Get That Job!

The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Job Interview

Thea Kelley

Foreword by Orville Pierson

author of The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search

Copyright©2017byTheaKelley

Allrightsreserved.Thisbookoranyportionthereofmaynotbereproduced,transmitted,downloaded,decompiled,reverse-engineered,orstoredinorintroducedintoanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,inanyformorbyanymeans,whetherelectronicormechanical,nowknownorhereafterinvented,withoutthe

expresswrittenpermissionoftheauthor,exceptfortheuseofbriefquotationsinabookreview.

Forewordcopyright©OrvillePierson

PublishedbyPlovercrestPress,Albany,CaliforniaUSA

eBookformatting:www.writingnights.orgCoverdesign:www.lionsimprint.comCopyediting:www.sandyperlic.com

ISBN978-0-9983808-0-3

Dedicatedtoyou.

Mayyougetagreatjob,sooner!

ContentsHowThisBookWillHelpYouGettheJobSectionOne:FirstThingsFirst:PreparingYourCoreMessages

1. WhatMakesYouStandOut?YourREVPoints2. HarnessingthePowerofStories3. Acingthe#1InterviewQuestion:"Tellmeaboutyourself."4. AWordaboutPracticing

SectionTwo:Questions–AnsweringandAsking

5. HowtoAnswerAnyInterviewQuestion6. HowtoSpeakConcisely7. CommonbutNotEasy:QuestionsYou'llNeedtoAnswer8. QuirkyQuestions:Puzzling,Stressful,Off-the-WallorEvenIllegal9. AskingtheRightQuestions(andNottheWrongOnes)

SectionThree:NailingtheNonverbals

10. MoreThanWordsCanSay:BodyLanguage,ClothesandOtherSilentMessages11. SomethingExtra:Portfolios,PresentationsandPlans12. CalmandConfident:Here'sHow

SectionFour:KnowWhattoExpect

13. TwelveTypesofInterviews14. FiveDangerousMythsaboutReferences

SectionFive:HappyEndings–andGreatBeginnings

15. EndingontheRightNote16. FollowingUptoStandOut17. TheBigMoment:HandlingOffers18. You'veGottheJob!AMomentforCareerManagement

AbouttheAuthorandInterviewCoachingAcknowledgments

ForewordI’mOrvillePierson,andI’mwritingtotellyouwhyIthinkTheaKelley’sinterviewingbookshouldbeincludedonajobhunter’sreadinglist.IalsowanttoexplainwhyIthinkshemayhavebrokensomenewgroundinjobsearchassistance.ButbeforeIdothat,Iwanttogiveyousomebackgroundonmyexperienceandtellyouabitaboutcareerservices.I’vebeendoingjobsearchassistanceworkofonekindoranotherforabout40years.Istartedwithseveralsmallercareertransitioncompanies.ThenIspent19yearsasDirectorofProgramDesignandServiceDeliveryattheheadquartersofLeeHechtHarrison(LHH),a300-officeglobalcareerservicesandoutplacementcompany.Inthatjob,Iledateamthatcreatedprograms,booksandwebsitesforLHHtouseinassistingrecentlylaid-offjobhuntersinfindingbetternewjobsmorequickly.Ourmainhow-to-find-a-jobbookhasnowgonethroughseveraleditionsandhashelpedoveramillionandahalfpeoplefindgoodnewjobs.Ialsotrainedhundredsofcareercoaches,usuallyinone-ortwo-dayclassroomtrainings.Thesecoacheswerenotnewbies.Theyweretypicallypeoplewith10or20yearsexperienceinthefield.Myrolewasteachingthemhowtousethenewmaterialsandprocessescreatedbymyteam.Buttherewerealwaysdiscussionswherethecoachestalkedmoregenerallyaboutwhatworksandwhatdoesn’tworkinjobhunting,soallinall,IthinkmaybeIlearnedmorethantheydid.Overtheyears,LHHwasoftenapproachedbypeoplewantingtoselltheirjob-huntingmaterialsorwebsitestoalargecareerservicescompany.Whenthathappened,Iwasthepersonwhoreviewedthoseofferingsandreportedtoourfinancialteamontheirvalueforjobhunters.Later,whenIbeganworkingoutsideofLHHwithstudentsandthegeneralpublic,Ialsoreviewedbooksandwebsitesavailabletothegeneralpublic.Isaweverything:thegood,thebadandthereally,reallybad.Peoplewithextensiveexperienceinrecruiting,HRandcareercoachingusuallyprovidedgoodadvice.Buttherewerealsopeoplewithlittleornojobsearchassistanceexperiencewhothoughttheyhadclevernewideas.Moreoftenthannot,thoseideaswereknownbyexperiencedcareercoachesnottowork.The“reallybad”categorysometimesincludedadvicethatwoulddojobhuntersmoreharmthangood:tellinglies,forexample,ortryingtotrickemployers.BasedonwhatI’dlearnedovertheyears,Iwrotethreebooksforthegeneralpublic,inadditiontothedozensthatIwroteorco-authoredforcareerservicescompanies.Now,asanindependentconsultantandspeaker,Icontinuetoseenewbooksandwebsitesonjobhunting.Irecommendthatjobhunterslookingtobemoreeffectivestartwithbooksratherthanwebsites.IdothatbecauseInternetjobsearchinformationtendstobeafragmented—andsometimesdisjointed—collectionofshortarticlesonjobhunting.It’softenwrittenbyanumberofunconnectedauthors,withlittleornobioattached,soyoudon’tknowwho’s

advisingyou.It’smorelikeacollectionoftipsthanathoughtfuloverallapproach.SoIpreferbooksasastartingpoint,withtheuseofwebsiteslaterinajobsearch.WhenIfirststartedincareerwork,mostjobhuntingbookscoveredthefullrangeofjobhuntingmethodsandskills–resumewriting,interviewing,usingrecruiters,networkingandthelike–everythinginonebook.Now,inamorecomplexworld,Idon’tthinkitcanbedoneinonebook.ThelasttimeIlooked,Amazon.comwassellingabout15,000booksonjobhunting,writtenbyallkindsofauthors.Mostoftheseareonlyononeaspectofjobhunting,notthewholething.Sowiththatforbackground,here’swhatIhavetosayaboutTheaKelley’sQuickandCompleteGuidetoaWinningInterview.Firstandmostimportant,shedidherhomework.Inadditiontoherworkexperienceinthecareercoachingfield,shehastakencoursesandreaduponjobsearchassistance.Ireadherbookfromcovertocover,andtheadviceissound.Shegivesgoodsolidguidance.Thisbookisanoverviewofthemostimportantto-do’sandpitfalls.It’sespeciallyusefulforsomeonewhohasn’tinterviewedinawhileorsomeonenervousaboutjobinterviews.AnotherthingIlikeaboutthebookisitslength.ThisiswhereIthinkshe’smaybebrokensomenewground.Herbookisshorterthantheaveragejobhuntingbook,butoffersmoreconsistentandin-depthadvicethanyou’llusuallyfindontheInternet.Ithinkshemayhavefounda“sweetspot”onlength.Aseriesofshorterbookslikethisonewouldbemoremanageableforjobhuntersthanacollectionoffull-lengthbooks.AndThea’sbookiseasytoread.It’swritteninawaythatyoucaneasilyscanit,lookingfortheareasmostimportanttoyou.Soit’smaybemoreofanInternetstyleofwriting.Readingthewholethingisnotachore.Iverymuchlikeheremphasison“authenticandstrategic.”Ithinkit’simportanttobehonestandtobeyourselfinaninterview.Butyouhavetobesmart,too.Youusuallyhaveonlyanhour.Youneedtomakestrategicdecisionsaboutwhattosayandwhatnottosay–thinkingaboutwhat’smostrelevanttothepersonyou’retalkingto,andwhatwillhelpyoutakethenextsteptowardemploymentwiththatparticularemployer.Theaprovidessomegoodstrongguidanceonthis.SoI’mgladyouhavethisbookinyourhands.Mayyoulearnsomethingsthatwillhastenyourmovetoagreatnewjob.Andmayyousucceedandthriveinthatworkforagoodlongtime.OrvillePiersonAuthorofTheUnwrittenRulesoftheHighlyEffectiveJobSearchHighlyEffectiveNetworking:MeettheRightPeopleandGetaGreatJobTeamUp!FindaBetterJobFasterwithaJobSearchWorkTeam

HowThisBookWillHelpYouGettheJob

Successdependsuponpreparation.–Confucius(andmanyotherpeople)

Askedwhatwedobest,fewofuswouldsay"doingagreatjobinterview."Yetthisisoneofthemosthighlyrewardedabilitiesinlife.Skillfulinterviewingcanbethedeterminingfactorinhowsoonyoustartgettingthatnewpaycheck–andwhetheryoulandyourdreamjoborhavetosettleforsomethingless.Thisbookwillhelpyoumasterthiscrucialskillsothatyougetthejobandthecareeryouwant.

Getthejobbybeingwellpreparedandbeingyourself.Somepeoplegointointerviewsthinking"I'lljustbemyself,"butthey'rewingingit,soitisn'ttheirbestselfthattheinterviewerseesandhears.Otherspreparebythecookie-cutterapproach,memorizinganswersrecommendedbyexpertsandcomingacrossasstiffandinsincere.Myapproachisbasedonauthenticityandstrategy,the"yinandyang"thatworktogetherforaconvincinginterview.You'llbeauthentic–honestandnatural–whilebeingstrategicinpresentingwhattheemployerneedstoknowaboutthevalueyoucanbringtotheirorganization.You'lllearnhowtoauthenticallyandstrategicallyuseeveryaspectoftheinterview–fromthefirsthandshaketothelastquestionandanswer–tostandoutandgetthejob.

Whatareyourchallenges?Mostjobseekersfacedifficultiesininterviewing.Thisbookwillexploreissueslikethese:

"I'mnotcomfortablewithtalkingaboutmyselfand'tootingmyownhorn.'""Ihaven'tinterviewedinalongtime(orever)."

"Ihavetroublewithcertainquestions,like'Tellmeaboutyourself'andquestionsaboutweaknesses.""Itendtoramble.Istarttalkinganddon'tknowwhentostop."

"Igetsonervous,sometimesIgoblankandforgetwhatquestionI'manswering.""IhaveanegativeissueinmyworkhistoryandIdon'tknowwhattosayaboutit."

"Ican'tthinkofastoryorexamplewhenIneedone.""Idon'tknowwhatI'mdoingwrong–I'mjustnotgettingoffers."

Thisbookwillprovidestrategiestoovercomeobstacleslikethese,andmore.InSectionOne–FirstThingsFirst:PreparingYourCoreMessages–you'llbuildconfidenceandclaritybyidentifyingyourkeysellingpointsandlearninghowtoproactivelyemphasizethosethroughouttheinterview.Youranswerswillbecomemorerelevant,compellingandconvincing.

InSectionTwo–Questions:AnsweringandAsking–you'llgainstrategiesforhandlinganyquestionthatmaycomeyourway,plusspecifictipsondozensofthemostcommonquestions.You'llalsolearntoaskinsightfulandwell-targetedquestionsthathelpyouassessthejobandimpresstheinterviewer.InSectionThree–NailingtheNonverbals–you'llpolishtheunspokenaspectsofyourpresentation,includingbodylanguageandclothes,andlearntechniquesforeliminatingnervousnessandself-doubt.We'llalsoexplorehowtostandoutthrougheffectiveuseof"interviewextras"likeportfoliosandpresentations.InSectionFour–KnowWhattoExpect–you'llgetfamiliarwith12differenttypesofinterviewsandhowtosucceedinallofthem.We'llalsoclearupsomemisunderstandingsaboutreferencestomakesureyousailsmoothlyfromthefinalinterviewintoanoffer.Finally,inSectionFive–HappyEndingsandGreatBeginnings–you'lllearntoconcludetheintervieweffectivelyandfollowupstrongly,reinforcingthepositivebrandyou'vebuiltupthroughtheinterview.You'llalsogetpreparedtojuggleoffers,negotiateforthepayandworkingconditionsyouwantandensureasmoothtransitionintoyournewjob!Thisbookisquicktoread.Preparingtobethewinnerofacompetitiveinterviewprocess,ontheotherhand,takestime.Sostartnow.Aninterviewcanhappenanytime.Ifyou'vesentoutasingleresume,orsimplyhaveastrongprofileonLinkedIn,youcouldbecalledforaphonescreeninganydaynow.Recruitersliketotakeacasualtoneinthese"conversations,"butdon'tbelulled:it'saninterview.Evenin-personinterviewscanhappenonveryshortnotice.Workyourwaythroughthesefivesectionsandyou'llbewellequippedtostandoutfromotherapplicantsandgettheoffer.Solet'sgetstartedandgetyouready.

SectionOne

FirstThingsFirst:PreparingYourCoreMessages

CHAPTER1

WhatMakesYouStandOut?YourREVPoints

Ifyouwanttostandout,don'tbedifferent;beoutstanding.

— MeredithWest

Inmostinterviewsituations,youhavecompetitorsforthejob–maybetwo,maybehalfadozen.Youwon'tgetthejobjustbybeingqualified–youneedtostandout,andyouneedtoberemembered.Completingthischapterwillprepareyoutodoexactlythat.Someapplicantshavetriedtobememorablebyusinggimmicks–singingtheirinterviewresponses,orwearingatuxedotoshowthatthemeetingwas"averyspecialoccasion."Thiswill,indeedmakesomeonestandout–butasapersonofpoorjudgment,notastherightpersontohire.Let'splanhowyouwillstandoutforthebestpossiblereasons.I'mgoingtoaskyoutolookathowyoustackupagainstyourcompetition.Thatmaysoundabitdaunting,butifyousetasideyourfearsandtakeitonestepatatime,bytheendofthechapterIthinkyou'llfindyourconfidencehasincreased.

LessIsMore:TheImportanceofFocusInterviewingisaprocessofeducatingtheinterviewer.Educatorsknowthatifyouhitsomeonewithahugebunchoffactswilly-nilly,theymaynotlearnanything.Peoplelearnbetterwhenthepresentationisorganizedaroundafewcoreconcepts.Interviewingisalsolikesalesandmarketing.Peopleinthisfieldknowthatyoudon'tsellacarbyrunningthrougheveryfeatureithas.Youfocusonjustafew:it'ship,cheapandfitsintothesmallestparkingspaces.Orit'srugged,good-lookingandroomy.You'recompetingforcustomers'attention,soyougrabitwithsomethingsimpleandeasytoremember.Insales,theseareoftencalled"keysellingpoints."Inaninterview,the"product"you'resellingisyou.Ifthatsoundsawful,let'srememberthatyou'renotsellingyoursoul–justclearlycommunicatingtheskills,expertiseandpersonalstrengthsthatwillmakeyouvaluabletoanemployer.Infact,let'sgetawayfromsalesterminology.Icalltheseyour"REVPoints,"becausetheyworkbestifthey'reRelevant,ExceptionalandVerifiable(REV).I'llsaymoreaboutthatlaterinthechapter.

ListingPossibleREVPointsRightnow,takeafewminutesandjotdownthetop10reasonswhyanemployershouldchooseyouoverthecompetition.(LaterI'llaskyoutonarrowitdowntonomorethanfive.)

Tohelpthinkofthese,askyourselfquestionslikethese:

• WhatqualificationsorskillsdoIhavethatarehardtofind?• WhatdoIdobetterthanmostofmypeers?• Whatwouldmyco-workersandmanagerssayifIaskedthemwhatmakesmevaluable?• Whathavetheyappreciatedmostaboutme?• AmIthebestatsomething,orthefirst,ortheonlyone?• IsthereanimportantareainwhichIamexceptionallyknowledgeable?• WhatpartofmyjobamImostpassionateabout?AmIespeciallygoodatthat?• DoIhaveanexceptionalrecordofpromotionsorcareergrowth?• Whatismymostimpressiveprofessionalaccomplishmentofthepastfiveyears?• Dohavemoreeducation,trainingorcertificationsthanisusual?• HaveIwonawardsorbeenformallyrecognizedforsuperiorwork?

NarrowingItDownNow,let'spickthethreetofivepointsonyourlistthatwillbemostimpressiveandconvincingtoanemployer–theonesthatwillreallysellyou.Todothat,asIsuggestedabove,theyneedtobeveryRelevant,ExceptionalandVerifiable.Here'swhatImeanbytheseterms.Relevant:Arelevantqualificationisindemandbyemployers.Studyseveraljobpostingsforthetypeofjobyouwant,andunderlinetheimportantskills,qualificationsandqualitiestheemployerislookingfor.Whichseemtobethetoppriorities?Thinkaboutthelikelypainpointsofyourtargetcompanies–theproblemsthatareeatingintotheirprofitsormakingthemlookbad.Skillsthatcanhelpsolvetheseproblemsarepowerfullyrelevant.Exceptional:Anexceptionalqualityorqualificationisonethatstandsout.Probablyallofyourcompetitorshaveexperienceinmulti-tasking.ButcantheyallspeakMandarinwiththecompany'sChineseclients?WorkingwithmeonhisREVPoints,Rogersaid,"Thenumberonereasontheyshouldhiremeismyintegrity."Butitdidn'tmakehisfinallistofpointstoemphasize.Whynot?Yes,integrityishugelyimportantinlifeandinwork.Butit'ssomethingemployerstendtoassumeortakeforgranteduntilprovenotherwise.Inmostcasesitwon'tmakeyoustandoutinaninterview.Otherqualitiesoftenseenascommoninclude:hardworking,intelligent,apeopleperson,agoodcommunicator.Ifyouaretrulyexceptionalinoneoftheseareas,you'llneedtoproveit.Verifiable:BythisImeanthattheitemisnotjustaclaimoropinion.It'ssomethingyoucanproveorgiveevidencefor.Factsarenaturallyverifiable.Let'ssayyoubelieveyourgraduatedegreeisakeysellingpoint.Noproblem,thisisafactanditcanbeverifiedwithabackgroundcheck.Likewise,yourworkexperienceisacollectionoffactsthatcanbeverified.

Skillscanbetougher,especiallysoftskillslikecommunication.Mostjobapplicantsclaimtohaveexcellentcommunicationskills.Byitself,thisclaimissosubjective–suchamatterofopinion,really–thatit'salmostmeaningless.Untilyougiveevidenceforit.Yourevidencemightbesomethinglikethis:

• Theskillfulnessofyourspokenandwrittencommunicationswiththeinterviewer.(Thus,you'redemonstratingtheseskillsratherthanjustclaimingtohavethem.)

• Astoryaboutthetimewhenyoudiplomaticallysortedoutamisunderstandingandkeptaclientfromleaving.

• Thefactthatyouweresoughtouttoprovidecoachingortrainingtonewhires–especiallyifyouweretheonlymemberoftheteamaskedtodothat.

• Thefactthatyouwrotedocumentationthatreducedservicecalls50%.• ThefactthatyouworkedontheschoolnewspaperorconsistentlygotA'sinyourEnglishclasses

(ifyou'rearecentgraduate).• LinkedInrecommendationspraisingyourcommunicationskills.

Nowyourclaimofexceptionalcommunicationskillshascredibility!You'llnoticethatwe'reusingtheseterms–verify,prove,evidence–abitloosely.We'renottalkingaboutprovingyourskillswithlegalisticorscientificprecision.Thepointistobeabletobackupyourclaimsenoughtomakethemreasonablyconvincingtotheinterviewer.Examples:ThreeIntervieweesandtheirREVPoints

LindaSmith,HumanResourcesManager1) Broad,abundantlydemonstratedexpertiseinEmployeeRelations,LaborRelations,

CompensationandBenefits,HRInformationSystemsandAnalytics2) Talentforstrategicthinking(withstoriestoproveit)3) Severalawardsforcreatingsuccessfulprogramsandinitiatives4) Inspiresaloyalandhigh-performingteam(provenbystories,LinkedInrecommendationsand

teammembers'careeradvancement)5) MBARickJohnson,EnergyEfficiencyEngineer1) Fiveyearsexperienceinenergyefficiencyengineering2) ExperienceconductingASHRAElevel1,2and3energyauditsleadingtoanaverageof20%

energysavingsperbuilding3) Relevantadvanceddegree4) MemberofTechnicalAdvisoryCommitteedraftingCordobaCounty’sfirstGreenBuilding

Ordinances

DeniseWilliams,SalesManager1) Trackrecordofconsistentlyover-achievinggoalsandearningawardsinFortune500companies2) Exceptionaltalentforeffectivelyanticipatingandnavigatingchangethroughcross-functional

collaboration(withstoriestodemonstratethis)3) Learnsquicklyandpositivelyimpactsthebottomlinewithinthefirstfewmonthsonanyjob

(stories)Whichofyourtop10pointsreallyREV?PickthetopthreetofiveandprioritizethoseintheorderofhowRelevant,ExceptionalandVerifiabletheyare.

Together,thesepointsmakeupyourREVAgenda:themessagesyouwillmakeapointofcommunicatingthroughoutyourinterviews.Nowstartmemorizingthesepoints.Putthislistinaplacewhereyou'llseeiteveryday.Lookatitoften.Dowhateveryouhavetodotogetitetchedintoyourmind.Congratulations!Youhavejustbuiltanextremelypowerfultoolthatwillhelpyounotonlyinyourinterviewsbutthroughoutyourjobsearch,byfocusingthemindsofpotentialemployersonashort,easytograsp,easytorememberlistofwhatmakesyoustandoutasthepersontohire.

WillYourREVPointsBetheSameforEveryJob?

No,yourREVPointsmayvaryasyouapplytodifferentjobs.Forexample,Sheilawasapplyingtovariousjobsinnonprofitdevelopment(fundraising).Whensheappliedathealth-relatedorganizationsherMAinPublicHealthbecameakeysellingpoint.Atanimalwelfareorganizations,heryearsofvolunteeringinherlocalanimalshelterbecamemorerelevant.However,ifyou'refindingthatallofyoursellingpointsarecompletelydifferentfromoneinterviewtoanother,itmaybethatyou'respreadingyourselftoothininyourjobsearch.Youmaywanttofocusonidentifyingwhatyoureallydobest,andproactivelygoingafterthat.

HowWillYouUseTheseREVPoints?

• Emphasizethemthroughouttheinterviewprocess.Thesepointsgoalongwaytowardcreatingyourbrandoruniqueidentityintheemployer'smind.

• Knowthembyheart.It'shardtobuildyourcommunicationsaroundthesepointsifyou'reconstantlyhavingtogosearchingforthelist.

• Takeresponsibilityforeducatingyourintervieweronthesepoints.Ifyoumeetanunskilled

interviewer–forexampleonewhoasksthewrongquestions,oronewhotalksthewholetimeandneverlistens–watchforopportunitiestogetyourmessageacross.

• Starttheinterviewwiththem.Peopletendtorememberwhatcamefirst.Arecentpollshowed

that50%ofemployersbelievetheyknowwithinthefirstfiveminutesofaninterviewwhetheracandidateisagoodfit.Focusthosefirstminutesonwhat'simportantbymakingthesepointsthebasisofyouranswertothefirstquestionintheinterview,whichisoften"Tellmeaboutyourself."

• Endtheinterviewwiththem.Peopletendtorememberwhattheyhearfirst,butalsowhatthey

hearlast.Includesomeorallofthesepointsinyourclosingstatementattheendoftheinterview,aswellasyourfollow-upcommunications.

• Developstories(examples)fromyourworktobringeachofthesekeypointstolifeinyour

interviews.(Inbriefbulletform,thesestoriescanalsogreatlyimproveyourresumeandLinkedInprofile.)

Speakingofstories,you'veprobablyheardthattheseareimportantininterviewing,andthatyou'llneedalotofthem.Howmanydoyouneed?Howcanyourememberthemwhenyouneedthem?Howcanyoumakesureyou'lltelltheminawaythat'sclear,conciseandmemorable?Thenextchapterwillanswerthesequestions,whilehelpingyoubuildanimpressive,confidence-boostingtoolkitofstoriesthatvividlydemonstratewhyyou'retherightpersonforthejob.

Chapter2HarnessingthePowerofStories

Welearnbest…fromhearingstories.—JohnKotter

Whatifyouhadatechniquethatwouldphysicallyactivateaninterviewer'sbraintomakethempaymoreattentiontoyou,graspwhatyou'resayingmoreclearly,believeitmoreeasily,andkeepyouattopofmindlonger?Thereissuchatechnique:storytelling.Ordinarybusinesscommunication–"Ihaveextensiveskillsinyadayadayada"–engagesonlyasmallfractionofthebrain,thepartsthatprocesslanguageandlogic.Storiesdomuchmore,activatingmultiplebrainregionsthatworktogethertocreatemultisensory,three-dimensionalimagesandfeelings.It'snotjustadescriptionbutanexperience,soit'smoreconvincingandmorememorable.Storiesareapowerfulwaytocommunicateyourskillsinaninterview,includingthoseREVPointsyoudevelopedinChapter1.

AFamiliarStory?Iwonderifyouidentifywithpartsofthisstory.Dan's"BrokenPhone"–andHowItFinallyRangInfourmonthsofjobsearch,Danhadcompletedatotalof11interviewsthatwentnowhere.Hejoked,bitterly,thathisphonemustbebroken.Itcertainlywasn'tringingwithoffers.Danwasatalentedprofessional.Heknewhecoulddothejob.Hejustdidn'tknowhowtotalkabouthisabilities.Havingreadthatheshouldtellstories,hehadthoughtofafew,butnotenoughtogetthroughalonginterview.Andwhenhetoldstorieshewouldtripoverhiswords,ramblingontoolong,uncertainwheretostopandendingawkwardly.Theinterviewerwouldfrownslightly,makeanote,andmoveontothenextquestioninaneutral,uninterestedtone.AndDanwouldn'thearback.Maybethissoundslikethestoryofyourliferecently.Butthestory'snotover.TheInterviewSuccessProjectOneday,Dansaidtohimself."Enough!I'mgoingtolearnhowtodothisright."Hedecidedtoapproachinterviewingthesamewayhewouldhandleanychallengingprojectthatcouldearnhimagreatpromotion:Hewoulddosomeresearch,followbestpracticesanddothenecessaryworktoensuresuccess.

Realizingthathemightneed10storiesormoreforeachinterview,andthatemployersinhisfieldwererequiringmultipleinterviews,Dansetagoalofdeveloping20-30goodstoriesthatwouldillustratehisskillsanddemonstratehisvaluetoemployers.Settingasideafewhoursoneweekend,hefollowedtheinstructionsinthischapterandwasabletobuildalistof25stories.Heidentifiedinterviewquestionsthathisstoriescouldanswer,practicedtellinghisstories,andgotfeedbackfromothersonhowthestoriesworked.Hisnextinterviewsparkledwithanecdotesashepaintedavivid,convincingpictureofhisoutstandingwork.Theinterviewer'seyeslitupwithinterestandthetimeflew.Intheend,Dan'sphonerangwithoffers–fromtwocompanies,andhewasabletochoosethejobhewantedmost.ThischapterwillguideyoutoovercomethedifficultiesthatinitiallyheldDanbackandtotransformyourinterviewsandtheirresults.Youwilllearn:

• HowtogatheranddevelopstoriesthatproveyourREVPoints,thosekeyreasonswhyyou'retherightpersonforthejob.

• Howtohaveenoughstories–morethanyouthinkyoucan–sothatyoudon'trunoutevenifyougothroughmultipleinterviewsatthesamecompany.

• Howtotellyourstoriesclearlyandconcisely.• Howtoremembertherightstoryattherightmoment.

SOAR:AnatomyofanEffectiveStoryAgoodinterviewstorytellsaboutachallengeyoufaced,theactionsyoutooktosolveit,andtheresultsyouachieved.YoumayhaveseenacronymslikeCAR(Challenge,Action,Results),PAR(Problem,Actions,Results)andSOAR(Situation,Obstacles,Actions,Results).Eachoftheseacronymsprovidesaframeworkormodelfortellingastory.They'reallgood.("Challenge,""Problem"and"Situation"allmeanprettymuchthesamething.)I'mgoingtouseSOAR.Solet'slookatthepartsofaSOARstory.Example:Rob'sStory,"ImplementingSuccessSuite"Situation:"AttheCooperCompanyIrealizedourbusinessmanagementsoftwarewasn'thelpingusworkefficiently."Actions:"Iresearchedtheoptions,selectedSuccessSuite,learnedit,helpedconfigureitandtrainedourstaffonit."Obstacle(s):"ManagementinitiallysaidSuccessSuitewastooexpensive.Ipreparedapresentationthatchangedtheirminds."Results:"Efficiencywasincreasedby40%."YoumayhavenoticedthatthisparticularstoryhasActionsbeforeObstacles,asifitwasan"S-A-O-R"storyinsteadof"S-O-A-R."That'sokay,becausethepartsdon'thavetogoinanyparticularorder,althoughit'simportanttodescribetheSituationearlyinthestoryinordertosetthescene.

ThefirstthingyoucanlearnfromSOARishowveryconciseastorycanbe.IfRobneedstotellhisstoryin15seconds,hecandoit(possiblyleavingouttheObstacleforbrevity).Thatwillcomeinhandy,asyou'llseelater.Ontheotherhand,hecaneasilyexpandintomoredetail.

YourStoriesListStartanewdocumentinyourcomputercalledStoriesList.Saveitsomeplaceyoucaneasilyfindit,becauseyou'llbereferringtoitoften.Foreachstoryinyourlist,Isuggestyoufillinthefollowing:

Title:Situation:Obstacles:Actions:Results:

Let'sgetstarted.Thinkofanyworkaccomplishmentyouareproudof.Itmaybeaproblemyousolved,aprocessyouimproved,oratimewhenyouwentaboveandbeyondyournormaldutiestogetajobdone.Nowgivethatstoryaspecific,uniquetitle,like"ResolvingProductionBackloglastMay"or"FillingInforTerry."Writethatdowninyourlist.ThenjotdownafewwordsabouttheSituation,anyObstaclesthatarose,theActionsyoutook,andtheResults.There'snoneedtowritefullsentencesorgointodetail–youalreadyknowthestory,andyouwon'tbeturningthisassignmentin!Onceyou'vefilleditallin,goaheadandtellthestoryoutloud(ofcourseleavingoutthetitle,whichisjustforyourownreference).Thinkingabouthowyoutoldyourstory,whatworkedwell?Whatdidn't?

MakingSOARStoriesWorkLet'slookatsometipsforsucceedingwitheachpartofyourstory.Situation

• Putthestoryincontext.Sayingwhichjobithappenedatmaybeallthecontextyouneed.Youmaywanttomentiontheyear,particularlyifit'srecent,becauseemployersespeciallyvaluerecentaccomplishments.

• Identifythepainpoints.Ifthesituationwascausingwastedtime,lostmoneyormissedopportunities,makethatclear(withoutcastingblameonyourselforothersinyourcompany).

• Keepitbrief.You'rejustsettingthesceneforthenextthreeparts,whicharemoreimportant.

Obstacles

• Obstaclesareoptional–they'rea"plus."YoucanhaveaperfectlygoodstorythatgoesstraightfromActionstoResults.However,sometimestherewasabigobstacle–aneconomicdownturn,

amicroscopicbudget,anaggressivedeadline–thatyouovercame,makingthestoryallthemoreimpressive.

• Focusontheskillfulwayyouovercametheobstacleorledotherstodoso.Iftheobstaclewas

overcomethroughsheerluckorsomeoneelse'sefforts,whymentionit?

• Betactfulifothersinyourcompanycreatedtheobstacles!Actions

• Givejustenoughdetailbutdon'tgettoogranular.Ifyou'renotsurehowmuchtosay,errontheshortside,jumpaheadtotheResults,thenasktheinterviewerifthey'dliketoknowmore.

• Watchoutfor"we."Theemployerisn'tconsideringhiringyourteam,justyou.Thatdoesn't

meanyoumeanyoucanneversay"we,"justmakeitclearwhatpartyouplayed.

Results,Results,Results!• Don'tskimpondescribingtheimpactyouachievedandhowitbenefitedthecompany.

Companieshireforresults,sobespecificandcompleteaboutthispiece.• Quantify.Ifyousavedtimeormoney,specifyhowmuch,evenifyouhavetoguesstimate.Ifyou

improvedsomething,bywhatpercentage?

• Ifyoureallycan'tquantifyinnumbers,usewords.Didyouimprovemoralejustalittle,orsignificantly?Substantially?Dramatically?

• Giveevidencethatyourworkwasgreat.Didyouearnabonusoranaccolade?Didyournew

ideabecomethestandardoperatingprocedure?Aretheystillusingitthreeyearslater?

• Giveasoundbite.Didyourboss,aclientorco-workersaysomethingmemorableaboutyouraccomplishment,eitheraloud,orinanemail,orinaperformancereview?Quoteit!

Again,theS-O-A-Rpartsdon'thavetobetoldinthatorder.Forexample,abriefmentionoftheresultscanbeadramaticwaytostart:"LetmetellyouabouthowIdoubledmarketshareintwomonths."Andthroughoutyourstory,rememberthatyou'retellingthestoryinordertosellyourselfasthebestpersonforthejob.Don’twastetimeondetailsthataren'trelevanttothatpurpose.

ConnectingYourStoriestotheInterviewer'sQuestionsOfcourse,interviewersaren'tgoingtosay"Tellmeastory."They'regoingtosay"Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouhadtoworkwithadifficultperson,"or"TellmeaboutyourexperiencewithExceltables/takingtheleadonaproject/teambuilding/negotiation"(orwhateverisrelevanttothejob).Howcanyouhelpensurethattherightstorywillpopintoyourhead?Bykeepinginmindwhateachstorydemonstrates,suchasteambuildingornegotiationskills.Forexample,Rob'sstory,"ImplementingSuccessSuite,"demonstrateshisskillsinevaluating,selectingandconfiguringsoftware,training,problem-solving,workflowanalysis,processimprovement,

innovation,initiative,learningquickly,documentationdevelopment,troubleshooting,cross-functionalcollaborationandsoon.Bynotingtheseskillsandstrengthsinhisstorieslist,Robincreasesthelikelihoodthathe'llthinkofthisstorywhenaskedaquestionlike"Canyoutellmeaboutatimeyoucollaboratedcross-functionallytosolveaproblem?"Nowgobacktoyourownstorylist.Underyourfirststory,listalltheskillsandstrengthsthestorydemonstrates.Thesearelikelytoincludetechnicalskills,"soft"skillslikerelationship-buildingandtimemanagement,specializedknowledgesuchasunderstandingbestpractices,rulesorregulations,personalstrengthssuchasdedicationorinitiative,andsoon.Sonowyourlistwilllooklikethis:

Title:Situation:Obstacles:Actions:Results:Whatthisstorydemonstrates(skillsandstrengths):

Storiesaremulti-purposebecausemoststoriesdemonstratemultipleskills.Sodon'tskimpinidentifyingtheskillsandstrengthseachofyourstoriesdemonstrates.Writingthemdownwillhelpyouconnectyourstoriestotheinterviewer'squestions.

Tip:Createquestion-and-storyflashcards.Getabunchof3x5cards(oryoucancreatedigitalflashcardsinEvernote).Ononesideofeach,writeacommonbehavioralinterviewquestionlike"Tellmeaboutatimeyouidentifiedapossibleproblemandtookactiontopreventit."(Youcanfindlotsofthesequestionsbysearchingonline.)Onthereverse,writethetitlesoftwoorthreeofyourstoriesthatcouldbeusedtoanswerthatquestion.(Onestoryisn'tenough;youmighthavealreadyuseditduringtheinterviewtoansweranotherquestion,soyouneedalternates.)Topracticewiththecards,flipthroughthedecklookingateachquestiontoseeifyoucanrememberthestoriesthatgowithit.Juststartwithmemorizingwhichstoriesgowithwhichquestions.Then,formorein-depthpractice,youcanactuallypracticeansweringthequestions.

MoreStories,Please!Howmanystoriesdoyouneed?Lots!It'snotuncommonthesedaystohavemultipleinterviewsforonejob,involvingmultiplebehavioralinterviewquestionsineachinterview.Plusit'sagoodideatotellstoriesforsomeofyournon-behavioralquestionsaswell.Andit'sbestnottorepeatthesamestoriesinallofthosemultipleinterviews,sincetheinterviewersmaycomparenotesafterwards.Youdon'twantthemthinkingyouhaveonlyafewnoteworthyaccomplishments.

Shootfor20storiesormore.Doesthatsoundimpossible?Here'showyoucancomeupwithmoreSOARsthanyouthinkyoucan:

• Looktoyourkeysellingpoints(REVPoints).Dostoriescometomindillustratingthese?Suchstoriesmightbesomeofyourmostimportantones.

• Practiceansweringbehavioralinterviewquestions.Gothroughdozensofthem.Don'tgetstuckonanyquestionyoucan'tanswer–moveontothenextone.Youwon'thaveananswerforeveryquestion,butwheneveryoudo,immediatelyaddthatstorytoyourlist.

• Usejobpostings.Findjobannouncementstypicalofyourjobgoal.Foreachbitofexperienceor

skillmentioned,askyourself:"WhenhaveIdoneordemonstratedthatsuccessfully?"Addanystoriestoyourlist.

• Harveststoriesfromyourresume,LinkedInprofile,performanceevaluationsandanykudos

you'vereceived.Allofthesesourcesmaycontain,orsparkyourmemoryof,usefulstories.Onceyoudothis,congratulateyourselfonhavingcreatedanawesomejobinterviewtoolthatwillhelpyougetyournextjob,nottomentionboostingyourconfidenceandprovidingnewmaterialforyourresume!

The15-secondStoryOftenit'sappropriatetotakeuptoaminutetotellastoryinaninterview;oreventwominutes.Atothertimesyou'llneedmakeitveryshort.Forexample,ifasked"Tellmeyourthreegreateststrengths,"youshouldillustrateyouranswerwithanexampleortwo(oreventhree),whilestillkeepingthewholeanswerdowntoaminuteorless.Soanyexampleswouldneedtobeveryshort,perhaps15seconds.A15-secondstorycanalsobeveryconvincingaspartofyouranswerto"Tellmeaboutyourself."I'llsaymoreaboutthatinthenextchapter.Theoretically,anystorycanbetoldinasshortaformasnecessary.Here'sTheLordoftheRingsin15seconds:AnevilmagicringthatthreatenedallofMiddleEarthturnedupinasmallcountrytown.Adiverseteamofcomradescombinedtheirskillstocarrytheringthroughmanydangers–includingavastlypowerfulenemywhowanteditforhisownevilpurposes–toMountDoom,whereitwasdestroyed,savingtheworld.ThekeyhereisjusttomovethroughtheSOARstepswithaslittledetailaspossible.Here'sthatsamestorybrokenintoSOARcomponents:Situation:AnevilmagicringthatthreatenedallofMiddleEarthturnedupinasmallcountrytownandhadtobedestroyed.Obstacles:Manydangersgotintheway,includingavastlypowerfulenemywhowanteditforhisownevilpurposes.Action:AdiverseteamofcomradescombinedtheirskillstocarrytheringtoMountDoom.Results:Itwasdestroyed,savingtheworld.

Tryitwithoneofyourownstories.Cutthestorydownuntilyoucansayitin15seconds,or20,or10.Timeyourself.(Reallydothat!)You'relearningtobeconcise,acruciallyimportantinterviewingskill.Oneofyourfirstchancestouseavery-brieflytoldstorywillcomeintheveryfirstinterviewquestion:"Wouldyoupleasetellmealittlebitaboutyourself?"Ifyou'relikemostinterviewees,yourreactiontothatfirstquestionrangesfrompuzzlementtooutrightdread.Whattosay?Wheretostart?Thenextchaptermaytransformthisintoyourfavoritequestion,onethatbuildsyourconfidence,makesyoulookgoodandgetsthewholeinterviewoffontherightfooting–onyouragenda.

CHAPTER3

Acingthe#1InterviewQuestion:"Tellmeaboutyourself"

Youonlygetonechancetomakeafirstimpression.

–WillRogersThefirsthandshakesareoverandeveryoneisseated."So,"beginstheinterviewer,"tellmeaboutyourself."Icallthisthe#1interviewquestion,fortworeasons–becauseittypicallycomesfirst,andalsobecauseitmaywellbethemostimportant.Youranswerisacrucialfirstimpression:thefirsttimethey'velistenedtoyoutalk.Likethefirsteyecontact,it'sadefiningmoment.(Soinaway,youdogetmorethanonechancetomakea"first"impression.)Ifyou'relikemostjobseekers,youdreadthisquestion(technically,moreofacommand).Whocanblameyou?It'ssovague.Whatonearthdoestheinterviewerwanttoknow?Abetterquestionwouldbe,whatdoyouwantthemtoknow?Thisquestionisacarteblancheinvitation,anopportunitytofocustheinterviewer'sattentionexactlywhereyouwantit,onthereasonstheyshouldhireyou–inotherwords,theREVPoints(keysellingpointsthatareRelevant,ExceptionalandVerifiable)thatwediscussedinChapter1.YouranswertothisquestionisyourREVIntro.Let'slookathowtopreparethispowerfultoolthatwillgetyourinterviewofftoaverypersuasivestart–leavingyoufeelingmoreconfidentfortherestofthemeeting.

LessIsMoreManycandidatesthinktheyneedtobecompleteintheiranswer,asiftheemployerhadasked"Tellmeallaboutyourself."Freeyourselfofthatburdenrightnow.Youhavethewholeinterviewaheadofyou.Detailscancomelater.YourREVIntrowillbeabrief,mile-highoverviewofwhatyoubringtothetableandwhat'sspecialaboutyou.It'sanintroduction,notabook!Keepitdowntoaminuteortwo.

NoMatterHowTheySayIt

Therearevariousversionsoftheopeningquestion.Theymightsay"Canyouintroduceustoyourqualifications?"or"Howaboutwalkingmethroughyourbackground?"orevenablunt"What'syourstory?"Nomatterhowtheyaskthisquestion,whatthey'rereallysayingis:"Whyshouldwehireyou(insteadofoneofourotherqualifiedcandidates)?"Whatdoyouhavethattheothercandidatesdon't?

CraftanAnswerThatSellsAREVIntroisbasedonthosethreetofiveREVPointsyoudevelopedinChapter1.YoucanturnyourREVpointsintoaveryeffective"Tellmeaboutyourself"answerbybasicallylistingthem.It'salmostassimpleasthat.Examples:REVIntroYoumayrecallDeniseWilliams,theSalesManagerinChapter1,andherkeysellingpoints:

1. Trackrecordofconsistentlyover-achievinggoalsandearningawardsinFortune500companies

2. Exceptionaltalentforeffectivelyanticipatingandnavigatingchangethroughcross-functionalcollaboration

3. Learnsquicklyanddeliversresultsfast(ThesepointshaveREV–they'reRelevant,ExceptionalandVerifiable.Points2and3soundlikeopinionsbutDenisewill"verify"thembystoriesshetellslaterintheinterview.)Soheranswerto"Tellmeaboutyourself"–herREVIntro–soundslikethis:"(Interviewer'sname),basedonyourjobannouncementandmyphonescreeningwith(recruiter'sname),it'sclearthenewpersoninthisroleneedstohitthegroundrunninganddeliverresultsfast.That'swhatI'vebeenabletodoatTopTierTechnology;Itransformedteammoraleanddoubledrevenueswithinthreemonths.AtStrongSolutionsIachievedsimilarearlywins,whichmymanagerlatermentionedinarecommendationonLinkedIn."Asamanager,andearlierasarep,I'veconsistentlybeenwellovergoal,asyoumayhavenoticedfromtheawardsinmyresume.Therearesomeinterestingstoriesbehindthose,whichIwouldbehappytotellifyoulike."Anotherneedthatwasmentionedintheannouncement–andsomethingthat'saspecialtyandapassionofmine–istoanticipateandcapitalizeonchange.AtStrongIsawhowthenewwearabletechnologieswerecreatingopportunitiesforus,andIworkedwithMarketingandProducttomaximizethose."WouldyouliketohearmoreaboutanythingI'vesaidsofar?"Foranotherexample,let'slookatLindaSmith,theHumanResourcesManager.Linda'sREVPointswere:

1. Broad,abundantlydemonstratedexpertiseinEmployeeRelations,LaborRelations,CompensationandBenefits,HRInformationSystemsandAnalytics

2. Talentforstrategicthinking3. Severalawardsforcreatingsuccessfulprogramsandinitiatives4. Inspiresaloyalandhigh-performingteam(provenbystories,LinkedInrecommendations

andteammembers'careeradvancement)5. MBA

ThosepointsbecamethisREVIntro:

"Iwasexcitedtoseethatyou'relookingforsomeonewithexpertiseinsomanydifferentareaswithinHR,becausethat'sexactlywhatmybackgroundislike.I'vebeenveryfortunatethatmy14-yearcareeratNiagara,Inc.andDavisDirecthasallowedmetogainexperienceinallofthem–EmployeeRelations,LaborRelations,CompensationandBenefits,HRInformationSystemsandAnalytics.I'vemanagedalloftheseareas,andsolvedcomplexstrategicissuesineveryoneofthem."Forexample…(two-sentencesuccessstoryillustratingherstrategicskills)…forwhichIwasrecognizedwithaTopPerformeraward,oneoffourI'vewonduringmytimewithEFGInc."Icouldn'thaveachievedanyofthatwithoutareallyengagedteam.I'mverypassionateaboutbuildingthatengagement.Igettoknowmystaffindividuallyandwhattheirowngoalsare,thenhelpthemseethealignmentbetweenthosegoalsanddepartment'sneeds.Ithasworkedwell;inthepastfiveyearsI'vehadfourteammemberspromoted.Iwassorrytolosesomeofthem,butatthesametimeitwasagreatfeelingseeingthemreachtheirdreams."I'malsopassionateaboutservingthebusiness.MyMBAhashelpedmepartnercloselywithleadersinvariousdepartments."Howdoesthatmatchuptowhatyou'relookingfor?"

EssentialsofaGoodAnswer

Theexamplesaboveworkbecausetheyhavethefollowingelements:

• AfocusonREVPoints.

• Justalittlecareersummary.

• Humanity–abitofinsightintopersonalityormotivations.

• Brevity–Denise'sanswertakeslessthanaminuteandLinda'stakesaminuteandahalf.

• Anatural,conversationaltone.

The"TalkingPointsOutline"(Atoolforbeingpreparedwhilestillsoundingnatural.)

Planningyouranswerword-for-wordandmemorizingit–inotherwords,recitingfromascript–doesnotmakeagoodimpression.Scriptedanswers…

…don'tsoundnatural,becausepeopledon'tspeakthewaytheywrite.…arelessbelievable,asifthey'renotyourownwords.…maymaketheemployerthinkyoulackgoodcommunicationskillsortheabilitytothinkonyourfeet.…areboringtolistento.

Insteadofascript,createabare-bonesoutlineofyour"talkingpoints"topracticewith,sothattheideasareplanned,butthewordsarefresheverytime.Example:REVIntro"TalkingPoints"OutlineToillustratewhatImean,let'staketheexampleofRickJohnson,theEnergyEfficiencyEngineerfromChapter1.HereagainarehisREVPoints:

1. Fiveyearsexperienceinenergyefficiencyengineering2. ExperienceconductingASHRAElevel1,2and3energyauditsleadingtoanaverageof20%

energysavingsperbuilding3. Relevantadvanceddegree4. MemberofTechnicalAdvisoryCommitteedraftingCordobaCounty’sfirstGreenBuilding

OrdinancesRickplannedaREVIntrothatbasicallylistshiskeysellingpoints,addssomereasonsheisattractedtothejobhe'sinterviewingfor,andfinisheswithaquestionthatformsasmoothhand-offbacktotheinterviewer.Hisoutlinemaynotmakemuchsensetoyouorme,becausehewroteitforhimself.Allyouneedtounderstandfromitishowbriefyoucanbe,andhowyoucanusebullets,sub-bullets,symbolsandabbreviationstocreateanextremelyskimmable,memorizableoutline.

REVIntroOutline• "Forthepastfiveyears…"• >50ASHRAEaudits

o 20%energysavingsperbuilding• ordinances• attractedtojobbecause:

o uniqueenergychallengeso opportunitieso bornhere&wanttomovebacko afterMaster's,1stjobinIAo familyinNVo backpacking

• "WhatquestionsorcommentsdoyouhaveaboutanythingI'vesaidsofar?"(Smile.)Thisoutlinedidn'ttellRickexactlywhattosay.Itjustremindedhimwhattotalkabout.Thatallowedhimtopracticeansweringinanatural,conversationalmanner.Soonhehadtheoutlinememorized–buttheansweritselfwasgiveninslightlydifferentwordseverytime,soitalwayssoundedfresh.Andofcourse,hemademinortweakstofitthedifferentopportunitiesheinterviewedforuntilhelandedhisnewjob.Here'showhisREVIntrosounded:

"ForthepastfiveyearsI'vebeenanenergyefficiencyengineerwithAdamsAssociatesinDesMoines,workingonresidential,commercialandpublicbuildings,soIhavemorethanthetwotothreeyearsyou'reaskingfor.I'veconductedmorethan50ASHRAE1,2and3energyauditsthathaveledtoanaverageof20%energysavingsperbuilding.

"Ialsoleadateamthatconsultstopublicagencies,andIrecentlyservedasamemberofaTechnicalAdvisoryCommitteethatdraftedCordobaCounty’sfirstGreenBuildingOrdinances."I'mveryattractedtothisjobwiththeStateofNevadabecauseoftheuniqueenergychallengesinthisstateandthegreatopportunitiesinthisorganization.Also,IwasbornhereandIwanttomoveback.AfterIcompletedmyMaster'sinMechanicalEngineeringIowaState,itwasnaturaltogetmyfirstjobthere,butIhavefamilyinRenosoitfeelslikehome.Plus,Iloveoutdooractivitieslikebackpacking,andtheareaissogreatforthat."WhatquestionsorcommentsdoyouhaveaboutanythingI'vesaidsofar?"

10StepstoYourGreatREVIntro

Nowyoucancreateyourownoutline,practicewithitandbereadytoacethe#1interviewquestionwithyourownstrategic,natural-soundingREVIntro.GetouttheprioritizedlistofREVPointsyoudevelopedinChapter1.Thenfollowthesesteps:

1. Getyouranswerofftoagoodstart.OftenthebestwaytostartisbycombiningoneofyourtopREVpointswithaone-tothree-sentencesummaryofyourcareer.(Thinkit'snotpossibletosumupyourcareerinasentence?Sureitis.How'sthisforashortcareersummary:"DwightD.Eisenhowerrosethroughthemilitarytobecomeageneralandfinallythe34thPresidentoftheUnitedStates.")

Denise,LindaandRickalsodidthisintheexamplesabove.Socanyou.Mentionthenumberofyearsofexperienceyouhaveonlyifthatnumbermatchesormoderatelyexceedswhattheemployerislookingfor.

2. MoveontoanotherREVPoint.Askyourself:Whichofmyotherpointsfollowsnaturallyafter

that?Segueintoit.(Linda'sanswerisagreatexampleofuseoftransitions:briefconnectingstatementsthatsmoothlychangethesubjectfromoneREVPointtothenext.Butdon’tgethunguponthis;atransitioncanbeassimpleassaying"Also…").ContinueuntilyouhaveincludedallofyourREVPoints.

3. Includeanexampleortwotoillustrateyourclaims.Putthe"V"inVerifiable!Butyoudon'tneedtoproveeveryclaiminthisanswer;it'smorelikeaspotcheck.Givingoneortwoexamplesimpliesthatyoucanbackupyourclaimsingeneral.

4. Revealyourself,without"TMI"(TooMuchInformation)!SomewhereinyourREVIntro–

probablytowardtheend–addalittleinsightintowhoyouare:talkaboutwhatmotivatesorinspiresyou,discussyourphilosophyaboutyourjob,orevenshareapersonalinterestifitsupportsyourbrand.Avoidirrelevantpersonalinformationsuchasyourage.

It'susuallybestnottotalkaboutbeingaparent,unlesslifeexperiencewithchildren'sneedsandinterestsishighlyrelevanttothejob.Youdon'twanttheinterviewerpicturingyougettingpersonalphonecallsfromthekids,leavingearly,andsoon(whetherthatreallydescribesyouornot).Keepchildrenandworkseparate,startingwiththeinterview.

Humorisaplus,aslongasit'sabsolutelyinoffensive.Ofcourse,avoidanythingcontroversial–politics,religionandsoon.

5. Planagoodending.Otherwise,youmayfindyourselftrailingoffwithsomethinglike"Soyeah,that'saboutit."Clunk!Onegreatwaytoendiswithanopen-endedquestion(i.e.,onethatcan'tbeansweredwitha"yes"or"no")deliveredwithawelcomingsmile.Thishelpstheinterviewdevelopintoaconversation,adialogueratherthananinterrogation.Andwouldn'titbeusefultoknowtheinterviewer'sreactiontowhatyoujustsaid?Ifyou'reluckyyoumightgetsomeusefulinformationhere,andattheveryleastyou'veshownaninterestintheinterviewer'sthoughts.Advancedtechnique:Abolderandmorememorableendingwouldbetoaskaquestionthatturnstheconversationtowardtheemployer'spainpoints–theirmostpressingneeds–andhowyoucanhelpmeetthem."Sothat'salittleaboutme.MayIaskaquestion?Howdoyouplantorespondtothechallengecreatedby(industrytrendaboutwhichyouhavestrongexpertisetooffer)?"Thisapproachcanworkespeciallywellifyouunderstandthebusinesswellandhaveaknackforconsultingorconsultativesales.

OK,nowyou'vegotyourroughdraft.Howdoyouworkwiththis?

6. Typeitupinaneat,outlineform.Usebulletsandsub-bulletstohelporganizeyourthinking.Useabbreviationsandsymbolstomakeitconciseandvisual.Themoreyoumakeiteasytoread,thelessitwillintrudeontheprocessofexpressingyourselfinanaturalway.Theremaybejustafewspotswhereyouwanttomemorizeexactwords.PutthosewordsinquotesasRickdid,above.(Dothisveryminimally.Don'tturnyourselfintoarecording!)

7. SpeakyourREVIntrooutloud,usingtheoutlineasyourroadmap,andtimeyourself.Yourintroshouldbenolongerthanonetotwominutes.Ifit'slonger,pruneitdown.Remember,thisisjustthestartoftheinterview.Whateveryoudeletecanbesaidlater,astheinterviewprogresses.

8. Adjusttheoutlineasmanytimesasyouneedto.Thisisaniterativeprocess,like"lather,rinse,repeat."Honeyouroutlinepatientlyanditwillguideyoutosuccess.

9. Now,practicewithoutlookingattheoutline.(Itmaybehelpfultomemorizetheoutline.That's

anotherreasonformakingtheoutlineveryconciseandclear:itwillbeeasiertomemorize.)Didyouforgetsomethinginonespot?Practicethatspot,includingwhatevercomesjustbeforeandafterit.Continueuntilyoucansaythewholeanswerwithoutlookingattheoutline.

10. Getfeedback.Dosomeofyourpracticewithamirror,orbetteryet,takeaselfie-videoofyour

answertoseeandhearhowyou'redoing.Practicewithabuddyoracoachandaskforfeedbackonwhatworkedwellandwhatcouldbebetter.

TogetherwithyourREVPointsandSOARstories,withyourREVIntroyou'venowcompletedwhatyouneedtoprepareforawinninginterview.You'llfindtheremainingchapterseasiernowthatyouhavethesethreefundamentalpiecesinhand.

Iknow,"practice,practice,practice"–it'seasiersaidthandone.Howdoyoumotivateyourselftopractice?Howcanyoupracticeintherightwaysoyou'rerewardedwithsubstantialimprovement?

CHAPTER4

AWordaboutPracticing

Anhourofpracticeisworthfivehoursoffoot-dragging.—PanchoSegura

Likeanyskill,interviewingimproveswithpractice.You'veprobablythoughtaboutthedifferencebetweenworkinghardandworkingsmart.Herearesometipsforpracticingsmart.

Makeitpainless.Whatdoyouneedtodotoenjoypracticingyourinterviewskills–oratleast,nothateit?Startwithabriefperiodoftimeforapracticesession,like30minutes.Setatimer.Whenthetimerrings,you'redone!Easypeasy,huh?Associatepracticingwithenjoymentbyrewardingyourselfwithatreatwhenyou'redone.Itcanbeassimpleasalittlesnack,acupofteaorafewminutesofdoingsomethingyouenjoy.Ienjoypettingmycat.

Focusonwhatyouwantratherthanwhatyoudon'twant.Forexample,ifyoutendtosay"um"or"uh"toomuch,startfocusingonpausingsilentlyinstead.(Bytheway,youcanrelaxabouttheoccasional"um."Eventhebestprofessionalspeakerssayitoccasionally.)

Haveavividvisionofsuccess.Makealistofthespecificbehaviorsyouwanttoseeinyourinterviewing,suchaspausingbrieflytoconsiderthequestionthathasbeenasked,movingthroughthekeypointsofyouranswer,smilingandsoon.Takethetimetoimagineyourselfdoingtheinterviewthatway–whatitwilllooklike,soundlike,feellike–andgettingapositiveresponsefromtheinterviewer.

Practicepurposefully,notmindlessly.Rememberwhenyouwereachildandyouweregreatatpretending?Usethatabilitynowtoimagineyou'rereallytalkingtoaninterviewer–onewholikeswhatthey'reseeingandhearing.Role-playwiththesamealert,friendlytoneofvoiceandbodylanguageyouwanttodisplayintheinterview.

Domultiplesessions,notmarathons.Severalshortpracticesessionswilldoabetterjobofimprintingnewskillsinyourmemorythantheonemarathonfollowedbyaweekofignoringthewholething.

Ifyourpracticeisn'tworking,tryitadifferentway.

Ifoneofmyrecommendationsdoesn'tworkforyou,figureoutsomethingelse.Haveyoueverpracticedasport,amusicalinstrument,acraft?Whathasthattaughtyouaboutpracticing?Bringthatwisdomtointerviewingpractice.

Enlistfriends,webresourcesand/oraskilledinterviewcoach.Mockinterviewswithafriendorspouseareausefulsupplementtopracticingalone.Askforhonestfeedbackonwhat'sworkingandwhatcouldbebetter.Interviewpracticeappsandwebsitescanbehelpfulaswell,rangingfromgeneralappslikeJobInterviewQuestion-AnswertotechnicalinterviewpracticesiteslikePramp.Forthemostcustomizedandin-depthassistance,considerworkingwithaprofessionalinterviewcoach.InterviewcoachescanbefoundonLinkedIn,YelporthroughageneralInternetsearch;andofcourse,seeAbouttheAuthorforinformationaboutmyownservices.Nowthatyou'vegotideasabouthowtopractice,let'sgetbacktothebreadandbutterofinterviewing:answeringquestions.You'llcomeupwithauthenticandstrategicallysmartanswerstotrickyquestionslike"Whydidyouleaveyourjob?","Whatareyourstrengthsandweaknesses?"anddozensmore.Infact,we'llstartwithtipsfordealingwithanyquestionatall.

SectionTwo

Questions:AnsweringandAsking

CHAPTER5

HowtoAnswerAnyInterviewQuestion

Wisemenspeakbecausetheyhavesomethingtosay;foolsbecausetheyhavetosaysomething.–Plato

AnswerAuthenticallyandStrategicallyAuthenticityandstrategycouldalmostbecalledthe"yinandyang"ofgoodinterviewing–exceptthattheyaren'topposites.Theoppositeofauthenticityisphoniness,andtheoppositeofstrategyisrandomness,orcarelessness.Manyjobcandidatesfailtobestrategic.Theymayinterviewinanhonestandstraightforwardway,butwithoutbeingclearwhatmessagesthey'retryingtocommunicateorhowtheiranswersaregoingtogetthemthejob(ornot).Beingstrategicmeansaskingyourself"Howisthisquestionanopportunitytosellmyabilities?Keepyoureyesontheprize!Thiswillmakeyouranswersmorecompellingandrelevant.Even"negative"soundingquestionslike"Whatisyourweakness?"areanopportunitytosellyourselfbyshowingthatyouareself-aware,realisticaboutyourlimitationsandalwaysstrivingtoimprove.Beingstrategicmeansproactivelytakingresponsibilityformakingsureyourmessagecomesacross.Let'ssayyou'vegotsomegreatstoriesprepared,butnothingtheinterviewersaysgivesyouanopportunitytobringthemup.Makeyourownopportunity.Saysomethinglike"SpeakingofX,mayItellyouabout…?"or"(Name),wehaven'ttalkedaboutX,butthere'ssomethingimportantIwantedtosayaboutthat,ifwehaveamoment…"Beingstrategicalsoincludesplanningoutanswerstosomeofthemorecrucialortrickyquestionsyoumaybeasked.Othercandidatesdon'tcomeacrossasbeingauthentic.Theygive"right"answersthatreflectwhattheythinktheinterviewerwantstohear,buttheanswerssound"canned"andinsincere.Maybetheyfoundthese"right"answersinabook.Ortheythoughtuptheirownanswers,butthey'vememorizedthem,wordforword,likeaspeech.Thiskindofpresentationdoesn'tbuildtrust,nordoesitdemonstrategoodcommunicationskills.Andit'sboring!InmockinterviewsIoftenhearcandidatesstrugglingtogiveaperfectanswerthathasverylittleconnectiontowhat'strueforthem.Iaskthem,"Okay,forgetabouttheinterviewversionfornow.Justbetweenyouandme,what'stheplainanswer?"Youmightthinkofthisasyour"best-friendanswer"–onewithnocautionorpolish,justtheblunttruth.Usuallythisspontaneousanswer,oratleastpartofit,containsthecoreofaperfectlygoodinterviewanswer.Itwillprobablyneedsomepruningandpolishing,butintheend,you'llbemoreauthenticandbelievablethanifyouhadgonestraightforthesafeandperfect,by-the-bookanswer.

Nodiscussionofauthenticityiscompletewithoutawordaboutlying.Asweallknow,peoplesometimeslieabouttheirqualifications.Intheshortrunitmaygetthemthejob,butitmayresultinterminationifthelieisdiscovered–andquitepossibly,far-reachingdamagetotheirreputations.Evenifthelieisneverdiscovered,theyliveinfearandmusthidetheirsecretfromeveryonetheyworkwith.Thisisnotnecessary.There'sinvariablyabetterwaytoaddresstrickyissuessuchasalongcareergap,havingbeenfired,anegativeworkincidentorevenacriminalrecord.(SomeofthesewillbecoveredinChapter7,CommonButNotEasy.)Bebothauthenticandstrategicinyourinterviewingandlettheinterviewerseethebestofwhoyoureallyare.

KnowWhattheInterviewerIsLookingfor

Therearethreeunspokenquestionsaninterviewerhasaboutyou,whichyoucanthinkofastheThreeC'sofInterviewing.(ThefollowingisderivedfromamodeldevelopedbytheoutplacementfirmLeeHechtHarrison.)ThethreeC'sareCompetence,Compatibilitywiththecompanyculture,andChemistry.Competence:Ofcourse,theinterviewerwantstomakesureyoucandothejob,anddoitwell.Thisiswhatwealltendtothinkthewholeinterviewisabout:whetherthecandidatehasthenecessaryexperience,technicalskillsandsoftskills.Butactuallythere'smore.Compatibilitywiththecompanyculture:Theyalsowanttomakesureyou'llworkwellinthisparticularenvironment,especiallyifit'squitedifferentfromtheorganizationsyou'veworkedinbefore.Forexample,someorganizationsareveryhard-drivingandcompetitive,whileothersaremorecollaborative;someareveryhierarchicalandformal,whileothersaremoreopenandwanteveryonetobealeader.Showtheemployerthatyouunderstandandappreciatetheircompanycultureandwillworkwellwithinit.Ifyouhavemoreexperiencewiththattypeofculturethanyourresumeindicates,clarifythat.Chemistry:Lastbutnotleast,theywantasensethatyou'll"click"withthebossandteammembersandthatthey'llenjoyspendingabigchunkoftheirwakinghourswithyou,dayafterday.Don'tunderestimateorforgettheimportanceoflikingandbeinglikedbythepeopleyou'remeeting–allofthem,includingthereceptionist,shuttledriverandsoon.Muchofthiscomesdowntoeverydaythingslikefriendlychitchat,showinganinterestinpeople,activelistening,andbodylanguagesuchasafirmhandshake,eyecontactandawarmsmile.Inmanycases,chemistryisevenmoreimportantthancompetence.

UnderstandBeforeYouAnswer

We'veallbeentaughtinschooltoanswerquickly,butansweringinstantlyinaninterviewcangivetheimpressionthatyou'renottakingthequestionseriously,orthatyouhaveyouranswersmemorized.Answeringtooquicklycanalsoleadtotheembarrassingexperienceofrealizing,inthemiddleofyouranswer,thatyou'veforgottenthequestion.Sopauseforamoment–usuallytwotofivesecondsisaboutright–andrepeatthequestionsilentlytoyourself.Ifthequestionislongorcomplex,repeatitaloudtoensureyou'vegotitright.

Whileyou'reatit,makesureyoufullyunderstandthequestion.Isitabehavioralquestion,requiringyoutotellastory?Makesureyoutellone.Doesthequestionhavemultipleparts?Getreadytoanswerthemall.Isthequestionvagueorunclear?Askforclarificationifnecessary."I'dlovetoanswerthat,andbeforeIdo,couldyoujustclarifyformewhichaspectof…"Thisisskillfulcommunication–anditwillenableyoutogiveamorerelevantanswer.There'sanothermajoradvantageinaskingquestionsrelatedtowhat'sbeingdiscussed:itmakestheinterviewfeelmorelikeadialogueorconversation,andlesslikeaninterrogation.Thatmakesitmoreenjoyable–andapersonwhoenjoyedtheirconversationwithyouismorelikelytowanttoworkwithyou.

ListenBetweentheLines

Thinkaboutwhattheemployeristryingtofindoutwitheachquestion.Usuallyit'sstraightforward,asin"Tellmeaboutyourexperiencewith(techniqueortask)."Ontheotherhand,aquestionaboutyourbossisindirect:it'sreallyaquestionaboutyou,andwhetheryou'reeasytomanage,andwhetheryouspeakrespectfullyofothersevenwhenthey'renotpresent.

BeSpecificandConcrete

Question:"What'syourmanagementstyle?"Answer:"I'mfair,mydoorisalwaysopen,andIcoachmyteamtoexcelandhelpthemmoveup."Thisanswersoundstrite,uninterestingandvague.Itneitherinformsnorpersuades!Whynot?Becauseitlacksthespecificdetailsthatwouldmakeitrealandconvincing.Whatdoyoumeanby"fair"?Canyougiveanexample?Doyouhaveaspecialphilosophyormottoaboutcoaching?Canyoutellastoryaboutateammemberwhosecareeryouhelpedtransform?

UseSoundBites

Publicfiguresusesoundbites–short,memorablephrasesandslogans–becausetheyareeasilyrememberedwhenmorewordy,genericlanguagehasbeenforgotten.Ofcourse,youcan'talwaysspeakinsoundbites–itwouldbedifficultandjustplainweird–butasyouthinkaboutyouranswers,watchforthekindsofshort,expressivelanguagethatweallcomeacrosseveryday.Onecandidatetoldmehermottoatworkis"Havefun,butgetitdone!"That'samemorablephrase.Anothertoldmehecreatedabitofsoftwarethatcausedateammateinastaffmeetingtosay"That'sthecoolestthingI'veeverseen!"It'snotShakespeare,butitpacksapunch.Lookfor"soundbites"liketheseinyourLinkedInrecommendationsandperformancereviews.Memorizethem–theyarequotes,afterall–andsprinklethemintoyourinterviews.

KeepItPositive

Nevervolunteeranegativeaboutyourself,suchasconfessingtoaweaknesswhentheinterviewerhasn'taskedaboutyourweaknesses.

Don'tsaywhatyoudidn'tlikeaboutanypastjob,unlessaskedtodoso.Don'tbadmouthyourformerboss,co-workersorcompany.Thisisoneofthesurestwaystodestroyyourchancesatajobinterview.Occasionally,astoryaboutyourownaccomplishmentsmightunavoidablymentionchallengescreatedbyothers:aco-workernotpullingtheirownweight,oranunderperformingemployeeyoumanaged.Beverytactful,respectful,objectiveandbriefaboutthebehavior.Preservethisperson'sreputationbyomittinganyinformationthatwouldallowanyonetoidentifythem.

HandleNegativesSkillfullySometimesyouhavetoaddressanegative,aswhenyou'reaskedaquestionaboutyourweaknesses,mistakesandfailures,orwhyyouleft(orwerefiredfrom)pastjobs.Thesequestionscanactuallybeopportunitiestodemonstratestrengthssuchastransparency,resilience,andlearningvaluablelessonsfromexperience.Tohandlethesetypeofquestionseffectively,followthesepointers:

• Planandpracticeyouranswers.Planningyourtalkingpointsisalwayssmart,andthesequestionsmayevenjustifyanexceptiontomywarningaboutscriptingexactlanguage.Anddopracticewithsomeone–apeeroraninterviewcoach.

• Usethe"sandwich"technique:surroundthenegativeswithpositives."WhydidIleavePositivePromotions?Ilovedmyworkthere,andIplayedakeyroleinmanymajorwins,suchas(maybethreeultra-briefexamples),whichIcantellyoumoreabouttoday.ThenIwasdiagnosedwithRavelSyndrome,andIhadtotakeayearofftorecovermyhealth.LastmonthmydoctorsaidI'mfullyrecoveredandshouldbefinefromnowon.IfeelgreatandI'vebeenattendingconferencesandreadingalottorefreshmyskillswhilelookingfortherightopportunity.I'mveryexcitedaboutthisopening."

• Keepthenegativepartbrief.Seetheexampleabove,wherethereasonforleavingthejobtakes

uponlyone-fifthoftheanswer.Itcanbehardtobebriefaboutsomethingyouhavestrongfeelingsabout.Questionslike"Tellmeaboutadifficultpersonyouhadtoworkwith"or"Whydoyouwanttoleaveyourjob?"presentastrongtemptationtokvetchandcommiserate,particularlywhenyourinterviewerhasthenaturalempathyweoftenseeamonghumanresourcesfolks.Resistthaturgefirmly.

• Setyourfeelingsasideandspeakinanemotionallyneutralmanner.Thismayrequirethatyou

workthroughthosefeelingsaheadoftime.Tryjournaling,talkingtoatrustedfriend,readingself-helpbooksorgettingprofessionalhelp.Aseveryproathleteorperformerknows,stateofmindiscrucialtosuccess.

• Don'tcreatenegativesoundbites.AsauthorJeffHadenhaswritten,"Interviewerswillonly

rememberafewsoundbites,especiallynegativeones.Don'tsay,'I'veneverbeeninchargeoftraining.'Say,'Ididnotfillthatspecificrole,butIhavetraineddozensofnewhiresandcreatedseveraltrainingguides.'"Ratherthansaying"Ihaven't"or"Ican't,"tellthemwhatyouhavedoneandcando.

KnowthattheInterviewerWantsYoutoSucceedGoodnews!Theinterviewerwouldlikenothingbetterthantobewowedbyyou,toknowthathisproblem–lackinganemployee–isabouttobesolved.Beginthinkingoftheinterviewerasafuturecolleaguewhothinkshighlyofyourskills,andwithwhomyou'llsoonhaveafriendlyandproductiveworkingrelationship.

BeConciseLong-winded,wanderinganswerscanbeadeal-breaker.Employersdon'twanttohirepeoplewhorambleonanddon'tgettothepoint,orwhodon'tleaveenoughairspaceforotherstotalk–especiallythemselves!Howlongshouldyouranswersbe?Tellingacomplexandimportantstory,suchas"theaccomplishmentyou'remostproudof,"maywarranttwominutes,orevenabitmore.Butmostinterviewquestionscan–andshould–beansweredinlessthanaminute.Doesansweringinlessthan60secondssounddifficult?Haveyoufoundyourselframblinginpastinterviews,unsurewhenorhowtofinishyouranswer?Thenextchapterwillhelpyoumakeagreatimpressionkeepingallofyouranswersconciseandtothepoint.

CHAPTER6

HowtoSpeakConcisely

Ifittakesalotofwordstosaywhatyouhaveinmind,giveitmorethought.–AuthorDennisRoth

“Beginatthebeginning,"theKingsaid,verygravely,"andgoontillyoucometotheend:thenstop.”

―LewisCarroll'sAliceinWonderland

Oneofthemostcommonwaystofailajobinterviewistogivelong,wanderinganswerstotheinterviewer'squestions.Youneedthemtobeexcitedaboutyou–notoverwhelmedorbored.Mostinterviewquestionscanandshouldbeansweredinlessthanaminute.Others,especiallywhereyou'retellingastory,maytaketwominutesormore.Ananswerlongerthanfiveminutesisprobablyamistake.Beconcise.You'veheardthatbefore,butit'snotaseasyasitsounds.Howcanyoudoit?

KnowWhatYouNeedtoSayThemaincauseoframblingisalackofclarityaboutwhereyou'regoinginyouranswer.InChapter1yousawthatidentifyingtheSituation,Actions,ObstaclesandResultsinyourSOARstorycanhelpyoucoverthekeypointsefficiently,likecheckingitemsoffalist.AndinChapter3yousawhowatalking-pointsoutlinecanhelpyouprepareaclearandconciseanswerto"Tellmeaboutyourself."Othercommonquestionscanbetreatedinthesameway.Planyouranswersbynotingyourtalkingpoints,thentimingyourselfasyouusethemtorunthroughyouransweraloud.Aftergoingthroughthisprocessmultipletimesoveraperiodofdays,you'relikelytofindyourselfbeingmoreconciseevenonanswersyouhaven'tprepared!

KnowHowtoEnd

Sometimesweramblebecausewe'relookingforanending–somethingtotieupyouranswerneatly,like"…andtheyalllivedhappilyeverafter,"or"…andthat'showtheysavedtheworld."Interviewanswerscanactuallyendinasimilarway!Herearefourwaystoendyourstatements:

1. Results.Ifyou'retellingastoryyoucanendwiththeimpactandbenefitsofyourwork:"Thisnewprogramincreasedrevenues20%andbecamethemodelforsimilareffortsinfiveotherdivisions."

2. Referringbacktotheinterviewer'squestion."Sothat'showI'ddescribemymanagementstyle."

3. Relatingwhatyou'vesaidtothejob/companyyou'reinterviewingfor."Haveyouhadsimilarsituationshere?"or"Doesthatsoundlikeastrategythatcouldworkhere?"

4. Aquestion:"Isthereanythingmoreyou'dliketoknowaboutwhatI'vejustsaid?"Asyouprepareanswers,makeapointofpracticingeachofthesefourtypesofendings,sothatyougetinthehabitofusingthem.

Still"GoingLong"?Herearetwopracticetechniquesthatareboundtomakeadifference.

• Givetoo-conciseanswers(yes!actuallytooshort!),followedbyaquestionlike:"Wouldyoulikemoredetailinanyareaofthat?"

• Onceyou'vepracticedlotsoftoo-shortanswers,youcanthenmakeyourwaybacktowardsaperfect"GoldilocksZone"whereyouranswersarenottooshort,nottoolong,butjustright.

• "Bottomline"youranswers.Inotherwords,whenyoufindyou'rerambling,interruptyourselfwithoneofthesephrases:

o "Togetstraighttothebottomline…"o "Andtheessenceofthisstoryis…"o "Tomakealongstoryshort…"

…Andthengetstraighttothepoint.

Bynowyou'reprobablyitchingtogetyourhandsonsomespecificinterviewquestions.Inthenextchapterwe'lllookatmanyofthemostcommonquestions,withtipsforansweringtheminawaythatshowsyouatyourbest.

CHAPTER7

CommonButNotEasy:QuestionsYou'llNeedtoAnswer

Firstlearnthemeaningofwhatyousay,andthenspeak.–Epictetus

Thetroublewithtalkingtoofastisyoumaysaysomethingyouhaven'tthoughtofyet.

–AnnLanders

Weallknowmanyjobsarebeingreplacedbyautomationthesedays;evenbyrobots.Butifyou'reinterviewingforajob,itmeanstheemployerdoesn'twantarobot.Interviewersaresickofrobotic,"canned"answerscandidateshavereadinbooks.Soinsteadoffeedingyoureadymadeanswers,I'mgoingtohelpyouthinkthroughandprepareyourownanswers–onesthatarebothauthenticandstrategic.

"Tellmeaboutyourself."Thisquestionissoimportantithasachapteralltoitself.Ifyouhaven'talreadyreadandworkedwithChapter3,nowisthetime.

"Whatisyourgreateststrength?"ThinkaboutthosekeysellingpointsyouidentifiedinChapter1.What'satthetopofthatlist?ItshouldbeastrengththathasalltheREVfactors:onethatisRelevant,ExceptionalandVerifiable.Illustrateyourpointwithastory.

"Whyshouldwehireyou?"Focusonyourkeysellingpointsandhowtheyrelatetotheorganizationanditsneeds.Thismaybeverysimilartoyouranswerto"Tellmeaboutyourself,"butsayitadifferentway,usingdifferentexamples.

"Tellmeabouttheaccomplishmentyouaremostproudof."Ifyou'vedoneyourworkwithChapter2,youhaveplentyofSOARstoriestochoosefrominansweringthisquestion.Youranswermaybetakenasareflectionnotonlyofyourskillsbutalsowhatmakesyouproud–inotherwords,whatyoufindvaluableandmotivating.Makesureyourchoiceishighlyrelevanttothejobyou'reinterviewingfor.

"Whydoyouwantthisjob?"Whatisitabouttherole,theproduct,themissionand/ortheorganizationthatexcitesyou?Listthesethingsinyourmind.Youranswershouldbebuiltupontheitemsthatarecentraltodoingthejob,thethingsthatwillmotivateyouonaday-to-daybasis,especiallythattheroleisagoodfitforyourinterestsandskills,andthatyoulovetheproductorbelieveinthemission.Youcanalsoadd,asasecondary

reason,thatyoufeellikeyou'llbecompatiblewiththecompanycultureorthatyou'veheardit'sagreatplacetowork.Avoidemphasizingthatyou'reexcitedaboutthemoney,thelocationorthehours.

"What'syouridealworkenvironment?"First,askyourselfwhytheinterviewerisaskingthisquestion.Aretheyplanningtogooutoftheirwaytomakesureyouhavetheidealworkenvironment?No?Sowhyaretheyasking?Onceyouthinkaboutit,youundoubtedlyrealizethatthey'retryingtofindout(a)whethertheirenvironmentissimilartowhatyou'relookingfor,and(b)whetheryou'rereasonableandflexibleinyourexpectations.Focusyouransweroncommon,reasonablefactorsthatwillmotivateyoutodoyourbest–likeateamenvironment,opensharingofinformation,orafocusoncustomersatisfaction.Don'ttalkaboutpreferencesthataremoreself-focusedsuchasamenitiesorbenefits,orsuperficialitemssuchastheappearanceoftheoffice.Andmakeitclearthatyoudonotrequireidealcircumstancesandcanperformexcellentlyunderawiderangeofconditions.

"Wheredoyouseeyourselfinfiveyears?"Whyaretheyaskingyouthis?Foronething,theywanttoknowwhetherthejobalignswithyourgoals,andthuswhetheryou'llstickaround.Theymayalsobehopingyouhavesomeambition.Ambitiouspeopleoftenmakebetteremployees.They'remoremotivated,andtheymayworkharderandsmarter.Theymakeapointofgrowingtheirabilities.Ontheotherhand,thosewhocomeinwiththeireyeonahigherpositionandviewthecurrentroleonlyasasteppingstonemaybeimpatientandlackcommitmenttothetasksathand.Sogiveananswerthatcombinesadesiretogrow,ontheonehand,withrealism,patienceandcommitmentontheother.Beforetheinterview,seeifyoucanfindinformationaboutpathstoadvancementfromwithintheposition.Iftheonlypositionyoucanadvancetoisthatofthepersonyou'reinterviewingwith,proceedwithcare!Heprobablywon'tliketheideathatyouhaveyoureyeonhisjob,sojusttalkaboutgrowingandtakingonmoreresponsibility.Inmostcasesyouwon'thavemuchinformation,inwhichcaseit'ssafesttostartwithageneralanswerfollowedbyaquestion,likethis:"OverthenextfewyearsIseemyselfbuildingmyskills,takingonmoreresponsibilityandmovingup,ifit'sappropriate.Canyoutellmeabouthowothershaveadvancedfromthisrole?"Note:Althoughthequestionoftenincludesthephrase"fiveyears,"youdon'thavetobethatpreciseinyouranswer.Moreopen-endedtermslike"overthenextseveralyears"maybebest.

"Whydoyouwanttoleaveyourcurrentjob?"

Somereasonsareeasytotalkabout:

• Youlikeyourcurrentjob,andareonlyinterviewingbecauseyousawanotheropportunitytooexcitingtoresist.

• Youaresuccessfulinyourcurrentjobbutwishtomakeacareerchangethatyourcurrentcompanycan'tofferyou–e.g.,ashiftintoadifferentindustry.

• Thereisnopathforadvancementfromyourcurrentrole.• Youneedtorelocatetoadifferentcityorstate,andyourcurrentcompanycan'ttransferyou.

It'strickierifyou'releavingbecauseofaproblem–thatthecompanyispoorlymanaged,yourbossisdifficult,orsuch.It'sironicthatwhilethenumberonereasonmostpeoplequitjobsisbecauseoftheirbosses,thatisthelastreasonyoucansafelytalkaboutinaninterview.Likewise,it'spoorpracticetocriticizeyourcurrentcompany,especiallyifyouwouldberevealingissuesthatarenotpubliclyknown.Aswith"Whydidyouleaveyourpastjob,"takealookatallthereasonsyoumightwanttoleave,andfocusonreasonsthatpresentyouinagoodlight.

"Whydidyouleaveyourjob?"Ifyouleftandimmediatelystartedanewjob,thisiseasy:youleftforabetteropportunity(orwhatyouthoughtwasabetteropportunity,ifitdidn’tworkout).Butleavingwithoutanewjoblinedupisgenerallyaredflag,sothisquestionistricky.Thekeyisthis:althoughonereasonmaydominateinyourmind–probablythemostemotionalone,suchasapersonalityconflictorissuewiththeboss–usuallytherearemorereasons.Listthemallonapieceofpaper.Thenseewhichofthesereasonsmakesthebestimpression.Example:Joequithisjobforthefollowingreasons:(1)hisbosswasamicromanager,(2)thecompany,ahospital,hadtoxicofficepolitics,(3)thecircumstancesmadeitdifficultorimpossibletomoveupintoabetterdepartment,(4)hecouldn'tstayuntilhefoundanewjobbecausethejoblefthimnotimeorenergyforjobsearch,and(5)healsohadanitchtomoveintothepharmaceuticalindustry.Reasons1and2areaminefieldthatwouldbehardtodiscusswithoutpresentinghimselfasacomplainerwhobadmouthshisformeremployer.Buthedoesn'tneedtogothere;hecanbuildatruthfulansweroutofreasons3-5:"WhileBayworthHospitalisagreatinstitutionintermsofpatientcare,andIhadthreeexcellentyearsthere,withstrongaccomplishmentsliketheoneswe'vediscussed,therereallywasn'tapathupwardformethereanymore(reason#3).Itwastimetoleaveandpursuemylongtimeinterestinpharmaceuticalcompanies(#5)likethisone.Thejobwasintenselydemandinganditdidn'tleavemetheenergytoconductasearch.(#4)SoIgavenotice,helpedthedepartmentmakeasmoothtransition,andthenlefttodevotemyselftoafull-timeprocessoftransitioningintodoingwhatI'mmostpassionateabout."Whydoesthisanswerwork?Becauseit'strue,tactful,brief(30seconds)andfocusedonthepositive.It'salsoagreatexampleofthe"sandwichtechnique":surroundinganegative(thefactthatheleft)with

positives(hisrespectforthehospitalincertainways,hisaccomplishmentsandhispassionforthecurrentopportunity).WhatifJoehadbeenfired?InapastchapterIsaid"Nevervolunteeranegative."Joedoesn'tneedtosayhewasfired,unlessspecificallyasked(seethenextquestion).Hisanswercouldbethesameasabove,withaslightlydifferentending:"…Itwastimetoleaveandpursuemylongtimeinterestinpharmaceuticalcompanieslikethisone.SincethenI'vedevotedmyselftoafull-timeprocessoftransitioningintodoingwhatI'mmostpassionateabout."BecausethissubjectisemotionallychargedforJoe,hewouldbewisetorehearsethisanswerwithgreatcare.Joealsoneedstobepreparedforthelikelihoodtheinterviewerwillaskadditionalquestionsthatwillrevealthathewasfired.

"Haveyoubeenfired?Whathappened?"Firstofall,realizethathavingbeenfiredisprobablymoreofabigdealtoyouthanitistotheprospectiveemployer.Keepyouranswershortandsweet:briefandemotionallyneutral.Herearesomeeffectivewayspeoplehaveexplainedbeingfired:

• Iwasavaluedmemberoftheteam,asI'vedescribed,forfiveyears.Thenanewmanagercamein(ortherewasareorganization,orthecompanywasbought)andalargepercentageofthestaffandleadershipwereletgo,includingme.Thenewmanagerthenfilledtheteamwithpeoplehehadworkedwithatapastcompany.ThesilverliningisthatnowI'mabletointerviewforthisexcitingnewopportunity.

• Lookingback,I'verealizedthejobandIweren'treallyagoodfit.Iwassuccessfulwith(aspectsthataresimilartothejobyou'reinterviewingfor),butnotasstrongon(partsthataredifferent).I'mmuchbettersuitedtoapositionliketheonewe'retalkingabouttoday.

• AlthoughIdidaccomplishmanymilestonesinthatrole,IrealizeIalsomadesomemistakes.It's

beenalearningexperienceforme.WhatIlearnedwas…andItookthatlearningwithmetomynextrole,whereIwasmuchmoresuccessful.Forexample…

Noticehowtheseanswersbeginandendwithsomethingpositive,withthenegativesandwichedinbetween.Youcanusethis"sandwich"techniquewheneveryouneedtoaddresssomethingnegative.Whateveryousay,itisimportanttosayitwithoutradiatinganger,fearorshame.Workonyourstateofmindifyouneedto,perhapswiththeaidofself-helpbooksorcounseling.Don'ttakehavingbeenfiredtooseriouslyorpersonally."Goodpeoplegetfiredeveryday,"accordingtoTimSackett,whorunsastaffingagency.(Interestingsurname,consideringhisoccupationandthetopic

ofhisblogpost!)"Theygetfiredformakingbaddecisions.Theygetfiredforpissingoffthewrongperson.Theygetfiredbecausetheydidn’tfityourculture.Theygetfiredbecauseofbadjobfit."Orbecauseofofficepolitics.Manyofthemostsuccessfulpeopleintheworldhavebeenfired:SteveJobswasfiredfromApple,thenreturnedyearslater.OprahWinfrey,WaltDisney,LeeIacocca,J.K.RowlingandThomasEdisonallgottheboot.Lookup"successfulpeoplewhohavebeenfired"online.You'llseethatthelistgoesonandon.You'reingoodcompany.Note:Beingfiredisnotthesameasbeinglaidoff.Ifyourpositionwaseliminatedaspartofastaffreduction,youransweriseasier.Youcansaysomethinglike,"Abusinessdecisionwasmadetoeliminateanumberofpositions"–statehowmany,ifit'sareasonablylargenumber–"includingmine."Surroundthisbriefstatementwithpositivesasintheexamplesabove.

"Whatisyourgreatestweakness?"Inmostcases,theinterviewerisn'tjustaskingthistofindoutifthere'saweaknessthatwoulddisqualifyyou.They'reevenmoreinterestedinfindingoutwhetheryou'reself-awareandwillingtoopenlydiscussyourshortcomings,whichwouldindicatethatyouprobablytakefeedbackwell.Theywanttohearthatyouarecommittedtocontinuallyimprovingyourskills.Withthatinmind,trytalkingabout…

…aweaknessthat'scloselyconnectedtooneofyourgreateststrengths.Forexample,ifyou'regreatatrelationship-buildingandthat'scrucialtothejobyou'reapplyingfor,youmightmentionthatyousometimesspendmoretimelisteningtoaclientorco-workerthanyouintendedto.(Butifitreallyisn'taweaknessatall,itwillsoundevasiveandinsincere,sopicksomethingelse.)…an"elephantintheroom"weaknessthat'salreadyverynoticeabletotheemployer–suchashavinglessexperiencethantheywouldprefer,orathickaccent–soyouhavenothingtolosebybringingitup.…aweaknessyouhavelargelyovercomeorthatyoucompensateforverysuccessfully.

Nomatterwhatweaknessyoubringup,keepitbriefandspendmoretimetalkingabouthowyou'reovercomingitthanaboutwhataproblemitis.Andavoidwordslike"weakness"and"problem"inyouranswer.Usemorepositivewordslike"challenge,""growingedge"and"areawhereI'mgrowing."Ofcourse,don'tbringupaweaknessthatwouldcausethemtoseriouslydoubtyoucandothejob.Realizethatcertainanswers–especially"I'maperfectionist"and"Iworktoohard"–havebeenusedsooftenthey'vebecomeclichésandshouldbeavoided,unlessyoucanputafreshspinonthem.

"What'sonearea/threeareaswhereyourbosswantsyoutoimprove?"

Thisissimilartothequestionabove,andcanbeapproachedsimilarly,butwithanevenmorepositivespin,sincethey'renotactuallyaskingforanegative.Youcantalkaboutthingsyoudowellbutwouldliketodoevenbetter,oraskillthat'ssocutting-edgethatonlyareallycommittedprofessionalwouldbe

concernedaboutit.AndI'veheardpeoplesucceedwithapproachesmorefrankandtransparentthanthis,aslongastheissuetheymentionisnotmajorandgoodprogressisbeingmade.

"Whyisthereagapinyouremployment?"Employerstendtoassumethateveryonewantstobeemployedcontinually.Ifyouweren't,theymaywonderwhattheproblemwas.Theymayimagineaseriousphysicalormentalillnesssuchascancer,majordepressionoralcohol/drugabuse.Ormaybethatyoulostyourjobandwereunabletofindanewoneaftermanymonths.Ifotheremployerspassedyouupforayear,theymayfeelreluctanttotakeachanceonyou.First,addresshowthegapstarted.Readthetipsunder"Whydidyouleaveyourjob?"or"Haveyoubeenfired?"above.Ifthesituationisnotlikelytorecur,explainwhy–forexample,thatyouwerecaringforanillfamilymemberwhohasnowrecoveredorforwhomothercaregivershavebeensecured.Talkaboutanypositiveactivitiesyouwereengagedin,suchastravel,educationorvolunteerwork.Youwanttoshowthatyou'reenergeticandliketowork,learnandgrow.Ifyouareunemployedandhaven'tworkedinseveralmonths,Irecommendyoustartparticipatinginupdatingyourskills,doingprobonoworkand/orconsultingnow–don'tputitoff!–andmentionthoseactivitiesinyourinterviews.

"Tellmeaboutamajormistakeyoumade."Aswiththe"weakness"questions,theintentionhereistoseewhetheryouareopentoadmitting,takingresponsibilityforandlearningfromyourmistakes.Noonewantsemployeeswhowillsweeptheirmistakesundertherugorblamethemonothers.Theyalsowanttohearthatyoucleanupafteryourselfwherepossible,goingtheextramiletomakethingsright."OnasoftwareprojectImanaged,acertainmanagerdidn'tcometotheregularmeetingsuntilthefinalonewhereeveryonewassupposedtosignoff.There,atthelastminute,heobjectedtoagreatnewfeaturetheteamwasexcitedabout.LaterIrealizedhowIcouldhavecounteredthatobjection,butatthetimeitcaughtmebysurprise,Ididn'tmakeagoodcaseforit,andthefeaturewasleftoff.WhatIlearnedforthefuturewastoalwaysmakesurethekeystakeholdersareinvolvedearly,andthat'swhatI'vedonesincethen.Anyway,Iworkedhardtoensurethatthenewfeaturewouldbeinthenextrelease–anditwas!"

"Whatwouldyoulooktoaccomplishinthefirst30/60/90days?"Thisquestionistypicallyaskedofsales,managerialandexecutivecandidates,amongothers.Ittendstooccurlateintheinterviewprocess.Preparingawrittenplantopresentisagoodidea,asdescribedinChapter11,"SomethingExtra."Ifothercandidatesdon'tdothisandyoudo,you'llstandout.Yourplanshoulddemonstratethatyouhavelearnedfromyourpreviousinterviewswiththiscompany,doneadditionalhomeworkandunderstandthecompanyanditspriorities,thatyouwillgetuptospeedquickly,putinextratime,respectandlearnfromthosewhohavebeentherelonger,andaddvaluesoonafterhire.

"Tellmehowyouhandledadifficultsituation."Thisisabehavioralinterviewquestion;itrequiresyoutotellastory.Theemployerishopingthestorywillshowthatyouhaveskillsandstrengthslikeresourcefulness,creativeproblemsolvingability,emotionalintelligence,resilience,teamleadershipskills,diplomacy,stayingcalmandrationalunderpressure,andpossiblytechnicalskillsaswell.Avoidusinganexamplewhereyouwerethecauseofthedifficulty!Atthesametime,don'tblameanybodyelse.Remembertobetactful;don't"talkdown"yourpastcompany,bossorco-workers.Asinanystory,makesureyouincludethesuccessfulresults,whichinthiscasemightbethatyoupreventedoratleastreducedthedamagethatcouldhaveoccurred,andthatyoumaintainedmoraleandgoodrelationships.Pointouthowyoulearnedfromthesituationandimplementedmeasurestopreventfutureoccurrences.

"Givemeanexampleofatimeyouhadtodealwithanangrycustomerorclient."

Mostofushavedealtskillfullywithanangrycustomer,oranupsetco-worker,oraveryanxiousclient.Whatmanyofushavetroubledoingisexplaininghowwedidit.Oftenourpeopleskillsaresomewhatunconscious;wemayhave"helpedthepersoncalmdown"butwedon'tknowhow.Ifyou'veeverhadformaltraininginhandlingdifficultinteractions–forexample,incustomerservicetraining–reviewthatinyourmindandapplytheconceptsandlanguagetotheincidentyou'reremembering.Thiswillhelpyoudescribeit,aswellasdemonstratingthatyouhavetoolsforsuchsituations.Ifyoudon'thavesuchtraining,reviewthesituationcarefullyinyourmemory.Whatdidyousayordothatworked?Didtellingtheperson"Calmdown"help?(Usuallyitdoesn't.)Didlisteninghelp?(Usuallyitdoes.)Whatelsedidyousayordo?Whatwastheoutcome?Trytosaymorethanjust"Hecalmeddownandwaspleased."Whatdidyouspecificallyobservethattellsyouhewaspleased?Didhestopyellingandthankyou,renewhissubscription,giveyoua"10"inasurveylater,writealettertoyourmanager?Showempathyforthecustomerinthewayyoutellthisstory.Ifyoudon'tfeelanyempathyforthem,digdeeper–ortelladifferentstory.

"Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouwentaboveandbeyondrequirements."

Companieswantemployeesandleaderswhoconsistentlygoaboveandbeyond.Ifyou'rehavingtroublethinkingofexamples,thinkofvariousprojectsandsituationsinwhichyouexcelledandshowedgreatdedication,andaskyourselfwhethereverythingyoudidwasreallyrequired.Sometimesgoingaboveandbeyondmeanstakingthelead.Onerecentgraduatetoldthestoryofaschoolprojectonwhichtheworkwasdelayedduetoaconflictbetweenteammembers.Shetookthe

initiativetoassigneachteammemberaroleandtasksthatfittheirindividualabilities.Asaresult,theprojectwascompletedontimeandreceivedanexcellentgrade.

"Whatdoyouknowaboutourcompany?"Thisiswhereyouneedtohavedonesomeresearch,preferablygoingbeyondsimplyskimmingthewebsite.Showthatyouknownotonlythebasicsofthecompanyhistory,leadership,productsandculture,butalsounderstanditscompetitiveposition,financialcondition,challengesandopportunities,andrecentnewscoverage.Commonrelatedquestionsare"WhoisourCEO?"and"Whoareourcompetitors?"

"Whatareyoursalaryexpectations?"Answeringthisquestiontoospecificallycanloseyoualotofmoney,oranopportunity.Namingafigurethat'stoolowcanresultinaloweroffer,orevenlossoftheopportunityifyouranswercreatesdoubtaboutyourvalue.Afigurethat'stoohighcanimmediatelydisqualifyyou.Thisisoneofthefewquestionswhereformulaic,memorizedverbiagemaybethebestapproach.First,assoonasyouapplyforajobmakesureyouunderstandtherangeoftypicalsalariesforthepositionandgeographicarea,becausethismaybeoneofthefirstquestionsyouwillbeaskedinaphonescreen,whichcouldhappenatanytime.YoucanresearchsalariesviawebsiteslikeSalary,Payscale,Glassdoor,Indeed,CareerOneStop,JobSearchIntelligence,viaasimpleGooglesearch,andsometimesviawordofmouth.Usemorethanonesource,sinceabroaderrangemaygiveyoumorenegotiatingflexibility.Whenthequestionisasked,respondwith"Canyoutellmewhatrangeyouhavebudgetedfortheposition?"Iftheytellyouarange,saysomethinglike,"Thatseemslikeareasonableballpark.I'msureonceweagreeI'mtherightpersonforthejob,we'llbeabletoagreeonasalarythat'sfair."Iftheywon'tstatetheirrangeandputthequestionbackontoyou,saysomethinglike,"I'vedonesomeresearchandI'mseeingsalariesanywherefromXtoY.I'msureonceweagreeI'mtherightpersonforthejobwe'llbeabletoagreeonasalarythat'sfair."

"Howmuchare/wereyoumakingatyourcurrent/previousjob?"Thereareacoupleofoptionshere.Youcandeclinetostate,sayingsomethinglike"I'dratherlearnmoreaboutthepositionandhowwellIfitwhatyou'relookingfor,beforewediscusssalaryissues,"or"Itwouldbedifficulttocomparemylastsalarywiththispositionforseveralreasons,includingthatIdon'thaveenoughinformationaboutyourwholepackage.I'msurewecanagreeoncompensation."Ifyouwillbechangingcareersorindustries,youmightpointoutthatthismakesyourcurrent/recentsalarylessrelevant.

Ontheotherhand,ifyoursalaryhasbeenverysimilartowhatyouexpectyouwouldbeoffered–orifitappearsyouwon'tbeconsideredwithoutprovidingtheinformation–itmightbebesttojustgoaheadandgivethemtheinformation.Ifyourcurrentsalaryislow,includethevalueofanybonusesandperksinthefigureyougive.

"Howisyoursearchgoing?Haveyoubeenhavingotherinterviews?"Therearetworeasonstheymightbeasking.Ontheonehand,theymaybewonderingwhetheryou'reabouttoacceptanotheroffer.Asafeanswerissomethinglike,"I'vebeenmeetingwithotherpeopleanddiscussingvariousopportunities,butnothingisconcreteyet."Ontheotherhand,ifyouhavebeenunemployedformorethanafewmonths,theymaywonderwhetherthere'ssomereasonyouaren'tgettinghired.Theymaybeleeryoftakingachanceonsomeonewhohasbeenpassedoverbymanyothercompanies.It'susuallybesttoavoididentifyingtheothercompaniesyou'veinterviewedwith,sincetheyseetheirhiringactivitiesasconfidential.Insteadrefertothemgenerically,forexampleas"afewTierOnetechcompanies"or"severalsmalldesignfirms."

"Tellmeaboutatimeyoudisagreedwithyourboss."Mostmanagerswouldliketheirstafftospeakupinaconstructivewaywhentheydisagreewithdirectives.Afterall,theyhavetheirhandsmorecloselyontheworkandmayknowsomethingthebossdoesn't.Thebestanswerherewouldinvolveacongenialdisagreementinwhichbothpartieshadgoodreasonsfortheiropinions,youcommunicatedyourstactfullyandfactually,andyourinputledtoabettersolution.Itwouldalsobeacceptableifthebossdidn'tactonyourinput,aslongasthestoryshowsyouacceptingthedecisioninaprofessionalandfullyengagedmanner.Ifthedisagreementresolvedinyourfavor,makesureyoudon'tsoundsmugaboutit!

"What'syouravailability?"or"Howsooncouldyoustart?"Ifyou'reunemployedandwouldliketostartworkimmediately,youcansayso,butavoidsoundinglikeyou'redesperateforapaycheckASAP!Ifyou'dpreferalaterdate,saysomethinglike"I'mquiteavailableandI'dbehappytodiscussastartdatethatworksforbothofus,onceweagreethatmyabilitiesandtheroleareagoodfit."Ifyou'recurrentlyemployed,it'sreasonabletostatethatyou'llneedtogiveatleasttwoweeks'notice.Sincetheinterviewerwouldhopeforthesameconsiderationwhenyouleave,hewillprobablyrespectthis.Ifyouthinksomenegotiationmaybeneededonthispoint,keepthediscussiongeneralanddon'tmakeacommitment.Thebesttimetonegotiateisafterthey'veofferedyouthejob.

"Whatmotivatesyou/getsyouupinthemorning/makesyouexcitedaboutMondays?"

Ifyoucan'tsay"excitedaboutMondays"withastraightface,don'tusethatphraseinyouranswer!Butdoshowpassionforthespecificchallengesandrewardsoftheworkitself–solvingproblems(suchas?),collaboratingandlearningfromteammembers(saymore!),achievinggoals(likewhat?),makingadifference(how?)–ratherthanvaguegeneralitieslike"workingwithpeople"orperipheralissueslikethepayorbenefits.

"Howdoyouhandleconflictatwork?Pleasegiveanexample."Conflictisinevitablewhentwoormorepeopleareworkingtogether.Employerswanttoknowthatyoucanresolveconflicts–whetherbetweenyouandsomeoneelse,orbetweentwoothers–inaconstructiveway.Mostexamplesinvolvetalkingthingsoverwiththepartiesinvolved,butmanyintervieweesaretoovague,saying"Wetalkeditoverandresolvedtheissue."Sayabitmore,illustratingthecommunicationandinterpersonalskillsyouused.Whathappenedinthatconversation?Didyoutrytounderstandtheotherperson'spointofview?Whatquestionsdidyouask?Howdidyoulistentotheanswers?Whatdidyoulearnfromtheotherpersonthathelpedyouresolvetheproblem?Didyouexpressempathy,offerideas,orwhat?Andasinanystory,bespecificaboutthebeneficialoutcomes.Othercandidatesmakeanevenworsemistake,choosingasituationtheystillfeelemotionalaboutandgettingemotionally"hooked"intorantingonabouthowbadthesituationwasandtheawfulthingspeopledidorsaid.Chooseanexamplethatyou'resureyoucandescribeinacompletelycalmandeven-handedmanner.

"Tellmeaboutatimeyouhadtoworkwithsomeoneyoudidn'tlike,orwhodidn'tlikeyou."

Firstofall,don'treinforceanimageofyourselfassomeonewhodislikesorisdislikedbyothers.Reframeitasasituationwhereitwasachallengetoworkeffectivelywiththisperson.Thisquestionrequiresyoutosaysomethingnegativeaboutaco-worker,whichisgenerallyano-noininterviews.Sobetactfulbynotgivinganyinformationthatcouldidentifywhothispersonis.Takeanemotionallyneutraltone.Resisttheurgetokvetch,eveniftheinterviewerencouragesitbyofferingyousympathy.Avoidcharacterizingtheco-workerinjudgmentaltermslike"Nothingwaseverrightasfarashewasconcerned"or"Shewasn'tateamplayer."Instead,describethespecificbehaviorobjectively:"Hewouldoftenmakenegativecommentsaboutteammembers"or"WeneededhertoprovideareporteveryMonday,butitusuallywasn'tdoneuntilmid-week."Beverybriefaboutthedifficultbehavior,focusingprimarilyonwhatyoudidtomakethebestofthesituationandhowwellitturnedout.TreatthisasaSOARstory,emphasizingthepositiveresults.

"Whatwouldyourboss/directreports/teammatessayaboutyou?"

Ofcourseyouwantyouranswertosupportyourkeysellingpointsandotherrelevantskillsandstrengths.Thetrickisnotjusttoputthedesiredwordsintothesepeople'smouths,butactuallyaskyourselfhowtheywouldsayit.Thiscanleadtointerestingquotesorturnsofphrasethatshowthatyou'reauthenticallyansweringthequestionthathasbeenasked.

"Whatareyourboss'sstrengthsandweaknesses?"Ofcourse,thisquestionisnotreallyaboutyourboss.It'saboutyou:whatkindofrelationshipyoutendtohavewithyourmanager;whetheryou'reeasytomanage.Nameafewofyourmanager'sstrengths–andevenifthey'reaterribleboss,findsomethingtowholeheartedlyadmire.Goodgrief,dotheyreallyexpectyoutotalkaboutyourbosses'weaknesses?It'satest.Don'ttakethebait!Afterpraisingafewstrengths,say"I'drathernotcommentonanyweaknesses."Ifyouthinkhighlyofyourboss,closebysayingso.Butdon'traveabouthowgreatyourbossis.That'salittleliketellingadatehowmuchyouadoredyourex!

"What'sthelastbookyoureadforfun?"Let'sassumetheinterviewerisn'tbeingnosy,butjustwantstogettoknowyoubetterasaperson.Nameanybookyou'vereadwithinthelastcoupleofmonthsthatsupportsyourbrand–oratleastpresentsyouasanintelligentperson.Ifyoudon'treadbooks–asmanypeopledon't,thesedays–mentionsomethingyoureadonline,suchasablog.

"Whatareyourco-workerpetpeeves?"or"Whatmakesyouuncomfortableintheworkplace?"

Don'tusetheword"petpeeve"inyourresponse,lestitsoundlikeyoucherishyourannoyances.Choosesomethingthatwoulddispleaseanyone,suchasco-workerswhodon'tpulltheirownweight.Becausethisisanegative,sandwichitbetweenpositives."I'mgenerallyveryfocusedonmyownwork.Ofcourse,likeanyoneIdon'tliketoseeteammembersnotpullingtheirownweight.Asanindividualcontributoritisn'tmyplacetocomedownonthatkindofthing,butifit'saffectingmyworkI'llgenerallytalkitoverwiththemandseeifwecanresolveanyissuesthataregettingintheway.Forexample…"

"Whatquestionhaven'tIaskedyou,thatIshouldhave?"Aquestionlikethisisaniceopportunity.Whatwouldyouliketosaythathasn'tbeencoveredyet?Doyouhaveagreatstoryyouhaven'thadachancetotell?Smileandsaysomethinglike"Well,I'dlovetotellyouabout…"Orifyou'restumped,say"Actually,you'vebeenverycomplete!Idohavesomequestionsforyou.Isittimeforthat?"

Thequestionswe'velookedatsofarhavebeenquitenormal–youmightsay,vanilla.Let'sgetintosomeofthemorecomplexflavors–maybeabitmorenutty,maybemoreofa,shallwesay,rockyroad.

CHAPTER8

QuirkyQuestions:Puzzling,Stressful,Off-the-WallorIllegal

Whyisaravenlikeawritingdesk?–TheMadHatter,inLewisCarroll'sAliceinWonderland

Thequestionsinthischapterare–mercifully–lesscommonthantheoneswe'vediscussedpreviously.Butlet'smakesureyou'repreparedforwhatevercomesyourway.

Off-the-wall Let'sstartwiththefriendlierquestionswe'llencounterinthischapter,theoddinquirieslike"Ifyoucouldhaveanysuperpower,whatpowerwouldyouchoose,andwhy?"or"Whatwouldthetitleofyourdebutalbumbe?"Thesekindsofquestionsareintendedtogiveinsightintoyourpersonalityandvalues.Theyalsotestwhetheryoureactflexiblytotheunexpected.Assillyasyoumayfindthesequestions,answerpleasantlyandtrytomakeyouranswerrelevant.Forexample,ifyou'reinterviewingforajobwheremanagingpeopleiskey,youmightsay"It'simportanttometounderstandmyteam–whatmotivatesthem,whattheyknowanddon'tknow,andwhattheirconcernsare.Somind-readingmightbeuseful.ButIthinkI'dratherjusttalktothem!"

Puzzles Puzzlequestionsmaysoundsimilarlyodd,like"Whyaremanholecoversround?"or"HowmanygolfballswillfitintoaBoeing747?"Butthedifferenceisthatthesequestionsmayactuallyhaverightanswers,oratleastsmarterandless-smartones.Intheearly2000s,techcompanieslikeMicrosoftandGoogleledatrendinusingthistypeofquestiontotrytoassesscandidates'intelligenceandcreativeproblem-solvingskills.Althoughtheapproachhaslostsomepopularityinrecentyears,duetodoubtsaboutwhetheritworks,youmaystillbeaskedthistypeofquestion.Tohandlepuzzlequestions:

• Don'trushintoanswering.Startproblem-solvingoutloud.Askquestions,ifappropriate.• Ifthefirstanswerthatcomestomindseemstooeasy,rethinkit.Theremaybeatricktoit.• Ontheotherhand,anapparentlycomplexproblemmaybesimplerthanitappears.Ifitseems

toinvolvehighermath,lookforaneasiersolution.• Ifyou'restuck,examineyourassumptions,onebyone.• Ifthereseemstobenoonerightanswer,great!Thatgivesyoutheopportunitytodevelopa

uniquelycreative,memorableone.

Areyouwonderingaboutthequoteatthetopofthechapter?Howaravenislikeawritingdesk?LewisCarrollansweredhisownquestionmanyyearsafterAliceinWonderlandwaspublished:"Becauseitcanproduceafewnotes,thoughtheyareveryflat;anditis'nevar'putwiththewrongendinfront!"("Nevar"is"raven"spelledbackwards.)

IntentionallyStressful Thesequestionsmightbeaskedinordertoseehowyoureacttouncomfortableandunexpectedsituations,andwhetheryou'reabletostaycoolanddealwithdifficultpeople.Thecandidateisgenerallynottoldthistechniquewillbeused.Soifyoufindyourselfhearingquestionslikethis,realizethatitmaybeatest.First,smileandbreathe.Thinkofitasaninterestingchallenge,maybeevenasortofgame,tostayutterlycalmandprofessionalandgivethebestpossibleanswer.

• "Whatdoyoudothatdrivesyourbosscrazy?"(Answerthatyoudon'tdoanythingthatdrivesyourbosscrazy,butyou'realwayslookingtoimproveyourskills.)

• "Howwouldyouevaluatemeasaninterviewer?"(Howabout"Verycautiously"!Beyondthat,thecorrectanswerdependsonthejobyou'reinterviewingfor.)

• "What'stheworstthingyou'veheardaboutourcompany?"(Ifsomethingnegativehasappearedinthenewsoriswellknown,tactfullyacknowledgewhatyou'veseenandbepreparedtodiscusstheissueandhowyoufeelaboutit.)

Illegal Ina2015Harrispoll,oneoutoffiveemployerssurveyedadmittedtohavingunknowinglyaskedaninterviewquestionthatwasillegal.Itisillegalnottohirecandidatesbecauseoftheirrace,color,sex,religion,nationalorigin,birthplace,age,disabilityormarital/familystatus.Questionsthatseektodrawoutinformationaboutthesesubjectsareillegal.Ina2016article,Glassdoor.comlistedthefollowingexamples:

• Howoldareyou?• Whendidyougraduate?• Areyoumarried?• Areyougay?• Doyouhavechildren(orplanonhavingchildren)?• Whowilltakecareofyourchildrenwhileyou’reatwork?• IsEnglishyourfirstlanguage?• AreyouaU.S.citizen?• Whatcountryareyoufrom?• Wherewereyou/yourparentsborn?• Whatisyourreligion?• Wheredoyougotochurch?

• Whatclubsorsocialorganizationsdoyoubelongto?• Doyouhaveanydisabilities?• Howisyourhealth?• Howtallareyou?Howmuchdoyouweigh?• Haveyoueverbeenarrested?• Ifyou’vebeeninthemilitary,wereyouhonorablydischarged?

I'mnotanattorney,andnothinginthischapterisintendedaslegaladvice.ButIdohavesomesuggestionsforhandlingsuchquestions.Let'slookatthreeoptions.Youcould:

A. Refusetoanswer,perhapspointingoutthatthequestionisillegalorthatit'snoneoftheirbusiness.

B. Drawouttheunderlyingconcern,sothatyoucanaddressitwithoutprovidingtheinformation.C. Providetheinformation.

Let'ssaytheinterviewerasks,"Areyoumarried?"OptionA:"That'sillegal(orpersonal)andI'drathernotanswerit."Thisanswerwillprobablymaketheinterviewerfeelcriticizedandembarrassed,destroyingyourrapportwiththemandmakingitunlikelyyou'llbeselectedforthejob.Ifyouleaveoutthe"illegal/personal"partandsimplysay"I'drathernotanswerthatquestion,"theymaydecideyou'reuncooperativeorhidingsomething,soagainyouwon'tgetthejob.OptionBissomewhatsafer.Youmightsay,"I'dbehappytoanswerthat,ifyoucouldfirsttellme…"or"MayIaskwhatyourconcernis,orhowthat'srelevanttothejob?"Theinterviewermayrespondthatthey'rewonderingwhetherrelocationwillbeaproblemforyourspouse,inwhichcaseyoucanassurethemthereisnoissue.Thereissomeriskinthisapproach,sinceitmayjogtheinterviewer'smemorythattheirquestionisillegalorinappropriate.However,ifyouhaveastrategicreasonnottoprovidetheinformation,thismaybethebestoption.Ifyoualreadythinkyouknowwhythey'reasking,youcouldjustaddressthesupposedconcern:"Ithinkyoumaybeconcernedaboutwhetherrelocationwillbeproblem.I'dliketoassureyoutherearenoissuesaboutthat."OptionCisoftenthebestoption."Yes,Iammarried.Ifyou'reconcernedabouttherelocation,I'dlikeyoutoknowI'vediscusseditwithmyhusband,andhe'stotallyonboard.LivinginSeattlewouldbeagreatthingforbothofus.Doesthataddressyourconcern?"Whatiftheydidn'taskanillegalquestion,butyouwanttobringuponeoftheseissues–maritalstatus,health,etc.–onyourown?Youhaveeveryrighttoprovidetheinformationifyouwish.Don'tgotherewithoutagoodreason,becauseitmaymakeinterviewersanxiousaboutthepotentialofalawsuit.Someoftheseitemsmaybeworthbringingup.Forexample,ifyouhaveanoticeabledisabilityorhealthissue,youmaywanttoproactivelyassuretheemployerthatitdoesn'tlimityourabilitytodoanexcellentjob.

Inthischapterandthelast,you'velearnedalotaboutansweringquestions.Butthere'soneabsolutelycrucialquestionwehaven'texploredyet,andit'saquestionthat'saskedtowardtheendofnearlyeveryinterview:"Whatquestionsdoyouhaveforme?"Firstimpressionsareimportant,butsoareendings.Failingtorespondwithseveralgoodquestionscanshootdownevenahigh-flyinginterviewasquicklyasyoucansay"No."Whatarethebest(andworst)questionstoask?Whatelsedoyouneedtoknow?That'sournexttopic.

CHAPTER9

AskingtheRightQuestions(&NottheWrongOnes!)

Judgeamanbyhisquestionsratherthanhisanswers.–Voltaire

Asyouknow,youneedtoaskquestionsinaninterviewtohelpyoudecidewhetheryouwantthejob.Butit'salsotruethataskinggoodquestionsmaybenecessarytogettheoffer!Why?First,employersprefercandidateswhoshowaninterestthisway.Acandidatewhoisnotinquisitivecanseemnotonlyunmotivated,butperhapsunintelligentanddefinitelyunprepared.Thesecondreasonisthataskingquestions–especiallyifyoucandoitearlierintheinterview–canarmyouwithinformationthathelpsyoumarketyourself.Themoreyouknowabouttheemployer’schallenges,goalsandenvironment,thebetteryoucantargetyourmessage.

Whatmakesaquestionagoodone?Agoodquestion…

…Demonstratescommunicationskills,socialsavvyandgoodjudgment.…Showsyou’restronglyinterestedinthejob.…Demonstratesthatyou’rethinkingabouthowyoucanaddvalue.…Isusuallynotanswerablewitha"yes"or"no."Open-endedquestionsleadtoamorefriendly,informativeconversation.…Isappropriateforyourindustryandlevel.Aninterviewermayexpectveryboldquestionsfromacorporateexecutive,butnotfromaclericalcandidate.…Isaskedintherighttone,attherighttime,oftherightperson.Somequestionsrequiresensitivehandling;forexample,questionsaboutthepersonwhopreviouslyheldtheposition.…Soundsnatural,not“canned”–evenifyoufoundthequestiononalistlikethisone!…Showsthatyou’vedonesomeresearchonthecompany.

Doyourhomeworkbeforeaskingquestions.Researchingthecompanythoroughlybeforetheinterviewshowsdiligenceandmotivation.Theinformationyougainenablesyoutodispensewithbasicquestionslike"Howlonghasthecompanybeeninbusiness?"andinsteadaskquestionslike,"IreadinForbesthatthiscompanyisputtinganewemphasisonX.Howhasthataffectedthisdepartment?"Examplesoffactsyoushouldknowaboutthecompany:

• Basicsofcompanyhistory,sizeandstructure(isitasubsidiary,orpartofafamilyofcompanies?),mission,valuesandculture

• Products/services• Company'smarketpositionandrank(Fortune100/500?best/only/firstofitskind?)and

competitors

• Recentorganizationalchanges,otherpositionscurrentlyopenthatmayaffectyou(forexample,yourprospectivemanager's)

• Company'sfinancialcondition• Trendsintheindustry

Wheretofindtheinformation:

• Thecompany'swebsite,ofcourse(andthesitemapmaybeagoodplacetostart)• Newsmediaandblogs• Socialmedia• Directorieslikecorporateinformation.comandhoovers.com/free• Wordofmouth• Onlinediscussiongroups

Ifpossible,usethecompany'sproductorservice,andbepreparedtotalkaboutit.Onecandidatecontactedthecompany'susersupportdepartmentwithaminorissuetoseehowtheyhandledit.

Howmanyquestionsshouldyouask?

Thisdependsontheposition,theinterviewer’spreferences,howmuchtimeisavailable,andthestructureoftheinterview.Threegoodquestionsattheendmightbeenoughforsomeinterviews;forothersyoumightneedtoaskquestionsthroughoutthediscussionandseveralattheend.Alwaysprepareatleast10,incasesomeofyourquestionsareansweredduringtheinterview.(It'sgenerallyappropriatetobringawrittenlistandrefertoitattheappropriatetime.)Nevergetstuckwith"Uh,no,you'veansweredthemalready."

Whatquestionsshouldyounotask?"Asknotwhattheemployercandoforyou,butwhatyoucandofortheemployer.”Focusontheworkandtheenvironmentinwhichyou’llbedoingit.Don’taskaboutsalary,benefits,vacation,flextimeoranythingthatmayrequirenegotiation–untilafterafirmofferisonthetable(preferablyinwriting!).It'salsoriskytoasktheintervieweranypersonalquestions,suchasthoseabouttheirfamily–eveniffamilypicturesareondisplayontheinterviewer'sdesk.Mentioningfactsyou'veseenintheirLinkedInprofileshouldbeokay–butbecareful.Somepeoplemayfeelself-consciousaboutthefactthatyoulookedthemuponline.(Iknow,that'snotlogical–butthen,peopleoftenaren'tlogical.)Andofcourse,don'taskquestionsthatyoucouldeasilyhaveresearchedonyourown.

Whatcounter-questionshouldyoualwaysbepreparedfor?"Whydoyouask?"Alwaysbeabletoexplainwhatyou'reseekingbyansweringacertainquestion–ordon'taskit.

Whatwillyousayaftertheyansweryourquestion?

Makeitaconversation.Useyouractivelisteningskillsandshowthatyou"getit."Relateyourownbackgroundtotheiranswers.Forexample,iftheiranswergivesyouinsightintothecompany'sneeds,saysomethingabouthowyoucanhelpfulfillthoseneeds.

Canyougivemeexamplesofgoodquestions?Thefollowingquestionsmaybegood,dependingonyoursituation.Chooseabout10ofthemandadaptthemasnecessary,basedonthecircumstancesandyourowncommunicationstyle.Arethey“safequestions"?Notnecessarily!Thatdependsonthepeopleinvolved,theindustry,companycultureandhowyouask–factorsthatIdon'tknowasIwritethis.Souseyourbestjudgment.Aboutthecompanyandthedepartment:(Manyofthesecanbeenhancedbyreferringtowhatyou’vefoundoutthroughyourresearch.)

• Whatpotentialgrowthareasarepeoplemostexcitedabouthere?• Howdoyouseethisorganization’sstrengthsandweaknessescomparedtoitscompetitors?• Howwouldyoudescribethecompany’sculture?Ifthecompanywasaperson,whatkindof

personwoulditbe?• Howdoesthecompanyrewardsuccessfulperformance?• Whatkindofpersonsucceedshere?• Whydopeoplecometoworkhereinsteadofforyourcompetitors?Whydotheystay?• Howdoesuppermanagementviewtheroleandimportanceofthisdepartment?• What'saheadforthiscompanyinthenextfiveyears,andhowdoesthisdepartmentfitinto

that?• Whatisthisdepartment’smosturgentpriorityinthenext(threeorsix)months?• Whathavebeenthedepartment'sachievementsinthelastcoupleofyears?• Whatmakesthisdepartmentsuccessful?• Whatistherhythmtotheworkhere?Isthereatimeofyearyou'repullingall-nighters,orisit

consistentallyear?Isitevenlyspreadthroughouttheweek/month,oraretherecrunchdays?• Whatarethegreateststrengthsofthiscompany?Andsincenocompanyisperfect,whatcould

beimprovedupon?Aboutthemanager(forcluesabouthowyou’lllikeworkingwithhim/her):

• Howdidyoujointhecompany?Whatmakesyoustay?• Whatdoyoumostenjoyaboutyourworkwiththisorganization?• Whatkeepsyouawakeatnight?• Whataresomegoodideasyou’vegottenfromyourdirectreports,andhowdidtheymakea

difference?(Thismaytellyouhowinterestedtheyareinsuchideas,andwhethertheyactonthem.)

• Willitbepossibleformetomeetmyprospectiveco-workersduringtheinterviewprocess?(Presentthisasawaytofleshoutyourunderstandingofthecompanycultureandthework.Ifthemanagerdeclinestohaveyoumeettheteam,takeitasaredflag.)

• Whatrecognitionorrewardshaveyourdirectreportsreceivedinthepastyear?• Whattraininganddevelopmenthavetheyreceived?• Howdoyouprefertocommunicatewithyourteam?Throughemail,phone,droppingin,

scheduledmeetings?

• Whatareyourgoalsforthisposition/department?• Howwouldyoudescribeyourmanagementstyle?(Thisquestionisexpected,andtheywill

probablyhaveawell-rehearsedanswer,butit'sstillworthasking.)• Whatkindofpersonfitsbestwithyourmanagementstyle?(Thisindirectquestionmayelicita

morerevealinganswer.)• HowwillyouandIworktogethertomakemesuccessfulinthisrole?

Abouttheposition:

• Whodoesthispositionreportto?WhenwouldIbemeetinghimorher?• Whatwouldyouconsidertobethemostimportantaspectsofthisjob?• Whatarethemostcrucialskillsandstrengthsyouwanttoseeinthepersonhiredforthis

position?• Whatwouldaverysuccessful(nextyear)looklikeforthiscompany,andhowdoesthisposition

helpachievethosegoals?• Itcanbehardtogetfundingtohiresomeonethesedays.Whydoesthecompanyseethis

positionascrucialandworththemoney?• Howwouldyoudescribeatypicalweek/dayinthisposition?Atypicalclientorcustomer?• Whatisthetypicalworkweek?Isovertimeexpected?• Whyisthispositionopen?• Isthisanewposition?Ifnot,whatdidthepreviousemployeemoveonto?• Whattypesofskillsdoyounotalreadyhaveonboardthatyou'relookingtobringinwiththe

newhire?Aboutexpectationsandevaluation:

• Thinkingbacktopeoplewho'vebeeninthispositionpreviously,whatdifferentiatedtheoneswhoweregoodfromtheoneswhowerereallygreat?

• Ifyouweretohiremenow,andayearfromnowgivemeastellarperformancereview,whatwillIhavedonetoearnit?

• WhatarethemostimmediatechallengesIwouldbefacinginthisposition?• Whatwouldbethehighestpriorityforthenextsixmonths?• Whataretheperformanceexpectationsforthispositioninthefirstyear?• Whatwerethemajorstrengthsofthelastpersonwhoheldthisjob,andisthereanythingyou

wouldliketoseethenewemployeedodifferently?• Howwillmyperformancebereviewed,andwhendoesthatoccur?• WhatarethespecificcriteriauponwhichIwouldbeevaluated?

Aboutadvancement:

• Whatarethecareerpathsinthisdepartment?• Whataretheopportunitiesfortraininganddevelopmentwithinthisposition?• Arelateralmovesavailabletoprovidebroaderexperience?• AssumingIweresuccessfulinthisrole,whatopportunitiesmighttherebeforeventual

advancement?• Howmuchassistanceareemployeesgivenindevelopingtheircareershere?• Wherehavesuccessfulemployeesadvancedtofromthisposition?

Aboutyourstrengthsandweaknessesasacandidate:

(Askthesequestionswithcareandwithasmile,lateintheinterviewprocess.Theycanyieldveryvaluableinformation,butcanalsomakesomeinterviewersnervous.)

• Nowthatwe’vetalkedawhile,whatdoyouseeasmygreateststrengthsforthisposition?• Ontheotherhand,doyouhaveanyconcerns,oristhereanythingyouseeasanareafor

growth?• Isthereanyreasonyouwouldnothiremeforthisposition?• IfIcouldadd/changeanythingaboutmyselfandmyexperiencetomakemeabetterfitforthe

positionandthecompany,whatwoulditbe?Aboutaquestionthatyou’renotsurehowtorespondto:

• BeforeIanswerthat,mayIaskyou…Aboutthenextsteps:

• Whatarethenextstepsintheprocess?(Averyimportantquestion.Youneedtoknowwhattoexpect!)

• WhenshouldIexpecttohearfromyounext?• I’dliketogiveyouacallnextweektocheckinandofferanyadditionalinformationthatmight

behelpful.Isthereagooddayformetodothat?• WhatcanIdotoprovetoyouthatI'mtherightpersonforthisjob?

Whatelse?Aquestionisatool.Pickingtherighttoolsforthesituationisimportant,andsoisusingthemwell.Practiceyourquestionsasyoupracticeotheraspectsoftheinterview.Thenenjoyaninterviewthatfeelslikeastimulatingconversationandshowsyouasasharp,motivatedprofessional.Uptothispoint,we'vefocusedonverbalcommunication,butsomeofthemostimportantcommunicationtakesplacenonverbally:inyourface,yourgestures,yourappearance,itemsyoumightbringtotheinterview,andthenervousnessorconfidenceyouexude.Thenextthreechapterswillshowyouhowtomastertheseaspectsofinterviewing.Letyouractionsspeakaspositivelyasyourwords.

SectionThree

NailingtheNonverbals

CHAPTER10

MorethanWordsCanSay:BodyLanguage,ClothesandOtherSilentMessages

WhatyoudospeakssoloudlythatIcannothearwhatyousay.

―RalphWaldoEmerson

Howdoemployersdecidewhotohire?Alotofitcomesdowntogutfeelings,rapport,the"chemistry"youreadaboutinChapter5.Andthosegutfeelingsarelargelybasedonnonverbalslikebodylanguage,listening,mannersandappearance.Muchofthiscomesnaturally,someofityoualreadyknow–likeshakinghands,smilingandwearinganappropriateoutfit–butI'msureyou'llfindafewsurprises.

BodyLanguageIt'scommonlysaidthatmostofthecommunicationinaconversationhappensnonverbally.Soyou'llwanttogetitright!Whatarethebiggestbodylanguagemistakesjobseekersmake?Ina2016surveycommissionedbyCareerBuilder,U.S.hiringmanagersnamedthefollowingmistakes(listedinorderofhowmanymanagersmentionedeachone):

• Failingtomakeeyecontact.Afull67%ofthesemanagersreportedtheywouldbelesslikelytohiresomeonewhodoesn'tlookthemintheeye.Toolittleeyecontactcanmakeacandidateseeminsincereorinsecure.Toomuchcanfeeldomineering.Ifyoumakeeyecontactabout30-60%ofthetime–lesswhentalking,morewhenlistening–youshouldmakeagoodimpression.

• Failingtosmile.Twopointsintheinterviewdefinitelycallforasmile,toshowfriendlinessandenthusiasm:atthebeginningandtheend.Inbetween,smilewhenitfeelsnaturaltoyou,andwhentheinterviewersmiles.(Didyouknowyoucansmiletoomuchinaninterview?ArecentstudybyNortheasternUniversityshowedthattoomuchsmilingcangivetheimpressionyou'renottakingtheinterviewseriously.Inmyexperience,however,mostpeoplearemorelikelytonotsmileenough.)

• Playingwithsomethingonthetable.Thisisdistracting,drawingattentiontoyournervousness.• Fidgetinginyourseat.This,too,drawsattentiontonervousness.• Badposture.Slouchingcancommunicatealackofmotivation,interestandrespect.• Crossingyourarmsoveryourchest.Thiscommunicatesdefensiveness.• Playingwithyourhairortouchingyourface.Ifyoutendtoplaywithyourlonghair,tieitback.

Anddidyouknowthattouchingthemouthornoseissometimesassociatedwithlying?• Weakhandshake.Afull,firmhandshakefeelswelcomingandconfident.• Toomanyhandgestures.Thiswasmentionedbyonly11%ofthosesurveyed.Pleasedon'ttake

thistomeanyoumustnevertalkwithyourhandsininterviews.Agoodruleofthumbistodoitaboutasmuchastheinterviewerdoes.

• Too-stronghandshake.Don'tignorethisbecauseit'satthebottomofthelist.Thiswriterhasoftenfeltabitintimidated–orphysicallyuncomfortable–withpowerfulhandshakes.Besensitivetothegenderandsizeofthepersonyou'reshakinghandswith!

Mostofusdisplaysomeofthesebehaviorsininterviews,andwemaybeunawareofit.It'saverygoodideatoshootavideoofyourselfinamockinterviewandtakeagoodlookatyourbodylanguage.Whataboutyourvoice?Anotherreasontovideoyourselfistocheckforthesecommonvocalmannerisms.Youmayhaveoneoftheseissueswithoutbeingawareofit.

• Uptalk.Aseeminglyincreasingnumberofpeople,especiallyMillennials,tendtoendtheirsentenceswithanupwardinflection,asifaskingaquestionorseekingconfirmation.Surveysshowmanypeoplefinditannoying.Practicemakingyoursentencesendonaconfident,definite,downwardinflection.

• Vocalfry.Thisisthelow-pitched,creakysoundthatmanypeople,especiallyyoungwomen,areusingthesedays,probablyasaresultofemulatingcelebritieslikeKimKardashian,BritneySpearsortheMeredithGraycharacterontheTVshowGray'sAnatomy.Overuseofvocalfrycannotonlybeannoyingbutdamagingtothevocalcords.

• Extremes:speakingtoosoftly,tooloudly,tooslowlyortoorapidly.Ifyoutendtowardanyoftheseextremes,striveformoderation!

• Singsongormonotone.TheFreeDictionarydefinessingsongspeechas"Atediouslyrepetitiverisingandfallinginflectionofthevoice."Equallytediousisthemonotone,inwhichthevoicedronesonwithoutanychangeinpitch.Ifyouhaveeitherofthesehabits,trytobringmorenaturalvarietyintotheinflectionsandrhythmsofyourspeaking.Listentoskilledpublicspeakersforexamples.

• Overuseofvocalfillerssuchassaying"uh,""youknow,""like,"orsmackingthelipsatthebeginningorendingofstatements.Wikipediadefines"filler"asasoundorwordthatisspokentosignalthatyou'repausingtothinkwithoutgivingtheimpressionthatyou'vefinishedspeaking.Eventhebestspeakersusefillersoccasionally,butastatementwithmultiplefillersislikeclothinglitteredwithlintorpethair.It'sunattractiveanddiminishesyourcredibility.Toovercomethis:

o Becomeawareofit.Youcan'tfixitifyoudon'tknowyou'redoingit.Recordyourself,ordoamockinterviewwithafriendorcoachandhavethempointouteveryfiller.

o Replacefillerswithsilentpauses.Thepurposeofafilleristogiveyouachancetothink.Practicejustpausing.Andmaybeslowdownabit.

o Makeeyecontact,orlookatyournotesifyou'reinaphoneinterview.You'remorelikelytouseafillerwhenstaringblankly.

o Tryaversiontherapy.Youcouldputarubberbandaroundyourwristandsnapiteverytimeyouuseafiller.Orpracticewithafriendandaskthemtomakealoudnoiseormakeyoustartovereverytimeyouuseafiller.

Createrapportbymirroringbodylanguage.Nexttimeyou'reinacoffeeshop,observetwofriendswhoareenjoyingaconversation.Theywillnaturallymimiceachother'sbodylanguage,speechpatternsandvocabularywithoutbeingconsciousofit.Forexample,they'llbothtakeasipofcoffeeatthesamemoment.Thisunconsciousmirroringisbothacauseandaresultofrapport,andithelpstheindividualsfeelmoreconnectedtoeachother,asifthey're"onthesamewavelength."

Althoughmirroringisusuallyunconscious,youcanhelpitalongintentionally.Don'tbetooobviousorexactaboutit,especiallyiftheinterviewer'sgestureisnotonethatyouasacandidateshouldimitate.Forexample,iftheinterviewerleanswaybackinhischair,youmightjustleanbacktheslightestbit–theeffectisjustasgood.Practicemirroringwithfriendsfirst.Don'ttryitininterviewsuntilyouknowyoucanmakeitlooknatural.

Listening

Ifyouwanttosoundsmart,listen.Themoreyouunderstandtheemployer'sinterestsandconcerns,thebetteryoucanaddressthem.Ifyouwanttheinterviewertolikeandtrustyou,listentoher.Weallcravebeinglistenedto.Andmanagerswantemployeeswholistenwell.Listenactively.Looklikeyou'relistening.Saysomethingoccasionallythatshowsyou'veunderstood.We'veallheardandreadsomuchaboutlistening,yetwedon'tdoitverywell.Whynot?StephenCoveyputitwell:"Mostpeopledon'tlistenwiththeintenttounderstand.Theylistenwiththeintenttoreply."Ifwe'rebusythinkingaboutwhatwe'regoingtosaynext,wearen'tgivingtheinterviewerourfullattention.Bythetimeyoureadthischapter,you'veprobablyspentmanyhourspreparingwhatyou'regoingtosayinyourinterviews.Sowhentheintervieweristalking,trustyourpreparation.Letgoofthinkingaboutwhatyou'llsay.Giveyourundividedattentiontotheinterviewersothattherelationship,andthedialogue,canfullydevelopinthemoment.

Note-taking

Justlikeanyothernonverbalbehavior,takingnotessendsamessageaboutyou.Askingpolitelyifyoumaytakenotes,thenquicklyjottingdowntheoccasionalfactordetail,sendsthemessagethatyou'rewellorganizedandmakeapointofkeepingtrackofinformationgiventoyou.Ontheotherhand,continuallytakingnotesmayraisequestions:whetheryou'rereallylistening,whetheryouhaveaproblemwithmemory,whetheryou'reabletothinkonyourfeet.Laboringtotakenotesinfullsentences,wordforword,looksinefficient.Learnhowtotakefast,abbreviatednotes.It'saskillthatwillserveyoufortherestofyourlife.

MannersAninterviewismoreformalthanmostday-to-daysituations,sowatchyourmannersfromthemomentyou'rewithineyeshotofthebuildinguntilyou'velefttheareaafterwards.Herearesomefinepointsyoumaynothavethoughtof:

• Arrivingmorethan15minutesearlyisawkwardforeveryoneinvolved.It'sgreattogettotheareafarinadvancetobesureyouwon'tbelate,butwaitinacoffeeshoporinyourcaruntilthe

lastfewminutes.Usetheextratimetoreviewyournotes,dorelaxationexercisesorvisualizeasuccessfulinterview.

• Waittobeofferedaseatbeforesittingdown,oratleastuntilothershavetakentheirseats.• Don'tplacepersonalitemsontheinterviewtable,otherthananotepadandpen.Placeyour

briefcaseorpurseontheseatnexttoyou,oronthefloorunderyourchair.• Asof2017,takingnotesonanelectronicdeviceataninterviewisgenerallyfrownedupon.Cell

phonesaretaboo,andnote-takingonalaptopistooobtrusive,tooaudible,andcreatesafeelingofabarrierbetweenyouandtheinterviewer."Thejuryisstillout"regardinguseofotherdevicessuchastablets.

• Aboutcellphones:It'snotenoughtoturnthephoneoff.Itmustbeoutofsighttoeliminateeventheappearancethatyoumighttakeacallduringtheinterview.

• Whenleavingtheinterview,ifpossiblestopintheouterofficeandthankthepersonwhogreetedyouwhenyouarrived.

Andawordaboutnames:Mostpeopleliketoheartheirownname,souseitwhenshakinghandsatthebeginningandendoftheinterview,andmaybeonceortwiceinbetween.So,willitbe"John"or"Mr.Jones"?Theetiquetteonthisischanging,andnoteveryoneagreesonit.IntheHarvardBusinessReviewin2011,communicationandleadershipconsultantJodiGlickmanwrote,"AddressingpeoplebytheirfirstnameisnowthenormincorporateAmerica,"butlaterinthesamearticleshewrote,"ItmaybecounterintuitivetolookapowerfulCEOinthefaceforthefirsttimeandcallthemboldlybytheirfirstname.AnditmaybehardasthatCEOtoswallowit."Onecommonviewisthatit'sbesttofollowtheinterviewer'scues:iftheycallyoubyyourfirstname,replyinthesameway.Otherssayit'sbettertoaddresstheinterviewerasMr.orMs.(oranothertitletheyprefer,ifyouhaveanywayofknowingthat)untiltheyspecificallyinviteyoutousetheirfirstname.Sincethereisnoonedefinitiveanswer,weeachhavetouseourownbestjudgment.

AppearanceBeforeyoueveranswer"Tellmeaboutyourself,"youhavealreadytoldtheinterviewerhowyoufeelaboutyourselfandtheopportunity.You'vetoldthemhowmuchrespectyouhave,ordon'thave,forthemandtheircompany.You'vetoldthemwhetheryouunderstandtheirworld–whetheryou"getit."Allofthatisinstantlycommunicatedbyyouroutfitandgrooming.Overthousandsofyearsofevolution,humanbeingshaveevolvedtomakesnapjudgments.Ourhunter-gathererancestorsfacedlife-and-deathstrugglesroutinely,whetherfromhugeanimalsorotherpeople.Thosewhocouldquicklysizeupanadversarywithreasonableaccuracy,survivedandreproduced.Westillmakethoseinstantjudgments,basedonbodylanguageandappearance.Itmaynotbeveryenlightened,butit'showweare.Ifthatdoesn'tseemfair,orifyoudislikebusinessclothesandprefertodothebareminimumtoplaythegame,believeme,Isympathize.Personally,Ilookandfeelbetterinjeansthaninasuit.Nevertheless,thosewhoplaythegamewell,win.Besides,knowingyou'reperfectlyattiredcanbeahugeboosttoyourconfidence.

Soherearetherecommendedmovesinthisappearancegame.Interviewattireinthevastmajorityofworkplacesisconservative.Theadvicebelowisgearedtowardsthatmajority,butrealizethattherulesaredifferentaccordingtothejob,industryandregion.Ifyou'reinterviewingforajobina"creative"fieldsuchasadvertisingorfashion,forexample,you'llwanttolookmorecreativelystylishthanifyou'reinterviewingatafinancialfirm.Asageneralrule,interviewattireshouldbeastepupfromthewayyouwoulddressonthejob.

• Iftheworkplaceiscasual(let'ssay,thejeansandT-shirtsofSiliconValleysoftwareengineers):Fortheinterview,dressin"businesscasual."Thisisadeceptiveterm,becausebusinesscasualisnotwhatmostofuswouldcallcasual.Formen,businesscasualmeansslackswithacrease,anopencollaredshirt(notie)andmaybeablazer.Forwomen,it'ssimilarexceptyouhavetheoptionofreplacingtheslackswithaknee-lengthskirt,andtheshirtwithablouse.Bothmenandwomenshouldwearclosed-toebusinessshoes.

• Ifbusinesscasualisthestandarddailyattire(asinmanyofficestoday):Wearasuittothe

interview–preferablyblueorgray,withclosedtoedressshoes,andifyou'reamanputonatie.

• Ifyou'llbewearingasuitonthejobeveryday:Clearlythat'swhatyou'llbewearingtotheinterview!

Whenindoubt,asktherecruiterwhoscheduledtheinterviewfortheiradviceaboutwhattowear.It'sbesttocarryonlyoneitem:abriefcaseorportfoliotoholdyourresumes,notepadandsoon.Forawomantocarrybothabriefcaseandapursemaygiveadisorganizedimpression;bettertouseasmallerpursethatwillfitinsideyourbriefcase.Whataboutself-expression?It'sgreattoberealandinterestingandletpeopleknowwhoyouare.Toexpressyourpersonalitywhilestillradiatingimpeccableprofessionalismcanbeachallenge,butifyoucanpullitoff,allthebetter!Butdoavoidloudcolorsoranythingstartling,eccentric,sexyorotherwisedistracting.Keepthefocusonyourprofessionalself.Groomforsuccess.Forhair,neatandtidyisessential.Ifyourhairislong,pullingitbackorupmaybethebestwaytoensureitlooksbusinesslike.Forwomen,lightmakeupisbestandlooksmoreprofessionalthangoingwithout.Formen,aclean-shavenlookisbest,despitethecurrentpopularityof"designerstubble"andbeards.Bothsexesshouldavoidusinganyscentedpersonalcareproducts,especiallyperfumesandcolognes,sincemanypeoplehaveunpleasantphysicalreactionstothese.Hygienemustbeflawless,ofcourse.Avoidstrong-smellingfoods,coffeeandalcohol,whichcanleaveunwelcomesmells.Ifyousmoke,doeverythingyoucantopreventtobaccosmellonyourclothes,hair,handsorbreath.Asofthiswritingin2017,tattoosandpiercings(otherthanwomen'spiercedears)arestillconsideredbeyondthepaleformostinterviews.Ifyoucan'tcoverallyourtatswithclothing,therearemakeupproductssuchasDermaBlenddesignedtohidethem.

Lookright,soundrightandnailallyournonverbalssoyou'resendingaconsistentmessageineverymedium:thatyou'rethebestpersonforthejob.Appropriateclothesandnonverbalsareamust–butoftenit'swhat'snotrequiredthatreallymakesyoustandout.Whatcanyoubringtotheinterviewtonotjusttell,butshowyourvaluetotheemployer?

CHAPTER11

SomethingExtra:Portfolios,PresentationsandPlans

TellmeandIforget,showmeandImayremember,involvemeandIlearn.–paraphraseofancientChineseproverb

Proveit.

–anonymous(Whohasn'tsaidthis?)

Therearenotrafficjamsalongtheextramile.–ZigZiglar

You'reattheinterviewtoeducate–tomemorablyteachtheemployeraboutyourvalue.Andit'swellknownthatpeoplerememberinformationbetterwhenitincludesvisuals.You'realsotheretopersuade.Don'tjustclaimyouhavecertainskillsandqualities.Lookforwaystoofferevidence.Andyou'retheretostandout.Solookforopportunitiestooffersomethingextrathattheothercandidatesmightnot.Usedcorrectly,"extras"suchasportfolios,presentationsand30/60/90-dayplanscanhelpyoueducate,persuadeandstandoutintheinterviewer'smind.

Portfoliosaren'tjustforartists.Portfolios–whetheronlineorphysical–aren'tjustfor"creative"professionalslikegraphicdesignersandcopywriters.Ifthequalityofyourworkcanbedemonstratedbyseveralofthefollowingitems,considerassemblingthemintoabinderorcomputerizedpresentation.Youmightinclude:

• Samplesofworkorsummariesofprojects(butnotethewarningbelow)• Writingsamples• Kudos• Awards• Lettersofrecommendation(orbetteryet,printoutsofLinkedInrecommendations)• Positiveperformancereviews• Graphs,chartsorotherinfographics• Certificates,licensesortranscripts• Resume,coverletterandreferences• Andwhatelse?Useyourimaginationandgoodjudgment.

Beverycarefulnottoviolateyourpastemployers'confidentiality–noreventoappeartodoso.Worksamples,writingsamplesandperformancereviewscancontainhighlysensitiveorproprietaryinformation.

Ifyouproviderecommendationsfromothers,beawarethattheemployermayreachouttothemforareference.SeeChapter14forsuggestionsonpreparingyourcontactsforsuchcalls.Useanattractivebinder–don'tskimp!–andplaceeachiteminapageprotector,perhapswithcopiestosharebehindeachoriginal.Betteryet,designtheportfolioasacopytobegiventotheinterviewer.Donotimposeonthemtoreturnittoyouafterwards.Ifyouhaveonlyoneitemortwoextraitemstoshow,forexamplealetterofrecommendationandalistofreferences,youcansimplyprovidethesetotheintervieweralongwithyourresume.

Considergivingamini-presentationwithyourtabletorlaptop.Someinterviewsrequirethatyougiveapresentation–butifit'snotrequired,whynotbetheonlycandidatewhopreparedoneanyway?Thiscanbeespeciallyeffectiveifpresentationskillsarerelevanttothejob,orifsomeofyourskills–forexample,webdesign–lendthemselveswelltoanonlinepresentation.Donotasktousetheemployer'spresentationequipment.Keepyouruseoftechnologysimpleandseamless.Atabletcomputermaybethebestchoice,becauseit'seasytohandbackandforth.Andmakesureyourbatteryisfullycharged;don'tsearcharoundforanoutlettopluginto.Anyunasked-forpresentationshouldbeverybrief.Itcouldbeanywherefromaquickreferencetooneparticularlytellinginfographic,oramulti-slidepresentationthelengthofatypicalinterviewanswer(whichyoumayrecall,Isuggestlimitingtoaminuteortwo).Introducethepresentationasawayofansweringaquestionthathasbeenasked."Toanswerthatquestion,I'dliketoshowyouaone-minutepresentationI'vepreparedonmytablet.Allright?"RememberthatapplicationslikePowerPoint,Keynote,PreziorGoogleSlidesareonlyaseffectiveasyouruseofthem.Spendatleastafewminutesreadinguponsmartpresentationdesignintermsoffontsizes,balanceoftextversusimages,colorandsoon.

A30/60/90-dayplanisappropriateforcertainoccupations.Thistoolistypicallyusedbyexecutives,managersandsalesormarketingprofessionals,butitcouldbeeffectiveforothersaswell.Theplanshowswhatyouwouldaccomplishinyourfirstthreemonthsonthejob,andthepurposeistodemonstratethatyoufullyunderstandtherole,havegoodideasabouthowtoperformitandaredriventoexcelinit.Craftandpresentthistowardtheendoftheinterviewprocess,aftercompletingatleastaninterviewortwo,whenyou'vegaineddetailedknowledgeofthechallenges,resourcesandexpectationsinvolvedintheposition.Expecttospendanumberofhoursresearchingthecompanyanditsenvironment,writingtheplananddevelopingapolisheddocumentorelectronicpresentation.

Sinceyou'renotyetonthejob,theplanwillprobablybetentative,andmayincludementionofadditionalinformationyouwouldseekoralternativecoursesofactiontobeconsidered.Attheinterview,engagetheinterviewerindiscussionaboutyourplanandinvitefeedback.

Bedeferentialinintroducingextrasintotheinterview.Rememberthattheemployerisinchargeoftheagendafortheinterviewandrespectthat.Youwanttobringyourportfolio,presentationorplanintothemeetingonlywiththeirpermission,attherightmomentandwithoutdisruptingthesmoothflowofthemeeting.Physicalportfolio,planorotherdocument:Iftheinterviewistakingplaceataconferencetable,youmightsaysomethinglike,"MayIsetthishere?",makingitnaturalfortheinterviewertoaskyouaboutitwhenthey'reready.Otherwise,waituntilatopicarisesthatcorrespondstowhatyou'vebroughtandask,"MayIshowyousomethingthatrelatestothis?"Electronicpresentation:Itmaybedistractingorseeminappropriatetohaveyourdeviceinplainsightbeforeyou'vehadachancetoexplainitspresence.Itmaybebesttokeepitinyourbriefcaseuntiltherightmomenthasarisenandtheinterviewerhasagreedtoviewyourpresentation.Bepreparedforthepossibilitythattheinterviewermaynotwanttolookatwhatyou'veprepared,eitherduetotimeconstraintsoradesiretobe"fair"byfollowingthesameformatwitheachapplicant.Inthatcase,youmightofferahardcopyorattachitwithyourfollow-upcorrespondenceafterwards.Youreffortwasnotwasted–you'vestilldemonstratedyourexceptionalmotivation,creativityandworkethic.It'snotjustwhatyousaythatcountsintheinterview–norevenhowyoulookandwhatyoubring–butalsohowyouare:nervousandstiff,orcalmandconfident.Thenextchapterissoimportantwecouldverywellhaveopenedthebookwithit.

CHAPTER12

CalmandConfident–Here'sHow

Whetheryouthinkyoucanoryouthinkyoucan't,you'reright.–HenryFord

It'sperfectlynormaltobenervousaboutjobinterviews.Butifyougetsoanxiousthatyourvoiceshakes,youcan'tstopfidgetingoryoufindithardtothinkclearly,that'saproblem.Fortunately,there'salotyoucandoaboutit.Toooftenwefeellikewehavenocontroloverouranxieties,nowaytoconsciouslycultivateconfidence.Abundantresearchshowsthisisjustnottrue.Inthischapteryou'lllearnseveralwaystocalmyournervesandfeelconfident.PsychoanalystAnnaFreudwrote,"Iwasalwayslookingoutsidemyselfforstrengthandconfidence,butitcomesfromwithin.Itisthereallthetime."Thefollowingpracticaltipsandtechniquescanhelpyoufindthatinnerconfidence.Experiment–findoutwhichofthesetoolsworkbestforyou,andthenusethem!

BreathingandOtherRelaxationTechniquesPsychologistFritzPerlsoncesaid,"Fearisexcitementwithoutthebreath."Thismaybeanoversimplification,butsomeofyournervousnessmayactuallybeexcitementabouttheopportunity.Yourexcitementisanasset,sinceitshowsyou'repassionateaboutthejob.Soappreciateyourexcitement,andthenbreathetoreleasetheanxiety.Easiersaidthandone?Hereareacoupleofquick,easybreathingexercisesfromaHarvardMedicalSchoolblog.Trythemrightnow.

Breathingwithapeacefulphrase:1. Whilesittingcomfortably,takeaslowdeepbreath,quietlysayingtoyourself"Iam"asyou

breatheinand"atpeace"asyoubreatheout.2. Repeatslowlytwoorthreetimes.3. Feelyourentirebodyletgointothesupportofyourchair.

Abdominalbreathing:1. Placeyourhandjustbeneathyournavelsoyoucanfeelthegentleriseandfallofyourbellyas

youbreathe.2. Breathein.Pauseforacountofthree.3. Breatheout.Pauseforacountofthree.4. Continuelikethisforoneminute.

Noticehowyoufeelbeforeandafterdoingtheseexercises.

Youcanalsouseyourimaginationtohelpyourelax.Trythesetechniquesandseewhichoneworksbestforyou.

Colorvisualization:1. Thinkofacolorthatyoufindrelaxing.2. Asyoubreatheslowlyanddeeply,imaginethatyou'rebreathingthatcolorintovariousareasof

yourbody.Feelthecolorbringingrelaxationwhereveritgoes.

Rubberbandsvisualization:1. Focusonatenseareasuchasyourneckorshoulders,andimaginethattheareaismadeoftaut

rubberbandsstretchedinbetweenpegs.2. Nowimaginethepegsarereleasedandtherubberbandsgolimp.Feeltherelief.

Whatevertechniqueyouprefer,practiceitoftenandenjoyit.Makeitpartofyoureverydaylifesoitcomesnaturallytoyouwhenyouneedit–likeinthewaitingarearightbeforeaninterview.

GrowingYourConfidenceIfyou'relikemostpeople,yourlevelofconfidencechangesfluidlyfromdaytoday,andevenfromminutetominute.Thegoodnewisthis:ifit'ssofluid,thatmeansit'schangeableandyoucanchangeitintentionally.Hereareseveralwaystofeelmoreconfidentinyourjobsearch:Actthewayyouwanttofeel.Asyoupracticeforinterviews,andintheinterviewitself,doandsayeverythingasifyouwereconfident.You'llbegintoactuallyfeelthatway.Useconfidentlanguage:"I'mconfident"or"I'mconvinced"ratherthan"Ithink"or"Ifeel."Avoidsayingyou"triedto"dothisorthat.AsYodasaidinTheEmpireStrikesBack,"Donottry.Do.Ordonot.Thereisnotry."Usepowerposes.Here'sagreatexampleofhow"actingthewayyouwanttofeel"works.ResearchdoneatHarvardUniversityhasshownthatadoptingaconfidentposeforonlytwominutesaltersaperson'shormonebalance,makingthemfeelmoreconfident.Trythe"WonderWoman"or"Superman"pose–standupstraightwithyourlegsapartandyourhandsonyourhipsfortwominutes.Youmightcombinethiswithabreathingexercisesuchasthoseaboveandgetmultiplebenefitsatonetime.Yogaandmartialartsincludemanyposesthatradiateconfidenceandstrength,whileencouragingdeepbreathingandimprovingposture.Manypeoplehaveexperiencedincreasedconfidenceasaresultofthesepractices.Exercise.Countlessjobseekershavefoundthatanexercisehabitboostsconfidence.Regularexercisebringsenergy,well-being,asenseofaccomplishmentandafeelingofcontroloverone'sbodyandmind,nottomentionahealthierappearance.Ifyourworkethicsays"Idon'thavetime,"thinkofitasaninvestmentinyourcareersuccess.Don'tbelieveeverythingyouthink.Cognitivebehavioraltherapy(CBT)isaverysuccessfulapproachtofeelingbetterbychangingyourthoughts.Ifyou'refeelingbadaboutyourselfit'sprobablybecauseofsomethingyou'rethinking.Practicedisputingthosethoughtsandreplacingthemwithrealisticallypositiveones.Forexample,whenyoucatchyourselfthinking"I'mnogoodatinterviewing,"replacethatthoughtwith"I'mimprovingmyinterviewskillsandIwillgetanoffer."

Herearesomeexamples:Negative PositiveIcan'tdothis. Icandothis.I'mworkingonitandincreasingmyskills.Somebodyelsewillgetthejob,notme.

Iwasselectedoutofmanyapplicantsforthisinterview.Theinterviewerisveryinterestedinme.Therearegoodreasonstohireme.

Ialwaysblowit. I'vemademistakesinpastinterviews,butthepastdoesn'tdeterminethefuture.Ihavenewskills.Thenextinterviewwillbeawholedifferentstory.

Ihateinterviewing. Icanfindthingstoenjoyaboutinterviewing.Itcanbeanenjoyableconversation.Icanseetheinterviewerandmereallyhittingitoff.

Theinterviewerwillbetryingtomakemefail.

TheinterviewerisanxioustofillthepositionandhopesI'mtheone.She'dlovetobeveryimpressedbyme.

Theinterviewerhasallthepower.I'mtheonlynervousone.

Theinterviewerhasneeds,hopesandprobablyanxietiesaboutthisprocess.He'saperson,justlikeme.Inaway,we'reinthesameboat.

Thebeliefsabovearejustexamples.Ifthesepositivestatementsdon'tfeelrighttoyou–maybethey'retoooptimisticforwhereyou'reatrightnow,ornotoptimisticenough–makeupyourown.Tryingtoblockoutthenegativethoughtsdoesn'tusuallywork.Instead,justcompassionatelynoticethemandthenreplacethem.Thisworktakespatience–doingitonceisn'tenough–buteverybitaddsup.UseMentalImagery.Itiswellknownthattopperformersinthearts,athleticsandotherfieldsusementalimagery,alsoknownascreativevisualization,tobuildtheirskillsandsetupthementalconditionsforsuccess.Theideaistoexperience,inyourimagination,thewayyouwanttofeel,think,speakandactduringyournextinterview.Onsomelevel,yourbrainstoresthisexperienceaslearning,almostasifyouhadparticipatedinareal,highlysuccessfulinterview.Naturally,thispreparesyouforaconfidentandeffectiveperformanceintherealworld.Thisisn'tmagic;it'ssupportedbyscientificresearch.(Youcanlookup"motorimagery"onWikipedia.)Firstrelax,usinganyrelaxationtechniquethatworksforyou.Then,vividlyimaginegoingthroughaverysuccessfulinterview,feelingconfidentfromstarttofinish.Ifyoustarttofeeltenseorworried,useyourtechniqueagaintobringbackcalmandconfidencebeforeyoucontinue.Besuretogiveyour"mentalmovie"ahappyending!Dothisforafewminuteseveryday.Ifyoufindithardtoconcentrateonyourimagery,workwithacoachortherapistwhohasskillsinguidedvisualization.Askthemtomakeyouarecordingyoucanlistentoagainandagain.(ThisispartoftheserviceIoffertomycoachingclients,anditcanbedoneremotely.)Startakudosfile.Gatheruporwritedownanypraiseyou'vereceivedaboutyourwork,whetheritwasascasualasacommentorasformalasaperformancerevieworLinkedInrecommendation.(Ifyoudon'thaveLinkedInrecommendations,askseveralpeopletogiveyouone!)Lookthroughthesethingswhenyouneedaboost.

Ifyouhaven'tkeptanyofthecomplimentsorrecognitionyou'vereceivedinthepast,makeapointofdoingsofromnowon.Ifyourpastexperiencewasinenvironmentswherelittlepraiseorrecognitionisgiven,Iempathizewithyou!Manymanagersandcompaniesfailtoseetheimportanceofrecognizinggoodwork.Visualizeyourcurrentjobsearchlandingyouinamoresupportivesituation!Lastbutcertainlynotleast,confidencecomesfrombeingprepared.Reallypracticewhatyoulearnfromthevariouschaptersofthisbook.Getthoroughlyready.Ifyou'vebeen"wingingit"untilnow,youmaybequitesurprisedatthedifferencethismakes.Confidenceiscontagious!Letyourconfidenceinyourselfconvincetheinterviewer.Partofbeingpreparedisknowingwhattoexpect.Interviewformatsvarywidely,fromarecordedvideosessiontothe"firingline"pressuresofaformalpanelinterview,andeachcomeswithitsownchallenges.Youmaylovesurprisesonyourbirthday,butprobablynotininterviewing!Thenextchapterwillhelpyouadaptconfidentlytodifferenttypesofinterviews.

SectionFour

KnowWhattoExpect

CHAPTER13

TwelveTypesofInterviews

Expecttheunexpected,andwheneverpossiblebetheunexpected.–LyndaBarry

Theclassicone-on-one,in-personmeetingisonlyoneofthemanyformsaninterviewcantake.Youmayencounterarangeofformats,fromrecordedinterviewstomealinterviewsandmore.Eachtypeofinterviewhasitsownchallengesandopportunities.Thischapterwillhelpyouunderstandhowtosucceedwithallofthem.Howdoyouknowtheformatofyourupcominginterview?Usually,thehumanresourcespersonwhoschedulestheinterviewwilltellyouifit'snotjustatraditionalone-on-one.Ifit'snotclear,ask.Forexample,iftheytellyouyou'llbemeetingwithfivepeopleatonce,ask"Soit'sapanelinterview?"(Andaskforeachperson'snameandrole,too.)

PhoneScreeningAscreeningcanbealotlikea"popquiz,"occurringwhenyouleastexpectit.Don'tbecaughtoffguard.Assoonasyou'vesentaresume,getready.Firstofall,makesureyouhaveaclear,professionalvoicemailgreetingthatincludesyourname.Don'tmakearecruiterwonderwhethertheirconfidentialmessagewillbeheardbytherightperson.Whenyouhearthatvoicesaying"I'mcallingabouttheopeningatXCompany,"youdon'twanttobestrugglingtoremember"Whichjobwasthat?WhatdidItellthemaboutmyself?"Makesurethefollowinginformationisinstantlyavailablenearthephone,orinyourpurseorbriefcase.

• Jobannouncementsyou'veappliedtorecently• Resumesandcoverletters• YourREVIntrooutline,unlessyouhaveitmemorized• Appointmentcalendar,ifyoudon'tuseyourcellphoneforthis• Notepadandpen

Therecruitermaybeanxiousto"talkforafewminutesrightnow"eventhoughit'snotagoodtimeforyou.Ifthereareseveralgoodcandidatesavailable,askingtoreschedulemayputyouatadisadvantage.Butifit'sreallyabadtime,itmaybebettertosay"Canwetalkabitlater,maybein15minutes?"–ratherthaninterviewbadlybecauseyoujustwokeuporareabouttogointoanotherimportantmeeting.Alongwithgeneralquestionslike"Tellmeaboutyourself"and"Whyareyouinterestedinthisjob?",youmaybeaskedaboutyourcurrent/pastsalaryoryoursalaryexpectations.SeeChapters3and7forhelpwiththesequestions.Oneadvantageofaphoneinterviewisthatyoucanrefertonotesifyouneedto,suchasyourREVIntrooutlineorSOARstorieslist.Spreadthenotesoutinfrontofyousoyoudon'tneedtohandlethem,toavoidrustlingnoises.

Youmightthinkbodylanguageisunimportantinaphoneinterview,butactuallytheinterviewercanhearwhetheryou'resmiling.Tohelpyouremembertosmile,drawasmileyfaceonyournotes.Andsitupstraightorstandup,whichmakesyourvoicesoundmoreenergetic.

OneonOne,FacetoFaceThisistheclassicinterviewformat.Typicallylongerthanaphonescreening,anin-personinterviewmaybeahalfhour,anhourorevenlonger(whichisusuallyagoodsign).Youcanlearnalotfromphysicallybeingthereintheoffice.Lookaroundandpayattentionforcluesaboutthecompanycultureandwhatit'slikeworkingthere.Befriendly,butnottoochatty,withthereceptionistandwhoeverelseyouencounter.

PanelInterviewPanelinterviewsarealsosometimesknownascommitteeordepartmentalinterviews.Theyareoftenveryfirmlystructuredastothequestionsasked,orderofthequestions,andeventheseatingarrangements.Theseinterviewscanfeelveryartificialand"stiff."Butlookatitthisway:theinterviewersprobablydon'tenjoyiteither.Letthatthoughtgiveyouafeelingofempathytowardthem!Begracious,putthematease,andyoumayendupmakingyourselffeelmorerelaxedaswell.Addressalloftheinterviewersasyouanswereachquestion,notjustthepersonwhoasked.Striveforafriendlyrapportwitheveryone,includingtheleastfriendlyperson,andespeciallythedecisionmaker.Writedownthenameandroleofeachpersonpresent.(Dothisinadvanceifpossible.)Arrangethenamesonyournotepadinthesamewaythatthepeoplearearrangedintheroom–Brendaontheleft,Carloontheright,etc.Askforbusinesscardssoyou'llhavecontactinformationtofollowupwitheveryoneindividually.

GroupInterviewTheterm"groupinterview"canmeandifferentthings,butwhatwe'llfocusonhereisaprocesswheremultiplecandidatesinteracttogetherinaround-tablediscussionorsmall-groupexercise.Thisformatallowsinterviewerstoobserveinterpersonalskillssuchasteamwork,leadership,andhelpingtofacilitatethestatedgoalsoftheexercise.It'sabalancingact:demonstrateyourskillswithouttakingover;collaboratewithpeoplewhomayalsobeyourcompetitors–asyoumightdoonthejob,ifyouwerecompetingwithteammatesforapromotionwhilestillworkingtogetherforacommongoal.Sometimes"groupinterview"simplymeansmeetingwithmorethanonepersonatatime,forexamplethehiringmanagerplusafewteammembers.Asinapanelinterview,useeyecontacttoincludeeveryoneinyouranswers,andofcoursegiveextraattentiontothepersonwhomaybecomeyourboss.

BehavioralInterviewAbehavioralinterview,alsoknownasaperformance-basedinterview,isonewheremostofthequestionswillstartwithlanguagelike"Tellmeaboutatimewhen…"andrequireyoutotellaspecificstoryfromyourworkexperience.Thetheoryisthataperson'sbehaviorinthepastisthebestpredictorofhowtheywillperformifhired.So,asemphasizedinChapter2andthroughoutthisbook,it'simportanttodevelopawrittenlistofsuccessstories.Youwon'tnecessarilybetold"Thiswillbeabehavioralinterview,"sinceperformance-basedinterviewingisused,atleasttosomeextent,inmostinterviews.

SequentialorAll-dayInterviewMultipleinterviewroundsareincreasinglycommon.Whenthey'recrammedintoonedayitcanbeoverwhelming.Keepingyourenergyupisoneofthechallengeshere.Ifyou'reamongthoseofuswhodon'tfunctionwellwithoutfrequentfuel,askwhentherewillbebreaksintheinterviewingandbringfood.Iftimepermits,aquickwalkaroundtheblockmayhelprefreshyoubetweenmeetings.Varyingthestoriesyoutellisimportant.Interviewersmaycomparenoteslater,andyoudon'twantthemtodiscoveryoutoldtheexactsamestorieseverytime,asifthat'sallyouhavetosay.Don'tletalltheinterviewsblurtogetherinyourmind.Ifpossible,takeafewnotesbetweenmeetings:questionsthatwereasked,storiesyoutold,whatyoulearnedabouteachinterviewer.Thiswillhelpyouwritesmart,personalizedthank-younoteslater.

MealInterviewItmaynotbecalledaninterview,butamealwithyourprospectivebossand/orteammatescanhaveastrongeffectonyourcandidacy,soprepareasyouwouldforaninterview.Inaddition,ifyouknowthenameoftherestaurantinadvance,lookupthemenuonlineandplanyourorderbeforehand.Eatverylittlesothatyou'refreetotalk.Avoidalcoholicbeverages,evenifthebossisdrinking.Keepyourphoneswitchedoffandoutofsight.Benicetoyourserver.Mealinterviewstendtoincludemoresmalltalkthanmost.Onegoodconversationstrategyistoasktheothershowtheycametojointhecompanyandwhattheyenjoymostabouttheirworkthere.Butfollowtheleadoftheboss:ifhestickstobusiness,dolikewise.Andofcourse,beonyourbestbehaviorastoconversationaltopicsandtablemanners–evenifothersbreaktherules.

VideoInterview

Mostemployersusevideointerviewingattimes,butmanypeoplefinditabitunnaturalanduncomfortable.Ifyoucanhelpmaketheexperiencefeelmoreengagingandenjoyableforyourselfandothers,youwillcertainlystandout.Videointerviewsmaybeeithertwo-wayorasynchronous.Inatwo-waycall,you'recommunicatinginrealtime,perhapsviaSkype,GoogleHangoutsorGoToMeeting.Inanasynchronousinterviewyou'llrecordyourresponsesforcompanyemployeestoviewlater.Toensureyou'llusethetechnologysmoothlyandwithoutstress,tryitoutaheadoftime.Ifyouhavetechnicaldifficultiesduringtheinterview,notifytheinterviewerimmediately.Howyoulookisveryimportant,andlightingisthekey.Checkyourselfthroughyourcomputer'sPhotoBoothorCrazyCamapplication,orthroughacameraoreveninamirror.Lookintothecameraoftentocreatetheeffectofeyecontact.

CaseInterviewCaseinterviewsareusedinfillingrolesthatrequireproblemsolvingandanalyticalskillsespeciallymanagementconsultingandpositionsthatrequireanMBA.Inacaseinterview,youwouldbepresentedwithaproblemscenariosimilartothoseyouwouldencounteronthejobandaskedtodevelopasolution.Candidatesoftenspendmanyhoursanddayspreparingforcaseinterviews.Entirebookshavebeendevotedtoadviceonansweringthemeffectively,andtherearemanysamplecasesandgoodhow-toresourcesonline.ManyoftheseresourcesareonthewebsitesofconsultingfirmslikeAccentureandMcKinseyandCompany.Hereareafewtipsfromthesesites:

• Practicemanycasesaheadoftime,especiallywithothers,andgetfeedbackonhowyou'redoing.

• Understandthattheinterviewerdoesn'texpecttohearaperfectsolution;inmanycasesitwouldtakeawholeteamtodothat.

• Listencarefully.Interviewersmaygiveyoutipsandclues.• Don'tjumpintoansweringrightaway.Takeaminutetothinkaboutthecase,askquestionsand

planyouranswer.• Showyourthoughtprocesses.Useawhiteboardifoneisavailable.Theinterviewerisinterested

inhowyouapproach,structureandcommunicateyouranswer.

StressInterviewInthe"CommonQuestions"chapterIlistedseveral"stressquestions"thatareintendedtotestintervieweesabilitytoperformeffectivelyunderuncomfortablecircumstancesorwithdifficultpeople.Inadditiontoquestionslike"Howwouldyouratemeasaninterviewer?",theinterviewmaybedesignedtobestressfulinotherwaysaswell.Stresstacticsmayincludeaskingyouthesamequestionrepeatedly,asifyouranswerwasinadequateortheydon'tbelieveyou.Theymaysigh,frowncontinually,avoideyecontact,interruptoractasifthey'renotlistening.Theymayacthostileorrushed.

Itmaybehardtotellwhethertheintervieweralwaysactsthisway–aseriousconcerniftheywillbeyourmanager–orwhetherit'sjustaninterviewtechnique.Onetip-offisiftheinterviewer'smannersuddenlychangesattheend,becomingmorefriendly.Thekeytosuccessinthistypeofinterviewistostaycalmandrespondwithimpeccableprofessionalism.Don'ttakethebehaviorpersonally.Viewthesituationasaninterestingchallenge.Remembertosmile–itmayactuallymakeyoufeelbetteraswellasdemonstrateyourunflappability.Ifthestresstacticsareextreme,youmaywanttoaskinapleasanttonewhetheryouarebeingtestedforyourabilitytohandlestress,andwhetherthatindicatesthatthepositionistypicallyverystressful.Iftheinterviewer'sbehaviormakesyouuncertainwhetheryouwantthejob,setthatthoughtasideandthinkaboutitafteryouleave.Ifyoumakeahastynegativedecisionduringtheinterviewyoumayregretitlaterwhenyouweighthefactorsmorecalmly.

JobFairStandingatacompany'sbooth,youchatwithacompanyrepresentativeformaybefiveminutes,handthemyourresumeandtheencounterends.Unbeknownsttoyou,afteryouleavetheywriteanoteontheresumethatdetermineswhetheryouwillbecontactedforaphonescreeningoramoreformalinterview.Wasthisfive-minuteconversationaninterview?Youbetitwas!Here'swhatyouneedtodotosucceedinthesemini-interviews:

• Dressasyouwouldforanyinterview.• Beknowledgeableaboutthecompanyandanysuitableopenpositionslistedontheirwebsite.• Showenthusiasmandpassion.• Don'tgivetheimpressiontheircompanyisjustonerandomstop,orthatyou'reapplying

everywhere.Ifyou'reapplyingatotherboothsnearby,don'tbeobviousaboutit.Itlooksbettertoapproachaboothfromelsewhereinthefair,asifyou'vegoneoutofyourway.

TestingandProjectsAshiringprocessesbecomeincreasinglyrigorous,testingatinterviewshasbecomemorecommonanddiverse,includingwrittentestsofbasicskillssuchaswritingormath,jobskills,personality,managementstyleandsoon.TestingofskillsinusingMicrosoftWord,Excelorworkplaceequipmentarecommon.Youmaybeaskedtoworkyourwaythroughanin-boxorprepareanddeliverapresentation.Findoutasmuchaspossibleaboutanyteststhatwillberequired.Study,andtakepracticetestsonline,evenforpersonalitytests.Ifrequiredtotakeadrugtest,beawarethatfalsepositiveresultscanoccurifyouhaverecentlytakencertainmedicines,suchasibuprofen,coldandallergyremedies,dietpillsorsleepingaids,oreatenfoodscontainingpoppyseedsorhemp.

Workprojectsmayincludeassignmentsofactualworktypicalofthejob,suchasredesigningawebsite,writingorreviewingsoftwarecode,orplanningasocialmediacampaign.Youmaybeaskedtodotheworkonthespotorathome.Jobseekersaresometimessuspiciousoftake-homeprojectsandotherlengthyassignments,andnotnecessarilywithoutcause.Whileinmostcasestheassignmentsarehonestlyintendedonlytotesttheapplicant'sskills,someemployershavegoneontoprofitfromapplicants'ideasorwork.Howcanyouprotectyourselffromsuchpractices?Thereisnosimpleanswer.Whenaskedtocompleteaverytime-consumingproject,considerhowseriouslythecompanyisinterestedinyouandhowmuchyouwantthejob.Researchtheirreputation.Askforanestimateofthetimerequiredorhowmuchdetailisexpected;insomecasesafullyuseableproductmaynotberequired.Insomecasesjobseekershavebroughtalongasimplemutualnondisclosureagreement(NDA).Iftheemployerrefusestosign,thatmaybearedflag.Knowingwhattoexpectwillhelpyoutoshineinanyinterviewformatandavoidstressfulsurprises.Thenextchapterwillhelpyouavoidunpleasantsurprisesinanotherarea:references.Whomighttheemployertalkto,whatwilltheysay–andwhatcanyoudoaboutit?

CHAPTER14

FiveDangerousMythsaboutReferencesUnlessareviewerhasthecouragetogiveyouunqualifiedpraise,Isayignorethebastard.

–JohnSteinbeck

Ifonlythemanagementofreferenceswasassimpleasthebreezyquotationatthetopofthispage.Atsomepointintheinterviewprocessyou'llbeaskedforalistofpeoplewhocanprovideareference,andtowardtheendoftheprocesstheemployerwillprobablycheckthesereferences–andtheymightnotstopthere.Thecommonfallaciesdiscussedbelowcanderailyourprogresstowardtheofferyou'veworkedsohardtocapture.Ignorethematyourperil!

Myth#1:Employerswillonlycontactpeoplefromthelistyouprovide.

Manyemployerswillcontactotherpeopleaswell.It'sneitherillegalnorparticularlydifficultforthemtodoso.Theycanfindyourpastmanagersandco-workersviasocialmedia,websites,onlinedirectoriesandwordofmouth.Theymayevenfindpeopleatcompaniesyouhaven'tlistedonyourresumeorapplication.

Myth#2:Pastemployerscanlegallyonlygiveoutyourtitle,datesof

employment andmostrecentsalary.Manycompaniesdohavecompanypoliciesforbiddingemployeesfromgivingoutadditionalinformation,butthatdoesn'tmeanit'sagainstthelaw.Anddoeseverybodyfollowcompanypolicyanyway?Don'tcountonit.

Myth#3:There'snothingyoucandoaboutbadreferences.

First,youneedtoknowwhetherbadreferencesareoccurring.Ifyou'renotsure,hireareferencecheckingfirmlikeAllison&Taylortodoareferencecheckforyou.It'snotexpensive.Ifyoususpectthatacertainindividualmaybegivingyouanegativereference,pluckupyournerveandreachouttohimtotalkitover,preferablyinperson.Thepurposehereistolistentohispointofview,acknowledgethattheremayhavebeendifficultiesinthepast,andexplainhowyou'velearnedandgrownsincethen.Appealtohissympathyandpointoutthatyouneedachancetogetanewstart.Askwhetherhewouldbewillingtoemphasizethepositiveaspectsofyourpastwork,oratleasttoavoidcommenting.

Iftalkingtohimdoesn'twork,considersendingafirm"ceaseanddesist"lettertosomeonehigherupinthecompany.Namethepersongivingthenegativereferencesandaskthatthereferencebelimitedtothejobtitleanddatesofemployment.Usuallythiswillsolvetheproblem.Formoreclout,itmaybehelpfultohavethelettercomefromanattorney.

Myth#4:Oncesomeonehasagreedtogiveyouareference,allyouneedtodo

isputthemonthelistandgiveittotheemployer.Actually,therearemanywaysthatcouldgowrong.Helpensuresuccessfuloutcomesbyworkingwithyourreferencepeopleasfollows:

1. Askeachpersonifthey'rewillingtoprovideareferencebeforeyougiveouttheirname.Askthemwhattheywouldsay.Iftheyseemuncomfortable,orifyouhaveanysensethattheywouldgivefaintpraise,thankthempolitelyanyway.Butdon'tputthemonyourlist.

2. Informthemeachtimeyougiveouttheirname.Letthemknowwhotheywillbehearingfromandthenatureofthejob.It'snogoodhavingthemraveaboutyourmanagementskillsifyou'reinterviewingforanindividualcontributorrole.

3. Helpthemtargettheircomments.Suggestspecificskills,projectsoraccomplishmentsto

mention.Sendthisinformationinanemailsotheycaneasilyrefertoitwhenneeded.Don'texpectthemtokeepyourjobsearchattopofmind.

4. Makesurethey'llbeavailable–andnotonvacation,forexample.Ifanemployerleavesa

messageandfailstohearback,theymayassumetheworst:thatthepersonisuncomfortabletalkingaboutyou.

5. Askthemtorespondasquicklyaspossible.Employersmaytakethespeedoftheresponseas

anindicationofhoweagerthepersonis(orisn't)tosingyourpraises.

6. Checkinlatertoverifythattheconversationhappenedandhowitwent.Youmaylearnsomethingimportantabouttheemployer,whatthey'relookingforandwhatimpressesorconcernsthemaboutyou.

Myth#5:It'sfinetopresentyourreferencesbeforeyouareaskedforthem.

Don'twearoutagoodreferenceonemployerswhoarenotseriouslyinterestedinhiringyou.Asacourtesytoyourreferenceproviders,offertheirnamesandcontactinformationonlywhenrequired.Ifyouwanttohavecontactsvouchingforyouearlierintheprocess–whichisoftenextremelyhelpful–askinsteadforaletterofrecommendation,aLinkedInrecommendation,or,ifyourcontacthasarelationshipwiththeemployer,aphonecalltoputinagoodword.

We'renowinthelastlapsoftheinterviewprocess,andit'sacrucialtime.Lastimpressionscanbealmostasimportantasfirstones.Howwillyouconcludeyourinterviewinawaythatleavesahighlypersuasiveimageofyouintheinterviewer'smind?

SectionFive

HappyEndings–andGreatBeginnings

CHAPTER15

EndingontheRightNote

Finally,inconclusion,letmesayjustthis.–PeterSellers

Toooften,intervieweesendaninterviewbysayingwhatPeterSellersdidinthequoteabove:basicallynothing!Well,okay,nearlyeverybodyrememberstosay"Thankyou."That'sagoodstart.Butwhywasteoneofthekeymomentsofinterview"airtime"?Whyisitkey?Becausepeopletendtorememberwhatcamefirst,andwhatcamelast.Soriseabovethemumble-and-stumbleexitsofyourcompetitorsbypreparingaclosingstatementthatreinforcesyourpositiveimage,yourbrandandyourkeysellingpoints.Here'swhatyouwanttoaccomplish:

1. Conveyappreciationfortheinterview.2. LeaveyourREVpointsclearlyfixedintheinterviewer'smind.3. Expressenthusiasticinterestinthejob.

Oncetheinterviewerhasfinishedwithhisquestionsandansweredyours,it'stime.Beforeyougetuptoleave,makeabriefclosingstatementthatnailsthesethreeobjectives.

AppreciationObviously,it'sonlypolitetothanktheinterviewersfortakingthetimetomeetwithyou.Showspecialappreciationforanythingextratheinterviewerhasdone,suchascominginearlyorstayinglatefortheinterview,takingyoutolunchorgivingyouatouroftheoffice.

"Michael,thankyousomuchformeetingwithmetoday.I'vereallyenjoyedtalkingwithyou.Andthanksfortakingthetimetoshowmearound.I'mverygladIwasabletomeetRajandIrene.I'vegottenagreatimpressionofthewholeteam."

REVPointsRevisitedAtthebeginningoftheinterviewyouansweredthe"Tellmeaboutyourself"inquirywithanintroductionthatemphasizedyourREV(Relevant,ExceptionalandVerifiable)sellingpoints,thetopfactorsyouthoughtwouldmakeyoustandouttotheinterviewerastherightpersontohire.Atthattime,youdidn’tknowforsurewhattheinterviewerwouldconsidermostcrucial.Tosomeextent,itwasguesswork.Bytheendoftheinterviewyoumayknowbetter.Maybetheinterviewer'seyeslitupaboutsomeofyourREVPointsmorethanothers.Maybethejobmatchesyourskillsinawayyouhadn'trealizedbefore.Soupdateyourkeysellingpointsintoaverybriefstatementofthegreatfitbetweenyouandthisjob.Here'sanexamplebasedonDenise,thesalesmanagermentionedearlyinthebook:

"Fromwhatyou'vedescribedaboutyourplans,myabilitytocapitalizeonchangeanddeliverresultsquicklyfitsreallywellwithyourgoalofexpandingintoyournewglobalmarkets.AndIwasexcitedtodiscovertodaythatyouneedthenewhiretobuildalargerteam,becauseasI'vesaid,IdidhireandleadaverysuccessfulnewteamatTopTier,andI'msureIcandriveequallystrongresultsforyouhere."

ExpressingInterest/AskingfortheJobOneofthepetpeevesofinterviewersiswhentheapplicantleavestheinterviewwithoutexpressingastronginterestinthejob.Don'tmakethemistakeofthinkingthey'llassumeyou'reinterested.Foralltheyknow,youmayhavechangedyourmindbasedonsomethingyouheardduringthemeeting.Iftherewillbeanadditionalroundofinterviews,makeitclearyou'reexcitedaboutmeetingagain.Ifthisisthelastinterview,sayyouwantthejob,evenifyou'renotsureyoudo.Youcanalwaysdeclinelater,butdon'tshutthedoorprematurelybyseemingunenthusiastic.Askingforthejobmightsoundlikethis:

"IknowIcandeliverwhatyou'relookingfor,andtheroleisidealforme.I'dreallyliketoworkwithyouandyourteam."

Dependingonwhathasbeensaidaboutthenextsteps,youmaywanttofollowthatwithoneofthesequestions:

"What'sthenextstep?""I'mlookingforwardtohearingfromyou.""HaveIgivenyoualltheinformationyouneedtooffermethejob?""IsthereanythingelseIcandotomakeyoucompletelyconfidentthatI'mtherightcandidate?""Onascaleofonetoten,howdoyouthinkI'ddointhisjob?…IsthereanythingIcoulddotomakethataten?"

Noticethatthoselasttwoquestionsinvitetheinterviewertogiveyouanevaluationofyoursuitabilityforthejob(butnotyourinterviewingskills–don'texpectthemtoplaycareercoach!).Ifyoureceiveacandidresponse,thefeedbackmaycreateanopportunitytoaddressanynegativesthatcouldgetinthewayofanoffer–orgiveyouaheads-upthatit'stimetomoveontootheropportunities.

BrevityandConfidencePuttingtogethertheappreciation,REVPointsandenthusiasticallyaskingforthejob,thecompleteclosingstatementpresentedabovetakesabout60seconds.Itisimportanttokeepthisstatementbriefandnotholdtheinterviewerhostagewithalengthyspeechatthispoint.It'salsocrucialtomakethisstatementwithbodylanguagethatprojectsconfidenceandenthusiasm.Ingeneral,that'slikelytomeansittingupstraight,leaninginslightlyandsmiling,especiallywhenyousayyourlastwordsandasyoushakehandsbeforeleaving.

Realizethatinaskingforthejobyouareactuallyofferingsomethingofgreatvalue:yourabilities,timeanddedication.You'reofferingyourongoingpartnershipandcommitment.Allowyourselftorestinthedignityandpowerofthattruth.Whetherthiswasapreliminaryintervieworthelast,yournextstepistofollowupasstrategicallyasyouinterviewed.Andaswithyourclosingstatement,it'smorethanjusta"thankyou."

CHAPTER16

FollowingUptoStandOut

Motivationwillalmostalwaysbeatmeretalent.–NormanRalphAugustine

Inacloseracebetweencandidateswithroughlyequalqualifications,oftenthedecidingfactoristhemotivationandenthusiasmshownbythecandidate.Maybethat'swhyoneinfivehiringmanagerssaytheywouldbelesslikelytohireacandidatewhodidn'tsenda"thankyou"message.Sojustsendingthemessageputsyouastepahead.Andwhataboutdoingitreallywell?

Note-takingforSmartFollow-upWhetherornotyoutakenotesduringyourinterviews,maketimetodosoimmediatelyafterwards.Beforeyougohome,whiletheinterviewisfreshinyourmind,sitinyourcarorinacoffeeshopandnotethefollowing:

• Namesandrolesofallthepeopleyoumet• Factsyoulearnedaboutthejob,thecompanyandtheindustry• Storiesyoutold,ordidn'tgetaroundtotelling• Anyothertopicsthatwerediscussed,whetherjob-relatedorchitchat• Whichofyourqualificationsandaccomplishmentstheyseemedmostpleasedabout• Anyresistanceorconcernstheyseemedtohave• Informationaboutnextstepsintheprocess

Thesenoteswillbeabighelpincraftingintelligent,customizedfollow-upmessages(aswellaspreparingforthenextinterview).

Beyond"ThankYou"Theterm"thankyouletter"isabitmisleading.Evenasidefromdemonstratingenthusiasmandgoodmanners,yourpost-interviewfollow-upmessagecanactuallyaccomplishseveralimportantgoals.

1. Confirmthatyou'restillinterested.It'sveryimportanttoanemployertoknowwhetheryou'restillacandidate.Foralltheemployerknows,youmayhavechangedyourmindaftertheinterview.

2. Showappreciationandwarmth. Say"thankyou"again.Mentionsomethingyouenjoyedaboutspeakingwiththem,orsomethingthatimpressedyouabouttheoffice.Maybemakeafriendlyreferencetosomeitemofchitchat."Thanksformakingtimetomeetwithmeinthemiddleofyourrushproject.Ihopethat'sgoingwelltoday."

3. Remindthemwhyyou'retherightpersonforthejob.Yes,youjust(hopefully)madethatclearinyourinterviewyesterday,butmaybeyouwereoneofthreeintervieweesthatdayandfour

earlierintheweek,allofwhomarebeginningtoblurtogetherintheemployer'smind.Ifyoufeellikeyou'rerepeatingyourmessagetoomuch,findanewwaytosayit.

4. Ifnecessary,correctanyomissions,misimpressionsorotherissues.Didyoumisstatesome

factsoutofnervousness?Didyourexternalrecruitergiveyousomefeedbackonaconcerntheemployerexpressedtoher?Sometimesitcanbehelpfultoaddressitinyourfollow-upmessage.Butmakesureyoudon'tcomeacrossasdefensiveorcallattentiontoamisstepthattheinterviewermaynothaveevennoticed.

5. Continuetheconversation.Whatstoryorqualificationdidyounotgetachancetobringupat

thetime?Whatcouldyouaddaboutsomeindustrytrendorcompanyprojectthatwasdiscussedattheinterview?Researchit.Maybethere'saninterestinglinkyoucansend.

Canyouaccomplishallofthesethingsinoneletter?Probablynot,giventhatitneedstobebrief–nomorethanafewshortparagraphs.Youmightsavesomeoftheseideasforlaterfollow-ups.

How,WhoandWhen?Isitbettertosendanemail,aformalletterorahandwrittennote?Consideryourindustryfirst.Inaconservativeindustrylikefinanceorlaw,ahardcopyletterwouldbeappropriate,orahandwrittennotecardcouldaddagraciouspersonaltouch.InITorsoftware,ontheotherhand,anemailwouldbetterfittheculture.Whoshouldyousendthefollow-upto?Everyonewhointerviewedyou,preferablyasseparate,personalizedmessages.Howsoonaftertheinterview?Verypromptly,especiallyifadecisionisexpectedsoon.Ideally,timeyourfirstfollow-upmessagetoarrivebythenextday.

StayingatTopofMindInterviewprocessescanstretchoutformanyweeks(evenmonths).Youneedtostayonthedecisionmaker'sradarscreen.Ifyou'retheonlycandidatewhokeepsintouch,great–you'llbeseenastheonewhoreallywantsthejob.Soitcanbeeffectivetodropthehiringmanageranoteoraphonecall(perhapsvaryingyourmethodofapproach)onaregularbasisuntilthedecisionismade.Willthisbeviewedas"pestering"?Itwillifyoukeepaskingaboutthedecisiontheyhaven'tmadeyet.Instead,focusonbeinghelpful–forexample,askingwhethertheyneedanyfurtherinformation–andcontinuingtheconversation.Howoftenshouldyoufollowup?Itdependsonthecircumstances,includingthenatureofthejob.Ifyou'repursuingaroleasamanager,salesreporprojectmanager,forexample,persistenceandassertivenessareexpectedofyou.Ifyou'veinterviewedforatechnicalrole,yourapproachcanbemorelow-key.Butdon'tletthedecisionmakerforgetaboutyou.Ifyoufeelthisistooforward,youcanbasicallyaskforpermissionduringthefinalinterview."MayIcheckinwithanemailorphonecallatsomepointtoseeifyouneedanyotherinformation?"

StayingMotivatedWhenYouDon'tHearBack

Thispartishard.There'salotofdiscussioninhumanresourcescirclesthesedaysabout"thecandidateexperience,"whichinmanyhiringprocessesleavesmuchtobedesired.Butit'snotthetaskofthisbook,norisityourtaskasthejobseeker,tofixthebusinessworld'srecruitingpractices.Therealpracticalquestionis,whatdoyouneedtodotostaymotivated?Ifyouexpecttohearbackaftereachmessage,yourlikelyoutcomeisdiscouragement,self-doubtorevenresentment.Thebestthingyoucandoisremoveyouregofromthepicture,followupbecauseit'ssmartstrategy,andletgooftheoutcome.Paradoxically,thatgivesyouthebestchanceofgettingtheoutcomeyouwant.

IfYou'veFollowedUpSeveralTimeswithNoReply"Whatonearthisgoingonatthatcompany?"Sometimesyoujustdon'tknow.Maybetheywereintheprocessofhiringsomeonewhothenwithdrew,orthebackgroundcheckwasn'tgood.Maybethedecisionhasbeendelayedbyorganizationalchanges.Maybethehiringmanagerhashadapersonalemergency.Whateveritis,youmaybetheonlycandidatewhocontinuesfollowingup,whichcouldputyouinthenumber-onepositionwhenthey'refinallyreadytosay"yes"tosomeone.SoIrecommendyoukeepfollowingupuntileitherthepositionisfilledoryounolongerwantit.Butifyoufeelyoureallymustletgoofit,sendafinalmessageinwhichyoureiterateyourinterestbutstatethat"atthispointI'vehadtofocusmyattentiononotheropportunities."Makeitclearyouwouldstillbehappytomeetforanotherintervieworacupofcoffeeanytime.

IfYouDon'tGettheJob

Believeitornot,therecanbevalueinafinalthank-youmessageafteryou'veheardthatyouwon'tbehired,especiallyifyouwereoneofthetopcandidatesand/orhadastrongrapportwiththehiringmanager.Why?Amanageryou'veinterviewedwithisanextra-valuablenetworkingcandidate,tosaytheleast.Sheiswellacquaintedwithyourskillsandprobablythinkshighlyofyou.Andsheisinagoodpositiontorecommendyoutoothersinthecompanyoreventohireyouforsomerolethatmayopeninthefuture–maybeeventheverynearfuture.Forexample,thenewhiremaynotworkout.Soonemoretime,thankthemfortheirtime,wishthemthebestofsuccess,andindicateageneralinterestinkeepingintouch,perhapsmentioningthatyoulookforwardtoseeingthematacertainindustryeventinthefuture.Ifyou'reinterestedinconsultingforthecompany,youmightdiscusshowyoucouldbearesource.Attheveryleast,youcaninvitethemtoconnectonLinkedIn.Asyoumightimagine,thisleveloffollow-upisrareamongjobseekers.Onceagain,youwillstandoutasamature,cordialindividualwithaseriousinterestinthecompany.Andremember,"no"doesn'tmean"never."Itjustmeans"notnow."Ifyoucheckthecompany'swebsiteorLinkedInjoblistingslater,youmayfindthepositionisstillopen.Maybetheyhadtroublefindingtherightperson,ortheyhiredsomeonewhodidn'tworkout.Itmightbeworthcheckingwithhumanresourcestoseeifthey'dliketorevisityourqualifications.

Butenoughabout"no."Let'stalkabout"yes,"thatmomentwhenyouhearthatthejobisyours.It'sawonderfulmoment,andalsoacrucialone.Doyouimmediatelyaccept,withoutdiscussingthecompensationpackageornegotiatinganything?Doyouimmediatelyquityourcurrentjob?Andwhataboutthatothercompanyyoujustinterviewedwith?Willyouhavemorethanoneoffertojuggle?Withjustabitmoreattentiontostrategy,youcanensureasmoothpathintoyournewjob.

CHAPTER17

TheBigMoment:HandlingOffers

Itisinyourmomentsofdecisionthatyourdestinyisshaped.–TonyRobbins

Themomentyou'reofferedajobcanbeamini-whirlwindofexcitementjoy,relief,nervousness,younameit.Youmaybetemptedtoscream"YES!"–quickly,beforetheycanchangetheirmind!Manyajobseekerhasdoneexactlythat,onlytothinklater,"IsurewishIhadthoughtabout…(negotiatingthestartingdate,thesalary,leavingearlyonTuesdays?thepotentialofferfromthatothercompany?)…beforeIsaidyes."Doyourselfafavor.Haveaplanforhandlingthisimportantturningpointinyourcareer.

BuyingYourselfSomeTimetoThinkWhenyoureceivetheoffer,chancesarethatoneofthefollowingwillbetrueforyou:

• Certainaspectsoftheoffer–maybesalary,thestartdateortheworkschedule–couldbebetter,andyouhavenoreasontothinktheemployerwon'tnegotiate.

• Youhavebeeninterviewingelsewhereandmaybeclosetoanofferfromanothercompany.• You'renotentirelysurethisjobistherightone.Youhavequestionsinyourmind,suchas:

Isthiscompanyfinanciallystable?Anychanceoflayoffsinthenextyearortwo?Isthistherightcompanycultureforme?Isthereanythingabouttheworkschedule,thecommuteortheworkingconditionsthat'sgoingtogetoldfast?Whateffectwouldthisjobhaveonmylong-termcareerpath?CanIliveonthissalary?WillIneedtorelocate?WillmyfamilyandIbehappyinthenewplace?CanIaffordtowaitforabetteropportunity?

Ifso,Isuggestyougiveananswerlikethis:

"Thisisaveryexcitingoffer!Isoappreciateit!Ofcourse,it'saveryimportantdecision,soI'dliketogiveitsomecarefulthought.Howsoondoyouneedmyanswer?"

Ifyouplantonegotiate,askforameeting:

"Isthereatimetomorrowwhenwecouldmeettodiscussthedetailsoftheoffer?"

WhetheryouagreeongivingananswerbyThursday,ormeetingtomorrowat1pmtodiscussdetails,immediatelysendanemailconfirmingwhathasbeenagreed.

Confirm,Confirm,ConfirmWe'veallheardthatit'simportanttogetawrittenofferletter(andtomakesureallthedetailsareasagreed).Butthat'snottheonlypointthatneedstobeconfirmedinwriting.Opportunitieshavebeenlostbecausebothpartieswerenotclearaboutthenextsteps."Wedidn'thearbackfromyou(withinthetimeframeweassumedyouunderstood),sowehadtomoveon."Whetheryou'reaskingfortimetothink,forananswertoaquestion,orforanopportunitytodiscuss(negotiate)detailsoftheoffer,makesurethenextstepisconfirmedinwriting.Keepapleasanttoneaboutit.You'resimplybeingthoroughandprofessionalforthebenefitofallconcerned.

WillYouNegotiate?Notalljobofferscanbenegotiated.Entry-levelandsomepublicsectorjoboffersarecommonly(althoughnotalways)non-negotiable,andsomecorporationshaveapolicyofnotnegotiatingcertainaspectsofthejob,suchassalary.Butmostemployersexpectsomenegotiationtooccur–morethan80%accordingtoasurveybySalary.com.Ifyouhavenevernegotiatedajobofferbefore,orarenotsureyoucan,herearesomereasonstoconsidertakingtheleap:

• You'llprobablyendupwithabetterofferifyounegotiate.Salaryincreasesof$5Kareverycommonnottomentionotherperks.

• It'snotjustaboutyourinitialsalary.Futureraiseswillbebasedonapercentageofthesalaryyouobtainnow.Thesalaryoffuturejobofferswillbeinfluencedbyit.

• Assertivenessandnegotiationmaybeon-the-jobskills.Whynotdemonstratethemnow?• Theymayexpectitandrespectyoumoreforit.Negotiatingshowsthatyoubelieveinyour

value.• Itishighlyunlikelytheywillwithdrawtheoffer.Aslongasyoucommunicateclearly,get

agreementsinwriting,andtakeapositiveandreasonableapproachthroughouttheprocess,thereislittlerisk.Itwouldbehighlyunprofessionalforanemployertowithdrawanofferjustbecauseyoumadeareasonableefforttonegotiate.

• You'regoingtofeelveryempoweredonceyoudoit!

WhatCanBeNegotiated?Salaryisn'teverything.It'sactuallyagoodideatonegotiateonmorethanoneaspectofthepackage.Thatway,iftheycan'tmeetyourrequestinonearea,they'relikelytomakeituptoyouonsomethingelse.SalaryandBenefits:

• Basesalary• Timingoffirstsalaryreview• Signingbonus• Annual/quarterlybonuses• Stockoptionsandotherequitygrants• Healthbenefits(typeandlevelofbenefits,effectivedate)

• Retirement/terminationpay(pensionplans,severancepackages)• Tuitionreimbursement• Sickdays/personaltimeoff(PTO)• Vacations(amountof,orthefactthatyoualreadyhavesomethingscheduled)• Relocationassistance,includingreimbursementforhouse-huntingtrips(withspouseorpartner)

beforestartdate• Employeediscounts• Companycar• Mileagereimbursement• Expenseaccount• Executiveoptionssuchas:reimbursementofbenefitslostbyleavinganotheremployer,

additionalpensions/insurance,nonqualifieddeferredcompensationplans(NQDCs),supplementalexecutiveretirementplans(SERPs),firstclassbusinesstravel,specialparking,etc.

Other:

• Startdate• Hours,flexibleworkschedules• Telecommuting• Jobtitlewhenstarting• Highertitleafteraspecifiedtimeperiod• Jobresponsibilities

NegotiatingTacticsNegotiatingisanart,andmanyarticlesandbookshavebeenwrittenofferingvarious,sometimesconflictingapproaches.It'sbeyondthescopeofthisbooktoaddtothatdiscussion.However,Iwillofferafewkeypoints.

• It'sbesttohaveafirm,writtenofferofemploymentbeforebeginningtonegotiatethedetails.• Dosomeresearchsoyouknowwhatyou'reworthinthemarketplace.• Knowyourwalk-awaypoint,thelowestofferyouwouldaccept.• Nurturegoodrelationshipsthroughouttheprocess.• Negotiatewiththesamepositiveattitude,respectandethicstheemployerwantstoseeonthe

job.• Lookforwin-winsolutions,andrealizethatit'strulyinbothparties'intereststocraftapackage

thatwillkeepyouhappy.• Focusoninterestsandneedsratherthanhard-and-fastpositions.Beopentoalternativewaysof

addressingyourinterests.• Realizethatthenegotiationmaynotbecompletedinonemeeting.It'saprocess.

JugglingTwoorMoreOffersLet'ssayyougetanofferatCompany#1,butyouhavealsointerviewedatCompany#2andmaybeclosetoanattractiveofferthereaswell.Whatcanyoudo?TellCompany#2youhaveafirmofferelsewhere,andaskwhethertheycanacceleratetheprocess.Politelydeclinetostatethespecificsoftheoffer,suchassalary;thatinformationisconfidentialtoCompany#1.(YoucantellthemCompany#1'snameifitseemshelpful.)

Meanwhile,negotiatefortimeatCompany#1.Takinguptoaweektoacceptanofferisnotunusual;evenlongerforseniorpositionsorifarelocationisinvolved.Ifthey'reinahurry,expressunderstandingabouttheirsituationwhilebeingassertiveaboutwhatyouneed.It'sanimportantdecision,afterall.Letthemknowyouhaveanotheroffer–orimpendingoffer–thatyouneedtoconsider,butmakesuretheyunderstandyouareequally(ormore)interestedintheiroffer.Whenyoufinallychoosewhichjobtoaccept,informbothpartiesverballyandinwriting.MaintainapositiverelationshipwithCompany#2.Youneverknowwhatopportunitiesmayarisethereinfuture,orwhotheymaytalkto.Beveryskepticalofanycounter-offeryoumightreceivefromyourcurrentemployer.Stayinginanexistingjobbecausetheysweetenedthedealtendstoturnoutbadly.Yourcompanywouldseeyouasaflightrisk,soyou'dprobablybepassedoverforimportantprojectsandpromotions.Yourpoliticalcloutwoulddisappearandyou'dessentiallybealameduck.Worse,thecounter-offermightbeintendedonlytokeepyouinplaceuntiltheycanfindareplacement–atwhichtimeyou'dbeletgo.Yourotheropportunities,ofcourse,wouldbelonggone.Onceyouacceptanoffer,shouldyouturnitdownifabetteronecomesalong?Generally,no.Withdrawingyouracceptanceislikelytocauseveryhardfeelings.Youwouldbebreakingapromiseuponwhichtheemployerwillhavemadeplans,includingceasingtopursueothercandidates.Theymayhaveactuallysaid"no"totheirsecond-choicecandidate,whomaynowbeunavailable.Ifyou'vealreadystartedatthejobtheinconvenienceandexpensetotheemployercanbesignificant.Allofthiscanpermanentlydamageyourreputation.Thatsaid,theremaybetimeswhenthedamagecouldconceivablybeworthit.Maybethesecondjobofferisanabsolutedreamjobthatwilltakeyourcareertoawholenewlevel.Ormaybethejobyouacceptedhasturnedouttobeverydifferentthandescribed,and/orthereissomethingverywrongwithitanditclearlywon'tworkout.Ineitherofthesecases,apologizetoyouremployer,explainthesituationhonestlyandtactfully,anddoanythinginyourpowertohelpmakeitbetter. Endingajobsearch,andstartinganewjob,isasignificantturningpointinlife.Thefirstthingtodoistocelebrate!Woo-hoo!Thesecondthingtodoisgivealittlethoughttocareermanagement.Unlessyou'resurethisisthelastjobyou'lleverhaveinyourlife–whichisrarelythecaseintoday'sworld–youcandoyourselfabigfavorbymakingthistransitioninamannerthatsupportsyourfuturecareergrowth.Thefinal,briefchapterwillhelpyounavigatethistransitionandlaunchyourselfintoasuccessfulstartinyournewrole.

CHAPTER18

You'veGottheJob!–aMomentforCareerManagement

Arrivingatonegoalisthestartingpointtoanother.–JohnDewey

Fromthemomentyouacceptanewjobtoyourfirstglowingperformancereviewonthenewjob,careertransitioncanbeabitofarollercoasterride–exciting,hectic,evenstressful.Yougetcaughtupinthewhirlwindofthat.Butit'salsoanimportantmomentforsomeconsciouscareermanagement.

ManagingYourCareerCareermanagementmeansrealizingthatalthoughyournewjobisatXYZInc.,yourreal,lifetimeemployerisYouInc.,andyou'retheleaderofthatenterprise.Onceuponatimewecoulddependonouremployersforfinancialsecurity.Today,thereismoresecuritytobehadfromawell-managedcareerthanfromanyindividualjob.Likewise,yourpersonalandprofessionalfulfillmentareuptoyou.Thisadviceisnothingnew,butsinceit'spartofaparadigmshift–achangeinourmindsetasaculture–weneedtoberemindedofit.Managing"Me,Inc."throughyourjobtransitionmeansyou'reinchargeof:

• ProductDevelopment–Youandyourskillsaretheproduct.Whatdoyouwanttolearnwhileyou'reinthisjob?

• TalentDevelopmentandAdvancement–Doyouwanttoadvancewithinthecompany,orbeyondit?Towhatrole(s)?Howwillyougetthere?

• Finance–Ifyou'vebeenunemployed,youmayhavebecomepainfullyawarethatyoucan'tcountonasteadyincomeatalltimesinyourlife.What'syourplantocreateorreplenishyourbetween-jobsfund?

• MarketingCommunications–Yourcurrentcampaignisendingsuccessfully!Andgoodcareermarketingisongoing.

Speakingofmarketingcommunications,duringthisjobsearch,didyoufindyourselfthinking"IwishIhaddone(X)beforeIneededtostartlookingforanewjob"?Didyouwishyouhad…

…Kepttrackofaccomplishmentsandkudosonthejob,as"resumematerial"?…Takenhomecopiesofyourperformancereviews?…KeptyourresumeandLinkedInprofileupdated?…Builtanetworkandstayedintouch?…Stayedonbettertermswithpastemployers?

Ifso,planontakingthesestepsasyougoalong,sonexttimeitcanallbeeasierandevenmoresuccessful!

Let'slookatsomespecificactionsthatwillsupportyourcareerasyou'releavingyouroldjobandgettingreadytostartyournewone.

GivingNoticeandTransitioningOutBeforegivingnotice,makesureyouhavethenewjobofferinwriting,includingthestartdate.Ifyouhaveanydoubtswhetherthatjobwillreallybethere–forexample,ifthecompanyisundergoingextremeturmoil–clarifythatwithyourboss-to-bebeforeyougivenotice.Newjobshavebeenknowntovanishbetweentheofferandthestartdate.Gatherresume-fodderdetailswhileyoustillcan.Givingnoticedoesn'tnecessarilymeanthecompanywillwantyoutostay,andyoumaysuddenlyloseaccesstoyourcomputerandhardcopyfiles.Sobeforegivingnotice,andwithoutviolatingagreementsorethics,gatherupinformationthatmaybehelpfulinyournextjobsearch,suchascopiesofyourperformancereviewsanddetailsaboutyouraccomplishments(howmuchyouincreasedsaleslastyear,etc.).Beclearwhat'syoursandwhat'stheirs.DoesyourLinkedInprofilebelongtoyou,eventhoughyouremployerhelpedyousetitupandit'sconnectedtoyourbusinessemailaddress?Doyouownyourcustomercontactsornot?Disputeshavearisenoverthesetypesofinformation.Givenoticeverballyandinwriting.Breakthenewstoyoursupervisorfirst,inaprivatemeeting,andagreeonhowandwhentheannouncementwillbemadetoothers.Thenwriteanemailorletterstatingbrieflythatyouareresigningandwhenyourlastdaywillbe.Statingwhyyouareleavingisnotnecessary,butdoincludeappreciationandthanks,even–orespecially!–ifthevibesarenotgloriouslywarm.Howmuchnoticeshouldyougive?Twoweeks'noticeisstandard;offeringlessisgenerallyconsideredunprofessional.Youmightevenwanttooffermoreifleavingintwoweekswouldcauseahardshipfortheteam.Butdon'tletitdragonandon.Yourfutureiswiththenewcompany,soputthatrelationshipfirst.Alsoconsideryourownneedsforrestandrecuperation.Youmayneedtonegotiatewithbothemployerstogetsometimeoffinbetween.Enjoysometimeoffifyoupossiblycan!Startinganewjobtakesalotofenergy.Gooutonapositivenote.Pastemployersandco-workersareVIPsinyourcareernetworkformanyreasons–assourcesofreferences,recommendationsandinformation;fortheirinfluenceonyourreputation;andhopefullyevenasfriends.Sotreatthemwell.Bewillingtotrainyourreplacement.Createdocumentationforthenextpersonintherole.Shareallthosetipsnobodyknowsbetterthanyou.

ReplacingJobSearchwithOngoingCareerCommunicationsContinueandnurturerelationshipswiththepeopleyou'vemetinyoursearch.Shareyourgoodnewswitheveryonewhohelpedyouinanyway.Maybetreatsomebodytoamealtocelebratetogetherandshowappreciationfortheirsupport.Don'tbeoneofthosepeoplewhoonlygetintouchwhentheywantsomething.UpdateandimproveyourLinkedInprofilenow;thisistheverybesttimetodoit.Ayearortwofromnowyoumaybelookingatnewopportunities,butspiffingupyourprofileatthatpointmayarousesuspicion.Doingitnowissafer,andwillalsohelpyoulookgoodtonewcolleagueswhomaybecurious

aboutyou.Askforrecommendationsfrompeopleatthejobyou'releaving,especiallyyourformerboss.(Aren'tyougladyouwereniceonyourwayout?)Addyournewjob,eitherrightbeforeyoustartor,ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutwhetheritwillworkout,afteryou'vebeenonthejobalittlewhile.Don'tputitofftoolong.Fileawaynotesforyournextjobsearch.Ifyou'vecreatedvariousversionsofyourresume,gatheredalotofusefulinformationaboutcompaniesandjobtitles,andsoon,youmaywanttorefertotheseitemsatsomepointinthefuture.Putthemwhereyou'llbeabletofindthem.

OnYourNewJobIfyou'vereadthisbook,I'mguessingyouworkhard–andstrategically–forwhatyouwant,andthatyou'realsosmartaboutseekingoutnewknowledgeandoutsideexpertisetosupportyourefforts.Thesequalitieswillserveyouwellinyournewworkplace.Yourfirstdaysandmonthsonthejobwillbeaboutformingrelationships,learning,andmakingapointofachievingearlywinstoquicklyestablishyourselfasavaluableteammember.Allofthatisbeyondthescopeofthisbook,butmuchhasbeenwrittenbyothersaboutmakingagreatfirstimpressionatyournewjobandensuringthatthecrucialfirstfewmonthswillbeevaluatedpositively.Mayyournewjobandyourcareerbearichsourceofeverythingyouwantfromit,whetherthatbeexcitingchallengesandgrowth,makingadifference,prosperity,security,camaraderieorappreciation.Iwishyou"alloftheabove"!

Youonlyliveonce,butifyoudoitright,onceisenough.–MaeWest

Ifyouhavefoundthisbookhelpful,wouldyoupleaseleaveareviewatoneofthefollowingsites?

Amazon

Barnes&Noble

iBooksor

Kobo

Thankyouverymuch!

AbouttheAuthorandInterviewCoaching

TheaKelleyprovidespersonalized,one-on-oneinterviewcoachingandrelatedcareerservicestohelpyougetagreatjob,sooner.Appointmentsandinformationareavailableviaherwebsite(seebelow).Drawingupon20+yearsofexperienceincoaching,careerservices,writingandediting,sheservesindividualsnationwideandacrossalloccupationsandindustries.Thea'sclientshavesuccessfullylandedrolesfromentryleveltoseniorexecutive,oftensurmountingmajorobstaclestodoso.Shecanhelpyouidentifyyouruniquevaluetoemployersandtellyourstorycrediblyandflawlessly.TheahasbeeninterviewedaboutinterviewpreparationandsalarynegotiationonVoiceAmericaOnlineTalkRadio.Shehascontributedtotwomulti-authorbooks,FindYourFit:APracticalGuidetoLandingaJobYou'llLoveandModernizeYourResume.

ACertifiedEmploymentInterviewConsultant,CertifiedProfessionalResumeWriter,andOnlineProfessionalNetworkingStrategist,TheaisalsoamemberofCareerThoughtLeaders,CareerDirectorsInternationalandtheProfessionalAssociationofResumeWritersandCareerCoaches.HerofficeislocatedinAlbany,California(justnorthofBerkeley)intheSanFranciscoBayArea.

TheaKelley,CEIC,CPRW,OPNSCertifiedEmploymentInterviewConsultantandJobSearchCoach

EmailThea:thea@theakelley.com

Readherhelpfulblogforjobseekersatwww.theakelley.com/blogVisitherwebsiteatwww.theakelley.com

Acknowledgments

It'sanhonortohelppeopleachievetheircareergoals,andI'mgratefulforallI'velearnedfrommyclientsandstudentsovertheyears.I'malsodeeplyappreciativetomyfriendandcolleagueIreneMarshallforhergenerousattentionandwisecommentsonthedraft,andtomydiscerninghusbandEricKampman,withoutwhomthisbookwouldcontainway!too!many!exclamationpoints!Lastbutcertainlynotleast,Iappreciateyouwhoarereadingthisbook.Pleaseletmeknowwhatyouthink.