Contributor

Preparing For The Interview

By Kathy Keshemberg, NCRW, CCMC

So, you’ve got your resume in order, have searched for openings, networked extensively, and finally, you have an interview. And then the panic sets in! Job interviews can be very stressful, but if you spend some time preparing, your stress level will be reduced. Here are a few tips to get you started.

First, research the company. Google will be a very helpful tool. Find out as much as you can about their products/services, challenges they currently face, upcoming expansion plans, new product releases, etc. Also find out as much as you can about the person(s) you will be speaking with. Once again, Google him or her, but also search LinkedIn and Facebook. Knowing that he is an avid golfer or she is very involved with a local charity will give you ammunition for “small talk.” Finally, set up a Google alert about that company so that you are armed with the most current information before going to the interview.

Next, you want to prepare yourself by knowing your own personal brand inside and out. What is it that you offer that others do not, or what sets you apart from the competition? Special aspects of your experience, key areas of expertise, strengths, transferrable skills, and personality traits— these are all components of your brand. Once identified, weave this information into well-rehearsed “sound bites.” And speaking of rehearsing, do so out loud with a family member or in front of a mirro — you will be surprised at how differently the words come out of your mouth vs. in your head!

Finally, develop answers (and rehearse) for questions you anticipate will be asked. For instance, the “tell me about yourself” can be answered with your branding sound bites, while “walk me through your resume” will require you to be able to succinctly move through the highlights of your experience and accomplishments. If you’ve been let go from your last position be sure to have a positive “spin” prepared to explain the circumstances. If you’ve been looking for a job for many months, be prepared to talk about professional development or volunteer activities that you’ve devoted time to.

My April teleseminar featured Carole Martin, the Interview Coach. To listen to the recording of that call, click here and sign up for the Recorded Teleseminars. While you are at my site, be sure to register for May’s Teleseminar, which will be about developing your personal brand.

For more than two decades, Kathy Keshemberg, NCRW, CCMC and her team at A Career Advantage have been providing professionals with world-class resume consultation and writing, career coaching and personal branding services.
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Calling All “Big Fish”

10 Job Search Strategies For The Passive Job Seeker

If you are a passive job seeker, you have a challenge.  You can’t tell everyone that you are looking.  At least not officially.  After all, you don’t want to compromise your current job.  In case the wrong person hears about your plans . . .

So what is a passive job seeker to do?

Whether you are a passive or active job seeker, the #1 tool to find a job is networking.  And you can’t exactly head on out to the local job search group and toss out a newly minted elevator pitch.

Because some will say to you:  “I thought you had a job?”

And some will say to someone who works at your company: “Hey, I saw Barbara at the networking event the other night.  Sounds like she is looking for something new . . .”

So what is a passive job seeker to do?

• You want a new job
• You are terrified to leave before getting a new one
• You can’t overtly network without risking #2

So here is a list of 10 things a passive job seeker can do to look for a job effectively without risking the one you have:

1. Hire A Career Coach – especially one that is really well connected in your community.  And hire them for one thing.  Connections.  Spend the money wisely . . . while you have it.
2. Take time now to get your paperwork ready.  Create a strong resume update.  Capture the data you need to make your accomplishments tangible and measurable.  Create a SoloSheet™ and share it with a few trusted friends and former co-workers.
3. Identify your target companies and begin following them on Twitter.  Create a list on Twitter of great companies in your city and add them to it.  Assuming they are not competitors of your current company, try to build a relationship through re-tweets and friendly @replies..
4. Get yourself set up on Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, Yahoo! Hot Jobs and niche sites for your industry (e.g. CPGJobList).  Get private alerts set up that will inform you of the jobs being advertised.
5. Be findable in social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo) and make sure your content there is up-to-date and consistent with what you want your career brand to look like.
6. Go to job search focused networking events to build up your network.  Ask to be added to their mailing lists – many have Yahoo groups with daily job leads.  And you might even find a few people to help along the way.
7. Attend industry events.  You will hear about new companies and potentially those that are hiring.
8. Be really attentive and helpful when recruiters call.  Give them a reason to want to call you back by referring great people to them.
9. Become a subject matter expert through speaking or blogging.  You will attract opportunities.
10. Join my Watchlyst™ – Once I have your career objectives, I can send you job leads if/when I see them.  On the QT.

If this is not you.  If you are actively looking or not looking at all, share this post with a friend who’s working but looking for something more.  I’m sure they’d appreciate the thought.

What ideas do you have?  How do you look effectively without spilling the beans?

Message from Penny Sallberg

Candidate Q & A: “Why Have I Received No Reply To My Job Submissions?”

Every week I answer a huge number of emails from candidates who have questions about the job submissions process. One common concern is the response rate from employers advertising open positions.

Recently I received the following question from a candidate:

Penny,
I saw your profile on LinkedIn and I am seeking assistance in my job search. Been a rough road with trying to land something. With many opportunities out there, and the economy in rough shape, I am seeing if possibilities could be made to land through your services.

Here is my reply, which many of you may also find helpful:

Thank you for contacting me. I checked on your submissions and see that you have applied to Company X a lot. X is a company that receives a lot of candidate submissions— and not just from us. They are so big in fact, that they have 3rd party vendors to which they outsource their initial candidate screening processes. This 3rd party vendor handles a lot of Company X’s early qualifying. They too are big, move slowly AND they don’t want help— even though they don’t do such a great a job and really need the help. I’m telling you this not to discourage you, but only so that you set your expectations about response time realistically. Company X does hire people, so the best thing to do with them is to apply whenever you see something that is appropriate…but don’t expect a quick response or any response unless they go to step 2.

Because there are currently so many people looking for work, you must always be prepared for someone else getting the job. I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but out of the hundreds of qualified people who apply to each job, only one of them gets hired. Make sure your resume is perfect, and I mean perfect. Any grammatical errors, font errors, spelling errors (oh no!), and formatting errors are just an excuse for them to throw you in the trashcan.

Remember too, this is a numbers game. You might have been the next person they were going to contact when they found Mr. or Ms. right. It’s timing, a perfect background and resume, and luck, the trifecta of getting hired. It has really always been this way but more people are involved now and like you, they are getting anxious and scared.

I don’t blame you for feeling this way, but keep checking the site and keep applying to the jobs that are appropriate. Try not to expect a call from recruiters telling you that you aren’t a fit, they won’t be doing that. I know it’s rude, but they barely have time to call the people that are a fit. So instead of using up your energy on being angry or upset about that, use the energy you saved to apply to another job or attend a networking event.

When you do find a position on CPGjoblist that you think is really a good fit for you, perfect your resume and cover letter, submit, then wait for 3 weeks. If you don’t get a call, send me an email telling me why you would be perfect for the position. If, upon reviewing your background and experience I agree, I will personally forward your information on to the Hiring Manager with my recommendation that they give you a closer look. After that it’s up to you and your resume. I hope this helped a little bit.

Penny Sallberg-Carrillo
Senior Vice-President & Co-Founder,
CPGjoblist

References: A Critical Interview Prep Exercise

By Kathy Keshemberg, NCRW, CCMC

Quite often I’m asked “do I provide references with my resume” – the answer is a resounding “NO”! You want to make your own first impression.

What you do want to do, however, is have a list of 3-5 references prepared to provide at the interview. Here are a few tips to help you develop an effective list and also prepare your references to maximize the information that is shared about you.

Who belongs on your list?

You want to carefully choose individuals who can speak to your professional capabilities, expertise, credibility, and accomplishments. They need to possess first-hand knowledge of your work performance. Obvious candidates will be your direct/indirect supervisors, colleagues, peers, or subordinates (current and past employers). Also consider clients, vendors, professors, and professionals from industry/volunteer associations. Take care not to include anyone who could compete for the same position, and of course, friends, relatives, or outside-work acquaintances aren’t appropriate.

What information should be included?

Make contacting your references easy for the potential employer by providing as much information as possible – email address, office, cell, and/or home phone numbers, and mailing address. Confirm with each reference the contact information that is acceptable to provide. Also include on the reference page how you know that person, i.e., direct supervisor at XYZ Company. Format the page similarly to your resume with your contact information at the top. Bring several copies of this list, as well as your resume, printed on quality stationery to the interview.

What can you do in advance to prepare your references?

There are several things you can do to ensure that your references do a good job of positively representing you. First, let them know the type of position that you will be applying for and your skills, accomplishments, education, and qualifications relevant to that position. Next, ask each reference to speak to a specific strength. For example, you might ask one reference to discuss your leadership abilities, another could talk about your problem solving skills, and the third your integrity and work ethic. Finally, be sure your reference is aware of another reference they can provide the interviewer. Quite often, knowing that you are providing people who will have good things to say, a hiring manager might ask the reference for the name of someone else who can speak about your work performance. Strategizing another name in advance will ensure the hiring manager speaks with people who will make a positive impact.

What will your past employers say?

If there is any doubt surrounding what your previous employer(s) will say, give their human resources department a call – posing as a potential employer – to confirm what they will say. Or there are professional firms that will conduct reference checks for you to determine what will be said. Being aware of this information will give you the opportunity to determine the “spin” you want to put on the information when you are in an interview situation. If there is doubt about how to handle “sticky” information, hire an interview coach for an objective opinion and assistance in figuring out how to neutralize the situation.

Finally, after you’ve landed your new job, let each reference know the outcome of your search and thank them for the contribution they made to your success

For more than two decades, Kathy Keshemberg, NCRW, CCMC and her team at A Career Advantage have been providing professionals with world-class resume consultation and writing, career coaching and personal branding services.
Learn more…