Recently I had a conversation with a job seeker which I have had similarly with many others in the past. The conversation begins with a recap of what actions they have taken in their job search and what their expectations are for working together. I often here something like, “I can handle the job search – I just need a resume to get me in the door, and I know I can talk my way into the job – I can talk my way into anything”. Have you ever said or heard or said this before?

As articulate and compelling as You might think your communication skills are, if you have nothing to say that interests the interviewer, you will not gain a job offer.

The key is to know what to say in the interview and once again, it comes down to knowing who you are interviewing with. For every interview or influential contact you schedule a meeting with, you should spend several hours researching and educating yourself on the company in question. Areas to become familiar with include the industry, current needs or issues of the company, biggest competition, new projects underway, future plans and problems the company is currently facing. Think ahead of 3 – 5 ways you can use  your skills, expertise, contacts, or experience to help in achieve current corporate goals or resolve existing problems.

Coming to the meeting prepared will allow you to fully engage in the conversation, where you can communicate your expertise and the value that you will bring to the company. Otherwise your conversation ends up sounding like a “me, me, me” story instead of a “here is how can I help you” conversation.

To be memorable you must have something worth saying and fitting for the position. If you go in blind with no preparation or understanding of what they are looking for you are selling you skills and yourself short. You might have exactly what they need but it is up to you to let them see how well suited you are for their job, their company and solving their problems.

Phone interviews have been quite a prevalent topic for my clients this week. I received calls sharing that one client had completed a phone interview with two other clients having scheduled phone interviews for next week. With so many in one week, I wonder if this may be a new norm for some companies.

When my clients called, they were thrilled at the opportunity but nervous of what to expect and anticipate. They had many questions about the differences to expect between an in person and phone interview. Here are a few things we discussed:

Preparation is crucial: make sure to take time to properly prepare for the phone interview. Prepare answers for commonly asked interview questions that offer insight to your experience using skills, reasoning and communication strengths to reach optimal results. Commit to practice reading your answers out loud to become comfortable with answering different types of questions so there are no surprises during the actual interview.

Have a quiet, undisturbed area set up for the interview. Whether in a bedroom, office, or even a vehicle; be sure to use a high quality phone. A land line is optimal if available. Also have your resume, cover letter and any other pertinent documents, water, paper and pens, and even a couple of 3×5 cards set up before the call begins.

During the Interview: standing can help to improve breathing when nervous. A smile will relax you and your voice. Try writing SMILE on one of the index cards and place it as a reminder in front of you. The cards are also a good place to write the interviewer and company names for a quick reference.

Because so much of the important, non-verbal communication is lost over the phone lines, it is imperative to use your words, breathing, sighs, laughter, tone of voice, speed of words and inflections to convey your knowledge, expertise, confidence and inviting personality.

A few things to keep in mind. Many interviewers are not comfortable with the interview process. If they sound nervous, build your rapport by helping to make them feel comfortable in their present interviewer role.

Keep in mind also, everyone speaks and thinks at their own pace. Try to match your speaking speed to the interviewer to help them feel comfortable with the communication exchange. Sometimes the interviewer will need to collect their thoughts, figure out their next question or want linger on something they just heard you say. So, if you hear a few seconds of silence – let it be.

Last Thoughts include keeping in mind that if you have been offered an interview, they are interested in you. They are ready to move forward in their search and want to be successful in finding the right person for the job. Help them by communicating your unique value and your ideal fit with a strong phone interview and a thoughtful thank you note.

5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Meandering Work History

Each individual is different of course, but those with a history of job hopping might find resistance by hiring managers looking for candidates that will remain loyal to their company as the economy works to recover.

I recently encountered such a client who was concerned with his resume and interview options because of the wide range of jobs he has had over the past 15 years.  We discussed strategies and decided that it would be best if we identified the skills and requirements of his current job search and focused the resume on those criteria.

Passionate about the career and direction he has chosen, he wanted to do what ever he could to make sure this issue was addressed in the best way possible.

Five quick tips I offered include:

1. Determine the crucial transferable skills, experience, and requirements of the current career focus. Investigate what education, certification, skills, experience and other requirements are expected when pursuing the chosen position. Research targeted companies to uncover the culture, values and expectations of the company for further use in your resume. Check out the job descriptions on a few job boards to get the full understanding of what will be expected in that role.
2. Build your resume with the new career focus in mind. Determine which transferable skills and experiences to mine from each past position. Showcase these skills in the resume by knowing what the reader is looking for and boldly providing examples of the sought skills.
3. Show commonalities between jobs to increase the look of a strategically planned background. If you are seeking a position in an industry you have worked in before, make sure to show the total number of years in the industry to give your experience more credibility. Also, highlight the repeat use of transferable skills in your past positions such as customer service, IT, leadership, training, or management.
4. Prepare a few answers ahead of time for interview questions pertaining to your work history. First and foremost, always be honest. Be sure to communicate to the interviewer that the strength of the skills and achievements you developed has led you to your ability to succeed at the targeted position. Convey your passion, interest and excitement for a chance to work with their company or in the particular position.
5. Use those past positions to regain contacts, make new connections and build your network. A varied history can actually have an advantage over someone who has been in the same industry for 20+ years with like minded professionals. Use the diversity of your background to expand your networks and opportunities into areas that might have normally seemed too remote.

For my client and other job hoppers to succeed, use your vast experience to address the needs and expectations of the targeted position or company by building your resume to showcase your value toward those needs. What can you offer that will help them or fill a need? Promote that value and you will get noticed regardless of your job hopping past.

There seems to still be an on going battle over the cover letter relevance. The majority of resume writers I have talked with still believe the cover letter can hold a few unique nuggets  of value that you can use to persuade hiring managers and decision makers to take a second or first look at your resume. Most recruiters I have talked with feel the cover letter is not important to the decision making process – however recruiters only place 2-3% of new employees so fo r the ir select clients this may be the case.

The truth is that 60% of hiring professionals read cover letters.

Often the gatekeepers, HR, recruiters do not read cover letters but when it comes time to narrow the selection to start the interviewing process, the decision makers can use the cover letters to identify which candidates have more than the required skills, achievements, and experience. They can also see if you also have a passion, a resolution for a current corporate issue or a new idea that can be a determining factor in offering you an interview.

You really never know who is reading your cover letter and how it will be used. I tell my clients – for those that do read it, it’s a vital part of the interview decision process so we need to create a targeted and focused letter that will open doors and get your resume read. The cover letter allows candidates the opportunity to promote their unique value and another chance for reader to identify your strengths and fit for the company.

A few examples of value and fit would be to include that you have got a true passion for working with numbers or your father worked for IBM 30 years ago and you have always wanted to work there too. You can also walk them through a dynamite combination of say, international experience and accounting strengths if you were going to work for an international company and you would be doing accounting work for subsidiaries in other countries. Sometimes they don’t recognize the value so if you find some reason for a great fit, make sure to share it with the reader.

Don’t assume they’ll make the connection…

you know what happens if you assume something?

If you are sending the letter to a recruiter, find out what their priorities are and incorporate examples of the priorities in the letter. If it is for a decision maker really work to bring out your unique value and why you would be perfect for the job, their team and their company. If it is for a general online application and you don’t know the company, keep it short but focus the cover letter on the requirements given in the job description. Whoever it is that you are righting it for, meet their needs and show you can make a difference in their company.

It isn’t enough just to go after getting an interview. If you want a job offer you have to prepare for and research each company you are offered an interview with. You have obviously done some work while having your resume developed or writing it yourself. The research and preparation is a great start for your interview but it won’t put you ahead of the masses. Below are 5 secrets you need to know if you want to really catch the decision maker’s attention at your next interview.

Know the company you intend to interview with – Take time to thoroughly learn about the company or companies you will be interviewing with. The research should include reading their company website, searching (Googling) the company on the internet, finding potential contacts from their company on LinkedIn, and reading what the media and their competition has to say as well. You will impress the interviewers if you are comfortable and confident talking with them about the company.

Know how you can help them – If you want to capture the attention of the interviewer, try finding out what the biggest problems the company or department are currently facing and find ways you can help.

Strategies to help the company may include a developing a business or project plan, locating contacts for needed resources or having the skills or experience needed to resolve a specific problem. Figure out your plan before the interview and then WoW them with your preparation. Even if they don’t use your plan, your determination and critical thinking is sure to impress them.

Know the culture of the company – While you are busy researching each company you are considering interviewing with, don’t forget to study their individual corporate culture. It is important, sometimes more than your related skill or experience, that you fit in with the culture, philosophy and values of the company. Your resume will let them know your skills, but the interview will secure your fit. Save you and the company time and resources by getting a feel for the company before you participate in an interview.

Know your answers to questions most likely asked – Make sure to spend time preparing for those typical and not so typical behavioral/situation questions that will be asked at the interview, because they will be asked. Keep the answers focused on the good of the company, tying your values in with theirs, while still being truthful.

It often helps to write out your answers on paper so you can be sure to include all the right information for each question. Then, practice saying your answers several times until they feel natural to say.

Know your resume! – Don’t forget to know your resume. Right now it sometimes takes a few months before you are offered an interview.  Most of the time the hiring manager will use your resume as an outline to follow for the interview. Whether you have written it yourself or had someone write it; reread your resume several times to refresh your memory. You do not want to be blind-sided by a quote from your resume that you don’t recall and can’t respond to. Know your resume!

Just as in any debate, meeting, presentation or interview, in order to be successful and sound polished you must prepare. The company you are interviewing with have spent a good deal of time identifying the skills, experience and type of person they want working with them. It is your responsibility to yourself and you next employer to do the same. The results will be a more effective and responsive interview and will help you stand out as one sharp candidate. So, give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

It sounds almost too simple to be true, but not knowing the content of your resume, and getting caught up by it during an interview are fairly common occurrences. Whether you have written your resume yourself or had it written by a professional resume writer, you must be well aware of what is on your resume. If you’ve made it past the initial gatekeepers and have received an invitation for an interview, take some time to review your resume and know it well.

Most often the responsibility of interviewing and offering positions to candidates falls on the manager of the department, area, or office, depending on the size of the organization. Just because they are the decision makers it doesn’t make them proficient or even comfortable during the interview process. It is your job as the candidate to help the hiring manager feel comfortable with you so the skills on your resume and your natural fit with the interviewer will illustrate your potential value to the company.

You must be able to identify areas of your resume if a sentence or two is read to you for you to elaborate on.

When conducting these interviews, your resume will often be the outline at which questions are asked about your skills and achievements.  If you stumble or look blinded by the question, it may send a red flag about your ability to do those skills.

Make sure to read every word – several times, so you are completely familiar with the words used. This is particularly important if you wrote or had your resume written a few months ago. Also refresh yourself on your LinkedIn profile and the content of your VisualCV web page. The more you know about yourself and how you describe your value, expertise and achievements the more you’ll be see as the right fit for the job.

Wednesday’s Q&A

Question: Can a smile really land you a job?

Answer: A smile is so incredibly powerful. It is proven to release chemicals that relax, it takes fewer muscles to make then a frown, and it can make or break a meeting.

Smiles are written about, sung about, drawn, worn as bumper stickers and t-shirts and are used in many quotes from the famous and not so famous including Phyllis Diller who said, “The curve of a smile sets everything straight”. It affects your appearance too, as George Eliot reminded us, “Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles”.  Do you want laugh lines or frown lines?

My favorite quote is from an unknown author, it states, “The shortest distance between two people is a smile”.

If you want to break the ice when meeting people for the first time during an interview remember to smile … often. This doesn’t mean laugh and giggle in a nervous annoyance. It means to look at those you are talking with and give a genuine smile.

When asking for help in your job search, inviting contacts for coffee or lunch to get reacquainted, meeting new contacts, networking, talking with recruiters, administrative or HR support or the hiring manager the first and most natural response should be a smile.

Smiles are a nonverbal communication shared throughout the world. Your smile is more than displaying teeth or curving lips, it is a physical change in your attitude and approachability. When a smile is received it also causes a biological response by mimicking a return smile, so if you want to make others feel comfortable S-M-I-L-E !

A genuine smile and approachable appearance will be remembered as much as your stories, experience and skills you share during an interview. Will a smile land you a job, maybe not on its’, but it can certainly be the thing that interviewers remember and may be a deciding factor at some point.

The little things really do make the biggest differences – It can’t hurt and it will actually make you feel better – try it today!

With excitement and anticipation last night I watched Sunday Night Football. The pre-season game gave the new players a chance to show what they’ve got and their contribution potential, in short… their value.

It wasn’t an unforgettable game but it was just fun to watch. Usually at half time I switch loads of laundry, check emails, or click to other channels. I am glad I kept the game on and was able to catch the tribute to John Madden and his years as an energetic and passionate announcer.

After halftime, I was even more excited to see the newly retired and new addition to the announcing team, Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts. I am just thrilled he will join Al Michaels and John Madden’s replacement Cris Collinsworth, as part of the Sunday Night Football Announcing Staff. I look forward to hearing his wisdom and viewpoint every week.

Conversation flowed from his retirement to future plans and eventually landed on his relationship with Michael Vick. With the completion of his 2 year sentence at Leavenworth, Vick is working through the process of making a comeback into professional football. Dungy has agreed to mentor Michael Vick during his reemergence into the sport of football. I believe Dungy is there for emotional and spiritual support for Michael Vick the man as much as the football player.

Vick will have to prove his physical and mental strengths all over again to the coaches, players and football fans. To a new team he also has to prove he is a good fit.

The same holds true for the job seekers. Knowing you have the skills and experience is important but your “fit”, character, and reliability is even more critical to landing a new job. Watch other job seekers, watch Michael Vick, and see how vital your personality and character are to a decision maker trying to find the “right” person for the job.

Before you start applying to and interviewing with new companies know your strengths, what type of position is right for you, and what value you offer to potential companies. Research companies until you can honestly say, “This is the company for me” and then Go For It!

“I just want a job” or “I’ll take anything” are comments I hear very often as I am working with clients. I also heard this from almost every job seeker I spoke with at a recent job fair I helped out with. Although many job seekers feel this way it is vital not to say or project this feeling to contacts, networking acquaintances, recruiters and most of all during an interview.

Letting everyone know you’ll take anything will get you nothing of value.

This approach backfires for a couple reasons. First, you lose all credibility as an expert in your position or field when you remind everyone you’ll take anything. Second of all, value statements become something that sound disingenuous. Just like using an Objective Statement on a resume, you turn everything to focus on you and what you want instead of on the company, what they want and need and what you have to offer and help them.

Feeling desperate is understandable as bills come due and any job seems like a better choice than waiting for the perfect job. This might be true but you can’t face the world with this attitude. You have to convince others (and yourself) that the job you are applying for or interviewing for is the best job in the world – and your ideal job. You will be much more convincing in an interview if you put the same effort into “any” job as you would in what you think is an ideal job. Do your research, know the company and what they need and sell yourself!

Pose yourself as an expert in that position or field by knowing your stuff. Focus your resume, the stories, examples and answers you give in a networking meeting or interview on what the position is looking for. This will give others confidence in your abilities. If you don’t believe you are the best candidate for the job, you won’t be able to convince others either.

A recruiter or hiring manager does not want someone settling for a position. They will assume you will leave as soon as you find something better, not give your all or even feel bored. They are looking for someone who will fit the job and someone who wants to work there.

So – if the “I’ll take anything” approach isn’t working for you, try using a different approach that showcases your expertise and fit and see what happens!

Saturday Evening Reposted

Reposted with permission from VisualCV 

If you are one of the lucky few that have been offered an interview lately, you have already done a few things right. To continue moving in the right direction you will need to demonstrate during the interview, your value to their company. Below you’ll find tips on how to prepare for your next interview so it will be your last.

Do your homework and prepare if you want to stand out  at your next interview.

Research the company before the interview. Start by Googling the company, the industry and their competitors to learn the current trends, issues, and activities. Study their website, their culture, mission, financials of the company and anything else that will help you get to know the company better.

Find out what’s new. Are they working on a new project, expanding operations, or launching new products?  The old saying ‘knowledge is power’ definitely fits here and your knowledge of their company will help the employer see your value and how serious you are about working for them.

Another crucial step in preparation is to practice responding to typical and not so typical questions you will be asked. Even something as simple as, “When can you start?” can be a problem if you are currently working and haven’t thought through how long you will need to get out of your current position. Try writing down your responses and then practice saying them out loud. You’ll sound more comfortable and appear more confident if you do

Make sure your communication style is inviting and effective during the interview.

It is important to know how others see you and how effective your communication style is. Practicing a mock interview with an honest co-worker or friend will help to sort out any non-verbal glitches or twitches you may not be aware of. Change what needs to be changed to appear more engaging. Opinions are formed using 93% non-verbal language and only 7% actual verbal language, how you say it is much more important than what you say

Listen well to the hiring manager and understand what he is asking; if you are not sure…ask. Be enthusiastic and show your interest. Employers want to hire someone who wants the job, shows passion and interest for the industry and field, and truly wants to work for their company. Show them that person is yo

 Leave a lasting impression.

Make sure you say thank you to everyone in the room, smile, and shake hands at the end of the interview. Ask the hiring manager what the next step will be and when you can expect to hear from them. Hold them to it and  contact them after a week with a phone call or email to follow up and find out what the status is on the job and your interview. If you didn’t get the job, find out why, politely. It will help you in the future!

Finally, don’t forget to send a thank you note within the first 24 hours. Did you know 70% of hiring managers expect to receive them while only 35% do? It can be written or typed but be sure you send it soon after the interview to keep fresh in their hiring minds. Make your next interview your last by applying what you’ve learned here and preparing to wow your next interviewers!