Ask the Employment Specialist: Body Language in the Job Interview

Dear Joanna,

In my efforts to prepare for an upcoming interview as a Marketing Specialist at a Fortune 500 advertising firm, I met with an Employment Counsellor at JVS Toronto. She gave me feedback that was painful to hear, saying that my body language gave the impression that I was not interested in the position. She said I slouched in my chair, kept fidgeting with my pen and did not smile. I was shocked to hear this feedback.

I thought my countless strengths, in-depth experience and expertise would qualify me for the interview, especially if I was able to answer the questions in a professional and clear manner. Please let me know what you think about body language in an interview.

Signed, Bad Body Language (BBL)
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Dear BBL

Did you know that 87% of messages pertaining to feelings and attitudes is in the words that are spoken,  38% of messages pertaining to feelings and attitudes is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said), and 55% of messages pertaining to feelings and attitudes is in facial expression. Did you know that communication is 7% verbal and 93% non-verbal?

According to Amy Levin-Epstein, in her CBS MoneyWatch article, Job interview posture: Body language power tips, how you present yourself in an interview (how you sit, stand, walk, dress) is as important as what you say, if not more. She quotes Amanda Haddaway, Director of HR for Folcomer Equipment Corporation: “There’s an old adage that communication is 7% verbal and 93% non-verbal. If you’re not projecting confidence and competence through your body language, the interviewer may not feel that you’re the right fit for the position”.

Creating a positive impression on an interview goes beyond what you say: it’s how you say it. Based on research, Dr. Albert Mehrabian’s Communications Model offers tips as to how to create a positive impression, including:

• always smiling when greeting the other person
• using the interviewer’s name
• shaking each person’s hand
• speaking with confidence and enthusiasm in your voice

Your gestures and how you sit at the table can demonstrate confidence; the hiring person will mostly evaluate your performance on this critical non-verbal communication, rather than only on your qualifications. In the end, it’s about building relationships. The interviewer will ask himself/herself – do I want to work with this person or do I want this person on my team?

Amy Levin-Epstein, in her article Job interview posture: Body language power tips, interviews Lisa Panarello, founder of Careers Advance and a finalist in the Toastmasters 2010 World Championship of Public Speaking, and provides these fantastic tips to make sure your body language is at its best on the interview day and that you make a great impression:

1.     Sit and stand up straight and avoid fidgeting. Slumping and fidgeting tells the interviewer that you don’t care about the interview and the  job. To demonstrate professional behaviour, keep your back straight and lean in slightly when spoken to, to demonstrate interest in the speaker.

2.     Practice and prepare. I am impressed that you are practising with your employment counsellor. Take the feedback seriously; your counsellor is correct to tell you the truth, because there is a big difference between how we feel we’re presenting ourselves and reality. Remember that JVS also offers Mock Interviews, where we use a camera to film your performance, so you can judge it for yourself.

3.     Dress appropriately. Make sure you look neat and professional, including making sure you have proper footwear and fitting outfits so it’s easy for you to walk with the interviewer. Stay away from too much jewellery and don’t wear any perfume or aftershave lotion. Many offices have scent-free policies, which you don’t want to contravene.

4.     Show some emotion. Try to remember to smile throughout your conversation; stress can cause you to frown, so be aware of your facial expression. Also, try to maintain eye contact (without staring) with the interviewer. If you are in front of a panel, try to have eye contact with each individual as best as possible. Tell stories as if you are reliving them –that will help the interviewer relive it with you.

5.     Walk with the interviewer. Follow the interviewer to or from the room, and make sure to keep their pace. Don’t fall back behind them or go ahead — but always make sure you leave enough room when walking (you don’t want to be stepping on their heels or tripping them up).

6.     Stand strong. If you find yourself standing for long periods of time, whether it’s presenting during a group interview or introducing yourself to potential co-workers at their desks, keep your footing stable. The best strategy is to be sure to stand on two flat feet. “Do not lean on one hip (too casual) or rock back and forth (this shows nervousness and will be distracting). Also, keep your legs and feet in line with your waist — too close together and you will teeter, too far apart and you will naturally want to cross your arms for balance, and you’ll look overconfident or closed off.”, suggests Panerello.

I would recommend practising again with the counsellor, friends and family to get their feedback. If you follow these tips, I have full confidence that you will do well in the interview and hopefully be closer to the job offer.

Joanna

To submit your questions for this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email dearjoanna@jvstoronto.org.

Ask the Employment Specialist: Non-verbal communication

Dear Joanna,

I recently had an interview for a position as an Architectural Technician for which I am absolutely qualified! I prepared diligently for this perfect job opportunity with the employment counsellor, job developer and friends. I practiced my presentation to death. I attended the interview skills workshop to reinforce my performance, and to make sure I didn’t miss a beat. To top it off, I received immediate feedback from the interviewer from the HR department that “You did a great job”.

I left the interview feeling hopeful and was sure to receive a job offer soon. Unfortunately, I did not get it! I was shocked. When I asked for feedback, the HR manager was vague at first, but I practically begged her to be honest. She said that I didn’t seem like I was not interested in the job and I kept looking around the room and rarely looked at her. As painful as this sounded to me, I was grateful for her honesty.

Do you have any suggestions as to how I can learn to make a better impression in the interview so I can get the job offer?

Signed: Honesty is Painful Sometimes (HPS)

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Dear HPS,

Kudos to you for at least getting an interview. You are very lucky that the HR interviewer gave you some critical feedback, which can make a huge difference in your success with securing employment in your field!

Not all communication is verbal, posits Oscar Adler (2008) in his fantastic book “Sell Yourself in Any Interview: Use Proven Sales Techniques to Land Your Dream Job”. He adds that ideas and information can be communicated through gestures, facial expressions, attention, level, and many other nonverbal cues. According to Adler, this nonverbal communication and cues often speak louder than words!

According to the research of the famous 60’s psychologist Albert Mehrabian, people communicate only 7% of their feelings and attitudes in actual spoken words, 38% is the speaking tone and 55% is body language. This means that 93% of communication is nonverbal!

This information is important for your interview. According to Cynthia Shapiro in What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?: 44 Insider Secrets That Will Get You Hired (2008), hiring managers hire a person with whom they have experienced a personal connection and they feel comfortable.

You can make a positive impression and connection with the interviewer through nonverbal communication cues which is the trick to many job offers – does the interviewer like you? Some questions to ponder (mentioned in the JVS Toronto Job Search Workshop on Interview Skills) are:

• Evaluate your voice tone: is it a weak whisper or are you clear, confident and using a moderate tone?
• Is your handshake firm and confident or is it a loose arm?
• Consider your appearance: are you dressed appropriately?
• Assess your body language and eye contact:
  • Are you looking at the person you are speaking to with positive eye contact and a smile?
  • Are you slouching or fidgeting?
  • Do you appear interested?
  • Do you sit upright and lean slightly forward in your chair (recommended)?
  • Do you wait to be offered a seat or ask where he or she would like you to sit (recommended)?
• Evaluate the physical space between you and the interviewer:
  • Is there room between you when communicating in the interview?
  • Are you right next to him or her (not recommended), or an arm’s length away (recommended)?
• Think through how do you discuss yourself: do you speak positively, confidently and demonstrate that you are listening by nodding?
• Do you take a couple of minutes to close the interview with a handshake, thank the interviewer and demonstrate enthusiasm for the position?

 

Regarding the eye contact issue you raised, Adler comments that this is a prerequisite for listening. Although eye contact is different in each culture, in this country it is considered good manners for the listener to maintain eye contact with the speaker. Don’t stare – that seems creepy — but make sure to seem attentive. Next time you practice for your interview, I would recommend asking the coach or friend to give you specific feedback on your nonverbal communication!

 

Signed,
Joanna

To submit your questions for this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email dearjoanna@jvstoronto.org.

Ask the Employment Specialist: Difficult Interview Questions – Illegal Questions

Dear Joanna,

I’m in shock. I just came back from an interview for a position as a customer service/order desk clerk position. The interviewer asked me if I had any children, how old they were and if I will be having any more children. I was tongue-tied and offended. I answered him with a “no”. I DO have a family, including a husband and two elementary aged children. I know that these are illegal questions in an interview. I am so turned off that even if I get the job offer, I will refuse it. Please could you advise me in future as to the best way to handle illegal job interview questions at the interview?

Signed – Job Seeker Mothers Beware (JSMB)

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Dear JSMB,

Ouch! Sadly, many job searchers share stories such as yours about discrimination in the labour market. In a recent study at Cornell University, presented by author and HR Manager Cynthia Shapiro, researchers found that during the interview process, mothers were perceived as less committed to work than women without children. This problem is real and age-old.

In the meantime, if the interviewer asks you an illegal question because he or she doesn’t know the law or slips up, continues Shapiro, it is important not only to know your rights, but also to be able to respond to the question with dignity and assertiveness. Shapiro suggests not saying, “That’s illegal and I won’t answer it”, because in saying that you might just have “killed the interview”. Instead, prepare an answer that addresses the genuine concerns that the employer might have. The interviewer may be worried about your flexibility, stability and ability to commit to the demands required for the job; they might be concerned about whether you have child care commitments which will interfere with the job.

Without answering their question directly, I would suggest that you reinforce your commitment to the job and that you do not expect to be sick, late or have family obligations that will get in the way of your work. Stress that in your work history you have always excelled in your position and that personal commitments have never interfered with your work. This way you indicate your willingness to demonstrate your suitability for the job without compromising your rights. You do have the option of answering the question directly, but Shapiro recommends doing everything possible to make the question a non-issue, as it should be.

Such questions are illegal for a reason. If it’s important for you to work for a company that values families and supports parents, then this might not be the company for you. You can assess this, based on how you feel about the tone of the whole interview.  I would keep your parental and family status private when interviewing. You have no obligation to tell the employer; they are hiring you for your skills and experience. Keep focused on the job description and skills, rather than your personal life.

More examples of responses to illegal questions in the interview:

“Are you Married?”

• Assure the employer that you are:
  • well-organized and reliable, and do not expect require time to attend to personal family matters; mention that this has never been an issue in previous jobs
  • professional and punctual
  • if this is true for you, mention your availability to do overtime and travel for the company (if relevant to the job)

 ”How long have you been in Canada? Where are you from?”

• Relate your answer to your knowledge of current Canadian market trends
• Describe your transferable skills confidently
• Relate your ability to learn quickly

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how to answer such questions. Weigh the risk of answering a personal question against the consequences of not answering, and make your own decisions.  Know your rights. I suggest that you refer to our October 2011 blog post titled Dealing with Illegal Job Interview Questions, which provides more information about job seeker rights and ways of dealing with this challenge.

All the best with your job search, JSMB. Many job searchers overcome this barrier and I am sure that with the right approach, you will succeed too.

Signed,
Joanna

Ask the Employment Specialist: Answering Difficult Interview Questions –Salary Expectations

Dear Joanna,

I blew it big time. I was at an interview yesterday for an administrative assistant position with a law firm. The human resources manager asked me what my salary expectations were for this exciting full-time position. Needless to say, the amount was not communicated in the job posting much to my sorrow. I responded by asking a question: “What are you willing to pay me?”. That was it. The interview was over, and so was my candidacy. I felt trapped and I felt tricked.

Please could you give me some advice as to how to respond effectively and appropriately to this difficult question.

Signed: Tricked and Trapped (TAT)

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Dear TAT,

This is definitely a tricky question to answer. It’s almost as if you are damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. If you give a salary which is too high, you may ruin your chances to be considered; if you give a number which is too low, the hiring manager may think you aren’t qualified. Don’t feel so badly. According to Cynthia Shapiro in What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?: 44 Insider Secrets That Will Get You Hired (2008),  “gone are the days of the straightforward interview designed to allow you talk about your  skills and qualifications” (p. 74). Today’s interview, she continues, is designed to help the recruiter find out if you can do the job, as well as what kind of person you are and if you have potential to cause the company any problems. Asking a candidate to state their salary expectations is a question which definitely falls under this category.

There are two suggested ways to respond to this question at the interview. The first one is to change the priorities by stating “My priority is to find a growing, successful company where I can make a contribution to and continue to learn and grow and practice my profession. I want to be compensated, but is not the most important thing for me. I am flexible”.

The other (and arguably, better) strategy is to do your research on the internet on current salaries and be prepared to respond with a reasonable range, such as: “I have done my research and I understand that this position as an administrative assistant would pay between $30,000 – $40,000″. The JVS Toronto Employment Counsellors who wrote our Interview Workshop manual recommend that if you wish to show your eagerness for the position, you may add, “But I’m flexible.” Some suggested websites are Payscale, Salary.com and Monster Salary Centre. LinkedIn can also be another source for compensation information. Be careful with the data, because it is not always accurate. Salaries vary in terms of location, time and job, and the ranges are wide. Another suggestion is to locate an employee in the firm and ask about salary range (people won’t want to disclose their salary, but most are willing to share a range).

Last but not least, Employment Counsellor and the editor of this blog, Karin Lewis, has some advice for responding to the salary expectations in the cover letter. “I think job searchers should not specify their expectations in the cover letter because they don’t know enough about the job and what it entails. It means limiting their ability to negotiate in the interview. I suggest clients write: Regarding salary expectations, I am flexible and open to discussing specifics at the Interview“, or  – probably better — propose a wide salary range and express openness to be flexible.”

TAT, I am sure you will get another interview as it seems like your resume is working and you will have plenty of opportunities to prepare an answer to the salary question which the hiring person will want to hear.

Finally, remember not to mention money or salary expectations in the interview unless you are asked by the interviewer!  (It is acceptable, however, to ask about when salary will be discussed, but make sure to keep that question to the end of the interviewing process).

Signed,
Joanna

Ask the Employment Specialist: Answering difficult interview questions — discussing weaknesses

Dear Joanna,

I am an inventory manager with over 10 years experience in purchasing and inventory management in a manufacturing company.

I am happy to report that I am getting lots of interviews for relevant positions, but have always been stumped on the question from the hiring Human Resources staff which requires me to identify and present my weakness. Sometimes I’m asked for a couple of examples even!  It can be asked in numerous ways, but the most popular question I have experienced is “What is your biggest weakness?” or “What would you like to improve about yourself”? But, Joanna – I HAVE NO WEAKNESSES!!! How can I respond to this crazy question so that I won’t look bad in the eyes of the interviewer. I know that I must have an answer ready to go.

Please could you give me suggestions as to how to respond to this question in a professional, yet honest fashion. Thanks so much.

Signed by: Worried about my Weakness (WAW)

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Dear WAW,

Great question. I get asked this all the time from our job seekers at JVS Toronto.

According to Cynthia Shapiro in her fantastic book, What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?: 44 Insider Secrets That Will Get You Hired (2008), “interviewers will trick you into sharing information that is not in your best interest”. Gone are the days of the straight-forward interview that allow you to talk about your skills and qualifications, she continues. Shapiro clarifies that for a higher paying position, the interviewer might even ask for your three biggest weaknesses. For your question, I will stick with one weakness question and response which Shapiro defines as a “classic trick question”.

The best approach is to share an issue which you have become aware of, one that you’re already began improving. Share how you did it. Your response should show the interviewer that you are willing to accept feedback and criticism, as well as always looking to learn from it. You want to indicate that you are committed to improving your workplace skills. Focus on a skill you have successfully improved; share an example with a happy ending, Shapiro recommends.

Fellow blogger and Employment Counsellor, Karin Lewis and I recommend the following 3-step structure to creating and presenting a response to this question:

Part 1 – identify a specific experience in your past work history and a skill with which you needed help

Example: I’m always looking to improve, learn and grow. About 6 years ago, when I first started working as a job developer at JVS Toronto with people with disabilities, my manager told me that I needed help with organizing my time, to find a balance between my job coaching and job development duties, as well as all the administration work I needed to do. I appreciated my manager telling me about this. Her feedback really helped me.

Part 2 – Explain a concrete solution, strategy or technique which helped you overcome this weakness (i.e. organizational skills or time management – you could use both)

Example: So, after brainstorming solutions with my manager, she recommended that I learn how to use Microsoft Outlook, which is an effective system to organize my time. I learned to input all my activities with the clients. It has been a very useful tool, which has helped me work so much more efficiently.

Part 3 – Describe the impact of the solution (to show a positive ending to the story)

Example:  Now in my work and in any of my future work situations, I know that I can always be organized, and stay on top of my work so that the clients don’t fall between the cracks. I have a lot less stress balancing the different parts of my job.

So, WAW, I strongly advise you to prepare and practice your answers to this and all the other typical general, situational and behavioural questions which interviewers might throw at you in the interview. To practice, ask your employment counsellor for a mock interview.

Good luck with one of the most challenging interview questions in the world!

Best regards,

Joanna

Ask the Employment Specialist: Explaining bad job endings to interviewers

We are excited to introduce a brand new feature: Joanna Samuels, our highly experienced Workforce Specialist Team Lead will be collecting questions from job searchers and putting them to our Employment Specialists to give you the best answers possible. Here’s our first installation in Ask an Employment Specialist. We hope you find it useful and would LOVE your feedback and questions (if you would like to ask a question, you will find our contact email at the end of this post).

Dear Employment Specialist,

I was recently fired from my job as a customer service representative/receptionist at a large wholesale supplier company.

I’m still in shock but have to jump back on the horse and overcome my fears of working in another job in my field which I love. So, I’m busy applying for work and started to have both telephone and face-to-face interviews (at least the resume is working!).

When the interviewer inquires about the reason I’m no longer at my last job, I am stumped with a suitable response which will not be used against me and exclude me from being hired! Please could you give me some suggestions.

Signed,
Furiously Fired and Fearful

Dear FFF,

This is an excellent question, which I am often asked.  Coaching job seekers on how answer difficult questions, so to help them eventually get that job offer, is part of what employment specialists do.

From experience, I have found that when answering such a challenging question, honesty is the best policy. You have to figure out an answer which you can share comfortably, and make sure you sound articulate and stay calm, confident and clear. As the old saying goes “it’s not what you say; it’s how you say it“.

We always recommend that interviewees put themselves in the interviewer’s shoes, and read between the lines of the interview questions. When an employer asks “Why did you leave your last job?”, they are probably really thinking: “Are you going to bring me headaches? Do you have trouble getting along with people? Were you fired or did you quit? Did you have difficulties in your last position which may affect your ability to do the job here?”

Considering these concerns of employers, here are some suggested scripts to respond to such questions about your past job:

One helpful suggestion came from Jeannette Mazzocato, one of our experienced JVS Employment Counsellors, who recommended this script: 

“I was at my last job for a long time. I loved the work and the team. However I had a situation and  I recognize that I did some mistakes. I took this as an invaluable opportunity to learn and grow. I acknowledge that I was wrong. The company is a great company and they do great work. I would like to move forward and find work in my field which uses my experience, skills, passions and education, and find a company where I can make a contribution, grow and continue to learn”.

I also consulted with Steffen Allen, a Senior Recruiter at Zylog Systems (Canada) Ltd., a leading IT and Engineering consulting and staffing firm. Steffen is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in corporate recruitment and consulting for Fortune 500 companies around the world.

Steffen suggests that it is important to keep positive, to “turn a negative into a positive”, and recommends the following possible scripts:

“My job description changed. I was put into a new role which I could not do. I didn’t have the skills or experience to perform the new position. The learning curve was too steep for me. So, both  I and the company parted ways on good terms. I took this as an opportunity to understand what skills I need to learn and have enrolled in a course to gain those skills for future opportunities.”

“The company was bought out and was going in another direction. There was a new management which took over. They had different goals than mine. So we parted ways on good terms.”

“The company’s goals changed and were not aligned with my goals. I parted ways on good terms with the management.”

The bottom line: if you are confronted in an interview with a difficult question about a past job, the best thing you can do is be prepared with an honest and responsible answer. Find a way to describe what happened that does not say anything negative about the former employer, and focuses instead on moving forward.

Good luck with your job search, FFF. I am sure that with some careful preparation, you will succeed in getting back onto the job market soon!

Regards,
Joanna

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References:

Fatt, J. (1999). It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it – Nonverbal communication. Communication World, June-July, 1999

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What do YOU think? We would love to hear your suggestions about how to handle such a question

Please comment below, or on our Facebook Page  .

If you have a question for our Employment Specialists, email us; your question may be the next one we answer!

Sound and feel confident at a Job Interview, Part TWO: tell a few good stories

Facing an employer in a job interview is often described as the most stressful and intense moment in the process of finding work. When asked what they fear most about interviews, job searchers often tell me that they worry that they may get so overwhelmed by anxiety that they might forget what they wanted to tell interviewers, or that they may not be able to answer a question properly.

Of course, the only way to deal with this anxiety is by preparing; you may want to work on some of the commonly asked questions. In addition to preparing answers to questions, you should be ready to talk about yourself by sharing examples of your achievements from your past. These will serve to demonstrate your skills and abilities and make you a lot more believable. It will help the employer to picture you in the workplace. When an interview has concluded, it is likely that candidates will most be remembered by the interesting stories or anecdotes they shared.

To identify your best stories, think back to your past jobs. Think of accomplishments or events which challenged you or which gave you an opportunity to demonstrate your skills. Consider including the feedback you received for these achievements. Keep in mind that stories do not have portray you as perfect – situations are more likely to be believable and credible if they include times when you made mistakes and learned from them.

Your stories might include a time when you:

• lead a project, from beginning to completion
• identified a problem/gap in service and took initiative to solve a problem
• were given responsibility to represent your company in a public event
• dealt with an unhappy/difficult customer
• assisted a colleague with a problem they were facing
• developed and applied some expertise in a particular area
• went above and beyond the usual demands of your job to contribute to the company
• did something really well

Keep in mind that to sustain the listener’s attention and be memorable, you need to plan your stories carefully. Make sure that examples are clearly structured with a beginning, middle and end:

1. Begin with a brief context or setup – where and when did the incident/event happen?
2. Describe what happened and why was it important – what was YOUR role/action?
3. End off with a description of how the issue was resolved (what was the outcome?)

The stories have to be short, but must include enough detail to enable the employer to visualize and get a feel for the situation. Most importantly, make sure they are directly relevant to the position for which you are interviewing.

Type your stories up and practice saying them out loud. Ask an employment professional or even a friend for feedback; let their impressions and questions guide you to improve the length, clarity, details and relevance of the story.

Once the stories are complete, try figure out which skills each demonstrates. Each example may demonstrate a number of skills such as your ability to make decisions, work in a team, solve problems, take initiative, be responsible or flexible, and many other skills. Identify those which you would like to “show off” to employers. A good anecdote can often demonstrate multiple skills or strengths, and can be told differently depending on what you are trying to demonstrate. If you are able to talk in a relaxed, fluid and comfortable way, storytelling can become a very effective tool to market yourself. You will be demonstrating your communication skills, as well as having an opportunity to show some of the best of what you have achieved in your work history.

Read this guide http://joblounge.blogspot.com/2011/08/past-successes-path-to-future-success.html for more ways to develop your storytelling abilities. Make sure to watch the excellent video included in the post for more reasons and ways for effective story telling in interviews:

Sound and feel confident at a Job Interview, Part ONE: introduce yourself

Finally, the day has come: after sending (what seem like) thousands of carefully adapted resumes and specifically targeted cover letters, you received a call inviting you to an interview. Despite your heart beating so loudly that you worry the employer might hear it on the phone, you manage to keep your cool and sound professional when you set a date and time to meet. You put the phone down, do your victory dance, and sit down to prepare. Where to start?

There are many things a job searcher can do to prepare for an interview, with a lot of good advice out there to help, such as in this website, but the most difficult challenge for many job searchers is to find the confidence to present themselves to the potential employer in the best way possible – self assured, clear and focused.

Speaking confidently about yourself is difficult at the best of times. This is even more so when you are unemployed, and possibly torn between the urgent pressures of finding a survival job and the hope of finding a fulfilling longer term career position. Also, when you are struggling with the self-doubt that is so commonly experienced by job searchers, the self-confidence needed to present yourself convincingly is not always easy to harness.

There are specific things that you can do to increase your confidence and present yourself as the person you want employers to see. In this series of posts, I will share with you some of the ways my clients and I have discovered to prepare for interviews, which might help you feel and sound more confident.

Part ONE: First Impressions – introduce yourself

The first step to prepare for an interview is to think about how you would like to introduce yourself to a potential employer. Career and employment professionals often talk about the importance of a “self-marketing pitch” which job searchers can use anytime they are talking about themselves to potential employers. This may be useful when you are networking, writing cover letters or interviewing for a job.  In the context of a job interview, this pitch is useful when the employer asks you to “tell me about yourself”, a commonly asked interview question which invites you to describe what you bring to the position in a brief, relevant and convincing way.

Interviews can be stressful and it can be hard to sound confident when an unexpected question comes up, especially an open-ended one that is so important. However, if you are well prepared for this question, you will find that it can be an excellent opportunity to set the tone for the interview and impress the interviewer with those points which you consider most important.

Standing out and being memorable is one of the greatest challenges of the job search process, all the more so at the interview. The only way that you can achieve this is by marketing your skills in such a way that employers remember you as competent, confident and likable, and the only way to do that is through careful preparation of a short, carefully worded description of the highlights of your qualifications.

Consider how you can introduce yourself in 90 seconds or so, with a focus on the assets you have to offer.  Check out the job posting to figure out what the employer considers to be valuable, and focus on your:

Background/experience –

Describe your background and relevant recent experience:

I am a …. professional, with 7 years experience working in ….”

Credentials –

If relevant, outline your education, certification or a specific recent course you have taken:

“I am certified as…./ have a degree in…..”

Skills/expertise –

Identify 3 or so core skills that the employer might consider to be important; these may include hard skills such as specific knowledge (e.g. Accounting Principles) or personal skills (e.g. organisational):

“My skills include proficiency in….., with a special knowledge of…..”

Accomplishments –

Chose an achievement or responsibility which demonstrates your success at work:

“in my last position, I was responsible for dealing with…, and I was successful in….”  

Objective –

Outline how this job fits into your career goal: ”

at this point of my career, I would like to find a position such as this, where I can contribute my skills and experience to…..”

Type out your self-marketing pitch and practice saying it out loud until you can remember it and say it fluidly and confidently. Test it on a friend or mentor, to evaluate whether you sound as clear and impressive as you intend. Remember also that you may need to adapt it, depending on the interview and context.

Have a look at this example of an answer to “tell me about yourself”:

The key to sounding confident is feeling confident, which comes from a sense of being prepared and knowing what you want to say.

Next, in Part TWO of this post, I will focus on the talking about yourself during the interview, and give you some tips for making a positive and memorable impression on the potential employer.

Any suggestions about what has helped you sound and feel confident in an interview? Please share your experiences, tips or thoughts here, or on our Facebook page.

Job hunting portfolios

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What exactly is a portfolio and why should I have one?

When we think of portfolios and who uses them, we think of people in fine arts, designers, performing arts, models, photographers and education professions. However, all types of job-seekers can make use of a portfolio.  When a client asks me whether I think they should make use of a portfolio I almost always say “yes”. They can be effective in any field.  Think of a portfolio as a very handy tool in the job hunting process and a constantly evolving record that, if kept current, will continue to be of assistance as you progress along your career path.

A complete, well thought out and structured portfolio has numerous advantages. For one, it is a strong persuasive tool in the interview process to visually demonstrate evidence of your skills and abilities to an employer. Another advantage is that all your career related documents can be found neatly in one spot. This is very handy when you want to add that letter of recommendation or new certificate, and easy to refer to if you need to access any career documentation you might need.

Your biggest time commitment will be the initial development of your portfolio, but once you’ve developed it, keeping it current and up-to-date will be fairly easy.

Having a portfolio means you can back up what you are saying in a job interview with evidence. For example, when talking about your exemplary communication skills you can back your words up with actual samples that demonstrate your writing ability. Projects you have worked on such as workshops, PowerPoint presentations and articles for the company newsletter can all be included in a portfolio.

An important point to remember is that the portfolio is a tool. It is used in job interviews to back up or illustrate a point, not to simply hand over to the interviewer(s) to have them flip through.

And so how do I start my portfolio?

A black professional three-ring binder (zipper closure optional) is a safe option. Make sure it looks professional as it will be coming with you to your job interviews. A table of contents is important and an orderly system which identifies the various sections, (e.g. mission statement, education, professional development), using tabs or dividers.

Gather and assemble all your materials that you want to include in your portfolio. Wondering what to include? Think about documents that showcase  your education and work experience by showing examples and evidence of your work, skills, education and accomplishments.

Ideas of pieces to include are:

• your branding/mission statement which sheds light on the guiding principles that drive you and give you purpose, your work ethic, organizational interests, management philosophy, etc. and listing goals can be  included (ie: where you see yourself in five years time)

• your skills, qualifications and abilities, including a list of accomplishments highlighting your achievements in your career to date, samples of your work (e.g. Powerpoint presentations, reports, workshops you’ve developed, reports, publications, brochures, news clippings etc)

• testimonials, letters of recommendations and thank you notes from clients, colleagues and supervisors are always nice to include; some people even include favourable job reviews/evaluations

• photocopies of awards, licenses, certificates, degrees and scholarships

• any professional development activities; for example, provide a listing of professional associations and conferences attended and any other professional activities

• information about volunteer jobs and community service activities, especially those that relate directly to your career, can be included

• a copy of your current resume plus a scannable/text-based resume in case one is required (I would put the scannable resume in the portfolio’s pocket if it has one)

•  a reference list should also be included with the names of 3 to 5 people (including their full names, titles, addresses, and phone/email) who are willing to speak about your strengths, abilities, and experience; at least one reference should be a former manager

Besides the traditional portfolio, you should also consider developing an online web-based portfolio. Make sure your online presence/branding corresponds to your resume and your portfolio. The information should be similar online (ie: LinkedIn and any website you use for a portfolio) and back up what is in your resume.

The career portfolio is a great job hunting tool that sets you apart from other candidates, and if prepared correctly, it may help land you the job!