Building Rapport

Ace Your Interview

Getting an appointment for an interview these days is an accomplishment. It indicates that you have a good resume, and/or that networking has paid off. Bravo. Now for the all-important in-person phase of the process.

There are hundreds of books out there with advice on this topic. I’ve read a lot of them. One I read recently, “201 Questions to Ask on Your Interview” by John Kador, hit a home run with me. More about that in the suggested reading section.

What particularly grabbed me was his discussion of 5 key attributes that need to be in evidence when you interview.

I’m continually telling my clients to ensure that the examples they use to highlight their accomplishments are specific. Explicit numbers, results and outcomes. Generic words are meaningless and have no heft. For example, instead of using the word “significant,” use a number or percentage.

Beyond specific examples of past accomplishments are the behaviors that underlie these results. Now, to these 5 key attributes that should be at the foundation of your presentation.

You need to show the interviewer evidence of being: action-oriented, engaged with the long-term, zestful, curious and committed.

So, how do you do this?

Here are some tips:

Action-oriented.

Not passive. What’s an example from a past job where you drove the meeting, committee or project when it was languishing? Or when a deadline loomed, and you came up with a way to reach the goal? When you saw a way through the impasse or were able to streamline the process to make it happen?

Engaged with the long-term.

When was the last time you were the one to envision the broader consequences of an action? When was the last time your contribution provided a strategic view of a project or action that no one had thought of? For example, by your selecting specific software to use, the company would perhaps save $50,000 within 2 years.

Zestful.

Keen enjoyment or interest. Is there excitement in your voice and body language when you speak about your past work experiences? I’m not talking about nervous energy. I’m talking about the sparkle in your eyes, the animation of your movements and the tone of your voice that genuinely demonstrates your involvement and enthusiasm. This is especially critical for older job seekers. Avoid complacency in your presentation.

Curious.

I love this one. It’s great to be curious about the company you’re interviewing with by asking terrific questions. But first, it’s important to show how curiosity has served you well in a previous job. For example: when was the last time you knew there had to be a better way of performing a task, closing on a particular deal or making a sale to a recalcitrant client? How did your inquiring or questioning of the situation find a better solution that resulted in a success for you and your company? Did you do research? Talk to a colleague who had done this before? Wake up with an epiphany at 3 o’clock in the morning?

Committed.

Dedicated or pledged to a cause. Not self-centered. When was the last time you sacrificed your own comfort, sleep or plans for the sake of a project? Okay, I’m not talking about saying you never had a life. But you need to show what commitment means to you. When was the last time you demonstrated your unswerving devotion to getting the job done?

So that’s it.

The key to demonstrating all of these attributes is speaking in specifics. Use these 5 behaviors as a guide for preparing yourself and your list of accomplishments. You will engage the interviewer and increase your chances of being called back.

If you want help in polishing your presentation skills, whether it’s for an interview or on-the-job, call me for an exploratory conversation at 212/787-6097.

Preparing Your Elevator Speech

For more career advancement tips, check out my new blog at: Executive Coach In New York

So, what’s an elevator speech, and how do you get one?

What Is It?

An elevator speech is a short (15-30 second, 150 word) sound bite that succinctly and memorably introduces you. It spotlights your uniqueness. It focuses on the benefits you provide. And it is delivered effortlessly.

Elevator speeches are intended to prepare you for very brief, chance encounters in an elevator. But elevator speeches are not just for elevators! You should use it whenever you want to introduce yourself to a new contact. That could be in the supermarket, waiting in line at an ATM or when you get your morning latte.

So, who better than you to describe with passion, precision and persuasiveness what you do? A great elevator speech makes a lasting first impression, showcases your professionalism and allows you to position yourself.

And if you want to network successfully, you need an elevator speech!

How to Prepare an Elevator Speech, or What’s My Line?

Now for a short course in preparing your elevator speech, or unique selling proposition.

First, and most important, think in terms of the benefits your clients or customers derive from your services.

Trust me, no one is going to be riveted if you say:
“Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I’m a public relations executive with twenty years of experience.”

Or:
“Hi, I’m Sally Hopeful, and I’m an executive recruiter.
Two big yawns.

What’s In It for Me?

Do you recall that old radio station, WII-FM: What’s In It For Me?!

If you remember that people are always more interested in how you can help them, you’re on the right track. Keep that top of mind when composing your speech.

Here’s how to improve the two examples mentioned above:
“Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I help inventors tell the world about their inventions.”
“Hi, I’m Sally Hopeful. I partner with companies that need to find talented people to help their business growth and become more profitable.”

Now, you’ve got my attention!

Let’s use my elevator speech before and after as an example:

Here’s my before version (and I wondered why people looked at me with a frozen smile!):
“Hi, I’m Dale Kurow, and I’m a career and executive coach. I hold a Master’s Degree in Career Counseling and have been trained by a master level coach. (Who cares!) I’ve been an HR director for a multinational cosmetic company, run a PR agency and taught college-level business courses. (So what!) I believe that coaching can be the catalyst to change your life. (Are you asleep yet?)

See how that was all about me, me, me?

Now for the revised version:
“Hi, I’m Dale Kurow, and I help people become more successful at their work. For example, I’ve helped a client change jobs with a 40% salary increase, I’ve helped a client develop the skills to deal with a difficult boss, and I’ve helped a manager devise new ways to keep her staff motivated.”

Here’s a few more examples:

I know an Avon representative who says:
“I help women look beautiful.”

Or a business coach that says:
“I help you get more clients than you know what to do with.”

And here’s my favorite, one that is used by an IRS agent:
“I’m a government fund-raiser.”

Action Steps

So, here’s what you need to do to craft your elevator speech.
First, write down the “deliverables” - the services or features that you provide. Then, think in terms of the benefits that your clients or employer could derive from these services. You could use several successful client outcomes, as I did.

Once you’ve got that written, create an opening sentence that will grab the listener’s attention, as our Avon representative did above. The best openers leave the listener wanting more information. And you do not have to include your title, especially if you think it has a negative connotation (an IRS agent, for example).

Finally, your elevator speech must roll off your tongue with ease. Practice your speech in front of the mirror and with friends. Record it on your answering machine, and listen to it. Do you sound confident? Sincere? Is it engaging? Tweak accordingly. Then, take it on the road!

For more career advancement tips, check out my new blog at: Executive Coach In New York

Beyond the First 90 Days

Entire books have been written about the importance of the first 90 days in a new job. Those first 3 months are the critical make or break time - the “probationary” period - when the employer decides if you’re worth retaining and if you’re performing up to par.

Knowing that all eyes are upon you, you give it your best effort, work your tail off, and aim for impressing the boss. The three months pass and you’ve made it!

You’ve done a good job, set the bar high, and given the mindsets of most employers, they will be asking even more of you.

Then what? How can you sustain that pace, that level of commitment and performance beyond the first 90 days?

How do you manage to take on new projects, with the same resources, and still do a good job?

Here are tips that I’ve gleaned from my own corporate experience and during the last ten years I’ve spent coaching senior level executives:

Learn to under promise and over deliver. No one can keep up a 24/7 schedule without burnout. Look at your workload realistically and determine what you can do in a day or a week that still affords you some down time. If you’ve achieved small, but key wins in your first weeks, explore how those wins can be duplicated to address similar issues.
Who are the most important stakeholders? Who do you need to satisfy first, i.e. who holds the power in your department, or in the organization? Influential people are your direct boss/or client, or high profile contributors whose voice is valued in the organization. Projects for those stakeholders get moved to the top of the list. If you determine your priorities using that filter you can’t go wrong. In addition, kudos you earn from that population will go a long way in strengthening your reputation.
Negotiate the deadline while adding value. Offer the client/boss an additional, valuable project piece that doesn’t require much additional effort. By taking that approach, you may impress the client/boss with your ability to see the bigger picture while giving yourself some breathing room. All with little additional work.
Gather third party endorsements and continue to build peer/client relationships. There’s nothing like your boss hearing how wonderful you are directly from a satisfied user or client. Once you’ve started to build peer relationships, you can ask for and start gathering e-mails and comments about your good work. I’m not suggesting you ask anyone to immediately send a complimentary e-mail to your boss. However, collect those remarks and e-mails for future use. These endorsements provide real world, powerful examples of your contributions and represent valuable leverage you can use during your performance appraisal.
Setting objectives with your boss. Your boss probably hired you hoping you’d make an immediate contribution. Perhaps little was said about long-term objectives when you came on board. Further, many companies have a 90-day probationary period, which may preclude your boss from having long-range planning discussions during that time. They want to see what you can deliver and the impact you will have. After your initial 3 months, you need to have the objective-setting discussion with your boss. You’ve had 3 months to experience the culture, working style and expectations of your company and you will now be in a better position to help frame a goal-setting discussion with your boss.

Answer these questions before the discussion: what do you see as the long-term needs of your user group/function? How might these needs be addressed given what you’ve learned so far? Can you succinctly outline the issues and suggest solutions? What solutions would have the most impact, and create the most goodwill, for your boss first, and then, for you? And finally, what additional resources could you request in order to handle your new responsibilities? If you go into a goal-setting meeting with answers to the above questions, your boss will be impressed with the scope of your thinking and the thought you’ve put into the process. Even if s/he doesn’t agree with all of your proposed solutions, you’ll have progressed a long way towards being in control of your destiny.

After the first 90 days, use your knowledge of how the organization operates combined with the needs of the key players to develop a work plan. A plan that allows you to function by giving your best, but not necessarily your all.

Strategies for Managing Office Politics

You felt like one of the fortunate ones. In this difficult market, you interviewed well, got a job offer you’re excited about, and are already into your first weeks on the new job.

Everything should be going well, right?

Wrong.

From the first days, you’ve been feeling unsettled. You chalk it up to being new and not having settled in yet.

But the weeks go on and the feeling continues. And now you’re picking up other things: the sense that you have not been accepted, the whispering that seems to occur, the jokes you don’t get, etc.

What the heck is happening?

Well, you’ve hit office politics, in all its glory.

If dealing with office intrigue and hidden agendas has never been your forte, you’re not alone. But now you’ve been forced to face the music or risk hitting a damaging speed bump in your career.

Here are 6 success strategies to help you:

Find a mentor - Someone who understands the company’s culture, who might be in a more senior role and who seems amenable to showing you the ropes. How to find this person? Look for someone that does not engage in gossip and who you “click with.”
Listen and watch - Those who do well in your company’s culture. How do they conduct themselves and/or contribute in meetings? Look for several things: body language, how they dress, their manner, are they formal or casual in delivery, their words? Emulate this person.
Form strategic alliances - With those in power. Go the extra mile to volunteer your assistance. You will gain a valuable champion.
Curb any immediate reactions and knee-jerk emails - One ill-timed word or response can cause irreparable harm to your reputation. Pause before you speak or write. Make sure your communications are “charge neutral” and carry no negative emotions.
Use humor - to deflect any missteps. If you can lighten the conversation, when appropriate, people will seek you out.
Ask for second-party endorsements - for a job well done. Request that the manager of the project pass along words of your good performance to your boss.

Office politics is in every environment. Whenever you have 2 or more people in a room, you will experience conflicting opinions, agendas and modes of operating.

This may not be what you signed-for, as you think, “I just want to do my job, this other stuff is emotionally exhausting and wasting my time!”

But hold on. The higher you climb in a company, the trickier the footing. Why? Because your colleagues have been well schooled in how to influence others and push their agendas forward. They will have dominant personalities and sharpened political skills.

So, if you want to be successful, you’re going to need to learn the political know-how to thrive.