Talk Is Cheap 2010

Talk is Cheap, Gail M. Neal 2010

Talk is Cheap


This presentation is divided into 3 main parts:

Things to do before the interview

Interview Objectives, and

Things to do after the interview


THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

Check out interview related websites:

http://www.jobinterviewquestions.org/

http://career-advice.monster.com/








THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW http://www.jobinterviewquestions.org/Includes advice for inexperienced interviews. Find out what It’s like

from the other side of the desk.




You’ve heard about learning about the company.

Why?

• It’s information you can use to make a greater impression on the interviewer.

• Learning about the company lets you know what’s important to the interviewer so you can tell him what he wants to hear.

• It can set you head and shoulders above your competition.



CAUTIONIn today’s market, there is no excuse for not knowing something about the company.

EVERYONE has internet access. If not at home, then at school, or a library.

Whether or not you want to spend that hour doing the research depends on how important that job is to you.



Places to find employer information:• Employers' Web Sites• Michigan Electronic Library: MeL.org• News Sources

See what general-interest and business publications and Web sites are writing about the employer and its industry. Search national publications for news on major corporations; use hometown newspapers to learn about small businesses and how big businesses interact with their local communities.– Links to biz journalism sites:– http://newslink.org– http://refdesk.com/paper.html– http://www.bizjournals.com

• Trade Journals• Industry Directories• Google



Directions

Make a dry run to the interview site, on a weekday preferably at the same time of day as your interview.

This will let you know how long it takes to get there.

On the day of your interview, be sure to leave early enough to• find a parking space• freshen up, and • review your information

before entering the building.


Clothing is the first piece of evidence in support of your case to be the best candidate.

The interviewer will see your clothing before he gets close enough to see your bright eyes and winning smile.

CLOTHING



All clothes should be neatly pressed

Clean, polished, conservative shoes

Clean and well-groomed hairstyle

Clean, trimmed fingernails

Avoid cologne and perfume

Empty pockets – no noisy coins

No gum or candy

Men and Women




Things to bring:

• Several copies of your resume• A list of all information needed to complete a job

application (i.e. past employment and educational history)

• A list of your references that you can hand to the interviewer if asked

• A pad of paper for taking notes• Directions to the interview site


GOALS OF THE INTERVIEW:

There are three main objectives in the interview that you want to accomplish:

1. Demonstrate your competence2. Learn as much about the job as possible3. Be certain about the next step


OBJECTIVE #1:YOU MUST DEMONSTRATE YOUR COMPETENCE

You must DEMONSTRATE your competence.

Talking about it is not enough.

Every interviewee says

“Hire me, I’M the best one for the job.”

Which is why:



You must DEMONSTRATE your competence.

Talking about it is not enough.

Every interviewee says

“Hire me, I’M the best one for the job.”

Which is why:

“Talk is cheap!!!”



Remember:

Jobs are created and people are hired for one reason only:

THE COMPANY HAS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE SOLVED!

They will hire you if you show them that YOU are the SOLUTION to that problem.

The question is:



Remember:

Jobs are created and people are hired for one reason only:

THE COMPANY HAS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE SOLVED!

They will hire you if you show them that YOU are the SOLUTION to that problem.

The question is:

Can you prove it?



The most effective way to prove you are the solution to the employer’s problems is to tell stories that demonstrate how you’ve solved similar problems in the past.

Those stories represent real life examples of how you used skills that make you valuable to employers.

They are the proof of your competence.



Most employer problems fall into one of four categories:

• $ MAKE/SAVE MONEYIf you’re in sales, tell how you exceeded quotaIf you’re in purchasing, tell how you negotiated lower costs from vendors

• P SOLVE PROBLEMStell how you made something that was holding things up go away

• R TAKE RESPONSIBILITYmake him happy by telling how you freed up time or resources

• F FITAre you friendly? Are you likeable?NO ONE will hire a suspected problem child


Make sure your stories follow the CAR format:

C – Tell them the CONDITION you found.What was the world like before you came along?

A – What ACTION did you take?What did you do to make the world a better place?

R – What was the RESULT?How much better was the world after you touched it?




Try to come up with 3 stories for every strength you claim to have.

If you call yourself a leader:Tell about 3 instances where you took the lead and made

things happen.

If you claim to be a problem solver:Make sure you can demonstrate 3 times you observed a

problem and took the initiative to solve it.


These stories represent real life examples of how you used skills that make you valuable to employers.

Your stories are the proof of your competence.



EXERCISE



Don’t worry about humility.

Humility is NOT aboutthinking less of yourself.

Humility is aboutthinking of yourself less.

So make sure you think of the employer and how you can help him – not yourself.

Solve his problem and you’ve got the job.


And now for the preachy part:



• Practice telling your stories

• Practice using your stories to answer common interview questions.

• Put questions on flash cards and have your family and friends quiz you.

• Practice them in out of order.

• Stay on point at all times.

• Don’t get sloppy.

PRACTICE!

PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

PRACTICE!


By the way, while you’re practicing, make sure you know what’s on your resume.

Some crazy interviewers have actually been known to ask questions about it!

Don’t get caught with your pants down!!!

CAUTION #2




Know your information cold.

While you may be reluctant to rehearse or give a canned speech, the better you know your information, the more of your brain is left free to deal with the situation at hand.

This is not the time to multitask.



Any good actor will tell you,

the more rehearsed your speech is,

the less rehearsed it sounds.


EXERCISE



Your success stories are the basis of your 30 second commercial.

It’s a statement about you and your competencies.

Use it to open your interview session. Tailor it to fit the position.

Knowing your information frees you up to listen.

So practice!


OBJECTIVE #2:LEARN AS MUCH ABOUT THE JOB

AS POSSIBLE

An interview is a two-way street. You are interviewing them, as much as they are interviewing you.

You’re going to be making an important career decision so you need to effectively GIVE and RECEIVE information.


1. If you haven’t seen it yet, ask if you can see the job description. The more you know about the job, the better you can tailor your answers. The sooner you get the job description – the better.

2. “How did this position become available?” If the company is growing, that’s good news. If the last person couldn’t get along with the manager, that may be a red flag.

3. “Will I be reporting to you or to some else?” If someone else; ask if you can meet your future manager. Treat the introduction like a mini interview. Once you’ve won him over, you now have a powerful ally.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK


AS POSSIBLE


Notice the header says: SOME questions to ask. It’s not an exhaustive list.

You can use questions to show that you’ve done your homework. Anything you’re curious about that came up during your research is a chance to engage the interviewer.

The questions you ask keep the conversation going and show the interviewer your interest and intelligence – you have to be listening to ask good questions.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK


AS POSSIBLE



AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3The first one to mention money loses. So don’t ask about it.

Also try not to answer questions about salary expectations.

It’s a bad idea to talk about the price until they know they’re talking to a Cadillac and not a Cavalier.

However, the first person who has to know you’re a Cadillac is you. You must believe in the value you bring to the table.



AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3

If asked about salary expectations BEFORE a job offer is made – deflect, deflect, deflect.

A Cadillac should say something like:

“I’m not really concerned about salary right now. What I am concerned about is how good a good fit there is here and how much value I can bring to this organization.”



AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3If the first volley doesn’t work, then try:

“Well, I believe that the actual salary is not as important as the entire benefit package. I imagine we’ll talk about all those things once a decision is made.”

Then stop talking and let them move on.



AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3If they still won’t relent, then say:

“Wow, I know that’s an important question, but I actually haven’t settled on a magic number yet. But since you brought it up, what kind of range did you have in mind?”

Put the ball back in their court.



AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3If you feel you must answer the salary question

don’t give a single figure

give a $5,000 to $10,000 yearly range, or

a $2.00 to $5.00 hourly range


OBJECTIVE #3:WHEN YOU LEAVE, BE CERTAIN ABOUT THE NEXT STEP

Never leave the follow-up in the interviewer’s hands. Be proactive.

Say: "I'm interested in this position. When is a good time to call to check on the status of your decision?”

Don’t ask CAN you call. Ask WHEN to call.

This is an old sales tactic. Salespeople NEVER let a prospect say “I’ll get back to you.” Be proactive.

Then CALL when you said you would.

This shows your interest as well as your integrity.



Don’t leave without a business card or something else with the interviewer’s

Correctly spelled name

Phone number

Email address

Mailing address



Find out their preferred method of communication:

•Phone?•Email?•Snail mail?


AFTER THE INTERVIEW

As soon as possible, write down everything that happened during the interview –

– this is critical because you’ll forget most of it.

A job interview is an emotionally charged event.

It can easily become a blur if you don’t do an immediate brain dump


AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Write a thank-you letter, reminding the interviewer of

• Your qualities

• Memorable things you did or talked about during the interview

(i.e. meeting staff, touring the building, discussion of common interests)

• You can also use the thank you letter to briefly bring up skills and experiences that were not discussed during the interview


AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Try to email your thank-you letter immediately after the interview.

Do not wait more than 24 hours.

Send a hard copy letter or professional thank you card at the same time.


BELIEVE IN YOU!

… knowledge breeds confidence; confidence breeds enthusiasm; and enthusiasm is an important key to being and doing more with your life.

Zig Ziglar

http://www.ziglar.com/speakers.php?speaker=zig_ziglar




BELIEVE IN YOU!

Just by educating yourself on job search skills,

you will know more about

how to conduct a successful job search

than most of your competition.

The key is application.

Stick with it. Apply it . It will work.


BELIEVE IN YOU!

Let us not become weary

in doing good,

for at the proper time

we will reap a harvest

if we do not give up.Gal. 6:9 NLT

Talk Is Cheap 2010

Business

Transcript of Talk Is Cheap 2010