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Job Competencies & Overcoming Hiring Objections
Tuesday, March 9 and 16 7:oo pm to 8:30 pm Career Jump Start 1st United Methodist Church, Arapaho & Central, Richardson Free, Open to the publicLeveraging Your Job Competencies in the Interview
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 10:00 am to 11:30 am DBM (Drake Beam Morin) Oxy Building, SW Corner of LBJ & the Tollroad Open to DBM clients onlyOvercoming Hidden Hiring Objections
Fall, 2010, Date TBA Career Design Associates 2818 S Country Club Rd, Garland Free, open to the pubicYou're Hired: How to Beat out Your Competition
December 2010 Evening presentation, Date and Time DBA Jewish Family Service 5402 Arapaho Road at Montfort Free - Open to the public, Limited Seating Need a speaker for your next meeting?How to have a good job interview
Career Assistance and Guidance
by Mitch Byers :: April 15th, 2008 :: Posted in Products |
Along the road of our professional career, we all hit bumps along the way. And sometimes we get to a fork in the road and are not sure which way to turn. There are endless factors that can impact our career – the economy, changes in our industry, our desire to change jobs, acquisitions, travel, a move out of town, our manager, our customers, new owners… and the list goes on.
You have a targeted need and we will develop a targeted solution. It may be acting as a soundboard for your next career move or providing insight into salary negotiations. Or it may be a serious issue that is negatively impacting your career. Let us help you ease through the rough patch and get you back on track doing what you love to do.
All Career Assistance and Guidance sessions come with a FREE on-line assessment. Contact us for additional information and pricing.
How do you know what you are worth?
by Mitch Byers :: March 18th, 2008 :: Posted in Negotiating Your Salary |
There are few things worse than starting a job with a vibrant spirit only to learn later that everyone is making $10,000 to $15,000 more than you are. What happened? Assuming education and professional experience are equal, then we have to backup to the interview. During the interview, did you adequately convey your value in the interview? Did you show the hiring team how you were going to contribute to the team? Did your answers signify how you were going to make a significant difference? If not, then maybe you are being offered a lower salary while the jury is still out on your performance. Or maybe they were expecting you to negotiate and started on the low end of the salary range.
Going into the interview, you should have first hand knowledge of the value you are bringing to an organization. Many job seekers rely only on their personal salary history, but this can cause a serious problem. Your past salary may not be reliable because:
- You are changing industries
- You were previously overpaid
- You were previously underpaid
- You are changing regions, like moving from Houston to Boston
- The new position requires additional responsibility or
- The new position requires less responsibility
Before you go in to interview you will want to carefully review the job description, both to help frame the interview and to understand the market value for the position. One website every job seeker should visit is www.salary.com.
A recent key word search for “Business Analyst” in zip code 75201 pulled up 25 varieties of business analysts on the first page. Narrowing the search to “Financial Analyst” provided four grades. A quick review of each job description provides a desired match at level III. For every position, a bell-curve diagram divides the base salary range into quadrants, from low to high. In the low 25% range, the base salary for Financial Analyst III is $63,400 and the 75% percentile salary is $78,600, with a median base salary of $71,000.
An average bonus for this position as well as the value of average benefits is also available for review. Additionally, you can find the expected education level for the position. For the Financial Analyst III position, 38% of employees have a bachelor’s degree and 60% have a MBA.
In just a few minutes, you have relevant and useful information you can use to:
- assure any salary offer presented is in the correct range
- leverage to negotiate a higher salary if an offer is below the median.
This a free site, more detailed and personalized information is available for a modest fee.
Matching your job description with those on salary.com should be a must for every job seeker. Requesting too high a salary for the position can be a turn off for the hiring company and accepting too low an offer can put you back in the job market prematurely. A little research will go a long way to assuring you are entering a win-win situation with your new employer.
Workforce Readiness: 10 Top Skills Needed by Those Entering the Workforce
by Mitch Byers :: February 15th, 2008 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career, Selection & Hiring |
The Workplace Visions publication discusses the mismatch of business needs and lack of available skills of young people currently entering the workforce. The recent Society of Human Resource Management publication highlights and how this mismatch will impact the challenges on managing the emerging workforce. Their research indicates “a staggering 94% of human resource professionals do not feel that their workforce is adequately prepared to meet the future goals of their organization.” As an example of the lack of available skills of our emerging workforce, a comparison was drawn between U.S. and their global competitors in the area of Science Knowledge. Of the 29 industrialized countries listed, the U.S. came in last, behind the U.K., German, Japan, China, and behind the front-runner Finland. In Mathematics and Problem Solving, U.S. students also performed below average. In Reading, U.S. students scored just above the mean, but well below the top performers.
The Solution
99% of participants in a 2007 study felt like the best remedy was to expose and teach students a variety of skills that would allow the U.S. to compete globally in the future. While there was a consensus of significant improvements needed in reading, science and math, employers had a bias towards applied skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, teamwork and collaborating, leadership and diversity.
Top 10
Here is the Top 10 list of skills employees are expected to need over the next five years
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Information Technology Application
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Creativity and Innovation
- Diversity
- Leadership
- Oral Communications
- Professionalism and Work Ethics
- Ethics and Social Responsibility
- Written Communications
Action Plan for Job Seekers
During the interview process, job seekers can probe to find out what the company needs. What skills is the company lacking? What is impacting their competitiveness or slowing their growth? What critical elements are needed to complete their team? Chances are good the skill needed can be found on the Top 10 list. Think about your own strengths and experiences. What are your top two or three strengths that will add value to the company? Working with your strengths, develop brief concise stories you can share that will help the hiring manager “see” you as having expertise in these areas. If there is a solid match between their needs and the values you offer, then the hiring decision has just become an easy choice.
Once hired, learn more about which skills you will need for continued success. Invest in continued education to hone your skills and erase any significant deficits that may impede your career growth. It is always better to be part of the solution rather than be perceived as part of the problem.
3 Benefits of tracking contacts and calls
by Mitch Byers :: January 12th, 2008 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career, Interviewing to Win, Selection & Hiring |
People in job transition often lament that looking for a job is a full-time job. Activities such as company research, network meetings, job fairs, connecting with recruiters, meeting company insiders for coffee, scrolling the job boards and preparing for the interview keeps you moving forward towards the end goal, landing a new position. During your job transition, you will have multiple conversations with dozens of people. Part of your “full-time job” should be to organize and track each of your contacts. Tracking your job transition contacts has several benefits:
1) Analysis of Your Current Job Search. Your job search can be an emotional roller coaster that can span over several months. Tracking your contacts and activities provides a realist assessment of your progress. Are you developing a large enough network to effectively penetrate the market? Your contacts and call activity will help you analyze if you are spending too much time on the job boards and not enough time connecting with people who can help you move forward in the job search.
Tracking your calls and contacts can be accomplished with a simple spreadsheet. To compliment your tracking system, you will also want to organize the business cards you will be receiving. Purchasing an organizer from the office supply store or scanning the cards and setting up electric files works well.
| Date | Contact | Title | Company | Contact | Activity | Next Steps |
|
| 3/5 | Barbara Sollas |
VP, Sales |
Western Properties |
o 214- 333-3131 c 214- 444-4141 |
bsollas@ wp.com |
Intro Call, possible interest after 4/1 |
Call week of 3/25 |
2) “Off the Market” Notification. At the end of your current job search, you will want to contact individuals on your list to notify them of your new position that you are “off the market.” This professional courtesy is one not often provided. However, this personal touch will help keep you in good standing for future contacts.
3) Continue to build your network in your new position. When you are ready to move towards your next career position you can revisit your previous contacts and mine the data. Reestablishing contact with your known sources can quickly expand your opportunities and reduce your time in job transition.
Expanding and tracking your network during your job transition is a good idea with plenty of tangible benefits. Your documentation will keep you grounded and moving in the right direction. Long-term, you can continue to build your database to support future career moves.
Success in Your First 90 Days
by Mitch Byers :: December 10th, 2007 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career |
I recently requested a white paper from Cox Learning Group. The company specializes in helping organizations with their employment turnover and retention issues. The “Smart Steps for Creating an Employee Retention Strategy” article had a couple of statistics that I wanted to share with job seekers.
Deloitte conducted a survey of U.S. companies and concluded:
- It takes up to 6 months for a new employee to become assimilated into their new role
- It takes 18 months for a new employee to become fully integrated into the company’s culture
- It takes 24 months for the employee to understand the business and its strategy
The article later quotes a 2003 survey indicating 2/3 of the workforce do not sufficiently identify with or feel motivated to drive the objectives and goal of their employer. This corroborates with other articles stating around 70% of employees are less than fully engaged.
Wow, as someone in job transition, these are not good numbers. For most, your new position is going to be an uphill battle. Here are a couple of ideas to assure yourself you are in the 30% of the ENGAGED employees and that you are moving up the career ladder and not falling off of it.
1) Accept a position you can dedicate at least two to three years to. If you get the sense in the interview process you can’t make that commitment, then pass and hold out for something better. You don’t want your job to drag down your career. You want it to propel you forward. That takes a committed investment on your part.
2) 24 months is a long time to fully assimilate and develop to the point where you are providing maximum value to the company. I think a fully engaged employee can fast track and knock off 8 to 10 months. But besides a solid commitment, you also need a plan. Before starting, develop a 90-day initial ramp up plan. You may be thinking this is the responsibility of the hiring company. Sure they are going to give you direction, but you are ultimately responsible for your career success. Make sure you get it right the first time.
An associate recently recommended, The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins. Though it is geared towards company leaders, it is an excellent guide for anyone about to take a dive into a new phase of their career. I hope these ideas will push you into the 30% league of engaged employees. When you are on your way up, the career ladder isn’t so hard to climb.
Being the Bridesmaid
by Mitch Byers :: November 13th, 2007 :: Posted in Enhancing Your Career, Interviewing to Win |
What do you know about our company?
by Mitch Byers :: October 10th, 2007 :: Posted in Interviewing to Win |
Have you every been embarrassed in the interview with the question, “What do you know about our company?” It can be one of those make or break questions – a turning point in the interview. Your answer can lead to an in-depth discussion and enable you to ask your pressing questions. Or you can just sit in your chair, turn red and sink. I like the first option better.
Think of the hiring process in terms of a baseball game. You have to get to first base before you can reach second base. You have to round third base before you score at home. In the interview game, consider the invitation to interview as your time to bat. If you run the bases and make it back home you score – that is, you are hired.
Unfortunately, most people strike out, pop up or are thrown out at first. They end up playing in the minor leagues. Investing time in company research and uncovering their business needs put you on first base. That is a good start. Investing significant time in interview preparation allows you to safely steel second base. Once on second base, you are in “scoring position.” It only takes one more hit (a second interview) to move you around to third and then to home. You have just made the score!!
Investigating the company and honing your interviewing skills will help build your confidence.
Batter up.
Make a Pit Stop to avoid a Pitfall
by Mitch Byers :: September 12th, 2007 :: Posted in Interviewing to Win |
Make a Pit Stop to avoid a Pitfall
There are plenty of sources highlighting common sense interviewing practices: Dress appropriately, don’t chew gum (or tobacco), arrive a few minutes early and give a firm handshake. We all know the drill. Pretty basic stuff, but missing something basic can really trip you up.
Here is one more tidbit. Arrive a few minutes early and find the restroom. In an office building, pick a restroom away from the company suite. If the restroom is housed within the office, stop on the way at the nearest McDonalds. Here is the action plan:
1) Get yourself in order. Straighten the tie, check your button down collars, freshen the lipstick, freshen the breath, pinch your cheeks, blow your nose, wash your hands. Go very light on the perfume.
2) Silence your cell phone (a common oversight). If you are expecting an emergency call, convey this information to the interviewer before you get started.
3) Take a deep breath and hold for 20 seconds. Release slowly. Repeat 10 times. This is an idea evangelized by Tony Robbins.
4) Look yourself square in the mirror and give yourself a 30 second pep talk. This little rahrah sets the stage for you’re the all important introduction.
5) Stand up straight, put your hand out and shake it like you mean it.
6) Proceed to the company suite like you own the building.
Make the pit stop and avoid a pitfall.
Learning Your ABCs
by Mitch Byers :: August 20th, 2007 :: Posted in Interviewing to Win |
In InterviewRX, ABC refers to a simple interview strategy. Think of A, B and C as the points of a triangle. When connected, you have a solid triangle – that is, you have a complete career story. Just as each side of the triangle is meaningless without the other two, you cannot develop a successful career story with just one or two parts. You need all three. Here is an example of the ABC Strategy at work.
Stephanie is fielding an interview question from Thomas. “Stephanie, how has your employer benefited from your contributions?”
Stephanie:
A- The Problem
I support three departments – R&D, Fabrication, and Engineering. I was primarily responsible for defining the documentation procedures and creating work flow diagrams. There was no evident consistency in the style sheets the three departments were using.
B – Your Actions
I reviewed the existing publications of each department. What I tried to do was pull out the best design elements and work them into a master style sheet. Realizing the three departments have different requirements, I worked hard to build in flexibility in the way the templates could be used.
C – Results
We ended up with a procedural template that met the rigid guidelines management was expecting. However, it was user friendly, and there was enough built-in flexibility that the users could customize it to their particular needs. The new style sheets provided a smoother communication path between the departments.
Stephanie connects A (The Problem) to B (Your Action) to C (The results) in a congruent, succinct and logical manner. Stephanie’s response fully answers the question, holds the interviewer’s attention and takes less than a minute to present.
Focused stories highlighting our actions and the results will maximize impact and help differentiate you from the other candidates. Just as important, a great story will help the hiring manager remember you when it comes time to make the hiring decision.
Job Interview Mastery – Three things you can do to improve your interview performance.
by Mitch Byers :: June 11th, 2007 :: Posted in Interviewing to Win |
Job Interview Mastery is not about special tricks, super secret documents, or memorizing answers that someone else made up. It’s about being prepared, being confident, and owning the interview. Being prepared is the key to controlling your nervousness and job interview fears.
It’s amazing how little effort most people make to prepare for the job interview. The quiet ride up on the elevator is the first time they have a clear enough mind to focus on what’s about to happen. But that is like putting one quarter in a vending machine and expecting to walk away with a candy bar. Input and expected output are out of whack.
I have interviewed well over 3000 people face to face. It becomes evident early in the interview who has taken time to prepare and who is using the shotgun approach, which is a real turn off. Here are three ideas to help you come across as a pro.
1) Figure out what the company does well. Figure out how they do it better than their competition. What resources is the company committing that other companies are not? Company websites, trade publications and Google are a good start. Contact someone inside the company through Linked-in and get the real scoop.
2) Find out why they need you. Ask yourself, if they did not hire someone for this position, what would be the consequence? This will determine the true value of the position. If you determine you are the missing puzzle piece, then move forward with gusto.
3) Think about career stories you can share that will crystallize how you will fulfill their needs. They are not so interested in your individual skills, but how you have been able to bundle those skills together to solve a problem, invent something new, motivate people or bring efficiencies to your past employers. Concise, compelling stories help the hiring manager “see” you being successful. Sharing three or four relevant stories in the job interview will make their hiring decision very easy.
Get your arms around what is going on in the organization and think through a handful of stories. Following these three ideas will keep you ten paces ahead of your competition.
For more insight on Job Interview Mastery click here: Interviewing to Win