Dan Burns - The First 60 Seconds: Win The Job Interview Before It Begins

Copyright 2009 by Dan Burns
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Burns, Dan.
The first 60 seconds : win the job interview before it begins / Dan Burns.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Employment interviewing. I. Title. II. Title: First 60 seconds.
HF5549.5.I6B87 2009
650.144--dc22

2008051385

Printed and bound in the United States of America
DR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Lori, Katie, and David

I would like to thank the following people, without whom this book would never have become a reality:

My editor, Peter Lynch, and all of the great people at Sourcebooks. Thank you for your belief in the idea and the conviction to see that idea develop into this great book.

All of the mentors whom I have been privileged to work with and learn from. I will forever cherish our relationship and know that your wisdom and guidance continues to influence me in everything I do.

Everyone whose path I crossed in all of my business endeavors, specifically those who gave a young man a chance when no one else would, with particular regard to my good friends in Chicago and Dallas.

My friends, family, and two beautiful children, for their continual and unconditional love and support. You are all the best!

My father and mother, Leonard and Anita Burns, who provided a supportive and nurturing environment and who instilled in me the value of hard work, the importance of family, and the belief that anything is possible.

Most importantly, my wife Lorraine, my better half and best friend, who not only does everything possible to bring strength and stability to our family but also stands by me and with me down whatever path lies ahead. You are the best.

A hiring manager makes a decisive qualification
of a job candidate within the first 60 seconds
of the time they meet.

Thats it. You have 60 seconds to make the sale of your product and service (you) and close the deal on your next career opportunity. Are you ready?

Over the last fifteen years, I have used and developed my skills as a hiring manager in a variety of business disciplines. Additionally, as an owner and manager of a successful IT management and consulting firm, I had the opportunity to work closely with hiring managers to help them make their employment and hiring methods more successful. Our firm had been successful in helping clients hire more than one thousand employees and consultants. I wish I could say that those one thousand hires were the result of an identical number of candidate job interviews, but unfortunately that was not the case. A successful hire was sometimes the result of two or more individual and different candidate interviews. As a result, our company was involved in coordinating and overseeing more than fifteen-hundred interviews over a fifteen-year period.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to hire employees in an effective and efficient manner. It is simply more difficult to find the best-qualified job candidate from a growing universe of available candidates. Job seekers share a similar concern in that they feel it is increasingly difficult to compete for opportunities.

For any hiring employer, the process of identifying, selecting, and hiring a new employee is as challenging as ever. More time, resources, and budget dollars are allocated to the task, and the tools and options available for identifying and hiring new resources continue to proliferate. Employers always look for the best possible prospective employee among a field of candidates that in many cases is so extensive and diverse that managing the process effectively has become quite difficult. Hiring managers are charged with filling open positions in the most timely and cost-effective way possible, while at the same time following the rules and guidelines of the HR department and company management.

For most job seekers, there are three primary activities in the job search process. The first activity focuses on the identification of new job opportunities. Second is the submission of a rsum or credentials. The third activity focuses on the job interview itself. We typically spend a great deal of time and effort on the first two activities right away, identifying and narrowing the field of opportunities and then submitting rsums. What usually follows is a substantial and frustrating waiting period.

When an individual receives a response from an interested potential employer, the focus shifts to the interview. Typically the interview lasts an hour, and the candidate expects that hour to be sufficient for the hiring manager to find out or obtain everything necessary to select a candidate for the position.

Our fast-paced lifestyle supports this assumption. While trying to manage a career and pursue new and exciting opportunities, the employee is still required to work a full day. Add to that the challenges of our personal liveswhether were striving to be a responsible and involved parent, visit the gym, or play as a weekend musicianand theres not enough time in the day to focus on our career future. If an individual is out of work, between jobs, or looking for that first career opportunity, the added stress makes the situation even worse.

The result is troubling. When you pursue new career opportunities, you try to get your name out there, submit rsums to a few job openings, then wait for the call. When you dont get the job, youre disappointed, and you wait, frustrated, until the next call comes.

This is not the way it should be. We think that if we submit a rsum and get the interview, theres a good chance well get the job. Most of us dont think about it, but much more should be doneand it doesnt require an excessive amount of additional time or effort.

If you want to be successful in reaching that next stage of your career, you need to respect the hiring process and do everything within your power to navigate through that process in an effective and efficient manner. You need to focus not only on the job interview, but also on everything before and after the interview to ensure your success in the process. You cannot take the interview process for granted.