Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Archives for April 2008

Outgoing Answering Messages, the Phone and Your Job Hunt

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toy-phone.jpg
Photo by The GC Four

It’s not rocket science – potential employers and everyone else will judge you based on anything you offer them. 

  • A typo on your resume?  You’re careless. 
  • Unkempt appearance?  You’re a slob. 
  • Unprofessional phone greeting?  You’re unprofessional!

Since no one wants to hire someone who is unprofessional, take the time to make this very easy check of your outgoing phone greeting.

  • Does it contain music?
  • Are there childrens’ voices?
  • Is there background noise?
  • Does it make an effort at humor?  Is it “cute?”
  • Is it political? Religious?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, stop everything you are doing – change it now!

Record a basic, easy to hear greeting:  “Hello, you have reached April Showers.  Please leave a message and I will return your call.  Thank you.”

Listen to the greeting.  Is it garbled?  Did you rush it, as if you were escaping a fire but wanted to record the message first?  Re-do it!  Ask your hard-of-hearing neighbor to call and listen.  Does he understand what you said?  If so, you are golden!

Now, don’t get me started on kids, family members or roomates who answer the phone and don’t relay messages.  Or who tell the caller that you’re stuck under the car trying to rescue the cat.  Or in the bathroom, and you won’t be out for a LONG time. 

Try to give out a number on your resume that only you or a trusted adult will answer. Usually, that is a mobile number. Many of us answer our phones whenever they ring – even when we are driving or in the middle of a mob of screaming baseball fans.  If you are job hunting, be aware that trying to scream, “I can’t HEAR you” or cursing the driver who just cut you off as you are picking up your phone does not offer the impression you want to give your prospective employer.

Once your resume is out there, be aware that any time the phone rings, it might be your dream job on the line.  If you’re in a bad or loud spot – let it go to voice mail (to your nice, clear, professional greeting), listen to the message and call back as soon as possible.  You (and the caller) will be glad you did.

Need help with your job hunt?  Resume needs updating?  Don’t know where to start?  Keppie Careers will coach you every step of the way:  www.keppiecareers.com.

The Behavioral Interview: Have STAR Job Stories to Share

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Each week in BusinessWeek, Jack and Suzy Welch contribute a column.  This week’s (April 7) column concerns questions for interviewing CEO candidates.

While most of us will not interview for a CEO position, it is interesting to note the questions the Welches suggested.  Some samples:

In your career, what’s the best example of you anticipating market changes that your competitors did not?

Can you point to any of your people who “grew up” with your guidance and  have gone on to succeed in your own company or beyond?

What was the toughest integrity violation you have encountered and how did you handle it?

Have you ever had to define yourself in the midst of criticism, and did you succeed?

You’ll note that all of these questions are behavioral in nature…They ask the interviewee to tell a story demonstrating his or her abilities regarding the question. The point of the behavioral interview question is to determine how a candidate has behaved in the past, thus suggesting their future behavior.

Answering behavioral questions requires some preparation.  Consider the “STAR” technique:  Answer this type of question by offering:

S – situation.  Describe the scene.  Offer some background for the listener.
T – task.  Elaborate on the work that you did to solve or address the problem.
A – action.  Describe what you did.
R – result. Don’t forget to explain how it all came out.  Hopefully, you were the hero in a story with a happy ending!

It’s a good idea to have some stories that describe obstacles you’ve overcome, including problems with colleagues or bosses, as well as several stories describing successes.  Have some “job stories” to share and you’ll be better prepared to explain what you have to offer an employer.