How To Give Killer Phone Interviews.

Many of my clients who are in transition from one job to another are frequently thrown into the practice of an initial phone interview. Here are a number of key tips and learnings to make you crush it every time:

Control your space.

Optimally, try to ensure no noises or interruptions. Pick a room where you can safely close your door and separate yourself from the outside world for the entire interview. No ringing phones, no screaming kids, no barking dogs . . . nothing. Make it your fortress of solitude by taking steps to eliminate all interruptions or noises that might throw you (or your interviewer) off their game. If you have to — find another location to call if your home has become another DisneyWorld.

Stand & Walk Around.

Your best voice comes from good posture and the best posture is to stand. Your breathing, your voice and your energy are all affected when you stand. It allows you to move your hands to make a point if needed and move around to stay focused on listening to the question. That's why most singers stand — they enunciate better, they breathe better, and they project better. Even if your phone is corded, you can still walk around. But don't walk too far away from your notes!

Dress comfortably.

They aren't going to see you — so wear clothes that make you feel your best. If you want to dress up — go for it! If you want to wear sweats — by all means! Go naked — I don't care! I want you to feel your best so your entire personality flows through your receiver to the interviewer. One caveat — wear silent clothes and accessories. You don't want scratching, clinking, or tinkling noises to travel and possibly send a negative signal to the interviewer. So can the metal bracelets, ornate necklaces, or over-ornate earrings. Keep it simple and silent.

Don't answer the phone like a serial killer.

I can't tell you how many people I talk to answer their phones like Ebenezer Scrooge. Heeelllllooooo? No name, no real greeting, no energy, no excitement. What a great way to lock in a negative first impression! Here's a simple tip — answer every call like it's Publishers Clearinghouse calling to hand you a $100 million check. "Good Morning! This is Rich Gee — can I help you?" or "This is Rich Gee — how are you today?" The first six seconds of your call sets the stage for anyone on the other line — make it special.

Energize your voice. 

Throughout the call, constantly monitor your energy and ensure it's flowing positively over the line. Even with tough or objectionable questions, pull back, pause and then answer with honest energy so the recipient receives it with gusto. Modulate your conversation by moving it all around the spectrum:

• Talk faster when you are truly excited about a topic or feel the interviewer finds it important. Pop your words.
• Slow down when you have to explain a complex situation or process with clarity.
• Talk slightly louder when making a point or agreeing with the interviewer. Laugh if you want.
• Power down your voice if the conversation turns serious. You don't want to come off totally flippant with a serious subject.

In the end, try to parallel your voice, tones, and enthusiasm with the interviewer as much as you can. Be positive, enthusiastic and add energy as frequently as possible.

Smile.

It's free. Try to smile the entire time while you're on the phone. There is a decided difference in sound/voice/energy between a person who isn't smiling and one who is. You can instantly tell if the person is smiling by the intonation of their voice. It's really easy to do — so do it.

Keep all your thoughts in front of you.

Hit Staples and purchase a white tri-fold foam core board. This will be a valuable tool to keep all of your:

• Talking points especially the key areas you feel the interviewer needs to understand.
• Prompts to keep your energy up - put a big "SMILE" sign right at the top to remind you to smile.
• Use post-it notes to help you with specific areas you'd like to cover during the interview and pull them off as you use them.
• If there is a complex list or topic — put it up there.

This board will allow you stay on point and cover all the elements you need to communicate without forgetting anything. In addition, your board will help you with your nervousness if asked a tough question — you have all the answers right in front of you!

Don't ask selfish questions.

Initial phone interviews are not the time to ask about specific compensation or logistic questions. Usually, the phone interview is a first pass to see if you initially qualify for the job's requirements and it's usually with someone from Human Resources. If you have a second phone interview with your hiring manager, you've probably passed the first level and now they want to know more about you, your accomplishments and your personality. They don't want to talk about specific dollars, hours, location, etc. Keep that to subsequent interviews (hopefully in person).

Prepare great questions to ask.

You need to ask a number of critical questions not only to get the right answers, but to also impress the interviewer with the topics you choose. Here's a great list of questions I offer to my clients — Click Here (PDF).

Catch red flags and prepare to lower them.

You know your gaps, your faults, and your black marks. Be prepared to address them quickly, succinctly, and put them to bed. Don't try to hide them — most good interviewers will pick them out immediately and hone in on them like a good dentist looking for gingivitis. Don't equivocate — address the question, answer it, and move on. Everyone has issues — you're not special.

Hope these tips have helped. Contact me if you use them or if you have any comments!

"I Can't Find A Job!"

The title of this post is so often repeated in the media — all the way from college students who have just graduated to middle managers who have lost their job to workers in the sunset of their career. "I get up — I check out the job market — I send out a few resumes — and I never get a call back!" "What should I do?"

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE.

It's easier said than done. But the reality is, there are more workers than jobs out there right now. And the premium jobs (management) are disappearing at a rapid pace due to productivity gains, technology, and the current economy. Check out this article.

BUT WHAT CAN I DO?

One option is to start your own business. It's never been easier in the history of people working. To start your own business, you need to clearly understand a number of areas:

• Knowledge of the Marketplace - is this needed?, is there a market for this?, are people willing to pay you for it?
• Drive & Hustle - a 'get off your ass' attitude to make it happen AND a drive to help you through the hard and complex times.
• A Vision - what is the future of this business?, where is it going?, who is your competition?
• A Mission - what are you going to do . . . exactly?
• A Plan - what are the steps, the timing, the resources, - the who, what, where, when, why and how?

Now you might say — "Start a business? How will I make money?" Let me give you an example:

There's a small shop in Kentucky called Gil Hibben Knives. You might have heard about them. Gil makes knives. Really good knives.

In addition to manufacturing his own knives, he runs classes where he teaches people to make their own knives:

• It's only offered once a month.
• The class runs for one week, each day from 9 AM to 5:30 PM.
• He only allows four people in each class. (he can probably run the class by himself)
• The classes are held at his shop in LaGrange, KY. (hotel, travel, food, etc. are your responsibility)
• He charges $995 for each participant.

The classes are FULL for the rest of the year.

Let's do a little broad math here: $1000 X 4 Students X 12 = $48,000/year.

And that's only working one week per month! This model allows him to work on manufacturing and other projects the other three weeks of the month! And let's be honest here — his site is pretty basic — it does the job, but anyone can do the same thing to market their services and wares. What I'm really saying is that it's pretty easy — don't let your mind develop obstacles.

And let me hazard a guess . . . he probably LOVES what he does.

So if the corporation work environment is slowly collapsing/changing — maybe you should strike out on your own and start that business?

It will be hard — it will tax you — but in the end, it will be well worth it.

P.S. I know there will be commenters who will say, "He's a famous knifemaker!" or "He's had his business for years!" or "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah". You may be right, but from my viewpoint, they're just more obstacles you're putting in your way — moving you from success to mediocrity and failure. Get out there and do something!

The Rules Of Job Hunting Have Changed.

Bob Weinstein, a reporter who has interviewed me a number of times on job search, business, and career issues, has hit another home run again yesterday in the Connecticut Post, one of CT's largest newspapers. A whole article about job hunting rules from ME (click image or here to enlarge).

Bottom line:

• Take stock of all social media sites where you have been posting information.
• Step back and view each site with a laser focus — is there anything unprofessional?
• They are looking — especially LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.
• Use these sites to enhance your professional image and stature in the industry. 

A big shout-out to Bob — he's in a rarefied class all by himself - professional, understanding, and informs readers with solid and clear advice.

How To Always Make A Great First Impression.

“First impressions are often the truest. A man's look is the work of years; it is stamped on his countenance by the events of his whole life, nay, more, by the hand of nature, and it is not to be got rid of easily.” - William Hazlitt Absolutely. Every time.  

Whenever you are on an interview or meeting a client for the first time or entering a conference room with another department — first impressions COUNT.

• The way you look.
• The way you comport yourself.
• The way you smile and greet people.
• What you say.
• How you react to their response.

In about 5-10 seconds, you've already decided whether you like the person or not. Your opinion may change once you get to know them better, but your first impression will linger for a long time.

But here's something not said by most professionals: It's the successive mini-impressions that will solidify their first impression — and this is where most people screw up.

After the first 5-10 seconds, a first impression is generated. They've made a snap, emotional decision whether they like you and they begin to categorize you. Will you be a friend or enemy? Helpful or a drain? A resource or waste of time? A qualified applicant or another loser?

It's then the subsequent mini-impressions that make the difference:

• What comes out of your mouth.
• How you react to their questions or comments.
• How you take what they say and improve upon it.
• How you compliment/notice them.

Bottom line — you need to deliver maximum emotional intelligence and empathize with this person. Get your emotional antennae up, feel and listen.

The better you are in delivering a good first impression and then buttressing it up with successful mini-impressions, you'll hit a home run.

What do you do to deliver a good first impression? Have you ever started out badly and turned it around with successive mini-impressions?

5 Tips On How To Treat New Employees.

Whew! After a phlanx of interviews and resumes, late nights, early mornings and lost lunches, you've just hired that new team member. Now you can sit back and focus back on work. Not so fast. It's important as they're new boss to make this transition period in their life bump- and trouble-free. It will not only behoove you, but will also ensure that your new hire is happy, engaged, enthusiastic, and motivated.

What most managers don't realize is that the new team member has been interviewing and they might still be on the market. Any inclination or occurrence to upset the apple-cart might make them flee quickly. So it is in your best interest to keep them happy.

1. First Impressions — Have someone greet them when they arrive (either you or your assistant) on their first day. Bring them up to their desk, let them get settled, and have a short, 10-15 minute meeting planned first thing in the morning just to temp-check. Also, make sure that everything (and I mean everything) is in place — their desk, supplies, laptop, passwords, systems, software, phone, and paperwork. One thing that gets the new hire to question the efficiency of the company is to drop the ball at this time.
2. Plan Their Day — If your company has an orientation process, great. If not, have an itinerary on their desk with meetings, paperwork to fill out, and time for them to learn the basic communication platforms. Make sure that you schedule a lunch with them to discuss three things — their current responsibilities, what you expect of them in the next week/two weeks/month and get their feedback. After lunch, when you return to the office, send them home at around 2-3 PM. Why? Most people are pent-up with anxiety and nervousness the first day — show them that you care by letting them leave early, regroup, and come back fresh the next day.
3. Plan Their Week — Schedule a series of meetings with their peers, subordinates, and any other superiors. Tell everyone these are introductory meetings — 'getting to know you'. This will give them a better lay of the land, understand what everyone is doing, and how they fit in. It also makes them feel part of the family. And it gives the people a chance to meet 'the new person'.
4. Eliminate Obstacles Quickly — Inform them if anything is in their way (people, processes, things) or if they have any questions, stop by and let you know ASAP. It shows that you care and are willing to work with them. If it's something you can't do, help them get around the obstacle. If they are unreasonable, listen to them. but be firm about their objection. Also, let them know that you encourage mistakes, so they are not hesitant to try something without constantly bothering you.
5. Get Their Feedback — At the end of the week, set aside some time to get their impressions, ideas, and feedback. Having someone who listens is critical at this juncture — the weekend is the decision-point for most executives — whether to stay or flee. So your job is to get them to open up, deal with any objections, and help them acclimate to their new environment.

Years ago, at one of my new positions, I contemplated leaving the company at the end of the first week — what they advertised in the position was nowhere near what I encountered. So I met with my boss and let him know. He said, "Rich, I like you and feel that you are perfect for this position. Come back to me with a plan to change your position and we can discuss it." I came back Monday with a new plan and he embraced it immediately. I stayed for six years.

What do you do to make your new hires feel more comfortable during their first week on the job?