Executive Career Insights

Turn The Unprepared Interviewer Into Your Biggest Ally

I recently spoke to client who was very frustrated by her last interview. She had done everything she could on her part - researched the company, learned about its business challenges and prepared career success stories to support her strengths.

However, her interview did not go smoothly because the person she met was not properly prepared and subjected her to a myriad of generic, "career-book" interview questions that only merited the usual scripted responses.

I can certainly understand her frustration. How do you handle those situations effectively, turn around the interview and still leave a strong impression in the employer's eyes?

1) Provide a targeted 30-second pitch

Make sure your "tell me about yourself" response is tailored for the position. An executive in the non-profit world could start off by saying, "Well, as my resume shows, I have bring a solid background and wealth of experience in non-profit management. Throughout my career, I have been successful in helping non-profit organizations overcome fund development challenges and increase their fundraising efforts by more than 50%"

2) Focus on your career success stories

If you are asked a question like "What is the greatest strength that you bring to the position?" Use the opportunity to show that you understand the company's challenges and the solutions required for the situation.

Pull out one of your career success stories that directly address an issue that the company is facing - and of course, you would know that because you did your research, right?

3) Gently encourage interviewer to examine your resume

Certainly I don't expect you to push pause in the interview and wait for the person to read your resume, however, as you respond to questions, why not say "As my resume shows"; "As you can see from my resume"; As I have outlined or listed in the first page of my resume"; As you would notice on page two of my resume"

If he/she is completely unprepared, there are still key pieces of information he/she can get from quick glances at your resume - after all, professional resumes are read in less than 30 seconds.

4) Ask direct questions around a recent press release or media piece

Now, I have to emphasize that you should try your best to bring up a positive event in the company's history - if the CEO got recently let go for embezzling, well, that might be ackward to discuss in an interview:)

This strategy allows you to show that you are interested and that you closely follow the company's progress and new developments. Again, I would recommend linking one of your career success stories to a recent event.

5) Help the interviewer to get to know more about you

Ask questions like:

"Is there anything else that I can tell you about my background and experience that would be helpful?"

"What skills and strengths are need to be present in this position?" (then follow up a career success story that demonstrates those strengths)

"Based on what I have told you so far, is there anything else I could do to improve my candidacy?"

Related posts:

Executive interview mistakes that might surprise you

Using STARS - Acing behavioral interviews

Are Companies Only Interested In Hiring Happily Employed Candidates?

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, "Only The Employed Need Apply" - it seems like many companies would rather actively pursue potential employees who are already gainfully employed and NOT job seeking....seems strange, right?

Despite the fact that millions of talented executives have been victims of downsizing and not due to poor performance, some hiring managers think that they can find the best candidates by going after them directly.

Well, if you are still knee deep in a job search, where does that leave you? How about developing a multifaceted job search campaign that combines online and offline strategies that put you in the company of "passive", employed executives.

Your primary goal is to increase your visibility and reputation in your industry as an expert and thought leader. Embrace specific, targeted written and speaking communication strategies that include the following:

-- Join professional associations and become actively involved through committees or officer positions.

-- Write and submit articles for trade journals, industry magazines and other leading publications that are always seeking industry perspective.

-- Get active online with your personal blog, making comments on other company blogs, participate and offer resources and information on forums.

-- Network consistently with decision makers and influential industry experts - take full advantage of Chamber of Commerce events, local alumni events, annual conferences, online teleclasses and webinars.

-- Become a member of a speakers bureau and accept requests for free and paid speaking engagements.

-- Volunteer in local charity and community group - take it a step further by offering to lead workshops and group seminars.

-- Seek out opportunities to be quoted in articles, ebooks and printed publications. (http://www.helpareporter.com/)

Overall, if recruiters are regularly scouting networking events to find top performers and industry leaders, make it easy for them to find you. More importantly, by consistently building your reputation, your expertise and perceived value will speak for themselves.

Abby M. Locke of Premier Writing Solutions (www.premierwriting.com) is a master resume writer and career marketing architect who helps talented professionals and senior-level executives achieve career success through cutting-edge, brand-focused documents, innovative job search tools, and proactive career management strategies.

Personal Branding - Truly The Only Way To Survive In Any Economy

I was really intrigued by Dan Schawbel's recent blog on 2009 Personal Branding Predictions.

A long time advocate of personal branding for overall executive career management, I completely agreed with his thoughts for the upcoming new year.

According to him, as the unemployment numbers climb and you are faced with more jobseekers going after the same positions, you have to find more distinctive, authentic, unique ways to attract employers. In his words:

When thousands of resumes are tossed in a recruiters face, they may all end up in the trash. How do you end up in a pile that they read? How do you differentiate yourself? The answer, as I’ve stated in this blog many times, is personal branding. Turning to proven tools and methodologies is a great way to get yourself on the right career track and turn your passion into money, even in a poor economy.

Personally, I would love to see personal branding become a more common concept for long-term career growth and acceleration.

Here are some of my recommendation on how you can start maximizing personal branding in your impending job search.

-- Make the title header on your executive resume stand out by including your personal brand statement right below it

-- Incorporate your personal brand statement in the executive summary section of your executive resume

-- Enhance the title header in your executive resume with your personal brand statement

-- Improve your response and demonstrate value when dealing with standard interview questions like -
"Tell me about yourself" or "Why should we hire you"

-- Use your personal brand statement as the foundation for building a memorable elevator pitch statement

-- Beef up your email signature or outgoing voice message

Remember that in order for personal branding to be effective, it needs to unique, authentic and consistent to who you are.

Related posts:

Personal Branding - The Only Solution In Today's Recession-Packed Job Search

Part 5 - Does Your Executive Resume Need A Makeover?

Generic Executive Resume Objectives - Just Plain Bad!!

Try A Networking Resume For Your Holiday Job Search Activities

Once Thanksgiving Day has passed, it seems like the entire world bursts into a frenzy of activities preparing for the holiday season. Over the next few weeks, your calendar will most likely be filled with invitations to personal and professional networking events and parties.

This is a great time to network with hard-to-reach individuals and maximize opportunities to attend open company events and special programs.

Before you start running around to every party and event you can find:

-- Create a preferred list of high-profile individuals or top industry professionals you would really like to meet; prioritize your party attendance accordingly.

-- Interact and connect directly (in non intrusive manner) with strong contacts who can play a vital role in your career development.

-- Make sure to collect a variety of business cards from attendees and follow-up with them after each event.

In addition to the normal exchange of business cards, distinguish yourself from the crowd this year by sending out a networking resume.

A networking resume is an innovative one-page document that provides readers with a quick snapshot of your career milestones, personal qualifications and job targets.

Overall, the networking resume is not intended to replace your executive resume—which should be two to three pages long depending on your experience—however, it can be effectively used as part of a structured networking plan.

Key components of a Networking Resume include:

Title Header: A branded title header prominently placed a top of resume (below your personal information) lets your contacts know who you are and the value you bring to any organization.

Executive Summary: A well-written executive summary will give readers an overview of your career path, years of experience and touch upon your career-defining achievements.

For professional and personal contacts who are reviewing your resume for the first time, this section provides them with talking points they can use when referring you to someone else.

Core Competencies: Incorporating a section for core competencies and areas of expertise allows readers to evaluate at first glance your industry strengths and management capabilities.

Using either a two or three-column table or simply listing keywords in a neat format allows this section to stand out in the resume.

Target Positions & Industries: Use this section of the resume to indicate the job titles for the types of positions you are seeking and the industries you would like to work in. For example:

Career History & Performance Milestones: This section of the networking resume will simply list your employment history and touch up on at least one (you can use more) high-impact achievement realized throughout your career. Because the document is limited to one page, this portion will be brief and concise.

When an initial request about your career goals and job history comes about, introduce yourself to Tier 1 and Tier 2 contacts with a networking resume. If your experience and qualifications spark a deeper interest, you can follow-up with a more comprehensive resume and cover letter.

Networking Resume Sample

Letting Go Of The Online Job Search Addiction

So what does your executive job search strategy entail? If you are spending more than 10 hours a week surfing the Internet and high profile career sites for recent job postings, you are wasting a lot of valuable time?

More than 85% of high paying executive job opportunities will never be posted, so think about all of the great jobs that you are completely missing by focusing all your efforts online.

It comes down to this - working through people you know, people you meet, and people you get referred to, and people you get to know through informational interviews who will play a critical role in helping you to get a job.

But in order to build your network of contacts, you need to get moving. Limit your Internet time to finding information on company background, network events, career conferences, and trade shows. 

Here are immediate activities you can get involved in to increase your networking and referral building skills:

 - Executive networking events and workshops

 - Breakfast and luncheon meetings through professional associations

 - Volunteering with your favorite charity or local community group

 - Participating in an online community or blog

 - Becoming a member in a job search club or coaching circle

 - Public speaking opportunities in your industry or marketplace

It is critical to prepare a memorable, attention-getting elevator pitch for quick introductions at structured meetings.

If you have been recently laid off, you can still project a professional image by having business cards made with your name and contact information.

The Truth About Today's Job Search

If you have been feverishly launching a job search that seems to be getting nowhere, I want to know, "What have you been doing?"

If more than 50% of your time has been spent online responding to job postings or posting your resume to various career sites, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these are the facts:

• Your emails are most likely being deleted. It is simply overwhelming to the hiring  managers because they have too many emailed resumes from solicited and unsolicited resources.

• There are over 40 million (that's right) resumes posted through the major online career sites and the success rate is only between 1% to 3%! Still wondering why you are not getting responses?

• Seventy to eighty percent (70% to 80%) of job opportunities are filled through networking and personal contacts. No, your dream job is not waiting online at a career site for you to find it....furthermore, every 2 to 3 jobs you find online do not compare to the 7 to 8 other jobs out there you have not seen. If everyone is chasing the same jobs, how can you expect to succeed?

• Recruiters usually charge companies 30% of your salary to the companies who hire them, so what about the companies that want to hire without a recruiter? You cannot know about those opportunities unless you are actively networking.

Landing your "dream job" is going to take a lot more than online job search expertise. You have to be proactive and being proactive translates to researching companies, finding contacts through online social/professional sites like LinkedIn, networking at annual events and industry conferences, and finding the hidden job market.

One of my colleagues, Sue Campbell summarizes it well:

"There has been a lot of discussion over the last decade regarding the "Hidden Job Market." Does it exist? And if so, where is it and how can you get a piece of the action? The truth is, the "Hidden Job Market" isn't really hidden, and tapping into it simply requires a bit of outside-the-box thinking.

It doesn't mean you can forgo the routine procedures and protocols of an ordinary job search. It does mean throwing your net as far and wide as you're willing, in order to gain the largest amount of exposure and opportunities possible. Tapping into the "hidden job market" requires real effort and legwork on the part of the job candidate."

Maximize The Internet To Market Yourself

Aaah, there is nothing like a well-deserved break and time away from work to recharge. I took a short trip to New York to attend a friend's wedding and spend time with family.

We all know that looking for a job feels like a full-time job - be sure to take time out for a break or you will drive yourself crazy. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some "cool" online tools that could help you market yourself.

• VisualCV.com - a quick and simple way to develop an online resume or career portfolio and it works. Read how some jobseekers have used it to land new positions.

• 15secondpitch.com - remember I told you about the importance of having an elevator pitch memorized, well this site takes you through step-by-step questions to create a catchy, distinctive pitch. Here is what they helped me come up with:

"My name is Abby Locke and I am an Executive Career Strategist specializing in helping senior executives excel in their marketplace through personal brand distinction. I create and conceptualize highly-customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents that capture their true personal brand, value proposition, core competencies, personality traits and really set them apart from their peers."

• LinkedIn - create a distinctive profile with high Google rankings and link to key people in your network, find old colleagues, reach out to former classmates - get everyone onboard with your job search process.