Insider Tips For Interview Success 2011 V1

Insider Tips for Interview Success

WSFS Community Career Fair
August 30, 2011
Barton Career Advisors, LLC

www.bartoncareeradvisors.com
This presentation property of Barton Career Advisors LLC,
copyright © all rights reserved

Introduction & Agenda

• First Things First- My C.E.P.P., Brand & USP
• The Perfect Fit Takes Time & Skill
• Preparation- W5 (Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?)
• Changing the Flow by Understanding W.A.S. model
• Commonly Misread Questions
• Storytelling with A.S.R. (Action, Situation, Results)
• Blunders that MUST be avoided
• Little Lies Role Play- Uh Oh!
• Recap with Q&A


Career Emergency Preparedness Plan
• An idea that was born out of an understanding of disaster recovery
• Business continuity is founded on the concept that to remain a “going
concern” the institution must have a plan for emergencies
• The protection of unique assets and capabilities ensures that a business can
still compete
• Entities that do not prepare for emergencies can experience drastic and
fatal consequences

A Career Emergency Preparedness Plan or CEPP for a professional provides a
foundation from which one can adequately define career goals and plan for
unforeseen circumstances. Through an understanding of a larger career
picture built on consistent Exercise, Planning and Prayer each of us can better
predict professional inflection points.

The CEPP Imperative

• Research now suggests multiple lifetime career
changes
• Significant competition in the job market and talent
is “on sale”
• Knowledge workers will be affected by evolving
technologies
• Macro-economic factors (legislation, acts of nature)
• Business needs and corporate acquisitions
• Changing work styles (contractors, telecommuting)

The Three Components of CEPP

• Exercise- It goes beyond the concept of
physical health
• Plan- A road map to our destination and
ability to define possible obstacles
• Pray- Effective meditation and visualization
through daily silent reflection- “see and
achieve”


1.Exercise 2.Plan 3.Pray
CEPP Component Practice Areas

Exercise- What am I doing daily to ensure I •Informational Reading (company, economic, trade)
•Regular reading list
am physically and mentally •Physiological (overall physical health, mood/attitude)
prepared/informed for career change? •Personal interests and hobbies

Plan- Have I laid out the steps to handle •Regular growth of professional networks
•Chronicle of success on a yearly basis (big picture)
anticipated inflections points and tied my •Education & certification (continual coaching)
stated plan to concrete goals? •Time management & goal setting

Pray- Do I allow for some daily form of •Reflection & visualization of goals
•Quiet time to avoid being consumed by daily demands
reflective meditation regardless of my •Letting out negative thoughts and experiences
spiritual beliefs? •Grounding in what is important versus urgent


Brand Definition for Professionals
The “brand” of an individual professional is their personal mark of quality and
implied warranty to a prospective employer and others within their field. A
well thought and maintained professional brand will represent the
significance of past accomplishments and a set of feature/benefit equations
that are sought out by others.” –Chris Barton

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we
happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We
are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most
important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."- Tom Peters,
"The Brand Called You", Fast Company, Issue 10, August 1997


Components of Professional Brand
•Contacts •Desired Work
•Events •Skills
•Tools •Personality
•Strategy
Network Assessment

Materials Wins
•Resume •Accomplishments
•Bio •Projects
•Cover Letters •ROI
•Campaign •Recommendations


Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Market Understand

Network Assessment

Materials Wins

Document Quantify


CEPP- Foundation of Brand

Career Planning

Exercise Plan Pray


The Perfect Fit Takes Time & Skill

S
C E
A A
R R
E C
E H
R
S
F K
I I
T L
L

TIME (Length of Search)

Preparation W5 Model

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

• Who is the • What is the • When is the • Where is the • Why is the
interviewer? job/role? interview? position position
• Who knows • What do you • When are located? open new
them? know about they looking • Where will vs. replace?
• Who is the it? to fill the you • Why are you
final • What can role? interview? the right
decision you do to • Where candidate?
maker? position should you
• Who knows your USP? be 60
them? minutes
prior?


W.A.S.
Hiring managers and decision makers are looking for
three key things when evaluating your candidacy. By
preparing in advance you can change the flow of your
meeting-
• Willingness- Is this person willing to do the work that
we have for them?
• Ability- Does this candidate have the skills and ability
to do this job?
• Stability- Do I feel comfortable that this candidate has
a work history that demonstrates commitment?

Changing The Conversation Flow

• Willingness
– Ask questions first (use rapport building time wisely)
– Say so! Incorporate into interview answers
• Ability
– Prepare and tell good accomplishment stories (A.S.R.)
– Study role and company and match skills to opportunity
• Stability
– Point to previous roles with solid commitment
– Indicate intended commitment level


Commonly Misread Questions

• Tell Me About Yourself.
Response Comments/Opportunities
As far as who I am- takes a look at everything he does and This is a BIG trap of a question that is
honesty is a big part of who I am- coorelate that to my business designed to just see what you’ll say. The idea
life- enjoys, investing and sports. Competitive. I have done quite a is to provide some personal background
few volunteer activities. Blend personal and professional- information without getting “too” personal.
mentoring, Ronald McDonald House. Golf coach at high school. The golf stuff is great. Come up with an
It’s interesting to see the kids progress. answer to this type of question in advance.

• What are your goals?
Tremendous upside- global leader- pharma will continue to grow. Missed a major part of this question…what
Marketing of products on an ongoing basis. Patents ending- are your goals? Need to list some of your
broaden range to other clients will be essential in the future. objectives and why this role/company line up
with your needs.


Commonly Misread Questions

• Why did you leave your last job?
They are very old German culture. Some folks had difficulty This answer sounds like an ownership issue
fitting in. Location. Strain on personal life. Engineering again. We don’t want to provide too much
manager was not on site and was recognized as being a difficult info about the “crime scene” so to speak.
person to work with. Equipment was changed and improved and Also, we don’t want to talk about a lot of
was a friction for engineering. interpersonal conflict stuff in an interview.
We don’t want them thinking that you can’t
get along with people!

• What will be the biggest challenge in this role?
Challenge goes back to communication. A clear understanding of You should not highlight communication as a
what is needed. Very clear expectations. Depends on the results core challenge particularly after indicating
of the business. Rhode Island- machine uptime was a big issue. early in the interview that you are a strong
An analysis of data and trends. Determine that largest waste and communicator using visuals etc. Also, if you
costs. Saw that 60% of problems came from one line (can’t run are referring to your time at Klockner you
the same formula on this line). When referring to Klockner said should say “we” not “they”. Using they
“they”. conveys a lack of ownership.


A.S.R. Handout

ACTION. SITUATON. RESULT.

Learn to tell these stories!


Interview Blunders to Avoid

• Showing up late- the reason will never matter
• Don’t bring your cell phone….or at least turn it off!
• Getting the dress code wrong
• Forgetting the thank you
• Obvious Embellishment
• Talking about salary, hours, benefits, perks
• Speaking poorly about previous roles/companies
• Not listening to the question- The Zone Out
• Overly familiar (talking about that picture)
• Putting the interviewer on the spot

Little Lies Matter Role Play!
Chris- Hello Kim. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for traveling all this way from
Chicago to meet with us. Why don’t we run over here to the conference room and
get started with the interview.
Chris- Okay. So Kim, tell me about yourself and some of the things that I would not
see on your resume.
Kim (Name Protected)- Well, let’s see. (pause) I love to travel and I have been all over
the US. It really is great getting to know new people and places. I come from a
large family and I have been in sales for the last 5 years.
Chris- Great. Tell me more.
Kim- I am also a voracious reader.
Chris- Interesting. What genre of books do you enjoy?
Kim- I am a big Anne Rice fan!
Chris- So you like fiction. I am not a real big fan.
Kim- (Laughs) Fiction is the best. You get to just put yourself into the story. What do
you read.
Chris- I am a fan of business guru books.


Little Lies Matter Role Play (Continued)!
Kim- I read business books too. As a matter of fact, I try to read one business book
and one fiction book per month.
Chris- Really! That’s a big commitment of time. Tell me about the last business book
you read.
Kim- I just finished The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Chris- One of my favorites. I’ve read it several times. Tell me what you think about
Covey’s coverage of the four quadrants and the Urgent vs. the Important
Kim- I am just getting into it now and have not gotten to that part yet but it sounds
interesting.
Chris- Just give me an overview of the first chapter.
Kim- I am not sure that we are talking about the same book.
Chris- I think we are definitely talking about the book that you mentioned. One of the
most popular business books of all time.
Kim- I must have been confused.
Chris- Kim, I wish you luck in your job search. We’ll make sure you get some lunch
before you get the shuttle back to the airport!


Questions & Answers


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