07:08 pm | 1 recommendation | 2 comments

Interview Like a Rock Star

You just had a Rock Star interview….you walked out of the office and knew the job was yours for the taking. The company is dying for you, and even you choose that this job isn’t the right move for you – at least the ego boost feels great.

There are two secrets to a Rock Star interview: Preparation and Execution.

Preparation:
Research - Rock Star preparation starts before you even write your resume. Research the company and industry, using SEC reports (if public), Company Website, press releases & Articles, Hoovers, Yahoo Finance, Google searches, social network contacts, and blogs. Find out everything you can about industry trends, how the company is reacting to them, or planning for them. Find out the company’s goals and challenges.

Peel - After you’ve done your research, start to peel the onion a little. Ask yourself what challenges the company is likely to face along the way. How will the company’s changes also change the area you are interviewing for. What problems are likely to arise that your Subject Matter Expertise can uniquely solve.

Solve Problems - Now you’re set to write a Rock Star resume – one that presents a solution to problems your target company faces. Throw out the old biographical resume. Instead, craft a resume that anticipates your target company’s problems, and demonstrates what you’ve already done to solve the exact or similar problems in your past experience.

Bait - To make a truly Rock Star resume, you’ll want to list a few points that cause the reader to ask more questions….questions that you’re dying to answer. Bait your resume with a few partial statements, and leave your audience curious to learn more, helping you to control the interview by what you’ve left out of your resume.

Prepare questions - Lots of them. Forget the questions about work environment career advancement and benefits – you’ll have plenty of time to ask these later. Ask questions to draw out problems and implications – of problems you can uniquely solve. Ask questions you already know the answer to, to see how the prospective employer answers, and how impressed they are that you had the insight to ask.

Anticipate - What questions will the interviewer ask you? Practice answering questions in a positive manner, while still telling the truth.

Execution:
For management/professional roles - Go in with the attitude that you are interviewing the company…not the other way around.

Dress the part – see my earlier post What to Wear? Acing the Interview – Part 1

Open - Stand tall, maintain eye contact, smile, and use a firm handshake – just like Dad taught you.

Initial impressions count - Remember that people form an initial impression of you in the first 30 seconds. That’s before the interview even begins. Start it out with a little small talk or a quick joke – getting your audience to laugh goes a long way to pass the “likability test”.

Control the interview - For more on controlling the interview see my post on How to Take Control of the Interview.

Eye contact - Maintain eye contact while talking, but don’t stare the interviewer down, either.

Questions - You control the interview and demonstrate both Subject Matter Expertise and leadership by asking questions. For more on questions to ask, see my earlier post Do you have any Questions?. Ask the same questions to different people in your interviews and see if they answer differently.

Turn negatives to positives - Why say you left because your boss was an insufferable jerk, when you can say that you didn’t agree with management’s direction? Wouldn’t you look wiser by anticipating the poor strategy of your company, than looking like you were a difficult employee for your boss? Don’t lie in your interview – it’s not necessary, and there’s a high likelihood you’ll get caught.

Close – Closing techniques will take a number of future posts to cover. In general, close by gaining some sort of feedback, and time/action commitment to next steps. If your interviewer is asking you what other companies you are interviewing with, you’re a finalist (not applicable for recruiters – headhunters ask this question to everyone). If your interviewer is asking you when you’ll be making your decision…you’re the Rock Star.

Re-Close - Send a Thank You note. For Thank You note strategies, see my earlier post Thank You! Make an Impact in 5 minutes.

Now that you’ve been through Rock Star School….what are you going to change in your next performance?

If you’d like to discuss how you can turn ordinary interviews into a Rock Star interview, a free 30 minute resume consultation, or some advice about your career transition, just email your resume to reCareered at phil.rainmakers@gmail.com, and we'll schedule a time to talk.

http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/04/nope-this-isnt-april-fools-j...

Phil Rosenberg
President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global
Email: phil.rainmakers@gmail.com
Blog: http://reCareered.blogspot.com      Web: http://reCareered.com
LinkedIN: http://linkedin.com/in/philrosenberg
Facebook: http://profile.to/philrosenberg/

06:00 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

The Hidden Beauty Of Dysfunctional Teams!

That despite it all, things still find a way to get done.  I mean, how many times have we seen a team of buddies that all loved one another, and spent nearly every minute of every day together . . . but couldn't collaborate together to change a lightbulb if they needed to?

Sure, there's probably a happy medium (well, not probably), but before we lower the gavel on dysfunctional teams, let's keep one thing in mind:

When the focus is on outcomes, and not activities, things normally find a way to work themselves out.

[SEE BELOW VIDEO FOR PROOF!] --

http://lgexec.typepad.com/lg/2008/04/there-is-someti.html

11:30 am | 1 recommendation | 1 comment

Hertz's Green Strategy: Is There a Marketing Lesson for Talent Acquisition?

Talent Acquisition (HR and/or Internal Recruitment) could probably gleam a thing or two from a new & engaging (at least to me as a marketing-head) Hertz commercial I watched this morning (see video below).  I make that statement because Hertz's new commercial is indicative of a marketing strategy that is not only well thought out, but also extremely well integrated.  To take a page from a Marketing Guru I learn from each day, Seth Godin:

"Market-driven design builds the success of the product’s marketing into the product itself."

Think about that for a minute - let it sink in.  Now read it again.  Marketing isn't just about the hottest and coolest ad campaign or engaging content.  It's about more than the 'cool idea' du jour.  Sure, cool ideas raise eyebrows . . . and get attention in an environment of more and more 'noise' . . . but why not take some of the budgeted marketing investment and put it into the product itself (meaning while in R&D . . . not just after production is complete, which is what we normally see).  That's what Seth means by "Market-Driven Design", and that's exactly what Hertz did - they realized that they could make an investment in a "Green Fleet" based upon primary market research.  Sure, they could have taken the same $$$ and instead dumped it into more TV-time, more print ads, more promotions, etc. . . . but they saw a market opportunity and seized on it.

Now ask yourself: Do you see Talent Acquisition or Internal Recruitment building marketing investments into the products (the actual jobs) themselves?  Could jobs be better designed?  Sure they can.  Could we build in VOC ("Voice of the Customer") . . . meaning VOC straight from the A-Players within our Pivotal Talent Pools?  Sure we can.  Would that make a difference?  You better believe it.

The lesson here is that while Talent Acquisition can do the above things, they normally don't.  So the next time you're going to have a TA, HR, or Internal Recruitment meeting about Workforce Strategy, invite someone from Marketing to sit in - you just might be surprised. 

Joshua Letourneau
Mg Director, SSF (Strategic Sourcing Framework) Implementation
LG & Associates Search / Talent Strategy
BLOG: www.lgexec.com

11:18 am | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

Do Bald People Make Better Employees?

Clarification: I'm talking cranial hair - you guys are terrible!

So do bald people make better employees?

What if you're simply on your way to being bald? (this is a gender-neutral question) :)

   - What if said employee was bald by birth?
   - How about if they would be bald, but choose to shave their heads? (I believe I may fall into this category!)
   - What if they should shave their heads as opposed to exhibiting their current level of baldness? (Ladies, you know the male look I'm talking about!)

If so, does head-shine come into play? Sometimes when I meet local female candidates, they ask if they can rub the baldness . . . while guys say, "bro, what do you put on your head to make it shine like that?"

Ok, so maybe I was born with a sales skill or two, but I've actually made hires and closed deals using my baldness. I mean that - it's truly possible.

For you PhDs' out there, is there a direct correlation at play between the baldness of an employee and the coinciding engagement levels (not just QOH) of the candidates that are hired as a result of their efforts?

I appreciate your insights and opinions as we move forward with this groundbreaking study of "Baldness in the Workplace"!!!

Joshua Letourneau
Mg Director, SSF (Strategic Sourcing Framework) Implementation
BLOG: www.lgexec.com

12:23 pm | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

HR, Internal Recruitment, & Middle Mgmt: What 'Stats' Are You Using To Judge Talent?

Bill James is a really, really smart guy . . . who most people have never even heard of. And if you watch the video on him titled 'Baseball's Stat Man' (that broadcasted on 60 Minutes last Sunday), there may be some serious nuggets of brilliance to gleam and put in action.

Here's the skinny: For decades on decades, Major League Baseball relied on a series of philosophies & statistics that Managers and Owners believed determined success. Because these were the Sacred Cows of performance evaluation, not many dared to challenge them.

        "Over the decades, mgrs used outdated formulas or intuition in making decisions, so night after night he [Bill James] crunched numbers until he came up with new statistics based on facts that would either support or debunk tradition.”

In doing so, Bill came up with a school of thought titled 'SaberMetrics'. According to Wikipedia:

        "Sabermetrics is concerned both with determining the value of a player in a season gone by, and with trying to predict the value of a player in the future based on his past performances. While many areas of study are still in development, it has yielded a number of interesting insights into the game of baseball and in the area of performance measurement."

If you're a baseball fan, let me give you an example: For years and years, Batting Average was considered the key metric in determining the value of a hitter. Bill James came to the table and said, "What about those players that work the opposing pitcher and get walks? Since they also are getting on base, are they any less valuable?" In doing so, Bill coined the concept of On-Base Percentage. Even better, Bill coined Slugging Percentage, a concept that takes into account the quality of a hit, rather than just a hit in and of itself.

Go ahead and think about it: What metrics does your organization use to forecast Quality-of-Hire . . . or what metrics/KPIs' (Key Performance Indicators) are used to determine a "High Performer" or HiPo (High Potential) employee? Are your current metrics and philosophies accepted as Sacred Cows, despite potentially no longer being of true value?

Here's a highly relevant example in the Organizational Development space: There is a school of thought that determines High Performers based upon their salary position within a given compensation band (i.e. those in the upper quartile are often considered to represent the highest performing employees.) But are they really? What if they just are better negotiators? What if their current salary position is more a product of tenure than merit?

While Bill James is a really a baseball guy, we all could learn a thing or two from him. At the end of the day, it's ok to challenge Sacred Cows . . . just remember what Colin Powell (another really smart guy) said:

"Experts often possess more data than judgment."

P.S. This post was inspired by a conversation I had this morning with Eric Gholston, a Business Partner of mine here at LG & Associates Search / Talent Strategy.

Joshua Letourneau
LG & Assoc Search / Talent Strategy
BLOG: www.lgexec.com

09:00 pm | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

Job Seekers, Beware!: Why Job Board Resumes Are Often Seen As "Re-circulatory Garbage"

Take a good look at the attached image and you'll begin to understand the analogy between Job Board resumes and the notion of "Re-circulatory Garbage" . . . 

Take another look at let it sink in a little bit.  The majority of candidates I speak with do not truly understand the ramifications of having their name, address, and phone number, etc. public on a Job Board for the whole world to see.  Think about it for a minute: Do you really want your information to be used as wallpaper for every corporate and third-party recruiter out there? 

Sure, I appreciate that by doing so, an opportunity may find you -- after all, you might simply hate your current job so much that you're willing to take the risk . . . and although this comment might sting, maybe you're part of that 10% of the job market that is simply ALWAYS looking for a new gig (or new boyfriend/girlfriend, new home/apartment, etc., thinking that the solution/perfect job/soulmate is "out there for me somewhere!")

If that's the case, I'm not a pyscho-therapist and therefore, I won't go there . . . however, if this doesn't describe you and what you're all about, consider the following:

        a. Scenario 1: Your resume may have been auto-downloaded by HR through a job-board bot, meaning your resume was pulled down despite the fact that you didn't submit yourself for a job at the company.  Here's the issue, though -- if you don't have the keywords necessary in your resume, or you lack the pre-set conceptual match, you never wind up in the recruiter's email account or on their applicant-tracking system desktop.  In other words, your resume travels off into the black hole of HR oblivion . . . and although it will never be physically seen (yet alone reviewed), HR "owns" your resume for 12 - 18 months.  What does this mean?  It's pretty simple -- If and when a Third-Party Recruiter presents you for any other opportunity with the same company, HR steps in and says, "We have that resume in our system and they've already been passed over due to lack of match."

        b. Scenario 2: An unscrupulous Third-Party Recruiter (Exec Search Consultant / Headhunter / etc.) may have submitted your resume to a position without your approval.  Yes, there are dirty recruiters out there that will do this in order to get the "OK" to work on a position. They may attach your resume in an email to the hiring manager stating, "I found this candidate who may be a good fit for your current opening", and then when they get a bite regarding your candidacy, the Third-Party Recruiter then says, "You're not going to believe this, but that candidate just failed a background check and I no longer feel right representing them", or "I'm sorry to inform you that the candidate just accepted another offer this morning" . . . "But don't worry because I have other candidates even better than them".  In other words, your resume was literally utilized as a marketing piece for a dirty recruiter to fill the position through one of his/her own candidates . . . so that they may earn a fee on the placement.  Trust me that I couldn't make this up -- it happens every day and is a technique often taught to junior recruiters (particularly at the Large Big-Box Staffing Agencies) as the fastest way to get new business.

        c. Scenario 3: You may have inadvertently submitted yourself to a position a Third-Party Recruiter is attempting to represent you for (as a Headhunter's job is to find the passive seeker and present them with an aura of mystery and confidentiality).  When this happens, the Headhunter is almost always given the red light by HR.  The reason for rejection normally sounds something like this: "That candidate has already submitted themselves to 4 open jobs - they don't even know what they are looking for".  And you know what?  For the most part, they're probably right.

Here's the elephant in the room: There is a perception of the boards that great candidates don't put their information out there for the world to see - most HR and Internal Recruiters believe that the best candidates are typically happy where they are and are not actively looking for a competitive opportunity. The other perception is that, at any given point in time, 10% of a given workforce is actively looking for a new opportunity, whether they are unhappy or improperly matched, etc. - the question most employers ask about this is, "Since this 10% makes up the majority of the job board resume database, is this the 10% wewant working for our company?"

I can personally say that while these perceptions are true 95% of the time, there are often anomalies.  The truth be told, not everyone on the job boards is a mediocre candidate - it's just that it's hard to find the good apple in the bunch.  Worse, the good apple is often seen with a skeptical eye.  If you sleep with dogs, don't complain when HR or the Hiring Manager thinks you might have fleas.

Newsflash: The Job Boards don't want you to know this!!!  Why?  Because at the end of the day, they make their $$$$ by selling two things:

        1. Access to the site by HR and Recruiters (meaning access to the 5 million resumes), and

        2. Job advertisements.

The more people that post resumes on the site, the more they can 'cost-justify' their pricing. The best analogy I can draw is the nightclub concept -- in order to get the guys to come and spend some serious cash, you have to load the club up with women (which normally occurs through the provision of free admission and/or free drinks until 11pm!) Without the women, the guys won't show up. In the same respect, a database of 5 million resumes is quite the attraction to HR and 3rd party recruiters.

Moral of the story:  If you're going to put yourself on a board, at least put your contact info as 'Confidential' - it's a small conciliation, but at least communicates that you're aware of the Re-circulatory Garbage floating around in your midst.

11:26 am | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

Create Your Own Job through Innovation

I was emailed the other day by a good friend of mine, Ash Damle.  
I was introduced to Ash by another company a couple of months ago,
and the more I learn about Ash, the more impressed I am with him.  
He recently asked me to vote for his company, MEDgle that is nominated
for the Webware 100 which is pretty impressive.  MEDgle is in some pretty
impressive company, with such companies as Google and Yahoo.  

Ash started his career even before most people start thinking about a career
when they are in college.  His company 2028 was born out of the MIT labs and
his thesis, which was structured around search engine summary.  His product
takes search engine queries and translates them into summaries, so you don’t
have to read an entire book, page, pdf or anything you would need to condense.  
As I spoke with Ash, I learned we had a lot in common.  It seems Ash’s work back
in 1998 was not widely accepted.  He was speaking a foreign language when he
was trying to pitch his idea and product.  It seems like and I to early in the marketing
and pitching of my product to the market and waiting for the market to catch up with
me so I felt his pain.  So after spending a couple of years changing, tweaking, and
relocating to California, it seems Ash has created a niche and a product that has
been recognized by the market.  

In summary, even though Ash was driven through an academic need, and he was able
to build a company from it, his innovation, determination and persistence is what has
taken him this far.  Even though you may be in a corporate role, completing your
day-to-day tasks, you can always add innovation into your current role, or your future role.  
Take a look around at current processes, products, marketing and see what you can add,
change, and improve.  If your first idea doesn’t work, keep pitching, saying no is easy,
as it doesn’t take any work.  But the more you pitch, the more you will be heard, until
eventually someone recognizes your ambition and takes a chance on you.  

If you don’t believe me, just ask Ash how many people have said no to him. 

06:48 pm | 1 recommendation | Be the first to comment

Is The Best Way To Find A Job Not To Look?

In the recruiting world, the holy grail is to find passive
candidates instead of

active candidates. 
Passive candidates are people who are successful working in their job of
successful with a long track record. 
Whereas active candidates are out there actively looking for a new job
with their resume being searched daily in resume database searches, and
submitting their information to jobs online into the vast blackhole. 

Now before you comment on this article and say, yes but I’m
looking for a job, let me explain.  Let
the job find you. You do this is by making yourself known to both the world,
and recruiters.  The best way to do this
is join social networking sites and make your job history known.  The social networking component that has been
exploding on the internet over the past couple of years has really let
recruiters connect with job seekers in ways they have never been able to.  Three of these sites are Linkedin, Facebook,
and Plaxo.  Recruiters are combing these
sites daily for good candidates.  You should
you be part of them so you can get  sourced
by recruiters. 

If you want to start getting calls from recruiters, then you
should start by creating profiles on all of these networks.  Make sure you complete your full profile,
including all previous jobs and the history of your employment.  Also, in your title, put your personal email
address so people can reach you directly, instead of having to go through the
network to reach. It’s also very important to put all keywords that relate to
your skills, title, and any software you use, as recruiters like to search
utilizing keywords in both search engines and these networks. 

Networking is key to finding both hidden jobs, and talking
directly to hiring managers, instead of sending your resume to Human Resources
or the resume blackhole.  The more you
join and participate in social networks, the more exposure you will get, for
your personal brand, and find your next job without even looking.

Happy Networking and don't forget to join the Careers Group