I Was Who I Am....

The other night, as part of a coaching session, I was conducting a post mortem with a client who just had her first interview in months.  She asked a very simple, but sincere question.  She said, "Rick, during the interview should I project myself as the person they are seeking or just be myself?"  This made me think of this person who really needed this job and how landing it would help her circumstances.  Of course, I could do the whole "to thy own self be true" thang on you, but instead, how about this?

• 1. Guessing what "type" of person the interviewer is seeking is risky. What if you are wrong and you tried to fake your way into a job by using the wrong personality?
• 2. There are people out there who are attracted and seeking the opposite of who they are to complement themselves and an organization. If you shadow the interviewer then you actually are working against yourself.
• 3. How about the "Wow" factor, by just allowing the interviewer to be impressed that you are comfortable in your own skin?
• 4. If you present yourself as you are, wouldn't you just naturally be more comfortable and relaxed during the interview?
• 5. You can be very knowledgeable and professional yet be friendly, fun, and enthusiastic.
• 6. You can be "seasoned" and refined, but yet a bit off.
• 7. Many organizations do find it cool that the candidate with an MBA is a weekend biker.
• 8. As Americans, we embrace our independence and sense of individualism, so nowhere else in the world you can pull this off, so why not take advantage of it?

Now, this doesn't mean that you "let it all hang out" and draw caution to the wind, but instead, present yourself (your real self) in the best possible light, but allow yourself to be the person you really are.  Could it limit your opportunity?  Sure, but should you get the job, it will allow everyone to be aware of you on the first day.  If you don't get the job, then maybe you avoided some real pain when you realize that the expectations that you created in the mind of the organization are false and you are now set up for failure.

As I finished this coaching question, I asked my client "So, how did you behave during the interview?"  I'm happy to report she replied, "Rick, I was who I am".      -Rick Baron

The Job Search and the 30-Second Commercial

It is important whether you will be meeting people in person or on the phone, to prepare your 30-second commercial so that when someone ask you, "What do you do?"  You don't say, "Well, uh, I'm just looking for a job and looking for like an HR job or something...!

A simple model for preparing your 30-second commercial is to briefly review four specific questions.  Any longer than that time and people will not listen.

Your Commercial should include:

• Your personal background and/or your connection to the person.
• Your educational background particularly if this will enhance your credibility
• Your business background: a few summary statements providing your key areas of expertise and unique offering as a professional.
• The bridge connecting what you do and what help you can provide a potential employer.

Once done, find someone with whom you can try out your 30-second commercial.  Ask them to refine the information you have included in the educational and background specifically.

Initially, it can be very difficult to condense the essence of your services into 30 seconds.  The benefit of this process is that it helps you to more clearly articulate what it is you do so anyone can understand in.  The more people who understand it, the more can help you present yourself.  A major mistake most people make is to not connect what you have to offer to what might be needed to an organization.

Think about their needs, not just yours.  All you have to do now is get out there and share it with people you meet, those you interview with and those you network with.  Good luck! 

Brion Sunseri is the Owner and President of Ad-VANCE Talent Solutions, a full service staffing and HR services company based in Bradenton, Florida.  You can contact Brion at: bsunseri@ad-vance.com

I find that one of the simplest ways to improve interviewing performance is through asking good questions:  Here are some of my favorites.

• What's the biggest change your group has gone through in the last year?
• One year from now, if I get the job, what will earn me a "gold star"? What are the key accomplishments you'd like to see in this role over the next year?
• What's your (or my future boss') leadership style?
• About which competitor are you most worried?
• How do your sales / marketing / technology / operations work here?
• What type of people are successful here? What type of people are not?
• What's one thing that's key to your success that somebody from outside the company wouldn't know about?
• How did you get your start in this industry? Why do you stay?
• What are your best and worst working relationships with other groups in the company?
• What keeps you up at night? What's your biggest worry?

By using effective questions, it shows a deeper desire to understand what it takes to be successful in any position.  This tells the interviewer that you have thought beyond the interview process and are now thinking like an employee.

Brion Sunseri is the Owner and President of Ad-VANCE Talent Solutions, a full service staffing and HR services company based in Bradenton, Florida.  You can contact Brion at: bsunseri@ad-vance.com

How to Stay Motivated During Your Darkest Job Search Days
From: CNBC.com

Posted by: Brion Sunseri, President, Ad-VANCE Talent Solutions

Most people will agree that conducting a job search, especially in this
economy, is a necessary evil.

I agree that it's necessary, but I disagree that it's evil.

If done right, a job search need not be all doom and gloom. You can stay
upbeat and you can actually, I'm whispering now, enjoy the process.

Here are some strategies for staying motivated and organized during
your search, which will make you feel good about the process and the
accomplishments you make, and ultimately land the job you want.

First you need a system for organizing your job search contacts and
leads. Whether it's a business card case, or whether you staple those
biz cards into a spiral notebook, make sure you loose not one of them!
Each card enables you to follow up after your meeting, and keep that
communication going. Remember - you aren't asking them for a job, you
are asking what made them successful, what they like best about their job,
and what advice can they give to you. You'll also ask who they can recommend
you talk to. Since everyone knows about 250 people, network well, and you'll
be adding 250 new people every time you network effectively.

You'll also need a system for ensuring that you reach the smaller goals
that will eventually add up to the larger goals.

Smaller goals include: networking with 5 people per week, which is 20
people per month; researching 1 new company every day via their websites,
and any articles you can read about them, which results in 20 per month.
Doing a "Google search" would be very helpful here.

Larger goals include scheduling 10 informational interviews per month.
Top goals include scheduling actual interviews for open jobs. Keep on track
with your smaller, less intimidating goals, and you'll soon reach your more
challenging goals.

You should also have a system in place to audit your job search process
and my suggestion is that you do this once per month.

If you are not making it to the second round with anyone, perhaps you
need the services of a career coach to test your interview skills. Having
a fresh pair of eyes for your resume could only help, and those eyes
should belong to a seasoned recruiter, or a career coach.

You also need to take regular breaks from this process. You can't search
for a job 10 hours a day because you will loose your mind. So, schedule
time for the gym. Try cooking some dishes you always wanted to try. Volunteer
for those less fortunate and you won't have to search far for that. Try the
Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. I do that myself and get a lot out of it.
It can be a life altering experience.

We all enjoy being productive. It just makes us feel good. So be focused,
organized, set goals and keep pace with your goals. Stay motivated because
little successes build on each other to be significant successes. Work
seriously on your job search, but don't forget to enjoy your life.

I read this great line once: You only have one life, but that is all you
need if you do it right.

Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio is a career coach and co-founder of 
sixFigureStart and has worked for the bluest of blue chips for the
past 25 years. Her companies include Citigroup, Pfizer, and most
recently as the COO of Campus Recruiting for Merrill Lynch. Connie
also co-authors a career blog for Vault.com.

Comments?  Send them to executivecareers@cnbc.com

 Using a STAR to Become a STAR Hire

A popular method used by organizations that prefer more formalized interview methods is a technique called the Behavioral Interview.  Also known as Targeted Selection, this approach is to extract specific experiences from the interviewee that would likely predict future behavior; a well-believed notion within the HR ranks.  You know you're in the middle of such an interview when the interviewer asks: "Tell me about a time when _____________.  "Describe the issue, what you did and what the outcome was".  They are looking for something that is known as a STAR. 

http://www.quintcareers.com/STAR_interviewing.html

The major problem with using this technique for interviews is that it's highly likely that the interviewee is nervous and very self conscience.  The typical candidate reaction is to instead share a hypothetical example with the interviewee which is deadly to the success of the interview.  The typical reaction of the interviewer is to assume that the interviewee is avoiding the question or simply never encountered this situation, knocking them out of the running. Still, interviewers consider this to be a very reliable and trusted method as well as very defendable in any discriminatory claim.

A recommendation that I like to share is to prepare for this interview as you would with others.   Many interviewees for some reason think interviews are closed book exams and you cannot bring notes.  This is simply not true.  I tell candidates to prepare a list of accomplishments, tough challenges, and even failures and bring them to the interview.  A bullet point list is the best format so you can quickly refer to it during the interview without searching all over the page which can be distracting to the interviewer.

You should categorize them into some kind of order and include not just professional, but personal stories.  Remember people love a story, so make it interesting by practicing telling it out loud.  Just make it concise and fulfill the STAR requirements.

By adequately preparing for the Behavioral Interview will also help with other types of interviews that include hypothetical situations, problem solving, or reaction types of questions.  By you being more prepared you'll also be more confident at the interview and ready to impress your interviewer.  -Rick

Rick Baron, SPHR, CPC is an Advisor, Teacher, Writer, and Career Strategist, specializing in Strategic Human Resources Management & Recruiting.  You can contact Rick at rick@rmbaron.net.