job interview Archives - The Resource Collaborative

Looking for a Job in your 50’s and 60’s

August 10, 2016 by Ellen Shepard

I am a baby boomer and proud of it! My life experiences and high energy level can dispel any concern of my age or my ability to execute in a senior leadership position…however, how I communicate my story will be the deciding factor of whether I even get the opportunity at bat. Having left the corporate world a few years ago and started my own headhunting and placement firm, I find myself coaching my peers at the rate of about 5 per week on how to approach the job market. Most of us are not ready to hang up our productivity and lay back in a hammock…or we are not financially able to do so.

Here are some truths and tips if this applies to you…

1.Your resume and your LinkedIn profile are your “calling card” – EVERYONE participating in your job search will be using these as a guide to discovering who you are…make certain they are cleansed of anything that can distract the reader from relevant information about your fitness for a particular opportunity.

Remove all dates from your education – it is illegal for a potential employer to even ask your date of graduation these days, it is just not relevant!

Match your resume and LinkedIn profile – making certain all positions held are on both and that all titles match as well.

Relevant work history – is all you want to communicate. Remove anything beyond 15 years back, as it is just no longer relevant.

Relevant professional experience – is all anyone is interested in looking at to judge your suitability for a particular opportunity. Pull in accomplishments that speak directly to the description/requirement for a specific opportunity…and eliminate accomplishments that are not relevant and will be a distraction.

2.Cleanse your communications of any hint of your age – yes, there are tell-tale signs we invoke automatically that we need to eliminate from our writing and speaking.

Update your communications – by replacing the following words:

seasoned replace with accomplished
mature replace with practiced
managed replace with lead/led
management replace with leader/leadership
teach/taught replace with mentored
adaptable replace with flexible
data processing replace with automation

A teeny sign of grammatical construction to avoid – is using two spaces after each period in a paragraph. I still do this, but am not looking for a new job! The modern method is one space.

Do not add “references upon request” – of course you will be happy to supply them if asked, that is a given.

Do not put any personal information on any communication – and this means anything…like, “my son…”, or “I have 3 children and a dog…”, or “excellent health”.

3.When invited to an in person interview, be conscious of preparation and execution. You want to communicate why hiring you is chocolate cake, so be certain you leave then wanting more.

Update your personal appearance – if you have been in the same work environment for many years, you may have gotten lazy about this one. In today’s workplace, most firms go with casual business attire. If you wear a suit as a man or woman, you will scream the 1980s!

For men, a pair of dress pants, sports jacket, starched shirt and tie is always appropriate. For women, dress pants or skirt and a separate top and sweater or jacket – not a matched suit – the days of presenting like a man are over; scarves can hide a multitude of sins and appear very professional – go light on the jewelry.

Speak the walk – when going through your background. Hit the most relevant information and accomplishments that clearly demonstrate your ability for the position they are speaking with you about – nothing else! Stick with 3 major accomplishments within the last 5-8 years, do not go back in history unless asked a question requiring you to do so. Even if they do not ask you the typical, “tell me about yourself…” phrase, have these 3 accomplishments ready and fit them into the conversation before you leave the interview.

Have 4 interesting questions to ask – to the interviewer that you are quite certain they can answer. Never put anyone interviewing you on the spot or make them feel uncomfortable while showing them your knowledge. Some examples of questions you might pose are:

(To someone with the firm for a short time) – “I read you have been here only X months, how was your experience transitioning into this organization?”
(To someone who has been with the firm for a long time) – “I read that you have been here for many years. What do you see are the success factors for people performing this role or similar roles?”
( To the hiring manager)-“If I were to be hired for this opportunity and we were to fast forward 3 months from the start date, what would you expect I would have accomplished?”
(If this is a new position) – “What problem are you looking to solve or enhancement to add through hiring into this position?”

Be careful – not to trail into the mist when answering a question. Be succinct and if you need clarity, ask for it. Keep your answers short, and check in with your interviewer and ask if you have answered their question, or if they want additional information before overwhelming them with too much information, which is easy to do when you have a longer history to relay.

Do not talk in platitudes – instead, give examples of your accomplishments that would be relevant to the opportunity at hand, leave the buzzwords at the door. Demonstrating that you can bring years of experience to a problem while creating calm in the environment will go a long way.

Most importantly, have confidence in your accomplishments and bring this to the conversation with you. The old saying, “there is no substitute for experience” has never been more true than it is today! You just need to be clear and crisp in your communications and leave them wanting more.

For more information reach out to Ellen Shepard: Ellen.Shepard@trcollaborative.com or connect with her on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resource-collaborative-inc-

5 Questions to Ask a Perspective Employer

October 14, 2015 by Ellen Shepard

In every interview comes that dreaded moment when the interviewer asks, “do you have any questions for me”? While silence is not a faux pas in an interview, you should come prepared to answer this question, since it is inevitable, and since the interview is a 2-way conversation!

Here are 5 questions that will demonstrate you are thought-full, prepared, and leading the pack:

1. I noticed last week that (a. – this is where you fill-in with a news item you read about the firm), how do you think this will effect (b. – again, fill-in with possibilities)?

a. The CEO has tendered her resignation b. the senior leadership team

a. The firm is moving to a new location b. the morale of staff

a. The announcement of a digital program b. next quarters sales projections

2. I read that you have been with the company for X years and that you came from a smaller environment similar to mine. Can you tell me about your transition and what the bumps in the road were for you?

3. The mission statement on your website is what really made me interested in the firm. Can you explain to me how you think this practically plays into your job on a daily basis?

4. Culturally, I have come from environments where all employees worked collaboratively – even including those who worked remotely. Since this opportunity is a remote opportunity, how do you all create inclusiveness among the teams?

5. Can you tell me the characteristics of a person who has served in this function and done so with success?

These questions are among many you could choose and craft for a specific opportunity. The key is to make sure they cannot answer them with a simple “yes” or “no”, or you will not learn anything. Make certain you are asking a question the interviewer can answer – your purpose is to express sincere interest, not to embarrass the interviewer. Always remember – an interview is a discovery tour – for the interviewer AND for the candidate!

ellen.shepard@trcollaborative.com

What is this thing called “The Interview”?

March 17, 2015 by Ellen Shepard

One of the most awkward conversations two people will partake in, is that of an interview for a job opportunity. Awkward for both participants!

Why, you ask?

Once you get through the normal recruiter conversations, as a candidate, you are now speaking with peers and managers who actually work within the business. These people rarely conduct interviews. Think of your own experiences as a hiring manager and reflect on the small number of interviews that you conduct each year. Most of us do not hire that many people a year, so the interview, for most interviewers, is a disruptive conversation that we are never really completely comfortable participating in.

As a candidate, you may have been in your current or last position for many years and without question, the interview is certainly a disruptive experience!

Let’s take a minute, and explore how both participants can make this “interview” into a productive conversation, that both parties look back on as a worthwhile experience, regardless of the final result.

As an employer, you want all candidates to walk away from the interview process with high regard for you, your team and the process. In retrospect, this is the only impression they have of you, and whether you offer them a position or not, you want them to be able to say positive things about their experience during the interview process. If the candidate is offered an opportunity to join your organization, this brief experience carries more weight in their decision matrix than you can ever imagine!

As a candidate, you want to make a compelling case for who you are and how you would bring real value to the organization. Regardless of whether or not you are offered an opportunity, you want all of the parties in the process to remember the positive experience they had interacting with you.

Let us share with you our secret sauce and key ingredients to interviewing success:

“Be human and manage the conversation,”– yes, both of you!

As an employer:

Be Prepared! Don’t review the resume with the candidate – review this information prior to the interview.
Do ask specific questions based on your resume review – job moves, detailed project examples, accomplishment questions.
Do ask a behavioral question – give a situation and ask how they would handle it or ask for an example of a difficult situation, and how they handled it.
Do ask them to describe an example of a demonstration of a strength that they possess – for example – persuasion, critiquing, etc.
Do ask them to describe a time when they learned a lesson and how they have/would implement what they learned in the future.
Do allow time for the candidate to ask you questions.

As a candidate:

Be Prepared! Read current news about the company – understand what they do – research the interviewers – know who they are.
Have a list of 4 things you want the interviewers to know about you – work them into the conversation or mention them at the end.
Have examples of at least one success and one failure ready – for the failure be prepared to espouse the lessons learned.
Allow time and silence into the space of the interview – it is okay to allow time to think before answering a question!
Maintain eye contact and answer the questions asked – do not veer off topic.
Check in with the listener to see if you have answered the question. Just blatantly ask them, “Have I answered your question?”
Prepare a list of at least 4 questions to ask the interviewer, (think these through.)
For example:
What attributes have you found in the person/people who have held this position in the past that have led to their success (or failure)?
What are the challenges ahead for this position? Critical initiatives?

If both participants manage the conversation, everyone will come away with a rave review!

For additional information that will assist you in resource planning and career management, please follow us:
Twitter: @TRC_Difference
LinkedIn: TRC Companies, Inc.