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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Interview Tips Part 1

My days in Human Resources are numbered!  As of the end of September I will be leaving my job at the bank where I have worked since graduating college to start a career in real estate.  In the last couple of months I have moved from North Carolina to Louisville, Kentucky to be close to my husband’s family and so he could work for his father in real estate.  I have decided to make the step out as a real estate agent and he is focusing on investment and property management with the family business.  This is a big pretty scary step which I get more and more excited for each day.  Since real estate is truly a people driven business I am confident I will use a lot of my skills from my five years in HR, but maybe feel a little wistful about leaving the wild and wonderful world of Human Resources.  In these last weeks I plan on a least a couple of blogs from what I’ve learned in this industry. 

My first job after the training program at the bank was in recruiting and one which I truly loved and challenged me.  I recruited for very little entry level positions so at 22 I started talking with seasoned professionals to determine if they would be right for my organization and specifically the position, team, and manger for the opening.  Companies all hire differently and in my particular company and job I would market the position, directly source candidates, review and pare down resumes, conduct the first interview by phone or in person, set up the interview with the direct manager, consult with the managers after they interviewed the top candidates, and finally facilitate the job offer process.  This process is most consistent with a large corporation, but my hope is the tips I list will resonate and help those interviewing with companies of all sizes across industries.  However please note these are just my thoughts and ramblings backed up by my own experience and those of my peers, but at the end of the day just my opinions!  The next several days I will be releasing my top interview tips and below starts us off with preparation: 

1.    Do your research!  I wish this did not need to be stated, but so many either keep their research surface level or skip it all together.  Put together a cheat sheet with the at least the following (keep it tucked away in your notebook for the interview or right in front of you for a phone interview). 
·         Full Company Name – know more than the just the acronym, if possible find out where the name originated
·         Brief Company History – you don’t need to write a novel about this, but having a good idea of the history provides a solid foundation for getting to know the company further
·         Industry – know what governance and regulations affect the company (can you tell I worked for a bank?)
·         Competition – know the competitors and how the company you are interviewing with stacks up
·         Culture – in addition to what you can find online (which is usually a lot), ask around with family or friends to identify someone in your network that has worked there
·         The Person that is Interviewing You – make sure to have their name written down and use it.  Look them up on LinkedIn and gather enough information without falling to deeply in the stalker range
For the love of God keep this information straight on the different companies you may be interviewing with!  Nothing shows the interviewer your passion and enthusiasm for their company quite like you mistakenly rattling off facts about a competitor (not!).  Also if you haven’t researched the details completely don’t go in to extreme detail and don’t make assumptions!  One of my favorite stories was a college student I interviewed who went on and on about how she thinks it is so great my company had a female CEO.  From reading my blog you know I’m all about female empowerment, but in this case I was not impressed because had she looked at our CEO’s biography a bit more closely and she would have realized that he is a HE and just has a unisex first name. 

2.    Find a connection at the company or at least the industry and talk to them before your interview.  – Contrary to popular belief you can get a job without connections even at the most competitive companies.  You could also probably run a marathon in flip flops, but if you have access to running shoes why would you?  No one at the finish line is going to cheer for you harder because you’re the idiot in sandals and you will probably get beat by many runners with similar or inferior abilities.  So make things easier for yourself and once you can identify that person in your network try and get together for coffee or even just a phone call to learn more about the company and their career.  Think there is no way you’ll find someone in the company or even industry?  Try these tips….
·         Start by asking people you know in that industry.  For example if you play on a kickball league with a real estate agent.  I’d say something like “I have an interview with XYZ Realtors in a week and I know you know everyone who’s anyone in real estate in Louisville (see how I stroked their ego?), do you know anyone who works or has worked at XYZ, that could give me advice based on their career there?”  Best case scenario she can come back with – “Yes I started with John Smith and he went over to XYZ a couple of years ago and loves it. I’d be happy to arrange a meeting for you.  Oh and by the way my company is always looking for new agents and I’d be happy to talk with you about ABC Realtors, didn’t know you were interested in a career in real estate.”  Worst case scenario – she could answer that she doesn’t know anyone there, but would be happy to give you information on her experience in real estate.  Also keep in mind you may go through several levels of acquaintances to get to the right person. 
·         Use LinkedIn to identify the connections.  Sometimes you can even bypass your connection (important when you are crunched for time) especially if it’s very friendly and is asking very little of them.  People join LinkedIn because they want to share expertise and “link” with people so they are typically quite receptive.  For example messages like the following could easily get you a phone call. 
·   I see that you are connected with my past colleague Susie Jones, whom I think very highly of; would you have some time to talk with me about your experience at XYZ Realtors?
·   We are both members of Young Professionals Louisville and I see you work at XYZ Realtors.  I am very interested in a career path like yours.  Could I buy you a cup of coffee and pick your brain about your experience?
·         Use your college or university.  Career centers love to keep track of where their graduates work because it makes them look better!  Use boards or groups on their website to find people or better yet call your career services center or alumni center. Tell them what you are looking for and see if they can make the connection for you to fellow alumni in your desired company or industry.
·         Still feeling overwhelmed?  Play a round of six degrees of Kevin Bacon to boost your confidence and look again more creatively this time.

Do not lead with requests for a reference (other than advice and expertise).  Make the conversation about them by asking about their job, experience, and thoughts about the company.  Use this chance to learn about the dynamics.  Most people love to share and you can glean lots of helpful information without the person even realizing the nuggets they are providing.  For example they could mention casually that the manager is a huge University of Louisville basketball fan and you can add the Cardinals starting line up to your research list.  The minimum you should get from these conversations is information about the company and of course the maximum is their good word with HR or the hiring manager.  Just think if it comes down to a tough decision between equally qualified candidates that positive reference the manager heard at the water cooler about you could tip the scales in your favor.  Also managers want new employees to fit in with the team and what better way to show your ability to do so than already having bonds within the company.

This series for the most part is making the assumption that you have landed an interview (even if it is just with a lowly HR employee), but you may have already used a contact to get that interview.  Do not let the relationship with that person be limited to just getting you the interview.  Stay connected with your contact whether it be your best friend or you friend’s second cousin twice removed throughout the process and learn as much information as you can to use as you interview.  Always remember your manners and thank, thank, thank them for their help.

More to come tomorrow…..

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