Career Search Essentials Series: The little things...

I received an email recently that was written with absolute panic and despair. The sender had just been at a second interview that included lunch only to get to her car after the interview and find spinach in her teeth. Uugh! The horror. This is the smallest point I will ever make, but it is one that can cause stress and embarrassment so read on. When interviewing you need to be a little more high maintenance than you may be on your normal days. Order food that is simple and not full of potential hazards.  No soup.  No foods with sauces.  No food with cracked pepper or spinach (both get stuck in teeth easily).  No garlic (only you will enjoy that aroma).  Nothing on skewers.  No alcohol. Think simple and clean. And finally, be the person who needs to make a bathroom stop at some point in the interview process, particularly after lunch. Beyond ensuring you don't have to go to the bathroom in the middle of an interview, it avoids wardrobe malfunctions. Check your suit in the mirror.  Check your hair. And check your teeth!

Career Search Essentials Series: Bookending The Interview

One of the areas where I have been able to make the most impact for my clients is with their interviewing skills.  Communication is one of the biggest challenges for all humans.  Communicating during interviews IS the biggest challenge for most job seekers.  The interview is a place where you need to make a connection and leave an impression.  Bookending can help you do both.

Bookending means that at the front and back of each answer you provide your most impactful and persuasive messages.  The reasons for this are plentiful.  First, you need to capture the listener's attention early.  Second, once you catch the listener's attention you need to give that person time (seconds or less) to process or write down the information.  Third, most people can take limited information in at one time.  If you give the listener the most persuasive information at the front end, and then repeat or summarize it at the end, you have a better chance of them retaining the information.  There are more reasons, but you probably get the gist of it.

This is not meant to imply that the middle portion of your answer is not important.  The answer has to be articulated well throughout, but your biggest impact happens when you bookend with your strongest statements.  Try it.  It works!

Career Movers Series: The Interview Starts At Your Car

Recently I walked through a lobby of a business that is in heavy hiring mode (yes, those companies do exist!).  Sitting uncomfortably in an overstuffed chair was a young man in what appeared to be his nicest "work" outfit.  He was clearly nervous.  He was looking down, only making brief eye contact with those who passed by (the knowing "Are you the interviewer?" eye scan), and fumbling with the papers on his lap.  His posture was awful and the slumped shoulders were made more noticeable as he sat at an angle in the chair with his legs spread.

I wanted to rush over and command, "Sit up, legs together, chin up, eyes upward, smile, and sit with as much confidence as you can muster.  The interview started at your car!"  I controlled myself, but have noted he has never resurfaced in the company's uniform.

No matter how scared, beaten down, or overwhelmed you are as you search for a new job, you must go in to each interview with the confidence of someone who is comfortable in his/her own skin.  No one wants to hire someone who is timid and unsure.  We want to hire people who show the confidence to represent us well and take control of the job we need done.  So, promise yourself that going forward you will begin the job interview from the moment you get out of the car.  Be confident, professional, and, for gosh sake, use the posture your grandma always demanded.