Jill MacFadyen's Career Coach Blog » Interviewing

ABOUT OUR GUEST BLOGGER—ESTHER CHOY

Jill — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:52:56 +0000

I had asked Esther to speak at one of the Kellogg Alumni trainings that I was facilitating and was impressed with her work. I asked her to share her START Method with you.

Esther Choy has been a professional advisor and coach for over ten years. She is the Founder and Director of the Leadership Story Lab, a social enterprise dedicated to helping MBA applicants, career switchers, and military veterans to uncover personal leadership insights through storytelling techniques. Esther was also an adjunct faculty member for Northwestern University’s Undergraduate Leadership Program from 2001 – 2005. She has served as an admissions officer for Chicago Booth and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. She is an expert in helping clients mine their life experiences and turn them into compelling leadership stories. Please see her START method, which follows.

The START Method

In interviewing or networking situations, far too many people talk on and on without ever arriving at any relevant points. How do you tell engaging stories that deliver the essential message and captivate others? You follow the START method.

START stands for:

S – Situation. Share a situation you have chosen to address a question or deliver a particular message.

Set the scene.
Problem definition.
Provide a hook.

T – Task. Describe the tasks involved in the situation.

Introduce other characters in the story.
Outline “to-dos” by the playbook.

A – Action. Outline actions you took to address the situation.

Shift focus back to you.
Demonstrate independent thinking
Describe interactions with others.

R – Result. Delineate the results because of the action.

Provide quantifiable data whenever possible.
Do not categorically rule out a story with negative results.

T – Take-away. What you would like your evaluators to conclude about you.[MCP4]

Do not assume that your audience will automatically draw the conclusion you want them to make. You need to be explicit with the take-away.
Make the connection between the take-away and the organization you want to be part of crystal clear.
A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Take-away is the most crucial part of the story. The end is what people will remember because of the “Recency Effect.” This is the part where you want to make sure that you have a clear message about who you are, what you can offer to your audience, and why they should care.

The START method is an adaptation of the well-known STAR method for behavioral interviews. Based on my experience as an admissions officer and consultant, too many applicants miss the opportunity to tell an engaging leadership story. And even for those who are able to tell good stories, they fail to establish clear take-aways about their candidacies.

When you are structuring your stories, it is a good idea to follow a “flow” so that you can stay on point. The START method helps you organize your information and tell your story fluidly.

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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So You Didn’t Get the Offer

Jill — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:56:55 +0000

It’s painful. You frequently don’t get considered for a job unless you match the company’s qualifications almost exactly. But this time, you were a perfect match for the qualifications. You got the interview and felt that there was nice chemistry between you and the hiring manager. And yet you still didn’t get the job. You hear about the person who did land the job and realize he/she was not as qualified as you. You start to doubt yourself.

There is another possibility. You might have been so perfect for the job that it scared the hiring manager off. In my early years of recruiting, I was asked to find candidates with an undergraduate degree in engineering, an MBA from a good school and a personality for sales. I presented ten candidates to the hiring manager who just couldn’t make up his mind. He wanted just one more and then promised to make a decision. I threw in a “ringer” with no MBA and no particular personality for client-facing work. If you guessed the ringer was the one hired, you are correct. In thinking about it later, I wondered if the hiring manager, “Jed,” wanted someone who would never get promoted over his own head and who would make Jed look good by comparison. Sometimes you are not hired by the Jeds of the world and it has nothing to do with you or your qualifications.

QUOTE

Alice from Alice in Wonderland, “It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.”

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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VARIATIONS ON THE WEAKNESS QUESTION

Jill — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:49:05 +0000

Someone I just talked to was asked during an interview about his development needs. This is another variation of the “weakness” question and doesn’t mean that it is also time for true confessions. Before your next interview, it would be helpful to think of a strong answer to that question. My client responded that he hadn’t had an opportunity to directly manage others in his prior positions as a consultant but had led teams. He added that he was looking forward to having the opportunity to do so in the proposed job. He said that alternatively, he thought of beginning the answer with “Feedback I have received…” and then going on from there to show how he had listened and made the suggested changes.

I have also heard the “weakness” question being asked as:

What would your manager say is your greatest weakness?
What would your peers say is your greatest weakness?
What would your direct reports say is your greatest weakness?

Once again, we don’t have to bare our souls. If Bill Clinton, when President, could say “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is” to the Grand Jury, then we too can choose our words carefully.

We never want to end by admitting a weakness without showing how we have made changes.

QUOTES

“Our strength grows out of our weaknesses.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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Odd, Insensitive or Illegal Interview Questions

Jill — Sun, 09 May 2010 01:35:59 +0000

I have been asked some pretty unusual questions during interviews and I’ll bet many of you have also. “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?” (Oh, please.) I once even had an HR VP quote the first part of a Latin phrase at me and ask if I knew the reference. (“Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres..”) Some weird synapse in my brain was triggered and yes, I did know and still didn’t get the job.

You might even be inadvertently asked illegal questions by an unsophisticated interviewer. Your age, marital status, national origin, race and religion are among those topics. I once was interviewed by a contingency recruiter who said as he gave me an arm punch, “I’ll bet you still have some pretty good years left in you yet.” I felt like an out-to-pasture race horse. Him, I should have confronted or reported because I obviously was never going to be passed on to the company. (By the way, I never shopped again at the company that this recruiter was representing.)

For each of us, the way to handle these situations will be different. Humor is one option. Another is to look behind the question to what should be really important to the clueless one. I am suggesting that you be savvier than the interviewer. Assume that he or she is innocent until proven guilty. Take a deep breath, relax and then answer.

If you are asked something odd (similar to the tree question above), the interviewer might be trying to gauge your ability to handle stress or to see how professionally you handle situations. Act as if this is normal.
If a reference to age is made and you are over the age of 40 (a protected classification), the interviewer might be wondering about your energy level. Give him an example of your positive energy. “At XYZ firm, I was known for my energy in solving problems with the most difficult customers.”
If marital status or numbers of children or plans for children are brought up, the interviewer might be wondering if you are able to travel or work over time. “Are you wondering if I am willing to travel?”
If a remark is made about the number of jobs you have had, he/she might be wondering if you would stay at the job for which you are being interviewed. You can explain any perceived job hopping and mention that you are looking for a company where you can stay and grow.
If a remark is made about your first or last name being unusual, consider it a compliment and say thank you.

I worked for a VP/GM who would take the top candidate to lunch and return to tell me things I wish that neither of us knew, such as, “She just had her gall bladder removed three weeks ago.” I pointed out the error of his ways but he was just so very friendly that candidates volunteered more than was wise.

You also don’t have to volunteer personal information on your resume or during the interview. If you have a personal section on your resume, be careful what you share. In your answer to the “So tell me about yourself” question, you don’t need to volunteer anything that the company has no right to know. You must also monitor the personal information you share on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter—if a potential employer is interested in you, chances are they will look at your online presence, too.

Once you get the job, be careful what you share, with whom you share or how loudly you share personal information.

QUOTE

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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GRATITUDE

Jill — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:08:31 +0000

Due to a power outage last night, I didn’t get written the planned segment about interviewing. However, this minor inconvenience made me realize how grateful I am for so many things. I was grateful that I had just finished saving the work I was doing on a spreadsheet when things went black. I was grateful that I was able to find my way to the kitchen to the flashlight, which still had juice. I was very happy to be able to read an interesting book with a small book lamp thoughtfully given me by family. I am most grateful to the Com Ed workers who in a proverbial dark and stormy night got the power up and running again. So many people do their jobs and it means so much to others.

My suggestion to you is to break the cycle of interview stress with moments of gratitude. This can be grounding. When we get caught in a negative spiral in job search, we forget how often things in this world do work.

In an earlier blog, I might have quoted a framed saying that family members gave me: “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” So if the job search is dreary, I suggest you spend a few minutes thinking of and writing down all you are grateful for. It can be a breath of fresh air in the fog. Read the poem below by Hafiz and let some light into your soul with a little gratitude.

QUOTE

“It Felt Love,” by Hafiz

How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart

And give this world
All its
Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being,

Otherwise,
We all remain

Too

Frightened

Source: “ The Gift,” poems by Hafiz translated by Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Compass, 1999).

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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WHAT NOT TO ASK OR SAY ON AN INTERVIEW

Jill — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:01:01 +0000

I apologize for missing last week. So far we have covered the “so tell me about yourself question,” the weakness question and behavioral interviewing. I have kept the quote from two weeks ago as it is apropos of what not to ask on an interview. Your goal in the interview is to sell yourself as a solution to the company’s problems. You want to show that you are motivated to work for more than just the paycheck. Therefore, you should avoid asking questions about benefits, holidays, vacations and sick leave. You wait until you are being made an offer to ask about these topics and perhaps even then don’t ask about sick leave.

Don’t Bring Up

Anything negative about a former employer or former fellow employees. The potential employer would wonder what you will say about them in the future.
Family issues, your health or personal problems.
Child care issues.
Ability to work from home or flex time.
Religion or politics.
The company’s smoking policies. (For smokers, this makes the interviewer wonder how much time you will take with smoking breaks. For nonsmokers, this makes the interviewer wonder about your allergies or sensitivities.)
The company’s policy on absence or tardiness. (This would plant the seed that you are planning on being absent or have problems with tardiness.)
A planned vacation that you would need to take off time for. (You can bring this up when offered the job because by then, the company has a vested interest in hiring you.)
In response to an interviewer’s question, never say “I hate when that question is asked.” (This is ungracious and makes you sound as if you have gone on many interviews and not been hired.)

Don’t Ask

When will I get a raise?
When does vacation start to accrue?
I have a planned vacation in one month. Is that a problem?
What is the holiday schedule?
If I don’t need benefits, will the company increase my pay by the amount that they would have paid on my behalf?
What does the company do? (You should know this from research you have done before the interview.)

QUOTE

Just to be clear, this is an example of a rambling bad answer and a question not to ask!

“I’m a people person, very personable. I absolutely insist on enjoying life. Not so task-oriented. Not a work horse. If you’re looking for a Clydesdale I’m probably not your man. Like I don’t live to work, it’s more the other way around. I work to live. Incidentally, what’s your policy on Columbus Day?”
You, Me and Dupree (2006) – Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson)

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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HOW TO ANSWER BEHAVIORAL OR SITUATIONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Jill — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:55:57 +0000

Many firms use Behavioral or Situational Interviewing. The premise is that past behavior predicts future behavior. If you are given a statement to react to, and it is not asked in the form of a question, your interviewer is probably using this technique. Your interviewer might begin by saying, “Tell me about a time when you….”

Your answer will have three parts:

Situation (what happened),
Action (what did you do)
Response (what was the result for the company or client).

You are being pushed to think of a specific example. Speaking in generalities (“Oh, I always take care of clients. It’s one of my strengths,”) will not work. On one assignment we interviewers were to ask candidates, “Tell me about a time you didn’t get along with a coworker.” If your answer was the general comment of “I get along with everyone,” you failed. At the very least, you missed an opportunity to promote a key skill.

I worked on a recruitment project with a group trained by government psychologists. We were instructed to give no positive feedback to candidates because it would mean that we might be giving unfair advantage to one over another. This “no positive feedback” extended to not using the words “thank you” or “okay.” We were not to smile or nod our heads. So don’t take it personally or think you are not doing a good job, if this is the case.

For most of the interviews that I conducted either by phone or in person, I asked at least one or two behavioral questions. I would talk to the decision maker and ask what traits he or she wanted in the eventual hire and then formulate a situation for the candidates to react to. The responses then became a large part of my feedback with a recommendation of which candidates to further consider.

To recap, some interviews might be strictly behavioral and some might be regular interviews with a few behavioral questions. In either case, it is best to be prepared.

So how to prepare? When you have an interview set up, look at the job posting and make a short list of traits that you think the employer will want. A few possibilities might be: leadership, initiative, customer service, proactive problem solving, teamwork. Then think of a story to show how you have the desired quality. Write it out in situation, action and result form. Prepare examples in that form—situation, action, result–for each of the traits you think might be required.

It would be best to use a different story for each question. So the rule of thumb is, “don’t repeat a story even to different interviewers within a firm.” They will compare notes.

Mistakes I see clients make are:

Getting so lost in the details of the situation that they run out of time for the important part which is how their actions brought about a good result.
Using a story which does not have a good result for the company or the company’s clients.
Being so team-oriented, that they forget to showcase themselves.
Rambling because they weren’t prepared.
Repeating the same story.
Making up a story.

This preparation is helpful even if you are not asked a behavioral question. There are some interviewers who have no clue how to interview and so ramble on because they just don’t know how to question or because they like the sound of their own voices. If the Clueless One rambles about how the firm needs leadership but doesn’t ask you any questions about your abilities, you might interject with an example of your leadership. You could introduce this with, “May I tell you about a time when I demonstrated leadership similar to what you are saying is needed here?”

QUOTE

Just to be clear, this is an example of a rambling bad answer.

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy hearing about the most difficult interview question you have been asked.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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INTERVIEW–THE WEAKNESS QUESTION

Jill — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:41:01 +0000

Candidates are frequently asked “what is your weakness?” This is not a time for true confessions. It is time for a well-thought-out response that doesn’t “sink your battleship.” There are several possibilities.

One is a weakness you can overcome easily. This could be software that you don’t currently know but is similar to others that you have easily mastered. You might even mention how you are going to do so before beginning the job. Another is a weakness that is not vital to the job for which you are interviewing.

And still another is a strength turned inside out. Look at your own personal strengths and see how they might have been carried too far.

For example, you might be very analytical and this might have in the past caused you to ignore the big picture but now…..
Or you might say that you are very goal-oriented and this has caused you in the past to not communicate with your team as much as they would have liked but now….
Or you might have been so loyal that you stayed with a firm even though there were signs that it was in trouble.

QUOTE

“Our strength grows out of our weaknesses.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories. I will respond to the first three who send me their weakness statement for review.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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INTERVIEW–THE FIRST QUESTION

Jill — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:41:48 +0000

In the next few blogs, I am going to write about interviewing, including behavioral interviewing, the infamous weakness question and questions you should and should not ask. Whether the interview is by phone or in person, after a few pleasantries, the first question frequently is, “So tell me about yourself.” An alternate version is, “Walk me through your resume.”

The response to this question is sometimes called the 90 second personal commercial for a reason. The answer should be as close to 90 seconds as possible. Fill out the steps below so that you don’t ramble. Pretend you are using a filter when you look at your answer. That filter should be “Is this information necessary to the interviewer and does it help me land the job.”

You do not have to follow the pattern below word for word. However, I suggest typing your final commercial on a separate piece of paper and then practicing it until it flows.

You start by

giving your name if necessary,
and your function. (Function, not title. E.g., Human Resources Professional, IT Professional.)

2. Next you name your prior or current company and title at that company. If useful, you summarize your responsibilities. You list one or two memorable accomplishments in that position. You mention briefly why you left that firm. (Look at the blog on “Leaving Statement” for help on this if needed.)

3. Then you mention the second company, title, experience and accomplishments. You might be asked the reason you left that firm also. So be prepared.

4. You continue doing the steps in #3 for all the companies on your resume. (However, do remember that it is suggested that your resume cover only the last 10-15 years. Therefore, your 90 Second Personal Commercial would parallel that time period.)

5. If you have time, you might list your strengths and give an example of how you have demonstrated one of those strengths at work.

6. It is helpful to end up by summarizing how you meet the needs of the firm or match the job posting.

QUOTE

“We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.” Mark Twain

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories. Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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MINOR BUT IMPORTANT POINTS

Jill — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:09:39 +0000

I’m devoting this weekend to a training program, so I thought I’d take an opportunity to post a brief reminder about an important point. So many of us in transition are unhappy that we don’t hear back from HR and that our messages seem to disappear into a black hole. There may be several reasons why HR is not returning calls, but I want to have you think about the messages that you leave. I just received a voice mail from someone who left an unintelligible phone number. I know my hearing is not the greatest, so I had a relative with superb hearing listen; he said that it seemed as if two digits were missing. We all know our phone numbers, so when we get to that part of the message, we probably take a deep sigh of relief and just rattle off the number. I suggest you write out what you are going to say, so that you don’t ramble or have to call back because you have forgotten something vital. Speak your name and phone number distinctly. It is helpful to say both name and phone number at the beginning and end of the message. This way the recipient doesn’t have to listen to a very long message twice if your name and number weren’t written down at the beginning. Don’t assume that Caller ID is available to provide your number.

Your e-mail and voice mail are important links to those who have jobs to offer. Does your e-mail system let you know when a message is undeliverable? If not, do you double check to see if you have the address correct?

Is your voice mail message professional? A least favorite is, “I am not here. You know what to do.” Is your message brief and to the point? I am sure your children are charming but not on your voice mail message if you are in search mode. Your religious holidays are not of interest to the caller. If you have a choice, make and receive calls from a land line because it can be clearer. And finally, be very aware of background noise whenever you make a call or leave a message: turn off the TV and stereo, and step out of the room if there are other people around chatting away. The only sound the other party should hear is the sound of your own voice.

QUOTE

“If e-mail had been around before the telephone was invented people would have said “hey, forget e-mail-with this new telephone invention I can actually talk to people.” www.thinkexist.com

PLEASE COMMENT

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

Share and Enjoy: