Strategies for Effective Resume Writing and Interviewing: Job Search as Sales Process
NATIONAL CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
Leslie Combs
Vice President
March 13, 2013
AGENDA
• What’s going on in job search today?
• What’s a resume?
• Best practices in resume writing.
• Selling yourself
• Closing the deal
RESUME WRITING – BEST PRACTICES
How does it look?
Common Structure
• Contact Information
• Summary
• Professional experience
• Education/Professional development
• Additional activities/qualifications/accomplishments
Attributes
• Correct information
• Accessible contact points
• Professional email address that includes your name
• Messages that greet a caller professionally
Pitfalls
• Children’s voices, musical notes, songs or cute messages
• Using the number “1” or lower case “L” in email address
• Tying up your home telephone with internet usage
• Errors and/or formatting that makes it difficult for people to contact you
Example
John Q. Public
123 Main Street (123) 456-7890 Mobile
Hometown, ST 12345 (456) 789-0123 Home
RESUME WRITING – BEST PRACTICES
Contact Information
Attributes
• Creates a strong statement of experience, areas of expertise, technical or professional skills and traits
• Targets attention and creates interest
• Contains key words relevant to your profession
• Creates a match to what your target market desires
Pitfalls
• Doesn’t depict your uniqueness
• Too short or too long
• Does not communicate professional level and industry
• Unclear as to what you want to do and where you might fit
Example Innovative and flexible healthcare executive experienced in management of acute and sub-acute facility operations, financial planning and data analysis, strategic planning and staff support services with a strong record of turning around operations. Leader in change management and transforming departments into high performance teams. Skilled in problem solving, management, and cross-functional team building. Key competencies include:
• Strategic planning • Project management • Union relations
• Resource management • Quality improvement • Recruitment/Retention
• Budget/Analysis • Change management • Performance management
RESUME WRITING – BEST PRACTICES
Summary
Attributes
• Provides a high-level job function description
• Frames key, brief accomplishment statements that capture actions and results
• Outlines statements that show the best of what you did and are relevant to your next role
• Have measurable results that convey value to organization in money, time, percentages, if possible
Pitfalls
• Accomplishment statements that do not pass the “So What?” test
• List tasks without organizational impact • Use unfamiliar terms and uncommon
acronyms • Too much detail reflecting “how” rather
than “what.” Save the “how” for the interview
Example
Saint Hospital, Town, State 2002 – 2004 Director of Nursing Operations
Managed patient care services at ___ for all impatient units including the Emergency Department (ED), Critical Care, medical surgical (including pediatrics) and geriatrics with 220 FTEs, operating budget of $13 million, and revenue of $55 million
• Developed and maintained cohesive management team of six managers. In absence of Vice President, Patient Care Services, responsible for hospital-wide patient care operations.
• Achieved 24/7 operation of a new 6-bed Clinical Decision Unit in the ED for better capacity management, more effective use of nursing staff, and improved customer service
• Created 12-bed Geriatric Unit as a new inpatient service with emphasis on patient safety, patient confidentiality, and efficient workflow.
RESUME WRITING – BEST PRACTICES
Professional Experience
Attributes
• List degrees, institution, and special achievements
• Include relevant professional development
• Relevant technical certifications and designations
Pitfalls
• Overlooking valuable aspects of educational experience
• Inaccuracies
• A laundry list of every course
• Overlooking leadership roles from volunteer and community activities
Example Education
MBA Management, University, Location BS Nursing, University, Location Certification
• Nursing Administration, 1995. Recertification, 2000
RESUME WRITING – BEST PRACTICES
Education / Professional Development
RESUME WRITING – BEST PRACTICES Additional Activities/Qualifications/Accomplishments
Attributes
• Role titles, organization, and dates in role
• Write out designations, licenses, and awards
• List organizations, publication names
• Creates relevant points of connection
• Demonstrates professional and personal uniqueness and multi-dimension
Pitfalls
• Associations that may be a values or interest conflict to an organization or interviewer
• Personal and family information • Acronyms and abbreviations • Too much information • Don’t create redundancy with your
professional experience
Elements
ADDENDUM: May require second page
• Teaching experience
• Publications
• Patents
• Training
• Licenses, designations, credentials
• Community associations
• Professional associations
• Awards
EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING
IS SELLING.
What do I need to know?
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing
• How much interviewing experience have you had?
• How long has it been since you last interviewed?
• What do you like / dislike about the interview process?
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing Methods & Approaches
Interviewing Approaches include:
Traditional
• Inquiry, respond, and frame exploratory questions
Strategic – WIIFT
• Focus on organizational challenges and strategy
Behavioral
• Performance based probing around how you handled different circumstances
Psychological Assessment
• Probing around motivation, stress management, integrity, attitude, change, adaptability, approachability, and can include emotional and intellectual problem solving, situational leadership analysis and role-play
What Surprises people?
• CIDS Applications and Interviews
• Theoretical problem solving
• Exit & Probing around Failures
Interviewing Methods include; screening, telephone, one on one, panel discussion and behavior based
SELLING YOURSELF
Importance of Interview Preparation
• To better position yourself, your talents, your skills and your experience as a solution to their challenges
• Aids you in cultivating a win/win offer
• Increases your odds of success
• Helps you in predicting and preparing yourself for any potential surprises
• Your time is limited; maximize the time you have to sell yourself
Who you need to talk to prior to your meeting?
Network for information with:
• Employees, current & former
• Vendors and suppliers
• Competitors
• Recruiters who know you and know the organization
• Government Officials
• Stock Analysts
• Attorneys
• Consultants
Gather information from these sources for insight regarding:
• What is the culture of the organization?
• What are the key issues the company is facing?
• What is the company’s reputation?
• How do things get done in the organization?
• How has the organization changed and why?
SELLING YOURSELF
Interview Preparation
What do you need to discover prior to your meeting?
• Research the interviewers
• Google and LinkedIn yourself and them
Research Published Information – Industry Trends, Company, People
Trade Journals
Intelligence on Executive Team
Financial Data
– SEC.gov
– 10K Wizard
– Hoovers.com
– Edgars.com
– Bloomberg.com
– Dun and Bradstreet
SELLING YOURSELF
Interview Preparation
• Develop list of questions
• Take notes to the interview
• Use SOAR format to frame your stories
Situation
Obstacles
Accomplishment
Results
• Find out who will be conducting the interview
• Establish how much time is planned for the interview
• Logistics
SELLING YOURSELF
Interview Preparation
SELLING YOURSELF
During the Interview
Tips for Success
• Listen for opportunities, which you can solve; probe for needs and ideal candidate criteria
• Listen carefully to all questions and make sure you understand what is being asked; tack a follow-up or probing question on to the end of your answer every other question or so
• Be aware of your non-verbal cues (i.e., clothing, grooming, posture, interest, eye contact, hand gestures)
• Pay attention to the interviewer’s non-verbal cues, too
• Uncover as much information as possible about the position before going into details about your background
• Always respond in a positive tone, watch your rate of speech and tone
• Tailor and expand your positioning statement accordingly
• Postpone salary discussions until an offer is made
• Look for buying signs and stop selling when you see them
SELLING YOURSELF
Concluding the Interview
• Summarize key points
• Ask them for feedback (i.e., thoughts about your candidacy)
• Ask if there is an internal candidate
• Ask if this is a newly created position
• Ask what the next steps are and sense of urgency
• Clearly communicate your interest in the opening with 2-3 reasons that underscore your fit and potential contribution
• Arrange for a specific date and time for your next contact with them and preferred method of contact
• Make notes about the interview in private
• Send follow-up / thank you letters immediately
SELLING YOURSELF
Common Pitfalls
Sensitive Topics
• Birthplace
• Age
• Birthday
• Nationality
• Race
• Arrest record
• Marital Status
• Plans for having children
• Ages of children
• Hobbies / Activities
• Sentiments about unions
• Disability of physical limitations
Traps to Avoid
• Do not dominate the interview, listen carefully
• Be careful not to show signs of nervousness
• Never be critical of past employers
• Admit if there is something you do not know
• Never underestimate the influence of ‘gatekeepers’
SELLING YOURSELF When You Get the “Salary Requirement” Question
Defer
• Acknowledge question, but do not answer
Inquire
• Respond with a question, putting the ball back in their court
Reveal
• Give a range as a last alternative
Know your worth
• Conduct market research on salary compensation by title, size of company, revenue, geography and cost of living differentials including taxation
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing Exercise
• What questions do you most dislike to be asked during the interview process?
• Do you have prepared answers you can use when you get these questions?
• What are some questions that you should be asking?
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing – What Employers Look For
• Intellectual ability
• Results orientation
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Management skills
• Team orientation
• Maturity
• Presence
• Chemistry, competency, character, compatibility, communication, compensation
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing – Tough Questions
• Are you satisfied with your career progress?
• Where do you see yourself in your career over the next couple of years?
• Why are you leaving (or did you leave) your most recent position?
• What responsibilities did you enjoy most in your last position?
• How would you describe your leadership style?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What prepares you to do this job?
• Do you think that you might be overqualified for this position?
• Has your work ever been criticized? What was said?
• Do you object to taking psychological tests?
• What is your experience with boards?
• What is your experience with investors?
• What is your experience with crisis management?
• What was your most difficult decision and why?
• Are you more strategic or tactical?
• Tell me about your relationship management abilities with peers, boss and direct reports?
• How do you handle conflict?
• What would people say about you?
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing – Psychological Screen Questions
• How do you decide what to do and when to do it?
• What is one thing a company could possible ask you to do that you would absolutely refuse to do?
• What would you do if a customer you had a great relationship with suddenly started changing their relationship with you – bordering on avoiding you?
• How do you motivate people?
• Do people ever ask you for advice? If so, give me an example of one of those times.
• What do you lay awake at night or in the morning thinking about?
• Do you believe work should be fun? If so, what would you do to make it that way for your people?
• Are you competitive? Please give an example.
• How do you create profit?
• Do you need to be your own boss?
• Do you feel so strongly about something that you will work with all of your energy to change some one’s mind who doesn’t agree with you?
• How did you handle a problem employee or employees?
• What is your attitude toward authority?
• Can you change a person’s opinion with facts?
• Do you think change is a good thing? Explain why you fell that way.
• Do you think about the past, present or the future?
SELLING YOURSELF
Interviewing – Asking the Right Questions
• What are the key responsibilities of the position?
• What are the expectations of stakeholders?
• What are the key challenges to be faced in the first 30, 60, 90 days?
• What resources available to accomplish responsibilities?
• What is the reporting structure and level of authority?
• What are the performance measurements?
• How is the corporate culture experienced by new talent?
• Was there an internal candidate for this role?
• Does the role have an enterprise wide focus or a functional focus?
• What does the organization most value?
• How would you describe the organization’s culture?
• Please describe the organization’s founders, and its history?
• What do leaders emphasize the most?
• What does success mean in this organization?
SELLING YOURSELF Interviewing – Asking the Right Questions (cont’d)
• How would you describe the best managers?
• What is controlled the most?
• How do decisions get made?
• When power is used, what does it look like and what happens?
• How is the organization, department structured?
• What does it feel like to work here?
• How would you describe the leadership approach that is most effective here?
• What kind of people move up in the organization and where are leaders drawn from ?
• What kind of people fail in this organization?
• How is the organization’s compensation structured?
• How is the annual budget determined?
• How is innovation encouraged?
• How independently can people make decisions and take action?
CLOSING THE DEAL
Etiquette: When You Receive An Offer
• Thank them for the offer
• Tell them that you’ll review the offer and connect with them
• Develop an offer decision matrix benchmarked against what you had in your previous role
• Consider whether this is a vertical, lateral, realignment, or completely new role and industry
• Conduct research on total compensation packages before negotiating
• Have your bottom line number clearly in your mind
• Negotiate dollars first and everything else after
• Be clear in your priorities and giveaways
CLOSING THE DEAL
Etiquette: Everything is Negotiable
What to Negotiate:
• Total compensation has multiple components
Base
Bonus
Sign-on
Long-term compensation
Stock options
Stock grants
Severance
Vacation
Relocation package
401(k) plan start date
Professional licenses
Professional/Trade associations
Educational Assistance
• Revisit base compensation in 6 months based on performance
• Working remotely rather than relocating, negotiating schedule of working onsite
Some Negotiating Pointers:
• Know what is non-negotiable for you
• Start with points of agreement and go from there
• Understand the employer’s priorities and parameters
• Start with a complete list of requests
• Consider including some items you can easily yield on
• Get the final offer in writing
27
THANK YOU!