WIN Interviews
The New Must-Have Game Plan
By Louise Garver
and Christine Edick
20660 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 210
Cupertino, CA 95014
Copyright 2014 by Louise Garver and Christine Edick
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.
Published by Happy About, a THiNKaha imprint
20660 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 210, Cupertino, CA 95014
http://happyabout.com
1st Edition: March 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60005-251-4 (1-60005-251-7)
Place of Publication: Silicon Valley, California, USA
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Neither THiNKaha, (the parent company of Happy About) nor any of its imprints, can attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible. The information provided is on an as is basis. The author(s), publisher, and its agents assume no responsibility for errors or omissions nor assume liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the use of information contained herein.
Praise For This Book!
Louise and Christine have provided a clear, succinct blueprint for moving from I need a new job to Ive got an interview. And there is no doubt that they know their stuff. In fact, Louise and Christine are two of my go-to coaches for my executive resume clients I turn to them for their expertise in helping job seekers navigate todays complex world of career management. Their book is on the money, to the point, and extremely valuable.
Louise Kursmark, MRW, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP, CCM;
Executive Resume Writer / Career Consultant / Author / Speaker; Your Best Impression
Take the angst out of landing the interview with easy, understandable, step-by-step instructions!
Susan Britton Whitcomb, author of 8 careers books, including Resume Magic, and founder of TheAcademies.com for career coach training.
As an Executive Recruiter, I deal with many candidates who lack a GAME PLAN when they start a search. Louise and Christine delineate in the clearest of terms the action steps necessary to execute a winning strategy. Of special interest to me is the section on Personal Branding. I wish all my candidates had this in their professional job search tool boxes. The advice offered is timely and very practical.
Michael Robinson, Ph.D., Master Club Manager, Robinson Club Consultants
If Christine Edick and Louise Garver wrote it, then I know its sage advice! Ive known both of these career experts for 15+ years, and have nothing but admiration for their knowledge and their contributions to the careers industry. This book is another exceptional offering valuable lessons in the intricacies of job search and how to position yourself as THE winning candidate. A must-read for every job seeker and a valuable resource for every career professional.
Wendy Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW - Co-Founder & Executive Director - Career Thought Leaders Consortium
Id like to commend Louise on her new book as it provides crystal clear direction for job seekers to follow in order to achieve success in todays job market. I know that the content is spot on as I work with job candidates on a daily basis in my search firm. Many candidates struggle with creating, articulating, and correlating their career successes to the opportunity they are competing for. Your advice provides a great blueprint for success. Congratulations and best of luck!
Ken Diamond, President, Digital Action Executive Search Founder, & CEO of WinTheView.com
Win Interviews! The New Must-Have Game Plan
Career Focus, Personal Branding, Resume, Professional Bios, and Online Profiles
The world of work has changed. Suddenly, the game plan looks and feels completely different, and no one gave you the new rules. Job search truly is a different game than it was even a few years ago. You may have the dilemma of what to do or how to accelerate your search. What needs to be done first? What should I avoid? Who can I turn to for help? What is the best investment of my time and money?
Approach your job search from the POV of What problems can I solve for you? Every employers first question to job candidates is: What can you do to make life better/ easier/more profitable for me? Market yourself as a solution.
Debra OReilly
Having a clearly defined professional brand is no longer optional. Employers want to know what differentiates you from your job-seeking competitors, not how youre the same. They want to see hard skills linked to your softer ones, indicating who you are, what youre like to work with, and how your strengths will translate to dollars for them.
Your resume needs to be a targeted, brand-reinforcing, career marketing communication. Supplementing your resume with a professional bio, a compilation paper, and digital documents is key to success in job search today.
If you arent Internet savvy or dont know how to use online resources, consider taking a class or borrowing books from your library. Your library is an extremely valuable resource.
Jill Grindle
A strong online presence is also essential when in job search mode. You may not feel comfortable putting yourself out there, but without an online identity, you dont exist and may be completely invisible to recruiters and other hiring managers who source and assess candidates by what they find about them online. You need to transform your portfolio of career documents into a LinkedIn profile thats a magnet for recruiters and hiring decision makers. But LinkedIn is just one critical component in building an online presence and leveraging social media.
Having a solid, continuously nurtured network is like having health insurance for your career. Your real-life and social networks need to be ever primed for you to tap into for new opportunities, introductions, and hot leads and to help you penetrate the hidden job market.
Become the CEO of you. Think of yourself as a company of one YOU, INC. If youre actively job hunting while unemployed, finding a job is your new nine-to-five job. You have to devote full days to launching and managing your job search campaignif you want to land the job you deserve.
Overall, you need to change your thinking and the way you approach career management in the digital world, whether or not a career transition is in your immediate future.
* * * * *
Employees at any level may experience job loss, and when that happens, they can feel powerless. This type of devastating experience can also affect a job seekers sense of authority and identity, especially when he/she has no control over the circumstances. The outlook can look less than dim knowing that there are fewer positions at the top. A reality check to gain perspective is important for a job seeker to move forward and look for the future potential opportunities.
One of the most effective career collaterals in job search/interviewing is the strategic use of the 30-, 60-, 90-day business plan as part of the follow-up thank-you letter-writing process. Sent in the body of an email within 24 hours of an in-person job interview, this two- to three-page document reiterates a candidates value proposition, recaps key points of pain shared in the interview, and presents ideas as to approaches to be taken, preliminary strategies, suggested solutions, and a working game plan for the first 30, 60, and 90 days in position if hired.