Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Interviewing: What’s Your Weakness?

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Photo by Eszter

What’s Your Weakness?

The dreaded interview question. What should you say? Do you tell them that you’re a perfectionist? What if they ask “Why is that a weakness?” Then, if you’re nervous, you may be compelled to go on and on about the time you were in charge of a project, but couldn’t let it go because you were so involved in the details…It went way over budget and was late because you couldn’t put it to bed. A good weakness to describe for an interview? Not so much.

There are several keys to this question.

  1. You should be prepared to answer it. If you’re caught off-guard, you just look ill-prepared.
  2. You need to come up with a weakness that has NOTHING to do with the job.
  3. You must demonstrate how you are striving to improve your skill in the “weak” area.

For example, a computer programmer whose job it is to sit at a computer and work magic might say:

“I have to admit that I am a bit nervous speaking in front of very large crowds. However, I’m considering joining Toastmaster’s and I’ve been doing some reading about how to be better at public speaking, as it is a skill I’d like to practice and improve.”

Why is this a great answer in this case?

  • Public speaking in front of very large crowds is not part of this applicant’s potential work duties.
  • Most people are nervous speaking in front of very large crowds, so even if speaking may ever unexpectedly come up in this job, it wouldn’t be unusual to have this weakness.

If the job involved frequent presentations, this would not be a good choice for a weakness.

So, the trick to this question:

  • Be prepared to answer it.
  • Describe that you are trying to improve in the “weak” area.
  • Whatever you do, don’t expand on the weakness or give more information than necessary. Be brief and to the point.

Or, you can give an answer my former boss mentioned to me…(Use only with careful discretion):

What’s your greatest weakness?

Look them straight in the eye, smile and say, “Chocolate.”

Photo by Eszter

 

Don't Be Desperate…Avoid Unfortunate Job Search Techniques

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Photo by FHKE

Yahoo!Hotjobs posted the following (allegedly true) stunts job hunters pulled to try to get an interview:

  • Put up posters of himself in your company parking lot.
  • Attached pineapple scratch-and-sniff stickers to his resume.
  • Announced his candidacy with a singing telegram.
  • Sent lottery tickets with her resume.
  • Rented a billboard that you can see from your office to list his qualifications.
  • Baked cookies with icing to write several reasons why she should be hired.
  • Delivered pre-paid Chinese food, including a fortune cookie with his name and number.

Other (not recommended) ideas from the survey included:

  • One applicant sent six postcards, each a puzzle piece, which formed his resume.
  • A candidate sent an egg carton with faux eggs and a message saying she delivered fresh ideas daily.
  • A job hunter used an office building across the street to post his qualifications on a large sign.
  • Another sent a baseball mitt and said he wanted to be part of the team.
  • A woman printed her name on golf balls and sent them to executives that were hiring.

Creative? Maybe. Sound a little desperate? Absolutely.

The consensus of the advertising and marketing executives (you would think they’d be a pretty creative group) was that gimmicks like these are not very impressive.

The fact is, no one wants to hire a desperate job seeker. In fact, many believe that the “passive” (not looking) job seeker is the best candidate. See this discussion on linkedin about this topic.

Stay tuned for more tips if you are starting to feel that your search is turning desperate!

Don’t wait until you are desperate to get professional career advice: www.keppiecareers.com

Thinking of Adding Linkedin Link to Your Resume?

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Have you considered adding a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile on your resume or other job-search correspondence?  If so, keep these tips in mind:

  • Make sure your LinkedIn and your resume match up 100%.  Sometimes, since it’s “just LinkedIn,” job seekers are not as careful about dates and details as they would be on a resume. You don’t want any discrepancies to raise red flags.
  • Spend as much time making your LinkedIn profile perfect as you do your resume.  Neither should have typos or careless errors.
  • Enhance your linkedin profile.  Be sure to optimize your online materials, as many recruiters source from that pool.
  • Be aware that potential employers use LinkedIn resources to find out about you.  Granted, this is true whether or not you offer the link, but if you have a profile and offer the link, be sure you don’t mind people following up with common connections without your knowledge.
  • Be careful about what information you make public.  For example, if you’ve asked a lot of questions about job hunting, you may not want to make your list of questions public on your LinkedIn profile.

If you have a strong profile, solid connections to colleagues and employers and have spent time enhancing your LinkedIn image, you will be prepared to use this network as a job-hunting tool.

I can help you with your LinkedIn profile, your resume and coach you through every step of your job hunt.

Don’t Dread Working a Room – Revise Your Thinking for Career Success

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It’s always a good time for a reminder of the importance of extending ourselves in order to meet job success – literally.  Jason Jacobsohn at Networking Insight suggested that networkers who dread a room full of strangers change their mindsets to take full advantage of the potentially beneficial contacts before them.  He suggests the following mindsets (commentary my own):

Mindset 1: Room Full of Opportunity
Remember, all it takes is one great contact to get you on the way to where you want to go. If there is a room of people, every “Hello, my name is…” could turn into a possibility.  You may meet your next employer, business partner or spouse.  All you need to do is walk inside and introduce yourself.  No one is going to bite you.  Just do it!

Mindset 2: Channel Fear into Energy
How many people do you know who LOVE to “work a room?” Probably not many.  Most of us (even extroverts) don’t jump for joy at the idea of a room full of strangers.  A little nervous energy could be a good thing.  Don’t let fear paralyze your chances for job search success.

Mindset 3: Speaking Practice
If you’ve developed and practiced your elevator pitch, there’s no better place to use it than a room full of potential contacts.  This is just the opportunity you’ve been waiting for!

Mindset 4: Posture Practice
Jacobsohn reminds us to have good posture, a firm handshake, smiles and strong eye contact.

Mindset 5: Learning Opportunity
It is nice to sell yourself, but remember that you have a great opportunity to learn about other people in networking situations.  Think about how you can help them before trying to figure out what they can do for you. You don’t know enough to know what it is you don’t know.  (Trust me…This is true.)

Networking is a way to open those doors.  I’ve written about the importance of speaking to people you think can’t help you.  One way to break the ice in a networking situation is to find someone whom you are pretty sure isn’t a great contact.  Approach them, introduce yourself and try out your elevator pitch.  You’ll get great practice and you may be surprised to learn how the “cold lead” may become your best networking ally.

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.