Interviewing Series – The Conversation

One of the hot topics individuals inevitably ask me prior to an interview is what specific questions will they be asked. Here’s the short answer – these days, you can’t prepare for yourself for every possible question a interviewer is going to ask. What you can do, and I emphasize this to everyone, is to be open and honest. If you don’t have any hidden white lies or extensions of the truth on your resume, then you’re already well on your way to achieving this goal.

That being said, you still need to prepare yourself mentally (and physically, see my prior post on dressing for the interview). The mental aspect is a two-fold; you’ll need to prepare yourself for what you’ll be asked, and for what you’ll ask. You’ll most likely get asked the standard questions; tell me about your last (or current) job, explain any gaps in your resume, what are your top three strengths and weaknesses, blah blah blah. Typical questions, and yes prepare for them. Someone who is relatively inexperienced in interviewing will ask these questions to a tee and not much beyond that.

However if the individual(s) you’re meeting with are any good, they’ll throw for you a loop. For example, the last interview my boss performed included a detailed description of the position and then followed up with asking the candidate to provide an assessment on what they believe should be the top priorities and goals for the position the first six months on the job. I personally don’t ask about someone’s top three weaknesses; that information doesn’t tell me anything useful. Instead I ask a candidate what the hardest feedback they had ever received was, and what they learned from it. Or I might ask what the candidate thinks has been their greatest area of improvement throughout their career, how they came to realize it and how they acted on it (those questions are compliments of a fabulous recruiting mentor I had a few years back, Kim Brushaber, CEO of Bridge ATX in Austin). And here’s the big kicker – I dock points for having a quick answer. These questions are designed to make the person think through their past and give me an honest and genuine answer so I can get a glimpse into their own self-assessment, growth, ambition and emotional intelligence in how they handle feedback.

Depending on the open position, there are a variety of other potential questions one could be asked. For managers, I might ask how they set the culture and tone within their current department, or to tell me about a time someone resisted their leadership or a decision they made and how they handled it; or perhaps I might even ask for a time they bent the rules, who was it for and what were the circumstances surrounding the decision. As you can clearly tell, these days there is no clear path to preparing for exactly what you’ll be asked in an interview; you do however need to present yourself confidently and honestly.

The second fold to this mental preparation, which is considerably easier to prepare for beforehand, is what you’re going to ask the interviewer when they ask if you have any questions. Here’s the catch-22 of that scenario; you need to ask questions to demonstrate your interest, but you need to be brief because they’re time is limited. Assuming you’ve glanced through their website and gained some industry-specific knowledge, I’d recommend asking two or three of the following questions as it appeals to you in the situation (contingent on what information the interviewer has already given you of course):

• Tell me about the culture; what’s been your best experience working here?
• What would you consider to be the most rewarding/challenging aspects of this position?
• Does this role have room for growth? If you were to name potential growth areas in which I could take initiative, what would they be?
• Who do you like working with the most here? What do you like about them?

These questions are ideal for delving more closely into both the position and the culture so you can assess if the job and company will be a good fit for you as well. Bear in mind the interviewer asking you about any questions you have is a courtesy, but it’s also another way to assess your emotional maturity and interest in working for the company.

Overall you will need to plan on presenting yourself confidently, without coming across as cocky, and be mentally focused to market yourself. This is the best way to truly prepare for an interview. Clear your mind and be ready to have a pleasant conversation about your past positions and performance at each, and what attributes you’ll bring to the position your interviewing for. And if you tend to get a little nervous beforehand (who doesn’t?) listen to music that will build your confidence on the drive to the interview – I frequently recommend my personal favorite, “Imma Be” by the Black Eyed Peas.

On Bringing Your Personal Problems to Work

When I started this blog, I had no intentions of writing anything personal in my blog posts. I planned on focusing on assisting others in excelling in their career through sharing my own professional experiences and what I’ve learned along my journey in the corporate world. It was very similar to going into a new job with the best intentions that you’ll never be one of those employees who brings their personal problems to work. But sometimes life doesn’t always work that way.

A week after I started this blog, I got a phone call one Friday evening from my mother in Arizona. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer. While everything else kept moving around me, my own world stopped. In the weeks that followed, I kept writing, kept working and took several trips down to MD Anderson in Houston with my mother. It wasn’t long before my writing stopped completely (and for that I apologize). My mother is back in town and on Wednesday we’ll be headed down once again to Houston. This time it’ll include an entire week’s hospital stay for her radiation treatment.

I spent the last couple of weeks thinking about topics to write about, but I just wasn’t inspired to write. I’ve always been so good at keeping my personal world apart from my professional career that even when I went through a terrible divorce years back, my employer didn’t find out until long after it was finalized. But cancer changes a person, and there was no avoiding this.

Under normal circumstances, I highly encourage employees to do their best to leave their personal issues at home. Although it may temporarily distract you from your work for a period of time, I recommend doing your best to stay focused on your job while at the office and refrain from providing co-workers with an extensive amount of details. It causes gossip, and regardless of your perspective of the situation (depending on what it is) it causes others to judge you. The last thing you want is your co-workers or boss inadvertently judging you on something else other than your professional performance.

That being said sometimes circumstances arise you can’t avoid, particularly when you’ll need time away from work. My current situation is definitely one of these times. Confidentially talk to your boss and let him or her know what time you may need up front, revisit your tasks and goals, and reassure them you’ll be on top of your work as best as possible. If needed and if you have another co-worker to rely on to back you up, speak to them in confidence as well and ask if you could depend on them to handle one or two items while you’re out. If you need to speak to HR to figure out what paid time you could take or if FLMA (unpaid time under the Family & Medical Leave Act) may apply to your situation, that’s another great route to take as well.

In the past I’ve never had a personal circumstance I couldn’t leave at home. I’ve recently learned that there are some exceptions. While I still highly discourage bringing any personal situations to work if at all possible, the above is a great path to consider. Being up front and honest with your boss about your situation (although I still recommend being brief in your description) allows them understand what you’re going through and provide you with some flexibility to deal with the circumstance.

Resume Series – Transform Your Objective to Snag that Great Job

If I have to read one more objective on a resume that reads, “To obtain a challenging position that will allow for growth and a chance to use and contribute work experience” or something similar, I’m going to upchuck. Let’s face it – these old objectives are a useless space-sucker on your resume that could be better utilized to actually write about your accomplishments or even more, what makes you better than the 2,000 other candidates submitting their qualifications.

That being said, if you have space on your resume (bearing in mind that your resume should be no more than a page for less than five years’ experience and no more than two pages for less than ten years’ experience, with a font sized to be easily readable) then you could consider a section that makes you stand out. Consider putting the job title you’re applying for and a couple bullet points highlighting your specific experience and accomplishments that directly relate to the job you’re applying for. Here’s my example of what I’ve used in a prior job application:

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER

  •  Certified Human Resource Professional (PHR) offering a progressive 8-year HR career distinguished by exceptional performance and proven results
  • Extensive HR Generalist background including experience in recruitment, benefits and compensation, employee training and development, performance management, organizational development, conflict resolution, development of HR policies and legal compliance, and HR records management
  • Specialist in behavioral based recruitment techniques that has resulted in significantly higher retention rates

Bear in mind, “exceptional performance and proven results” is easily found in the bullet points under each position I’ve held so I was able to be a bit vague. However, if someone reading your resume could not easily make the connection between their open position and your professional experience (whether titles or job duties may be varied) then consider being more specific. The position I applied for happened to require the PHR certification, heavy recruiting experience, and all around general HR experience – hence why my “objective” if you will was written specifically for those targets. Here’s the key – I had all the necessary experience for the job, but I didn’t make the hiring manager look for it on my resume.

So the next time you go to apply for a new opening, consider reading the job description carefully and modifying your objective to highlight the professional experience or education that makes you qualified for the employers’ open position. Catch their attention with it; make them want to read the rest of your resume. You’ll have a much better chance at getting an interview if your resume stands out from the other applicants, and your objective hasn’t made the recruiter or hiring manager gag a little when they read it.

Employees: Are You Earning Work/Life Balance Privileges?

I’ve had multiple discussions over the past several years with both HR professionals and employees alike on the emerging concept of work/life balance. I greatly believe in its existence and would love to see it implemented in workplaces across the U.S. However, I also believe there are some distinguishing factors that play a major role in this balance actually being put into place.

For example, let’s take employee A. Employee A comes to me frequently complaining about being stuck in an 8-5 schedule. However, Employee A is the type of employee who gets to work at 8:09am, spends two hours surfing the web for news over their coffee, then spends another hour gossiping with other employees. Then Employee A likely takes lunch, often running well over an hour, comes back and actually performs two to three hours of work (at best), then hops on Facebook for the remainder of the day. At 4:59:49pm this employee, along with other Employee A’s, herd themselves like sheep towards the nearest exit stampeding anything in their path. Employee A is the primary reason why strict 8-5 policies still exist! (Note: I didn’t say the only reason, just one of the primary reasons).

Now let’s take Employee B. These individuals are the ones that have the ability to walk into a job and revolutionize it. They’re proactive and seek out new responsibilities, are willing to take on mundane tasks at times, are innovative, keep morale up, or simply have something to show for their work. Their bosses know (hopefully) that this employee is saving them money because they’d be shelling out a lot more cash if this employee were billing them at an hourly rate – mainly because they have something to show for virtually every hour they put in and they’ve made themselves an asset to the company.

Now let’s face it, everyone needs a break, a couple moments of down time, or they have defensive days where they know they‘ve ran 100 miles an hour but can’t really recall what all they accomplished. Days like this exist for all of us, and we tackle them with our best offensive face and move on. Taking a break or not always having something to show for a day of work doesn’t put an employee in the A category.

Unfortunately every workplace has employee A’s and B’s. Some places choose to grant B employees a little more flexibility when it comes to appointments, errands, children, and the like because they know that employee actually works. They even trust them enough to work from home on occasion. Some places have a harder time with granting a work/life provision because they don’t want to be deemed as playing favorites and lowering morale. And yes, I’m not forgetting the few workplaces left that just stick by the old fashioned rules of 8-5 because it’s always worked.

However, imagine if an entire office was filled with employee B’s. Employees who put forth a level of work ethic that screamed for their performance reviews to be based solely on a high performance level and not necessarily their hours. Well, you might be surprised to find more and more employers opening up to the concept of a work/life balance. And in all honesty, I’ve never been at a job where I couldn’t tackle an insane amount of work – and have some amazing results to show for it – by putting in 8-9 hours a day.

Now don’t get me wrong; there are going to be employers and managers that don’t notice your hard work either way and yes, that’s frustrating. That’s not the topic I intended to get started on in this particular post (we’ll save that for another time). However I’ve had far too many employees in my experience complain about the lack of flexibility in their hours, when in fact they worked directly for good bosses that notice their high performing employees and rewarded them for it.

As an employee, there is always something you can do to improve your circumstances; if you’re struggling with wanting more flexibility in your work schedule, evaluate what type of employee you are and aim at switching your approach to ensure your performance and contribution to the company is stellar. Then sit down with your boss and discuss your needs one-on-one and talk about your performance, your ability to balance your job and other priorities, and your need for flexibility in a given area of interest. Smart employers tend to make exceptions and bend over backwards to accommodate their top performing employees.

If you’ve already tried this approach and it really is your company’s strict policies or a terrible boss (unfortunately those exist in just as high numbers) then perhaps moving on to make a career change that fits your needs better is the solution – although I realize this is tough advice to give in this economy and you may have a tougher road ahead of you or have to wait longer. Either way, only a select group of new, innovative companies are handing out these privileges across the board; in the meantime, you do have the ability to influence and possibly change your own circumstances.

Transitioning from Employee to Manager

One of the most challenging events any employee will undertake is transitioning into a supervisor or manager role, particularly if the transition is an internal one within a company you’ve been working for. In this situation, as opposed to obtaining a new job where you’re coming in as a manager, other employees likely view you as just another co-worker and you may have become friends with one or more individuals you’ll now be managing. Your success in taking on this new role will be contingent largely on your ability to build positive working relationships with your team members, gaining their respect and exercising authority when needed, and will be a demonstration of your emotional maturity and leadership skills.

First off, learn to set appropriate boundaries. There are no black-and-white rules for whether you should or shouldn’t go out with your team for happy hour or continue to interact and joke around with them like you used to, but one thing is for sure – your primary goal will not be to gain your subordinate’s friendship and have them like you, but rather they need to grow to respect you. And there’s a very big difference between these two; many employees may respect their boss’ decision making and leadership style, but that doesn’t mean they want or need to be BFF’s with them. Here a key tip for your own professional development: As a manager, you’ll know when you hit a professional level of emotional maturity when you’re able to let go of the need for your employees to like you.

One of the key areas where you can begin to gain the respect of your team members is with communication. When your new role kicks off, meet with each member one at a time and clarify their role and responsibilities (particularly if there’s been restructuring). Clarify your expectations as their new manager, such as how often you’ll meet to review objectives and the level of communication you prefer. Ask them about areas in their job they’ve enjoyed and disliked, and what projects or assignments they may enjoy taking on in the future. From here forward, you’ll be their primary means for professional growth and opportunities within the company and it’ll be your responsibility to cultivate that and build each individual up to their full potential. Discuss how accountability will be measured and how feedback will be presented to them. My recommendation as an HR professional is to continually be providing informal feedback; encourage your employees and thank them for a job well done, and provide some guidance when they can improve in an area. One of the key items managers tend to forget is that their employees cannot read their minds and know exactly what they want; a good manager finds a balance between continually communicating with their employees and yet not micromanaging everything they do.

Another developmental area new managers can focus on is learning to have the courage to be confrontational when necessary. This area is nerve-racking and extremely challenging for many individuals who have not held difficult conversations in the workplace before. However, sometimes employees will test your authority by ignoring directives, leave work early or show up late without informing you, or perpetually miss deadlines on their work. It may be tempting to relax the rules for individuals you have a history of working with, but this will only cause them to continue the behavior. Hold a confidential meeting one-on-one with the individual, ask for the reasoning behind their behavior (was it a one-time situation with good reasoning, or a continual problem?), and set the expectation that the behavior is not acceptable. Keep in mind you’ll need to address the behavioral itself, not attack the individual personally. Document the conversation and what was said in the event the problem escalates and you need to involve your HR department down the line.

The above are the top initiatives any new manager should take into consideration as they transition from employee to manager.  Some closing thoughts; if you have friendships among the team you are now tasked with managing, don’t play favorites. Try not to show preference towards anyone when it comes down to work assignments and responsibility, and treat everyone fairly. Also, find a mentor or another manager you can go to confidentially with questions or problems that arise. It’s inevitable that you’ll run into circumstances that are unique to you and your team and you’ll need a mentor you respect that you can bounce ideas off of.

Interviewing Series – Dress for Success

As part one of many articles to come on interviewing, let’s discuss attire and dressing for the interview. As an HR professional, I’ve seen it all – from ladies coming in wearing a low-cut shirt that would shock someone in a downtown bar at midnight to a gentleman with his pants hanging down to his knees and yes, even a comb stuck in his hair (if I recall correctly, it was the same guy that also brought his mother in to help him fill out the application).

However some things are not so obvious as in these examples; as a woman, do you wear pantyhose? If you know an organization has a dress code of wearing jeans on a daily basis, do you wear a suit? Those are much tougher questions to answer. But let’s start with the basics. First, always err on the conservation side. No matter what. Your first impression does count and sometimes it’s the only opportunity you’re given. There’s a lot to be said for the saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Or in this case, even the job you’re interviewing for.

Gentleman, wear a suit. Dark color, white shirt, nice (not flashy or bright colored) tie, dark dress socks, clean shoes. Bring your portfolio and clean copies of your resume and references, and be prepared to ask questions (a topic we’ll cover more in-depth in another section of this series). I don’t care if the interviewer you talked with on the phone said it was ok to wear jeans, don’t do it.

Men, go easy on the aftershave and very minimal on cologne. Ladies, this applies to your body sprays and perfume as well; you never know if your interviewer(s) may be turned off or sensitive to certain scents and you want them focused on the conversation about your skills and abilities, not the on-coming headache they may be getting from your cologne or perfume. If you’re a smoker, try not to light up anytime after you’ve showered and prepared yourself for the interview; you’d be amazed but contrary to any efforts you make to mask or cover up that smell, chances are your interviewer will know and that is yet another scent that could potentially be distracting.

Ladies, if you’re concerned about whether or not pantyhose are still the thing to wear (hint: in many professional organizations it isn’t, but it will be expected for the interview if you plan on wearing a skirt) then simply go with a dark pant suit. It’s the simplest fix. Don’t wear anything too tight, too short, too low-cut, or too revealing of any kind. In short, tuck everything away appropriately and present yourself as a professional businesswoman, not as though you’re trying to win a beauty contest. Keep your makeup light (your interviewer will not be taking professional photographs of you) and keep you jewelry simple – no large hoop earrings, noisy bangle bracelets, or anything else that can be distracting. Style your hair neatly, or pin it up. If you’re going to pull your hair back into a ponytail, get some of those clear elastic bands and keep the ponytail in the middle portion of the back of your head, not up top, cheerleader style. Also, leave your giant, fabulous, I-can-fit-everything-into-my-Mary-Poppin’s tote bag at home. A small purse and a portfolio will do.

In summary, present yourself clean, neat and professional. Chances are if you’re interviewer is looking for a fit into the company’s culture they’ll be assessing your personality more than your attire, and if you get the job you’ll have the opportunity to tune your wardrobe into the style and culture later (such as an everyday jeans environment). As an interviewing manager myself, I cannot stress these basic principles enough. I evaluate each candidate when they walk in the door, from how they dress and present themselves to their demeanor and strong handshake. The scent of jasmine instantly gives me a migraine and I’ve been known to cut an interview short just to escape the smell. Remember that your interviewer is human too, they make mistakes and judgment calls on occasion that they regret, but don’t let them make a negative judgment call against you for something you could have easily prevented by adequately preparing for the interview.

HR Managers… Quit Your Job

Ok, not really… I don’t mean actually resigning completely from your HR job. But if you happen to be one of those HR professionals that concedes to every manager that comes to you wanting you to do their dirty work, you need to quit it.

I’ve been amazed in my professional experiences and networking interactions just how many companies hire HR professionals thinking they will be the “bad guy” – from single-handedly communicating performance improvement plans and disciplinary action all the way to managing and communicating layoffs. In fact, HR is known for being the bad guy in most companies for this very reason.

Here’s a pure and simple truth – if you’re a manager in your company and your HR department is handling this kind of dirty work for you, you’re missing out on developing the necessary courage and skills that will make you a more effective leader. And chances are you’re not gaining much respect from your subordinates either. If you’re a mid-to-senior level HR professional, you need to be coaching these managers on how to step up to plate and appropriately handle uncomfortable circumstances that arise, not doing it for them.

The future of HR moving in a new direction; instead of handling all the “HR problems” for the company, HR professionals are creating and providing the appropriate forms, instructing their managers on the importance of documentation, coaching them on how to handle employee conflict in their departments, and guiding them on what to say and how to confront their employee issues. If you have a young, new manager that’s absolutely scared to death to handle conflict when it arises, role play through scenarios and offer (if appropriate) to sit in on the first conversation or two and offer feedback afterwards. Learn the art of saying “no” to all the dirty work, and instead focus on building each department’s management team up so they can develop the necessary skills to effectively lead their groups.

Many companies have HR professionals on staff to handle their problems. But great companies have HR leaders building up their managers and executives to propel the company’s business forward as a team. Which company do you work in HR for?

Influencing the Workplace

Some people believe they need to be a manager to be influential in the workplace. However regardless of one’s position, anyone can hold the power to influence others’, whether they realize it or not.

Case and point… years ago, I began working for a company as an executive assistant supporting the CEO and CFO. It wasn’t long before I found out that the individual who was in the EA position before me had been let go for a variety of reasons, one being a negative attitude. In the first couple of weeks of taking on my new role I encountered quite a few challenges, the most bizarre being the feedback I was receiving from my co-workers in the office. I was asked by several people why on earth I would take the job, and was told by at least four individuals that they thought I was crazy for considering working directly for the CEO. It became very evident that there was a common perception throughout the office that the CEO was not only unapproachable, but was horrible to report directly to (talk about nerve-racking to a new, young 20’s employee!)

I didn’t think much of it at the time, but throughout the several months following I countered those opinions with my own. Perhaps it was the fact that my own father was an incredibly intimidating businessman growing up, but I didn’t have any trouble interacting with executives. The CEO was nothing like I imagined; she was very friendly, knew my name right off the bat, continually thanked me for my work, and even remembered to follow up the next time she’d see me and ask how someone was doing or how a particular circumstance was going.

About a year later I was at a company lunch and I overheard one of the women in our billing department raving to a new employee about how approachable and nice the CEO was (it stuck out because she was one of the exact same individuals that told me a year earlier that I was crazy for taking the job). I turned to her and asked when she had gotten that impression of the CEO. She just blinked at me and said, “Well, isn’t that the case?”

It wasn’t until that exact moment did I have any clue about the true power of influence. Sure I’d heard about it, but being in my early 20’s at the time I thought of it as a characteristic of the popular and pushy kid in high school (personal experience), or something I’d get to dish out when I became a direct manager later on down the road (professional experience). I had no idea that just anyone, specifically an early 20’s admin, could have such an influence on an entire corporate office. When I started asking around after that lunch, I found that most of the employees in our office held the same perception that the billing employee did. It also made me realize that the EA before me that had such a negative attitude was probably the culprit of the initial negative perception of the CEO from the start.

Since that time, I can think of handful of other examples where I’ve been able to make an impact on the attitudes and corporate cultures at the companies I’ve worked for. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that there is a lot to be said for thinking on your feet, not always following the crowd and sometimes creating your own path – even if you stand out from the rest for awhile.

Even if you’re not in a managerial role, the attitude you bring to work every day can influence the people around you, and chances are probably does whether you know it or not. As a professional, regardless of what your job title is, you hold the power to be a positive (or negative) influential presence in your organization. And if you’re using that power to be a positive and strong influence on others, you’re well on your way to becoming a leader to those around you.

Welcome to the HR Barista

Welcome to my new site! I’m currently under construction, however should be live within a week. As a seasoned HR professional, business etiquette connoisseur and behavioral recruitment specialist, I’m looking forward to sharing all the tid-bits of knowledge I’ve accrued along my career journey. Get ready to pour a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy a break!

Ashley