anne hubben, creative career coach         anne@rubycreatives.com 917.834.0354

letter to certain hiring managers

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
 

Dear Hiring Manager:

Many of you are great at interviewing candidates and believe me, it is appreciated.  In spite of your busy schedule, you remember what it’s like to look for work and take the opportunity to give good karma back to the world.

But, there are some that I’ve been hearing about lately that I write this letter to.  I know that you’re in a position of power when you interview a candidate for an open position on your team, but just like the interviewee, there are certain rules of etiquette that you really should follow.

Please don’t check your emails during the meeting. They can wait.  Same with phone calls. If you must answer the phone for an emergency such as your wife going in to labor, let your guest know of the possibility ahead of time. Ignore all other calls.

Please don’t talk the whole time.  Yes, you need to sell the role and the company to the candidate, especially if they’re someone you clearly want to hire, but watch your time. Make sure you ask the candidate questions, listen to their answers, look at their work and see how they present it.  Make sure you give them time to ask you questions too.

If it becomes clear that the candidate is not a fit, don’t lead them on them by acting like they’re hired and it’s a done deal.  Let them know that you’re interviewing other people + either you or the recruiter will get in touch with them about next steps.

I know that you’ve got your hands full and probably don’t have time to interview someone, but that is exactly why you need to be present in this meeting.  You need more hands on deck so here’s your chance to solve the problem.

Finally, remember that you’re representing your company in the interview. When you treat a candidate badly, word gets around.  Same with when you treat them well.  That also goes for the interview process itself.  Giving feedback quickly, following up appropriately, not putting people through endless rounds of interviews all make a good impression that people talk about whether they’re hired or not.

Thank you so much for your time and attention to this matter.



Posted in communication, interview skills | 1 Comment »

Q & A on talking salary

Monday, June 28th, 2010
 

Discussing salary in a job interview is something that most people dread. It’s also a topic of much debate.  Today I will put the questions that I most frequently get in a Q & A format:

What do I say when they ask me what salary I’m looking for?

Most people agree that when possible, you should not be the first person to give a number.  But, when you’re directly asked what you’re looking for, what do you say?   It depends on where you are in the process. If they ask you at the start of the interview, it’s very reasonable to say: “I’d like to hear more about the position before I give a number.”  Or you could turn the question around by saying, “Without knowing much about the position, it’s hard to say. What is the budget for this role?”

If this is the 3rd round of interviews + they ask you, then, again, turn it around  by saying: “Before I give you a number, could you tell me what range this role is paying?”

My present salary is much lower than it should be, so when they ask me what I’m making now, how do I handle that?

You could say something like this:  “I’m underpaid at my present job. Based on the research that I’ve done in the industry, my salary should be 60k”  Then they might ask why you’re underpaid and  just keep it simple with something like, “They’ve not been able to give anyone raises for the past year due to budget constraints, although I’ve always had good reviews.” Don’t talk about how lame the company is. Stay positive.

Do I have to write down my salary history?

In every place that I’ve worked, we always had an application that asked for salary history.  But when I research this question online, all advice says not to give your salary history. You don’t have to. In my experience, most people completed the salary history, but if they didn’t, that was fine.  I just asked them about it.  Sometimes, they would say that their past jobs didn’t pay well and they’d rather talk about what they’d like to make. No problem.  Or they’d get all nervous and shifty eyed and blurt something out like “I don’t have to tell you that.” That was just uncomfortable all around and generally didn’t work to their advantage.

The main thing is to give the discussion some thought ahead of time, speak with confidence and assume that they want to pay you what you’re worth. They might not want to, but assume it so that you’re giving off the right energy. I’ve interviewed some people who clearly thought I was trying to screw them and it made the conversation more awkward than it had to be.

There’s a difference between the body language of someone who is uncomfortable with discussing salary and someone who thinks you’re out to get them.  Be the first person if you can’t be confident and smooth. There’s nothing wrong with some hemming and hawing and saying that you’re not comfortable discussing salary. Otherwise, you risk being the nervous and shifty eyed person.  That person doesn’t generally do well with salary or getting a job for that matter.

If you’ve got some specific questions you’d like me to answer, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Posted in communication, interview skills, jobhunting tips, salary | 3 Comments »

how to convey your passion

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 


Today I’m going to post an excellent article on how to convey your passion in your job search by a good friend of mine, and an exceptional recruiter and career coach, Carin Nardone. We became friends when we worked together at Organic and have stayed connected ever since as friends and supporting each other in our respective careers.

This week I happened to start working with 2 different companies on their hiring needs. When I work with a new company, I ask them not only for the ‘hard’ skills that they’re looking for, but also spend a good amount of time getting a feel for those intangible qualities that are about the heart of a company, or company ‘culture’. It just so happened that both companies said the most important quality they were looking for is Passion. It struck me that many job seekers may not know how to demonstrate their passion to land the job or progress in their careers. It is one thing to say that you’re passionate, and another thing to know how to convey it through examples in your work experiences (on your resume) and during an interview. This is a huge topic with many facets to it. For now, I’m going to talk about how to start the process of tapping into your passion to enhance your job search efforts.

Passion is clearly one those traits that will give you the edge in your job search and help you stand out in the eyes of employers. But what are employers really looking for when they say they want someone to be ‘passionate’? Here is what they tell me:

-They want someone who cares about doing good work

-They want someone who goes the extra mile and has a reputation for doing what it takes the get the job done

-They want someone who has an opinion and is a thought leader

-They want someone who cares about cultivating their career

When I see passion in job seekers and the professionals I work with, what I am seeing is the fire inside that naturally motivates them to stay on top of their game. Employers now more than ever want to see and feel this quality.

Here are some ways to infuse passion into your job search strategy or career:

-Continuing Education – PMP certifications, Graduate School, and leadership positions in industry specific associations are great ways to demonstrate your passion. Various industry associations like the American Management Association or Direct Marketing Association offer programs and courses that won’t break the bank, but will demonstrate that you’re committed and passionate about a particular subject area and about growing in your career.

-Writing and Speaking Opportunities –Just recently I was working on a high level Digital Media position. One of the first things this company wanted to see were examples of what the person had written and spoken about – they wanted to get a sense of their opinions and see that they were a thought leader. Blogs, writing articles and speaking opportunities are a great way to become known as a thought leader.

-Focus your Attention and Interests: I mention this because it is important to keep your passions focused. If you happen to be passionate about a variety of things, be sure to target your passions appropriately for a specific job opportunity.

-Interacting with Job Search “Influencers”: You have a great opportunity to convey your passion when you network with people who can influence your career. If you stay focused and clear, you can showcase your passion for the topics and subject matters that excite you.

-Interviewing: To me, passion doesn’t necessarily mean leaping out of your seat with excitement or being over the top. In fact many of my successful job seekers have a quiet enthusiasm, yet I can pick up on their passion when I interview them. When you care about what you do and are passionate, the answers to interview questions come easily because you have an opinion about things, you have examples to share that you’re proud of and are clear on where you were successful in your career and why.

Passionate people care about their work, they care about their clients, and they care about cultivating their career. And that is something I like to see – and what my clients like to see when I present resumes to them.

Career and Staffing Expert to the Marketing and Advertising Industry, Carin Nardone advises professionals who want to experience success in their job search and career. To learn how to jump-start your job search and experience greater career fulfillment, register for free ongoing articles at www.cnc-search.com

Posted in communication, interview skills, self promotion | No Comments »

the power of listening

Friday, September 18th, 2009
 

When preparing for an interview or meeting, I’ve often coached people on what kinds of questions they might ask or be asked. Something that I don’t normally discuss is the importance of listening. If I were to say to someone, “be sure to listen well” I have a feeling they’d immediately say “of course” and that’s that. So I thought it would be a good topic to discuss today.

Ok, so how well do you listen to anyone? Not just at work, but at home, with your friends, with your children? We often have so much going on that we multi-task out of necessity. But, when we multi-task in conversation, by either thinking of the next thing we’re going to say, or ruminating on a phone call we just had, we may be able to pull it off, appearing as if we’re listening, but we basically end up having a half-assed conversation.

Not only is it disrespectful to the person you’re listening to, but you’re cheating yourself out of fully understanding and appreciating what the person is saying.
When you’re in an interview, it’s particularly challenging because we often feel compelled to strategize about a winning answer to their question before they’ve finished asking it. But it would be far more effective to focus and actively listen. Then, feel free to pause for a moment to gather your thoughts, breathe and then answer. Silence is okay for a few seconds. You’re not on TV or radio where 30 seconds of silence can seem like an hour. You’re in an interview where an occasional pause for reflection is to be expected. In fact, it’s even okay on TV or radio when someone has been asked a question.

Another way to set up good listening is to make sure you don’t ramble. Communicate in a succinct way. That’s why it’s a good idea to work on an “elevator speech.” Of course, in an interview, you will embellish more than you would in an “elevator”, but be aware of your listener. Pay attention to their interest, if you can tell by their body language that they’d like to say something, wrap up your point and let them get a word in.

Also, while you’re listening, look the speaker in the eye. (In fact, do that through the entire interview). There’s nothing worse than talking to someone who is looking around the room, checking their phone, basically avoiding your eyes. It seems obvious, but people do it all the time in interviews. Don’t let it be you.

The good news is that to practice the art of listening you can do it anytime with anyone. At first, you will probably notice how frequently you’re drifting when another person is talking. It’s okay if you catch yourself. Just notice it and reel yourself back in. You might find that certain times are more challenging than others. Talking on the phone can be a big culprit for multi-tasking. Nobody can see you, so why not check your emails or make lunch, but unless you’re like my sister and me and banter every couple of hours during the day, this can be really annoying to the person on the other line. It’s noticeable. You don’t think it is, but it is. I’ve heard it myself. And I’m not going to lie, I’ve done it myself, plenty. I really started thinking more about it when I began to coach. We had a whole class on the art of listening and it was helpful, mostly to be aware of its importance. To practice listening was very helpful and humbling at the same time.

Actively listening is a gift that you can give anyone. In your personal life you’ll start to notice your relationships deepening as people open up to you more. In your professional life, the pay off is a new job that you’ll be prepared for because you were listening in the interview! Well, hopefully. If you listen and it’s still not what you expected, that’s a whole different story and a post for the future.

Posted in communication, interview skills, listening | No Comments »