3 Common Job Interviewing Mistakes

Interview TipsYou’ve done it! You’ve sent your well-written, tailored cover letter and resume into a job posting or perhaps you’ve networked with a friend or former colleague and you’ve managed to land that coveted interview. Now what?

I’ve worked with hundreds of people and most of them tell me that they’re great at interviewing, they just need to get in front of the hiring manager and they’ll land the job. It’s only a handful that will admit they need help with the interview process.

In my experience, the majority of people could use some help with their interviewing skills. After all, it’s not something that we do everyday (and if you are doing it every day and not getting the job, then we need to talk).

When interviewing, there are minor mistakes that probably won’t cost you the job, but there are major ones that will prevent you from landing the position or being called back for a second interview. The following are three of the most common interviewing mistakes:

1. Assuming it’s all about you.

The interview is not about your own wants and needs. The focus of the interview should be on the needs of the organization with whom you’re interviewing. Your aim in the interview process is to find out the company’s goals and objectives and then tell the interviewer the ways in which you can help them achieve those goals. It’s a good idea to have stories about your past accomplishments that you can relate to the interviewer, this will demonstrate your past successes and how they can apply to your future performance with that company.

2. Not asking questions.

Not asking questions is the number two biggest interviewing mistake. By inquiring about the goals and objectives of the company, as they relate to the position for which you’re applying, you can better assess what the company’s needs are and focus your answers on those skill sets.

Not only will asking questions better enable you to answer questions, having intelligent questions about the company and position will show your high level of interest in the organization. It will demonstrate your eagerness to work with them by showing that you’ve put time and energy into researching and learning about the company.

3. Not listening.

Asking questions is great, but then you must listen to the answers and react to them. Yes, it could mean changing your game plan and shifting your focus, but that’s the point. Listening is as important a skill as speaking in an interview. Oftentimes the person conducting the interview will give you clues as to how to best present yourself. The interview should be a conversation, an exchange of ideas.

A good thing to remember when you’re interviewing is that the company wants to hire you. They’re almost as interested in ending their search for a candidate as you are in finding a job. In advance of an interview, be sure to research the company, look your best and avoid making the three top interviewing mistakes.

~Linda

Compensation In The Great Recession

Moolah

An important question my clients are currently asking me involves compensation. They want to know if they have to accept a lower salary now because of the current economic downturn.

Companies are still looking for talent and according to the HR professionals I speak to, they’re willing to pay for it. As much as you don’t enjoy looking for a job, companies don’t like conducting searches for good employees. It’s time and resources away from the lifeblood of an organization, revenue generation.

Companies want talented professionals and they realize if they don’t pay the fair market value for that talent, those people will not remain with them long. As soon as the market improves or the professional gets a better offer, the company will be back at square one: conducting another search, doing more interviews and taking more time to get the new hire up to speed.

I have clients currently negotiating and accepting positions at the same or greater compensation than they were previously making. However, as is often the case, there is a caveat; they are in a position to take the time necessary to find the right position at their current level or a step up.

The professionals that are accepting less pay are accepting lesser positions. For example, a company is not going to pay a Vice President’s or Director’s salary to someone entering the company as a Manager.

Unfortunately life sometimes gets in the way, there are mortgages to be paid and families to support. Some people don’t have the luxury of taking the time necessary to find the right position. Those people are the so-called underemployed.

The bottom line, if you’re a talented professional companies are willing to pay for that talent, in good times and bad.

~Linda

One Job Hunting “Must Have”

What’s the one thing that all job hunters need regardless of the industry they’re in or the position they’re looking for? Well if you want to make a good impression then the “must have” is an attention-grabbing :30 commercial.

Are you tongue-tied when people ask you about yourself? Do you start back to where you were born and where you went to high school? Are you getting bogged down in irrelevant details and information that makes the listener’s eyes glaze over?

What you should be doing is developing and practicing your :30 commercial, giving your listener a scintillating snapshot of who you are and where you’re heading. This brief introductory statement helps form your first impression and should focus on what’s most appealing about you and your background.

Why so brief?  Have you ever been introduced to someone who goes on and on about themselves. At first you’re listening, but as they continue ad nauseam you find your attention wanes, your eyes dull, your smile stiffens and the little voice in your head is thinking of ways to escape? It makes an impression all right, but not a favorable one. There’s another reason for brevity. In these days of 140 character tweets and 160 character texts we just don’t have the attention span to listen to an entire monologue.

When developing your own commercial take a cue from the ads you see on TV. The advertisers aren’t telling you everything there is to know about their product, they’re focusing on its most sellable and appealing aspects and you should as well.

Your commercial should include what’s most marketable about your background including pertinent positions you’ve held and the skills and accomplishments that make you stand out that would benefit the listener. Also, if you’ve worked for prominent companies don’t be afraid to namedrop, this is not the time to be humble.

Remember when you’re involved in a job hunt or career transition, you are your product. Therefore, whether its a networking contact or an interviewing opportunity you want to be prepared with a commercial that keeps your audience tuned in and turned on.

~Linda