Be Brave Not Safe

We are now about to participate in a previously scheduled phone interview.

The good news is that each interview we do increases our confidence – for the next.

As such, it is important to get as many of these under our belt as quickly as possible. Doing so serves as a learning experience as well as keeps our momentum and energy up: which prospective employers can actually sense. That is, they can tell if you are in active pursuit of, and are being actively pursued for, a job. You will have increased confidence in your eyes, tone of voice and body language, and you will have the opportunity to comment as such, during the interview. All of which serves you in the process of landing that first professional job!

Final Prep

Prior to the scheduled interview (phone or face-to-face), it is important to spend time in final preparation, to:

• Go to LinkedIn and view the profile of the interviewer(s). Here we can learn a number of things that may result in increasing our understanding of the company, tuning our questions and/or serve as general topics of conversation. Seek to determine (and take notes on!):
  • How long they’ve worked at the company
  • What their current role is
  • What their prior roles have been at this, or other companies
  • Where they went to school
  • Do they know anyone we know (VERY helpful information to leverage!)
  • Etc.
• Review the common interview questions and those that you might expect to receive for the specific job, and the “potential” responses. That is, as a reminder, as the interview unfolds we can and should “tune” our responses to their questions, and refine our own questions, based upon what we are hearing.

Phone Interview

The key points here are:

1. Be ready
   • Be in a spot where you can have an uninterrupted conversation, in confidence, with no background noise.
   • Have your laptop open, ready to reference your notes and questions, and to take additional notes.
2. Be early
   • If they are calling you, expect their call 5-minutes in advance.
   • If you are calling their direct line, dial their number PRECISELY at the specified time!
   • If you are dialing their admin, dial the number 2-3 minutes in advance of the scheduled interview time, letting them know that you have a phone-call scheduled with this person, which allows the admin time to find and/or connect you with the interviewer.
   • In either of the latter 2 cases when you are calling them, if you reach their voice-mail, leave a message indicating:
     • Your full name
     • The time you called, per the previously scheduled phone interview (so they know you were on time)
     • That you realize they are busy and may just be returning from a meeting
     • That you will call back in just a few moments, offering that the interviewer could also call you, at your number. And, be sure to provide it (twice, so they can write it down).
     • Then, call back in 2 minutes.
3. Be clear, concise and confident
   • Be sure to speak clearly over the phone. If you are using a headset, ask them if they can hear you ok. If they can’t, let them know that you are going to kill the headset and immediately pickup the hand-piece.
4. Convey energy and enthusiasm
   • All things being equal (or relatively so) the candidate with the most “fire in their eyes” is the one who will be hired, or at least, taken to the next level of the interview process. Since we are at the phone interview stage, they obviously cannot see any “fire in your eyes.” As such, you must use “tone of voice”, to convey energy and enthusiasm to ensure they understand that “someone is in there.” No flat monotones please. That leads to opportunity lost!
5. Balance the conversation
   • All interviewers are NOT created equal. Some may be very cordial, others not. Some may ask you if you have any questions, others may fail to do so.
   • It is important, from a “posture” perspective, to make sure you create / engage in conversation. That is, the interviewer may be “firing” questions at you. Don’t feel like you can’t interject your own exploratory questions before, during or after answering the interviewer’s direct question. This could include a question to clarify what s/he is actually asking. Or, it could be a question of interest that you come up with on-the-fly, based on something the interviewer said.
   • And, finally, you want to make sure to pose those questions you came up with in preparing for the phone interview.
   • Bottom-line: Keep it “conversational.”
6. The wrap-up
   • As the call wraps-up, it is important to:
     • Mention that you appreciate their time for this conversation. And, that you now feel more confident that you can add value to their team based on what you’ve learned (assuming this is truly the case).
     • Ask what they see as next steps.
     • Ask when you should expect to hear back from them.
     • Ask if there is anything else they need from you at this time.
     • Thank them (again) for their time!

In a subsequent post we’ll cover the face-to-face interview and the follow-up (which will apply to both types of interviews).

All the best!

p.s. – If you recall, the inspiration to post on this topic (How to land that first “professional” job) results from my son (Ian) receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Web Design and Interactive Media. The good news is that he has been following the steps outlined and has generated “much interest” from would-be employers and recruiters. This includes having numerous phone and face-to-face interviews with others on his calendar 🙂

It is simply a step-by-step process, that, when followed, creates results! I love this!

Click here for the next article in this series.

Now that we have applied for targeted job opportunities we should have generated interest in our newly acquired skills (recent college graduate). At this point we will undoubtedly receive requests for interviews. There are 2 types we will explore in this and the following post(s).

1. The phone interview
2. The face-to-face interview

First, let’s get it on our calendar…

Scheduling and Logistics

While this may seem basic, the first step is to specifically nail down the date, time, type and logistics of the interview. When I say logistics, I’m referring to the interviewer and job seeker agreeing on:

• If a phone interview: who is calling who, at what number
• If a face-to-face interview: attire, specific address, final step directions (don’t assume your GPS will “always” take you there – it may not, and you don’t want to be late), parking, meeting location (reception area, or otherwise?), who to ask for, etc.

These activities are often scheduled via email which “can be” very effective. However, the risk is that the recruiter or job seeker may not make effective use of email. That is, one or the other may not clearly communicate details, questions or intentions and/or may not respond promptly to a scheduling-related inquiry.

Do not take this lightly…At this stage, an email could be worth $50,000 to $80,000.

Realize job-seeker: this is ALL on you! Own it! That is, if the scheduling of a meeting (phone screen or face-to-face) gets hosed-up because of a misstep in communications, assume the worst case: you have lost the opportunity. So, take 100% control of the communications, in terms of making sure you know SPECIFICALLY what is expected, where, when and with whom. If there is even the slightest bit of ambiguity – get it cleared up!

Preparation – It’s all about questions. Their’s and Your’s!

Their Questions

Any good interviewer (recruiter, hiring manager and/or stakeholder) will have a standard set of “starter” questions. Prior to participating in an interview it is important to have solid and well-rehearsed answers to these.

Here is a standard set of questions I typically ask candidates, as well as some notes related to each.

1. So, what do you know about us?
   • By now you should have scoured their website. And, if applicable, spoken with someone who works there. Share what you know, clearly indicating that “this is my understanding and I’d like to learn more.”
2. Why are you interested in us?
   • Make this about them. Something like: “[Company name] seems to be a growing company with lots of opportunity to [better the world via a “play” on the company’s mission statement or core objectives documented on the firm’s “About Us” page].” And, indicate, why this is interesting / exciting to you.
3. Why do you feel you are qualified for the position?
   • Something like the following: “I feel that the combination of my skills and unique experiences (you’ll want to describe what these are) are a good match for you, to help meet your goals and objectives (you’ll want to be able to describe what you assume these to be, based on their “About Us”, building upon your response to the prior question). And, follow-up with the “why” to actually “connect” your skills and experiences with their goals and objectives.
4. What are your strengths?
   • Think of 2-3 strengths that are in direct alignment with your ability to get the job done (think – making your boss’s job easier and making them look good).
   • Be prepared with specific examples demonstrating your strength in a business / project / work setting.
5. What are your weaknesses?
   • “I don’t have any” is NOT an appropriate answer. We all have them.
   • When you share a weakness, don’t leave the interviewer hanging. Tell them how, because you know of the weakness, you deal with it to minimize/eliminate the impact that this has on the performance of your job!
6. Tell me about the project / job / outcome that you are most proud of, and why?
   • The best examples here include a mix of how we used our “technical” skills to “push the limits” of our experience and training while at the same time overcoming SIGNIFICANT obstacles working in a team environment. And, it is a HUGE plus if we can demonstrate how we effectively took on a leadership role with or without being asked, out of project necessity, to get the job done.
7. Tell me about a project / job / outcome that was a “crash and burn” and what you learned from it?
   • Guiding principle here: Regardless of the scenario, don’t point fingers.
   • Demonstrate how you handled and/or overcame it (if applicable) and what you learned so that the same scenario doesn’t recur.
   • Bottom-line: Take complete / 100% ownership!

The above are just a few starter questions to be prepared for. In addition, there will be a litany of other questions related to the “technical” aspects of the job and the domain / industry of the company that you will want to be prepared to respond to.

In responding to any of the questions it is good to be able to say “yes, I’ve done that” (when you can honestly say so), but more importantly you’ll want to be prepared for the follow-up question “Can you share an example of how and when you [did this, or that]?” And, if you clearly haven’t had any experience or training in the area, simply indicate so. Never lie! That said, a good follow-on to that would be to indicate how you are a quick learner, sharing an example of a situation in which this was called for.

By now, you hopefully have noticed a common theme in responding to many of the questions: be prepared to share concrete examples!

Your Questions

It is also important to prepare a number of questions that you can ask them, including:

1. How long have you (interviewer) been working at, or with, this company?
2. What do you like most about the company? What keeps you here, besides a paycheck?
3. What are the key qualities you are looking for to fill this role?
4. What are some of the key challenges others have had filling this role or you expect someone to have?
5. Develop a few questions “on-the-fly” based on the discussion as well as what you see walking the building (if an onsite interview is taking place), such as:
   • Tell me about the culture and the working environment. I see lots of cubes. Is it “truly” an open / working environment. What about managers? Do they have cubes and/or an open-door policy?

And, finally…Until you are at the offer stage (after several interviews and you both have agreed to proceed to that step), do NOT ask questions such as the following, or you will KILL the opportunity:

• How long before I am eligible for a vacation?
• How many sick days do I get each year?
• How long before I can be promoted, or get a raise?
• How frequently can I take a smoke break?

Thoughts, in Closing…

Yep, this is “work”…That said…

Remember that they (the would-be employer) are just as motivated to attract good candidates (you) as you are in attracting good employers (them). As such, you are NOT the only person in the “hot seat.” While acknowledging this, always remain humble and confident!

Realize that how you handle the interview will determine “if” you get the job AND how much they are willing to offer, in the form of salary and benefits. Think about this as you prepare. Therefore, by leaving nothing to chance, you are more likely to land the job AND receive the maximum possible offer they are willing to make. Isn’t that exciting!!!

The next post(s) will share strategies to help nail the phone and face-to-face interviews.

All the best!

Click here for the next article in this series.

When on the hunt for that “Professional” job it is very important to do our research, target specific opportunities, effectively apply and promptly respond to inquiries! This, instead of taking a shotgun approach (i.e., sending out dozens, even hundreds of resumes with the hope that something will stick).

What follows are some thoughts on how best to do so.

Research and Targeting of Specific Opportunities

First, we must identify potential companies and opportunities out there which we may wish to pursue. In the case of my son, who has just begun his hunt for a web developer job, he would start by looking for high-tech companies in the geographic area(s) he wishes to pursue.

One could do this by asking: “Do I know anyone in my network who works at, or has worked with, high tech firms in the area?”

That is, start with one’s inner-circle (family, friends, colleagues) leveraging LinkedIn, in the process.

Voila, we have identified people in our network at companies which are worthwhile to consider!

Now that we’ve identified a few companies (to get started with) we can determine if they have any openings in our field. This is easy enough to do, by visiting their website. Good news, after doing some digging (a.k.a. research): voila – again!

We now have have a few companies with specific job opportunities aligned with our degree, training and experience.

To continue our research, we can follow-up with that person we know who works at (or previously worked at) the target company, to find out if they know anything about the position and/or hiring manager that would be helpful for us to be aware of as we prepare to apply.

Effectively Apply

Now that we have our target opportunities we must “effectively” apply. This involves:

1. Officially applying to the job posting, online
2. Networking in so our application makes it to the top of the pile

Let’s discuss each…

Officially applying for the job requires that we follow the path outlined on the prospective employer’s website.

Many companies offer options to “apply for this job” which involves completing online forms and/or submitting specific information they need for the first-level screening of candidates.  They may “also” offer the option to “simply” send an email with cover letter and resume to: careers@[the target company].com.

To this, it is suggested that we don’t take the simple road of ONLY submitting a cover letter and resume via email if/when the company provides the “path” to apply for a specific job. The reason: often, recruiting processes are setup such that when we apply for a specific job online the candidate’s application will go straight to the assigned recruiter and/or hiring manager.

If we were to ONLY send our information to the generic “careers” email it may very well get lost in the noise. This can also give the impression that we are lazy, in that we didn’t take the time to complete the information to apply for the specific job that is clearly outlined on their website. Thus, we’ve just fallen out of the first level screening. Opportunity lost!

As we apply, per the “path” outlined on the company’s website, we will at some point be asked to submit a resume (that is simple) as well as a cover letter (or answer questions similar to what is typically in a cover letter). This (cover letter information, outlined in a prior post) is crucially important as it serves as a conversation opener, to answer the question: “Why are you interested in / qualified for this position, at this company?” Do not take this lightly. Investing the necessary time to “tune” the cover letter information to align with the specific company and opportunity is an important step to get the attention of the prospective employer.

Now, the above is all well and good, especially if we don’t know anyone who works at this company. However, if you recall, we targeted this specific company because we DO happen to know someone who works there (or has previously). And, we may have even had a conversation with this person to learn more about the company, opportunity and/or hiring manager.

At this point, we can send a note to this person to let them know that we’ve officially applied for the specific position and ask if they could “put in a good word” with the recruiter and/or hiring manager.

Promptly Respond

At this point, if we’ve setup our profile on Monster.com (as suggested in a prior post) and applied for a few positions using the approach above, we WILL receive inquiries from potential employers. These inquiries will come in via phone and email. To this, we must PROMPTLY RESPOND, the same day.

Realize that many companies have recruiters who are trying to fill numerous positions at a company. As such, they make a ton of outbound inquiries (via phone and email) and receive many inbound responses. If we aren’t at the top of their radar screen and promptly responding they will, quite simply (and necessarily) pass us by.

In a subsequent post I’ll cover the next, exciting step, of the interview!

Click here for the next article in this series.