Phil, what does reCareered mean?

It means someone who is seeking a job change, or trying to revitalize their career, or someone who is between jobs and wants help with how the job markets have changed in the last eight years or so.

How has the job market changed?

Eight years ago, the majority of resumes were delivered on paper. Around 2000, it changed to where most resumes were delivered digitally.

And how does that change the resume itself?

It changes it completely. The paper-based resume had to be static. The only way to customize it was by a cover letter. A digital resume can be searched. It also increased the number of resumes that went into most companies, by as many as ten-fold.

We always hear about search engine optimization and how you want to rank at the tops of the pages for Google. But apparently you can do the same for your resume … it can be optimized?

You bet, and it’s especially critical in today’s world. Most major employers get thousands of resumes for each job, but they only staff to look at twenty to thirty. That’s two to three percent. So your goal, in submitting your resume today, is getting to the top two or three percent. Through resume search optimization, you can manage that process rather than have it be random. My strategy with my clients is to make a resume a single-use document – to have it infinitely customizable so that you’re gaming the search engine and forcing it higher up the search page.

How do we make a good impression right upfront?

There’s been research from the University of Toledo and Stanford University that states that interview decisions are made within the first two to thirty seconds. That blew me away. The rest of the interview is just somebody justifying their initial decision. So it’s a “gut feel” decision that may occur even before you shake hands. It’s all about preparation. Learn about your client – how they communicate (verbally and non-verbally), how they dress, how they look. If you want a job, go to a place that’s close to their office and sit there during lunch. Talk to people from that company who are getting lunch there. On a Friday night, go to Happy Hour at a bar close to their office and talk to people from that company. When you talk to them, watch their body movements. What’s the tone they use? What’s the speed they use to talk? You can also do that with their written communication – their web site, annual reports, press releases. The key to all this is communicating to your audience that it seems like you already work there.

It reminds me of the book, Guerilla Selling. It’s all about learning about your customer, in that case, but in the case the employer you’re going after – getting as much information as you can, wherever you can. It’s amazing how much information you can gather.

Sure. That’s also an effective way to use LinkedIn, Facebook or your own personal network. Chances are you have contacts within that company. A lot of people only use those contacts to see what jobs are available and to ask them to pass their resume along. They leave out some of the greatest uses of a network – talking to people within an organization to find out what an organization is like and what the communication style is like. Listening for how they’re answering questions rather than just what they’re saying.

This is fantastic advice because you do want to fit in. It’s all about mimicking. When you’re at an interview, should you sit up straight and lean forward or should you try to have your body language be similar to the body language of the interviewer? From what I’ve read, you should try to mimic that person.

That’s exactly what you’re doing – it’s called mirroring. You’re trying to show that you fit in. You speak the same language. You’re really trying to act like you already work at the company. It takes a ton of preparation. A lot of people aren’t willing to put that preparation in, but the people who do get a huge, almost an unfair, advantage.

Phil's links

You can get free daily job tips from Phil at his blog or visit his main site, reCareered, the place for resume search optimization and job search 2.0. 

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Bigg Advice
It’s natural to get nervous when you interview. Here are some key things you can do to overcome your anxiety. Before the interview It boils down to self-confidence, which largely comes from preparation. There are three ways you should prepare:

Before the interview
It boils down to self-confidence, which largely comes from preparation. There are three ways you should prepare:

#1 – Research
Get information about the industry and the specific company. If they’re a public company, you’ll find a lot of information available. If not, you can still check out their web site and search the internet to see what you can learn. Also, check your local library.

Try to learn more about the person or persons with whom you’ll be talking. Once again, Google them. Also, check out social media sites like Facebook and Linked In to see what you learn.

#2 – Questions and answers
Think about the questions they might ask and prepare your answers. Reflect upon your past interviews for some clues. Also talk to friends who have interviewed recently. And if you have friends in human resources or management, get some hints from them.

As you think about how you’ll answer the questions, focus on what makes you unique. Everyone says they’re a “good people person”. Think “you” – how will hiring you benefit them? Give specific examples from your past that show what you can do.

#3 – Rehearse
Practice in front of a mirror until you’re happy with what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Also, set up a friend with flash cards so you can do some role playing.

If that friend is in human resources or management, so much the better. If you don’t know anyone like that, find a friend who’s a successful interviewee with whom to practice.

During the interview
You’re prepared and the bigg day is upon you. Now put yourself in the right frame of mind. Keep in mind that a little bit of anxiety is good – it will make you sharper.

On the show, Mary-Lynn said that a good friend of hers gave her some great advice the day before a bigg interview

Give yourself a positive affirmation as you’re walking in. You can do it – you’re fully prepared!

As the interview starts, focus only on the conversation at that moment. Don’t worry about anything from the past. Don’t try to anticipate upcoming questions. Deal with one question at a time.

And remember, it’s just a conversation. Pretend it’s a good friend and you’re telling him or her all about the work you’ve done, the work you want to do, and why you should be hired.

Finally, remember they have to sell you, too. You’re investigating a job opportunity. This may not be the right one. You’re there to learn about them and let them know how great you are! That’s all!

Thanks, Kelly. We know you’ll do great!

If you have a bigg challenge, send it our way bigginfo@biggsuccess.com,

Our bigg quote today comes from Beyonce Knowles:

Turn your nervousness about nervousness upside down so when it’s show time, you’ll be a star!

Next time, we’ll look at how two great coaches built their winning teams. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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Related posts

Interviewing Tips For The First-Time Manager

The Negotiating Table

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Bigg Challenge
Adam just got promoted into his first management position. He has a position that needs to be filled. He would like some tips on interviewing so he makes a good hiring decision.

Bigg Advice – 4 Tips For Interviewers

#1 – Set the tone upfront.
Create an environment that will put your candidate at ease. Start off the interview by saying something like …

“I just want to chat with you today so we get to know each other better. I have some questions for you. But I also want to answer all your questions, so you know if this is the right job for you.”

#2 – Remain neutral throughout the interview.
Novice interviewers often make the mistake of making leading questions or statements. For example, let’s say you’re interviewing someone who tells you that he left his previous job because he couldn’t make it to work by 8 AM every day.

You should NOT respond, “That’s not a very good reason for leaving a job, is it?”

Because if you do, your candidate will edit his answers from that point on. You won’t uncover the real person.

Another thing you don’t want to do is sell the candidate on the job UNTIL you know you want to offer it to them. You want to explain, not sell, throughout most of the interview.

#3 – Find out what the candidate DID do rather than what the candidate WOULD do.
It’s easy to give hypothetical answers. But you’re not learning about the candidate’s ACTIONS; you’re learning about his or her INTENTIONS. It’s easy to make New Year’s resolutions. It’s much harder to keep them.

#4 – Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
Ask a question. Listen attentively. Then follow-up. Keep drilling down to learn all you can about the real person underneath the candidate.

A sample portion of an interview
On the show, George played the role of an interviewer and Mary-Lynn played the part of the interviewee to illustrate some of these concepts.

George: Why are you thinking about leaving your current job?

Mary-Lynn: I’m looking for a more positive environment.

George: A more positive environment?

Mary-Lynn: Yeah, where people want to work together and help each other be more productive.

George: And that doesn’t happen where you work now?

Mary-Lynn: No, there’s a lot of office politicking there.

George: Could you give me an example of that?

Mary-Lynn: My boss has a few favorite people. They get all the cushy assignments. All the rest of us get the leftovers.

George: So what have you done to try to resolve that?

At this point, Mary-Lynn may describe exactly what she did. Or maybe she didn’t do anything – leaving is her answer. Isn’t it good to know she solves problems by running from them?

She may say something more about her supervisor. As you inquire about other supervisors, you may find that she has never had a supervisor she liked. If you hire her, you’ll be the next supervisor she can’t work for!

Notice that George never commented, positively or negatively, about anything. And he kept following up to learn exactly what Mary-Lynn meant.

He asked four follow-up questions – that’s what it took to learn something significant about Mary-Lynn in this role playing exercise. That’s the way it works – you have to keep following up until you’re satisfied.

Thanks, Adam for sharing your bigg challenge with us. We wish you bigg success!

Are you facing a bigg challenge? E-mail it to us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com

Our bigg quote today is by an unknown author:

So take the time to hire right so you don’t waste time on the wrong hire.

Next time, we’ll discuss some simple tips to get rid of clutter and save an hour a day. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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More Bigg Challenges 

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