Quintessential Careers: Q&A with Wendy Terwelp

Quintessential Answers:
Q&A's with Career & College Experts

Questions and Answers with Career Expert Wendy Terwelp

Please note: On a somewhat infrequent basis, Quintessential Careers asks noted career experts five questions related to their expertise and publishes the interview in the current issue of QuintZine, our career e-newsletter. Those interviews are archived here for your convenience.

Wendy Terwelp is president of Opportunity Knocks™

When you work with clients on interviewing skills, what do you find are the biggest mistakes they make, and how do you coach them to avoid those mistakes?

The No. 1 question candidates have the toughest time answering is, "tell me about yourself." OK, it is not technically a "question." However, people get tripped up, and it's usually an interview opener.

After talking with many C-level decision makers and recruiters, they tell me they look for the following in response to "tell me about yourself":

Is the candidate able to express himself or herself clearly, confidently, and succinctly -- or is he or she rambling on and on about personal stuff?
How quickly can this candidate think on his or her feet?
How well or quickly can this candidate organize his or her thoughts?

Your move? Create a succinct sound bite that expresses your brand and your qualifications for the position. If you relate all your responses to your strengths, then the interviewer remembers your strengths and qualifications. You now stand out!

What trends and twists are you seeing in job interviews? Anything new in the way interviews are being conducted?

Behavior-based interview questions. Why? As executive recruiter Lynn Williams says, "Past performance predicts future productivity."

As a job-seeker, have stories ready that demonstrate your expertise, qualifications, and skills. Use the Challenge, Action, Result (CAR) formula. Create case studies. [Editor's note: This formula is also known as the Problem, Action, Result or Situation, Action, Result format. Read more.]

Your goal is to stand out from the thundering herd of candidates. Create a solid brand that demonstrates your professionalism and expertise. Network: Who needs to know about you? Get noticed. No matter the job market (recession or not) these steps will help you attract the right employers and opportunities to you.

What do you feel is the most exciting or hopeful trend in job-hunting?

One of the most hopeful and exciting trends in job hunting is the fact that recruiters are now looking for passive candidates online. Recently I attended an Internet Recruiting workshop in which the presenter, Mark Berger, stated that 300,000 recruiters use LinkedIn regularly to recruit passive candidates. "It's not who you know, but who knows you," said Berger. In addition, during the workshop Berger demonstrated how to use Google to find names and top candidates. About 100+ recruiters were in the room, and that was just one workshop.

It is key for professionals of all levels to have an online identity that is professional and demonstrates expertise. Since recruiters are searching online -- and not necessarily using fee-based job sites, you want to be sure your online identity is crystal clear in how it represents you -- and you want to be sure that when someone Googles your name, it is truly you and within the first 30 listings (preferably in the top 10).

We are hearing increasingly from job-seekers about frustrations with Internet job-hunting. They complain they never hear anything from employers, and that employers increasingly put up impenetrable barriers to keep job-seekers from following up and being proactive. Are the old rules of job-seeking and follow-up changing? How will job-seekers need to adapt to the new rules of Internet job-hunting? Are there ways to follow up after responding to an online ad, and if not, what can job-seekers do in lieu of following up to increase their odds?

One reason people don't hear anything is that answering ads is the least effective job search strategy. Networking is 10 times more effective than online job boards, according to a Drake Beam & Morin survey.

However, candidates can follow up with employers if they do so the right way. What's the right way? A value-focused phone call to the hiring decision maker (not human resources) that leaves the employer wanting more.

Old way: "Hi, I'm calling to see if you received my resume." Boring.

Better way: "Wilhelmina Herzog, it's Fred Smith. I'm calling to see if you had a chance to take a look at my resume and to mention I am very interested in the sales position. When I researched your company, I saw that you sell the XWY Widget 1000. This is a core area of my expertise. In the past year, I sold more than $1 million worth of this product. I'd like to do the same or better for you. Please give me a call between 2 and 4 p.m. Tuesday, and I'd be happy to answer any of your questions."

Using this strategy, you indicated your value, interest in the position, and the best time to reach you. This technique also helps avoid playing phone tag.

What's the best way to uncover job leads? What's the best combination of methods and what percentage of a job-seeker's time should be spent on each?

Networking is the No. 1 way people land new jobs. Depending on the survey, up to 85 percent of people land jobs using networking as their main job-search strategy.

Adjust your job-search strategy accordingly. Posting is easy, but as one college career counselor said, it's "spray and pray." You spray your resume out there (on the job boards) and pray someone calls you.

Instead, be proactive. Network. Who needs to know about you? For more tips on networking and to learn how to Rock Your Network®, email me.

Since 1989, Networking Coach Wendy Terwelp has helped thousands of job seekers land gigs they love while getting paid what they're worth. She holds six career industry certifications, including career coaching and personal branding. Wendy has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Fast Company, The Business Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, as well as several radio shows. She has written countless articles for numerous career Websites, blogs, and publications. She's also a professional speaker, speaking at Barnes & Noble, Women's Life Expo, Career Management Alliance, professional organizations, universities, and more. Wendy Terwelp is president of Opportunity Knocks™. If you want to be a rock star at work, Wendy can help. Learn more about her Rock Your Network® programs. Are you ready for your next big gig?®

Check out all our interview with career experts in Quintessential Answers: Q&A's with Career & College Experts.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

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Quintessential Answers: Q&A's with Career & College Experts

Questions and Answers with Career Expert Wendy Terwelp

Please note: On a somewhat infrequent basis, Quintessential Careers asks noted career experts five questions related to their expertise and publishes the interview in the current issue of QuintZine, our career e-newsletter. Those interviews are archived here for your convenience.

Check out all our interview with career experts in Quintessential Answers: Q&A's with Career & College Experts.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Quintessential Answers:
Q&A's with Career & College Experts