How do you interview? Are you listening or pitching?
Interviewing is a sales presentation. Forget your traditional image of a pushy sales person pitching a canned response. Instead, use solution selling to uncover all the reasons the hiring manager should select you for the open job.
Miriam Salpeter described a recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine in her blog post “Humanize Your Pitch – Use Your Ears” on the Keppie Careers Blog. Miriam made the connection of what top sales billers do when meeting prospects to the interview process when meeting hiring managers. Her contention was that candidates should focus less on “pitching” and more on listening.
Many candidates fail to listen deeply to the hiring manager and then use that information to pose questions. This technique of listening for opportunities, problems, and issues as conversation starters is a key component of a technique in sales called Solution Selling.
Solution Selling suggests that a more powerful outcome can be achieved by listening and framing questions from what you hear as opposed to the traditional process of “pitching” your rehearsed lines and speech. An excellent book on this subject is called SPIN Selling. It should be required reading for every job seeker.
My Partner, Brad Remillard, wrote a recent article on this blog titled “A Critical Interviewing Mistake” that describes why NOT asking questions in the interview is comparable to being immediately rejected.
STOP pitching as Miriam mentions, and start LISTENING. Your ability to ask questions will improve dramatically.
Barry
photo credit by edwindejongh
Don’t forget to join our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group
A preemptive strike works:
I came home from work one day, and had just walked in the house, when my son came up to me to tell me we needed to talk. He is too young for the birds and bees and probably knows that anyway, so I knew something was up. He explained while practicing his pitching for baseball, he threw a wide pitch and broke the window above the garage. I said “no big deal, all boys break a window once in a while.” He said, “Well that is not all. After that I moved to the other side of the garage and threw another wide pitch and broke the other window too.” He was scared I would be really mad. I thought, “How can I be mad. You stole all my thunder by coming to me. I didn’t have time to get mad.” He performed a preemptive strike.
How does this relate to a search? I was doing a search for a CFO, and one candidate’s resume indicated a lot of turnover. As I went through his background, it became clear that there were great reasons for the turnover and in most cases the company turned him over, not the other way around. The problem was, he wasn’t addressing these in the interview right up front. Basically, he wasn’t defusing a negative situation.
We changed that and put together a script that dealt with the turnover right up front. In the interview, he preempted the interviewer by saying “I realize from my resume, that it appears that I have a lot of turnover, and I can understand why one would think that. Let me explain the circumstances surrounding the turnover and I’m sure it will help clarify this issue.” This defused the situation and completely eliminated any confusion and there wasn’t a problem. The candidate demonstrated they had nothing to hide or be ashamed of.
The candidate did get a job and wrote to us saying he felt this technique played a major role in getting past the first interview.
Also, in case you are wondering, my son has broken the same windows again. I now buy replacement windows in bulk.
The worst thing candidates can do is assume that because the interviewer didn’t bring up the issue it means it isn’t an issue. The fact is, the interviewer is thinking it isn’t an issue worth discussing, because they have already come to a conclusion without even discussing it.
By bringing the issue up first it allows you to discuss it openly and clearly demonstrates you have nothing to hide.
Our “Complete Job Search Home Study Course” addresses exactly how to handle this and many other issues candidates encounter and often mishandle during their job search. One misstep like the one above can cost you a job, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost wages. To review the content of the home study course and have it sent to you for only$14.95 (We will even pay the shipping.) CLICK HERE.
For many more tips and help, join our Linkedin Job Search Networking group. It is free, and provides a wealth of great discussion and news. CLICK HERE
Join us on the radio every Monday at 11AM PDT on www.latalkradio.com as Barry and I discuss a variety of topics to shorten your time in search. Our audio library has past shows for you to download for free. CLICK HERE
A candidate recently asked me, “How do I find a hiring manager in a large company like Microsoft?” There are a lot of ways to do this but one of the easiest and best is using LinkedIn. When I recommended this to the candidate he completely agreed, however, the problem was he only had about 60 connections. Too few to be effective.
So often I speak with candidates that just don’t understand the value of LinkedIn as a job search tool. We constantly are sent invitations to join someone’s network only to find after months of searching they are just now starting build a LinkedIn network. You should consider building your LinkedIn networking all the time. NOT JUST WHEN IN A JOB SEARCH.
Some benefits to a large LinkedIn database of contacts:
- People can find you. The more people at the second and third degrees of separation the more times you will show up in a search. For example, I have around 500 contacts. However, I am linked to over 5 million people on LinkedIn. When I search for a candidate that is a huge database.
- LinkedIn will eliminate the need for resume databases on Ladders, Monster, Careerbuilder and other job boards. This is because it costs on average between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars to have access to these resume databases. LinkedIn is free. Why would a recruiter or any company pay that when we can use LinkedIn for free.
- Resumes databases by the job boards are not pick up by Google or any search engine. These are the ones you want to make sure you show up on. LinkedIn is and you can even improve your search results for as little as $25 a month. (See prior blog article SEO Your Search On Google)
- It helps you find the people you want an introduction to. This is very powerful. I have helped numerous people with introductions as a result of LinkedIn. On a weekly basis I receive requests indicating they found a person in my connections and would I make an introduction. I always agree.
- Even when working this is a great tool for resources, customer contacts and introductions, references, service providers and even potential hires for you or your company.
- On a personal basis it is a great way to stay in-touch with friends, colleagues, prior employees and networking contacts. When you update your profile they will get a notice and likewise when they update theirs.
Work hard at building your connections. Make every effort to reach that magic 500+. If you use Outlook download the LinkedIn tool bar. It makes inviting people very easy.
There are many more positives to building your LinkedIn network than there are negatives. Many have resisted. I believe this recession has proven to be good thing for everyone’s network.
If you have other ideas share them by adding a comment. Lets help everyone build a strong network.
A good way to start is building a network is making sure your profile is complete. If it isn’t start there and then begin expanding your contacts. Don’t miss the opportunity to get a high ranking on Google.
You can download for free our “8 Matrix LinkedIn Profile Assessment” tool.
Our complete job search home study course the, “Career Success Factor Methodology” is a comprehensive resource that covers all 5 steps in an effective job search. You can review the complete system for just $14.95. We will even pay the shipping and to ensure your success include in a copy of our job search workbook. To review the Career Success Factor Methodology CLICK HERE.
Candidates more often that not miss one of the best opportunities during the interview to shine, to differentiate themselves, and demonstrate their ability to do the job. What a great opportunity missed!!
In most interviews, the interviewer even sets the candidate up with the opportunity to shine and candidates blow right past it. The interviewer asks the soft ball question, “Do you have any questions for me?” A golden opportunity to shine. The questions you ask can outshine every answer you have given so far in the interview.
However, time and time again, I hear candidates do one of two things:
- Answer,”No, not really. Most of my questions were answered during the interview.” What a terrible answer. How did the interviewer answer “MOST” of your questions, when they were asking you questions.
- Reply with one or two (occasionally someone stands out and asks three) standard, unimportant, basic no-brainer, no forethought questions such as, “What is the budget?” or “What is your management style?” Again, these reveal the candidate has not prepared and is very shallow.
- Actually, there is a third, the candidate sits there like a deer in the headlights trying to think of something to say.
This is your opportunity to ask questions that demonstrate your ability to understand the job and what performance standards will be. Challenge the interviewer, ask “Why” are you doing X, probe deeply into the issues you will face once on board, how they manage, etc. Every candidate knows this question is coming in one form or the other. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions is a sign of strength, confidence and demonstrates a depth of knowledge. As a recruiter for almost 30 years, when a hiring manager calls back and says, “This person really asked me some great questions. They made me think in the interview.” I know that person is getting the job.
One component of your interviewing preparation should be questions to ask. Not just questions about the company, but specific questions about the job, ask “why”, ask about communications, ask about past issues, ask about future challenges, ask about people, ask about KPI’s, ask about systems, there are so many issues to discuss to make sure you will be successful.
The best advice I have is ask the same questions you will be asking once in the job to be successful. You might as well know them before you accept the position. Otherwise, it might be a position where you can’t succeed.
This is such a critical issue in our job search workbook, “This is NOT The Position I Accepted” (This wouldn’t happen if candidates probed in the interview.) We list over 150 question to ask in an interview in this workbook. We even break these questions into categories to help identify when to ask the question. In addition, we give you the 10 most important questions to ask in an interview. You can receive this book to review for FREE right now. Just pay the $5 shipping. CLICK HERE
Also, join our Linkedin Job Search Networking group. This is a very active group that deals with every aspect of a job search. All Linkedin groups are free to join and provide a wealth of information. CLICK HERE
Don’t miss our talk radio show every Monday at 11 AM PDT on www.latalkradio.com. Barry and I discuss the most important challenges you will face in your search. You can listen to past shows in our audio library. CLICK HERE to enter the library. All files are free to download
Are you making one or more of the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes? Are you frustrated that you are not getting many job leads, referrals, interviews, and offers? In this episode of the weekly IMPACT Hiring Solutions Job Search Radio Show, Brad and Barry discuss how to overcome the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes. This list of the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes is based on 25 years of Executive Search Experience, over 1000 search assignments, and interviews with over 200,000 candidates. Don’t be the one making typical mistakes in your job search.
Brad and Barry also discuss the release of their new FREE Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard. Within the span of a few minutes, the time it takes to complete this Job Search Scorecard, you can understand the steps required to launch an effective job search, re-start a stalled job search, and find your next dream job. You can download the FREE Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard just CLICK HERE.
To listen to or download this radio show CLICK HERE
Leveraging the social networks is a great search strategy tactic. Facebook and LinkedIn are both vital to one’s ability to be found by recruiters, HR, hiring managers, PE firms, or for that matter anyone looking to find you, or someone with your experiences. However, a big one that is often overlooked by many candidates is Google.
Making yourself findable on Google is an important on-line networking component you should consider. One great way to show up on Google with a high ranking is the use of Adwords. By setting yourself up with Adwords anyone looking for you, your functional area, industry, or even geographical area can find you near the top of the list.
It is easy to do by just following these simple steps. In our complete job search workbook, Rebecca Gonzalez contributed an article that gives a more detailed step-by-step process with graphics to assist you. (You can get the book for only the cost of shipping $5 CLICK HERE).
Step one in getting Google to find you is to have a website (or URL) for Google to find and link to. This is easily done through Linkedin. If you have a LinkedIn profile then you have the URL. Just try and make sure the URL includes your name. To check this go to your profile and look at the public profile link. If it doesn’t include your name just edit it so it does. For example, my LinkedIn public profile URL is http://www.linkedin.com/in/bradremillard. Since my name is rather unique it was easy to use. John Smith or Mary Jones might have a problem.
Step two is setting up a Google Adwords campaign. This will require a small investment, but the nice thing with Google Adwords is that you can control the amount you want to spend each month. It can be as little as $25 a month. Go to adwords.google.com. Login and a follow the wizard. You want your name on the first line. The next couple of lines are limited but this is where you can add something about your functional expertise, industry experience and location. The URL will be your LinkedIn profile. If your profile is complete (and it should be – see below to find out) you are now very findable by anyone and everyone searching for you or your expertise.
Step three set up keywords. You should add your name and include misspellings, maiden name,aliases, nick names, etc. Don’t be shy here. This is how you will be found.
Step four is to set up your account and turn it live. If you don’t have an account it is easy to do. Once you make it live, test it. Type in your name and see if you show up on the right side of the page.
Now when recruiters, HR, or other hiring managers search your name, you will often come up in the search results. You can also see who has searched on your name.
To check whether your profile is the best it can be, download our LinkedIn Profile Assessment Tool. It is free CLICK HERE.
Join our LinkedIn Job Search Networking Group. We post new articles and free downloads daily. CLICK HERE.
If your search is stalled our “Career Success Methodology” job search home study course has everything you need to get your search going. For what most charge just to develop a resume, you can have all the tools you need. To take a look and see what is in the course CLICK HERE. (and you get the book thrown in at no additional charge).
Are you ready to start conducting an EFFECTIVE JOB SEARCH?
Are you ready to take time off in the race to finish your job search?
As promised, Brad I committed to release our long-awaited, deeply researched, field-tested, and validated FREE Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard.
You can download the Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard and tool by joining our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group. We apologize about this two step process. However, Brad I have made the commitment to our job search community to release all new scorecards, self-assessment tools, templates, and other FREE Job Search Resources into our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group first.
We’ve worked very hard over the last few months to put together a FREE simple scorecard and tool that can make a dramatic difference in your job search.
If you take this self-assessment and work very hard to improve your scores from “0” or “1” into the “2” and “3” levels, you’ll be able to significantly reduce the time it takes to complete an effective job search.
Not only will this scorecard help you in overcoming the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes, but it will also help you in your job search by reducing the time it takes to find a great opportunity.
Here’s a great example: If you’re an executive and the average time in this poor job market is 9-12 months to find a new executive level position, this Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard will help you cut in half the time it should take to find a new job. Imagine saving $30,000-$60,000 in reducing your job hunting time by conducting a more effective job search.
Join Brad and I on our Weekly Internet Radio Talk Show this coming Monday – August 31st – 11-noon PST on LATalkRadio. We’ll be talking about how to overcome the Top Ten Job Search Mistakes and Errors by using our new FREE Job Search Plan Self-Assessment Scorecard.
Barry
P.S.: We look forward to your comments, ideas, and thoughts in our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group. How might we improve this scorecard in a future revision? What insights about your job search effectiveness did you gain after spending a few minutes taking the assessment? After you take the assessment, what’s your specific plan to improve your job search?
Tags:
Career Mistakes,
Interviewing Mistakes,
Job Search LinkedIn Discussion Group,
Networking Failure,
Networking Mistakes,
Personal Branding,
Personal Branding Mistakes,
Personal Branding Techniques,
Resume Mistakes,
Resume Techniques,
Resume Writing |
Comments (1)
My last article, “Busted, Age Discrimination Reveal” I gave two examples of reverse age discrimination. As a short refresher, I was working two searches for two different companies. In both case they selected the older more experienced people, over the younger candidates with less experience. These were both very senior level positions and even the younger candidates had 20+ years experience. The older candidates had 30+ years experience.
So if age discrimination is so wide spread, one has to ask themselves, “How could this happen in two completely different companies and for two completely different positions?”
Regardless of your viewpoint as to the extent of age discrimination what is clear there are a few things you can do to help minimize it.
I firmly believe there were two major contributing factors that came together:
- Position level: These were very senior positions and the two older candidates were not only highly qualified, but were not taking a step backwards. I am approached on almost a weekly basis by candidates claiming to be “qualified” for a search I’m doing. Yet, when I read their resume it is true they are qualified, however they are over-qualified. For example, a CFO willing to accept a Controller position, a VP Sales interested in a Sales Manager, a CEO interested in a VP level job. I’m not saying they couldn’t do the job I’m working to fill. In fact, most have done the job 5 or 10 years ago. Recruiters are looking for someone who has done the job 5 or 10 years ago. They were qualified 5 or 10 years ago. They aren’t qualified today.
- Presentation: In what I believe is one of the most important blog articles for candidates to not only understand, but to actively implement into their job search was, “The Three Most Important Words In A Job Search.” A job search is all about the presentation. At the end of the day, the one that makes the best presentation usually wins. Couple a great presentation with extraordinary experiences or qualifications and you have a winner every time. So then what is a great presentation. The most common complaint, feedback, comment or whatever else one wants to call it for those older candidates is, “They seem like they just want a place to ride out until they retire.” or “They come across as just needing a job.” Generally, due to a poor presentation. Some thoughts
- If you look old you will be discriminated against. I am not known for my tact and political correctness. Don’t kill the messenger. This is a fact like it or not. In our job search workbook we talk about the 4 A’s required to get a job. Appearance is one of them. These were given to me by a VP Human Resources at Rockwell. If you don’t know the 4 A’s or know them but aren’t doing them you can get them for free, just pay the $5 shipping charge. The candidates that were hired, no one knew their correct age. They all presented themselves extremely well.
- Energy/Enthusiasm. Too often candidates come across burned out, desperate or tired. Their body language even communicates this. The problem is most candidates think they can mask this. FEW CAN. So few that it would be inappropriate to assume you are one of the few. I know you all know this. However, demonstrating these during an interview is a completely different thing. So if you know this, “How are you demonstrating these?” “Have you tested your demonstration to a non-biased (i.e. not your spouse or neighbor) person?” If you haven’t tested this too ensure you are sending the right energy then you may have a problem. Again, everyone of the candidates hired, the hiring manager never questioned their energy or if, “they were just looking for a place to retire.”
Granted there are a lot of other things one can do to help reduce of discrimination. I’m not suggesting these are the only two. I’m just suggesting these are the two most common I encounter.
If you think you have been discriminated against then the best way to avoid this in the future is to ensure you don’t fall into one of these categories.
If you haven’t joined our LinkedIn job search networking group please consider it. We have over 2000 members. This is a very active group dealing with job search issues. You can post your background and let 2000 people see your experiences. Click here to join.
Also we have a free download to assess the quality of your LinkedIn profile. This is one of the critical aspects to be found on LinkedIn. Click Here to get your free assessment to make sure your profile is the best it can be.
Listen every Monday 11 AM Pacific time as Barry and I discuss critical issues in your job search. You can hear us live on Latalkradio.com
Job Search Mistakes and Errors – Classic Example
The Wall Street Journal Laid-Off and Looking Blog just posted a great story profiling F. Ellen Whaley, an out-of-work introverted executive fearful of rebuilding her network.
The example could be a poster child for the classic job search mistakes and errors facing most executives and senior managers when they begin their job search. Read the full article here.
Here was my response to the example posted on this blog regarding ineffective networking as one of the key job search mistakes and errors made by those starting or stalled in a job hunt:
Great example of not considering the value of networking while working. The vast majority of candidates we work with in our Executive Search Practice come to us with a woefully inadequate network to begin their job search. Most have no idea where to start in using social media as a tool in leveraging networking.
Like the commercials about loans, the time to do it is when you don’t need it. Networking should be something you do through-out your entire career so when you need it – it’s there for you. When senior managers and executives start networking for their job search, it can take a minimum of 6 months to establish an effective network that will begin to generate an abundance of job referrals and leads.
My partner and I host a weekly internet radio talk show on job search on LATalkRadio.com at 11-noon PST. This show and the FREE archived broadcasts on our website dealing with job search networking and LinkedIn are some of our most popular downloads. A month ago we posted a FREE scorecard (available to members of our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group – join the group and get the FREE Scorecard) to assess the effectiveness of your LinkedIn Profile for Job Search – the response has been overwhelming.
Interesting side note: of over 2000 job search candidates that have shared their Linkedin Profile Assessments with us, less than 10% meet a minimum standard for using the tools LinkedIn provides for effective job search networking and personal branding.
If you’re an executive and trying to figure out why your job search is a failure, stalled, or ineffective, you might not need to look any further than your network itself and the activities surrounding it. A weak network and lack of classic “old-school” networking disciplined methods will cause your job search to go from 6 months to 12-18 months.
Barry
P.S.: On Monday Brad and I will be discussing on our radio show at LATalkRadio.com 11-noon The Top Ten Job Search Mistakes and Errors and the use of a brand new FREE Assessment Tool covering your entire job search – within minutes you’ll be able to discover do you have a job search headed for a downward death spiral or will you quickly being to generate an abundance of job search leads, referrals, and offers.
P.P.S.: We’ll post the link to download the new Job Search Plan Assessment Tool exclusively into our LinkedIn Job Search Discussion Group on Sunday prior to the Radio Show Discussion.
Amazing how time keeps marching forward in your job search like the sand through an hour glass. Every day, week, and month not spent conducting an effective job search drains your wallet and puts an unbearable level of pressure on your job hunting activities.
Miriam Salpeter, who writes a blog at Keppie Careers, recently posted an article titled “What’s the Cost of Being Unemployed?” Great article. Miriam gave a few good examples:
If you expect a $20,000 salary, your weekly salary is $384.61 and an 18 week job hunt will cost you $6,992.98.
If you are looking for a job with a $50,000 salary, your weekly salary is $961.54 and an 18 week job hunt costs you $17,307.69.
If you are hoping for a $100,000 salary, your weekly salary is $1,923.08 and an 18 week job hunt costs you $34,615.38.
Many readers of our blog are in the $150K-$200K plus range. What’s the cost of your job search moving from a traditional 6 months out to 12-18 months?
Here’s the comment I wrote to Miriam’s Blog posting:
Excellent point about the cost of an extended job search. Most of the candidates I work with are significantly north of $150,000-$200,000 in annual income. Imagine the cost of a search that has gone from a traditional 6 months and is now approaching 12-18 months.
Here’s the irony: We provide many good products and services, like you and other gurus/experts in this field. Yet, my experience is that the vast majority of managerial and executive candidates would rather flounder around for 12-18 months at the cost of $150K-$200K instead of investing $29, $59, $99 in a proven validated product/service that will take months off their job search.
I realize folks who are out of work don’t want to spend money unnecessarily. However, like most things in life you’ve got to make a few key investments and spend a little money to make money. Most candidates we encounter have no clue what to do in an effective job search – and they’re trying the same strategies which may have worked 8 – 10 -15 years ago. Whether it’s our products/services, yours, another well-known expert – my recommendation would be for job seekers to become masters of the job search process. To do that requires purchasing audio, video, kits, courses, books, and workbooks. On top of all that great content is an extraordinary amount of FREE resources which few people take advantage of.
I just wrote a recent article on my blog about mastering the job search. My partner Brad and I will be discussing this idea in our weekly radio show on Monday.
Barry
P.S.: On Monday in our Radio Show we will release our long awaited Self-Assessment Scorecard to determine if your Job Search Plan is adequate to complete a quick and effective job search.
