Interviews ThatWinJobs

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DEDICATION:
Thisreportisdedicatedtoknowledge, courage,andpersistence, thethreemostimportantqualities neededtosucceedinanyhumanchallenge, especiallyajobsearch.

About the Author

Gary Bencivenga is one of the worlds most respected marketing consultants and a specialist in effective self-marketing. his proven self-marketing strategies have an extraordinary track record in enabling scores of people in all walks of life to find new jobs quickly, even in a slow economy, and even against competition from many other candidates who may seem better qualified on paper. he says, The most important 12 words youll ever read on how to succeed in a job search are, Find out what people want, then show them how to get it. This simple sentence, originally coined by dale carnegie in how to win friends & influence people, is the essence of all effective marketing and especially self-marketing in a job search. Yet most candidates dont have a clue about how to apply it in their job hunt, which gives those who do an enormous, almost unfair advantage. This is the advantage you are about to gain in the pages of this e-book. These simple, proven strategies will make it much easier for you to find a job you want in the industry of your choice, even in a down economy, and even when you are not the most qualified candidate.

TAblE Of CONTENTs
INTrODuCTION:HErES tHE EDGE
You NEED IN toDAYS MArkEt .............................................................10
A best-of-the-best collection of strategies That work in every economic climate, in every industry ............................11

ChApTEr ONE:tHE GrEAtESt Job-FINDING SECrEt.......................12

how to harness the worlds most powerful secret for winning the job You want, even when Youre not the most qualified candidate ...........................................................12 This little-known persuasion Technique can Actually induce interviewers to Persuade Themselves That You Are the best candidate for the job...........................................12 surprise! why the best-qualified candidates usually do not get the job offer .............................................................15 never use This word in an interview......................................................20 what interviewers prize most in candidates .........................................22

ChApTEr TWO:SECrEtS oF A kIllEr PrESENtAtIoN ......................23

how to make a masterful presentation of Your qualifications, using the pAr formula ...............................................23 A Temptation to resist in Your interviews..............................................24

ChApTEr ThrEE:HoW to MAkE INtErvIEWErS lIkE You ...........26

The easiest way to get an interviewer to like You immediately..........................................................................................27 do You have These Annoying conversational habits? if so, correct Them now! ............................................................27 checklist of the 25 biggest interview Turnoffs........................................28 The 5 most common interview mistakes................................................29

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The surprising personality Trait preferred by 98% of hiring executives ....................................................30 show loyalty to Your former employers ...............................................30 honesty will please most people and Astonish everyonemark Twain...........................................................30 survey: The likes and dislikes of executive interviewers ...................31 how to demonstrate Your integrity .........................................................32 speak like a free Agent, not a benchwarmer........................................33 The easiest way an employer can know when Youre not Telling the Truth (without even checking Your references) ..............................................................33

ChApTEr fOur:HoW to bE tHE bESt-PrEPArED CANDIDAtE.....34

A simple way to outperform virtually Anyone else competing with You for the same position ...............................................................................................34 This will give You greater confidence, help You relax, and make a great impression on Any interviewer...........................................................................................34 if You really want to impress Your interviewer, do This.....................36

ChApTEr fIvE:INSIDEr tIPS FroM tHE

WorlDS SAvvIESt HEADHuNtErS ........................................................37

be sure to capture Any leads That come Your way.......................................................................................................37 dont let Your kids Answer Your Telephone .........................................38 easiest way to make Yourself Three Times more likely to get hired ...........................................................................38 worst day of the week ... worst Time of day to be interviewed.........................................................................................38

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dont knock Yourself out of the running on the very first phone call...................................................................................39 The real reason why Athletes choke, and how to use This knowledge to perform brilliantly when Your dream job is on the line ........................................................................40 how to lower Your Anxiety level...........................................................40 Your interviewers greatest emotional need and how to satisfy it ..................................................................................41 meet These Three criteria and interviewers will love You ...............................................................................................43 be prepared for the 64 Toughest interview questions...........................44 visualize Your success ................................................................................44 A great interview stress reducer .............................................................45 comport Yourself as an equal, not a beggar..........................................46 A simple way to establish rapport with an interviewer......................46 how to make the law of Averages work for You ..................................47 if You wish, Take notes, but Ask first.....................................................47 dont start salary negotiations Too early ...............................................48 how to Trumpet Your Achievements without sounding like a braggart...........................................................................48 11 little Things You might not Think of ................................................50

ChApTEr sIx:INtErvIEW EtIQuEttEtHE uNSPokEN rulES .....52

etiquette checklistthe right Things to do Before, at the Beginning of, and During Your interview ......................................52 how to dress for Your interview ..............................................................53 Treat receptionists with utmost respect.................................................54 never do This! .............................................................................................54 The most important Three minutes of Your interview .........................54

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best place to sit when being interviewed ...............................................55 best way to break the ice............................................................................56 restaurant interviewsshould You pay? ...............................................56 ok to drink during a mealtime interview? ............................................56 Avoid eating salad! heres why...............................................................56 is it ever ok to smoke during an interview?.........................................57 behavior That makes interviewers Think That Youre TOO nervous .........................................................................57 dont Talk when Theyre reading Your resume ...................................58 90% of candidates whove been laid off make This interview mistake ....................................................58 Annoying verbal habits You may not realize You have ....................58 The strict Two-minute rule ...................................................................58 never respond This way, no matter how dumb Your interviewers question................................................59 how to modulate Your voice so the interviewer will Almost surely like You......................................................................59 best remedy for Awkward pauses in the conversation .......................59 how to pay Your interviewer the ultimate compliment .....................60 easiest way to be a world-class listener and why every interviewer loves This Trait .................................................60 The #1 secret of the most successful salespeople and how to use it in Your interviews......................................................60 if Your interview is interrupted, be sure to do This! ............................61 most peopleincluding Your interviewer Are starved for Attention. how to use This to Your Advantage ......................................................................................61 never interrupt Your interviewer before he or she finishes a question.......................................................62

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how Your body language can establish much greater rapport...............................................................62 how to use eye contact to come Across as forthright, not shifty................................................................62 fastest way to stifle a Yawn.......................................................................63 even if Youre nervous, never let Your feet or hands betray You This way! ........................................................63 doing This conveys dislike and distrust. make sure You do This instead ................................................................63 imitate This most effective body language secret of master salespeople ...................................................63

ChApTEr sEvEN:HoW to SIDEStEP tHE lAND MINES

tHAt bloW MoSt CANDIDAtES out oF CoNtENtIoN....................65

how to survive the initial winnowing-out process..............................65 how to handle the most sensitive interview subjects..........................66 how to handle the Two most difficult Types of interviews Youll ever face ........................................67 The dreaded stress interview how to come Through with flying colors.............................................69 occasional bush league Tactics You may encounterand how to handle Them ...................................................70 Tactics That some interviewers use to purposely intimidate You ..............................................................70 how to handle the garden variety hostile interviewer...................71 how to liven up an Apparently disinterested interviewer ................72

ChApTEr EIghT:HoW to ASk

QuEStIoNS tHAt SEt You APArt .........................................................73

smartest questions to Ask during Your interview ................................73

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simple questions That Tell You what Your employer is looking for most .........................................................74 questions to Avoid until after Youre offered the position..................78 dont make a federal case over These issues..........................................78

ChApTEr NINE:tHE rIGHt WAY AND tHE

WroNG WAY to CloSE tHE SAlE At tHE END oF Your INtErvIEW .........................................................................80
please donT follow This often-repeated Advice! .............................82 one of Your most effective Tools for closing the sale and receiving the job offer ......................................82

ChApTEr TEN:tHE EASIESt WAY to GEt

bEttEr AND SHArPEr WItH EvErY INtErvIEW ..................................84

Two most important secrets of effective follow-up .............................85

ChApTEr ElEvEN:HoW to MAkE tHE FINAl Cut ..........................87

how to get invited back for the second and Third interviews and Then be selected the #1 choice ..........................87 success in Your second interview begins here ......................................88 how to make Your first interviewer Your strongest Advocate ......................................................88 how to succeed in group interviews ......................................................89 when offered the position, should You Accept on the spot or Think it over? .......................................................90

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INtroDuCtIoN:
why You must have an edge in Todays fiercely competitive executive job market ... and how This e-book will give it to You

s you undoubtedly know, given our current economic climate, it is especially difficult to land a good position today. Competition for white-collar job openings has grown so fierce that a single help-wanted ad in a major newspaper can pull in upward of 1,000 resumes. Thats more than four large mail sacks bulging with resumes from a single ad. And that doesnt count scores of additional resumes submitted online. How can you possibly win against odds like that? The only way you will win is by having an edge ... an edge that virtually all your competitors do not have ... an edge so powerful that it will enable you to position yourself as the number one candidate even when many others may seem more qualified on paper. In the first chapter of this e-book, you will

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be given this priceless edge. Apply it as I teach, and it will work like a charm for you. In subsequent chapters, you will be given many additional edges to help lock in the position you seek. These are all proven, field-tested strategies based on extensive research by leading executive recruitment firms, corporate personnel departments, management studies conducted by leading business schools, and the experience of leading executive placement experts. This e-book is a concise, best-of-best collection of the most effective of these strategies. They have consistently been proven to work in every economic environment, in every industry, and for every type of position. Put them to use and they will work for you as well. With these strategies working for you, you are now much, much closer to your next great job. ***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #1:

how to harness the worlds most powerful secret for getting hired in Any industry, even in a down economy and when You Are not the most qualified candidate

uring many years of research in the executive job market, I have identified one strategy that will give you a massive advantage in todays hypercompetitive job market. As our first order of business, you are going to discover this strategy and how to apply it ... This deceptively simple yet remarkably effective strategy is just one of the secrets you will learn in this e-book. But it is the most important, which is why I am putting it first.

The beauty of this technique is that it induces your interviewer to persuade himself or herself that you are the right person for the job, rather than you having to perform that daunting task. In effect, it makes your interviewer tell you and usually only you exactly what to say during your interview in order to land the job.

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Its as if your interviewer will be handing you, without even realizing it, the questions to the final exam before you take it. This strategy has been adapted from a highly effective technique used by master salespeople in all fields. It was perfected many years ago by a man named Fred Herman, hailed in his prime as Americas greatest salesman. He was famous for his extraordinary ability to induce people to persuade themselves to want whatever he was offering. And he did this not with high-pressure selling, pushy tactics, or clever manipulation, but with just the opposite the softest, gentlest touch imaginable, so that his persuasion was not only devastatingly effective, but also seamless, effortless, and completely invisible. Now before we go further, please dont think, simply because you may not be in marketing or sales, that this most powerful technique ever discovered in the world of salesmanship has nothing to do with you or the position you are seeking. I know from experience that when many job seekers at high corporate levels, and especially in academia, hear the word salesmanship, they think, That doesnt apply in my profession. For them, the very word salesmanship instantly evokes images of used car salespeople and mail order hucksters. Of course, if by salesmanship you mean pushy, obvious, high-pressure sales tactics or using

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manipulative tricks to put something over on someone, then you are absolutely correct and I would agree with you. But by salesmanship I mean the high art of knowing how to induce in anyone at any level of any organization a strong desire to want what you offer over and above what anyone else has to offer, which of course is your primary mission in a job interview. To succeed in any job interview, you must know how to persuade your interviewer to hire you in preference to all other candidates. And you want to do it with effortless grace and professionalism. This is what I am talking about. And its precisely what this technique will do for you position you as the leading candidate much if not most of the time, even against a large and highly competitive field of candidates. I say much if not most of the time because no strategy will land every single job you apply for even if you are highly qualified. But what this will do is stack the probabilities your odds of being singled out as the number one candidate overwhelmingly in your favor much of the time, and that is the best you can do. And it will be more than sufficient to land a job you want, because from now on, you will be consistently superior in the interview process at positioning yourself as the number one candidate almost regardless of your competition. Indeed, while there is enormous competition out there for every job opening today, the good news

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is this: Surprisingly, the best-qualified candidates on paper usually dont land the position. Indeed, research indicates that about 65% of the time, the hired employee meets fewer than 50% of the job qualifications. How can this be? The reason is because job offers are most frequently extended to those candidates who, regardless of formal qualifications: 1. Sell themselves best; 2. Intimidate least; 3. Listen the most. In other words, job offers usually go to those who make the best impression in their interviews, which is where you are now going to have an enormous advantage. OK, enough buildup. Let us now explain this core strategy. Then Ill give you a few pointers on it, to make sure you attain mastery and can bring it off with aplomb when you need it most right before the lights turn up and its suddenly Showtime! the start of your next interview. The main secret behind this technique can be summed up in twelve simple words. From now on, in every phase of your job search, but especially before and during your interview, remember that you can get virtually anything you want in life (including the job you want) if you

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first ... Find out what people want, then show them how to get it. Those are the most powerful twelve words you can ever know to persuade anyone to do anything, including getting someone to hire you. These twelve magic words are so powerful because they take your mental focus off what you want and put it where it should be on what your potential employer wants. And this gives you a whole different perspective ... and gives your potential employer a much more favorable impression of you. Applied to the job interview process, what this means is ... During the interview, your most important objective is to uncover your interviewers most ardently felt wants, problems, needs, desires, goals, or priorities. As critical as this is, virtually no one does it! Virtually everybody makes the critical mistake of talking about themselves and their qualifications in a vacuum, that is, before they know what the interviewer is looking for most in a candidate. In marketing terms, they start to sell before they know what the buyer most wants to buy. From now on, remember that its absolutely foolhardy to start describing yourself and your qualifications until you know what the employers

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greatest needs are! As master salespeople and marketers know, dont start to sell anything until you know what the buyer is buying! Of course, the problem becomes how to accomplish this when your interviewer is in control of the interview and often begins by saying, Tell me about yourself. Heres a good way to do it, but one that will take a little rehearsing before your next interview ... After the small talk, be ready to gently, nonchalantly seize the initiative by asking, Before we get started, could you fill me in a little bit more about this position? All I know is what I heard from the executive recruiter (or saw in the classified advertisement ... or whatever the case may be). This first question can lead to others, each of which can help you elicit the information you need so that when it is your turn to speak ... ... you will already know how to position your qualifications to perfectly match what the interviewer just told you he or she is looking for. As I said, once you do this, once you induce the interviewer to first tell you what it will take to get hired, i.e., what he or she is looking for most in a candidate, its as if youve been given the questions before you take a final exam. You gain an immense advantage. You should rehearse this approach so that you

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are sure to bring it off tactfully, effortlessly, and nonchalantly, to avoid the impression that youre trying to take over the interview. But you must do it if you truly want to be a master at giving the interviewer what he or she wants, which is the most critical factor in getting the job offer. If, after the introductory small talk, your interviewer beats you to the punch by asking the first question, you must of course answer it, but then try to regain the initiative by asking for more information about the position and how you can better present your qualifications in light of his or her needs. For example, lets say that your interviewer ends the small talk by saying, Well, Ive read your resume, but why dont you tell me a little more about your qualifications. Your best answer would be to give a thirtysecond-to-one-minute summary of your strongest qualifications and then, without pausing, immediately continue by saying, I have a number of accomplishments Id like to tell you about. To focus on the ones most relevant to you, may I ask you a question or two about the position? Then you have your interviewers permission to ask several questions that will draw out his or her greatest needs, wants, desires, goals, or problems. No matter which question your interviewer asks at the start of the interview, you should give a brief answer, then get back to this strategy of

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uncovering his or her greatest wants. Applying this strategy is not necessarily easy at first. You have to practice it to feel comfortable and natural with it. But it is the only way to maximize your opportunity to offer your potential employer exactly what he or she wants most in the ideal candidate. If you try to present your qualifications before you know what your interviewer wants most, you may well emphasize qualifications of little immediate reference to his or her needs. For example, you may emphasize your long experience when he or she is much more interested in someone who can initiate changes. Or vice versa. Or, among all the skills and knowledge that you possess, you may choose to talk about an area that has little relevance or interest for your interviewer, when you could have chosen to describe skills and knowledge that he or she might be fairly desperate to bring aboard. This difference is critical in swaying your odds of getting hired. So you must absolutely must! get your interviewer talking about his or her needs and wants before you talk about how you can fulfill them. An excellent way to get the ball rolling is to ask questions such as What would your highest expectations be for the person who fills this position? ... Why is the position open? ... or What would be the highest priorities for the

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person who fills this position? Once your interviewer begins to talk about his or her wants and needs, keep the dialogue going with further probing questions such as Thats interesting ... Why is that the case? ... How would you like to see this situation remedied? ... What would the person in this position have to achieve to be considered successful? or What is your biggest concern about XYZ? After the interviewer has finished answering your questions, in effect revealing to you exactly what the company is looking for most, its a good idea to recap and feed back what he or she has just said. Doing this will show the interviewer that you are someone who listens well and respects those you will be working with. You will have paid your interviewer the high compliment of listening attentively. This will also ensure that you fully understand his or her wants and needs. To summarize what the interviewer has just told you, you can say something like In other words, the person you hire for this job should be able to ... (and then fill in the blanks with a brief summary of the most important criteria your interviewer has just described). As you feed back your understanding of the most important wants and problems you have uncovered, please do not use the word problem in describing any of the challenging situations your interviewer is dealing with. Many people resist having to acknowledge to someone outside the firm that they

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have a problem, even if they do. Be diplomatic. Use words such as highest priority, most important goal, greatest desire, etc. Once he or she confirms that you understand the situation perfectly, only then are you ready to begin talking about your qualifications in earnest. The genius of this strategy is that at this point, you have everything you need to make a masterful presentation, one that matches like a key to a lock your most relevant qualifications to whatever your interviewer is looking for. To make such a masterful presentation with great finesse, you will use our next strategy for gaining a job-winning edge, the PARFormula.

*** To sum up the strategy you have just learned: 1. Always, always, always find out during the interview what the company wants from the person to be hired before you present your qualifications so youll know which credentials and achievements to emphasize, like fitting a key to a lock. 2. It helps, before you speak, to summarize and feed back the main wants and needs that the interviewer has just revealed to you, to be sure you understand them correctly and to show your interviewer that youre a good listener.

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3. Only then are you ready to present your qualifications that most closely mirror your interviewers greatest wants.

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WhatInterviewersprizeMostinCandidates
researchers at the indiana university placement office videotaped employment interviews and found surprising differences in the ways that successful job seekers performed during interviews versus those who were later unsuccessful. The study found that many of the candidates who were given the highest marks on paper before they were interviewed did not make the final list of candidates to be hired. The biggest differences the study found between those who are successful in interviews and those who are not were the interviewees communication skills and ability to exploit the face-to-face interview. The successful candidates identified with the potential employers greatest wants, needs, and desires. They were positive and assertive in answering questions and in asking questions that demonstrated that they were trying to uncover the employers greatest needs and then show why they were qualified to meet them. This same study showed clearly that the most successful interviewees refer to the organization by name four times as often as unsuccessful applicants. They also mention receiving information about the firm from employees and from written sources. in other words, they demonstrated a genuine interest in the company.

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #2:

how to make a masterful presentation of Your qualifications, using the pAr formula

nce you have elicited and then fed back your interviewers greatest wants as explained in the first chapter, you are ready to make a killer presentation of your most relevant qualifications and accomplishments. You will do this by using the PARFormula. Heres how ... You are going to provide anecdotes of how you achieved success in similar situations. In doing so, you will keep the descriptions of your achievements and the problems youve solved concise, specific, and factual, taking no more than a minute or two.

For each of your success anecdotes, use the PAR Formula as follows: Describe your accomplishments by stating the Problem you faced, the Action you took, and the Results you achieved.

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As you do this, allow your interviewer to interrupt with questions if he or she desires. As you make your presentation using the PAR Formula, resist the temptation to offer, on the spot, any comparable solutions to your interviewers greatest wants, needs, and problems that you have uncovered. The purpose of your PARFormula achievement anecdotes is to demonstrate how you think, how you approach problems, and that you are an achiever who has accomplished success in similar situations. You are not there to solve the companys specific problems instantly. Trying to do so would be counterproductive, because you dont have all the facts yet, and you dont want to seem like someone who shoots from the hip. Also, trying to solve the companys main problem or problems on the spot could easily be perceived as condescending, as if you are trying to show up the interviewer by implying that he or she must be rather dimwitted to have overlooked such obvious solutions as those you suggest. To sum up this strategy ... 1. Use the PAR Formula to describe in concise, specific vignettes (no longer than one or two minutes each) your major accomplishments that match up to your interviewers greatest wants:

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A. A similar Problem you faced. B. The Action you took. C. The Results you achieved. Have these memorized and well rehearsed before your interview. 2. Answer any further questions your interviewer may have. These first two chapters constitute your core success strategy for landing your new job. Now lets examine a portfolio of additional research findings, techniques, and strategies that will further enhance your odds of success.

***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #3:

how to make interviewers like You

o matter what your qualifications, no one is going to hire you if he or she doesnt like you.

So after the basic assumption that you are qualified for the position, the most important reason an employer will hire you is because he or she likes you. This is understandable because your boss and others at the company may spend more waking time with you than with their own spouses! Compatibility is essential. Yet the overwhelming majority of job seekers, even those at the highest executive levels, have no clue of how important this likability factor is. This represents an enormous opportunity for you to leapfrog over others who may be better qualified on paper, but who dont know how to present a more likable image to the interviewer. Based on a small mountain of research, here are the easiest ways to make yourself more likable to

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any interviewer ... 1. Above all, listen attentively and respectfully when your interviewer speaks. This is the easiest way to get your interviewer to take an immediate liking to you. Through such focused listening, you show respect and consideration, two qualities that all people crave and appreciate. If you have the annoying habits of interrupting people before they finish their sentences or listening only partially because your mind is racing ahead to think up your next clever response, youd better practice correcting these bad listening habits now. Just as you notice these irritating traits in others, your interviewer will instantly spot them in you, and this can easily kill your chances of getting hired, regardless of your qualifications. 2. Leave the obituary face at home. Most people are understandably tense before an interview. But dont let this tension reflect itself in a frown or stern look. It makes you unlikable and threatening. Look upon the interview as an opportunity to meet a new and likable friend. 3. Be yourself. It sounds trite, but in interviewing, one of the most important pieces of advice is simply to be yourself and not try to be someone else. Giving yourself permission to be you takes some of the pressure off the interview, helps you relax, and enables your natural strengths to shine through. Of course, you want your best self to shine through. So within the framework of your own

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natural personality, here are some of the qualities that virtually everyone, interviewers included, find likable in others ... 4. People like others who are positive, and they dislike those who are negative. For this reason, dont say anything negative about anybody or anything in your interview. Try to be as positive as you can about all things that you talk about. 5. People like others who are confident, and they dislike those who are weak, selfdoubting, and suspicious. 6. People like others with a pleasant manner, a ready smile, and a good sense of humor. Of course, this

The25biggestInterviewTurnoffs
in a major study conducted by the placement center of northwestern university, employers were asked to name the traits or responses they found most objectionable in job candidates. Their responses, in order of intensity of dislike, were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Arrogance, cockiness. poor communication, presentation skills. lack of interest. lack of knowledge about the company and industry. early discussion or questions about salary and benefits. being unprepared for the interview and making excuses. egotism, overconfidence. Tardiness, not showing up for interview. poor eye contact. Abrasive, rude, demanding. dishonesty, fabricated answers in interview or resume. poor language usage, slang, poor grammar. no career direction, not knowing self. shallow, inappropriate questions or answers. lack of experience, education, skills. lack of professional appearance. know-it-all attitude. inappropriate attire. unrealistic goals, career and job expectations. overly aggressive, hostile, manipulative behavior. lack of enthusiasm. poor grooming, hygiene. failure to communicate qualifications effectively, no elaboration or examples. deficient social, conversational skills. lack of professionalism and poise.

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doesnt mean that you should tell ethnic jokes or do your Richard Nixon imitation. 7. People like goaloriented candidates and dislike those without focus or direction. 8. People like others who are straightforward, and they dislike those who are otherwise. 9. People like others who show a genuine interest in them and enhance their sense of importance, respect, and self-esteem. They dislike sometimes intensely those who in any way slight their sense of self-respect. 10. People like others who are good-natured and open, and they dislike those who come across as suspicious and wary. 11. People like others who are down-to-earth, and they dislike those who are haughty. Of course, you may not be

The5biggestInterviewMistakes
According to BusinessWeek magazine, these are the five biggest turnoffs that get interview candidates disqualified: 1.playinghardtoget.Acting nonchalant will usually be interpreted as meaning that you arent interested enough in the position. 2.Talkingtoomuch.never ramble nor entertain the interviewer with chitchat about the super bowl. 3.boasting.You must sell yourself, but beware of embellishing your responsibilities, exaggerating your accomplishments, covering up shortcomings, or bragging too much. 4.Notlistening.candidates are often so anxious to prove themselves that they dont listen carefully to the interviewers questions. As a result, their answers are off target. 5.beingunprepared.if you havent done your homework to learn about the company and its culture, you cant ask the right questions. OtherfactorsThathaveCaused Well-QualifiedCandidatestoloseOut poor posture ... a limp handshake ... bow ties ... smoking a pipe ... too much jewelry ... nervous tics ... nervous demeanor. finally, if youre a man, and you cross your legs, make sure your socks rise high enough to cover any bare skin. if they dont, do not cross your legs. believe it or not, an exposed hairy calf ranked highest in one survey of what turns women off most.

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haughty, but your behavior may make it seem so. For example, if you let the interviewer carry the burden of doing all the talking, treating him or her as if he or she is the host and you are the honored guest, you may well seem aloof and unfriendly.

ThesurprisingpersonalityTrait preferredby98% ofhiringExecutives

A survey by hodge-cronin & Associates found that 98% of 737 chief executives interviewed would hire a candidate with a good sense of humor over a humorless type. says Forbes magazine, A mounting body of research says the preference is well-grounded. researchers have found a connection between a well-developed sense of humor and problem solving. professor of history joseph boskin, who teaches a course on humor in 20th-century America at boston university, says humorous people are usually wiser and have broader perspectives. And they are often better workers.

12. People like others who are interesting, and they dislike those so, dont be afraid to smile or even who are boring. To be laugh when appropriate during your more interesting, talk interviews. but dont crack jokes yourself. about what you find interesting, as long as its relevant to the conversation. 13. People like others who take responsibility and dont blame others. They dislike those who point fingers. 14. People like others who are loyal. Always show loyalty to your former employers. Interviewers will assume that you are a loyal team player and will give them that same admirable loyalty in your future relationship. 15. People like others who are truthful. If you dont know how to answer a question, say so. If youre not sure of what the interviewer is driving at, dont be shy about asking him or her to clarify the question. Also be honest in your

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answers to questions. As Mark Twain once said, Honesty will please most people and astonish everyone. 16. Most important, people like others who like them, and they dislike others who project critical or suspicious feelings.

surprisinglikesandDislikesof ExecutiveInterviewers
According to a poll conducted by executive search consultant and author Allan cox, two-thirds of employers frown on dirty footwear. The only thing that will turn them off more is a woman who comes to an interview dressed in a seethrough blouse. other interesting findings: r 40% of hiring executives reacted negatively to a bracelet or neck chain worn by a man. r while 17% of middle managers frowned upon anyone wearing a beard, 22% of top executives took a dislike to those with beards. mustaches turned off 7% of the top executives and 6% of middle managers.

Tip: Keep your eyes open to notice something you genuinely r being five minutes late for the like about your interview upset about 60% of execuinterviewer or the tives. being fifteen minutes early company, and dont be annoyed 12% but favorably impressed 45%. afraid to offer a compliment, perhaps r drinking alcohol during lunch was frowned on by 25% of executives about the office but was viewed positively by 21%. decor, the building, r Asking reflective questions about the or anything else company impressed more than 80% appropriate that you of all executives surveyed. may have genuinely admired. Be sure that your compliment is sincere, or it may appear to be manipulative flattery. Your interviewer will be much more likely to perceive your compliment as sincere if you give a brief one-sentence reason for admiring whatever youve complimented. This reason why makes your compliment credible.

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A Few More Tips on How to Be More Likable in a Job Interview

17. Never get into an argument with your interviewer, even if you strongly disagree with what he or she is saying. This sounds so obvious that you may wonder why I even include it. Well, youd be surprised at what even intelligent, highlevel candidates sometimes do in an interview, when they feel stressful, want to come across as strong, or have done things quite differently in their previous firms and believe fervently that their own ways are superior. So lets leave nothing to chance here and advise that you dont press a differing viewpoint on anything too aggressively. This is not to imply that the interviewer is always right. And you are free to state your own viewpoint enthusiastically and positively, without bickering. Just remember that if you get into an argument, you wont win either the argument or the job. 18. Demonstrate integrity. Never divulge confidential information about your previous employers, even if pressed to do so, whether in a friendly or high-pressure manner, if only for your own self-interest. Some interviewers will test you by trying as hard as they can to pry such information out of you, showing outright annoyance if you dont yield. Hold your ground. This is usually a ruse designed to bring maximum pressure to bear on you

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to test the limits of your trustworthiness. You will pass this test only if you steadfastly refuse to divulge such information. If you eagerly serve up confidential information in your desire to please the interviewer, you will almost certainly be eliminated from consideration, and rightfully so. 19. Speak like a free agent, not a benchwarmer. In describing your achievements, generally speaking, dont fall into the we syndrome ... we did this, then we did that, etc. The interviewer wants to know what you contributed. Hes not hiring your former team.

***

TheEasiestWayanEmployer CanKnowWhenaJobCandidate IsNotTellingtheTruth...

... is when there is little or no consistency between the resume, interview, and references.

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #4:

how to be the best-prepared candidate

nother simple strategy for outperforming your rivals for any position is to flat out be the best-prepared candidate, with nobody else even a close second. Researching the company thoroughly before your interview will confer three wonderful benefits upon you. First, it will make you more confident during your interview because you will be able to converse more intelligently about the company. Second, this greater confidence will help you feel more relaxed, allowing your best qualities to shine through. And third, you will make a much better impression upon your interviewer. Indeed, interviewers are shrewd and demanding judges of how much homework youve put in before your interview, as this is a strong indicator of your work habits, your preparation skills, and

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your desire for the job. Someone who walks into an interview knowing almost nothing about the company or organization and its products or services is demonstrating little interest and zero initiative, both very negative marks in the mind of any hiring executive. To avoid making such a mistake, gather as much information as you can about the company or organization and the department where you may be working. Study this information thoroughly, formulating intelligent questions. Your mission is to be the number one best-prepared candidate. Your homework will also help you identify the possible problems, needs, goals, or desires that you may uncover during your interview. If its a publicly held company, be sure to read its annual report for its most recent fiscal year and even further back if you can get copies. (Tip: Call the investor relations department at the firm and ask for whatever material it can send you.) Read all such material over several times, identifying the corporate culture and dominant ideas you see expressed. Also try to get a few copies of the companys newsletters or ezines. These will give you a good overview of how the company sees itself, as well as the corporate culture. If you know anyone who works at the company, supplies the company, or knows anything about it from any angle, try to get as much information as you can from these sources as well.

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Respond to the companys advertisements and carefully review the material you receive. If practical, buy some of its products. Send for any information that the public relations department may be able to give you. In addition, research the companys competition, a topic very much on the mind of every company. Check out the companys website and spend a fair amount of time there. Google the company and read whatever articles pop up. Then go the extra mile and visit your local library. Many libraries subscribe to electronic databases such as Dow Jones and LexisNexis, which can serve up a cornucopia of information about the company. These steps will help you create an informed list of questions that you can bring up at appropriate times in the interview. They will enable you to get a mile-long head start on the majority of candidates who havent shown such initiative. And youll instantly leapfrog past the surprisingly high number of interviewees who think nothing of blurting out during the interview, Im really not that familiar with what your company does ... Such a statement conveys a feeling of indifference and perhaps even arrogance to your potential employer, whose life is wrapped up in his companys operations. During your interview, dont force your company knowledge into the conversation or try to flaunt it. To make a really strong impression, let it come out naturally in the course of conversation. ***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #5:

insider Tips from the worlds savviest headhunters

o put this book together, I have sought the advice of a wide range of the most successful and respected executive recruiters in the business. Most were very gracious in sharing their favorite insider tips for succeeding brilliantly in your job search.

Here are their best-of-the-best recommendations: 1. Clear the decks for your incoming calls. Before you can perform well in an interview, you must secure that interview. If you invest considerable time, expense, and effort to generate qualified job leads, it only makes sense to be ready to capture them when opportunity knocks. First and foremost, remember that when someone in the business world places a phone call, he or she is accustomed to getting through to someone or

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something whether a receptionist, assistant, or voice mail machine capable of taking a message. This expectation carries over to you, even though you may be out of work and using your home as your new office. Make sure that you have some way to receive incoming calls at all times, even if its an answering machine.

EasiestWaytoMakeYourself ThreeTimesMorelikely togethired

According to executive recruiter robert half, research has shown that the first person interviewed gets the job only 17.6% of the time. but the last person interviewed is hired 55.8% of the time, or more than three times more frequently. The reason: As in most human endeavors, people are wary of accepting the first choice offered. Therefore, do whatever you can to position yourself among the last candidates interviewed, definitely not among the first. This means you may wait a couple of weeks before responding to help-wanted ads that interest you. You may ask your executive recruiter to send you in last. And if your interviewer asks you when you can set up an appointment, try to push the day back as far as possible.

If you have just one phone line that you WorstDayoftheWeek... and your family tie up WorstTimeofDay tobeInterviewed for long periods, the smartest thing you can Also according to half, another research study has shown that monday do is install a second is, by far, the worst day of the week to be phone line during your interviewed for a job. The worst time for search. If a potential a job interview is late afternoon. employer enthusiasticYou neednt become a slave to these ally responds to your guidelines, merely use them to your advantage whenever possible. resume but gets a busy signal two or three times in a row, you may have lost that lead forever. Make sure that the initial impression the caller gets is a first-class image. Always have a responsible, English-speaking adult or reliable answering machine available to answer your phone.

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If you have an answering machine, never use one of those novelty tapes to answer your phone (imitations of celebrity voices, musical messages, etc.). Neither should you have one of your children record the message. You should record it, and rerecord it if necessary, until it sounds highly professional. If youre using an answering machine and you go on a trip, try to be in touch with your recorded messages every day. Few things are more irritating to someone whos trying to reach you than receiving the same recorded message several times in a week, without a clue as to how long youll be gone or when you can return the call. Its most unprofessional ... and damaging to your chances of employment with that caller. At least once a week, call your answering machine yourself and leave yourself a message. Youll not only appreciate how someone else perceives your message, but youll be doublechecking the reliability of the machine. 2. Never give out too much information during the initial phone contact. Initial telephone interviews have one purpose only to uncover a reason why you are not qualified. Its a screening-out process to whittle down the field. Therefore, if youd really like to maximize your chances for exploring this job, your goal is to give as little information as possible and, instead, ask a few questions about the position and why its open, then assume the caller is desirous of setting up a personal interview.

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3. Throughout your job campaign, to minimize anxiety and fear of rejection, realize that youre playing a numbers game. The real reason that some athletes choke in a big game is not because they lack skill or dont care enough. Its because they care too much. They want success so badly that they try to force their skills, making themselves so nervous and so tight that they simply cannot relax enough to let their skills perform to their highest level. The same can happen to you in your job campaign. A certain amount of nervousness is always going to be present during a job interview. But if you find yourself so nervous that your tightness is not allowing the real you to shine through, then take a tip from master salespeople who face this problem all the time. To succeed, on the one hand, you must prepare thoroughly. But on the other hand, you cannot allow yourself to want this position too much. This can be hard to do, especially when youre out of work, desperate for money, and your dream job is riding on the outcome of your interview. But precisely because the stakes are so high, you must learn the skill of lowering your desire in order to lower your level of nervousness. You will give yourself your best shot of capturing the position only if the best you shines through, and that can take place only when you are not in the death grip of desperation and fear of blowing the opportunity. You must tell yourself before the interview that if landing this position is meant to be, its

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meant to be. You must also look at your job search as a numbers game, just as master salespeople do. They get rid of nervousness by not trying to force each situation their way. Rather, they rehearse and polish their presentations until they are truly masterful in knowing their information cold. But they never know which specific prospect is going to be the one out of three or one out of fifty who buys. So they dont worry about it. They know if they give fifty masterful presentations, somewhere along the line they will get their ample share of sales. This strategy of thinking of the interview process as a numbers game is the key to being able to relax enough in all your interviews to let your knowledge and genuine personality come through. Paradoxically, by having a more relaxed attitude, you will raise your closing ratio (number of job offers) much higher. 4. Know that virtually every interviewers greatest emotional need is the SAFETY of the hiring decision. All great salespeople know that you will be far more successful in selling or persuading anyone if you address their emotional needs during the sale. In your job search, this means that you will do much better in interviews if you go into them realizing that your interviewer is quite anxious and that his or her greatest emotional need is most likely the safety of his or her hiring decision.

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To understand this, you must realize that for most executives, interviewing is a function performed only occasionally. So it brings with it the inherent discomfort of unfamiliarity. As a rule, most executives would much rather be doing what they do best instead of interviewing you. Greatly magnifying the inherent discomfort of performing an activity outside their daily comfort zone are the onerous consequences of making a mistake. If they hire someone who turns out to be a disaster, that disaster may be hung around their necks like an albatross. A bad hiring decision can impede their own careers. They can also cause them a loss of prestige at the firm, disrupt previously harmonious work teams, hurt employee morale, and lower productivity. Hiring someone who doesnt work out can also mean that pet projects get botched or essential work is postponed until someone qualified is found. Finally, hiring mistakes mean that the hiring executives, after all these bad consequences have befallen them, their careers, and their firm, will most likely have to undo the damage, fire the person recently hired, and go through the awful process all over again. In sum, its a very high-risk situation. Therefore, you will have much greater success in interviews if you give the interviewer what he or she is emotionally seeking most. And that is a feeling of SAFETY, a reduction of the risks that hiring you represents. How do you do that? By doing everything you

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can to make the interviewer feel safe and secure about you. Specifically, to feel safest with you, the interviewer will be looking for you to meet three criteria: a) You are qualified to do the job. b) You are motivated to do the job. c) You are their kind of person. Theres an old saying in executive recruitment that like likes like. The more you are like the people already working at a firm, the safer your interviewer will feel about you and, in short, the more he or she will tend to like you. So, as much as humanly possible, you should try to reflect the interviewers corporate culture ... to look, talk, think, and act like they do and share their interests and values. The closer your presentation comes to assuring the interviewer about these three requirements, the safer the interviewer will feel about you and the greater your odds of being hired. This holds true for every position at every company that interviews you. So the bulk of your preparation for any interview should be targeted at meeting these three essential criteria. 5. Review your resume before your interview ... and be prepared to use it as your script in answering interview questions. Remember that your cover letter and resume were impressive enough to have gained your interview. In other words, so far, its a winning combination. So before your interview, study your resume, no matter how many times you reviewed it before. Keep your greatest

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achievements fresh in your mind, ready to feed them to the interviewer, matching them up with his or her companys needs. 6. Be prepared for tough interview questions. Throughout your job campaign, you should regularly review the questions in one of your accompanying e-books, How to Answer the 64 Toughest Interview Questions, and rehearse your answers. Pay special attention to the answers you plan to give to questions about why youve left each previous position ... your greatest weaknesses ... what salary you want ... and other sensitive matters most likely to come up. You do not want to find yourself ad-libbing your answers to these questions. As you rehearse your answers to anticipated questions, make them concise enough to fit into one- or two-minute segments. No answer to any interview question should go beyond two minutes. If your interviewer wants more information, he or she can ask after you finish your one-to-twominute summary. 7. Visualize your success. Another highly effective technique for preparing for topflight interview performance is to use the same method employed by championship athletes. That is, videotape a rehearsed interview. You can ask a friend or your spouse to interview you for the position you are seeking and videotape the entire session. To make it easy for the person, you can have him or her ask you questions from one of your accompanying e-books, How to Answer the 64

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Toughest Interview Questions. Then review your performance as if you were watching someone you are thinking of hiring. Make any improvements you deem necessary. Then go through the process again, until you feel that your interview technique is in tip-top shape. For many people, this is an uncomfortable exercise, because few of us like to see or hear ourselves on tape. But its an invaluable way to see what you may be doing wrong and correct any problems before they hurt your chances in an actual interview, when it will be too late. A related technique, and a great interview stress reducer, is simply to use your own mind to visualize the interview unfolding as you would like. See yourself succeeding brilliantly in listening to your interviewer, uncovering his or her main wants, letting your interviewer finish every question completely before responding, and then providing an answer that perfectly matches his or her needs with your qualifications. Imagine seeing your interviewer quite impressed with your credentials. Imagine that you sense very strongly that he or she likes you and would get along well with you and that the chemistry between you is fabulous. Such visualizations, especially performed at night before you go to sleep, are extremely powerful in harnessing your subconscious mind to bring your best resources and personality to bear during your interview the next day. Following this prac-

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tice on a regular basis will work like a tonic to put you in the right frame of mind and build your confidence. Another similar exercise is to stand in front of a mirror and imagine how your body would look and feel if you were naturally and genuinely brimming with confidence, enthusiasm, and drive. Get to know and feel comfortable with your own success posture, and then, whenever you want to project an image of success and self-confidence, just assume that posture, whether youre initially feeling that way or not. Youll be surprised how the posture itself will help trigger these positive emotions within you ... and thereby project a strong, confident image to anyone in your presence. 8. Comport yourself as an equal, not a beggar. Look upon your interview as a meeting between equals. The company needs good people like you as much as you need the company. Being subservient is just as damaging to your chances as being arrogant. Remember that the person whos interviewing you was impressed enough with your resume to invite you for the interview. This is a positive start and should be the basis for optimism. 9. Try this technique for establishing rapport. A classic management principle that encourages a bonding between two individuals is to switch a situation from you against me to you and me against the problem. If there is some need or problem that the interviewer has and that you can identify with, perhaps you can use the you and me

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against the challenge technique. 10. Be on your toes at all times and with every person you meet. You must assume that every question asked, and every remark made, is for a reason. Never be so casual at any point in the interview process that youre not thinking your answer through or giving it your best shot. Also assume that anyone you meet may have the power to derail your candidacy, including an assistant. Never let your guard down or assume that a given person is unimportant in the hiring decision. 11. If you wish, take notes, but ask first. If youd like to take notes, ask permission first. Accurate notes will help you write a dynamite follow-up letter. If you choose to go through the interview without taking notes, be sure to jot down the main problems, desires, goals, etc., of your interviewer immediately after the interview. These will form the basis of a powerful follow-up letter. 12. Dont let untalented, insecure, or insensitive interviewers get you down. Try not to feel offended, intimidated, or otherwise put off by anyone you might encounter during your job search. Take it all in stride and try to be yourself as best you can in each situation. Just bear in mind, its a numbers game, and look forward to your next interview. The more leads you generate, and the more people you see, the more offers you will receive. Thats making the law of averages work for you.

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13. Dont ask the employer about salary until youre offered the position. To get into a salary discussion too early will handicap your negotiating ability. Make sure the employer wants you first then you will negotiate from strength. 14. How to trumpet your achievements without sounding like a braggart. The best way to talk about your achievements without seeming full of yourself is to talk about specific results and let the specific numbers and achievements carry the weight of the description. This is another instance where a thorough resume will help you immeasurably. You can use it as a basic script for reviewing the achievements that your interviewer would like you to talk about. So instead of saying, I am the best salesperson at the firm, you might say instead, For each of the last eight years I have never placed below the top 10% in gross commission production. And for most of that period, I have placed in the top 3%. Then follow this up perhaps with additional sales volume figures. Another technique: Describe what other people say. For example, My immediate supervisor has described me as ... My staff tells me I get such superb results out of them because ... or Last year I was named manager of the year thanks to the results I achieved by ... A similar technique: Describe evidence of top performance, including promotions, special awards, citations, performance appraisals, etc., always citing the specific results that caused you to win them. Such third-party evidence puts the praise

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in the mouths of others, not in your own mouth. Another technique: Express how proud you are of a certain achievement and express that pride in your delivery. For example, after the Gulf War, General Schwarzkopf proved himself a master at effectively and graciously acknowledging his own accomplishments by stating how proud he was of the brilliant performance of his troops. Of course, we automatically attributed much of the credit to him, but the fact that he did not try to claim all the credit positioned him as an even more admirable manager. Instant stardom and a multimillion-dollar book contract were just two of the rewards showered upon him not only for his brilliant performance in the war, but for his understated skill in telling the world what a great job he had done. Another technique: State your abilities in terms of what you enjoy doing most. For example instead of saying, I am an outstanding creative thinker, it sounds a little less braggy if you say, I really love the creative aspects of this work, and I think Ive shown my ability in this regard with ideas such as these ... (Then describe why the ideas were so strong and what results they achieved.) Additional phrases that can come in handy: I really have shown outstanding ability in situations that call upon me to ... (fill in the blank, then prove your claim with specific achievements and results). Or, There is nothing that gives me a greater sense of satisfaction than to ... (fill in the blank, then prove your claim with specific achievements and results).

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Little Things That Can Make a Big Difference

15. Before the day of the interview, get a good nights sleep, so you can be well rested. 16. Review the directions to the interview to make sure youre not going to get lost. 17. Listen to the weather forecast in advance to see if youll need an umbrella or boots. It wont help your image at the moment of your big interview if you look like a drowned rat the cat dragged in. 18. Be sure you bring extra copies of your resume, as well as a pen and notepad, should you need them. 19. Never wear wrinkled clothes to an interview. 20. Polish your shoes. Some people will judge your character by your shoeshine. Never wear shoes with worn-down heels. They may be the last impression you leave on your way out of the interviewers office. 21. Dress conservatively and tastefully. When in doubt, dress more formally rather than less. 22. Go lightly on cologne, perfume, or makeup. 23. Of course, observe all the basics of good grooming. 24. Try to arrange your most important interviews for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are the busiest days in an interviewers week ... and the days least likely to result in a

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job offer. 25. Throughout your job campaign, and for the rest of your life, bear in mind that two of the best ways to project a strong, relaxed, confident image in all situations is to exercise every day and get a good nights sleep, going to bed before 10:00 p.m.

***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #6:

The unspoken rules of interview etiquette (breaking Them could cost You the job offer)

any of the following points will seem obvious. Nevertheless, they are presented here for two reasons.

First, to be thorough. And second, because etiquette can be a funny thing. Sometimes youll know nineteen out of the twenty rules that govern a situation but break the one rule you dont know about. As a result, you may lose the job offer. So while most of these rules are painfully obvious, be assured that supposedly sophisticated executives have broken every single one of them. Dont you be caught breaking even one! 1. Dont insist on making your appointment at a time that your interviewer indicates may be inconvenient. Try to be as accommodating as possible. 2. If you are offered reimbursement for travel, hotel, and food, its best to be frugal with your potential employers money.

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3. If youre sick or otherwise under the weather, reschedule the interview for another time. Dont try to tough it out when youre not at your best. 4. Dress conservatively. And remember that appropriate attire in one part of the country may seem quite out of step elsewhere. For example, cowboy boots worn with a suit may be fine in Arizona but will raise eyebrows in Boston. A blazer with slacks may be OK in Southern California but never on Wall Street. 5. Go light on jewelry, cologne, perfume, and cosmetics. 6. Never wear sunglasses. 7. Never chew gum. 8. If your glasses are broken, fix them before your interview. 9. Dont take up the time of an important executive, asking him or her for instructions on how to find the building. Call the receptionist and get the information from that person. 10. Always confirm your appointment by calling the interviewers assistant one day before your interview. 11. Always be at least five to ten minutes early so you can dash into the restroom for a final check. You may be brilliant at what you do, but if all your interviewer sees when he looks at your smile is a piece of spinach salad wallpapered to your front tooth, your prospects are dim. 12. Always treat receptionists and assistants with

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utmost respect. They are often asked their opinion of candidates, and even if not, they can sabotage you with a single cutting remark. They are also the gatekeepers who can make your life much easier in follow-up appointments. If you go out of your way to be nice, it can pay big dividends. Its your best way to get strangers inside the company to put in a good word for you. 13. If you come into the office wearing a coat, hat, or other outdoor clothing, take it off in the reception area. If you carry it into the interview office, youll be emphasizing your image as an outsider, a commercial visitor, and not one who already belongs in the company. 14. Never invite your spouse or friend along. Your spouse may be very important in helping you make decisions. He or she may even have made a long-distance trip to scout your potential new location. But to have your spouse waiting in the reception area sends a signal that you may be too dependent on your spouse. Wrong signal.

The Most Important Three Minutes of Your Interview

The most important three minutes in any interview are the first three minutes because thats when your interviewer will form his or her first and lasting impression of you. Heres how to make the best impression possible: 15. Begin and end every interview with a firm handshake and direct eye contact. Yes, you should actually test your handshake on friends, who will

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tell you if its too firm or too squishy. As with your shoeshine, a good number of people judge your character by your handshake and eye contact. Remember that how you look, smell, sit, and comport yourself will play a major role in whether the interviewer likes you as a person, so try to relax and let your best self shine through. 16. Be gracious and enthusiastic in your greeting, but not artificially so. 17. Never address the interviewer by his or her first name, unless you are invited to do so. If he or she calls you by your first name, you may ask whether he minds if you do the same. 18. If your interviewer is female, wait until she offers her hand before you offer to shake hands. 19. If your interviewer is female and you do not know her marital status, address her as Ms. 20. Dont be seated until the interviewer is seated or invites you to be seated. 21. Try to choose a chair thats adjacent to the interviewers desk and move it slightly so that you can face the interviewer. Try to avoid sitting in a chair that will put you at an uncomfortable disadvantage, such as sitting side by side with the interviewer, forcing you to look over your shoulder to make eye contact. Also, try to keep yourself out of the line of the sun coming through the interviewers window, so that your eyes wont seem squinty and shifty. If the sun is in your eyes, theres no harm in asking if the blinds can be adjusted.

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22. Sit with good posture, back straight, feet planted flatly on the floor. 23. Best way to break the ice in the initial few minutes of the interview: Talk about something that the interviewer seems interested in. You may look around the interviewers office and find some clue of common interest. As Paul Ivey says in his book, Successful Salesmanship, There is one surefire way of arousing interest: Find out what they are already interested in and then talk about it. If you talk about what they are interested in, they will later on be willing to consider what you are interested in. 24. If your interview is at a restaurant ... a. Offer to pay for your own meal. If your host insists on paying (as he or she should), accept with a gracious thank you. b Avoid liquor at meals. If your host insists and you feel like it, have a drink, but never more than one. If your host insists and you dont feel like it, politely decline and choose a nonalcoholic beverage. Dont be pressured into anything you really dont want to do. You neednt compromise your dignity merely because youre looking for a job.

c. Avoid sloppy or hard-to-manage foods. Stay away from splashy sauces and multicolored salads that can leave multicolored salad bits on your teeth. Avoid anything that requires a bib and any food that can easily

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result in stains on your clothing.

No Matter Where Your Interview Takes Place ...

25. Smile easily and warmly. 26. Use correct grammar. 27. Feel free to use the interviewers name in your conversation. This shows respect, and we all like to hear our own names. But dont use a persons first name unless he or she invites you to do so. Some people resent the presumed familiarity that goes with use of their first names. 28. If you smoke, and assuming its even legal to do so in the state where your interview takes place, never light up during an interview unless your interviewer is already smoking. Dont smoke a cigar unless your interviewer is smoking one and invites you to join him. (Even a cigarettesmoking interviewer may take offense at your filling his office with cigar odor.) And leave your pipe at home. Pipe-smoking executives are sometimes perceived to be like college professors too contemplative and not action oriented. 29. Avoid nervous habits such as pulling your earlobe, rubbing your nose, straightening your tie, tugging your wristwatch, or rubbing your chin. 30. Never try to read documents on the interviewers desk. 31. Never pick up objects from the interviewers

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desk. 32. Never talk while your interviewer is reading, especially when he or she is reading your resume. 33. Always hold your temper in check, despite any provocation, which may be intentional as part of a stress interview (more on this later). 34. Keep your ego under control. Never practice one-upmanship with your interviewer. You can only lose.

When You Speak ...

35. The Two-Minute Rule. Dont mask your nervousness by talking too much. At least 90% of discharged managers seeking new jobs make the mistake of talking too much. Be concise. Say what you want and no more. Maximum time for each answer is two minutes. Rehearse your answers to anticipated questions, and make them concise enough to fit into one- or two-minute segments. If your interviewer wants more information, he or she can ask after you finish your one-to-two-minute summary. 36. If you frequently use verbal filler in your sentences, try to break this annoying habit. Eliminate such phrases as you know, uh, and I mean. They are distracting to most people and unbearably grating to some. 37. In describing your achievements, you dont want to seem like an egomaniac in taking credit for everything done in previous positions.

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However, you should generally give yourself ample credit. Forget the we in every description. Remember that youre no longer on the old team. Use I instead. Focus on the new firm and what you can do for it, not on where you used to work. 38. Never say, Well, I would rephrase that question and answer it this way. That is a nottoo-hidden criticism of your interviewers question. 39. Try to modulate your voice and pacing according to your interviewer. If your interviewer speaks slowly and methodically, its likely that he or she will not have rapport with someone who gives rapid-fire answers. Notice how your interviewer speaks, and try to present your thoughts in a similar manner. When you do speak, dont mumble. Try to avoid nervous gestures such as touching your face, lips, or glasses. Keep your hands still. Dont twist your pen or a rubber band and never glance at your watch or clock on the interviewers desk, even if you think that he or she wouldnt see you.

When in Doubt, Ask a Question ...

40. If there is a long, awkward pause in the conversation, you can always ask a question. 41. Indeed, the best way to establish rapport with an interviewer is to ask intelligent questions. Almost all interviewers enjoy being asked about their companies, its various departments, the position thats open, and what is expected of the

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person who will be hired. Questions will not only tell you how to position your own qualifications, but will also demonstrate your genuine interest and allow the interviewer to feel very comfortable with you. (More on intelligent questions later.)

When Your Interviewer Speaks ...

42. Pay your interviewer the ultimate compliment by listening intently to his or her questions. Listen closely and think through your answers before replying. 43. The greatest and simplest secret of the most effective listeners: having a sincere interest in what the other person is saying. And you should have such an interest, because the more the interviewer talks, the more he or she is telling you what you should say in order to get yourself hired! Laymen think that the best salespeople are the best talkers. Not so. The number one secret of the greatest salespeople is that they are the best listeners because they let their prospects tell them everything they need to know to close the sale. Let your prospect talk indeed, use questions to encourage your interviewer to talk and he or she will pour forth the information you need to present your qualifications in a way that matches up with his or her greatest wants and needs. 44. Another excellent listening skill: After the interviewer makes an important statement, feed back your understanding of it in your own words,

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to be sure you understand and to show the interviewer how well you were listening. Example: If I understand you correctly, your greatest concern in this area is ... 45. As part of demonstrating your attentiveness, be on your toes if your interview is interrupted. When telephone calls, urgent messages, or other people in the office interrupt your interview, take note of where you were in the interview. Often the interviewer will turn to you after the interruption and ask, Where was I? If you havent a clue, it will seem as if you werent even listening. 46. Another way to demonstrate your sincerity in listening is to ask permission to take notes, and then on a small pad or an index card, to jot down key words that will help you write a powerful follow-up letter about the interviewers greatest concerns and key ideas. But perhaps the most important effect is to show the interviewer how interested you are in his or her thoughts. This subtly compliments the interviewer and shows what a good listener you are. 47. Finally, on the importance of listening: Remember that most people are starved for attention. Interviewers may feel that their spouses dont listen, their children dont listen, their co-workers, their customers, and even their dogs dont listen. When you hang on every word, its extremely flattering. It establishes instant rapport and shows respect. And everyone in this world is desperately searching to have relationships with

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those who will give them respect and enhance their self-esteem. Rapt attention while listening is your most powerful tool for fulfilling these universal needs. 48. Never interrupt your interviewer before he or she finishes asking a question. The last few words of a question may change the meaning altogether or carry a subtle hint as to how you should answer. Resist the temptation to jump the gun. Allow your interviewer to finish completely, and even then allow a second or two to compose your thoughts. Few habits are more irritating than when someone perpetually grabs the conversational football before the speaker is ready to hand it off, only to race downfield toward the wrong goalpost because he or she doesnt wait to hear the final words of a sentence.

Use Body Language to Your Advantage ...

49. Related to good listening skills, use your body language to show you are listening. Occa sionally nod your head in agreement or lean slightly forward in your chair to show your interest. 50. Maintain good but not unnatural eye contact. Keep your eye movements relaxed and steady. If your eyes are darting everywhere, your interviewer may mistake your nervousness for shiftiness. Be especially sure to maintain good eye

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contact when answering questions. Dont look away or down, as this might indicate youre trying to hide something or not telling the truth. If youre naturally shy, practice speaking forthrightly and confidently, either with strangers or in front of a mirror. 51. In general, sit up straight in your chair, but dont be too rigid. Try to convey a feeling of enthusiasm and confidence. Never slouch in your chair. This is taken as a sign of laziness, sloppiness, and disinterest. 52. Never yawn. If you need more air, take deep belly breaths. Taking deep breaths, using your abdomen as a bellows, and inhaling and exhaling through your nose will also relax your entire nervous system. (Try it two or three times in a row and youll see it works like a tonic.) 53. Never tap your foot; drum your fingers; crack your knuckles; twirl a pencil; or show anxiety through your legs, feet and hands. These are the most common ways the body expresses tension. 54. Remember that closed postures such as crossed arms and/or crossed legs convey dislike and distrust. Open positions and a forward lean express openness and enthusiasm. 55. Use this fascinating (and very powerful) body language technique of master salespeople: Subtly mimic the body language of your interviewer. If he leans toward you, you lean toward him slightly. If she holds her hands in a certain way, hold them in a similar pose. If you take notice next time you are in a

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nervous situation such as an interview, you will probably find that this is what youve already been doing without having realized it. But heres the interesting twist that master salespeople have discovered to enhance rapport. After your body language has subtly mimicked your interviewers for several minutes, then you can start gently changing your body language to be more open and receptive, and you will be surprised to see that the interviewers body language starts to mimic yours. This is a highly effective way to establish subconscious rapport. Before you dismiss this as New Age gobbledygook, try it on one of your less important interviews, or in any conversation for that matter, and be ready for a shock when you see how easily you can get people to start mimicking your body language and become more open and receptive to you. ***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #7:

how to sidestep the land mines That blow most candidates out of contention

f you are to win the job search process against a large field of other well-qualified candidates, it will help you immeasurably to look at the process from your interviewers side of the desk.

Realize that he or she is not looking to lavish attention on you and your qualifications, as much as youd like that. Rather, since your interviewer is confronted by dozens if not hundreds of candidates, his or her main job at first is to severely winnow down the field. Different interviewers do this in different ways, so you must be prepared for their various methods. For example, a common technique is to ask each candidate tough questions and then eliminate those whose answers dont measure up. Another is to encourage candidates to relax and talk about a wide range of subjects, which induces unwary candidates to let their guard down, talk

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too much, and unwittingly reveal information that undermines their chances. Heres how to avoid the major land mines that knock most candidates out of the running: 1. First and foremost, regularly review your accompanying e-book entitled How to Answer the 64 Toughest Interview Questions. It covers the most commonly asked tough questions and suggests the best strategies for answering them. 2. Steer clear of controversial subjects such as religion, politics, etc. 3. Never discuss personal problems you may have. 4. Dont reveal to your perspective employer the other positions you may have been turned down for. 5. If you are physically challenged, talk only about your abilities, not your disabilities. 6. Never disparage former bosses, former companies, or former employees. 7. Never be negative about anything. 8. Never be the first to bring up the subject of money. If your interviewer raises the issue, try your hardest not to give salary information, either past, present, or future. You can answer such a question by saying, Well, I am somewhat flexible on salary. What is the range for this position?

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If you are asked what was your salary for your previous position, be prepared to answer with a range that includes a generous allocation for all your fringe benefits and other perks. 9. Know how to handle the two most difficult types of interviews. One is the Disarmingly Relaxed Interview ... and the other is its evil twin, The Stress Interview. Lets take a look at each.

The Disarmingly Relaxed Interview

A relaxed, casual manner that immediately puts you at ease is usually the mark of the most highly skilled interviewers. Such a person realizes that most candidates are well rehearsed and know all the right answers to expected questions. So this clever interviewer does the unexpected. He or she creates such a casual, friendly, and disarming atmosphere that you irresistibly lower your guard and, without realizing it, spontaneously reveal more about yourself than may be prudent. Such an interviewer may even go so far as to seem to be on your side in little ways. He or she may take pains to establish common ground with you and sometimes allude to a shared camaraderie as members of the same craft, industry, or profession. All this is designed to lull you into thinking,

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Hey, this person really likes me ... Were on the same wavelength. Getting through this interview is going to be a piece of cake. Indeed, such interviewers genuinely enjoy meeting new people and making them feel right at home. They can be naturally warm and friendly. All this, in turn, works an irresistible, inevitable magic, inducing you to feel relaxed and comfortable as you unconsciously start to lower your guard and speak more spontaneously. This is exactly what your interviewer wants. As part of this technique, your interviewer wont exhibit the slightest trace of surprise or disapproval should you slip and say something negative about your former boss ... or perhaps reveal something negative or confidential that you shouldnt have ... or inadvertently bring up something incriminating about your credentials or current situation. Yet despite his or her lack of reaction, you may rest assured that your unguarded comments are all being taken in, recorded in memory for scrupulous review and evaluation later on. The best way to deal with interviewers is to accept and appreciate their warm hospitality and be gracious in return. But do not allow yourself to relax too much! Remember the purpose of the interview that is being masked by the disarming manner. That is, you are being scrutinized and evaluated according to how well you might fulfill the firms needs. Any slipup can easily get you knocked out of the running, so stay on your toes!

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By all means be pleasant and cordial yourself, but dont let all this cordiality derail you from your main mission, which is what I emphasized on page 12 of this e-book, i.e., The Worlds Most Powerful Secret for Getting Hired in Any Industry, Even in a Down Economy and When You Are Not the Most Qualified Candidate. And that is, your mission is to uncover the greatest wants and needs for the position and then explain why your past achievements make you especially well qualified to meet those needs, giving lots of specifics to back up this premise. This also holds true for the second type of difficult interview ...

The Stress Interview

This type of interview is far less common than the disarmingly relaxed variety, and you will probably never even run across it. But if you do, youll never forget the experience. In this type of interview, your host does whatever he or she can to place you under maximum stress, the better to observe your reaction to frustration and pressure. Some people believe this is the only way to get a quick read on your ability to handle stress. In certain professions, such as union negotiator, press spokesperson, or customer service manager, the ability to handle hostility and stress are at the very top of the qualifications list. Your best strategy: Dont let yourself get

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defensive and caught up in emotion. Remember that you personally are not the target for the interviewers hostility and that this interviewer is, in reality, merely playing a role. Your role in this drama is to be the cool, calm, and collected one, an unflappable authority figure who addresses the issues, not the emotion or stress the interviewer is throwing off. Afew other stress interview techniques you may run into: * The broken chair technique. This sounds so childish and bush league, but some interviewers may actually invite you to sit in a chair where one of the legs is intentionally shorter than the other, placing you in a very awkward position. Every time you shift your weight, the chair threatens to deposit you on the floor. Best response: Simply change chairs, asking permission first. You may also be seated in the direct line of the sun. Here you can ask the interviewer to adjust the blinds or to change your seat. The peasant-at-the-feet-of-royalty maneuver. The interviewer puts you at a disadvantage by placing you a great distance from his or her desk or at a height lower than his or her platform position. Not much you can do unless you see an alternate place to sit. The kangaroo court proceeding. You may be interviewed by two or more people at once, caught in a withering crossfire of questions. Again, make the best of the situation, but if

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the stress level becomes ridiculous, simply get up and leave. You dont want to work for people like this.

The Garden Variety Hostile Interviewer

Not all hostile interviewers are conducting a purposeful stress test. Though this may come as a shock to you, there are actually a few SOBs in the business world. Even more shocking, every now and then, you may run into one. Its all part of the numbers game youre playing. On those rare occasions when you may be confronted by a genuinely hostile interviewer, your smartest approach is to empathize with the upset feeling behind the hostility and tactfully ask a question or two to get to the bottom of what seems to be bothering him or her. Example: Your interviewer is obviously under great pressure at the time of your interview. Hes trying to put out three fires while the phone rings off the hook. His assistant reminds him of a meeting in ten minutes, and there are other people shouting outside. In the middle of this tense atmosphere, your interviewer says with noticeable impatience, Look, youll have to pardon me, but weve got a ton of work to get out today. Youre the fourth person this week Bill has sent to me for an interview, and frankly, Ive got more pressing concerns to think about right now. So well have to make this fairly brief. You could offer to come back at another time.

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But hell likely be just as gruff and harried then, or even worse. So you can try to salvage the interview by empathizing and then uncovering his greatest needs. For example, you might say, It sure seems like things are hopping today, and its not the best time for an interview. But let me ask you a fast question. Assuming someone will be hired for this spot, what is the one way that person could best help you be more productive, especially at busy times like this?

The Disinterested Interviewer

Another difficult situation you may run into is when your interviewer seems distracted or uninterested. The best approach here is to ask a few questions to draw out his or her chief area of interest, and then talk about why you can help in that area. Since weve once again touched upon the subject of asking questions, lets really get into it in the next chapter.

***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #8:

how to Ask questions That set You Apart

sking questions in your interview is essential, for four reasons:

1. To achieve your master strategy, that is, uncover your interviewers greatest wants and needs before you start to sell your own qualifications. You must sell what the buyer is buying. And before you can do that, you must find out what the buyer is buying. 2. To show your interest in, and enthusiasm for, the position and company. 3. To get enough information so that you can judge whether you want this opportunity or not. 4. To demonstrate to the employer that you place a high value on yourself that youre carefully evaluating the company as much as the company is evaluating you and that youre obviously not someone willing to jump at or settle for just anything. This last item is a very important point that many job-hungry executives overlook.

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You can greatly enhance an employers desire for you by not appearing desperate, and questions will go a long way toward helping you avoid such an image. Lets now examine the questions you might ask to achieve each of these objectives.

Questions to Achieve Your Master Strategy Uncovering Your Interviewers Greatest Wants and Needs for the Position
Once again, let us repeat the most important strategy in this e-book. You can get anything you want in life if you first find out what people want, then show them how to get it. During the interview, your most important objective is to uncover your interviewers most ardently felt want, problem, need, desire, goal, or priority. Youre not going to sell anything until you know what the buyer is buying. The only way to accomplish this is by asking questions. Lets repeat the example mentioned earlier ... After a few introductory remarks, you can seize the initiative by saying, Before we get started, would you fill me in a little bit more about this position? All I know about it is what I heard from the executive recruiter (read in your advertisement ... or whatever the case may be). If, however, your interviewer asks you the

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first question, answer it and, as soon as you feel the timing is appropriate, try to regain the initiative by asking him or her to reveal more about the position. The key point is, no matter how your interview begins, you should get back as soon as possible to your basic strategy of uncovering his or her greatest want. And you must do it nonchalantly, so that it doesnt seem as if you are aggressively and inappropriately trying to grab control of the interview. Here, listed roughly in order of their effectiveness, are some excellent questions to help you uncover what the interviewer wants most. Several of these questions overlap, so choose the variations you feel most comfortable with and always be ready to ask them in your interviews ... * What would you say are the three things you would most like someone to achieve in this position? Wait for an answer, then follow up with, And of these, which is the most important? Then, if its not clear why this goal is so important, ask, And just so Ill understand, why is this especially important to you at this time? What major strengths should a person possess to perform well in this position? What would your highest expectations be for the person who fills this job? What would be the highest priorities for the person who fills this position?

* * *

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* *

Why is the position open? If you had a magic wand and with one wave could take away a given concern or fulfill any given challenge in this department, what would that be? I am a strongly goal-oriented person. What would I have to achieve in the coming year for you to consider my work very successful? What would you most like me to achieve in this position? Which areas of this position could be better performed than they have been in the past? What kind of performance would you like to see from the person who takes this position? Are any major responsibilities in this position not currently being met? What major changes or improvements would you most like to see brought about by the person who takes this position? What obstacles might stand in the way of realizing this achievement?

* * * *

Once your interviewer starts to open up about his or her strongest priorities, goals, etc., be sure to probe a little to flesh out details with questions like Thats interesting ... why is that the case? ... or How would you like to see this situation remedied? With this information in hand, you will be in an infinitely stronger position to present your qualifications in the manner that will most

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impress your prospect that you are superbly qualified for the job. Uncovering your interviewers greatest wants, needs, goals, etc., is by far the most important function of your questions. But as your interview proceeds, or as you are invited back for a second or third interview, you will want to raise other questions that help you evaluate the opportunity that the position represents and whether you will be happy there. For example, you may wish to ask questions such as ... * * * * What are the unique opportunities in this job? To whom would I report? Who are the key people I would work with? How long has the position been open? What happened to the individual who previously held this position? How will I be evaluated ... using what criteria? How would you define the firms objectives? How is the company doing? What are the organizations greatest strengths and weaknesses?

* * * *

Also, since most interviewers will give you high marks for the intelligence and thoroughness of your questions, never be shy in asking about ...

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The company its products, services, distribution channels, sales, growth, profitability, problems, strengths, weaknesses, ownership, competitors, market share, etc. Your place in the company your job title, your responsibilities, your place in the organizational structure, your reporting relationships, your authority, and the expectations management has of you. The department where you will work its place on the organizational totem pole, present reputation within the firm, goals, functions, budget, problems, personnel, strengths, weaknesses, history, etc. Potential office politics Why is the firm hiring from the outside rather than from within? Might your being hired create any problems for any individuals in the company? Your position What are the technical requirements? What would a typical day be like? Will you have the resources youll need, based on your past experience of what such a position requires?

Questions to Avoid Until after You Are Offered the Position

* Questions about the hiring arrangements salary range ... compensation package ... medical, hospitalization, and dental plan ... life insurance ... retirement program ... pension plan ... vacation ... and other perks.

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Also, when you are offered the position and wish to inquire about these, be casual about it. You dont want to seem overly interested in them. Your employer may quickly get cold feet if he senses that the tiger he was about to hire starts to look like a benefits chowhound, someone whos suddenly more worried about vacation time than setting new sales quotas. Remember that even once youve been offered the position, there are several runner-up candidates in the wings, candidates your interviewer may have liked just a hair less than you. Dont give these contenders the chance to come back off the canvas and beat you in the final round. Dont get greedy or cute in your final negotiations. * Questions about relocation. You dont want to bring these up before youre offered the position, but once the offer is extended, you will want to know the firms relocation policy. Are all relocation expenses paid? Just some? Does the firm have a policy regarding travel expenses to scout out a new home or living arrangement before you make the move?

Again, dont make a federal case of these issues. Just raise them and find out what the employer believes is reasonable and fair.

***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #9:

The right way and the wrong way to close the sale at the end of Your interview

any executive recruiters tell their clients (i.e., the hiring companies) that if two candidates are more or less equally qualified, they should hire the person who wants the job more. This is because the two greatest predictors of success are inevitably (1) a persons qualifications for the job and (2) his or her motivation to do the job well. This means that you should always indicate that you would like to be hired. Salespeople call this closing the sale. But there are right ways and wrong ways to close the sale. Heres the right way: At the conclusion of the interview, you should try to close the sale with a three-part statement: 1. A summary of your qualifications, especially tailored to the potential employers greatest

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wants and needs. 2. An expression of your desire for the position. The best ways to express this interest without sounding too pushy or desperate would be with statements such as: a) My approach to all my work is to give more than expected. This is what you can expect should you decide to hire me. B) Should you hire me, Ms. let you down. Kelly, I will not

C) Mr. Forsythe, its been my experience that the best candidates for any position are those who have the knowledge to do the job and who are highly motivated to do the job well. As Ive tried to show in my resume and in my responses to your questions, I certainly have the knowledge to do the job well. And I assure you that no one is going to be more motivated than I in giving you the outstanding results you seek from the person in this position. To appreciate how powerful these statements are in influencing the person with the authority to hire, try to remember your own hiring decisions when you were evaluating candidates. If there were several people with relatively equal credentials, wouldnt you be most impressed with the candidate who sincerely uttered one of the above statements? 3. An expression of your interest in how the process will proceed. You dont want to push too hard to force a commitment, but theres

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certainly no harm in asking, What happens next? ... or Where do we go from here? One final point about not pushing too hard. Believe it or not, some resume books advise you to close the sale the same way a hard-sell encyclopedia salesman might, saying something like Well, Mr. Smith, I think we have a perfect match here. I could start either on Monday the 15th or Monday the 29th. Which would you prefer? Even more incredibly, some executives have actually followed this idiotic advice, invariably with disastrous results. An executive job search is NOTthe type of sale that can be closed with high pressure. To show your sincere interest in the position, stick with the three-part formula and specific phrases mentioned above and you will strike the perfect balance. Finally, another extremely powerful tool for closing the sale is a well-crafted follow-up letter, one which again applies your master strategy emphasized throughout this e-book. That is, you will use your follow-up letter to thank the interviewer for the opportunity to discuss the position and then immediately review your understanding of the employers greatest wants, desires, or goals for the position. Then you will proceed to explain why you believe you are uniquely qualified to give him or her exactly what he or she wants most. Allow your follow-up letter to be as long as needed to paint a full picture of why you are so

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well qualified to give your interviewer what he or she wants most. Even if you go to six pages, its fine. The more you tell, the more you sell. Almost all books on finding a job will tell you to always keep your follow-up letters short one or two pages max. This is not true! Think about it: If you were about to make a hiring decision, wouldnt you want more information about a candidate rather than less? Remember that your potential employer is hungering for more information that will guide him or her in making a correct decision. This means he or she cant get enough information about you and the other candidates being considered. You will often gain an enormous edge with a more thorough follow-up letter. Dont hold it back because some resume book says your follow-up letter shouldnt be longer than a page. This is utter nonsense! In professional direct mail, long letters invariably pull more orders than short letters because they give more information to help close the sale. The same holds true in follow-up letters for job openings. Nothing will rocket you onto the short list of final candidates faster, if not win you the position outright, than a thorough, thoughtful follow-up letter spelling out why you are uniquely qualified to meet the employers greatest desires for the position. ***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #10:

The easiest way to get better and sharper with every interview

he easiest way to get better and sharper with every interview is to conduct a relaxed but thorough self-examination afterward.

You should do this as soon as possible after each interview, and definitely no later than the same evening. This should be an easygoing review because your objective here isnt to beat yourself up and hurt your possibly already-wounded self-esteem. Keeping your spirits up and your self-esteem high are among the most important tasks of your job search. Rather, you want to take an objective, nonthreatening look, as if you are doing it for a friends benefit, at what you did right; what might have gone better; and, most important, how you could improve your presentation for the next go-round.

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Which case history examples could have been expressed more forcefully or concisely? Which questions threw you off guard, and how could you improve your answers? Every human activity gets better from practice, and since youre playing a numbers game anyway, youre not going to worry too much about how any particular interview might have gone. If you didnt get this job, it only means that it wasnt meant to be and theres probably something even better in store for you. If you practice these easygoing selfevaluations after each interview, you will virtually assure yourself that bigger and better opportunities await you and, when they arrive, you will be ready with your best presentation ever.

Two More Points about Following Up after Each Interview

1. Dont dally in providing requested material or information. If your interviewer asks you to forward additional information or material after your interview, provide it as quickly as possible. Most people in this world say they will do something, then dont follow through. You want to jump at this opportunity to prove youre among the few reliable souls who can be counted on to do what they say. So do it in a hurry. Every passing day will brand you as less and less reliable.

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2. Always follow up an interview with a letter, written as discussed on page 82.

***

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Your Job-WINNING EDGE #11:

how to make the final cut (how to get invited back for the second and Third interviews and Then be selected as the #1 choice)

oull hardly ever be hired for an executive position on the basis of one interview alone. But the dynamics of second and third interviews are somewhat different from those of a first interview. Lets see how. First, before any second or third interview, you should once again review all the information regarding a first interview presented already in this e-book. All these rules still apply, plus a few more Ill now cover. Second, you should realize that the odds of success are much greater in your second interview. About 60% of the time, when an executive is invited back for a second interview, he or she is

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virtually certain to be offered the job. So the very fact that you are invited back for a second interview is extremely favorable. But youre not yet a lock. Success in the second interview actually begins at the end of the first. Before your first interview is over, ask for any material that you dont have: annual reports, product information, brochures, catalogs, anything else that may have come up during your first interview. Then make it your business to study these materials as if the job offer depended on it. In addition to your further preparation, map out your strategy for the second interview. Realize that since you have been invited back, youve made the first cut and have obviously done a number of things right. Figure out what these were. Think hard about why this company seems to want you, and build your follow-up plans around the conclusions you reach. Especially bear in mind, and be ready to address, the greatest wants, desires, priorities, and goals you have uncovered, and why you have such outstanding credentials for meeting them. You can also assume that your first interviewer is now likely to be on your side and feeling a little more friendly, a little more comfortable about you. Dont be afraid to seek his or her guidance on how you can succeed in your follow-up interviews. Asking his or her advice will win your interviewer over to your side even further and can gain you extremely insightful guidance on how to succeed from here.

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Dont be afraid to ask about the identities of the people you will meet on your follow-up interviews and what each may be looking for in the hiring decision. You should also realize that since you obviously did well your first time out, you now want to repeat the pattern with each new person you meet. Before your second interview, mentally review what you did well during your first interview and plan how you can repeat and build upon that performance. Should you meet with a group, treat each person with respect and make eye contact with everyone. Take no one for granted. Assume that everyone you meet has the power to turn thumbs up or down on your candidacy. Believe it or not, Ive sometimes seen a recently hired management intern, invited to sit in on a group discussion merely as a courtesy, make the most influential comment in turning the tide against a senior managers candidacy. Remember that second and third interviews go into more depth about the position than the first interview. So be especially prepared to show why you are a problem solver who can help this company with its specific needs. But also remember not to use the word problem in describing the companys needs. Use challenges, goals, or priorities instead. Also use the second and third interviews to ask questions based on the information youve already gathered. Ask questions about the nature of your

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role in the company; the companys commitment to your division, department, or project; the opportunity for growth in your position; the scope of everything that this job entails; and any other questions of concern to you in determining whether this position is a good fit for you as well as for the company. At the end of each interview, make sure that each key hiring authority knows you are interested in the position. You can do this with the three-part method described above or, more simply, with a short statement of your definite and enthusiastic interest in the position. When you are offered a position, dont feel pressured to say yes or no on the spot. In general, you should never accept or reject an offer on the spot. Accepting immediately can make you appear too eager. Feel free to allow yourself 24 hours or, if you wish, 48 hours to weigh the pros and cons and talk it over with your family. However, as with all rules and guidelines, there may be an occasional exception, a time when its clear to both you and the hiring company that this is an outstanding opportunity, that you both want the match to take place and have already talked through all the relevant issues. In these cases, when both your heart and head are screaming Yes! Go for it! Take it!, go with your judgment and close the sale on the spot.

The End ... but the Beginning of an Exciting New Chapter in Your Life
Copyright MMX Gary Bencivenga. All rights are reserved. 90