Great Tips From A Retained Recruiter.

I love Reddit. Many years ago, a retained recruiter hosted a huge 'AMA' (Ask Me Anything) post. They delivered great responses which were spot on. Here are some of the best (please disregard the grammar - I wanted to preserve the questions asked):

What To Wear

Q: I have an interview at a small eCommerce company (~10 people). I was told by the recruiter that they hired, that they have no dress code and they wear sweat pants and stuff. If the atmosphere is that casual, would it be unwise to suit up for the interview like I normally would?

A: I think you should always wear a suit and tie to a first round interview. If one of the interviewers tells you that you can come back more casually for a second round, then do so, but always a suit in the first.

Q: What is the best thing for a girl to wear for a business professional interview? I've googled, done research, asked people and I keep getting conflicting answers. What is your take?

A: Just look professional. I said before that a pants suit/skirt suit doesn't make a hell of a lot of difference these days except to maybe an ancient law firm partner who thinks pants are for men and the kitchen is for women. Jacket, blouse, skirt or pants suit, you'll be fine.

Leaving Your Company

Q: How do you answer the question "Why are leaving current company?"

A: With an honest answer. Either they're not offering you new challenges or the opportunity for advancement, you see a downward trend, you have a genuine interest in the business of the company you're interviewing with, any number of reasons. You better have a damn good, honest and compelling answer for this one because this is an extremely important interview question.

I'm A Bad Interviewer

Q: Do you think there's ever a case where someone interviews poorly but is otherwise a great worker?

A: Yes and good interviewing techniques should be able to distinguish this. A truly "poor" interview by a good candidate should only be due to nervousness. Those who can't clearly articulate their experience and positions usually aren't top candidates.

Short Time At A Company

Q: What's the best way to handle a very short period at a company? For example, a candidate that switched jobs only to find that the new position isn't a good fit or the company is collapsing and now they're looking again after six months. Should you list the month of hire on the resume, or just leave the year and let the recruiter/manager infer a range? Is this a big hurdle or a little one when it comes to getting an interview?

A: Here's the Catch 22 with this. It's not appropriate to list "reasons for leaving" with every job on your resume but it also doesn't look great when you only have 6 months at one place. It's also kind of tough to fudge by using years only instead of years with months - unless you've been in the workforce a while, it looks like you're hiding something. If you've had a bunch of jobs for about a year, you're going to look like a job-hopper anyway so I wouldn't worry any more about it. If it's an aberration, then you might want to put an RFL as a small subtext but I'd stay still skip it.

Salary Discussion (remember - this is a recruiter answering)

Q: What's your advice for handling the "what are your salary requirements?" question. Sometimes, I hear this right off the bat; I don't like to answer because it depends on benefits and other factors. Some recruiters insist on getting a number and get sort of angry when I say "no".

A: You can't avoid this. It absolutely needs to be discussed. First you need to know what your motivation is in seeking a new job. If it's money, that's fine. If it's skills, that's even better. If it's money, phrase it like this: "I'm currently making $X with a planned yearly raise coming in June that will bring me to $X. While I'm happy at my current role, I feel under compensated based on what my colleagues at other firms are earning and I would be looking to earn $X+10 for this role based on my experience and what the market is bearing." If it's experience: "I'm currently making $X and can live comfortably on that. I don't see much in the way of future growth where I'm currently at so I'd be looking for an equivalent package with your company, ideally with a small cost of living bump to cover me during the transition between jobs."

Summary & Purpose Areas On Résumé

Q: Most resumes open with a "purpose" or "summary" or some such thing. Simply put, what should you put in there? Action-sounding or attention-grabbing words? Aggrandize yourself? Make demands? Maybe even a dry joke?

A: These sections seem to be getting longer and longer, mostly as a result of lousy "outplacement" services. Summary and Objective are two different things. A summary is only appropriate for a senior level professional and even then, I'm not a huge fan of them. They're more a tool to explain a skill set when a person has had a non-traditional or (for lack of a better word) "choppy" work history. An objective line should in one or two sentences, relate your experience to the job you are applying for. These should always be short, to the point and relate both to YOUR SKILLS and the SPECIFIC JOB YOU ARE APPLYING FOR.

College Degree Different From Past Jobs

Q: I work in a technical field but have a BofA degree in a totally unrelated non-technical subject. How should I handle it? Sometimes I get asked about it in interviews. Should I even bother mentioning it in my resume?

A: Sure, always mention your degree. You don't want people to think you didn't go to college! Just tell them how it is - you pursued your passion in college, enjoyed it, realized it wasn't a career and then got a job where you learned the skills you need in your current career. Stress the "on the job" training part of it. What you learn in college is rarely translatable to what you end up doing day to day and showing a hiring manager that you understand this will demonstrate that you are aware of your own strengths and weaknesses... which ties nicely into another standard interview question.

Should I Make That Résumé Follow-Up Phone Call?

Q: All day I've been browsing advice on the "resume follow-up phone call". Some hiring managers say it is annoying when someone calls just to check in with no purpose, while others say it shows they care about the job? Thoughts? Also, I see widely differing opinions on whether you should try to set up an interview during the follow-up call. Please help me navigate this, I need to do it tomorrow!

A: If you can take an honest look at your application and think you are a good fit for the job, not someone a company should "take a chance on" then you should make the follow-up call. If you have the ability to push for an interview then by all means go for it but I think in most situations you'd come off as overly aggressive.

Why Aren't They Calling Me Back?

Q: Here's a question, because I can't keep stressing about it silently. What's the deal with small companies that bring you in for around 10 interviews (you meet and get on with everyone there), give you homework to do, are totally impressed and need the weekend to 'talk to some people and figure out an offer, but we'll be in touch on Monday." Then Monday comes and goes and you don't hear anything, so you email them nicely on Thursday to 'stay on their radar' and they say they'll discuss the next Monday. Then THAT Monday goes by, you send another email, and this one isn't responded to. That was last week. What's going on?

A: They're meeting other candidates. Don't stress about it. Any company is going to do this and smaller ones are pretty notorious about letting feedback deadlines slip, with candidates and otherwise. Pick up the phone and give someone a call there. A voicemail might not get you a callback in this situation so I'd block your number (*67), call the switchboard or a direct line and if you don't get the person you want, try back again later, don't leave a VM. Bottom line here is they brought you in ten times because they're interested. They still are, just looking at other candidates to feel secure in their decision to hopefully hire you!

10 Tips For More Successful Presentations.

Yesterday, I presented in front of a Fortune 50 organization and spoke on the subject of 'Closing The Sale'. It's a near and dear topic with me and I feel EVERYONE needs to always brush up on their closing techniques. I was so happy to receive hearty applause from the group when I finished — many team members came up to me afterward to shake my hand. During the entire morning, I realized I've 'built-in' a number of successful habits when I deliver presentations and I thought I would relate them to you — so here goes:

1. Pack up the night before.

I check (and double check) all of my files, my laptop, my projector and all of the peripherals/cables needed the night before. I ensure they are packed and ready to go in the morning. I know of so many instances when people forget things for their presentation — a cable, adapter, handouts, etc. and it makes them spin into a tizzy prior to their presentation. Prepare.

2. Arrive early.

Really early. Hours early. I arrived at my location at 6 AM to set up my laptop, projector and to check if everything was ready to go. I can't stress this enough — nothing went wrong, but if something was amiss, I had ample time to repair it.

3. Greet everyone as they come in.

I make it a point to stand by the door to greet people as they enter. It breaks down the 'wall' which develops with presenters and the audience. They get to meet you, ask questions, you can ask questions of them — it's a win-win for everyone. In addition, you can find out more about them and position your talk to their needs.

4. Build an intro slide.

I always have my laptop powered up, my projector running and an intro slide with me welcoming people. Usually my slide would say GOOD MORNING TEAM! It's a nice way to greet people AND it is a great excuse to have my entire setup on and ready to roll for my presentation. I hate when presenters are introduced and they are fidgeting with their laptop, projector, and cables to get everything running.

5. Ask if everyone is 'READY'.

I always begin with a slide (after the title slide and introduction) to stop and ask the audience if they're ready. It jolts them at first but then I get a resounding 'YES!' and their attention is on me and their blood is pumping.

6. Ask a lot of questions.

I make it interactive and ask the audience a lot of questions — "Has this happened to you?" — "How do you feel about this?" It allows me to keep the volley moving between speaker and audience.

7. Use the audience as examples.

During my pre-talk greet with the audience, I get to know their names, professions, and some of their worries. During my presentation, I might use them to reinforce a point I'm making by singling them out and using them in a fictitious example. They always agree with me and everyone around them gets the message — they could be next!

8. Watch the clock.

I always ensure I've locked down the EXACT length and time to present. Hosts ALWAYS try to cut it short, so I make sure I meet with them prior to the talk and clearly define MY time on stage. I then reiterate my start time and end time and in a very nice way let them know not to cut it short. It seems every host has a secret need to let their people out early and I have to head that inkling off at the pass.

9. Always leave time for questions.

Know when to stop and leave time for the audience to expand on what you just presented. Not only does it clear up some things for them, it allows them to flourish you with accolades in front of the audience.

10. Be available after the talk.

I always buffer additional time after all of my speaking gigs to allow the audience to meet me, speak with me, ask questions, and exchange cards. I get a LOT of business that way. So stick around and be available — I find there usually is a line of people ready and willing to reach out and touch you.

Four Powerful Questions To Ask Yourself This Season.

Most people use New Year's Eve (and Day) to plan forward for what might be in store for 2012. And that's a good thing. During the holidays, I try to look back at what happened over the past 12 months and ask myself a few simple questions:

1. What went right?
2. What went wrong?
3. Who did I help?
4. Who helped me?

Why? It's a great way to assess your growth, your track record, and to clearly see who is important in your life. I try to develop a list of bullet points under each question to ensure I am concise and targeted for each question. Let me break each one down:

What went right?

I always like to start with a positive — it gets me going and I dive right into any exercise. What did you do right this year? What decisions really paid off? What directions did you take which delivered increased revenue, energy, or positive challenges? What client not only loved you, but came aboard with gusto?

Next Steps: Keep doing this.

What went wrong?

What didn't turn out as we expected? Where did one of our decisions go off the tracks? Who did we expect to help us and they dropped the ball? What client didn't come through? What has been going along swimmingly and then all of a sudden stopped, disappeared, or caused a major upset?

Next Steps: Stop, reassess, and change direction.

Who did I help?

This is by far the most important question for me (and probably for you too). With my guidance and abilities, who did I reach out to and give them guidance, assistance, or direction? How did I use my talents to help them do their job? How did I help them make more money? Build a stronger client base?

Most importantly, how did I help them when they were down?

Next Steps: Who else can you help in 2012? How can you help more people?

Who helped me?

This is the one we always forget. This time of year is for reflection on those special people who went out of their way to help us grow our business, strengthen our career, and make us a better human being.

Next Steps: Send each of these people a personal letter or card telling them how much they changed your life. Do it today.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. How did you like this article? Let me know. Are you interested in what coaching can do for you? Let's talk. I work with people from all over the world who have the same questions — and we developed a successful and actionable plan for 2012. I schedule infrequent complimentary sessions — catch one today.

Image provided by Rich Gee.

How To Become Unfireable – Part Six: It's Who You Know.

Here’s the cold, hard truth:  

You not only have to have a lot of friends, you need get out there and meet new people, Period. End of story.

If you don’t want to do that — you will be expendable.

But most people don’t like to ‘network’. Well then . . . don’t. Connect.

In my opinion, the clear difference between Networking and Connecting is:

Networking: What can you do for me?
Connecting: What can I do for you?

It's my definition, my differentiation, and here's why I don't like networking:

• It's all me, me, me.
• It's the clammy science of collecting business cards ad infinitum, of cold-calling strangers to grill them about possible openings or beg them for a favor.
• When most people don't like networking, it's because of the slimy nature of glad-handing strangers and constantly asking for something.
• It's impersonal, it takes the average executive or entrepreneur way out of their comfort zone.
• I know when I meet someone and they network with me — I immediately see through their facade and want to get out of there ASAP.
• To the best of my knowledge, no one likes to be 'networked' to.
• Networking is awkward, it's artificial, and more often than not, it doesn't work that well.

Connecting is different.

• It's noticing people, schmoozing with them, keeping in touch with them — and benefiting from them. You connect with people in a mutually productive and pleasurable way.
• You concentrate on the other person. Try to ask questions, minimize your blabbering, and listen to their answers.
• You build a solid relationship and try to connect with them on many levels.
• Instead of selling, you're seeding. You plant the seed of your capabilities, service, or product but you don't overtly go for the kill.
• You build the relationship to do something for them. To help them professionally or personally. It might be an article they are interested in, a piece of information, or even an introduction to someone you know.
• In the end, the relationship supersedes the sale. Every time.

So how do you connect? Here are the steps:

1. Be inquisitive. Ask a lot of questions and follow up questions. See below for the process.
2. If they ask about you, answer their questions, but don't go on. You need to focus on them.
3. Try to find a way to connect with them — find a common place to share — maybe a location, a school, a business, a friend, something.
4. Ask follow up questions, "You live in Stamford? What part? High Ridge Road? I grew up near Rippowam High School!".
5. Once you make the 'connection', you begin to build a rapport of trust between you and the person your connecting with.
6. Each subsequent question, follow-up question, and connection will build a stronger friendship bond between you.
7. When concluding the conversation or meeting, try to ensure you have some sort of deliverable or to-do for the person. It might be an article, a web site, an acquaintance you might know — to give to them at a later date. Do something for them – Givers Gain.
8. Ensure you do what you say you're going to do.

What is the process to connect? Read this story:

"You are in front of a big, white home. You look down and see the mailbox, you look up and see your whole family waving to you, leaning out the top windows of the house. You look over and see a beautifully, ornate chimney with a huge, yellow, leather work glove sitting upon it with all five finger pointing in the air. The glove is holding an old, wooden tennis racket and a bi-plane (like the one Snoopy flies) breaks through the strings of the racket, flys around your high school, comes to a soft landing on your football field and touches the goal post."

This story is a mnemonic. It teaches you how to connect with someone by encapsulating key questions within an inane, weird story you'll remember. Let me break it down:

• Mailbox - Hi, my name is Rich Gee. What's your name? Where do you live? What part of Wilton?
• Family waving to you - Are you married? Do you have kids? (if they say no, don't feel uncomfortable, just say, "Boy are you lucky!"
• Huge leather work glove - What do you do? Where do you work? What is it like to work there?
• Wooden tennis racket - What do you do for fun? What are your interests?
• Bi-plane - Do you travel for business? Did you go on vacation this summer?
• High school - Where did you go to school?
• Football field - What sports are you into?
• Goal post - What goals are you shooting for this year?

All I ask is that you try it. I used to do it all the time waiting for my daily train to work. Standing next to someone, I would say something witty ("Seems like the train gets later every day as it gets colder."), get them to smile, and then introduce myself. The hint with each question is to be enthusiastic and use many follow up questions. Be inquisitive and have fun!

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. If you're having problems connecting with people, let's talk. This is one of the main areas I tackle first with all of my business clients. If you’re not a client . . . grab your spot now before all the spots for October are taken. Time is getting short.

Top 7 Best Questions Coaches Ask Their Clients.

A lot of people ask me, "What happens during a coaching session?" and "What questions do you ask?". A coaching forum that I frequently read actually posed this question. Many senior coaches (including me) responded. Here are some of the best:

1. "Recently, how would you rate your over all life satisfaction on a scale of 1- 10? 1 being "extremely unsatisfied" and 10 being "the best days of my life"?
2. "What are you willing to do to move your life forward?"
3. "What will it take for you to reach the point where you don't need my help again?"
4. ""if you were guaranteed success, what would you do?""
5. "How would you describe yourself to me? How would others describe you to me?"

And my two favorites:

1. "If the answer is you, what is the question?"
2. "What is the one question you are hoping I won't ask you today?"

Feel free to ask yourself these questions — I think you'll be surprised with the answers.

Which one is your favorite? Which one motivated you?

Why Networking Is Dead — Part One.

Look, everybody does it. It's the hard and fast rule of business — to succeed in the marketplace, you need to get out there and shake some hands. Motivate the masses. Network with the crowds. Well, I say that's wrong.

Networking is a very impersonal, awkward, and most of the time, unsuccessful process professionals go through to meet someone and get something from the person they meet. Whenever I hear the term 'networking', I think of a slimy used-car salesman in a seersucker suit, white belt, and white shiny shoes. Yuck!

I like to CONNECT. What's the difference between connecting and networking?

Networking: Ingratiating yourself into someone's space, telling them all about you, and asking for help, an item, or service from them.

Connecting: Meeting someone (preferably with an introduction), asking questions about them, listening to their response, asking more questions, and then offering help, an item, or service TO them. While asking questions, you find a subtle (or overt) area to make a connection —where they live, what they do, where they went to school, anything. Connecting happens in the moment.

The difference? You Ask Questions, Listen, and Give Them something. Not the other way around. It's called Seeding. You plant seeds when you connect — they germinate and grow, and someday that person will be doing something for you. It's not deceptive, it's reciprocal. You do something for them, they do something for you.

What's the biggest reason why you should Connect and not Network? When you network, once the person realizes that the conversation is all about you and what they can do for you — a wall of glass goes up. The person immediately knows that you want something from them. And they endeavor to slowly extricate from the interaction. I see this happen ALL the time. It used to happen to me.

In addition, the fastest way to connect with that person is to turn the conversation towards them, learn more about them, understand their situation, their needs, and their problems/obstacles. You are then in a prime position to focus in on their needs and deliver a personalized solution.

Tomorrow, in Part Two, I will show you HOW to connect. It's easy, simple to do, and best of all, FUN.

10 Ways To Guarantee Clients.

Okay — let's get down and dirty with this post. You want clients, you know they're out there, and it's just a matter of getting them to see you and closing them effectively. Here are 10 ways you can get A LOT closer to some of your best clients, pull them in, and make them YOURS:

1. Develop Value & Status It's simple: The more expensive a product is, the more the prospect infers better quality. The more it makes them successful, more hip or more accepted by their peers the more they value it. How can you build in value and status into your product offering - from the minute they hear of you to the final closing sale statement?
2. Be Prepared Know who your best prospects are, where they are located, where they go, what they do, when you can approach them, how you can approach them, and the most important — why they need you. If you have these answered (I've taken many of my clients through this in about an hour), your success rate will double.
3. Look Professional You are in business. The more that you define 'business' and the less you define 'hobby', the more successful you will be. Bottom line — you have to spend money to make money. Look the part, dress professionally, carry professionally designed and printed cards, have a professionally produced web site — play the part.
4. Act Confident & Composed First impressions are key — you need to have the right attitude and appearance. Smile, approach the prospect, be the first one to speak, welcome them, smile, look into their eyes, be interested in them, stand straight and tall, stand up/no sitting when meeting, don't carry a lot of bags and SMILE. You know your business cold — act like it.
5. Take Action . . . Frequently So many people get themselves all ready to go out and conquer the marketplace, but are afraid of taking the next step by actually doing it. Get out there and touch your prospects. Make that phone call RIGHT NOW. Send that letter TODAY.
6. Ask Lots of Questions & Listen Make this meeting about THEM, not you. Learn all about their day, their business, their goals, their obstacles, their business interactions, their vendors, their family, and even their shoes. The more that you learn about them, the easier it is for you to position and inculcate your products and services into their life.
7. Deliver Solutions Selectively When I sell a prospect, I don't barrage them with a myriad of offerings and services. I ask questions, listen, and pitch a single solution. If they bite, great. If not, I ask them what's holding them back, and then I either modify my current offering or pitch an alternate solution. Too many people try to show the whole store in one sitting — that's a mistake.
8. Go For The Close Too many people out there don't know how to close. Here are a few simple close phrases that you can use. Remember, once you say it to a potential client, shut up. Let them respond. Too many people blabber on and lose all the power of a perfect sales close. (many of these come from my friends on the LinkedIn Group, Sales Playbook!): - "How does that sound to you?" - "Does that sound fair?" - "When would you like for us to get started?" - "If everything looks good, why don't you go ahead and approve this and I will take care of all the details." - "So, let's do this. I will be here every step of the way to make sure everything goes exactly as we discussed." And my favorite: "Sounds like you want to go ahead with this."
9. Go Above & Beyond Once you get them as a client, don't sit back and catch your breath. This is the most important time to quickly manage their expectations and serve them. Follow up and send them a thank you email and mail a personalized, hand-written card. Endeavor to deliver the first step of what you agreed upon ASAP, exceed their expectations. This one little action will define your relationship for a long time.
10. Be Persistent If they need to think about it, give them space, but ensure that you have a solid follow up date and time to get back to them. If you can, make it an in-person meeting and try to bring additional information or answers they might need to that meeting. If they turn you down, it's usually about fear of spending money or lack of information about your product/service. These are two areas that you can remedy pretty quickly with some basic follow-up sales questions.