How to Be the Square Peg In Your Interview [Top Jobseeker Tips]

How to Be the Square Peg In Your Interview [Top Jobseeker Tips] Soyouve managed to get a job interview?  Great!  Youre nervous and you cant sleep but you want to impress and get the job. You know yourself better than anyone else and you have decided that this role is a good fit for your skills, experience and personality. Do you want to know a secret? The interview panel those scary senior managers and the dragon from HR are also having sleepless nights. Why? Because they need to find a  square peg for their square hole. They need to quickly and cheaply  sift through a million CVs and cut through the  lies told by interview candidates to find you someone who will do the job really well and will fit in. If they appoint the wrong person, it means several unproductive months followed by a difficult conversation and then another vacant post. Cost and embarrassment! You need to describe the square hole in the interview.  What I mean by that is, you need to tell the panel exactly what they are looking for, so that you can reassure them that you would be a perfect fit. 1) Memorise Fireworks: Your interview preparation top priority is to memorise your own Fireworks opening  statement so that  the recruiting panel remember you as the best candidate.  Imagining what they need, devise a three sentence statement that describes the gap e.g.  From your research you can see that their company urgently needs to rebuild market share. So you say:  I am a seasoned sales professional with a track record of growing market share.  Boom! Make it the first thing you say and the panel will immediately be sitting up and paying attention. You already know that you are right for them so your mission is to demonstrate that by telling them how you will solve their current hot problems. Second sentence addresses their culture. They are a young inexperienced company? You say:  I am CMI qualified with 10 years experience.  Kerpow! They feel safe with you, you will come in and be the safe pair of hands they are all secretly hoping for but cant admit to their equally insecure colleagues.  From your networking you have discovered that the last person in this role retired with a reputation for irritating clients with their less than dynamic style, and woolly sales pitches. So you say:  I combine detail with engaging client interaction.  Whoosh! Look at those sparks! The panel imagine you righting all the wrongs of your predecessor, rebuilding relationships with customers who were unimpressed by the outgoing post holder. 2) Have you ever tried some NLP? NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming matches your language and internal frames  to theirs. You dont have long in an interview but you can learn to quickly assess the main way that each panel member communicates: Visual processors: tend to draw a diagram to remind themselves of your answers and will be more engaged by charts and diagrams in your presentation. They will use language such as, what is your long term vision for, my view of this, help me see this from a different perspective.  To reassure this panel member you need to use vivid descriptive words to let them clearly imagine you succeeding in the role. They will be critically analysing whether you look the part as well, from interview clothes through grooming and even your physical movements. If you sense a visual thinker losing interest during your interview, dont be afraid to offer to draw out what you are explaining on a flip chart. Listeners: tend to narrow their eyes when concentrating on your answer, and use phrases such as what Im hearing is or it sounds likeYou can match your language to their internal frame of reference by using aural communication words  in your examples,  such as,  in my most recent role, by listening to my key customers I came up with an after-care service to make sure they knew their concerns had been heard.  This panel member will be irritated if you make distracting noises, so dont slam the door or jangle keys while speaking, and always follow up with an email thanking them for the interview and reiterating an eloquent verbal summary of why you are the best candidate. Kinaesthetic processors: are the hardest to spot as they have usually learnt to conceal their preferred style of intuiting or feeling their way through decisions. The HR dragon (thats me by the way) will probably have coached this panel member that they are not allowed to use intuition to choose the best candidate but they still will; they cant help it. If one of the panel is using terms like, gut instinct, I feel and of course, my sense is The great news is that this misunderstood creature, the hardest to win over, will fight for you once you have their trust and loyalty. Speak slowly, give them time, mirror back some of this persons words and phrases, and make sure they feel cherished. Once they feel you are on their side, they will be the most forgiving of your mistakes. 3) 6 errors the panel will never forgive you for: By: Shiny Object Make sure you know what the job is  I once interviewed a young graduate who was so keen to tell us what she was like, when it came to the end of the interview her questions for the panel included, what is the job title and what would I be doing? When I gave her a copy of the job description, it was clear that she had never seen it before. No panel would take a punt on you after that. Dont leave any member of the panel out Yes, even if you have a natural rapport  with the others, and yes, even if one seems to dominate within the panel as a group.   That silent, less engaging one  is likely to speak up when they discuss you together after you have gone.   Make sure each of them will vote for you. You cant afford to get a single no. Never fail to be curious, humble, and tirelessly optimistic  The panel will not be able to find out everything you know if you are stubborn or limited in your thinking, arrogant, or cant show cheerful resilience in the face of challenge. Dont ever ever  be late and dont draw out your answers so that your interview runs over  The panel have a series of slots of intense concentration to deal with that day, probably still with the same amount of other work and emails to squeeze in around them, so you will make them murderous with rage if you waste their time. Dont try to be clever one candidate I interviewed for an HR role insisted on turning each of my questions around, so that he could ask me, that is a great question, what do YOU think?  He didnt get the job. Just listen carefully to each question, respond to it in a clear and concise way using examples from previous roles, then stop and smile. You will be remembered as more powerful than if you continue to gabble until one of the panel has to actually interrupt you to get you to stop. Dont say anything negative about any of your previous companies, managers or colleagues  Ever. Not one single bad word about them, even if it is true. Always explain why you are drawn to this company through a series of honest positive things they do well, and refuse to criticise no matter how much the interview panel lull you into a false sense of security it adds no value to your answers and makes them see you as an ungrateful troublemaker. Seriously. So, remember, you are the square peg they are looking for to fill their square hole. If you are prepared, and make the most of the intense social interaction that is a selection interview, you will help the panel out. Their problem is that they have a vacancy, they need to find someone who will do the job really well and fit in. You can relax and make sure you leave the interview having reassured all of them that that perfect square peg, is you. Author: Helen Marsh is the HR manager for searchflow.co.uk.

Whats Your Time Really Worth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What’s Your Time Really Worth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Everyone wants to make more money, right? The reasons why people want to make more money are as varied as the number of people on the planet. The challenge is… How do you insure you are getting what you are worth? And, the sub-question is…  How do you value your time properly so that you are getting what you’re worth? This is especially true for freelancers and people that are working and the gig economy. This post is designed to help you understand how to value your time. As my friend Maria Duron pointed out in this article How to Raise Your Freelancing Rates you should be looking for ways to steadily increase your rate of pay. As the author noted  you typically will start at a lower rate in order to obtain to secure the work. Once you secure the work then it becomes a challenge to insure the people paying for your products or services realize you are worth more AND are willing to pay more.  This is no small feat and is quite a  balancing act. What is your time worth? This is an age-old question that is always asked both of yourself and of the people that are paying you. They may not be stating it quite so explicitly. But, the fact remains that you need to provide value that is greater than what you were being paid. Only in rare cases is this not true. Think Celebrity Endorsements. Clearly celebrity endorsements work. However, they are not always easily measured and for that reason alone they are subject to question with regards to efficacy. Regardless,  it is up to the person funding the effort to decide if that person  / brand  is worth the money they spend on them. That’s their judgement call, their decision, and ultimately their money. But, back in the real world… unless you happen to be a celebrity… we need to determine how to value our time the old fashioned way. The rule of 10 X A simple rule of thumb is to use the rule of 10 X. That is, whatever product or services you’re providing, should provide 10 times more than the price of your services. Does this work in all situations? Absolutely not. There are scenarios where luxury goods,  celebrity endorsements, and life-style brands  can charge significantly more than the cost of the product or service. If your product or service fits in this category… good for you. For the rest of us with more traditional  products and services…  How do you decide what to charge? There are as many ways to determine what to charge as there are days in the week (and perhaps a few more). But, let’s start with a few simple examples: Check with others Ask Criticality Do a calculation The Simplest Model in Two Questions What’s your greatest pain today? What would it be worth to you if I could solve that? Let’s expand the points  above a bit more: Check with others â€" ask your peers, ask others in business or social groups you’re part of, check with industry trends. Some vendors will pay more / some less, depending on a lot of factors:  where you are  in the world; what level of experience you have; and sometimes based on the time  of year (seasonality, criticality, etc.). Ask pointed, yet open ended questions to insure you are getting a breadth and depth of the ranges available. . Ask the vendor / Ask the person that pays  â€" Often times they will have rate cards and guidelines for payments. This is great and a good starting point if they will share them with you. Oftentimes you’ll be surprised at the value companies apply to specific services offerings. So much so that you might tweak your offerings to align your skills with specific pricing / valuation models. But, they key point here is… ASK! Just ask them what they would typically pay for a service like yours. . Caveat: Be ready for a shrug of the shoulders … this is especially true if you have a new or unique service. Then you’ll need to rely upon the other facts and your gut feel (see the 2 simple questions) . Criticality  â€" How important and/or time sensitive is the need? If there is an immediate need to tamp down a PR fiasco or some other burning issue you may want to increase your rate. Realize this might be a short lived valuation and be candid with your expectations and timelines. . Caveat: This should not apply in life-or-death situations, but we’ve all seen scenarios where money was made off the back of tragedy. . Do a calculation â€" this one is a little more complex, but it will tell you where you really stand at the end of each pay period. This is akin to traditional cost accounting. Where you calculate the actual costs. This is where you roll up all of your actual costs and then put a multiplier on that to align with your needs. You can work this forwards or backwards. I find backwards is a good way to get started. . For example, if you know your costs are $2000 per month you can work backwards to determine how many hours or projects (if you do fixed bid) you’ll need to make your nut. Where your nut is $2000. Then you can add a multiplier to this to come up with the price you want to end up with. Note I said “end up with”… you may need to increase this number to allow for discounting. These are pretty common and straightforward examples. If you have a preferred method for determining your cost basis. That’s it. You can apply these techniques to your own business or to your role within a larger company. As you become more adept at understanding the cost model for bringing projects in on time and on budget you will become more valuable and you will stand out in your career. Whether you are applying these on a large scale for huge construction projects or for a local PR campaign the model works the same as you scale it up or down. Give it a try. Let me know in the comments how these work for you. Also, please share your ideas here so we all can learn.

Tips to Reduce Stress at Work - Classy Career Girl

Tips to Reduce Stress at Work The alarm goes off. You press snooze. Youre so tiredjust a few more minutes. AWAKE! I overslept. I have 10 minutes to get ready before I’m supposed to be at the office. Adrenaline shoots through your body and propels you into the shower. You make it out the front door in a miraculous 12 minutes. No morning ritual hot tea. So, you pick up a coffee on the go. Walking into the building, the heel of your shoe catches, and you drop the coffee. People around you glare angrily, wiping coffee from their shoes. Adrenaline pours through  your system as you clean up the coffee and collect your things. You just want to get to my desk. You sit at your deskfinallytrying to breathe normally. You open Facebook and see that you were left out of a fun girls night. Adrenaline floods your body again. You get lost in your thoughts. A meeting reminder pops up, and you have 15 minutes to get focused to give a big presentation. More adrenaline again swarms your body. You bring up the file you prepared yesterday and read through the info. The five-minute notification pops up. It’s time. You don’t usually stress about meetings, but youre so stressed you just can’t relax. WHAT IS HAPPENING! The stress response is not all bad. That adrenaline-laced response, also called fight or flight, causes us to pull away from a hot iron. It helps keep us safe. But, when we operate in a constant state of stress and adrenaline, our bodies have a difficult time relaxing. Dr. Kristen Race, PhD, and founder of Mindful Life, talks about the stress response of the body in her TEDx talk. Dr. Race says that we start at a baseline of being relaxed, and in that state the prefrontal cortex and logical, decision-making part of our brain is in charge. But, when something triggers the stress response, our faster, emotional limbic system responds. Emotional doesn’t typically equal rational. With this flooding of chemicals like adrenaline in our bodies, it takes the brain nearly 20 minutes to re-establish communication with the rational, prefrontal cortex after a stress response occurs. Eventually, your baseline will change. You will no longer operate in the relaxed, logical part of your brain. Instead, anything can cause a stress response. Someone asks a question and you snap in response. Maybe you’ve experienced this phenomenon. Ever had a time where you overreacted and weren’t sure why? Luckily our brains are trainable. If you don’t take a little time to stop the cycle, it will continue. The longer we go without taking time and the more distractions we use to make us feel better, the further we are from getting the relaxation and relief we truly desire. Maybe you’re thinking like Jessie Spano, “No time! There’s never any time!” And it’s true, we fill our days to the MAX. But, training our brains and bodies to relax can take as little as 60 seconds. Tips to Reduce Stress at Work So what would I do with those “hypothetical” 5 minutes in the stressful story above? Heres how I chose to handle it. I took a 1-minute for a Square Breath (keep reading below for details), 3 minutes for a bathroom break, and I made it to my meeting one minute early. One minute a few times a day will start the retraining of the response of the brain. Just one minute will help you relax. When I’m stressed and strapped for time, I practice gratitude, listening, and breathing. I frequently hear the phrase “observe your breathing,” which is great. And at the same time doesn’t always equate to something actionable for me. So, here’s an easy 60-second breath that has helped me. It’s called Square Breath. I’ve heard it from several different yoga instructors and psychologists. Here’s how it works: Inhale through your nose for 3 seconds. Hold the breath in for 3 seconds. Exhale through your nose for 3 seconds. Hold the breath out for 3 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. Try to increase the time from 3 seconds to 5 seconds, maybe even 10 seconds. If you have trouble concentrating, add the thought of something you’re grateful for at each hold. [RELATED: 5 Ways to Beat Burnout] Create a reminder in your calendar, on your phone or on your desk to take that one minute of breathing for you. Just one minute is all you need to turn around your entire day.

The Importance of Transparency in Employer Branding

The Importance of Transparency in Employer Branding How do you feel about communicating bad news along with good? We sat down with Dee Murphy at Jobbios HIGHER event. She is the organizational psychologist at Jobbio and heads up the employer branding and marketing divisions  of the company. She tells us all about the importance of transparency when it comes to building an authentic employer brand, and how Jobbio has leveraged transparency and employee advocacy to build a genuine culture. Have a listen to the interview below, keep reading for a summary and be sure to subscribe to the  Employer Branding Podcast. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play or SoundCloud. In this episode you’ll learn: Dees definition of employer branding How to truly understand what your employer brand is How to activate your employer brand through content How to remove the fear from employee advocacy The harsh lessons shes learned along the way with Jobbio The million euro question: How to calculate ROI from employer branding Her top 3 tips for employer branding managers What the future of employer branding is Connect with Dee on Twitter and check out the Jobbio blog.

How to Create Your Own Caregiver Resume Use Caregiver Resume Examples

How to Create Your Own Caregiver Resume Use Caregiver Resume ExamplesIf you are not sure about the exact type of information that is required to be included in a caregiver resume, then you should begin by reading through a few caregiver resume examples. You will find that this step in creating your caregiver resume is very simple and relatively easy.However, you need to think about a few things before you proceed. This means that you need to understand some basic things in order to understand how to create your caregiver resume.The first thing that you need to do is to know what type of information you are required to include in your caregiver resume. This means that you should know how many years of experience you should list and how many years of education or training is required. You may also want to consider whether or not the background that you list is permanent or temporary. You can include details about your years of experience in various fields.You should also understand wha t type of information you should be including in your caregiver resume. You should also think about the specific types of work experience that you should include. This will ensure that your caregiver resume reflects your skills and talents as a caregiver. You can list any specific areas of caregiving expertise, such as housekeeping, emergency medical care, and so on.You should also be sure that you think about what types of caregiving duties you should have included in your caregiver resume. If you have any specific abilities that would be advantageous for a caregiver to have, then you should list those. For example, if you are capable of sorting through paperwork at the hospital, then you should list this as a quality of service.As you read through caregiver resume examples, you will notice that you can also include some professional certifications. This is a good idea because it will help you to provide more of a professional image to potential employers. Some of the best caregive rs also use their certifications to demonstrate their competency.Finally, you should read through caregiver resume examples until you are completely satisfied with the documents that you have created. You will then be able to sit down and review each section of your caregiver resume. There are many different things that you should be looking for in a caregiver resume. You should list specific skills and experience, which are something that most people do not include.By reviewing the resume examples, you will find that it is not difficult to write a caregiver resume. However, you should also take the time to make sure that it includes the information that you want to be included and make sure that it is presented properly.

An Interview with Resume Writer Irene McConnell About Growing Her Business - CareerEnlightenment.com

Joshua Waldman: How has your craft changed over the years?Irene McConnell: We’ve become a lot more brand-centric. People come to us because they want a new resume (or a LinkedIn profile or a headshot or a set of business  cards) and they walk out seeing themselves in a new light, armed with a fresh focus and a strong career direction which they didn’t have before.Joshua Waldman: What are some mistakes you see other writers making that they should avoid?Irene McConnell: Copying other resume writers instead of seeking real ways to create value is mistake number one, two and three.The world is changing at a huge pace, which means that new, untapped opportunities to create value are presenting themselves every day. Look at  professional LinkedIn profile writing, for example. Three years ago it was unheard of I remember hearing about it and wondering, “would anyone really pay  for that?”. Today, it’s a huge industry which rivals professional resume writing.The modern business landscape favours innovative, risk-taking, highly adaptable, agile players. For the past few years, however, most resume writers have  done exactly the opposite they’ve copied established players.This has resulted in a stale, hugely behind-the-times industry which is vulnerable to the next generation of newcomers who are able to think outside the  box.Joshua Waldman: I noticed that LinkedIn services isnt just another cheap add-on to resumes on your website. What made you decide to offer LinkedIn profile writing as  a stand-alone service?Irene McConnell: We’ve all heard the stats 94% of recruiters will check out a candidate’s social media presence before calling them, etc.Importantly, it was clear that recruiters would use both a candidate’s resume and LinkedIn profile to vet them and they’d use those tools differently.  This made a pretty strong case to offer LinkedIn profiles which would as act as an extension of the resume.Remember how movies on DVD came with a “Bo nuses” disc? If you liked the feature, you could continue to interact with the brand via the bonus disc you’d  watch “behind the scenes” footage, bloopers, interviews with the stars, QA with the director and so on. To me a LinkedIn profile is that bonus disc  it’s allows a candidate to tell their story in a leveraged way to people who have expressed some interest in them.Joshua Waldman: What are some of the major differences between writing resumes and writing profiles?Irene McConnell: Resumes focus on factual, dry aspects of what you’ve done while the LinkedIn provides a glimpse into your personality and motivations.Joshua Waldman: Do you have any other advice to give to resume writers and career professionals?Irene McConnell: During the 1970’s people lived through what I call the “hardware revolution”. Personal computers revolutionised how people worked, lived and played.  It was a time of immense upheaval and thus opportunity. Millions of people embraced and leveraged the change to improve their lives, start businesses  and change the world.When I was younger, I sometimes wished that I was born earlier because I felt like it was a one-off type of opportunity which I missed.  I no longer wish that because I realised that right now we’re living through a much larger upheaval the “digital revolution”.The entire social fabric is moving online and computers are once again reshaping the ways we work, live and play. Studies show that in 10-15 years,  majority of us will be either freelancing, starting a business or doing contract work. People are expecting to have more meaning and freedom at work.  Companies are beginning to view people as valuable assets, rather than expendable resources.While the details of this revolution can be endlessly debated, one thing is clear next decade will be rich in work and business opportunities for people  who are ready to take up the challenge and be on the cutting edge of this revolution.If you have questions or comments for Irene, please comment below. If you would like to improve your LinkedIn profile writing and increase your sales,  check out my Certification Program just for resume writers.

What If You Get Passed Over For Managing Director Promotion

What If You Get Passed Over For Managing Director Promotion There is no guarantee that having embarked on the journey toward “MD-ship” that one will make it. That having been said, sometimes you just have to be patient. If you are given bad news, then the key is to understand why and what it takes to get there. Make sure you get clear and honest feedback about how the organisation sees you, and particularly whether they see you as Managing Director material. There are three categories of feedback you can get: 1.   You are seen as MD material and it is a question of “when, not if.” This is the “least worst” news and, at the same time, among the most frustrating messages to receive. It means you are “close, but no cigar.” This was the case for me the first time I was up for promotion to Managing Director, and the “when, not if” terminology was coined by my division head. (As an aside, if he weren’t so senior and plugged in, I would have done more due diligence to make sure that this was the broadly held view at senior levels. I probably should have done so anyway, but I was lucky and it worked out in the end. In any case, make sure you hear what you need to hear from more than one senior source, but do so gracefully and without offending your boss or sponsor.) When asked what I needed to do to get there next year, he told me to stay focused and “keep knocking the cover off the ball.” After a good sulk over the Christmas break, I did as he advised, and also enlisted his help and that of my other mentors over the next year to help stay on track. This paid off and I was promoted the next year. 2.   You are heading in the right direction, but have some things to work on In this scenario, it is crucial to understand what you are missing as well as what you are doing well. The adage of “accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative,” comes to mind. It is also possible that you are in a role that is not seen as an MD role, in which case you need to make a move. Again, enlist help in addressing these points and either working toward being seen as MD material where you are, or getting into the right business role for you to have a real shot. 3.   You are unlikely ever to be promoted to MD This is the trickiest category because very few senior people will ever say those demotivating words to an employee. Yet, it is important to know, “am I wasting my time?” Truth hurts, but then you can move on. If this is the message, then you have some decisions to make. First, is it true and do you agree? If it is true, do you leave and go to a firm with a better fit, or stay and address your shortcomings? If you stay, do you find another role within the firm for which you are better suited, or carry on where you are and either keep trying to change their minds, or accept that you have probably topped out? Finally, is this a role in which you can stay without progressing, or do you risk losing your seat one day in an “up or out” type scenario? What is the right thing to do? I have seen different people react in different ways, and collectively they have made all of the possible choices listed above in relation to not being promoted. This is a very personal decision and one that requires a level-headed approach rather than a rash reaction. Whatever you decide, it makes sense to maintain your contacts with the search firm world to keep your options open, and to refrain from burning your bridges with your current firm. At the end of the day, you have to weigh up the options and realise that you really do have many. It is also important to understand that it is well and truly a marathon, not a sprint. Unless you are in a private partnership with an IPO coming up in the near future and except for your ego, it really matters very little whether you are promoted this year or next year, as long as you know you are on the right track and that you have the support of the firm. Like everyone else, I was in agony over seeking promotion, being passed over my first year, and then having to gear up all over again. It was only after I made it to MD that I realised ultimately, the timing made little real difference. Faster is not necessarily better. After five years, when asked to provide a bio for an upcoming speech, I even had to check the paperwork to be sure of the exact year when I was promoted! But if you are like I was, you won’t believe this until you experience it for yourself, and I very much hope that you will. Keep it in perspective Promotion to MD is a great goal and a hard-earned achievement. But remember that once you get there, the work truly begins. And the bottom rung of the next ladder is undeniably risky. When I was up for promotion, a colleague in firm management did an informal calculation of the average tenure of an MD and found that it was only 2.4 years. Granted, that was more than a decade ago and we were not shown the data behind the calculation. Nonetheless, it was a sobering statistic. As one of my first bosses said, “be careful what you wish for, sometimes you might just get it.” So, when you ultimately make MD, congratulate yourself, but realise that new MDs must quickly learn to justify their existence at an even higher level.