Make No Assumptions, Approaches For An Effective Job Interview
Jane and Angie worked at the same company. They both had about 10 years of experience in both inside and outside sales. They were referred to us by a friend of theirs because their company was changing hands and their function was going to be moved to Chicago and neither one of them wanted to relocate.
Both of them had solid experience and a great track record. We just happened to have an organization that was looking to hire two people with the kind of experience and background they exhibited.
We warned both candidates that it wouldn’t be a good idea, even though they both knew they were working with us, to discuss the interviews that they might get. It’s just never really a good idea to discuss, especially with coworkers, the interviews that you go on.
We explained the position to each candidate and began the process for the initial interviews. By my observation, the difference in each candidate’s job preparation played a key role in the overall outcome.
Jane’s Approach: All in Attitude
Seized the Opportunity: She went on the interview as soon as it was available.
Prepared:
- She was anxious to take our Job Search Solution selected modules for interviewing
- JSS is our 60 hour tutorial that we offer every candidate with whom we get an interview
- She practiced the techniques she learned from JSS and even reviewed with us some of the things she should highlight in the interviewing process.
- She sold herself extremely well with the goal of “getting an offer” and then worrying about whether she wanted the job after she would get the offer. That is exactly the way every candidate ought to do it.
- She researched the company; even called someone that she knew who worked there to gather further information
Left a Good Impression:
- She sold her skills extremely well with the goal of “getting an offer” and then worrying about whether she wanted the job after she would get the offer. That is exactly the way every candidate ought to do it. The client was thrilled with Jane.
Angie’s Approach: Reluctant Progression
Lacked Sense of Urgency:
- She took an extended amount of time to research on the company prior to letting us know if she wanted to go on the interview.
- Once she decided to interview with the company she stated it would be three or four days before she would be available.
- Angie ended up interviewing a week after Jane did.
Poor Preparation:
- We also gave her access to The Job Search Solution and she halfheartedly explained that she may not have time to do it but would try.
- Spent ample time concerned about the salary rather than focusing on getting a job offer first
- Tried to rely on her past interviewing successes rather than prepare for this job offer
Left a Satisfactory Impression:
- Angie did okay on her interviews, but it became clear that she wasn’t going after the job very hard due to her own career interest and failure to prepare well.
All in all, it turned out the job position was much better than either of the candidates imagined and a step up from what they had been doing.
We were fortunate enough to find the client two other really good candidates to interview with. Without surprise, Jane got one of the positions at $10,000 more than what the company said they would pay. They even gave her a signing bonus, which is still pretty rare. The other position went to one of our other candidates, whom also followed the JSS modules.
While Angie did okay on her interviews, she was frustrated not to receive a job offer given here track record was more experienced than Jane’s. We explained, she failed go the extra mile. She took her track record for granted and started making decisions about the job before she even got to the interview, which limited her enthusiasm.
Missed opportunities are hard to overcome and I’ve seen this too often in my recruitment career of 49 plus years. The take away is, take nothing for granted, make no assumptions, prepare and do your best because you have nothing till you have an offer.
Pursuing Employment in Place of Vacationing
Vacations, I believe they are essential and I have taken a few extended ones myself, especially when our kids were young. However, rarely have I taken a vacation more than two or three days. Being gone more than three days, in the profession of recruitment, is very difficult to do while maintaining your edge.
I have seen multiple candidates, some who have been out of work two weeks, others two months and even a few for six months. Many of the candidates are professional and have earned in the six figures. I have had several candidates inform me that they could not go on the interviews that I scheduled for them because they were “on vacation”.
I wondered, “Vacation . . . from what?”
I know that sounds sarcastic and/or cynical, but what were they taking a vacation from? Multiple candidates that hadn’t had an interview in a month or six months and then I suddenly schedule them for an interview, only to receive a “vacation notice”. Blows me away!
This kind of thing happens every year. And I guess it’s simply a “timing” thing. But wouldn’t you imagine that if you’d been out of work for that long and needed a job, you’d figure some way to get to an interview?
Practicing cooperative actions with meeting family, friends, or attending extracurricular events after the interview, would be beneficial in a job search.
Telling me that, “I really need a job, but I’m going on vacation and can’t make an interview” makes me believe that you really don’t want a job badly enough.
How do you think a perspective employer is going to view your priorities when you explain to them that you need to reschedule an interview because you’re on vacation?
Word of advice, if you’re looking for a job it takes full-time committed efforts. Vacationing and extracurricular events are secondary.
Resume Communication : A Recruiters Perspective
For those of you that follow this blog, you know that I speak about the resume formatting topic all too often. However, as a recruiting educator, it bears repeating given the impact a resume can have.
In any given day, I receive 30 resumes and I would bet that half of them do not describe clearly what the company did or what the candidate’s function was within the company. Many people assume hiring authorities know what their company does or expect them to take the time to research it.
Resumes should clearly communicate the following:
What is the company’s function?
What is/was your job role within the company?
How did you practically contribute to the company’s success?
Given time is limited and there are approximately 31 million businesses in the United States alone; a clearly defined company function, job role, and job success rate are key for a recruitable resume.
Why Companies Ask Your Previous Salary and How You Should Reply
We had a candidate this week who was asked what her salary was in her last job. She answered, “I don’t think that’s relevant” and then proceeded with silence. According to the employer, he was so taken by her response, he was not sure what to say. So, according to him after a long pause, he asked again but in a different way. “Look,” he said, “I need to know for the interviewing process how much you were making.”
The candidate previously read that in some states it’s illegal to ask how much a person has been earning. Therefore, she decided not to answer the question. The candidate was correct, in more than a dozen states including California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Washington it is illegal to ask previous salaries. Even some cities, such as New York City and San Francisco they have passed similar laws. However, given this employer was in Texas and no such law exist, the hiring authority had the right to inquiry about the candidates previous earnings.
The logic behind these laws is the assumption companies want to pay as small a salary as they can get away with. Apart of that assumption is if a candidate has had a low salary either now or most recently, the company will not pay a fair wage for the job they are hiring for. This logic is flawed. The majority of companies are willing to pay whatever they estimated the position is worth. What companies are seeking by gaining salary history is to understand in the initial phase of the interviewing process if the salary associated with the position is in the “ballpark” of what the candidate has earned before.
Gathering salary information is not utilized to handicap the candidate’s salary negotiation leverage but to prevent wasting anyone’s time, mostly the companies, if salary expectations are out of range.
The employer, very politely, told the candidate that he did not see any sense in continuing the interview because he felt a simple question was asked, therefore a simple answer should be adequate.
In Texas, and most states, salary inquiries are reasonable for hiring authorities to ask. Here at Babich, we ask it of our candidates. Frankly, I will not work with a candidate that will not disclose with me what they have been earning. This kind of situation happens mostly with candidates that have been earning a low salary and want a substantial pay increase, based on the position, without prejudice.
While I can understand the candidate’s point of view, as well as the logic behind the laws stated above, the majority of reputable companies require a salary history.
Therefore, whether you agree with salary inquiries or not, it’s likely that you will be asked about your previous earnings. Rather than be put on-guard, simply answer the question and find out if the employer is reputable in offering a fair pay, based on the market. If employers are not reputable and utilize previous salaries as a leveraging tool to practice ‘unfair wages’, it’s best to know that upfront. However, my experience, clients have a pre-determined salary for the positions to be filled and are interested in candidates’ skills and assets, not to cheat them on the salary they deserve.
The Cost to Your Career and Reputation of Not Showing Up or Not Following Up
by : Rich Lavinski, CPA
The good news – Most people’s memories are relatively short. I know mine is.
The bad news – The notes and comments made about you into applicant tracking systems, social media systems and both formal and informal networks last for decades. So will the memory of you not showing up for a job or interview you accepted, you not following up on a promised call back or leaving a job without notice. If you are a consultant or vendor, it could be even worse.
We all know there is a severe labor shortage. Workers have a big advantage over hiring managers right now. Demographically, this may last for a very long time, but…not forever!
I have had the good fortune of being in the consulting, staffing, and recruiting business since 1981. My friend and business partner, Tony Beshara, one of North America’s top and best-known recruiters, has been at this since 1973. We have been around long enough to see markets like this one come and go. Trust me when I say that this high demand employee market will eventually go away. And, when it does, those who carelessly tarnished their professional reputation by acting much like ill-behaved mercenaries, will regret their bad disrespectful behavior.
When jobs become scarce, those who accepted positions and didn’t show up, ghosted hiring managers, or otherwise failed to extend common professional courtesies, will have “do not interview’ or “do not hire” attached to their records. That will be regretful. Databases and reputations live on forever, and the word about your disrespectful behavior will too.
I happen to work in Dallas/Ft Worth, which is a huge metropolitan area. But it is also the biggest small town you will ever see. Reputations, relationships, and networks take on a life of their own here. Those that do good are almost always rewarded because everyone knows about it and the blessings of good will and special consideration for opportunities will follow. Do bad, and what will seem like the entire world will know about it and ostracize you when you need a job most. That’s just the way it is, only made worse by the technology of applicant tracking systems and social media networks.
I recently read an article about a recruiter and an employer in Chicago who had asked the police to do a wellness check on a candidate who had accepted a job and even completed all the new employee on-boarding paperwork, including payroll, insurance, and employment agreement documents. He was supposed to start on a Monday, but he did not show up. Both the employer and recruiter tried multiple times to reach him and could not connect. There was simply no reply to their multiple calls, emails, and texts, so they became worried about him. The police showed up at his home after he had gone totally silent for several days to see if he was ok. He was highly embarrassed and annoyed. He could not understand why he was expected to tell anyone he changed his mind about the job or return the phone calls of the employer to whom he committed. Professional and classy…right??? No. Not so much.
So… How do you protect your reputation and optimize your future? It is easy.
Be transparent and candid.
If you are continuing to consider multiple options or have reservations about committing, simply say so. Your truth and candor will be refreshing and will differentiate you as a straight shooter rather than a weak coward who is afraid to share their genuine thoughts.
Do your best to do what you say you will do. All of us have a “say/do ratio.”
If yours is low, you will struggle throughout your career (and probably throughout your personal life). Not all of us can keep every promise we make. However, if most of your promises are un-kept, you will spend your career running up hill with a large box of rocks on your back. You will struggle keeping up, let alone getting ahead. People with no credibility rarely advance.
Do what is best for your company and for other people on your team.
Doing so will differentiate you and allow you to advance beyond your skills. Mercenaries, focused primarily on their self-interest, will almost always advance in the short-term. But in the long-term, they will flounder. And, unlike every other personal setback, mercenaries rarely recover from their reputation. No one feels good about giving them the benefit of a second chance. And few potential advocates, if any, can find it in their nature to trust them.
In conclusion, there may be some who feel making false promises, dodging professional courtesy, not showing up or following up is not that big of a deal. I am sorry this message (or maybe better defined as my rant) is not compelling enough to change your mind.
For most others, who are professional, responsible, and honorable, I could not encourage you more. Going the extra mile to do the right thing ALWAYS pays off. If not in this lifetime, your positive payback will come in eternity. I promise. Things always come back around.
Don’t be the employee, candidate, consultant, or vendor who takes advantage of the current hot demand and blows off people, companies, recruiters and hiring managers. Doing so, comes at a potential career price most will find devastating.
Richard A. Lavinski, CPA
Relational Hiring Strategies : How to Engage with Good Candidates
I do not typically reference specific individuals in this blog, primarily because I interact with literally hundreds of people and it’s a little partial to mention anyone in particular. However, when someone does something so out of the ordinary, it bears mentioning.
About six months ago I sent a candidate to one of my contacts who was hiring, Casey Clark. Casey’s job opening turned out to be a great match for the candidate however, the timing was not. Therefore, the candidate gracefully turned down the job offer. Casey, and his team, while disappointed refused to give up on the candidate. Over the next few months, Casey kept in touch with the candidate by taking him to lunches and even a Mavericks and a Stars game.
Recently, Casey contacted me to state the candidate had started working with his company that Monday. The candidate was impressed with the persistence and the engaging spirit. All of the energy that Casey, and his team, placed into building a relationship with the candidate paid off.
Now, I will admit, there may not be many candidates that such an effort is worth pursuing with multiple activities. But, I guarantee you that there are very few hiring authorities who are keen enough to recognize the candidates in which additional effort and patience is required.
Relational and appealing hiring strategies, applied by Casey and his team, happen so seldom it bears mentioning. So, if you are a hiring authority and interview a really good candidate and for one reason or another do not hire him/her, build an engaging relationship with them.
Good candidates are difficult to locate and perceptive hiring authorities are a rare commodity as well. When the two meet great business relationships develop, benefiting both the candidates and the companies.
Best of luck to both Casey and the candidate!
