Always Put Your Best Foot Forward

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dog-633562_1920There are times when it’s okay to just throw in the towel, right? Especially when it comes to interview preparation.  Whether it’s an interview for a job, an internship or possibly grad school, you can cut yourself some slack on occasion.

After all, you’ve applied to dozens of places. Even though you’ve scored an interview with a great company, it’s not your first choice and there’s still time for “number one” to give you a call.

Sure, you do the basics such as getting an interview outfit and telling a few trusted friends about this new development. Without putting forth much effort you convince yourself that you’re prepared, you’ve done this before, you are ready for any question and that this interview is really more of an opportunity for you to take a look at them.

You don’t need to put much effort into preparing for an interview that you’re not 100% sure about anyway.

SAID NO CAREER COACH, EVER.

Yet I’ve heard this before, watched it play out and then seen the results. It should be no surprise that they aren’t pretty.

Always put your best foot forward. Approach every interview as though this is THE ONE; the job or internship that you really want.

Here are a few reasons why you should always put your best foot forward:

Personal Brand – Remember: you represent the brand of YOU.  And you always want to present your brand in the best possible way.  Prepare, smile and shine during the interview!

Six Degrees of Separation – It’s a small world. The hiring manager you interview with today may be best friends with the hiring manager you interview with tomorrow. Or they could be connected to some other key individual that may be instrumental in your career.  Give them every reason to praise you.

You Can’t Turn It Down Till They Make You An Offer – Many times I hear clients say, “Based on what I heard during the phone interview, I’m going to turn the company down”. Turn what down?  They haven’t made you a job offer yet!  In most cases it’s in your best interest to continue with the process to see where it leads.  Job location may be a concern for you, yet if the company likes you they may be willing to accommodate a telecommuting situation.  Who knows?  If you pass an opportunity too early you’ll never find out.

Always Go for the Win – Sports teams always approach a game with a winning mind-set. So should you when you go into an interview.   The goal is to receive a job offer – a win.  It allows you to make the decision about employment rather than having it made for you.  Go in to each interview as though it were the only job you want.

Practice Makes Perfect – If nothing else, every interview is an opportunity to practice your interviewing skills. Always look for improvement over your last interview. Grade yourself and afterwards note additional ways to improve.

 

Think Like an Athlete to Recover From a Bad Interview

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football field

The day starts out great. You have prepared for this moment, practicing your answers as if your life depended on it. Your outfit is perfect. Smiling at everyone you meet, you are gracious and relaxed.

You know you’ve got this interview nailed.

Then, out of the blue, the hiring manager asks a question that you should have been prepared for. In fact, you were prepared for it but for some reason your tongue got twisted in your mouth and you stumbled. Big Time.

It was like a slow-motion train-wreck happening as the wrong words came out into a mish-mash of an answer.

Not one of your finer moments.

To your credit, you recovered and kept going with the next question, yet it was a bit too late.

You could sense it – even see it – in the hiring managers’ eyes.

Game over.

How many of us have made a mistake during an interview, blowing the answer to a question that we should have answered correctly?

It happens. What we need to remember is not to wallow in defeat. We need to have a very short memory when it comes to our interview mistakes. We need to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and get back in the game.

Take a lesson from athletes. They have to get up and get back in the game literally seconds after making a potentially game-changing mistake, with large crowds of people watching their every move.

My nephew is learning how to master this skill, which will serve him well in the future.

In his first college football game he faced almost every obstacle possible, from wind, to losing his deep snapper (the guy who holds the football while nephew kicks), to penalties that forced him to attempt a field goal from a distance that many pros won’t make.
The style of kicking that his high school coach loved is different from what the college coach wants. His first two kick-off attempts failed, yet by number three he found his groove.

My nephew showed determination and a commitment to succeed. He let his short-term memory take over during those moments, forgetting his mistakes so he could focus on succeeding the next time he was on the field.

Next time you have an interview that doesn’t go as planned, think like an athlete.  Learn from your mistake, engage your short term memory so you don’t wallow in pity, and move on to success next time.

Lesson from The Bachelorette: The Follow-Up

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rose

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Job hunting is a lot like dating.

There really should be a reality show about this. Wait, there is – The Bachelorette.  It’s the ultimate interview experience.

What a train wreck. I can’t imagine putting myself through such a dating fiasco in front of millions. Yet there are so many lessons to be learned from this show that relate to the job search.

Yes, I’m serious. 

Everything from first impressions to thirty-second “Tell me about yourself” speeches to dress-for-success stories to having questions to ask the hiring manager.

Or in this case the bachelorette.

This week’s lesson from The Bachelorette is called The Follow Up.  It’s something many of us struggle with after we apply for a job.

Let’s say we have a great interview; we feel good about our conversation with the hiring manager; we had a real “connection” and we think we’re going to get an offer. Suffice it to say we leave the interview feeling pumped.

How or when do we follow-up with the hiring manager after an interview? 

Hopefully we do not take our cue from one of the current Bachelorette contestants, an overly confident bachelor who does not understand the rules when it comes to dating on the reality show.

This particular gentleman, having made a connection during an earlier date with the Bachelorette, decided that during the group date he no longer needed to pursue the young lady.  He reasoned that if she really liked him, she could “make an effort to find him”.

Unfortunately for him, that’s not how the game works.

The show is about courting the Bachelorette.  She holds all of the power to “hire” or “fire” the participants. The men are supposed to be in constant pursuit, proclaiming their intentions, while she is not allowed to proclaim her intentions until she chooses (hires) a winner.

No way was she going say “You’re hired” with the customary red rose given to the bachelors who advance to the next round.

Doesn’t this sound a lot like the interview process? 

In the real world, the hiring manager holds all the power.  As candidates we are in constant pursuit, proclaiming our desire to work for the company and touting our capabilities until a candidate is selected.

No matter how great you feel about the interview, no matter what kind of electric vibes you may have received from the hiring manager, it is always up to the candidate to continue to pursue the job opportunity.

Never take the attitude, “They liked me, so now they can call me”.

Unless you don’t want the job.

The day of the interview send thank-you emails to everyone you’ve met, followed by hand-written thank-you notes post-marked that night.

Wait a few days and if you haven’t heard anything, contact the hiring manager again with a friendly email or call reiterating your desire to work for her and the company.

After another week, try again.  Just remember that too much communication is as bad as too little. It’s a fine line between showing interest and being a pest.

True, you can have the best interview and feel a great connection with the hiring manager and still not get the job.  If that happens, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it your best shot.

Who knows? You may demonstrate the kind of attitude that will get you an offer. And maybe a rose.

Always Bring Your A-Game to Every Interview

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keep-calm-and-bring-your-a-game

What would you do if you knew, for certain, that you had a shot at a job that would pay you seven figures?  That you were a shoe-in for an opportunity that would make you an instant millionaire?

All you had to do was get through the final interview without screwing up.  Basically, the job was yours to lose.

Most of us, I assume, would do everything in our power to bring our A-game.  We would prepare like never before. We would know our thirty-second “Tell me about yourself,” elevator speech. We would practice our answers to interview questions.  We might even hire a coach to review basics like eye-contact, body language, conversation and dressing for success.

Personally, I would purchase a new outfit, get my hair cut and have a manicure. This would definitely be a legitimate reason to shop.

Yes, most of us would go “all-out” for such an opportunity, knowing that getting hired would be the ultimate achievement and would cover any expenses we incurred to put our best foot forward.

I recently read an article written by Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News about a young man who did the opposite. He had an opportunity to be an instant millionaire and let it go up in smoke. Literally.

The article had to do with the NFL draft, something that I don’t usually watch.  Hubby brought the article to my attention about the story of Randy Gregory, apparently one of the nation’s top players and at one time expected to be a first round draft pick; probably top ten.

It’s my understanding that “first round” means millions of dollars, much more than if you languish until a later round.

But Mr. Gregory blew the biggest job interview of his life at the NFL combine.  He tested positive for marijuana.  I like how Mr. Gosselin put it best:

“By testing positive for marijuana, Gregory failed that simple intelligence test. How can you be that stupid as to risk a  lifetime of financial security for a few tokes off a joint?”

Seriously, did this young man really think his talent was so special that he was immune from the rules that all other draft hopefuls had to follow?  That coaches were going to ignore bad interview performance and pay him millions anyway?

The Cowboys had him as a first round pick, yet passed him up.  So did the other teams.  Mr. Gregory sat waiting for an offer.  I hope he was nervous; he should have been.

Something similar could happen to anyone during a job interview.  Inappropriate remarks, unable to answer interview questions, appearing unprepared in general, appearing cocky, inappropriate interview attire, etc. – any number of things.  We could just be so nervous that we lose our ability to think clearly.

Every time we interview, whether it’s the first phone-screen or the final-round in-person interview, we simply must bring our A-game. Always be on your toes.  Always show the company the best you have to offer. Your goal is to get the offer, not to leave a lucrative deal on the table because of a mistake.

As for Mr. Gregory, eventually he was selected, yet his value had diminished.  Trust had been lost, the team was wary of what he could do on the field as well as if hiring him could damage their brand.

I hope it works out for him.  And I hope we can all remember the lesson he inadvertently shared: Always bring your A-game to every interview. It could mean big bucks.

When It Comes To Interviewing, Just Be Yourself

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bruce-jenner

Bruce Jenner.  Unless you’ve been living in a cave, no doubt you’ve heard or seen or read about his decision to start living the life he has always wanted to live.

He’s finally going to start being true to himself rather than trying to simply fit in.  

While his case is an extreme, really don’t we all play a little bit of a game when it comes to being true to ourselves?

Especially at interview time.  Sometimes we paint a picture or act in ways that might be just a tad bit different from the person we actually are, instead of simply being ourselves.

Maybe we’ve been out of work for quite some time and we need the money that comes with the job.  Maybe it’s our “dream” company and we would do anything to get our foot in the door.  Maybe we are super excited about the actual work that comes with this particular job.

Whatever the case, we may do our best to fit in; to act a certain way during the interview process to secure an offer.

Nothing bad, mind you, it’s just that we may say or do things that are not exactly in line with our personality.  Or we may ignore little “red flags” that say “Your personality would not fit in with this corporate culture”.

Take me, for example.  I’m a very straight-forward, get-the-job-done kind of person.  I succeed in an environment that allows me to lead my team, to make decisions and to move the work forward.  An assertive leader, it’s my opinion that the best way to succeed is to understand the situation, set goals, formulate a strategy to achieve those goals and execute the tactics, knowing that there will be changes along the way.  I enjoy working with a strong, assertive leader as well; someone who will not hide from tough decisions or conversations.  And they’ve got to have a good sense of humor; I love to have fun at work too.

What if I ignored these known facts about myself during an interview?  What if pretended that instead, I was a bit more laid back and was okay with not having answers?  Or if I somehow knew that my assertive leadership capabilities would not be appreciated, and the corporate culture preferred a more easy-come, easy-go approach? Or any sense of humor would fall on deaf ears?

At best I would sit in silent frustration.  At worst, both the company and I would realize that while we both desired to do good work, our methods of achieving the outcome would be dramatically different.

It would mean that I was not being true to myself from the beginning, just to get the job.

I’ve said before that job hunting is a lot like dating.  And successful dating means being yourself; allowing the other person to see the real you in order to make an informed decision.

Same thing for accepting a job.  Just because it’s your “dream company”, if you have to suppress your personality during the interview or when you arrive for work, it probably is not a good fit long-term.

Right now, if you haven’t done this already, think about who you are.  The real you; your good qualities and bad; how you interact with people and how you work.  List them out.  Think about how this fits into a corporation’s culture.  (This is not to say we can’t include areas for self-improvement – I’ve got a list of those too.  Yet for this moment, know where you stand.)

When it comes to interviewing, just be yourself.  You owe it to yourself and to your employer.  Your success depends on it.

Interview Musts

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There are certain things that are considered “musts” when it comes to interviews.  An early arrival, manners and basic hygiene top the list, followed closely by breath mints.

To me these are all part of SOP – standard operating procedure.

It’s been brought to my attention that the younger crowd is not up on all of the SOP’s.  They may get the manners and hygiene, but I’ve noticed that many fail to bring copies of their resume to interviews.

I guess they think hiring managers are mind readers.

Since college students are in full interview mode right now, for either internships or full-time jobs, here is a brief list of Interview Musts:

  • Bring plenty of copies of your resume. Never assume that everyone you meet will have received a copy. In fact, some managers may have only been given five minutes’ notice that they will conduct an interview.  So make it easy for them and present a copy of your resume.  They will appreciate it.
  • Bring your business cards. This is a nice addition to your resume.  Also helps if you meet so many people that you run out of resumes.
  • Dress for success. Even if the firm is casual, you should be dressed for business.  Shoes should be clean and polished. Clothes ironed. Ladies, don’t carry too many bags.  If you carry a tote, then have a small handbag.  No need to look like you’re moving in with so much luggage.
  • Be prepared! Have your quick “About Me” speech with a memorable story ready to go so that it rolls off your tongue in a conversational manner.
  • Show them how you are the best candidate for the job and that you can solve their problems.  If you could only tell the hiring manager three things about yourself, what would they be?  Avoid things like, “I’m dedicated, hard-working, passionate and I’ve always wanted to work here”.  Use succinct stories that show examples of who you are instead of fluffy words.
  • Always be “on”. From the time you walk in the building to the time you get back to your car, be in “interview mode”.  Everyone you meet is judging you as a potential candidate.  If they take you to lunch, they are interviewing you whether it seems like it or not. They will watch to see if you speak about relevant topics, if you are too quiet or talk too much, if you talk with your mouth full, etc.  I’m not kidding.
  • Thank Them.  Thank each person after each interview.  And follow up with hand-written thank-you notes mailed either the same night or the following morning at the latest.

This list of “interview musts”, while not all-encompassing, is a great reminder for all of us to be prepared for interviews. Now go get ‘em!

Two Things Not to Ask During An Interview

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There are some things one just shouldn’t ask during an interview.

Even during an informational interview that is really more of a mentoring session. What’s rule number one of networking? Always attempt to make a good impression.  Some questions asked do not leave a good impression.

Case in point: A friend agreed to mentor a college student. This included inviting the student to the office to observe work in progress, answer any questions and review his resume.

My friend did her best to show him around the office and meet other people. She shared projects the company had worked on and critiqued his resume, making suggestions that would help when it came to interviewing.

She introduced him to current college interns and showed him the projects they were working on.

It was a great opportunity for the student to see first-hand the inside workings of a large award-winning firm.

A great time to ask questions like, “Which elective courses might help me in this line of work?”, “What kind of projects do new graduates typically work on as they begin their careers?” and “What kind of computer skills do you look for in graduates with my degree plan?”

Since many college programs, even at the graduate level, require internships, it was also a way to inquire about this, including who to contact at the corporate office.

Not this young hotshot.

As the session was coming to a close, the student did have a few questions, mostly mundane and repetitive of what had been answered earlier.

Then the ball dropped.

“Soooo, tell me what’s a typical day like here; you know when do you come in and when do you leave?”

My friend glanced at her watch; time was now about 7 p.m. and the student interns, as well as other high-level managers were still at their desks.

She felt like saying, “You did not just ask me that did you?”

The student quickly followed with: “How much do you pay your interns?” pulling out data on pay obtained from the internet.

My friend was speechless.

The first question could have been one of curiosity; however a quick glance around the open-concept office would have shown that most people were working late.

The second question was just not a smart one to ask during a networking meeting. Especially because 1) this was not a job interview and 2) that’s not information that was his business until a job offer is on the table.

Both questions were red-flags to my friend. In her opinion, the questions signaled that the student was more interested in finding out about the hours he would have to work and how much money he could make instead of what he might learn.

Combined with the issue that throughout the time spent together, he didn’t once show that he had a passion for his chosen career or for possibly working at the firm.

It’s this kind of thing that might come back to bite him in the hind quarters when applying for an internship or a job later on.

Like I said, there are some things one just shouldn’t ask during an interview.

 

Own Your Strengths

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Woman with Shopping Bags

Hi – my name is Tami, and I’m a…a…retailer. 

Yes, I’ve known this for quite some time.  Why haven’t I told you before?  Oh, I don’t know.  It’s one of those things that sometimes just doesn’t sound as good as I’d like it too.

Being a retailer is not an easy career path, and it’s one that I chose to pursue when I was in graduate school.  Retailing has everything: strategy, products, logistics, finance, communications, marketing and sales.  It’s old fashioned, with brick and mortar stores, yet so twenty-first-century with ecommerce and mobile apps.

My favorite part is that it’s fast-paced and constantly changing.  We had a saying at my first retail job out of school: you’re only as good as yesterday’s sales.  It’s a constant tug between “how did we do” and “what is our next big thing”, always striving to be better.  To be a good retailer, you need to be able to move between creative and analytical in a heartbeat.  It’s stressful even in slow periods.  And holidays – or should I say “what holidays”?  They are super busy when everyone else has time off.

And I love it!

For some reason I understand the business model, I like the frenetic pace, I enjoy mixing creativity, strategy and analytics, and above all, I enjoy seeing the results.

So why am I telling you this? 

After the layoff I was afraid to tell people I was a retailer.  Not because I was ashamed but because I wanted to cast a wide net in the job search and didn’t want to be exclusively defined by this title.  Frankly, I was afraid of being viewed as a “one-trick pony” when I knew I had much more to offer.

So what did I do?  I came up with some snazzy words to convey the type of work I did to avoid pigeon-holing myself into one industry.   I played down my past employment and spoke in general terms about my experience.

The result? In doing so I ignored my biggest strength:  I am a retailer and I thrive in that type of environment.

My advice to anyone looking for work is to be truthful about who you are in the work force and what type of work makes you tick.  Own your strengths and be truthful with yourself.

Otherwise you’ll end up miscast in a job that’s not right for you.  The last thing you want is to be a square peg pushed into a round hole.

This doesn’t mean you have to stay in your current industry.  As I discovered, my retail skills were transferrable to other industries and other disciplines.  The important thing is to determine what you excel at and apply those strengths to new opportunities.

The lesson here? It’s OK to be who you are. In fact, you need to own it. Your next employer wants it that way.

Do What Scares You After A Job Loss

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Misty

Who doesn’t love a puppy with their funny little run, wagging tails and slobbery kisses?  They are so cute, aren’t they?

A long time ago, I was one of the few people on the planet who did not like puppies.

Actually I was terrified of dogs. Any size, any kind.  It didn’t matter if they were on a leash, in a crate or behind a fence, or if they were the kindest, gentlest dog around, I was frightened beyond belief.

I wasn’t born afraid of dogs. My irrational fear of man’s best friend began when I was five.  The event that triggered this was apparently so horrific to me that my mind has blocked it from memory.

Mom tells me that our next door neighbor was a kind man with five extra-large dogs; giant poodles to be exact that were all taller than me.   Knowing that I was tiny for my age, he would keep them behind the fence when I was playing outside.

We were walking home from school one day and I ran ahead of mom; he didn’t see me in the yard and let the dogs out.  As the story goes, all five decided to rush me, knocking me to the ground and I couldn’t get up.

At that moment, I became deathly afraid of dogs.

The incident happened in Ohio and I was upset to learn that there were dogs in Texas when we moved here. Usually I walked home from elementary school. If I saw even the smallest dog or heard so much as a yip up ahead, I would alter my route, sometimes going blocks out of my way.

Once we visited cousins who had a very gentle Labrador.  In my terror-filled mind, it may as well have been a house-broken T-Rex. I remember climbing up on the shoulder of the sofa against the wall to get behind my parents who could “shield” me from the beast, lest he tried to give me a kiss.

Yep, that’s what trauma does to a person.

When I was ten mom and dad realized I was not outgrowing the trauma.  One day mom picked me and Sis up from school saying that she had ordered us a very special Christmas gift that we would have to share.  We were so excited about this gift, we ran into the house to find dad sitting in his chair reading the paper.  He had the gift!

He lowered the paper to reveal, of all things, a puppy. Augh! A baby T-Rex!

Sis jumped up and down; I took a giant step backward.  How dare mom and dad bring a beast into the house?

I was scared to death to get close to it.  Physically shaking. Afraid to touch it, especially the paws for some strange reason.

Mom pushed me forward and said, “Just try, please, just try”, as Dad put the beast on the carpet.

The beast couldn’t have weighed more than eight pounds and was so small that we could easily pick her up.  She came over and licked my feet, and I touched her head; her ears were so soft.  I don’t remember much after that except that suddenly we had a dog – she was MY dog – and I was calling all of my friends to come over to see her.

Mom and dad realized the importance of getting back in the game after a traumatic loss; getting back on the bike after falling off; or whatever metaphor you want to use here.

Same is true after a job loss. 

Losing your job is traumatic, in a way.  We lose not only our work and income, but our sense of identity, our daily purpose and social interaction.  Depending on the situation surrounding the job loss, there can be emotional trauma that makes us feel inadequate or insecure in our abilities – and that can make us fearful that we might fail at another job or even the interview to get the job.

The key is jumping back on the bike, grass in our hair, with both knees skinned and bleeding, to try again.  More than likely we will not fail.  The scariest part is trying.

Update your resume. Put your best foot forward.  Go on those interviews – the more you interview, the better you’ll become.

Do what scares you.  You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Neglect

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Fence

Hubby and I were ecstatic when we bought our home.  A contemporary gem with walls of windows in every room that looked out onto beautiful spaces, we couldn’t believe our good fortune.   While it had, as they say in real estate, “good bones”, it needed serious cosmetic help.

Multiple previous owners had each left their interior design stamp, layering on hideous wallpapers with different trims that defied logic.  And don’t get me started on the floors.  We had five different kinds of flooring, including three different carpets.

We knew that over time we could fix the inside.  We were thrilled that the outside was in great condition – beautifully landscaped, fence in good shape, solid retaining wall.   Eventually we were able to slowly renovate the inside to our liking.  It’s beautiful and we couldn’t be happier.

Until recently.

The once beautiful outside spaces had become a wasteland, the type you see in sci-fi movies, all gray with an assortment of broken things strewn about.  What was left of plant life was overgrown in many areas and barren in others. Hardly the view we wanted to enjoy from our walls of windows.

In all fairness to me and Hubby, neither of us have a green thumb nor do we have an interest in yard work.   Oh, we enjoy being in the yard. We just want someone else to take care of it.

The only plant life remaining was indestructible bamboo.  Some years ago, in an attempt to make a Zen-like retreat around the pool, we let a landscaper convince us that bamboo was the way to go.  He said it would require almost zero maintenance and would withstand the drastic temperature changes, especially the heat.  We were sold.

You all know where this is going.  Didn’t take long for the bamboo to take over.  Sure, it withstands any temperature.  In fact, we couldn’t kill it – and we tried.  Hubby regularly inspected our neighbors’ yard each week to make sure the bamboo wasn’t invading.

The real issue here was not the bamboo, although it’s a nice excuse.  Hubby and I had neglected the outside spaces, putting our finances towards travel and other home improvements.

How bad was it, you ask? The neighbors would creep down the alley in their cars, staring and shaking their heads. The once solid retaining wall had crumbled to dust and we feared sliding downhill into the neighbors’ house. The fence had weathered to an ugly gray and was barely standing.

Actually, it wasn’t standing at all. What was left of the fence was secured to the house with a variety of straps, two-by-fours and rocks.  Every night we’d watch the weather report for wind gust predictions, knowing that blowing out candles on a birthday cake would be more difficult than blowing our fence down.

Desperation set in as we waited for our turn on the fence company’s list, our wood-strapped-to-the-house contraption becoming even more of an eye-sore.  Hubby spent hours trying to secure the remaining boards and both of us tried to reassure the neighbors that we planned to replace the fence.

We had to view this ugliness every day from our walls of windows, we were sick of it and now we had to act quickly.

Why, oh why, did we let it get to this?

There are many reasons for neglecting something so important.  Money, time, hoping the problem will resolve itself.  That works for awhile, but at some point you have to take action.

How many of us neglect a job search when we already have a job?  We ignore that things may not be as good as we’d like at the office since we do have a salary and work.  Besides, it’s so much trouble to update the resume, work your network, and apply for jobs.  Sometimes we take the ostrich approach, like Hubby and I did with the fence, hoping that our resumes remain strong even if we fail to update them.

Problem with that approach – for either our fence or a job search – is that there comes a critical point where we simply must act.  A job search is not something you want to do under pressure if you can avoid it. Don’t neglect your job search skills until you’re desperate.  Keep an updated resume and stay in touch with your network.

Our new fence is great.  Now I’m working on my resume, just in case.