Do not underestimate the value of your Linked In profile

Melissa Mounce (yes, there is a family connection) talks about the proactive approach PNC is taking to recruit in today’s Wall Street Journal FINS. PNC’s recruiters/sourcers are using LInked In.  Mounce states, “All of our sourcers are very, very active on LinkedIn. That’s one of their major tools….”

Read the article,

PNC’s Melissa Mounce: Getting Proactive for Passive Candidates

 

Tip:  Do not underestimate the value of your Linked In profile.  Make sure it is 100% complete.  Use it to research positions, companies, and the people you are meeting.  They’re looking you up, you should be doing the same.

Job Hunting Mistakes

Another well-written article in WSJ highlighting the “dont’s” of job hunting and interviewing.  Big Blunders Job Hunters Make

Tips from the article:

Turn your phones off.

Leave your children and parents at home.

Please do not send gifts.

Best Job Interview Questions

Interview Prep Advisor, Jennifer Mounce, cited in the Toilet Paper Entrepreneurs blog, “The Best Job Interview Questions”.

#12. Flip The Script

From Interviewee to Company:
In the first 12 months of working here, what would you have to see in order to say, this is really an exceptional hire & we’re really happy you’re on the team?

Read TPE’s full blog for the other 39 Best!

11 Signs Your Interview is in Trouble

Interview Prep Advisor & President of Coach Effect, Jennifer Mounce, was quoted in CNN Living/CareerBuilders latest article, “11 Signs Your Interview is in Trouble”.

Here’s a peek:

4. Interviewer takes phone call mid-interview

An interviewer should treat you with the same respect he or she expects. Jennifer Mounce, executive coach and interview adviser for Coach Effect, has heard her share of bad interview stories.

One manager stopped an interview to take a 20-minute phone call without warning the interviewee, who was told to stay in the room until it was over. When the call was over, the interviewer resumed with the questions, but his mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Candidates must ask themselves if they want to work for a person who can’t give them their full attention for a short period of time or who doesn’t have the communication and/or social skills necessary to put the candidate at ease, apologize or explain the necessity of the disruption," Mounce says.

5. Interview feels like a test of endurance

Mounce also warns of employers who hold marathon interviews that last seven hours. Applicants are not asked if they’d like a restroom break, snack or glass of water. Mounce advises you to think about what the job would be like if the interview is this bad.

Read the article for the other 9 tips!

WSJ article: 5 must-ask interview questions

WSJ’s Management Article “Five Must-Ask Interview Questions”

If you are preparing for an interview, then you may want to make sure you are preparing for these questions amongst others.

1. In what ways will this role help you stretch your professional capabilities?

2. What have been your greatest areas of improvement in your career?

3. What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received and how did you learn from it?

4. What are people likely to misunderstand about you?

5. If you were giving your new staff a "user’s manual" to you, to accelerate their "getting to know you" process, what would you include in it?

For the details, read the article.

Job advice for those who’ve been around the block

WSJ has advice for more senior/experienced job hunters that I found interesting and relevant.

Couple of key points from the article:

• Have a strategy for your search
• Network; use your connections
• When in the interview don’t make yourself out to be “the victim” (if you’ve been laid off/separated)
• Find out what you’re really worth on the market; salaries have gone down as much as 20%

Advice for Senior Job Hunters

Coaching Skills Workshops at the TapRoot® Summit 2010

The Root Cause Analysis Blog highlighted speaker Jennifer Mounce.  The 2010 TapRoot® Summit will include two presentations by Jennifer focused on coaching skills.

Jennifer spoke at the 2009 Summit on Self-Leadership and self-coaching.  The focus was personal development.  She also jumped in and facilitated a breakout session on communicating safety issues effectively.  It was a lively discussion! 

This year both workshops will focus on sharpening coaching skills to support behavioral change and as support for corrective action development.

Check out the TapRoot® Root Cause Analysis Blog

Are you interested in attending the summit? 
Oct 25-26, 2010 in San Antonio, TX
Summit Info

The Resume Black Hole

I saw this article posted in one of my LinkedIn groups.  It seems very relevant based on what I hear from job seekers.

Whatever Happen to my Resume?

Don’t Sabotage Your Career

Interview Prep Advisor, Jennifer Mounce, cited in article, 6 Ways to Sabotage Your Career, an article on the Bankrate.com site.

Here’s the skinny on the article.

6 ways to damage your future:

1. Bash your employer in public.
2. Mix pleasure with business.
3. Fudge the truth.
4. Be real regardless of the culture.
5. Just say no to new opportunities.
6. React poorly to stress or fear.

Read the Article

Interview Mistakes

Lately, I’ve been prepping people for interviews and refining resumes just as much as I am coaching senior managers in their current roles.  This article on interview mistakes reconfirms that we are focusing on the right things when I prep candidates.

First – focus on strengths.  Being clear about what you are good at is critical. 

Second – be confident.  You are your only advocate in an interview.  Don’t sell yourself short with statements that undermine your own ability.

Third – show your flexibility.  If you are receiving an offer, look at the whole picture, not just the base salary.

The Forbes article focuses predominantly on women.  The article makes points, in my experience, that relate to both genders.  So men, don’t shy away from reading it just because it’s female focused.

For additional resources on this subject check out Coach Effect’s audio programs:

Resume Self-Critique

 

Regular Resume Review