One word you must eliminate from your interview

Before I begin writing a new client’s resume, we schedule a telephone conversation. Actually one client called it an interrogation! I ask many questions, and drill down to make sure that the information I have to work with is detailed and specific. Sometimes I end up with four pages of typed notes and it’s my task to distill the info into one or two pages of succinct, well worded, easy to read, highly relevant resume copy.

Not an easy task, but one that I relish!

Now, in those conversations, as I ask further questions to get to specifics, I often hear a client say “Oh, I just (insert one of your key skills here).” That word “just,” used in this fashion, to dimish or understate one’s contribution, doesn’t belong in any career conversation, at least in my opinion!

The odd thing is that so often the word is used to downplay a key talent or strength, one that is essential in the job to which the client aspires.

Would you have any faith in me as a professional resume writer (and feel confident paying me?) if I were to tell you “After interviewing you, I just take some of your words and type them out.”

Why then, would an employer have any confidence in your hire if you shared “I just tweaked a few processes, that’s all”? Own your skills! Speak of them with pride and realize that expertise has value. Here’s another consideration. Underplaying your abilities may undermine a lucrative starting salary. Demonstrate how your abilities brought real value to your past employers and you have salary bargaining power.

Working to your career success, Stephanie

How to speak to your strengths

Along with providing my clients with interview coaching, I also write their resumes. In preparing to compose a truly effective resume, I conduct an in-depth interview of each client. (One client asked if I’d ever worked for the police; she found my interviewing so deep! I dig until I get the rich material that I need!)

The interview questions may remind people of job interview questions (but I ask many, many more). Unlike an interviewer, I am not willing to go on to another question when the client finishes his or her “answer”; I keep asking until I really understand what he or she actually did. It is tiring work as so often people are stumped and try to brush off my question with a “but I do that all day, every day.” That’s not enough, nor would it be enough for a job interview.

Here’s an idea for responding to the so-often posed “Tell us about a few of your strengths.”

In order to develop rich and satisfying content to this question read a book like Tom Rath’s “StrengthsFinder 2.0.” This neat little book will arm you with great insights into you and what makes you a valuable employee (it’s always exciting to read about one’s own greatness!), along with verbage that will build really interesting answers to that interview question.

For example, I am a Learner. This is perfect for my role as a resume writer. Each time I’m faced with writing a resume for an unknown role, I conduct self-study to familiarize myself with the basics of that role. It’s essential if I’m to ask the best questions … and if I’m to write the best resume too.

This, folks, is what it takes to captivate your audience – real self-knowledge with words that ring true, examples that align you with the position applied to, and information that is interesting and makes you interesting!

Let me know if you’ve come up against troubling interview questions and I would be glad to address them in an upcoming blog. Working to your career success, Stephanie

Documents and Interview Prep

AS a resume writer I encourage my clients to submit lots of documents to me as I prepare to write. I typically receive an existing resume of course, sometimes a cover letter, a letter of reference, and a performance review.

Recently a client emailed a speech he had composed in preparation for accepting a work-related reward. And another client emailed me a speech she had prepared to introduce herself to her staff as their new manager.

These all help me to understand my client and serve their career goals best. You might be surprised to hear that the client who holds the record sent me over 70 pages of documents! It was effective – he landed the job he wanted, a definite step up the career ladder in his first management role.

When preparing for an interview you too must compile as much info as you can. You should ideally have been adding to a brag file, me file, accomplishment file over the years. But if not, at the very least review your performance appraisals. If you don’t you won’t drill down to those specific workplace stories that reveal not only the skills you have, but how you’ve used them.

Happy hunting!

Embracing Change

Just this week I wrote an article on how the fear of change can equal career stagnation. Email me if you’re interested in reading the article; glad to share.

And that got me thinking. Communicating your embrace of change, your adaptability to nimble and continuous evolvement, would be a wonderful addition to your job hunter’s interview tool-kit. Today change is a constant, and the speed with which technology, processes, products and services morph these days is dizzying! And we can’t deny that without change our employers may lose out to competitors, which would leave us free of the need for change and free of a job!

Here are a few quick ideas on how to pull this into the interview.

Most interviews give us a chance to introduce ourselves. Questions such as tell us about yourself, and convince us that you’re the best candidate are the perfect platform to address this skill. Along with communicating subject matter expertise and a few specific work related skills, throw in how you embrace change. A simple “I’m known to be an early adaptor who hears a need and is immediately pondering the various solutions. I love to research, develop a few alternatives and brainstorm with others to see which might stick.”

When asked to “describe a time when” (you introducted new technology, met a crisis, stepped up to pitch in, etc.) are also opportune times to add in a sentence or two on change and adaptability.

Of course, this skill should also be on your resume!

Let me know if you’ve used this and what the result was. I’d love to hear!

Manage Your Interview

Don’t you wish that you could choose your own interview questions? You could avoid those tricky ones like what are your top three weaknesses. (I’d love to say: Tell me yours I’ll tell you mine!)

Having an outstanding resume and cover letter can influence the interview questions to some degree. Of course there are employers who because of internal policies or union-driven agreements must ask the same question of all applicants as a measure of fair and equitable interview practices. However, provide the recruitment team with really juicy info, and they may ask the question and relate it immediately to a particularly interesting bullet on your resume.

If your bullet states that you consistently overachieved, quarter after quarter, in seven sales metrics, you’ll be asked how you did this. What methodology did you use, how do you build sales relationships etc.? When you answer be sure to share how your accomplishments were achieved in spite of competition or economic considerations. It’s easy enough to have great results in times of affluence; a real test of abilities is in continuing to achieve when faced with challenge. That’s when your problem solving, creativity, networking, partnership building and other abilities can be brought in to the answer, further proving that you are an outstanding candidate!

Career management, which includes influencing the interview process, is strengthened with great foundational documents, the resume and cover letter.