Interviews

What Weaknesses…?

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Hopefully, this doesn’t come as a shock to you but – we all have a weakness or two. 

 

Most behavioral interviews include this dreaded question. If you don’t prepare for it – you’ll probably sound like this….

A weakness? Ummm I don’t….ahhh I mean, I am a perfectionist…and yea, that sometimes makes things…umm, take longer.

Well, that was a disaster. <face> <palm>

 

This should and can be an easy question to answer. First, think of an actual weakness or area you’d like to improve in. Second, how can you spin it to sound more positive? Thirdly, describe the weakness and explain how you are aware of the weakness and the actions you take to prevent it or ways you’re working to improve.

 

Here’s an example of a WEAKNESS that I discussed with a job seeker the other day…”I would say that my weakness is that I often have trouble saying “no” to people when they need my help. This often leaves me working late hours, getting burnt out faster or frustrated…and it’s my own fault! So, I’m working on being more aware of my to-do list and priorities for the week so that when someone asks me to help with something I’m able to say “yes” or “no” as well as give them a realistic timeline for when I could get it done.”

 

Having a weakness isn’t a bad thing. This question is to help the interviewer understand how aware you are of yourself and your abilities. If we can’t identify what we’re good at and what we could work on…how do we get better?!

 

Best of luck on your interviews!
-Cafe Career Coach
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Interviews, Job Search

Interviews : Tell me about yourself…

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The first question in a phone interview is often…

 

“Tell me about yourself.”

 

Such a short but loaded question.

 

How do you answer this question in the confines of an often 30-minute phone interview?

 

Just think…with this one question, you can set the tone and can drive the narrative of the entire call.
The person on the other side of the phone only wants to hear a general outline of your experience. Your job is to make sure that the general outline focuses on your experience that is most relevant to their job opening and company.
My first rule of thumb is PRACTICE! Even if it is a phone interview start practicing as early as possible on how you want to describe yourself and your experience in 2 minutes or less.

 

Wait, did you say 2-minutes or less?!

Yes, I did. The call is 30-minutes. If you spend 5 of those minutes talking about yourself and possibly things that don’t matter to the interviewer…You just wasted valuable time you could be discussing skills that you have that they DO care about!
The interviewer can always follow-up with questions after you’ve finished.
Additionally, when you practice these responses your answers become habitual and don’t sound rehearsed. They come across as FOCUSED and CONFIDENT.
I’m reminded of how I had to memorize the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in 7th grade. I spent hours rehearsing to make sure I got it just right.
Now, I’m not recommending you write down a response and memorize it. That would sound robotic and uninteresting over the phone. It is on the other hand ok to write out bullet points, much like speaking points, on a piece of paper to have with you during the call.

 

Remember: the tone of your voice is the main way they’ll sense your emotion (excitement, interest) during your phone interview.
 

As you prepare, think about these 3 things:

 1. Why do I want this job? Why am I a good fit?
 2. As I review my resume, what experiences and skills are most relevant to this position?
3. When I hear myself describe my experience is it interesting and easy to follow? *Practice saying it aloud to yourself or a friend.

 

Best of luck!
-Cafe Career Coach
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Uncategorized

Top 100 Career Blogs !!

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featured in Feedspot’s

“Top 100 Career Blogs“

 

“Giving you real-world advice to get positive results at work, in your job search, and accomplishing your long-term goals.”

 

 

Thank you to all of my readers and clients

who have supported Cafe Career Coach throughout the year.

 

If you’re still searching for a fulfilling career,
struggling through interviews
or trying to find a path within your current role
reach out to Cafe Career Coach today!

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Interviews, Job Search

What Are Hiring Managers Thinking?

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 When prepping for an interview we often review a standard list of questions, do some company research and possibly look up the hiring managers or interviewers LinkedIn profile to check out their background and identify an icebreaker, like, they love the Celtics and you’re a Lakers fan. HA!
I’m guessing you haven’t thought about preparing for what the hiring manager is really looking to find out about you during the interview…Why is this important? In my experience, it calms you down during the interview process and often prepares you mentally (and emotionally) for those unexpected questions…So that you aren’t thinking to yourself “Why did they ask me that?” “Are they trying to make me squirm?”
While there are some oddball interview scenarios, more often than not, you’re going to be interviewed by someone that is ultimately trying to figure out if you have the skills for the job, if you’re a cultural fit and do you really want to work there and for them? When you think about their thought-process, as they’re sitting on the other side of the table, this way it is much easier to relax and answer their interview questions.

 

I’ve worked with 100s of hiring managers and I have come to the conclusion that they’re all trying to figure out these 3 things about you…
  1. Prepared & Articulate. Do you have the skills for the job? Are you good at articulating past projects and work that you’ve done? Does it seem like you thought about and prepared answers or examples that are directly applicable to the job you’re interviewing for?
  2. Problem-Solving. How do you solve problems? Did you ask questions? Are you bullheaded or will you reach out for help before something goes wrong? Are you good at explaining how you solve problems to a group or to a manager/peers?
  3. Engaged. Are you energetic? Do you actually want this job and to work here? Have you researched the company and did you come with ideas to solve some of the companies problems OR are you curious about the problems they solve or the products/services they provide to the consumer?

 

Don’t forget, when you’re interviewing with a hiring manager you also want to interview them as well. If you’re going to directly report to this person you want to make sure you’d like working for them too! Ask them questions about their management style and what their expectations are for this role within the first month, 6 months and the first year.
If you remember one thing from this post, remember this, the hiring manager is trying to understand your thought-process and what it would be like to work with you and trust you to do work for him/her. When you approach interviews this way it often turns into an enjoyable conversation and less like a robotic exchange of strengths and weaknesses.

 

Best of luck to you all!!! Feel free to send C.C. Coach any questions you may have!
– C. C. Coach
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Interviews, Job Search

Top 6 Places You Should NOT Be During A Phone Interview

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Phone interviews are often your first introduction to the interviewer outside of them reviewing your resume. That’s why it’s important that you’re in a quiet place with little to no distractions. I’ve listed a few potential places where you probably shouldn’t be during a phone interview.
  1. Outside near a busy road or construction
  2. In a stairwell with bad reception (AND stairwells usually have an echo)
  3. A loud coffee shop
  4. While you’re walking down the street or up flights of stairs
  5. Any place where you don’t get clear reception. If you’re worried you can go “old school” and use a land line (if you have one).
  6. At your desk, at your current job. (Unless you have special circumstances such as – the company you’re working for is closing and they have given the ‘ok’ to take calls during working hours).
Be prepared. Have a friend call you from where you’re planning to take the call from the interviewer. Then you can confirm that you’ll have good reception and not a lot of background noise OR that you need to find a new location.
Additionally, it can be good practice to confirm if the interviewer is calling you or vice versa. If they haven’t made this clear feel free to shoot them a quick email confirming who is calling whom. You can also include your phone number one more time to make sure they have the correct contact information.
As always, don’t forget to send a ‘Thank You’ email to your interviewer!
Best of luck!!!
P.S. You can also check out an article I wrote for Hired.com on phone interview prep!
– C.C. Coach
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