The Wooden Group’s one-hour “Get Hired” workshop is every Thursday at noon where we’ll discuss how you can improve your marketability,  make your resume stand out,  figure out the best way to network, improve your interviewing skills…and more!

We cover all aspects of a job search.  Workshop content is largely driven by you – the attendee.  So, bring your questions!

The Wooden Group’s office is located in the Broyhill Office Suites on Clemmons Road next to the Clemmons Public Library.

Seating is limited, so call 336.793.8040 or email randy@woodengroup.com to confirm your spot.

Learn more about us at www.woodengroup.com.

STAY CONNECTED!

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit: http://www/woodengroup.com!

STAY CONNECTED!

The Wooden Group’s one-hour “Get Hired” workshop is every Thursday at noon where we’ll discuss how you can improve your marketability,  make your resume stand out,  figure out the best way to network, improve your interviewing skills…and more!

We cover all aspects of a job search.  Workshop content is largely driven by you – the attendee.  So, bring your questions!

The Wooden Group’s office is located in the Broyhill Office Suites on Clemmons Road next to the Clemmons Public Library.

Seating is limited, so call 336.793.8040 or email randy@woodengroup.com to confirm your spot.

Learn more about us at www.woodengroup.com.

STAY CONNECTED!

Have you ever had your resume overhauled by a professional?

Are you networking with the right people?

Come to our free workshop where we’ll cover all these questions and much more! Also, receive a complimentary resume critique!

The Wooden Group’s one-hour “Get Hired” workshop is every Thursday at noon where we’ll discuss how you can improve your marketability,  make your resume stand out,  figure out the best way to network, improve your interviewing skills…and more!

We cover all aspects of a job search.  Workshop content is largely driven by you – the attendee.  So, bring your questions!

The Wooden Group’s office is located in the Broyhill Office Suites on Clemmons Road next to the Clemmons Public Library.

Seating is limited, so call 336.793.8040 or email randy@woodengroup.com to confirm your spot.

Learn more about us at www.woodengroup.com.

STAY CONNECTED!

With summer almost over and school starting, many job hunters who’d taken time off to travel and otherwise spend family time now look to resume their search. 

Fall is traditionally a good time for hiring.  So is the first quarter.  Current economic circumstances suggest there is no “good” time for companies, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t jobs out there.  It does mean they’re fewer and harder to obtain, so don’t give up.

First, assess where you stand regarding your network.  If you haven’t had contact in several weeks, find something of interest to your intended contact (an article, for instance) and share it with them.  Use that as an intro to help keep you front of mind.  Offer to help their friends who may be looking.  Seek to give, first… receive, second.

Update your online presence.  Tweak your resume on the job boards to keep it fresh.  Make a couple changes each week to your LinkedIn profile and rejoin its group discussions.  Check your resume and add any recent self-employment achievement or relevant volunteer activity.  Rehearse your answers to interview questions. 

In short, hit the job trail with enthusiasm and a game plan.  Easier said than done, yet you and I both know it’s critical.

Learn more about us at www.woodengroup.com.

STAY CONNECTED!

Have you ever been asked a question in an interview that seems to come out of left field? One that makes you skip a beat and make you want to ask, “Come again?” and “Are you serious?” Unfortunately, not all interviewers ask the most kosher questions and it’s easy to become discombobulated.

Today’s guest blogger addresses this very issue.  Frances Cole Jones, author of “The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World” tells how to keep your cool even in the face of the most unnerving interview questions.

Don’t Get Flustered, Get Factual
By Frances Cole Jones

There appears to be an epidemic of inappropriateness pervading the job interview world these days. Several people I know have gotten questions that left them, literally, speechless — and one wasn’t so much disconcerted by a question as by the manner in which it was asked.

Following, a few suggestions I made for how each of them might have responded. If any of you have additional ideas, I’d love to hear them. (Alternatively, if you’ve been asked anything, or experienced anything, that left you confounded, I’d love to hear those stories, too.)

Q: “Do you know the average age of the people who work in this company?”

This was a question an older client of mine got when she applied for a position in a very youthful organization. While I can only speculate about what the interviewer’s intention might have been, I can tell you the result was my client left feeling shamed for even applying.

How did I recommend she handle this kind of leading question?

Leading questions demand fact-based responses. You don’t want to get into what you think your questioner is after, or do the dirty work of negating something that hasn’t been overtly stated.

Consequently, my Monday-morning quarterbacking coaching to her was to have responded, “I do.”

Q: “You realize you’re going to need to ugly-up if you get this job.”

This leading question was asked of one of my, admittedly, extraordinarily beautiful clients. As always, we could only speculate about the questioner’s intention– though I have to say we both found the pigtail-pulling undertone distinctly … underwhelming.

In this instance, again, I didn’t want her to do the troublemaker’s dirty work for him. Consequently, my 20/20 hindsight recommendation was to go with the factual, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Admittedly, thinking on your feet when you’re asked these types of questions isn’t easy, but if you can keep your answer short, sweet, and fact-based you’re likely to disconcert your questioner as much as he or she has disconcerted you.

Finally, one of my clients went into an interview during which, in her words, “The interviewer turned his back to me throughout the interview and asked his questions while looking out the window.”

How did I recommend she handle it? Well, calling him on his behavior was going to end in a lose-lose situation: His reaction was unlikely to be positive; her outcome was therefore likely to be negative. Consequently, I suggested saying, “I find it hard to answer your questions without being able to see your face. May I ask you to turn around, or may I join you at the window?”

What makes this statement powerful is that she takes the onus on herself — it’s not that he’s being difficult, it’s that she finds it tricky to talk to someone who refuses to look at her. Also, it reminds him that her goal is to be her best self in every situation, no matter how difficult.

And, as I’m sure you’ve discovered, if we can be our best selves– regardless of the circumstances — not only do we wow others, we wow ourselves: the ultimate challenge.

Frances Cole Jones is the author of “The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World.” Her company, Cole Media Management, works with clients to enhance their professional and personal presentation skills. She lives in New York City.

Need more interview advice? Check out these previous posts:

5 Rules for Asking Better Interview Questions

What Makes Them Want to Hire You?

A Resume Helper Disguised as a Interview Guide

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If you answered “no” to any of these questions…you need to come to our free workshop where we’ll cover these topics and more! Also, receive a complimentary resume critique!

The Wooden Group’s one-hour “Get Hired” workshop is every Thursday at noon where we’ll discuss how you can improve your marketability,  make your resume stand out,  figure out the best way to network, improve your interviewing skills…and more!

We cover all aspects of a job search.  Workshop content is largely driven by you – the attendee.  So, bring your questions!

The Wooden Group’s office is located in the Broyhill Office Suites on Clemmons Road next to the Clemmons Public Library.

Seating is limited, so call 336.793.8040 or email randy@woodengroup.com to confirm your spot.

Learn more about us at www.woodengroup.com.

STAY CONNECTED!

This a guest post by Nettie Feldman. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.

I’m here to give you a simplified version of how to ace the interview, especially for those who get tongue-tied or simply aren’t good interviewees.

So you’re not good interview material? Says who?

1) Look memorable

We’ve been relying on the drab, “proper” attire that’s supposed to show our seriousness and professionalism. And then we end up acting blah, too.

I’m not saying you ought to dress eccentrically, but what about an unexpected flash of color in your glasses (I wear those multicolor Ronit Furst glasses, and loads of people – including interviewers – ask me where to get them). Or an unusual shirt that’s styled differently or has a different color (but no Florida shirts, please).

The key: stand out without looking too way out.

2) Pretend you’re the host

This is a networking trick, although I don’t recommend going all out with this one.

To make you feel more at ease, pretend you’re the host and your job is to make the person opposite you feel comfortable. So much of the interview can depend on the chemistry; if you’re relaxed and talking naturally, they’ll respond.

The key: make yourself feel at home by making them comfortable.

3) Speak memorably

Rehearse some choice sound bites that people will remember.

For example, if you’re a crackerjack programmer, instead of reeling off a laundry list of qualifications that the interviewer’s already read on your CV, explain your achievements by saying you “wrote a full program in C++ using one line of code.”

Or, if you’re a marketing writer: “My white papers are still being used to target leads, 3 years after I left the company.”

The key: find the hook and use it to lure them in.

4) Deflect trick questions

When the interviewer invariably asks you a trick question, like: “did you have the boss from hell, what do you do?”

Say “yes”?

I don’t think so.

Instead, you may want to deflect such a question by saying that not everyone is meant to  have great bosses, but that you’ve learned techniques to work well with all kinds of challenging personalities.

The key: don’t say something you’ll regret!

5) Finesse dumb questions

Don’t you love it when the interviewer – usually the HR person, who may want to show off their Psych 101 expertise – asks you what your negative traits are? Some advisers recommend you use your hyperactivity or your impatience to your advantage, saying it helps get things done.

Although it sounds like solid advice, it still sounds forced. Why not move the conversation forward, saying “I really can’t think of anything offhand. Can I get back to you on it?”

Maybe what they’re really looking for is to see if you’ll falter. If you come up with a quick answer and a sincere smile, then maybe you gave them the answer.

The key: remove the obstacle by moving forward.

6) Smile

Seasoned interviewers can smell fear. They can also see your palms sweating because you keep rubbing them against your skirt or pants. But if you’re prepared for the interview, you’ve done your due diligence, you’re looking sharp, then take 3 silent breaths, put out your hand confidently and smile. Really smile. You’ll see how the fear will melt away.

The key: If you smile, your fear muscles can’t work!

Please let me know if you’ve adopted these tips – and let me know if you get the job!

About the Author

Nettie Feldman is host of the Afternoon Schmooze talk show on Rusty Mike Online Radio and blogs on www.afternoonschmoozer.com. You can reach her on Facebook and on Twitter.

This article is part of the 4th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. If you want Nettie Feldman to win, share this article with your friends.

If you liked this article, you’ll also enjoy Job Interviews: How You Can Benefit By Asking Questions.

Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for more expert insight on job interviews.

Related posts:

• How To Ace A Walk-in Panel Job Interview
• The Funniest Article Ever About Job Interview Tips
• 5 Ways Your Voice Speaks For You in a Job Interview
• How to Smell a Bad Boss in Just One Interview
• What is an Information Interview?

Come to our free workshop and find out how to do all this BETTER…and get all your questions answered. Also receive a complimentary resume critique!

The Wooden Group’s one-hour “Get Hired” workshop is every Thursday at noon where we’ll discuss how you can improve your marketability,  make your resume stand out,  figure out the best way to network, improve your interviewing skills…and more!

We cover all aspects of a job search.  Workshop content is largely driven by you – the attendee.  So, bring your questions!

The Wooden Group’s office is located in the Broyhill Office Suites on Clemmons Road next to the Clemmons Public Library.

Seating is limited, so call 336.793.8040 or email randy@woodengroup.com to confirm your spot.

Learn more about us at www.woodengroup.com.

STAY CONNECTED!

Rising seniors in college need support, coaching and direction as they prepare to enter the real world.

As a parent, you want what’s best for your child. You realize that a college education is great at opening doors. But a college degree does not always equal a successful career.

A common misconception among students and their parents is colleges are very effective in “placing” students in the work force upon graduation. In reality, colleges are in the business of education, not job hunting. To their credit most colleges have set up placement offices to help students’ job hunting efforts. Their results, however, are mixed

Regardless of any school’s placement office efforts, your child is responsible for success or failure in his career. After investing many thousands of dollars in an education is it wise to not do everything possible to ensure you’re on the right track?

Find out more! Call our office at 336.793.8040 or visit www.woodengroup.com.

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