September 27, 2018

The Worst Interview Questions to Ask

Imagine you’re on a first date, and things are going pretty well. You feel the chemistry and are getting excited about a second date. Your partner stares deep into your eyes and asks, “Do you have any concerns about me that I can address?” or better yet, “How do I measure up against the other people you’ve met?” Lately, I’ve had several clients come to me asking if I recommend asking this question. My honest answer: It’s one of the worst interview questions to ask.

Interview questions to ask

The logic behind the question is that by asking it, you show the hiring manager that you’re open to feedback and it allows you to address any concerns that they have. Unfortunately, there’s a lot wrong here. First, asking a hiring manager if they have any concerns about you as a candidate, will more often than not, call attention to red flags that they may not have come to mind. You are literally asking them to think of your flaws, in an interview.

Your shortcomings are the last thing you want a hiring manager to focus on, especially at the end of an interview. Remember, once the conversation is over, they’re going to compare you to all of the other candidates, and if you leave them thinking about your concerns, that’s what is going to be freshest in their mind.

I’ve been in interviews where this question has been asked and it’s rarely gone well for the candidate. Most of those candidates didn’t end up getting the job. Putting the interviewer on the spot like that can make them uncomfortable and puts them in an awkward position. Often they are interviewing other candidates and still aren’t sure about who they’re going to hire. In an interview setting, hiring managers tend to be conflict-averse. They have a candidate slate of 5-6 people for this position, and rather than engage in an uncomfortable dialogue; it’s much easier for them to give a candidate a non-answer than provide critical or potentially negative feedback.

Interview Questions to Ask

Here’s my go-to list of interview questions to ask the hiring manager.

What are the next steps in the process? If they’ve already answered this during the interview, go ahead and skip this question.
What are the biggest challenges for this position? Show the hiring manager that you’re not afraid of a challenge, and ask about the problems early on in the question series.
What would success look like for me?/What would you like to see me accomplish in the first <time-period>? Helps the hiring manager visualize you being successful in the position
What do you enjoy the most about <the company/job/team/etc.>? End your question series on a high note. Remember, once you walk out of the room, they’re going to rate you. Keep it positive.

How to Get Interview Feedback:

Getting constructive feedback on your performance during an interview can be invaluable, and I completely understand that it’s hard to come by. While you might be tempted to ask the hiring manager in the interview, it’s not the time or the place. Instead, ask for feedback in your thank you note. By asking in a thank you note, you’re showing the hiring manager that you are open to feedback, but not putting them in an uncomfortable position.

Alternatively, if you are seeking honest, unbiased opinions on your interview performance, consider hiring an interview coach. We’ll partner with you and give you direct and immediate interview feedback you can use to improve your interviewing skills.

June 1, 2019July 17, 2018

The Seven Most Common Interview Questions

Most Common Interview Questions

How nice would it be to go into an interview already knowing all of the questions you were going to be asked? Unfortunately, most employers won’t give you the interview questions in advance. Today we’re going to break down seven of the most common interview questions that hiring managers ask.

Now, here’s the deal, we don’t recommend memorizing canned answers to these questions. The hiring manager can tell when you’re giving them a script and it comes across as insincere. Instead, use these interview questions as prompts to help you prepare. Keep notes on the topics you’d like to cover and practice talking about your accomplishments. Today we’re focusing on traditional interview questions, and next week we’ll concentrate on behavioral interview questions.

Tell me about yourself (Why should we hire you for this job)

notepad-691250_1920 There are a lot of ways hiring managers can ask this question. It’s a great first question because it gives you the chance to focus the interview on the areas you want to highlight. Think about this question like your executive summary. Focus your answer on work history, education, and training or certifications. Assume that the hiring manager or interview panel hasn’t had a lot of time to review your resume, so give them the rundown on who you are. Keep your responses professional and avoid providing a lot of personal details.

I got a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Finance from UCLA and then went on to finish my MBA there as well. Once I graduated, I started my career working in accounts payable at GE. While I was there, I was recruited to participate in an accelerated employee development rotation program where I had the opportunity to rotate through four different organizations as a finance specialist. After the program finished, I was placed as a manager and received extensive leadership training. I worked at GE for two more years before I moved to Deloitte. I’ve worked at Deloitte for four years and had the opportunity to work in various leadership roles.

Why do you want to work here?

Here’s where doing your research on the company will pay off. Try to avoid the canned responses that applicants tend to give and come up with something creative. It’s an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your passion and talk about how you connect to the brand or company values.

I want to work here because I’m passionate about the outdoors and the environment. I’m an avid cyclist, and I’ve been skiing since I was six years old. Working at this company will allow me to use my technical skills as a developer while also supporting an industry that I love. Additionally one of the things that I appreciate most about this company is their approach to environmental stewardship and sustainability. I’m an active volunteer for the Nature Conservancy, and I want to work at an organization that aligns with my values.

What is your biggest strength?

Interview Questions: Your Greatest Strength I’ve seen this question go south for a lot of candidates who weren’t prepared. If you haven’t thought about a response to this question, it can catch you off guard. When you’re talking about your strengths, be sure to tailor it to the position you’re interviewing. Hiring managers don’t want to hear that you’re an excellent baker unless it’s connected to the skills you need to do the job.

Another pitfall is balancing humbleness and confidence. You want to avoid coming across as overly confident or arrogant, but still, give yourself enough credit to recognize the places you excel. To tackle this question, I recommend focusing on one or two specific strength and selling them well. Provide a brief example that demonstrates your strength as it applies to the position.

I am analytical and enjoy digging into data. Several months ago our team was trying to identify ways to improve our customer satisfaction results. I took the data from our customer surveys and cross-referenced it with the data from our vendors and noticed that the results were lower when customers had opted for a specific component in their product. When I looked deeper, it appeared that this product had a higher number of warranty claims when it came with this component. I took this information to leadership with the recommendation that we switch suppliers for this component. Since making the switch, our customer satisfaction results have increased by 15%.

What is your biggest weakness?

Ok, let’s admit it, everyone hates this interview question. Hiring managers ask it because they’re looking for people who can acknowledge their shortcomings, and find ways to make up for them. Prepare for this question, so you don’t just blurt out the first weakness that comes to mind. Don’t choose a flaw that’s completely unrelated to work, like “I’m a terrible cook.” The other one hiring managers are sick of hearing is the “I’m a perfectionist” weakness. Find a real fault that isn’t detrimental to the job and talk about what you do to mitigate it.

Coming from a technical background, I tend to get caught up in the details of a project. As a manager, I am aware that I need to trust my team and keep focused on the big picture, so I do a couple of different things to help me from getting too caught up in the small details. First, I’m very open about this with my team, and I ask to bring it to my attention when I get too deep. Second, Anytime I start working on a project I do my best to remind myself to stay out of the weeds. It’s something I am continuously reflecting on and trying to improve.

Why are you looking to leave your current position?

Regardless of how you answer this question do not badmouth your current or past employers. When a candidate badmouths an employer, it’s a huge red flag for hiring managers. Even if you’re in the worst possible job and you’re utterly miserable, think of a different approach. You also don’t want to lie to the hiring manager either. If you don’t have anything nice to say about your previous employer, you can focus the attention on how great the new position is

I’ve been in my current role for just about two years now, and I’ve had the chance to learn a lot about the industry. Since my current company is a small organization, my scope has been broad. Your position offers the opportunity to focus on a specialty within the industry that I find exciting.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hiring managers aren’t expecting you to predict the future here, I promise. This question helps them know that you’re thinking ahead and you have long-term goals. Again, be sure to focus on your professional life and avoid personal details like starting a family or getting married. It’s illegal for companies to use this information in their selection process, so they’d rather not know. Instead, tell them what kind of work you’d like to be doing, what problems you would like to have solved and whether you see yourself moving toward a path towards a technical expert or management.

Five years from now I see myself further developing my career as a subject matter expert. I enjoy the working with people. I want to build more skills as a to grow into a Senior Project Manager role. By then, I plan to have my Project Manager Certificate, and I would like to have completed the Six Sigma Black Belt certification as well. I feel like I have a strong grasp on project management and I would like to lead some large cross-functional projects. Finally, I trust my team and acknowledge that mistakes are a part of the process. By letting go of some of the control, they learn and become stronger employees.

Do you have any questions for us?

hands-460865_1920 At this point, the interview is almost over! It’s your turn to ask the questions of the panel. This the most important and most common interview question asked, so don’t get caught empty-handed. Here is where you get to learn about the organizational culture, day-to-day work and most importantly, build rapport with the hiring managers.

Stay away from questions about money and benefits of the position; the interview isn’t the place to discuss those topics. When you show up for an interview asking about salary, it tells me you’re only interested in compensation. Asking how you did in the interview is another awkward question that makes interviewers uncomfortable. Instead, ask the hiring manager open-ended questions to get them talking. A few of those might be:

What do you like the most about the company/job/role?
What do you see as the biggest challenges for this position?
How do you define success?
What would you like to see accomplished in the first 90 days?

Thanks for taking the time to read through our tips! If you found this information helpful, we’d love for you to share it with your network. As always, let us know if you have any questions or thoughts. If you’re interested in learning more about our customized resume and interview coaching services, please reach out. Stay tuned for next week’s post about the behavioral and situational interview questions as well.

April 24, 2018

How to Negotiate Salary

Here are some of our favorite tips on how to negotiate salary. Negotiations are one of the trickiest parts of the hiring process. Even if the offer you receive is enticing, it’s always a good idea to have these conversations with a new company. In a lot of cases, it is much harder to negotiate salary increases when you are moving around within a company.

Research the company & understand the market

Before you even begin to have salary discussions know what the market pays for that type of position in your area. You’ll want to research the company as well. Organizations fall into three categories when it comes to salaries: market leaders, at market and below market. Google and Amazon tend to pay as market leaders, whereas non-profit organizations tend to pay below market. Glassdoor and PayScale are great resources to start doing some research. If you’re considering a job in a different location, be sure to use a cost of living calculator as well to get an understanding of the local area and ensure you’re able to maintain your current lifestyle.

Know your value and bottom line

If you’ve been in your current job for a long time and have been receiving a standard cost of living raises annually (between 1% and 5%), chances are you might be underpaid. During your salary negotiations, remember to mention additional training, certifications or education that you’ve gained while being employed. Employers often won’t increase your salary when you obtain certificates or complete a degree, but an outside company usually will take it into account.

Be confident & professional

The salary negotiation is not a win-lose proposition. These conversations need to be collaborative. Ultimately, both parties are trying to achieve the same goal; you as an employee. Work together to find a solution but keep emotions and feelings out of the discussions. Always assume positive intentions from the other side, but be assertive enough to know you’re boundaries. Sometimes it’s helpful to practice your negotiation tactics. Sound Interview Professionals can help with salary negotiation tactics during our interview coaching sessions.

Build a case

As you have these discussions, you need to be able to articulate precisely why you deserve more. I’ve seen negotiations go poorly when the applicant hasn’t provided a convincing case. Tell me about the value you add to the company and quantify it. There have been candidates in the past who try to negotiate based on their expenses, and while we can sympathize, I’m not going to give you a higher salary because you have a large student loan payment.

Provide a range (if asked)

More and more places are making it illegal to ask about past earnings during the hiring process. Instead, recruiters are asking about salary expectations. This tends to come early on in the process, sometimes even before the interview. They are trying to make sure that your expectations are within their approved range for the position. If you’re asked what your salary requirements are, it’s best to provide a range. If you’re asked to provide your salary expectations, always give a range. At the bottom of the range should be at least 5-10% more than you’re currently making and add 10-20% to get the top number. For example, if you’re bottom is $100,000, the top should be around $115,000. At the offer stage, you can then negotiate salary within the range that you’ve provided.

Start with the base

It’s in your best interest to negotiate salary before talking about signing bonuses or other allowances. Companies might try to offer a one-time signing bonus to bump up to your salary expectations. The base is significant because it makes everything else more valuable. It’s also the most difficult thing to move on. While signing bonuses are nice, they don’t compound year over year, and they don’t affect your retirement contributions. A higher base will lead to increased total compensation.

Salary Negotiation Comparison

Negotiate other benefits

Sometimes hiring managers aren’t able to move as much as you’d like on the salary due to budget constraints. Be sure to ask for information on healthcare benefits, vacation, sick time, paid holidays, and other benefits before you make a decision. Our clients are often surprised to learn that vacation time is negotiable. Organizations usually have policies that outline a set number of paid vacation days based on service, but if you are mid-career, chances are you can negotiate additional days. Make sure you know about all of the perks that the company offers including modified work schedules, telecommuting, paid parking, on-site gym or childcare, employee discounts, etc. before making your final decision. Take all of those things into consideration when you make your decision.

Be prepared to walk away

This one is hard. Sometimes you aren’t able to agree in the negotiations, and you have to walk away. Before you begin, know what your limits are and stick with them. If both parties can’t agree, then the job is not the best fit. Walking away from a job offer is challenging, and you might feel guilty, but you need to make the best decision for your situation. Stay positive and be sure not to burn any bridges with the company.

June 22, 2017

Benefits: Unlimited Vacation

Unlimited Vacation

Imagine, you’re interviewing at a company, and they tell you that they offer unlimited vacation benefits. Awesome, right?! Maybe, but first, you need to do your homework. While it’s been around for a while, it’s only offered by one to two percent of companies in the United States. Netflix, GE, LinkedIn and a fair number of small to mid-sized technology companies have these types of flexible vacation plans. In the case of Netflix, they don’t track vacation usage, but they expect the time away to be reasonable and ensure that employees still get their job done. At General Electric, around 43% of the US salaried workforce can take as much vacation, sick, and personal time off as needed without any tracking involved. Since GE’s policy only applies to a particular population, it could create quite a divide among the employees that work there.

Why offer Unlimited Vacation

Offering unlimited vacation can be a smart move for business. It’s no secret that Americans have less vacation than the majority of the world, and in 2016 an estimated 662 million vacation days were given up. An unlimited plan eliminates the administrative burden of tracking and monitoring of leave usage. The biggest benefit to employers is that it removes the financial responsibility to pay out unused days to employees who leave the company. Finally, It can be seen as a great perk for employees and is used to help stand out against competitors.

While in theory, an unlimited vacation policy might seem great, it could backfire. If you are considering a job somewhere that offers unlimited vacation, be sure to do your research and ask questions. Glassdoor can be helpful to see how current and past employees feel about the benefit. Some companies offer unlimited vacation but make it difficult to get time away from work. Others might have a culture that frowns upon taking time off, even though it’s available.

Questions to Ask

When you start asking questions about benefits, choose your timing carefully. It can be a big turn off to hiring managers when applicants ask lots of benefit questions during an interview. Typically, the best approach to is to wait until you get the job offer. Here’s a list of questions you can ask that will give you an idea of how the benefit works at a company:

What are the parameters around the vacation policy?
How many days do employees typically take off each year?
What is the approval process like and how far in advance should requests be made?
What holidays does the company recognize?
How do you measure performance?

Company Culture

You also want to take into account what you know about the company culture. Anytime you are on site for an interview take note of the way the team interacts in the workplace. Often, it’s easier to get a feel for the culture from potential peers than from hiring managers, since they tend to speak a bit more freely about how they feel about certain topics. As you meet with hiring managers and peers through the interview process keep in mind the following:

Is the type of work you’ll be doing primarily independent or team-based?
Are you the only person who will be doing that kind of work?
Do people typically respond to emails at night or during weekends?
Are the leaders modeling the behavior and taking time away from the office?

The goal is to determine if employees make use of the unlimited vacation policies or if there’s a subculture that frowns upon it. Also, think about how the policy makes you feel. If you worry that you won’t take a vacation because there’s not a set number of hours assigned, it might not be the best fit.

Ultimately, this should be one data point among many when deciding to accept a new job. You want to take into account the total compensation and benefits package and the kind of the work you’ll be doing. As long as you can see yourself happily at the company for at least two years, then go for it!

March 13, 2017

How to Succeed in a Work From Home Job

Work from home

For those of us who have spent our careers in an office, a working from home sounds like a dream! No commute, no dress code, no co-workers stealing your lunch from the shared fridge and best of all, a lot fewer interruptions than those open office floor plans. While working from home can be pretty attractive. Glassdoor just released a list of 20 legitimate companies that offer work from home opportunities.

The downsides:

While the grass may seem greener at home for those of us fighting traffic each morning, be aware that there are some disadvantages associated with working from home. There are still distractions, though it shifts from your loud cubicle mate to your unending pile of laundry, dirty dishes or other nagging projects around the house. The other major complaint about those who work from home full-time is that it’s tough to maintain separation between work and personal life. When you go to an office every day, it’s easier to ‘turn work off’ when you walk out the door.

Working from home can be isolating. If you’re an extrovert and thrive on working with other people, work from home job might not be for you. When applying to work from home positions, asking questions about how the team interfaces with each other might be helpful. You’ll want to know how much of your time will be spent communicating with other people versus independent work and make sure that balance fits your personal needs.

Tips for work from home success:

Have a dedicated office space

To help with the separation from work and home, designate a spot just for work. If you have space in your house, appoint an office area. Try only to use that space for work and minimize the distractions in the room. Being able to shut the door is helpful too, especially at the end of the day. When you are done for the day, close the door and walk away from the work. Unless it’s an expectation of the job, don’t monitor emails and calls after hours to help you preserve a work-life balance.

Establish a routine

Set the alarm each morning and create a pre-work routine. Change out of your pajamas at the very least. Having a morning routine will help you transition into a working mindset for the day and build a better separation. The same goes for the end of the day too. After work, take some time for yourself and unwind. Maybe that’s going for a walk with your furry office mate, hitting the gym, throwing on sweats and catching up on a favorite show. Having a transition period after work will signal that the work is over.

Get out of the house

Work from home - get outside From time to time, you will need some human interaction. Getting out of the house will force you to put pants on and give you a change of scenery. When I asked some work from home veterans for their tips, this was a common theme. One friend recommended going to the gym for a workout at lunchtime, while another suggested never eating lunch at home. Another option is to join some extracurricular activity. Maybe you get involved with a sports team, a regular art class, or some recurring community service project. Whatever it is, make an effort to get in-person interaction on a daily basis.

Connect with your team

Make time on a regular basis to connect with your team members. That could be one-on-one meetings or whole group meetings. If your entire team works from home, building that rapport and having the chance to collaborate with each other on current work happening will help you feel much less isolated. If you’re a virtual member of a local team, you might need to over-communicate, so you’re not getting left out or overlooked. Visiting the office on a regular basis helps too if your employer is open to that.

Getting Started

Once you decide you would rather work from home, there are a couple of different approaches you can take. If you’re already employed, talk to your boss and to get an understanding of what your options might be. It’s easier to make these arrangements at a place where you have an established relationship, and they know the quality of work that you produce. Sometimes due to the nature of the business and type of position you have, that’s not always possible. Although it might be a bit more challenging to find a legitimate remote or work from home type of job, they do exist. Before you provide any personal information to companies, be sure to do your research to ensure the business is legitimate. There are a lot of “work from home” opportunities out there that are too good to be true.

November 28, 2016October 31, 2016

What Takes so Long? Inside the Hiring Process

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard throughout my career is that the hiring process takes way too long. Applicants don’t get it, and nothing frustrates hiring managers more than this. A lot of times, HR gets the blame for this too. I’ve seen company goals of 60 to 90 calendar days from the time they post the job to the start date. Of course, it’s frustrating. Today I’m shining a little bit of light on the hiring process that tends to look like a black hole for applicants. Keep in mind these are generalizations, and every company has a different process that may go faster or *gasp* slower than the time frames I’ve listed.

Job Posting (1-3 weeks)

Companies want to attract the best possible candidate pool, so job postings are usually put up for two weeks. This way, they can advertise and get a diverse applicant pool. I’ve seen postings just go up for one week, but most of them are around two weeks. If the job is highly specialized, or they are hiring for multiple positions, they might keep it posted for longer.

Some companies will look through the pool as people apply and start reaching out to candidates, but others wait until the posting closes to review any of the candidates. Here’s a tip, if you have a list of dream companies you’d love to work for, go set up profiles on their websites right now. You can set preferences so they’ll email you jobs that you’re interested in and you can apply right away.

Selection and Interviews (1-4 weeks)

Hiring Process - Reviewing Candidates

Applicant tracking systems have helped the hiring process move a bit quicker through automation. These systems scan the resumes and rank them based on keyword matches. Once candidates are ranked, hiring managers or recruiters see the “top” applicants in the pool. The systems are still learning, and in a lot of companies, there’s a distrust of the technology, so they may still review every resume in person. Once the top 5-7 resumes are selected, usually the next step is to schedule interviews. I’ve seen companies that have internal reviews of the candidate selection before the hiring managers move forward with scheduling, which can add a lot of time as well.

After the candidates are selected, then the interviews take place. This whole process takes 1-3 weeks, but it can take longer if there are vacations, holidays or other scheduling challenges. Plus, Some companies have multiple hiring loops or interview sessions. There could be multiple phone screenings, in-person interviews and they might require senior leadership to meet with final candidates. The more senior the position, the longer and more involved the interview process is. This stage is where applicants may be asked to participate in a personality assessment as well. Just a reminder that these evaluations test for consistency in your answers as well as your personality.

Once the interviews are finished, hiring managers select the final candidate. The next step is to get the conditional employment offer out to the applicant

Conditional Employment Offer & Negotiations (1-2 weeks)

The first step in getting an offer out is to determine what salary to offer. Small, nimble companies can move a lot quicker in this step than some larger businesses that have multiple layers of approvals and bureaucracy. At this stage, you should be negotiating salaries, benefits and other conditions of employment. After negotiations are done a conditional offer is initiated, but don’t turn in your two weeks notice quite yet. Most employers have pre-employment paperwork and testing to get through first. Once you agree upon a salary, the offer is considered accepted. As an applicant, you should request all of the details of the offer in writing. The next step in the process is to complete all of the required paperwork and all of the checks.

Background, References, Credit Checks (1-3 weeks)

background-check-1054067_1920

At this point in the hiring process, you’ll get a pile of paper to go through. In HR-speak, this is called your pre-employment paperwork. It typically contains your conditional job offer in writing and a bunch of forms to fill out. There are a lot of different pre-employment checks that a company can have in place depending on the type of positions. This list isn’t intended to be exhaustive, but to give you an idea of what they could include. It’s not common for an employer to use all of these checks, and there are federal and state requirements for companies that collect this information

Employment verification
Education verification
Criminal background
References
Drug Tests

Credit Check
I-9 Paperwork
Polygraph tests
Medical exams
Security clearances

It’s important to note that some background checks take longer than others. If you’ve lived in multiple states, the criminal records can take a while to report back. This is just as frustrating for the employer as it is for you. When clearances start coming through, the hiring managers starts getting antsy too. Typically a drug test only takes a few days, unless there’s a problem with the sample. If there’s a problem, the medical doctor reviewing the test will typically contact you first to let you know the results before calling the employer.

Two Weeks Notice & Start Date (2-3 weeks)

finish-1414156_1920 The end is in sight! It’s risky to quit a job before you have the proper clearances from your pre-employment checks. Even if you’re confident that nothing will come up, there can be mistakes or delays in the process. One of my previous employers had a difficult time verifying my degree because I had placed a privacy hold on my records. I had to physically go to the campus to remove the hold before they’d tell the employer that I had graduated. Making the trip to my old college campus added some time to the process and almost cost me the job. The safest bet is to wait until everything is verified before you turn in your notice at your current company.

Most employees give two weeks notice at their current employer. Giving notice allows your current employer to come up with a plan for the work and a bit of training the person filling in. Some companies may ask you to stay longer if possible while others have policies to pay out the last two weeks and not have you complete the time. Paying an employee out and letting them go is rare. It tends to happen in when an employee is dealing with confidential or proprietary initiatives at the company.

What Can You Do?

As a job seeker, you don’t have a lot of control over the hiring process. The best you can do to stay informed and help move things along. Always ask what the next steps are so you know what to expect. Once you start talking about the offer with the company, ask how long the rest of the process typically takes. Respond quickly to emails, phone calls, and requests for information, so things don’t get stalled. Keep in touch with the company and your references. If your references aren’t returning calls, that can delay the process. Consider checking in with them to let them know to expect a call. Lastly, do your best to stay patient and assume positive intentions. Remember, the company needs you, and they’re doing everything they can to make the process work quickly within their boundaries.

November 30, 2016October 25, 2016

Video Interview Tips: How to Get the Job

Imagine an interview where you record your responses into a camera with no one watching. You’re given a question to respond to and a countdown to start talking. You give your best response to your webcam and then hit stop. You might see your face on the screen as you are recording or the question you’re expected to answer. If you’re lucky, the software will give you the chance to re-record, but that’s not always the case. Then you’re on to the next question. You might never hear back from the company, or you could be invited in for a face to face interview. If you haven’t noticed the video interview trend, get ready, they’re becoming much more common as a tool to screen applicants. We’ve got our best video interview tips to help you get ready.

Why Video Interviews

Companies like SparkHire and HireVue provide technology that allows employers to use video interviews as a way to both screen and interview candidates. These technologies claim that they make it easier for employers to hire higher performers and streamline the hiring process. More and more companies are starting to use these tools in their hiring process; GE, Honda, Ikea and even USPS are listed as clients. Conducting a video interview is much easier than a phone screen since applicants can do it on their own time and the recruiter can just review the tape later.

Video Interview Challenges

Lighting, sound, internet connectivity and even the lack of feedback are all things you have to be aware of in a video interview. There’s no space for you to ask questions or ensure that you answered the question they’re asking. Without an encouraging nod or even eye contact from another human being, it can be pretty hard to make sure you’ve hit the mark with these types of interviews.

As an HR person, I wonder about accessibility and fairness of a video interview. I’m curious if it creates additional opportunities for bias to enter into the hiring process. However, I can see the benefits from the employer’s side. It allows them to quickly move through a large number of applicants without having to worry about scheduling around time zones and meetings. It lets them narrow down the candidate pool much quicker and hopefully, helps the hiring process move along faster.

Video Interview Tips: Getting Ready

Congratulations, you’ve been invited to record your answers for a “virtual interview.” The company sends you an interview invite with a link to the site and some instructions on how to get started. Spend some time preparing before you sit down to record and treat this just like you would a regular job interview. Research the organization and the position so you’re ready to talk about why you want to work there and what skills you’ll bring to the job. In the initial screening, the questions are most likely going to be traditional or behavioral interview questions. If you are lucky, they’ll give you the questions are ahead of time so you can think through and prepare your answers

home-office-336377_1920

Find a Quiet Space & Prepare

The benefit of video interviews and screenings is that they happen on your own time and in a place you’re comfortable. There are a lot of stuff to consider when getting set up for your video interview. Choose a time when you’re not likely to be interrupted and mute your cell phone. Set aside about an hour to record and turn in your responses. Some of the companies require a software download to use their tools, so make sure you’re not waiting until the last minute to turn in your responses in case you run into any technical difficulties.

Set the Scene

Do a test run with the lighting and volume on your webcam. You want to make sure they can see and hear you clearly. Your light source should be in front of your camera, not behind you for a clear image. Be sure to check that your background is professional and not distracting. A blank wall works fine, but if you can use an office setting it will send a more professional message. Also, remember to plug in your charger since recording video can drain your batteries quickly.

Dress for Success

It can be easy to get a little lax when it comes to video interviews since you may not be leaving your house. It’s still critical to dress as if you were going to the office for an interview. Dressing professionally tells the hiring manager your serious about the job. It will also help you feel more confident and polished. Wear solid colors since patterns can come across as fuzzy and distracting. It’s a good idea to keep the jewelry to a minimum to avoid reflections into the camera.

Answer the Questions

Chances are you’ll need to record answers to between 3 and five questions for an interview screening. As you are answering, do your best to look at the camera and speak clearly. If you make a mistake, do your best to move on and don’t dwell on it. It might help to imagine that the hiring manager is in the room with you. One nice thing about the recordings is that you usually have the chance to collect your thoughts before starting on the next question. Once you’ve finished answering, take a moment to collect your thoughts. Have a drink of water and review your notes before getting started in your next response.

Having the ability to review and re-record your answers might be harder than just having one chance. For the perfectionists out there, this can be a major pitfall. Don’t spend hours trying to perfect an answer. Chances are it will be visible to the recruiter and come across as rehearsed or insincere. Unless you’ve made a major mistake, it’s best to move on without recording multiple times.

Waiting Game

Once you hit submit on the interview, the waiting begins. Usually, you’ll get some notice that it has been received by the company, either via email or right after turning it in. One downside is that it’s hard to follow up with anyone to see where you stand or even get an idea of what the next steps are in the process. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell if or when you’ll hear something from the company after submitting your answers. The best advice I can give is to keep applying to other positions while you wait to hear back from the video screen.

If you’re ready to build your interview skills in a virtual environment, we offer web-based interview coaching services that will help you prepare, either in person or over the web. To learn more about our interview and resume coaching services get in touch via email or at (206) 289-0358.

November 30, 2016October 2, 2016

Social Media for Job Seekers Part 3: Lessons Learned

Every day people are finding new ways to use social media to get a job. As a job seeker, creativity will get you noticed. This is the last post in our Social Media series, and we wanted to share some of the successes and failures we’ve come across. I Take a moment to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our series if you haven’t already.

Socially Awesome

Facebook Ads & a Trending Hashtag

About ten years ago, my close friend Scott decided he wanted to work at ThoughtWorks Australia. He had a tendency to be a bit impatient back then, so instead of waiting for them to get back to his application he decided that he wanted to help expedite the process. He launched a campaign to get hired that included two Facebook ads that led to microsite complete with a slide show and the ability to prank call people.

The slideshow he created demonstrated how his values aligned with those of the organization and included his accomplishments. Scott’s campaign became so popular that the ThoughtWorks Australia employees started #DearScott, which trended on Twitter briefly in Australia. He made it through their interview process and signed on as an employee not long after.

Scott did a lot of things right. He was intentional about his word choices for the advertisement, focusing on being a part of the team instead of being an employee (with/for). When people clicked, the site didn’t just lead to a resume; it was interactive and engaging. He connected to the company values and focused on his accomplishments instead of his previous duties. The prank call aspect let his personality show through in a fun, harmless way.

Lego Girl Gets a Job!

About two years ago a recent college graduate used Legos to apply for internships at creative agencies. She created a mini-scale Lego model, complete with packaging that she used to apply for jobs at her top two companies. She customized the colors on the packages to match the agency branding and included an “instruction book” highlighting her skills. In addition to sending the kits, she posted the photos to Reddit, which got a lot of attention from the industry. Her initiatives worked, and a few weeks later she posted this follow-up.

Socially Awkward

It’s important to be careful because mistakes on social media can cost you a job, or worse, your professional reputation. The next story is about another job seeker using Facebook advertising to get noticed by an employer. This time, it didn’t work out quite so well. The second example is a good reminder to be cautious of everything you post online, not only on your professional social media accounts.

You, Your, You’re…OUT!

One of my marketing friends told me about a failed ad campaign that an applicant tried. The company name and job seekers name are hidden for privacy purposes. From what she tells me several employees spotted the ad, first appearing on their personal Facebook feeds. Then it also popped up in at least one article or blog post an employee was reading.

The ad might have worked if it weren’t for one mistake. The position was in marketing, and this candidate used the wrong version of you’re, not once, but twice in the same advertisement. In a job where attention to detail is so important, the candidate pretty much guaranteed they won’t be getting a callback.

OKCupid to Facebook to LinkedIn to NOPE

An interesting article came across my news feed from SHRM, a professional organization for HR people. The article headline was “Vulgar Comments on Dating App Cause Recruiter to Dismiss Candidate.” The short story is that a recruiter was cruising Facebook when she saw her friend shared a Not Safe For Work Screenshot of some vulgar and threatening messages she received from a man on her Facebook news feed.

The recruiter thought the guy looked familiar, so she did a reverse google image search of his OKCupid photos. It turned out that the picture search led her to the guy’s LinkedIn profile, with the same photo. She rejected him from the candidate pool and sent a note telling him to be nicer to women. Her actions in dismissing the applicant were completely legal. If she had decided to move forward with the candidate given what she had seen and some issue happened at work, the company could be held liable for negligent hiring.

What’s the key takeaway here? Don’t use your professional profile photos in places you don’t want your employer to see. Be careful what you post online in general. There is an increasing blend of people’s personal and professional lives. Anything you put out into the world can be captured and shared. Think about what you’re putting out in the world and who you’re sending these things to. And honestly, just be a nice person.

Attention to Details

The other day this came across my Facebook feed just in time for this article. A friend of mine works at Zulily, and he recently received a mysterious hand delivered letter. Before he opened it, he posted a photo on Facebook. His name and photo are blurred for privacy. The person sending the message put in a lot of work and thought into his efforts. He researched the company, and he included an original signed recommendation, and he followed up on LinkedIn after it was delivered.

Unfortunately, there were critical errors. Remember when we talked about proofreading? Here is another example of a spelling error. It comes across as a lack of attention to detail. The second error was that he had the wrong hiring manager. My friend did end up passing the information along to the right person in the end, but those two mistakes might be a deal breaker for the hiring manager.

Oh, and as far as my friend’s informal survey? Two people said creepy/unprofessional because of the spelling along with sending it to the wrong person, and one person voted for being a go-getter.

Thanks for sticking with us through the series. Have you ever tried any of these tricks? We’d love to hear if they worked out for you. Tell us about them in the comments.

November 18, 2020September 21, 2016

Social Media for Job Seekers Part 1: The Basics

More and more companies are using social media as a method of attracting qualified candidates to their positions. In our Social Media for Job Seekers, we explore the what, why, and how to maximize these sites to find your next job.

Why Social Media

A 2016 Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey, found that 84% of companies are using social media as a recruiting tool and an additional 9% of organizations are planning to. This number is up from 56% in 2011. The most common sites that are being used by recruiters, in order, are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Companies are using social media for three main reasons:

They’re seeking out passive job seekers.
They want to attract candidates by showing up as a top place to work.
They are looking for specific skills for some harder to fill jobs.

Social media is a great way for you to connect with an organization. When you apply for a job online, your resume gets thrown into a system that scans and ranks it. It can take weeks to hear anything back if you hear anything at all. The benefit of social media is that you can talk to a real person and build a relationship. However, as companies and recruiters are becoming more engaged on social media, you have to be much more careful about how you are perceived. Everything you post publicly and even sometimes privately can affect your potential employment. According to the same SHRM study, 36% of organizations have rejected candidates based on their public social media profiles.

The Big Three

The most well-known social media platforms are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. As an applicant, you can use one or all of them to engage with employers. If you decide to use these tools to help with your job search you have to proceed with a bit of caution. Getting noticed by an employer can be excellent for your career, but it’s also easy to make the wrong impression.

If you only choose one social media platform, it should be LinkedIn. It is the most popular recruiting site used by employers. When you set up a profile, include the URL in your resume heading. Since LinkedIn doesn’t follow the normal “resume rules,” you can add additional information that may not make the cut on your resume.

LinkedIn also allows for skill endorsements and recommendations. You have the ability to ask people you’ve worked with to provide a recommendation or to endorse you. Recommendations show up on your profile as a reference or testimonial. LinkedIn is much more professional and work-related. It isn’t the place to debate politics, catch up with your long-lost cousin, or to share cat videos (except for this one).

Facebook

While Facebook can be a successful tool to engage with organizations, it also can expose much more of your personal information than LinkedIn. From an HR perspective, Facebook has been a useful tool in avoiding potentially bad hiring decisions and catching cases of worker’s comp fraud.

If you have a Facebook account, you need to update your privacy settings before you begin applying for jobs. Given my HR experience, I strongly suggest limiting the audience to your Facebook profile. You can still connect in Facebook groups or engage on company pages; it just prevents employers and the public from viewing your wall and other private details. Unless you’re Facebook profile and posts are squeaky clean, do not to friend your employers or coworkers.

Twitter

Twitter can be a great place to interact with organizations and leaders. It’s limitation being that it’s all in 140 characters or less. It’s easy enough to set up more than one Twitter account to keep your personal and professional tweets separate. When setting up a professional Twitter account, create a short username. If you’re going to include a photo, make sure it’s professional. One plus about using Twitter is that companies tend to be pretty responsive. Some executives and business owners manage their accounts directly. A lot of businesses have accounts set up specifically for job seekers. Microsoft runs @MicrosoftJobs and Amtrak has an account specifically for Veterans @AmtrakVets.

Other Social Media

Companies are trying to entice applicants on other social media platforms as well. GE’s recruiting campaign featuring a guy named Owen accepting a developer job has moved into Snapchat. Marriott has the @MariottCareers Instagram account featuring happy employees both at work and enjoying life. To get a good idea of what life is really like at a company you can search for hashtags used by both the company’s page and employees, like #facebooklife, #Lifeatkohls.

Be sure to check out part two and part three of the Social Media for Job Seekers series. We’re focusing on the top ways you can use social media to attract employers and creative examples of job seeker campaigns.

November 30, 2016September 12, 2016

The Resume Objective is Dead.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve updated your resume, you might still have an objective at the top. I remember struggling to write a creative objective to say “Hey you, I want a job. I want this job because it’s awesome”. The resume objective was a nice way of telling the employer that you were interested in the job and asking them to consider you.

Here’s the deal. If you are applying to my job opening, I am pretty sure you want the job. I assume that you think you have the skills and abilities to do the job. In the past five years or so, the objective has faded away and been replaced with the summary.

Changing Career Fields

I’ve seen some sites recommend keeping the objective to let employers know that you’re interested in changing fields. I’m going to disagree respectfully. Tailor your resume to each particular job, including the summary section. My advice to someone looking to change their field would be to start with something like “Experienced accounting manager with a passion for Human Resources.” Then, make sure the skills you list are relevant to the desired career field. Another thing to do is outline the reasons you want to make the change in the cover letter. Start with why you are interested in making the change and how your previous experience can help the organization or department.

New Graduate

If you are a recent graduate, your career center might have told you to include an objective because you don’t have a lot of work experience. I’d much rather read about the skills you’ve gained while attending school, being an active volunteer or extracurricular activities. Talk about your experience leading a team, capstone projects, research, and analytics.

The Resume Summary

The summary is a modern replacement for the resume objective. I’ve seen a variety of resume summaries while working in HR and doing resume consultations. A resume summary should highlight your qualifications and skills very briefly. It’s like the abstract on a research paper or the TL:DR version of your professional experience. Your summary should grab the hiring manager’s attention and hook them into reading the rest impressive resume.

The nice thing about summaries replacing the resume objective is that they tend to be longer than a sentence. The summary can be in a short paragraph, bullets, or a combination of the two. For jobs where technical skills are important, bullets tend to work better because they can list languages or technical skills you have.