Career Success! Partners

How to Answer the "Weakness" Question During a Job Interview

"Tell Me About Some of Your Areas of Weakness" ....

Oh....that dreaded question; the one we know they ALWAYS ask.  Why do we find this question so tough to answer?  Many people really trip on on answering this question.

A couple of ideas:

• Focus on a weakness that might actually be viewed as a strength, e.g., I tend to work long hours, I tend to be a perfectionist, I tend to push my team really hard to accomplish their goals, etc.

• We all have weaknesses.  Some could be fatal weaknesses with respect to the job at hand, but many are likely not fatal weaknesses.  Choose a non-fatal weakness -- one that's been part of your personal history BUT one that you've also focused SIGNIFICANT TIME and effort on improving.  Discuss all the things you've done to improve upon that weakness -- be specific.  Talk about how you HAVE improved -- give examples. 

I tend to lean toward the second of the two ideas above.  The second approach demonstrates that you (1) understand your weaknesses (self knowledge is a desired trait in an employee-to-be) AND (2) have the motivation and self-direction to work hard to either overcome them or significantly mitigate them (another highly desired trait for a potential employee).

Learn to answer this question with CONFIDENCE.  It WILL be asked sometime during the interview process.  PRACTICE your answer -- ask others for feedback.  Be prepared for this question and you'll do a MUCH better job of addressing it.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Are You in Transition? 12 Ways to Shorten Your Unemployment by 90 Days

Most senior executives have never faced the prospect of prolonged unemployment. Add to that a hyper-competitive job market and the realities of not generating income for the foreseeable future, and we all tend to get overwhelmed.

But if you look at it from a different perspective, this just might be one of the most opportune times in your life to grow as a person and as a professional.  For perhaps the first time since college you have an opportunity to focus your energy towards self improvement, rather than pouring your sweat and tears to achieve somebody else's goals. If you know where to focus that energy, you might just come out of this transition more empowered and self-aware than you’ve been in a long time. And if you’ve ever conducted a job interview, you know there are few things more attractive than a viable candidate who exudes confidence and has a strong sense of purpose (an excerpt from the e-book, "I'm In Transition, Now What?")

So....you're in transition, now what? Wouldn't it be nice to have a concise, easy-to-read guide that could get you started off on the right foot and maybe even shorten your path back to steady income?  Good news! Such a guide has been commissioned and is available for FREE as an e-book entitled "I'm In Transition, Now What? 12 Ways to Shorten Your Unemployment by 90 Days."

This e-book is comprised of 12 powerful ways to shorten your transition by 90 days. It's chock-full of useful tips on networking, resume writing, interviewing, social media, and much more from career experts across the country.

The e-book will be a living document, meaning new chapters will be added based on reader feedback. We hope you'll take some time to read the e-book and share your feedback.
 
We also highly recommend you send this e-book to your professional network, or anybody that might need a fresh career perspective, as a way to spread the wealth. They'll thank you for it!
 
You can access the e-book here: I'm in Transition, Now What?

All the best to your Career Success!
Andy Robinson, Carrie Robinson - contributing authors, "I'm in Transition, Now What?"

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

"The Wow Factor" - Interview with the Author, Frances Cole Jones - Some Great "Wow" Tips

Career Success Radio Show

Interview with Frances Cole Jones, Author of "The Wow Factor - The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today's Business World)"

Carrie and I interviewed author Frances Cole Jones on the Career Success Radio Show on Tuesday, November 10th on the subject of "Wowing" and positively influencing your colleagues, employers, potential employers -- even your competitors.  Frances recently released her newest book, "The Wow Factor" with offers easy-to-follow advice and immediately implementable tips and techniques for "Wowing" those around you.  CLICK HERE to listen.

 

Frances founded Cole Media Management in 1997. From the beginning, the company’s focus has been to cultivate a client’s inherent strengths to develop more powerful communication skills and, through these, enhance his or her personal and professional performance.

Cole Media Management clients have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, C-SPAN, CNN, Squawkbox, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, The Discovery Channel, The BBC News, E! Entertainment, Access Hollywood, Project Runway, Top Chef, ESPN, Extra! Fox and Friends, The View, Cashin’ In, QVC and others. Clients' print interviews have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, Vogue, W, O Magazine, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, Tatler, etc.

The scope of their work includes preparation for television and print interviews, IPO road shows, meetings with potential investors, and internal meetings with partners, sales staff, and in-house personnel. They also provide presentation skills seminars and speechwriting for clients.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

The Art and Beauty of a Wonderfully-Crafted Elevator Speech - Is Yours Memorable?

We've all heard the term "Elevator Speech," and how important it is to formulate a compelling message to others in less than a minute.

Whether you're looking for a new job, trying to develop new business, promoting your company, or simply promoting yourself, it is absolutely essential to have an elevator pitch.  With diminished attention span of others and the fast-paced environment that we live and work it, you need to communicate your message quickly, clearly and distinctly to someone who doesn't even know you.  A great pitch or elevator speech takes planning and practice to deliver it quickly, on the spot and under pressure.

I have a WONDERFUL tool that I recommend to my coaching clients to help them in the formulation of a compelling elevator pitch.  The tools helps give structure to the thought process of developing a clear and memorable elevator speech.

The tool is offered from free by the Harvard Business School Alumni Career Services organization and is available TO ALL OF US for use.

Check out this COOL TOOL here: HBS-Elevator-Pitch-Tool. 

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

Avoid These Conversation Killers At All Cost

We interviewed Debra Fine on the Career Success Radio Show several weeks ago.  Debra is the author of the book "The Fine Art of Small Talk," which offers a wealth of advice in how to start a conversation, keep it going and leave a lasting positive impression of yourself.

Mastering "small talk" is key to networking and relationship development -- it enables you to effectively establish rapport, command the attention of others, and boosts your self-confidence in conversational situations.

One of the things that Debra mentions in her book is a list of "Conversation Killers" -- topics that you DEFINITELY WANT TO AVOID initiating in a conversation.  Those conversation killers include the following questions and topics:

• Are you married?  Do you have any kids?  What are you going to do with either one of these if the response is "no"?
• How's your job at "ABC Company"?  Unless you know the person VERY well, don't assume anything.  Avoid putting the person on the spot or in an uncomfortable position.
• How's your wife? ...or How's your husband?  Again, don't make ANY assumptions regarding relationships; the answer to this line of questioning can bring a conversation to a screeching halt.
• Who'd you vote for?  Politics is definitely a "no-no" -- don't even think about going there.
• Where'd you go to college?  Those is did not go to college or did not complete their degree find this question uncomfortable.  If it comes up in the conversation, it's okay to talk about it, but avoid initiating the topic and avoid making any presumptions about the individual's educational background.

Bottom line, you want to avoid asking personal questions that you DO NOT ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER to.
_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

Want to Accelerate Your Career Success? Then Sharpen Your Listening Skills

Hey, listen up .... Want to really accelerate AND sustain your career success? 

Then, you've GOT to be a highly effective listener.  As a leader, LISTENING skills are MORE IMPORTANT than your speaking skills .... No question.

Here are 10 ways which can help you become a better listener...

1. Listen for ideas and central themes.  Search for the speaker's central theme or main points instead of getting lost in, or reacting to, the supportive details.
2. Judge content, not delivery.  Focus, to your best ability, on what the speaker is saying and try not to be unduly influenced by their way of saying or delivering the message.
3. Search for areas of interest.  It is extremely easy to tune out from a speaker, so work on sharing his or her enthusiasm.  Search for new ideas or insights which might be beneficial to you.
4. Don't jump to conclusions.  It's easy to assume that you know the rest of a sentence  or message after hearing the beginning.  Avoid prejudging a message, so you can receive and evaluate the whole message.
5. Take notes.  By taking notes you sharpen your reception, understanding, and, of course, retention of the information.
6. Concentrate and resist distraction.  External distractions include non-related things you can see or hear, or which may be impacting your other senses.  Internal distractions occur when your mind wanders into unrelated memories or shifts its focus to worries, plans, or anticipations. Stay focused.
7. Use the fast pace of thought to your advantage.  Most people can think three or four times faster than they speak.  Don't let your quick mind indulge in all sorts of thoughts unrelated to the conversation.  Capitalize on your thinking speed by actively sensing, interpreting, evaluating, and summarizing the messages being received.
8. Check your emotions.  It has been said that the intellect is the slave to emotions.  Be sensitive to things that trigger your emotions and increase your efforts to focus on a clear reception and understanding of what is being said.
9. Exercise your mind.  You can turn away and tune out from complicated or difficult subjects, or you can intellectually wrestle with complex information so that you will have a chance to grow and strengthen your own intellect.
10. Work at listening.  Be an active listener.  Follow the above suggestions.  Ask questions and seek clarification.  Actively share in the speaker's efforts to improve your level of understanding, whether or not you think you agree.

5 Common Mistakes First Time Job Applicants Make

Looking for a job is tough, and getting an employer to call you back for an interview is tougher. You have to impress the employer and prove that you are a responsible and respectable individual capable of getting the job done. But there are some things you may be doing that are hurting your chances of making that good impression.

1.       Triple-check your resume. Your resume may look presentable and your credentials valid, but typographical errors can kill the deal. Typos give the impression that you are careless and did not take the position seriously enough to look over the resume before handing it in. Read over your resume several times to check for punctuation and spelling mistakes, and then have someone else proofread it as well. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can catch details that yours may have missed.

2.       Triple-check your cover letter. If your application includes a cover letter, be sure that you have the employer’s name, title, and address correct. It is wise to call ahead of time and ask if the employer is still with the company as positions can shift abruptly. It would be of poor taste for an employer to receive a cover letter that was addressed to the wrong person. And again, check for typographical and grammatical errors.

3.       Change your silly voicemail greeting. When an employer calls you and you happen to be away from your phone, he or she does not want to hear an inane voicemail greeting from a potential employee. If the employer is calling to schedule an interview, that silly voicemail greeting of your Darth Vader impression can have him or her thinking again about whether you are right for the job.

4.       Change your silly email address. It’s difficult enough for your friends to type in your “blueyedbabiegurl77573@somewhere.com” email address, so don’t expect an employer to respond to such an address. You can easily register for a new email specifically for work on the number of free webmail clients available, and keep your old one for personal use.

5.       Prepare for interviews and dress appropriately. Appropriate dress differs from position to position, so you should research into what you should wear before the interview. You do not want to show up looking unprofessional and underdressed. You should also research into the position and company you are applying for to show that you are genuinely interested in the job.

This post was contributed by Donna Scott, who writes about the online degree programs. She welcomes your feedback at DonnaScott9929 yahoo.com

Remember the "Rule of Three" - Make Yourself Memorable

The "Rule of Three"

Whether you're giving a presentation, telling a story, submitting a proposal or selling your services -- keep in mind the "Rule of Three."  Have you ever noticed the pattern of "3" in many of our traditional childhood stories -- three blind mice, the three stooges, the three little pigs, Goldilocks' three bears, three wishes .... the list goes on and on.

Research has shown that there is a rational behind the use of "three" in our societal story-telling -- our brains tend to naturally think in threes.  Add one more element and the memory pattern tends to slip.  Why not take advantage of this human tendency when interacting with others?

Knowing the "Rule of Three" and using it in your presentations, your "elevator pitch," your cover letter, your letter to that important client and other key communication pieces can be incredibly impactful.  Use the "Rule of Three," and people will tend to remember what you said and will likely remember that YOU said it.

As you wrestle with formulating your very next presentation, pick three stories, three key points or three ideas that best illustrate the message you are attempting to convey.  Repeat those three elements throughout your presentation.  End your presentation by going back to those three elements.  The "Rule of Three" works and is a powerful tool for facilitating retention.

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

Job Interviewing Tips and Techniques for Executive-Level Candidates -- Make a WOW Impression!

Mastering the interview process is the key to securing that "dream job" or "perfect fit" executive level job that you're seeking.  It's tough enough to get INTO the interview process in today's current job market, but once you're "in play," you've got THOROUGHLY PREPARE and BE READY for every interview step along the way -- phone interviews, one-on-one interviews with the leadership team, group or panel-style interviews, etc.

The THREE keys to effective interviewing are PREPARATION, PRACTICE and PRESENTATION:

PREPARATION.  Prepare In Advance of EVERY Interview -- You simply CANNOT over-prepare for an interview.  Those who prepare and take the time to do ALL of their homework, put themselves at a major competitive advantage.  Consider ALL of the following steps in preparation for an upcoming interview:

• Know the Format.  Confirm ahead of time the format of the interview.  Will it be a phone interview, face-to-face interview, group interview, panel interview, lunch interview, dinner interview, etc?  You NEVER want to be surprised by the format -- it can definitely throw you off and affect your level of confidence.

• Know the "Players."  Find out as much as you can about all of those individuals with whom you will be interviewing -- Ask for their names in advance.  If you're working with an executive recruiter, ask him or her to provide you with that information. Do a "Google" search on all of the individuals.  Do a LinkedIn search on all of the individuals. Look for things in common with your background -- former employers, college and university alumni, professional organizations, outside interests, etc. Draw up a list of possible talking points.

• Know the Position.  Make sure you thoroughly understand the roles and responsibilities of the position for which you will be interviewing.  Ask for a job description, find out why the position is open, thoroughly research similar positions on the internet (job boards are a great resource for this exercise).  Confirm your understanding of the position with your key contact at the company.  Make NO PRESUMPTIONS about the position.

• Research the Company.  Thoroughly research the company.  Talk to those in your network that know the company.  Research the company on the internet.  If a public company, review publicly available financial statement information. What are the key issues currently facing the Company?  Why is the position you are interviewing for available?  Is it a new position?  If so, why?  Is it a replacement position?  If so, what happened to the former executive employee? What are the company's key strengths?  What is their market share for key products/services? What is going on with the company's key competitors?  What late-breaking news is available on the company? Set up a "Google Alert" for the weeks/days leading up to your interview to keep current on late-breaking news.

• Draw Up Insightful Questions.  Make a list of GREAT questions that you can ask.  Formulate separate sets of questions for each of the individuals you'll be interviewing.  Orient your questioning to each person's background, role and responsibility at the company.  Great questions = Great candidates.
  

• Draw Up a List of Questions That Will Likely Be Asked of You.  Put together a comprehensive list of some of the key questions that you will likely be asked. What are the most difficult questions that you could be asked?  Consider things such as: Gaps in your work experience; Short-tenure job positions (particularly those where you were employed less than one year;  Lack of experience in one or more of the key requirements of the job position for which you will be interviewing

PRACTICE!  This is the BIG ONE that most executive level candidates FAIL to give sufficient attention to.  My experience in working with hundreds and hundreds of executives and preparing them for job interviews is that THOSE WHO PREPARE almost ALWAYS outshine their competition.  Preparation = Confidence; Preparation = Relaxed and Calm Presentation; Preparation = Minimizing Surprises.  Ideas for PRACTICE include:

• Role Playing with a friend, your spouse, or an experienced coach. 
• Self-Observation. Practicing in front of a mirror.
• Video Replay. Video-taping yourself and critiquing your performance.
• Audio Replay.  Recording yourself and critiquing your performance.

As with anything, PRACTICE makes PERFECT.  Why leave ANYTHING to chance?  If the position you're planning to interview for is IMPORTANT, take the time to PRACTICE.

PRESENTATION.  On the "Big Day" you've got to SHINE.  You've got to "Wow" ALL of the interviewers.  You've got to create an excellent INITIAL IMPRESSION and you've got to leave a LASTING ENTHUSIASTIC IMPRESSION of yourself.  Consider these key tips for making a "Wow Presentation":

• Dress for Success.  Know the dress-style expectation ahead of time and take it up just a notch.  If it's business casual and they ASK YOU to dress business casual, then respect their request but take it up just a notch.  For males that means putting a blue blazer over your golf shirt and wearing impeccable shoes.
  
• Impeccable Grooming.  Speaks for itself.
  
• Watch Your Manners.  Show respect for everyone you meet -- the receptionist, the administrative assistant.  It may be that everyone's vote counts.  Be kind, be considerate, be nice.
• Smile and Be Engaging.  Interviews are serious, but let your personality come out.  Smile and show enthusiasm.  Be engaging. Practice an interview style that replaces "stiffness" with being more conversational.  Be interesting.
  
• Avoid Humor.  Leave the joke-telling to others.

A Few Final Thoughts:

• Keep your answers on-point.  Answer the question and avoid rambling commentary.
• Ask about next steps.  Asking "what's next" is a signal of your interest.  Know the next steps.
• Let EVERYONE know you're interested.  Don't leave anyone questioning your interest level.  Make it apparent and sincere.
• Pick up business cards or contact information on everyone you meet with.  You'll need this for follow up purposes.
• FOLLOW UP with everyone with whom you interviewed -- at a minimum via email.  Handwritten notes to some of the key interviewers can also make a positive impact.  Reaffirm your interest level.  BRIEFLY readdress any issues that a particular interviewer might have had.

PREPARE .... PRACTICE ..... PRESENTATION, your keys to an effective interview.

_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

Behavioral Style Interviews Require Extra-Effort in Preparation. Consider These Tips.

The behavioral interview format is definitely more common now than it's ever been before.  Behavioral interviews are very effective when conducted properly.  Preparation for this type of interview definitely requires extra effort and time.

There are a number of great books and articles out there on the subject.  Find a great book. Do a search on Google for "behavioral interviews" and look through the myriad of articles written on the subject.  Read the example questions and the example answers.  Reading is helpful, but this is one definitely of those areas where SKILL (practicing and doing) far outweighs KNOWLEDGE (reading about it).

The BEST way to prepare for these interviews is to practice with a third-party, to role-play and to get quality feedback.  Practice and role-playing develops your SKILL and feedback reinforces your learning and helps you identify improvement ideas. 

Behavioral interviews are very dialogue-oriented, supplemented with deepening levels of probing  -- you're never quite sure which direction the line of questioning will flow.  That is the big reason why practice works so much better for preparing for this popular interview format.

Find someone skilled in behavioral interviews with whom you can practice -- maybe someone in your network in an HR role, a friend who is a consultant in the job search field, or an outside coach.  Practice is KEY to "acing" the behavioral interview.

All the best to you career success!

Posted via email from Andy Robinson's Career Success! Career Tip of the Day