Career Movers & Shakers Connection

Career Advice Plus

May 13, 2010

As a member of the Career

Movers and Shakers Group

you receive:

Membership (Free)

50% Discount on Teleclasses, Webinars, etc.

Referral Fee Program

Discount on "First 90 Days" Coaching Program

Free Monthly Newsletter

Welcome,

It has been my pleasure working with you and coaching you through the obstacle course and maze of today’s job market.

Because you are a client, I am extending an open invitation to you to join the “Career Movers and Shakers Connection.”

In the block you will see some of the benefits you receive as a member.

For example, in August, I will be facilitating a 60 minute audio conference call. The topic for this call is “Conquering the Telephone Interview." Regular Cost $50. Connection Members: $25.00. This also includes follow up material. Teleclass time August 30th, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm EDT. Make sure your are REGISTERED.

For complete class agenda,Click Here.

Believe it or not, the telephone interview can be the hardest to get through. Unfortunately, more and more companies are using this interview for elimination.

Please feel free to email me with your questions regarding the teleconference or the "Career Movers and Shakers Connection." If you want to join, please click on the link below and complete the form.

Join Career Movers & Shakers now.

Wishing you continued success in your endeavors,

Your Coach,

Karen C. Battoe, CPC

Career Management / Executive Coach

Click here for our new and exciting newsletter.

There Are Two Sides to the Story: Background Checks... Why and How?

Whether you are hired or promoted for a job may depend on the information revealed in a background check. Job applicants and existing employees as well as volunteers may be asked to submit to background checks. For some jobs, screening is required by federal or state law. The current emphasis on security and safety has dramatically increased the number of employment background checks conducted.

In short, employers are being cautious. At the same time, applicants and employees fear that employers can dig into the past in ways that have nothing to do with the job.

Employers check potential and current workers for several reasons. The things an employer wants to know about you can vary with the kinds of jobs you might seek.

Here are a few of the reasons for employment screening:

Counter Offers... Do They Always Work?

“I received an offer from a company I interviewed with. I have been with my company for 10 years... I like my job and the people I work with. How do I get my company to make a counter offer for more money?”

Let me point out one thing. You can only play this card one time so it is important you do your homework. Make sure you are comparing oranges to oranges.
It is not what you say, but how you say it.
Make sure you get out on the table right away that you received a call from a headhunter or a company person “out of the blue” The opportunity was one you had to investigate and at the end of the meeting they through a number out on the table. If you have had multiple conversations and met more than once, it now turns into interviews and you were pursuing it.

What is Personal Branding and How Do I Use it?

“Fred was interviewing for an operations position in a manufacturing company. He was eliminated because he was ordinary and didn’t stand out…. “

Personal branding is what makes you different than everyone else. It makes you stand out. We use personal branding in networking all the time, but we also use it in the creative materials, interviewing and negotiations.

Branding is also used in your 30-second commercial. It is called your 10 second bumper sticker. It can be a picture, an acronym or three or four key words. The key is to grab the attention of the listener immediately. You want them to say tell me more. When I interview, I find people are very wordy, they over explain, are repetitive and ordinary. Remember your commercial, your responses, your resume, questions should be brief to the point, concise clear and conveyed with confidence.

Candidates use what I call low-value words... in other words they don’t add any value to you. Your 30-second commercial should have more high-value words -- words that add to your value and describe what you have that I want, need, or don’t have. Make me want you. Use words that make me see your skills and experiences that are relevant to the position. I want to visualize you in the position. In a sales job market, you are a product. Why is this product the best on the market? There is no product on the market better than you. SELL YOU!

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Think Before You Ask...

...you might open a door you can’t close.

When it comes to interviewing, 70% of the companies do a behavior-based or validation interview. Your questions are going to come from the job description, your resume, your responses and your questions.

Plan your questions in advance. Think before you ask... Here are some examples. These are questions taken from my interviews. My comments are in bold.

“Will I be responsible for coming up with ideas" ...I would come back with the question “that is an interesting question... why do you ask.

Give me an example of a time when you did come up with an idea that was used by the team. Or I might say, give me an example of thinking out of the box or creativity. That is the positive side. If the individual couldn’t give me an example, than I assume it is a negative and ask the candidate to describe the ideal environment for him and his response was “one where I wouldn’t have pressure to be creative.” Eliminated.

Allen and Associates

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