Q. One way to significantly shorten your job search would be to improve your listening skills.
Interviewing is as much about your ability to answer questions as it is your experiences. The unfortunate part is that too often the candidate doesn’t actually answer the question asked. It is like listening to a politician on TV. The reporter asks a very specific question, requiring a relatively simple answer, yet the politician not only doesn’t answer the question, instead they start talking about something completely off the subject. In the politician’s case it is generally intentional; however, most candidates don’t even realize they are doing it so they leave the interview thinking all went well.
Learning to listen carefully to the actual question being asked and then answering the question will dramatically improve the interviewing process for many candidates. Recently in interviews I have been conducting, I often find myself saying to the candidate, “You didn’t answer my question.” Too often I hear back, “What was the question?” Unfortunately, most candidates will not hear this as most interviewers won’t say anything. They will thank the candidate for coming in and then send a rejection letter.
Listening carefully is a skill that needs to be honed. If asked, “How many or how much” the person is generally looking for some number. If asked, “When did . . .?” they are looking for a date. “Who” implies a name or at least some way to specifically identify a person. “Give me an example.” indicates the interviewer is looking for a specific example and not some general statement.
Practice active listening so you can demonstrate to the interviewer that you are not only a good listener, but you can do the job, and they will only have to explain something to you once. As they know you will listen.
To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.
How effective is your job search? If you are not sure, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard
Tags: Behavioral interviewing, Interview 1st Impressions, Interview Mistakes, Interview Questions, Interview Techniques, Interview Tips, Interviewing, Interviewing Failure, Interviewing Mistakes, job interview, Job Interviews
Face-to-Face Inteviewing, Interview Preparation, Interviewing, Phone Interviewing | bradremillard May 29, 2012 | 
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Q. I wanted to inquire about the process of working with a professional recruiter. I’m fairly happy in my current position, but I am also curious as to what else is out there. How does one begin the process?
The best way to work with a recruiter is to have a referral to the recruiter. Recruiters work for the company. This is often a misunderstanding by candidates. The company pays the recruiter, so the company is the client. Recruiters want to work with candidates that fill a job listing they have. If you know of a recruiter that has this, I would highly recommend finding someone the recruiter trusts to refer you. Otherwise, you are just another person sending in a resume.
You should also seek out recruiters that specialize in your industry or functional area. These recruiters are more likely to have a job search consistent with your background. They are also more likely to receive a job listing that will match your background. So making sure they know you are available and willing to listen will be helpful.
Finally, recruiters need job listings so I would start building rapport with recruiters. The very best way to do this is when you or your company has a job opening call the recruiter and engage them. This will demonstrate it is a two way relationship.
To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.
How effective is your job search? If you are not sure, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resource link.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard
I recently asked approximately 30 people in-transition what candidates mean when they say, “I’m qualified for the position.” The answers were, experience, skills, can do the job, etc. All hard skills listed on the resume. Then I asked what they think a hiring authority means when they say, “I think this is a good candidate.” The answers were, fit, liked the person, work well with others, etc. All soft skills, which are not visible on a resume. So in reality, candidates and hiring managers are measuring different things in the interview. This is why someone might be a great candidate, but not the right candidate.
I don’t believe candidates spend enough time researching and understanding the soft skills required to get the job. They walk into an interview prepared to talk about all of their skills and experiences, yet the interviewer is not only listening to those but also evaluating the soft skills. Chances are they already know you have some level of hard skills or you wouldn’t be there to begin with.
This is an area candidates should focus on more as they prepare during their job search. Understanding how they present themselves from the moment they walk in the door, how they sit in the chair, use their hand motions, the speed at which they talk, how they listen to the questions and answer them, including how they mirror the interviewer should not be taken for granted. These are all relatively easy things to do and learn. There are many helpful books, videos, and webinars available for candidates to help them prepare. Just fine tuning a few things in your presentation can give you the edge you may need to beat out the competition.
To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.
How effective is your job search? If you are not sure, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resource link.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard
Tags: Interview 1st Impressions, Interview Mistakes, Interview Techniques, Interview Tips, Interviewing, Interviewing Failure, Interviewing Mistakes, job interview, Job Interviews
Face-to-Face Inteviewing, Interview Preparation, Interviewing, Job Search Mistakes, Phone Interviewing | bradremillard May 15, 2012 | Comments (0)
Q: Can you be required to give your age as part of a job application? I long thought this was not legally allowed but I’m hearing that employers can ask your age but are not allowed to use it as a factor when they are considering hiring you.
I don’t know of any law that dictates what specific questions can be asked in an interview. I believe this idea of what questions should and should not be asked comes from the desire to avoid potential problems if a person is not hired. If the interviewer does not ask age related questions then the argument they discriminated based on age is harder to make. I believe the law simply states that companies can’t discriminate from hiring someone based on age. Therefore it is wise to avoid any appearance of using age as a factor when interviewing.
In order to be sure, I asked Laura Fleming, a labor attorney and partner with the Newport Beach law firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth for her advice.
It is unlawful to discriminate against applicants who are over 40 years old. To avoid the appearance of discrimination, employers should not ask age-related questions, including questions about high school graduation date.
To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.
How effective is your job search? If you are not sure, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resource link.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard
Q: I recently interviewed for a sales job where an executive recruiter videoed me role playing my responses to some sales situations. This was then sent to the potential employer. Is this legal?
I asked Laura Fleming, a labor attorney and partner with the Newport Beach law firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth for her advice.
It can be unlawful to video record someone without their permission, especially if they are in an environment where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, I am guessing that you knew the recruiter was taping you, and that the recruiter had your permission to do so.
The recruiter should have given you notice and obtained your permission before sending any videos to the potential employer. It is possible that this notice was included in some of the materials which the recruiter gave to you (maybe you did not read them carefully, which is quite common). At any rate, if you do not want the recruiter to show the videos to anyone, you should tell him immediately. I do not see any benefit to you pursuing legal action against the recruiter, since it sounds like the recruiter was not using your image for a commercial purpose (i.e., promoting goods or services). It sounds like the recruiter was just trying to help you land a job!
To download the free chapter on Conducting an Effective Phone Interview from our book “This Is NOT The Position I Accepted” CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resources link.
How effective is your job search? If you are not sure, download our free 8 Matrix Job Search Self-Assessment Scorecard. CLICK HERE and then click on the Free Search Resource link.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard
Tags: Behavioral interviewing, Interview 1st Impressions, Interview Mistakes, Interview Questions, Interview Techniques, Interview Tips, Interviewing, Interviewing Failure, Interviewing Mistakes
Face-to-Face Inteviewing, Interviewing | bradremillard May 1, 2012 | Comments (0)
