Jeff – Page 424 – Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter's Blog

Smart Candidate. Great Interview Results

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

Before a job interview I schedule, I talk with the job applicant about the job, the company, what they can expect on the interview, who they will be speaking with and send them the LinkedIn profile of the person and tell them to go to the company website.

Other than listen to the job description and the LinkedIn profile, you can tell who’s listening and who isn’t.

But this person actually did listen and he actually went to the company’s website researched the line of business that he would be working in and casually mentioned some things that were not in the job description but were on the website.

“That’s great,” the practice head said excitedly. “We need two people like you to do exactly that for different clients!

Now that’s the way to make a great impression!

Video Job Interviews

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

Someone I am representing for a job has done well on his initial rounds of interviews with my client. They want him to meet his future boss but schedules have been a problem. He is a successful account executive, travel all the time supporting clients; so is his future boss. The solution was simple– a video conference set up at a facility in a city each will be in so they can finally connect.

Don’t just think of a video conference as being something formal like this. Some firms are scheduling with Skype and others are using other online services to interview potential hires. And, frankly, sometimes I use it when I am interviewing someone. It gives us a way to connect better than just using a telephone or email.

So how can you prepare for an effective interview?

1. If you’re using Skype or a webcam, just make sure everything is working properly so you don’t have a last minute disaster.

2. If you are being interviewed at a facility, I would like you there early so that you can become familiar and comfortable with the set up.

3. Practice. Do not walk in to the interview cold. If you own a webcam, record yourself talking to the camera and notice how you look. Do you find yourself NOT speaking to the camera or looking away?

4. Read any written material that the facility makes available to you. They want this to be a successful experience for you and have much more experience than you do creating a successful experience.

5. Dress for an interview. Whatever the convention is for your field, dress the part. The expectations of a a business leader in circumstances like this generally are different than those for a web designer. Dress appropriately.

6. Check the lighting, particularly if you wear glasses. Glare off your lenses can be a distraction for someone meeting you. Check it out before you start.

7. Look at the camera when you speak. Look at the monitor for the interviewer when they do. It will be tempting to look at the interviewer the entire time . . . but they won’t be seeing your eyes or feel like you are speaking to them if you only look at the monitor that they are speaking from. When you watch the news or an experienced interviewer, generally, they are speaking to the camera or the tv audience. You an audience of one–the person interviewing you. Talk to them!

8. If you must have notes or a note to refer to, do not keep it on the desk in front of you. They will see the top of your head as you look at your notes. Instead, print it on an oversized piece of paper and tape it under or above their monitor so you can see it without breaking eye contact.

9. If available, use the “Picture in Picture” feature so that they appear on the same monitor as you are speaking to.

7 Tips to Winning Interviews

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

Let’s take a minute and examine what many interviews look like from the employer’s vantage point. This means not just listening to the answers to questions about behaviors that occur during the interview that affect our judgment and decision-making. Now, before you start a campaign criticizing me for suggesting that it is stupid to take such trivial matters into consideration, you are naive to think that it is not irrelevant to look at behavior during the interview. After all, when advertisers, television producers and movie directors create a product to sell to you, they do so conscious that every detail of their presentation affects whether you would consider buying their product or liking their movie. They target every detail for optimal affect.

So, let’s think for a second about how a receptionist at an employer feels if he or she is treated abruptly or rudely when you arrive at an interview. Do you think they might they periodically mention something to an interviewer? And if you refuse to complete an employment application, saying that all the answers are in your resume, how does an employer interpret that behavior?

These are a seemingly few trivial mistakes that people consistently make year in and year out. There are many others that people make. Let me share a few things to do and not to do.

1. When you are asked to wait for a few minutes until the interviewer arrives to greet you, sit facing the greatest number of entry points to the room so that you can see them approaching you. There are few things worse that you can do, than to lose your focus in that book that you are reading and not be conscious when someone comes out to greet you.

2. The handshake needs to be proper. There are many cultural differences that exist between proper interview behavior in the US and elsewhere in the world. Here, a firm handshake and eye contact while you do it is expected. To shake hands weakly, to “pump the handshake as though you were a well,” to break the other person’s hand off while you shake it, to avoid eye contact are interpreted poorly in this culture. If it is a winter’s day, you need to arrive at the office building where the interview is being conducted early enough to warm your hands; in summer, you need to arrive early enough to cool off. There is nothing worse than shaking hands with someone whose hands are frozen or in summer with someone whose hands are slippery from sweat.

3. What do your shoes and clothes do or not do? Every firm has a corporate culture–formal or informal. Whichever one it is, you need to dress appropriately for it. Your clothes should be well-pressed, your shoes having a shine to them. Your wardrobe should suggest success without screaming “PAY ATTENTION TO ME.” This is true for men and women alike.

4. Prepare for what interviews ask. Most interviews start in a fairly predictable way, asking you to summarize your career. They may even ask something like, “Tell me about yourself and what you’ve been doing professionally?” Prepare your answer to questions like this before arriving to the interview. Also prepare for the natural follow up questions to your answer without giving the impression that you are too well-prepared. Practice. Practice. Practice. Make your answers seem spontaneous, even when they are rehearsed. You know what the job description is that the company is attempting to hire for, what would you ask to confirm that you are qualified?

5. Try to make a personal connection with every person who interviews you. Do I need to say more?

6. Be prepared to speak about what you’re looking for and why? This is both a tangible question about the nature of the job you’re looking for and a question that speaks to your character. Many people arrive with unreasonable demands and expectations. Some people answer as though they lack ambition. Think about it before you arrive for an interview.

7. Have some questions to ask the interviewer? Look at the company’s website before the interview to learn about the company. Ask them to speak with you about the project the group is working on and how your role would fit into the team. What their expectations are for you? What is the due date for the project? What would you have to do to be rated as an exceptional employee vs. an average one? NOT asking questions suggests lack of ambition or disinterest. Ask a few and ask the interviewer to clarify a point or two about the job.

Skype Interview Basics

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

It may be hard to imagine but there was a time when there were no phone interviews. After all, employers and job hunters were local and each expected to meet one another in person several times before a person was hired.

At a minimum now, the initial screening interview is done by telephone and no one thinks twice about being interviewed by phone.

Skype has made its way into the arsenal of tools both third party and corporate recruiters are using for pre-arranged sessions. So although I don’t like video resumes, I do like Skype and I know a number of my clients use it to reduce costs for interviewing and save time.

Assuming you have a Skype account (and if you don’t, here’s where you can sign up to get one or download an app to your smart phone), here are a few basics you need to consider when preparing:

1. Select a simple but basic background for your interview

A blank wall is boring. Busy print wall paper is distracting. Think of having a book case with books neatly placed on them. Think of having an étagère with plants behind you. a simple backdrop that provides some depth to the view, is not distracting but does not give the impression of you taking “a mug shot photo.”

2. Setting up an account? Make sure your ID is not obnoxious or immature.

Enough said.

3. Be aware of lighting on your face.

You don’t want to be in shadow or have fluorescent lighting make your face too bright (in my case, having the light create a shine from my bald head). Natural lighting on your face is ideal however, if you are doing the session at night, be sure to test your appearance to highlight your face.

Don’t forget to check for glare in your glasses!

4. Dress for an interview

From experience, I know that even if an employer wants to hire someone who has dressed down for an interview, they often offer less money. Dressing down for the interview can cost you thousands of dollars.

For example, if an employer offers you $5000 less (and often it’s more) than they might have otherwise and you stay with them for 3 years, your lost earnings are almost $15500 (three years of lost income plus the lost value of a modest 3% raise each year).

Do you really want to give up that much money to dress in a t-shirt?

In addition, be aware of your background when you select color. Generally darker colors will allow you to appear strong against a lighter wall.

5. There are two schools of thought about where to look.

One says look at the camera; the other says angle your camera to create the illusion you are looking at the interviewer.

The look at the camera advocates believe that it creates the impression of creating eye contact.

The “angle the camera” advocates believe people waste too much energy staring at the camera and underperform on the actual interview.

I haven’t formed an opinion yet on this; experiment for yourself with this by askinga friend to speak with you via Skype and offer their impressions.

6. Smile, particularly when the session connects.

One of the things I learned early in my career is that it is more powerful and effective if someone smiles at the beginning of their interview and then becomes serious than if they are only serious.

The “only serious” person is asking the interviewer to only hire them based upon their knowledge or skills. The “smile, then serious” approach affords the candidate and employer a few minutes to connect as people before getting serious. Often that connection can be the tiebreaker between candidates.

7. Keep your answers to 30-60 seconds

Most people have a limited attention span. Keeping your answers to 30-45 seconds but “slipping” to 60 seconds helps to create a give and take to the interview. The interactive nature of the conversation will keep the interviewer engaged.

8. NO DISTRACTIONS!

If others are home when you are doing the Skype interview, make sure they know to keep things quiet, not interrupt you or “stomp around” while you are interviewing.

Ideally, others should be out of the house to guaranty this (take the kids to the supermarket for something) but sometimes this isn’t possible.

9. Speak clearly and enthusiastically

Skype isn’t perfect technology and for people with accents, sometimes it is hard to be understood. Remember to enunciate and not rush what you say.

10. Practice

I believe you rehearse/practice everything in job interviewing and this is no exception. Don’t listen to other’s negativities; it is just another skill to be practiced and mastered.

What’s The Firm’s Corporate Culture Like?

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

I was recently asked a question by someone I was interviewing for a position with a client.

“Jeff, I saw your website and I see you give people a lot of good advice. There are some people who are interning as part of their post graduate program and are now looking for jobs. When they are interviewing, they are finding that the companies they are interviewing with are not interested in their ability to think. They seem to be interested in their ability to quickly spit back answers to questions.”

He’s right. There are many firms that are interested in someone’s ability to answer obscure questions that have nothing to do with the job being interviewed for.

You learn something about an employer when they conduct interviews like this–they are not concerned with your ability to think; they care about you doing robotic work, kind of like in manufacturing or the white collar equivalent.

That’s true of the hedge funds that think they are clever when they ask brain teasers (why is a man hole cover round? Ans: It is only round in the USA. In other countries they may be shaped differently. In the US, the cover is round because the hole is round). These firms want to see whether you can work your way through a puzzle and think creatively under pressure. In fact, the answers to these brain teasers are readily found on the web.

I am someone with a Masters in Social Work. Whether you think the degree has any value, it teaches the notion of understanding how systems function.

There is a corporate culture in every organization for entry level professionals and, often a different corporate culture for sales people, experienced staff, midlevel managers and executive management.

There are different expectations and morays for people in different job categories and different businesses.

There is a different culture for the many categories of staff at a bank like PNC than there is at Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley has a different culture in each different category of function and experience than SONY.

Your job is to try to proactively understand the expectations and culture before interviewing and certainly before joining.

How?

Go to LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and find someone who worked in the department at the level you would be joining and contacting them.

Ask them questions about what it is like to work there and what will be expected of you. What are raises like? Do they know your future manager? What are they like?

Make It Easy On Them

September 26, 2015May 11, 2015 by Jeff

I was trying to think of a topic to write about this week when I noticed my son sitting at the breakfast bar in our kitchen.

He’s almost 13 and knows I help companies find people to hire but has no idea of what I go through to do that other than read resumes.

“I’m trying to think about something to write about. What do you think I should write about?”

“I dunno.”

He’s interviewed people for projects in school so I decided to ask him about that.

“When you interviewed people for your PIPS (personal interest project), did you ever wish that the people you were interviewing just gave you the information you needed without having to ask them lots of follow up questions to draw it out of them?”

“Well, yeah (he turned, “yeah” into several syllables thhat made the question and me, by extension, seem stupid).

And that is my topic.

Make it easy for the interviewer to know what your experience is that relates to what matters to them.

Once you have defined your responsibilities, make sure you use the 4 magic words of interviewing.

Earned

Saved

Increased

Decreased

How much money you helped your employer earn

How much money you helped your employer save by what you did.

How you helped them increase productivity or decrease waste.

If you work for a small company, make sure that as you answer, “Tell me about yourself,” you take a sentance to decribe your current employer and what it does, its size and approximate revenue in order to contextualize your experience.

Make it easy on the interviewer to get interested and excited about you.

Learn a Lesson from Other’s Mistakes

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

“Radio Shack CEO Steps Down Amidst Resume Questions”

RadioShack Corp.’s embattled president and CEO, David Edmondson, resigned Monday following questions about his resume’s accuracy.

Leonard Roberts, RadioShack’s chairman and Edmondson’s predecessor as CEO, said the move was necessary to restore the company’s credibility.

“One of the most important things we have as a corporation is integrity and trust and we know we have to restore that back to the public,” he said.

Edmondson said he took responsibility for the errors. Separately, RadioShack said it would hire outside lawyers to investigate errors in Edmondson’s resume, including claims that he earned two college degrees for which the school he attended has no records.

My father owned a business in The Bronx Terminal Market. Six days a week, he went to work, first as an employee, then as an owner after he bought the business from his boss at a time when it might have gone under. He eventually retired, selling the business to two of his managers.

Abe Altman taught me a lot through his words and through his actions. The first lesson of life, he told me, is tell the truth. A man has nothing more than his reputation. When he loses that, who can believe him.

Dave Edmundsen held that position for more than eleven years yet when a Fort Worth paper exposed the fact that he did not have the two degrees he claimed on his resume, his job disintegrated almost overnight.

I remember many years ago, a person I placed at a bank, a person I warned to complete the application accurately because his new employer would do a thorough background check, was escorted out by security on the first Friday after he joined. his offense? Lying about a degree. At another company, it took 45 days, but they caught the lie about a conviction. The sad thing was that it was for a civil rights protest; they would have hired him regardless but were compelled to fire him for lying on their application.

Why is this so important? Simple. Applications are legal documents. If you commit a crime, like embezzle grandma’s life savings, while in the employ of a company and they know it, what do you think that will look like in court (Your honor, the company knew Mr. So-and-So was a liar and they still kept him on board. They should be punished for hiring someone like this and putting them in a position where they could steal).

Oh, yeah, don’t you think the employer’s insurance company would be thrilled about a decision to keep a known liar on board.

And sometimes, we don’t remember the exact date we started a job ten years ago . . . or the salary we earned 15 years ago. If that occurs, put the expression “approx” (for approximately) next to the item. This way, they will know that you had no intention to deceive anyone.

So listen to your parents . . . or to my father, Abe Altman, and don’t lie. Do you really want to be escorted out and explain to your kids, family and friends why you were?

Perseverance and Job Hunting: Getting Through the Dark Days

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

I have been a sports fan since I was young. Not a college sports fan; native New Yorkers don’t follow college sports unless they are gamblers (I know that’s a generalization but it is one that is trueof me), but professional sports.

I grew up in The Bronx not far from Yankee Stadium. I played little league baseball where the new Yankee Stadium stands. I was a pitcher and a catcher and did pretty well at both.

There are lessons you learn from playing sports and they are repeated over and over throughout life.

The strongest lesson that I remember being given by a coach was the one on perseverance. Never quit. In sports being labeled a quitter is the ultimate insult. Recently, we watched the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Washington Senators in the post season down to their final out down by a run.

All season long, the Yankees have lost critical players– Andy Pettite, C.C. Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez– and managed to fight to baseball’s best record while playing with “the B team.” In sports, you learn to play hard, develop stamina, get better, practice as hard as you play every day and learn how to win. The same holds true in job hunting.

If you are not someone who is trying to get better at their job every day, someone will eventually be better than you and get the promotion and salary you want.

If you are not trying to develop your job search skills, learning how to network better (that’s a job skill but that’s a topic for a different day), interview better, negotiate better, use social networks better, have a better resume . . . all the big and little skills better, someone will get that job you should have gotten.

It’s easy to make excuses for both failure and mediocrity. That’s another lesson of sports. After all, winners find the way to win and losers find a way to lose and have great excuses for why they didn’t win. It was too hard. They wanted someone who . . . He was 27 and I was 51 and they are biased against older workers. Yep! Lots of good explanations.

A few years ago, the football Giants played the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. No one gave them a chance to win except themselves. New England was favored by 13 and 1/2 points by the odds makers. The betting line for the number of points scored in the game was 54 (the combined score of the two teams was expected to be 54 points).

Yet the Giants walked off the field winning 17-14 in what was though to be a huge upset. They fought for every yard that day and won in spectacular fashion crafting a miraculous final drive with very little time left on the clock, first escaping heavy pressure to throw a drive continuing pass that was caught against a receiver’s helmet then a final touchdown to win the game with very little time left on the clock.

So, take a moment and notice how you have sold yourself short and settled for mediocrity in your job search performance and set out to improve and persevere.

Text Messaging: The New Tool in Job Hunting

May 11, 2015 by Jeff

Many of us have been brought up to believe that texting is for kids. That email and cell phones are far better ways to communicate.

But if you work in an environment where you can’t take calls (others are close by, you work on a trading floor, to name two reasons) and people need to convey info to you quickly, what can you do other than demand they call you off hours (I’m not the only person with a family in the search profession; plus how many corporate people are going to call you at 8PM)?

Get a text messaging plan for your cell phone and let people know on your resume that they can text you (next to your cell number, xxx-xxx-xxxx cell/text).

In this way, you can get critical information that can’t wait for you to get to your personal email account outside the office or to a private place to make a call. You can handle everything via text easily.