By Zebriod (c) 2008
We all need one, or two. We have all heard of the elevator speech, where you are caught the elevator between floors with the boss, you have 11 seconds of his time, you need to get your message across – clearly and fast. Likewise if an interviewer starts with an icebreaker question like “tell me about yourself’, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to put yourself in the best possible light.
Be sure you don’t ramble on about irrelevancies or get off topic! Instead, make your answer into a 3 part pre-planned marketing statement.
Part 1 – One short sentence as summary of career history to date.
Part 2 – A stand out accomplishment you are proud of that will capture the employer’s attention.
Part 3 – One sentence summary of what you want to do next in your career. This is a forward looking statement, positive (never bash a previous situation) and clearly answers the question why are you here now?
“I’ve had 16 years of experience in the industry while serving as a {job title} with company ABC for the last five years. While at ABC, I led the successful {accomplishment} which resulted in us achieving {bottom line impact…saving money, saving time, awards/recognition}. For my next career move, I desire to move to a company with more prestige where I can continue to add value for the long term.”
**An Extra Tip:If given the opportunity to ask a question at the very beginning of the interview – Ask, “What exactly are you looking for in a (title of position)?” Listen Carefully! You should target the rest of your interview answers so that they cover what the hiring manager’s response was to that question.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
So you think a recruiter can find you a job?
(planning to find a new job)
Zebriod (c) 2008
If it has not happened to you yet, it happens more and more often, the work disappears and you need to find a new job. When this happens the first thing you need is a plan, a plan to land a new job. It is always easier to land a new job when you have a job, but you don’t have the time and that is not the situation I intend to cover here.
Any the plan needs to be more than finding a recruiter and sitting back. You need to be in control, not the recruiter.
Step 1. Ground work
Get you paperwork in order:
1a. Review your resume (See my article on writing your resume)
1b. Review all your accomplishments – write them up, no one is going to hire you because you need a job, they will only hire you if you bring something they need (See my article on accomplishments)
1c. Make a personal marketing statement (see creating your elevator pitch)
1d. Get copies of transcripts – many companies require these if you have post grad education.
1e. Prepare your references – this is very important, networking can land you the job you need. Call everyone you know and ask them if they would be willing to provide you a professional reference if needed – don’t be proud.
Step 2. How to stay in control
Make sure all recruiter have your permission directly from you prior to submitting your resume to any employer. Recruiters have a natural incentive to send your resume to as many companies as possible, just in case you get hired. Normally they can claim a fee if you go to work for any of these within a year of submitting your resume.
Create a spreadsheet of possible companies. Use the internet to research companies in your location or in your sector
Number Co Name Website Co Contact Recruiter Date sent Notes--->
Only self submit through the website as a last resort. Try to place a call into the company, use you marketing pitch and attempt to get someone in the company to get you in. If you submit through the website will be joining hundred of “chef and chauffeurs” and as a result your resume will first be read by a machine, so make sure you have as many “key words” as possible.
Step 3. Network
Most mid career job changes are a result of “networking” not recruiters, it is expensive for companies to find quality staff and as a result networking has a distinct advantage over using a recruiter. It maybe difficult to call previous colleagues and admit that you are searching for a new job, but it has to be done. Call them all, make sure you are prepared to market yourself even when you think they know you. Use an indirect approach “Do you know anyone that is hiring”, “Do you have anyone over at xyz company that I can call?”.
This is difficult but do it.
Step 4. Be prepared
The first step is to get an interview, but an interview is not the end, just the end of the beginning. Be prepared to interview well.
Try to be nice and well mannered at all t
Zebriod (c) 2008
If it has not happened to you yet, it happens more and more often, the work disappears and you need to find a new job. When this happens the first thing you need is a plan, a plan to land a new job. It is always easier to land a new job when you have a job, but you don’t have the time and that is not the situation I intend to cover here.
Any the plan needs to be more than finding a recruiter and sitting back. You need to be in control, not the recruiter.
Step 1. Ground work
Get you paperwork in order:
1a. Review your resume (See my article on writing your resume)
1b. Review all your accomplishments – write them up, no one is going to hire you because you need a job, they will only hire you if you bring something they need (See my article on accomplishments)
1c. Make a personal marketing statement (see creating your elevator pitch)
1d. Get copies of transcripts – many companies require these if you have post grad education.
1e. Prepare your references – this is very important, networking can land you the job you need. Call everyone you know and ask them if they would be willing to provide you a professional reference if needed – don’t be proud.
Step 2. How to stay in control
Make sure all recruiter have your permission directly from you prior to submitting your resume to any employer. Recruiters have a natural incentive to send your resume to as many companies as possible, just in case you get hired. Normally they can claim a fee if you go to work for any of these within a year of submitting your resume.
Create a spreadsheet of possible companies. Use the internet to research companies in your location or in your sector
Number Co Name Website Co Contact Recruiter Date sent Notes--->
Only self submit through the website as a last resort. Try to place a call into the company, use you marketing pitch and attempt to get someone in the company to get you in. If you submit through the website will be joining hundred of “chef and chauffeurs” and as a result your resume will first be read by a machine, so make sure you have as many “key words” as possible.
Step 3. Network
Most mid career job changes are a result of “networking” not recruiters, it is expensive for companies to find quality staff and as a result networking has a distinct advantage over using a recruiter. It maybe difficult to call previous colleagues and admit that you are searching for a new job, but it has to be done. Call them all, make sure you are prepared to market yourself even when you think they know you. Use an indirect approach “Do you know anyone that is hiring”, “Do you have anyone over at xyz company that I can call?”.
This is difficult but do it.
Step 4. Be prepared
The first step is to get an interview, but an interview is not the end, just the end of the beginning. Be prepared to interview well.
Try to be nice and well mannered at all t
Behavior Questions
By Zebriod (c) 2008
I’m not one for listening to party debates, but last night I listened to the Republican debate at the Regan Library. Largely to see how they answered questions, did they have any tips for successful interviewing?
My top observation was the ability of Ron Paul to listen and not get frustrated, just marvelous.
The debate centered on Romney and McCain. As an independent, that is not going to vote for any of these guys, with little or no baggage toward these guys, Romney was the winner on this day by a wide margin when judging the quality of his debating skills. Why? He used examples of “his” past to predict his performance in the future, verifiable accomplishments as examples of why the country should hire him.
When asked if the country was better off today than eight years ago. when the current President started, he clearly pointed out that was not a question he should answer. He had nothing to do with this performance, but instead reviewed his role as governor of Massachusetts, the Salt Lake games, his business career and how he left each better than he found them. McCain on the other hand focused on general, unsupported statements like “I will be the …” “I am the most qualified…”. One approach left me impressed the other unconvinced.
My take away was the importance of being a good listener and using accomplishments to answer questions about future performance.
Introducing the STAR or SOAR principle: STAR stands for (S)ituation, (T)ask, (A)ction and (R)esult, and would be used as follows. I was in this situation, I was given these tasks, I took these actions and the result was. So, going back to Romney, he said when he became Governor we had a 3 billion dollar budget shortfall, not wanting to raise taxes, he found many areas where Massachusetts had not raised fees for 20 years, such as food signs on interstates. In this way, he closed the budget gap by running government more sensibly, like a business.
(For SOAR the (O) is for obstacle)
Use this concept to answer any behavior questions, for example of which are ‘how would you react to…’, ‘give a situation how would you act/react…’
In order to be well prepared, you must sit down and create a list of accomplishments. Write these up, add to them, reword them and practice them. From this list you can now go many places. First , create your own personal marketing statement, a Features And Benefits worksheet and answer behavioral questions.
Accomplishments need to answer the following question “what did you achieve that helped MAKE MONEY, SAVE MONEY, or CHANGE A PROCESS to impact the BOTTOM LINE?”
Don’t forget employers are only looking for “Skills, Experience and stability”
I’m not one for listening to party debates, but last night I listened to the Republican debate at the Regan Library. Largely to see how they answered questions, did they have any tips for successful interviewing?
My top observation was the ability of Ron Paul to listen and not get frustrated, just marvelous.
The debate centered on Romney and McCain. As an independent, that is not going to vote for any of these guys, with little or no baggage toward these guys, Romney was the winner on this day by a wide margin when judging the quality of his debating skills. Why? He used examples of “his” past to predict his performance in the future, verifiable accomplishments as examples of why the country should hire him.
When asked if the country was better off today than eight years ago. when the current President started, he clearly pointed out that was not a question he should answer. He had nothing to do with this performance, but instead reviewed his role as governor of Massachusetts, the Salt Lake games, his business career and how he left each better than he found them. McCain on the other hand focused on general, unsupported statements like “I will be the …” “I am the most qualified…”. One approach left me impressed the other unconvinced.
My take away was the importance of being a good listener and using accomplishments to answer questions about future performance.
Introducing the STAR or SOAR principle: STAR stands for (S)ituation, (T)ask, (A)ction and (R)esult, and would be used as follows. I was in this situation, I was given these tasks, I took these actions and the result was. So, going back to Romney, he said when he became Governor we had a 3 billion dollar budget shortfall, not wanting to raise taxes, he found many areas where Massachusetts had not raised fees for 20 years, such as food signs on interstates. In this way, he closed the budget gap by running government more sensibly, like a business.
(For SOAR the (O) is for obstacle)
Use this concept to answer any behavior questions, for example of which are ‘how would you react to…’, ‘give a situation how would you act/react…’
In order to be well prepared, you must sit down and create a list of accomplishments. Write these up, add to them, reword them and practice them. From this list you can now go many places. First , create your own personal marketing statement, a Features And Benefits worksheet and answer behavioral questions.
Accomplishments need to answer the following question “what did you achieve that helped MAKE MONEY, SAVE MONEY, or CHANGE A PROCESS to impact the BOTTOM LINE?”
Don’t forget employers are only looking for “Skills, Experience and stability”
Monday, December 31, 2007
Questions to Ask Your Interviewer
By Zebriod (c) 2007
Always go to any interview with prepared questions to ask. Always ask questions; the quality of your questions is as important as how you answer questions!
-What do you consider ideal background and experience for this position? If you get an opportunity early ask this question, it sets you up to correctly answer all following questions.
Prepare questions in these 3 categories:
Questions about the job / opportunity
Questions about the company
Questions about the interviewer
Sample Questions:
-What would you expect me to achieve in the first 6 months?
-Is there anything I can tell you about my qualifications that I haven’t said yet?
-What are the principal challenges I would face in this job?
-What results would you like me to produce?
-Based on what I’ve told you, don’t you think I could deliver all you need in this position? (Closing Question)
-What goals do you have for the territory in the next 12 months? What do you think it will take to get the territory to those numbers?
- Is this a new/existing/revised job? If it's new/revised, why was it created?
-What are the principal challenges facing your staff right now?
- Where does this position fit within the company's structure?
-Can you give me more detail about the position's responsibilities?
- With whom does a person in this position interact?
- Is there an opportunity for growth and advancement? If so, what other career opportunities might be open to me here?
-What future plans does the company have?
-What are the challenges the company is facing?
-What's the culture like? What are the values?
-How would you describe the atmosphere of this department?
-How long have you been with the company?
- What has your career path been?
-Are there any concerns you have about me filling the position? (Closing Question)
-Can I count on your recommendation for the next step? (Closing Question)
-For initial interviews: Where do we go from here? Can we set that up right now? (Closing Question)
-For final interviews: Where do we go from here? When can I start? (Closing Question)
Always go to any interview with prepared questions to ask. Always ask questions; the quality of your questions is as important as how you answer questions!
-What do you consider ideal background and experience for this position? If you get an opportunity early ask this question, it sets you up to correctly answer all following questions.
Prepare questions in these 3 categories:
Questions about the job / opportunity
Questions about the company
Questions about the interviewer
Sample Questions:
-What would you expect me to achieve in the first 6 months?
-Is there anything I can tell you about my qualifications that I haven’t said yet?
-What are the principal challenges I would face in this job?
-What results would you like me to produce?
-Based on what I’ve told you, don’t you think I could deliver all you need in this position? (Closing Question)
-What goals do you have for the territory in the next 12 months? What do you think it will take to get the territory to those numbers?
- Is this a new/existing/revised job? If it's new/revised, why was it created?
-What are the principal challenges facing your staff right now?
- Where does this position fit within the company's structure?
-Can you give me more detail about the position's responsibilities?
- With whom does a person in this position interact?
- Is there an opportunity for growth and advancement? If so, what other career opportunities might be open to me here?
-What future plans does the company have?
-What are the challenges the company is facing?
-What's the culture like? What are the values?
-How would you describe the atmosphere of this department?
-How long have you been with the company?
- What has your career path been?
-Are there any concerns you have about me filling the position? (Closing Question)
-Can I count on your recommendation for the next step? (Closing Question)
-For initial interviews: Where do we go from here? Can we set that up right now? (Closing Question)
-For final interviews: Where do we go from here? When can I start? (Closing Question)
What Makes For a Good Resume?
by Zebriod (c) December 2007
1. Don't use tables; I scream every time I see an overly complicated tabled resume! Resume are distributed via email and we rarely see a printed resume any more. The resume must look good on a screen first. Secondly tables over complicate the resume and make it too busy.
2. The purpose of a resume is to get you the interview! Not to be the best historical document of your life! No one reads any more, the best you can hope for is someone to scan read it; you better make every word count. Once you get in-front of the hiring manager we will worry about getting to the next step.
3. Make every word count. It is a good goal to get it on one page, (and that is the case when you have had a 25 year career or are only just starting out.) Allocate more space to the most relevant and more recent stuff; don't be put off by creating a specially tailored version of your resume for each job opportunity. A resume has three main components:
(i) Features - these are dates, companies and titles;
JP Morgan Chase, Dec 2002 - Present Vice President, Global Trading Foreign Exchange
(ii) Education - This can be placed at the start or at the end depending on how stellar it is. If you have a P.hD why not highlight it.
(iii) Accomplishment at each position; Avoid long paragraphs, attempt to use action words to describe your accomplishments using bullets, it is all about what you can do for the next company!
4. Don't Clog it up. I hate the poor pitch a lot of people add under "Objectives" or "Skill" and clog up the resume - don't do it.... Do you think anyone believes you when the resume says "good communicator" "good team player" etc... this is just hot air. If you feel the urge to do this spend the time drafing a good cover letter.
Example: (formatting is lost)
First Surname
1500 May Blvd. Arlington VA 22201 ♦ (900) 367-8614 ♦ email@law.uni.edu
Education
University School of Law, Atlanta, GA
Juris Doctor Degree, May 2002. Highest Grade in Dispute Resolution
Moot Court, Intellectual Property. Emory Award Scholarship
London School of Economics, London, England
Masters in Economics, June 1999
Graduated With Distinction. London Friends Scholarship
Amherst,
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Economics, May 1998
Graduated Summa Cum Laude. Margaret C. Peabody Fellowship. W. C. Rockefeller Grant
Bar Memberships
Admitted to the New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C. Bar Associations, eligible to waive into Massachusetts
________
Experience
Law firn, L.L.P., Washington D.C. August 2003 - Present
Associate
· Research and writing in government procurement, international contracts, corporate structuring, export and intellectual property law
· Litigated before the Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims regarding organizational conflicts of interest and corporate compliance issues
· Reviewed contracts for joint venture between two film studios and litigated against claims of dilution and misappropriation of commercial likeness
· Drafted negotiated license rights for software package to be sold to the Department of Defense
· Negotiated assignment of rights of multi-media software from Swedish based entertainment company to major U.S. entertainment consulting group
· Advised international clients on Buy American Act, Trade Agreement Act, Berry Amendment
· Litigated claims of trademark infringement and deceptive trade practice for website based company regarding video streaming of news and entertainment clips
· Defended music company product line and packaging from trade dress infringement claims
US Corporate Inc., New York, NY and Newark, NJ January 2003 – August 2003
Assistant General Counsel
· Worked exclusively with client regarding licensing, trademark/domain litigation
· Drafted shareholder agreements, employment / consulting contracts, non-disclosure agreements, licensing and sub-licensing contracts for data rights, manuals and software tutorials
· Filed company trademark and assisted with patent provisionals
· Drafted proposals for STTR, SBIR and DARPA regarding portable medical devices funding
Law firm, P.C., New York, NY and West Orange, NJ May 2002 – January 2003
Associate
· Drafted performance and payment bond documents for surety entities
· Litigated state and city contractual claims on behalf of construction companies working in NY
Publications: Contributor, ……………………..
Language Skills: Spanish; German (conversational); learning Russian
1. Don't use tables; I scream every time I see an overly complicated tabled resume! Resume are distributed via email and we rarely see a printed resume any more. The resume must look good on a screen first. Secondly tables over complicate the resume and make it too busy.
2. The purpose of a resume is to get you the interview! Not to be the best historical document of your life! No one reads any more, the best you can hope for is someone to scan read it; you better make every word count. Once you get in-front of the hiring manager we will worry about getting to the next step.
3. Make every word count. It is a good goal to get it on one page, (and that is the case when you have had a 25 year career or are only just starting out.) Allocate more space to the most relevant and more recent stuff; don't be put off by creating a specially tailored version of your resume for each job opportunity. A resume has three main components:
(i) Features - these are dates, companies and titles;
JP Morgan Chase, Dec 2002 - Present Vice President, Global Trading Foreign Exchange
(ii) Education - This can be placed at the start or at the end depending on how stellar it is. If you have a P.hD why not highlight it.
(iii) Accomplishment at each position; Avoid long paragraphs, attempt to use action words to describe your accomplishments using bullets, it is all about what you can do for the next company!
4. Don't Clog it up. I hate the poor pitch a lot of people add under "Objectives" or "Skill" and clog up the resume - don't do it.... Do you think anyone believes you when the resume says "good communicator" "good team player" etc... this is just hot air. If you feel the urge to do this spend the time drafing a good cover letter.
Example: (formatting is lost)
First Surname
1500 May Blvd. Arlington VA 22201 ♦ (900) 367-8614 ♦ email@law.uni.edu
Education
University School of Law, Atlanta, GA
Juris Doctor Degree, May 2002. Highest Grade in Dispute Resolution
Moot Court, Intellectual Property. Emory Award Scholarship
London School of Economics, London, England
Masters in Economics, June 1999
Graduated With Distinction. London Friends Scholarship
Amherst,
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Economics, May 1998
Graduated Summa Cum Laude. Margaret C. Peabody Fellowship. W. C. Rockefeller Grant
Bar Memberships
Admitted to the New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C. Bar Associations, eligible to waive into Massachusetts
________
Experience
Law firn, L.L.P., Washington D.C. August 2003 - Present
Associate
· Research and writing in government procurement, international contracts, corporate structuring, export and intellectual property law
· Litigated before the Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims regarding organizational conflicts of interest and corporate compliance issues
· Reviewed contracts for joint venture between two film studios and litigated against claims of dilution and misappropriation of commercial likeness
· Drafted negotiated license rights for software package to be sold to the Department of Defense
· Negotiated assignment of rights of multi-media software from Swedish based entertainment company to major U.S. entertainment consulting group
· Advised international clients on Buy American Act, Trade Agreement Act, Berry Amendment
· Litigated claims of trademark infringement and deceptive trade practice for website based company regarding video streaming of news and entertainment clips
· Defended music company product line and packaging from trade dress infringement claims
US Corporate Inc., New York, NY and Newark, NJ January 2003 – August 2003
Assistant General Counsel
· Worked exclusively with client regarding licensing, trademark/domain litigation
· Drafted shareholder agreements, employment / consulting contracts, non-disclosure agreements, licensing and sub-licensing contracts for data rights, manuals and software tutorials
· Filed company trademark and assisted with patent provisionals
· Drafted proposals for STTR, SBIR and DARPA regarding portable medical devices funding
Law firm, P.C., New York, NY and West Orange, NJ May 2002 – January 2003
Associate
· Drafted performance and payment bond documents for surety entities
· Litigated state and city contractual claims on behalf of construction companies working in NY
Publications: Contributor, ……………………..
Language Skills: Spanish; German (conversational); learning Russian
Friday, December 28, 2007
Preparing for that meeting with your Boss!
By Zebriod (c) 2007
Imagine your Boss quits and you want his job!
So the big Boss has a few decisions to make, find an outside replacement, promote someone or do the job themselves. But you think you are the best candidate and you want the opportunity, so how best to go about it?
Well first don’t think you’ll get the job by sitting back and doing nothing! Also don’t think you’ll get it by demanding it. It is true the squeaky wheel gets the oil, but not normally in this situation, and if it works you have started off on the wrong foot.
Step 1: So ask for a meeting and prepare for the meeting.
Step 2: The preparation.
The chances are that the Boss will know a little about you but not enough to consider you as qualified or desirable. Therefore consider rule 1:
Rule 1: It is all about them not about you!
You have to set out how you can help them and why your skills, experiences and stability are right for the job. But how do you do this? It is easy to say “I’m a company man” or “I’m a team player” but will this be credible?
Rule 2:
Avoid statements, wrap skills and experiences in specific personnel accomplishments that demonstrate how and why you benefit them. This requires you to sit down and write up each of your accomplishments and extract the benefit the accomplishment demonstrates. It is hard work but it pays off every time.
Rule 3: Don’t forget Rule 1. No me me me….. it is all about them.
Step 3: The meeting. The chances he will need to know why you have asked for the meeting so he too can prepare, in which case you should tell him, carefully. Once in the meeting here are some things to remember:
- Display good listening skills with good eye contact, good posture and energy. Never over speak the boss.
- Use a question to answer a question. This helps avoid being too opinionated which can be dangerous. We don’t want to be a yes man, but we don’t want to make a mistake either.
- Remember rule 1! You should be exhausted after a meeting like this, lots of brain power is needed.
Imagine your Boss quits and you want his job!
So the big Boss has a few decisions to make, find an outside replacement, promote someone or do the job themselves. But you think you are the best candidate and you want the opportunity, so how best to go about it?
Well first don’t think you’ll get the job by sitting back and doing nothing! Also don’t think you’ll get it by demanding it. It is true the squeaky wheel gets the oil, but not normally in this situation, and if it works you have started off on the wrong foot.
Step 1: So ask for a meeting and prepare for the meeting.
Step 2: The preparation.
The chances are that the Boss will know a little about you but not enough to consider you as qualified or desirable. Therefore consider rule 1:
Rule 1: It is all about them not about you!
You have to set out how you can help them and why your skills, experiences and stability are right for the job. But how do you do this? It is easy to say “I’m a company man” or “I’m a team player” but will this be credible?
Rule 2:
Avoid statements, wrap skills and experiences in specific personnel accomplishments that demonstrate how and why you benefit them. This requires you to sit down and write up each of your accomplishments and extract the benefit the accomplishment demonstrates. It is hard work but it pays off every time.
Rule 3: Don’t forget Rule 1. No me me me….. it is all about them.
Step 3: The meeting. The chances he will need to know why you have asked for the meeting so he too can prepare, in which case you should tell him, carefully. Once in the meeting here are some things to remember:
- Display good listening skills with good eye contact, good posture and energy. Never over speak the boss.
- Use a question to answer a question. This helps avoid being too opinionated which can be dangerous. We don’t want to be a yes man, but we don’t want to make a mistake either.
- Remember rule 1! You should be exhausted after a meeting like this, lots of brain power is needed.
The nine rules of good interviewing:
By Zebriod (c) 2007
Rule 1. It is all about them. How can you benefit them
Rule 1b. No Me Questions.
Rule 2. Do your homework. Blessed will be those that do their homework!
Rule 3. Listening is harder and more important.
We were given two ears and only one mouth.
Rule 4. Keep the length of your answers not to short not too long, just right. Don’t bore the interviewer!
Rule 5. Avoid general statements, use accomplishments to highlight benefits you bring.
Rule 6. Be positive at all times.
Rule 7. Always be prepared to ask questions.
Rule 8. Keep it relevant at all times.
Rule 9. Never forget Rule 1
Rule 1. It is all about them. How can you benefit them
Rule 1b. No Me Questions.
Rule 2. Do your homework. Blessed will be those that do their homework!
Rule 3. Listening is harder and more important.
We were given two ears and only one mouth.
Rule 4. Keep the length of your answers not to short not too long, just right. Don’t bore the interviewer!
Rule 5. Avoid general statements, use accomplishments to highlight benefits you bring.
Rule 6. Be positive at all times.
Rule 7. Always be prepared to ask questions.
Rule 8. Keep it relevant at all times.
Rule 9. Never forget Rule 1
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