Next: Best of WWDS, 2007. Don’t worry, I got better.

What To Say At The Job Interview No Matter What

Often, job seekers want to know exactly what to say during the interview. I think they hope there is a magic answer. “Ah, Miss Jones, you answered that one correctly…here’s your job.”

Sorry, it does not work quite that easily.

There are some things you CAN say at every interview that WILL make you stand out from the other candidates. Here are a few of them.

1. Please and thank you. Mom was right. Interviewers notice this, I kid you not. Thank the person for the interview, for the coffee, for opening the door, and for granting you the interview after. Do not worry about too many thank-you’s or pleases.

2. Say something like “I have been thinking about your company, and how I can make a contribution.” And then proceed to enlighten the interviewer on how you can help them. If you cannot do this, go back to square one, do some basic research and get to a point where you can say this….and be believable. It does not make any difference if your analysis is wrong by the way. They do not expect you to come up with a solution to a big problem…it is enough that you were thinking about their company, in advance of the interview.

This next one is a classic because guess who called me to ask ME some questions? Cecily Drucker! That’s right, Peter’s daughter — can you believe it? I am still bragging about this one!

Peter Drucker’s Lesson for Jobseekers

One of Peter Drucker’s best quotes is:

“The greatest resource of potential demand lies in the area of non-customers.”

Each one of us can apply this simple truth in our job search or in our current jobs. Said another way, this quote could easily be:

“The fastest way to a remarkable career lies in becoming bigger than the job itself.”

I am not sure how to measure this…but I am convinced that most jobs are, frankly, bigger than the people who are now in them.

I admit to being a “comment whore,” just like all bloggers, we all love comments. But what we reallyreally want are positive comments. Dr. Ellen Weber of Brainbased Business gave me THE best compliment. But others like Robert of Middle Zone Musings, Dave Opton, Steve Roesler, Rowan over in scenic Ireland, Izabella, Robyn and JT have been very positive, helpful supporters, too. Hat tips to them. And the countless others who gave such great advice and support: Mike, Conrad and Liz of USNEWS, especially.

Wow – that’s a real keeper GL, You must have had a brainlift – to be that smart. I say that because I’ve been quite taken with where they are headed lately, with brainlifts…. so I am always on the lookout for smart insights like you keep giving:-) Thanks!

Don’t Be Boring During the Job Interview, How to Tell Stories.

1. Tell stories. Find three stories of about one minute length that happened to you in your personal life. This is some noteworthy event, maybe it is a story that is told about you at family gatherings. And then, figure out how to tie it to the workplace. A simple transition just takes a bit of brainstorming…”I see that you make famous red, white and blue widgets here. That reminds of when I was a kid and …..” I know this sounds hokey, but it always works. People love to hear stories, and the more personal the better.

2. Use analogies and metaphors. Look some up on the internet. Find unusual combinations, and practice them. Interviewing at Winnebago?…Start smiling and say something like…”Your company reminds me of a saying my dad always used: ‘You can’t clean the garage with the Winnabago parked in there.’–he always used to say. I never thought I would get to meet the people AT Winnebago.”

3. Read something inspirational right before you interview. Use positive self talk to get your energy up. Have you watched a football movie? Locker room speeches? Do you have any doubt as to if those work? Make your locker room speech, and give it to yourself.

4. Practice. So, practice interviewing using these techniques…get interviews for jobs you don’t really want, just to practice the ideas here. Why wait for that BIG interview to try a new approach. It is a legal thing to practice in a real life situation.

5. Above all, remember that you must show that you can do their job. Do your research on the company and the job. Come prepared. The preparation alone will give you a new-found confidence which will show through during the interview.

How To Find That One Perfect Employee

Every company wants an employee like this—no complaining, does what we say and spits out money.

The Winning Job Interview

The job interview is misnamed. Too many candidates think about the job interview in those terms—ie., the person with the job is going to ask me a bunch of questions and if I answer the questions correctly I may get the job.

What is really happening in the interview is actually quite simple. There are only two questions in the mind of the interviewer:

I Work In a Small Company, Do I Have to Take Out the Trash?

Yes.

I hope that everyone pitches in and does this kind of work. I know it is not in your job description, but it most surely fits under “does what is needed to help us achieve our goals.”

The post that follows was a big disappointment, because I thought it would generate a lot of ideas and comments. Zilch.

Be Ready for the Career Moment

Want an exciting career? Or job.

Be ready for the moment. Ever go to party and someone starts talking about Joe or Mary. Joe/Mary were at the car wash when Tom Hanks drove in on a secret cross country road trip. They were in shock, didn’t know if it was him or not. They chanced it and said, “hello,” like any movie fan.

Tom Hanks then said, “Joe/Mary, you have an interesting face, have you ever acted? If you ever get to LA, give me a call.” Then Joe/Mary—people who lived right down the block from you, move to Hollywood and become almost famous

This is actually a sad post, sad because it points out how people do not read posts very accurately. No where in the post did I say I was hiring people…yet, about 30 people commented, asking for the job.

Delivering Phone Books, Second Jobs

First, there are all kinds of rules.Put the books in the plastic bag, leave them on THE HINGE SIDE OF THE DOOR (it is that important), and then fill out your paperwork correctly. They want a first name of each business person who gets the books for the office. This is because the people calling ‘by hand’ (their words, not mine) can verify it all.

You are totally responsible, for your own car, gas, and if you step on flowers in someone’s yard–omg, for the flowers too. If you come near a mailbox, they threaten, the post office will fine YOU $500

How To Start the Job Interview

Over 58%* of jobs are lost BEFORE the actual interview takes place Yet advice-givers go on and on about the job interview itself,— how to respond to different questions, what the interviewer is trying to find out about you, etc. Fact is, before you sit down for the interview, you have already made your first impression. at the company, ..and no matter how well you do in the interview, you are either going uphill or downhill with the interviewer. Why not make sure you start out on a positive note? It is simple to do.

File Under Things Your Dad Shoulda Told You Not To Do at Work

Hit on every new girl. 4. Talk really, really loudly on your phone

You Are Getting Bored At Work and Think You Are in the Wrong Job?

Is that it, or are you just not seeing the bigger picture? What is the potential of your job if you looked at it in a different way? A lot of young people quit a job too early thinking that their broad range of experience has taught them to understand the workplace.

I don’t even know where to start. Maybe with the GPS feature, it not only gives you directions to and from where you are, but with WHERE TO? from the App Store ($2.99), it finds restaurants, theaters, etc for you, no matter your current location. F-A-S-T.

But that isn’t even the coolest thing. If you have an I-Phone, try this: visit What Would Dad Say (this blog), JOBDIG, or LINKUP, then bookmark it, and then add it to the homepage. You will then see these ICONS on your home screen. Yet another justification for my I-Phone.