Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Review of Next-Day Job Interview

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next day job interviewJ6042I would be the last one to suggest you leave your interview preparation to the last minute. So, I hesitated when I saw the title of this book and its subhead: “Prepare tonight and get the job tomorrow.” Hmm…Maybe not a good idea to suggest this tact to job seekers? In fact, the authors note that, ideally, you will spend a week or two preparing for an interview.

However, I like the gist of the book – you don’t need to memorize pat answers to questions in order to get the job. This is something I absolutely agree with, so I thought it would be worth reviewing Michael Farr and Dick Gaither’s Next-Day Job Interview for my readers.

I was not disappointed! Even reading the introduction can help job seekers dramatically improve their readiness for an interview. Questions such as: “Can you talk the talk of the industry, using buzzwords, jargon and acronyms that are common to the industry?” and “Can you identify three prominent employment-related successes or achievements you’ve had and talk about your role in them?” These are two of the key, important elements of interviewing that I teach my clients.

The book continues by describing various interview formats. It’s important to be prepared to handle all different circumstances and types of questions, so this section is a great help.

Self-analysis (knowing what you have to offer – and how it relates to your targeted job) is another crucial aspect of interviewing well, and the book helps walk the reader through identifying his or her skills, as well as outlines important skills that most employers seek, such as the ability to learn, communication and writing skills and others.

This in-depth book also offers four different approaches to the all important question, “Tell me about yourself?” (Skills based, personal history, defined focus and “returning the question.” The descriptions include impressive suggestions and tips to think about how to respond to this “make or break” question.

Next-Day Job Interview is a very thorough, well designed book to assist the job seeker in mastering the all important interview stage. However, I really think the title is a bit of a misnomer, as I have yet to meet  job seeker who can really take full advantage of this terrific information in less than several weeks without a coach.

So, my advice? Get this book NOW – before you are preparing for a specific interview – use the tips and tricks and you will be way ahead of the game when you get the call for an interview “tomorrow.”

Win a copy of this book! Just comment on one of my blogs regarding the review. Enter at all of my posts for a better chance at the random drawing:
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Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you prepare for an interview! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.


Why you didn't get the job

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soap45560773_1c6e342e73_mYesterday, I got on my soapbox and ranted about the fact that there is no one “right” way to search for a job. It might be nice (or maybe not), but there are so many people and twice as many opinions involved in every job posting, resume review, interview and hiring decision.

As promised, today – a look at why you didn’t get the job from my friend Stephanie Lloyd, Consultant on Talent Acquisition strategies and Owner of Calibre Search Group. Stephanie  wrote a great post on her blog, Radiant Veracity. It’s called “75 Reasons You Didn’t Get the Job.“

(Stephanie is also a National Careers & Workplace Columnist for Examiner.com.)

Before you start to sweat and feel overwhelmed, the point of Stephanie’s list is to remind job seekers that, sometimes, the reason they do not land the job is more about the organization and situations than about any one specific thing that a job seeker does in the process. A sample:

  • You’re not qualified.
  • You’re overqualified.
  • You were overdressed.
  • You were underdressed.
  • The job was filled internally.
  • The job was put on hold.

See? You can’t please everyone all of the time. The fact is, personal preferences will enter into the process, and every individual has his or her own likes and dislikes. And, you don’t control when and if an employer’s needs change. It’s up to the job seeker to react flexibly in this ever-changing environment and to move deftly through the process.

I DO believe that every job seeker controls his or her own destiny, despite the fact that there may be aspects that you cannot change. Have you really done everything you can to improve your chances? Yesterday, I spoke to a potential client who was really doing most everything right, but I advised her how to ramp-up her networking and to improve her online presence by writing a blog. Take a critical look at what you can do differently to help improve your chances in this tough market.

I’m glad you are reading this! Be sure to look through my blog roll as well! Take and follow good advice from professionals about your job search and you are much more likely to land something in a reasonable time frame. You don’t need to go it alone…Save your time, money and sanity…Approach your search with the very best information and there is no need to get frustrated!

There is no “right” way, but there are things that you may be doing wrong! So, are you ready to get in the game? To grab the keys and climb the stairs to your own career bus? Let me help get you started ahead of the pack. Learn more about what I can do for you.

photo by thomashawk

Used cars and job hunting – don't ask for the sun, moon and stars

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sunmoonstarsWe’re selling a car, so we posted a detailed ad on Craig’s List and received over 30 replies in just one day. Clearly, we want to sell the car, but we are busy, so going through the replies seems a bit tedious, even though we are happy to have people interested (don’t get me wrong)!

Many express interest and include their contact information. Some even let us know when they are available to see the car. Others followed up their original email with YET ANOTHER email – within 24 hours! But, the most interesting (to me) were the ones who had 8 or 10 (!) additional questions, wanted a picture AND asked if the price is negotiable! Faced with 30+ responses, which do you think we’ll contact first? Yup – the ones who gave us the information we need and didn’t seem too demanding.

Lesson? When you connect with someone – for any reason – think first about THEIR needs. How will your note, letter or request strike them? If you hope to hear back, make sure you include information that helps your target understand WHY connecting to you would be advantageous. Make it easy to them to respond (by including your phone number and email address).

Finally, don’t be too demanding! If we can sell a car without responding to extra questions and sending pictures, we’re going to go that path. “High maintenance” isn’t a label you want as a used car buyer in a seller’s market or as a job seeker in a recession.

Think of this analogy when you apply for your next job. Are you putting yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes? What can you do to make things easy for him or her? Are you connecting the “dots” between what the job requires and what you offer with your resume? Are you addressing the employer’s key questions in your cover letter? Are your materials optimized and competitive? Do what you can to increase the odds that you will be in the “short stack” of people contacted for the opportunity.

My clients get interviews and land jobs, even in competitive industries. I can help you achieve your goals. Contact me to learn more!

photo by preciouskhyatt

Don't Rely on Job Sites as the Cure-All for Your Search

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The Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal reports that:

Visits to job sites during the first four weeks of 2008 rose about 22% compared to the same period in 2007, according to a new report from Hitwise, a market-research firm.

Beware of being sucked in to a false sense of security when you apply to jobs on these sites.  You may think that if you apply to 100 positions, you are bound to hear something!

Job boards have a role in your job search, but only if you leverage your time and don’t rely on them too much.  I suggest spending no more than 10-15% of your job search efforts seeking and applying to positions on mega-boards.

Why?

Be aware that not every posting on these job boards actually represents a specific position.  For example, some recruiters post seeking a bank of resumes for a position they may (or may not) recruit in the future. 

Of course, every sought after job will receive a tremendous response.  Between sheer volume and job postings that don’t represent actual jobs, it’s no wonder that many people feel as if they are sending their resume into the great black hole when they use these sites.

Another problem with applying for jobs in great numbers is that resumes and applications are not targeted to the employer.  Why would someone want to hire you if you don’t make a case explaining how you are perfect for their job? 

A better use of your time?  NETWORKING!  I’ve written so much about the value of networking and how to do it…See the Networking category at the right for a full update!

Keppie Careers will write your resume, teach you job search strategies and prepare you for your next big career step!