Get paid more, promoted faster and feel more satisfied.......
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Why Don't ...: Why Does Power Go To People's Heads?
Why Don't ...: Why Does Power Go To People's Heads?: It is strange that people who normally act with empathy and emotional intelligence then often start to misuse the role power they have been...
Friday, 31 May 2013
Answering predictable interview questions - So why do you want this job?
Answering predictable interview questions - So why do you want this job?
Four key steps to winning interview performance
Answering that question (why do you want the job) should be really easy! Often the
answers we hear when recruiting are: well I want a job..I need a job,
I want to work.. I want to pay the mortgage or the rent…. Or I want a promotion, it’s a bigger job. Or I
hate the job I’m in, I need to do something different. My family are moving so
I need to change jobs. I got made redundant, I’m a bit bored, I like the sound of it.. I could go on.
The difficulty with all of those answers is that they may
well be true and they may well explain why you have applied for a new job but
they do not tell the interviewer any good reason why you should have the job.
When you are going for an interview or applying for a job you need to give the
interview compelling reasons for giving you the job and that starts with the
basic question… why do you want it…
So how do you give them that compelling reason? By treating
this question as an opportunity for your sales pitch. By thinking about what it
is that the interviewer wants in a candidate and what it is that they need to
hear.
Ever been turned down for a job because you did not sound
very enthusiastic? Been told that they were not sure if you really wanted it… It is actually a pathetic bit of feedback to
give someone. Surely the correct logic is that they offer and if you don’t want
it , you turn it down. If you are the best person for the job they should
offer, but it happens so you need to make sure that it does not apply to
you. This is your chance to sound enthusiastic,
if not actually passionate.. but how do you do that without sounding gushing
and false?
Here are 4 key steps to selling yourself into that job!
When you are asked about why you have applied for this role,
why you want it etc… start with:
Step 1.
‘This is a great company
/organisation because…….’ Everyone likes
to be flattered, so tell them why you think they are a good company, what it is
you like about the company….
Step 2.
Describe the challenges of the role, even if it is a job
that is pretty routine, what are the issues they face in getting someone to do the role well….
Step 3.
Tell them that these are the things that float your boat,
these are the things you have just been doing, these are the challenges your really enjoy… give some brief examples…..
Step 4.
Think about why they might not want to hire you and refute
their logic.
So if I was going for a job in my local Co-op shop I might
say:
I think the co-op is a
great organisation, I admire their ethical stance and I was very impressed when
they had no issues over horse meat. That’s the sort of company I’d like to be
in. I know you need staff who can work shifts, who are good with customers and
who will make sure that the shelves are kept stocked and tidy. I really enjoy working
with customers, helping them find things, explaining the difference between
products and I hate untidy shops. It’s really important to me to be polite and
friendly, when I worked in the garage I tried to get every customer to smile
before they left! It has been a while
since I have done shop work but I don’t think you lose the passion to please
the customer and make sure they always come back – I haven’t.
Remember this is your sales pitch and this is where you can bring
together your knowledge of them and your enthusiasm. It is all about why they
are great to work for not why you need the job.
Mary Hope Career Success supports people to get paid more,
promoted faster and feel more satisfied at work. Go to www.maryhopecareersuccess.com
for more great resources and advice.
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Power up your networking skills - workshop
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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
If your resolution is to get out more....
If you need to develop your confidence as a networker...
Are you a networking virgin?
Do you loath the thought of it?
Are you keen to start but not sure how?
What is networking?
How do successful networkers do it?
Is it critical to career success?
Are you just wishing you did not have to?
If you are asking those questions but don't have the answers then this workshop is for you!
22 January, Central London, afternoon and at a bargain price.
By the end of the session you will have a strategy which will be comfortable to you, you will have
- developed your own unique approach to extending your network- not everyone subscribes to the philosophy of 'Never Eat Alone' - work out what will work for you
- planned your strategy on how to extend your contact list - the more 'weak ties' you have the better your chances of finding the information or opportunities you want
- developed and practised your elevator pitch - in other words know what it is you want others to know and how to say it
- learned how to change your mindset, what's holding you back? how can you develop a positive mindset towards this strategy?
- integrated social media into your strategy- does one have to tweet? blog? poke? put oneself onto the www?
A special half day workshop for networking innocents or the reluctant networker. Only £125
contact me on www.maryhopecareersuccess.com/contact/
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Top 10 irritating things on a cv
Let’s face it, Recruiters and HR Managers get a
hard time. The industry battles with bad press and a perception that it’s
all about fees for recruiters or handing out tissues for the HR teams. Not
exactly! It’s more like a plate-spinning marathon, especially when you’re
juggling a deluge of candidate applications against a vacancy wish list.
Some of these candidate CVs and applications can range from entertaining to
frustrating to downright baffling.
ISV
Software asked the Recruitment and HR industry to share the most
irritating things you see on CVs. Here are the Top 10 responses:
1.
Spelling and Grammar Errors – this shows lack of attention and time
spent on the document. Favourites include a candidate who had worked at
‘Goldman Sucks’ and another who interacted well with ‘steakholders’. Although
it’s worth mentioning that a few spelling errors crept into the responses. Whether
intentionally or not we should perhaps check ourselves before pointing the
finger.
2.
Clichéd phrases that add nothing of value – how many candidates have
“excellent interpersonal skills”, are “people-friendly” or “work well on their
own and as part of a team”? Righty-ho, them and everyone else I’m afraid.
3.
Too much personal information – Views on the inclusion of date of
birth, marital status, religious beliefs etc. varied across cultures. Certainly
in the UK, Canada and the US it is illegal to ask for this information.
Candidates however, may be unaware of the legislation and it is the norm in
some countries to include personal information, even detailing their height and
weight. It’s worth bearing in mind that the candidate’s cultural background
will influence what they do and don’t include on their CV. From a
recruitment consultant’s point of view though, it’s all information that needs
deleting before the CV can be submitted to the client.
Keeping personal information in mind, another big
bug-bear is the weird and wonderful email addresses that candidates think it’s
appropriate to include!
4.
Obscure formatting – different fonts, large blocks of text, varied
line spacing… Not only does this make the CV look like a ‘cut and paste’ job,
it makes it difficult to extract the relevant information.
5.
Irrelevant information or experience – an engineer applying for a
procurement role, a graduate applying to be Head of Department… why? If there
are relevant skills, the CV should be tailored to highlight these. Instead
you’re often left searching for the information.
6.
Dear Sir - or Mr when you’re a woman and vice versa. This was even
more contentious when the candidate has access to your name. Even worse when
the application mentions the wrong role or incorrect company name.
7.
Photos – again, this varied depending on global location but photos
are a definite no-no for UK recruiters. Particularly candidate’s holiday snaps,
provocative pictures or group photos including the family pet!
8.
Churn out that job spec - candidates who solely list their duties
without adding quantifiable achievements or their contribution make the job so
much harder.
9.
Generic cover notes – a template cover letter or email taken from the
internet. You’ve seen them before and they get pretty tiresome. Plus they
sometimes make you wonder if the candidate has read the job spec at all!
10. Keep it short
– lengthy CVs are a real turn off especially since there is so much guidance
outlining that 2 pages is ideal. The extreme mentioned was a 7 page CV
followed by a series of voicemails and social media requests. There’s
persistent and then there’s stalking!
Honourable mention should also go to hobbies that
are irrelevant (reading, socialising, watching their child’s football team) and
personal statements that incorporate much of the above especially from the
candidate that is ‘perfect for the job’. If only it were that simple!
Thanks to Amanda Davies at ISV for compiling the list!
If you want help to make sure that your CV avoids these errors and hits the correct spot, makes the right impression and communicates your achievements and skills contact Mary Hope.. www.maryhopecareersuccess.com
Friday, 2 November 2012
Assessment Centres -10 tips for group exercises/discussions
Group exercises can vary enormously from:
1. A single sentence or question:'Discuss how you would increase
sales in a new area'. This can be thrown into the group and then them left to debate the topic. Assessors are looking at the level of debate and the interaction between people.
2. Exercises where you are all given information that needs
to be discussed eg 'Read the following and then discuss, as a group, which
depot should be closed to maximise savings but maintain efficiency' . Same as above: who conributes?, what sorts of things do they say? who listens? who has ideas? who is positive?
3. You might get that sort of question where you have
actually been given different sorts of information!
4. You might get information but be asked to play a
particular role, so in the one above one person might be asked to be the FD and
another the HR manager. Each will have some info about their role's priorities. In this scenario you are expected to argue your corner.
5. The observers might want someone to win this task or they
may just want to see how you react with others.
6. Think carefully about volunteering to be the Chair of the
group, you would have great power but if you don't have authority it can
highlight your lack of influence. Leadership is not necessarily shown in that
way. It's the same with being a
'scribe', that can give you power but it can also marginalise you if you are
standing at a flip chart.
7.Get talking early, research shows that if you don’t
contribute in the first few minutes of a meeting you can become invisible. So
be present from the start and get a contribution in early. It does not have to
be earth shattering, just ask a question, ask someone to repeat something, seek
clarification or repeat an idea.
8. People will generally be quite polite to each other, on
their best behaviour and interrupting is not good manners. Wait for a space and
then deliver well thought out constructive comments.
9. Laugh at other
people's jokes, disagree politely and only after saying something like 'that is
really interesting but had you thought of....'
10. Be the person they would want to work with.. that's what selection exercises are about, finding out if they can work with you.
For more information, support and advice on being successful in your career
www.maryhopecareersuccess.com
Monday, 29 October 2012
Principles of Success
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| MBI: Patrick W. Jordan (Photo credit: Cedim News) |
- Take responsibility - only you are responsible form your life - don't blame others
- Set goals - know what you want and set out to get there
- Be positive- surround yourself with optimism and be positive
- Persevere intelligently - don't give up at the first obstacle but do give up the unrealistic
- Connect with others - empathise, treat others well, forgive and learn form others
Sounds really easy? And all this is achievable - get the book, get a coach and you can find achievement, happiness and fulfillment.
Life and career coaching is available from www.maryhopecareersuccess.com and from www.patrickwjordan.com
Lessons for your next interview from Dragon’s Den, can you do the interview numbers?
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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Watching Dragons Den, there are a number of points when you
can see that the Dragons lose interest. One of the critical ones is when they
start exploring the numbers. Sometimes the reason they don’t invest is that the
numbers just don’t stack up. There is no profit to be had. Another reason they don’t invest is that people
don’t know their numbers. Or are confused about the numbers and what they mean. Over and over, under the pressure of the interview, people lose the plot about their costs, revenues and profits.
When you think about it, that makes perfect sense, the
Dragons are putting their personal money into someone elses’s business. If that
person does not know the difference between, turnover, profit, and margin then
why would anyone have confidence in the individual’s ability to increase
margin, build turnover and deliver profit? Knowing the numbers is critical to
success in the Den, and critical in giving the Dragons confidence in the
entrepreneur.
Can you see where I am going with this? All senior roles have
budgets, some of them very big budgets; interviewers need to be sure that the
candidates can handle those budgets and
that they will be good with the money. The challenge for the interviewer is how
to assess that. It is one of the most
difficult areas of skill to really test. Numerical reasoning tests can test arithmetic,
but that is not the whole answer. Commercial reasoning tests can test the
ability of a candidate to think commercially (understand turnover, margin and
profit but not deliver it). Questions in interview tend to be bland and relate
to ‘how do you ensure you don’t overspend?’,
‘how do you deliver increased productivity?’, ‘ tell us what you have done to
deliver savings/reduce costs?’. Ok those questions will get you some
information about whether the person understands processes.
How can you, as a candidate, give the interviewers
confidence that you are good with money?
It starts in the Cv and application: if you don’t talk the language
of numbers then you are missing a trick. You need to shown in your Cv that you
know the cost and value of everything. You need to demonstrate that you know
and understand the metrics of performance.
In your interview you should not wait for the interviewer to
ask about money, budgets or revenues, you should be talking naturally about
your income, your expenditure and your costs. By knowing and talking
confidently about those things you are demonstrating that you think about the
financial implications of all your activity. Once you do that, you give the
interviewers confidence that you will pay attention to those things.
What is it that makes the difference between someone who is
a good financial manager and someone who is not? Being able to see the patterns
in the numbers, being able to project. to identify and spot trends all make
someone good at managing the money. But, I think one of the absolute key things
is that good financial managers pay close attention to the numbers.
If you talk about the
money and know your numbers you can convince the interviews that you are one of
those people who pay attention to money, and that you can do all those things
you need to do to balance the books or turn the profit. If you think money, talk money and build confidence that you are good with money.
For more career advice and interview support go to www.maryhopecareersuccess.com
Mary Hope is an experienced senior recruiter and career
coach.
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| budget (Photo credit: The Survival Woman) |
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