Interviewing

Past Performance Predicts Future Results?

November 17, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

The quarterly investment statements arrived this week. I love that dark reminder at the bottom in tiny print: Past performance does not necessarily predict future results.

I can be confident of my investment choices based on my observations of circumstances, environment, and other factors influencing results. Investment comes down to informed guesses.

It is impossible to predict financial future results with 100% accuracy but it is possible to make informed guesses that move me in the direction I want to go.

We place a great deal of emphasis on past performance in a lot of areas of our lives. In recruiting and job search we are trying to guess which candidate will help us achieve our future goals. Short of throwing a dart, the only evidence we can evaluate to make an informed guess is the candidate’s behavior during the interview and a peek into past performance.

I had two experiences recently from both sides of the job search spectrum seeking to utilize past performance to predict future results.

A client searching for a Social Media Designer called to understand how to ask questions that will help him hire the right person based on past performance.
The other day my daughter Marissa called to prep for interviews in distribution and supply chain for summer internships in her MBA program. She was told to prepare for behavioral interviews.

We start at the same place in each situation: What is the outcome, the positive, wonderful thing that happens because someone is in this job? We can call this the performance expectation or the critical success factor. Think big picture.

What is the performance outcome that happens because we hire a social media expert in a small business? The client thought this through and figured that probably 1) revenue goes up because the market expands, 2) brand recognition grows, and 3) more people are exposed to the product through different mediums.

What is the performance outcome that happens in the distribution and supply chain business interviewing Marissa? Marissa got out a pencil and paper and figured that probably 1) able to anticipate customer needs leading to increased customer satisfaction and increased revenue, 2) upsell between divisions through better coordination, and 3) increase collaboration and proactive market responsiveness.

By understanding the performance expectations, the company can create questions that will see whether the candidate has prior performance that predicts whether he or she can also perform in this job. The candidate can be prepared with stories that demonstrate whether he or she can perform in this job.

It gets down to the stories. Do the stories the candidate tells about his or her prior experiences convince you that he or she can do the job successfully in your company?

We created a little chart to help Marissa prepare for her interview. From the candidate’s perspective, by understanding the performance expectations and company culture Marissa can prepare stories to support her experience.

The same kind of chart works for the client company preparing for interviews. Understanding the performance expectations and company culture, the company can prepare questions to solicit stories about performance experience. For the sake of simplicity, let’s look at Marissa’s job from the company’s point of view.

The stories are the way candidates share their experiences and companies evaluate past performance to see whether that past performance predicts whether that candidate can reasonably deliver on the performance expectations.

In this way we turn behavioral interviewing on its ear by making the behavioral interview fit the performance expectations! Are you interviewing smartly to get at the performance behind the behavior? What are you learning from the 30 Frequently Asked Questions about the ability to perform or fit into your organization?

Change the way you interview to better predict future results.

Where to Find References?

October 23, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Are strong references important to you in landing a great new job, linked to your accomplishments?

Of course they are. And yet, I find (as a recruiter) that too many candidates assume that the co-worker or boss or subordinate or vendor with whom they had a good-to-great working relationship will ‘have their back’ when they get that reference call, without giving them the respect and attention they deserve in this process. References need attention, regular updates, at a minimum, a phone call heads-up whenever their name is submitted (as a reference.)

Are good references hard to get? Depending on your circumstances, they can be. If you are in a position and being considered for a job outside of your current organization, how do you get references from people you see every week?

Or what about the relationships you had with a company that no longer exists, and maybe your best references from that experience now live in another state? Or what if you have worked and paid your way through college, yet haven’t worked in a professional job, and now have a shot at a ‘professional’ position, yet no professional references appear to be available because this will be your first ‘professional’ position?

If you are in one of these trickier situations, it compounds the ‘where to find references’ issue.

Anticipate one of the questions for an interview will be references and ask yourself, what are the multiple-purposes of a reference?

References validate stated accomplishments. References validate character. And references help an employer understand the person’s strengths and weaknesses, and understand how they would function as part of their team.

If you want your reference to confirm for the hiring manager all the good things they thought, and allay any concern about a glaring weakness, if you want your reference to talk about your pluses and minuses in a way that makes the caller want to say, ‘I must hire this person!’ then ATTEND TO YOUR REFERENCES like the final key to open the door to that offer.

Here are five tips to finding and maintaining good references:

1. Identify eight-to-twelve current and past associates; you want to ask them judiciously. A larger number of references will give you some flexibility; three for one position is usually sufficient.

2. Schedule a confidential visit with each potential reference; ask them in person, if the situation would develop, would they ‘be willing serve as a reference? ‘ If buying them a breakfast or lunch makes them more comfortable with your work-history and your story, do it.

3. If they no longer live in your community, turn in to Robert Downey, Jr., alias, Sherlock Holmes. ‘I have no way of reaching my past boss’ is NOT acceptable.

4. Follow up with them after you’ve submitted their name as a reference, and ask them for feedback on the reference call. You can learn valuable information casually when you ‘attend to your references,’ and

5. Treat them as members of your fan club; send out regular updates via e-mail or social media on your next-job pursuit. Let them know when you accept a new position; and stay connected.

This job-change process is rarely a one-time event. You never know when you might be able to do them a favor, or ask them to help you in the future.

If you attend to your references with respect and timeliness and gratefulness, you’ll find the references you need to move to that next great position.

Avoid Job Interview Traps

October 9, 2015 By Katherine Burik

A client, David, asked recently why I thought it is a trap to answer how long you plan to stay at a particular company. Good question.

A trap is a setup, a deception, possibly a ruse. It is a trap if you are not sure whether the answer you give will help you or hurt you.

Interviewers are human. They come fully equipped with opinions and biases that they do not reveal, or perhaps even understand themselves. But you can tank an interview by stepping in a personal bias trap. I have lots of examples of interviewers with biases.

Philip was a finance executive I worked with once. He rejected candidates who said they were looking for a home with a company they could work for a long time. He could not understand why someone would want to work for the same company for a long time.

Philip also believed that only defective people got laid off. He believed that people can and should move from company to company periodically to advance their careers. Philip had never been laid off and had changed companies several times to get ahead quickly.

If Philip asked you in an interview how long you planned to stay if you were hired, what would you say? You do not know about his point of view. You just met him.

If you say you are looking for a place you could work for a long time, where you could really make a contribution, Philip would reject you. He wants someone who values career advancement over long term contributions. You fell into a trap. You are out.

Another interviewer might insist on hiring only people who want to work for one company for a long time. You never know exactly what the interviewer wants to hear. That is what makes an answer a trap. The same answer can be right or wrong depending on the interviewer. This makes it risky for the candidate.

It is ok to adjust your answers to some questions to be a little vague until you know what you are facing.

At least until you can judge the interviewer’s biases and point of view, or decide whether you will fit in that workplace.

Here are some interview questions that could be traps. Structure your answers in advance to be a little cagey, preserving your flexibility to share honestly or covertly depending on the circumstances:

How long to you plan to stay?
Why did you leave your last assignment? Be vague to avoid discussions about past employers and sticky departures. Use the least amount of words to tell the truth and change the subject.
What kind of salary are you looking for? Too low or too high and you are out. Defer response as long as you can with answers like, “I am sure you pay competitively.” “My salary needs are competitive with the marketplace.”
What other companies are you speaking with about jobs? The interviewer will judge you based on your answer. If you are not talking with other companies you might lower your value to this company. Drop too many names and you look unsteady. Go for a vague, “I have several other opportunities. Tell me about…” Change the subject to something about this company.
What do you like to do in your spare time? If the interviewer is a big active sports fan and you say you like to watch TV, you might trigger some bias. Adjust your answer to move the conversation towards something you see in the interviewer’s office. See lots of golf stuff, give a vague answer and ask about his golf game.
Why haven’t you obtained a job so far? Beware of biases against those without a job. Do not talk about how frustrated you are. Talk about volunteer work, research you are doing, people you are meeting, networking, or how you are moving your job search forward.

Think about your answers in advance and evaluate whether the answer can get you in trouble. Avoid controversy that could exclude you until you are able to evaluate the company to make your own decision.

Have you ever felt an answer you gave during an interview got you eliminated from consideration? What was the question? What did you do about it? Twitter your answer or let me know in the comment section below. We want to learn from your experience!

If you liked this blog, please share this blog with your friends. We can help make your job search shorter and more successful! Contact The Interview Doctor today.

Do you know the value of what you are selling?

September 8, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

The Interview is a Sales Call. Lou Adler states it quite clearly on LinkedIn in a post called: “Change the World: Treat the Interview as a Sales Call.”

This is not a great revelation. In fact, if you don’t get this, you’re likely going to be disappointed with your interviewing results, either as a candidate or as an employer or hiring manager.

The bigger question for me is “who are you”? Do you have something of value to offer? What makes you special, and can you back that up with results?’

If you have figured that out in your mind and in your heart, you will hire the right people more often than not, you will receive offers when you interview, and you will land in interesting positions because you will make it interesting with your added value.

Three ideas I would suggest that will help you figure out who you are or who you want to be, and how you will learn to articulate value:

1. Live with a mission. Create some high expectations, define those expectations in writing, and live that mission every day.

I work with a company who recently decided to redefine their customer service, which was already pretty good, as ‘wicked awesome service.’ Now most of their employees who’ve been exposed to their new mission like that phrase. ‘That’s who we are,’ they say. In fact, defining that as part of their mission actually raises the bar of customer service expectations for everybody, and employee ownership of their ‘wicked awesome service’ gives that company an edge, including when they interview candidates.

2. Get comfortable talking about what you do with other people.

Some very talented people I know stumble and mumble when you ask them about their accomplishments. They’ve done some great work; they just prefer (at least somewhere in their heads) modesty over braggadocio. Unfortunately, Milquetoast doesn’t work when you want a better job. It’s not rocket science; talking about yourself takes practice. Those who do it well get more better-job offers because they understand and can articulate why they are a valuable member of any team they join. It’s not bragging; it’s just being candid and honest. Try it. It will get easier over time.

3. Be someone who always makes a contribution.

What’s the difference between a young person who is in eighteen different activities, and a young person who really cares about one or two things, and learns to excel at those certain things at an early age? Who adds value when they’re 25? In my experience, the blue-chipper is the person who really cares about something, and gives that something her or his all. They become people other people admire; they make the contributions that others say, ‘how did they do that? They are amazing!’

This is true for companies and for people. When a company gets really good at making or providing one particular product or service, people will flock to experience that passion, and that added value. And in interviewing as in life, we all need some raving fans. You create your raving fan base when you decide you will always make a contribution.

Do you know why you are valuable? How do YOU figure it out?

Lead with confidence in your next job interview

August 28, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

No one is going to give you your next job or promotion just because you are qualified. There are lots of people who are qualified. The one that gets the job is the one that makes the best first, second, and third impression. The one who fits in best with the rest of the team is the person who gets the job.

confidence There are two ways you make a great first impression.

The first part is physical – the way you look when you step through the door.

Smile. A real smile that starts in your eyes and moves to your mouth. Even if you are nervous at least pretend to smile. You will grow into it if you try.
Dress the part. Look like you will fit in. Dress a little better than the others. Wear a suit and tie.
Body language that shows that you mean business. That includes great eye contact, a strong handshake, and great posture. No slumping. Sit straight like your mother taught you. Look the other person in the eye with a twinkle and smile in your eyes and extend your hand in a positive gesture of friendship. Not a wimpy, wet handshake but a strong grip.

The second part is confidence that comes from inside you – from being prepared, from knowing you are the right person for the job.

Know what you want and why you should have it. No one can do that for you. Do not look at the interviewer for the answer. You will not do anything. Deep inside you is your secret desire for a particular role in which you know you will excel.
Have a great response to “tell me about yourself” that expresses who you are and what you can do for the team. You have one minute to give a 30,000 foot overview that draws a dotted line between your experience, what you bring to the table and the job you want.
Be confident. Not smarmy, cocky, or aggressive but a calm that comes from being prepared.