When responding to the employer’s questions, tell the truth! If you made a mistake, say it in a positive way, accept responsibility for it, what you learned, and how you have benefited from the experience.

9. Don’t talk salary or benefits.

The goal is to get as many options going as possible so don’t talk about compensation too early in the game, it can be a knockout factor. Sell the employer on all that you can do for them. If they’re interested they’ll make an offer and then you can start negotiating both issues.

10. 50 % of the responsibility for the right job match is yours.

Remember, you’re interviewing the employer just as they are interviewing you.

Pam N. Woods is co-author of a bestselling book, Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies from the World’s Greatest Mentors; endorsed by Ken Blanchard and Dr. Stephen Covey. She is a Coach U graduate and President of Smart WorkLife Solutions, a coaching and consulting company devoted to co-creating customized solutions to fit clients business and personal organizing needs. Prior to founding her own firm she had a successful 20+ year career as an insurance executive and Vice President of Human Resources. For more free how-to articles and advice, or to contact Woods, visit http://www.worklifecoach.com. Copyright 2002 - Pam Woods

Category : tips

It May Be Time to Walk in an Employers Shoes

Article Category : Interview Tips

If you are in a job search and aren’t receiving viable hits, it’s time to walk a mile in an employer’s shoes. Okay, I realize what you may be thinking. For just one day, you would like an employer to walk in your shoes so they can be sympathetic to the stresses you are going through on a daily basis. That makes sense, since what most of us want is to be understood by others.

However, when I suggest you take the time to put yourself in the position of an employer, that isn’t meant to minimize the realities and responsibilities of your world. Your responsibilities sit across from you at the dinner table every night and they miraculously appear in your mailbox every month.

On the other hand, just as you would like to be understood, so do employers. And though you don’t have control over an interviewer, you have full control over what you decide to do during your job search.

A bad hire costs a company a lot of money, and they have their own concerns. A fundamental way to get ahead in the job search is to understand an employer’s perspective because their point of view is their truth, and their truth dictates how they will react. It will serve you well to understand what a bad hire costs a company.

Three Biggest Concerns of the Hiring Manager

1. We all have been there, working in a department where there is an unproductive employee who insists on making waves; someone who has their own agenda and refuses to play by the rules. Perhaps you are searching for a job right now because of unbearable circumstances in your workplace. This is precisely what hiring managers are afraid of: losing good workers because of the actions of a bad employee. That cost is immeasurable.

2. A hiring manager puts his or her reputation on the line when choosing to endorse a candidate. And that is exactly what a hiring manager is doing when submitting a name for consideration. If they make a bad hiring decision, their ability to make sound decisions is questioned.

3. An employee is a representative of a company and a bad hire can have an adverse effect on relationships with vendors and/or customers. Employers fear the loss of valuable relationships that can result from the actions of an employee. Therefore, employers want to scrutinize the personality of candidates before an offer is extended.

Ways to Alleviate a Hiring Manager’s Concern BEFORE the Interview

? Research the hiring organization. I know. I know. You have read this before. This isn’t new information. But it is worth repeating because chances are that you have gone on interview after interview without conducting research. Do your homework on the hiring organization and on industry trends. This is the number one way to uncover a hiring organization’s concerns.

? Don’t underestimate the power of your resume. Your resume can address employers’ hidden concerns with ease, by speaking to your ability to deliver results, work in a team environment, and lead others to achieve organizational goals. The resume you submit to employers is one of the most powerful tools you have full control over. Create the best presentation you can.

? Be positive. Negativity is a deal killer. Let go of all that has gone wrong in your job search. Attend each interview feeling confident about your qualifications and what you can bring to the table.

Ways to Alleviate a Hiring Manager’s Concern DURING the Interview

? Meet concerns head on. Find out exactly what an employer is looking for by simply asking one question during the interview. “Thinking back to the last person who held this position, what were his or her strengths, and what areas needed improvement?” Then listen to what the interviewer says and connect your responses to the employer’s needs.

? Don’t act like a politician. One of the major complaints we have when it comes to politicians is that they never answer the question posed by the reporter, but rather they provide an answer that makes the point they want to bring forward. And this exact quality is what most job seekers do in an interview. Take the time to answer the questions the interviewer poses. If you aren’t forthcoming, the interviewer is likely to conclude you are attempting to hide something.

? Demonstrate interest. If you want to continue participating in the interview process, ask the interviewer the following: “Ms. Rodriguez, I am sincerely interested in the position and would like to participate in the next round of interviews. What is the next step?”

Ways to Alleviate a Hiring Manager’s Concern AFTER the Interview

? Send a thank-you note. Send a thank-you note to every person with whom you interviewed and reconfirm your interest in working for the company. If there was a topic of concern that you feel needs further discussion, briefly tackle the topic in your missive.

? Follow up with a phone call. During the interview, ask the interviewer if you can follow up in two weeks. Then make sure you do!

Certified in all three areas of the job search ? Certified Interview Coach ? (CIC) Job & Career Transition Coach (JCTC) and Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW) ? Linda is qualified to assist you in your career transition. Whether it be a complete career makeover, interview preparation or resume assistance. You can contact Linda directly at linda@careerstrides.com or visit her website http://www.careerstrides.com

Interview Quicksand

Article Category : Interview Tips

How will you respond when you’re asked the following two questions?

1.What type of boss do you like to work for?

2.What are the pros and cons about your present employer?

-March 2003

You scan the career section. Then you see it; your dream job. Your resume is sent, calls made; an interview set up. Now you’re in the hot seat.

How will you respond when you’re asked the following two questions?

1.What type of boss do you like to work for?

2.What are the pros and cons about your present employer?

You’re leaving your present position because you can’t stand your boss. He/She drives you insane, makes your skin crawl and shatters your nerves. Put-downs and sarcasm are the norm, along with a snobbish, condescending attitude. Most of what they say sounds downright ridiculous and lacks common sense. Nothing is their fault. You are a team player, but cleaning up a rat’s cage, watching the kids, emptying humidifiers, unloading 40 lb boxes up and down five flights of stairs, shoveling their driveway is beyond any job description. They listen to all your phone calls and screen everyone (including clients) like it’s the Spanish Inquisition.

Seconds have lapsed and now you need to answer. The interviewer is waiting patiently with pen in hand. What will you say? Or better yet, what won’t you say?

Is this you?

Ispos-Reid reported in a recent poll, that nine in ten (88%) Canadian employees agree they are happy with their current jobs, but one in ten (10%) agree they secretly hate their boss, and 11% agree they dread going to work each day because of their boss. Interestingly, working Canadians in lower income households (22%) are three times as likely as those in upper income households (7%) to say they secretly hate their boss.(1)

Everyone will answer differently. You don’t want be regarded as a difficult employee. Even if your objections are valid, any type of negative response will work against you.

This is how you should respond:

1.What type of boss do you prefer to work for?

“I am adaptable and easygoing so I can work for any type of employer.”

2.What are the pros and cons about your present employer?

Name his/her positive traits. It’ll be hard but do it. Do not mention his/her bad points. Try to move on saying something positive such as, “He/She taught me many valuable things about the industry and myself.”

When the words, “I hate my Boss” were placed on Google’s search engine, the results tallied 255, 000. There is even a site where you can place a picture of your hated boss and shoot at will.www.pcbit.com The book “I Hate My Boss: How to Survive and Get Ahead When Your Boss is a Tyrant, Control Freak, or Just Plain Crazy” by Bob Weinstein, published by McGraw-Hill, promises some laughs and serious advice on how to deal with this sensitive situation.

What now? You’ve finished the interview confidently and landed the job. Now it’s time for the resignation letter. But that’s a whole other article.

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Category : interviews

Networking is the Key to Star Performance in Everything You Do

Article Category : Interview Tips, Career Management

Many people’s idea of networking relates to the ’size of their Christmas Card List, rather than the quality of their relationship with each person on that list. Similarly those people network, but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential. Here are some ideas to help fill the gap between where you are now and where you can be.

1 Be Generous - Give without expectations and you will be surprised at how it returns to you. It may not come from the same source but a new client, referral, or opportunity will show up because of your efforts.

2 Be Consistent - As in marketing, the more consistent your networking efforts the more productive they become.

3 Gift your contact - Imagine you are buying your contact a gift for their work - what might it be? Understanding what your contact is looking for is the key to developing rapport and mutual understanding.

4 Get Involved - Getting involved puts you in a consistent position of visibility. It allows you to retain ‘Top of Consciousness’ positioning and when people need someone your name will spring to mind.

5 Be a Powerful Resource & Facilitator for Others- Expand your network and facilitate for others. Use your networking resources to bridge people you know with others. What goes around comes around.

6 Learn the Needs of Others then Help Fill Those Needs - Can your business fill their needs? Who do you know who can? Either way you have a win/win situation.

7 Building relationships - is more important than collecting lots of leads. Think quality vs. quantity. Connect deeper vs. on the surface.

8 It’s More Important to Receive Business Cards than Hand Them Out - This puts you in a position to be able to follow up.

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How to Give Job-Winning Answers at Interviews

Article Category : Interview Tips

Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.

There are plenty of websites that offer lists of popular job interview questions, and knowing the types of questions to expect can be very useful. But knowing how to answer those questions can mean the difference between getting the job and getting the “reject letter.”

HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

First, know these important facts:

1. There is no way to predict every question you will be asked during a job interview. In other words, expect unexpected questions–they’ll come up no matter how much preparation you do.

2. Treat any sample answers you find, such as in discussion forums, books or on Internet job sites, as GUIDES only. Do not use any sample answers word for word! Interviewers can spot “canned” answers a mile away, and if they suspect you are regurgitating answers that are not your own, you can kiss that job goodbye. You must apply your own experiences, personality and style to answer the questions in your own way. This is crucial, and it will give you a big advantage over candidates who simply recite sample answers.

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Little Mistakes That Keep You Unemployed

Article Category : Interview Tips, Career Management

If your job search is dragging on and on, you might want to look in the mirror. Because the person looking back may be sabotaging your efforts.

Do you make the following mistakes in your job search? If so, stop now. And start getting more calls for job interviews.

Mistake #1) Not Following Up

If you fire off resumes without checking to see if employers get them, and fail to keep in touch until a hiring decision is made, your dream job might go to someone less qualified, but more persistent than you.

Here’s how one of my clients, Mike M. from Boston, followed up right. And got a great new job.

“After going to about 20 interviews, I found that following up on resumes submitted via email is very important. Probably a third of my interviews were obtained within a day or two after a follow-up,” says Mike.

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Dos and Don’ts for Jobseekers

Article Category : Interview Tips, Recruiters Press

When looking for a job you can take advantage of many methods: either you turn to your friends’ protection, or surf the net and peruse the newspapers or finally use the services of the recruiting agency. Even if your friends have no influential connections or can’t assist you in employment at the present moment, let them know that you are seeking a new job. A worthy position may turn up in a week’s time. And during this week you are to conquer the net, newspapers and recruiting agencies. So, let’s start…

Composing a resume. There can be two approaches here. You write it yourself or entrust this mission to one of the most reputable resume writing services. Each of the approaches has its strong and weak points, though of course a resume writing company has more chances to turn your nurse resume into incarnation of the employer’s dream. You want to write the resume yourself - Ok. Before setting yourself to do it, look through a number of resumes for the identical position. It will help you to define the salary and to formulate the necessary skills and experience. There are a lot of books and internet sources explaining how to win over your future employer with your resume, so we are not going to cite them here. Skip through some of the resume writing guides and make some general rules for yourself. The aim of your resume is to get the employer interested in you, your professional experience and skills. If you get job offers you have managed to do it.
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Category : Jobseekers,

Preparing for a Job Interview

Article Category : Interview Tips

Many people, who are searching for their dream job, dread the job interview.  There are not that many people that enjoy being judged on their education, personality and job skills.  Here are some tips on getting through your job interview smoothly.

Your main goal on a job interview is to sell your skills and personality.  Most employers want a person that will exceed at the job position and who will be a great fit within their company.

In order to excel at the job interview make sure that you do the following.  Make sure you make a great first impression by dressing professionally; looking involved and participate in the interview.  Most employers want an intelligent, attentive and on the ball person.  They would like to know that you are interested in their company.  They would also like a two way conversation, instead of the interviewer asking the same questions.

Make sure before the interview you prepare accordingly.  Make sure you show that you are knowledgeable about the company and its products, ask smart questions and be prepared to answer common job interview question.  Conduct yourself in a manner that assures the interviewer that you are a responsible and an intelligent professional.  So if you are looking for your dream job follow these above tips in order to ace your job interview.

The Inevitable Job Interview Question: Why Did You Leave (Are Planning To Leave) Your Last Position ?

Article Category : Interview Tips

This is a question that you can almost count on being asked at your next interview What the interviewer wants to know is, “Why are you available?”

The answer you give could set the tone for the rest of the interview. For instance, if you were to indicate that you were bored or burned out at your last job, the interviewer would quickly become concerned about your performance at this company. The question can be especially tricky if you’ve had less than favorable conditions regarding your departure from a company. Regardless of the circumstances that have caused you to move, or are causing you to think about moving, you should be prepared to answer this question.

Below are examples of possible answers to this critical question. After reading them try to determine which is the strongest answer.

(A) The company had a re-organization, and my department was eliminated. The work had begun to dwindle so it was not a complete surprise. I liked my job and the people I was working with so I had been hoping that it wouldn’t affect us but unfortunately we were all let go. I would like to find a job similar to the one I lost.

(B) I am looking for a new challenge. I have been with my current company for two years now and don’t find the work as interesting as I once did. I am looking for a company where I can take on new challenges and grow. My current job is dead-ended for me.

(C) Since there are no advancement opportunities within the company, I have decided it would be a good time for me to look outside. I have set some career goals for myself that I could not achieve at that company. What I am looking for is a job with a bigger company where I can contribute, but also move on a career path that has more responsibility.

Have you selected the strongest answer? See if you agree with the advice below.

The Strongest Answer

(A) This is the strongest answer, not because of the lay off, but because it has an upbeat tone to it. You liked what you did and were hoping it wouldn’t happen. In other words, if it hadn’t been for something out of your control you would still be there. The answer indicates a good attitude about an unfortunate incident.

The Mediocre Answer

(C) This is an ok answer. It is natural to want to take on more responsibility. It is also acceptable to quit a job. A skilled interviewer would follow up with a question about your career goals and why you think you can achieve them at this company. Would you have an answer prepared for that follow-up question?

The Weakest Answer

(B) This is the weaker answer because it is trite. One of the most common answers to this question is that you are “looking for a challenge.” An interviewer might be concerned that if you were bored at your last job, you might find this job boring as well, or at least not “challenging” enough.

There are no “right” or “wrong” answers to this type of question, but there are ways of saying the same thing in a way that will make a stronger impression. Before you head out to your next interview consider preparing for this and other difficult questions. A little time spent preparing and scripting of your answers before the interview will make a huge difference in the way you answer the question during the interview. (Excerpts taken from “Boost Your Interview IQ” ? Carole Martin ? McGraw-Hill 2004)

About The Author

Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, ‘Interview Fitness Training Workbook’ and ‘Boost Your Interview IQ’ (McGraw Hill) have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole’s FREE job interview tips by visiting her web site at: http://www.interviewcoach.com

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