How to Gain an Interviewing Advantage

 Thanks to Lou Adler for the advice.
Ev

How to Gain an Interviewing Advantage

1) Be prepared. An interview is more important than any major presentation you’ll ever make. You need to be just as prepared. Part of this is reading about the company, the industry, the job description, and the LinkedIn profiles of the people you’ll be meeting. But this is just a start. Knowing yourself, your resume and work history inside-out, your strengths and weaknesses, and preparing to ask and answer questions is the hard part.

2) Ask insightful questions. Interviewers judge candidates on three big areas: the candidate’s first impression, the quality of the answers, and the quality of the questions. Great questions can often overcome weaknesses in the other areas. The best questions focus on the impact and challenges of the role, and the relationship of the job to the business.

3) Convert the interview into a past performance review. If the interviewer seems to be box-checking skills and experiences, ask about the major performance expectations for the job. Then give examples of your biggest accomplishments to validate you’ve done work that’s comparable to what needs to be done.

4) Prove strengths and neutralize weaknesses. Write down all of your strengths and weaknesses. For each strength come up with 1-2 actual accomplishments you can use as examples to prove the strength. To neutralize a weakness, describe how you converted it into a learning experience, or how you manage to deal with it.

5) Ask about next steps. Towards the end of the interview, ask where you stand, and find out the next steps. If the interviewer is vague or non-committal, you’re probably not going to be called back. In this case, ask if there is something missing in your background or skill set that the job requires. Once you know this, you might be able to minimize the concern by describing some comparable accomplishment that was previously not considered.

For most hiring managers, the interviewer is more about box-checking and validating skills, combined with a big dose of gut feel and intuition. A savvy job-seeker can turn the odds in his or her favor by being prepared, recognizing that the interview isn’t a lecture or a series of 30-second responses, and asking insightful, business-oriented questions. Preventing what can go wrong is a great way to ensure things go right.

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Lou Adler (@LouA) is the CEO of The Adler Group, a full-service talent acquisition consulting firm. His latest book, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired (Workbench, 2013), covers the Performance-based Interviewing process described in this article in more depth. For instant hiring advice join Lou's LinkedIn group and follow his Wisdom About Work series on Facebook.

Five Things You Must Not Do in an Interview

Thanks to Lou Adler for the advice.
Ev

How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot in the Interview

1) Stop using generalities, like “I’m a problem-solver” and “I’m a real team player.” Generalities about strengths are ignored, forgotten, or not heard. When interviewers evaluate a candidate they recall the examples and stories the candidate used to prove a point. From these examples they conclude to what degree the candidate possesses the strength or attribute.

2) Never say “I don’t have any weaknesses.” Everybody has weaknesses. The point of the question isn’t even about weaknesses; it’s an attempt to determine your character, honesty, and self-awareness. On the surface, saying you don’t have any weaknesses implies you’ve stopped growing, can’t learn anything new and can’t be coached. Openly stating a weakness, and describing how you’ve learned from it, indicates a willingness to get better.

3) Don’t give answers that are too short or too long. In an interview, you’re judged not just on the content of your answers, but also the quality of how they’re presented. The best answers are 1-2 minutes long. If your answers are too short you’re assumed to lack ability or insight, or interest. Worse, you force the interviewer to work too hard. Interviewees who talk too much are considered self-absorbed, boring and imprecise. Worse, after two minutes the interviewer tunes you out and doesn’t hear a thing you’ve said.

4) Don’t ask “what’s in it for me” questions. At the beginning of the interview, assume you’re the seller, even if you’re the hottest, in-demand candidate in the world. Asking self-serving questions like “what does the job pay?” or questions about benefits and related superficialities, are an instant turn-off. It’s certainly okay to ask about these things once the interviewer signals that you’re a serious candidate for the job.

5) Don’t look at your resume. During the interview you must not look at your resume. This is a sign you’re either nervous (which you probably will be), or you fabricated something. Interviewers expect you to know your work history completely, including companies, dates, job titles, roles, responsibilities and key accomplishments. To help recall these important details, write them down on a few 3X5 cards before the interview.


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Lou Adler (@LouA) is the CEO of The Adler Group, a full-service talent acquisition consulting firm. His latest book, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired (Workbench, 2013), covers the Performance-based Interviewing process described in this article in more depth. For instant hiring advice join Lou's LinkedIn group and follow his Wisdom About Work series on Facebook.

Gorilla Librarian: Dress Appropriately for Sales Appointments and Interviews

When going to a sales meeting or interview, dress professionally. Research the company first. 
If their culture is to wear beach clothes to the office, it doesn't give you the right to do the same. 
Dress professionally so they take you serious as a professional.

I have to admit that part of the reason for writing this article to have an excuse for another Monty Python clip. Any blog can be made more interesting by Monty Python. Scientific fact.
Thanks for reading!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

How To Conceal Your Age

Thanks Laura for some easy tips.
Ev

Job Hunt: How to Conceal Your Age

Laura Pierson

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Ageism is rampant in our economy. Older employees are often laid off, discharged, and overlooked for promotions or new jobs. Hiring managers will often say an older candidate is “not a good ‘culture fit’” or “over experienced.”  But what they really mean is, this candidate is too old and we don’t want to risk hiring someone who might retire, ask for too much money, or get sick to go on disability.
How can you conceal your age in this economy?

First, try to omit dates. When listing your education, do not include a graduating year. I have seen recruiters completely pass over a candidate who graduated college in the 1970s.  Another good tip is to exclude some of your older jobs from your early twenties, especially if they are not related to your current career. College jobs, early jobs, and brief jobs from your past can all age your resume.

Second, create an eye-catching “pitch.” At the top of your resume, you may include a line such as the following, “Marketing Professional with over 30 years of experience.” While it is impressive that you have so many years of experience, you may bring that number down to 20, and it will be just as effective. Also, include some of your biggest achievements and awards in that first line to really catch the attention of hiring managers. Show that your “seasoned experience” is beneficial because you have had a proven record. Compared to those young professionals in their 30s who think they know what they are doing, you know what you are doing. Do not be afraid to show that. However, keep it at a delicate balance so that you do not seem too seasoned.

Third, update your look. An old, outdated look can add years to an individual’s actual age. Getting a contemporary haircut, gently dyeing those gray hairs, wearing a little bit of tasteful makeup, whitening your teeth, losing weight, and updating your wardrobe with a clean new suit can make you look 10-15 years younger! Men who are balding should keep their hair shorter or even consider shaving their heads bald. According to Alfred Mannes, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, bald men appear more dominant and bold in the workplace. Women, too, can create younger hairstyles by adding layers and bangs to conceal wrinkles or adding hair extensions and gentle highlights for a more youthful glow.

Fourth, it is always beneficial to stay up to date on cultural events. A well-rounded individual who stays up to date on business as well as media trends always appears more youthful and sociable. Job candidates can easily achieve this by reading headlines, watching the news, flipping through popular magazines such as Time, Business Weekly, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, to name a few.

Lastly, I admit I am not very old and still have much to learn. I have learned a tremendous amount from my older colleagues and continue to learn from them daily. It pains me to see so many older people get laid off and attend interview after interview without much luck.While this guide is intended to help conceal an individual’s age, it is far from an exhaustive list of techniques. I invite you to read my other articles on job hunting tips and I wish you all the best of luck in your job search.

Interview Questions to Ask-by Jamie from TEKsystems

Jamie Grancis is a great recruiter and a valuable resource for anyone in the IT and Recruiting world.
She has helped the people I work with on many occassions and here is some advice she has given to those that look for a job.
Thanks Jamie!
Ev


Here is some basic interview info that I send to everyone
by
Jamie (Schroeder) Garancis
Professional Recruiter at TEKsystems

Be sure to prepare many questions involving the job, initiatives as a company, and culture. Questions are a must! For a personal interview, you can bring them in written form in a neat looking binder or folder.
Some examples of good questions to ask that are not related to the technology of the job are:

1. What kind of improvements is your organization currently working on?
2. What types of growth opportunities exist at the organization?
3. How would you describe the company’s culture?
4. What are your expectations of me?
5. What types of people tend to excel at this organization?
6. What are some strategic initiatives for next year?

Potential questions for you to ask during the Interview:

Finally, below are some questions that I suggest you think about asking during the interview. It is important to ask questions during the interview so these questions are a great starting point.

1. What do you see being the biggest challenge I would face if selected for this project?
2. What results would you expect from me on this project in my first week, first month and for the overall project?
3. What are your responsibilities at this comany?
4. Who or what team(s)/group(s) would I interact with the most? Why?
5. How would you measure my success on this project?
6. Are there any answers I have given during our time together that you would like additional insight on?
7. Do you have any concerns about any of my answers or how my background matches with your needs for this project?
8. Based on my previous working experience and background I feel I would excel on this project, how do you feel about my abilities?
9. What do you look for in someone to be successful at this company?
10. What advice would you give me to be successful on this project?
11. What are some common mistakes that you have seen people make in the past at this company that impact the person’s ability to achieve desired business results?

Basic Interview Tips:
1. Do not act in an arrogant manner, but still act confident.
2. Speak slowly and clearly.
3. The least amount of questions it would be acceptable for you to ask is 6 (the more the better).
4. When asked if you have had XYZ experience, and your answer is “no”, do not leave it at that. Explain how your previous experiences would qualify you to deal with the experience the company is looking for. So, your answer may go as follows:
Client: Have you ever had experience within a designated leadership role in your last position?
You: No, I haven’t ever had a leadership title, but I was considered a leader on my team by my peers.
They often consulted me when they had questions and my supervisor often left me to mentor new employees.
5. Be sure to give examples when they ask questions.
6. Emphasize that you want to use the skills you have gained through your education and in the industry.
7. Be enthusiastic! At the end of the interview, ask what the next steps are, or maybe if there is anywhere you fell short or they weren’t clear on.

At the end of the interview - let them know you want the job!!