Perito Eleven Blog

Negotiation Strategies (Part 3 of 3)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:34:00 GMT

Quick Reference:

Acknowledging an Offer

Thank the employer.
Show your enthusiasm.
Clarify your position responsibilities and the results expected of you.
Request additional information, if needed.
Express why the company and the job are appealing to you.
Ask for the offer in writing.
Ask for time to evaluate and consider the offer.

** DO NOT NEGOTIATE AT THIS TIME! **

Initiating a Negotiation Discussion

Tell the manager that you have thoroughly considered the offer.
Express excitement about the opportunity.
Indicate that you have several areas for discussion.
Communicate the expectation that you both want a positive outcome and your belief that you can work through the areas for discussion successfully.
Indicate areas of agreement first.
Discuss and resolve differences.
Affirm the agreement and accept the offer.
Ask for confirmation of the finalized offer in writing.
Establish your start date.

Some Ideas for Negotiating

Salary - Base Compensation

Employer’s top of range should be your midpoint.
If the employer says they are only authorized to go up to x dollar amount, ask who would be able to authorize a higher salary.

Salary - Bonus

Ask at what position level there is a bonus, and see if you might qualify for that level.

Vacation

Ask for what you want. Vacation time does not cost the company salary dollars, and does not directly impact the budget numbers.
”I understand your policy and I also understand that you’re looking for someone with more senior level experience. It’s typical that someone with that level of experience receives (3)(4)(etc.) weeks of vacation per year. I work very hard in carrying out the responsibilities of my position. I know I will work more than 2000 hours per year. Vacation keeps me fresh for working hard. I would see (x) weeks of vacation as appropriate based on the level of responsibility of this position.”
Inform the manager of any vacation time off which you have already scheduled

Medical Benefits

If there is a waiting period before you are eligible for coverage, (a) ask for it to be waived or (b) request that the premium amount for COBRA coverage be part of a sign-on bonus.

Tuition Reimbursement

If not available as a benefit, ask to have the cost of x courses per year be covered by an increase in your base salary. “Gross up” the tuition amount, ie. If two courses cost $2400, add 25% to allow for being taxed on that amount. The actual increase to salary would be $3000.

Relocation Costs

Do your research on temporary housing costs, moving costs, and storage costs so you are able to discuss this from a reality base. Can be up to 1-1 ¼ times your base salary. 401(k) Plan The waiting period to join 401(k) plans are usually not negotiable due to legal and plan requirements. Request the amount that would have been the employer’s contribution at the end of this year as a signing bonus.

Performance Review / Merit Increase

If a review is not scheduled for one year, request to move it up to six months.

Sign On Bonus

A one time dollar amount provided to you to (a) compensate for dollars lost by accepting a job offer at this time, ie. a forfeited bonus, or (b) an amount that covers costs that you will have to pay in accepting the offer ie. cost of COBRA medical benefits for first month, if the new employer has a waiting period of one month, or a sign on bonus may combine (a) and (b) or (c) a peace offering in lieu of not being able to hit the base salary you desire. “Gross up” the amount to allow for taxes. (Grossing up is a way of calculating the total amount to request by adding the actual dollars plus taxes and FICA to figure the desired “net” amount.)

Guidelines for Effective Negotiation

A Summary

Always begin by being very positive. Do not enter into negotiations if you do not really want the job. Most offers are negotiable. Some are not. Negotiate only after a job has been offered. Research and consider fully before negotiating. Know your bottom line before negotiating. Never say “yes” or “no” until you are ready to do so. Always express appreciation over the job offer first, before you begin to negotiate. Start negotiating after you have had time to do your math and homework. Conduct negotiations face-to-face whenever possible. If you have another job offer pending, you may want to ask for additional time to assess and compare the offer. Contact the other company or organization and indicate that you have received an offer from another company. It is only responsible to give them the opportunity to make a better offer of their own. (But, be careful not to convey to either company the impression that compensation is your only real concern and you’re just shopping yourself to the highest bidder.) If necessary, you may wish to tell the offering company of the pending offer, and ask for more time: “I want to be sure this is the right decision for everyone.”

Negotiation Strategies (Part 2 of 3)

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:10:00 GMT

The Power Curve

One day I'll figure out how to add a graph on this web interface. Anyway, your power is highest at the point when you receive a firm job offer. By negotiating in a prepared, professional manner, you can increase both the employer's interest in you and your power. Candidates who are demanding or who communicate mistrust during negotiations can actually begin to erode the employer's interest and their own power. Common sense rule but I see this broken all the time.

Characteristics Of a Successful Negotiator

A constructive problem solver
Committed to a win-win outcome
Collaborative: "What can we do to work this out together?"
Willing to compromise when necessary
Offers suggestions
Is patient and a good listener
Accepts that there is some stress in the process
Continually mentions how he/she will benefit the employer
Demonstrates a positive attitude
Has done homework and research, and is well informed
Is realistic in requests
Is quietly confident
Is flexible

The Negotiating Process

Preparation

Before the offer: Try to find out salary ranges for the position in the company and know what the going market rate is.
After the offer and before the negotiating discussion: Know (or ask for information on) benefits, vacation policies, etc.
Know what you're looking for, what you're willing to trade off, and what your "walk-away" point is.

A Six-Step Process

Obtain the offer.
Analyze the offer and collect missing information from the employer.
Evaluate the offer and determine your goals, trade-offs, and walk-away point.
Negotiate and obtain or propose a counteroffer.
Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 as needed.
Obtain agreement and ask for the final offer in writing.

1. Obtain the Offer.

An offer is often made by phone, or may be made in a face-to-face meeting. Express your appreciation and interest. If in a face-to-face meeting, take several seconds to quietly contemplate the offer. What is offered is typically somewhat lower than the employer is prepared to offer with a little prodding. "Typically" but this all depends on the actual communication and process prior to the offer. During the silence, the manager may speak first and increase the offer to a higher amount or indicate a willingness to negotiate. Listen and be patient.

By phone, you cannot "quietly contemplate" for very long or the manager will think you got disconnected. Hesitate a bit, then say something like, "I think we have a good foundation here..." Clarify once again the position, the level of responsibilities, what you have to offer and what you can contribute. Tell the manager you will need some time to think the offer over.

Most compnaies will allow you several days. Some may give you a week if you need it. Some companies may want to hear your decision the next day. Take the time you need to make a good decision. Shield yourself form their anxiousness to get a positive decision and get you on board.

Clarify other aspects of the job offer such as medical and dental benefits, vacation, 401k, etc. so you can evaluate the entire compensation. Request benefit literature and an employee policy handbook to assist in your evaluation. Finally, ask for the offer in writing.

"Thank you. I appreciate the offer and find the prospect of working for XYZ Corporation very exciting. (Silence or hesitation.) I'd like to take some time to make sure I understand the entire offer, and fully evaluate the offer according to my needs."

"Would you please provide the offer in writing to me, and include a copy of the benefits book and employer handbook for me to consider all the information?"

You should NOT negotiate at this time. Examples of negotiating questions to avoid at this time: What kind of flexibility do you have? How firm is that amount?

2. Analyze the offer and collect missing information from the employer.

If you find you are missing information, call the employer. "There are a couple of pieces of additional information I will need to make my decision. Would you explain...?

Thank the hiring manager and tell him or her that you'll let him or her know of your decision by a specific date. Be careful not to negotiate at this time.

3. Evaluate the offer and determine your goals, trade-offs, and walk-away point.

Only you can determine what you will give up to get something more important, and what kind of offer is not acceptable. It may also help to discuss the offer with someone else who knows the process but is not emotionally involved in the offer.

4. Negotiate (in person if possible) and obtain or propose a counteroffer.

Call the hiring manager and say, "I've had a chance to thoroughly consider the offer. I'm excited about the contribuitions I can make and I think it's a really good fit. There are a couple of areas I want to talk to you about, and once we get these resolved, I'm ready to get started as soon as possible."

Confirm items in agreement first.
Emphasize the contribuitions you are prepared to make, supported by your past accomplishments.
Address each item to be discussed with the most important first, usually salary.

If the base salary is not high enough, focus on the level of responsibilities and contribuitions to the organization that you can provide, then ask if the job can be re-evaluated to the next higher level. In this way, the salary you are asking, which is too high for the current level, becomes a reasonable base salary for the next job grade level.

Remember that the company needs to keep the offer in a competitive range for the position. Companies must pay a competitve salary to attract and retain competent people. If there is a significant difference between what you are seeking and what the company is offering, the position is probably lower in responsibility than you want. The fit may not be right. However, the company wants you to join them, so you may be able to get the job expanded. It is worth a try.

5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 as needed.

Obtain a counteroffer and ask for time to think it through, if necessary.

6. Obtain agreement and ask for the final offer in writing.

Sometimes there is a great deal of discussion back and forth, and the actual final job offer may need to be clarified one last time. Ask for the final offer in writing. Most companies will do this automatically. In some cases, you may need to write a letter summarizing your understanding of the offer and provide it to the manager.

Negotiation Strategies (Part 1 of 3)

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:14:00 GMT

This is a very basic guide for those that choose to handle their compensation negotiations without the help of a recruiter. No two negotiations are alike and this article is meant to give you a solid foundation on negotiating the best possible compensation.

Learning Objectives

You will learn:

How to respond to questions about salary that are posed at different times in the interview process.
How to acknowledge (but not accept) an offer and request time to consider it.
How to initiate a discussion that resolves the differences between a job offer and what you need or want.

Handling Salary Questions

At any part of the job search and interviewing process, expect to be asked your salary history, your most recent salary, or your salary expectations. Try to avoid such disclosures, since they rob you of any opportunity for negotiation.

Naming a number may create any of the following reactions:

The figure seems too high, and they don't yet see why you might be worth it.
The figure seems to low, and they may question your qualification for the job.
The number is in their range, but your bargaining position is made more complicated because they know where you fall in their range, but you don't.

First, you must be convinced yourself that your prior salary has nothing to do with what you should be paid for a potential new job nor what the company is prepared to pay you to do it.

Try to avoid discussing salary until an offer is made. Until they are convinced you are the one for the job, they have no interest in what you want.

Know your bottom line, your "walk away amount," and research position compensation ranges beforehand.

There are a number of times when you may need to respond to salary inquiries. Here are some suggestions on how to handle those questions.

State Salary History

Usually requested when replying to job ads and web applications. This almost always means "salary requirements or expectations." This is an attempt to screen out applicants with salaries too high and sometimes, too low. Your salary history is not relevant to the position for which you are applying. The position responsibilities may be higher or lower than other jobs you have had, or the company may be one which pays more or less for the position.

How to handle - It's your decision to include or not include this information.

If you do not provide this information and you match the job qualifications exactly, you probably will not be screened out. They will try to obtain salary information from you later.
If you feel you must include your salary history, provide an accurate one. There are too many ways the company can verify this information.

State Salary Requirements

Usually requested when replying to job ads, web applications, or initial screening by HR Representatives. Again, it is an attempt to screen you out or in, and provides a starting point for the employer on which to base the offer, without respect to what the employer might have been prepared to pay.

How to handle:

Leave the salary information blank. If the application specifies "Please fill in all information," then write in "Open" or "Negotiable" in the blanks.
If you know the employer's salary range for the position and are compelled to write something in the blank, state your requirements as a range, with the top of the employer's range being the midpoint of your range.

Early Interview Process

This is usually asked by an HR Representative conducting the initial screening interview.

How to handle:

"I would prefer to learn more about the position and responsibilities before getting into salary discussions."
"I would like to come back to discuss that after I am able to provide a better picture of what I have to offer."

Later in the Interview Process

Usually asked by the hiring manager, the person to whom you would report.

How to handle:

"I'm most interested in learning about the opportunity at XYZ Company first. When I more fully understand the scope of responsibility, I'll be able to give you an idea of the compensation I would expect."
"Your company has a reputation for fair compensation. I don't think salary will be a problem. I would like to ask you some additional questions about what would be expected in this position."
"I'm sure that XYZ Company has a fair compensation scale, and if we decide that this match is a good one, I'm confident that we will be able to agree on a salary."
"The issue isn't as much what I want, it's what you have budgeted for this position. Most companies work within salary ranges. If I knew what the range for this position was, I'd be able to tell you if that fits what I would expect. What is the salary range for this position?"
Most effective if done right is to make a neutral and noncommittal response, then ask another question related to the position. Deflection doesn't always work but with a little practice, you'll be a pro.

When the Questions Become More Direct

Communicate your desire to fit into their budget or salary structure, not to be compared to your former job or company.

How to handle:

"Actually, the responsibilities are different from my previous position, so the salaries are really not comparable. I would prefer to fit into your salary structure."
I would prefer to fit in with your scale for this position, given its level of responsibility."

If the Interviewer is Really Insistent

You do not want to antagonize the interviewer, potentially your next manager.

How to handle:

"As I have researched information about salaries for this level position, the market value of the total compensation package is between (give a range)."
"If I package together all the factors, I would expect a base compensation package in the (range), competitive (or a percentage range) stock options, plus standard company benefits."
"When I consider what my total compensation package would have come to this year, it would have been $xxx, including $xxx for base salary and taking into account that my former company provided a generous benefit package."

Startups - The lost decade

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:17:00 GMT

If you take funding from a venture capital firm or angel investor and want to build a large, enduring company, this isn’t the decade to do it. The collapse of the IPO market and dysfunctional math in the venture capital community has stacked the odds against you.

Here’s why.

The two decades from 1979 (when pension funds fueled the expansion of venture capital) to 2000 (when the dot-com bubble burst) were the Golden Age for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms. VC’s were making investments every other financially prudent institution wouldn’t touch – and they were printing money.

The system worked in predictable and profitable ways. VC’s invested their limited partners’ “risk capital” in a portfolio of startups in exchange for illiquid stock. Most of the startups they invested in either died by running out of money before they found a scalable business model or ended up in the “land of the living dead” by never growing (aka failing to Pivot.)

But a few startups succeeded and grew into profitable companies. Their venture investors made money by selling their share of these successful companies at a large multiple over what they originally paid for it. One of the most predictable ways for an investor to sell these shares was to take a company “public.” (Until 1995 startups going public typically had a track record of revenue and profits. Netscape’s 1995 IPO changed the rules. Suddenly there was a public market for companies with limited revenue and no profit. This was the beginning of the 5-year dot-com bubble.)

During the decade between 1991 and 2000, nearly 2000 venture-backed companies went public. Going public did two things for your company. You finally had money in the bank to expand your business, scaling it from the “build” stage into the “grow” stage. But more importantly, your VC’s could sell off their ownership stake. This changed their interest from managing your board for their liquidity to managing the board for all shareholders. Most VC’s would get off of boards of companies that went public.

The public markets for venture-backed technology stocks never really recovered after the collapse of the dot-com boom. Fast forward to today and take a look at the last ten years of IPO’s and M&A’s and you’ll see why life is different for entrepreneurs.

Depending on your industry, in this decade it’s 5 to 10x less likely that your company will have an IPO as an exit.Since there’s no public market for the shares your venture investor has bought in your startup, the most reasonable way for a venture firm to make money is to have you sell your company to another company. But unlike an IPO - where you sold stock to the public and got to run your company - in an acquisition, your company is gone. And odds are you will be too in a year or so.

None of this has gone unnoticed by the venture community. Some of the old-line venture firms have changed their strategy, but some are still locked into last decade’s model while the partners are living off of their management fees and go through cargo cult-like rituals. You can tell who they are by how often they remind you “this is the year the IPO market will come back.” (If the limited partners of these VC’s acted like real fiduciaries rather than waiting for the end of life of the fund, more than half of old-line venture firms would have shut themselves down today.)

New, agile and adroit venture firms with new business models have emerged to deal with the reality that Web 2.0 startups require significantly less capital to start, exits for venture firms are predominately acquisitions and a venture firm with a smaller fund <$150M matches these exits.

Floodgate, Greycroft, Union Square Ventures, True Ventures, etc. are example of this class of firm. (Raising a VC fund in this environment has it’s own perils.) And the explosion of private Angel firms continues to fuel this new ecosystem.

Other VC’s who invest in Information Technology have taken a different approach. They’ve created virtual IPO’s for founders and employees via late-stage private financing. It has put a per user dollar value on these sites and these few startups will be the next likely IPO candidates. In their short time as a fund, Andreessen Horowitz seems to be on top of this game with their investments in Facebook, Skype and Zynga.

But not all industries are as capital efficient as the Web or Information Technology. Biotech, medical devices, semiconductors, communications and CleanTech require significantly more capital to build and scale before they can generate profits. It’s in these industries that the lack of a public market has taken the heaviest toll on entrepreneurs and their startups. Great companies with innovative ideas have simply died not having the cash to scale. VC’s who would have normally kept writing checks were faced with no public exits and cut them off.

Some of these industries have turned to the U.S government for funding. Elon Musk has not only tapped the feds for his electric car startup Tesla, but also received hundreds of millions for his space launch company –SpaceX. Other Clean Tech companies have tried this approach as well. Yet while the U.S. government doles out funds to connected entrepreneurs, it lacks an integrated strategy to deal with the lack of public market financing for critical growth industries.

It may be that these entrepreneurial industries suffer the same fact as manufacturing in the U.S.- they die out of benign neglect and a lack of a coherent understanding of the role of risk capital in our national interest.

If you’re starting a software company, your exit is most likely a sale to a larger company. This decade has been a Darwinian filter – only the very best companies will survive as standalone companies.

If you’re starting a company in other, capital intensive industries, it’s no longer just about having great technology. You need a plan for partnership and long term funding from day one.

Interview Strategies (Part 5 of 5)

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:19:00 GMT

References

Sooner or later you will be asked to provide references. There is no need to do so before you are asked. Reference checks are made to:

assure that you told the truth about yourself.
get a feeling for how you work with others.
pick up otherwise undisclosed information, either positive or negative.

Today, many employers are very careful about sharing information due to the chance of a lawsuit. Often a company will only provide a job title and dates of employment.

Who Should You Choose as References?

People who know you in a work setting - managers, peers, subordinates - are the best references. Customers or vendors are also good choices. Forget neighbors, relatives, doctors, etc. unless they are well known political, community, or business leaders, educators, or professional trade association experts. References should know you well enough to speak objectively and in some detail about your skills, strengths, and personal characteristics.

Prepare a Reference List

Typically you are asked references. Have several more references just in case. Prepare a Reference List to give to a prospective employer using the following format, with your name at the top of the page.

Name
Phone Number
Current Title
Former Title (When you worked together)
Current Employer
Relationship (Former manager, subordinate, co-worker, etc.)
Address

References

Help Your References Help You.

Ask first.
- Always ask a person to act as a reference for you before you provide his or her name to an employer.
- Meet with the person to verify information for your reference sheet and ensure that you will get a positive reference. At the very least have a detailed and frank conversation with your reference.
Prepare your reference.
- Provide a copy of your resume to the person.
- Develop a one-page summary including your career objective, reason for leaving, strengths, weaknesses, and work and management style, then review it with him or her.
Call your reference when you give his or her name to an employer.
- Provide details about the prospective position and what you have to offer.
- Share your excitement and enthusiasm.
Ask for feedback after your reference has been contacted.
- What types of questions were asked?
- What topics were covered?
- What concerns were raised
- Thank your reference!!!

After the Interview

Complete a Meeting/Interview Report immediately after the interview, such as in the car before you leave. Many of the details are fresh then, and will be lost if you wait several hours later.
Send a Thank You note or email within 24 hours. Personal notes and cards have greater impact.
Know the interviewer's time line regarding the selection and decision process. If you haven't heard from him or her by the date that was indicated, you may call to check on the status of the process.
DO NOT ask how you did, about salary and benefits, or if you are being seriously considered for the job.
If you are not offered the position, send a gracious response to you turndown. You never know if the person offered the job will leave after a few weeks, or if another position will open up. Keep the door open.

Thank You Letter for a Job Interview

Start the letter with a Thank You and Appreciation. Let them know that you are very interested in the job (assuming you are).
Mention your specific strengths that make you uniquely qualified for this role
Next Steps. If you have not been given specific next steps, then you must now take control and tell them when you will be contacting them to discuss Next Steps.

Response to a Turndown

Start the letter by thanking them for considering you for the role and mention that you are disappointed that you were not selected for the position.
Restate your Interest! Express your appreciation for the time they spent with you and mention specific strengths that make you uniquely qualified for the job.
Next Step. Keep the door open and let them know that if a more suitable position opens up that you will be very interested in speaking with them again.

Interview Strategies (Part 4 of 5)

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:11:00 GMT

Samples of Planned Behavior Questions

Describe some situations where you wish you had acted differently with someone at work. What did you do? What happened?
What are some of the most difficult one-on-one meetings you have had with subordinates? Why were they difficult?
Describe an experience you had in which you were too persistent. What happened?
What were some occasions in which you consulted your superior before taking action?
Give me some examples of when your ideas were strongly opposed in a discussion. How did you react?
Tell me about the largest sale you made and how you did it.
How did your approach to finding suppliers differ from the approach used by others in the same job? (Strengths and Weaknesses)
Give me an example of a recent typical day, for example, last Monday, and tell me how you planned for it. (Organizational Skills)
What did you like most/least about working in __?
What was your biggest decision within the last year?
Why did you leave your job at the __ Company?
What did you do when you discovered a coworker was breaking the rules?
What motivated you to pursue this opportunity?
Under what conditions have you gone the extra mile?
What would your last supervisor say are your three best qualities? Why?
Given the list of job objectives, which are you happi8est to see? In what order?
Of all your projects, which were the most satisfying/least rewarding?

Behavior Based Interviewing - Follow-Up Questions

When the interviewer needs to know more, be prepared to elaborate. Here are some examples:

Planned question regarding Work Standards -- Describe the last time you missed a deadline. -- Situation/Task missing deadline? -- Under those conditions, exactly what did you do? -- What effect did that have on your supervisor's commitments? -- Can you give me another example?

Planned question regarding Tolerance for Stress -- Tell me about the last time your manager caused you to become upset. -- Describe the situation that created your reaction. -- Exactly how did you react in that situation? -- Were any problems created as a result of your action? -- Describe another time you were upset?

Planned question regarding Initiative -- What projects have you volunteered for in the last six months? -- What were your reasons for spending your spare time reorganizing the department? -- What exactly did you do to reorganize the department? -- In what ways did this benefit your work group? -- What other projects have you done in your spare time?

Behavior Based Interviewing - When the focus shifts from experience to attitude

Questions:

Are you generally aware of your emotional state?
Are you capable of using your feelings to make good decision? If so, give me some examples.
Can you negotiate your emotions when dealing with clients, co-workers, etc. and still keep a good working relationship? Give me some examples?
How do you keep yourself from going even when the circumstances seem to be against you? Be specific -- tell me more.

Handling Sensitive Questions

In a perfect world, interview questions should be related to the position and your willingness and ability to do the job. Occasionally, an interviewer asks questions that solicit information about you that could potentially be used in a discriminatory way. Practicing how you would handle these kinds of questions will help you respond professionally if the questions are asked in an interview situation or even on an application.

Remember:

Many interviewers are not trained in interviewing. They may not know which questions to avoid or which questions are illegal.
Inappropriate questions are often unintentional.
Often questions are based more on perceived relevance rather than legality, with no malice intended.
Use your common sense and react objectively, not defensively!!

If you are presented with potentially discriminatory questions:

Maintain eye contact. Remain cool, calm, and professional.
Be aware of your body language. Consciously manage your non-verbal reactions to remain as neutral as possible.
Ask for clarification on how the question might relate to the responsibilities of the job.
Evaluate what the interviewer is really seeking, i.e. questions about children may relate to potential absenteeism, or question regarding working with minorities may relate to customer base, work group, or how you evaluate people.
Answer in a neutral, positive way.
Stick to a discussion about business. Getting personal opens up those areas for scrutiny.
Express concrete facts and ideas. Avoid feelings.

Questions You Should Ask the Interviewer

The questions you ask regarding a position tell as much about you professionalism as the answers give to the interviewer's questions. By asking the right questions, you emphasize your desire to understand the organization's expectations and to be reasonably sure you will find the work challenging and appropriate to your strengths. Your questions build respect for you. Avoid a "What's in it for me" attitude.

When the interviewer says, "I'm finished with my questions. Do you have any questions for me?" It's a signal that it's time to wrap up and end the interview. Always have a few questions ready at this point.

Here are some questions you might ask at any time during the interview, if the interviewer has not yet provided the information.

What are the main responsibilities of this position? Who would be my key associates? To whom would I report? Whom would I supervise? What would be the extent of my authority in the carrying out these responsibilities?
What objectives or standards would I be expected to meet or exceed?
Six months from now, how will you know you hired the right person? One year? Two years?
What are the main problem areas that need attention in this new position?
What are you personally looking for in a successful candidate? What capabilities do you feel are more important?
What are the next steps? What is your time line for interviewing and making a hiring decision? When can I expect to hear from you, or would you prefer that I call you?
What are the resources (budget, staff, equipment, software) available to me to do the job?
How will my performance be measured? What is the performance management process?

The right questions will also help you evaluate the situation, assess it's "fit" for you and improve your negotiating position once an offer is made.

Behavioral Questions to Ask or Stories to Tell...

Management - How do you:

Inspire pride in your organization?
Personally support higher management's decision?
Express your beliefs in the values of the organization?
Discourage destructive comments about the organization or its management?
Communicative improvement that would benefit the organization?
Generate useful approaches to improve the way do things?
Strive to get the most out of organization resources available to you?
Strive to increase the organization's return on assets?

Direct Report and Colleagues - How do you:

Consistently show respect and concern for people as individuals?
Inspire pride in your work team?
Help people fee like "winners?"
Recognize top performance?
Listen to others' ideas?
Set challenging standards for co-workers?
Give constructive performance feedback in a timely manner?
Strive to improve co-workers' performance from acceptable to excellent?
Recognize and reinforce improvements in performance?
Deal effectively with performance problems?

Your Immediate Assignment - How do you:

Demonstrate commitment to excellence in task assignment?
Take action to get things done?
Focus others' efforts on achieving what is most important?
Inspire pride in work?
Communicate the belief that excellence will be achieved?
Try innovative strategies, rather than "play it safe?"
Act on ideas and suggestions from others in a timely manner?
Emphasize finding solutions rather than "placing blame?"
Show willingness to take risks in trying new ideas?

Your Personal Potential - How do you:

Practice integrity in dealing with others?
Take responsibility and ownership for your decisions?
Lead by example?
Show confidence in your actions and decisions?
Demonstrate honesty and ethics in your business transactions?
Encourage constructive criticism?
Work to improve your job-related performance?
Show willingness to admit your mistakes?
Avoid ego-dominated actions?
Act on constructive advice in a timely manner?

Interview Green Lights

The "Green Lights" you would look for during an interview take a slightly different turn than green lights in an Informational Meeting.

When the interviewer:

Personalizes the job with you in it. For example, he says: "When you compile the information every month..."
Describes an existing situation and asks how you would handle it.
Introduces you to someone else in the company, or schedules an impromptu interview with him or her.
Shows you where you will work (office, cubicle, etc.).
Asks questions about your salary requirements and other needs.
Asks you questions to determine your level of interest and commitment, such as: "So, do you like what you see?"
Asks you about any reservations you might have about the job or company.
Asks when you would be able to start.
"Sells" the company as a wonderful place to work.

Blog Updates Coming

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:42:00 GMT

I'm sorry for the lack of blogs recently. I am working on parts 4 and 5 of Interview Strategies, Negotiation Strategies, Interview/Negotiation Lab, and Creating a Powerful Professional Biography.

How to Ruin Your Work Reputation

Wed, 19 May 2010 01:28:00 GMT

I recently read this article on US News and World Report and thought it was worthy of sharing with our readers. I've touched on this issue in several other blogs but it's so important that it's worth the extra emphasis.

It isn't hard to ruin your reputation online these days--blogging about your boss, Twittering about your customers, posting Facebook pictures that involve copious amounts of alcohol and otherwise inappropriate props. But there's a danger in all of the conversations and lessons about online etiquette: Forgetting that most reputations are made or lost in the office.

While some workers make big, reputation-destroying mistakes (think plagiarism or sexual harassment), the vast majority make a series of choices that can quietly build or ruin their professional image in the workplace. "What I find is that most people undermine their credibility in little ways and they do it because they don't mind their '-ilities,'" says Emily Bennington, coauthor of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. Think punctuality, dependability, humility, accountability. "It's not so much that they make these major mistakes ... What they do is that they slowly chip away at it."

Careful communications

E-mail is a sensitive area. These typed communiques can easily impress groups of colleagues with a worker's communication skills, or lack thereof. "Reputations get destroyed by this so frequently," says Sandy Allgeier, author of The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You've Lost It). For one thing, E-mail reveals a worker's sensitivity to the office culture and others' time. If you're frequently cc'd on mail that has no bearing on your work, you may begin to doubt the sender's discernment.

Then there's the ominous "reply all." Everyone knows the accidental office-wide reply can be devastating, but there's plenty of harm in the intentional "reply all." An E-mail reply that's terse, caustic, or cryptic might make sense to a single recipient who knows the writer well, but it rarely translates to a broad audience. Replies that are driven by organizational tensions or are an emotional reaction can be particularly dangerous. E-mail generally seems like a quick way to communicate to a broad group, "but it can become the most inefficient thing in the world," Allgeier says. Large-audience E-mails are rarely wise for dealing with a controversial issue or for being humorous. A regular habit of insensitive, unwise digital communications can leave coworkers with a negative impression that's "almost irreversible," Allgeier says.

In the public eye

Meetings are another danger zone.New hires are often eager to look good among more experienced colleagues, so they're quick to raise a hand when there's an opportunity. Younger workers who are ambitious and want to be seen as contributors can have quick responses that are not helpful, Allgeier says. Better qualities to display: attentiveness and inquisitiveness. "You should really be feeling free to ask more questions," she adds. "This is especially true of people who are trying to make their mark." Young professionals sometimes feel that they will be judged if they've sat through a meeting without saying anything, Bennington notes. But a contribution needs to have a strong basis and foundation to be useful. "Sometimes you can be too eager," she says.

Similarly, employees who interrupt their boss or embarrass their boss in a meeting will quickly chip away at their reputations. "Make sure you understand the rules of behavior," says Roy Cohen, an executive coach in New York. "That's critical." It's crucial to have your boss's back when you're in a public setting. Even then, your loyalty should come across as thoughtful, not blind.

Relationships

It's easy for professionals to get caught up in their relationships with managers. For many, this is the most important factor in whether a job is worth sticking with. The downside of constantly nurturing your relationship with your boss is its effect on your relationships with coworkers. "I've noticed that new professionals coming into the workforce don't appreciate that their success is as dependent upon colleagues as it is upon their boss," Bennington says. When they have impressed their managers enough to get promoted, these workers often find that the colleagues they've jockeyed for position don't want to work under them. The promoted workers become lone rangers. "I think it's human nature that we want to be superstars and we want to be the best," Bennington says. "It's wonderful to have high expectations for yourself, but it can't come at the expense of the team."

Relationships are critical to actually establishing a reputation for yourself. Indeed, the only thing worse than a bad reputation is no reputation. Some professionals become generic. "They don't stand for anything in the workforce," Bennington says. "It's not so much that they've damaged their reputation, it's that they don't have one at all." Cohen, who's a master coach for the Five O'Clock Club and author of the upcoming book The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide, says that workers can under-socialize. "There's a sense that if I work really hard, the work will speak for itself," Cohen says. Much of the time, it won't.

First and foremost, Cohen notes, people need to know what it takes to keep a reputation intact. "Then you know what could potentially damage it," he says.

How to spot a lie

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:03:00 GMT

If you prefer Video format, scroll down to the video links below.

I've studied and been fascinated with NLP. A blog specific to NLP by Richard Bandler and John Grinder is somewhere in my mind finding it's way to my keyboard.

One of the findings of NLP is the connection between our eye movements and it's correlation with specific processes in the brain. This system works well unless you're like me and you've study this and test yourself and others on a daily basis. Nowadays, I know where my eyes go when I'm talking to people. Even knowing these facts, I find that when I am just going with the flow of a conversation, my eyes are on autopilot and they rarely lie.

So here's a basic though not a definitive guide to spotting a lie. This is not an exact science because a knowledgeable practitioner can easily manipulate this. However, this can make for fun experiments when talking to strangers, friends, coworkers, interviewees, your boss, significant other, and so on.

The following are some general patterns that you can use when talking to someone. It shows the various directions of eye movements of a person and explains what is usually going on in their mind at that moment. It illustrates that a glance to the observer's left usually reveals a creative process -- when someone is "making up" facts or lying. A glance to the observer's right reveals that the subject is remembering facts.

Here is a more detailed explanation of this method:

Up and to the Left: Indicates a visually constructed image. If you asked someone to "Imagine a Red Velvet Cheesecake with a whipped cream topping", this would be the direction their eyes move. In their mind they are "Visually Constructing" the Red Velvet Cheesecake.

Up and to the Right: Indicates a Visually Remembered Images. If you asked someone to "What color shirt did you wear yesterday?", this would be the direction their eyes move. In their mind they are "Visually Remembering" the color.

To the Left: Indicates an Auditory Construct thought. If you asked someone to "Try and create the sound of a speeding train in your head", this would be the direction their eyes move. In their mind they are imagining and creating the sound of a speeding train.

To the Right: Indicates an Auditory Memory. If you asked someone to "Remember the Marine Corps Hymn", this would be the direction their eyes move in while remembering the hymn.

Down and to the Left: Indicates a Feeling / Kinesthetic / Sensory impression that is being created. If you asked someone to "Can you remember the taste of chocolate?", this would be the direction their eyes move in while they recall a smell, feeling, or taste of eating chocolate.

Down and To the Right: Indicates an Internal Dialog. This is the direction of someone's eyes as they "talk to themselves."

How to use this information to detect a lie?

Let's say that you have a friend who owes you some money. You have heard that they just got paid and you want to suggest that they pay you back. You try to be polite and ask them, "Did you get paid yet?" They answer, "Gee, not yet. The boss said maybe next week." and look to their right (your left). This would indicate that they are constructing or "making up" what their boss said. They are telling a lie.

Police often ask a suspect to describe someone in detail. If the suspect looks to their right (your left) they are generally constructing or "making up" the visual description. If they look to their left (your right) they are generally recalling the details from their visual memory.

So, in general, a glance to your left when observing a person indicates that they are creating or "lying" while a glance to your right signifies that they are remembering an actual event, or being "truthful."

But there's more to the story...

Another thing that forensic interrogators look for is the use of contractions -- words like isn't, doesn't, weren't, etc. These are usually used by people telling the truth. On the other hand, people who say is not, does not, were not, etc. are often lying.

They also look for the reactions and facial expressions that accompany what the person is talking about. If someone says "I'm so sad that it happened!" but there is a delay in their expression of sadness, they are probably not being honest. The example is often given of someone who receives a present that they don't like. They often respond with "Wow. It's beautiful, I love it!" and then, some few seconds later, they smile and appear to look happy. Truthful emotions are spontaneous and instantaneous.

Another method used by professionals is to change the subject. A person who has been telling lies about a particular event will welcome the change of topic and will be visibly relaxed. An innocent suspect or a person who has been telling the truth will usually want to continue the dialog and will find the change of topic puzzling and attempt to regain focus on the topic.

Body language is also a good thing to observe. Liars usually do not use their hands. They often fold their arms together in front of them or position items such as books, cups or other things between themselves and the person asking the questions. Sometimes they touch their mouth or nose alot.

Some investigators say that long and detailed answers to otherwise simple questions can indicate a lie. It's as if the more detail the person gives the more he tries to convince the questioner that he is being truthful. If they are confronted or accused of something, the liar will usually deny the accusation in a calm and emotionless manner instead of getting excited and saying things like "What? You think I did it?"

With careful video analysis, some investigators can observe rapid twitches in facial muscles that indicate a lie. Poker players, who want to leave with the most poker chips, often learn to "read" the facial expressions or "ticks" of other players to determine if they hold a good hand of cards or are just "bluffing."

To become adept at distinguishing lies, ask some neutral questions to establish the baseline of the subject. Watch their facial expressions and eye movements and test this method by asking questions and observing the pattern of shifts to left, right, up and down.

A word of caution: this method may be reversed in left-handed people. It also may not apply to people who have rehearsed their answers or who have taken drugs or consumed alcohol.

Some YouTube videos -

NLP Lie Detector Explained

NLP Eye Patterns

NLP According to Samuel Jackson

Young Entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:06:00 GMT

From the Wall Street Journal. Here is one indicator of the allure of Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial culture: Diane Keng just launched her third start-up -- and she is still in high school.

In March, the 18-year-old launched Internet company MyWeboo.com to help teens manage their digital lives and social-network identities in one place. She is now pitching the company to venture capitalists, and earlier this week presented at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco.

Yet each morning, Ms. Keng also heads to Cupertino's Monta Vista High School for a schedule of classes that includes Advanced Placement economics and government. In the afternoons, the high-school senior squeezes in varsity badminton practice.

"My age, my gender and my lack of experience don't deter me from going after what I want for the company," says Ms. Keng, who runs marketing for MyWeboo.com from home and co-founded the venture with her 25-year-old brother, Steven.

Ms. Keng has several advantages in pursuing her entrepreneurial ambitions, including her father, a venture capitalist who splits his time between Beijing and Cupertino and gave her $100,000 in seed money.

Another big advantage is that Ms. Keng is here in Silicon Valley and can tap the region's unique ecosystem of tech resources and experience -- not to mention supportive parents and teachers. Her high school alone is home to about 10 entrepreneurs, including a student who buys and flips websites that he thinks have potential.

The Valley is filled with teen-entrepreneur legends: Gurbaksh Chahal started online ad company Click Agents in San Jose when he was 16, and sold it for $40 million two years later. He then founded ad network BlueLithium, which he sold for $300 million when he was 25.

Kristopher Tate, who five years ago finished high school early and drove his parents' car from San Diego to Cupertino at the age of 16 to launch photo-sharing site Zooomr, says Silicon Valley is a great place for budding entrepreneurs. "Everybody is there, and when you want to step up or feel like your idea is worth a grain of salt, there are people who will take it seriously." Today, Mr. Tate is 22 and runs a portfolio of Internet companies from Tokyo, but isn't involved in Zooomr's day-to-day operation.

Despite the encouraging business environment, teen entrepreneurs have their own set of work-life balance issues.

"For the first two years that it took me from starting Click Agents to selling it, I basically sacrificed my youth," says Mr. Chahal, who dropped out of high school to focus on his start-ups. "I slept and worked in the office."

In addition, many start-ups don't succeed, which can bring some particularly harsh lessons for young entrepreneurs. They are, as a set, more inclined to overvalue their own ideas, according to YouNoodle Inc., which tracks start-ups. In a recent survey, YouNoodle found that founders under the age of 25 expected their companies would be worth about 27% more after three years than other founders (who are, on average, 35 years old).

Ms. Keng co-founded the venture with her 25-year-old brother, Steven.

Other young entrepreneurs end up putting school first. Virtual goods marketplace PlaySpan Inc. was founded in 2006 in the garage of San Jose sixth-grader Arjun Mehta, who wanted a better way to sell items he had won in online games. He created a mock-up of his ideal website, then passed the baton to his dad, who now runs the company while Arjun attends eighth grade.

"In my free time, I test out the commerce side of the site," says Arjun. He says he doesn't demand a salary, but has kept the title of co-founder.

Ms. Keng launched her first venture at age 15, when she started a T-shirt screen-printing business and later began a teen marketing-consulting firm. She says she ended up dropping the T-shirt company because it wasn't making enough money, and the second business because she felt she was spreading herself too thin amid activities, and needed to devote time to prepare for the ACT.

With MyWeboo.com, it helps that Ms. Keng's school encourages entrepreneurial activity and makes allowances for an enterprise's demands. Fiercely competitive Monta Vista offers business classes that include marketing and finance, and brings groups like the Silicon Valley Private Equity Roundtable to workshops on how to write a business plan. Teachers allow Ms. Keng to miss class and make up tests as needed.

"If they're going to fail, they might as well fail when they are young," says Carl Schmidt, Ms. Keng's business teacher at Monta Vista. He teaches students that 90% to 95% of all new products fail, so they must focus on doing their research and solving a real consumer need.

Still, balancing so much requires focus. Ms. Keng, who says she gets As and Bs and will attend Santa Clara University beginning in the fall with a full scholarship, turns off her cellphone and email while at school or doing homework. "If it's a business call, that's what voicemail is for. I will call you back," she says.

And her father, Brian Keng, says he insists academics remain his daughter's top priority. Ms. Keng's parents also ask that she communicate with them about all her business activities.

"She is just in high school," says Mr. Keng, "and sometimes it is very difficult for her to make a judgment."

Even with those boundaries, developing a business is a far cry from traditional high-school diversions like glee club or yearbook. Those activities are still around, but "there needs to be a place for those kids who are entrepreneurs and are a little bit eccentric and are willing to push the envelope," says Mr. Schmidt.

Interview Strategies (Part 3 of 5)

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 02:34:00 GMT

The Job Interview Process

Every good interview consists of a mutual sharing of information in order to make a high quality decision:

Questions you are asked by the interviewer
Questions you ask the interviewer

Interviewing Principles

Know yourself and review your accomplishments so that you can take advantage of opportunities to illustrate your areas of strength with specific examples. Be prepared to give further descriptions or additional examples beyond the points made in your resume.

Dress appropriately, neatly and conservatively, attending to all elements of personal grooming. Arrive five to ten minutes early so you will be relaxed.

Be polite and personable to everyone you encounter. People hire people they like and whom their secretaries like. Often, the less qualified person gets a position over a more qualified one who does not seem to care how he or she treats others.

Let the person you came to see indicate where you should sit, and avoid leaning or placing anything on the desk.

Be careful to avoid showing signs of nervousness - foot tapping, drumming fingers, etc. RELAX.

Try to read the interviewer and get on the same wavelength. Be alert to body language. If he or she wants details, provide them. If the person is interested in ideas or concepts, focus accordingly.

Focus on your accomplishments, experiences where you have made a contribution or difference, produced results, and shown the ability to overcome problems.

Demonstrate enthusiasm, interest, and confidence.

Project optimism, but don't promise what you cannot deliver. You will do your best; so let your record speak for itself.

Avoid talking too much. Keep answers to a maximum of one or two minutes. Let the interviewer jump back in with a question to keep the conversation active.

Take the Positive view of things. Modesty can be seen as a weakness. You should neither boast nor apologize. Reframe your mistakes as valuable learning experiences. You can usually reshape a difficult question to allow for a credible response.

Never talk to an interviewer about personal problems. To discuss your problems will weaken your case. To discuss the interviewer's problems may prove embarrassing if you are hired.

Avoid premature salary discussions. Do not speak about compensation until your value has been established. Do not appear primarily concerned with salary and benefits. These will be negotiated at an appropriate time... after the offer is made.

Be an interested listener and observer. What you say will be relevant and meaningful to the interviewer. Watch for signs of confusion, agreement, or strong interest, and respond accordingly.

Concentrate on the idea of making a contribution in a team environment. Competence alone does not sell. You must be seen as a person who will be productive in a compatible way.

Follow the interviewer's pace, building interest toward you objective. If the conversation falters, ask questions that delve further into areas in which the interviewer has shown interest.

Maintain confidentiality of past employers and be understanding of any difficulties the employer may have had, including those that caused you to leave. You may be talking to your future employer, and you are demonstrating how much consideration you will show to them at some future time.

Ask for or exchange business cards, if possible (in order to secure correct spelling, title, telephone number, email)

Above all, be yourself, and not what you think someone else expects you to be. Maintain your dignity and self-respect.

The Eight Cardinal Rules of Answering Interview Questions

1. Keep it brief.
2. Stop talking when you've said enough.
3. Listen carefully.
4. Don't be modest.
5. Don't exaggerate.
6. Talk in concrete terms.
7. Never defend or argue a view during an interview
8. Make connections for the interviewer

10 Most Commonly Asked Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What are your strengths?
3. What are your weaknesses?
4. Why did you leave your last job?
5. What is your work style?
6. What is your management style?
7. What are your future career plans?
8. What do you like to do in your free time?
9. How did you get along with your last manager?
10. How would your peers, subordinates, or last manager describe you?

Potential Interview Questions

By anticipating the questions you can expect in an interview, you can think through and practice your responses beforehand, and walk into the interview with confidence.

The first and most important thing you can do is know yourself thoroughly... your past accomplishments, strengths, what you can do for an employer, your preferred work environment, etc.

You may need to shift your perception of what an interview is. You are not going in there begging for a job at any cost, with the employer having all the power. The employer, too, is under pressure to fill the position with a quality individual and may be anxious to find someone immediately. The interviewer has hopes and concerns just as you do. Think of an interview as a professional conversation between two parties who each have needs the other might satisfy. Both parties are looking for a good, swift, buying decision.

To develop your responses to common interview questions, put yourself in the interviewer's shoes. Ask yourself, "What is the interviewer trying to find out?" and when you have that answer, ask, "How might I respond?"

The following list is designed to help you anticipate questions and prompt you to practice your responses.

1. Tell me about yourself. You can bet on this one being asked in most interviews. Give the one-minute response you have already practiced that shows you to be positive, contributing person.

2. Why did you leave (company name)? State your reason for leaving honestly and succinctly. Also prepare responses for leaving other jobs you have had.

3. Which of your jobs did you like best? Why? Here's your chance to tell the interviewer about the specific areas in which you can be of most value in their organization. If you are non-committal or vague in your response, it may suggest that you lack drive, and lack the ability to analyze or plan your own growth. It is normal to have preferences.

4. How did you get your past jobs? Your reply will give an indication of your resourcefulness.

5. Why are you so interested in our company? If money is your honest answer, you will usually be passed over. The question is an attitude indicator that may strongly influence the interviewer's image of you. Your answer also indicates how much you have researched the company.

6. What are your long term and short-term plans/goals? This has to be one of the most feared questions for most people. Your response gives the interviewer a chance to see if your plans mesh or conflict with the organizations, and if your goals are realistic. It's an important question.

7. If you had complete freedom, what job would you choose? Again, your answer is an indicator of your suitability for the organization. If you have arrived at the interview through a well thought out process, your ideal will most likely mesh with the real strengths you are presenting and with what this company most likely needs.

8. What are your top strengths? The ability to talk knowledgeably about your strengths is an indication of healthy self-confidence. This is a good opportunity to verbalize them, backed by your accomplishments - strengths in action.

9. What are your weaknesses? I personally hate this one. This is a fishing question. It tells the interviewer about your outlook and aptitudes. This question is your opportunity to describe briefly a less than favorable situation that you learned from or overcame. Turn it into a discussion of an accomplishment. Also, a weakness can be a knowledge deficiency that can easily be remedied by additional training, reading, or experience, so relate your plan to address it.

The following questions may require additional alertness and sensitivity to interview conditions. Sometimes you may be asked things that are questionable legally. You must decide in advance how you will respond. Our recommendation is that, in each case, you try to respond positively or at least neutrally.

1. What did you like most/least in your last job?
2. Can you work under pressure and meet deadlines?
3. What is your management philosophy/style?
4. What kind of salary are you looking for? How expensive are you?
5. What business references can you provide?
6. How long would it take you to become productive in this position?
7. If you are hired, what do you see in your future?
8. How do you rate yourself as a professional/________?
9. What new goals have you established recently? Did you meet any of these goals?
10. What position do you expect to have in five years?
11. What did you think of your last company>?
12. Why has it taken you so long to find a job?
13. What does success mean to you?
14. Don't you think you are overqualified for this position?
15. Tell me the best/worst manager you ever had.
16. Why do you feel you have management potential?
17. What is your leadership style?
18. What else should I know about you?
19. How would you describe yourself? How would your manager/co-worker/subordinate describe you?
20. Have you helped increase profits? Reduce costs? Improve productivity? HOW?

21. Why are you making a career switch at this time?

Interview Strategies (Part 2 of 5)

Tue, 25 May 2010 19:27:00 GMT

Research

It is important to remember that the interview process begins long before your actual meeting wit the interviewer. For every potential employer you are interviewing with, it is always extremely important that you gather as much data as possible prior to your interview. This information will be helpful to you in answering the question:

"Why do you want to work here?"

A mediocre answer would be: "...because your organization has a good reputation and you value your employees." An outstanding answer would be:

"...because in the last three years you have introduced four new product lines which exceeded sales expectations and because the organization has initiated strong steps to ensure total quality and service to the customer particularly in the area of order fulfillment which parallels my experience directly. I feel strongly about my ability to contribute significantly in the goals of the organization."

Additionally, your research may uncover areas of concern that you may need to address after you have received an offer. Your knowledge of the company will set you apart from other candidates and give you and edge.

Here are some ways to gather some information:

Google (what do we not use Google for?)
Hoovers
LinkedIn and your Network
Glassdoor
Public companies - You should be able to find Annual Report, 10k, and Proxy Statements online
You can also contact the company and request information on their products and services. In some cases you can identify and contact their customers or vendors.

Body Language

As the major percentage of your credibility in communication (55%), your body language can convey a stronger message than your words. Proper body language is critical in business situations. Your entrance, handshake, and eye contact all make an impression.

A confident entrance is a good start to any business situation. When entering someone's office, check your posture, hold your head up, make eye contact and smile.

Always initiate the handshake, as it will make you appear more in control. Handshakes are often an indicator of a person's frame of mind, so practice your own handshake and be conscious of the return handshake you receive. Handshakes have traditionally been a western tradition but it is recognized throughout most of the world and a strong and firm handshake conveys confidence, control, and assertiveness. If this is not part of your culture or up-bringing, consider these facts and if you have a weak handshake, consider some hand strengthening exercises and practice!

Maintain eye contact. It is important in our culture to look at the person to whom you are speaking approximately 80% of the time. Americans place a high value on eye contact and generally interpret it as a gesture of trust and confidence. During an interview, make eye contact when you are talking - particularly when making an important point as well as when you are listening. Nodding is another gesture of support and agreement. It is a good compliment to make eye contact.

Before your interview, practice your body language with someone you know and with whom you feel comfortable. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses, and determine what you can do to improve. You may need to brush up on these points for your job search, but they will be tools you need throughout your career.

Above all, remember that your positive attitude is key and that positive non-verbal behavior naturally results from that kind of attitude. Your verbal and non-verbal communication will be congruent and your message received as you intend it.

Negative Tell-Tale Body Language

Candidate's Body Language Typical Interpretation

Avoiding eye contact Evasive, indifferent, insecure passive, nervous

Scratching your head Bewildered

Biting your lip Nervous, fearful, anxious

Tapping your feet Nervous

Folding arms Angry, disagreeing, defensive, disapproving

Raising eyebrows Disbelieving, surprised

Narrowing eyes Resentful, angry

Flaring nostrils Frustrated

Wringing hands Anxious, nervous

Shifting in seat Restless, bored, apprehensive

Presenting a Professional Image

In your job campaign you are marketing your skills, abilities, and interests. It is also crucial that you make your physical appearance an important part of your marketing strategy. Your appearance is the first thing a prospective employer will notice about you, regardless of your talents.

Research shows us that approximately 55% of what we believe about each other is based on our observation and interpretation of non-verbal signals. People who are well dressed and well groomed are often better liked than their counterparts who are not concerned about their appearance. They may also be considered more intelligent, successful, and competent, and earn more money. We have all been guilty of judging a book by its cover, but it is often that critical first impression that makes the difference.

In a job interview, appearance is important. Human Resource directors and Hiring Managers admit that they use visual cues to narrow down their group of applicants. Job interviewing studies show that when the decision not to hire an applicant is made very early in the interview, it is made primarily on the basis of unsuitable appearance.

During your job campaign, you should look professional at all times. You never know whom you may meet and where. Looking professional does not mean you have to look like everyone else. It is critical, however, to dress for your audience. Every style sends a message, and that message should be addressing the industry you are targeting, as well as reflecting your personal taste. For example, there is a great difference between how an investment banker should dress for an interview and how a software engineer might.

Anyone can develop a professional image. Here are some ideas on interview dress for both men and women, based on research about what interviewers expect from candidates.

For Men

The basic rule is very simple: find out as much as you can about the style of the people or company who will be interviewing you, so that you can fit in with it or at least not clash with it. This makes sense in more ways than one, since it can give you a small clue as to how you might fit in if you do wind up working with them. If you are interviewing for a job in an industry you know, then you already have an extra advantage on your side. But if in doubt, or if venturing into unknown territory, consider the following well tried guidelines:

For most industries, opt for conservatively tailored, well-made suit. Quality is the key - the suit should be made of wool or a good wool blend that fit you perfectly.
Shirt color preferences are white and light blue. Pink or pin-striped shirts are generally not good selections for a first interview, although in more casual or fashion conscious industries, they would be acceptable choices. A man's tie is the most important part of his outfit. It is his only chance to add contrast and his own sense of style. A good silk tie can totally upgrade a man's suit, so it is well worth the investment. Ideally, your tie should contrast with your suit. Avoid wearing a solid tie with a solid color suit.
Accessories are an important part of your total look. Shoes and belts should be good quality leather and should match in color. Black, cordovan, or brown are the best color choices. Either laced shoes or slip-ons are appropriate. Socks should be worn high enough so that your legs don't show when you sit or cross them. Interviewers react negatively to flashy buckles and ornaments on shoes, so these should be kept as simple as possible. Follow the same rule with belts. Briefcases and portfolios should be leather.
Jewelry should be kept simple, and limited to either a wedding or signet ring. Although tie clips and cufflinks may be appropriate after you have the job, they are sometimes found to be inappropriate, as are pocket handkerchiefs. Watches should also be simple - just a dial face and leather band. Heavy watches with a lot of functions should be left at home.
Your grooming must be impeccable. There is no question that the clean-shaven look is safest for a businessman. It makes most men look younger, cleaner, and more efficient. In addition, many people have negative reactions to mustaches and full beards. There are always exceptions, of course. A neat, well-trimmed mustache may make a man look more mature and in control. A full beard still falls into the high-risk area in corporate America. In more creative professions, such as college teaching, architecture, psychology, and advertising, beards are acceptable.
Your hairstyle should be kept neat and up-to-date. A good stylist is key to giving you a cut that is easy to care for as well as flattering to your facial features.
Finally, avoid after-shave and male colognes, sorry that bottle of Axe won't work either! Fragrance and whether to wear it at all is an intensely personal choice, and you should not risk imposing yours on a complete stranger you are trying to impress.

For Women

The best choice of dress for a woman is a good-quality suit. Wear a stylish but conservative suit in a style that is complimentary to your figure. Neutral solid colors, such as taupe, navy, gray, or black, are safe. Other appropriate colors are acceptable, however, stay away from bright colors.
Blouses can be worn in almost any color that is flattering to your skin tone. Silk, cotton, and silk look alikes are good fabric choices. Choose collars that compliment your jacket lapel and face shape. For example, if you have a long, thin face, avoid a neckline that repeats the shape of your face. Try to express your own sense of style in blouses.
Accessories are very important and can easily upgrade your outfit. Choose leather pumps in classic styles for interviewing. Hell heights vary with fashion, but a moderate heel height is always a good bet. Flats may be too informal and a too high of a heel is not business like. Belts should generally match your shoes and, again, should be conservative in style. Belts are good finishing pieces and serve to tie your outfit together, although scarves used as belts can be too informal.
Handbags and briefcases are items people always notice. Quality is imperative, so pay attention to craftsmanship and materials. One word of caution - don't carry both a handbag and a briefcase to an interview. It looks clumsy and requires too much juggling. Make sure whatever you are carrying closes easily and is not overly full. Better yet, save the briefcase until you have the job.
Jewelry should be kept simple. Fine jewelry is always acceptable, but good quality costume jewelry can also add versatility to your wardrobe. Appropriate jewelry might include simple earrings (no dangles), a string of pearls, a chain or conservative necklace, a watch, and no more than two rings. Any bracelet or necklace that tends to jangle is distracting and should be avoided.
Watches should be simple, with a dial face. Rings should be conservative and suitable for business wear. School rings and dinner or evening rings are not appropriate.
Hosiery colors should be limited to neutral tones. Colored hose can be attractive in other business setting, but should be avoided in an interview. The same holds true for textured hosiery.
Obviously, grooming is critical. Hair should be neatly styled and no longer than shoulder length. If your hair is longer, wear it up for interviews and other business situations. Makeup should definitely be worn and carefully applied for a natural look. Research on the subject of makeup indicates that others see women who are naturally and professionally made-up as being more successful and more likely to be in charge. Again, select cosmetic colors that best suit your skin tone.

A Final Word on Dressing For Both Men and Women

Be prepared for your interview. Your raincoat should be cleaned and pressed and your umbrella in good condition. Your shoes should be polished and your suit freshly pressed. Avoid wearing a brand new suit to an interview. Carry a needle and thread in your pocket or purse in case a button pops or a hem falls. Women should carry an extra pair of hose. Once again, because many people are either allergic to or offended by certain fragrances, it is best to avoid perfume, aftershave, or cologne.

All this may sound trivial, but you can't be at your best if you are worrying about a spot on your tie or a run in your hose. So arrive 10 minutes early at your interview to give yourself time for a final check.

Use your own best judgment when dressing for an interview. The suggestion made here apply primarily to those interviewing in traditional conservative industries. If you are interviewing in the fashion or entertainment industry, or in a more casual work setting, by all means dress for you audience while still maintaining a professional image. Ask yourself: "Could this item hinder my chances during this interview?" If the answer is "Yes," leave it at home.

Interview Strategies (Part 1 of 5)

Tue, 18 May 2010 22:22:00 GMT

This is a multipart series on Interview Strategies. Many of us, no matter how much practice we have, need a refresher on interviews. Like many things in life, it's quite simple if you know what you're doing.

My Objectives are to teach you the following-

To identify the types and purposes of different kinds of interviews
To anticipate questions asked in interviews and practice your responses
To identify non-verbal behavior that helps or hinders effective communication
To identify questions you should ask in an interview
What to do after the interview

Interviewing as a Sales Process

One of the best ways to think of an interview is to see it as an opportunity to "sell" the prospective employer on the benefits you can bring to the organization. Good selling is NOT forcing something on another.

Good, consultative selling is:

the process of uncovering and clarifying needs,
communicating and demonstrating how you can satisfy those needs, and
making it easy for the prospect to make a buying decision.

Consider interviewing in the same way. In order to do this, you must be able to see yourself as a product.

All products, including you as a candidate for a job, have features. They are the defining characteristics that make them what they are - engine size, table height, kind of weed, experience, education, horsepower, and other factors. While these features may be interesting, what is more important is that the salesperson knows what the customer needs to solve the problems at hand. Features can then be turned into benefits. The heart of any successful interview, therefore, is asking appropriate questions to discover what kind of problems the "buyer," who has the open position is having, and what the implications of those problems are. Then you begin to "sell" the benefits of your employment.

In a job search, the "features" are your skills, knowledge and experience. They may qualify the product (you) but they won't make the sale (get the job offer). The "benefits" are your accomplishments, the results you have been able to produce (productivity, profitability), and the solutions you can provide. All are keyed to the interviewer's needs as you have been able to elicit them during the interview.

Take the time to write on a piece of paper:

What are three of your "features"?
What does each feature do for a prospective employer?

The Three Purposes of an Interview

Interviewers are looking to answer three questions during the interview process:

CAN you do the job?

WILL you do the job?

Do you FIT in?

In interviews where "CAN you do the job?" is important you will be asked questions about:

Your skills
Knowledge
Experience and accomplishments
Learning potential
Handling the physical aspects of the job

In interviews where "WILL you do the job"? is important you will be asked questions about:

Your interest in the position, company, industry
Your work ethic
Your energy level
Outside influences that may affect your willingness or availability

In interviews where "Do you FIT in?" the interviewer will try to assess:

Likeability
Chemistry
Communication
Values
Style of work and management
General interests
Dress and appearance

A strong sense of a solid "FIT" for you within an organization develops more readily when you concentrate your focus on the needs and challenges of the position and company. You orchestrate this focus by asking individual insightful questions, which speak to needs/challenges. Some examples of this type of question are as follows:

What are the major challenges this position presents over the next six months? The next five years?
Six months from now, how will you know you have hired the right person?
How do the goals of this position fit into the overall mission of the organization?
What kinds of things are going very well in the department/function right now?
What kinds of things need to be changed?
What is the highest priority for the individual in this position?
What are the major responsibilities of this position?
Tell me about some of the people this position interacts with on a frequent basis?

Once you uncover the needs/challenges for the position, you can tailor your responses and comments during the interview to illustrate your ability to solve the company's specific problems and to achieve the results required for success in the position.

It is important to note that it is never a good idea to ask questions about compensation and benefits during the interview process. You can respond if questioned on these issues; however, it is much more effective to ask questions regarding benefits, etc. after you have an offer.

The Sequence of Interviews

There are seven broad categories of interviews you may encounter during your interview process. Sometimes a person is hired after only one interview; others may return to a company multiple times, even for five or more interviews. Here is what you might expect:

1. Screening - Conducted by the phone or in person, with the company's HR department or the Hiring Manager. Some kinds of phone screening require you to respond to basic questions. Most will want to find out if you have the minimum qualifications for the job (CAN), and may touch on WILL and FIT issues.

Your objective: To survive it and continue with the interview process.

2. Qualifying - Primarily concentrates on WILL types of questions, although FIT and CAN are in second and third priority.

3. Technical - This usually occurs after basic Qualifying questions are satisfied. These questions are to determine your knowledge base and depth (CAN).

4. Approval - The focus is on WILL and FIT concerns. Once you get to this point in the interview process, you know that they're very interested in you.

5. Fit - They've now determined that you Qualify for the job on a Technical level and there's an overall consensus (Approval) that they are interested in you. They bring in peers or potential employees that will report to you. Questions center around FIT issues at this point.

6. Psychological or Personality Evaluation Tests - I don't hear about this too much anymore, in fact, I believe it's being conducted after offer and acceptance and being used as a management tool or insight on how to best manage and motivate you.

7. Blessing - This is usually done by the CEO or President of the company. This is an opportunity for this person to meet you and give his or her approval.

Types of Interview Formats

One-On-One

One interviewer and you. The most common format.

Round Robin

A series of interviews where you move from person to person. A number of interviewers offer a number of different impressions.

Panel

Most often when interviewed by peers. Your job is to:

When responding, look at the person who asked the question.
If someone is hostile or rude to you, treat him or her with special respect. Ask questions to prompt him or her to interact with you.
If with peers, be prepared to take control if no one else does. If the interviewer is with a panel of superiors, don't take control even if needed.

Stress

A rare situation designed to supposedly "see how you react under stress and think on your feet." Interviewers may act sarcastic, angry, confrontational and challenging. Your job is to:

Stay calm, breathe deeply and slowly, and maintain eye contact.
Recognize the artificially created scenario for what it is, without taking it personally.
Stay on the positive side of issues presented, without getting angry or hostile.

Situational

Questions are about real or hypothetical situations, and you are asked how you would react or deal with them.

Behavioral

Questions focus on specific examples of your past performance as indicators of your future performance. Interviewer may take many notes. The "Challenge-Action-Result" response format is perfect for these kinds of questions. This is one of the best interview strategies for getting quality information for a hiring decision. Much more on this technique below.

Telephone

This is an interview where you only have your verbal and vocal communications to rely on.

Relax, take a few deep breaths and proceed.
If you are surprised by a call at an inopportune time or at a location with no privacy, try to reschedule the conversation at the interviewer's convenience.
No eating, drinking, smoking, or gum chewing while talking. Make sure there is no background noise.
Speak with appropriate enthusiasm and energy. Stand up straight or walk while you talk. Your voice will sound much more positive if you smile. You will feel better too.
Let the interviewer guide the agenda.
This is a great opportunity to take notes.

Directed

Interviewer maintains tight control of the interview and has specific questions to ask. This is done to maintain a high degree of consistency in the content and format of each interviewer when there may be many people conducting interviews with many candidates.

Non-Directed

These may range from a "go with the flow" style of an inexperienced or unorganized interviewer. The interviewer will ask broad and general questions. This is not an effective method, but used more often than I will admit (:

Behavioral Interviews

This method is so widely used and effective that I created an expanded description to explain in greater depth.

Behavioral based interviewing is an assessment technique that focuses on what candidates have done in the past, not on what they say they might do in the future. Big difference. This allows hiring managers to assess applicants/candidates more fairly and objectively that other methods. The premise is that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

Before a behavioral interview, hiring managers and human resources professionals identify specific competencies needed to succeed in the position. Those include technical skills and performance skills. From these competencies, the interviewers develop a list of questions, which are designed to elicit descriptions of skills candidates have used in the past. Each candidate is asked the same questions, in order to ensure uniformity. This process allows candidates to be judged on what they've done, not on their personalities.

To succeed in a behavioral interview, you must be able to relate stories that link your experiences and skills to the potential position and employer. Begin by learning as much as you can about the company. Pay close attention to the organization's core values, since some questions will likely relate to them. Next, focus on the job and ask key competencies the employer wants. Also, ask the hiring manger which abilities will be assessed in the interview. The next step is to tap your memory for detailed stories involving work and other critical experiences that you can use when answering questions about job competencies or the company's values.

The STAR approach is helpful in developing framework for this. First, think about a Situation or Task that you faced. Next, describe the Action that you took. Conclude your story by describing the Result you achieved. If possible, make it quantifiable.

Behavior-Based Questions

Behavior based questions require specific examples concerning what YOU have done in the past.

Describe a time when you...
Give an example of a time in which you...
Tell me about a time when you...
Give me an example of a specific occasion...
Describe a situation in which you...
Describe the most significant...
What did you do in your last job in order to be...
Describe the most...

Wow... that was a lot of typing. Part 2 is in the works, stay tuned.

Location Technology

Fri, 14 May 2010 08:27:00 GMT

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've seen the emergence of Location Technology. It's all around us, from our cellular phones, portable GPS, car based GPS, Apps, Games, and so on. What you may not realize is, Location Technology has been around for a long time.

Here's a fun look at the History of Location Technology

I love to read books but no matter how much I read, I'm always amazed at how much our ancestor's were able to accomplish.

Smoke Signals

Back... back in time, everyone from the American Indians to the Ancient Chinese used Smoke Signals to locate home and communicate signals to remote groups or individuals.

Celestial Navigation

I'm not a mathematician but I'm confident that many reading this can run circles around me when it comes to math. For centuries our ancestors used the stars and mathematics to determine coordinates based on the position or location of the stars and sun. I know I would've been lost for sure! In the mid 18th Century, clockmaker John Harrison invented a chronometer which allowed sailors to determine longitude by accurately tracking the time change between home and their current location

Homing Pigeons

Certain types of Rock Pigeons were bred to be able to find their homes from extremely long distances. These were used for courier services and navigation for thousands of years.

Magnetic Compass

By using a magnet to point to the earths poles, this invention allowed navigators to finally determine their heading, in addition to latitude and eventually longitude.

Radio Triangulation

By measuring the strengths of radio signals, ships, aircraft, and military ground troops began to be able to estimate their coordinates from very long distances.

Satellite GPS

There's a group of around 30 satellites that orbits the earth and is used to triangulate the position of the receiver. Nearby satellites send timestamped messages, and the receiver calculates the distance of each satellite based on the speed of the incoming messages compared to the time they were sent. The size of these receivers have shrank considerably since the 1960's when this technology was first deployed.

Automotive GPS Navigation

While many GPS receivers were used for military purposes since the 1960's, the automotive GPS nave unit became the first dedicated GPS device to gain traction among consumers. Initially mapless and slow, these devices now include very detailed maps with turn-by-turn directions and connectivity to additional services like real time traffic.

GPS Enabled SmartPhones

Every smartphone on the market, be it the Blackberry, Android, iPhone, Windows, etc. have changed the apps industry by allowing third party software applications to take advantage of user location.

Today we have the ever evolving world of Location Based Applications, Gaming, and Social Networks. These apps are everywhere and most developers now have some location functionality to their product. The past 2-3 years, consumers have shifted from candy bar, texting focused phones, to full featured smartphones. These phones have taken over and are in the hands of millions of consumers. We've only touched the tip of the iceberg. The next decade will be an exciting time in technology and mobile electronics.

Baby Announcement

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:21:00 GMT

Alex McGee-Gentile, Headhunter extraordinaire, and her husband Tony recently welcomed their first child. Congratulations on your new son!

Many wishes for a life time of happiness and a good night sleep,

The Perito Eleven Team