Hundreds of job advertisements from The Wall Street Journal

NATIONAL BUSINESS

EMPLOYMENT«I999 Dow Jones & Company. Inc. All Rights Reserved. September 12-18, 1999 www.nbew.com $3.95

ExtremeInterview!How to ace any kindof meeting withhiring managersPage 11

15 How tohandlejob-huntrejection

20 Demand and• pay for top

communicationsprofessionals

23 Five stepsto startyour newjob right

Advertisingspecial section:

FranchiseOpportunities

September |2 - September 18, 1W9 NATIONAL BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT WEEKLY Page

C O V E R S T O R Y

How to impress recruitersand hiring managers nomatter what they ask you

ExtremeInterviewing

By Steven Richards

J ohn B. King, a direct mar-keting consultant inNorwalk, Conn., is an expe-rienced interviewee and

approaches meetings with hiringmanagers with confidence.Nonetheless, he says, he's"always apprehensive about thatone question from way out inleft field that appears designedto undermine my composure."

Mr. Richards is co-managing partner at JoyceRichards, Executive Search (www.adcareers.com),in Orinda, Calif., and an instructor at theUniversity of Phoenix, Northern CaliforniaCampuf.

Books on job interviewing promise toequip candidates such as Mr. King withanswers to hundreds of interview ques-tions. They're well worth their price tojob seekers who have been startled bysuch questions as "How's this positiondifferent from others you've applied for?"

Millions of such books have been sold.The result: Too many well-intentioned,but. misguided candidates recite thebooks' answers rather than applying theirprinciples to frame responses appropri-ate to their own personalities and back-grounds.

Sadly, it's common for interviewers tohear the same canned answers from dif-ferent candidates week after week.

As an executive recruiter, one of myfavorite questions is "What would yourlast manager say is your biggest short-coming?" If answered at all, I usually hearvariations of: "I work too hard. I'm so pas-sionate about my work, I sometimes lose

Continues on next page

Page 12 ' • '''NATIONAL-BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT WEEKLY September 12 - September 18. 1999

InterviewingContinued from previous page

sight of the big picture. I need to get a life outsidethe office."

I grimace inside when I hear these responses.Some interviewers are more forgiving. "When

I sense I'm getting textbook answers from anapplicant, I have to work that much harder touncover their values, style, professionalism, enthu-siasm and their potential to complement ourunique culture," says Dennis Eastham, presidentof North American Direct Marketing Agencies forSnyder Communications, a marketing companybased in Bethesda, Md.

Extreme Interviewing"Extreme interviewing" is a technique that

takes a different approach. It consists of preparingresponses to questions and linking them to thequestions to deliver a positive message. Thisapproach isn't new. Candidates for elective officehave been practicing it for hundreds of years.

This strategy is especially suited to "projective"questions that frustrate candidates, such as "Whatseparates you from your peers?" and "Assumingyou came to work for our company, what do youthink your present manager would say to you onyour last day?"

You can adapt this approach to most questionsrecruiters can dream up. Moreover, you'll bearmed with responses interviewers won't haveheard before. You'll be able to answer with enthu-siasm and passion that can't be duplicated in atextbook response.

Success StoriesThe first step is to prepare three or more career

success stories and two or more that had less than

favorable outcomes but were learning experiences.Success stories are "Kodak moments" from

your career, the more recent the better. Theyshould appear on your resume and can includepromotions, raises, awards, evaluations and suc-cessful projects. Also consider new business suc-cesses and any other noteworthy efforts for whichyou received special recognition.

Learning experiences are humbling events fromearlier in your career that molded you into theexperienced professional you are today.

Write these stories as if you were creating a 30-

You'll be able toanswer with enthusiasmand passion that can't

be duplicated in atextbook response

second radio spot. Use numbers whenever possi-ble. For example, include details on increased rev-enue, profit, market share and savings. Memorizeyour stories and perfect their delivery in front ofa mirror or video camera. Your enthusiasm andemotional involvement with your employer shouldcome through loud and clear.

In initial screenings, many recruiters will listenfor how candidates communicate their accom-plishments. Susan Allard, a principal in AllardAssociates, a San Francisco executive search firmthat specializes in financial services recruitment,says she looks for "clear, concise, high quality

language that resonates with energy, drive andpeople skills."

These "stories" become advertising messagesdelivered during the interview. As with any goodad, don't be overly modest or wordy. Each storyshould be brief. If the interviewer wants to knowmore, they'll ask.

LinksThe next step is to connect the interviewer's

questions with your message. These links aren'talways needed, but when done well, they providea seamless transition between the question andits answer.

Successful politicians have perfected this tech-nique of linking the questions they're asked withthe messages they want to deliver. They can beobserved plying their skills at news conferencesand on Sunday morning talk shows. You'd do wellto study their techniques.

Four useful links include:"That's difficult to say, but let me tell you

about a similar experience at..."That reminds me of the time when..."That resonates with the time that..."They would probably tell you about..."For example...

The Strategy in ActionUsing this technique, a JAVA programmer

from San Francisco's "Multimedia Gulch," woweda recruiter who asked her "How did the realitiesdiffer from your expectations in your last job?"

She told him how initially she didn't think hertechnical background was adequate for her lastposition: However, she said, within eight monthsthe company promoted her and awarded her a$5,000 bonus for developing a solution to a prob-lem that had eluded her peers and superiors.

Similarly, a senior product manager used this

September 12 - September 18, 1999 NATIONAL BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT WEEKLY Page 13

technique with success when interviewing atCharles Schwab Corp., a brokerage firm based inSan Francisco. He responded to the question,"What's the one thing you would like to change inyour current boss if you could?" by saying that hewished his boss would adopt more of a "hands off'management style. He explained that his currentmanager, for whom he had a great deal of respectand admiration, tended to micro-manage his pro-jects despite his five years of "high achiever" annu-al performance ratings and record of contributions.He then went on to enumerate them.

Form and SubstanceWith succinct, well-rehearsed stories that illus-

trate how your previous successes relate to theinterviewer's current challenges, you'll be able toprovide extraordinary responses in both form andsubstance.

"One of the most important and difficult thingsI'm trying to accomplish in an interview is todetermine how someone's previous accomplish-ments in a different environment may translate tosuccess in our company," says Mr. Eastham."When I meet someone who can do this for me,someone who-'s thought through how they canapply their assets to growing my business, I'mdelighted."

Some interviewers use questions to assess can-didates' personalities and poise and to test theirability to think on their feet. These questions caninclude such hypotheticals as, "Assume you hadan unlimited budget, how would you furnish anddecorate your new. office?" For many of thesequestions, form can be more important than sub-stance.

"In an interview, [most interviewers are] look-ing to put a third dimension on to what you seeon the resume," says Brian O'Hare, former presi-dent of Norwest Card Services, now a subsidiary

of Wells Fargo & Co., a bank based in SanFrancisco. "When you ask someone a difficultquestion that has no pat answer, the way theyapproach it tells you how their mind works andwhether they're a thinking person who can holdtheir own in a highly interactive, give-and-takeenvironment. Or are they the type of person whohas to go back to their office, think about it andrespond in a memo?"

A Good Story Goes a Long WayThere's nothing Machiavellian about this

approach. Some interview questions are likeRorschach tests. There are no right, wrong or evenpreferred answers. What matters is how the inkblot is interpreted—how the question is answered.

Many typical interview questions are opportu-nities to showcase your stories. Consider the ques-tion, "What can you do for us that someone elsecan't?" Some candidates might struggle to envisionthe skill set of the universe of potential candidatesand the innermost workings of the company.

But this question can be parried with, "That'sdifficult to say from outside your company, but letme tell you what I did at..." and fill in the blankwith a success story.

Similarly, to answer the question, "What wouldyour subordinates say about you?" candidatesmight find their heads spinning with a random sur-vey of present and former employees.

Instead, you can answer, "They would proba-bly tell you about the time I..." and highlightanother accomplishment.

Here are some questions to get you started:D What would your last boss say about you

if I called for a reference?D Do you set goals for yourself?D How did your last boss get the most out of

you?

D Tell me about a time that you had to workunder tremendous pressure and stress.

D What have you done that shows initiativeand a willingness to work?

D How would someone else describe yourmanagement style?

D Why do you want to work here?D Tell me about a work experience you had

that didn't turn out as expected.D What was the last thing you worked on

that really challenged or excited you?D What has been your greatest accomplish-

ment?D How long would it take you to make a con-

tribution to our firm?D How have you benefited from your disap-

pointments?D Why should I hire you?D Looking back at your last job, how do you

think your performance could have beenimproved?

D Tell me about a boss you had that youdidn't like?

D What interests you most about this job?D What can you do for us that someone else

can't do?D Assuming you came to work for our com-

pany, what do you think your boss wouldsay to you on your last day?

D How do you respond to tough situations?D Tell me about a time when you challenged

a policy?D What would be your biggest challenge the

first 30 days on the job here?DWhat would your manager say is your

biggest shortcoming? •