talk is cheap 2014

Talk is Cheap, Gail Neal 2014

Talk is Cheap


This presentation is divided into 3 main parts:

Things to do before the interview

Interview Objectives, and

Things to do after the interview


THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

Check out interview related websites:



616,000,000 results for interview preparation?!!!!



You’ve heard about learning about the company.

Why?

• It’s information you can use to make a greater

impression on the interviewer.

• Learning about the company lets you know what’s

important to the interviewer so you can tell him what

he wants to hear.

• It can set you head and shoulders above your

competition.



CAUTION

In today’s market, there is no excuse for not knowing something about

the company.

EVERYONE has internet access. If not at home, then at school, or a

library.

Also, Nielsen, the media ratings company, estimated that 65% of all

Americans had smartphones in 2013 – an massive research team in

your purse or pocket.

When asked: What do you know about our company? – a blank stare is

unacceptable.


THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Places to find employer information:

• Employers' Web Sites

• Michigan Electronic Library: MeL.org

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Google

• Industry specific websites

• News Sources See what general-interest and business publications and Web sites are

writing about the employer and its industry. Search national publications for news on major corporations; use hometown newspapers to learn about small businesses and how big businesses interact with their local communities.

Links to biz journalism sites:

– http://newslink.org

– http://refdesk.com/paper.html

– http://www.bizjournals.com



Directions

Make a dry run to the interview site, on a weekday preferably at the

same time of day as your interview.

This will let you know how long it takes to get there.

On the day of your interview, be sure to leave early enough to

• find a parking space

• freshen up, and

• review your information

before entering the building.


Clothing is the first piece of evidence in support of your case to be the

best candidate.

The interviewer will see your clothing before he gets close enough to

see your bright eyes and winning smile.

CLOTHING



All clothes should be neatly pressed

Clean, polished, conservative shoes

Clean and well-groomed hairstyle

Clean, trimmed fingernails

Avoid cologne and perfume

Empty pockets – no noisy coins

No gum or candy

Men and Women




Things to bring:

• Several hard copies of your resume

• A list of all information needed to complete a job

application (i.e. past employment and educational

history)

• A list of your references that you can hand to the

interviewer if asked

• A pad of paper for taking notes

• Directions to the interview site


GOALS OF THE INTERVIEW:

There are three main objectives in the interview that you

want to accomplish:

1. Demonstrate your competence

2. Learn as much about the job as possible

3. Be certain about the next step


OBJECTIVE #1:

YOU MUST DEMONSTRATE YOUR COMPETENCE

You must DEMONSTRATE your competence.

Talking about it is not enough.

Every interviewee says

“Hire me, I’M the best one for the job.”

Which is why:


OBJECTIVE #1:


You must DEMONSTRATE your competence.

Talking about it is not enough.

Every interviewee says

“Hire me, I’M the best one for the job.”

Which is why:

“Talk is cheap!!!”


OBJECTIVE #1:


Remember:

Jobs are created and people are hired for one reason only:

THE COMPANY HAS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE SOLVED!

They will hire you if you show them that YOU are the SOLUTION to

that problem.

The question is:


OBJECTIVE #1:


Remember:

Jobs are created and people are hired for one reason only:

THE COMPANY HAS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE SOLVED!

They will hire you if you show them that YOU are the SOLUTION to

that problem.

The question is:

Can you prove it?


OBJECTIVE #1:


The most effective way to prove you are the solution to the employer’s problems is to tell stories that demonstrate how you’ve solved similar problems in the past.


OBJECTIVE #1:


Most employer problems fall into one of four categories:

• $ MAKE/SAVE MONEY

If you’re in sales, tell how you exceeded quota

If you’re in purchasing, tell how you negotiated lower costs from vendors

• P SOLVE PROBLEMS

tell how you made something that was holding things up go away

• R TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

make him happy by telling how you freed up time or resources

• F FIT

Tell how who you are supports the mission. Are you…

Hierarchical or informal? Startup or established?

Big picture or details?


OBJECTIVE #1:


Try to come up with 3 stories for every strength you claim to have.

If you call yourself a leader:

Tell about 3 instances where you took the lead and made things happen.

If you claim to be a problem solver:

Make sure you can demonstrate 3 times you observed a problem and took the initiative to solve it.


Make sure your stories follow the CAR format:

C – Tell them the CONDITION you found.

What was the world like before you came along?

A – What ACTION did you take?

What did you do to make the world a better place?

R – What was the RESULT?

How much better was the world after you touched it?

OBJECTIVE #1:



These stories represent real life examples of how you used

skills that make you valuable to employers.

Use them to open your interview session. Tailor them to fit

the position.

Your stories are the proof of your competence.

OBJECTIVE #1:



OBJECTIVE #1:


Don’t worry about humility.

Humility is NOT about

thinking less of yourself.

Humility is about

thinking of yourself less.

So make sure you think of the employer and how you can help him – not yourself.

Solve his problem and you’ve got the job.


And now for the preachy part:


OBJECTIVE #1:


• Practice telling your stories

• Practice using your stories to answer common interview questions.

• Put questions on flash cards and have your family and friends quiz you.

• Practice them in out of order.

• Stay on point at all times.

• Don’t get sloppy.

PRACTICE!

PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

PRACTICE!


By the way, while you’re practicing, make sure you know what’s on your resume.

Some crazy interviewers have actually been known to ask questions about it!

Don’t get caught with your pants down!!!

CAUTION #2

OBJECTIVE #1:



OBJECTIVE #1:


Know your information cold.

While you may be reluctant to rehearse or give a canned speech,

the better you know your information,

the more of your brain is left free to deal with the situation at hand.

This is not the time to multitask.


OBJECTIVE #1:


Any good actor will tell you,

the more rehearsed your speech is,

the less rehearsed it sounds.


OBJECTIVE #1:


Knowing your information frees you up to listen.

So practice!

Talk is Cheap, Gail/ Neal 2014

OBJECTIVE #2:

LEARN AS MUCH ABOUT THE JOB

AS POSSIBLE

An interview is a two-way street. You are interviewing

them, as much as they are interviewing you.

You’re going to be making an important career decision so

you need to effectively GIVE and RECEIVE information.


1. If you haven’t seen it yet, ask if you can see the job description. The

more you know about the job, the better you can tailor your answers.

The sooner you get the job description – the better.

2. “How did this position become available?” If the company is

growing, that’s good news. If the last person couldn’t get along with

the manager, that may be a red flag.

3. “Will I be reporting to you or to some else?” If someone else; ask if

you can meet your future manager. Treat the introduction like a mini

interview. Once you’ve won him over, you now have a powerful ally.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK

OBJECTIVE #2:


AS POSSIBLE


Notice the header says: SOME questions to ask. It’s not an exhaustive list.

You can use questions to show that you’ve done your homework. Anything you’re curious about that came up during your research is a chance to engage the interviewer.

The questions you ask keep the conversation going and show the interviewer your interest and intelligence – you have to be listening to ask good questions.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK

OBJECTIVE #2:


AS POSSIBLE

OBJECTIVE #2:


AS POSSIBLE

CAUTION #3

About Salary …

Price is directly tied to perceived value.

It’s a bad idea to talk about the price until they know they’re talking to a Rolex and not a Timex.

However, the first person who has to know you’re a Rolex is you. Before you discuss salary, you must believe in the value you bring to the table.



OBJECTIVE #3:

WHEN YOU LEAVE, BE CERTAIN ABOUT THE NEXT STEP

Never leave the follow-up in the interviewer’s hands. Be proactive.

Say: "I'm interested in this position. When is a good time to call to check on the status of your decision?”

Don’t ask CAN you call. Ask WHEN to call.

This is an old sales tactic. Salespeople NEVER let a prospect say “I’ll get back to you.” Be proactive.

Then CALL when you said you would.

This shows your interest as well as your integrity.


OBJECTIVE #3:


Don’t leave without a business card or something else with

the interviewer’s

Correctly spelled name

Phone number

Email address

Mailing address

OBJECTIVE #3:


Find out their preferred method of communication:

•Phone?

•Email?

•Snail mail?



AFTER THE INTERVIEW

As soon as possible, write down everything that happened during the interview –

– this is critical because you’ll forget most of it.

A job interview is an emotionally charged event.

It can easily become a blur if you don’t do an immediate brain dump


AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Write a thank-you letter, reminding the interviewer of

• Your qualities

• Memorable things you did or talked about during the interview

(i.e. meeting staff, touring the building, discussion of common

interests)

• You can also use the thank you letter to briefly bring up skills and

experiences that were not discussed during the interview


AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Try to email your thank-you letter immediately after the interview.

Do not wait more than 24 hours.

Send a hard copy letter or professional thank you card at the same time.


BELIEVE IN YOU!

… knowledge breeds confidence; confidence breeds

enthusiasm; and enthusiasm is an important key to being

and doing more with your life.

Zig Ziglar

http://www.ziglar.com/speakers.php?speaker=zig_ziglar


BELIEVE IN YOU!

Just by educating yourself on job search skills,

you will know more about

how to conduct a successful job search

than most of your competition.

The key is application.

Stick with it. Apply it . It will work.

talk is cheap 2014

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