Effective Interviewing

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THIS WEEK’s Event: Embracing The OTHER Job Market…Thursday, March 22nd @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

Please SHARE THIS POST with your network.  This week Thursday, March 22nd, we will overview the entire 12-step process, answering your questions and concerns at each step of the way… this is a great place to start for new-comers as the other Core Topics will follow in sequence.

A new offering from DFWCareerpilot Come EARLY this week (and future weeks if this proves to be a popular feature of Thursday mornings)… Bob will be set up by 8:40 a.m.  to address your specific, personal questions regarding LinkedIn use.  BYO-Laptop if you have one… he’ll have his to demo!

Map to The Egg and I So, Come prepared to work on YOUR LinkedIn account–bring your laptop… 1) what does your digital fingerprint look like and… 2) Does it work for you in developing your network?

THIS WEEK’s Workshop…

Who should attend?

  1. Those who might ask… What the heck is the OTHER Job Market?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct any career transition, including simple job search;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to kick-off your job search effectiveness!

…and don’t forget the future sequence of a Wednesday webinar followed by a Thursday morning actual PRACTICE SESSION…

      Schedule of future webinars

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THIS WEEK’s Event: MONEY TALK…Thursday, March 15th @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

Please SHARE THIS POST with your network.  This week Thursday, March 15th, we will piggy back on last week’s CLOSING THE DEAL session with a focus on MONEY TALK-Post Offer Negotiation Approach.  This stuff is worth your practice time in anticipation of that terrific offer you’ll get!

A new offering from DFWCareerpilot Come EARLY this week (and future weeks if this proves to be a popular feature of Thursday mornings)… Bob will be set up by 8:40 a.m.  to address your specific, personal questions regarding LinkedIn use.  BYO-Laptop if you have one… he’ll have his to demo! 

Map to The Egg and I So, Come prepared to work on YOUR LinkedIn account–bring your laptop… 1) what does your digital fingerprint look like and… 2) Does it work for you in developing your network?

As it is important to be prepared for pre-mature discussion of salary…

“He who mentions money FIRST, loses!”

When an offer is extended to you, you should feel prepared to respond appropriately AND consider optimizing the package offered.

Who should attend?

  1. Those who might ask… HOW do I optimize any offers I will get?
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct any discussion of salary;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to supplement your job search effectiveness!

…and don’t forget the future sequence of a Wednesday webinar followed by a Thursday morning actual PRACTICE SESSION…

      Schedule of future webinars

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BE PREPARED TO SUCCEED in Interviews

Most interviews follow a predictable format, with logical steps that both the interviewer and applicant follow to decide if both will benefit from working together.  The best interviews are ones in which both participants are equal and have a mutually beneficial, interactive conversation regarding the opportunity at hand.

Think of an interview as the natural extension, the successful result of your effective networking.  In fact, many networking conversations actually become screening interviews, where influential contacts are assessing your qualifications, skill sets and experience relative to an opportunity at hand. 

“Perfect practice” of the basics builds the confidence necessary to perform well in formal job interviews.  Let’s break down the basics into four areas…

  1. pre-contact preparation/ research,
  2. greeting and rapport,
  3. questions/answers, and …
  4. meeting closure. 

All four stages are equally important and deserve your consideration and preparation.

Research the company/position

Second level research will help you to identify attractive companies.  But, this is third level (in-depth) research.  Learn as much as possible about the company, the position and the individual who will be conducting the interview.  Your research goals ought to include developing information about the company’s products, people, organizational structure, successes (and failures), profits (and losses), capital spending, strategic plans, philosophy and labor climate.  Showing your knowledge of some of this information can give you added credibility over other candidates interviewing for the job.

Go into each interview with working knowledge of its good CareerFIT!

>> More in RESOURCES: Closing The Deal 

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REGISTER NOW for this week’s WEBINAR: Wednesday, February 1st @ 4:30 PM

Due to the popular demand of both webinar activity and PRACTICE time, this week we will have a webinar on Wednesday (Feb 1st) afternoon at 4:30 PM followed by our normal Thursday morning session. 

Wednesday afternoon’s Webinar will highlight communication strategy models:  Where does your keyword selection come from and how can you best utilize them in all your collateral development?

Click  >>HERE<< for registration information

Thursday morning’s workshop will focus on assessment and collateral development to assist you in ‘getting the word out’ and communicating yourself effectively… it is one of our Core Topics:

“Achieving CareerFIT.” 

Map to The Egg and I

Our Location

  Come prepared to work on the land mines that you’ve been stepping on during your current job search… We will cover preparing for collateral development, developing your branded message in all your collateral–the core of your Personal Marketing Plan, and turning leads into interviews.

This is a good session for job seekers who feel they have not performed well in their search efforts… or those involved in lengthy searches where they have received inadequate offers. 

 Who should attend this week?

  1. Those who are just starting or re-energizing their active job search;
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct an effective job search effort;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to supplement your job search effectiveness!
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THIS WEEK’s Event: Thursday, February 2nd @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

Due to the popular demand of both webinar activity and PRACTICE time, this week we will have a webinar on Wednesday (Feb 1st) afternoon at 4:30 PM followed by our normal Thursday morning session. 

Wednesday afternoon’s Webinar will highlight communication strategy models:  Where does your keyword selection come from and how can you best utilize them in all your collateral development?

Stay tuned for the REGISTRATION INFORMATION… Members of the Careerpilot’s Personal Services will be FREE, others will be charged $12

Thursday morning’s workshop will focus on assessment and collateral development to assist you in ‘getting the word out’ and communicating yourself effectively… it is one of our Core Topics:

“Achieving CareerFIT.” 

Map to The Egg and I

Our Location

  Come prepared to work on the land mines that you’ve been stepping on during your current job search… We will cover preparing for collateral development, developing your branded message in all your collateral–the core of your Personal Marketing Plan, and turning leads into interviews.

This is a good session for job seekers who feel they have not performed well in their search efforts… or those involved in lengthy searches where they have received inadequate offers. 

 Who should attend this week?

  1. Those who are just starting or re-energizing their active job search;
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct an effective job search effort;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to supplement your job search effectiveness!
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THIS WEEK’s Event: Thursday, January 26th @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

January 26th we will focus on negotiation models that can help you optimize your offers-AND- overview the entire process in our Core Topic: “Embracing The OTHER Job Market.” 

Map to The Egg and I

Our Location

  Come prepared to work on the land mines that you’ve been stepping on during your current job search… We will cover preparing for job search, developing and executing your Personal Marketing Plan, and turning leads into interviews.

This is a good session for job seekers who feel they have not performed well in their search efforts… or those involved in lengthy searches where they have received inadequate offers. 

 

Who should attend this week?

  1. Those who are just starting or re-energizing their active job search;
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct an effective job search effort;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to supplement your job search effectiveness!
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THIS WEEK’s Event: Thursday, January 19th @ 9AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW Quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort) in Addison

January 19th we will focus on interviewing effectiveness with our Core Topic: “Closing The Deal.” 

Map to The Egg and I

Our Location

  Come prepared to work on real life examples of land mines that you have stepped on during actual interviews in the past… We will cover handling difficult questions, money-speak, and pre-offer negotiation tactics.

This is a good session for job seekers who feel they have not performed well in past interviews… or those involved in lengthy searches where they have received inadequate offers. 

On January 26th, we will have a practice session revolving about answering questions effectively and using negotiation strategy and tactics.  Yes, this means that you need to anticipate our first webinar on Wednesday afternoon, January 25th!!

This will be the last FREE Webinar… I will be announcing the new service offerings soon.

Who should attend this week?

  1. Those who are not confident in the interview skills;
  2. Those seeking a systematic, focused, more predictable way to conduct an effective interview;
  3. “Regulars” who need a ‘booster shot.’… and bring a guest;
  4. New Comers and tire kickers… this is a great session with which to supplement your job search effectiveness!
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MONEY-SPEAK… What IS Your Next Position WORTH?

Let’s separate two definitive forms of negotiation.  First, and most frequent, that which occurs during networking and interviewing, PRIOR TO any offer of employment.  Your mission is to treat the issue of money as just another bit of information.  However, in this case, remember,

“He who mentions money first, often loses in salary negotiation.” 

Second, negotiation often occurs as a result of an offer of employment. Your mission, of course, is to maximize the actual offer.  At the very least you will want to maintain and enhance current value of your employment.  Base salary is simply a part of the “position WORTH” package.

These two forms of negotiation call for very different skills.   Staying with our context of effective PRE-OFFER Negotiation tactics, let’s utilize the basic guidelines for answering questions effectively, this time relative to the discussion of money…

  1. ANSWER THE QUESTION… The implication, here, is that you have heard and fully understand the nature of the question.  If this is true, simply answer the question in a straight forward, brief manner… and then stop talking!  Often the challenges come in knowing when to stop talking.
  2. LISTEN FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO INTEGRATE AND CONFIRM YOUR STRENGTHS… Your purpose is to drive home your communication strategy–that set of key words and strengths that define your “message.”  So, when a question is asked that relative to a job related strength, answer the question and confirm the strength by stating a behavioral example. 
  3. AT LEAST ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF A QUESTION Before blocking, turning around, or in any other way changing the subject… Salary negotiation, illegal questions and other non-standard questions often call for extraordinary responses.  Stay focused, get results… but never manipulate or deceive with your answer.  Q: How much did you make in base salary last year?  A: Last year?  My former position was worth $ X, but the responsibilities we have discussed seem to be worth a base salary much closer to $ X+… don’t you agree?

What is a position WORTH?

While most any working condition of employment and relocation is often negotiable, it is to your advantage to negotiate utilizing the total monetary value of an employed position.

  1. Base Salary… That structured part of total value that is paid to you on a regular and frequent basis.  This is usually the most visible, and emotional, component of the value package, your position worth.
  2. Structured additions to salary, or other actual monies… also paid on a regular and frequent basis.  For example, sales commission or project completion bonuses.  Once paid, it is your to keep.  These first two items are regulated to factor in to 401K Plans, and often drive pension formulae…

     And now “the rules” shift…

  1. Unstructured additions to salary, or any discretionary monies… these payments can be huge or insignificant (a holiday turkey), taxable or not, and come in a wide range of creative descriptions.  They are typically not used in retirement or pension equations– but can be.  Discretionary is the keyword, here.
  2. Benefits… For budget purposes, standard benefits are usually calculated at a fixed percentage of structured salary monies.  Health care, sick pay, short term disability, etc can represent 20-50% or more of structured monies within a position’s worth.
  3. Perks… Payments made on behalf of an employee, before or after taxes.  These are usually non-standard things relative to certain positions, like company cars, country club memberships, special equipment allowances, expense money, etc.
  4. First Year Vacation… While most companies pay vacation money on a very standard timetable, it is paid out of existing budget–usually your structured salary monies.  This makes vacation monies essentially a negotiation giveaway for those who ask.  Using the fairly standard two weeks, that’s roughly 4% of position worth.
  5. Start Date… Yes, start date.  For employed professionals making a career transition, even start date may influence their total value package.  Once again, the drivers are structured monies paid to the employee.

For more information on negotiation strategies, GO TO Resources and read the handout on Money-Speak

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NEXT EVENT: Thursday, October 27th, 9-10:30 AM at The Egg and I Restaurant (NW quadrant of Arapaho and Montfort, 1 blk east of Tollway)

This is the next in a weekly series of FREE career transition workshop events. Yes, networking happens at these events, but our purpose is to learn innovative “HOW TO” approaches into The OTHER Job Market. Both strategic and tactical issues and models are incorporated… this week?

NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES: Pre and Post OFFER!

We will explore an overall strategy that will enable you to perform well in all interviews, AND delve into an easy to remember interview strategy that organizes and focuses your interview time and effectiveness. As always, consistent and focused efforts are keys to your success. Some selected topics to address:

  • Developing your network… an evolutionary process.
  • Responding to premature discussion of money
  • ASKING questions effectively
  • Answering questions effectively… Creating and closing all communication ‘loops’
  • Negotiating an actual offer

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

– Professionals who seek “job security” for the rest of their career
– Professionals formerly reluctant to engage “all-IN” networking
-Job seekers who gain interviews, but can’t Close The Deal or optimize their offers!

As always, GUESTS of our DFWCareerpilot regulars, and…

First time visitors… this session is a great place to start!