The Frontier Group - Career Insights and Observations

Job Interview Myths Debunked

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:05:00 GMT

Job Interview Myths Debunked

One of the most challenging aspects to a job search is the interview.

In my next two blogs I will cover some of the most commonly held beliefs people have in interviewing and address them head on with the reality of the situation.

The following is a great article in Forbes (www.forbes.com) by Susan Adams. In the article she does an excellent job in tackling the most common misconceptions people have regarding interviewing. The insights can help everyone better understand the unseen dynamics that are part of interviewing.

I connected with this article because we offer the same insights to our career coaching clients.

Here is the article:

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You probably get a little nervous before you go into a job interview. Even if you’ve copiously prepped, you figure the interviewer will hold all the cards. She knows everything about her company and the job you want, and she’s got a vision of the perfect employee that doesn’t exactly describe you.

Not so, says David Couper, a Los Angeles career and executive coach and the author of Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career … Even When You Don’t Fit

In reality, most interviewers are ill-prepared and distracted, he says. “They usually just wing it based on their own experience.”

At one interview of a potential sales staffer, Couper was called in at the last minute because another human resources manager had canceled and three bodies were required at the interview table. “I hadn’t seen the applicant’s résumé,” he recalls. “I didn’t even know what the job was.”

Another time Couper was in the job seeker’s chair, and he thought the hiring manager seemed a little strange–especially when he said, “I see you got your degree in Cleveland.” Couper realized the interviewer was looking at someone else’s résumé.

Even when they know who you are, interviewers rarely ask good questions, says Couper. The most frequent–tell me about yourself–is among the silliest, he points out, because it’s too general. “Interviewers are looking for someone who can do the job, fit in with the culture, and not cause trouble,” he says. “If you can demonstrate that you can do that, you will get the job.” His advice: Don’t tell the interviewer about yourself. Talk about what you would accomplish in the position you want, and specify ways your past successes illustrate that.

Interviewers feel obligated to offer job seekers refreshment, but Couper says they don’t really want you to say yes to that cup of coffee. Couper recalls an interviewee accepting his offer of a cup of tea. “I had to find a cup, I had to find some tea, I wasted, like, half an hour, and got really annoyed,” he recalls. “Unless there’s a bottle of water sitting there and they offer it, just say, ‘No thanks, I’m fine.’”

Most career manuals advise job seekers to make their answers succinct. Couper says this is not necessarily a winning strategy. Because most interviewers haven’t thought about what to ask you, you can make a favorable impression by going on for a while with convincing reasons you’d make a great hire. “If you’re giving information that’s hitting what they need to know, then they’re happy,” Couper says.

Perhaps the biggest interview myth, according to Couper, is that the most qualified applicant gets the job. Frequently, it’s the applicant who comes recommended from an inside source or a personal connection, like when the boss’s brother-in-law gets the job whether or not he’s the smartest or most accomplished candidate. The final hiring determination can also come down to personality rather than qualifications.

Couper recalls a time he had to hire actors to perform in training videos for a large corporation where he worked. He says he often didn’t hire the most skilled applicants. “There were actors who did a great job performing, but you could tell they would be difficult people,” he says. “You say to yourself, he seems really talented, but I’ll have to socialize with him.” Couper says he often went for a less talented but friendlier candidate.

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Reinvent Your Career by Writing Your Own Narrative

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:01:00 GMT

One key to differentiating yourself from others is to create your own unique value story.

Category: Transition - Coaching

Category: Career - Coaching

Employees Grow More Self-Reliant About Career

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:31:00 GMT

Employees Grow More Self-Reliant About Career

There was an interesting press release from Right Management (www.right.com) about the importance of taking control over managing your own career. The release presented the results of a survey that Right Management completed showing that 90% of those questioned feel more self-reliant on managing their careers and that they count on themselves – not their organizations – for training and development.

The key insight from this survey – which may seem obvious to many – is that employees must take care of themselves in the new world of work that we live in. The old days – where development and succession planning outlined what our future will be – are gone. Employees now count on themselves to choose the appropriate career path.

Here is the press release

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Employees Grow More Self-Reliant About Career

PHILADELPHIA – March 27, 2012 – The competitive job market seems to be having at least one beneficial effect, according to a survey by Right Management. Nine out of ten of the 364 North American employees surveyed say they are feeling more self-reliant about managing their career. Right Management is the talent and career management experts within Manpower Group.

Has the continued weak job market made you more self-reliant about managing your career?

66% Yes, definitely
23% Yes, somewhat
6% Not that I am aware of
5% Not at all

“The employees surveyed seem genuinely convinced that they’re more self-directed when it comes to managing their own career,” said Monika Morrow, Senior Vice President of Career Management for Right Management, which provides talent, career and outplacement services to Fortune 500 companies.

“Ten years ago,” said Morrow, “the concept of self-directed career management was relatively new and not well understood. Now it has traction. Today both management and employees understand and embrace this new reality. The dramatic changes in the job market of the past few years won’t be forgotten in our lifetime, nor will the realization that people need to take control of their futures, even as hiring picks up.”

Morrow believes that understanding the importance of self-directed career management is actually a good thing. “Career management means a lot more, say, than quitting in order to take a new job. In fact, it might mean the reverse, staying with an organization but seeking out professional development opportunities, new assignments or growth opportunities. Employees today can’t expect management to drive their careers forward. True self-reliance is about helping to create your own solutions and really making things happen for you.”

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The Rise Of The "Supertemp"

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:14:00 GMT

There are a select and fortunate group of senior level professionals who have moved away from the corporate world of endless meetings, long hours and office politics to a new world where they can focus on producing quality work in an environment where they have flexibility and choice. They are what the Harvard Business Review calls the Supertemp.

Category: Transition - Coaching

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Done Is Better Than Perfect

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:47:00 GMT

Done is better than perfect - this an ethos that drives the Facebook culture and can also help you drive your career

Category: Transition - Coaching

Category: Career - Coaching

Resume Tips For Vets Making The Transition From Military to Civilian

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:26:00 GMT

I had the opportunity to provide some input on an article in CareerBliss released yesterday regarding resume tips for vets making the transition from military to civilian. The link and article is below

http://www.careerbliss.com/advice/5-resume-tips-for-vets-transitioning-to-the-workforce/

5 Resume Tips for Vets Transitioning to the Civilian Workforce

By Luke Roney, CareerBliss Editor on April 4, 2012

Moving from a military career to a civilian one can be a big change for veterans. Having a strong resume that emphasizes your skills – both hard and soft – and how they can benefit a civilian employer will put you in a better position to get called for an interview and, ultimately, get a job offer.

The overriding principle is to make a resume accessible to the civilian reader by stripping out the military jargon.

“The thing to remember is that while most employers want to hire veterans — not because of the tax benefits but because it’s the right thing to do — they are a bit intimidated,” says Bruce Hurwitz of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing.

Here are some tips on making your military resume civilian-friendly:

1. Speak Civilian

“Military terminology is different and you will need to make the translation,” says Pat Lynch, President of Atlanta-based career coaching firm The Frontier Group.

Think about what you did in the military in terms of the skills you used to complete tasks, rather than the tasks themselves.

“Break down your military responsibility into skills and functional groups and then try to match them with the more common civilian and business organizational areas, such as operations, finance, IT, HR,” Lynch says. “What our vets see is that the military definition – for example, supply chain –is actually an inventory management role in the civilian world.”

2. Include Soft Skills

Emphasize soft skills, such as being able to work cooperatively with others, being an effective leader, being able to plan and adapt, strong communication, ability to perform under pressure.

“General skills can translate into a new job,” says Mona Abdel-Halim, co-founder of resume service Resunate. “For example, if you learned how to successfully work as part of a team, that’s worth sharing with potential employers. You may have also had to use problem-solving skills while in the military, which comes in handy in many types of jobs in the civilian world.”

Highlight soft skills into your resume through a professional summary at the top of the resume, Abdel-Halim says, “to show the company the value you would bring if they hired you.”

[Get more great career advice from CareerBliss]

3. Make it Relevant

When you find a position that sounds like a good fit for you, don’t just send off a generic resume. Each time you submit a resume, be sure it’s as relevant as possible to the specific position for which you’re applying. Take a look at the job posting and tailor your resume to it, such as emphasizing some skills over others or highlighting particular accomplishments to make yourself a more attractive candidate for the job.

4. Format Counts

Experts have differing opinions on what makes for the perfect resume. But in its most basic form, a resume needs to include your contact information, a list of work experience (this can be various positions you held within the military) and, if applicable, your education (this can include courses and programs completed in the military).

Rick Dacri, of HR consulting firm Dacri & Associates recommends including a “professional accomplishments” section with five or six bullet point items briefly detailing specific accomplishments.

“No fluff,” he says, “just solid things done with clear results.”

CareerBliss partner GetInterviews offers a free resume critique, and here are some great resume writing resources:

5. Don’t Forget the Cover Letter

Be sure to send your resume with a cover letter (or cover email). A cover letter is your first chance to make a good first impression on a prospective employer and begin to build rapport. It’s also an opportunity to match the skills listed on your resume with the job to which you’re applying – it’s the link between your resume and the job posting.

Here are some resources for writing an effective cover letter:

Ready to put your resume to the test? CareerBliss has Millions of jobs.

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Your Next Career Move May Be Horizontal

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:39:00 GMT

Horizontal or lateral moves can be great career builders that allow you to grow your experience and influence within the organization. The key is to move away from the "up the ladder" paradigm as the only measure of success.

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Top Ten Career Transition Lessons Learned From Peter Bourke

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:13:00 GMT

My latest blog entry is to share some great career coaching and transition advice from a leader in the field - Peter Bourke of C3G Ministry. Peter provides some practical advice but also makes the most important point of all - that we can use a time of transition to better connect with our families, friends and God.

Category: Transition - Coaching

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Leave The Door Open When Interviewing

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:01:00 GMT

Do everything you can to sell your value when you interview and do not completely give up hope if you do not receive the immediate offer. A great interview can leave a lasting impression that can lead to other new opportunities not immediately known when you started

Category: Transition - Coaching

Category: Career - Coaching

So Tell Me About Yourself?

patl@frontiergroupusa.com — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:28:00 GMT

"So Tell Me About Yourself?" A simple question that when answered correctly can distinguish you from the crowd in your interviews. Learn what to do and not do when you are asked this simple question.

Category: Transition - Coaching

Category: Outsourcing - Coaching

Category: Career - Coaching