Thoughtful Thank-Yous

I get asked these questions over and over: "Should I send separate thank-you notes to everyone who interviewed me? Can I just send one thank-you note to the hiring manager and ask him/her to thank others involved in the process?" 

The answers are yes and no, respectively.

Send a separate thank-you note to everyone who interviewed you, whether it was an informal pre-interview phone call, an interview lunch meeting, or the final formal interview after a lengthy process.

Don't be stingy with your thank yous!

It's an easy thing to do, it will only take a few minutes--and it will make the recipients feel good about you! Why wouldn't you jump at the chance to do that?

You can make your thank-you notes relatively short. They can be sent via snail-mail or email.

(There are differing opinions on which is best. I prefer the now "special" touch of a real letter over the routine method of email; others think email is best because it's faster. Just remember that what you say is more important than how you send it.)

Make each thank-you note slightly different by mentioning something in particular that you and the recipient discussed. This is a good reason to do your thank-you notes right away, while the interview is fresh in your mind. You might even want to take notes for this purpose.

Here's a great tip that will really impress the hiring manager: add a P.S. that mentions how helpful someone was, by name. I'm not talking about people directly involved in the interviews; they should get their own thank-you notes. But if there was a receptionist, an administrative assistant, or someone else who was helpful during your interview process, say so. Those people are rarely recognized, but may have influence with the hiring manager. The boss will think of you as someone who appreciates his team, notices things most other people overlook, and goes the extra mile.

Why make this a P.S.? Studies show that most people read the P.S. before (or even instead of) reading the main body of a letter. This P.S. will get attention and impress the reader, which will get your entire letter read and your thoughtfulness remembered!

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Vacancy 

The Secret of Selling Yourself

A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features. Very simply, features are what something has; benefits are what those features do for you. For example, if you’re selling your used Oldsmobile, one of the features you might mention is its large trunk. 

If you focus only on the feature, you’ll say, “This car has a large trunk.” (Yawn) But if you promote that feature with its benefit, you could say, “The trunk is huge. You can get three suitcases and your golf bag in there for a trip to Disneyland and still have plenty of room for all the souvenirs you’ll want to bring home!” See how that makes a more powerful impression? The potential buyer can visualize how this car with its large trunk can make packing for his next trip much easier. Use the same tactic for each feature of the car, and (Ka-ching!) you have a much quicker sale.

When you’re preparing your resume or answering questions during an interview, you’re selling yourself, so use that same tactic: sell your benefits along with your features! Here’s how:

Consider these typical “features” a job applicant might mention during an interview:

• 10 Years of Experience
• Ability to Type 90 Words Per Minute
• Strong Organizational Skills
• Dedicated
• Excellent Communicator
• 2004 Administrator of the Year, Acme International Inc.

Those are pretty impressive. Now let’s see how you can turn those “features” into “benefits:”

• Feature: 10 Years of Experience. Benefits: “I know what to expect in this type of position; I’ve handled this type of work before; I won’t need much training or supervision; I’ll hit the ground running and will start producing right away.”

• Feature: Ability to Type 90 Words Per Minute. Benefits: “I can get your 10-page reports done in less than an hour; I will speed up your work flow.”

• Feature: Strong Organizational Skills. Benefits: “I’ll keep track of your schedule so you’ll always be on time and have the materials you need; I will be able to quickly retrieve any document; I will prioritize my workload to ensure the most critical projects are done first; I will save you time; I’ll help you make your boss happy.”

• Feature: Dedicated. Benefits: “I will support the company’s overall mission and do whatever I can to help achieve it; I won’t complain about hard work or long hours; I will faithfully do my job to the best of my ability.”

• Feature: Excellent Communicator. Benefits: “I will easily be able to give you and your staff the information you and they need, whether in verbal or written form; I will be able to compose much of your correspondence, relieving you of that duty; I will save you time and effort.”

• Feature: Administrator of the Year, 2003, Acme International Inc. Benefits: "I’m very good at what I do, and you don’t have to take my word for it – here’s proof that others have recognized my skill, professionalism, and outstanding contributions.”

Even more impressive!

See how that works? A “feature” is nice. But even better is answering the hiring manager’s unspoken question, “So why is that important?” You do that by selling your benefits.

Make a list of your own features and their corresponding benefits. Learn to promote these benefits to your potential employer. Do this in your cover letter, your resume, and during your interview to make a powerful impression. You will SELL yourself into a new job!

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Vacancy 

Dealing With "How Would You...?" Questions

If you're a newsletter subscriber or frequent visitor to my website, you know that I'm always preaching about proper preparation prior to interviews. If you research the position and company carefully, you can anticipate likely questions and prepare excellent answers. 

But something I also tell job seekers is that you can never anticipate every single question.

I once had to respond to a "How would you...?" question about exhuming a dead duck. I am not making this up. The position involved community affairs work for a sewer treatment plant. How could I have anticipated such a strange question? It took me totally by surprise.

But I got the job. 

Often with problem-solving questions, the interviewer isn't looking for a "right" or "wrong" answer. He or she is more interested in the thought processes you demonstrate to come up with your answer.

The dead-duck question was based on an actual incident, and the person who asked it is the person who had to deal with it. My response showed that I would have handled the situation differently than she had, but it also showed that I knew about problem solving. I didn't panic at the unexpected question; I didn't answer before thinking about it for a few seconds; and I didn't blow it by giving a lame response like, "Gosh, that's a really tough question! I honestly don't know what I would do in that situation."

Here are a few tips to help you deal with "How would you...?" problem-solving questions:

1. Ask questions to determine exactly what the interviewer is looking for. (This will also give you a bit more time to think.)

2. Explain how you would gather the information and data necessary to develop a solution to the problem.

3. Tell how you’d use the information you gathered to develop and analyze alternative courses of action.

4. And finally, tell them your solution or recommendation, explaining how you feel it's the best option based on the info you were given.

The "How would you...?" type of problem-solving questions are popular in interviews these days. You must not let them scare you. Don't rush your response and don't stress yourself out wondering what answer they're looking for.

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Vacancy 

"You're Fired" Isn't The Finale

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, March 2004 had the largest gain in hiring in nearly four years. But as of then, there were still about 8 million Americans without jobs, and almost 23% of those had been unemployed for six months or more.

Many of those who are unemployed were laid off, terminated, downsized or let go ("fired") through no fault of their own.

In this era corporate mergers, dot-com disasters, and a struggling economy, we've all come to realize that job security is quite rare these days.

While losing your job is still very painful, it is no longer considered a career-ending experience.

So when you're interviewing and that question about a gap in your employment comes up, there's really no need to lie.

Keep your answer brief, state what you've learned from the experience (if anything positive), and express your desire to move on. It shouldn't be the focal point of your interview.

Employers want to know about your talent, skills and capabilities, so emphasize those, assure them that you can help solve their problems, and convince them that you will be a hard-working, loyal and dedicated employee. 

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Vacancy