In our virtual world, more companies are moving towards phone interviews as a time effective way to get a sense for your personality and qualifications. Learn how to present your best self to potential employers in this initial step in the interview process.
Treat a phone interview like any other interview you may have. Wake up early, have a substantial breakfast and your morning coffee, dress in interview attire, and review your interview notes.
Your interview notes should be created based on your review of the company, the job description, and your relevant background.
Find a quiet place to set up and have your resume available as well as the questions you have prepared for the interviewer. I recommend preparing 3-5 questions for the interviewer and have included examples below:
The company
The company’s long-term strategy
How a new acquisition, project, or initiative with affect this position/the department, etc.
2. The Interviewer
The interviewer’s career experience
What has the interviewer’s experience been at the company, and what do they like about it
3. The Position
What is the background of the position? Are you replacing someone or is it a new role?
What will it take to be successful in this position?
Ask about things that matter to you depending on lifestyle – Travel? Culture of the group?
The number one piece of advice I have regarding interviews is JUST BE YOURSELF!
This makes for a smoother conversation and connection and increases the likelihood that the company will want to continue in the hiring process with you by setting up an in-person meeting.
When preparing for an interview, don’t solely review your prior roles, but make sure to identify specific results that you produced and how the skills that you used to create those results translate into what you can bring to the company.
The company you are interviewing with wants to make sure you fit their specific brand, so research their company and culture as well to be prepared.
I put together some of my own interview tips that I will share in a future post, but the below list is a great place to start regarding what to keep i nmind when going into an interview.
1. Craft a brilliant narrative
2. Take strategic pauses during your conversation
3. Don’t take it too seriously
4. Think deeply about your core values
5. Don’t recite your resume. They already have it.
6. The weakness question.
7. Think about the company values.
This article provides additional tips on how to leave a good impression in your interview.
https://lnkd.in/bFD9SCi
Originally published in the Huffington Post by Margaret Olatunbosun on September 14, 2015
The commercial real estate industry is booming again. Many employees who hunkered down in their uninspiring positions during the recession
are finally feeling comfortable enough to look for the next meaningful step in their career. Yes, this even applies to the more mature, set-in-their-ways, approaching-retirement talent. The “do what you love” movement makes even the most conservative commercial real estate industry veterans step back and ask themselves, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
If it has been a while since you last interacted with the job market, I offer you my top five tips for navigating the current interview and job search scene.
• Invest time to discover your dream career: Whether it be dedicating an hour a week to perusing job sites and job descriptions, setting up a career-focused lunch with a trusted colleague, or taking a three-month break from the real world to live your own version of “Eat, Pray, Love” at a meditation retreat in a foreign country, make time to focus on figuring out where you would ultimately like to be in your career.
Once you have decided what career would motivate you to jump out of bed every day, set incremental short-term goals to achieve that desired career. These goals might include taking graduate classes, attending a specific CREW event on a relevant topic, or meeting someone currently working in your desired position who can point you in the right direction.
Setting aside time for career soul-searching and subsequently setting measurable goals to get to your ideal career will be exponentially more rewarding for you, your family, and future company and colleagues.
• Worry less about work gaps: Employers in this day and age realize that even the best employees may have been affected by economic factors outside of their control. Candidates who take the time to try to start their own venture or discover the world show tremendous initiative and curiosity that employers respect and admire, even if it means periods of unemployment on a resume.
• Research your ideal companies and yourself: Google yourself and see what comes up because you can be sure employers are doing the same thing.
In order to promote positive pieces as the first things employers see when they search your name, create your own content through articles and blogs, customize your LinkedIn domain name or create a personal page to showcase your talents.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up to date. This includes asking former co-workers and clients for public feedback on your performance.
The Society for Human Resource Management indicates that the cost of hiring the wrong candidate can be anywhere from 50 to 60 percent of that employee’s annual salary. To avoid making this costly mistake, companies are turning more to references and LinkedIn recommendations to validate their hiring choices.
In that same vein, research the person you are going to meet before you meet them. This will give you clues as to what causes the person is passionate about and what they like doing in their spare time. Find some common ground to start the conversation off on the right foot.
LinkedIn is also a wealth of information, but you may want to make your searches private so your interviewers don’t see you habitually checking their profiles. I do not suggest requesting to connect with your interviewers on social media platforms until after you accept the job with their company.
• Dress professionally: Whether your dream job interview takes place in a coffee shop or in the corner office of a downtown high-rise, always present your best self. I cannot tell you how many candidates I have dealt with who are extremely qualified, but carry themselves in a way that causes future employers to see them as someone who would be detrimental to the hiring company’s image as a whole.
It is always better to be overdressed. Peruse company material and photos of their executive team on their website to determine the appropriate attire. If the company you are interested in is a construction company and the website is full of casual pictures, then you are probably safe with dress pants and a jacket or a nice professional dress. In most cases, the old conventions of wearing a suit or professional outfit to an interview still apply.
• Send a written thank-you note: The art of the thank-you note seems to have gotten lost over the past 10 to 15 years with the rise of the Internet. Regardless of the context of the meeting, the person on the other side of the table consciously took time out of their day to spend with you, so express your appreciation with a thank you message within 24 hours.
If you are very interested in the position or gleaned valuable information from the discussion, go one step further and send a written note to really stand out.
The most important part of getting your dream job is conveying your passion for the position in a consistent message through your personal brand and value proposition. This can be done online, through social media or, most importantly, in person through your interviews and other meetings.
Glova is president and executive recruiter of Building Careers, LLC, a San Diego-based commercial real estate recruiting solution. Glova has served on CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) committees and is a former board member. She can be reached at CGlova@BuildingRECareers.com.
Employers want to make sure that you have the right skill set, and are the personality and culture fit that they are looking for before they ask you to spend 40+ hours per week with them. Companies are coming up with more and more creative ways to ensure that their investment in you is mutually beneficial.
For example, I have worked with companies who provide candidates with a series of written questions and request a writing sample with answers to those questions be returned to them within a few days. For technical roles, companies may set up an in-office case study or program test to get a sense of your technical knowledge.
Interview questions and what you discuss during your meetings with your potential employer, however, are the most popular ways to ascertain if you will be a fit for the company. This article providesis a comprehensive overview of the standard and curveball questions you might receive in an interview.
