Tag: Resumes

Is Interviewing a Sensory Experience – Part 1 of 5

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sensory overload

How much time do you spend getting ready for an interview? When I ask my students this question, the normal answer is a tirade upon how long it took for them to pick out an outfit (the winner thus far is two weeks), picking the right hair style and make up, and coordinating shoes and lip gloss. For my male students, it’s the Shakespearian, “To iron or not to iron” conundrum.

What many people fail to realize is that an interview, believe it or not, is a smorgasbord of sensory experiences. The interview encompasses all of your senses and after taking a minute to review them, you may be surprised how missing just one can cost you the job.

This is the first part of a series regarding the five senses of an interview.

Let’s take these one at a time…

Sight – This, of course, is the most obvious; it takes into consideration… your clothes, shoes, jewelry, make up, hair, etc. It also takes into consideration your walk, your smile, your cell phone, your watch, eye contact, etc. One of the things that novice and professional job candidates alike fail to recognize is that sight encompasses ALOT!

  • Are you talking on your cell phone when you walk in the door? BAD
  • Do you keep checking your cell phone or watch? BAD
  • Are you standing up straight and presenting a professional confident demeanor? GOOD
  • Do you look people in the eye when you introduce yourself and shake their hand? GOOD
  • When you are sitting waiting for the interview to begin, are you sitting up straight? GOOD

When I’m working with students to hone in on their soft skills, especially their interview skills, I tell them the purpose of the interview is to make sure that the hiring manager can actually visualize them doing the job. You never know what kind of prejudices the employer may have, so you want to present a clean, professional slate that they can see fitting into their culture. If you have tattoos, facial piercings, stiletto heels, low cut tops, high cut skirts, wrinkled clothes, and messy hair…what does that say about you and the image their organization is trying to present? Yes you may look great, for Friday night, but not for Monday morning.

Remember to think of the job you want and dress for it: not too much, not too little, but just right. Give yourself the best foot forward to get the job, and then let YOU shine through. An interview is not the time to make a social political statement; it’s the time to show the employer you are the best fit in skills, culture, and professionalism.

  • When in doubt, look in the mirror. If you think your skirt may be too short or your top too low…it probably is. Change it.
  • If you’re wondering, “Iron or not to iron,” throw it in the dryer till it’s flat.
  • Is your make up Friday night fresh or Monday morning professional? Fix it.
  • Can you hear your shoes or jewelry coming down the hall? Change them.
  • If you are expecting a call that’s so important you have to take your cell in with you…Reschedule the interview.
  • Take a look in the mirror, and ask one simple question: “Would I hire me?”

Take a deep breath, walk into the office, smile, introduce yourself with confidence, look them in the eye, and let them know you are the best person for the job.

Check back on Tuesday, August 13th where I’ll discuss how it’s not your nose but theirs that matters.

What’s happened to the human side of recruitment? Humans allowed it to be removed.

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human interaction

I recently read an article by Liz Ryan CEO and Founder, Human Workplace . She writes, “Algorithm-based, keyword-searching processes that seek to match job-seekers with job openings by clerical means are not only inhuman but bad business process, too.”

Why then, you ask, do we continue to sit at our computers hour upon hour filing out online applications knowing that the likelihood of them being seen is minimal at best? What are our other options? Well, believe it or not, we do have them. They just take a little more EFFORT. No it’s not a vulgar four letter word and it can make all the difference.

First

  • Make a list of all the companies you would like to work for.
  • Do some research on that company. Find out what their mission statement is (it’s usually can be found on the “About Us” section of their web page. Do your skill sets, hard and soft, align with their mission/vision statement?
  • Find a phone number under the “Contact Us” section of the web page then call! Find out who you would need to speak with regarding open positions and who you could talk to. If they refer you to apply online, let them know you are looking for some more information regarding the company and culture. Don’t just say, “Ok.”, then hang up. Be persistent, put some effort into it.
  • Make sure you have an awesome cover letter that references their mission/vision and how you as a person will not only fit into their culture but add value to their company. Don’t make it too long, or it won’t get read. Mail it, yes I said mail not email, to the hiring manager, recruiter, HR representative. You can also use e-mail but it’s not the end all be all. Utilize all your resources, phone, mail, email.

I think you may be getting the picture I’m trying to paint. Job hunting is not a lazy person’s activity. Activity , it’s a pretty strong word – “The state of being active, energetic action or movement, liveliness, the intensity of a radioactive source, the ability to take part in a chemical reaction.” As you can see activity is not a dull word, it certainly does not describe the decision to sit on your butt at a computer screen, nor does it include an element of wait and hope. It means you are active and lively, you have in you the ability to take part in a chemical reaction. Deep within you is the power to make amazingly big things happen. Do it.

I read article after article daily on what job seekers need to do while job searching;

  • Have a complete and dynamic LinkedIn profile. Sit on your butt.
  • Have an powerfully written resume that can be thoroughly understood in as little as 3 seconds. Sit on your butt.
  • Make sure you personalize your cover letter for each company before you submit. Sit on your butt.
  • Use all the keyword combinations you find on the job posting to improve your chances of getting through the automated resume filters. Sit on your butt.

Rarely if ever do I read, get off your butt and meet people, face to face, shake hands, make contact, be remembered, REALLY? I work with job seekers all day long, and yes I too let them know the above is important to have done, however the wonderful world of the web is not going to get you a job, YOU are. If you aren’t finding ways to put your face to your name, you’ll be two lengths behind at the starting bell.

We’ve sat back and allowed our humanity to be removed from the equation. It’s time to stand up and act vitally. Bring the dynamic component of activity back. Get out there and make yourself known. Have a stellar resume, put it in someone’s hands, collect business cards, follow up after applying, pick up the phone and dial it, get to the right person and make a great impression. That’s what will get you the interview, not sitting at your computer hoping the 25 applications you filled out will miraculously wind up on the desk of the right person at the right time on the right day.

It’s time to create your own chemical reaction, action, intensity and energy. Go out and make something happen today!

Interview? Why? I’m a college graduate!

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7-3-13 Why Interview

Believe it or not my friends, the days of your degree or the mere mention of your Ivy League education landing you a job are over or at the very least in extreme jeopardy. Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, and many more of the Elite Tier 1 schools have been announcing the expansion (and at some creation) of their Career Services centers. “Why?” you ask. Because employers are becoming less and less concerned about where you went to school, your GPA, or how you landed the most sought after internship. They are concerned with how you will perform in the career they have to offer; are you dedicated, determined, and innovative? Do you have integrity and reliability? How have you performed in your past positions, and how likely are you to be successful in your future endeavors, lending your personal skills to add value to their organization? Those questions can rarely be accurately described on your resume.

I know it may sound corny, but “times they are a changing;” the days of no muss, no fuss job searching are quickly coming to a close, and those individuals who don’t have the skill set to master an interview, regardless of education, background, and work history, are going to be left in the cold.

Recently, while meeting with a group of employers regarding our graduate performance, one of the employers made the comment, “Technical skills may get graduates hired, but a lack of soft skills will get them fired.”

The purpose of an interview isn’t to reiterate the information on your resume (although some of that may happen for the purposes of clarification); it is to uncover the real YOU and to discover if that YOU is going to be a good match for the position, department, and organization.

Why do you need to interview? Because your education does not entitle you to a job! Employers are looking for candidates who want to work, bring all their cards to the table, and add value to their organization. They are not looking for a faceless name with a long list of accomplishments. You need to bring the whole package to the table, and an interview is the only way (for now) to showcase what and who you really are.

For more information on interviewing and resume skills check out A Better Interview

Summertime is here! So is the end of most people’s job search…

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summerjobs

June is the end of most educational institutions fiscal year. Graduates are pouring out the doors of academe and jumping in full force to their job searches…NOT! I can’t tell you how many graduates I speak with in June, July and August who tell me that they are going to take the summer off from their job search; “no one is hiring anyway”. Wrong! The summer months may seem like a good time to slow down or stop your career search, but it’s not.

According to a recent article on mashable.com “8 Reasons Why Summer Is a Great Time to Job Hunt” there is a myth out there…much too prevalent, that summertime is a bad time to job search. If you just do a quick monster or CareerBuilder search you’ll see that contrary to popular believe there is as much, if not more hiring going on during the summer. That research does not bring into account the up to 80% of hidden job market jobs that are out there looming as well.

Summer is not the time to slow down your job search but to heat it up. Take advantage of the fact that so many other job seekers are falling into the “no one’s hiring right now” mind set and get a step ahead.

Here are a few simple tips provided by Barbara Safani in her recent article on AOLJobs.com.

1. People do more entertaining in the summer months; use these opportunities to network your network. Who do you know? Who do they know?

2. Family obligations can be reduced during the summer months. Use this time wisely, get up earlier, look at the job boards, make some phone calls, go to networking events. You’ll see the competition you had two months ago…has gone on vacation.

3. Most of your fellow graduates are headed to the beach so the competition for the jobs out there will be greatly decreased. It’s much easier to stand out as one of 10 then one of 100 or 1000.

4. Employers will be impressed by the fact you are diligently working to find your career not the best new hang out.

Summer has traditionally been the time to relax, have fun and enjoy the weather. A time to slow down and smell the roses; however, remember what your professors, career services advisor and parents told you…getting a job is a full-time job. The longer you wait to start your career, the harder you will find it. Literally tens of thousands of graduates are pouring into the job market at the same time as you. Most will wait to start looking, taking a break to kick up their heels and enjoy some summertime fun. If you take the opportunity to beat them to the punch, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank as you begin your Christmas shopping while they are still wondering how to pay the next month’s rent.

Culture fit? What is that and how do I measure up?

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Culture fit? What is that and how do I measure up?.

Quality vs. Quantity, How Many Applications before an Interview?

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I am continually disheartened by the number of my students/graduates who give up after their first ‘no’. When did we stop teaching determination or good ole fashioned stick to it? According to research 80% of sales are made on or after the 5th contact; however most folks give up after the 2nd attempt. How does this relate to finding a job? How many applications on average do you need to send out before you get the call? You can find research that states anywhere from 3 applications to 50 applications are what it takes to get the elusive interview. The point I want to make is you don’t stop! You can’t! In today’s economy there are literally hundreds of thousands of folks looking for work.

I don’t believe the key to success is the quantity of applications but the quality of what you are submitting.

  1. Have you filled out the application completely? Accuracy and attention to detail are so important. Never put ‘see resume’ on your application. Most systems for filtering applications are automated. The systems are looking for specific key words on your application. If you don’t use those keywords your resume will never make it to human eyes.
    1. How do I know what key words to use: Hint – look under the section of the job posting that states ‘required skills’. If they are required you can be pretty sure they will be looking for those exact words and phrases on your application.
    2. List at least 10 years of job history. Make sure you list all your skills (including the corresponding key words). Double check to make sure your start and end dates match those on your resume.
    3. Make sure you have your references lined up and prepped! If you list someone on your resume, make sure they know you’ve listed them and what jobs you are applying for.
    4. Don’t undersell or oversell yourself in the salary section. There are great tools on Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com to calculate the salary range for positions in your geographic area. Do your research!
    5. Be prepared for the phone call!
      1. Make sure you have a professional voice mail message. Stay clear of music, your children’s voice mail message or the “hello, hello, just kidding I’m not really here” type of messages. Recruiters WILL hang up and reach out to the next candidate.
      2. Answer the phone with an enthusiastic upbeat voice. Hiring managers are looking for cultural fit; they want to know how you will be answering their phones so answer each call like it’s a phone interview.
      3. Make sure you do your research on the company and keep track. Some of the most horrifying feedback I get from employers is when the student/graduate doesn’t even know the position they applied for. If you can’t answer the question, “so tell me what you know about this position or our company”, you just lost that job.
      4. Spending a little extra time filling out applications and preparing for the phone interview goes a long way. It doesn’t mean you will get the first job you apply for but it will greatly increase your chances of getting the phone to ring and winning the jackpot with an in-person interview.

If most sales are completed after the 5th attempt, figure it’s going to take at least that many applications and follow-up calls to get your foot in the door. Don’t get discouraged and don’t give up. The only difference between you and someone who has landed their dream career is that they have already been told ‘no’ more times than you.

They don’t know what they don’t know till you tell them.

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I met with one of my students this week. She was volunteering in an administrative function and came into the office to do some filing. She walked into my office in a cute little sweater dress…emphasis on little. The topic needed to be addressed before she bent over to do the filing. I asked her to sit down and talk to me for a second before she started with the day’s work. After covering the normal pleasantries of, “how was your weekend” and “what did you do”, I asked her how she wanted the world to perceive her. She looked at me completely confused by the question. I asked her if she remembered what I had said during her orientation regarding thinking of school as a job, and that she needed to dress, prepare and act like it was a job. She quickly stated that she remembered the conversation very well, and quoted several other thinks I had also talked about.

I was confused, how could she clearly remember all I had spoken with her and her classmates about and have it not sink in? So I asked her if she thought that what she was wearing would be appropriate in a work environment; especially in the medical field, where she would be working. She immediately snapped at me, “You mean you don’t think I look cute?” I looked at her and very plainly stated, it wasn’t that I did or did not think she looked cute. She did in fact look “cute”, she did not look professional. So I asked her the same question again, “how do you want the world to perceive you?”

After several attempts at an answer and much more conversation regarding the cuteness of her outfit, she finally got the point. She never considered that her revealing outfit, could (and indeed would) keep the world from perceiving her as intelligent and professional.

Yes there are exceptions to the rule. However, they are exceptions. First impressions are so important and if the impression we are putting out there is “cute” it’s very challenging to make that jump to professional.

The next day, my student came in with a huge grin on her face, “Is this better?” she asked. And indeed it was; now she was not interview ready but she was wearing a clean, un-torn pair of pants and a more appropriate blouse. We talked more about how to be both ‘cute’ and professional, no those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Even at my age I want to look cute, however you can achieve this and still be taken seriously as a professional in your field.

Who stopped teaching us this? When does individual expression cross the line to hindering perception? How can we swing the pendulum back to where some sense of self-expression can exist in the midst of creating a professional brand?

It’s Friday what are you doing to further your job search?

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No friday’s were not invented for dress down, low productivity or goof off. In the job search world, finding a job should be your full-time job. That means Friday’s should be one more productive day. Jobs still get posted, HR representative and recruiters are still in the building and the internet…surprisingly is still working. Make it work for you!

If you are getting into the habbit of ‘taking friday easy’ it won’t be long until you only spend half day on Thursday focusing on it as well. Before too long you are spending more time taking it easy then you are taking yourself to market.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing…that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~Zig Ziglar

Today could be the start to your career…but only if you are looking for it.