Blog [ Original ]

Sometimes you just need to Start Over

February 16, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

The first impression is the most important. First impressions are heavily weighted on what you look like with a dash of energy thrown in. Give the wrong impression and you are out. No question about it.

First impressions apply to consultants and coaches too. How will someone trust me to give professional advice if I don’t give a first impression of confidence and competence? I have to look the part to get the gig. Just like a job seeker!

Recently I started a new adventure offering videotaped insights through NEOBizTV targeted to the business community. This is a great opportunity to share my message about the hiring process with more businesses. I was excited to get started!

I arrived at the studio with my comments all organized, several changes of clothes and a big smile. Everything went smooth… until I saw the final product plastered all over YouTube.

Who was this person? And who let her out on videotape in public looking like that! ACKKKKKKK!!!!

I’ve never been so mortified in my life. After calling to have the worst of the segments pulled from sheer embarrassment I sat down to think about what to do.

I want to look pulled together, attractive (because why not), well dressed and well organized so people could focus on my message. I want to make a great first impression.

Clearly I am missing something about the way I present myself. My first impression is lacking something important but I can’t put my finger on it (otherwise I would make a better impression!)

I need a makeover to get a better image. And I need it fast so I can be prepared for the next taping segment. This is war!

I googled “image consultants near me” and got access to a service called “Thumbtack”. I typed in the problem I was trying to solve and four consultants contacted me within 24 hours! Two weren’t right at all but two were very interesting. I selected the consultant who was closest to my age who worked in PR for much of her life. We met yesterday for a makeover.

Linda from Les Concierges put me at ease right away. She did her homework by looking at my website, pictures of me online and she viewed that awful video. She had a plan!

I brought my bag of clothes for her review. “This is awful, that won’t work, ugh”, she gently but clearly communicated. Piece after piece of my wardrobe fell away because, as I saw on the videotape, it just didn’t work. Turns out I need to wear jewel colors like bright blue, Kelly green, and red, not the beige and grey I’ve been wearing. Jewel colors brighten my face and hair and make me feel energetic. The real “me” shines through instead of being brought down by those dull colors.

We did a little shopping and I found bright tops and a cool jacket plus some pretty scarves. I now have two outfits I can mix and match for videotaping and for speaking engagements. I sent a picture to my daughter Marissa and she said, “You look hot! Buy that outfit immediately.” So I did!

Bottom line: We all have to make a good impression. We all want to look good because it makes us feel good. When we feel good we act more confident and make a better impression. Job seekers, consultants and anyone who wants to get ahead need to get a second opinion to make sure you are projecting your best impression.

Get a consultant, get a make-over or a second opinion. Look younger, more energetic and more in tune with today and you will get ahead faster! At least I hope so!! My career depends on it!

Build Targeted, Relevant, Engaging Business Networks

February 12, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

It is well established that the best way to create a great match for a candidate and for the employer is networking. LinkedIn is one of the best tools to connect people with companies, from either perspective.

But what is the best way to use this powerful tool without being a pest? There must be more to it than just accumulating contacts.

There is!! The trick to making a great connection is building strong relationships.

I had the opportunity to hear some thoughts about LinkedIn networking from Doug Crose, Senior Enterprise Relationship Manager at LinkedIn at a staffing conference recently. I took away two important ideas:

Do not propose marriage on the first date. It just scares people away. Jumping into a serious discussion about job opportunities when you first connect with someone is the equivalent of proposing marriage on the first date! Don’t do it! Just like a marriage proposal, you have to build up a relationship before you can talk about the really serious stuff.
Make your LinkedIn correspondence targeted, relevant, and engaging. Many clients struggle with how to network. What do you say? I struggle with this too sometimes. The solution is to consider how the other person will read your note. Make it targeted to something important to that person. Make it relevant to them, not just to you. Find something you have in common or some question you want to ask that you think the other person has an interest in. Think of something creative or engaging to catch the other person’s attention.

Interesting, huh? It makes perfect sense. If we met someone at the coffee shop or at a cocktail party you would not blurt out important information or your life goals. You would proceed slowly. You would ask questions to get the other person talking. You would look for something you have in common.

Same is true when candidates network for a job or companies network to find candidates. The process is the same.

Here are a few steps to using LinkedIn to build relationships.

Find people who can lead you to companies or people you are interested in meeting.
Check out their profile on LinkedIn.
Can you get at them through a group? If not, then join one of their groups so you have something in common to make a LinkedIn connection.
Send a request to connect with a personal note about how you know them or something you have in common. Do not just use the standard LinkedIn invitation text.
When they accept your invitation to connect, send them a note about something targeted that is relevant to that person. Your goal is to begin a conversation that extends at least three or four email exchanges.
If the conversation continues in a positive fashion, suggest meeting for coffee.
At coffee, continue the discussion and expand to include other work related topics. Do not ask if they know about jobs. The answer is usually “no”. Be prepared to talk about what you are currently doing and what you want. Let the conversation gently move towards your elevator pitch and your ultimate networking goal. But if it does not, then just consider the coffee one more step towards building relationships.

Relationships are two way streets. Building strong relationships does not always end up in a job offer but without strong relationships it is not possible (or much less likely) to get what you want.

Try making your networking targeted, relevant and engaging to the other person so you are not proposing marriage on the first date. You are bound to get further towards your goal!

Replace Frantic Energy with Calm Confidence to Get the Job You Want

February 9, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

I remember a few years ago, the director threw a disappointed look in my direction. “You really need to stay on pitch. Keep practicing.”

It was a dream to be singing a Broadway musical, Children of Eden, with such a talented group; on my bucket list actually. I screwed up my courage and auditioned for Voices of Canton last fall then struggled to keep up with these experienced singers. I sang loud enough to get noticed for a small solo but had trouble getting it right. Over and over I tried. As we inched closer to opening night I got more and more frantic because I still missed the mark.

Then in the final dress rehearsal, after another awful attempt this time in costume with lights and an audience, Loren pulled me aside and said something that finally opened my eyes. He said, “You are trying too hard. When you push like that you push your voice further off target. Just relax and sing the notes.”

Wow! Really? It couldn’t be that simple. I went home with renewed enthusiasm to try again. Anything was better than what I had been doing.

I pulled out the music and went over it softly one note at a time. I realized that the soundtrack I had been singing with repeatedly in the car was the problem. The actual notes were different from what the singer sang on the soundtrack. Over and over I repeated the actual notes to correct the mistakes I learned from the CD.

Two nights later, 20 minutes into the first act, it was time. I stepped out into the light and sang the correct notes on pitch, clearly enunciating the words. Impossible! I did it correctly. As I returned to my seat Loren nodded in my direction. Finally.

Just relax and let the music flow out. What a concept? A life changing concept.

We all have moments like this. The concept applies to many situations.

Job seekers start out optimistic. They believe they can do the seemingly simple task of finding a new, better position or get that promotion they deserve. As time goes on, they start to doubt themselves. If money is running low, they start to get frantic and push harder in any direction hoping that something will happen.

Frantic candidates push too hard during interviews, pushing so hard they push the hiring managers away. We say desperation comes out of the pores like garlic. You can smell it.

Frantic energy misses the mark most of the time. Frantic energy pushes people away.

Brian Tracy said, “You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts.”

You can tell when you are frantic. Your thoughts and blood pressure race. You seek any combination of solutions that might work. When that happens next time, consider your energy. Take a deep breathe. Look at your notes again. Then put your notes aside. Stand up straight. Look out into the lights and let the music come out of you naturally. It will if you let it.

Take a few moments today to consider the energy you put out into the world. Isolate the frantic energy. Stop pushing frantic energy out into the world.

Figure out a simpler way to approach the problem. Follow your plan. Then relax and let your knowledge, skills and abilities sing out clearly into the world. The positive energy will flow back to you in the results you seek.

You Can’t Get What You Want Till You Know What You Want..

February 5, 2016 By Katherine Burik

“You can’t get what you want until you know what you want,” a great line from a Joe Jackson song in 1984. I always liked that guy.

Job seekers often sing that tune. Dean called the other day. He is sick of working in call center hell. He can’t take one more day. He would love to work in some field that uses his first love, photography, but he is not sure exactly how to make that happen. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants so he can’t find what he wants.

Briana called too. She has a fabulous education. She kicked around for the two years since graduation working on interesting but dead end positions in non-profit and education. She is not sure what else to do to get her career started. The problem is she is not sure what she wants. No one will help her figure that out. Plenty of people will move her along once she narrows down the options.

Adam worked for a year teaching math in Dallas public schools for Teach for America. Now he has the credentials but isn’t sure that is what he wants to do for the rest of his life.

Insurance companies and financial services firms prey on folks making a transition from one thing but not sure what is the next thing. They make their jobs sound so secure and enticing. Everyone needs insurance, right? Everyone has money to invest, they tell weary job seekers. You just have to ask your friends. But most people are not suited for this kind of work. It is yet another detour for those who do not know what they want.

When you know what you want, the path is clear. Then you can say no to some things and yes to others. You know which path to take. Cliché after cliché is out there about knowing the right path to take. It is true.

If Dean wants to work in photography then why can’t he work in photography? I’ve seen his photos. He is good. How can he make a living with photography? Brainstorm with Dean for a minute:

He can open his own studio
He can work for a marketing or advertising agency
He can work in big companies that do their own photography
He can work for hotels or resorts that offer photography

I bet there are lots more ways a person can use photography. Each of these ideas is a path to follow. Researching these ideas reveals people to talk to who can add information and leads to the search. Follow several concrete leads at once. But nothing starts till you narrow down what you want to do into concrete ideas.

You can’t get what you want till you know what you want. Start there. The Interview Doctor can help put the pieces together from there.

Riddle me this, Batman!

February 2, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

What happens when you have had 34 interviews and no job offer?

Answer: Nothing.

Jack (not his real name!) called me the other day totally frustrated with this exact situation. I coached him on interview skills last year. He thought he was doing everything right but he was getting no results.

I was stumped too. So we had another session together, this time on Skype. We both thought having a video discussion would give some insight into what was going on. Maybe the problem was with his physical presentation and not his words?

The mock interview went well. Jack’s responses were great. He clearly loved his career and had great stories to share about his accomplishments. His response to “tell me about yourself” could be a little smoother but his other answers and his stories were wonderful, more than making up for any fuzziness in his initial response.

There must be something else going on.

Listening is critical when I coach. I get a great deal of information from what you, the candidate, thinks.

You are in the situation. You are absorbing the clues and cues during the interview. Somewhere deep inside, you understand what is going on. It is usually difficult to express. But the key to solving a persistent problem like this usually lies inside.

Jack said he has been told he appears to be very serious, he does not seem passionate or enthusiastic and they wonder if he can handle difficult situations that come up in his somewhat political career.

Huh. These are important clues to what might be going on.

Jack loves his career. I mean he really loves to talk about it and he has great stories about real accomplishments that made a difference in his community. He goes out of his way to research each opportunity, even visiting the location to talk to people so he can get context to frame his interview responses.

He is a serious guy. Wait a minute. Maybe we are on to something!

Every hiring manager is subconsciously trying to answer three questions, whether they know it or not: 1) Can you do the job? 2) Will you love the job? 3) Will you get along with the team.

Take another look at what Jack has been told: he does not seem passionate or enthusiastic. This could be a way of saying they are not sure you will love the job. If you won’t love the job how committed can you be to do that job for 8+ hours a day? So perhaps he is getting dinged for the way he expresses his passion?

He has also been told that they are not sure he can handle difficult situations in the job. Maybe that is a way of saying they are not sure he can get along with the team or get the team to do what they need done? Perhaps he is being dinged for the way he gets along or convinces people.

Even one “no” to the 3 questions probably means you are not getting the job. Perhaps Jack can adjust the way he expresses his passion and his ability to influence?

I am a big believer in DiSC behavioral assessments. When I described the elements to Jack we both agreed that Jack is probably solidly in the “C” Conscientiousness quadrant characterized as precise, analytical and reserved. He doesn’t express much emotion in his face. But he can flex a little!

Jack is absolutely passionate about what he does. He will practice smiling and engaging people in conversation more. He practiced a little on our call. It will take a while before he feels comfortable but in that little time he looked less serious. He will fake it till he makes it!

Jack has a track record of getting along and getting his ideas approved through influence. He needs to demonstrate this more in interviews. He will practice observing the behavior style of others so he can give the interviewer what the interviewer needs to see in the way the interviewer needs to see it.

If you have had too many interviews and no job offers, it might not be what you are saying but the way you are saying it. Let someone (a coach, a trusted friend, The Interview Doctor perhaps) help you pull out what might be going on so you can work on a different way of presenting yourself.

Blog [ Original ]

The first impression is the most important. First impressions are heavily weighted on what you look like with a dash of energy thrown in. Give the wrong impression and you are out. No question about it.

Get a consultant, get a make-over or a second opinion. Look younger, more energetic and more in tune with today and you will get ahead faster! At least I hope so!! My career depends on it!

It is well established that the best way to create a great match for a candidate and for the employer is networking. LinkedIn is one of the best tools to connect people with companies, from either perspective.

Try making your networking targeted, relevant and engaging to the other person so you are not proposing marriage on the first date. You are bound to get further towards your goal!

I remember a few years ago, the director threw a disappointed look in my direction. “You really need to stay on pitch. Keep practicing.”

Figure out a simpler way to approach the problem. Follow your plan. Then relax and let your knowledge, skills and abilities sing out clearly into the world. The positive energy will flow back to you in the results you seek.

You can’t get what you want till you know what you want. Start there. The Interview Doctor can help put the pieces together from there.

What happens when you have had 34 interviews and no job offer?

Let your inner strength and accomplishments shine through your behavior!