TAOnline Transition Insight Newsletter

The Secret to Job Interview Success

We all enjoy watching a great entertainer sing or dance or play an instrument in a band or orchestra, act in a movie or play, even make us laugh or perform magic tricks. And the amazing skill of the star quarterback who sends the "Hail Mary" pass to the talented receiver who reaches up to snag that ball for a touchdown, or the tennis player who slams that serve over the net for an ace, winning the game! Wow! How do these performers and athletes do these amazing things? Certainly "talent" and "luck" have a role in those successes, but what really separates success from failure is preparation. ... Read More

The 3 Most Used Words that End Job Interviews

Reprinted with Permission: HRNASTY.com

Working in HR, I have a number of jobs. One of them is to interview candidates and the other is to work through challenges/opportunities that employees may face throughout their career. Yes, I said "opportunities". Very HR'esque of me but when you are being PAID to do a job, challenges are not problems. Challenges really are "opportunities", challenges are job security. Premise 1: As employees, we are paid to do a job. Your job is to solve your managers' problems and to solve your companies' problems. If you think your job is to get a promotion or a raise, think again ... Read More

Spouse Employment Effort Surpasses Goal More Than 2 Years Early

By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2013

White House and Defense Department challenge to hire 50,000 military spouses by the end of 2015 has already surpassed its goal! This according Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Jessica Wright. Wright made the announcement earlier this month. The effort to hire 50,000 spouses reached fruition through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, a group of more than 180 employers that vowed to recruit military spouses, Wright said. Part of the broader DOD Spouse Education ... Read More

Thousands of Veterans Receiving Jos. A. Bank Suits through Gary Sinise Foundation

"Uniform of Success" sales event stirs customers' patriotism
HAMPSTEAD, Md., July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/

Thousands of recently discharged veterans will receive new business suits to help them re-enter the job market. The suit giveaway is the result of a one-week promotion implemented by clothier Jos. A. Bank and the Gary Sinise Foundation called "Uniform of Success." "Uniform of Success" ran July 1-7 at Jos. A. Bank stores nationwide, featuring the offer theme line "BUY 1-GET 2-GIVE 1. Customers who bought suits received an additional two free suits. ... Read More

Click here for a complete list and description of organizations of TAOnline.com growing Partners!

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to Hire Over 800 Veterans as Peer Specialists and Peer Support Apprentices by December 31, 2013. Make a difference in the lives of your fellow Veterans! VA is hiring over 800 Veterans to work as Peer Specialists and Peer Support Apprentices. To qualify, you must be a United States Veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition. Completion of an approved peer specialist training program is also required. Click here for more information and to apply.

The Secret to Job Interview Success

By Susan Joyce
WorkCoachCafe.com

How do these performers and athletes do these amazing things? Certainly "talent" and "luck" have a role in those successes, but what really separates success from failure is preparation.

So many job seekers "wing it" when it comes to an interview. And that's a big mistake.

In your job search, you need to focus like an NFL player or the singer winning the talent contest. "Winging it" just doesn't work in this very competitive job market. Here are the 2 critical aspects of effective job interview preparation.

The first critical aspect of job interview preparation is to carefully research the position and the employer .

The second critical aspect is to practice for that job interview.

Research and practice make the difference between your best job interview performance and a blown opportunity.

5 Keys to Successful Job Interview Practice

At first glance, practicing for a job interview may sound like an impossible thing to do. But it's not impossible at all.

Know the "standard" interview questions.
Several questions are asked by most interviewers. We listed the top 10 job interview questions, with help for preparing and answering those questions successfully. Don't blow one of these questions. You must be prepared for these questions.
Write out your answers to those questions. Thoughtfully.
Yes, writing out your answers will take time and effort, but it will be time and effort well spent. Don't skip this step! Read the guidance on how to answer those questions. Think about your accomplishments and skills that would be a benefit to the employer if they hire you. For most of your answers you need to focus on what will be a benefit to the employer or what will interest the employer.
Don't be afraid to "brag."
This is not the time to be modest. Know and be ready to discuss your achievements, your awards, and the accomplishments you are proudest of. Be sure to include these in the stories you write in # 2, to answer the top 10 questions. Describe those achievements, particularly the ones that demonstrate your ability to do the requirements of the new job.
Practice your answers.
Read your answers and accomplishments out loud a few times. Tell them to friends and family. Don't try to memorize them, but do become accustomed to talking about yourself and your accomplishments. If you can, have a friend or family member pretend to interview you, to ask you the most common job interview questions, so you can practice your responses "live." If that doesn't work, answer those questions, perhaps talking to your mirror in the bathroom.
Remember to focus on benefits to the employer.
Job seekers can become too wrapped up in "I-wants". Frankly, most employers really don't care what you want. They do care about your fit for their job opening and organization. Can you do the job well and be pleasant to work with? Will you be a "good hire" someone who will be able to do the job required or will you become a problem employee?

Stand Out by Being Better Prepared and More Confident

Too many job seekers walk into a job interview unprepared and unpracticed, and then wonder why they don't land the job or do well in the interview. You will stand out in a job interview with your preparation, most likely becoming more confident and less nervous.

Think about that one for a minute. Why not practice for your job interview? The "audience" may be very small, only one or a few people at a time, but those people are very important to your ability to achieve your goal, landing a great new job.

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The 3 Most Used Words that End Job Interviews

Reprinted with Permission: HRNASTY.com

Premise 1:
As employees, we are paid to do a job. Your job is to solve your managers' problems and to solve your companies' problems. If you think your job is to get a promotion or a raise, think again. Every time you are presented with a problem, consider yourself lucky because you were just presented with job security. Problems may include shipping a product on schedule, putting together ‘X' amount of widgets per hour, or coming up with the next revenue generating product the company will profit from. Make no mistake, these are all opportunities.

Premise 2:
If A equals B, and B equals C, then A must equal C.
Your manager is a human being. Human beings don't like messy problems. Your manager doesn't like messy people problems. Don't be a messy people problem.

The three words I don't appreciate hearing during interviews and when working on employee issues are "hate", "can't", "impossible", and "stupid".
Yeah, that is 4. Don't say I never gave you anything. "Stupid" is a freebie.

When I interview a candidate, if I hear the word "can't", "impossible" or "hate" in the course of the interview, the candidate is pretty much done. I am looking to present a problem solver to the hiring manger and not a problem "creator". The words "can't", "impossible", and "hate" are strong signs of problem creators and to me this is worst than dropping an F bomb. This is where I turn to the little children and exclaim "Earmuffs!!". Proper boys and girls don't drop F Bombs and employees that are constantly thinking about solving problems don't use language that includes "can't"; and "impossible". The word "stupid" used in most contexts will also end an interview. After I hear these words in an interview, I may still be asking you interview questions, but when you are answering, I am thinking about the White Sale at Walmart and wondering if they have 800-thread count on sale. Anytime I hear a candidate say something like "My prior manager always had stupid ideas" or "My manager was stupid", the interview is over. Elvis has left the building and so has the opportunity.

"Can't" and "Impossible" will end job interviews

"This can't be done"
"I can't do that"
"My manager is always asking more of the team than they can do"
"This idea is impossible"
"We are wasting our time, you are asking the impossible"
"My last manager always wanted the impossible"

For the record, we put a man on the moon in the 60's. If we could do that in the 60's, (that would be the 1960's, before computers), I don't think there is anything your manager can ask you that is "impossible" or "can't" be done.

"Hate" will end Job interviews:

"I hate the reporting part of my job"
"I hate it when someone cuts me off mid-sentence"
"I hate Johnny manager, he is a jerk"
"I hate Suzy co-worker, she is stupid" (double-whammy)

Years ago, I saw a clip of Oprah Winfrey interviewing Michael Jordan. She said something to the effect "Michael, you can have pretty much anything in the world. I want to know what you hate?" Michael responded with "Hate is a very strong word. I don't think I hate anything, I just haven't learned how to appreciate it yet. I don't hate anything". And the audience exploded. This is why everyone loves Mike.

The words "can't", "impossible", "hate", and "stupid" are all indications of a problem creator. A candidate who gives the indication that they are a problem creator won't get hired for a number of reasons. I am listing only two from what would be a very long list below:

I work in HR. I am either the guy that is tasked to help the manager solve their messy people problems, or I am tasked to solve them myself. If I see a problem creator when looking to fill a position, I will look at the 100 other candidates I know are out there. That is one of the benefits of being the gatekeeper and wouldn't you do the same thing.
Managers don't want naysayers on their team. Managers don't want to deal with problems. Many employees think that a manager's job is to solve employee problems. If that were the case, all the folks that are working in day cares would be perfectly qualified to work as managers in corporate America. Managers are people, and people don't like to work with problem creator.

I want to hire and promote employees that see the glass half full. I don't want to hang out with a naysayer. I don't want to work with someone that sees the glass half empty. If you think the world is going to come to an end, then go build a bunker and stockpile it with MRE's and guns. I don't need a cheerleader, but I don't want a naysayer. If I am going to err, I am going to err on the side of a cheerleader.

Anyone can be happy go lucky when times are good. I am not looking to hire employees who will only perform in the best of times. I am looking to hire someone to perform consistently in the worst of times, when deadlines create stress and lack of revenue creates panic.

The team that can function in these times will be the team that sees the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be the team that makes it through and the team that I want to be on. "Can't" and "impossible" won't be in this teams' vocabulary.

If you want to get hired, and more importantly if you want to receive more opportunity in your current gig, stay away from the use of the words "hate", "can't", "impossible" and "stupid".

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Spouse Employment Effort Surpasses Goal More Than 2 Years Early

By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2013

The effort to hire 50,000 spouses reached fruition through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, a group of more than 180 employers that vowed to recruit military spouses, Wright said.

Part of the broader DOD Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, MSEP is a result of Joining Forces, a 2011 call to action by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, to mobilize support from all sectors of the nation to help find work for service members, families and veterans.

"These achievements would not have been possible without a community of partners, and I really do want to give a shout-out for the strong advocacy … of the first lady, Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden," Wright said. They crisscrossed the United States, she added, meeting with business leaders and heads of key organizations to talk about spousal employment.

"This is very important," Wright said. "Without their advocacy role, we would not have been as successful."

Wright also recognized the newly formed Spouse Ambassador Network for its help in reaching reach the 50,000 mark. She said the network has created a "network of networks" by bringing together dedicated military support organizations with hundreds of local chapters that connect military spouses to career information, professional networking opportunities and local community resources.

"Today, we celebrate these important MSEP milestone achievements, which are part of the employment goals we share with the White House's Joining Forces and our MSEP employers -- who collectively pledged to hire 50,000 military spouses by the end of 2015," Wright added. "With today's number … hiring 50,000 military spouses, you can see that we are well ahead of schedule in reaching that goal."

The council and MSEP deserve kudos for the 50,000 spouse hires, Wright added. "This is really huge," she said.

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Thousands of Veterans Receiving Jos. A. Bank Suits through Gary Sinise Foundation

"Uniform of Success" sales event stirs customers' patriotism

HAMPSTEAD, Md., July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/

"Uniform of Success" ran July 1-7 at Jos. A. Bank stores nationwide, featuring the offer theme line "BUY 1-GET 2-GIVE 1. Customers who bought suits received an additional two free suits. Jos. A. Bank will donate a suit to a returning veteran through their partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation.

The Gary Sinise Foundation is identifying recent veterans who will receive vouchers for suits from Jos. A. Bank.

"We didn't have a limit for the number of suits given away," said Jos. A. Bank CEO Neal Black. "Our goal was to give a minimum of 5,000 suits and we far exceeded our goal. We are delighted to help thousands of veterans dress their best for success."

"We are grateful to Jos. A. Bank for giving us this wonderful opportunity to support our returning military and veterans," said Gary Sinise. "Wearing a new suit to a job interview improves self-confidence and boosts morale. Our foundation aims to do both for these people who sacrificed so much for America in service to their country."

Sinise formed the Gary Sinise Foundation to create programs that serve and honor Americans in the military.

Sinise also formed the Lt. Dan Band as a homage to the role he played in "Forrest Gump" as disabled veteran Lt. Dan Taylor. The group tours the world performing concerts for the military and their families on behalf of the Gary Sinise Foundation and the USO.

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