Talk Is Cheap NRC 2009

Talk is Cheap

Talk is Cheap, Gail M. Neal 2009

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/


http://www.jobinterviewquestions.org/


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



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.



CAUTION
In 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

Clothing is the first 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 face.



Men and Women
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



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 competence
2. Learn as much about the job as possible
3. 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:


OBJECTIVE #1:

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!!!”

OBJECTIVE #1:

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:


OBJECTIVE #1:

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?

OBJECTIVE #1:

Look at the accomplishment stories from your homework Those .
stories represent real life examples of how you used skills that make
you valuable to employers.
They are the proof of your competence.

Try to think of more stories. 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.


OBJECTIVE #1:

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?


OBJECTIVE #1:
Keep in mind that most employer problems fall into one of four categories:

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

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

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

• F FIT
Are you a laid back person looking to fit into a formal environment?
Are you used to having all ducks in a row when everyone else flies by
the seat of their pants?
NO ONE will hire a suspected problem child

OBJECTIVE #1:

Don’t worry about humility.

Humility is NOT about
thinking less of yourself.
Humility is about
thinking 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:


OBJECTIVE #1:
PRACTICE!
PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
• Practice answering common 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!


OBJECTIVE #1:

CAUTION #2

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!!!


OBJECTIVE #1:

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.


OBJECTIVE #1:

Any good actor will tell you,
the more rehearsed your speech is,
the less rehearsed it sounds.


EXERCISE


OBJECTIVE #1:

You will leave here today with a 2+2+2 statement.

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.


OBJECTIVE #2:
AS POSSIBLE
SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK
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.


OBJECTIVE #2:
AS POSSIBLE
SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK
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.


OBJECTIVE #2:
AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3
The 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 Kia.

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.


OBJECTIVE #2:
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.”


OBJECTIVE #2:
AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3
If 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.


OBJECTIVE #2:
AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3
If 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.


OBJECTIVE #2:
AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3
If 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?”

Find out their preferred method of communication:

•Phone?
•Email?
•Snail mail?


OBJECTIVE #3:

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.


OBJECTIVE #3:

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

Correctly spelled name
Phone number
Email address
Mailing address


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


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


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.


Talk Is Cheap NRC 2009

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