Preparing for a Job Interview at the Last Minute

At least once a week, someone calls me with the happy news that they have a job interview...tomorrow. They want to know what to do to prepare. Here is the very least that you should know about interviews.

An interview is just a conversation. You want to find out what they need, tell them how it is you can do that , and make sure they heard you.

The first steps are as follows:
Look at their website. What do they do? What do they value? Google them to see if there is any recent news regarding them.
Look at the position. What experience that you have relates to this position? Focus on that in the interview. Everything else is extraneous.

Look at your work history….for each position, what did you do, what did you like most, what did you like least, why did you move on?
Look at any gaps, and think about any jobs that you did not leave simply for a better opportunity. Why did you leave?
Is there any experience in the job description that is not reflected on your resume or application? Be prepared to tell what you DO have that relates to this item. If you don’t know what a term in the job description or posting means, google it. Ask people you know for help.

1. Tell me About Yourself: This consists of what in your background fits this position and this company. End with, “And that’s why I’m excited to be talking about this position with you today.”
2. What are your three greatest strengths? Give an example of each.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
4. What is an accomplishment of which you are most proud?
5. How much are you looking to earn?
6. Why should I hire you?


Most interviews are behaviorally based. You answer the questions using the PAR technique.
P- Tell the Problem (VERY briefly…they understand there was a problem…don’t build it up or spend time proving it
A- What action did you take?
R- What was the result?


Prepare five stories, using the PAR technique to highlight your strengths, an accomplishment, and a time something didn’t go your way or you weren’t getting along with someone.
Most people forget to tell the result. Remember end on the positive!

Now you are ready to have someone quiz or mock interview you.

Put out your clothes tonight and shine your shoes.
Make sure you have the map, know how to get there, and take the contact information of the interviewer with you.

At the end of the interview, let them know the fit that you see there, and ask for the job, or what the next step is. Make sure to get their business card and follow up within 24 hours with a thank you note.

Do I Really Have To Get LinkedIn?

Every week, I have an opportunity to talk with an individual or a group about social media, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Last week we taught a workshop on the topic. Most people in the group were eager to get more tips on making better use of these tools. A couple of people shook their heads "No," they said, "I'm not doing that." Still others said, "Do we really have to?"

I could argue that it is effective. And it can be. I can argue that it's better and quicker than calling everyone in your Rolodex (do you still have one on your desk, too? If so, you should take this fun quiz to test your how old your really are by evaluating your social media skills But the more important thing...is that it is how things work now. It just is. I don't doubt that after the wheel was invented, there were late adopters, critics, and naysayers. But today, I can't think of a single group of people that doesn't use them.

We all realized somewhere between five and ten years ago that we had to use e-mail and do on-line applications. We have no choice. Not because it's a fad. It is what is.

Personally, I like a mortar and pestle, not a food processor. I like bicycles more than cars. I hesitated to use any cell phone, let alone a smart one. A year ago, I found myself asking other team members to take and send photos of our events. Then I realized, I need to do it myself too. I got a Droid. Now I take pictures and text. I realized that I have more than two decades more to work. I can't fall behind now! So, while I'm not the most current. I know I need to embrace technology.

I love to communicate in writing, and friends have been telling me for the past few years that I need to get a blog. I couldn't muster my fortitude to do it. I went to a Social Media Workshop last month where we were instructed to set up a blog as part of the class, and what you are reading is the result. Prior to the workshop, I had questioned whether I had missed the boat on blogs, or if I should save myself for books. Then, I realized that people will always be communicating with words. Blogs are one of the ways we do it now. It is what is. I don't need to question it anymore.

I have a team member that just reached what she deems the "Social Security age". Six months ago, she wasn't interested in a smart phone. "Too much money," she said. For some reason to got one anyway by September, and was eager to visit with her brothers and sisters,and be "the one who knows everything." She would tell how to get to the restaurant by using her google maps, and look up the answers to all the questions about which actress starred in that movie. Unfortunately, a hurricane cancelled the trip. She was disappointed to lose out on the opportunity to be the one with the phone. She will get her chance. Her plan is to stay current, because you never know how you will have to communicate with the utility company five years from now. Or five months. It changes fast. But it is just communication. That's all it is. And we've been doing that since our first year. I think most of us can manage it. It is what is.

So set up that LinkedIn account, follow that company you like on Twitter. Get yourself a blog and send me the link! Do you have any tweet successes to share? I'd love to hear them!

How to Promote Yourself in This Economy

You once had a great job, or at least one that paid well, and despite your best efforts, you still find yourself out of work. You have been attending every event you can, getting together with people for cappacinos, you pass out your business cards, you get Linkedin. You are promoting yourself just the way your Career Advisor suggested.  But you aren't getting any interviews.

Here's one more thing to try. A little humility. What does that have to do with getting a job? Sometimes everything. I'm not saying this because I have done such a great job of it, and you should learn from me. I'm just telling you what I have seen. I get to learn from my clients every day.

I have a client who has always owned her own business, continues to have her primary paid work in spurts, but not fast enough to meet all of her financial needs. She has a TYPE A ++++ personality, so I was quite surprised when a few weeks ago she said she would be willing to do a $10-12/hour job including call centers. We immediately stripped her resume of nearly every accomplishment, which was easy for her to accept, given her high level of self esteem. She immediately went about applying for entry level jobs. I got an email from her last week asking if she should wear an apron to her interview for a cashier position she found in the food court at the mall. After discussing, she settled on khakis and a white shirt (like what they wear) and a cardigan (to make it a little different). She was offered the job as a supervisor...at $9 an hour. I asked her if she was accepting, pretty sure she would have encountered a heavy dose of second thoughts.

"Are you kidding me?" she replied. "I have a heater to replace this winter. I'm taking it. They are going to try to get me $10." Here is a woman with self esteem, ability to read and adapt to culture, who can take of herself. A woman I have greater respect for who is more likely to come at top of mind when I see appropriate job openings.

What does humility have to do with getting a job. Maybe everything. What does it have to do with being a better person? Definitely everything.

"Humility is at the equilibrium of ego. When we're at the center, we manage our ego rather than it managing us."- Steve Smith

"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right." - Ezra Taft Benson

I am fortunate enough to be working. Besides that giving me the opportunity to share this woman's story for the benefit of others, I also need to ask myself...

How do I get in my own way? Where do I need to show more respect for others? Where do I need to forget about who is right?

I hope you ask yourself these questions too.

This isn't all going to change the high rate of unemployment instantly. But it will make this a better time to live.

What is one place where you could show more humility in your life?

Have a Little Awe

This is all your writing space needs:
A bench (I'd argue that could be a chair, a table, or a bike)
Silence
A little awe

According to Eric Maisel, in A Writer's Space: Make Room to Dream to Work, to Write , much more can be helpful...enough to fill an entire book...but these are the basics.

Isn't that what all of our endeavors need? In order to create something new, we need to give it space to grow. A baby, piano music, an empty stockpot for chili, a garden. In the spring, we need to turn the soil and pull away the weeds. Water a little. And wait.

To enjoy nature, we need to take a little time to get outside to take a hike, a bike ride, or at least a breath, before we have an opportunity to glimpse that fall sunset made of fire orange and salmon joining together, becoming florescent for the briefest of moments. This is what I saw above the Kroger building as I rode my bike with my family back from dinner on Monday night. If I hadn't looked up to my left, I would have missed it. It was the sort of sunset you might expect to see on vacation. But maybe those are here too, more often than I know. On vacation, there is more time for silence. More time for awe. If we are paying the bills, making dinner, and vacuuming the rug, we miss it. If we don't look up, it passes us by. How many beautiful, amazing things have I looked past? Whatever we are doing: looking for a job, writing a novel, or going to Indiana, we need to remember three things. Take a seat for a minute. Be quiet. Have a little awe.

What filled you with awe today?