This is a great book for any job seeker. It not only covers all aspects of interviewing – but covers how to prepare. The insight of how recruiters work in invaluable.
Tom Jackson, Dallas, TX (May 17, 2009)

If you only read one book on job hunting, this is it! I am a career coach who refers to the information in Byers’ book more than any other. Byers’ suggestions to help readers figure out what truly is most important to the employer and then to play to the true values of their interviewer are practical and effective. He explains how to package your background so as to be easily appreciated in light of the employer’s needs.

This is a “must read” for anyone who is job hunting!

Ann Parrett (May 13, 2009)

All attendees were bright and eager for opportunity to network and receive feedback on their 30-second introduction. Four or five students would sit at my table, do their introduction, absorb their critique and then move to the next table to repeat the exercise. At the end of the night, they had the opportunity to practice their presentation six times, hopefully refining their message based on the critiques.

It was clear the graduate students had more on the ball that the undergraduates, or at least a higher level of self-confidence. They had a clearer vision of their career path and answered questions with greater clarity.

Almost without exception, everyone used more than 30 seconds for their presentation, a minor misdemeanor. A more serious infraction was lack of focus and how they were going to move forward. And only one student had a specific company in mind. My suggestion was to research your industry, pick three companies and then introduce yourself and ask for help into networking your way into any of these three companies.

One or two students had an underlying attitude that they were expecting their future employer to make the first move – without any real thought as to how to connect to the marketplace. I challenged this line of reason, “Leaving your career to the care of others is not a good habit. You are fully responsible for your career. You may not know how to do all you need to do to move forward in your career, but if you will embrace this idea about responsibility, the details will work themselves out in ways you never expected.”

I was a little surprised that I had to ask so many people to “speak up.” While they were competing with a moderate level of noise in the room, I was just imaging what it is going to be like at a busy job fair – they will be completely drowned out. A few women were soft spoken and one young man had a beautifully rich deep voice, but he spoke in a near whisper. As I mentioned to several, “If people can’t hear you, they won’t know how to respond and they will not know how to help you. Right now, you need people to help you.”

I applaud each of the students for attending the networking session. Their attendance shows initiative and a willingness to put themselves into an uncomfortable situation with a room full of strangers. Hopefully, the critiques provided some insight into better crafting their message. They have taken an important step in their transition from student to professional, so they can begin to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

2. The job description should DESCRIBE the job, not the skills required for the job. Many job descriptions, especially those in technology, list required skills and technologies, but never mention that you will be developing a critical new Point of Sale application or that a majority of the work is simply maintaining existing code. Because technology matures so rapidly, candidates usually have a greater interest in HOW technology is being used than in a particular version of software, which will be obsolete in a few months.

Why does a company require 5 to 7 years accounting experience? How exactly is this level of accounting expertise going to be used on the job? Is the position simply running reports – or is the emphasis on analysis and critical thinking? A great job description helps the candidate “see” the day-to-day activities of the position. Another way to help the candidate better understand the position is to break the job down into parts: 50% second-level technical assistance with the Fortune 500 clients, 20% research and bug resolution, 25% remote and class room training for new employees, 5% administrative reports.

3. If properly written, an excellent job description can be the basis for future performance reviews. A performance-based job description highlights the most important deliverables and how success will be measured in time and output. Performance-based job descriptions help frame the interview and provide a context to discuss expected behaviors for superior performance. An effective performance-based job description will help attract A Players and screen out lower performers.

Job Competencies include different types of thinking, such as Analytical, Conceptual or Strategic – together, these are the components of Critical Thinking. A superior sales person would be particularly strong in Relationship Building, Persuasion, Interpersonal Understanding, and Customer Service Orientation. In training, a superior performer would also have Persuasion skills along with a high level of Integrity and be able to Develop Others. A few more of the 24 job competencies include Organizational Awareness, Organizational Commitment, Initiative and Flexibility.

At a recent talk at Dallas Baptist University (Frisco Campus), I was ask if “underlying characteristics” are something we learn or something that is part of our DNA. I don’t think competencies are part of our hardwired DNA other than to say much of who we are is a direct impact of our formative years. We pick up the accent of the community we grow up in and absorb the neighborhood’s cultural norms. Someone growing up in the Bronx is going to have a different accent and a different set of life experiences than the kid growing up in the prairies of South Dakota.

As an air force brat, I lived in three states (six seperate towns) and two foreign countries. You would think I would have had a culturally diverse youth, but in fact, residence of air force bases are a remarkable homogenous group. There are shared group norms – everybody goes to the base hospital, shops for groceries at the commissary and goes over to the base PX for socks and underwear. It is a tribal community that would be foreign to someone in a neighboring town.

While our youth helps define our core being, life does change albeit in mostly tiny increments. Like a wrench tightening a loose bolt, our lives are constantly being “adjusted” through cultural and political events, the dynamics of family events, and our own professional career path and day-to-day life experiences. And each generation has its own heroes and global events that shapes the window to the world.

Over the years, I have taken many people though a 10-minute competency exercise to help them identify their top six job competencies. While we all have a distinct “competency model” to offer the work place, I think our personal competency model adapts over time based on the job assignments and the degree our interests and limitations allow the model to change.

Someone who is rigid and sees the world in black and white may have a clearer understanding of how to leverage their current competency model in the workplace. However, in the long-term, they will have a difficult time making the necessary adjustments to assure their model is always command a premium price.

• Employee Evolution is dedicated to helping the millennial generation answer the hard-hitting questions that come with the biggest transition of our lives.
• Employee Evolution gives managers and HR professionals a glimpse into the millennial mindset – straight from the source.
• Guaranteed insightful, thought provoking columns every day.
• You will find tons of other resources to help you channel your life.

If you are a Millennial or want to learn more about this generation, check out the site. Great stuff.

• 68 percent of employees say it is a good time to increase workplace responsibility – up 5 percent from last year
• 50% of employees say it is a good time to look for a new job with a higher salary – down 4 percent from last year

Building Value in the Company
The article draws on the advise of several workforce experts. Dan Schawbel argues: “A regular 9-to-5 day is not enough during this recession” and adds, “If you’re content on taking the easy route, you’ll be replaced by someone willing to work harder.”

Dan suggests two strategies to help secure your career:

1. Take on more work to provide greater value
2. Build a brand outside of the company in case the economy continues to slide and you are hit with a layoff

Become Market-Drive
Another contributor, Mark Roberts, challenges workers to “become market-driven within your company to determine exactly how to take on more work.” If you are going to add two or three more hours to our work week, you need to carefully choose your priorities. Roberts suggests identifying new projects that solves an important business problem. “Hunt for problems to solve that contribute to the future of the company, which will contribute to your job security.” Picking a high impact project is working harder and smarter.

Robert challenges workers to “take a small amount of money and accomplish a lot with it.” This requires creativity, a strong network of go-to people and thinking like the CFO.

Another strategy for job security is to examine the work that is being outsourced. Can you do it better? This is a good time to review existing contracts to determine what can be brought back inside and what the cost savings would be for the company.

Building Value Outside the Company
While you are working harder inside the company, you have to also work harder outside the company – to build your network and your brand. In a layoff situation, a broad network that respects your expertise often makes the difference between a soft landing and a crash and burn scenario that takes months to rebound from.

1. Say who you are
2. Say what you do
3. Say why you do it better

Rose suggests avoiding generalities like, “I enjoy helping people.” It sounds weak and has no impact. It does not stick. It is a concept that needs flushing out. Adding a brief story to illustrate your customer service expertise drives home the point. It is punchy and it sticks. You have caught the hiring manager’s attention and they want to hear more.

This three-step strategy is powerful. However, it requires discipline, restraint and little practice. Too often, the tell-me-about-yourself question is answered in excess. People try to hurry through their whole resume. This is sad, because in the first few minutes of the interview you loose the interviewer and more importantly – the job. On the other hand, creating concise high impact stories that “combine a picture with your words…doubles the amount of time people remember you.” This is critical, because once you leave the interview, there are dozens of distractions to blur their impression of you. Pick stories that will help them remember you and the value you will add to the organization.

Here are two examples from the article: A woman shares that she is a versatile customer service and operations professional whose travels through 48 states gave her valuable experience with diverse people. A financial controller who loves the game of  golf linked his precision and follow-through of his swing to the qualities to brings to his work.

Take time to craft your three-stage presentation. You’ll want to practice aloud to work out the bugs and make sure you are staying under the minute mark. As the article states, “Polishing your pitch the cheapest and most effective way to get or keep a good job in a tough market.”

1. Tips For Keeping Your Resume Fresh Kristy encourages job seekers to clarify common resume themes, such as Team Player, Communication Skills, Customer Service and Management Skills. One or more of these concepts that show up on almost every resume. She encourages candidates to personalize these concepts for maximum impact. She provides an excellent example for “Customer Service.”
2. The Awesome Power of Face-to-Face Networking James Lee reminds us of the power of networking and how your social network (inner circle) drives success.
3. The Hidden Question in All Job Interview Hiring managers are always looking for ways of reducing their risk of hiring the wrong candidate. Hunter Nuttall tells a great story about the importance of verbalizing your interest in the position. His assumptive close, “Can I meet some of the people I’d be working with” is a jewel.

Critical Start
Hiring decision are made much earlier than most people imagine. Neil Anderson (1992) states “interviewers are far more influenced by information emerging early in the interview than that emerging later.” An 80-year meta-review of hiring found “interviewers reach a final decision about applicants after only four minutes of a thirty-minute interview.”

Crossing the Threshold
How do you know when you have crossed the golden threshold and transitioned from a candidate to an employee?

1. Watch the hiring manager’s body language. They will be more relaxed. They might crack a smile. Their gestures will be more animated. The formality of the interview will melt into a more casual tone. In interviewing for a sales position, I had a hiring manager rattle off 15 rapid fire interview questions and then abruptly stand up in mid-sentence and start an impromptu tour of the facility. A good sign indeed.
2. They are off script. Many hiring managers follow a scripted interview. When they put the pen down or push the paper aside, they have made up their mind.
3. They will stop asking questions and start talking about the company. Think of it as their sales pitch to you. Sharing details about a specific client or an upcoming project highlights a growing trust. They would not be sharing their “secrets” if they were not interested.
4. They will mention names – future coworkers or other managers you will have to meet before they make the (official) hiring decision. They are already beginning to see you functioning in their organization and interfacing with the team.

Some managers are very good poker players and the interview game becomes much harder. Their actions will be more subtle. Look for a personalized touch. Instead of dropping you off in the lobby, they will walk you to the door and linger a moment with you.

The Close
Once you receive one or more buying signals you will want to communicate in kind. State your specific interest in the company followed by a trial close. “Tom, the job description provides a good outline of the position. You filled in a lot of the holes and I am getting a good picture of how I will be able to contribute. My interest in the position is extremely high. What other background information can I share with you?” Tom will either continue to ask interview questions, which indicates a need for additional information before making a decision. Otherwise expect a comment like, “It looks promising. Let’s set up a time for you to talk to Samantha next week.”