Career Week

It has been my experience, over the years I’ve spent interviewing candidates and then coaching them after the process, that a common question many folks are faced with is, “How is it that I had a solid interview – I had good, confident answers to all the questions – and I still was not selected for the job?” Or, stated another way, “Why does it seem that I am always number two or three, and never the one selected for the job?” After some time struggling with how to answer this question, the following thought came to me as I coached one specific employee through this situation.

Most interviewers “grade” or “assess” your answers on a scale, which generally ranges from poor to exceptional, with a middle ranking being some form of “good or appropriate answer.” What I have found is that the hiring decision has never gone with the applicant who scores consistently in the “good” range. More typically, it goes to someone whose answers are consistently above a middle range score.  In other words, “good” answers will never be “good” enough to get you the job.

So, that begs the question, what does it take to transform a good answer into a great one? Here is how I now answer that question:

1. Great answers come from natural preferences and passions. When answering behavioral based questions with examples, be sure the situations you use are not just pulled randomly from your experiences. Strategically select times when you did your best work because you loved what you did. When you tie your answers to what you believe in and what you are working for in life, there will be a natural sense of passion that flows out that cannot be faked. Selling is often referred to as “a transfer of enthusiasm” and nowhere is this truer than when selling yourself. Good answers can be flat because they are not tapping into the energy and richness of those times when you were most joyful and hopeful about your work and life in general.

2. Great answers don’t just state the obvious facts, or frankly just answer the question. They give the interviewer insight into your collective experiences, knowledge and skills, and how you plan to apply them to your new opportunity. Don’t just say what you did; help the interviewer understand the “why’s” and “how’s” of your actions. Nothing you do is by accident. Ultimately, you are driven to behaviors by such things as your socialization, your education, your personality, etc. Think through your examples and be purposeful in helping the interviewer understand what key drivers influenced you in taking action, and how they will shape your actions in the future. If you don’t, the interviewer will make those observations based on surface details.

3. Finally, great answers clearly communicate a result. But don’t stop at the obvious: what happened during that situation. If you can, go deeper and connect that result to potential “similar results” you will achieve in the job you are applying for, if given a chance. Tell the interview what they can expect from you, and show that you are already thinking about how you will transfer skills into producing results for them! Again, don’t leave them guessing if you can apply your skills and abilities to their environment – tell them how you will do it!

Accomplishing any or all of these during an interview is no small task. You must ready yourself the way any effective salesperson prepares to close a sale. You must figure out your unique selling points, or those things you bring to the table - which in combination - make you different and better than the competition.  Those advantages generally come from your vision for life, your passions, and what you are naturally skilled at doing. Then, you must tie these directly to the details of the job description and highlight then as part of the interview. The “great” candidate is able to make a clear and decisive match between the job’s primary responsibilities and those details covered in the cover letter and resume, as well as the examples given during behavioral-based interview questions.

Being “great” rather than settling for “good” during the interview process won’t guarantee you won’t still finish second or third – but it will certainly improve your chances of succeeding in the unpredictable, inexact world of hiring talent.

You Don’t Need A Time Machine To Find A New Job

Still trying to find your next job in the classified section of the local newspaper? If so, then you probably fall into one of the following categories: a) You were stranded on an unchartered island for the past 10 years with a volleyball named Wilson, b) You’re rescinding all previous comments about computers being pure evil after seeing your neighbor’s new iMac, or c) You haven’t used social media platforms because you could care less what people are eating for breakfast and fear getting junk email from job search websites.

Given the technology of today, finding and applying for jobs should be quite simple. However, how to find solid job prospects without wasting time chasing random leads is the biggest hurdle for most job seekers. Many unemployed professionals spend 30 to 40 hours a week just looking for new job postings, which indicates that they don’t really know what they’re looking for and/or they lack discipline in their job search approach. I spent over a year actively seeking a dream job doing what I love (which came true this summer). During this time, I also coached 24 unemployed professionals on various aspects of job search effectiveness (21 of them landed a new position in less than eight weeks). The following summary provides a few ideas on how you can be more focused during your job search.

I. Determine Your Job Preferences

First, define one or two specific job titles/roles that match your level of education and experience. Next, identify one or two industries of which you have a strong interest. Finally, identify specific companies that you consider highly desirable places to work. Simple, right? Although it sounds easy, this process takes longer than most people anticipate. One helpful resource for this third step of the process is Glassdoor.com, a website that provides salary information, company reviews, information, CEO approval rating, competitors, etc. Another reference that can help you determine which company characteristics are important is Fortune 500’s list of the “Best Companies To Work For” (published annually). Finally, checkout the blog article section on the website PikesPeakASTD.org. The current President, Brenda Middle, just published an article about finding your strengths that may also help you prioritize your job preferences.

II. Search The Job Search Engines

With literally hundreds of job search engines to choose from, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed with the process. Discouraged too. I recommend sticking to three primary job search engines, as most of the postings are duplicated across many websites.

Job search engine Indeed.com is one of my favorites (apparent sister of SimplyHired.com, which has a different storefront but essentially the same content). This online resource compiles job postings from many sources enabling you to search listings from thousands of websites, job boards, newspapers, and career pages. You can customize your search query by industry, salary range, location, company, etc. Best of all, this website is FREE!

TheLadders.com is an excellent resource for professionals seeking jobs that pay $100,000 or more (note: not all of the listed postings are at that level of compensation). This resource also provides website extensions that are more specialized for particular industries, such SalesLadders.com, MarketingLadders.com, HRLadders.com, TechLadders.com, etc. Sign-up for a free basic account, or upgrade for around $15 to $35 per month to access detailed job descriptions. If you’re tight on cash, I suggest that you just go with a basic account. When you click on any job posting, it will immediately take you to the “upgrade now” page. However, you will see a map on the top left of the screen with the position name and (usually) company name. Free account users can then visit the company’s website to find and apply for that particular position. It takes time to go through these extra steps, but it’s a great way to find great job leads at no charge. Best of all, this website has a fantastic library of articles (such as “How To Write A Great Cover Letter”) that will help a job seeker be more effective in landing their next job.

The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) connects professionals to various job openings within their industry at jobs.ASTD.org. Training professionals can sort results by title, state, ASTD member preferred, CPLP certified, and more. Joining a local chapter (such as Pikes Peak ASTD in Colorado Springs) can also generate local job opportunities through email notifications, new postings listed on their website, and/or networking opportunities.

III. Use Social Media Platforms

Are you “linked-in” to LinkedIn.com? If not, STOP and DO NOT PASS GO until you setup a free professional profile. Use the “Help Center” of the website if you need assistance. Even better, you can register to participate on a live training session via KevinKnebl.com for only about $50. Done? Great, let’s move on… LinkedIn feature a variety of job postings, many of which are exclusive to this website. A recently added feature is the option to simply click “Apply”, instantly transferring your information directly to the hiring director, HR representative, or recruiter who originally posted the job. No online questionnaire, cover letter composition, or uploading of your current resume. It’s FAST and FREE.

One warning: As you get more familiar with LinkedIn, you may join various interest groups. Most group pages have a “Jobs” tab, which is essentially a list of links where anyone with a computer can post a new position based anywhere around the globe. I strongly suggest that you avoid searching for a new job here. Most people who post jobs on group pages do not create an informative subject line. Plus, there is no way to filter job titles, location, industry, or anything else for that matter. My advice? Stick with the job postings on the official jobs page of LinkedIn.

Another option that you may have heard about is Twitter.com. Although you probably don’t have a Twitter account (nor will you need one), this is an additional avenue to discover job postings real-time. Instead of going directly to this website, however, I recommend using Twitter job search sites such as TweetMyJobs.com, TwitJobSearch.com, and/or TwitterJobCast.com. The verdict is still out on the quality level of positions posted here. Thus, only spend extra time using this approach if you find these websites to be truly beneficial.

IV. Stalk The Corporate Websites

Remember when I suggested that you identify a few highly desirable companies? With a bit more research, you should be able to name at least 50 companies that relate to your short list. From visiting their websites and speaking with people who work there (through your brand new LinkedIn network), filter your list down to your top 20. Now bookmark the job search page of every one of these websites and check them regularly (with the same frequency that you check the others mentioned above). I’m amazed at how many job postings listed on corporate websites never show up on any of the search engines. This step is very important to ensuring success with the job search. You will discover many otherwise “hidden” jobs, leading to more first interviews.

V. Keeping Track

You don’t have to spend over 30 hours a week looking for your next job. However, you do need to institute a disciplined approach. Commit to reviewing job postings for two hours, at least twice a week. If you are a night owl, the best days are Monday and Thursday nights. Or, for the early risers, Tuesday and Friday mornings are generally best. Either way, the most important part of this process is that you are consistent. Great, you now have a plan. But how do you keep track of your job search efforts? A good old-fashioned Excel spreadsheet will do the trick. For the more computer literate professional, I recommend JibberJobber.com. Trust me and check it out.

The economy isn’t great at this moment, but there are thousands of job openings in every state. You can find a new job tomorrow without using a time machine by consistently applying a focused, disciplined approach. There are many career coaches out there if you need more professional direction and attention. If so, I recommend a coaching session with Don Strankowski at AscendCareers.net, author of “New Strategies for a New Job Market.” If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me directly through the Pikes Peak Chapter of ASTD. Thank you!

To Your Success,

-Tom

Thomas Crouser, Jr.

VP Marketing/Social Media

Pikes Peak ASTD

Think about how you would respond to the question:  What do you do for a living?  Most people will answer with something like I'm a teacher, or I work for XYZ company.   But what about a response like:  I help my company better serve its customers by … or I help my clients by … or I help people by …

Each of these may be describing the same job, but the mindset is different. When employers are looking to promote or hire people they are looking for who can help them. Saying you're an auditor or a consultant is not as helpful as saying “I help companies maintain…” (or grow or recover or prosper).

Once you have the right state of mind, executives agree that there are 3 key qualities they look for when choosing who to hire and promote:

1. Business/Job-Specific Skills
2. Interpersonal Skills
3. Strength of Character

This chart is designed to provide suggestions of ways professionals can develop skills to become highly effective and competitive in the workplace.

Professional Imperatives	Activities and tools that will help…
	On-the-Job Activities	Training or External Activities	Other Resources
Business/ Job-Specific        Skills	Request cross-company assignments to better understand the business. Have a career discussion with your supervisor and ensure you have a development plan in place.  Review quarterly. Schedule lunch with a peer in the business you want to learn.	Job-specific skill training Find a mentor outside your organization Research wikis and blogs related to your industry and competitive advantages.	Suggested Readings: The Wall Street Journal Business Week Harvard Business Review Drive, Daniel Pink Flawless Execution, James Murphy
Interpersonal Skills	Ask for feedback from peers and teammates to improve your self-awareness. Offer to mentor peers and others when you believe you have something to offer them for their development.	Use professional and social networking to reach out to others. Schedule lunch with peers from other industries/ companies and discuss ways you can help each other. Professional Affiliates   Consider joining or engaging in a local or national professional organization.	Suggested Readings: What Color is your Parachute?, Richard Nelson Bolles Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goldman
Strength of Character	Achieve an effective balance between work and personal life.  Encourage peers to do the same. Take calculated risks. Facilitate and encourage conversations, sharing, and work across business units, functions, and disciplines. Identify a recent or upcoming change and be a supporter.	Participate in an outside activity to serve the community. A fit body can sharpen your mental agility.  Consider a fitness program.	Suggested Readings: Good to Great, Jim Collins What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

What Does Your Résumé Really Say About You? 

 

 

You have probably heard that you only have a few seconds to make a first impression. Whether this is a job interview, a sales call, or a blind date, those first few seconds often shape that person’s perception of you and will likely determine the course of your relationship. Will you get the job, make the sale, or have a second date?

 

 

This same logic is true for your résumé. A recruiter or hiring manager will form an impression of you as a job candidate and potential employee within seconds of viewing your résumé. This first impression will likely dictate not only whether or not you get an interview, but also whether or not the hiring manager will even finish reading your résumé!

 

 

With the current state of the economy, there are fewer job openings and the competition is fierce. What impression is your résumé making on a hiring manager?  If your résumé does not illustrate within a few seconds the relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications you would bring to the job, you lose your opportunity to continue in the selection process before it even begins. Don’t let your résumé stand between you and a great job opportunity.

 

 

The guide outlined below describes the main sections in a résumé, along with tips and strategies for crafting a résumé that stands out from the pile. And remember, the main purpose of your résumé is to get the interview!

 

 

Résumé Section	Purpose	Tips and Strategies
Qualifications Summary	Think of the qualifications summary as your “elevator speech”… If you met the hiring manager in an elevator, and only had between the 10th floor and the 1st floor to convince him or her to consider you further as a candidate, what would you say?	This section, which should be less than 5 sentences, presents the most relevant skills and capabilities you would bring to the job position. Begin this section with your “objective” statement, which should include the job title of the position you are applying to or the type of career path or field you are pursuing. To write the remainder of your qualifications summary, Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert (www. monster.com), recommends the following steps: Search job boards for job postings of your “ideal” job. Find at least 10 job postings, if possible Read each job posting and highlight the requirements, including skills, experience, and achievements, each is looking for Create a list of requirements that are common to several of the job postings Place a check-mark next to each requirement on your list that you meet Integrate each of these qualifications into your qualifications summary Begin or end this section with a summary statement that provides a high-level overview of your qualifications
Skills	The skills section delineates your skills and qualifications that are relevant to the job in an easy-to-read list format. It allows the hiring manager to assess your “fit” for the job at a glance.	The skills section is simply a list of your 10-15 most relevant or transferrable skills and qualifications. This may include: Technical skills Professional or “soft” skills Leadership skills Software applications and computer skills Licenses and certifications This is also a great place on your résumé to include “keywords”. Keywords are those words that describe skills, experience, and other qualifications that appear in a job description. Many companies now utilize software programs that scan résumés for keywords. If your résumé does not contain the keywords they are looking for, it may never even be seen by a real person!
Experience	The experience section outlines your employment history with sufficient details to provide insight into the skills you utilized, the accomplishments you achieved, and the contributions you made.	The following should be included for each entry in the experience section: Name of company Job title Dates of employment Detailed descriptions of the skills you demonstrated and accomplishments you achieved To begin…Kim Isaacs from www. monster. com recommends setting a timer for 5 minutes and creating a list of your accomplishments and achievements from your current or most recent position. Repeat this for each position in your experience section. Then, make these statements “résumé-ready”.
Education	The education section is not just for high school or college education…you may also include professional development activities, such as training courses, conferences, certificate/certification programs.	Each entry in the education section should include: College or university name and location (or high school information) Degree and major (or diploma/GED) GPA if above 3.0 Education should be placed before experience if you meet any of the following: You have less than 5 years of experience You are seeking a position in a new career field, and your education is more relevant than your experience…But, consider transferrable skills here…your experience may actually be more relevant than you realize at first! You want to emphasize your degree (such as an advanced degree)

 

 

What résumé-writing tips and strategies do you have to share?

If you said “yes” to any of those questions, it may be time for you to take stock and take action. Don’t settle!  Aim high and then put in the work to get there.  Here’s an effective 4-step process to help get you started.

Step 1 – Assess Your Strengths

Finding your niche, that place you are meant to be, starts with an honest skills and abilities assessment and considering your strengths.  A recent USA Today survey  conducted by the Gallup Organization asked this question: “Which would help you be more successful in life: knowing what your weaknesses are and attempting to improve them or knowing what your strengths are and attempting to build on them ?” Strengths are defined as those things you do well and which seem to come easy for you.  52% of the people who responded to the survey said “knowing your weaknesses” while 45% said “knowing your strengths”.  According to recent research, though, it’s more effective to enhance your strengths, your natural talents, your innate aptitudes rather than try to improve your weaknesses.  Not that you should completely ignore your areas of opportunities, but you’ll be more successful in life when you focus on your strengths.   There are many resources and tools that help you identify what your strengths are and how to build on them.  Check out “Strengthfinders” by Tom Rath. 

 

Step 2 – Decide What You Want

We spend around 11,000 days over the course of a lifetime working. We want to feel passionate about what we do. We want to be proud of the company we work for and be assured its values align with our own.  We want to work with people who treat us with dignity and respect.  Berkeley Professor Christina Maslasch from Berkeley says there are six key areas that impact a worker’s happiness:

• A manageable workload
• A sense of control
• The opportunity for rewards
• A feeling of community
• Faith in the fairness of the workplace
• Shared values

Match up your skills and abilities, values and interests with potential jobs.  Don’t be hesitant to cross over into other fields or industries.  Most times, skills will transfer from industry to industry.  Your goal in your job search preparation is to help the hiring manager see how what you do well can help their organization succeed.

A resource that may help you identify the type of organization and job you might like is What Color is My Parachute by Richard N. Bolles or What To Do With the Rest of Your Life by Robin Ryan.

Step 3 – Build Your Online Brand

Now that you know what your strengths are and what your ideal company and job would be, you’ll also want to ensure you have a strong online presence. To have a strong online presence you first need to define your brand. 

Define Your Brand

Follow these three steps to define your brand:

1)      Make a list of words that describe you, who you are, your values and your interests; i.e. active, thoughtful, honest

2)       Make a list of words that describe your abilities, especially as they relate to your industry; i.e. organized, creative, engaging, approachable

3)      Write a brief brand statement that incorporates your words and describes what is unique about you.  The statement Martiey Miller, sales and learning professional at Deluxe Corporation, uses to describe her brand is, “I’m known for turning ideas into revenue.”

 If it’s difficult for you to think of words that describe yourself, get over it. You’ll soon be in an interview and will need to be comfortable with talking about yourself.  If you’re absolutely stuck, ask a close friend or colleague to help you brainstorm words.

Build Your Online Presence

Despite what your personal feelings may be about the current Social Media revolution, you can either join in or get left behind.  Employers are joining in. 77% of recruiters use Google or other sites to research their candidates.  And 35% of recruiters eliminate candidates based on Google findings.  (ExecuNet 2009).  Make sure what they find is the brand messaging you want to portray.

At the minimum, do these things:

·         Set up a LinkedIn profile and begin TODAY to invite people to join your network.  Here are some resources to help you get more proficient with LinkedIn:  LinkedIn Learning Center and, for students, the LinkedIn Grads Guide. 

• Clean up your FaceBook page; if someone really wants to look behind the curtain, you won’t erase the content just by deleting it, but it’s a good first step.
• Google your name to see how many hits you have and what the content says about you – this is what your potential employer will see (hint: put quotation marks around your name for better, more direct hits; i.e. “brenda middle”

Feeling more online savvy? Take these additional online steps:

• Create a personal website and keep it professional
• Start a blog – it’s easy! Find topics relevant and important to you, find your voice and post! (Blogspot.com or WordPress.com are just two of the sites that can get you started.)
• Post book reviews on amazon.com
• Write letters to the editor to your favorite ezines

Step 4 – Prepare and Execute

There are a multitude of websites, books, blogs and other resources out there that will help you prepare for that all-important interview.  Watch this space later this week for interview tips and best practices. In the meantime, here are is one additional resource and a quick hit best practice list:

Check out these additional resources:

Acing the Interview by Tony Beshara

Interview Tips from About.com

Well, you have your work cut out for you!  It may not be easy, it may take some time but with a clear vision, a solid road map and your passionate commitment,  you can achieve this. Go ahead, get started! And aim high. You deserve it.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Respond to these questions or post some of your own:

1)      What is your brand statement?

2)      What does your online presence say about you?

3)      Are you on LinkedIn? Why or why not?

4)      Share your favorite interview preparation resource.

Join Pikes Peak ASTD group on LinkedIn , like our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter . . . See you online!