Candidates: before you send another resume or cover letter, read Joel Spolsky’s Getting Your Resume Read. Hiring managers, note that Joel uses the same three-pile sorting that I suggest in Tips for Reviewing Resumes. I like the pair review that Joel performs with another manager — if both reviewers add the resume to the “yes” […]
At last week’s Boston SPIN meeting (the hiring roundtable), a candidate said that he had trouble remembering which resume he’d sent to which company. The good news is that he’s customizing his cover letters and resumes. The bad news is he sounds disorganized when a hiring manager or (internal) recruiter calls for a phone screen.I
I read somewhere in the past week that candidates should be willing to work for a couple of weeks or up to a month as a contractor to show potential employers how great they are. (I thought this was in the Boston Globe, but I can no longer find the article, nor the pointer to
Back in March, I posted an entry for hiring managers on how to develop a phone screen for candidates. Here’s a tip for candidates on how to prepare for a phone screen. (Hiring managers, most of this applies to you too 🙂 Make sure you suggest a few alternative times for a phone screen. Not
Alan Weiss, of Summit Consulting, is a well-known speaker and consultant. When he talks to speakers (or consultants), he suggests people think about their fundamental value proposition. He says, “Ask yourself how people are better off when you leave?” You don’t have to be a consultant to take advantage of Alan’s tip. When you complete
So you’ve developed a phone screen of 10-12 questions, with your elimination factor questions at the top. You’ve hit a snag with a candidate and you’re sure the candidate will not fit your position. What do you do? Stop the phone screen. Right now. Say, “You’re not a good fit for this position. Thank you
I recommend against panel interviews. As a candidate in my session at the AYE conference said, “I love panel interviews. I get to run the interview. I only have to be “on” for a couple of hours, I get to decide what to say, and I can manipulate the interview so that it serves my
Dilbert is always good for a laugh. Make sure you have common sense when you interview. Don’t trash your previous managers or coworkers. Relate your experience to something useful for the hiring manager. Send me things you wish you’d never heard in an interview (whether it was from you or the other person) and I’ll
I spoke this morning at WIND (Wednesday is Networking Day), helping candidates learn how to interview when the interviewers don’t necessarily ask great questions. At one point, one of the participants said, “Start with a zinger, then explain with data, then discuss your process.” When you answer a question such as “Tell me about a
Recently, two colleagues got stuck in their negotiations over a job offer. The candidate thought he heard “How little will it take to make you happy?” The hiring manager thought he said, “What do you need?” Argh. Both of these are bad questions. When you’re asked how little you need, you feel as if you’re