Recruiters: 3 Questions to Ask Candidates

Thanks Jeff for the great insight!
Ev

3 Interview Questions That Reveal Everything
BY Jeff Haden

Employee fit is crucial.
Here's a simple way to know if a job candidate is right for your business.Interviewing job candidates is tough, especially because some candidates are a lot better at interviewing than they are at working.

To get the core info you need about the candidates you interview, here's a simple but incredibly effective interview technique I learned from John Younger, the CEO of Accolo, a cloud recruiting solutions provider. (If you think you've conducted a lot of interviews, think again: Younger has interviewed thousands of people.)

Here's how it works. Just start from the beginning of the candidate's work history and work your way through each subsequent job. Move quickly, and don't ask for detail. And don't ask follow-up questions, at least not yet.

Go through each job and ask the same three questions:

1. How did you find out about the job?

2. What did you like about the job before you started?

3. Why did you leave?

"What's amazing," Younger says, "is that after a few minutes, you will always have learned something about the candidate--whether positive or negative--that you would never have learned otherwise."

Here's why:

How did you find out about the job?

Job boards, general postings, online listings, job fairs--most people find their first few jobs that way, so that's certainly not a red flag.

But a candidate who continues to find each successive job from general postings probably hasn't figured out what he or she wants to do--and where he or she would like to do it.

He or she is just looking for a job; often, any job.

And that probably means he or she isn't particularly eager to work for you. He or she just wants a job. Yours will do--until something else comes along.

"Plus, by the time you get to Job Three, Four, or Five in your career, and you haven't been pulled into a job by someone you previously worked for, that's a red flag," Younger says. "That shows you didn't build relationships, develop trust, and show a level of competence that made someone go out of their way to bring you into their organization."

On the flip side, being pulled in is like a great reference--without the letter.

What did you like about the job before you started?

In time, interviewees should describe the reason they took a particular job for more specific reasons than "great opportunity," "chance to learn about the industry," or "next step in my career."

Great employees don't work hard because of lofty titles or huge salaries. They work hard because they appreciate their work environment and enjoy what they do. (Titles and salary are just icing on the fulfillment cake.)

That means they know the kind of environment they will thrive in, and they know the type of work that motivates and challenges them--and not only can they describe it, they actively seek it.

Why did you leave?

Sometimes people leave for a better opportunity. Sometimes they leave for more money.

Often, though, they leave because an employer is too demanding. Or the employee doesn't get along with his or her boss. Or the employee doesn't get along with co-workers.

When that is the case, don't be judgmental. Resist the temptation to ask for detail. Hang on to follow-ups. Stick to the rhythm of the three questions. That makes it natural for candidates to be more open and candid.

In the process, many candidates will describe issues with management or disagreements with other employees or with taking responsibility--issues they otherwise would not have shared.

Then follow up on patterns that concern you.

"It's a quick way to get to get to the heart of a candidate's sense of teamwork and responsibility," Younger says. "Some people never take ownership and always see problems as someone else's problem. And some candidates have consistently had problems with their bosses--which means they'll also have issues with you."

And a bonus question:

How many people have you hired, and where did you find them?

Say you're interviewing candidates for a leadership position. Want to know how their direct reports feel about them?

Don't look only for candidates who were brought into an organization by someone else; look for candidates who brought employees into their organization.

"Great employees go out of their way to work with great leaders," Younger says. "If you're tough but fair, and you treat people well, they will go out of their way to work with you. The fact that employees changed jobs just so they could work for you speaks volumes to your leadership and people skills."

5 Things 'Losers' Never Do

David Stuart writes for Forbes Magazine.
He wrote this column that caught my eye.
It is the way he wrote it that made me read it twice and realize the article was right.
You can read the full article here:
5-things-losers-never-do
Thanks David!
Ev

What don’t losers do that could lead them to the winners circle?

1. They don’t pause. The researchers discovered that award-winning workers slow down to ensure they’re asking the right questions about the work they do. They’re curious about who their audience is, and who is the recipient of their work. In fact, according to the study, 88% of award-winning projects begin with a person pausing to ask the question, “What difference could I make that others would love?”

2. They don’t go to where their work is received. It’s easy to sit behind our computer screens and assume we’re giving the recipients of our work, great solutions. But, award-winning workers actually go watch their work being received. The research revealed that people who go see their work being received are 17 times more likely to become passionate about their work.

3. They don’t talk to strangers. According to the study, award-winners reach outside of their inner circle and ask for opinions and connections of others. They want to know the good, the bad, and the people who may help them move forward with their idea. 72% of award-winning projects involve people talking to their outer circle.

4. They don’t tweak stuff. There’s an old saying states that there’s nothing new under the sun. And, people who win awards at work seem to take that statement to heart. Instead of trying to invent something new, they add or subtract something from an existing product or process that the recipients of their work will love. The research showed that projects are 3 times more likely to be considered “important” when someone has added or removed an element or two.

5. They don’t stick with it. Approaching any endeavor with the intent to create a difference that someone loves, award-winning workers follow their projects until the recipients of their work love their work. In fact, 90% of award-winning work projects include people and teams who follow the work all the way through implementation and beyond.

The term ‘losers’ might be a bit harsh, referring to those who don’t win. Still, it can be brutally frustrating to watch others reap the accolades when your effort might be just as admirable.

“Winning is a mindset,” said Dr. Jeff Spencer. “It’s something practiced.”

We agree. According to the research, it’s a practice of five simple skills.

Can't Focus on Your Pipeline Today? Karate Kid Punching lesson

The Karate Kid:
In the above clip, sorry to ruin it for you if you've never seen it, Mr. Miyagi is teaching Danielson to throw a karate punch.
He tells Danielson to focus all his power in one inch on his fist.

In sales you also need to "focus your power on one inch."
The metaphor I'm using is your pipeline.
I've had recruiters and other salespeople get so rushed in the random events of the work day that they lose focus and can't concentrate on where they are and what they are doing (sorry for the Star Wars reference rather than another Karate Kid quote).
They even say out loud "I don't know what I should be working on!"
It happens to every recruiter and salesperson at some point.
When that happens to us do the following:
1. Stop
Stop walking. Stop talking. Stop pacing. Stop whatever you are doing. Stop your mind.

2. Breathe
After you've stopped. Take 3-5 slow deep breaths to relax yourself.

3. Get out your pipeline
Physically look at your pipeline report in whatever format you have it in

4. To do list
Write a five item to-do list for that day (if you don't already have one) for just that pipeline

5. Select
Pick the easiest thing on that to-do-list and do it. Don't do anything except that task!

6. Cross it off
Finish the easiest task that you just started. Cross it off the list.
You just accomplished something!
7. Harder task
Select the next hardest task and accomplish it and cross it off the list.

8. Last
Leave the hardest task for last. By the time you get to it you have completed four of the five tasks on your list and you have momentum.

9. New list
Make a new five item list for the next day.

I'd like to try to figure out some easy acronym to remember for:
S-B-P-T-S-C-H-L-N
I can't do that now because I have to concentrate on my list and coming up with a snappy acronym for the above isn't on it.
Maybe add it to your list and let me know what you come up with.

Thanks!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

Sales Rule #2: Always Be Yourself

I sold Kirby vacuum cleaners in college.
Sometimes I wouldn't get home until 11pm 
as the last sales appointment was usually at 8pm.
My Dad would be waiting up for me and we would talk sales and the calls I went on that day.
The second rule of sales he drilled into me was this:
"In sales always be yourself," my Dad told me.

Sales is all about people and your trust and relationship with them.
No matter what sales training you have been given, written about, or believe in, a successful sale comes down to one thing...does the client "buy" who you are as a person.

A. If they like you and believe you they will buy right away.
B. If they like you but are skeptical about what you have to say they will take their time making a decision. If the decision is yes or no depends on how much doubt you left in their heads about what you were saying.
C. If they like you but don't believe in what you say, they won't buy from you but might give you another chance to pitch them on the same or different product.
D. If they don't like you but believe in what you say, and really need it, they will probably buy the product...just not from you if there is another source or salesperson they can deal with.
E. If they don't like you and don't believe what you say you won't get the sale no matter what. Move on to a different prospect.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to improve who you are by working on your sales skills, your professionalism, your product and industry knowledge, do all those things!
Just don't try and reinvent yourself as a person.
If you are a naturally energetic person, don't be afraid to be that as a salesperson 
(this doesn't give you permission to stand up and holler "Free bird!" at the speaker during sales training sessions!).
If you are bubbly, be bubbly.
If you are quiet, don't be afraid to be quiet (find clients who love to talk about themselves and they'll probably love having you as their rep because you LISTEN to them).

If you are always yourself, and not someone a book or trainer says you have to be:
1. your sales techniques will be more natural, 
2. you won't come off as a fake, 
3. what you say or do won't feel forced or awkward, 
Follow this rule and you'll spend more time in category A and less time 
in categories B, C, D, and E.

To Find out what is Ev's #1 rule of sales click here:
Ev's #1 Sales Rule for Everyone

Thanks for reading!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

I Don't Know

Two different sales managers I've had in my career have told me that if a client asks a question I don't know the answer to just:
1. "tell the client an answer that sounds like it makes sense and move on."
2. "tell the client a very vanilla answer that doesn't really answer the the question"
3. "make something up"

I hated all of the above and just go with the advice my dad told me:
"When a client asks a question you don't know the answer to, say you don't know the answer to that question and you will get back to them by a certain time with what you found out."

That advice has in my opinion saved more deals for me over the years than I can count.
I've been in meetings with other sales people who have told the client one of the three answers above and when I've heard them I always think how corny that sounds. How false and insincere.
If it sounds that way to me, how does it sound to the client?

By telling the client I don't know the answer but I will find out and call them back at a certain time it does three things to strengthen my relationship with that client:
1. It gives me a reason to call them back
2. by calling them back at the appointed time it gives me credibility with the client that I will follow up as I say I will
3. I get instant credibility in the meeting because I am being honest

Danny Cahill of Hobson Associates has a good video example of what I'm talking about.
Thanks Danny. I'm glad to see you took my dad's advice too!

Thanks!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

Danny Cahill "I Don't Know" video

8 Cold Calling Tips

Here are eight tips you can use to make your cold calls more effective:

1. STAND UP
The tone of your voice conveys more about you than the words coming out of your mouth. By standing up and talking you energize yourself and sound better on the phone. There is some truth when people say "I think better on my feet." It also changes your perspective of your surroundings. Your brain gets more active taking in the subtle changes it is seeing.


2. HAVE DIFFERENT INFORMATION EACH TIME YOU CALL
I used to work at a company where the salespeople left the same message and had the same conversation over and over hundreds of times per week. Not only were they bored, but the number of calls returned went down. Why? Prospects knew why they were calling and found it more of an annoyance. They accepted appointments just so they could stop the calls. If you have a new idea, relevant to your customer, each time you call your customer will more readily take your call because they know you will have some good information for them that they can use and it establishes you as an expert in your field and a professional salesperson. It is a good compliment to be called a professional.

3. DON’T LEAVE A VOICEMAIL EVERY TIME
This stops you from sounding too robotic and gives you a break from leaving the same message over and over, and relieves you the stress of trying to think of something new every time.
***I only suggest this if you are routed through a gatekeeper or automated switchboard to your contact. If you dial the direct number of your contact make sure you leave a valuable message. With caller ID they might be screening calls. If they see your name or company they might not pick up. If they know you are leaving interesting messages they are more likely to pick up or return your call.***

4. TRY A FUN GAME
Instead of calling your list at random. Make it a game. Call all companies starting with "A," or companies that end in "Y," or all of your contacts who are ladies or all of the contacts who are men. If you want to know about something I did, read this blog by Mike Carroll http://intelligentconversations.com/blog/bid/45767/Cold-Calling-all-Brian-s-and-Kevin-s

5. DON'T TRY TO BE PERFECT ON EVERY CALL
Be yourself. You won't have the perfect pitch and tone or wording all the time. No one is perfect. Don't try. Be yourself. Have fun. Learn from your mistakes. Try new ideas. If you screw up, SO WHAT! You have an immediate opportunity to do better on your next call.

6. DON'T USE A SCRIPT
Scripts are guidelines. Put them into your own words.
If you are worried you can't, see tip #5.

7. SMILE
Place a mirror where you can see your face. As you talk smile at yourself often. This is an old radio broadcaster trick. Smiling helps inflection and tonality and you come across more friendly.

8. RESEARCHGo to LinkedIN and see if the person you are trying to connect to has anything in common with you. That is an easy way to start a conversation. Spend a minute or two looking at the company website so you know what they do. DON'T GET BOGGED DOWN IN RESEARCH that you let it distract you from your calls.

Don't use any of these tips when calling my clients! If you do call my clients credit me when you get through to them!

What tips do you use for making cold calling easier?

Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

7 Pre-Call Tips for Making Cold Calls

You're about to read two words that will probably make you shudder...cold calls.
Everybody hates doing them to some degree, however they are necessary part of sales and NO technology will ever replace the value of speaking to a LIVE person.

Assuming you have no hidden weaknesses or head trash that is preventing you from picking up the phone (subject of a different article), here are some practical tips for making cold calling easier:

1. USE A CRM ACT!, SalesForce, Landslide, Outlook, or even an Excel spreadsheet are invaluable when it comes to tracking your calls. USE THEM!
-Log all contact information
-What the conversation was about
-If you left a message what the message was about
-Your next step when you call again

2. SCHEDULE CALLS IN YOUR CRM
Give yourself a reminder of when you want to call these people again. Inevitably things happen and if you don't schedule a call I guaranty you will forget about that customer. Next time you look at the record you'll realize it has been several weeks since you called them. Scheduling calls also allows you to do step three...

3. USE YOUR LIST OF SCHEDULED CALLS LIKE A TO-DO LIST
You know the good feeling you get when you accomplish something? Same here. Make it a daily goal to get through all of your scheduled calls. Cross them off the list and you'll have a visual record that you accomplished something today!

4. DON'T SCHEDULE ALL COLD CALLS FOR ONE TIME OF DAYYour prospects aren't slaved to their desk, why should you be? Instead of blocking out an hour or two of solid time (lets face it you'll get bored or find some excuse not to do calls within 15 minutes), schedule 3 or four blocks of 20 minutes each at different times of the day. It's shorter. Keeps you focused. Plus someone that isn't there in the morning might be there when you call in the afternoon.

5. SET A REACHABLE CALL GOAL
Make cold calling a daily goal. Pick a number of 10 or above and make sure you hit that number every day. If you don’t have a CRM that you can use to schedule your ten daily calls, print call sheets with the numbers 1-10 or 1-20 or 1-whatever. As you call each prospect write them down on the sheet until you have the sheet filled up. As you get better at cold calling increase the goal by five prospects. When you hit that goal for a month increase it again by five prospects until your schedule won’t allow any more increases. Soon you will know (through data in your CRM) how many calls it takes you to get a meeting. Then you can set a more permanent call goal.

6. STAY FOCUSED WHEN MAKING CALLS Since you're only doing calls for short periods of time, turn off your email or extra phones. If your sales manager comes by for a "gotta minute" tell them to take a hike because you're making calls. Good mangers will realize what you're doing and will leave you alone because they know cold calls lead to new business. Jerky sales managers will take offense and be pissy toward you because you're not paying attention to them. If they don't understand the importance of what you are doing and are giving you attitude, print this blog and leave it on their desk.

***I want to note here that you shouldn't be afraid to have your manager listen to you while making calls. If your manager comes in and wants to listen and they are not a distraction, let them listen in. They can offer feedback after the call or encouragement during a call. I had a sales manager that I didn't get along with and she didn't care for me. One day I was struggling with a call and trying to get an appointment. She was listening behind me and could hear I was frustrated. She calmly patted me on the shoulder. It surprised me later that she did that, but at the time it was the encouragement I needed. I calmed down and got the appointment. Even though we didn't get along, I still to this day appreciated the little gesture she did.***

7. DO YOUR CALLS FIRST THING
I'm a big believer in doing the hardest tasks first. If cold calling is that much of a strain for you, schedule one of your calling sessions for first thing when you get into the office in the morning and first thing when you get back from lunch.
Tackle calls when you are fresh and energized.

Being organized with he steps above will help ease your mind. Instead of coming into your office in the morning and wondering where to start, you'll already have a plan in place and can hit the ground running.
These tips alone will make cold calls easier for you.

Next blog I'll give you tips on what to do when making your calls.
What has worked for you? Let me know. I'm always ready to learn new ideas.

Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

August 2014 Jokes

More Puns from MT!
Thanks for submitting them MT!
Thanks to all of you for reading them!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

19. England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

20. I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

21. I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

22. All the toilets in New York 's police stations have been stolen. The police have nothing to go on.

23. I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

24. Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

25. Velcro: what a rip off!

26. A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.

27. Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

Top 10 Resume Mistakes Made by Young Careerists

I teach this same subject.
Rich is dead on, not only for students, but adults too.
Thanks Rich!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy


The Top 10 Resume Mistakes Made by Young Careerists
by
Rich Grant

Throughout my experience in career services, I have seen 200 to 300 resumes written by college students. Based on that experience and my interactions with recruiters and other career advisers, one thing is clear: just about everyone makes the same mistakes.

This is not a scientific survey by any means. However, ranked by frequency I submit to you the top 10 resume mistakes made by young careerists:

Lack of Accomplishment Statements (95%)

With only a small handful of exceptions, students and recent graduates need to more strongly articulate their accomplishments. I ask students to think about results, achievements, outcomes… what was significant about what they did? A resume is not a job description; it’s a marketing document. Rather than “wrote marketing brochures,” take it a step further and tell the outcome, such as “wrote marketing brochures that resulted in new product launch revenues 15% over goal.”

Lack and/or Poor Placement of Action Verbs (90%)
Far too many resumes fail to include action verbs. Instead, they include passive phrases like “responsible for” and “assisted with.” Sometimes, the true action is embedded in the middle of the bullet point, obscured by details such as who else was involved and the nature of their role. For example:

“Working with the chief operating officer, coordinated a training session for…”

Instead, start with the action:

“Coordinated a training session with the Chief Operating Officer…”

Lack of Differentiation (80%)

Most resumes I’ve seen lack the punch needed for an effective marketing document. They might be error free, but not at all effective at helping the author stand out or be persuasive. In a competitive job market, your resume must demonstrate your unique value proposition!

Why are you different? What makes you stand above all the “clutter?” Thousands of college students graduate each year, and to recruiters and hiring managers, most of you look the same on paper. (The Onion did a really funny spoof on this topic: “Company Immediately Calls Job Applicant Upon Seeing ‘B.A. In Communications’ On Résumé”)

Irrelevant Detail (70%)

A large majority of students need to cut out irrelevant or obvious information. Above all else, be concise. To stay focused on the position you seek and to avoid the use of too many words, don’t have bullet points any longer than two lines and don’t have more than three to five bullets for each job.

To stay away from stating the obvious, focus on common sense. For instance, if you aren’t applying for retail work, it’s not necessary to say you “handled cash transactions” when describing your last retail job. And if you’ve worked at a Subway sandwich shop, you don’t need to tell us you “made sandwiches.”

And, speaking of irrelevant: unless you are a college freshman, delete all information about your high school.

Poor Formatting (60%)

Some of the same students who list “Expert at Microsoft Word” on their resumes don’t know how to use bullets or set tabs to right justify information such as dates. Typical issues I see are inconsistent fonts (styles and sizes), bullets not lining up, inconsistent line spacing and resumes that display a blank second page.

Meaningless Phrases (50%)

If you are going to claim attributes such as “strong leadership skills”, “good team player”, and “strong communication skills” you need supporting evidence in your resume. A big pet peeve of recruiters and staffing professionals: reading hollow, unsubstantiated phrases on resumes. To the previous point about differentiation, what applicant wouldn’t claim to be a “good team player?”

Grammar or Word Usage Issues (40%)

Several resumes have either use the wrong word (“they’re” versus “their” and “you’re” versus your”) or poor grammar. There are dozens of words that sound similar but mean different things, like “prospective” and “perspective.” The two most common grammar errors I see in resumes are capitalizing words in the middle of a sentence and misuse of apostrophes (See Two-fer Tuesday: Common Grammar Errors)

Typos (33%)

Even the smallest typos can kill your chances of getting an interview. Two solutions to the problem: (a) read your resume out loud and (b) have someone else read it. Don’t be like the college senior who had in her summary section, “five years interacting with the pubic.”

Use of an Over-used Resume Template (20%)

Not only are Microsoft Word templates the lazy way to put together a resume, they look cheesy and will make you appear like all the other lazy job seekers. Most recruiters and HR professionals can spot a template a mile away… and they hate them! Use Word and learn how to use all the formatting tools correctly.

Old School Elements (10%)
Some students didn’t get the memo that resumes no longer should have objective statements or the meaningless phrase “references available on request.” I also don’t like to see an old-fashioned header with name and contact information stacked like pancakes. You can set yourself apart, and save room, by displaying your information more creatively.

Start Over Please! (5%)

A few resumes I’ve seen are just so bad I tell the students they need to start over. I’m sometimes astounded… do you not know what a resume should LOOK like? Do some online research about how to create an effective resume, and look at samples. Take a look at Jessica Hernandez’s website with several awesome resume samples. Besides Jessica’s website, read about job search best practices on some of the best career blogs, such as this one on YouTern and Careerealism.

After you create your resume, get editing and proofreading help from someone who has experience with reviewing resumes (a hiring manager, HR professional or career services adviser at your college).

So go take a look at your resume… and then determine: how many of these mistakes are you making? More important: how soon can you fix them?

About the Author: Rich Grant has a background in writing and editing, business planning, and higher education. Rich is the current president of the Maine College Career Consortium and the former director of career services at a small four-year college in Maine. He is wrapping up a 10-month interim position as a career adviser and internship coordinator at a private college and is seeking his next role in business or higher education. Find Rich on LinkedIn and Twitter, and become a regular visitor to his blog where he imparts his words of wisdom once or twice a week.

July 2014 Jokes

More from MT.
Thanks buddy and keep them coming!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy...just not as funny of a guy as MT

10. They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O.

11.  Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.

12.  We re going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.

13.   I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

14.  Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

15.  When you get a bladder infection urine trouble.

16.   Broken pencils are pointless.

17.   I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.

18.   What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.