| JBN
Consulting | Job Seekers |
|
Job Seekers
Preparing for a formal job interview is no different than that of
a simple sales process. Those of you in sales should be familiar
with the origination of a sale; however, not all realize the steps
taken in the earliest stages. Those steps are generally recognized
as being within the Marketing side of the process.
 |
|
 |
| Marketing
Branding
How you are presented. Your look. What are you going to wear?
You can never go wrong with navy blue. Black is too formal.
Grey too muted. Have a fresh hair cut, if applicable. For
men, a fresh shave or facial hair trimming is always a good
idea. Too much perfume or cologne may interfere with what
you are trying to accomplish. Bring copies of “collateral”.
Your resume is the first item most hiring authorities will
see. Be sure it is presentable and contains the necessary
information to get the attention of the hiring authority.
Technology today was intended to assist in key word, or catch
phrase recognition, and this is true. However, who knows what
information is correct?
Items often overlooked and commonly not included are:
a true objective, why– is there a marriage
requiring relocation? Proven industry related accomplishments
- You successfully managed the re-design of the Golden Gate
Bridge and managed the project with a slip rate of less that
2%, allowing for a cost Savings of $10 Million.
(Organizations hire or retain employees who either make them
money, or save them money (preferably both), Where
do you rank amongst your peers, True earnings, culture and/or
environmental preferences.
Strategic Concepts
Research where you are in your career versus those in the
same demographic. Use accomplishments, education, certifications
and market comparable compensation as guides as a measurement,
along with your current or most recent employer and where
they are versus where you may be interviewing. With the new
firm, do research on where they are in their market, where
they’ve been and where they are going. Can they get
you to your next step or the step after that (Positioning)
in your career in the most efficient manner.
Positioning
Be at the right place at the right time. Take those actions
(additional education, certification, work tasks, etc…
and become “positioned” to take advantage of that
next great step. Timing is everything, be able to make the
move when it presents itself. Be “positioned”
to interview. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
| How
you start the meeting
Be on time. Ten minutes early is a great benchmark. Realize
that if this is your first meeting, you will start your greeting
with the hiring authority with general cordialities. As early
as possible following general greeting, I recommend that you,
the candidate take control by saying the following:
"I’ve been presented your opportunity, by my recruiter,
and I came away immediately impressed. I've done some research
on your opportunity, your firm and visited your firm’s
web site, and quite frankly, my impression has grown significantly.
Can you tell me more specifically about the position
and your expectations of me in the role?"
This approach is intended to allow you, the visitor in someone
else’s environment, to relax at the beginning of the
interview. Let’s face it, nervous energy will affect
anyone in that situation.
If handled correctly, the hiring manager will go over the
position and the firm in more detail, allowing the candidate
to become more familiar with the environment. This also allows
the candidate to confirm the position’s requirements
and to get to know the hiring manger’s approach and
to a certain degree personality. The candidate should at this
point, sit back, and pay attention to the hiring manager’s
approach.
Quite a bit of detail can come out of this. When available
use "matching/mirroring" techniques, paying attention
to the speech pattern of the hiring authority. This can give
you tremendous insight. And, in some cases, all the answers
to the test. Once the hiring manger has completed the explanation
of the position, the candidate should at that point is match
their resume/qualifications to the hiring manager’s
expectations. Remember, the candidate, if at the interview,
should recognize that they are a close match, or they would
not be at the interview. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| How
to handle the $ question
More than likely you will not discuss compensation over the
phone. However, if is discussed it should be uniform as is
if at a face to face interview. If it is discussed pay attention
to how they ask the question.
- If they ask how much you currently earn, tell the truth
and be prepared to provide documented proof, such as a
most recent pay stub, or a End of Year earnings statement,
like a W-2.
- If they ask an open ended question to measure what you
want to make be careful on your answer. Most of the time
it is not intended to corner you; however, it can if you
are not careful. Examples of how this is asked are: "What
will it take...?", “How much will you need...?
Or "What are your salary requirements?" This
is normally intended to get a specific hard number, such
as $50,000.00. Do not give a hard number as a reply. Simply
reply in your own words: "I know that in your position
you have a budget for this role. I am not familiar yet
with how your budget will address this position as it
relates to compensation. I can tell you that my current
base is ____, I w-2'd _____, I'm sure if I'm the
right person for this position, you'll give me a fair
offer".
This type of reply is intended to keep the talks going
and not tie you into a fixed number. A stated Salary requirement
at this point will be difficult to get away from later.
More needs to be learned about the culture, environment,
job responsibilities, etc…
|
|
|
|
Submit your resume here. Please include current and past salary, desired position(s),
and Geographic preference.
|
|
 |
