In a competitive job market, interviews are as much about enthusiasm and presentation as your applicable skills and relevant experience. You need to know what you want, how your experience applies, and how to present yourself in the best way possible. In this session, you will learn how hiring managers think, and how to impress them, as well as build your speaking and body language skills. We’ll also cover persuasive presentation – and what that entails – doing your research on the job and on the hiring manager, which questions to ask, how to practice your “story” in terms of many common questions interviewers ask, and effective ways to link your experiences directly to the opportunity at hand.

1. !
Session 5:!
Interview Confidently!
!
presented by Robin Frank

2. Social Media
!
I work with
companies large and
small to help them
build and tune-up
an engaging online
presence.
!
I’m known as a
dynamic speaker
and speak regularly
at national
conferences,
companies, and
events.
Personal Branding!
!
I help individuals in
many fields create
powerful personal
brands.!
!
My personal branding
strategy is featured in
the recent book
“Digital Marketing”
written by Larry Weber
and endorsed by Reid
Hoffman (Chairman,
Founder/LinkedIn) and
John Donahoe (CEO/
eBay).
Reboot Camp!
!
Innovative program to
help Moms confidently
re-enter the workforce
after a break.!
!
Six inspiring and
pragmatic sessions
cover topics from
networking and
interview skills to social
media and personal
branding, plus two
hours of one-on-one
coaching.
Mom!
!
Twin 8 Yr old boys!
!
Live in Mill Valley
Yours Truly

3. 1. Set Your Strategy
2. Tell Your Story
3. Create Your Presence
4. Network Effectively
5.Interview Confidently
6. Succeed On the Job
Reboot Camp Sessions
TODAY

4. • This presentation will be available to you online - which means you are free to
listen without taking notes
• We have 15 minutes for questions at the end
• You also have 2 hours of one-on-one to use however you like
Today’s Session

5. Let’s Dive In!
5

6. Top 5 Keys to Acing the Interview
1. Own your time off
with confidence
2. Brush up on
interviewing tips
3. Take time to
prepare
4. Look and act
confident
5. Professional
social media use/
references
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7. 7

8. Own Your Gap Time with Strength
• Be professional, proud and - you weren’t “just” raising kids or
“just” volunteering
• Brush up on interviewing and resume skills - increase confidence
• Find things you have done in your gap time that add to your skills
8

9. Rewrite Negative Self Talk
• Three replacement statements
• “If you change the way you look at things, the things
you look at change.” - Wayne Dyer
• Focus on positive experiences - Hardwiring Happiness
9

10. Talking About the Gap
• It is OK to have a gap
• What matters is how you explain it in your
resume, cover letter and interview
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11. Talking About the Gap
• Talk about your time off - what did you oversee
or coordinate - make it useful in some way
• “I have been a stay at home mom for the past
X years. During that time, I have been
volunteering at a local food bank where I’ve
overseen and coordinated several food drives
• It was during that time I realized my passion
for….
• I’ve been taking courses in …….”
• Be concise - don’t give too much detail
11

12. Moms Make Desirable Employees
• Experience, maturity and
perspective
• Resourceful and solutions
oriented
• Excellent time
management skills
• Adept people managers -
with finely honed
communication skills
• Eager to get back to
work
12

13. Be Positive and Enthusiastic
• “Thats why I am excited
to work for your company”
!
• The most crucial message
to deliver is how you are
ready to return to work
!
• Your enthusiasm can be
one of the aspects that
sets you aside from
everyone else
13

14. Communicate Your Childcare Game
Plan
• Some employers have concerns that childcare could cause absences
• Reassure your prospective employer that you have childcare
worked out, including a backup plan
14

15. Interviewing - Brush Up on Tips for
Success
15

16. Inside the Head of Your Interviewer
1. Have you got the
skills, expertise and
experience to perform
the job?
2. Are you enthusiastic
and interested in the
job and the company?
3. Will you fit into the
team, culture and
company?
16

17. Map Your Skills and Experience to the Job
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• Look at the skills and
experience required for
the job
• Map your skills and
experience to those
required
• Prepare concrete
examples of your skills
in action and have
these memorized so
you can draw on them
during the interview

18. Draw on These to Answer Intimidating,
Open-Ended Questions
• Always go back to key skills, expertise and experience
when answering scary (and sometimes silly) questions
about yourself
• What are your greatest strengths / weaknesses?
• What can you do for us that other candidates can’t
• Why do you think you are right for this job?
• What do you think the main challenges will be?
18

19. Stand Out From the Crowd
• Practice
• Your story - for re-entering the workforce and why you are
interested in this job
• Your personal brand pitch
• Your answer to the “Tell Me About Yourself” question
19

20. Backup Your Enthusiasm with
Research
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• Of course you want the
interviewer to know you can’t
wait to join the company…
BUT…
• Nothing conveys this better
than a demonstrated
understanding of the
company, its strategy,
current performance,
structure, market position
and products

21. Your Bonus Homework
• Google
• Read the company's "FAQ" or "About
Us" section
• You will be reading the same
things as other candidates
• Also check out
• 10-K filing for strengths and
weaknesses which will inform
what value you can bring
• Annual Report - company
direction/goals so you can align
your answers
• Press Releases - company image
• Competitors - demonstrate you
know them
21

22. Prepare Questions for the
Interviewer
• Prepare in advance
based on your
research
!
• Pay attention
throughout the
interview, so you'll
have questions
related to what the
hiring manager
talked about
22

23. 10 Thoughtful Questions to Ask
1. What’s the most important goal the person in this
role needs to accomplish in order to be successful?
2. What are the immediate priorities?
3. How will this skill be used on the job?
4. How will performance be measured?
5. Can you walk me through the organization chart?
6. What is the manager’s vision for the department
and this role?
7. What is your/the manager’s leadership style?
8. How are decisions made at the company? What’s
the appetite for change? What’s are the politics/
the intensity/the sophistication of the
infrastructure?
9. How do you plan to deal with x?
10.What are some things your competitors are doing
right that you need to copy?
23

24. 2 Minute Exercises to Calm You
• You think you are calm
but then your body
gets nervous
• Palms over eyes
• Relaxes and relieves
eye strain
• Longer exhales
• Relaxes and calms
the sympathetic
nervous system (fight
& flight)
24

25. 7 Seconds to Make a First
Impression
• The moment that stranger sees you, his or her brain makes a thousand
computations - Are you trustworthy, competent, likeable, confident?
• These computations are made at lightning speed — making major decisions
about one another in the first seven seconds of meeting
• The human brain is hardwired in this way as a prehistoric survival
mechanism – you can understand how to make those decisions work in your
favor
25

26. Nonverbal Cues are Influential
• First impressions are
more heavily influenced
by nonverbal cues than
verbal cues
• Studies have found that
nonverbal cues have
over four times the
impact on the
impression you make
than anything you say
26

27. Wear the Right Outfit
• Make sure you know what
the dress code is for the
office
!
• Depends on industry,
geographic location and
time of year
!
• Pinterest board:
pinterest.com/robeen/
interview-outfits/
27

28. Use Positive Body Language
• Sit still, don’t fidget, good posture, arms open
• Talk slowly, breathe deeply, smile
• Enjoy yourself and make eye contact
28

29. Power Posing - Amy Cuddy
• Your body language shapes who you are
• Social psychologist - Amy Cuddy TED talk
• Standing (or sitting) in a posture of confidence, even when we
don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol
levels in the brain, and may have an impact on our success
• Fake it until you become it
29

30. Show You Fit In
• Companies have different cultures, ways of behaving and
working
• Check Glassdoor - information about what it is like to work
for different companies
• Keep in mind the negativity bias for this site
30

31. Map the Company Culture to You
• Map the culture of the
company to your
personality traits, style
and behaviors and use it to
answer questions:
• How would you describe
your work style?
• How would your
colleagues describe you?
• What makes you fit into
our company?
• What makes you a good
team member?
31

32. Build Rapport with Your
Interviewer
• Use LinkedIn, Google, and social profiles to get a
fuller picture of the person
• Try to find a point of mutual connection
• More points of connection = stronger bonds
32

33. Give the Right Answer to the Weakness
Question
• Don’t give a cop-out answer
• Be honest and give a real answer - something you’ve struggle
with in a particular situation
• Avoid deal breakers
• Talk about your proactive attempts to overcome
33

34. If You Don’t Know the Answer
• The interviewer just threw
you a big curveball or asked
you something and you
draw a blank
!
• Don’t. Freak. Out.
!
• Don’t say I don’t know
!
• Don’t make stuff up
!
• Ask questions
!
• Talk about how you would
find the answer
34

35. Everyone is Busy
• Demonstrate that you can hit the ground running, will have a
minimal learning curve and help them solve their immediate
problems
• State this at the end of your interview and reiterate it in your
thank you note
35

36. Have a Game Plan of What it Will
Take to Be Successful On The Job
• Be proactive - based on the job description and requirements,
think through what it will take to be successful in the job
• Create a list of items and put these items into a one-page
“Game Plan” document with a brief explanation of each item
• Example - Pharma Sales Rep
• Products: Learn everything there is to know about the
products I’ll be representing
• Terminology: Learn all the appropriate medical
terminology that customers will use during our discussions.
Obtain recommendations from my manager on the best
ways to gain this knowledge - reading articles, attending
seminars, memorizing terminology and definitions, etc.
• Sales territory: Learn my sales territory as well as history
36

37. The Interview is NOT Over Until
You Walk Out the Door
• Pay attention to your words and behavior as you leave
• Be polite and on top of your game when you are making
casual conversation on your way out, and be nice to the
receptionist
37

38. Ask About Next Steps Before You
Leave
• When will you hear about their decision?
• Then follow up - while it may not influence the outcome, it
shows persistence and attention to detail
38

39. Your Personal Brand is a Big Deal
39
• Create a memorable and compelling personal brand, and keep it
consistent across your emails, resume, phone calls, social
profiles, networking and interviews
• Manage your personal brand throughout your career

40. Have Recommendations Ready
• Look at jobs you are interviewing
for - map your skills to those
required by the job and strategize
• Which of your managers can
speak to each skill?
• Ask each person to discuss
three skills - and provide
those as a guideline
• Ask them to include: How
long they’ve worked with you,
background on how they know
you, description of the three
skills you asked them to
discuss, and at least one
specific success example
40

41. The Intersection of Social Media
and Your Job Search
• Make Facebook private and accessible to your friends only
• Update LinkedIn
• Pinterest and Instagram - show your personality but watch
what you post, your hashtags, and how the accounts are linked
41

42. Engage Social Media to Show Your
Interest
• Use Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram —
whatever medium suits you best — to show that you
are thinking about the industry and returning to work
42

43. You Are Going Back to Work
Because You Want to Work
• Do not talk about your problems - You need the
job to pay off your student loans, etc.
• The hiring manager does not want to hear about
your 99 problems
• You will be hired based on your qualifications,
potential for success, and your fit with the
culture - everything else will be secondary to
those factors.
43

44. Thank You!
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robeenf@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/robinfrank!
robeenf.com
GoRebootCamp.com
slideshare.net/robeen
pinterest.com/robeen