Rita Ashley, Career Coach. Field tested advice for executives.

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By rashley, May 20, 2009 2:19 pm

Most of my clients are driven, successful and highly competitive executives and technology leaders.  During their job search, they are compelled to ask employers with whom they have interviewed how they compare to the competition.

• Am I in the running for this job?
• Where do I stand in the ranking?
• How do my credentials stack up compared to the others?

If asked directly, most people will tell you what you want to hear.  The data is corrupt.  Does knowing where the competition excels change your credentials?   Does knowing change your behavior?  You can’t change your own credentials and worrying about what others bring to the party is useless and demoralizing.  Your self confidence is one of your biggest job search assets. Don’t damage it by asking questions that could hurt; don’t damage your chances by making the interviewer ‘take care’ of you.

Asking ‘how am I doing’ puts the interviewer on notice you are insecure.  Why waste your precious interview questions conveying you are needy?  Why not ask instead:

• What part of your background is the most compelling for this spot?
• What are the top priorities for hiring?  Offer an example of how you have accomplished something similar.
• What do you need to know about my background to consider me for this job?

It is not always the person with the best resume who gets the job.  It is the person who conducts a good interview, shows they are enthusiastic about the company, the products and the challenges and the person the interviewers feel is the best fit.  Best fit often means, someone with whom I am comfortable.  Don’t make the interviewer uncomfortable by asking questions that put them on the spot.

You can’t know what the interviewers are thinking and you can’t know how other candidates interview. Without that data, you are stressing about intangibles.  Focus on you and why you believe you are the right person for the job.  Help the employer know what you know and that is more than enough.

Read about more deal killers.

• Need to deconstruct your job search for more effective outcomes?

• Just getting started and you want to do your job search right?

• Hitting a wall and need to see what others see?

• Have an issue that is becoming an obstacle?
  

• Need to get more interviews and offers from your efforts?

Read Job Search Debugged.

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By rashley, May 18, 2009 3:42 pm

And how to avoid them.

You know it is true and your frustration is apparent.  If you say it out loud, you make it true.

• Job Market is very bad.
• There aren’t a lot of jobs out there at my level.
• I have been looking for quite some time with little results.
• It’s hard to get interviews.  I am relieved to have this one.

No one wants to hire a loser.  If you make comments like these, that’s exactly how you sound.  The folks interviewing you may be friendly, but they are not your friends.  Do not confide your frustration.  When they ask about how your job search is going, and they may, say instead:

• I am delighted and surprised to see how willing people are to help.
• I am meeting many new people and find networking invigorating.
• There are openings, all those products still need to get created, marketed and sold.
• I like that companies are being very careful in who they hire.  It makes good business sense.

People hire positive, high-energy executives.  Come across carrying a cup half  full.  Discuss challenges and solutions, not problems.  And most assuredly, ask for the job.

More Deal Killers.

Author: Job Search Debugged [Rebuild your job search with field tested techniques that work]
Author: Networking Debugged [Networking is hard. Here's a guide to make it easier and give the results you need.]
Author: LinkedIn for Job Search [Free and simple to use to upgrade your online presence]
My clients get hired.

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By admin, June 30, 2008 3:03 pm

You have heard all the dress for success propaganda and seen it subverted with casual Friday and the technology sector’s abhorrence of formality.  Well guess what; if you want to be taken seriously as a Technology Executive, any Executive, you must look the part in every job search encounter.

Whether an informational meeting over coffee or meeting with the CEO, always dress to communicate you take your Job Search and their opportunity seriously.   Show you have respect for the Job Search Process and their time.  That means never again will you wear jeans and runners or shorts and flip flops to meet for a getting to know you.  To convey respect for the process, suit up.  Yes, ladies, you too.

For the informal meetings, men can wear slacks and a sports coat with good quality leather shoes.  Women, the equivalent.  NO DENIM.  And try to avoid open shoes of any sort.

The debate rages on about men in pleats or no pleats.  Let me resolve that for you here.  If you are over 40, never again wear pants with a pleat.  Chances are younger men don’t look good in them either.  

Want an expert’s take on pleats?    Carson Kressley says “In my heart of hearts, I really do believe that flat front pants do in fact look better on everyone. They are simply more modern and cleaner looking. Contrary to popular belief I do think they are slimming on heavier men. Try Bill’s Khakis. They offer several fits that flatter most any figure. They are at billskhakis.com.”

The only time pleated pants work for men is if they are tall, lean and the pants are very expensive worsted wool.  The pleats drape and never, even when hands are in pockets, pucker.  Do you really want to draw attention to that part of your body in such a negative way?  And for women, they add fabric and pucker to their tummy area. Avoid the problem, don’t wear pleats.

There is no such thing as an information only meeting.  Every meeting with a prospective employer or someone who may introduce you to a prospective employer is an official Job Search Meeting.  Dress accordingly no matter how much ribbing you will take.

_______________________

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By admin, June 10, 2008 12:23 pm

Very few people, including the most senior executives, are trained to conduct a good hiring interview.  And no one admits to being interview challenged so there is little room for people hoping to hire the best to learn how to do it. 

Which means execuctive candidates often encounter people whose interview techniques leave them feeling diminished.  Some companies encourage interviewers to be abusive or disrespectful of candidates believing they learn how people perform under pressure and also believing they can discover people who can take the heat. 

The actual dynamic is that interview tactic, one that forces the candidate into a wall or no win role play is a sure fire way to discover who pushes back.   Who has lowered self esteem and who, therefore, will work 24/7 to win the approval of the company.  You are most likely to discover this sort of behavior in start-up or early stage companies with young CEOs.

While this works for some companies, especially those whose success is determined by hiring young people whose identity is their job, it doesn’t work for most confident senior executives.   When you find yourself interviewed by people who learned to be abusive to candidates and are now CEOs or other C level executives, and you are feeling uncomfortable; that is data you can use to evaluate the position.   You have just learned about management style and how it makes you feel.

Sure you feel awful because the interview went badly in your eyes, but that is not important.  There is no win in this interview for a mature, confident candidate.  It is designed that way.  What is important is you learned a lot about the company, the corporate culture and their willingness to be abusive to get what they want.  The interview worked; you discovered this is the wrong environment for you.  In the words of the Great Monty Python, “Run Away.”

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By admin, June 9, 2008 12:58 pm

Job Search Advice for Executives multiplies daily.  Fact is, there is nothing new under the sun.  Executive Job Search is the most conventional, tradition bound and unchanging facet of business.  In fact, when candidates veer from the path of the ordinary, they often lose out. 

Hiring authorities are very good at pattern recognition; they know what has worked in the past and they hope to replicate if going forward.  This means no outside-the-box thinking, no fancy resume formats and no tricks. 

One sales candidate sent a stiletto shoe with a audio taped resume to the CEO with a note, “Got my Foot in the Door.”  While the action was remembered, even repeated, the CEO didn’t want to hire a clown.  He wanted a three-piece suit sales exec like the rest of his quota busting sales team.

The reason hiring authorities stick to the conventional is, it works.  The traditions became traditions for precisely that reason.  So if you are tempted to wear a polka dot tie or sing your resume, keep in mind, you will be remembered, but not hired.

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By admin, May 21, 2008 9:19 pm

Executive interveiws are very different from interviews for individual contributors.  Aside from different interview questions, the answers to common questions are different.  To move from candidate to prospective employee requires you listen to what is really being asked.

Carl, a CFO candidate complained the CEO asked him the same question three different ways.  What Carl missed is the CEO was not satisfied with the answer the first time and worse, that the answer to that question was the gate to being taken seriously.

In another situation, Suzanne noticed every person who interviewed her asked the same question.  She said it all felt so rehearsed and she gave the same answer each time.  What she missed is the answer to the question was very important to the company as a whole and that the answer needed to be different depending on who was asking.

The VP Marketing wants to hear how you will create products he can leverage into existing markets, the CFO wants to know how those products will affect shareholder value and the Sales VP wants to know how customers will respond.  But they all asked the same question:  What strategy do you feel fits a good product life extension program?

When a question is asked repeatedly, understand it is very important.  When several people ask the same question, know to answer in terms of their agenda.  Any pat answers will be dismissed.  Practice is the best remedy for solving this interview puzzle.   

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By admin, May 16, 2008 4:53 pm

Just because you are right doesn’t mean you get the job.

It’s a temptation, a trap. During an interview you are asked your opinion on challenges facing the employer. It is easy to assume they want you to offer a solution. They don’t.

If you offer a solution, it appears you assume what worked in another company would work for the prospective employer. Every employer believes his or her company is unique, their problems and therefore solutions, more so. Alarms go off when an employer sees stock solutions to what they believe are highly specific problems. In reality, employers are more interested in observing how you solve problems than hearing a solution from your past work life.

How can you get your ideas across? Below are ideas on how to sell prospective employers on your experience without telling them what to do.

1. Ask what has been tried to date and the results.
2. Ask why it did or did not work and what resources are currently available.
3. Alternatively, list what you would need to know before you could have a comprehensive solution.
4. Ask what outcome they would like to see and discuss in detail.
5. Tell them who you would talk to, what data you would use and what problem history you would need to offer a solution.
6. Tell them about another experience where you solved a similar problem and acknowledge the situations are no doubt different.
7. Tell them what resources you used, the solution and the results of the solution. Make certain the employer understands you know you don’t have enough detail to say this will be an appropriate solution for them.

Interview Advice: Don’t make the mistake of thinking you will get the job based on what you know and how smart you are. In reality, people are hired to solve a variety of problems, not just the current one. The real goals for an employer in an interview include assessing how you solve problems and work within a corporate environment. The safest way to convey both? Ask, don’t tell.

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