Thursday
Oct222009
When you know yourself
Last night I gave a presentation to a new graduate group on the topic of interview tips, tricks and techniques. My presentation would begin the process and then three other senior members of our professional community would sit as a panel and explain how they would answer some of the more topical and typical questions interviewees get asked. Between us we had in the region of a century's worth of experience, which was both interesting and scary, so you would think we knew what we talking about. Every member of the panel - myself included had come straight from "work" and were dressed in standard business wear - appropriate given we were talking about getting and keeping a job in today's economic climate.
So why am I bothering to tell you this?
Well, given that we are senior members of the profession, presenting to a group of new graduates (and a couple of others who wanted a brush up on technique), and given that you never know where your next job is going to come from or who is taking note of you, you would think the people attending would have taken the time to present themselves in an appropriate manner - wouldn't you.
Please say YES
Apart from myself, my fellow presenters and the two ladies who had come along to obtain some insider brush up techniques - 18 out of the remaining 20 had just turned up....if you get my meaning.
When presenting this kind of topic, one of my favourite questions to ask the group is this - if you turn to your neighbor and based on what you can see in front of you - would you hire the person? Yes or No
Only 2 people out of the whole group (not counting my fellow presenters) took the time to critique their neighbor which is what I was after. The two who did - were the two who had come to brush up on their skills. When the other members of the audience started to snigger, I explained why I had asked them to ask the question....And the look of amazement on their faces was - well - a picture.
I explained it in this way - we all judge people by what we see and usually in the first few seconds of seeing someone for the first time.
If every member of the audience had a similar Resume and had answered the interview questions in a similar fashion - what's left?
Answer = YOU
What you look like, what you sound like, what you smelled like and how you acted.
If you are representing a company - what does your "look" say about you and the company you work for? And yes there were several company logo's on the clothing of the various audience members - but I have to say - not in a good way.
If I am not representing my company, I consider that I am representing myself. I should be able to tell people what I do and what my skills are - should I need to stand up and give a 2 sentence introduction about myself. And yes it does happen in a business environment all the time. But again, you see people floundering. Why? I think it is because most of the time, people have not taken the time to consider events such as last nights - as important.
But the look is just one point - if you look great but sound terrible - as in your attitude stinks or you spend the entire time being a donkey or dropping expletives into your answers - what will that say about you?
Did you go to the pub before going to the interview to "calm your nerves?" what about cigarette smoke or the onion you had at lunch time?
When it comes down to it, an interview is designed to see if you will fit into their organisation and whether or not you want to be associated with them (yes it is a two way process).
On speaking to one of my fellow presenters after the event, and away from the audience - she noted (and without prompting from me) that if any of those people came to her for a job interview she would now think twice about their suitability.
You see instead of taking the time to use the event to speak to myself and the panel, they left looking like stunned mullets. Yes I know it was late, I managed a 15 hour day out of the house yesterday - but I wasn't the one yawning....And no one could tell I had wrenched my back on Tuesday either and every step I took was like walking on red hot swords. I was willing to stay back and talk, but they weren't....strange given my profession.
I make no bones about the length of today's post because in it are several important points:
1. Where you are meeting other people from your profession, you have a chance to make an impression - please make it a good one.
2. Where you are meeting people from different professions - remember you don't know where your next job is going to come from, so please remember to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times.
3. And for goodness sake participate in the process. Take notes, ask questions, ask for clarification, ask anything - don't waste your time turning up if you're going to fall asleep half way through. And no it wasn't "death by powerpoint".... there was role play and videos to keep the audience "amused" and paper and pens to scribble on.
Did they get anything from last night? Well I hope so, and I hope they do blitz their next interviews. What I do know is this - I got a huge amount out of the event. But then again I expected to and had gone prepared.
Are you as prepared as you should be?
So why am I bothering to tell you this?
Well, given that we are senior members of the profession, presenting to a group of new graduates (and a couple of others who wanted a brush up on technique), and given that you never know where your next job is going to come from or who is taking note of you, you would think the people attending would have taken the time to present themselves in an appropriate manner - wouldn't you.
Please say YES
Apart from myself, my fellow presenters and the two ladies who had come along to obtain some insider brush up techniques - 18 out of the remaining 20 had just turned up....if you get my meaning.
When presenting this kind of topic, one of my favourite questions to ask the group is this - if you turn to your neighbor and based on what you can see in front of you - would you hire the person? Yes or No
Only 2 people out of the whole group (not counting my fellow presenters) took the time to critique their neighbor which is what I was after. The two who did - were the two who had come to brush up on their skills. When the other members of the audience started to snigger, I explained why I had asked them to ask the question....And the look of amazement on their faces was - well - a picture.
I explained it in this way - we all judge people by what we see and usually in the first few seconds of seeing someone for the first time.
If every member of the audience had a similar Resume and had answered the interview questions in a similar fashion - what's left?
Answer = YOU
What you look like, what you sound like, what you smelled like and how you acted.
If you are representing a company - what does your "look" say about you and the company you work for? And yes there were several company logo's on the clothing of the various audience members - but I have to say - not in a good way.
If I am not representing my company, I consider that I am representing myself. I should be able to tell people what I do and what my skills are - should I need to stand up and give a 2 sentence introduction about myself. And yes it does happen in a business environment all the time. But again, you see people floundering. Why? I think it is because most of the time, people have not taken the time to consider events such as last nights - as important.
But the look is just one point - if you look great but sound terrible - as in your attitude stinks or you spend the entire time being a donkey or dropping expletives into your answers - what will that say about you?
Did you go to the pub before going to the interview to "calm your nerves?" what about cigarette smoke or the onion you had at lunch time?
When it comes down to it, an interview is designed to see if you will fit into their organisation and whether or not you want to be associated with them (yes it is a two way process).
On speaking to one of my fellow presenters after the event, and away from the audience - she noted (and without prompting from me) that if any of those people came to her for a job interview she would now think twice about their suitability.
You see instead of taking the time to use the event to speak to myself and the panel, they left looking like stunned mullets. Yes I know it was late, I managed a 15 hour day out of the house yesterday - but I wasn't the one yawning....And no one could tell I had wrenched my back on Tuesday either and every step I took was like walking on red hot swords. I was willing to stay back and talk, but they weren't....strange given my profession.
I make no bones about the length of today's post because in it are several important points:
1. Where you are meeting other people from your profession, you have a chance to make an impression - please make it a good one.
2. Where you are meeting people from different professions - remember you don't know where your next job is going to come from, so please remember to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times.
3. And for goodness sake participate in the process. Take notes, ask questions, ask for clarification, ask anything - don't waste your time turning up if you're going to fall asleep half way through. And no it wasn't "death by powerpoint".... there was role play and videos to keep the audience "amused" and paper and pens to scribble on.
Did they get anything from last night? Well I hope so, and I hope they do blitz their next interviews. What I do know is this - I got a huge amount out of the event. But then again I expected to and had gone prepared.
Are you as prepared as you should be?
October 22, 2009 at 18:21
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