Browse Interviewing Skills

Let's call a spade a spade, being unemployed can be quite stressful. Nothing ever prepares you for being unemployed which makes it harder to deal with. However, with the right attitude, you can navigate out the unemployment waters. Part of that navigational knowledge requires knowing how to deal with LinkedIn. Here are a few tips to help you out.

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It's guaranteed to happen to all of us at some point in our interviews; we get asked about our salary expectations and if you were not coached on how to answer the question, you can immediately disqualify yourself. The salary question can be very tricky because you don't want to say something that is too high or too low. So, what do you do? Luckily for you, I've put together a few ideas for you. How To Discuss The Salary Question In An Interview

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It happens to everyone and you are definitely not alone; interview nervousness. The way I always looked at it was if you're not nervous for an interview, then you really don't care about the job. If you are nervous about the interview, that shows that you really care and it's something important to you because you want to do your best. How Do You Overcome Interview Nervousness? Preparation

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I've been noticing a trend with many of my clients when discussing interview tips, tricks and secrets; they all want to figure out how to tackle questions related to their skills. Now, without a doubt, you must be prepared to discuss your background and experience, that's a given. I want to put that aside for right now and discuss passion and how it relates to interviewing. It's Your Passion, Not Your Skills, That Get You The Job

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Do you remember when you were being let go, fired or reduced? It probably felt like the worst day of your life or maybe even unfair and unjust. The reaso I say this is because I recently watched a movie, Up In The Air, and it had a great a quote in it. George Clooney plays the main character and when he fired someone he would say, "Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's *because* they sat there that they were able to do it."

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Have you ever been to a networking event to realize that the conversations you're having are very short? Or do none of your contacts, friends, family, etc seem to want to help you? That's because no one wants to network with you! Why? Because you're a stingy networker; you only think of yourself. Networking is a two way street and if you're going down a one way road, you will lose the networking game. Here are some ideas to get rid of that mindset and to flip your networking around.

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I was talking to a prospective client yesterday and he asked me, "How do I make myself memorable in an interview or when networking?" We discussed a variety of tactics which will surely help him out, but there was one that stood out. We were talking about a specific chapter in How To Win Friends and Influence People; "Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language." Let's discuss.

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As a college student or recent graduate, it can be intimidating trying to find your first job. One would think, in today's market, entry-level job seekers stand no chance... and that couldn't be further from the truth. As entry-level job seekers, you will make mistakes and that's okay. You can only read so much valuable information on websites, books and from networking. Making mistakes is a good thing because you will learn from them. Entry-Level Job Seeking Mistakes To Avoid Here are 3 mistakes that you can easily avoid today to help keep you on the right track.

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Are letters of recommendation still used today? In some cases, yes and in others, no. It depends on your level of experience and the type of job you are applying too. In today's world of high volume recruiting, recruiters are turning to LinkedIn for recommendations. Is there anything wrong with that? Absolutely not. It does not really matter the form of recommendation that you have as long as it speaks positively and highly about you. The majority of all job seekers will need recommendation letters so you should learn how to tackle them. Tips for recommendation letters

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At some point in our lives, we all have to write a resume. Unfortunately, no one ever teaches you how to do it. What I would like to discuss with you are 4 supercharged resume words to help your resume get the attention it deserves. Word selection within resumes can make or break your chances of landing the interview! Without further ado... Spearhead - Enhanced - Consolidated - Executed Spearhead

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Sometimes it can feel as if the hiring process is this vague, ambiguous, mystery of a process. Because of that, the rumor mill has been spinning hard producing hiring myths. I want to talk to you about 5 hiring myths that most people believe, but fortunately, are not true! Hiring myths done MythBuster style! Hiring Myths Myth #1: Resumes should only be one page:

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Everyone always has questions about what interview questions they will be asked. In today's job market, that is a great thing! Hiring managers and HR professionals want candidates that are fully prepared and are giving the best interview possible. We tallied our top five interview questions that are asked in various interview types. However, it is important to note, that all questions are asked differently. By this we mean, "Tell me about yourself" versus "How would you describe yourself to a stranger?". Two different questions, but both looking for similar answers.

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It does not matter where you are or what job you are looking for, every person can use an advantage when searching for jobs. The best and easiest advantage is knowledge. We review 5 common job searching problems to help you take a second look at your job search strategy so you can maximize your chances of landing the job of your dreams.

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Interviews can always be a bit stressful and that is okay! It means you really want to do well and that is the first step to having a good interview. Below, are some tips to overcome the interview jitters. Night Before the Interview: - Interview Prep: Be sure to do some interview prep prior. You can visit our site for interview prep or interview with a friend, family member or neighbor!

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Have any of you read Glassdoor's Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions? If not, I have copied in the questions below. Glassdoor compiled the top 25 weirdest interview questions for 2013. I want to talk to you about the questions and strange interview questions in general. - “If you were to get rid of one state in the US, which would it be and why?” - Asked at Forrester Research, Research Associate candidate. - “How many cows are in Canada?” - Asked at Google, Local Data Quality Evaluator candidate.

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...but what you can do for your employer! We have all heard President Kennedy's most famous speech and you know it's about our country not employer. However, let's consider this for now. What if every CEO across the world said this; Ask not what your employer can do for you, but what you can do for your employer. What would happen? Honestly, I do not know! But, I do know that regardless if it is asked or not, it's something we should be challenging ourselves with.

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Remember the days when you could write a resume and send it to all of your potential future employers? When you could just walk in with your resume on nice cotton paper? Well…times have changed and you should not be thinking of that anymore. You now need to be thinking of, "How can I get past the Applicant Tracking Software?" First, we must state that there any many answers to this question such as networking, but today we will simply focus on Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) and your resume.

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"If I had a million dollars put into my savings account and I didn't have to work anymore, what incentive would I have to work for your company?" Wow. What a bold interview question; I agree! I honestly believe that only someone who is practically guaranteed to get the job should ask a question like that or unless you won the lottery the night before. :-) This got me thinking however, are you asking the right interview questions to your interviewer?

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Defining your brand for the interview can be tricky. When you sit down, you know who you are and what you can offer, yet how do you know that is the "right" brand to present in the interview? Or maybe, you've heard about all this branding talk, but don't even know what it means. Well, let's discuss...

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As an ex-corporate recruiter, I have more stories about candidates tha I would ever be able to write about . Maybe one day, Bill Cosby will say, "Candidates say/do the darnedest things". We want to share with you today a few stories that stick out in our minds to this day. While we will not share any identities, the reason for this article is because this is NOT the way you want to be remembered.

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If you have not read our section on employment verifications, please do so here. We give good insight into understanding what they are and how they can affect the offer process.

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For some reason, the thank you note has lost its style, its pizzazz in today's world. As with any thank you in life, a thank you letter can go a long way, but people have forgotten how to send a thank you letter. Seeing that it is Thanksgiving time, we thought it would be appropriate to discuss the thank you letter. Lets try and bring it back with the tips below. rn[space5]

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As winter is fast approaching so follows the recruiting slow-down season. Most job seekers do not realize that winter is the slowest season for recruiting in most companies. We must note that we are not including traditional seasonal hiring; including retail employees, Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas stores, etc... This is from the full-time employee perspective.

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We are always focused on how to land a job that we will read any book or blog on it, but what about how not to get a job? What I mean by this is that we focus so much on how to do the right things, but never an emphasis on how to avoid the bad things.

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Today's behavioral interview questions are designed to root out your experience in a particular area and see if it's relevant to the job you are applying too. I had the opportunity to ask a VP of Human Resources at a major pharmaceutical company what her favorite behavioral interview question was. She told me that she asks this question in every single interview she has. "Tell me about a time when you received surprising negative feedback."

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It does not matter where you are in your life; mid-career or seasoned, employed or unemployed, director or entry-level. We all need to know how to launch a successful job search in order to find our next job. Before we describe our steps, we must first help you understand you! Think of yourself as a product or service. Every product or service you can think of has a brand behind it. Some of the world's best brands are McDonald's and Disney. You know exactly what they look, what they do, what they sell, etc. We can continue on, but you get the point.

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With the holiday season right around the corner, we have some job searching and interviewing tips for you to stay off the naughty list. rn[space20] - Don't Post Any NYE Facebook Pictures: New Year's Eve is a very fun time for all of us and there is nothing wrong with going to a great party. What we caution you to do this year, however, is to restrain yourself and friends from tagging you in any photos. These can be found by prospective employers and immediately put you on the naughty list. The same goes for YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, MySpace, and Google+.

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Did you know that 75% of hires in the United States are made by referrals? This means somebody you know knows somebody who is involved in the hiring process or can at least get your resume to the right person. The question is then, how many people do you know? Hiring managers and recruiters hire new employees from referrals because they are coming recommended. They trust the word of their current employee that who they are referring is a hard worker and become an asset to the company.

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I've been noticing a trend with many of my clients with whom I help to improve their interviewing skills; they think the interview is about themselves! They believe that they are doing all the talking and answering all the questions so why wouldn't the interview be about themselves? My response to each person has remained consistent, "You must learn to flatter the interviewer." At the end of the day, people will hire people that they like and trust. Here are some tricks to do just that. Learn To Flatter The Interviewer

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If you have not heard this song yet, please click here. This song was released in July of 2012 and is already a world-wide sensation. It has hit the Guinness Book of World Records for most likes for a YouTube video and has over 350+ million views.

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You want a new job or you are in transition, either way, how you can find a new job if no one can find you? It’s simple, you have to put yourself out there in order to be found. People believe that if you simply have a good LinkedIn profile and apply to a lot of jobs that it will click after a while, but that could be furthest from the truth. If people do not know you, why would they want to hire you? Increase your chances by taking the time to increase your online reputation in your professional industry.

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There it is. You see it in your inbox. The subject is titled "Interview Request". The sender is from a recruiter with the company you just applied at. Your heart starts pumping, you are excited, and you feel a sense of relief. You have sent hundreds of resumes out and finally have received a response. You click on the message and it reads: [space5] Dear (You),

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I felt it was time for a controversial article, so here we go. What's the deal with recruiters? When I say recruiters, I mean headhunters. There are so many questions and controversy surrounding them and I felt it was time to address this.

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We all ask ourselves this at some point in time, "Do I need resume help or not?" Why do we ask this? Because we all go through career changes in life and we want to land that next job. However, let me ask you this? If you wanted to have a procedure done, would you go to a doctor or do it yourself? If you needed a new roof on your house, would you hire a roofer or do it yourself? So, why is it different with resumes? Why are you trying to do someones else's job in which you're not trained for? Why are you writing your resume yourself?

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Job searching is the most important part of......finding a job! That's right, ground breaking news. Since we know this obvious point, than why do people spend so little time on it? Many people feel that because they either have good experience or a good degree that any company will give them a job. While in a few rare cases that is true, for the masses, it is not. Because of that, I want to share a story with you that I am going through currently and help shed some light as to why you need to start your job search yesterday.

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I feel that it is time to reveal the secret to having the best interview possible. Now, everyone has their own methodology for interviewing and that is great! I would encourage you to add this interview secret to your arsenal of interviewing techniques that you are already using. What is the best way to interview? This is a tactic that every person can use no matter what profession, industry or level you are at. It is a tactic that some of the highest level executives use consistently.

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No matter what kind of job you are interviewing for, there is a high probability that you will be asked the question, "Tell me about yourself". The common belief by most people is that this is hardest question to be asked in an interview. Why? Because there is no definitive answer to it. It is a question that you must practice and be prepared for.

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Are you getting interviews, but no offers? You have to stop, think and ask, "Is it me?" It may be and you do not even know it. Knowing your interviewing habits may seem tough, but with some practice you will be able to spot them. You simply need to make yourself aware of them, improve on them, and get back out there. Below, we have listed some of the bigger habits that are seen in the majority of interviewers.

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It does not matter what kind of job you want or the industry you are looking, just about every interview is the same. The interviewer asks a few questions about you and you ask a few about the company and you are hired based on a gut feeling. When hiring anyone, there are no facts to go off of, it really is simply a gut feeling. If we know this is the case, how do we increase our chances?

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Today's job market is really tight out there. Job seekers are trying every tactic possible to give just the slightest edge against other job seekers. What you may not realize though is that those very tactics could be hindering your job search efforts. Job seekers need to learn the recruiters brain in order to get the job they want and job seekers must now wrangle with ATS systems. We explain them in a prior article.

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In my former life as a recruiter, I have seen hundreds of thousands of resumes and of them, no resume was the same. Long ones, short ones, some as big as your head (for anyone who remembers the lovely bunch of coconuts song)! Even with all these different kinds of resumes, all of them had the same consistent resume mistakes. What most people needed was a resume review, but they are either too scared to do it or they feel the friend who looked it over was good enough.

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My high school teacher once said to our economics class that "We only have one first impression when meeting someone so why not make the most of it?"

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You applied to the job and were offered a chance to interview in person. You couldn't be happier! Then you find out Hurricane Sandy is coming your way with bad weather. All throughout the world, weather hinders peoples ability to get to an interview.

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When you get an interview call after applying to hundreds of jobs out there, your elation is natural. You research about the company, its work culture, and prepare yourself for the interview. You also talk to people to find out how to crack the interview. You also read blog posts on the same. Some of the questions job seekers fail to ask themselves before getting down to preparing for the interview is: what do the interviewers want from me? What is he/she looking for?

Published · 1,162 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

When you get an interview call after applying to hundreds of jobs out there, your elation is natural. You research about the company, its work culture, and prepare yourself for the interview. You also talk to people to find out how to crack the interview. You also read blog posts on the same. Some of the questions job seekers fail to ask themselves before getting down to preparing for the interview is: what do the interviewers want from me? What is he/she looking for?

Published · 994 views · Rated 4.5/5 from 2 votes

Have you ever wondered why you do not hear back from recruiters? Well to answer that question, there are many aspects of the recruiting/interviewing process that we must understand. As with anything in life, there are needs and wants. For example, I need to eat food; I want a new car. With recruiters, they need a candidate, but want a great candidate. With job seekers, we need a job, but want the job of our dreams. Job seekers, however, may not always have the luxury of time to be picky, while the recruiter can wait months to find the right candidate.

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I had the opportunity to speak with a VP of Human Resources and I would like to share with you something I learned; her pet peeve with the lack of interview/job/company research. The interview research you do or don't do, can make or break your chances of landing the job.

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WHAT!? Yes! We are serious; you should be drinking at work. Water that is. :-) There are a few reasons why you should be over at the water cooler drinking. It is believed that water will improve your concentration, provide better mental and physical efficiency and a greater level of productivity. These are all great things because it means you work harder.

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Wait! What? Don't ask for the job? Yup! It's annoying and no one likes it. What do I mean? With our job market still recovering back to its normal levels, there is an enormous amount of people who are still unemployed and we all know what they want. J-O-B-S! That's obvious, but then why shouldn't they ask for the job then?

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We have discussed on our website the importance of social media in your job searching efforts through avenues such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. What we haven’t discussed yet are the important implications that they all can have on your career, both good and bad. Whether we like it or not…or agree with it or not…the social media world is here to stay.

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That's right… You should be pinging your resume every single day, but do you even know what pinging even means? According to Wikipedia, it is, "… an XML-RPC-based push mechanism by which a weblog notifies a server that its content has been updated." Does that make any sense? In layman's terms, it is the equivalent of you saying, "Hey, I'm over here. Come look at me!"

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These five must ask interview questions go beyond the apparent ones, such as what is the title of the job, what is the job description, who would you be reporting to, and other fundamental questions. In fact, it's doubtful you'll even need to ask those questions, as they are typically summarized for you. Through some preparation and consideration, you should have no trouble coming up with 10 to 15 first interview questions to ask.

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Are you ready for your next job interview? Do you know the secrets of pulling off a great interview and getting hired for the job of your dreams? Use these five simple steps to prepare yourself and you will leave the best possible impression you can with the hiring manager. 1.Get there Early – The worst thing you can do is to show up to a job interview late. What does that show to the hiring manager about your dedication level?

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The main goal for a job interview is to find the right match between a potential employee and employer. When going on job interviews, job seekers can anticipate one of two principal techniques of interviewing. The following are job techniques used by hiring managers. One-On-One Interview In a one-on-one interview, it should be assumed that you already have the competencies and education needed for the job.

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It appears that now than ever before college students are filling out online job applications following graduation with anticipation of getting a job interview. Before students graduate college they need to have an extraordinary resume. Most colleges offer some type of resume writing seminar and students should be able to write a good resume most of the time.

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When was the last time you had a job interview? Did it go well for you? Chances are that it went poorly for you and that is no criticism on you personally, it’s just that people tend to be afraid of interviewing and as a result, they don’t get the jobs they want. I read that something like 86% of people in the workforce right now had to go through 6 interviews before they landed the job that they are in right now.

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You just got the call for a job interview! This is great news, Congratulations! See how all the hard work you put into writing a professional resume, networking at various events and online job searching has paid off at last.

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Throughout the years, hiring manages have used all types of techniques to eliminate candidates in an attempt to decide who is best competent for a job. A great deal has changed from the days when the job interviewers could ask anything they wanted to. With changes in laws regarding inequity, etc, new types were developed to form an opinion on candidates.

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Are you aware of what the ‘active to passive’ ratio in hiring refers to? I have been asked recently by hiring managers and recruiters about mine. The active to passive ratio reflects the number of people interviewed who are currently unemployed versus employed. An active candidate is currently unemployed and actively looking for a position. Hence, the reason that they are referred to as an ‘active’ candidate. A passive candidate is currently employed, relatively satisfied with their current position and may or may not be interested in a new position.

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Every once in a while, I apply for jobs just to see what candidates have to go through in order to get a position. I believe it is important as an interviewer to understand the process from the candidates’ perspective. This gives you a greater insight and allows you to more effectively tailor your process. This is further important because the application process is a direct reflection of the company who is hiring. While every interview process is different, if you want to NOT hire good people, here are some things NOT to do:

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I love it when an opportunity presents itself to listen in on a “normal” interview. Arriving early for an appointment at a Starbuck’s in the Denver area, I was enjoying an amazing cup of black tea as the store manager began interviewing for a potential staff member. As effective interviewing is my passion, I was fascinated by the exchange I observed.

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I have had several people relate to me that before becoming clients of mine, they had experiences such as “You should have seen this person in the interview! They were amazing! And then I had to fire them two weeks later. What did I miss?” The answer to this burning question is that many hiring managers and executives do not realize the power they hold being the interviewer.

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First off, let me start out by saying Barbara Walters and I have the same job title, but not the same job… as much as I wish we did. Barbara Walters is one of the best interviewers in the world, bar none. She is prepared, she does her research, and she gets people to continuously tell her things that they wouldn’t tell anyone else. Charlie Rose is also another great example of an amazing interviewer. He asks probing questions, and then has this amazing talent at letting the conversation take its natural course.

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With sweaty palms and a dry cotton mouth, Jane Smith opened the door and walked in. She approached the greeter and requested to meet with a certain person. She checked her hair and makeup in her hand mirror and then tried desperately to calm her nervous stomach. When she looked up, she saw the person that she was meeting, and she took a deep breath. “Here we go,” she thought. Is this a date or a job interview?

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Did you know that the interview process is a great marketing tool? People who are genuinely interested in your company will apply for positions, not just those looking for a job. It’s possible to have an audience of up to 500 applicants who want to work for you. While you can’t possibly hire them all, you do have a powerful opportunity to make a long lasting impression.

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Your superstar employee is out pregnant. An amazing employee’s father is dying of cancer. Your right hand man injured himself in a Rugby game. For these employees, you will do whatever it takes to help them get back up and running. You will bend over backwards to accomplish whatever is needed to help them because you know that the effort is appreciated and will be reciprocated. Then, you have that one employee who always spends their accrued vacation hours before they have really earned them. When they call in sick, you grit your teeth and seethe. Life happens, yet you are bothered.

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Some time ago a recruiter was interviewing me for a job; but he told me I didn’t sound very up beat on the phone. I didn’t have a clue about what he was telling me to do differently. How am I supposed to sound positive on the phone? It apparently wasn’t the words being used; it was to inflection and tone. I needed to change the way my voice sounded.

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It sounds simple. When jobs are scarce in one industry or job role, you start to look in others. Combining all these options into an online searchable persona can result in a mis-mash personal brand. How to create a searchable resume on the job boards and emphasize your different expertise actually has a simple answer.

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You lost your job in 2010 and now its a new year with no prospects in sight. Pretty depressing that you're now going through your savings and have to decide if you can afford to go to McDonald's for lunch or need to head home where you can eat for less. Friends want to get together for drinks, but you can't afford it. Using the line of credit on your house is keeping you afloat; but selling parts of your house off to get new shoes eats at you.

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Loosing your job can put a huge burden on your family and relationship with your spouse. Not only have you lost your income and added to the probably already boiling financial stress, you have added the problem of keeping your spouse's confidence throughout the search. While searching for a job, what to tell your spouse can be more exasperating than not getting an interview for two months. For starters, if the two of you didn’t talk before you lost your job, how in the heck are you going to start communications under this kind of stress? You better have a plan.

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Recently I was working on a couple of interrogation tapes thatnsome agencies ask me to review and soon after presented two ofnmy Level 3 & 4 classes. On the fourth day of this class, studentsnget the opportunity to participate in live interviews with voluntee subjects from a nearby ...

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Humans are capable of communicating over four channels - voicenquality, voice content, micro signals and body language. Each ofnthe four broadcasts cognitive and emotional information in varyingnstrengths and forms. Because communication skills, talents andnhabits for each person vary, the ...

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I'm am very grateful to all the subscribers of "The Interview Room." I get the best ideas for sections of the e-zine such as "Humor innthe Room" and my monthly articles from questions asked by ournsubscribers as well as students in the classroom. One of you fellow subscribers passed along an ...

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You are unacquainted with the case details. Efforts at "winging it" in the interview room or going on a "fishingnexpedition" very rarely produces positive results. You shouldnalways approach every interview with the "construction of proof"nas your objective. That's for all interviews - ...

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A recent news article observed that one of the three biggest mistakes you could make when involved in a job search is "contacting an employer through means other than what they've specified..." because it "is a sure fire way to get noticed -- in a bad way." While it's true that there is no one correct answer when it comes to any aspect of the job search, this advice is just wrong. Following this strategy will work against you more often than for you. Why?

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There was an interesting blog post recently by a resume guru noting the frustration job seekers experience when faced with conflicting advice from resume experts. That frustration is easy to relate to because even we professionals don't always agree on what's correct. Every advice giver relies on his or her own experience (whatever that may be). And because of all the variables involved in hiring processes across the board, there is no one correct answer for most aspects of the job search including the construction of resumes.

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The U.S. unemployment rate is higher than it's been in 26 years making today's employment market more competitive than it's been since 1982. Competence or even excellence in your chosen field doesn't necessarily translate into interviewing know-how. Too often job seekers unknowingly sabotage their own candidacy. This is all the more tragic because these mistakes are easily correctable. Here are 10 common interviewing mistakes and how to avoid them. 1. Arrogant Attitude Candidate arrogance is a common complaint among interviewers.

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Recruiters exist to find people for jobs, not jobs for people. Once you've chosen a recruiter specializing in your field and she has agreed to represent you, you still have to do you part. These five actions will help you succeed when working with placement professionals. 1. Be Forthcoming Be honest and upfront about any personal information that may impact your decision making process when it comes to job offers. For instance if there are geographic locations to which you won't travel or if your availability to work is limited speak up.

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Job postings on major inte et job boards tend to generate a large volume of resumes. If your resume stands out well enough to make it through the preliminary sorting you'll receive a phone call. The purpose of this screening interview is to determine whether you meet the minimum position requirements. The caller is looking for specific job related information and is also making judgments about job related personal characteristics. She wants to make sure a face-to-face meeting is worth everyone's time. Here are some phone interview tips to help you ace this important call. 1.

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If you're not getting interviews or job offers, even though you're applying for jobs you know you're qualified to do, you may be making one or more fatal job hunting mistakes. These job hunting mistakes are all the more tragic because they can be so easily corrected. You should know however, that correcting them will only make a difference if you're qualified by either training, experience or both to do the job.

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The number of job seekers sending out resumes is growing exponentially with each passing day. It's unfortunate that the vast majority of these job seekers will end up sitting at home wondering why the phone doesn't ring with a call for an interview. Some will simply not be qualified, but just as many will have submitted a resume that let them down. Don't be part of that majority. Stand out in the crowd by avoiding these fatal resume flaws. 1. Too General This is the number one reason resumes fail.

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A great resume won't get you hired. You can only get hired if you get face-to-face with the hiring authority. Your resume has one major function: to get you an interview. Get invited to that important first meeting by giving your resume these characteristics. 1. Focused Content If you don't know what you want to do don't expect a potential employer to call. Your resume should be focused on one particular functional role. If your experience could allow you to go in two or more directions, create a different resume for each of your strong suits. 2.

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Are you in an executive job search? Statistics say that you’ll spend one month in the job search for every $10,000 you earn. Do you have that kind of time? Of course not. You can have your pick of executive positions if you are as strategic with your executive job search as you are with your executive job. How? Let’s start with this: Here are the 3 things that keep most executives from getting interviews:

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As a career coach, I talk to job seekers in difficult circumstances all the time. One of the biggest problems that job seekers can face is that at some point, they were fired--for fault. It wasn't downsizing. It wasn't the economy. They did something that caused the company to let them go. If you were fired, you might think that your career is over--but chances are, it isn't.

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My most popular ebook, How to Answer Interview Questions, is now available as an Amazon Audible Audiobook! (It's also available as an audiobook on <a href="https://play.google.com

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If your job search sucks, it's probably the result of one of 3 things:

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Hiring managers love behavioral interview questions, because these kinds of questions dig deeper into what kind of employee you really are. Answers to behavioral interview questions must be in the form of stories, or examples of things you've done in your career. They are projections from you about how you would handle everyday or stressful situations in this new job, based on how you've handled similar situations before.

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A 90-Day Business Plan for your job interview is an outstanding tool to show the interviewer why you're the one they should hire--whether you're very experienced or just starting out in your field. If you really want the job and you're facing some stiff competition, a 90-day business plan is what you need to get the offer. Your next step is to find out what a 90-Day Business Plan is, what it does for you, and how to create one for your next job interview.

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How to answer common phone interview questions Hiring managers don't necessarily want to spend a lot of time, money and energy interviewing every potential candidate face-to-face. So most of them fall back on the practical: phone interviews. Do well with the phone interview, and the hiring manager will probably decide you're worth that extra effort of an in-person meeting. Do a poor job, and you're out.

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Do you know the most important question you should ask in phone interviews? Hopefully, you already know that it’s important that you should ask questions in your telephone interview. But you might not know that one question in particular can ensure a good interview or even turn the tide of a bad interview. What’s the question? The question is: What does your ideal candidate look like? What’s on their wish list of skills and qualifications of someone in this role? If a person with those qualities walked through the door now, they’d be drooling and trying to hire them on the spot.

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Job interviews are all about communication, right? You will only get the job if you can successfully communicate that you understand the job, that you can do the job, that you will do the job, and that you pose no risk to this person’s continued employment. (That’s why 30-60-90-day plans are such great job interview tools.) That requires good, clear communication.

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One of the easiest ways to make a good impression in your phone interview is to be calm, cool, and collected. To do that, you need to be prepared, organized, and relaxed. Here are some tips that will help you have a great phone interview.

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Even if you’ve got all the big factors covered for your phone interview (quiet spot, landline, preparation), there are still some pretty small phone interview mistakes that will get you screened out and marked off their short list. Sometimes it doesn’t take much….phone interviews are real tipping points in the process, and even seemingly insignificant factors can tilt the scale. Some of these mistakes will surprise you. Drinking a glass of water with ice (or anything with ice)r

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What’s the point of a phone interview? A phone interview is an inexpensive, time-saving way to determine whether or not you are worth the time, effort, and expense of a face-to-face interview. That’s it. For the employer, it’s a screening process: Do you merit further consideration? For you, it’s an obstacle: How can you get past this phone interview and get to the face-to-face?

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In any job interview, it’s important to use your best manners—and telephone interviews are no exception. Besides your resume, this is their first impression of you. Make it a great one by being super-polite and professional. Set Up Your Space for Quietr Nothing says “I don’t care about this phone interview” more than having it in a noisy space where you are constantly distracted. It’s better to put off the call until a later time rather than trying to talk over interruptions. Make sure you have a quiet space to talk with no distractions. Address the Interviewer by Namer

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The art of conversation requires that you not only express yourself well, but also that you listen well. Good listeners are valued. Being a good listener means that you’re going to have a more productive, higher-quality conversation than you would otherwise.

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In every interview, whether it’s a phone interview or a face-to-face interview, it is absolutely, critically important to ask questions. Why? (1) It makes you seem more engaged and interested in the job. No hiring manager wants to hire someone who isn’t going to be excited about working there. (2) It makes you seem more intelligent—if you ask good questions. Don’t ask questions you could easily find the answers to on Google. (3) It gives you a strategic advantage. Ask good questions, and you can easily find out what the interviewer really cares about. Focus your conversation and answer

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Telephone interviews are tricky things. Even though they seem more casual, they are very, very important and should not be taken lightly. Even though it seems less stressful to talk to someone on the phone rather than facing them in your business suit, it’s actually a little unnerving to not be able to see the interviewer’s face while you talk. And even though phone interviews present a few challenges, they also present you with a few advantages. The “trick” is to work with the unique circumstances of a phone interview to make the most of it and get to the next step: the face-to-face.

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For companies, the phone interview is a screening process. The hiring manager or human resources manager has a stack of resumes of potential candidates sitting in front of them, and their job is to wade through the stack and get it to a manageable number. Many candidates don’t realize just how much they are under the microscope in a phone interview and how closely the company is looking for a reason to eliminate them from the stack. Your job is to stay in the stack, or to qualify for the face-to-face interview. Show them you’re worth spending the time to talk to.

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Phone interviews are notoriously difficult for the simple reason that the interviewer can’t see you. So much of how we communicate is through gestures and expressions and those have no meaning at all on the phone. But phone interview or not, it’s still vitally important that you project an image that will make them want to move you forward to the next step. Just like in any job interview, you need your image to be one of competence, professionalism, and enthusiasm. So how do you do that when you only have your voice to do it with? You have a lot more options that you probably realize.

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Are you going to have your phone interview conversation on a landline or on a cell phone? I personally think you should always, always use a landline. The sound quality of the conversation is better, there’s no risk of dropping the call, and there’s never any questions like, “Can you hear me now?” This is such an important conversation that anything at all you can do to reduce the risk of a problem is a very good idea.

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What are your phone interview goals? The bottom-line goal of any phone interview is getting the invitation to come in for a face-to-face. That’s the whole point of a phone interview. Your goal in this interview is not the job. It’s the next interview. The phone interview is a screening process to weed out too many candidates and narrow down the time spent doing in-person interviews. Even though getting to the face-to-face interview is your biggest goal of the day, there are several smaller goals to aim for that will help you get to that big one.

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Don’t be surprised in your phone interview if the hiring manager asks, “What do you know about our company?” It’s a reasonable question. Why would they want to bother talking with someone who doesn’t even understand what they do? And who didn’t care enough to find out? Some candidates think the phone interview is an information session for them, but it’s really a screening process for the employer. They’re looking for reasons to cross you off their list and narrow down the field for the face-to-face interview round.

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Why research the interviewer before your phone interview? Look at it this way: The job interview is a sales process in which you are both the product and the sales rep. One of the first rules of sales is “Know Your Customer.” You can’t sell effectively unless you know a little something about your customer. How annoying is it to have a sales rep come up to sell you something without even asking a few questions about your problems or issues? They have no idea what you’re interested in, so they’re not effective. The same principle is at work in the interview process.

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The very best thing about phone interviews is the fact that they can’t see you—which means, you can use as many “cheat sheets” as you want to. So what’s a cheat sheet? Cheat sheets are just what they sound like: Notes that help you do better on the test, which in this case is the phone interview. Phone interviews don’t have many advantages for you, but this is a big one. Make the most of it with these cheat sheet ideas: Your Resumer

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Does your mind ever wander, even slightly, when you’re on the phone? I think we’re all a little guilty of that…I mean, it’s not like they can see you, so we very often feel a little more freedom to look around the room or even complete another task while we’re on the phone. We’re not as visually tied to the person we’re talking to. In other words, we don’t have to concentrate on looking them in the face while we talk to them…so we mentally wander.

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I have heard some bad voicemail greetings in my lifetime…ones that make me listen to that person’s favorite song before I can leave my message, ones that were recorded by charming but difficult-to-understand 3-year-olds, and even some that tried to be funny but weren’t, like “How do you leave an idiot in suspense? Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

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Offbeat Ways (Sandwich Boards, Dating Services, Your Child’s Ball Games, and other Desperate Job Search Measures ) If you’ve been out of work for a long time, you’re ready to try anything to find a job. Some of today’s suggestions are a little tongue-in-cheek, but some of them could be crazy enough to actually work for the aggressive job seeker…and I thought you might enjoy them. Sandwich board

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Resume Blasts I included resume blasts on my Fastest Way to Find a Job Series not because I like them, but because some job seekers think these are the way to go, and I have a better alternative.

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Industry Organizations Industry organizations are some of the best job search resources anywhere. These can be fantastic because they are a direct connection for you to people in your field—including potential hiring managers, but that’s not your only benefit here. You can expand your network, you can learn a lot about your field, and you can often find out about jobs that aren’t necessarily listed on national job boards. For instance, I was a part of several organizations when I was in clinical diagnostics sales: The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC)r

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Newspapers (or Craigslist) If you know that I’m not very fond of job boards as a job search resource, then you must be really surprised that I would talk about newspapers or even Craigslist in a series about the fastest way to find a job. I’m sure you assume that I think newspapers belong to the Dark Ages and Craigslist is just the online version of classified ads. Which it is…but bear with me.

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Social / Civic Events Not all social or civic events are hotbeds of job search networking…I’ll give you that one. Networking events are better suited for that. However, I believe that any gathering where someone might ask you, “So what do you do for a living?” is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to say, “I am a ____ who’s in between jobs and looking for a new opportunity.”

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Job Shadowing Job shadowing is ideal for college students as they graduate, but it’s not just for the kids. Anytime you’re transitioning into a new field (either by choice or because you were laid off), a job shadowing experience can give you a big boost in your job search. Why should you job shadow? It helps you see if you will really like that field before you invest the time and energy into getting yourself there. It helps you build your network because you’ll meet people as you go through your day (or week, in some cases).

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YouTube Posting a video on YouTube to try to find a job might sound like a desperate, last ditch effort, but think again. If you’re on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, or other social media networks, why wouldn’t you be on YouTube? There are lots of things you can do on YouTube that you just can’t do through anything else. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Maybe a video is worth ten thousand. So what can you do on YouTube to find a job fast?

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Previous Co-Workers People you have worked with in the past are a big networking opportunity for you in your quest to find a new job. (1) They can pass on job leads to you. People in your career space will naturally hear about job openings and happenings in other companies. If it’s not something that interests them for whatever reason (wrong skill set, wrong location, happy where they are, etc.), they can tell you about it.

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Trade Shows Trade shows can be fantastic, rich resources for the aggressive job seeker. They are full of real, live contacts from a concentrated selection of companies in your field. You may not come away from the show with a job, but you very well could come away from the show with a valuable contact within that company who can point you to the hiring manager you need to be talking to. To make the most of these opportunities, prepare before the show, have a strategy to follow during the show, and follow up after the show. Before the Show:

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Facebook Do you think that LinkedIn is for business and Facebook is for friends? You’re partly right; but the line between the two is very, very fuzzy when it comes to job searching. I found some stats on Mashable that says as of December 2011, over 18 million people have gotten jobs through Facebook. 18 million.

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Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you know…it’s WHO you know”? That’s not entirely true, but there’s a healthy-enough grain of truth in that statement to make networking a very powerful strategy for your job search.

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Why haven't you been promoted?

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Why do you want to work for someone else after owning your own business / freelancing? LOTS of hiring managers will have a hard time believing that you can start taking orders after being your own boss. It’s not a big leap for them to make…it would be difficult for many people. Your best answer to this difficult job interview question will be honest but positive.

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Why do you think you can manage a team without any prior managerial experience? If you are interviewing for your first management-level job, you will definitely be asked some version of this question. They are going to want to know if you think you can do this job and why.

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Why do you believe you are the best fit for this position? This job interview question closely resembles “Why should we hire you?” It’s one question that makes candidates very uncomfortable because it puts them on the spot, but it’s really a fantastic question. Why? It allows you free rein to sell yourself for the job. Remember that every job interview is a sales process. You are the product (and the sales rep), and the hiring manager is the buyer. Why should he or she choose you above all the other products available?

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Why did you freelance for so long? A lot of people have taken up freelancing, consulting, or other independent work in the last few years just out of necessity. In many industries, it’s been difficult to find a job. Others have struck out on their own because there has been just so much opportunity—especially in consulting, writing, graphic design, web programming, web design, and online marketing. Whatever your situation was, employers are going to have questions about your reasons for doing what you did and consequently, why you want to work for their company now.

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Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In other words, are you going to bail on them in a few months for another job, or are you going to stick around and make their training and investment in you pay off? Is this a stepping stone on your career path, or is this a job to pay the bills until you can do what you really want to do?

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What would your manager say was the area you needed most development in? This question might also sound like, “What would your boss say you need to improve on?” No doubt about it…impressing your boss is always important, and we all have things about ourselves that we could improve on. But, as with all job interview questions, you must be thoughtful and strategic with how you answer it.

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What will you contribute to this job? This job interview question is very similar to “Why should we hire you?” Or, “Why do we want you over the other candidates?” The job interview is a sales process in which you are the product and the hiring manager and company is the buyer. Your salary is the price of the product, you and your skill sets. It’s fair for them to ask, “What are we going to get for our money?”

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What were the major challenges of your last job and how did you handle them? This is a tough job interview question to answer because the major challenges of your last job typically are going to be the key job skills that you’re bringing to the new one. (The exception being if you’re a brand new graduate or transitioning careers). Since most jobs you interview for build on the job you had before, you’re actually likely to be talking about the job skills that you’re going to take on in this new role.

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What was the last book you read?

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What type of work environment do you prefer? The best answer to this job interview question of what work environment do you prefer is the same answer you’d give to “What’s your ideal job?” The correct answer is: “This one.” Of course, you need to respond with the type of work environment that they have, or at least close to it, or you’re not going to get the job. But, you don’t just want to get the offer, you want to get a job that fits you as well.

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What questions do you have for us? By the end of the job interview, when they ask if you have any questions for them, you probably feel like you’re toast. You’re just done, and you want to go home. That’s the way most people feel, so the most common response to this question is, “I don’t have any questions, I think you’ve covered everything.” That’s bad, bad, bad. It’s one of the things you should never say in a job interview. It makes you look uninterested in the job.

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What motivates you? What’s the one big elephant in the room that MUST be ignored with the motivation question? All together now: “Money.” As much as the money question is a big part of why you work, employers want to think that you’re also doing this because you love it. And you should love it. You can make money doing a lot of different things, so you should enjoy the job you choose to do.

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What kind of money would you be interested in making? Hiring managers always want to know how much you’re going to cost them, so they will ask the salary question a hundred different ways: “How much did you make at your last job?” “What are your salary expectations?” Or this one, “How much money do you want to make?” As much as you would like to say, “I’m interested in making as much money as I can!”, you can’t say that. Even if it’s true. (Wouldn’t we all?)

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What’s Your Greatest Weakness? “What’s your greatest weakness?” is possibly the most annoying job interview question just because of its sheer ridiculousness…your choices seem to be either to give them an obviously fake weakness (like you’re a perfectionist or you work too hard…ugh!), or a real weakness (like you’re disorganized or you have a bad temper), which means you might as well kiss your job offer goodbye now. Most people stick with the safe route and go for the fake one. Do you? It turns out, the ‘safe’ route is not the best route.

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What have you learned from your mistakes? This job interview question is an opportunity for you to show them that you’re a “growth” person…someone who learns from their mistakes and grows from it, developing into a stronger, smarter, better version of yourself.

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What excites you and scares you about this position? This is a tough question. I think it sounds like another version of “what are your greatest advantages and disadvantages?” or another way to ask about your strengths and weaknesses. They’re looking to see if you’ll tell them about any issues or problems you might have, while they’re assessing your enthusiasm and approach to the job. As with most job interview questions, you need to keep it as positive as you can. I don’t normally have a fear when I go into a job and I don’t think that you should voice one, either.

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What do you expect from a supervisor? Be careful when answering this job interview question. There’s a line to walk. They’re looking to see (1) do you understand the general supervisor/employee relationship, (2) will your style match with your potential new boss, and (3) will you take this opportunity to badmouth your previous boss? Don’t be too specific, don’t be negative, and never, ever badmouth your previous boss. You probably don’t know too much yet about your potential supervisor’s management style. If you get too specific, you might step on some toes.

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What do people most often criticize about you? Watch out for this question. This is another way to ask, “What’s your greatest weakness?” It is also a fishing expedition to see how well you take criticism. We all have to be open to criticism in order to grow and improve as professionals and as people. Being ‘coachable’ is a big plus in your favor in the eyes of your future manager or supervisor.

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What are your workplace values? Asking about your workplace values is similar to asking “What is your work ethic?” Or, “What are your workplace ethics?” They want to know what kind of person you are. What matters to you?

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What are your least favorite things to do in your role as a XXXX? This is a slightly different version of, “What did you dislike about your previous job?” They are trying to find out more about you and how you think. If you are transferring roles in more of a lateral move, your answer will tell them about how you will perform in this new job. If you’re making a move up the career ladder, there’s not such a direct correlation, but it will still shed light on you, your performance, and even on how much you understand about this new role.

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What are some of your greatest and/or proudest accomplishments? This is a great job interview question, but a lot of people don’t do it or themselves justice when they answer it. One of the worst mistakes people make is that they will say that their greatest or proudest accomplishment is something that matters to them personally, like their two kids. It doesn’t matter if your kids are saints who never fight, spend their weekends feeding the poor, and have just won the Nobel prize…that’s still the wrong answer.

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There’s no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? Let’s see….Lake Tahoe, lying on the beach holding a fruity drink with an umbrella in it, riding my horse through the mountains, at the bank counting the millions of dollars I just won in the lottery…all those sound like great places to me.

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Tell us about a failed project. This is a more specific version of “Tell us about a time when you failed.” This is a big behavioral interview question. Why do hiring managers want so badly to ask about your failures? It’s because we’ve all failed at one time or another and how we deal with it and react to it says a lot about our character and our work ethic. It gives them another perspective on how you deal with stressful situations, too. Failures are difficult. I’ve had a few of them myself.

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Tell me about yourself. Some people think this is an icebreaker question because it’s one of the first questions they ask you in the interview (and because in normal circumstances, it is an icebreaker question). So they answer it like they would in a social situation and say something along the lines of, “I’ve got 3 kids, I love to run marathons, I’m a Steelers fan”…whatever. That’s a mistake. It’s the wrong response because that’s not what this question is about.

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Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult situation with a co-worker.

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Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss about a way that something should be done. How did you handle that?

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Is there anything I haven’t told you about the company that you’d like to know? Toward the end of the interview, hiring managers will ask some version of, “Do you have any questions for me?” Your answer is ALWAYS going to be “yes.” You always want to have a list of questions to ask in the interview. If you don’t have any, it makes you look like you’re not that interested in the role. Here are some examples of great questions to ask: Why is the position open?

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If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?

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If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently? Hmmm….what would I do differently? I wouldn’t speed when I was going to get a ticket… I wouldn’t have invested money in those stocks… I wouldn’t have bought those shoes… Maybe those kinds of things are what come to your mind when you’re asked about what you would do differently, but when they ask you that question in a job interview, that’s not quite what they mean. This is another way to ask the ‘weakness’ question. They’re looking for your flaws.

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If you could be any animal which one would you be and why? Some hiring managers really like these weird interview questions. Some think it’s going to reveal more about your character, and others just want to know what you really act like when you’re under stress or just thrown a curve ball. Questions like these do reveal your thought process and offer you a chance to show off your creativity and inventiveness.

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If we hire you, what will we know about you a year down the road? Some candidates might wander off the path they should be on with this question (as many do with “Tell me about yourself”) and start talking about how they’ll know you like football, that you make a mean cheese dip, or that you never take sick days.

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I noticed that you are applying for a position that is not as senior as your past positions. Why would you consider a job that is, in effect, a demotion for you? This is a question you might get asked early on in the process, like in a phone interview. If you have a lot of experience, it’s going to be obvious that you’re overqualified. So the question is, ‘Why would you take a job that’s less than what you’re qualified for?’ rnr

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How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team? The best way to go about establishing credibility with anybody in any situation is to ask really great questions and try to understand the situation before trying to do any kind of magic trick. (Incidentally, this is another benefit of asking questions in the interview…you show what you know by what you ask. If you ask great questions, it helps establish your own credibility as a strong candidate with the interviewer.)

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How would you feel about working for someone who knows less than you? It’s not ideal to work for someone who does, in fact, know less than you. In fact, it’s kind of aggravating. But typically, they don’t know less than you in all areas. There is usually a reason they are where they are. They must know more than you in at least one little area, or they wouldn’t be the person in charge. Right?

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How was your working relationship with your previous supervisor? How was your working relationship with your last boss? This is an attitude question for sure. They don’t really care about your last boss, they care about you. Hiring managers know that past behavior predicts future performance, so they are very interested in your answer. Are you going to trash your old boss? Are you going to complain about how you were misunderstood? Or are you going to talk about how much you learned? This is a pretty standard job interview question, so make sure you’re ready for it.

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How much did / do you make? Here’s a question guaranteed to make you uncomfortable in the job interview process. It’s one of the big hot-potato questions. No one wants to say a number first. But you don’t have to feel pressured or stressed. There are some great ways to handle this question.

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How long would you plan to stay with us? Asking about your future plans in this way is really not asking you about your future plans. You don’t have to go into your 5-year life plan or your career goals. It’s a brief question that requires only a brief answer. Personally, my response to that question would be “How long would you like me to stay?”

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How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution? I love, love, love this question. This is a ‘roll out the red carpet, here’s your golden ticket’ opening to introducing your 30-60-90-day plan.

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How have you responded to a colleague who is putting you down at work? This is a pretty specific question, but it’s basically just another version of “How do you react in difficult situations?” This type of question is often asked in one version or another in behavioral interview situations. Employers want to get a sense of your judgment and decision-making abilities. Your answer here gives them a good idea of how you react to stress.

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How does this position fit in with the career path you envision for yourself? I think a lot of people shoot themselves in the foot with this career path question. To be fair, it is a hard question to answer, like “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or “What are your long-term goals?” Unless you’re a person who has their life planned out, it’s hard to predict what you’ll want to be doing down the road. Especially if you’re just starting out and still learning what jobs you love and what jobs you could do without. But.

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How do you rate yourself as a professional? There are people who will tell you that your automatic response to rating yourself (on a scale of 1 to 10) should be “11”. They say that anything less would be admitting a weakness. I don’t agree. An over-the-top answer like that is bragging, which is a lot different than selling yourself for the job.

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How do you handle stress and pressure on the job? Hmmm….how DO you handle on-the-job pressure? - I cry, yell, or complain. - I hide in the bathroom. - I love stress! It’s so motivating! - I don’t get stressed. Obviously, they want your answer to be (c) or (d)…either one works. Either you get some kind of adrenaline high off of the pressure and perform better, or you maintain a Zen-like calm and don’t ever get stressed out.

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How do you evaluate success? I think the answer to this question has to be related directly to your work. Don’t wax philosophical about what success really is, or what a successful life is all about. If you go into a philosophical explanation, you’ll knock yourself out of a job. They don’t care that you’ll consider yourself truly successful if you have great relationships, or if you are able to retire to the beach at 60, or anything else relating to your personal life.

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How do you deal with stressful situations? If I got asked about how I deal with stressful situations, the first thing that would pop into my head is, “You mean like this one?” (Job interviews are very, very stressful. The way you deal with that stress is recognizing that it’s going to be stressful, preparing for the interview as much as possible, and taking a few deep relaxing breaths before you start.) But now is not the time to make that joke. My philosophy is ‘never let them see you sweat.’rnr

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How do you deal with difficult customers? Dealing with difficult customers is a fact of life for a TON of jobs: sales reps, customer service reps, retail store clerks, receptionists, restaurant waitstaff, and a hundred other service-industry jobs. The people in those roles are in the front lines. They are the face of their respective companies, and have a tremendous impact on the company’s image, which directly affects growth and revenue. You want your answer to make it very clear that you understand how important your role is and you take it very seriously.

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How do I know you still have the ‘fire in the belly’ to do this job? If you’re of a ‘certain age’ in the job search, you already know that age is a big issue. It’s a very real obstacle to getting a job. Older workers have a reputation of not being up on the latest technology, not being willing to adapt, not being willing to take orders from younger bosses, and not having the energy or motivation to keep up with a heavy work schedule. That’s what this ‘fire in the belly’ question is really asking: Are you still motivated to work hard?

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How did you deal with the situation the last time your boss chastised you or strongly disagreed with a statement, a plan or a decision you made? There are a lot of potential landmines lurking in this behavioral interview question. Maybe your knee-jerk reaction would be to say, “Why, I don’t recall that ever happening and I can’t imagine that it would.” Why? Are you a yes-man? That’s not a good thing. It could say that you can’t contribute in a way that means anything.

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How can you apply your specific skills to help the organization achieve sustainable growth and generate revenue? To answer this question, it’s very important that you understand the role you’re applying to fill.

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Have you ever had difficulty working with a supervisor/manager? When your interviewer asks, “Have you ever had difficulty working with a supervisor or manager?” they’re not really asking about your past supervisors. They’re asking about you. They want to know how you are to work with. The answer you choose to give them will tell them more about you than about your previous boss. So if you launch into a story about how your old boss yelled at everyone or was unreasonable in his or her demands or was a bad manager, the only message they’ll get is that you badmouth people.

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Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it? Asking about any difficulties with team projects in the past is a great behavioral interview question, and interviewers love to ask it. At some point, everybody’s been on a team where someone didn’t pull their own weight. Remember group projects in school? And at some point in this job you’re applying for, you’ll almost certainly be asked to participate in another one. So it’s a fair question for them to ask.

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Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work. If you get asked to describe a time you went above and beyond the call of duty on the job, be thrilled because this is a great behavioral interview question that has the potential to make you look like an amazing candidate. You should ALWAYS have one of these stories. It’s always a great thing to talk about how you not only met, but exceeded the expectations of your employer. That’s value.

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Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree. Even though a good STAR story is the backbone of answering Behavioral Interview questions, here’s one interview question where it’s actually a good thing NOT to have a great story for. Asking you for an example of a time when you folded under pressure is a situational interview question that’s even worse than “Describe a difficult situation and how you handled it.” At least in that one you can come out looking like you’ve overcome something.

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Do you prefer working in a team or alone?

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Describe yourself to me in one word. Sometimes job interviewers try to get inside your head. Why? Hiring you feels like a gamble to them and they don’t like it. The person who hires you has a big stake in you doing well on the job.

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Describe your work style. Do you know what your work style is? This is a popular interview question, but a lot of people go wrong in their answers because they don’t understand what that employer really wants to know. They’re not interested in your personality or your likes and dislikes with this question. They’re not interested in your work wardrobe, either.) They want to know how you work. So some people really shoot themselves in the foot with the ‘work style’ question because they say things like, “I’m really laid back.” First, that’s a personality trait.

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Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them. Job interviews are like very intense speed dating. They’ve got to get to know you well in a very short time. For many companies, talking about your resume and what you’ve done is just not enough. They need to know how you’ll behave on the job, how you’ll react to situations. To get to the meat of those issues, they use behavioral interviewing.

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Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it. Asking you to describe difficult situations (and your reactions to them) is a favorite tactic of interviewers. It’s called behavioral interviewing. Behavioral interview questions get way past your basic skills and qualifications and get to the heart of “how will you act once you’re hired?” Past behavior predicts future behavior better than anything else.

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Describe a time when your work was criticized and how you handled it. Have you ever been asked this question? I know…to you, it feels like oral surgery without the Novocain…but interviewers love behavioral interview questions because they tell them so much about you—in the story you choose to tell, how you tell it, with what kind of attitude, and the results you’re capable of producing under pressure. They just can’t get as good a picture of what life would be like with you on the job from only asking about your skills and qualifications.

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Are you willing to relocate? Are you willing to move for your job? In many companies, this is a typical job interview question. Sometimes it's a deal-breaker, sometimes it isn't. Even if this particular job doesn't require it, many companies Will you relocate for the job?want that flexibility in their employees for long-term growth potential. The knee-jerk answer that most people give ("I'd consider it for the right opportunity.") is not your best answer.

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Are you overqualified for this job? If you get asked this question in your job interview, you may jump straight to frustrated-especially if you're an older worker and assume they're telling you you're just too old. But companies really don't want to make a mistake. They don't want to go to the time and expense of hiring someone who will just move on to something that pays more as soon as they find it. And most people want to climb the ladder and make more money, so why wouldn't you?

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Here’s a tip that you should always keep in mind. Never leave all the question asking up to the interviewer. You always want to ask questions during your job interview. There are three reasons for this: - It helps you uncover information you can’t get anywhere else…who’s a better source than the person hiring for the job? - It helps you have a more relaxed and productive conversation. The key word here is ‘conversation’. Asking questions will make it feel less like you’re in an interrogation. - It shows that you researched the company when you ask informed, thoughtful questions.r

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Having survived the interview, you would be dead wrong to think your mission is now to just sit and wait. While it can be said that good things come to those that wait, when it comes to job searches, being bold has even greater rewards. The most common mistake job candidates make is not following up the interview with a Thank You email. This often overlooked courtesy is too great an opportunity to sell yourself for the job one more time and stand out from your competition. Format:

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Many people have heard that they should send a thank-you email to an interviewer, but a surprisingly large number of job seekers don’t bother. And they’re wasting the perfect opportunity to show that they respect the interviewer’s time, that they’re enthusiastic about and highly interested in the job, and that their skills are a perfect match. You stand out with your good manners AND you get one more shot at selling yourself for the job. What could be better?

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Before you get to go to the face-to-face interview, you’ll probably have to go through a cheaper, easier (for them) phone interview to prove you are worth the time, trouble and expense of a longer conversation. Here are the top phone interview tips to make sure you get your chance to prove your worth in person. 1. Concentrate on your voice.

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To get the job you want you need to do more than sit in the interview answering questions fired at you by the hiring manager. In order to be more effective in selling yourself for the job, don’t be afraid to ask questions yourself. Why? Because the job search is a sales process in which you are the product and that hiring manager is the buyer. And you’ll never make a sale without understanding the wants and needs of your customer. And you can’t understand unless you ask.

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Do you know that most people develop a lasting impression of you and what you’re like based on the first few seconds of meeting you? That’s way before you’ve said anything important…you’ve barely said “hello.” Some of that impression is based off your body language and handshake, true, but the rest is based off how you look—what you’re wearing.

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You might be thinking: “I have to ask questions? I thought I was supposed to ANSWER questions at an interview.” You do have to ask questions if you want the job. But which questions? While there are many questions you want to ask, there are two questions you must ask at every interview, every single time:

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Are you asking the right question in your job interview? Lots of job seekers don't even realize they should be asking questions in the interview. If they do, they limit themselves to information-gathering about the job. Information-gathering is great (as long as you don't ask about salary!), but there's one question that can either seal the deal on you getting the job, or even rescue an offer you're already losing. It’s “Do you see any reason why you wouldn’t hire me for this job?”

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Some questions will get asked in every job interview. But just because they're standard questions doesn't mean you have to give a standard answer. You can give a standout response with just a little coaching. I'm going to tell you how to answer 3 typical job interview questions: Why do you want to work here? Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? Are you willing to relocate? (If you're not sure yet) Your answer should sound like, “I want to join this company because…” and then you need to list at least 3 reasons why.

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You won't find the best way to answer job interview questions from a Google search of 'best answers to interview questions'. Mostly what you'll find are answers that make you sound just like everyone else. The best way to answer interview questions is to do it with a strategy of your own. Your mission in this interview is to sell yourself for the job...so all your answers have to help you accomplish that mission. How can you talk about your background and your skills in a way that all works together to present you as a 'gotta have' candidate? That's a strategy.

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Getting a job in this competitive market requires that you up your game. You have to come at the most basic interview elements, the questions and answers, with a thoughtful strategy for success. With that in mind, I have for you two things you should always ask to have a job-winning conversation, and two responses to typical questions that will knock their socks off. What you should always ask: What does your ideal candidate look like?

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The questions you should ask in your job interviews might surprise you. In general, you always want to ask questions during your interview because (1) it shows that you researched the company, rn(2) it helps you have a more relaxed and productive conversation, and rn(3) it helps you uncover information you can't get anywhere else.

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What does your interviewer really think about what you wear to the interview? Not dressing appropriately for your interview is high on the list of top 10 interview mistakes.

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If the only thing your job interview thank you note says is "Thanks for the interview. I'm looking forward to working with you!", you have already stood out from the crowd, but you have still wasted a prime opportunity to boost your chance to get the job by nudging that hiring manager farther along toward making you the offer. How do you do that? By writing a thank you note that looks like this: Dear Mr. Manager,

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Fast follow up emails after the interview are better than handwritten notes. Lots of job seekers underestimate just how important it is to say "thank you"....for the time, for the conversation, for the opportunity to meet. And it's also important that you get it to your interviewer fast: within 24 hours of your interview. A handwritten, snail-mailed note just won't do that. Send an email. Why is it so important?

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Never underestimate how important thank you notes are to the impression you make on the company in your job interview process. But the most critical factor of all is speed. For that reason, every thank you note should be a thank you email...sent within 24 hours of your interview. Why? Because hiring decisions can be made quickly, and you don't want to miss your chance to influence it. It's that simple.

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Always send a thank you email after your job interview, instead of a handwritten note. Some think that putting pen to paper for your note is more personal. But there are factors that are more important...like speed, adaptability, and the possibility of keeping the communication going.

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If you've been in the job search for even half a second, you've heard of the hidden job market. But what is it? Does it even exist? And if it does, how are you supposed to apply for, and win a job you can't even find? The hidden job market does exist. It is made up of those jobs that are waiting to be filled, but you can't find the postings. The most common reaction to the very idea of a hidden job market is this: Why wouldn't it be posted so everyone could see it?

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Phone interviews used to be a practice only appropriate for out-of-state candidates, but now everyone does them. A lot. So chances are, you've either had some experience with them, or you will soon. You can get through them successfully every time if you know why companies rely on them and learn a few tricks-of-the-trade. Why do hiring companies do phone interviews so often now?

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Are you in a sales role? Or trying to get a better sales job? If so, what's your sales style? Do you even know what I mean by that? And if you do, can you communicate that to a recruiter or a hiring manager who's considering you for a new position? In my role as a medical sales recruiter, I interview sales people every day, and I will commonly ask them what their sales style is, or what sales approach they have in order to be successful. It's always amazing to me how many candidates, even some who have been selling for up to five years, can't communicate that.

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Being laid off can feel so awkward to a job seeker that it paralyzes them in an interview situation and undermines their candidacy--but it doesn't have to. I'm going to show you how to change the language you use and the perspective you have about your layoff to boost your confidence and calm the concerns of a potential new employer. So: How do you address a layoff? First things first

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In our currently sketchy economy, many job seekers have given up on the idea of asking for more money during their salary negotiations. But it is possible to negotiate a great salary for yourself, even during a recession. What I have seen in my interviewing (as a recruiter) and in my coaching with my clients (as a personal career coach) is that they are able to consistently negotiate great salary and overall compensation packages when they excel in the interview process. Over-Prepare

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Job shadowing is common among students, less so among adults who have been out in the work force for a while. But if you're transitioning to a new job or career field, it can be a huge boost to your credibility and your performance in the interview. But you've got to ask the right questions to get the kind of information you're going to need to stand out.

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What's the most hated question in sales job interviews? Probably it's "Sell me this pen." And yet, it's the quintessential question. It's a role-playing exercise that's hugely popular with interviewers. Hiring managers can learn so much about you by how you answer it.

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Life has been tough for pharmaceutical reps for the last few years. Massive layoffs and changing sales practices by Big Pharma companies have resulted in a flood of sales reps in the job market. But life gets even tougher for them when they run into job postings with “pharma reps need not apply” or “we won’t consider candidates with a pharmaceutical background” right in the description! So is that the end of the road for them? Does that mean you can’t even look at that job if you’re a laid-off pharma rep? Of course not!

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Medical sales has a well-deserved reputation for being extremely competitive. The path to get into the field is littered with job seeker casualties: “not enough sales experience,” “not the right kind of experience,” “no experience in the medical field,” and so on. But there are ways to get your foot in the door even if you have no experience at all. You’re going to have to work for it, but it is possible, and it’s very worth it. So here’s a few offbeat ideas for you to get into medical sales:

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In your job interview, the details matter. The big picture is often the same, in terms of the process, but how you handle each individual step tells the interviewer a tremendous amount about you and how you’ll approach the job. Here are 3 opportunities for you to stand out from your competition: Presentation

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Dear Career Coach: I’ve been out of work for a while, and it seems that it’s getting harder to get an interview. I keep applying for every job I can find, but I’m not getting any response. I think that my unemployment is hurting my chances, and it’s getting worse the longer it goes. What can I do? Signed, Job Seeker Joe Dear Joe,

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Recently, someone who saw my presentation on the importance of LinkedIn for the job search asked me this: “If it’s not a good idea to include a photo on your resume, why is it a good idea to include it on LinkedIn? Doesn’t the photo on LinkedIn invite the same potential discrimination issues as including it on the resume does?”

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What’s the best way to show recruiters and hiring managers why they should consider you for a position? It has nothing to do with the interview…go back a step. It’s your resume. But many sales reps fail to understand exactly what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for when they scan resumes. As a medical sales recruiter, I frequently see resumes cross my desk from candidates who’ve had experience in selling roles, but fail to include numbers, dollars, or percentages on their resumes. It’s a common mistake that can really hurt you in the job search.

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You know what I've noticed lately? Most of my career-coaching clients are men. Out of the last 26 career coaching/interview coaching/job search advice sessions I've conducted, 19 clients were male, and 7 were female. I know that doesn't represent the gender ratio within the medical sales field, so what gives? Do females invest in their careers less than males? Do females prefer to seek help from male advisors rather than female ones? Do men have less of an issue than most people would believe about accepting career help from a female advisor?

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If you are a woman in the business world, no matter what your age, you must read the book Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire, by Mirelle Guiliano. It will help you step around the mistakes you might make in your career or as a business owner, and step forward into an opportunity that you might miss without this kind of coaching.

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Nothing is as much of a foundational piece of your job search as your resume. If you think of the job search as a sales process (and you should), then your resume is your marketing document. What does your resume say about you? Does it grab the attention of the reader like it should? Does it give the reader the information he or she needs to make the decision to call you in for an interview to find out more? The first fourth of your resume is the key to grabbing the attention you need.

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You’ve always known that networking is a necessary part of any career path, and it’s even more important when you’re searching for a job. But you don’t want to waste your time and effort on meaningful contact with everyone you know or come across in your search, because you don't want to apply for just any company with a job opening. For your best results, you want to focus your efforts on a few individuals at a few great companies. It’s a precision strategy to land the job you really want. How to find the best people to contact

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LinkedIn is an amazingly valuable resource for anyone’s career, and essentially important for the success of a job search. A great profile that shows you off at your professional best is the first step, but many job seekers want to know just how important it is to have recommendations on your profile. And how many do you need?

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What is the difference between an internal recruiter and an external recruiter? An internal recruiter works directly for the company they are recruiting for. An internal recruiter for Frito-Lay, for example, works to fill a variety of positions within the Frito-Lay organization, and receives a paycheck from Frito-Lay.

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Personality assessments are sometimes used by companies to evaluate potential employees. Often, it’s because they’ve benchmarked their current top performers and pinned down what makes an employee in a given position successful, and are looking for someone similar to place in an open spot. It takes a lot of the risk of hiring out of the equation for hiring managers and makes them more comfortable. (Popular assessments include DISC, Caliper, Gallup, and Myers-Briggs.)

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If you’ve had your interview and you’ve sent your thank you note, what do you do now? If it’s been a week (don’t wait longer than that), you need to call the hiring manager to see what’s going on. Where are they in the hiring process? Are you being considered? What do you need to do to prove that you’re the one?r

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Resumes are the foundational document for your job search. It’s so important that you get it right. You need it to act as your marketing document in your job search. It should grab the attention of the reader and make them want to talk to you to find out more.

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Many companies use personality assessments such as DISC, Caliper, or Gallup as an additional evaluation for potential new hires. Even though resumes, job history, and past performance are powerful indicators of success in your new role, there are also intangible factors such as drive, people skills and personality. It’s easier to pinpoint those intangible qualities with personality assessments. These tools are very helpful to help managers, primarily because they can baseline the commonalities of their top performers—what characteristics or traits do their best people have?

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Hiring managers often use personality tests such as DISC, Caliper, or Gallup to see if a potential employee “fits” in the organization. They may even have a benchmark of what a top performing employee looks like in order to compare and evaluate you. But what if you fail the test? If you take a personality assessment and are told that you don’t fit, is there anything you can do to get back in the game? There are a couple of things you can do. They might not work, but they’re your best shot at saving your opportunity.

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The job interview is always, at its core, a sales process, because your ultimate goal is to get the manager (the buyer) to hire and pay you for doing a particular job (buy your product, which is your skills as an employee). Even though that’s true, sales interviews are not like regular job interviews. Why are sales interviews different? Because, in a regular job interview, the potential employer is looking at your experience and skills. In a sales interview, the skills they’re looking for ARE the sales skills. You are actively demonstrating your sales skills during the interview.

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Preceptorships, also known as job shadowing, are a great solution for people who want to transition into a new industry or career (and for new graduates, too). They are fantastically enriching experiences that make you a stronger candidate in the job search, plus they give you a legitimate way to include industry-specific keywords on your resume—which will get it noticed. They’re a valuable stepping-stone toward your new career. How do you get one?

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I’ve been a recruiter and career coach for over 10 years now, and I have always recommended that my candidates use a 30/60/90-day plan in their job interviews, because I used it when I was an employee in the job search. I saw phenomenal results from using it, and my candidates do, too.

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Companies sometimes use personality tests as another way to evaluate a potential employee. They know that certain personality types do well in certain positions within the organization, and they want to make sure they’re making a good choice. Typical personality assessments include DISC, Caliper, Myers-Briggs, or Gallup, but candidates sometimes stumble across tests that include convoluted, confusing, or even just plain weird questions. If that happens to you, what’s the best way for you to deal with it? How can you “pass” a personality test so that you get hired?

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If you research “resume writing tips” online, chances are great that you will discover that your resume should be 1-2 pages. But what if you’ve been working for 20 years or so and in order for you to get all the relevant experience included, it takes you 3-4 pages? Sorry, you’re going to have to learn to edit. Some of it just won’t be relevant. Unless you’re at the highest levels (CEO, CIO, CFO, etc.), you must keep your resume down to 1-2 pages. What should you consider cutting?

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The job market for pharmaceutical sales reps has gotten more and more precarious during the last few years. We regularly see headlines about big pharmaceutical companies cutting jobs, and the general consensus seems to be that there are more to come. The result is that thousands of pharma sales reps have flooded the job market, many hoping to land another position in medical sales. As a career coach, I am often asked to help ex-pharmaceutical reps transition into these new careers, particularly into medical sales or medical device sales.

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Medical sales jobs (and especially medical device sales jobs) are notorious for being difficult to get into, and most people assume that it’s impossible for candidates who are right out of college. While it’s true that competition for these jobs is fierce, it’s a myth that you can’t land a spot for yourself as a new graduate. The same information applies to anyone who wants to transition into medical sales. How? Here are some possibilities that can get you past that hurdle: • If you have a very technical degree like chemistry, biology, or other life science degree.

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In the best possible world of job interviews, you asked about how well you did and what the next steps are during your conversation with the hiring manager and you got a clear answer on when a decision would be made and what to expect. But, maybe you didn’t ask, or maybe they put you off and you never really got a good answer. The next obvious step is to call…but maybe after a week or two you’re still not getting the answer you want, and you’re thinking that maybe they’ve decided not to move forward with you. What should you do? Should you just give up and move on?

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What to wear for the interview can keep medical sales job seekers up at night because it’s so subjective. It’s not like other hard-and-fast rules of interviewing, like “always bring your 30-60-90-day plan,” or “always close for the job.” But your interview attire is just as important as those things. How you dress for your first meeting creates an impression of you in the hiring manager’s mind and sets the tone for your future interactions.

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Have you been your own boss for a while, but now you’ve decided that enough’s enough? Are you ready to move on to a new phase of your life? A great sales job is within your reach. Former business owners have a unique advantage in the job market for sales. They’re used to finding new markets, building customer relationships, and working independently. Those qualities also make great sales reps in a variety of industries.

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Are you closing your business? Whether the economy affected your decision to close, or whether you’re just ready for a change, the skills and accomplishments you’ve accrued throughout your time as a business owner can translate very well into a successful sales role for you!

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Even though we all know that most adults change careers at some point in their lives (many more than once!), it can still feel like an overwhelming task—but it isn’t. What does it take? A great resume. Write a killer resume that highlights your transferable skills, using the keywords for your new industry as much as possible. Emphasize your accomplishments with quantitative evidence (numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, time saved, growth, etc.) Great networking.

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Changing career fields can be daunting, especially in this economy when so many experienced candidates are competing for the same jobs. It can be hard to even land an interview—much less get an offer. However, with the right strategy, it’s possible for you to land the interviews you need and experience success in your job search. How?

Published · 2,064 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

It’s too long if you aren’t getting any interviews at all. If nothing is changing for you, or moving forward in any measurable way, then you must do something differently. Remember: what’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Published · 1,993 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

If you’re not experiencing the success you want in your job search, you’re not alone. This is a tough economy, and combined with the rise of internet job postings, today’s job search is like no other. But: you can absolutely take steps to jumpstart your job search. There’s no reason for you to wait for success. What should you do to kick your job search into high gear? Do something drastically different than you’re doing now. Here are some ideas for you:

Published · 1,819 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

How many jobs have you applied for online? How many job offers have they gotten for you? It would be my educated guess that the answer is zero. Don’t worry—you’re not the only one. Online job applications are probably the most common, yet least effective, job search effort. Why isn’t applying online an effective strategy?

Published · 1,994 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

As a medical sales recruiter, I am asked (almost on a daily basis) what college degrees are acceptable for a medical sales job. Since the medical sales field is so varied (clinical diagnostics sales, laboratory sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, biotechnology sales, medical device sales, pharmaceutical sales, healthcare IT, medical software sales, surgical sales, and more), you do need a working knowledge of science and medical technology to be successful.

Published · 12,332 views

Candidates are always looking for the “secret” to what the hiring manager is really looking for, so that they can highlight those parts of their experience that will entice the manager into making the job offer. If you look at hiring across industries and job titles, the basic qualities all hiring managers look for in the interview are the same: • Does this person understand the job?r • Can he or she do the job?r • Will he or she do the job?r • Does this person pose a risk to my own continued employment?

Published · 1,994 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

Yes, you can. There are all kinds of resources online for you to tap into: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, corporate websites, and Google. Your network can come in pretty handy here, too. If for some reason there’s a lack of information online (like maybe it’s a smaller company) and you can’t, then that’s definitely a strong reason to do what you can and bring it into the interview anyway, since that’s an excellent opportunity to ask the questions that will lead to a greater understanding of what it will take to be successful in that job.

Published · 2,006 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

A 30-60-90-day plan is an outline of what you intend to do in your first 3 months on the job. It’s a goal-setting document that shows you understand the job and you know what it takes to be successful at it. It covers everything from your training to your initial efforts to grow the business. It’s very impressive for hiring managers because it shows that you’ve put a lot of thought into what you can do for the company, and it takes a lot of the “risk” out of hiring you. It can be overwhelming to create a plan, since it must be specific to the company to be the most effective.

Published · 1,799 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

It can be really hard to stay upbeat in a job search, especially if you’ve been out of work for any length of time in this difficult economy. You can stay motivated by setting realistic goals that aren’t activity-based, but are instead performance-based. And what I mean by that are actions that get you interviews.

Published · 2,190 views · Rated 2/5 from 1 votes

A 30/60/90-day plan is a guaranteed way to make a powerful impression on the hiring manager and help you stand out from your competition in the job search. It’s simply an outline for what you’ll do in the first 3 months on the job: how you’ll get your training, get up to speed, and attack the principal challenges associated with the job.

Published · 1,776 views

I believe the minimum requirements for any job interview are to be well-dressed (appropriate to your industry) with shined shoes, conservative accessories, and a recent haircut; and carry some kind of portfolio that holds additional copies of your resume and a notepad and pen so you can take notes. You have to get there early, have thought-out answers to typical interview questions, and have looked through the job description and researched the company. These are the minimum things that have to happen before you will get a job offer.

Published · 2,661 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

Many candidates see the first interview as a get-to-know-you session. They want to find out more about the job to see if they’re truly interested, and they want to test the waters to see if the company is really serious about hiring them. And a 30/60/90-day plan is a detailed outline specific to the company that requires a lot of research and effort to do correctly. It sets your goals for the first 90 days on the job, and it covers training, getting up to speed, and your ideas for performing on your own.

Published · 1,729 views

A 30/60/90-day plan is a detailed outline of what you intend to do on the job in your first 3 months as an employee. It’s an overall strategy for success laid out in a step-by-step fashion that is specific to that company and that job. The more specific it is to that company, the better off you are, because you want the hiring manager to be able to visualize you working for him and being successful in the job. As you might guess, it’s not easy to just whip one of these up.

Published · 1,941 views

The short answer is yes. A recruiter can and will absolutely help you put together a 30/60/90-day plan, especially an external recruiter whose paycheck depends on you getting the job. The longer answer is also yes, but you have to do your part in making sure that happens. A good recruiter can point you in the right direction for your research on the company. But you also have to ask the right questions to get the recruiter to share with you what they believe and know about the company and the job. What are some basic things you need to know to create a killer 30/60/90-day plan?

Published · 2,019 views

The best time to present your 30/60/90-day plan is in your first face-to-face interview. In this difficult economy, many well-qualified people are applying for jobs, creating some stiff competition for you, so you’re going to want to come out of the gate strong. Don’t bother trying to bring it up during your phone interview—I don’t think you can present it well over the phone. I do think that you can email it to the hiring manager if you are trying to get the hiring manager’s attention and you’ve exhausted your other methods.

Published · 1,981 views

As an interview coach, I always recommend that my clients bring a 30/60/90-day plan to their job interviews. This plan is a written outline for what they intend to do and achieve within the first 3 months on the job. It takes research and strategic thinking to put one together, and it’s a lot of work, but it produces fantastic results. It “shows” the hiring manager what life will look like with you on the job and helps him to see you in it, which gives you a big advantage over other candidates.

Published · 1,795 views

Many job candidates prepare well for the interview, connect well with the hiring manager, and then stumble at the end of the interview session because they’re not comfortable asking for the next step. It feels awkward, or too bold, or even weak (as in, “if they want to hire me, they’ll have to ask me—I’m not begging for the job”). That’s not the way to look at it. Hiring managers will tell you that candidates who don’t ask something about what the next steps are usually feel that the candidate is really not all that interested, after all. You have to ask for the job.

Published · 2,807 views

How many jobs have you applied to online—only to receive no response? Or maybe you received a “thanks but no thanks” letter. Either way, you aren’t making much progress in landing a job. If this applies to you, I have a question: Do you have a LinkedIn profile?

Published · 1,614 views

Is your lack of experience stopping you from getting the job you really want and know you deserve and would be good at? This happens to many people, and can be a huge roadblock, especially in our current job market. It does put you at a disadvantage, but there are things you can do.

Published · 1,992 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

What you say about your references can kill your job search. Many candidates are so focused on the resume and interview preparation that they forget about their references—but they are a critical piece of your job-getting effort. When you are asked who would be your references, and what would they say about you, don’t ever say, “I think…” As in, “I think my reference will be ___________” or “I hope he will say ________.” That doesn’t sound confident, and it doesn’t even sound like you’ve asked that person. It certainly doesn’t sound like you know what he will say about you.

Published · 1,853 views · Rated 4/5 from 1 votes

Many people find that there are roadblocks they can’t get past when trying to break into medical sales, medical devices, laboratory sales, or other health care sales–but it can be done. The biggest one is the lack of a medical background. But here are 4 ways you can overcome that:

Published · 1,893 views

I don't think it's even possible to be "over-prepared" for your job interview. The better prepared you are, the more confident you will be--and that shows. Especially in this job market, you've got to show up with your "A" game right off the bat to avoid getting eliminated from consideration. That means putting everything you've got into getting ready for your interview. When you think about your interview strategy, think about your goals. What do you want to accomplish in the interview? * You want your potential boss to see how successful you are going to be in the job.r

Published · 2,259 views

The best-prepared candidate is often the one who gets the offer. And the hands-down, very best way to ensure that YOU are the best-prepared candidate is to construct a 30/60/90-day plan.

Published · 1,929 views

Career coaching is sometimes thought of as a counseling session for “what do you want to be when you grow up?” That has its place, for sure, but career counseling is not career coaching. Career coaching works a lot like athletic coaching—it’s an experienced trainer standing behind you, helping you get past your weak spots and improving your game so that you can win—in this case, that means getting the job offer you want. Job seekers can get help with overcoming the hurdles they face, like: • transitioning from one company to another • transitioning from one industry to anotherr

Published · 1,853 views

If you’re unemployed and over 40, it can feel like a “double whammy” of trouble for you in the job search, but it doesn’t have to be a negative. First of all, unemployment is a temporary status that you are going to change. Don’t be ashamed of that. Many people (especially right now) face some period of unemployment in their careers, and it’s not a big deal. It only takes one phone call, one interview, or one job offer to make the difference.

Published · 3,166 views

So what happens when you have a really great interview, you send your follow-up email in a timely manner, but then you hear nothing? What do you do? Do you send another note? Do you contact HR? Or the hiring manager you spoke to in the interview? It’s a tricky situation, and a lot of people struggle with what to do.

Published · 1,972 views

Money is a big item on a job seeker’s mind, for sure. You know you’re interested in the job, or you wouldn’t be there, and the top of the list for you is finding out the mystery of what you could get paid. But one of the cardinal rules of interviewing for job seekers is: Never bring up money in your job interview. It’s a BIG no-no. ALL you talk about in the interview is what they need, what solution they need, what problem they have, who’s been able to fix it before, and how you can fix it.

Published · 2,385 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Candidates always want to know the ONE thing they can do in the job interview that’s going to be the most impressive to the hiring manager. And there really is one answer. There are a lot of other pieces that go into a successful job interview, but the number one thing you can do in the interview to make a great impression is to ask questions. When you ask questions, you demonstrate your knowledge of the job through those questions.

Published · 1,868 views

What do you do if you’re currently unemployed (like so many others are in this economy), and you go to a networking function and are asked “What do you do?”

Published · 1,887 views

It’s a little rough-and-tumble right now in the job search, and it’s not uncommon for a candidate to receive a job offer that’s not quite the one they wanted. Often, the candidate then feels like there’s a decision to be made, but it’s not the decision they think. Candidates weighing a job offer aren’t weighing it against the offer from the company they really want to work for—because it’s not there. Even if you think it’s a done deal because of your verbal discussions with the hiring manager, it’s never over till the written offer is extended.

Published · 2,617 views

The medical sales arena is the top-tier of sales positions in the workforce. Because the area is so varied, exciting, and lucrative, many, many candidates are vying for those jobs. So, if you want to land a job in medical sales, you’re going to have to bring your “A” game.

Published · 1,916 views

Did you ever wish you had the “inside track” at your interview? Or that you knew exactly how to explain that slightly difficult/embarrassing/sensitive situation in your job history? Or even the very best way to explain who you are and what you do in a compelling, “hire me” kind of way? Maybe you’re getting interviews, but you know that something’s not going quite right because you’re not getting called back for the second one. What’s your solution? Hire an interview coach.

Published · 1,781 views

Brag books are a fantastic way for you to showcase the best you have to offer as an employee. It’s a historical look at what you’ve done over your career, and it’s made up of your performance statistics, project results, product brochures you’ve created, awards, rewards letters, and even complimentary notes you might have gotten from supervisors or even high-level clients. Anything positive that demonstrates in a concrete way what a valuable part of the team you have been goes in the book.

Published · 3,307 views

If you’re asked about your references in the job interview, do you have a few names ready? Do you know what those people would say about you if they were called?

Published · 2,407 views

As a recruiter, I am always impressed by candidates who have questions of their own to ask—and I consistently receive feedback from hiring managers all over the country who feel the same way. The candidate who’s asked, “So, do you have any questions?” at the end of the interview better come up with something. One who answers, “No, I don’t think so,” is going to get a big negative mark against them in the hiring decision.

Published · 2,050 views

The Old Job Search: Not too long ago, if you were in the job hunt, you’d see an ad, or maybe hear about a job opening from someone you know, and you’d turn in your resume or fill out an application to 15 or 20 companies total, get 3-4 interviews, get 1-2 offers, you’d take one, and it would all be over. Today’s Job Search:

Published · 1,831 views

Candidates often ask me, “Post-interview, how long should I wait AFTER I send the thank you note to contact the hiring manager again? What should I say? Should I call or email again?“ The post-interview follow up period can feel like the trickiest of situations for candidates. Push too hard, and you’ll annoy them. Don’t push, and you risk not looking like a go-getter. If you’re working with a recruiter, the recruiter will do the calling to see what’s up. But if you’re going after this job on your own, then it’s all up to you.

Published · 2,595 views

I've often been amazed at how little preparation some folks put into their job search and especially into the preparation for the interview itself. So much matters in this process. The day of the week, the color and make of your suit, the condition of your personal hygiene, your plan for the interview, the materials you choose to bring with you, your preparation and anticipation of questions that may be asked, and the knowledge and research you complete about the company prior to the interview.

Published · 1,738 views

How many contacts and resumes are enough? That is an excellent question. Perhaps the answer is simpler and at the same time more frustrating than we would like. As success driven people, we like concrete answers with concrete solutions performed in a concrete, fixed period of time. Yet, in this case the answer is as many as it takes to win the job. So, instead of wasting time trying to measure the unquantified, job hunters need to focus in a laser-like way on driving more contacts and reaching each contact with increasing effectiveness on each subsequent effort.

Published · 2,098 views

LinkedIn is an amazing tool. I've seen a wide range of folks land both jobs and contracting opportunities. Careers can grow in unexpected and amazingly positive ways with this tool. Before LinkedIn, a young person beginning their career could have spent decades contacting and connecting with only a fraction of the persons they can now connect to in a matter of a few months.

Published · 1,959 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

What does it take to set yourself apart from the competition in the job interview process? Is it a killer resume, a brag book, a 30/60/90-day plan, a great LinkedIn profile, smooth interview skills, or how well you prepare for the interview? Yes, it’s all those things. AND, it’s more. It’s how you position yourself in relation to your competition. Who is the hiring manager comparing you with? How do you stack up? What do you have to offer?

Published · 1,971 views

Occasionally, candidates will get to the final interview and discover that the company has hired a third party to conduct the interview. Understandably, these interview situations make candidates a little more nervous….but I have a job interview strategy for you to handle this situation. To successfully navigate a 3rd party interview, you need to uncover the goals of the interviewer. What’s the most important piece of advice that will help you be successful in this situation?

Published · 1,865 views

As a recruiter, I’ve always recommended to my candidates that they bring a 30/60/90-day sales plan to the job interview and it never fails to impress hiring managers. Although most candidates who use this plan are in sales, job seekers who are not in sales roles often ask if they should use it, too. The answer is “Absolutely yes.” In fact, I wouldn’t go into any job interview without a 90-day plan for how I was going to attack that job. And you might say, “Why is it a good idea for someone who isn’t in sales?” It’s because of what the plan demonstrates.

Published · 3,104 views

Many of us have the wrong idea about the job search. We believe that our skills, the industry requirement for skills, and our dedication to hard work is enough. This is never the case and in today's environment this is even less so as you may be competing against dozens and sometimes hundreds of candidates for the same position. For those with some knowledge of statistics makes the process into something of a numbers game. The number 1 step you must take is to get on the numbers treadmill and start collecting interviews.

Published · 3,232 views · Rated 4.5/5 from 2 votes

LinkedIn is an amazing professional career tool and perhaps an even more amazing job search and prospecting tool. With over 65,000,000 members (and adding thousands of new members daily), this social networking service is your ticket to a world of career connections that would have been possible to achieve in years past. LinkedIn sets you up to unbelieveably leverage your experience, your skills, and your time during the job search. Are you aware of LinkedIn has to offer? Are you a member?

Published · 2,186 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Hmmm... Being unemployed stinks. Finding a job is a killer. How do I find the job? Why don't I begin by finding the hiring manager instead? If I can do that, I might be on my way to getting the position that I want. Maybe online social networks offer the key I need to unlock the doors to the job market? Could be. So the question is: Where do I start? Well... Don't go wide and thin. Finding a job requires concentration--and concentration means focusing your attention where it matters.

Published · 1,761 views

"A" players demonstrate many strong competencies on a consistent and convincing basis. As a medical sales professional, having these items clearly in your mind is a great way to structure your performance, develop your resume, present your experience, and understand your own weaknesses. Some skills "A" players always demonstrate include: * The capacity to identify and hire other "A" players for their own supervisors, managers, and team members. This capacity is a combination of recognizing ability and developing strong sourcing plans for finding these kinds of people.r

Published · 1,732 views · Rated 1.8/5 from 4 votes

As a medical sales recruiter, I specialize in placing sales and sales management professionals, and I’ve seen tens of thousands of resumes throughout my career. Since I often sift through them quickly, it takes a great resume to stand out from the crowd and get my attention.

Published · 2,134 views · Rated 3.3/5 from 3 votes

The very best time to look for a new job is while you still have your old one–but what if that means you need to keep it on the down low? Keeping your job search confidential can seem virtually impossible, but it isn’t. One great way to stealth job search is by using LinkedIn. It’s entirely possible to reach out to others without it being a matter of public record. (And using LinkedIn to contact hiring managers instead of going through HR cattle calls is amazingly effective!) So what do you have to do?

Published · 1,729 views

If you haven't joined LinkedIn by now, you should. There are over 65 million professionals involved in LinkedIn, making it the most significant online business network around. Don't make the mistake of thinking of it in the same terms as Facebook or Twitter (although they have their place). And don't make the mistake of thinking it's only for job searchers (but it's fantastic for that).

Published · 2,557 views · Rated 4.5/5 from 2 votes

There are so many details involved in a successful job interview, and every one of them is more critical than the last. Hiring you is a big, expensive risk for the company. (If they put in the money to train you, pay you, and give you health care benefits, are you going to make it worthwhile for them?) It's up to you to take care of every single detail to put their minds at ease and be excited to hire you.

Published · 2,150 views

Your personal brand is nothing more (or less) than the image you project to others. It’s the whole (although abbreviated) picture of who you are and what you do–professionally. Online, it’s the sum of the parts. A large (maybe the whole) purpose of creating and maintaining an online brand is so that people who don’t know you (employers or potential clients/business partners) can find you, evaluate whether they want to meet you/work with you/recommend you.

Published · 2,078 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

You’ve seen them: the Domino’s commercials talking up their new pizza recipe. Have you tried it? Well, lots of folks have, and it’s changed everything for Domino’s, according to an article in USA Today– New Pizza Recipe Did Wonders For Domino’s Sales. Domino’s was not doing well. They had a poor reputation and were at the bottom of an already shrinking pizza market in the middle of a recession–not a recipe for success. So what did they do?

Published · 1,923 views

You know the drill for job interviews: research, prepare, and be ready for the toughest interview questions. Some questions inevitably trip candidates up. “What’s your greatest weakness?“ is a famous one. The typical advice you’ll find is to prepare for the interview by practicing your answers, and role-play it with a friend (if you’re really serious). Preparation is key to landing any job; and role-playing your interview answers is going to do nothing but help you.

Published · 5,649 views

One of the many, many fantastic applications of LinkedIn is that you can use it to land informational interviews. Informational interviews are just what they sound like: they are interviews that you conduct to gather information, usually about a job or a career field you’re interested in. They last 20-30 minutes, and give you an opportunity to get answers about what a typical day is like, what the person likes or dislikes about the field, and what it takes to be successful.

Published · 2,345 views · Rated 3.3/5 from 3 votes

Do you feel like you're sending your resume down endless black holes? Not getting interviews? They might be getting hung up in HR-which means you need to go to the source: the hiring manager. Contacting the hiring manager directly sets you apart as a go-getter. It's a concrete demonstration that you can do what it takes to overcome an obstacle and get something done. It gives you a chance to present your case (helpful if you're transitioning into the field) that you might not get if you're weeded out by HR. How do you do that?

Published · 2,566 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

If you want your resume to actually be a marketing document for you, and get a recruiter's or a hiring manager's attention, you must pack that resume with the keywords that are relevant to the career area you want. Recruiters, hiring managers, and Human Resource departments use computer searches and applicant tracking systems to flag resumes worth looking at, and that means they use keywords to search for the ones they'll be interested in looking at further. But what if you're new to the area and don't have much experience?

Published · 2,811 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

A sales rep's job is to make the sale. So if you're looking for a new sales position in laboratory sales, medical device sales, or any other health care sales arena, the best way to get a medical sales job is to make it your mission is to demonstrate that you can ring that cash register, and do it well. Start with your resume. Your resume is your marketing document....your "brochure" that's going to draw them into calling you for an interview. And a sales resume is all about the numbers. That's what hiring managers (and medical sales recruiters) are looking for.

Published · 1,699 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Actually, the first question should be: CAN med techs or other laboratory people transition from a technical role into a sales role? The answer is: it depends. The odds are low, but for those who can beat the odds, they'll likely be fantastic sales reps. It tends to be a love it/hate it proposition. Why is that? It's because the laboratory is a black-or-white world. There are absolutes and definites. In the sales world, there are many more variables, many more maybes, and much more fluidity inherently involved in dealing with people.

Published · 2,067 views · Rated 5/5 from 2 votes

A field preceptorship a fantastic way to boost your chances of landing a medical sales job. Also known as a ride-along or job shadowing, it's usually something we associate with students, but a field preceptorship offers multiple benefits for the jobseeker: * It gives you on-the-job experience without having to get the job.

Published · 2,095 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Job shadowing is just what it sounds like: you be someone's "shadow" for the day, to learn what a typical day is like in their job. It's also known as a field preceptorship, or a ride-along (especially accurate for going with sales reps on their routes). It's a "tryout" for you with no pressure. It gives you a chance to see if you like that work environment, and see what it takes to be successful in it.

Published · 6,157 views · Rated 5/5 from 1 votes

Don't be fooled by people who tell you that resume objective statements are optional, or that you shouldn't have one at all. Their reasoning is usually that they fence you in and limit your job-seeking focus. I'm here to tell you that you need an objective statement on your resume. Why? * An objective statement tells me why I should keep reading the rest of your resume. An objective statement is advertising, basically. It's the teaser that will draw me in to reading the rest of your resume. The cover letter won't do it.

Published · 1,854 views · Rated 4.3/5 from 3 votes

Don’t be fooled by people who tell you that resume objective statements are optional, or that you shouldn’t have one at all. Their reasoning is usually that objective statements fence you in and limit your job-seeking focus. I’m here to tell you that you need an objective statement on your resume. Why? * An objective statement tells me why I should keep reading the rest of your resume. It’s advertising, basically. It’s the teaser that will draw me in to reading the rest of your resume. (The cover letter won’t do it.

Published · 3,170 views · Rated 4/5 from 2 votes

Job interviews are notoriously stressful, and in each one there are going to be a couple of difficult questions for you to handle. The key to being successful in your job interview is being prepared for the most difficult interview questions so that you can answer them smoothly and with confidence. "Tell me about yourself." Some candidates see this as an open invitation to talk about everything that's happened to them since birth. That's just not right.

Published · 2,380 views

A Job Candidate’s Situation: A recuiter called a medical sales candidate about a job, gave him the name of the company and the manager, said that he had submitted his resume for consideration, and had the phone interview set up. Then, the recruiter called back to tell him that the phone interview wasn’t going to happen, that the interview was on hold, and that he’d be in touch. After more than a week with no phone call, the candidate called me for help. A Medical Sales Recruiter’s Advice: This candidate should contact the hiring manager directly.

Published · 2,694 views · Rated 3.5/5 from 2 votes

80% of you won’t agree with this. 20% will: 100% – 20% = Failure for a medical sales rep How can that be? If you are a field-based medical sales, laboratory sales, medical device sales, or pharmaceutical sales rep, don’t you always have more tasks to accomplish than time to do them? Hello 80/20 rule! Simply stated, the 80/20 rule says: * 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your accounts. * 80% of your problems will come from 20% of your accounts. * 80% of your peers will try, 20% will succeed. * 80% don’t understand your technology.

Published · 3,946 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Many people think that LinkedIn, a professional networking site, is only for those who are searching for jobs. So if you are someone who already has a job, there’s no use in posting resumes and recommendations, right? Wrong. It’s a misconception that LinkedIn is only for those who are actively looking for employment. The true purpose of this site is not just to function as a resume depository–it is, above all else, a place for people to network. Networking is a valuable tool, regardless of employment. LinkedIn is not even just a networking tool…it’s a resource center.

Published · 2,033 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

Employers want to know about more than just your skills and experience–they want to know how you’ll get along day-to-day. How will you react in stressful situations? What will you do when a customer gets cranky, or there’s some issue with the product? One way for hiring managers to get to that information is to use behavioral interview questions, sometimes known as the STAR technique. STAR stands for: Situation or Task Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish.

Published · 2,441 views · Rated 3/5 from 1 votes

If you’re a college senior, you’ll be a jobseeker soon. Students traditionally use on-campus job interviews as a way to get their first post-college job, but according to one article, less than 1/3 of college students find jobs from companies that hire through career services. So what’s a bright, enthusiastic, newly educated wannabe wage-earner to do? Use social media. Recruiters are using connections through Twitter and Facebook to find candidates. More specifically, get a LinkedIn profile.

Published · 1,993 views · Rated 3/5 from 2 votes

One of the best aspects of LinkedIn is that it allows people to connect with other professionals in specific areas of interest. LinkedIn Groups is a place for communities to form based on a common experience, goal, or any other characteristic. The idea is to provide a venue where collaboration and support can be encouraged. There are plenty of LinkedIn groups to choose from…so many that it can be overwhelming to see which groups you should join. To make the task less daunting, a good practice is to see if the group you are interested in is in line with your goals.

Published · 1,878 views · Rated 1/5 from 1 votes

There are plenty of people who think that a LinkedIn account replaces traditional methods of job-hunting. While this might work for a few, this is not really the concept that propels the existence of this professional networking site. The purpose of LinkedIn is to provide a means of connecting with other people in the context of career opportunities…that’s why there are groups to join, Q&A sections, testimonials, and more. LinkedIn can be a valuable tool even when a resume is already in place.

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LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals, is a large community of over 40 million users from all over the world. It allows people to interact with other individuals and maintain profile pages that contain their career-oriented information and contact details. The advantage of LinkedIn is that it prevents personal details from being stored in the same place as business information—which means, you can publish your business information without worrying about who’s going to read it. In fact, the more people who have access to your business information, the better.

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Think about the kind of impression you want to convey to your interviewer or hiring manager: experience, ability, and confidence. If you’ve been paying attention to me, you’ve got the experience and ability portions down: a winning resume, a brag book, a 30/60/90-day plan, and high-quality references. Your confidence comes out in your physical presentation, your body language, and what you say and how you say it. Good communication skills are essential. Sounding even remotely uncertain of your ability to do the job you’re interviewing for (and do it well) is an interview killer.

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Did you just flub your job interview? Were you awkward? Did you forget some critical piece of information that will make them want to hire you? Or did you make some other kind of job interview mistake? Whatever it was–it just didn’t go well, and you know it. But you still want the job. What do you do? You send a thank you note.

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What is a ride-along? Why is it important? A ride-along is just what it sounds like: You spend a day with a medical sales rep who’s in the field you’re thinking you’d like to sell into, and see how a typical day goes. A ride-along can be one of your greatest opportunities to differentiate yourself from another candidate. It sets you apart as a go-getter. It gives you critical on-the-job information that helps you in your job search. Among other things, it helps you answer the question, “How do you see yourself in this job?” How do you get one? Step 1: Ask for contacts.

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What really separates candidates? It is not what you think. Of course, you need a great resume and you have to have presence. You have to have your shoes shined, show up on time and answer all the questions correctly. But you know what really makes a great candidate stand out from the others? It is the questions that they ask. The right questions show: they have the confidence to ask the questions rnthey thought it through rnthey think strategically Quick story: I had an entry level medical sales candidate last week call me right before she had her phone interview.

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As a Medical Sales Recruiter, I recommend to all my candidates that they create a 30-60-90-day sales plan to present to hiring managers or hiring teams during job interviews for every position in sales, sales management, or marketing for medical sales, healthcare sales, laboratory sales, biotech sales, medical device sales, clinical diagnostics sales, imaging sales, or pharmaceutical sales. Simply put, a 30-60-90-day sales plan is a document that spells out how you will spend your time in the first 30 days, the first 60 days, and the first 90 days on your new job.

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Salary negotiations can be the most stressful part of the entire interview process in medical sales or laboratory sales, just as it is in any hiring process. It's not about whether you can do the job, and if things have progressed to here, you probably feel that you have a good chance of getting this job, and you don't want to blow it.

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Creating a 30/60/90-day plan is one of the most effective things you can do to impress a hiring manager and win a job offer in medical sales, healthcare sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, hospital equipment sales, medical device sales, biotech sales, or pharmaceutical sales. It shows knowledge of the position, initiative, energy, enthusiasm, the ability to focus, written communication skills—all of which you definitely want to demonstrate to your interviewer and potential new boss. But when do you bring it up?

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Everyone looking for a dream sales job wants a “secret weapon”—the edge that will make potential employers eager to hire him or her, and willing to bestow high salaries, benefits, and bonuses! In many cases, that weapon is the 30/60/90-day sales plan. What is it? It’s a written plan that explains to the hiring manager how you’ll spend your time in the first 3 months you work for the company, in detailed steps that demonstrate exactly how you’ll be an asset to the company.

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Hiring Manager Alert: If you have a problem with candidates taking other positions during your interview and hiring process, it's likely that you've gotten your candidates from job boards, newspaper ads, and so on... which means that it's also likely that you've contacted them late in the job search cycle. To avoid this problem, the solution is simple: work with a recruiter.

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Part of every sales manager's job is to add to the team. Hire new talent. You think you know what you're looking for: that "spark," that intangible "it" factor, that "something about this candidate" that tells your intuition that this is the one. You look at resumes and previous sales figures (if they have them), but you also look for personality, drive, determination, and people skills. Not an exact science, is it? There's lots of room for error. So how do you combat that uncertainty?

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Recently, I had a candidate who was going to get an offer-it was all over but the references. And that's where it all went wrong. We began calling to check (yes, we really do that) and two days later, only one was done. It wasn't even a matter of them trashing my candidate...they just wouldn't return our calls. If your references don't even think enough of you to call back, it reflects badly on you. It cost my candidate a job. Many candidates believe that their references don't matter all that much. And it's true that hiring managers sometimes don't check them.

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30/60/90-day plans are typically used for sales jobs, but did you know that you can use a 30-60-90-day plan for non-sales jobs? You can--it works for marketing, project management, technical support, and many others. For instance, I got a call from a candidate going for a job in Marketing Communications. He had a 30-60-90-day template, but needed help translating it into a document for a non-sales job like the one he wanted.

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Tradeshows are great places to gather industry information and really great networking opportunities. However, they are also useful avenues for job searches. To be successful at this, you need a plan for before, during, and after the show. First (before the show): · Send out an e-mail to all of your contacts, letting them know what's going on, that you'll be at the tradeshow, and that you're looking for contacts and opportunities. Be specific in describing what kind of position you want. · Use your online social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter).

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It's critical in today's uncertain business climate to make no mistakes in interviewing and hiring new sales representatives for your company. Hiring managers are under more pressure than ever before to make the right decision the first time. Beyond the basics of conducting a great interview and communicating with candidates in a timely manner, it's important to keep an objective, balanced perspective. Here are the top 5 things you need to know to make a great decision and avoid costly hiring mistakes: 1. Use a results-based decision-making process. What does this mean?

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Many sales reps who spend time with upper-level people in their organization (for example--they go on a few sales calls with you, they sit down with you to talk, etc.) feel intimidated and as if they are wasting that person's time. Don't feel that way. They don't. If you are a rising star in your organization, they look at spending time with you as an investment. It's part of their job to help groom the next generation. So, here's one of the things I want to encourage: if someone from management comes to work with you, send him or her an e-mail thank you note within 24 hours of the visit.

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It's common for me to get questions from folks in higher-level sales positions or semi-supervisory positions (maybe National Accounts Managers, etc.), who want to know how to move up. Maybe they are interviewing for Regional Accounts Manager jobs or similar positions and need advice, and they want to know how to differentiate themselves so that they will be the ones who get tapped for promotions. There's a lot of advice out there about these kinds of things, and certainly your sales performance has to be solid to even put you in the running.

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A 30-60-90-day plan is a written document outlining what you will do as an employee within the first 3 months of your employment. It's broken up into sections: the first 30 days usually includes training, as well as getting to know the company and customers; the next 30 days are more focused on getting out on your own and into the swing of things; and the last 30 days are often more about branching out and bringing in new business. As a sales recruiter, I encourage all of the people I send to companies for interviews to create this kind of document and learn how to present it.

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I can't emphasize enough how important it is for everyone to have a network and keep in contact with the people in it, but many people don't know how to do this well. Networks aren't something that you build by handing out business cards to everyone you meet. Networks are relationships. Not deep, BFF (best friends forever) relationships that are going to take all your time, but at least something that will ensure they remember who you are when you call.

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As painful as looking for a new job can sometimes be, job seekers often overlook the simplest way to make the search easier: work with a recruiter. A recruiter can ease the pain of the search in several ways: she has contacts you can only dream of, she knows where the jobs are that you probably won't, and she will help you prepare for interviews with inside knowledge of the company and an objective eye for you. However, sometimes there are misconceptions about recruiters that cause a candidate to question the process.

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Many, many people do not know how to write a resume, despite a wealth of information available. It's not just a list of jobs you've had, or skills you have. It's a marketing document. You are marketing yourself. In an uncertain economic climate, you must make the most of every opportunity you have to give yourself an advantage in a competitive job market. Your resume is the first place you can distinguish yourself from other candidates.

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If you are searching for a job in any kind of sales and you want an edge in your job interview, here it is: know how to close the interview. Closing the interview requires that you stop focusing so completely on your own performance and ask questions that help you discover the needs of your customer/hiring manager. Develop the skills to know when to close, what to say, and how to deal with objections or non-answers. The most important thing to remember about closing is to do it. No sales manager is going to hire someone who can't navigate a closing process.

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Job interviews can be very stressful situations. To alleviate that stress so that you come across as confident, competent, and capable: be prepared, have good communications skills, and have a few tricks up your sleeve. Stepping it up so that you shine in the interview and stand out from the crowd is what's going to get you the job. It cannot be stressed enough: Do your homework on the company. Know what they do, and what's currently going on with them. Check the company's website and Google them, too, to find information from newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

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Do you know one of the best ways to make a great impression in your job interview and set yourself apart from other job candidates? Build a brag book. Brag books can be very persuasive in an interview process (if you use them right). The fact that you've taken the time to put one together is an attention-getter, and the things you highlight in it are the "proof" that you are someone they want to hire.

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Candidates are always looking for an edge in job interviews, and they try to gain that edge in different ways: crafting a killer resume, dressing for success, practicing interview questions and answers, researching the company, building a brag book, or even practicing positive body language. However, one thing candidates often overlook, or never even consider, is creating a business plan for interviews.

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A 90 Day Interview Plan is also known as a 90-Day Plan, a Business Plan, or a 30-60-90-Day Plan. Whatever you call it, the point is that it’s a plan—a plan for how you will attack your new job in the first 90 days of employment. Having a plan, or a strategy, in place helps you show your true value to a potential employer. Why does a 90 Day Interview Plan give you a better interview?

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Job seekers over 50 (and over 40) can run into real trouble getting job interviews. Before you assume it's age holding you back, make a few improvements to your resume. With the right resume know-how, your age and experience will be a huge positive for you in the job search.

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CVs are the long, detailed cousin of the resume. It delivers much more information than a resume and takes many more pages to do it. But whatever differences they might have, CVs and resumes both have the same function: to get you interviews. If you have a curriculum vitae and aren't getting the job interviews you would like, you can borrow good resume writing principles to make your CV more effective.

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When you take the big step out of military service back into civilian life, the last thing you need to be worrying about are the difficulties of a civilian job search. It’s true that veterans’ unemployment rates are higher than average, and it’s true that there are specific obstacles in your way…but the good news is that there are 3 sure-fire solutions you can implement that will get you hired quickly. Obstacle (and Solution) #1: Civilian employers don’t understand how your training and skill sets will benefit them.

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Phone interviews are an incredibly critical tipping point in the hiring process. They liked what they saw your resume enough to talk to you…will this phone call make them like you enough to call you in for a face-to-face interview? There’s a lot you can do to prepare for phone interviews and make sure that happens.

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Phone interviews are really phone screens. They are screening candidates, narrowing down a list that’s too long, figuring out who to invite in for a face-to-face interview. So really, in a phone interview, they’re looking for reasons to mark you off the list—to screen you out. Your job in phone interview is to keep them from eliminating you, so you can get to the face-to-face interview. How can you keep them from screening you out? The answer might surprise you.

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How do you follow up after a phone interview? You better follow up the exact same way you would after a face-to-face interview: you send a well-thought-out, comprehensive, and timely thank you note.

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Here’s a secret: There’s really only so many interview questions you can ask. Some hiring managers like to break out of the rut and ask crazy things to catch you off guard, like “What kind of tree would you be?”, but most of the time they tend to ask the same kinds of questions. There’s just basic information that they all need to know in order to make the decision to hire you. So what you need to know is what questions they’re most likely to ask you so you can be ready to answer them. What are the most typical phone interview questions?

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Want to be organized for your phone interview? Leave nothing to chance? Give yourself the best possible outcome? Then create a phone interview checklist like this one so you won’t forget any vital detail. Pick a good time and place – The first thing you have to do when setting up a phone interview is to choose a good time for you, when you will be at your best (most alert), and then choose where to have this very important conversation. It must be somewhere quiet, where you will not be distracted. No pets, kids, or chatty people at the next table. Quiet.

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We all spend a lot of time talking about what you should say in phone interviews—how to answer interview questions, how to sell yourself for the job, how to ask questions of your own. But have you ever considered what NOT to say in your phone interview? Sometimes what you don’t say is just as important as what you do say. Here are several things you should never say in a phone interview. “What does your company do?”r

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For such a short conversation, phone interviews are a surprisingly wide-open opportunity for screw-ups. Why is that? Partly, it’s because in a phone interview, the interviewer is really looking for mistakes. Telephone interviews are a screening process—a way to weed out too many candidates. So they’re looking for reasons to mark you off the list. Here are the biggest ways to make that happen: Failing to Prepare for the Interviewr

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How should you follow up after a phone interview? If you think that your follow up is the face-to-face interview (if you get it), you are making a mistake.

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In job interviews, the language you use can make or break your chances—and that’s even more true in a phone interview, where your voice is all they have to focus on. Your conversation must be professional. Several very common speech habits you probably have will hurt your chances of getting the job. Text: Pop quiz: When you answer questions in a phone interview, which answer would hurt you the most?rn (A) “Um…I’m not sure…”rn (B) “I hated to leave that job. My boss was my BFF.”rn (C) “That customer was a pain in the _____, but I won him over.”rn (D) All of the above.

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What happens if you talk too much in a phone interview? Or related to that, you offer up Too Much Information? Both show poor communication skills that could keep you from getting the invitation to the face-to-face. It’s important that you know how much to talk and what to say to have a successful telephone interview.

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Even though your interviewer can’t see you, using the right body language in your phone interview will help you to have a better outcome. Smiler One of the simplest things you can do to project confidence and enthusiasm over the phone is to smile while you talk. It’s amazing what smiling does to the sound of your voice. You sound friendlier. You sound more relaxed. It’s all good. Stand Upr

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What are hiring managers and human resources people looking for when they call you for a phone interview? There’s a general answer and there’s a specific answer, and you need both.

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You might not think about the quality of your voice before your phone interview—but you should. Interviewers concentrate very hard on your voice in that conversation: Do you sound alert? Confident? Enthusiastic? Are there any red flags they need to be worrying about? They just don’t have that much to judge you on when you’re on the phone, so they focus on what they can—the words you say, how you say them, and the sound of your voice. Warm Up Your Voice Before the Interviewr

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How do athletes win championships? Practice. How do violin students become virtuosos? Practice. How do you get better at interviews? Practice. Interviewing is not a talent. It is a skill. Most people don’t get a chance to spend much time honing that skill, because most of us don’t interview that often. It takes time spent doing something to get really good at it. The good news is that to be impressive in a job interview, you don’t have to put in the hours and hours that a Olympic athlete or an award-winning musician would. But a little practice goes a long way.

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You always want to prepare answers for common interview questions before every interview. If you occasionally have to stop and think a bit before you give your answer, that’s OK. But if you constantly have a deer-in-the-headlights look in your eyes, it will be painfully obvious that you’re unprepared for the interview and you don’t care that much about getting the job. They can’t see your blank, panicked eyes in the phone interview, but those long pauses can also be pretty damaging.

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What hiring manager doesn’t want to choose someone who is sincerely enthusiastic and excited about the job? They all do. If you’re excited about the job, you’ll try hard and probably do better than someone who isn’t. Plus, your genuine enthusiasm will make them like you more. If they like you, they’ll be more likely to hire you.

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Phone interviews have all of the critical, “make-or-break” qualities of a face-to-face interview with none of the advantages. (1) You don’t have very much time to make a good impression. Phone interviews are very often over within 10-15 minutes.

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Think you can talk on the phone anywhere? That might be true if you’re discussing dinner plans, but it is not true for your phone interview. For that, you have to choose your location carefully. Why? Because this phone conversation is the gate you have to pass through to get to your face-to-face interview. If you don’t do well here, there is no face-to-face interview, which means there is no job. This is a critical tipping point in the interview process.

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You have much more power over your phone interview than you probably think you do, including when to schedule it. If you can exercise that power, please do so.

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Phone interviews are often the very first step of the interview and hiring process. You’re not likely to get a call to come in and interview without some kind of conversation on the phone first. How Important Phone Interviews Really Arer Your resume got you the phone call. Now this one 10-minute conversation is the deciding factor as to whether or not you’ll get the interview. That’s how important it is.

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Career Counseling Centers There are two types of career counseling centers: college counseling offices and post-graduate work centers. If you’ve gone to college you’re familiar at least with the first kind of career counseling office, but I’d be willing to be that you didn’t especially think your college career office was that helpful. Career counseling centers geared toward working (or previously working) adults are a different breed of cat and can run the gamut from very helpful to a waste of time.

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Friends / Family / Church It is so important to talk to your friends, family, and church about your job search situation if for no other reason than they are your support system. The job search is too stressful to carry it on your shoulders alone.

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Career Coaching If you’re in the job search, you have certainly heard advice about job boards, networking, or even temporary work. But have you ever considered a career coach as a path to a new job? When I say “Career Coach,” I do not mean the kind of life coach who helps you decide what you should do with your life. Don’t get me wrong, they have their place, but what I’m talking about is a coach who helps you with your career: finding and getting a job that will help you further your career goals.

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Freelancing / Consulting / Temping

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Networking Events Do you have a love/hate relationship with networking events? You know how important networking is for your job search and career success. Networking events are specifically set up so you can network and meet new people. That’s a very good thing. Yet, the thought of “working the room” and walking up to total strangers to introduce yourself makes you feel a little sick, at worst, or insincerely schmoozy, at best.

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Alumni Organizations Alumni organizations are great networking resources for you, which means they are also great resources to help you find a job.

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Internships / Volunteering Internships are fantastic. There are more paid internships than ever before, but even unpaid internships can be extremely valuable to you—if you can snag one at a company within your career area.

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Job Boards What do I mean by job boards? The big ones are Monster, CareerBuilder, SimplyHired, and Indeed. Companies post job openings and requirements on there, with instructions for how to apply for that job.

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Recruiters Recruiters can be extremely valuable to your job search. Why? First, they very often have an “in” at some great companies that you don’t…if there’s an opening and the recruiter says, “Hey, this is someone you should look at,” that’s going to carry more weight than if you show up and say, “Here’s my resume.” Second, many companies prefer to hire only through recruiters…so for those particular jobs, the recruiter is the ONLY way to get to it.

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Companies you’ve interviewed with before Companies you’ve interviewed with before but never worked for are a place to network that most people don’t think about. It’s really overlooked. It won’t work for everyone, but it will work for some and it will be extremely fruitful. Let me give you an example: I interviewed with Fisher Diagnostics back in 1996 for a product management role in Houston, Texas. And actually, they also offered me another role within Fisher in a different area at the same time. But I didn’t end up taking either job. I took a job with Chiron instead.

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Career Fairs I’ve got to say, career fairs are not my preferred method of finding a job fast. They are mobbed with job seekers and it can be a little unnerving to line up shoulder-to-shoulder with your competition. They usually require you to stand in long lines for a lot of the day which can wear you out. They can be difficult for people who are a little shy and reserved. It takes a lot of guts to walk up to someone and introduce yourself with a handshake.

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Social Media Have you ever Googled your own name? What shows up? That’s what potential employers will see if they search your name (and they will). If there’s anything negative, now is the time to do some damage control. If there’s not much at all, now is the time to build your online reputation and establish your personal brand.

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LinkedIn I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: LinkedIn is great job search resource. Why? It’s packed with information and potential connections, and it’s entirely business-focused (unlike Facebook, which is socially-focused). Everyone there is interested in making more connections and growing their network to further their careers. That means that you can, too. On LinkedIn, you can find people, you can message people, you can find people who work at companies you would be interested in working for. There are no limitations.

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Previous Bosses Did you know that there are a lot of things your previous bosses can do for you in your quest to find a job? They might have a job lead for you, they can definitely offer insight you can use to be a better job seeker, and they are excellent references.

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Sure-Fire Secrets to Get More Interviews and Find a Job Fast Let’s face it…job searches suck. No one likes having to put themselves out there for evaluation and judgment, and the nature of the search is that it's filled with rejection. Job searching is often a numbers game…sometimes you've got to go through a lot of "No"s before you get to a "Yes." And then there's the financial pressure. No doubt about it...if you’re in a job search, you want out of it now.

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Why would you accept a lesser salary than what you made before? Won’t you jump ship when a better offer comes along?

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Why should we give you the job over the other candidates? This is a tough job interview question. Most people are not that comfortable with the idea of tooting their own horn, but that’s exactly what you have to do in a job search and in a job interview, and that’s especially what you have to do when you answer this question. So feel free to brag. They are looking for you to sell yourself for the job. Tell them why they need you.

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Why have you changed jobs so frequently over the past X years? Job-hopping is not a great habit. When you stay at a job for only a few months or a year, over and over again, you are cultivating an image of someone who can’t be depended upon, who doesn’t know what they want, and who’s probably more than a little immature. Employers question your loyalty, and tend to shy away from hiring you because you look like a very expensive disruption rather than a potentially valuable and stable employee.

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Why have you been out of work for so long? Boy, I bet you’d like to know the answer to that question, too! The job search can be a very difficult time for many people, but it’s important that you show a positive face to everyone. Answer every job interview question with as much positivity and as little negativity as you can. It makes you more appealing to others and puts you in a better spot to receive a job offer.

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Why do you want to switch from an academic field to business/industry? The one big perception / misconception about academics is that they can’t make it in the ‘real’ world. They are secure in their ivory towers and not coming out any time soon. So if you find yourself trying to leap from your own ivory tower (or ivory laboratory, as the case may be) your interviewer is going to want to know why. What will you have to say for yourself? This question is an excellent jumping-off point for you to talk about your drive, your enthusiasm, and your ambition. Break the stereotype!

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Why do you want to join this company? All companies want to know that you want to work for them rather than you just want a job. An enthusiastic employee is a better employee—and more pleasant to work with, too. Your answer to this question should sound like, “I want to join this company because…” and then you need to list at least 3 reasons why.

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Why do you have a big gap in your employment history? A gap on your resume can be anxiety-inducing for a job seeker, and for the employer who’s looking at them for a potential hire. But it’s really not as bad as you think. Actually, many people have employment gaps, and they have them for a lot of reasons ranging from the poor economy and mass layoffs in recent years to family obligations of the sandwich generation. It’s not that big of a deal. You just need an explanation. The company wants you to explain the situation to them in a way that makes sense:

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Why did you take a job that seems to be outside of your career path? So what happens when your potential employer is reading through your resume and they come across the job that doesn’t make sense? You have a job in your history that doesn’t fall within the logical progression of jobs in your field. And they want to know why.

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Why did you leave your last position? The underlying questions behind “Why did you leave your last position?” are, “Is there something wrong with you?” “Did you get fired for a reason?” “Will I regret hiring you?” Those are the concerns that you need to address when you answer this question.

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Why are you looking to leave your current job? It’s very important that you think about this job interview question well before you set foot in an interview. Interviewers always want to know why you want to leave your current job, and you must have a good answer ready to go.

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Who was your best boss and who was your worst? This job interview question tests several things about you and gives a lot of information to the interviewer: Are you adaptable? Can you get along with a wide variety of people? Do you carry grudges? Do you fit their company’s cultural style? Do you fit your potential hiring manager’s leadership style? How do you react to negative situations? Your overall goal to keep in mind is to stay positive and communicate that you can work with any boss in any situation.

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What can you do to make this company better?

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What would your friends tell me about you? This question could also easily be “What would your friends or co-workers tell me about you?” They just want to know what you would say about how other people would describe you.

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What would you do first at this job? When they ask you this question in the job interview, they want to get a picture of how you would be in the role. How you answer tells them about your personality and your work style. Do you attack it from day one? Do you take it all in and analyze it first?

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What will you do if you don’t get this position? This question is mostly likely to be asked when you’re interviewing for an internal promotion. You’re probably going up against other candidates in the company, and maybe even some external candidates, too. They’re worried about how you’ll take it if you don’t get the job, and they want to know if you’re more interested in the good of the company or just in your own career advancement.

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What were your responsibilities in your last job? Your answer to this question about your job responsibilities depends entirely on the role you played in your last job. What were your major responsibilities? You want to list those out.

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What was your most difficult work experience and how did you deal with it? This is a great job interview question to talk about how you have overcome a challenge and ended up a winner! You can talk about how you stepped up to a difficult situation and got a good outcome, or how you overcame something that was holding you back in your job (maybe you learned a new skill).

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What was your least favorite part of your last job? Why does the hiring manager want to know about your least favorite part of your last job? Because they want to find out more about you, and they are hoping to uncover any potential weaknesses or problems before they hire you. What you say and the way you say it will tell them a lot more than you think.

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What salary are you looking for?

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What makes you unique? What are hiring managers really asking in the job interview when they ask about what makes you unique? Well, they don’t want to know about what makes you special on a personal level. They want to know what makes you unique in relation to the job you’re interviewing for. Essentially, they’re asking, “Why should we hire you?” “Why should we choose you over everyone else?” “What makes you different from the other candidates?”

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What is your least favorite managerial task? With this job interview question, they are trying to get a feel for any potential weaknesses you’ll be bringing to the job, without asking directly about your weaknesses. Hiring managers are fully aware that you’ll be ready for the ‘weakness’ question, but maybe not so prepared for this one…so they hope they’ll get an honest answer. Are you irritated by the details? Are you impatient with subordinates and their issues?

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What is your ideal job? In a personality test, this question may not be so easy for you to answer. But in a job interview, it’s one of the easiest questions you’ll be asked. Question: What’s your ideal job? Answer: This one. As far as they are concerned, your ideal job is the one you’re interviewing for right now.

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What is good customer service? This job interview question will generally be asked in interviews for retail or customer service jobs, but there’s really a wide range of jobs that have contact with customers, or people who pay money for a good or service. Engineers, accountants, and manufacturers can have contact with customers, too. I think that the best explanation of “good customer service” came from a recruiting client of mine who wanted to hire a good customer service rep. When I asked what that meant to them, they said, “Customer delight.”

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What have you been doing since you got laid off? I know…this job interview question makes you want to roll your eyes. The painfully obvious answer is, “I’ve been trying to find a new job!” But you can’t say that. Why would they ask you this question? It turns out, they have several good reasons for asking. There are a lot of questions behind this question, and if you know what they are, you can answer it more effectively. Here’s what they’re really asking:

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What do you wish you’d done better? When you are asked this question in job interview, please be aware that they are referring to your career, not your life. You could say that you wish you’d hired someone to tile your floor instead of doing it yourself, or that you wish you’d planned your vacation better, or you wish you’d studied more before your SATs, but those answers won’t satisfy your interviewer. This is a tough job interview question.

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What do you know about this company? This is a very typical job interview question. Hiring managers want to know if you’ve done your homework. Have you done any company research? You would be surprised at how many job candidates can’t answer this question. Other candidates get a basic working knowledge of what the company does from reading through the corporate website and think that’s enough.

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What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment? This is a fantastic job interview question. It sets you up to shine a giant spotlight on yourself as the ideal candidate for this job. Never, ever answer this question by talking about something you achieved or accomplished outside of work. No stories about your kids, or how you climbed Mount Everest. Always focus your answer on work-related accomplishments.

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What did you like or dislike about your previous jobs? Asking what you liked or disliked about your previous job sounds like a ‘get-to-know-you’ question, but don’t get too comfortable. This is another way to get at your strengths and weaknesses, and you can trip yourself up. Always remember your primary focus is to sell yourself for this job. Be strategic.

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What did you earn at your last job? For most candidates, “What was your salary?” is a very uncomfortable, Too Much Information-kind of a question. But all potential employers are going to ask at some point in the process, usually very early on, sometimes as early as the initial application. So why do they ask? And how do you handle it?

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What are your salary expectations? Oh, the dreaded salary question! The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a big problem for you if you know how to handle it. The primary strategy I teach my job seekers is “Do your research so that you know what the going rate is for that job in your part of the country, and then deflect naming a number for as long as possible.” Still, there are different approaches to use depending on who is asking you this question.

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What are your pet peeves? Why would they ask about your pet peeves in a job interview? They can actually find out quite a lot about you by what you choose to say when you answer this question: Do you get irritated easily? (How long is your list?) Will you be a good fit for their company culture? (If you hate being micromanaged and they’re very focused on being ‘involved’ with employee projects, then chances are, you won’t.)

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What are your hobbies? Asking about your hobbies and interests seems like an odd interview question, but companies are asking more and more of those ‘personality’ type questions these days in an effort to make sure that you’re going to be a good cultural fit for the organization. And the indirectness of this question is also sort of a fishing expedition for them to see if you’ll reveal things about yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t.

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What are your advantages and disadvantages? This job interview question is another way to get at what your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a candidate are. But in this particular one, they’d like a list of the pros and cons of hiring you. Don’t let it throw you. It is a beautiful thing to be the one in charge of putting together that list (if only during the interview). You can spin this story like a politician and turn it in your favor. Don’t lie. Just focus on the positive.

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We are looking for someone with experience…or, You don’t have enough experience—why should we hire you?

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Tell us about a time that you went against corporate directives. Why? How did it turn out? I once did a survey of job seekers as part of my mock interview program, asking them to give me actual questions they’ve been asked in job interviews, and this was one of the responses. I almost couldn’t believe it. This is not a normal or typical interview question. To me, this is a little like saying, “Tell me about the last time you shoplifted.”

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Tell me your life story (more of your personal history). Hiring managers want to find out as much as they can about you in the interview. It’s a little bit of a risk management thing. The more they know, the less likely they’ll make a mistake by extending you a job offer. But even if they ask you to specifically reveal more of your personal history, it’s still very important that you remember that your focus is not to make a new best friend here…it’s to get a job. For that reason, here’s how you want to talk about your personal story in the interview:

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Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it? If you’re interviewing for a management-level job, you will almost certainly be asked this question at some point. Nobody likes to give negative feedback, but if you supervise anyone, it’s a necessary evil. Managers have to deliver both positive and negative feedback on almost a daily basis, depending on the size of the company and the group who reports to them.

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Tell me about a time when you failed. The key to answering the failure question is that you can’t say you’ve never failed. I know you probably really want to, because you don’t want to be seen in a bad light. But you can’t. And it’s OK.

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Situational Response Question: An airplane landed in the parking lot. What would you do? Most situational interview questions are like behavioral interview questions. They have some direct relation to the job…like, “You are introducing a new policy to the group and facing opposition. How would you handle it?” Or, “How would you handle a situation in which a subordinate was not performing to expectations?”

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If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be? This is definitely a wacky question. Sometimes it’s “what animal would you be?” or even “What fruit would you be?” You might think it’s ridiculous, but you still have to play along, or you’ll upset the interviewer.

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Here’s a common scenario (and complaint) for job seekers: “I spend all day long applying to jobs online through Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, or niche job boards—and I never get a response. Have I lost the understanding of how this job search works?”

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It seems that there’s always been a stigma attached to being unemployed, and even in this economy, when so many people are without a job for a lengthy stretch, it still causes candidates to be uncomfortable and nervous about telling people that they’re unemployed. They don’t quite know how to handle the situation in the job search or in the interview.

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Have you ever found yourself in this situation? You turned down a job offer because you were sure you were getting a better one…and then you didn’t. What now? Can you get that offer back? Maybe. Here’s your best shot at turning this situation around for you:

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Have you ever wondered if it carries more weight to have a written reference letter, or if it makes a better impression to have your reference speak directly to the hiring manager on the phone? The answer is: both. Written references and verbal references serve different purposes in your job search and your interview, and so you need both types. The written reference letter is often used as a “hook” to get the attention of the hiring manager. It’s good enough to get an interview, but often not quite enough to cement the offer.

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Today’s job search is unlike any we’ve seen before. Competition is especially fierce in this economy, and candidates get weeded out quickly. If you’ve landed the interview, you need to bring your best game right off the bat and knock the socks off the hiring manager. One of the most effective ways to become an all-star candidate is to hire an interview coach. Individualized coaching takes your personal work history and talents into account and customizes solutions for you.

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Many candidates wonder if it’s a good idea to bring their 30/60/90-day plan to their first job interview with the company. They have questions about timing, etiquette, or even saving a “wow” moment for the second interview. A 30/60/90-day sales plan (or action plan, if you’re not in sales), is difficult to put together. It takes a lot of research, and a lot of work to create. Some candidates think that’s a lot of work for just a preliminary interview.

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It might surprise you to know that asking questions of your own during your job interview is just as important as answering them. Candidates spend a lot of time on interview preparation, and they should. Doing your research on the company, bringing your 30/60/90-day plan, and preparing compelling answers to interview questions (as well as having some stories to back them up) are guaranteed ways to have a good interview. But one thing that will make you stand out from other candidates is asking questions. Asking questions tells you what you need to know.

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Do you have a good work ethic? Do you have good communication skills? Are you a team player/a strong leader/an enthusiastic, innovative, driven job candidate? Well, so is everyone else. In job interviews, candidates tend to speak in generalities. It’s one of the most common flaws. Everyone says that they are persuasive, or that they have great communication skills, or that they are strong in some way—you get the idea. And those are all great things, but even the candidates who aren’t really telling the truth say those things, too.

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Are you looking to transition into a new career? Whether you are being forced to move on because of the current economic situation, or whether you’re one of the millions of adults switching careers just because you’re ready for a change, consider job shadowing to give yourself a boost.

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“What’s your greatest weakness?” is one of those typical but tough job interview questions. We all hate this question, but it comes up all the time, and your answer is critical. You know you’re going to get asked, so be prepared. It’s trickier than it seems on the surface, and there’s an art to answering it well. Do you give your real weakness and how you’ve overcome it? Or do you pinpoint a quality that contributes to your success? How do you answer it truthfully (because they can see through a snow job) but still present yourself as the best candidate for the job?

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The era of the thank you note after a job interview is over. Well, not the actual “thank you,” just the delivery system. It’s critically important that you thank the interviewer for the opportunity, but it’s also critically important that you get it to him within 24 hours. And a handwritten, snail-mailed note just won’t do that. Send an email.

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You may be wondering what LinkedIn is. Or you may be a user of LinkedIn and wondering what is the big deal? Or you may be thinking to yourself, I think everyone is wasting their time investing in LinkedIn. Well, read on... LinkedIn may be the positively greatest tool ever created to help you find exactly the hiring manager or referral you are looking for. You see, LinkedIn is an unparalleled tool for identifying specific job holders in specific companies. This fact makes the service the probable best possible source to reach the exact hiring manager you are seeking.

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Many people work wildly, seeking to grow their networks. Besides the largest sites of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, you can find many more that are dedicated to the subject, whether they are a smaller social networking site, a blog devoted to the topic, or simple product website that "helps" you network. The great news is that networking, in terms of collecting large groups of folks that you can reach, has never been easier. The bad news is that collecting names and business cards never was effective networking, and the online equivalent won't work, either.

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Twitter is one of those social media sites that might surprise you. On the surface, it seems frivolous—do you really need to read all those Tweets about the smallest daily details of life? But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll realize just how powerful Twitter can be for your medical sales or health care sales career, if you learn to use it.

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Your job search is one of the most significant tasks you’ll ever have. What job you end up with determines how you’ll spend the majority of hours in your day, how much money you’ll have, and how satisfied you are with your life. It’s worth making the effort to end up where you’ll be happy. Whether you’re currently employed or not, here’s how to put everything you’ve got into your job search–and it will bring you great results, whether you’re in laboratory sales, medical device sales, pharmaceutical sales, or any other health care sales arena:

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Usually, the emphasis in job interview prep involves getting your answers ready for the toughest interview questions–and there’s no doubt that it’s a critical component. But you must remember that interviewing is a two-way street. In one respect, the job interview is your chance to find out if the company is somewhere you can shine and advance in your career. You have to ask the questions that will tell you what you want to know.

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If you want to build your personal brand, establish an online presence, and be in the right place at the right time for your job search, then you have to utilize social media. The big 3 social media sites are LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While LinkedIn is focused more fully on business, and Facebook leans toward the social, Twitter lands somewhere in the middle. Nearly 75 million people visited Twitter in January 2010.

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Online social media is a fantastic tool for job hunting. The Big 3 (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter) each have their own unique style that you can utilize in different ways for your job search. But while you're working these sites to land the perfect medical sales job, employers and recruiters are looking for you, too. And if you get their attention in the early stages of the job interview process, they're going to be actively searching for more details about you. According to one survey, 70% of hiring managers and recruiters have rejected an applicant based on what they found online.

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To prepare for a job interview in medical or health care sales, you have to make sure you're ready to answer both common and tough interview questions, and know how to frame your answers to highlight what you're going to bring to the company (a great way to do that is to structure your answers in the form of stories that spotlight your skills). You also have to have some interview questions of your own ready--after all, you're interviewing them, too. You want to know if that company's a good fit for you, and is going to be a place where you can succeed.

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Don’t get me wrong…there are many questions you must ask the interviewer in order to land the job. Asking questions in the interview demonstrates your intelligence, drive, enthusiasm, and preparation. It turns the interview into a conversation between professionals, putting you in a better psychological position, interview-wise. You’ll also find out if you really want to work there. You’ll find out, for instance, if the environment is a good fit, if you can work with this manager, and if it’s a place where you can advance your career.

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Medical device sales is a hot sales category. Because it’s hot, you’re going to have some competition to beat to land the job. But never fear–the medical sales recruiter has a strategy for you! 1.

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If you’re in the job search for a medical device sales job, you know how tough it is. Even if you have the right background in science and technology plus sales experience, there’s some intense competition for these fantastic positions. What can you do to prepare for your medical device interview so that you’re the one who walks away with the job offer? * Harness the power of LinkedIn LinkedIn is a powerful resource for the job hunter.

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What’s keeping you from getting the job? It could be the same thing that trips up others: you don’t understand (yet) that the job search is a sales process. It doesn’t matter what career you are involved in: to get the job, you have to sell yourself to the hiring manager. That means that you’re the product. You’re trying to get the hiring manager to pay you a salary to do work (or, to buy the product to get a benefit). Once you understand this, it changes EVERYTHING. If the job search is a sales process, what does that mean for you?

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As a medical sales recruiter, I get almost daily inquiries from people who would like to be in medical sales even though they have no sales background and want to know what they should do. I’m never surprised to get these calls. Medical sales is (I think) the top tier of sales categories, and there are many, many people who want to be involved in it.

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I recently posted this question on LinkedIn: Sales Managers: What do you do when your HR group isn't able to identify the hunters you need? With the incredible costs due to unfilled positions (customers going with the competition, RFPs not completed and generally missed sales opportunities), what do you (the sales manager) do to help HR see the need to use an outside source?

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Competition for jobs in medical sales can be fierce. Health care is a fascinating field, and the work environment for medical sales reps is exciting, lucrative, and rewarding for those who want to really make a difference. However, sales interviews are difficult, and interviews for jobs in medical device sales, laboratory sales, biotech sales, imaging sales, or other health care sales are demanding. That means that you're going to have to work a little harder to set yourself apart from the competition and win the job.

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If you are a nurse who is thinking about a career change, you’re not alone. There’s a recent ANM Health Care survey that says over 40% of nurses are seeking a career change. Job satisfaction for nurses is low, for a lot of reasons: the hours, the pay, and a lack of respect from doctors are a few of them. Or maybe you just need a change. That’s not unusual.

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The term "medical sales" covers a lot of area: medical device sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, biotechnology sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, pharmaceutical sales, and tons of other niche areas of health care sales. Even though there are strong differences in style (capital vs. consumable sales, for instance), there are several basic, bedrock things you need to know if you're going to land a job in one of these areas.

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A 30/60/90-day sales plan is a written outline for exactly what you’ll do in the first 3 months on a new job. It’s the goals you’ve set for yourself as a new employee for the first 30 days, the first 60 days, and the first 90 days. A30/60/90-day sales plan is tremendously impressive to a hiring manager because it takes a lot of effort to write one, and requires that you research the company and the job very well in order to be specific in your goals.

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The days when a young college grad could start with a great company and settle in for a 30-year promotion-filled career with them are gone. Not only do we job-hop from company to company these days, more and more of us career-hop….but that’s where it gets tricky. Career-hopping in mid-life brings a unique set of challenges for the job candidate. It can be done, and done well. Older candidates can bring experience, good judgment, and stability to a position, but there are a few negative stereotypes you might have to overcome before you land the job.

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Finding a mentor can definitely help you advance your career, but there are several important points to keep in mind when choosing a career mentor. Usually people choose a manager, recruiter, or friend, but those choices might not be the best. A manager, for instance, might present a conflict of interest in certain situations, and they probably won’t have the time to help you. A recruiter just won’t do it–a recruiter’s primary conce is to please their clients (the hiring company) and he or she won’t have time, either.

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I can’t emphasize enough just how important your LinkedIn profile is to your career in medical sales. Your LinkedIn profile is the primary thing other people (all 40 million of them on the network) will see about you. It is the online world’s equivalent of a first impression, so it should be utilized well. Even the simplest errors on a profile page can have dire effects.

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What a difference a space makes. LinkedIn is vastly different from Linked In, which implies that it is something that you just plug into. That’s definitely not what LinkedIn is all about. Instead, this particular site is a powerful networking tool that allows people to get in touch with other professionals from around the world. It necessitates a proactive stance rather than a passive one. LinkedIn is a networking tool that requires the cultivation of relationships in order to be effective. Making a profile does not mean that you get to sit back and relax.

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Rest in peace Joseph Juran, inventor of the 80/20 rule. Your 80/20 rule saved many careers. How can that be? If you managed for any period of time and were an effective manager, you have used the 80/20 rule. Simply stated, the 80/20 rule says that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. If you have 10 people on your team, 80% of your results or production will come from your top 2 reps (20%). If you own a restaurant, 80% of your revenue will most likely come from 20% of the time you are open. If you have 10 accounts 80% of your revenue will come from the top

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Obviously, the answer to this simple question is a resounding “Yes!” After all, careers represent achievement and financial security. Giving up an hour of your time is an insignificant sacrifice considering the benefits that it can provide. The next question: How should you utilize that hour in order to maximize your results? For this question, the best move you can make is to create a LinkedIn profile to increase your access to business opportunities. LinkedIn allows others to view your professional information online.

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As any job-seeker can attest, finding a good job in today’s business climate can be quite challenging. The good news is that it is not an impossible task. There are some tools that people can use in order to increase their chances of landing a great career opportunity. One of these tools is LinkedIn, a professional networking site that connects individuals to a wealth of career resources. It can refer you to people or companies that are looking to hire someone new. In order to maximize the power of LinkedIn, your profile must be well-constructed.

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With over 40 million members and still growing, LinkedIn is the biggest professional network in the entire world. It connects an individual with numerous contacts. But, there is more to LinkedIn than just connections....after all, recent developments in networking technology should provide more than just size. LinkedIn is able to facilitate the exchange of ideas on a larger scale. In other words, the network does not just exist – it exists for a specific purpose, which is to increase professional and business opportunities for users.

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Here are links to 22 videos designed to guide you through the job search and interview process and give you your best chance for success. I’ve put them in order for you here, so that you can build your knowledge as you go and see how it all fits together. About Medical Sales If you’re new to medical sales, or thinking about transitioning from one area to another, you need some general information. What are the different areas available? How is, say, laboratory sales different from medical device sales different from pharmaceutical sales?

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It's a tough job market out there right now, but what if you can’t even get an interview? What if you're resume or your network is good enough to get you to the interview, but you can’t get past that point? Are you demonstrating the levels of commitment, drive, tenacity, skills and organization employers want? Here are 6 tried and true ways to separate you from other candidates and be the candidate everyone wants to hire: 1. Preparation = SWOT Analysis: SWOT is a strategic planning tool.

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Sometimes, hiring medical sales reps feels like a roll of the dice. You hope you get a winner, but you’re never sure you will. In an article called “Stop Hiring Poor-Performing Salespeople,” Brian Jeffrey wrote about 3 specific pitfalls of hiring sales reps you should look out for, and that one way to avoid them and improve your odds of hiring a winner is to use a sales assessment tool. I think assessment tools are a great idea.

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Here are 5 mistakes to avoid if you want to get into medical or healthcare sales. Some of them seem funny, but they are all very serious errors that recruiters frequently see candidates make. 1.

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At AACC, I had the pleasure of a long conversation with a national sales manager of a $30M company (10 sales reps and 10 technical support folks) where I discovered his opinion that “sales reps these days just aren’t as strong as they used to be.” I said, “Really? I’ve found that sales reps are just as good as the ones from the ‘good old days.’” So, naturally, I asked him about his hiring practices. He said that they hire their own people with no outside help (no recruiters) through ads, sales rep referrals, and a Rolodex.

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A 30-60-90-day plan is an outline (segmented into 30-day, 60-day-, and 90-day portions) of what you will do when you start a new job, filled with objectives you plan to achieve in that time frame. Presenting it during the interview sets you apart from other candidates (in a big way). Essentially, you spell out for your future employer, in as little or as much detail as necessary, how you will spend your time getting up to speed and contributing to the company.

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As a medical sales recruiter, I spend a lot of time on the phone fielding inquiries from job seekers. Not only about specific jobs in medical sales, laboratory sales, imaging sales, biotech sales, clinical diagnostics sales, pathology sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, pharmaceutical sales, or other areas of healthcare sales, but also about career coaching: How does it work? How can it help me? Can you help me?

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If you’re searching for a sales job (or any job), you want every advantage you can get, right? Which means, you’ve probably put a lot of effort into your resume, you’ve found the perfect suit for interviews, and you’ve gone over your answers to potential interview questions. Want another advantage? Create a 30/60/90-day plan for the job you want. What is a 30-60-90 day plan? And how do you use it to get a job in sales? Why does it help? A 30-60-90-day plan is an outline for what you will do when you start the job.

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