How to Handle Job Interview Anxiety

Peggy McKee gives some great tips on how to reduce the job interview jitters.

A 30-60-90-Day Sales Plan for Your Job Interview

What is a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan? And what's it got to do with your job search?

A 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan is a written plan that many sales professionals use in sales presentations to win new clients or customers. The plan outlines what goals their products or services will achieve by the end of 30 days, by the end of 60 days, and by the end of 90 days.

As you'll hear in this video, Executive Sales Recruiter, Peggy McKee, suggests you view your job interview as a sales presentation (even if you're not a sales professional). Come to your interview prepared to present your written 30-60-90 Day Plan for what you'll achieve if selected for the job.

Creating this document will not only help you prepare for your interview; it will boost your confidence in your job application. And when you present the written plan to the interviewer, you'll convince him that you understand his needs and will add value to his organization.

4 Out-of-the-Box Ways to Set Yourself Apart in a Job Interview

Here are four out-of-the-box ways to make a good impression at a job interview. They're not gimmicky -- they're just plain smart!

In this video by recruiter Peggy McKee, you'll hear about four techniques that worked for her job candidates. Although Peggy works with medical sales professionals, her tips are useful for most job seekers.



Four Ways to Set Yourself Apart in a Job Interview

1. Bring a thick "brag" book and highlight your 10 most relevant achievements while showing it to the interviewer.
2. Arrange for an email of recommendation to be sent from a former employer to your interviewer immediately after the interview.
3. Bring a list of potential clients you already know and have spoken to about the company's product.
4. Present a 30-60-90-day plan that outlines what you would do to succeed in the company.

More interview advice:

How Do You Interview If Your Interviewer Doesn’t Know as Much as You Do?
The Best Job Interview Preparation: The Behavioral Resume
Interview Help for the Average Joe (or Jane)
Follow-up on Verbal Job Offer

Job Search Resilience

My colleague, Mareen Nelson, is a career counselor who recently sent this story in a group email. I'm posting it in The Job Lounge with Maureen's permission.

A friend of mine (executive editor for tech/programmers' website) was laid off around Xmas, but just landed a job as community content editor for a different (very well-respected and active) programmers' site. In our conversation, he revealed:

- As soon as he got laid off, he sent an email to everyone in his network, letting them know he was available. One of these was forwarded to the guy who hired him.

- He really did his homwork. He knew about the site beforehand (because he works to stay informed in his field), but particularly before the interview, he scoured the site and learned everything he could about the community that was already there.

- He is passionate about his field and can talk excitedly about any aspect. Plus, he has let his personal niche interest take him in new directions. He has always been intrigued by video editing and programming and has been teaching himself a lot through the years. He said it was one thing that seemed to impress the employer.

- He was flexible and willing to work with the employer. Instead of demanding a permanent position, he is starting as a contractor because the site is in another country and has rules against hiring foreigners. The hiring manager wants to bring him onboard permanently, but he needs to find a way to do that.

One thing I know is true of this individual is that he is always upbeat and has a "can-do" attitude. I knew him 15 years ago when we both got laid off at the same time. He said, "I will have a job in one week," and he did! He dropped that courier job a couple of weeks later for a production editor job that was a much better use of his skills but I was impressed with his determination. My memory of his goal-setting and achievement has never left me. It was such a great example of his character and mindset.

I know his enthusiasm and knowledge comes across in an interview. And he is full of ideas about how to do things better -- save money, generate traffic and revenue, make things easier for users and advertisers. He got laid off right after a personal tragedy in December -- a family member who lived with him died unexpectedly in an accident. Instead of letting either event drag him down, he just picked himself up by his bootstraps and carried on.

My friend had psychological resilience -- the ability to bounce back from adversity and keep putting energy toward his goal. I think this is a big differentiator between job seekers who "make it" and those who burn out on the search and give up.

Thanks for the inspiration, Maureen. Not all of us have such a high level of resilience, which is often needed in a job hunt, especially in this tough job market. In my practice as a professional resume writer, I've found that a high percentage of job seekers are also going through non-job-related transitions such as divorce, death of a loved one, relocation, or disability. Every bit of support and inspiration is appreciated.

Interview Help for the Average Joe (or Jane)

Question
I enjoyed your website, which I discovered from the AARP links. However, as with almost all "interview" guides and advice, they are always focused on a certain level and class of jobs. What about most of the millions of jobs out there that are just plain common jobs? How does one older worker who has had a variety of "worker" jobs in their past (administrative assistant, courier, business service rep) interview for entry-level jobs with a new college degree and no experience?

To say investigate the company, find out about their interviewer, and all that is unrealistic when it comes to most worker jobs. These hints are fine for management and other higher level positions, but most people would not have the time nor the access to obtain this suggested information, and I don't believe it would have much relevance to their position, and might even put off the interviewers, who most likely are low level themselves.

I think most guides need to separate their classes of employment and interview tips and suggestions for the various occupational and professional levels that are out there. Most resumes are written by and for high-level achievers, those in power positions, and those in upper levels. What about the millions of good, solid, loyal and hard-working people who do not have any power in their positions, have little decision making other than minor details of their job, and the only real accomplishments they can say are that they did a good job, and feel good about it? How is that supposed to be marketed?

Thanks for listening. I get frustrated when reading all the help materials because they seem only to focus on a select few within the work environment, and leave out millions.
Sincerely,
Arlene

Answer
by Susan Ireland

Arlene, thank you for expressing your views so clearly. Your criticism is totally fair. More attention should be paid to the non-management worker whose qualifications are often measured differently than those for management folks.

I want to introduce you to Yana Parker, who has addressed many of the issues you wrote about. Although Yana passed away in 2000, she left us with some wonderful resources including her much loved book, The Damn Good Resume Guide. I think you will find many answers in both her book and on her website, damngood.com. Her self-help quiz, How to Uncover Your Special Skills and Talents, is an excellent tool for helping job seekers discover and articulate their “achievements” even when bells and whistles don’t go off when they do their work well. Yana wrote the quiz to help people figure out what to write on their resumes, but this exercise is also great for practicing what to say in interviews when asked about performance.

Here are two questions Yana taught me to use to help job seekers define their achievements when their good work is hard to measure.

1. If you had to be out of work for a week or so, what are all the things that might go wrong if the person who took your place was terrible at doing your job? Turn that around to understand what you do so well on the job.
2. If you had to train a new employee about your job, what special “tricks and tips” would you teach her so she’d become an excellent employee?

Arlene, you’re right in saying that it isn’t practical for many workers to research their prospective interviewers. In some cases, the job seeker may not meet with their prospective supervisor; they might meet with a low-level interviewer from Human Resources who asks a list of canned questions. That being a possibility, here’s what I suggest you do in preparation for the interview:

1. Pretend that you are the interviewer. Make a list of questions you would ask a job seeker in your line of work. For example: What sort of timelines are you used to working under, and how did you measure up when working within those timelines in your previous places of employment? Or, when performing the same duties each day, how do you stay fresh and interested in your work?
2. Review your resume and think of questions that it might cause the interviewer to ask about your specific situation. For example: I see that you worked many years for our competitor, ABC company. If hired here, do you think you will feel a conflict of interest working for the other team? Or, could you explain this gap in employment between 2001 and 2003?

Then practice answering your questions, even the “scary” ones like “Why did you leave your last job?”, until you’re comfortable with your answers.

Take a look at my list of Practice Questions for Everyone (which is different from the list of Questions for Executive Job Seekers) and see if any of them ring true for your job search.

Thank you for bringing up this issue. I hope readers will tell us (in the Comments section) about other resources they know of to help the millions of hardworking non-management folks with their job searches.

Salary Offer Not Enough

Question
My question is in regards to negotiations. I have interviewed with a potential new employer and all contact has gone very well. Early in the interview process I was twice asked what my salary requirements were and I clearly stated them to both my initial HR contact and the senior HR manager. I was told both times what I was asking was within the position range--in the ballpark.

I had a final interview yesterday with the CFO which went well and I was contacted by the HR head today. Their offer is 10k less than my minimum requirement. I stated to the person that we had discussed it previously and I was assured by him it would not be an issue/problem. He then stated that after yesterday's interview, he spoke with the dept. mgr. as to how much he would be willing to pay for the position and the 10k lower amount was his answer. Mr. HR then said he might be able to get him to go 5k more but that would be it.

How do I negotiate this, or do I just tell them to forget it? As an aside, I am currently employed with a good company, just in a position that cannot lead to further advancement, but I get a steady salary increase every year. In the new position, I would incur additional commuting costs, which would lead to the increased salary being equal to what my next raise here would be. Oh yeah, I’m 45 .
-- John (confused in NJ)

Answer
by Marc Effron, VP, Talent Management, Avon Products

Hi John – This reminds me an experience I had many years ago when interviewing with a major hotel chain. After an exhaustive interview process, they offered me $10,000 less than my then current salary. Their logic was: “Because you said you got your raise recently, this is still more than you made before your raise.”

John, you’ve answered your own question. If the offer is below your minimum -- end of story. Also, if they’re this cheap and disorganized right now, it won’t be any better when bonus/merit increase time rolls around. They don’t deserve you and you’ve just proved you’re employable, so move on.

It’s sad that yet another HR department has hurt the reputation of this field. Their job is to understand the budget and job requirements before interviewing. Before your next interview process, you might want to double-check that they’ve done this.

I hope that helps!

Marc Effron is Vice President, Talent Management for Avon Products. He has authored two books (including Leading the Way) and numerous articles about leadership. He is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Susan Ireland’s Two Cents
John, when you negotiated your compensation, did you consider the entire salary and benefits package? If you’re still interested in the job, get out your calculator and add up the value of the health insurance, vacation pay, 401k benefits, gym membership, etc. to see if, in fact, the job offer is what you want. To get help thinking about all those perks, check out Negotiating Total Compensation Can Be Totally Awesome by Barbara Safani.

Job Lounger, do you have a question? Email (joblounge@aol.com) it to me and I’ll post your question and an expert’s answer here in The Job Lounge.

What Makes Your Next Boss Tick?

If you know what makes the employer tick, you stand a much better chance of pushing his hiring button. Think about it. If you know his business goals, you can frame your qualifications in those terms. But first you need to find out what those business goals are.

Use every resource you can think of to dig up the employer’s history, market standing, goals, challenges, mission statement, industry stats, clientele, corporate culture, and whatever else you can think of. Here are some good places to look for this stuff:

• On the Web — Do a company and industry search
• An online professional network such as LinkedIn, where you might meet someone who knows your potential boss
• The business section of your library
• Business, trade, and financial magazines
• Business sections of newspapers
• The company’s literature — Just call and ask them to send you brochures, annual reports... even catalogs. And while you’re at it, remember to get the name of the hiring manager for the position you want. His name might be listed in company literature, or you can call the company’s human resources department.

Job Lounger, do you have a question? Email it to me and I’ll post your question and my answer here in The Job Lounge.