Career Connectors

Connecting professionals in career transition with hiring companies and quality resources

Career Connectors eUpdate
Subscribe Here

Interview Tips

9 Ways To Connect With Your Job Interviewer

by

9 Ways To Connect With Your Job Interviewer

Interviews can be stressful, even if you feel well prepared. Despite going over every question you can think of and watching yourself in the mirror, you may still find yourself worried that you haven’t done enough. You have a short window to impress the interviewer and prove you have what it takes. 

What can you do?

We’ve asked nine professionals to share their advice on how to handle connecting with an interviewer in a short period of time, so that you can walk into your next interview with confidence.


Review Their LinkedIn Profile

Personal connection is always the best, I believe. Before the interview, the candidate should review the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile. Check to see if you have anything in common. If so, bring that up in the interview as an ice-breaker. Also, make sure that you are molding your answers to reflect the values of the company. This can also be a great way to connect.

Dana Felix, HR Analyst


Start With a Good First Impression

An interviewer will make their decision on whether you are likable or not within the first 5 minutes of the interview. One thing they will consider is your overall presentation. Recruiters like someone who appears neat, composed, charming (without speaking!) and one who appears prepared. To achieve this, go into your with confidence. Wear a moderate smile, one that does not reveal your teeth. Greet the interviewer formally and sit upright, looking directly into their face without being too hard as it might appear rude. Finally, speak fluently and respond as accurately as possible without stuttering or referring back to your documents.

James Jason, Mitrade


Connect In a Blink

Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink makes the argument that people make judgements about others within a blink of an eye. No pressure, but candidates need to connect with an interviewer in that first blink. Sometimes, that first two seconds tells an interviewer more about that candidate than a 30-minute conversation. It’s just human nature. So how can you connect in two seconds? Calm the nerves prior to the first interaction. When it comes time to shine (or turn on Zoom video), be yourself, smile and make eye contact. Just connecting in a non-verbal way in the first two seconds helps pave the way for the rest of the interview. 

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors


Be Personable and Outgoing 

One of the best things you can do to connect in a short amount of time is be personable and outgoing as soon as you enter the interview. You might not necessarily have time to discuss things you have in common, but the interviewer will feel drawn to you because you gave off a positive persona. They will see that you are passionate and can have a conversation with anyone even if you are meeting for the first time. 

Henry Babich, Stomadent Dental Lab 


Body Language 

Body language is so important in interviews. Sit up straight, make eye contact and smile when you can to give off a good impression to your interviewer. In virtual interviews, use hand motions and try to look at the camera when speaking, allowing the interviewer to feel as if you are making eye contact with them. 

Jon Schneider, Recruiterie 


Make it a Two-Way Conversation

Do your best to not let the interview be one-sided. When it feels natural, ask the interviewer a question or two about their work or about the company to break up the rapid-fire of questions. Try to create a back and forth conversation to make the interview more comfortable for both parties involved.

Candi Luciano, Y Scouts


Ask Them About Themselves

Avoid talking about the weather or asking general questions such as “how are you?” Rather ask something contextual and specific such as “How have you been adjusting to being back in the office/working from home during the shelter-in-place?” This shows the interviewer that you see people beyond just their roles and your approach to work will likely be more relational rather than transactional. If it is a company that cares about culture then they will love this about you!

Philip Botha, Culture Advantage


Match the Interviewers Energy

Unless there has been no application vetting process whatsoever, interviewers already know plenty about who you are from your resume, background checks and social media investigations. Here are a few ways for candidates to connect quickly with their future job interviewer: You have about 90 seconds to make a great first impression so focus on non-verbal cues, match the interviewers energy (cadence, physical gestures, etc), ask measured questions to get them talking, find common bonds (often doing research before the interview on LinkedIn profiles, search “About” section on website, etc), captivate them with relevant personal stories and last but not least pretend you already have the job as you want them to visualize you on the job.

Mark Christensen, People & Partnerships


Interviewers Remember Personality

It sounds obvious but I personally always remember people who have shown some of their personality in their answers, rather than being robotically professional. The “worst” case scenario is that the interviewer won’t gel with your personality, but then the likelihood is that you wouldn’t be a good fit for that company, anyway — so it’s no loss.

Rosalind Smith, Mauve Group

4/29/2020 – Get a Job with Skills You Learned in Kindergarten

by

Written by: Debbie Adkins

Keynote

Justin Jones

Our speaker, Justin Jones, has all of us looking at “Resumes and Interviews” in a different way. He takes our days in kindergarten and the things we did and puts them to work with our resumes and doing our interviews.

First you need to know “how you feel”. To feel positive, that you can do anything and that you just need to “hold on” will give you a good start. With this you will need to sell yourself through your resumes and interviews.

Remember the employer is “purchasing” a person for their job opening. They do this by taking the resumes they get and putting them through an “application tracking system.” If your resume gets selected in the ATS, you may get to interview with them.

Here is what you can do:
*Pull out a job description for the position you are interested in. Highlight the words that indicate the skills the company wants for this position.
*Take your resume and highlight the skill words that match the job description.
*If there are skills you have but your resume doesn’t show, ask yourself when/where have you demonstrated those skills. You may need to add some of your volunteer or hobby activity to your resume to show these skills.
*Correct or add words that are on the job description to your resume.
*Always use words that the job description has and that the “application tracking system” may use. It all should match.

The interview should be next. Oh yeah, your resume should include your skills, accomplishment (what, when, how), qualifications and a cover letter.
A cover letter is the first thing the employer will see. It should show how your skills would directly match what the company needs. It should not match your resume, but you should use some of the words from the job description.

Once your resume lands you the interview, it’s time to prepare for the interview. You should know and do the following:
*Know ahead of time what questions may be asked and your answers.
*The employer will base their questions on the job description and if you can make them a profit and solve their problems.
*To prepare for answering the interview questions, ask yourself: What do I want them to think, feel, know and do after they hear my answer?
*You will need to PRACTICE with yourself, a friend and set up a “mock interview” with a job coach.
*Go to the interview positive, happy and ready for anything.

In closing, take what you did in kindergarten and put it to use in your job search. You are worth it and don’t forget that! Justin closed by sharing his voice- you can enjoy it here:

HIRING COMPANIES

TTEC
Rob Briggs, Recruiter
TTEC helps bring technology and human connections together to deliver amazing customer experiences.
One of their values is “Do the right Thing”. They have locations in Tempe on Rio Salado and Central Phoenix near I-17 and Bell Road. There is TTEC Engage which is their main office and there is TTEC at Home which are employees that work from home.
They are hiring for Service and Sales positions: B2B Sales Reps, Digital Account Sales Reps, Online Marketing Sales Reps, Social Media Marketing Strategist, Inbound Sales Reps, Customer Service Reps- healthcare and Spanish bilingual, and Healthcare Insurance Agents.

U-Haul International
Jamie Zell Behymer, Senior Recruiter
U-Haul, headquartered in Phoenix, is hiring in all stores and at their corporate office. U-Haul started in 1945 and have approximately 32,000 employees. Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Coverage, Weight Watchers program, HealthierU, and soon an on site gym!
U-Haul is hiring for Customer Service Reps, Sales, Retail Sales, General Managers and Reservation Agents.

RESOURCES

LPL Financial
Jian Boldi
Here are some tips for Career Transition:
*Understand your unemployment benefits.
*Do not forget to keep paying taxes.
*Job searching expenses like mileage, relocation, and more are tax deductable.
*Go back to school to advance your skills or learn something new.
*Become under employed by working odd jobs that have lower wages for awhile.
*Budget, Budget, Budget: make a spreadsheet and keep track of your spending.
*If you are 55 or older, you can take penalty free money from your IRA using (72t).
*As an alternative to COBRA, purchase your healthcare insurance with your IRA funds.
*Consider reversing a contribution made to your IRA.
*Ask for help from friends, family and anyone that you may run into during the day. Let people know you are looking for work.

If you have questions about any of these tips, Jian would be glad to help you with them.

7/23/19 – Be the STAR at the Interview

by

Written by Julia Churan

Jessica Pierce, CEO and Founder of Career Connectors, opened the July 23 event by welcoming everyone to the event with positive encouragement and an explanation of the change in format for the day. It was a unique workshop-style format that allowed job seekers an opportunity to learn a strategy for shining at their next interview and also put that strategy into practice with the assistance of HR professionals.

STAR at the Interview

Keynote

Ted Robison – “Mr Link-Me-In”, Speaker, Retired Engineer and LinkedIn Coach

For years Andersen Consulting, DDI and other leadership consulting firms have taught Targeted Selection as a method of evaluating candidates’ competencies based on past behavior to hire the right people for a given job. Today this is the most widely used hiring approach in corporate America. Recruiters and hiring managers are able to collect and evaluate job-relevant data, while removing bias, in a legally defensible way. Since past performance can be a good predictor of the future, interviewers ask open-ended questions to determine whether candidates have the skills and experiences required to excel in the job:

  • Tell me about a situation when…
  • Describe a time when you had to … What did you do?
  • Give me an example of a time when you …

The STAR approach was designed to answer these types of questions and help an interviewer communicate specific and clear thoughts to others. It forces the candidate to stay focused, avoid rambling and over-communicating.

What is STAR?

The STAR format is a template for formulating “Power Stories”:
S – Situation
T – Task
A – Action
R – Result / Solution

Ted presented a video by CITY CV to demonstrate tips and an example of using the method. YouTube is a great resource for other examples and techniques to review when preparing for a job search.

Situation

  • Describe the situation.
  • Give the context of Where? and When?
  • Be brief and specific – approximately one line.

Task

  • Short description of the challenges and/or expectations
  • What? and Why?

Action

  • This is How? The steps you took to accomplish the task.
  • Use “I” rather than “We” when answering.
  • Avoid too much detail.
  • This should be 60% of your answer.

Result

  • This is where you describe the outcome or impact to the company: cost-savings, time-savings, efficiencies, etc.
  • Briefly show how you were the hero.

Watch Your Time
The entire response should to 45 – 90 secs. This will keep the interviewer from getting bored or regretting they asked the question. It also gives them a pause to ask questions. You can always offer more detail if they ask questions.

Prior to interview

Do your homework and looked prepared.

  • Research the Company – use the company’s website, LinkedIn, personal contacts tied to the organization, and news wires.
  • Research the Culture – Informational interviews with contacts that are tied to the organization are often your best source and may lead to more. Glassdoor.com is another great source of feedback both good and bad. Resources like BestCompaniesAZ and Forbes honors are other good indicators of culture strengths.
  • Research the Interviewers – Do some social medial sleuthing. Start with your connections on LinkedIn. Know their alma mater and any personal aspects like volunteering and past experience. Look for mutual contacts. You can also search Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to find out if you have common interests like sports, music, etc. Don’t come across like a stalker, but you can avoid or transition into specific topics if you see a commonality.
  • Compare your background to the Job Requirements – create a grid or make notes to touch on your strengths and accolades that directly tie to their needs.

Prepare as though walking into any important meeting – bring extra resumes, a pen, notepad, reference list, questions, STAR story reminders.

Practice Your Body Language

  • Show confidence through your attire, posture, and direct eye contact
  • Practice looking in the mirror
  • Assume the “Superman pose” (hands on hips, chest forward, head high) prior to entering the office, or getting on the telephone.
  • Smile and slow deep breaths – this will release tension and come across in a positive way through your voice.

Know Your Value Proposition to the Company

You are not only bringing the requested skills to the organization, but you have a wealth of experience and silent assets that you bring to the company. They are assuming things like integrity or hard worker. Be prepared with “Bitable” examples and skills – great problem solver, mentor to staff, contingency planning, poised under pressure situations, organized planner, etc. Show they would be getting more than they asked for and than other candidates may bring.

Prepared Questions

  • Have a list prepared of open-ended questions that show you have given thought to your meeting.
  • Make them personal so the interviewer talks about their experiences and opinions – What has been your secret to success for so many years? What is the biggest challenge you see in this role? Where do you see the greatest opportunities for the company (or role) in the next 3-5 years?
  • Ask about company/dept culture – Tell me what you like best about working here? Describe your management style or describe the management style of the VP.
  • Ask for advice of success in the role & company- What do you feel is most important to someone succeeding in this role?
  • Avoid asking salary and vacation questions – the time will come soon enough and this shouldn’t appear your primary concern.

The Workshop

Participants were broken into groups with a professional HR coach guiding them through an exercise in writing their own STAR stories on different topics. “Candidates” were asked mock interview questions and given a chance to practice the STAR method to respond.
Download the practice worksheet here.

Download Common Interview Questions and guide here.

Workshop Lessons Learned

  • The process needs to sound organic.
  • The response doesn’t necessarily always follow STAR sequence. It might be a SATR or (ST)AR

The “Salary Question”
Do not be the first to bring up salary/vacation ever.
Turn that question around and ask, “What is the range for this position?”
One of the Hiring Company coaches suggested softening the question to something like “I’m looking at the entire opportunity. Salary is one piece of it, but I’m also looking at the role, the organization and the overall package.” Then ask the question about salary range.

Hiring Companies

Freedom Financial Network
Heather Marcom, Head of Talent Acquisition

FFN is a debt relief organization that is expanding into the personal lending and mortgage lending arenas. These and other expansion plans will offer new opportunities in Phoenix and Tempe.
One of the core values of the organization is the caring attitude for customers and employees. This is why FFN has been named a Best Company to Work for in Phoenix for several years in a row.

Current Opportunities

  • Sales – phone
  • Collections
  • Payment Processing
  • Operations
  • IT/Engineering/Data
  • Accounting
  • Product/Project Managers

Resources

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona

Ron Mack – Community Awareness Partner

Mission – Through the goodwill of others, we create the pathway to a better future for all by helping those who desire self-sufficiency.

The Goodwill Career Centers offer free career coaching, assistance with resumes, mock interviewing, employment support and digital skills training. They specialize in providing on-going support for the professional job seeker. Goodwill delivers community awareness of local employment events through onsite career centers and through the recent launch of mycareeradvisor.com (live chat available). The services are free of charge and available to all.

Closing

Jessica introduced the many resources available at no charge to seekers who attend Career Connectors events: LinkedIn and Resume assistance, Professional Photos, DISC assessments, Career and Financial Coaching. These and all Career Connectors events and services would not be available without the many hands of Staff, Volunteers, Sponsor Companies and Resource Partners. Also, a huge thank you to the Central Christian Church for hosting today’s Gilbert event. Attendees were encouraged to network and take advantage of the many services available. There are many exciting upcoming events across the Valley in the next month. Be sure to visit the Events Page for more details.



09/13/18 – Expert Tips on Performance Interviewing

by

Martha Rockwell Interviewing TipsWritten by: Connie Huber PHR SHRM-CP

Your Job Search … Statistically Speaking

  • “On the average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, 4-6 applicants will get called for an interview, with 1 applicant getting the job.” – Glassdoor
  • “1 out 6 candidates who applied for a job were asked for an interview.” – Jobvite 2017 Recruiting Funnel Benchmark Report
  • “Recruiters take an average of 6 seconds to scan a resume.” – The Ladders
  • “Job seekers will spend an average of 11 hours a week looking for work.” – CareerBuilder
  • “91% of employers prefer their candidates to have work experience, & 65% prefer the candidates to have relevant experience.” – NACE Job Outlook 2017
  • “51% of recruiters noted there were 3 interviews before an offer.” – 2017 Recruiter Sentiment Study MRI Network
    from “Top 99+Recruiting & HR Statistics HR Pros Must Know in 2018” by Natalie Severt

Keynote

“Expert Tips on Performance Interviewing” – Martha Rockwell

You found the perfect job.  You crafted a cover letter and resume that promoted your skills & experience.  Eureka!!!  You get a call from the company’s recruiter for an interview.  It’s now time to rock the interview!  Are you ready?

Martha shared with the group the types of interviews to expect.  Among them are the pre-screening/third party, one-on-one, sequential and panel.

ADVANCED INTERVIEW PREPARATION CHECKLIST

As you prepare for the interview, Martha encouraged us to do the following:

  1. Introduction/Elevator speech:  Be sure to tailor your speech to meet the needs of the company.  Rehearse, but do not come off as not being natural.
  2. Create answers to interview questions & practice, practice & practice. Write out the answers, since most of us are visual learners, this will help you learn your answers.
  3. Research the company: Review details for the company by visiting its website, Glassdoor, LinkedIn & recent press releases.
  4. Research salary: Determine the salary range for the open position.

PRE-PLAN YOUR INTERVIEW

  1. Pre-plan prior to the phone call:  Use flash cards to record anticipated questions & answers.  Have four questions ready to ask during the interview.
  2. What to wear: Determine what you will wear to the interview.  Dress professionally.
  3. What to bring:  Extra copies of your resume.  Be sure to have enough for all participating in the interview.  Carry the resumes in a professional portfolio.  Have paper to take notes.
  4. During the interview: Take notes so you can track the context of your conversation.

CHANGE YOUR THINKING

Frame your attitude or thinking in a positive manner!  Including ….

  • Business discussion of areas where there is a mutual interest.
  • Company wants resolutions in areas of potential concern.
  • Rather than looking for ways to disqualify you from the process, think in terms of what you can offer the employer.
  • The hiring decision is mutually depending on whether it’s a good fit.
  • Rather than emphasizing your meeting as an “interview”. Refer to it as a “business discussion”. Doing so will release emotion!

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. Have a good introductory statement.  “Tell me about yourself.”
  2. Know the difference between negative & positive questions. Think of those interview questions you might be asked & identify them as negative or positive.  Your responses should be positive.
  3. Be ready for the weakness question. “What are your weaknesses?”  Think of a good positive answer.  Highlight what you learned & what you changed.  Limit your response to “1”!

THE PAR SYSTEM

Your responses should be established using the PAR system.

  1. P = Problem or project
  2. A = Action
  3. R = Results

Include what you learned or how you changed.

HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWER

Always…..

  1. Have a list of good questions to ask the interviewer.
  2. Make sure to research & ask a question using information found on the company’s website.

CLOSING THE INTERVIEW

Ask for a timeline.

  1. Will there be a second interview?
  2. When is a decision expected to be made?

Follow up on established timelines!

INTERVIEW POST ANALYSIS

After the interview, go to a quiet place to debrief & analyze how the interview went.

THANK YOU

Send a thank you within 24-48 hours!  Pre-screen interviews should also receive a thank you, along with each person that participated in the interview.

“Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure – it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.” – Robert H. Schuller

 

HIRING COMPANIES

Shamrock Foods Company
Brianna Juarez, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Nicole Heckaman, Executive Recruiting & Development Manager

Shamrock was started 95 years ago as a family business.  Today Shamrock remains family owned & is the 7th largest foodservice distributor in the US.  Business segments are represented in foodservice distribution, dairy production, cooking oil production & retail stores.  Shamrock strives to “treat customers as friends & associates as family”.  The average tenure for employees is 20 years.  The company’s culture & growth opportunities are key factors making Shamrock a desired employer.

Benefits are robust at Shamrock.  Open positions include:  Sales, Bid Specialist Contract Pricing Analyst, Sr. Financial Analyst, Credit Manager, Director of Finance, Cost Analyst, Executive Asst., Customer Care Specialist, & Sr. Software Engineer.  To apply go to Shamrock’s website.

Choice Hotels
Pauline Crone, Talent Acquisition Manager

Choice Hotels “connects the world through hospitality”.  Choice Hotels are franchised, individually owned & operated.  The organization has over 6,800 hotels located in over 49 countries.  2017 provided revenues over $4.1 billion & 22 million customers.  Choice also is recognized for SkyTouch which is a comprehensive hotel operations platform.  The company was recognized by Forbes for being a 2018 America’s Best Mid-Size Employer & values its employees.  Benefits include:  health, fun & fitness, life, wealth, community & employee recognition.  Some of their current open positions are:  Software Engineer, IT Programs Manager, Customer Support Specialist, & Sales Force Business Analyst.  You can find a complete job listing here.

Allstate
Steve Morin, Senior Sourcing Consultant

Allstate was established in Chicago in 1931 & has been in business for 80 years. Allstate is #81 on Fortune 100 list & has an employee population of 70,000 employees in the US and Canada. The SW region is composed of AZ, OK, NV, NM and UT. Allstate is one of the most recognizable brands in America & has 47 products to help serve its customers’ needs.

Available positions in the Tempe Regional Office include IT, Human Resources, Product, Claims, & Sales Management.  Other opportunities are Financial Specialist, Agency Owner, & Licensed Sales Producers. The company is military friendly & offers free education to veterans & a bonus award of $500. In addition, Allstate has a $10,000 referral award. To learn more about their careers, visit the Allstate site.

CLOSING

Sheila Coulam, Vice President of Operations, Career Connectors, closed the meeting by thanking Highlands Church & the volunteers. Career Connectors & WESTMARC will be presenting the West Valley Healthcare Career Expo on September 20, 2018. The next Career Connectors meeting will be in Gilbert on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 & features Norris Thomas, as speaker for the topic “Your Why Defines Your Try.”  For additional information on this event & future events, please visit the Event Schedule.