you a captain, not someone waiting for orders? Is your health good? I started Riderflex with no outside money and didn't pay myself for months, so don't romanticize it.
Why should I network if I already have a good job?
You're always in the job market, whether you're looking or not. I saw a guy stop networking at a friend's company for 15 years. The company collapsed, and he was out of work for six months rebuilding from scratch. Keep your relationships warm.
What do you do when life knocks you down?
Life is hard. I've been fired more than once and I've slept on an old mattress dragged in from behind a shed. Getting fired turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. Success limps. You're not broken. You're becoming. Make a decision and move on.
What is Ask Steve Urban?
It's a free AI career and life coach built on my Riderflex Guide books and the Riderflex video archive. Ask about interviews, offers, salary or career moves, get your resume roasted, or run a mock interview. You get 3 free questions, then sign in with your email.