CareerFood

Negotiate?

I always get asked this question by candidates... "Should I negotiate the offer?" , and my response is always the same..."It depends".

There are a lot of issues that go into negotiating an acceptance offer and a salary and benefits package. Company culture, the position and duties, your previous experience and skill sets all play into how much, if any at all, you should negotiate. My general rule of thumb is that negotiating just to negotiate, is never a great idea. With some companies/positions it is expected that you would negotiate, while others start with their best offer. The keys are to have a complete understanding of the situation and be knowledgable about the process.

A lot of people say negotiating is an art, and there are a lot of great articles & books written on negotiating job offers.  If you are in the middle of a job offer negotiation or just want to brush up on your technique here are a few resources that I have seen lately to help navigate the process...

Fracat...Everyone Can Negotiate

Quintessential Careers

The Quick Interview and Salary Negotiation Guide

Body Talk

So you got the interview and you can talk the talk, but is your body in sync? Here's a great article on what your body language is saying during the interview.

Not only do you need to be aware of your body language, but matching and mirroring the interviewer is always a great technique. Here's a primer.

Happy Interviewing!

So let me get this straight...

I shouldn't answer my cell phone during the interview???

...and one more for your enjoyment!

Please make it stop!

Dan over at the Career Toolbox has a great article about why you're not getting positive results from your interviewing.

Quick Tip
Experienced interviewers use silence to "bait" candidates into rambling, talking negatively, etc. Don't fall into this trap. Answer the question and then shut up. If it starts to be uncomfortable, use one of Dan's questions like..."Does that answer your question?" or "Is that what you were looking for?"

Oldie but Goodie

More interview tips. I was searching through some old files and found this article written by Bill Radin. If you don't know Bill, most of his stuff is geared toward training and recruiting but he does have a lot of good information for job seekers.

What Should You Ask the Interviewer?
By Bill Radin

A job interview will quickly disintegrate into an interrogation or monologue unless you ask some high quality questions of your own. Candidate questions are the lifeblood of any successful interview, because they create dialogue and help clarify your understanding of the company and the position responsibilities. In addition the questions you ask serve to indicate your grasp of fundamental issues, reveal your ability to probe beyond the superficial and challenge the employer to reveal his or her own depth of knowledge and commitment to the job. Your questions should always be slanted in such a way as to show empathy, interest, or understanding of the employer’s needs. After all, the reason you’re interviewing is because the employer’s company has a piece of work that needs to be completed, or has a problem that needs correcting.

Here are some questions that have proven to be very effective:

• What’s the most important issue facing the company (or department)
• How can I help you accomplish this objective?
• How long has it been since you first identified this need?
• How long have you been trying to correct it?
• Have you tried using your present staff to get the job done? If so, what was the result?
• Is there any particular skill or attitude you feel is critical to getting the job done?
• Is there a certain aspect of my background you’d like to exploit to help accomplish your objectives?

Questions like these will not only give you a sense of the company’s goals and priorities, they’ll indicate to the interviewer your concern for satisfying the company’s objectives.

One Year Olds

One of the many great things about having a one year old in the house is that sometimes they wake up very early in the morning. While this in itself is not a great thing, it was welcome this morning because it gave me a chance to get up early (before the sunrise) and think about the things I had to accomplish today. 5:30 AM and I throw Paul in the jog stroller and we are off on a morning walk. It's going to be a busy day of client meetings, candidate interviews and, I'm sure, putting out fires. I prioritize the day and conclude that the most important thing I have to do today is prepare several candidates for interviews.

As I sometimes do, I go off on a tangent and I start thinking what seperates a good interview from a great interview?

Are great interviewees born or can they be taught?

My honest oponion...I think some people just thrive and excel in certain situations. Sure the advent of competency based and behavioral interviewing has helped to weed out some of the B.S.'ers, but not all, which would lead me to believe that either you're born with it or you're out of luck.

Being confident that I am not one of the chosen few  born with "it", I refuse to believe that I/you can not learn the skills needed to perform not only good...but Great! Thomas Edison said..."Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." So I'm/you're not a natural at interviewing. Well guess what, never has it been so easy to learn new skills and polish up old ones. There are a ton of job seeking resources readily available at little or no cost.

Stop complaining! Stop settling for medicority in your job search!

Start developing and enhancing the skills you need to succeed!

I'll get off my soapbox now, but here are a few resources to get started.

Interview Mastery

Interview Stuff

Behavioral Interviewing

The Interview Coach

Happy Holidays!

WOW! The holidays are blowing by. It seems that Thanksgiving was just last week. With Christmas only a week away, the conventional wisdom is that companys shut down their hiring functions until after the first of the year. This is just not so! December is a booming month for new hires. 

Some departments are busier than others this time of year (Have you ever tried to reach a Controller during year end? Good Luck!). A lot of managers however use the week before and the week after the Christmas holidays to catch up on all those things that they have been putting off for a while. This includes interviewing. Along with a variety of other reasons managers have budgets to spend and/or want that new hire in place so they can hit the ground running when January 2nd roles around. To keep your job search and interview skills fresh here are 5 sure fire things that you can do to insure holiday interviewing success.

1. Empathy
Assuming you’re qualified for the job, the outcome of your employment interview will be dependent on your ability to discover needs and empathize with the interviewer. You can do this by asking questions that verify your understanding of what the interviewer has just said, without editorializing or expressing an opinion. By establishing empathy in this manner, you’ll be in a better position to freely exchange ideas, and demonstrate your suitability for the job.

2. Enthusiasm
Leave no doubt as to your level of interest in the job. You may think it’s unnecessary to do this, but employers often choose the more enthusiastic candidate in the case of a two-way tie. Besides, it’s best to keep your options open. Wouldn’t you rather be in a position to turn down an offer, than have a prospective job evaporate from your grasp by giving a lethargic interview?

3. Technical Passion
Employers look for people who love what they do, and get excited by the prospect of tearing into the nitty-gritty of the job.

4. Confidence
No one likes a braggart, but the candidate who’s sure of his or her abilities will almost certainly be more favorably received.

5. Intensity
The last thing you want to do is come across as “flat” in your interview. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a laid back person; but sleepwalkers rarely get hired.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Common Interview Questions

I often get asked what are the most common interview questions? My answer is always the same," It depends." It depends on what type of interview and who is doing the interviewing. Another thing that can greatly influence the kind of questions asked is whether or not the interviewer has any formal "interview" training. That being said here are four classic interview questions/themes that might come up in any situation.

First, there are the resume questions. These relate to your past experience, skills, job responsibilities, education, upbringing, personal interests, and so forth. Resume questions require accurate, objective answers, since your resume consists of facts which tend to be quantifiable (and verifiable). Try to avoid answers which exaggerate your achievements, or appear to be opinionated, vague, or egocentric.

Second, interviewers will usually want you to comment on your abilities, or assess your past performance. They’ll ask self-appraisal questions like, “What do you think is your greatest asset?” or, “Can you tell me something you’ve done that was very creative?”

Third, interviewers like to know how you respond to different stimuli. Situation questions ask you to explain certain actions you took in the past, or require that you explore hypothetical scenarios that may occur in the future. “How would you stay profitable during a recession?” or, “How would you go about laying off 1300 employees?” or, “How would you handle customer complaints if the company drastically raised its prices?” are typical situation questions.

And last, some employers like to test your mettle with stress questions such as, “After you die, what would you like your epitaph to read?” or, “If you were to compare yourself to any U.S. president, who would it be?” or, “It’s obvious your background makes you totally unqualified for this position. Why should we even waste our time talking?” Stress questions are designed to evaluate your emotional reflexes, creativity, or attitudes while you’re under pressure. Since off-the-wall or confrontational questions tend to jolt your equilibrium, or put you in a defensive posture, the best way to handle them is to stay calm and give carefully considered answers.

Even if it were possible to anticipate every interview question, memorizing dozens of stock answers would be impractical, to say the least. The best policy is to review your background, your priorities, and your reasons for considering a new position; and to handle the interview as honestly as you can. If you don’t know the answer to a question, just say so(read the previous interview killer post), or ask for a moment to think about your response.

Quick Tip - Interview Killer

"It just seems they didn't know what they were talking about!"

I occassionally get this type of feedback from Hiring Managers and Human Resource professionals after a candidate interview. This is always disturbing because it doesn't reflect well on anyone.  However, after many years of counseling people on interviewing I have found that this type of feedback can be easily avoided. Often by simply saying "I don't know."

Right know you must think I'm crazy. But listen to the reasoning. Approximately 75% of the time we get feedback of this type from a Manager about a candidate interview it could have been avoided. When we speak with candidates after the interview and give them this feedback they are equally shocked and often respond " I had no idea what they were talking about." Simply put, they did not understand the question or what type of information the interviewer was looking for. Keep in mind that every industry and company has it's own internal lingo/jargon. If you are not sure what the question is...ask for clarification or if you are still unsure be honest...tell them you don't know the answer but you can find out or have the resources to find the answers.

A trained interviewer will spot the BS. If you don't know...ask! If that doesn't work...be honest!