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Posts Tagged ‘Interviewing’
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011
 One of the aspects I really enjoy while I am conducting an interview, with a leader in a career transition, is looking for a unique connection to break the ice and to make the time more comfortable for myself and the people I interview. I have met many interesting people and have had amazing conversations through digging a little deeper and being a little more attentive to the details.
I interview executives and leaders from all over the country, with a wide range of industry backgrounds and with a wide spectrum of experience, compensation levels and interests – so it is not difficult to take that extra step and find out something that you have in common and help create conversation.
Career Builder has a great article for job seekers and it encourages them to find a connection with someone in the company they want to get hired by:
“Job seekers are shooting themselves in the feet all because they’re not giving just a small amount of extra effort. Create a connection between you and the job, company, industry or leadership, and you increase your chances of an interview and an offer.
As you begin your research on a prospective employer, keep an eye out for any clues that could lead to a personal connection with someone in the company. “
As the interviewer, this is beneficial to you as well, because it brings out an extra spark in the person you are interviewing. You get to see a part of their personality that maybe you wouldn’t have before and you may even have a networking opportunity you did not realize was before you.
For me, it has been fun to connect people with different aspects of my life for instance:
-If you are from Florida, I grew up in Orlando and most of my family lives in that area. I am in Cincinnati, so I always enjoy talking about the beach and the beautiful weather!
-If you are anywhere in the South, you more than likely have a tie to football and the SEC (Southeastern Conference), so I might make reference to attending the University of Alabama or you may catch me throwing in a Roll Tide here and there! If you really love Alabama, I could let you know that my dad played for the “Bear” or that I have two brother-in-laws that played there or that I worked in the football office for 5 years.
-If you have any Cajun influence in your past or present, I may throw in a South Louisiana reference like how yummy boudin is, how strange your last names are or how you guys spell “go” – geaux, because my brother played football for the Ragin Cajuns and I have family in that very unique cultural area.
-Maybe you aren’t into SEC football, but you are a Notre Dame grad or a graduate of a ND rival, I can chat about this too because my husband graduated from ND and played drums in the marching band.
-If you are from the West Coast or an NFL fan, I have a brother in law that played for the San Diego Chargers and another brother in law that played for the Seattle Seahawks.
It is amazing how I have connected with different people and have also been introduced to people through my interviewees due to our conversations outside the typical “interview” format. There are other ways I connect with people as well, listening to comments they might make about their family, picking up on their views about life and being attentive to their interests.
Think through these questions and see what you can find out about the people you are interviewing or those you are being interviewed by:
- Where are they from originally?
- What University did they attend?
- What University or College did their spouse or children attend?
- Where do they volunteer?
- What areas of life outside of their work do they highlight in their resume or bio that you too might have a connection or general interest?
- Why do they live where they are?
- Are they into sports? If so, is there a common interest you can identify?
- Do you know other people in their industry you could help with in their networking efforts?
Roll Tide!
I was in the midst of reminiscing about Bama through this blog post when the tornados hit Alabama and especially Tuscaloosa. Here are some ways to learn more about what is going on and how you can help.
Join my Facebook group Praying for Our Bama Family. There are other friends who I am in close contact and support of who are assisting in Tuscaloosa and across the region please support their efforts!
Samaritans Purse
Convoy of Hope
Capstone Church.
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Tags: Career Coaching, career transition, interview coaching, interview tips, Interviewing, leadership transition, listening, networking, support alabama, tuscaloosa
Posted in Career Coaching, Communication, Hiring & Recruiting, Interviewing, Leadership Events & Networking Opportunities, Motivation & Inspiration, Networking & Connecting | 4 Comments »
Thursday, December 9th, 2010
Generated by: Facebook Members
I was recently asked to share what defines “A” players in the marketplace when recruiting leadership and key talent. The client asked, “what characteristics and traits should we be seeking if we truly want to recruit “A” talent to join our organization – executive leadership, management team and key people leader positions”. Although I could speak about this topic all day long, and technically do, I thought this would make for a great conversation with our blog readers!
First, let me share that this mindset in and of itself is unique. Too many organizations get comfortable in what has been successful and never move the needle beyond the point of yesterday’s success. This client, however, saw an opportunity to capitalize on what success looks like for the future. It’s exciting to partner with companies that are action and results-oriented!
They wanted to complement what has made them successful in the past decades with what will make them successful in the future! They truly do want to soar beyond where they are today…and
Second, I proceeded to share with them that an “A” candidate for one client does not equal an “A” candidate for another. However, after thinking through this organization’s request, I realized there are certainly traits that are consistent of top talent today.
Below is an initial list of traits that I believe define “A” candidates and top talent in today’s ever-changing environment. This list constantly evolves based on key learning’s from our client engagements and the dynamic definition of ideal talent in today’s marketplace. That said, here is my perspective today on what defines “A” talent:
Top 10 Attributes That Identifies “A” Talent
The executive and human resource team that asked this question is leading a growing organization in the consumer package goods and distribution industries and has been wildly successful over many decades. They are reaching for a new level of success and being challenged by the ever changing customer demands and the consumer/customer centric movement. During our engagement together we have been focusing on their identified strengths while recruiting leadership and talent that will stretch their minds and business beyond where they are today as they seek the desired next level of success.
What would you add to this list? What traits do you seek in top candidates and “A” leadership? What traits do you see as the ‘driving motivators’ of selecting the right candidates? How do you benchmark these traits among candidates?
Mike Sipple Jr. is Vice President of Centennial, Inc., an executive recruiting, talent strategy and career coaching firm. Mike is passionate about attracting, recruiting, developing, engaging and retaining top talent for changing and growing organizations. As a second generation recruiting executive this business is thought to be a calling!
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Tags: attracting talent, centennial, employment brand, executive leadership, executive search, hiring, Interviewing, Leadership, leadership characteristics, recruiting, talent acquisition, talent assessment, talent succession
Posted in Employee Engagement, Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Interviewing, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | No Comments »
Monday, June 7th, 2010
 Branding yourself is, of course, very important. As a job seeker, you must know what your key skills are and how to articulate them and show value. But, there’s really so much more to it than that. Consider this analogy…
You need a new suit for an important meeting. You go to a store that you know will have suits. You go to your size and you buy one off the rack, thinking that these are the only options, and you need to make one work. Will the suit fit and flatter you? Maybe, but probably not as well as it could. 
On the other hand, if you decide that you want the best, most flattering fit – the one that makes you look and feel your best –then you go to a custom clothier. You bring your spouse to get a second opinion. You look at cut, colors, patterns and textures. You get it tailored to precisely fit your dimensions. This suit will make you look fabulous and will help to highlight your best features!
Your job search is analogous to this suit-selection process, and you shouldn’t assume that all the best jobs are there “on the rack” just waiting for you. Sometimes you need to do a little creative thinking outside the traditional box (tailoring, if you will) to identify the best options and ultimately get the best fit.
If all you’re doing is going to the rack (these are the job boards) to see what’s there, you’re doing what everyone else is doing, so you’re probably going to have difficulty standing out from the crowd.
If you embrace a custom solution – one that’s tailored specifically to your network, your skills and experience, and your career goals, then you’re much more likely to find success. By leveraging unique strategies and techniques, you will, by default, be viewed as more unique.
Most people were never taught how to do any of this, and most people look for the path of least resistance. We help you get out of comfort zone and get better results. It’s like the old saying goes, “If you’ll do the things others aren’t willing to do, you can have the things others aren’t able to have.” That’s how you stand out – by being clear, concise and strategic.
Thoughts shared by Mike Lynch, VP of Career Coaching, of Centennial
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Tags: branding, career coach, Career Coaching, career search, career strategy, Interviewing, job coach, job coaching, job search, job seeker, messenging, networking, passive candidates
Posted in Career Coaching, Executive Coaching, Hiring & Recruiting, Interviewing, Networking & Connecting, Recruiting & Executive Search | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 21st, 2010
Mike Lynch was recently asked the question, “What are effective resume tips that will help get me noticed?” and he shared the following to assist those in a career transition.
 The biggest mistake that job seekers make with their resume is that they list their duties and responsibilities for the positions they’ve held throughout their career. Instead, you should be detailing your accomplishments. It doesn’t matter what you did, as much as it matters that you achieved results doing it.
Be sure to include keywords that are also listed in the job posting. Many companies today are using automated scanners for resumes, and they’re looking for specific words. Try to leverage their same language in your resume.
If you’re able to include a cover letter, it can be an effective extension of your resume. There, you can drill down into detailed reasons why you’re a good fit for the position. The cover letter MUST be tailored for the specific job opportunity – a standard “form” cover letter is the kiss of death.
Share your top tips and recommendations of writing effective resumes…what tips have you learned over the years?
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Tags: Career Coaching, cover letters, coverletters, Interviewing, job application, job seeker, resume submission, resume writing, resumes
Posted in Career Coaching, Interviewing, Recruiting & Executive Search | 4 Comments »
Friday, May 21st, 2010
When asked, “What should be included in a job description to ensure highly qualified candidates?”, Mike Sipple Sr. shares the following with his clients and relationships.
You should create the job requisition, which typically includes a list of criteria. You should then sit down with the decision maker and the people who will be influential to this role – ideally in a group meeting. Ask for feedback; ask for what’s missing; ask for what’s really needed to be successful in this role. This process tends to get more into the culture, character and chemistry fit. The experience and skills are a given today. You have to be able to do the job, but you must also be a fit with the ‘intangibles.’
As you gather this information from the influencers and decision-makers, you must be able to get consistent feedback and a consensus on what the ideal candidate needs to possess. If you don’t have a group discussion and clear consensus of what you are and are not seeking, it will only cause disagreement regarding potential candidates later. It’s critical to get consistent feedback from the whole team – it can’t be just one person’s input. Typically more than one individual will be involved in the final decision as you hire a new executive and leader.
You should also consider what the role will be six months to two years from now. Consider what will be needed and recruit accordingly today for what’s required in the future. Part of the candidate assessment should determine if the person has the ability and/or interest to grow into that bigger role as they progress in that career position.
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Tags: executive search, hiring, Interviewing, job descriptions, Leadership, qualified candidates, recruiting
Posted in Employee Retention, Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Leadership, Recruiting & Executive Search, Succession Planning | 3 Comments »
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
In the market today, the “noise” is at a considerable volume. There are very talented professionals, who got caught in unfortunate layoffs and are still in transition. There are highly skilled people who have jobs today, but with the positive trends in the economy, are starting to feel less afraid about making a career move. Then, of course there are the plethora of ‘others’ in job seeker mode. Their resumes look fairly solid, and they can interview fairly well, but are they the best fit for your role? How can you feel confident that you’re getting the ‘right’ person for your position? And how can you prevail against your competition to get them?
Based on our extensive experience, here are some tips and suggestions we recommend to get the best talent for your organizational needs.
- Be sure you can clearly identify and articulate the resource needs you have. Be ready to define the details of who you’re looking for as much as what you’re looking for. Understand clearly what kind of person would make the best fit (and be sure they don’t already work for you!) Also be prepared to make the appropriate investment for this talent. Do your research and be knowledgeable before you begin your search process.
- Don’t mistake resume activity for successful recruitment progress. Quantity is different than quality, and as earlier stated, there’s a lot of noise out there to sift through. Questions regarding chemistry, character and cultural fit are equally as important as understanding qualifications. Unless you are specifically targeting the most qualified people, expect that you’re going to have to sift through a massive amount of resumes…and you still may not find the ‘ideal.’
- Recognize that it’s a different market out there today. Candidates are working hard to promote themselves and to ‘fit’ into many different roles. You should explore to clearly understand a candidate’s highest and best use to determine if they’ll bring the right value you need for your organization.
We will provide more to think about in the next post…Part 2 of Prevailing In The Talent War!
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Tags: executive search, hiring, Interviewing, passive candidates, recruiting, retaining talent, talent acquisition, winning the war on talent
Posted in Employment Brand, Hiring & Recruiting, Interviewing, Recruiting & Executive Search | No Comments »
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