Social Media Marketing » interviewing http://blog.geofftucker.com Geoff Tucker, Marketing & Communications Manager Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:16:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Recruitment: A broken and degrading process that needs to change « CEO Ideas http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/23/recruitment-a-broken-and-degrading-process-that-needs-to-change-%c2%ab-ceo-ideas/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/23/recruitment-a-broken-and-degrading-process-that-needs-to-change-%c2%ab-ceo-ideas/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:27:22 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=166 Recruitment: A broken and degrading process that needs to change « CEO Ideas
An intro to what sounds like a promising change in how to conduct your job search.

The entry has one thing right: submitting resumes to “Careers@Company.com” is the same as tossing them into a blackhole. There are too many others going that route, so you have to find alternative paths to get noticed.

Read on, fellow seekers.

]]> http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/23/recruitment-a-broken-and-degrading-process-that-needs-to-change-%c2%ab-ceo-ideas/feed/ 1 Interview Coaching with Lewis Lin in Seattle http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/08/interview-coaching-with-lewis-lin-in-seattle/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/08/interview-coaching-with-lewis-lin-in-seattle/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:45:47 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=145 On March 5, I spoke with Lewis Lin who is an interview coach in Seattle. Brushing up on skills is one of those basics we need to revisit periodically. That’s how I first came across him.

In a terrific half-hour consultation, he gave me three great approaches to use in presenting myself:

  • When the most common question, “Tell me about yourself” is asked, don’t talk about your most recent situation first. Start in the past and work forward. This lets you illustrate how your responsibilities have grown, your experience has expanded, and how you have receiving increasingly higher levels of responsibility. For me, this means starting with when I finished university and briefly describing (in order) my roles since.
  • Focus on three traits that really define you. This gives you a package that is easy to condense into memorable comments for the interviewer. Tailor these for the job you are interviewing for as well.
  • When it’s your turn to ask questions, focus on having the interviewer fully divulge how this role integrates with the overall organization, and how the hiring manager sees you contributing in this role. Inevitably, job descriptions omit elements that are less tangible than which software you know how to use. In my experience, it’s smart to ask what personality traits they think the ideal candidate should possess in order to be successful. What you know how to do is only half the equation; how well you get along with others in doing it is the other half.

    • Lewis is very friendly, easy to talk to, objective without being abrasive. When you’re job searching, it’s easy to feel down about yourself, to feel like you’ve done something wrong that landed you in this predicament. We forget there are over 12 million OTHER people unemployed right now because we sit in front of a computer all day – alone – looking for a job. Nevermind we sometimes forget to network with people in person as much as we should.

    I highly recommend contacting Lewis for a consultation and to sign up for his services. His suggestions helped me re-align my focus and delivery so that I feel in control of my interviews once again. We need more services like his to be mandatory with unemployment benefits, in my opinion.

    ]]>     http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/03/08/interview-coaching-with-lewis-lin-in-seattle/feed/ 0     How Are Your Interviews Going? http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/02/04/how-are-your-interviews-going/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/02/04/how-are-your-interviews-going/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:48:27 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=110 If you are currently interviewing, what are you finding the conditions to be like?
    Is the process tougher than usual? Is the company looking for super-specific requirements? Is the process taking longer than you remember?

    I’m looking for comments and feedback by those who are actively interviewing, and to hear what’s happening with you, what is working and what isn’t.

    ]]>     http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/02/04/how-are-your-interviews-going/feed/ 0     Top Job Leads | Tips: How to Get an Interview http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/23/top-job-leads-tips-how-to-get-an-interview/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/23/top-job-leads-tips-how-to-get-an-interview/#comments Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:27:46 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=60 Top Job Leads | Tips: How to Get an Interview
    It never hurts to remember and practice the basics, I believe.

    ]]>     http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/23/top-job-leads-tips-how-to-get-an-interview/feed/ 0     Desperate for Work, Applicants Take a Page From American Idol – WSJ.com http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/15/desperate-for-work-applicants-take-a-page-from-american-idol-wsjcom/ http://blog.geofftucker.com/2009/01/15/desperate-for-work-applicants-take-a-page-from-american-idol-wsjcom/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:48:21 +0000 Geoff Tucker http://blog.geofftucker.com/?p=42 Desperate for Work, Applicants Take a Page From American Idol – WSJ.com

    It’s easy to talk ourselves into believing what we need to do in order to feel good again because the job search is not a fun process. Sometimes, it’s downright agonizing.

    Consider the pain being meted out daily, we all need some anesthesia, too. That’s why liquor sales are on the rise, I suppose.

    With job descriptions becoming impossibly narrow and bullet riddled, giving in to your urge to prove you can meet every single requirement means you aren’t being realistic. Step back and ask, “Would I apply for this job if I already had one and I didn’t have to make a move?”

    You may not have the luxury of such a question, you feel. You have to find something, anything, now, today, yesterday. Doing so also means jumping into harm’s way possibly.

    Decipher the job description to identify the key functions the employer wants, then focus on how you can support those needs. The rest are areas that you otherwise demonstrate you have the know-how to tackle. Knowing how to find the answer is more important than knowing the actual answer.

    The article’s nugget (like all well-written articles) is at the end: give credit to others when due and prove you are a team player both remain a winning strength when marketing yourself.

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