Make More of Your Job

"Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?"

Every time I interview a prospective employee, I love to ask the question “Why did you leave your last job?”  I learn a lot from the responses.

Leaving a job can be a difficult situation, one rife with political implications, challenges, and disappointments.  Someone who displays candor, honesty and class when answering this question will quickly move to the top of my list.  Someone who takes the opportunity to complain about what was wrong with everyone except them at their last job will quickly be crossed off of my list.

This article at CareerJournal tackles this tricky situation head on and offers some interesting tactics for answering this most telling of interview questions.

Sample Thank-You Letters

In our series on nailing the big interview, we discussed the importance of sending a thank-you letter to each person that you met with during the course of the process.

Writing an appropriate thank-you letter is an art form that takes work to perfect. Once mastered, it will serve you well for many occasions in life. If you’re having trouble deciding where to start when it comes to writing your post-interview thank-you note, Quintessential Careers has some great examples of different thank-you notes for different interview scenarios.

The Big Interview, Part 4: The Thank-You Note

Last week, we discussed several key phases in the interview process. At this point, you have made it through the process and you can breathe easy. All that’s left is waiting to hear if you’ve been given the position, right? Wrong. There’s still quite a bit that you can do to aid your chances of being chosen.

The best way to increase your chances after the interview is to send your interviewer a personal thank-you note showing your appreciation for their time. It may seem like a simple concept, but you’d be shocked how few people actually bother to take this step. If possible, the thank-you note should be hand-written and, at the very least, personally signed. Never send a thank you note for any occasion via email. It feels impersonal and rushed.

Writing your interviewer a personal note also gives you the chance to fill in any gaps that may have been left open during the interview itself. Before writing your thank-you note, do a post-mortem on the interview experience and figure out how you think it went. The point of this exercise isn’t to beat yourself up or to praise yourself for doing well. The point is to find additional opportunities for action. Go over the interview from start to finish in your mind and ask yourself the following questions:

• Did I forget to mention anything about my qualifications?
• Would I change the way in which I answered any of my questions?
• Were any of my answers less than clear? Could I benefit from expounding on them?
• Were there any questions I couldn't answer that I "owe" the interview a response for?

From that list of questions, you should compile a list of opportunities and begin to formulate a response. Make sure you open the note with a sincere "thank you" and then move onto any points or clarifications that you want to make.

A post-interview note should always close with a request for the position. As we discussed in the previous post, when done appropriately, this shows that you are unafraid to go after what you want. This is a quality all managers look for in the right candidate.

The sooner you can get your note into the hands of your interviewer, the better. The fact that you reflected on your experience and took the time to personalize a response in this way will show how interested you are and go a long way to separate you from your competition.

Earlier: The Big Interview, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The Big Interview, Part 3: Do's and Don'ts

Now that we’ve discussed how to prepare for and what to bring to your interview, what's next? The interview itself.

Sitting down with a superior with your future on the line is arguably one of the most stressful situations you can find yourself in as an employee. In order to display yourself in the best light necessary, it is vital that you make the most of your superior’s time and that you differentiate yourself from the other people interviewing for the job.

The following tips will help ensure that you increase the odds of getting the position by making the most of your meeting:

• DON'T rely on small talk – When we get nervous, we tend to distract ourselves with idle chit-chat. Avoid this at all costs. While it’s appropriate to exchange a few pleasantries at the beginning of your interview, waste no time in getting down to business. Chances are that each person interviewing for the position will get the same amount of time with the interviewer. If you can set yourself apart by covering more business topics than the others, it will reflect favorably in comparison.

• DO make sure you answer the questions you’re asked – When I interview candidates for promotion, I ask what I believe to be simple questions. Often, I get lengthy and meandering response that miss the heart of my inquiry entirely. Don’t be afraid to pause for a moment when asked a question and formulate your thoughts. Often times candidates are in such a hurry to answer that they begin talking and then move quickly off point. It is important to be specific and as succinct as possible while providing enough detail to be clear. This will also help you cover more during your time.

• DON'T make things up – If you’re asked something you don’t know the answer to, don’t be afraid to admit it. It’s far better to say “I’m not sure, I’d have to do some research before I could answer that, may I get back to you?” than it is to get caught in a false answer.

• DO focus on where you can add value – Since your time is limited, spend more of it talking about where you can create revenue, lower cost or increase productivity. Spend less of your time on organizational aspects.

• DO ask pertinent questions - As a hiring manager, another pet peeve of mine is when people don’t have a single question at the end of the interview. Chances are, if you have nothing to ask, you probably have little to offer in the role. It’s a wise idea to have a handful of high-impact questions prepared before hand.

• DON'T talk about compensation – The appropriate time to discuss financial details is after the position is offered to you. Unless the question is asked to you directly, don’t bring the topic of compensation up. The reality is, if you’re the right person for the job, an employer will always work out a compensation package that is fair for both parties.

• DO ask for the job – Less than 10% of the people I interview directly ask me if they can have the position. The few that do show a hunger and confidence that I look for in my employees. They immediately move to the front of the pack.

Despite having prepared talking points, looking your best, and knowing what and what not to say, it's still easy to get very nervous in big job interviews. Still lacking some needed confidence? It’s never a bad idea to role play potential interview situations with friends or co-workers before the big meeting. Going through the motions in advance with someone who will give you honest feedback will help you shake out some of those pre-interview jitters.

No matter what position you’re interviewing for, the decision to hire you will be a personal one for the interviewer. Give yourself a leg up by making your interview as high-impact as possible. If you really want the job badly, let it show.

Earlier: The Big Interview, Part 1; The Big Interview, Part 2

The Big Interview, Part 2: What to Bring

So you’ve done your research and now it’s time for you to actually show up at the big meeting.

What’s the biggest mistake you could make at this point? Walking in empty handed.

I’m constantly amazed (and horrified) when someone I’m interviewing for a raise or promotion tells me that they “want this opportunity more than anything," yet they walk into the room without any prepared materials. How prepared you appear for the interview is likely the single biggest clue the interviewer will get about how prepared you would be on the actual job, so don’t shoot yourself in the foot.

So what should you prepare and bring to your meeting? The answer to this question varies dramatically depending on your organization and the position that you’re interviewing for. Whether you're looking to get hired or promoted, the following list is a sample of items that are appropriate and helpful to bring along to most interviews. You do not necessarily need all of them for most situations, so use what you know about your organization to determine which materials you should prepare for your interview. But don’t forget: nobody ever lost a job opportunity by being over prepared.

• Resume – This is the one item that everyone should bring to an interview regardless of the level, or organization. It’s entirely likely that the interviewer will never make reference to your resume during the conversation, but they will usually glance over it during and after your meeting. This is your chance to sell yourself on paper and it may be the last resource that the interviewer looks to before making a hiring decision.
• Bullet List of Accomplishments – It’s always good to bring a series of talking points to an interview. Meeting with the boss (or boss-to-be) can be a stressful situation and it’s not unusual for people to freeze under pressure. If you’ve prepared a list of your past accomplishments (and what you learned from them), it provides you with a cheat sheet when asked questions about your career path. It can also act as added ammunition if you offer to leave it for the interviewer to peruse. If you plan on offering to leave these bullets, make sure that it is written in a way that is matter-of-fact and professional, rather than arrogant or cocky.
• Research about Industry or Competitors – Whether it’s articles or just a series of notes, bringing in your research sends the message that you’re prepared and also gives you a source of conversation points for your meeting. You may never use them once the interview begins, but it won't hurt to have them with you.
• Business Plan – Depending on the role you’re meeting about, it may be appropriate to bring a formal business plan to your interview. Even if a full-length business plan is overkill in your situation, a shortened version can help you get your thoughts together as well as provide a leave-behind so the interviewer can learn more about what you’d do once in the role.
• Presentation or Portfolio - Bringing examples of your previous work, or mock-ups of the work you’d be doing in your new role, can help an interviewer gauge the quality of work they could expect from you. This could also include articles that have been published by or about you when appropriate.

No matter what you choose to bring to the interview, it will send the message that you’ve taken the process seriously and would likely do the same once given the job. Don’t feel the need to use or even reference everything you’ve brought along; only refer to them when it comes up naturally in the conversation. Even if the materials go unused during the interview, the process of preparing them and the knowledge you collect will give you a leg up on the competition.

Earlier: The Big Interview, Part 1: Before You Walk in the Door

The Big Interview, Part 1: Before You Walk in the Door

Much of the information on this blog is designed to help you make the most of your job and start getting noticed by your superiors, but we haven’t spent much time talking about what to do when an opportunity finally comes your way.  Over the next few posts, we’ll talk about ways to ensure that once you’ve finally got the big interview that you do everything in your power to get that raise or promotion.

I won't cover it at length again, but the first step to securing your next career move is making sure you have as professional an appearance as possible.  I’ve written before about my personal pet peeves when it comes to people showing up for interviews unshaven or in casual dress. Of course, everyone has differing opinions on how to look your best for an interview, but there is little debate on how to dress for an interview.

The next step before you walk in for the interview? Do your research. When handing out raises or promotions, managers look for someone who can be self-sufficient and trusted in their role.  Taking the time to learn all about the role you’re applying for shows that you are independently motivated and don’t need to be told when to seek out new information.

Some of the worst interviews I’ve ever sat through as a manager have been when the applicant came in and asked me to describe the job to them.  The interview is your time to sell yourself by showing how much you already know and expounding on what you would do once the role is yours.  Someone who comes off as unsure of exactly what they are even interviewing for will be checked off of the list within the first two minutes.

Answering the following questions before you interview will help you make sure that you’ve done your homework and are walking into the interview with the right information:

• What are the job requirements of the role? -  If the job is open because the previous person in the role is moving on or has been promoted, ask that person for a few minutes to educate you on what the job is all about.  If the job is newly created or the person in the role has left the company, speak with the people that you would work with/for in the new job and ask them what they envision for the position.

• What has/hasn’t worked in the past? – Talk to the people that interact with this position and find out about what they want to ensure continues and what they’d love to change.  Understanding where improvements could be made will go a long way towards selling you in the interview.

• What can I learn about similar jobs elsewhere in the industry? -  Look through similar job postings both in other departments and other companies.  These can contain great information about what the daily job is about.  Seek out people in similar positions (social networking sites are great for this) and get some insider info from outside the box.  Knowing not only what your company expects, but also what others are doing will prove valuable during the interview process.

• What skills would I need to learn or improve in this new role? – When someone walks into an interview, knows their own weaknesses and already has a plan for how to fix them it can remove a huge question mark for the manager.  It is always a good idea to enroll in a class or be reading a book that pertains to the next job you want. That way, you’ll be more prepared when your interview opportunity arises.

These questions should put you on the right path to gathering the data for your big interview.  Next time we’ll talk about what you should bring with you to the meeting.