Interview Questions: What Should You Be Asking?

So have done your due diligence prior to the interview and reviewed the company’s web site, googled the names of all of the people that you may be meeting, and reviewed the job specification again. You have also set aside the business interview suit, organized your portfolio to highlight the experience that is reflected on the job specification and committed yourself to getting a good night’s sleep and setting out early enough to account for traffic, public transportation breakdowns and the like.

Great job! But if I were to ask you what the goal was for tomorrow’s interview would you have an answer? Sure, the goal is always to try and have the interview result in an offer however will you learn enough during the course of the interview to know whether it is a job that is consistent with your career aspirations and goals?

When I speak with people that are seeking to embark on a new job search, they often mention negative aspects of their current position that they were not aware of when they accepted the job, aspects of the position that were misrepresented, or questions that they neglected to ask during the interview stage. I offer that you need to be asking questions during the interview related to three critical areas:

1. Roles and responsibilities: Sure you have a copy of the job description however how accurate is the job description? What will be the focus of the position during the first 30 days? The first 90 days? How are roles and responsibilities delineated within the department? How might the focus of your day shift over time? For instance, will you be working to maintain existing learning programs during the first six months and then begin to focus on new development initiatives? Can you see samples of the team’s work?

2. Management and Career Development: The quality and competence of your manager contributes more to your job satisfaction than any other factor. It is very important for you to try and learn as much as you can about how you will be managed and how you will be assessed. Questions could include:

• If I were to ask members of your staff how would they describe your management style?
• How do you communicate with members of your staff and what kind of reporting do you require?
• How often will we meet to discuss my progress?
• Do you develop annual performance plans with your staff that discusses job and professional development goals?
• If bonuses are a component of the compensation plan, what criteria is used in determining the bonus award?

The key here is to try and learn as much about the manager’s style and skill as possible. Be sure to validate the answers you hear with your potential peers. There is a world of difference between a skilled and secure professional manager and a poor manager that resorts to micro-management and indecision.

3. Work environment: I strongly advise using your power of observation in assessing the company’s work environment. What words would you use to describe the feeling that you had when you entered the reception area (i.e., warm, collegial, cold, hectic, loud)? How were you made to feel by the receptionist and all of the people that you interacted with?

Try and gauge what a typical work week is like in terms of work load and overtime. Are there specific times when the overtime kicks in? Is overtime the norm? Also, what is the company’s policy regarding working off-site? You goal is to determine whether the work environment will support you in doing your best work.

Take these tips and questions to heart and the likelihood of being unpleasantly surprised will decrease significantly.

So You Want to Be a Top-Tier Consultant? The Four Key Attributes

Having spent over 25 years of my professional career working with consultants and representing consulting services to a Fortune 500 clientele, I have come to recognize and truly appreciate top-tier consultants.

Below are four key attributes that I have been able to identify that are consistent with these top-tier consultants. Top-tier consultants possess all of the key attributes. So how do you stack up?

1. Masters of their craft: The top tier consultants are masters of their craft and are firmly rooted in the philosophies and methodologies that govern their industry. Within the learning space this would include formal grounding in adult learning theory, instructional design, organization development/effectiveness, and performance improvement. They are dedicated students of their craft with a commitment to remain ahead of the bleeding edge. They typically are active in professional societies and associations, attend and present at industry conferences or write for industry publications. They have built a social and professional network where they are recognized for their knowledge and the quality of their deliverables.
   
2. They are true business partners: Top tier consultants have rock solid business and performance consulting skills. They are able to understand and uncover business goals, breakdowns, challenges, and objectives. All solutions are designed to support the client in meeting their underlying business challenges. They are viewed by clients as a business partner, not as an outside resource. Their opinions are valued and respected and in most cases their engagements lead to other engagements. They are resale machines.
   
3. They are extraordinary communicators: These consultants have an uncanny ability to communicate with people at all levels of the organization. In times of conflict and stress they are able to work with clients to resolve any issues that pose a threat to the success of the engagement. They are keenly focused on the ultimate objective of the engagement which can often get blurred when times get tough. They have the extraordinary ability to blend with clients to resolve disagreements. These consultants speak honestly and directly and their commitment to excellence is never questioned.
   
4. They are hard-wired to serve clients: Everyone knows the importance of satisfying clients but I have found that the top-tier consultants are almost genetically inclined to serve and satisfy clients. When you speak with them about the jobs that they held when they were beginning their careers, serving customers is a consistent theme. Serving clients is not a concept but a mantra. Top tier consultants recognize that while their assessments are valid, the assessments of their clients are most important. They are finely tuned to the satisfaction of their clients and are sure to consistently check in on their satisfaction. Difficult conversations are had the moment they arise, communication is proactive and engagements end positively.

Top-tier consultants are in high demand by clients and greatly minimize risks associated with a consulting engagement. For organizations like KnowledgeStaff that provide consulting services, top-tier consultants offer us a sense of comfort and peace of mind. We just know that the job is going to get done.

So You've Been Out Of Work For How Long?

For the past 6 months, I have been supporting a family member in his search to locate a new job. He has been seeking employment for close to a year. The mental, emotional, financial, and physical toll of his search for employment has been deep. Sadly, he is not alone. There are numerous stories of people within the KnowledgeStaff network that have been on the hunt for a new job for as long and longer. None of these people I mention are dead wood, poorly skilled or problem employees. They are all struggling job seekers, members of a fraternity that none chose to join.

But there are promising signs out there. Slowly, I am hearing stories of people landing new jobs or assignments. At KnowledgeStaff our activity with full-time placements has picked up noticeably. Predictions of a slow economic recovery seem to be on target.

A question that I get asked frequently is “How do I explain being out of work for so long?” with the follow-up question “How do I let this potential employer know that I am not damaged goods?’ These are not easy questions but the best answers to these questions may come from dissecting the concerns of the potential employers that are behind these questions.

It is important to remember that employers are readily aware of the job market and economy. In many cases they too have experienced downsizings. Unlike other market downturns they are clear that many very qualified people lost their jobs and that layoffs went much deeper than just eliminating the poor performers or dead wood.

The most frequent concerns that I hear from employers when considering candidates that have been out of work for a while are:

• Why so long? They basically want to know the story behind the story. What were the circumstances that caused you to be out of work and why have you not secured a position to date? What they are listening for is sincerity and to be sure that there is no remaining bitterness. They want to hear that you are in a mood of resolve and excitement about beginning a new position and making a contribution to that organizations' success. A small dose of humility can also go a long way.

• How have you been spending your time? Has the job search been a full-out endeavor? Have you been volunteering your time or done any consulting work? Candidates that appear to have been sitting on the sidelines or putting out anything less than a full-out effort may raise concerns about work ethic and commitment.

• Have you made any investments (time or money) to improve your skill set and marketability? If the answer is no, there is still time. Take an online course, read some books or download a free trial version of a software tool that will enhance your marketability.

• How much? We are all aware that there is a new reality when it comes to compensation. The law of supply and demand is just not in the favor of job seekers. Candidates that show a willingness to consider positions at a significantly lower level that what they are accustomed raises serious retention concerns for the employer. The best answer that I have heard presented by a candidate was to offer to commit to remain with the new employer for a period of time (12-24 months seems reasonable). Please note that the employer may not raise their concerns about retention - just know that it is most probably there and any answers that you can provide during the interview to stress your commitment and the fact that you are not a job-hopper can only help.

Human Capital Management: Opportunity or Threat?

Senior level Learning and Development professionals interested in ongoing career development are often faced with the question, "What's Next?" Within the corporate sector, the primary goal is to attain the role that sets the overall strategy and direction for learning within an organization. In the best of all worlds, the position is afforded C-level status in the form of a Chief Learning Officer role.

Over the past several years, Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management have garnered significant press and corporate investment. This hire to retire approach incorporates:

• Organization design which involves the strategic alignment, competency development of people and associated HR strategies
• Workforce planning and deployment encompassing skills inventories, career pathing, and succession planning
• Recruitment and selection
• Professional development covering both hard and soft skills learning and development
• Knowledge management for harnessing and leveraging the intellectual capital of an organization
• Performance management and measurement

HCM seems to represent an opportunity for Learning and Development professionals to move beyond the traditional boundaries and responsibilities. HCM may serve as a new answer to the "What's Next? question. At the same time HCM should be provoking some real questions:

• Do I have the qualification for this role?
• How do I acquire the skills to grow into this role?
• Am I best qualified?
• Will HCM limit my sphere of influence within the organization?

I think that the jury is still out with many unanswered questions. Will the person that leads HCM come from the Human Resources world? Will someone with an Organization Development or Organization Effectiveness orientation be tapped to lead this type of initiative? How can a traditional Learning and Development professional gain the skills to move in this direction?

I invite your thoughts, comments, and suggestions...

Your Resume and the 10 Second Rule

During my career I have read hundreds and probably thousands of resumes. I have come to realize that I tend to make my initial assessments on a person and their experience in about 5 seconds but never more than 10 seconds. Normally when I am reviewing a resume there is a job requirement that I am looking to fill. So my initial scan is to see how many of those specific skills are reflected in the resume. This is even more the case when I am reviewing the resumes of candidates that have responded to a particular job posting.

I am not alone in this thinking. In speaking with colleagues, other recruiters and some hiring managers, many agree that their initial assessments are made very quickly. Depending on how busy I am at a given moment will determine just how deeply I get into a resume. For people that still rely on a cover letter to answer the question “Why should I invite you in for an interview?” I have bad news. I rarely read cover letters – in fact I don’t remember the last one that I did read.

I am not claiming that all HR reps, recruiters and hiring managers deal with resumes the same way that I do but I do believe that there are a large percentage that do. So your resume needs to produce an assessment within the first 10 seconds that it is worthy of further review.

The simplest way to accomplish this is to customize a Summary section at the beginning of the resume. The Summary section should list 4 or 5 bullet items that convey your value proposition for the position that you are applying for and basically state your case for why you should be called in for an interview. In writing your Summary section (and the rest of your resume) be sure to use words and phrases as they are used in the job description. Your description for each job that you have held should support these 4 or 5 bullet items. Remember, that while employers may care about other skills and experience, you can be sure that they DO care about the experience and skills indicated on the job description.

Give this suggestion a try. I would be surprised if you do not see an increase in the number of interviews you are able to generate.

2009-2010 Employment Opportunities and Speculations

While the employment marketplace remains relatively slow, there are signs of a gradual improvement. Recent economic indicators reflect an increase in consumer confidence which is normally a leading indicator of an improving employment climate. Whether these initial positive signs continue is anyone’s guess however this is a good time to try to pinpoint segments of the employment marketplace that may rebound first or represent new opportunities. Based on our reading of the economy and recent government actions and conversations with clients, here are just a few to consider:

Learning and development to reflect new ways of doing business – the recent collapse of the financial services sector has resulted in new rules and regulations for how these corporations will function going forward. Some of these new practices are in direct response to new and yet to be announced government edicts, others will be required based on corporate operations improvement initiatives. Either way, both front and back office personnel will need to be trained in the new ways that business will be conducted.

Learning and development to ensure that these new ways of doing business are being followed – look for corporate ethics and compliance areas to undertake major learning and development initiatives to ensure that operating units are complying with government and corporate standards and guidelines.

Learning and development within the healthcare sector – it remains to be seen how the healthcare reform movement will actually take hold however some type of healthcare reform seems inevitable. With reform comes new learning and development requirements and opportunities. We are keeping a close eye on areas that address billing and claims and the electronic health records (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR) groups.

Learning and development within the clean energy sector – all signs point to increased spending and focus on clean energy. This should result in greater employment within this market sector which will create learning and development opportunities. Additionally, I envision corporations in this sector needing to invest in community outreach and client education programs to aid in building market awareness and demand.

Salary Flexibility: Is it Enough?

Scenario: You are out of work and come across a job that you are clearly overqualified for. In fact this looks just like a position that you held five years ago. The salary that is posted is close to $20,000 less than what you were making in your last position. You have been out of work for close to three months and quite frankly, you would accept that salary. You hit the send button and forward your resume to the company.

So what happens now? In most cases, experienced recruiters will quickly review your resume and not call you in for an interview. The reason is pretty simple. While you are clearly qualified for the position, you represent a huge retention risk. The investment corporations make in training and orienting a new employee is considerable. In most cases the return on their hiring investment occurs sometime between year 1 and year 2. Recruiting professionals and hiring managers recognize that once the market rebounds (and the market WILL rebound), jobs will become more plentiful and employees that are underpaid will most likely leave.

There are other employers that will recognize these very points, but instead will look to maximize their investment by hopefully having a more productive and experienced employee on board for as long as they can. They are basically willing to accept the retention risk.

In speaking with a candidate today, he presented some compelling arguments that he wanted me to convey to my client. Here are some of those arguments and a few other suggestions you may want to consider using:

1. Stress the increased productivity that they will receive by having a more experienced person on staff.
2. Discuss any additional value that you may be able to offer that a lesser skilled hire could not provide. If this additional value is relevant to the employer, it may open their eyes to a new way of thinking.
3. Make some guarantee regarding the minimum length of employment that you are willing to commit to.
4. Offer a short trial period where the employer can see you and your experience in action. At the successful conclusion of this trial, employment could continue, roles and responsibilities potentially expanded, or salary revisited.

Corporations that are hiring in this marketplace recognize the difficulties that job seekers are facing. Ultimately their hiring decisions are based on the perceived value that prospective candidates offer. And therein lies your challenge…