Often I hear from my clients that the one area that they feel is holding them back from landing a job is the interview process. They know that their skills and background are solid and they appear to be a perfect match for the position. Overall the face-to-face interview went well, but something just wasn’t clicking. The job either falls into the HR blackhole or they are notified that the position has been filled. Sound familiar?  I want to discuss how to interview with confidence and give you some practical take-a-ways.

Before the interview:

• Research. Become as familiar with the company and position as you can ahead of time. The Internet is an excellent source of information. Do you have any LinkedIn connections with the company? Study the job description and match up your skills and accomplishments with the core competencies your future employer is looking for.
• Know your resume. More than likely, the person interviewing you will have a copy of it in front of them, so anticipate questions based upon the contents of your resume. Think of ways you can expand upon what is written and let the interviewer know you are going to be a great employee.
• Tie up any loose ends. Know where and when the interview is. Make sure you have a way there. Do you need a sitter?  If so, book one now. Are your interview clothes clean and well fitting?  Take care of these details a few days before the interview, not the morning of.

Day of the interview:

• Appearances. Make sure you’re well rested and have had a good meal before heading off to the interview. Take one last look at yourself before you head out the door. You need to look professional and put together. Remember, easy on the fragrances.
• Timing. Arrive early for your interview. If you are kept waiting in the reception area past your interview time, don’t get angry or frustrated-this could be the stress portion of the interview. Be gracious and remember this IS the most important thing you have going on.
• Be enthusiastic!  Make eye contact and be friendly. Answer all questions truthfully and don’t try to bluff when you don’t know the answer. They are not only looking for your responses, but how you respond. They’re also judging how well you will fit in with corporate culture.
• Sell yourself. They know you’re qualified, otherwise you wouldn’t have been asked to come in for an interview. But remember, there is a fine line between selling yourself and overkill. Finally, ask for the job. It’s one way that hiring managers determine your enthusiasm for the position.

Post Interview:

• Thanks!  Thank them for their time. Try to get their business cards or at the very least everyone’s first and last names and positions. Let them know how much you appreciated the interview.
• Snail mail. Write each person a thank you note as soon as you get home and try to get it in the mail on the same day. Yes, e-mails are quicker and easier, but there is nothing like a personal note written in your own handwriting. Offer to follow up in a few days.
• Follow up!  Call the interviewer and ask about the status of the position. Use this opportunity to give yourself one last plug!

Still need help?  Give the me a call and we can talk about ways to polish your interviewing skills or any other area that you feel you need help with.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at www.CCubedCareer.com.

Technorati Tags: career coaching, career consulting, Coaching, interview coaching, interview tips, interviewing, kevin tucker, skills inventory

Enhancing your career can depend on how ready you are to take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself. That means that you need to be ready to introduce yourself quickly to people you might run into casually in the office or in other business settings. Mike Myatt, in the article “How’s your elevator pitch?” says that he has several versions of his own introduction prepared depending on audience, environment, and need.

Myatt says that a good introduction imbues you with credibility and confidence and allows you to tell other what you do and how you are working toward  eliminating fears the company has, eradicating painful situations the company faces, or meeting the needs the company has pinpointed for itself. And Myatt says you should be able to do this in 50 words or less.

So, for instance, when you run into a manager, you could introduce yourself by saying: “My name is Jim Johnson. I’m a marketing representative. I specialize in making sure new clients are comfortable in their knowledge about our services before they commit their money to us. And this year, I’m working toward the goal of 100 percent client satisfaction.”

Once you have an introduction that you like, work to perfect it. Practice it-and then use it when the need arises.

Preparing for small moments can open doors to a bigger future.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at www.CCubedCareer.com.

Technorati Tags: attitude, career coach, career coaching, career consulting, career inventory, interview tips, kevin tucker, self improvement

“Tell Me About Yourself”
It’s one of the most frequently asked questions in an interview: Tell me about yourself. Your response to this request will set the tone for the rest of the interview. For some, this is the most challenging question to answer, as they wonder what the interviewer really wants to know and what information they should include.

Eleanor dreaded this question, and when it was the first one asked at her interview she fumbled her way through a vague answer, not focusing on what she could bring to the job.

“I’m happily married and originally from Denver,” she began. “My husband was transferred here three months ago, and I’ve been getting us settled in our new home. I’m now ready to go back to work. I’ve worked in a variety of jobs, usually customer service-related. I’m looking for a company that offers growth opportunities.”

The interview went downhill after that. She had started with personal information and gave the interviewer reason to doubt whether she was an employee who would stay for very long.

She’s married, and when her husband gets transferred that means she has to leave; she did it once and can do it again.   She has some work experience with customers but didn’t emphasize what she did.   She is looking to grow. What about the job she is applying for? Will she stay content for long?   The secret to successfully responding to this free-form request is to focus, script and practice. You cannot afford to wing this answer, as it will affect the rest of the interview. Begin to think about what you want the interviewer to know about you.

Focus
List five strengths you have that are pertinent to this job (experiences, traits, skills, etc.). What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave?

Eleanor is strong in communications and connecting with people. She has a strong background and proven success with customer relationships. Her real strength is her follow-through. She prides herself on her reputation for meeting deadlines.

Scripting
Prepare a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking about past experiences and proven success:

“I have been in the customer service industry for the past five years. My most recent experience has been handling incoming calls in the high tech industry. One reason I particularly enjoy this business, and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. In my last job, I formed some significant customer relationships resulting in a 30 percent increase in sales in a matter of months.”

Next, mention your strengths and abilities:
“My real strength is my attention to detail. I pride myself on my reputation for following through and meeting deadlines. When I commit to doing something, I make sure it gets done, and on time.”

Conclude with a statement about your current situation:

“What I am looking for now is a company that values customer relations, where I can join a strong team and have a positive impact on customer retention and sales.”

Practice
Practice with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasize in your statement. Your script should help you stay on track, but you shouldn’t memorize it — you don’t want to sound stiff and rehearsed. It should sound natural and conversational.

Even if you are not asked this type of question to begin the interview, this preparation will help you focus on what you have to offer. You will also find that you can use the information in this exercise to assist you in answering other questions. The more you can talk about your product — you — the better chance you will have at selling it.

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at www.CCubedCareer.com.

Technorati Tags: career coaching, Coaching, interview tips, interviewing, kevin tucker

Waiting. It seems a shame that this even needs to be said, but here goes: If you’re interviewing for a job, be nice to the receptionist.

In other words, you should be minding your manners. And not just with those you perceive as having the power to hire you. It is becoming a common practice for managers to inquire about candidates’ behavior with everyone who meets them. Interviewers are looking for someone that they and other co-workers have to agree to spend at least eight hours a day, five days a week with.

If you are rude or condescending to people you think are “beneath” you, you need to get over your bad self. According to Anne Fisher of Fortune magazine, you should follow these guidelines when you are waiting for an interview.

• Introduce yourself. Just be friendly in the same way you plan to once you get into the real interview.
• Don’t ask the receptionist to make copies of anything for you. You should already have your copies. You should already be prepared. And you shouldn’t expect the receptionist to be your personal assistant.
• You can accept a beverage, if offered, but never request one. Don’t ask for a million accouterments either. Think kindness, think simplicity.
• If you feel the need to make chitchat, be careful what you say. Don’t offer opinions on things that could make you look bad like the decor of the office, etc.
• Say a cordial goodbye.

Technorati Tags: career coaching, interview coaching, interview tips, kevin tucker

We’ve heard them all.  Nightmare stories about firing squad panel interviews. Sinister mind games played by interviewers to see how well you’d hold up under stress.  And those impossible behavioral interviews that ask if you would nark on your shoplifting granny.  Who needs ghost stories around a campfire when you can hear these beauties at the water cooler? Is it worth it?  I think it is.  Are they intimidating?  Sure they are.  But, with a little preparation, you’ll be able to breeze through the process and live to tell your own stories some day.

Before the interview:

• Research.  Become as familiar with the company and position as you can ahead of time.  The Internet is an excellent source of information.  Study the job description and match up your skills and accomplishments with the core competencies your future employer is looking for.
• Know thy resume.   The person interviewing you will more than likely have a copy of it in front of them, so expect questions based upon the contents of your resume.  Think of ways you can expand upon what is written and let the interviewer you are going to be a great employee.
• Tie up any loose ends.  Know where and when the interview is.  Have a way there.  Do you need a sitter?  Book one now.   Are your interview clothes clean and well fitting?  Take care of this a few days before the interview, not the morning of.

Day of the interview:

• Appearances.  Make sure you’re well rested and have had a good meal before heading off to the interview.  Take one last look at yourself before you head out the door.  You need to look professional and put together.  Remember, easy on the fragrances.
• Timing.  Arrive early for your interview.  If you are kept waiting in the reception area past your interview time, don’t get angry or frustrated; this could be the stress portion of the interview.  Be gracious and remember, this IS the most important thing you have going on.
• Be enthusiastic!  Make eye contact and be friendly.  Answer all questions truthfully and don’t try to bluff when you don’t know the answer.  They are not only looking for your responses, but how you respond.  They’re also judging how well you will fit in with corporate culture.
• Sell yourself.  They know you’re qualified, otherwise you wouldn’t have been asked to come in for an interview.  But remember, there is a fine line between selling yourself and overkill.  Finally, ask for the job.  It’s one way they determine your enthusiasm for the position.

Post Interview:

• Thanks!  Thank them for their time.  Try to get their business cards or at the very least everyone’s first and last names and positions.  Let them know how much you appreciated the interview.
• Snail mail.  Write each person a thank you note as soon as you get home and try to get it in the mail on the same day.  Yes, e-mails are quicker and easier, but there is nothing like a personal note written in your own handwriting.  Offer to follow up in a few days.
• Follow up!  Call the interviewer and ask about the status of the position.  Use this opportunity to give yourself one last plug!

Technorati Tags: career consulting, interview tips, kevin tucker

Well the great news is that we’re seeing things starting to break—seeing more interviews and yes, even more hires.

Let’s say you’ve just had the interview. What impression did you leave behind? Why should they extend you an offer? Or here’s one: you got the offer, but you’re already asking yourself “what’s next?”

This happened to Walter Cronkite, the familiar face of TV journalism who became the “most trusted man in America”, in one of his first jobs. After applying, and getting the position, he was asked why were you offered the job? “I never asked them why,” Cronkite recalled in a 2006 TV portrait. “I was so pleased to get the job, I didn’t want to endanger it by suggesting that I didn’t know why I had it.”

Now, in hindsight, we know it all worked out well for Walter Cronkite—he led a very full and respected life. I even remember hearing that line at the end of the newscast: “And that’s the way it is”. And everyone knew, that’s the way it was.

But for you, let me throw out a challenge: Know why you’re applying for the job and know the contribution you can make. In turn, you’ll know why you’re getting the offer!

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at www.CCubedCareer.com.

Technorati Tags: interview tips; Walter Cronkite, the offer

As you are having a conversation / interview with your new employer, you need to connect you need to share stories and situations that they can relate to - remember they are the one hiring you!

As I was preparing that post, I ran across an article by Meridith Levinson, “Job Seekers: How to Tell Stories to Stand Out” that says it well:

Sensory details provide an essential element of good story-telling, says Hansen, because they help draw in audiences. Just as descriptions of a house’s smell or a character’s clothes make a story more believable, details about a job seeker’s professional experience will make their stories more credible and enticing to hiring managers.

“In a job seeking story, numerical details-numbers, percentages-are really important,” says Hansen. Key details to include in résumés and cover letters and in your answers to interview questions are the size of the IT budget you oversaw, the number of people you managed, size and scope of projects, and percents and dollars of revenue generated or costs cut.

Though detail is helpful, job seekers want to make sure they emphasize the particulars that are important to their audience-the hiring manager. They don’t want to waste precious interview time describing what their employer’s office looks like or the taste of the coffee in the break room.

The Two-Minute Rule

All this talk about recounting stories shouldn’t make job seekers think they need to transform simple, straightforward anecdotes about their professional experiences into epic tales. Rambling responses to interview questions bore hiring managers.

Consequently, Hansen says job seekers’ responses to interview questions shouldn’t run longer than two minutes. She recommends that you draft your stories on paper, rehearse them out loud with friends or family who can provide feedback, and revise them as necessary until you can hit all necessary points in two minutes or less.

Delivery

Even well-structured stories can fall flat if they’re not delivered with emotion. This is particularly true for challenge-action-result formats, admits Hansen, so job seekers should speak about their work with enthusiasm. A job seeker’s passion for his or her metier is infectious and demonstrates another quality that hiring managers find irresistible in prospective employees-confidence.

Well, thanks to Meridith for these thoughts. However it is presented-in conversation or the resume, connecting with the person interviewing you is the key!

As a Nationally Credentialed Career and Life Transition Coach, I help people like yourself get more out of life through their career! Is coaching for you? Learn how career and life coaching can help you personally, can help your company, and can help your church. Check out more at www.CCubedCareer.com.