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Martha Rockwell

09/13/18 – Expert Tips on Performance Interviewing

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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.

02/15/18 – Your Work Begins Before the Interview

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Your Work Begins Before the InterviewWritten by: Lauren Kutsko

“Take risks: If you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise”

Author Unknown

KEYNOTE

Your Work Begins Before the Interview

Martha Rockwell

As someone who has reinvented her professional career 5 different times and has been in the resume writing industry for 20+ years, we were delighted to listen to Martha deliver valuable insights into the actions we can control during our career transition. Without some of the actionable steps she shared to keep our job search positive and connected it is easy to feel overwhelmed with a wide open calendar and nowhere to aim your efforts.

She shared 6 major areas of the job search to keep in mind as you seek interview opportunities.

  1. Resume, Cover Letter, LinkedIn
  2. Personal Criteria/Work Preferences
  3. Networking
  4. Research and Targeting
  5. Interview Preparation
  6. Time Management

Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile
Many major corporations are using Applicant Tracking Software to sort and organize resumes. Because sorting is being done by computers there are a few things to keep in mind when submitting yours:

  • Do not use tables or text boxes.
  • Have your designated title at the top of the resume match exactly for the position you are seeking.
  • Adding keywords that match the job description throughout your resume will strengthen your match and bring you to the top.
  • Simply put, a LinkedIn profile is just a must. If you do not exist online you don’t exist! Career Connectors has coaches onsite to help you with yours. As far as the cover letter, they aren’t always necessary. If you do submit one, take the time to address the specific qualifications listed in the job description and speak to how you exemplify them in your work and attitude.

Personal Criteria and Work Preferences
In career transition you have the opportunity to make a change to your life. To do that well it’s important to take a look back and acknowledge what you like and don’t like to shape your future. Take an honest look at your previous work history and explore what you loved what you hated and what you would like to have in the future.

Networking
80% of all job placement is done through networking! Martha encouraged us to keep the emphasis of networking as we make connections, not to land a job. If you go out with the only intent of getting a job it’s likely that networking will feel inauthentic and dry. You never know who other people know! Reach out to old friends, take them to lunch. Make a list of everyone you know and start making the small connections to build your network. Don’t forget to list people out of state, you never know who they know here in Arizona.

Research and Targeting
I thought this was a very cool proactive place to start your job search! Start with a group of 20 companies that you have always thought would be interesting to work for and begin to do research on them. Perhaps you will find a few don’t have offices in your city. Perhaps a few just released press releases saying that they laid off employees. As you research, narrow your list to 3. Then begin to look through your network of people to see if there is anyone you know that could hand deliver your resume for you.

Interview Preparation
An interview should be a conversation between two interested parties. So as you answer their questions consider finishing with a question like, I would like to know more about the qualifications you are looking for. She also encouraged us to write out and practice the dreaded “tell me about yourself” statement. Include your background, how you found the position, your strengths and then don’t forget to end it with a question back to them!

Time Management
As I am sure you know, without setting clear goals it is too easy to get overwhelmed and delay the start of your job search. On of the easiest ways to overcome dread is to make a plan! One of the goals is to get out of the house everyday. There is a fantastic resource at www.networkingphoenix.com that lists all the events that are happening around the valley. Now that you have the time, make coffee and lunch dates with old friends or coworkers. Remember you never know who other people may know that could land you your next position!

To learn more about Martha’s company check out her website!

HIRING COMPANIES

Northstar
Peter Swenson, Divisional Vice President

Northstar is a growing smart home securities company based in Utah. With an office in Tempe, they are accepting college interns and hiring heavily in sales and field tech services. Their mission is to empower confident living. They do that with their clients through products that make people feel secure and they do that with their employees by ensuring work life balance and employee development. Current openings are in recruiting, customer service, field service technicians, sales representatives and sales managers. For more information go to their website.

The Hartford
Chet Joshi, Sr. Talent Consultant

With a new office on Raintree and the 101, there are many opportunities at this very established company! With over 200 years in business, this company offers some of the most competitive healthcare and 401k matching plans available. They like to say they don’t have job openings, they have career openings. With low turnover and rapid advancement opportunities you can build an incredible career here. Their current openings are in Phoenix and Scottsdale, including Customer Service Rep, Workers Compensation Claim Rep, Liability Litigation Claim Consultant, Client Relationship Manager, Underwriters, and Auto Claim Rep. More information here.

Staff Logic
Justin Hook, VP Sales and Recruiting

As a local staffing firm that has deep connection with some of the valley’s best companies, this is a great place to start your networking efforts. Staff Logic offers not just temp to hire positions but plenty of professional direct hire positions. They have placed over 50K professionals in long term careers here in the valley. 63% of their referrals come from clients or professionals that they have placed! They work in many fields such as accounts payable, banking and financial services, bookkeeping, credit and collections, audit, public accounting, executive staffing, software development, IT engineering, customer service, software sales, medical administrative, marketing, HR, and executive searches. For more information click here.

RESOURCES

Goodwill of Central and Northern AZ
Carter Ellis, Professional Career Advisor

Goodwill is more than a retail store. In fact, 90 cents of every dollar earned at their stores supports their work of ending unemployment here in the valley. With over 18 different career centers valley wide they support their clients with career coaching, resume critiquing, mock interviews, talent sourcing, and access to a job posting board. They do not just hire entry level positions. Because they have relationships with 600 different employers around the valley, their recruiting is diverse for the professional placement as well. For more information about hiring events or their Career Centers, check out their website.

CLOSING

Sheila Coulam reminded us that pictures are uploaded to the website, they will not be emailed to you.

There is an upcoming military career event that all are welcome to attend. Attendance is FREE for all job seekers! Create your profile to be pre-matched with hiring companies for onsite interviews March 7! More information including participating companies can be found here: BCAZ 2018 Military Career Event.

On Feb 22nd in Glendale Kevin Dumcum will speak on how to Activate Your Job Search and Jim Sorenson, will be sharing from DES/Unemployment Insurance and how to take advantage of DES services. The hiring companies will be DES and Honor Health.