Careers-In-Transition Blog

As a career coach, career counselor, and professional for careers in transition, a parallel comment can be made for some interview situations. 

I’ve coached people to expect the unexpected.  Everyone has a bad day.  Human Resources people are no different.

For example, let’s say you were invited for a face-to-face interview and are sitting in the HR waiting area.  You can’t help but hear loud voices coming from a heated discussion on the other side of the wall.  I admit, HR folks should never voice opinions to be heard, but it happens.

Then a HR person then comes out to say hello and take you into the “interrogation, no wait, the interview” room.  But you recognize the voice;  It was one you heard in “The Discussion.”

After pleasantries are exchanged the first question is “I notice you have gaps in your employment.  Why?”

Wait a minute.  You need to realize that Human Resources reviewed your resume, has presented the resume to the department, and has selected you to come for an interview.  Human Resources knows about your “gaps in employment” and yet, you have been selected to interview.

The key is not to give the wrong answer and be tossed out of the interview with no chance to meet the hiring manager.  If HR is having a good or bad day, the key remains providing the correct answer.

Be brutally honest, but don’t hesitate. The HR person has done tons more interviews than you.  Do not fudge any start / end dates.  Have the resume you submitted be focused in your mind’s eye and be able to quote chapter and verse with an immediate response.

“The economy has hurt everyone, including me,” could be a good start point. 

If you have a justifiable reason, use it.  “I was downsized by XYZ  Company in January and did a last second enrollment in Whatever Community College to take a class in Technology or Networks or Advanced CAD.”  This would be a super comeback and would satisfy Human Resources completely.  And if you could add, “And by the way, I’m getting or got an A,”  even better.

If the class was totally related to the area where you are interviewing, even better.

Next case, no educational-type deal:

“When I was downsized, I took immediate steps to update my resume, put my networking efforts at 100%, and get my job search going full time.  I have not permitted myself to have any down-time until I land a new opportunity. This has been a full time effort and truthfully, I am pleased to be here and interviewing with you.”

Try and diffuse a negative situation as soon as possible.  Don’t let these questions that potentially put you in negative posture to continue, if you can stop them.  Try and end these questions as soon as possible.

If you need further assistance on how to deal with questions that put you on the defensive, contact a career coach, or career guidance counselor, or a professional who has dealt with careers in transition.   Be prepared!

Call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com for further information.

Let’s presume you are a Senior Manager or “C” level professional who passes the “Posting-Selection-First Screen” gauntlet, to use a phrase from an earlier article. 

Once at the potential employer’s site for a face-to-face with senior management, you have had a morning of interviews and now you are meeting with the person you will report to. 

This is the litmus test. 

This is the Big Kahuna. The Chief. The Big Guy.  The Man.  And yes, the real decision maker.  This my friend, is show-time, this is make or break time, this is use all the knowledge you can muster.  

It’s in your hands to respond to The Man correctly and be hired, or, not respond correctly and start the process all over with another firm. 

Don’t let The Man see you sweat.  Don’t be nervous.  Use that breath-strip and get some moisture back in your mouth before you sit.  You’ve used a career coach and have reviewed a number of potential questions.  You are prepared, you hope.

Chit-chat about sports, asking how the interviews have gone with potential peers, asking a small opinion about the company, etc is first. 

You wait for The Man to pounce.

As the interviewee, you should potentially be even more focused on behavioral interviewing than the interviewer. The preparation can help with the land-mine questions.

For example, on a recent interview one of my clients was given a situational question: “Let’s say there is a project in trouble. You have been assigned to fix it. What would you do in the first week when you get here?”

Her answer was much more compelling because she didn’t answer, “What I would do is…” or “Here’s what I would do…”

Rather, she answered, “Interesting.  This situation is a parallel of the time when……. and here is exactly what I did.” This response is referred to as antidotal and when you are able to demonstrate not only do you have the “right” answer, but you had the experience in stating, “been there, done that” your antidotal response will go a long way in gaining needed respect. 

This type of response is much more powerful than a statement that would at best stated, “I know what I think I would do.”

If you want to prepare for ”land-mine” type questions and responses, seek out a professional career coach, or professional career guidance counselor who has the experience in working with senior level candidates.  You can’t afford to get this far and fail. 

Call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com for further information.

Not everyone is struggling in the job market. 

I’ve read that jobs and careers, salaries, opportunities are booming for professionals in career transition today.  What an intro-line! 

I want to be a career coach and offer career guidance in those areas!

This past week an article in …. 

USA Today has reported that college towns and state capitals are doing okay in the recession. College towns and state capitals “are a refuge from the boom and bust of the private market,” said Robert Lang, urban sociologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. “State capitals are where the action is because they developed a white-collar service economy around government.”  Proper resume writing, proper interviewing, proper follow-up, career coaching, career guidance, are magnified when the job market is booming.  

I have a personal example of a client who had the proper resume, solid career coaching and solid career guidance, and she could not find a position in the metro area.  The “metro-area” happens to be Detroit, Michigan where one of the worst unemployment calamities is taking place.

However, this client re-focused her job search to Ann Arbor, the home of The University of Michigan and within one week had three job interviews.  She accepted a job and had a second job offer.  I agree Ann Arbor is 45 / 50 miles West of Detroit.  But this isn’t the point.  The point is there are opportunities in Ann Arbor, a college town.  There also is unemployment, don’t get me wrong.

My point is “Be Flexible” if you can.  Be open to finding an opportunity outside of your geographical area and go for it.

My second point is “Salary / The Inverse.”  You need to step back from compensation in a previous position, consider the current situation, and the future. And always be aware that many times promises are empty. 

“Company A will hire you at one rate and you will still be at that rate one year from now.”

Three points:  Negotiate mid-year performance appraisals leading to compensation reviews;  Next, add the benefit cost to your received compensation;  And, finally, look in the mirror to see if you are performing at your best.

There also could be extenuating circumstances:  Business performance including stagnation not expansion, declining market share, the economy could all be present. 

These are difficult times. You will need strong self-evaluation.  Never permit yourself to be unemployed in the future.  If this means retraining, get it.  If this means networking, do it.  If it means moving or commuting, face it.

Seek a professional if you don’t know where to start, seek a professional to get a reality check.  Find out areas where there are jobs for your background.  Be willing to refocus and look at a new geographic area. The world is not and will not ever be the same. Don’t wait until the eleventh hour of the eleventh day…………..   

Call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com for further information.

As a former technical recruiter and still very involved with candidate presentation, I try and deal with bright, focused, and talented professionals. 

I might ask if a professional is belongs to Mensa.  Some professionals just don’t list this organization, because they feel perhaps a bias could occur.  But, back to bright, focused, talented and maybe Mensa-type individuals where sometimes this is a help and sometimes a hindrance.  For instance, I like Master Degree individuals if completing a search for Big Five Consulting firms.  In fact, for senior level consultants with any firm, the MA, or MS, of MBA is a good sell-point.  CPA’s, MSA’s,… CISSP’s, and so on.  They all are a plus. 

I like India Institute of Technology graduates.  This is a prestige school that produces great and talented graduates.  I like particular  U. S. schools where I know the curriculums are focused and a graduate with a GPA of 3.85 / 4.00 is bright and has applied themselves.  This is good stuff.

Honest event; I won’t say when and I will use a fictitious name but I had a great opportunity for a Senior Creative Director / Web Developer for one of my major clients.  This individual had difficult requirements to qualify including an undergrad GPA……, many years of experience, CSS, HTML, XSL/XML,  and so on.

If possible for all candidates, I ask to meet candidates before the interview in person or by SKYPE.  This is mandatory.

Purple Hair With Yellow Polka Dots….

I was able to set up a noon-time meeting to meet my number one candidate. This guy was a rock-star on paper and in several phone conversations, Reynolds K.

I like sitting in a window booth and looked up to see a young man approaching me with . . .  purple hair and yellow polka dots.  I said a quick prayer that this was not the “Reynolds K” I was meeting. 

Wrong, it was.

Fortunately, it was a meeting where I told him in no uncertain terms HIS HAIR HAD TO CHANGE or I would cancel the interview. 

He was devastated.  I further told him, once on site and passing the 60 day guarantee period (every staffing professional will know the meaning of that comment), he could color his hair any manner he wished to color.  But until then, his hair had to be natural.  Period.

Sure enough, he complied  I know because I meet him at the client site!  And interviewed and got the job with flying colors.

I try and keep track of contract and direct hire professionals that my firm or I place.  This translates into on-site meetings with candidates every few weeks or lunch.  Reynolds K was true to his work and kept a light-brown color hair until………………….. 70-plus days. 

We spoke at about two and one-half months and he mentioned if I thought it would be appropriate to have a small, not-to-noticeable (yea, right!) pattern in his hair.  The position was “creative” and there were several, maybe the same, creative people at the firm.

His next foray into hair-style-color was a thunderbolt pattern and not only do his hair with the thunderbolt on both sides, mirror-image, but he put the same thunderbolt pattern on his car doors.  Mirror image, of course.

Gaud, I love genius-category professionals.