Vision
The term “vision” has become a haggard cliché. It can mean everything or nothing. It is often used to describe the high-level objectives leaders want to achieve, and, other times, is actually a mission statement. Often these are but slogans or lists of desired objectives or “values” that are put up on the wall and left on tables in the lobby, but do not impact behaviors and attitudes.

A vision is a vibrant mental image that depicts your view of the desired future state of the organization in an inspiring way. It is not a statement of mission, a set of objectives, or a list of values. It is a word picture of what will be seen, heard, and felt when the organization fulfills that mission, and achieves results. It’s about the culture, environment, and values. If it’s not inspiring, then it’s not a vision.

Unfocused Vision
Without a clear vision, candidates create a vacuum of understanding and connection with interviewers that undermines their effectiveness.  Why?  Because most interviewers judge actions and words closely and critically, hunting for signals of direction, purpose, motives, and, especially, for the answer to “who is this person?”  Job candidates begin down the path to failure when they do not gain control of their own career objectives.  The result is not effectively getting their messages across, shaping a job plan, or gaining the confidence of those in a position to judge results of their job candidacy. Career objectives need to be clear to the job candidate and presented in both the candidate’s professional resumes and job interviews

Fulfilling Your Vision
To create momentum, you must make some quick successes. By the end of the first six months, at the most, you must have made substantial progress in addressing your job’s most pressing problems. This means marshaling resources to focus on issues that meet three criteria:  clearly defined assessment of financial needs, consciously address issues that employers understand to be important, and strive to make it to the next step in the process.

Vision in the Job Search
Job candidates secure early successes in job interview process by identifying problems that can be tackled in a reasonable period of time and whose solutions result in tangible improvements in performance.   They can supplement these points in their professional resume when identifying skills and creating an objective.  Job interviewees should focus attention on the few key issues that are central.  In doing this, they seek to get results, set the right tone, and energize their candidacy.

Body Language Basics
Body language can speak louder than words and is critically important.  Most people are aware of the basics:

• Importance of a firm handshake
• Maintaining good eye contact
• Practicing good posture

Subtle Body Language
Most people, however, do not think about what is communicated by the many subtle movements, gestures, looks and actions under the total body language “umbrella.”  Body language includes actions such as:

• Movement of head
• Facial expressions (e.g., movement of eyebrows, eyes, nose, etc.)
• Body posture (i.e., the way body is placed, including arms and legs, in relation to each other, and in relation to other people)
• Body proximity
• Shoulder movement
• Hand and finger gestures
• Handling and placement of objects (e.g., pens, papers, etc)

There are other body language movements that telegraph intent, such as gestures (e.g., the particular way a hand is shaken, or someone winking after a particular comment), and vocal cues, including: pitch of voice, volume (e.g., shouting, whispering, etc).

Body Language To Avoid
Nonverbal cues can say a lot about personality and interest in the open job.  Seemingly small movements can send un-intended messages.  Examples include:

• Crossing arms (closed; keeps people at bay)
• Over-reacting (nodding hurriedly, insincere, unprofessional)
• Tense facial expressions (nervous, control-oriented, or angry)

It is normal to be nervous, and some tension is to be expected.  Take a few long, slow breaths to calm down.

Show Good Body Language From The Start
Many hiring managers say they can often tell if someone is the right fit for his or her organization just minutes after the handshake. In a recent Robert Half survey, executives said they typically form an opinion of a candidate within the first ten minutes of an employment interview. With such a short amount of time to interact with a hiring manager, what can the candidate do to achieve a positive response?

The Most Important Body Language
The most important body language cue to me is remembering to smile. I know for some people this may be painful, but a ready smile says you are confidant and positive. Being positive goes a long way toward convincing the interviewer that you’re right for the job. Consider whether you’re making any common nervous mistakes (e.g., such as rushing your responses or not listening to the full questions), and adjust your communications as necessary. Many employers want positive people. They are nice to work with and customers appreciate them. A smile says you are that person.

While prepping for your next interview, remember to spend some time in front of a mirror, or better yet, video yourself.  Talk through answers to commonly asked interview questions and watch for messages your body language may send.  If you see anything negative or weak, take action to correct.

What’s Your Sales Pitch?
What is your body language saying?  Do you look trustworthy, confident, and competent, or ill-at-ease and timid?  Much has been said about the importance of body language when greeting people, yet examples abound every day of people getting it wrong.  Here are a few things to remember when greeting people.

First Impressions Are Key
Studies show that many managers make hiring decisions at the initial handshake.  In that brief moment, it is not what you say that matters most but often what your handshake says about you.  A limp, sweaty, or weak handshake leaves someone with less confidence in you.  A firm handshake with two or three slow but steady shakes usually meets the need.  Please avoid squeezing too hard. Maintaining eye contact and smiling (if appropriate), while shaking hands is almost always advisable.  Making eye contact is very hard for some people. If done right, it is associated with being trustworthy, confident and sincere. If done poorly, it can make a person feel very uncomfortable. How do you feel when in a group setting and the person talking to you is continually looking around the room for someone else? This makes people feel less important. The goal is to make people feel as though you are having a one-on-one conversation with them.

Eye Contact
To maintain appropriate eye contact makes people feel included and important. Look at the eyes of the person you’re speaking to. If you are addressing a small or large group, mentally break the room into three parts. Find one individual in group #1 and focus on them for 4-5 seconds, then shift your gaze to someone in group #2, etc. People sub-consciously will feel you are including them.

Keep Your Hands Inside the Box
Some people use hand gestures to punctuate virtually everything they say. Vigorously using both hands while conversing with people can be distracting for your listener if done to excess. It is OK to use your hands in a way that feels natural. If gesturing while speaking, try keeping your hands within the “TV box” (i.e., roughly where you would see someone’s hands if they were delivering the news on television), Gesturing that is outside the TV box may be too wild, and a distraction to the point of discomforting for someone you are greeting.

Good Posture = Good Impression
Poor posture almost always telegraphs a lack of enthusiasm, confidence, and ability. Staying balanced on both feet, standing tall, with your eyes ahead sends the right message: strong and confident. If seated, do not slump or lean the chair back on two legs. Either of these behaviors is distracting to the listener and gets in the way of your message.

Please remember to practice these basics and close the “sale” every time leading to that new job and next step in your career.

Following is a random series of observations regarding good communicators and what you can do to be more like them:

• Smile, even if it hurts a little. A smile puts the listener at ease and in a frame of mind to listen.
• Be first to say “hello.” Greeting someone recognizes them as a person you value.
• Take risks. Don’t overly anticipate rejection as it can make you seem timid.
• Move the conversation along. Change the topic of conversation when it has run its course.
• Show you are listening. Prove you are a good listener by briefly restating others comments back to them in different words.
• Be able to tell others what you do in a few short sentences. A few words will go along way.  Plan ahead and choose words carefully.
• Always use good eye contact, especially when making your first contact with people.  It shows someone you are focused on and value them.
• Greet people you see regularly even if you don’t know them.  When the time comes for conversation with them, you will find a ready audience.
• Look for common ground. Seek common goals, interests, and experiences with the people you meet.
• Let others play the expert. Be ready to let someone be an expert, unless their advice or information is wrong in the extreme, and even then use tact when offering correction.
• Get enthusiastic. Have several pre-developed questions ready ask in order to show interest.
• Balance the giving and receiving of information. If things go too much in the direction of one party in a conversation things quickly become boring.
• Express yourself. Express your feelings, opinions, and emotions to others.  It is OK to show a little passion about a topic.
• Ask people their opinions. Most people have an opinion about almost everything but will not share it unless asked.  Be tolerant of other’s beliefs if you don’t agree with them.
• When you tell a story, present the main point first, and then add thesupporting details afterward. This makes the difference between someone who tells a good story and those who do not. It gets the listener engaged and the story is in the details.
• Be aware of open and closed body language. Crossed arms and legs, diverted eyes, etc., may mean that someone does not want to hear what you have to say.

These are all elements of good conversation.  They help to break down barriers and create relationships with others.  Next time you are out with a group of people, try some of these tips and see how it goes.  You can be a better communicator with a little practice.

There is value in the details. These days especially, hiring managers are often incredibly busy, which makes for short interviews.  Therefore additional importance is placed on maximizing the time available and requires a focus on the more subtle points of the interview, such as giving a firm handshake, maintaining eye contact and practicing good posture.  Your nonverbal cues can say a lot about your personality and interest in the position.  Seemingly small behaviors can send un-intended messages.  Things like body language are important.  Examples of body language to avoid include: 

• Crossed arms.  People with crossed arms are frequently interpreted as being closed, uninterested, and sends the message that you are keeping someone at bay.
• Too animated, over-reacting, exaggerated actions (e.g., nodding hurriedly, arm waving outside the “TV box).  People exhibiting such behaviors are interpreted as being insincere and unprofessional.
• Overly tense facial expressions.  Telegraphs that you are nervous, potentially control-oriented, or angry.

Nervous is normal.  It is normal to be nervous, and some tension is to be expected.  Resist the temptation to beat yourself up over past interview mistakes.  Also do not keep reminding yourself how important this interview is.  Successful candidates have mastered the ability to drive such thoughts aside and are able to focus on the task at hand.

Beware of the small talk.  Small talk plays an important role in the interview by helping to break the ice and put both parties at ease.  But be careful: it is easy to make costly mistakes during the informal periods like walking between interviews or at lunch when your guard is down.  Strive for a happy medium in your comments.

Tell yourself that everything you say and do from when you walk through the front door to leaving the parking lot is potentially part of the interview.  Saying too little at lunch when between interviews can make you seem aloof or afraid.  Saying too much can alienate, and cause you to come across as obnoxious or worse.  If the hiring manager asks whether traffic was heavy or if you had problems with the directions they provided, feel free to offer more than just a “yes” or “no” answer, but be sure not to complain and chatter needlessly.  Truth is it does not really matter so just go with the flow. 

It should go without saying that this probably is not the time to ask for a date with the administrative assistant who first greeted you.  Social interactions must be friendly and professional… period.

The most macho of people can be daunted and undone when it comes to facing a job interview.  Like public speaking, many have interviewing on their list of their top five most dreaded things to experience.  Is it possible to embrace or almost enjoy job interviews?  Answer:  yes.  Following are some behaviors to keep in mind that should help maximize your potential for a successful outcome:

Be cool.  A great way to make a good first impression in an interview is to master the interview butterflies.  I agree, this can be very hard, but you must try.  Feeling stress is a natural response to the interviewing process, and most candidates experience it at some level.  The trick is not to show it. 

Leverage.  Though most aspects of the interview are outside a candidate’s control, it is important to leverage the things that are in your power.  One example: give yourself a time cushion, and plan to arrive at the interview destination 10-15 minutes early.  The consequences of arriving late to an interview are huge.  Even if only a few minutes late, you will arrive breathless and already on the defensive.  Your goal for the interview is to appear confident and in control, and the need to give excuses for tardiness is inconsistent with that goal.  Planning for some extra time in case you get lost or find unexpected traffic travel conditions also allows you to compose yourself and relax a little.  Sweaty palms also do not help achieve your goal of a confident persona.  Practice at getting yourself to gear down through use of long, slow breathing and other time-tested relaxation techniques.

Anticipate questions.  Another thing successful job candidates do is to anticipate questions they are likely to be asked, and give pre-thought to the answers.  This bit of preparation will be a confidence booster and stress reliever. Whether any or all of those specific questions are asked, many of the answers often prove useful with respect to other questions.  The more pre-work you do for the interview, the more it calms nerves.

No matter what your career experience, doing these behaviors will help you get an edge over the competition for that new job.

Clean-up your act.  This is a controversial area, but like it or not, a good part of the impression an interviewer first forms of you depends on how you’re dressed. All protests aside about not “judging a book by its cover,” or comments about personal freedom to express yourself, appearance still counts in an interview.  Wear a nice suit or whatever is considered better than normally appropriate dress for that job or business.  Even if you know the work place to be a casual environment, I believe it is OK to dress-up anyway for interviews.  By wearing clothes that are coordinated, clean and pressed, it is one more way for you to show interest and that you want the job.  Many job candidates believe they are not being true to themselves if they dress differently at an interview versus any other day.  But if the way you dress improves your odds of being hired, then why not?
 
Hair.  Another long-time area of conflict is facial hair.  Though beards are popular and more accepted on men of all ages, I still see surveys of hiring managers indicating a bias toward the clean shaven.

Body art.  And though tattoos and various body piercing are now mainstream and at the height of popularity, they too can be a point of bias on the part of interviewers. Therefore, my recommendation is that all body art should be covered and all visible body piercing removed (with the exception of earrings on women).  One caveat on earrings on women is that they should be restricted to one per ear.  If the position requires you to represent the company to customers and/or the general public, the hiring company has a right to set policy regarding display of these things post-hire anyway.

Meet and greet.  Next, treat everyone you encounter as a potential interviewer.  Many hiring managers (self included), have asked everyone interacting with a candidate, from the administrative staff to members of their department, for feedback on a prospective employee.   So smile, and be pleasant toward all of those you meet and curb the tendency to focus only on those who are perceived to be the hiring managers. You never know whether a seemingly small event outside of the interview will be noticed and reported and potentially make the difference (examples: loudly using cell phone in waiting area versus quietly using the time to prepare or relax).

Put your best foot forward in the interview, and “dress for success.”  You will be glad you did.

Focus on doing well the elements of a job search process that you can control, because there are many things a job candidate cannot control. The candidate has no control over whom, how and when interviews are conducted, what questions will be asked, or obviously, control over who gets the job.  But there are a number of other things that a candidate does have control over.  You should never lose a job offer because of something that was within your purview to make happen.  Examples include:

• Be early for interviews.  Anything short of a natural disaster sounds like merely an excuse for being late – and there are no excuses.  Think through travel and traffic requirements and take necessary action to mitigate potential issues.
• Learn name of interviewer.  Smile, look them in the eye, and be sure to greet everyone you meet with a firm handshake.  Think in terms of conveying engaging and confident.
• Use good manners.  Remember, this applies to everyone a candidate comes in contact with.  Whether at the reception desk, in the hallway, the parking garage, your conduct should be the same as with those you interview with.
• Relax and answer each question concisely.  Noticeable nervousness and/or rambling answers are a distraction.  Study relaxation techniques used by public speakers to control nerves (e.g., long, deep breaths, etc.).
• Use proper English.  Avoid slang, speak clearly, and focus on connecting and communicating. 
• Be cooperative and enthusiastic.  Go with the flow, do not pick arguments, and remember to smile appropriately and often.
• Show interest with body language.  Use eye contact, sit-up straight, have good posture and display body language that is open and engaging.
• Ask questions about position and organization.  Avoid questions whose answers are easily found on company Web site or published in the annual report.
• Avoid asking about pay in initial interview.  Compensation and rewards are very important, but it is generally better to defer asking about compensation until latter stages of the interview process.  Unless brought up by the employer, asking pay questions too early can appear to be self-centered on part of candidate.
• Thank the interviewer.  Say thanks when you leave, remember the firm handshake, send a short thank you note.

Watch for articles regarding other behaviors for a successful interview, including:  cleaning-up; treating everyone as a potential interviewer; keeping cool; beware of small talk; the value in the details; doing your homework; and remembering to smile.

Doing these behaviors will help you get an edge over the competition and achieve successful interview results. Best wishes for a profitable job search and winning interviews in your future.

You are tasked with interviewing candidates for work in a food manufacturing facility.  The job requires maintaining high sanitation standards, meaning that hairnets and beard restraints, coupled with long sleeve shirts and long pants must be worn in a wet, hot, work environment.  The first job candidate for you to interview walks through the door wearing a gold chain, cut-off shorts and sandals.  He is not wearing a shirt, and is sporting a mane of un-combed shoulder length hair.

On the strength of the information alone in this true story, should he get the job?

You’re Selling Yourself
When preparing for a job interview, whether with one person or an entire team of people, it is important to remember you are representing a salable product: YOU.  The way in which you walk, speak and appear makes an impression.

Much has been said about the importance of personal appearance by job candidates when going to job interviews, yet examples abound every day of people getting it wrong.  Here are a few things to remember when heading out the door to that hard-won interview.

I used to know managers who said they decided on a job candidate at the handshake.  Studies show this is quite common.  In that brief moment, it is not what you say that may matter most to them, but what your appearance says about you. 

Tips:
Candidates interviewing with organizations having casual work environments are especially prone to error in knowing how to dress.  Because all not casual clothing is suitable for every work environment, you must determine what is appropriate to wear to the interview.  Clothing that works well for the beach, yard work, dance club, exercise session, and sporting event may not be appropriate for a professional appearance at work.

Clothing that reveals too much cleavage, back, chest, feet, stomach or underwear is not appropriate for most places of business, even in business casual settings.  Additionally, clothing should be pressed and never wrinkled, and is generally unacceptable if torn, dirty, or frayed.  Clothing having words or pictures that may be offensive is unacceptable, but clothing with fashion brand names conservatively displayed (e.g., Dockers, Izod, etc.), is usually okay. 

Proper dress for an interview in a business casual environment does not necessarily mean wearing a suit and tie.  Even if the interviewer is sitting there in a t-shirt and jeans with big holes in the knees, it is best practice for you to present a clean, neat appearance, and be dressed to a higher standard than the workplace/job requires.  Candidates are never down-rated for dressing too well, but frequently are for not looking the part.

Make a Good Impression
Please remember to take a good look at yourself through the eyes of an interviewer before going to that interview, take steps to dress appropriately, and work hard at closing the “sale.”  Oh, what happened with the candidate mentioned at the beginning of this article?  He was not considered a good job fit and did not get the job.

1. Problem-Solving
   People who can identify problems, research solutions and make effective decisions are increasingly desired in such fields as business administration, management consulting, public administration, science, medicine and engineering.
2. Technical
   Technology is advanced in all industries.  Installation, testing and repair of electrical, electronic and mechanical equipment in fields (such as engineering, telecommunications, and transportation) require people with advanced vocational-technical skills.
3. People Relations
   Often, the success of a company depends upon how well people work together. It is the job of managers and administrators to understand people needs and how best to meet those needs within the confines of the employment environment. 
4. Computer Programming
   It almost goes without saying that understanding how to harness a computer’s power and programming it to meet the specific needs of a particular company can dramatically increase your employment options.
5. Ability to Teach and Train
   Our modern society develops and collects more new data in a day than our ancestors did in a year.  As a result, there will continue to be a demand for people with teaching and training skills in the fields of education, social services, management and general commerce.
6. Science and Math
   Great advances are made each day in the fields of science, medicine and engineering.  People skilled in the sciences and math are needed to provide support by doing computational tasks and analysis in these fields.
7. Money Management
   It is essential to carefully plan and manage personal finances.  Investment brokers, security officers, retirement planners, accountants and CPAs require support staff with these skills to help meet this need.
8. Information Management
   Knowledge is now seen as a major contributor to our economy, and individuals who possess the ability to manage information are critical. Systems analysts, information technologists, database administrators, knowledge managers, and telecommunication engineers are examples of positions utilizing information management skills.
9. Language
   Global organizations depend upon people with the ability to speak a number of languages.  Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and German have long been taught by many schools.  Having this skill can enhance your employment opportunities and compensation.
10. Management
    Understanding how to run a company is in demand.  The ability to manage people, systems, resources and finances; to understand the needs of consumers and translating those needs into business opportunities is required by organizations large and small.

Perhaps you have skills from work performed for volunteer jobs.  Be creative and study job descriptions of positions to which these might apply.  Writing a resume emphasizing such pertinent skills may give you the edge necessary to make your job hunt a success