Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
Nonverbal Interview Behavior
Pre-Interview Web Research
Your Cover Letter MUST Ask This Question
How To Prepare For A Telephone Interview
How To Talk Your Boss Into Giving You A Salary Increase
Always Have a Current Resume
Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, “Are You an Entrepreneur?”). But the truth of the matter is that these questions are similar to ones that I’d ask someone who wants to move up in an organization or find a new position elsewhere. When people call an executive coach after deciding to make a change or being laid off, those who have treated their career like their own business will have a much easier time.
Having an entrepreneur mindset is a necessary asset for being recognized and rewarded in your organization. The employees who are primarily reactive will not reach the top. Sure, they’ll be rewarded to a point for their faithful and accurate adherence to the established goals of the organization—but these are not going to be the people calling the shots for the big games. An entrepreneur mindset means thinking of the gestalt, or whole, of the organization and recognizing where you fit into the scheme of things; recognizing the impact of your actions on the system and how you can craft and increase that impact. It means having great relationship abilities and an uncanny knowledge and intuition of your “clients”—your colleagues, senior management teams, and your staff, as well as external customers.
Entrepreneurs are always taking temperatures—of costs, profit margins, marketing effectiveness, visibility, shifting needs of the market, new trends, and so on. The difference between entrepreneurship and career management—intrapreneurship—is that your thinking about these topics is focused internally. Your visibility is not limited to your organization’s ultimate service or product: it’s about you as a product.
How visible are you? Does senior management understand your unique set of abilities and your capacity to achieve their goals? Are you aware of the changing needs and moods of your company—acutely sensitive to shifting winds of politics, budgets, philosophical positions of key individuals? What are you doing to anticipate and respond to these changes? Do people still think of you at the level at which you were hired, or are they aware of your increased capacity to contribute to the organization? Do you have active testimonials from “clients”—does the good word about you get broadcast to the organization by your boss, your peers, your subordinates? Of course, there is some discretion and good taste called for here. Nobody wants a gloating, self-promoting egomaniac on their team. Do you know how to effectively market yourself to those around you?
Are you the one who finds a problem and makes your boss aware of it? Or are you the one who finds the problem, comes up with a few great fixes, and then presents the issue? Do you give up easily on tough problems and complain about the impossibility of the situation? Or do you relentlessly persist until the situation is resolved?
Do you consistently expose yourself to new opportunities to learn transferable skills? Think of your skill set as a personal asset, like a home. Are you renovating the kitchen or are you going to try to sell the old house as is? If your skill set isn’t up to date in a highly competitive market, your outdated kitchen/obsolete skill set will be a much harder sell.
How portable is your career? Is what you’re doing worthwhile only to your organization? Or are you learning skills that can be packed up in your career suitcase and taken down the road to the next opportunity? Many of the most transferable skills are what HR people used to call “soft skills”: people/time management expertise; ability to get buy-in from peers, subordinates, and superiors; ability to develop strong relationships with customers; ability to think ahead of the competition.
Even if that project you’re managing is truly unique to this one company, what are you learning about the big picture of management or leadership that you can take with you?
Entrepreneurs are always planning for the next product, the next service. They know that the market isn’t stagnant, and neither are their customers. How stagnant is your career?
Entrepreneurs constantly compare their product with the market and adjust and improve it to keep highly competitive. If your career was a product—how would you rate it?
—Elizabeth McAloon, CPCC
www.TheMcAloonGroup.com
Elizabeth McAloon, CPCC
http://wwww.TheMcAloonGroup.com
Nonverbal Interview Behavior
Non-verbal interview behavior can drown out your verbal self-presentation.
Practice interviewing in front of a full-length mirror or, better yet, videotape yourself if you have access to such equipment. Turn the sound down and watch yourself carefully.
How do you sit in your chair? Upright with an aura of energy and enthusiasm or slumped as if you no longer care? Do you maintain good eye contact or look down at your hands when a question is difficult to answer? Do you lean forward to make a connection with the interviewer or appear distant and disconnected? Do you use your hands for an occasional gesture, to emphasize a point, or are they always in motion, as distractible as those ex-jocks on TV who constantly flail away regardless of what they are saying?
Can you cross your legs at the ankle and stay still or do you constantly shift in your chair and irritate everyone in the room? Do you have unconscious habits or mannerisms that distract from your professional demeanor such as twisting your hair, rubbing your nose, licking your lips, or cracking your knuckles? How is your voice? Is it monotonous, clear, nasal, or shrill? Do you smile - at appropriate moments not constantly like a beauty contestant on the runway?
Being aware of all that you are presenting to a potential employer can make your verbal presentation more effective and increase your chances for a successful outcome.
Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://www.unemploymentblues.com or http://layoffblues.blogspot.com
Pre-Interview Web Research
You have obtained an interview -- congratulations! You feel prepared to discuss your strengths, your accomplishments, your willingness to work hard and learn quickly, and your ability to fit seamlessly into the employer's needs. But... you don't know anything about the employer. You may not even be sure what kind of industry they are in. Do some quick homework before your interview and you may glean a basic understanding of their business that can set you apart from other candidates.
In the "old days" you would have needed to visit a library to try to find the employer in a Business Directory or Manufacturers' Guide. Now you can use the Internet to investigate. If you are lucky, and find that they have their own website, explore it completely, like a search engine spider, page by page and link by link. It will provide you with genuine insight into their organization, their accomplishments, and their values. Try to identify what kind of problems and challenges they may be facing which you could address in an interview. If the company does not have a website, Google them and see if they show up on another site.
If you know their product or service (if you don't, anonymously call the receptionist and just ask what the company does) search for their name within similar sites. If you cannot find the company anywhere, or can't find any helpful details, look at the industry they are in and see what is currently a hot topic and what predictions for future change are being discussed.
All such information will be immensely valuable in your interview either to demonstrate your ability to solve problems or, at the very least, allow you to ask intelligent, pertinent questions.
Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://www.unemploymentblues.com or http://layoffblues.blogspot.com
Your Cover Letter MUST Ask This Question
Imagine receiving a letter from a salesman who wants to sell you an exciting new widget. The letter focuses on all the reasons why this is such a great item. But nowhere does the man ASK for the purchase! You are not as likely to buy it.
The same thing is true with a job search cover letter. Unless you ASK the employer for the opportunity to be interviewed you probably won't hear the phone ring. Decide today that every cover letter you write will contain your specific request for a job interview. ASK and you will receive!
If you don't land the job interview, you certainly will not land the job, so put first things first.
• Write a great cover letter that sparkles with friendliness and professionalism.
• State your qualifications for the position you want.
• Tell the employer how you can help his/her company.
• ASK for an interview clearly and directly.
Where in the cover letter should you make your request? In the beginning and again at the end. Twice is nice!
Example at the beginning of your cover letter:
When I saw your ad for a warehouse manager, I realized we've been looking for each other! Can we meet in person next week? I'd like to show you how my five years of experience in this area will increase profits and streamline procedures.
Example at the close of your cover letter:
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Can we get together to talk in person? I'm available mornings till 12:00 noon. You name the time and date and I'll be there.
Now write that cover letter and don't forget to ASK. Then keep your phone and your calendar handy!
Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy has written several career-related books and his unique, "think-outside-the-job-search-box" style, make his articles a job-seeker favorite. Jimmy is regularly published on some of the Internet’s largest career web sites.
Who else wants their phone ringing off the hook with more quality job interviews? Visit Jimmy on the web right now at http://www.Amazing-Cover-Letters.com for your 'instant' cover letter today.
How To Prepare For A Telephone Interview
It is important to prepare thoroughly for your telephone interview.
Begin by studying the job description and the candidate profile. This will enable you to identify the company's particular needs and demonstrate that you possess the skills required to meet them.
Find out all you can about the company's products, services, history, and culture. Make a special effort to identify any areas where your skills and experience may be of particular value.
Familiarize yourself with the company's website and be prepared to comment constructively upon it if asked.
Prepare a list matching your accomplishments to the company's stated requirements. Keep this list in front of you during the interview and refer to it at every opportunity.
Specify and quantify your accomplishments, e.g. 'increased sales by 35%' or 'reduced overheads by 27%'.
Interviewers are keen to hear about relevant challenges or problems you faced in the workplace, the specific actions you took, and the measurable results you achieved. They seek to identify key competencies such as communication skills, analytical skills, teamwork, drive and initiative. Be prepared to give examples of how and when you have demonstrated these key competencies.
To get the feel of being interviewed over the phone, compile a list of probable questions and ask a friend use them in a simulated phone interview. Prepare your answers carefully, using key words and phrases from the job description and candidate profile. Do not attempt to write out your answers in full or they will sound wooden and scripted.
Select a quiet place where you will not be disturbed during the phone call. Keep your resume and cover letter, a copy of the job advertisement, and your notes in front of you. Jot down key points throughout the course of the interview.
It is a good idea to stand during a telephone interview as this makes you sound more confident and helps project a positive and professional image.
Matching your speaking rate and pitch to that of the interviewer will help you to establish rapport.
Professional radio broadcasters can vouch for the fact that smiling creates a friendly and enthusiastic impression. So make an effort to smile appropriately during the call.
Since it is important to convey the impression that you are genuinely interested in the company and eager to make a contribution, refer to salient information you discovered during the course of your research.
Listen attentively to the interviewer's questions and comments. Respond appropriately to verbal or tonal cues. If you don't understand a question, ask for clarification. Provide well-developed, balanced, and analytical answers. Avoid monosyllabic 'yes' and 'no' replies.
If asked to explain your reasons for leaving your previous job, make sure to have positive reasons prepared. Under no circumstances should you criticize your previous employers or colleagues. Having researched the company and analyzed the job description as suggested, you should find it easy to prepare a few thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer when afforded the opportunity.
At the end of the phone call, emphasize your interest in the job and the company and reiterate your qualifications. Stress that you would welcome the opportunity of a face-to-face interview.
After the interview, write a short thank-you letter.
Visit the author's website at: http://www.assignmentsplus.com
Gerard McLoughlin, Director of Assignments Plus Communications, has contributed career-related articles to hundreds of recruitment companies, websites and publications throughout the world, including: USA Today, JobBankUSA.com, US-Recruiters.com, Jobs1.co.uk, Nurse-Recruiter.com, and Recruitireland.com
How To Talk Your Boss Into Giving You A Salary Increase
* If you believe you deserve a salary increase, ask for it as soon as possible; don't procrastinate or wait for your employer to offer it.
* Determine what you are worth in the marketplace by carrying out a survey of people in comparable jobs. Never base your case on a need for more money.
* Be realistic in your assessment of what you are worth and what your employer would be willing or able to pay. Have an exact figure in mind before entering into negotiations. Avoid comparisons. Never compare your salary to someone else's.
* Remember that bosses want employees who contribute to the company's success by:increasing sales, profits and efficiency; decreasing waste, costs and time taken; improving corporate image, customer relationships and competitive advantage.
* Carry out a detailed analysis of your job description. Be as objective as you can, identifying specific ways in which the company has benefited from your skills, qualifications, work, and experience.
* Anticipate difficult questions, by identifying weaknesses in your case and preparing positive answers.
* If you have records of recent appraisals, study them carefully highlighting your achievements and indicating how you have addressed any shortcomings.
* Know what standards your employer uses for assessing performance and tailor your delivery accordingly.
* Prepare clear and concise documentation of relevant salary facts and figures, and details of the ways in which you are contributing to the company.
* Be aware of the importance of negotiating skills: listen carefully to what your boss is saying; don't be confrontational; avoid ultimatums; and, if necessary, be prepared to compromise.
* Rehearse your performance with a valued friend who is prepared to ask you searching questions; criticize your delivery; and provide you with constructive feedback.
* If, because of circumstances beyond his control, your employer feels unable at this time to give you a pay rise, thank him or her for listening and ask to have your pay reviewed within three months.
* Remember that you will have to work with your boss in the future; so, leave the meeting on good terms, and NEVER bang the door behind you.
Visit the author's website at: http://www.assignmentsplus.com
Gerard McLoughlin, Director of Assignments Plus Communications, has contributed career-related articles to hundreds of recruitment companies, websites and publications throughout the world, including: USA Today, JobBankUSA.com, US-Recruiters.com, Jobs1.co.uk, Nurse-Recruiter.com, and Recruitireland.com.
Always Have a Current Resume
What is the biggest mistake people make with resumes?
People write their resumes as a chronological summary of everything they’ve done in their professional lives. Employers only care about one thing: what you can do for them. If they can’t quickly get that answer out of your resume, it’ll get tossed in the garbage can. An effective resume draws their attention, clearly spells out why you are better than the other candidates, and lands you an interview.
Should I use an experienced resume preparer?
Yes. Get it done right the first time because once your resume starts circulating, you won’t get a chance to go back and clean it up. Frankly, when I work with people on their resumes, I am shocked at what they’re sending out. These days, employers keep resumes in their databases for months or even years. So if it is poorly done and unimpressive, you may have blown it. Don’t take any chances on this.
How long does a really good resume take to prepare?
At least several weeks. You can’t throw one together and expect it to be your best. That’s another reason to engage a preparer. That person will look at the resume with a critical eye, speed up the process, and improve the quality. It’s very, very important to start working on your resume early. I can’t tell you how many people send me resumes that need a ton of work. Yet they need to send it in “tomorrow”.
Does this mean I have to use a resume preparer forever?
No. And be very wary of someone who tries to tell you otherwise. The preparer should explain how to update it yourself, going forward. You need to take ownership of your resume. It’s your life. It’s your career. When I do resumes, I show the person how to organize each section and how to add new information in a way that attracts the most attention from a prospective employer. Now, if major career events take place or if you are going after a job that has a lot of competition, you may want to engage a preparer to make sure your resume is in top shape.
Should I have a cover letter professionally prepared as well?
Yes. People who haven’t yet met you personally will judge you by your communications. If you send a poor quality cover letter or email, the prospective employer will immediately suspect your resume and all the time you spent working on it will go down the tubes. It’s worth the small additional investment to have a good cover letter or a professional email done ahead of time. Don’t take a chance on this detail. It could make or break you getting in the door.
How often should I update my resume?
Go back and re-examine it at least twice a year. A good time of year to do that is January. You will have finished a full year of work and probably will have things to add or change. The job market typically heats back up in February-March, so you’ll be ready by that time.
What if I don’t have a lot of experience?
You still need a current resume. You can’t get to your next step in life without one. Dig deep into your background and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the experience you do have but didn’t think you did. Plus – you’ll know right away where your gaps are and you can get to work on them.
What if I am applying for an internal position?
Even for internal postings, there is competition. You may have to summarize your experience and accomplishments in an internal application and go through an interview process. If you’ve kept your resume current, you’ll be able to copy the relevant information into the internal application. It’ll be well-written and organized and will immediately put you ahead of the other candidates. People think that can you can be much more “casual” when applying for internal positions. That’s not true. Don’t you make that mistake.
What if I am self-employed?
All the more reason why you need a resume. When a prospective client asks about your company and your experience, you should have something ready to send out immediately that convinces him or her to do business with you. The format you would use in this case is different than a traditional corporate resume but you still need to have one.
Dee Piziak is a 20+ year business professional and college instructor, specializing in professional coaching, career development, and resume preparation for minority women. She can be reached at dee@acadiacommunications.com.
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