Part 3 ... and it's a good one, it concerns MONEY

Part 3 ... and it's a good one, it concerns MONEY and also interview advice to help you to pass up the others who want the same job, but are as clueless as most people out there, about the interview process. Give yourself an advantage.

More Interview Advice to Consider, Part 2 of 4

Here's part 2 of 4. This one talks a little bit about interview performance and near the end begins to discuss the all important topic of money with more about this, in the 3rd part. 

Interview Advice to Consider, Part 1 of 4

Rather than posting written advice, like I normally do - I am posting video for your consideration. Everyone has to interview sometime, so why not better inform yourself to wield an advantage over others who are after the same job. Invest 10 minutes with your morning coffee to see how much of this you already know and what might be new and useful information, that you can leverage in the future - and please share it with others you know who might also benefit.

Nothing Replaces a Handshake

For the sake of convenience, we forego even the most basic activities. I suppose it is human nature; if it saves time then why not, right? However, in exchange for these conveniences there is a negative impact that can and is affecting us. Time and effort-saving shortcuts have an unanticipated side-effect, which have, in just one generation, detrimentally affected the soft skills and interpersonal communication skills of most people engaged on both sides of the interview and hiring process.

These shortcuts delay and prevent us from the core purpose of the interview and decision-making process; informed decisions can only be made with face-to-face interaction between candidate and hiring manager. I witness that time-savers often end up as time-wasters.

There is an old axiom in business and it is: Time Kills All Deals. If a company drags out the interview process, the applicant/candidate loses interest with a situation that fails to move with purpose and sometimes gets distracted by another opportunity. Likewise, when a candidate drags his or her feet for whatever reason, any earlier and previously built up interest and enthusiasm the hiring manager might have had, begins to wane and fades – this is also human nature.

No doubt, people are busy and even with all the shortcuts and tools available, they are multi-tasking more than ever. But I watch both sides with text messages and emails, delaying the in-person interaction about things that could be easily addressed and resolved in-person, which they’ve got to do at some point, anyway. Never mind the fact that text-related communications using a typed word, can be and often are taken out of context with unintended and mistaken perceptions.  

The kind of recruiting work I engage in means that I am as much a project manager (of the process) as I am a recruiter. Increasingly I work to keep both parties focused because many times these processes would fall apart without my active involvement. Sometimes I have to call one side or the other or both and say, “Would you two just arrange to meet and get together already”. During the interview process your goal is to make an informed decision regardless of on which side of the process you find yourself. There is no substitute for engaging in-person, face-to-face, period, and no gimmicks or academic psychobabble rationalizations can change this basic truth. The most important reason for this is simple: the jobs specs matter, true, a person’s experience matters, of course, but if the person does not fit the company or organizational culture – or there is no personal chemistry between hiring manager and employee, the result will be little more than a waste of time for people who don’t have much of it to waste.

If you think this topic has relevance and you would like to be better prepared and improve your chances; to have the information available for quick reference or someone you know will need it - then no question about it, you need my handbook. Think of it as a career survival guide providing useful and effective tips for every step of the job search and interview process, ready when you will need it. It is recently updated and there’s stuff in it you’ll find nowhere else; you can find more information here: Control Your Career

Why Are You There?

The next time you arrive at a job interview, ask yourself why you are there. It sounds insultingly simple, however, may I suggest that you are not there to sit mute and only answer questions asked of you. Nor are you there to offer the bare minimum of information and say as little as possible. In short, you’re not a piece of furniture, so don’t be one, which circles us back to the question of: why are you there?

I am hoping you’re there because you choose to be and you want to leave the impression that you are interested in, or at least to learn more about the opportunity they are offering. Your objective, your goal, is to leave an impression such that you will be invited /elevated to the next step in the hiring process of further evaluation and not the process of elimination. Regardless of whether you will ultimately decide to go forward – you should seek to move forward.

From where I sit and reflect on the last 25 years I have been recruiting, job seekers are not only less prepared than ever, they are also more lifeless and mute than ever and it shows when they interview. Meanwhile, companies are growing more frustrated than ever with management lamenting the shortage of qualified, interested and effective candidates. They don’t say there is a shortage of bodies; there are a lot of people, yes, but far fewer who demonstrate themselves to be worthy of further consideration. This fact can be a big advantage for the person who wants to do well and makes a real effort.

I lecture to groups and consult with individuals and teach them the finer points of interviewing and negotiating in their own best interest. Sadly, however, more and more people lack the basic skills to be effective. So, let’s keep it simple; here’s my challenge to everyone engaging in the activity of looking for a new job:

Don’t blend in with the furniture; instead, actively participate with the hiring manager(s) during the entire interview process, at every stage. If that sounds easy than why do so few people do it. For example: you can start by not predictably reciting your resume, a copy of which they already have.

Here’s a novel idea and something to contemplate: during the interview, using your resume only as a point of reference, talk about and describe all the stuff that is NOT on your resume. After all, isn’t the resume a mere condensed synopsis of your career – surely, there is more to you than what little is described on a piece of paper. Elaborate, elucidate, accentuate and illustrate who you are, why you are there and why they should invite you back. Making a conscious effort to do this and involve yourself more fully, will propel you beyond everyone else, who simply show up to attend an interview.

If you think this topic has relevance and you would like to be better prepared and improve your chances; to have the information available for quick reference or someone you know will need it - then no question about it, you need my handbook. Think of it as a career survival guide providing useful and effective tips for every step of the job search and interview process, ready when you will need it. It is recently updated and there’s stuff in it you’ll find nowhere else; you can find more information here: Control Your Career

For Your Own Sake…

Have you recently or do you plan to apply for a new job? Well when you do, don’t just fire off a resume and then sit around waiting for the call – follow-up. Whenever and however you are able, you should seek out someone who would be responsible for hiring and interviewing for the position you seek. I recognize you likely sent your resume into that black hole that is replying to online job posts, but there should be a source and anytime the company is listed, that’s where you’ll start. If you use a recruiter or an agency ask of the representative when they will follow up with you and/or when you can follow up with them. Now, recognize in the current climate they may react with a bit of surprise, because most people accept sitting around like a dog waiting to be thrown a bone. I am not criticizing, not at all. But the job seeker has been relegated to the shadows and is only supposed to answer when called upon – like it or not that is where most of us find ourselves.

 

But know this: there is nothing wrong with what I am suggesting. You have every right to follow up in your own self-interest, not least of which because if you feel you are suitable and have an elevated interest in whatever job you’ve applied for, pursue it. 

·        If you applied online for a generically-listed position there isn’t much you can do

·        Best if you can determine the name of the hiring manager;  that is your target

·        If you are being represented by someone, that is with whom you should follow-up 

Granted, some people might react with surprise because most people just don’t do it. If you’re a fraidy-cat (children’s slang for someone who is afraid or phobic) about doing what I suggest, no problem, you don’t have to do anything, I am simply sharing what works for some people and what I do, as a rule. But key to this strategy is that if and when you speak with someone you need to have something substantive to say. Two weeks is when I suggest to follow-up. If you are represented by someone, shorten it to a week. This can also help you to determine the level of urgency to fill the position, an important consideration that I can discuss in another article. 

·        State briefly but concisely why you are following up

·        With a simple opening sentence, introduce yourself or identify yourself to someone to whom you’ve previously spoken, and state the reason for your call (which is to follow up regarding the position title of the posting number).

·        Request the next step or when you might be able to proceed to the next step

·        Ask if they require additional information

·        Thank them for their time 

As with all strategies I suggest, they all have value and they all can work but they do not work every time. Be adaptable and be prepared and adjust as necessary. The worst that can happen is to be told “no”, eh?  But sometimes getting a “no” is better than (hearing) nothing. And then, move on.

 

If you think this topic has relevance and you would like to be better prepared and improve your chances; to have the information available for quick reference or someone you know will need it - then no question about it, you need my handbook. Think of it as a career survival guide providing useful and effective tips for every step of the job search and interview process, ready when you will need it. It is recently updated and there’s stuff in it you’ll find nowhere else; you can find more information here: Control Your Career

Asking for More

Lately I’ve encountered a few people who’ve shared with me that they want to ask their bosses for either a pay raise or a promotion. Perhaps, being the end of summer, peoples’ minds revert back to work and career. Whether you are seeking more responsibility, more training and qualifications, a pay raise or a promotion – there is a right way to go about it and then, there is what everyone else does. Whenever this topic comes up I ask them, “What will you do and say when you’ll speak with your boss?” It’s a rhetorical question of course, because most people might have formulated in their mind why they think they deserve a pay or responsibility increase but few articulate it when it comes time to talk to the boss.

You need to lay the ground-work, or set the stage before you make your move. Just asking for something isn’t going to get you what you want, no matter how entitled you may or may not be.

I want to share with you the right way to go about it because it is never just about asking for something on a whim with no plan or pre-meditation, which is what most people do. If you act no different than everyone else, you’ll be treated like everyone else. At least that’s what your boss thinks unless you provide evidence to the contrary.

There is a simple formula you should follow that will vastly improve your chances of success in gaining what you seek. I love the Feature-Accomplishment-Benefit formula presentation method. I consider it the cornerstone to any goal-oriented work effort by which you wish to sway people toward your thinking. It’s not a ploy or a game; it is a reasonable and professional way to bring you closer to what you, yourself, feel you’ve earned.

I could go on and on about this method because it is so useful in many aspects of business. But to simplify it for the sake of a short article, think of it this way: “Feature” just means what you’ve been doing, assuming you’ve been doing a good job for your employer. “Accomplishment” translates to just that; what have you accomplished in addition to your normal job functions. I am assuming that you have and are performing well, which is why you want to ask for more money or responsibility. And the “Benefit” part is what your accomplishment has done to affect the team or company in a positive way.

So think about it -- before you ask for something more or new from your boss, you’re setting it up so that you can remind and/or justify why you have earned what you are seeking. Consider that if you follow the formula that I describe, you are giving your boss less wiggle room to wave you off because you are reminding them of your value as a good employee – you’re already half-way to getting what you seek because you’ve shared why you probably do deserve consideration at the very least. Win or lose you have demonstrated that you are serious. Does it work every time, nope. But it beats the hell out of, “um, I want more money, can I get a raise?”

If you think this topic has relevance and you would like to be better prepared and improve your chances; to have the information available for quick reference or someone you know will need it - then no question about it, you need my handbook. Think of it as a career survival guide providing useful and effective tips for every step of the job search and interview process, ready when you will need it. It is recently updated and there’s stuff in it you’ll find nowhere else; you can find more information here: Control Your Career