Mastering the Job Interview

Mastering the Job Interview (2007 Edition)
----Alexander Chernev
1. The Big Picture:
Understanding value—Articulating Value--- Communicating value

2. Key attributes sought by companies:
core skills----knowledge---company fit

3. Core skills:
Leadership, Analytical skills, Creativity, Teamwork, Communication skills, Management Skills, Capacity to learn, Drive
Knowledge: Functional knowledge, Industry knowledge, Global knowledge
Company fit: personality fit, commitment to the company, interest in the functional area.
4. Articulating your value proposition
Company benchmarking---competitive benchmarking---performance optimization---value proposition
5. Communicating your value proposition
Resume—introduction—personal experience questions---case analysis---your questions ---closure---follow up
6. Introduction question:
Introduction statement—accomplishments—skills—value to the recruiter
7. Personal experience interview:
The storyboard approach: context—action---results
8. Case analysis:
Business cases( oral cases/ written cases)—brainteaser cases
9. Structuring the case interview:
Clarify---structure---analyze( fact/assumptions/logic)--- conclude
10. Common business problems:
Planning cases---performance- gap, external- change
11. Brainteaser cases:
Estimation cases—logic cases--- creative cases

Targeting a great career

Authors Kate Wendleton, N.Y.). Five O'Clock Club (New York

Material type Books Subject Vocational guidance, Job hunting Language English Publisher Thomson Delmar LearningThomson Delmar Learning Year 2006 Call number 650.14 W ISBN 1418015040 (pbk.) 9781418015046 Annotation

"The Five O'Clock Club." Includes index.

Table of Contents

If you haven’t the strength

to impose your own terms upon life,

then you must accept the terms it offers you.

T.S.Eliot, The Confidential Clerk

Preface			p. ix
Acknowledgments			p. xi
Part 1 The Changing Job Market: How It Works Today
You and the New Job Market			p. 3
I’m going to fight hard. I’m going to give them hell. Harry S.Truman Remark on the presidential campaign, August 1948 Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Abraham Lincoln The average American has been in his or her job only four years. Ten years from now, half the working population will be in jobs that have not yet been invented. Ten years from now, half the working population will be in non traditional forms of employment. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is eithera daring adventure or nothing. Helen Keller Continual job search means continually being aware of market conditions both inside and outside of our present organizations, and continually learning what we have to offer- to both markets. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them. George Bernard Shaw Alice said nothing: she had sat down with her face in her hands, wondering if anything would ever happen in a natural way again. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
How to Change Careers			p. 8
If an idea, I realized, were really a valuable one, There must be some way of realizing it. Elizabeth Blackwell (the first woman to earn a medical degree) You must offer proof of your interest and competence Civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity Is always subject to proof. John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20, 1961 How you as a career changer can prove your interest and capability Ø Read the industry’s trade journals. Ø Get to know the people in that industry or field. Ø Join its organization; attend the meetings. Ø Be persistent. Ø Show how your skills can be transferred. Ø Write proposals; Ø Be persistent. Ø Take relevant courses, part-time jobs, or do volunteer work related to the new industry or skill area. Ø Be persistent! Job Hunting versus Career Planning			p. 11
Most people say their main fault is a lack of discipline, on deeper though, I believe that is not the case. The basic problem is that their priorities have not become deeply planted in their hearts and minds. Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Select the job that fits best with your Forty-Year Vision-the job that positions you best for the long term. Sometimes we have to make short-term sacrifices to get ahead- If indeed we want to get ahead. Targeting the Jobs of the Future			p. 17
Today’s workers need to forget jobs completely and look instead for work that needs doing----and then set themselves up as the best way to get that work done. William Bridges, JobShift: how to prosper in a Workplace Without Jobs Those in retrenching industries who also target new industries have a shorter search time. Health care and Biotech Anything high-tech, or high-tech aspect of whatever field or industry The international aspect of the field/industry you are considering The environmental area: waste management Safety and security Telecommunications, the new media, and global communications(movie studios, TV networks, cable companies, computer companies, consumer-electronics companies and publishers) Education in the broadest sense, including computer-assisted instruction. The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before we’re ready for it. Arnold H.Glasow The new fields are new to everyone. An outsider has a chance of becoming an insider. Job hunting in a changing economy means continuously becoming aware of market conditions inside, as well as outside your present organization, and learning more about what you have to offer. Learning to Track Trends and Move into a New Market			p. 24
The essence of the high-risk socity is choice: the choice beween embracing uncertainty and running from it. Michael Mandel, The High-Risk Society Case Studies: Targeting the Future			p. 29
Progress might have been all right once, But it has gone on too long. Ogden Nash The seven Stories Exercise grounds you, and the Forty-year vision guides you. What Longevity Means to Your Career			p. 34
Maturity is the ability to postpone gratification. Attributed to Sigmund Freud The people in the Long Careers Study who were able to continue doing work that they loved at older ages had made themselves independent. Part 2 Deciding What You Want: Start by Understanding Yourself
How to Find Your Place in the World			p. 41
Determine what you want Decide what you want to offer A combination of the results of step 1 and 2 How to Decide What You Want			p. 47
Let me listen to me and not to them. Gertrude Stein Deciding What You Want: Selecting Your Job Targets			p. 49
Industry or organization size (small, medium, or large organization) Position or function and Geographic location Aim so high you’ll never be bored. The greatest waste of our natural resources is the number of people who never achieve their potential. Get out of that slow lane. Shift into that fast lane. If you think you can’t. if you think you can, there’s a good chance you will. Even making the effort will make you feel like a new person. Reputations are made by searching for things that can’t be done and doing them. Aim low: boring. Aim high: soaring. Exercises to Analyze Your Past and Present: The Seven Stories Exercise			p. 54
25 stories Choose the 7 experience from the above and rank them Analyzing 7 stories. Main accomplishment? Enjoyed most? Did best? Key motivator? What led up to it? Your role? Environment? Subject matter? The Seven Stories Exercise Worksheet			p. 59
Your Current Work-Related Values			p. 64
Other Exercises: Interests, Satisfiers, and Bosses			p. 65
Your Special Interests			p. 66
Satisfiers and Dissatisfiers in Past Jobs			p. 67
Your Relationship with Bosses			p. 68
Looking into Your Future			p. 69
Your Fifteen-Year Vision and Your Forty-Year Vision			p. 71
Your Forty-Year Vision ... Fifteen Years Is a Good Start			p. 75
The Ideal Scene			p. 78
Every great personal victory was preceded by a personal goal or dream. Dennis R. Webb My Ideal Job			p. 83
My Ideal Work Environment			p. 86
Case Study: Howard-Developing a Vision			p. 90
Self-Assessment Summary			p. 94
Take a Breather			p. 95
Part 3 How to Select Your Job Targets: Brainstorming Possible Jobs
Brainstorming Possible Jobs			p. 99
Chiron: Finding a Future			p. 102
Having a Balanced Life			p. 111
What You Can Do in Your Present Situation			p. 114
Life Takes Time			p. 115
How to Decide What You Want to Offer			p. 117
Before I was a genius I was a drudge. Ignace Paderewski How to Target the Job You Want			p. 121
Target Selection			p. 127
Measuring Your Targets			p. 128
Industry or organization size Position/function Geographic area Preliminary Target Investigation: Jobs/Industries Worth Exploring			p. 129
Targeting: The Start of an Organized Search			p. 131
As you continue to network and research, keep open to other possibilities that may be targets for you. Add those to your list of targets to research. Develop your pitch, resume and list of companies in the target area and the name of the person you want to contact in each company. Ready for the Next Step			p. 133
Researching Your Job Targets			p. 135
Trends and future prospects in a particular industry Areas of growth and decline in that industry The kinds of challenges and industry faces that could use your skills The culture of the industry The major-league organizations in the industry, of course but also the second and third-tier firms as well. Set aside at least two full days strictly for library or internet (vault.com & Wetfeet.com ) research. Few executives yet know how to ask: What information do I need to do my job? When do I need it? And From whom should I be getting it? Peter F. Drucker, “Be Data Literate--- Know what to know,” The wall Street Journal, Dec.1, 1992 “accounting association” www.busines.com The press: read newspapers with your target in mind. Contact the author of an article in a trade magazine. Tell him or her how much you enjoyed the article and what you are trying to do, and ask to get together just to chat. Chambers of commerce. Universities Networking The yellow pages Jobbank series www.adamsmedia.com Sample Personal Marketing Plan			p. 141
Target function Target industry Reasoning Sub targets Company names Part 4 How to Manage Your Future
New Shapes in Careers: How to Repackage the Work You Want to Do			p. 145
A Reminder of Some Basic Career Principles			p. 149
How to Keep Your Life Course in Mind			p. 151
Congratulations!			p. 155
Part 5 The Five O'Clock Club Approach to Job Search
An Overview of The Five O'Clock Club Process			p. 159
“I am already talking to a number of companies in your industry, but I didn’t want to accept job with any of them until I had a chance to talk with you.” Getting Lots of Meetings			p. 168
Make sure every manager in your target market knows that you exist. Networking (40%)—use someone else’s name to get a meeting. (“sue suggest I contact you” ) Direct contact (40%) Search firms (10%) Ads (print or internet) (10%) Ø Try to network into other firms Ø “Is there anybody else I could meet with in your firm?” Ø “Here is a list of companies I am interested in. what do you think of them?” (show your personal marketing plan.) Ø Combine direct contact with networking. Job-Search Campaign Management			p. 173
Ø Planning—interviewing---follow up Ø Make a list of all the hospitals Ø Develop what we call your two-minute pitch Ø Be sure your resume makes you look appropriate Ø Develop your plan for getting meeting.” I would like to get together with you to discuss my ideas on….” Interviews should result in getting and giving information. Did you learn the issues important to each person with whom you met? What did they think were your strongest positives? How can you overcome the decision makers’ objections? Don’t think like a job hunter who is trying to coax people to hire him. Think like a consultant Find out: What is going on? What are their needs? How can I satisfy those needs? Work to outclass your competition. Ask how you stach up against others. Make sure you have all the information you need. Find out when they hope to decide. Plan your follow-up Get and give information. Don’t try to get an offer right now. Get the next meeting Consultants write proposal. So will you! Think about your competition, say to hiring manager: Where are you in kthe hiring process? Am I first? Second? Last? How many other people are you talking to? And how do you see me compared with the other people you are talking to? 3*5 card with the information you want to cover during interview.---questions that divert you from your main agenda----handle them quickly and get back to the topic. “but I really wanted to tell you about a special project I worked on.” Dig for the information you need “I’d like to go in prepared. With whom will I met?” ask: Names and job titles Issues important to each of them What they are like Tenure with organization Uncover their objections, just as a consultant would: Where are you in the hiring process? How many others are you considering? How do I stack up against them? Is there any reason why you might be reluctant to bring someone like me on board? The brainiest part of the process: Takes as much time as getting interviews and interviewing. Keep things alive with 6 to 10 organizations. Requires brainpower—be sure to get help from your group. Don’t write thank-you notes after job interviews. Instead, write thoughtful letters and proposals to influence the decision makers. v The kind of organization you are interviewing with v Your personality v The number of times you have met with the prospective employer( have you met with five people for one hour each, or have you met with just one person for half an hour?), v The information you have gathered in those meeting, and v Who your competitors are. Find out if they have any objection to you. The Stages of Your Search			p. 183
Is this a good industry for me or not? Are my skills easily transferable or not? How can I make myself more appealing to hospitals? A solid stage 1 v Maintaining 6-10 good contacts on an ongoing basis. v You must stay in touch with them. Stage 2 – the stage that matters most v Get in to see the right people v At the right level, v At the right organizations, and v Make sure you are being well received. v “I wish we had an opening right now. I’d love to have someone like you on board.” Part 6 What Is The Five O'Clock Club?
How to Join the Club			p. 191
Questions You May Have about the Weekly Job-Search Strategy Group			p. 195
When Your Employer Pays			p. 199
The Way We Are			p. 202
Lexicon Used at The Five O'Clock Club			p. 203
Membership Application			p. 207
Index			p. 209