Tips & Turnoffs from a Hiring Manager

Today was a fun day.  As opposed to my usual routine of camping out in the office — meeting with clients and weeding my overgrown e-mail garden — I decided to get out and grab coffee with several former clients of mine just to catch up, see how they were doing in their new assignments, and compare notes on the current state of the market.

Along this whistlestop tour, I connected with an alumnus (and now good friend) of mine who now runs a successful management consulting company in downtown Seattle.  To his credit, he’s been able to maintain a stable workforce and revenue stream, despite the economic turbulence out there, and I always enjoy hearing his thoughts on the state of the marketplace and the challenges that he has to tackle as an organizational leader.

This morning’s rendezvous was no exception.  This time around, among the many topics we discussed, he was kind enough to share some advice for me to pass along to my clients with regard to the interviewing process.  Having interviewed hundreds of employment candidates over the past few years, he said that he’d developed a mental list of “red flags” that almost always tend to signal trouble in terms of a potential hire:

•  Candidates who express difficulty/reluctance to travel to downtown Seattle for a potential interview, via comments such as “Shucks, I hate battling the bridge” or “I never know where to park down there.”

•  Candidates who ask for special accommodations, up front, in terms of work schedule; e.g. “Would it be possible for me to only work four 10-hour days?” or “Would I be able to work from home on Tuesdays, since I have to pick up my kids at school that day?”

•  Candidates who turn out to be “serial negotiators” and keep adding more and more demands, once the job offer negotiation process begins, even when the company makes the concessions requested

•  Candidates who imply that working for my friend’s company and /or in a consulting role are clear second choices to some other desired goal such as working full-time for Microsoft; e.g. “I’m hoping to hear back from this other company I talked with, but would certainly consider becoming a consultant, if my other option falls through.”

You may laugh at some of these items, thinking they’re pretty obvious behaviors candidates shouldn’t display, but they happen much more often than you’d think!  And to his credit, my friend doesn’t necessarily have a problem with the issues themselves that are expressed above, such as a person wanting a little scheduling flexibility, but has found that the types of people who would raise these issues up front, during the courtship phase, usually turn out to be highly needy employees — and rarely end up succeeding in the company’s fast-paced, constantly-changing environment.

On the flip side, he said that there are two ways that candidates can quickly win his heart and get a healthy dose of extra credit:

•  He loves candidates who can answer the question “What is your special magic?” or “What are you extremely good at?” without missing a beat; the people who possess this level of self-awareness and have great clarity about their capabilities, he says, always stand out and make a strong positive impression; as the CEO, too, he says this information is immensely helpful in figuring out the best place to plug a person into his organization, even if it isn’t in the role the candidate is interviewing for

•  He also loves candidates who make proactive statements along the lines of “I’d love working for your company because of X, Y, or Z” and then fill in these blanks with something interesting, relevant, and that shows an above-average level of preparedness on their part

Granted, these are all techniques that are mentioned in the various interviewing prep materials that Career Horizons shares with our clients, and we’ve also talked about them in prior articles of this blog, but I still thought it would be valuable to list them all in one place — and tie them to the actual day-to-day experiences and suggestions of a local hiring authority.

And one bonus tip?  My contact also said that those folks who HAVE jobs should be highly aware of the intense pressure that business owners are facing to reduce overhead — and should therefore make a point to go the extra mile and continually find ways to build value with the people who employ them.  As a case in point, he relayed a story of a recruiter on his team who didn’t seem to be working very hard and who justified this behavior by saying “But I don’t have all that much to do, since we don’t seem to be hiring many new people right now!”

Not a very smart career management move, I can assure you…

Erectile Dysfunction & The Interview Process

Sometimes job hunting inspiration comes from the most unlikely of places!  Today, while driving to an appointment, I heard a radio advertisement for the Boston Medical Group that almost perfectly demonstrated two very powerful interview techniques that I often suggest my clients use to give themselves a competitive advantage.  Who is the Boston Medical Group, exactly?  Well, errr, they’re a medical practice that apparently helps men deal with erectile dysfunction issues…

*** Important disclaimer: The author of this post is neither in need of such services or seeking information about said services; this truly was just something he heard, in passing, on the radio!

So what were the techniques in question?  Well, first of all, the advertisement started out by saying something along the lines of “did you know that over 50% of men DON’T have a positive result using Viagra and similar medications?”  This statement is a classic example of the “FUD technique” that is infamous within professional sales circles — and that can be tremendously effective in the interview process, should you choose to employ it.  The FUD concept (as I elaborated on in an earlier post, here) stands for spreading “fear, uncertainty, and doubt” about your competition.  In this case, recognizing that most men with the issues in question would first consider taking a pill like Viagra, before consulting a group like Boston Medical, the savvy doctors (or their advertising agency) realized that the clinic’s success depended on being able to knock the front-runners — Viagra and Cialis — down a few pegs.  Frankly, I think this was a stroke of brilliance.  I’m not sure about you, but I would have assumed (again, as a completely impartial observer) that various drugs such as Viagra would typically have a much higher success rate than the statistic claimed in this ad.  And while I have no idea whether the facts being cited in this radio spot are true, the advertisement still did its job by making me question an assumption that I more or less took for granted.

So how does this translate into an interview scenario?  Again, my earlier post goes into more depth about this, but it’s roughly the same as an underdog candidate saying “While I’d imagine you have tons of applicants who have already worked in your industry, for a direct competitor, I’d suspect some of these ‘industry insiders’ will be bringing some bad habits along with them that will be hard to break — whereas I’d be looking for you to teach me how you want things done, your way, from the ground up.”  Or another FUD example might be “Although I realize I don’t have advanced education in the XYZ field, like some of the candidates you’re likely considering, I’m proud to say that I bring 15 years of hands-on work experience to the party — and that my approach to the challenges of this assignment would likely be much more pragmatic, versus clinical or academic in nature.”  Again, if you know that you don’t stack up as well on paper as some candidates, this technique is your best bet of leveling the playing field.  If you don’t take the opportunity to spread a little bit of fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the capabilities of your most qualified (on paper) rivals, you’re basically giving the employer the green light to go the safe route and hire your competition!

What’s the second statement the Boston Medical Group advertisement made, reflecting an important interview technique?  Near the end of the ad, they came right out and said “You’ll see results in your very first visit!”  This equates to a job seeker making a promise…or a guarantee…or a claim with great conviction that they can easily prove how good they are, if given the opportunity.  It’s the opposite of implying you might be able to get results or hinting that, if hired, you might turn out to a be a great hire for the job.  Instead, you offer to prove, quickly and beyond the shadow of a doubt, that you can get the job done.  You might, for example, ask the interviewer to give you an assignment that will prove your competency, even before they decide to hire you.  Or you might proactively bring in a work sample or do a whiteboard exercise related to the company’s needs.  Or you might look the hiring manager straight in the eye and say “there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be able to tackle the issue of X,Y, or Z for you within 90 days, if hired.”  The point is that employers, just like consumers, are heavily influenced by these kinds of bold claims.  They’re impressed by people who stand behind their product and exhibit a little chutzpah.  So in the case of the Boston Medical Group, I’m sure there are some skeptics out there who would initially think “I don’t really believe that this firm can help me, but hey, if they guarantee I’ll see results in my very first visit, what do I have to lose?”

Again, this might be the weirdest source of interviewing advice I’ve ever drawn upon in my coaching career, but I couldn’t help but share it since I immediately recognized these two techniques in play — the FUD approach and the “guarantee” gambit — when I heard them used in this radio commercial!  So kudos to you, Boston Medical Group.  I hope I never need your services, but if I ever do, you’ve certainly planted a powerful seed in my mind and convinced me you might offer a viable solution…

Career Q&A: What Interview Questions to Expect?

“Matt: I’ve got an interview coming up and want to make sure I’m prepared for every possible question the hiring manager could possibly throw at me.  Can we spend some time and work on this together?”

I get approached with this kind of request fairly frequently, and while it’s a great thought, I usually tell my clients that what they’re attempting to do borders on the impossible — and would break the bank, in terms of the funds they’d need to invest with me (or any other coach) to pull this off!

Given the enormous range of methods that companies use to interview, there’s just no way to predict what array of questions a given manager is going to throw at you to evaluate whether you’re the right person for the job.   Interviewing is still far more of an art than a science.  This point was validated in a fairly interesting way during a recent episode of one of my favorite shows on the Bravo channel — Top Chef Masters.  In this show, three of the country’s greatest chefs were doing a competitive cook-off for charity and were asked to quickly interview and select three assistant chefs from a group of about 12 candidates.  Surprisingly, each and every one of these culinary superstars took a radically different approach to solving this puzzle.  One master chef asked the applicants to describe the foods they most liked to eat.  Another asked each candidate if they’d ever cooked his particular style of cuisine before.  And the third, Michael Chiarello, gave them a performance test, asking each one to brunoise (cut in a fancy French way) a carrot while he watched.  Several of the applicants, all experienced chefs in their own right, were insulted by this, but it was Michael’s reputation on the line and that was the technique he used to determine who to add to his team.

So the point is, you never quite know what methods a company or particular manager is going to use to evaluate your worthiness for a job — or what questions they’re going to ask you.  Any thought that one can be “perfectly prepared” for every interview, therefore, just isn’t realistic. This being said, there are a half-dozen questions that are so incredibly common that job seekers should always be prepared to address them:

– Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
– Why are you interested in this job?
– Why are you interested in our company?
– What is your greatest weakness?
– What are your greatest strengths?
– How much money are you looking for?

Beyond these old standbys, there are 10-20 other fairly common ones that come up like “Tell me about a time your work was criticized” or “Tell me what your previous supervisors would say about you.”  Beyond that, though, there a near-infinite number of behavioral interviewing questions you might get asked where employers will ask you how you’d react in a certain situation or to share an example of a time you displayed a certain skill, strength, or personality trait.  And if you’re applying to a company like Microsoft, you might even get hit with some stress interview questions like “How would you move Mt. Fuji?” or “Why is a manhole cover round?”

Given this array of possibilities, I’m just not a big fan of job hunters poring through the dozens of interview preparation books out there of the “100 interview questions and how to ace them” variety, since I don’t believe such rote memorization of questions and answers is a very effective way to improve your odds in a hiring scenario.  Instead, after developing some decent responses to the six most common questions above, and anticipating a few additional ones based on the job advertisement itself, I’d suggest people focus on mastering a few high-level rules of thumb that will help them answer any question more effectively in an interview situation.  Here’s what comes to mind:

1. First, make sure you fully understand the question being asked; always reserve the right to ask a clarifying question back if you’re not 100% sure what the employer is actually asking — just don’t do this every time or it will appear to be a stall tactic!

2. Don’t ramble or go off on tangents; when responding to questions, keep your answers to 1-2 minutes and never lose sight of the initial question that was asked, as you respond, or there’s the potential you’ll start drifting off on a tangent — which interviewers hate.

3. Tell a good story; resist the urge to answer questions in vague terms or high-level resume-speak; instead, pepper your answers with specific facts, names, examples, and details that will keep the listener interested and make your answers stand out from those of your competition.

4. Don’t bluff; if you really get stumped by a question, it’s better to say “Give me a moment to think about that” or “Boy, I’ll confess, I’m really drawing a blank on that one — can we come back to it later?” rather than give a weak, rambling, or factually-incorrect answer; in some cases, too, you could say “While I don’t have that answer right at my fingertips, I’d be happy to walk you through my thought process and explain how I’d come up with the best answer to that question — would that be appropriate?”  And if you really bomb a question, you can (and probably should) follow up after the interview with a letter or e-mail indicating you weren’t satisfied with your own answer to one of the questions asked — and wanted to provide a more thoughtful response in writing, now that you’ve had the chance to think about things further.

5. Spot-check your effectiveness; if you feel that you stumbled on a question, or are getting very little feedback from the interviewer on your performance, you can periodically ask “Did that answer your question?” or “Is that the kind of example you were looking for?” to make sure you’re on the right track.

Ultimately, my belief is that there’s more ground to be gained by job seekers learning the ropes of how to answer any question more effectively, as opposed to saddling themselves with the anxiety of trying to anticipate each and every possible question that a given interviewer could ask.  It’s a little different twist on things, I realize, and takes practice, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be pretty much ready for anything someone might throw at you!

Ideas vs. Execution: An Interviewing Wedge Issue

Recently, I came across a blogger (can’t seem to track down the post) who said he’d come up with what he felt was the “ultimate question” that employers should ask candidates during the interviewing process.  This question was along the lines of “What are the biggest misperceptions you feel your former supervisors and coworkers have about you?”  His feeling was that the indirect, unexpected nature of this question would not only demonstrate how the candidate deals with pressure, but would also get the person to reveal some important (and often hidden) clues about their personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

Do I think this is the “ultimate” question for helping employers find their dream candidate?  Not necessarily.  But it’s certainly an interesting one and I can see how asking it could produce some intriguing answers along the lines of “people think I’m much more serious than I really am because I tend to focus on my work, rather than chit-chat” or “I don’t think I was ever given enough credit for working hard and staying late.”  Such answers might indeed give a truer reflection of somebody’s work style than a series of more traditional point-blank strength/weakness questions.

At any rate, this recent article reminded me of one of MY favorite interviewing questions of all time, so I thought I’d jot a quick post about it while the idea was still fresh in mind.  What is this killer question, you ask?  Well, as one might expect given my coaching focus, this question is designed to be voiced from the candidate’s side of the desk, as opposed to that of the employer as in the above example.  Over the years, I’ve recommended to many people (especially executive-level candidates) that they find an appropriate time during the hiring conversation to ask: “In terms of hiring for this position, would you say you’re looking more for somebody who can bring some great new ideas to the team — or for somebody to take the reins and implement a number of key ideas and initiatives you already have in mind?”

This question, in my mind, cuts through a great deal of clutter and immediately provides the applicant with some useful insights into the hiring manager’s personality, needs, and expectations.  Essentially, it communicates whether the interviewer wants a “leader” or a “follower” in terms of this new hire, a distinction that can radically affect a candidate’s interviewing strategy.  If asked early enough, too, this question also protects the candidate from committing one of two very common interviewing “sins” I’ve observed over the years.  On one hand, I’ve routinely seen eager interviewees come in and start rattling off tons of exciting new thoughts, ideas, and suggestions about all the great things they could do for the company — totally missing the fact that the future boss already has HIS OR HER OWN IDEAS in mind and is simply looking for a confident, effective person to implement them.  Conversely, I’ve seen candidates show up to interviews touting their flawless execution skills, but then get shot down because they didn’t seem to bring any real creativity, spark, or fresh thinking to the table.

Sure, I suppose that once in a blue moon, a hiring manager could respond with a non-committal answer along the lines of “both are important” or something similar, but the ideas vs. execution topic is usually pretty polarizing so I’d expect this to be a rare occurrence.  Additionally, even in cases where the interviewer starts out on the fence, they often reveal their bias in one direction or the other with follow-up comments such as “I mean, we’re always looking for new ideas here at X, Y, Z company, so don’t get me wrong, but right now I’ll confess I really need somebody who can first get this critical IT project wrapped up in the next 90 days…”

Whichever way the interviewer seems to lean, the savvy job hunter should pick up on this cue and immediately adjust course.  If they’ve found themselves across the desk from a stressed-out manager who’s got a bunch of “shovel-ready” projects that need implementing, they should put all of their brilliant ideas/suggestions on the back burner for the time being and focus, instead, on convincing the interviewer that they can pick up a shovel and start digging at a moment’s notice!  Alternatively, if the interviewer is a straightforward implementation type, him- or herself, and seems to be more in need of some outside-the-box thinking that challenges the status quo, that’s your cue to jump up to the whiteboard and start sketching out some innovative ideas you have that could help the company prosper, develop, and thrive!

Public Speaking (& Interviewing) Tips

At one of my recent networking events, I had the privilege of being joined by Leo Novsky, CEO of Golden Wellness and Chair of a local Toastmasters Chapter.  Leo was kind enough to speak on a subject he’s immensely passionate about, public speaking, and he passed along a number of tips on how people could improve their presentation skills — and by extension, their interviewing skills, as well!

While I certainly can’t do justice to the full scope of what Leo shared, here’s a quick breakdown of some of his main suggestions:

•  Leverage the use of silence; instead of trying to fill every second of a conversation with noise, pause occasionally to let certain important points sink in and to keep the listener engaged and interested
•  Ask clarifying questions that engage the listener, create dialogue, and ensure you’re staying closely in tune with their needs/interests
•  Know where your hands are at all times and keep them still, unless you’re purposely using them for emphasis; don’t let them talk behind your back!
•  Use the company’s own vocabulary (based on their website, job description, etc.) when talking with them, since this language will resonate the most, emotionally
•  Avoid the destructive influence of filler words (e.g. umm, ah, like, you know…) since these will weaken your message
•  Don’t shy away from practicing your presentation skills, using a video camera or tape recorder, since this will be the fastest to improve your skill sets in this area; better yet, if you feel you’re really behind the curve, consider joining a Toastmasters group where you can practice your speaking skills and get constructive feedback on a regular basis!

Last but not least — and perhaps most importantly of all — Leo stressed the importance of trying to connect not just with an audience’s mind, but with their heart, as well.  He summed up this point beautifully by sharing this quote from renowned communications consultant Tony Pearce: “While the mind looks for proof, the heart looks for engagement. While the mind looks for information, the heart looks for passion. While the mind looks for answers, the heart looks for experience. The mind makes a decision, and it’s the heart that makes a commitment.”

Great pointers, Leo.  Thanks again!

Interviewing Secret: Curb Your Enthusiasm!

With the number of interviews seeming to perk up of late, at least around Puget Sound, I’ve had an uptick in the number of folks coming to see me for help around the areas of interview strategy and preparation.  And while every individual I work presents a slightly different mix of strengths and weaknesses, in terms of selling themselves, one consistent theme I’ve witnessed is that many people are coming across as a bit TOO enthusiastic about landing the jobs to which they’re applying.

How can this be possible, you ask?  Isn’t the whole point of an interview to show the employer that you want the job in question more than anybody else?  Um, no, actually.  Wherever you find two human beings sizing each other up for the first time, be it in the corner office or the corner singles bar, you’ll observe the tendency for people to “want what they can’t easily have” and to be turned off by folks who come on too strong and who seem too eager/enthusiastic to form a new relationship.  Don’t underestimate these invisible power dynamics in play.  If you charge into an interview, practically begging for the job, you’ll immediately create the perception that you don’t have other viable options — and must therefore be less skilled, experienced and/or valuable than the other candidates who are playing a bit harder to get.

For those of you out there who have studied psychology or the selling process to a significant degree, you’ll recognize the above principle as the “Law of Scarcity” or “The Law of Limited Resources.”  Again, this age-old principle holds that people are naturally more attracted to the things (or people) that are harder for them to acquire.  How can I be sure that this dynamic operates in a job hunting context?  Because I’ve had hundreds of clients (literally) over the years come to me in exasperation, saying: “Matt, I just don’t get it!  I always seem to get the job offers I don’t really want, even when I intentionally try to sabotage my candidacy, but for the life of me I can’t seem to land an offer for any of the opportunities I’m really passionate about…”

So in light of this principle, what proactive steps can a job seeker take to boost their interviewing success rate?  Well, while hardly rocket science, here are a few simple tips I often emphasize that people follow to help set the right tone during the hiring conversation:

•  First and foremost, make sure you are running a SERIOUS, HIGH-OCTANE job search so that you always have other irons in the fire and other interviewing opportunities coming up down the road; knowing that your entire future isn’t resting on the results of a single interview will take the pressure off and help ensure you don’t come across as needy, stressed out, or desperate.

•  Adopt a relaxed, emotionally-reserved posture during the interview, especially during the opening 15 minutes; by sitting back comfortably, crossing your legs, and responding to the hiring manager’s questions in polite, unhurried fashion you’ll be sending the signal that you’re intrigued — but not obsessed — with working for their organization.

•  Always focus on the interviewer’s needs, not your own; the moment you start asking about salary, vacation policy, travel requirements, and the like it becomes obvious that you’re in a hurry to get settled somewhere and can’t really afford to be patient and/or selective.

•  Avoid first-person statements/questions like “If I got this job, what would you need me to accomplish in the first 90 days?”  and instead use phrasing such as “If you hired the ideal candidate…” or “If you brought the right person on board…” so that you seem more objective and detached about the outcome.

•  Act like a consultant, not a job candidate; instead of viewing the interview as a pass/fail performance, pretend you’ve already been hired as an expert consultant and that this is your first chance to learn more about the goals/challenges/needs of the new organization and figure out how best you can help them.

Additionally, there are several other techniques that several allies of my firm have mentioned, over the years, that can definitely help with this issue.  For example, Todd Hollow-Bist and Chad Hattrup of Pathwise Management emphasize a technique called “suspension of attention” where you concentrate on feeling your feet pressed against the floor — or your back against your chair — throughout the course of a conversation.  This naturally siphons some of your brain’s attention span away from the conversation at hand, creating a layer of distance and disengagement that can have beneficial effects.  And Karen Burns, author of “The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl” (and somebody who knows her way around the interview circuit, having proudly held 59 different jobs in her life!) recently stressed to one of my client groups that it always helps to keep your “Plans B & C” (whatever they might be, career-wise) firmly in mind, during the interview, to avoid seeming too emotionally invested in the position at hand.

Long story short, while there are many other factors that can play a role in one’s ability to consistently land job offers, I wanted to share some quick thoughts about this particular dynamic since I’ve observed a lot of candidates “crossing the line” lately and bringing too much intensity and aggressiveness to the hiring conversation.  Obviously, the tough economy is contributing to this, with people feeling more pressure to succeed in interviews than they would in more “normal” times.  But if you can pull back on the reins just a little bit, possibly using one or more of the above techniques, you might be surprised to see your job offer batting average improve substantially!

Interviewing & the Killer Instinct

Are you competitive?  Do you like to win?  Does pressure tend to bring out the best in you?

If not, you might be at a significant disadvantage in today’s interviewing process.  Like it or not, when the economy is stagnant and few new jobs are being added, interviewing becomes a zero sum game where winning a job offer essentially requires you to beat out somebody else for an assignment– or quite a few people, potentially.  So when the opportunity presents itself, you’ve got to bring your “A Game” and carry a certain amount of killer instinct into the interview process if you hope to compete effectively.

This being said, I’ve met with a series of folks lately who I don’t feel are demonstrating quite enough “fire in the belly”  to knock an employer’s socks off given the competition level in today’s market.  Sure, they’ve reviewed all the standard interview questions, and rehearsed their responses, but when you look in their eyes they still don’t seem to be playing to win.  They seem to be hoping to skate by with a series of pleasant, thoughtful answers versus showing up loaded for bear with an aggressive strategy in place for knocking off their competition and securing the offer.

What’s that?  Strategy, you say?  Why yes.  When you think about any competitive arena in life, ranging from sports to politics to military conquest, you’ll find that strategy is an essential component of success.  How did Obama rise from anonymity to beat out household names like Hilary Clinton and John McCain for the presidency?  How did the United States amateur hockey team beat the dominant Soviet team in the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” moment?  How did a group of 300 Spartans hold back an army of thousands of Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae?  In each case, victory was dependent on the individual/team/army in question coming up with a game plan that maximized their strengths and minimized their weaknesses relative to those of the competition.

Believe it or not, this is exactly what I counsel serious job hunters to do when preparing for an interview.  It’s not terribly difficult, after all, to size up one’s professional strengths and weaknesses compared to the likely competition they’ll be facing in the modern market.  On the strengths side, one simply has to evaluate the areas in which they’ve shined, consistently, compared to their peers in the field over the years.  Often, this feedback comes in the form of accolades and praise from one’s colleagues, customers, or supervisors over the years.  And on the flip side, in terms of vulnerabilities, most job candidates already realize the areas in which their qualifications don’t quite measure up to other folks in their field, whether this might involve the lack of a certain certification or degree, or perhaps a choppy work history or a lack of experience with a certain important technology.

The point is, strategy has become far more important than tactics in terms of landing job offers.  There are numerous books that have been written about the tactical aspects of interviewing, such as how to answer certain common questions (e.g. “What is your greatest weakness?” or “Why should I hire you?”) and how to prepare a series of well-organized examples to fit a behavioral interview format.  I’ve seen much less material out there emphasizing interviewing strategy in the sense of approaching the entire interview with a game plan on how to get the employer to acknowledge, appreciate, and place significant value on the particular areas where you possess dominant talent — while simultaneously minimizing or marginalizing those areas where your skills likely don’ t measure up to other applicants.

So don’t just memorize a few canned answers to a few tired questions.  Think strategically and figure out what you can say to the interviewer that will shift the agenda in your favor and shape the conversation to play to your strengths, versus having you play defense the entire time around various qualifications where you’re a bit shaky.  Better yet, wrap this concept up in an assertive, almost cocky attitude of “I’m going into this interview to prove to the hiring manager, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I’m the best person for the job” and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with in terms of your ability to consistently convert interviews into viable offers!

Strong Thoughts About Weakness

As part of my daily trawling of the web, searching for useful nuggets of career insight to pass along, I came across a great post here by Lance Haun, author of the exceptional “Your HR Guy” blog.  In this article, Lance (who always tells it like it is from a human resource standpoint) discusses the perennial “What is your greatest weakness?” interview question and how job hunters should approach it.

Essentially, Lance agrees with my own perspective on this question, which is that employers largely ask it as a test of an individual’s preparation and self-awareness.  And what they are looking for in terms of a response, in most cases, is an honest admission of vulnerability around some work-related characteristic — followed by a compelling statement of how you have learned to compensate for your area of weakness or improve on it over the years.  What they are most certainly NOT looking for is somebody to claim they don’t have any weaknesses or to try to sneak by with a cheesy, cliched answer like “I’m a workaholic” or “I’m a perfectionist.”

So in advising my clients on how to answer this common question, over the years, I’ve simply asked them to think back and find at least one area where their supervisors have requested improvement — or identify one area where they know they could benefit from further development.  They then should isolate this weakness and be ready to talk about it for a minute or two, touching upon how they became aware of it, an example of how it’s gotten in their way, and a discussion of how they’ve taken proactive steps to address the issue, over the years.  They might even look the hiring manager square in the eye and say “And while I’ve gotten much better in this particular area, I’d still look to you as my supervisor, if hired, to watch my back on this issue and offer any suggestions that might make me even more effective at dealing with it.”

Over the years, I can think of many people who have answered this question in a way that was really powerful and that made me more likely to hire them, not less.  For example, there was one executive who admitted his weakness was that he “didn’t learn as quickly as other people” and therefore got up an hour early, every day, to read and conduct research in the areas most pertinent to his job.  There was another individual who said her weakness was that “she gets extremely focused when she’s under a deadline” and has been told she can come across as cold or aloof to her colleagues in these situations.  So she said she warns all of her teammates, in advance, of this tendency and that they shouldn’t take it personally when she gets this way.  She also says that she is now much better at catching herself acting this way, now that she’s aware of the pattern, and that this has helped a ton in preventing issues from arising.

So this is the type of answer I’d encourage you to craft in your own situation.  Hopefully, too, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t pick a weakness that would be a true “job killer” when responding to this question, no matter how much you may have improved on it.  Don’t say that you’re terrible with details, for example, if you’re an accountant or a quality control inspector.  And don’t follow in the footsteps of the one customer service representative I interviewed who said she “isn’t good at taking feedback” from her managers.  Wow.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this individual is still looking for a job, years later…

P.S.  And back to Lance Haun’s blog posting for a moment; make sure to read the series of comments posted UNDER the blog article, as well, since they deepen the discussion in a very interesting and useful way!

Interviews: Are You Proving Your Case?

While writing one’s resume can be a tricky business, and cover letters continue to bamboozle even the best of us, I doubt anybody out there looking for work at the moment would disagree with me when I maintain that the hardest part of the job hunting process, at least in the current climate, relates to landing interviews.

Interviews are so challenging to pin down at the moment, in fact, I wanted to re-emphasize the importance of conducting uncommonly thorough preparation in order to maximize your odds of a successful outcome.  Sure, there will be cases when the deck is stacked against you and they’re going to end up hiring the CEO’s mentally-deficient nephew, no matter what you say or do, but in most cases you owe it to yourself to put in at least several hours of preparation — if not several days — in order to tip the scales in your favor.  Think of it as a $100,000 sales presentation.  Or as a court case where the burden of proof is going to rest on you to prove you’re the best available candidate for the job.  How can you go the extra mile to show the employer you want the job more than the next person?  And will work harder at it?  And have the skills, talents, and strengths to excel in each of the responsibilities the job will entail?

How can you use preparation as a strategic weapon to take the risk out of hiring you, from the employer’s standpoint?

One of the reasons that interview prep is even more crucial right now, compared to other times, is that few candidates at the moment can assume that their resume alone (and the data it communicates) is going to set them apart convincingly from the other “options” the employer has available to them.  With hundreds of resumes getting sent in to most published leads, it’s a safe bet that there will be somebody out there who can beat you out on paper credentials alone or who can offer direct experience in the employer’s industry, if you cannot.  So you simply can’t afford to rest on your laurels or assume that the interview prep you’ve done in the past (or lack thereof) will get the job done again, this time around.

If you’ve got an interview coming up, therefore, it’s time to round up all of those great qualities you claim to possess — i.e. creativity, praoctivity, results-orientation, etc. — and put them to work for you in the preparation process.  For starters, you should scour the web until you feel you have a totally clear picture of the company’s business model, what they offer, who they sell to, what sets them apart from their competition, and how they make money.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re targeting a receptionist position or a senior VP role; nothing is more attractive than a candidate who understands the nature of business and is already searching for ways to increase a company’s profitability.

Beyond this basic digging, you should then consider arriving at the hiring conversation with a sample work outline, some relevant work samples, a list of ideas related to the company’s needs, or some form of tangible evidence that demonstrates your competency for the job.  Few people take their prep efforts to this level, but it can make all the difference in the world, since it shifts the interview beyond just idle chatter and sends the signal “I’m willing to work hard for you even before you decide to offer me a paycheck.”

I’m even a big fan of candidates putting together a short PowerPoint presentation (perhaps 4-5 slides) demonstrating their qualifications for a job — and then asking the hiring manager for permission to walk through these slides either at the start of the interview or at the very end.  Few employers will be able to resist this assertive request, and assuming that what you put together is quality work, it will leave a memorably positive impression!  If you really want to be slick, in fact, try uploading your PowerPoint file to a free Microsoft Office Live or Google Documents account where the employer can then log into it after the interview to review it again — and share it with others.

The bottom-line?  As stated earlier, landing an interview is a big deal right now.  So don’t let these precious opportunities go to waste with a laissez-faire attitude or anything less than full-court-press preparation!

Age Discrimination: To Overcome It, Understand It

No question about it.  If you’re over a certain age (40+ is one common benchmark and the “protected class” recognized by federal law) it’s almost impossible to venture out into the job market without wondering if maybe, just maybe, you will lose out on certain job opportunities due to age discrimination.  There’s no question, after all, that our society has a long and unhealthy habit of celebrating the virtues of youth over those of experience, and the situation is compounded further due to the demographic fact there are a lot more folks over 40 (aka Baby Boomers) out seeking work at the moment than there have been in previous times.

So how prevalent is the phenomenon of age discrimination?  And what can an older worker do, if anything, to diminish the effects of it?

For starters, while others may disagree, I personally don’t see all that much “overt” age discrimation out there in the form of companies steadfastly refusing to hire older workers, carte blanche, as a matter of principle.  Along the same lines, I don’t see too many cases where “pure” gender or racial discrimination seems to be in play, either, although I certainly don’t mean to suggest such cases don’t exist — or that there aren’t some employers out there practicing unabashed, inexcusable bigotry.  What I think the average 40+ job seeker needs to focus on more, however, is the soft form of age discrimination that is practiced commonly in today’s world of work.  These are the companies who aren’t intentionally discriminating against older, more experienced workers, but who are still basing their hiring decisions in part on various unconscious stereotypes they hold with regard to employees in the 40-50+ age range.  I think this form of discrimination is the major culprit behind the age discrimination challenge and the one that most people need to concentrate on overcoming, if they’re seeking to improve their interviewing success rate.

Along these lines, since I doubt any of us believes for a second that anti-discrimination laws will fully protect older workers against these softer forms of discrimination, job hunters concerned about this issue should take distinct, proactive steps to address the matter.  This prevention starts (I’m going to say something here that won’t make me very popular) with the acceptance that certain elements of the “older worker” stereotype actually have a grain of truth to them — and that acknowledging and understanding these specific perceptions is the single best recipe for defeating them.

Hear me out here.  For example, I would propose that the reason many older workers end up losing out on positions to younger candidates is due to underlying employer fears that workers over a certain age might:

•  Have outdated skill sets and not be totally up-to-speed in their professional field or area of expertise
•  Not be familiar with modern technology and the standard computer applications used in most modern jobs today
•  Want too much money and other benefits, based on a 20+ year track record of pay increases and vacation accrual
•  Be overqualified for certain positions and will quickly become bored by “settling” for a lower-level job
•  Be coasting toward retirement and not be willing to work as hard as a younger, eager-to-please candidate
•  Not be able to (or want to) take direction from a younger boss or younger colleagues who have less experience
•  Be set in their ways and unwilling to learn new things or adapt to new methods of doing business
•  Have health issues that will lead to high insurance costs or high rates of absenteeism
•  Not be able to keep up with a fast-growing company or a job that requires a rigorous, 50-60 hour schedule

While I’m sure every one of my readers out there over 40 is bristling at the above suggestions, would anybody actually disagree that the above items are, at heart, the perceptions that likely lead to most instances of age discrimination?  They certainly are the root of the problem from what I’ve observed, and since there unfortunately isn’t a magic wand that will make such prejudices instantly go away, I counsel many of my older clients to take matters into their own hands — and assess whether their interviewing approach or resume might play into any of these stereotypes.  If so, there definitely are specific steps one can take to combat these damaging perceptions and convince employers that one’s age, or experience level, isn’t going to be a liability.  The key, however, is for older candidates to first accept responsibility for this “burden of proof” themselves.  It may not be fair, and in a perfect world our legal system would offer complete protection in these matters, but if we set idealism aside — and focus on the immediate steps that help older workers get hired — then I’m afraid I don’t see much of an alternative.

So if this issue concerns you, take some time to make an honest assessment of whether any of the items on the above list might apply in your own particular situation.  If so, then you should start thinking about how to demonstrate to employers — proactively, in both your written materials and during the interview process — that any potential stereotypes they might try to connect to your age and experience level are groundless.  For example, if you’re a marketing executive who is willing to admit that you haven’t kept up with modern Internet marketing concepts, you need to quickly take a class or engage in rigorous self-study to address this vulnerability.  If instead you’re getting a lot of pushback on your previous salary level being too high, then you might need to conduct some salary research and reset your expectations, if they’re truly out of touch with the times.  For each and every element listed above, there are some specific mitigating tactics that can be used, once one accepts the quasi-legitimacy these stereotypes are grounded upon, in the first place.

Above all, if you’re in the older worker category and concerned about age discrimination, I’d encourage you to think long and hard about how you’d answer one specific question if given the chance: “Why should I (the employer) hire you, with your 20-30 years of experience, over a younger worker with 5-10 years of relevant experience?”  Until you can convincingly answer this question in your own mind, and outline the value of your experience in a structured, positive way, you’ve probably got more work to do before you’re ready for prime time — and able to consistently convince hiring managers that your age and experience level will be a tremendous asset, not an obstacle, to the success of their organization!