Last week, Bob Cohen, an assistant director at the career services office at Harvard University, shared with us his best practices and tips for networking to help you find a job or make advancements in your career. In Networking For A Job (Part 1), Bob shares ideas on where to start & who to contact, to general tips to keep in mind as you branch out.

This week Bob takes it old school and shares his tips on how to network the traditional way – on the phone (and we’re not talking about texting!).

Telephone Tips

• Be as presentable over the phone as you are in person. Always identify yourself before speaking and sound enthusiastic. It’s also important to be polite and reasonable. Do not be dismissed because of arrogance.

• Know what results you’d like from the conversation. If you have a clear idea of what you want, you are less likely to be sidetracked or hang-up before you’ve accomplished your goal.

Remember… the purpose of your call is simply to set up an appointment or obtain information. The following might help you get past any obstacles in your way:

• Carefully consider what you wish to say before you make a call or, if necessary, write yourself a brief script.
• Use an affirmative and articulate manner. If you sound tentative, it’s easier for the listener to quickly dismiss your request.
• Follow up on leads as soon as possible. Opportunities have a way of disappearing very quickly.

Overcoming phone obstacles

• If the person you need to speak with is never in the office, ask when the person will return.

• If you cannot get past the secretary, call when the secretary is most likely to be out. This includes before 9:00 AM, at lunch time, or after 5:00 PM.

• If you have to leave a message, be specific about where and when you can be reached. An answering machine also helps.

If following up on a contact, here’s some responses to “May I ask why you are calling?”:

–“I’m calling in response to a letter from Mr. Smith.”
–“This is about some information I sent.”
–“We have a business matter to discuss.”
–“Chris is expecting my call.”

• Prepare a brief statement about your background that you think will be of greatest interest to the contact.

• Be very specific. “I sent my resume to you on the twelfth about my interest in [contact’s industry or profession] and I’d like to arrange an appointment with you to briefly talk about this in more detail.”

• Have some times in mind. “How is Monday or Thursday after 2:00 or Wednesday before 12:00?”

• Avoid conducting informational, referral, or job interviews over the telephone. In-person meetings are most successful because the person can get a better sense of who you are and what you have to offer.

See Part 1 – Networking For A Job

The positions advertised through the newspaper, employment agencies, your career office, or on the web only represent 20% of all the jobs that are available. Statistics consistently show that most people who are successful in obtaining employment do so through a process called “networking.”

Article by Bob Cohen an assistant director at the career services office at Harvard University.

Networking is Simple

Networking is simply getting information from people you know or developing contacts from them. It’s no different than trying to find out about a movie or a good place to go for dinner. You ask around and, sooner or later, someone knows somebody who knows the information you need. In the same way, everyone knows someone who can help them in the job search process. No matter how thoroughly you develop and use your network, you can always do more.

Who to Contact?

The following is a partial list of possible networking sources:

• Your school’s alumni.
• Professional, community, religious, political, or social organizations.
• Your friend’s parents and your parent’s friends.
• Faculty, advisors, staff members.
• Your classmates and former classmates.
• Former employers and co-workers.
• Neighbors, family, and friends.

Where to Start

1. Decide what market, function, and industry you’re going to target; make sure you can clearly explain your objectives.
2. Make a list of everyone you know. Don’t eliminate people because they do not seem to be in the right industry or field. They might know someone who does.
3. Call your contacts, be specific about what you’re looking for, and ask if they know anyone who could help you.
4. Keep adding to your network list. Your goal is to talk to anyone who is in a position to influence your job search.

Networking Tips

• Remember…you are not asking for a job. You would just like informational contacts in the industries or organizations you have targeted.

• Leverage contact names as a door-opener. Use names you are given to get to a contact in your chosen field or a decision-maker. Simply say, “Pat Shulman suggested I contact you…”

• Don’t worry about offending or intruding on people. Most people are flattered by requests for help or guidance.

• Use the opportunity to learn as much as you can. This will prepare you for actual job interviews.

• Always ask for other contacts. The name of the game in networking is to talk to as many people as possible. Try to never leave a network meeting without more names.

• Be certain to follow-up on every lead you get and acknowledge by letter your appreciation for the assistance you’ve received.

Bob Cohen an assistant director at the career services office at Harvard University and an active member on YSN.com – hint hint!

Learn the secrets of interviewing in this 3 part series that takes you from setting your interview goals to closing the deal. An in depth strategy for anyone who is about to begin interviewing for a job or internship.

Closing the Interview
You’ve answered the interviewer’s questions to the best of your ability; asked intelligent, well prepared questions in return. Now what? Let’s go back to the original theme of the interview as a sales meeting. A time-honored strategy in sales, now is the time to “recapitulate the benefit and ask for the order.” How?

• Reiterate what you’ve learned about the position and its requirements.
• Briefly highlight what qualities or skills you have which match these needs.
• Clearly express your interest in the position and enthusiasm about the opportunity.
• Ask what the next steps will be and when you should expect to hear from the company.

After the Interview
Assuming the interview went well and your interest level is high, evaluate how well the same did in much as the interviewer rated you. What did you handle well or could have handled better? What did you learn that would help you next time? Then, ask yourself:

• What makes me a good candidate for the position?
• What information about myself do I need to clarify?
• What potential concerns or objections might the interviewer have about me?

This will help you in the last step of the process – sending a follow-up letter and/or email. Sending a “thank you” will set you apart from other candidates. Use the information from assessing your interview performance to determine what you want to include in the letter. If there was more than one interviewer, address your correspondence to the person in charge of the department, or “decision-maker,” and copy everyone else.

Some Final Thoughts
Learning how to be successful at interviewing is a skill you can acquire with time and practice. Some are better at it than others. What makes the difference is how well you know your “product” (you) and the needs of your target employer market. A good place to start is with the YSN Assessment to get a clear understanding about what “works for you at work” and where the best opportunities exist for your professional success.
For many, interviewing and “selling yourself” seems to conflict with personal beliefs of how a person ought to behave. Bear in mind, the interview is about reporting facts from your past, not boasting. Finally, most interviewers will expect you to be a little nervous. That’s okay. In many cases, the interviewer – especially if the person has limited interviewing experience – is probably nervous, too. In fact, it’s entirely possible that you’ll be better at it than the interviewer!

Bob Cohen is an assistant director at the career services office at Harvard University.

Learn the secrets of interviewing in this 3 part series that takes you from setting your interview goals to closing the deal. An in depth strategy for anyone who is about to begin interviewing for a job or internship.

You as the “Seller”
Just as sales professionals use different ways of selling, everyone has their own “take” on interviewing. Countless books and articles offer suggestions on how to act, what to say, what body language works best. It can get very confusing or, at worst, cause you to sound like some pre-programmed robot. Whatever you do, don’t just read a list of potential interview questions and try to memorize your answers! The bottom line is to find a style that works best for you based on who you are, not what you think you should be. Most importantly, reflect your personality and remember to smile.

The following are some guidelines that can help you stand out from other candidates:

• Make a favorable impression on everyone you meet. You’d be amazed how much influence administrative staff can have on the interview process.
• Try to maintain good eye contact with the interviewer, but do not get into a staring contest. It’s okay to look away when collecting your thoughts before answering a question.
• Play detective. Get a feel for the interviewer by looking around the office. Is it neat or messy? Are there pictures on the walls and what do they suggest about the person?
• Present yourself in an honest and straightforward manner. If you don’t know an answer to a question, admit it; don’t try to fake it.
• Come prepared with selling “stories.” Once you’ve decided what skills you want to discuss that best match the job, have at least 2 or 3 good examples in mind to exemplify how you demonstrated that skill. These are often referred to as B(ackground)A(ctivity)R(esult) or S(ituation)T(ask)A(ction)R(esult) stories. Basically, these are brief descriptions of the situation you were in or the task you were assigned, what you did to deal with it, and what was the outcome. The YSN Premium Report can help you write some examples.
• Keep your answers succinct and to the point. Provide just the highlights and let the interviewer probe for more details. For example, suppose you describe how you planned a research study. The interviewer follows up by asking about what data collection methods were used. That should be a red flag indicating “knowledge of research methodology” is an important qualification for the job and a quality you may want to reinforce later in the interview.
• Get the best read you can on the person interviewing you. Good bosses do not hire someone who doesn’t want to know as much about them and the job as they do about the candidate. In a way, it’s kind of like dating.
• If you’re unclear about something, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.
• Find out about other people in the organization; especially those with whom you’d be working. Ask to meet some of these people. Do they enjoy working there? What do they think the problems/opportunities are?
• Be honest. It doesn’t do you or the employer any good if you say what you think the interviewer wants to hear. If it isn’t a good fit for them, it certainly isn’t the right opportunity for you.

You as the “Buyer”
Once the employer finishes with his/her part of the interview process, you’ll most likely be asked whether you have any questions. Just as you prepared to answer questions, you need to be equally adept at asking them. After all, you’re trying to decide if this particular job and company are right for you. Bear in mind that the employer will expect you to do your homework beforehand. Avoid questions that could be answered by reading their literature or scanning the employer’s web site.
You are constantly being evaluated throughout the interview process and that includes the type and manner with which you ask questions of the interviewer. Remember to keep your energy and level of interest up!

Some of the general questions you may ask during an interview are:

• In your opinion, what does it take to be successful in this job?
• Where does this job fit into the organizational structure?
• How and when will my work be evaluated?
• What can you tell me about [the supervisor’s] [your] management style?
• What can you tell me about the people in the department or others I may interact with?
• What opportunities for advancement are there? Based on what?
• What sort of orientation and training is provided to new employees?
• What are the future plans for the department? Organization?
• How will you know at the end of [the year] that you’ve made the right hiring decision?
• How far are you in the hiring process and how soon can I expect to hear from you? If I don’t hear from you by [time frame specified by interviewer], may I contact you?
• What other information can I provide to help in your decision making process?

The “Stumpers”
During the course of an interview, you may be asked difficult questions. Because there is no way of controlling the attitudes, behaviors or preferences of the interviewer, you need to be prepared to deal with these situations. Some of these include:

• “Tell me about yourself…” – The easiest way to approach this question is to briefly detail what qualities or skills you possess which match the needs of the job or organization as well as how and where you’ve demonstrated them before.
• Illegal questions – Employers may only ask “job-related” questions proven to be a requirement for the position. They cannot ask questions about race, religion, national origin, marital status, children, relatives, age, birthplace, prior criminal record, or labor union activities. You can either refuse to answer the question and point out that it is illegal, or you can respond and tactfully state that the information has no bearing on your ability or desire to do the job.
• Issues such as low GPA, gaps in employment or periods of unemployment, or prior terminations – Everyone has weaknesses. The best thing to do is to be honest and present your case in as positive a manner as possible. Whatever you do, don’t make excuses and don’t blame others for your prior misfortunes.
• Salary issues – There’s an old saying which says that “whoever mentions the number first loses.” In many cases, especially with larger organizations, the salary is already established and there is limited flexibility. If you have a legitimate salary concern, you may ask for the salary range for the position. You can also research the going “market rate” for the job at sites such as salary.com. Generally speaking, try to avoid discussing salary at the first interview.

Bob Cohen is an assistant director at the career services office at Harvard University.

Learn the secrets of interviewing in this 3 part series that takes you from setting your interview goals to closing the deal. An in depth strategy for anyone who is about to begin interviewing for a job or internship.

Goals of an Interview

Simply put, an interview is a sales meeting between you and a prospective “customer.” Your goal is to convince the interviewer that you’re the best (product) candidate for the job. To do that, you need to know in advance the how your skills and experience meets the employer’s needs. Most importantly, you want to come prepared with credible selling “stories” to back up what you say you can do. After all, interviewing is a competitive process and you can be sure that the next candidate will be doing everything possible to outshine you. Decide beforehand what qualities you want to sell and stick to them.

Now, even though common sense says that being prepared for an interview significantly increases your chances of getting an offer, you’d be amazed how many people don’t. Interviewers still see a large number of candidates who are totally unprepared with only the vaguest understanding about the company and job. Just think of how well you’ll stand out with some simple groundwork beforehand.

Why prepare for the interview? Well, besides the obvious, it makes you more confident and the interviewer more comfortable with you. You’ve heard of “chemistry,” right?

Preparation

Here are some general guidelines to consider for your interview preparation:

• Know your resume cold. What you say on your resume is typically the “script” interviewers use to focus many of their questions.
• Know more about the employer than what you read about in the recruiting literature or on the firm’s web page, what you “bring to the table,” and why that firm. [insert research tools link here?]
• Practice, practice, practice… role-play with friends; see your career adviser; participate in mock interviews.
• Be neat, clean and dress in good taste. Bear in mind that dress standards can vary by industry. If you’re not sure, go to the workplace and see what people are wearing when they arrive or leave.
• Arrive at least 15 minutes before the interview. You’d be surprised how that helps as compared to rushing in at the last minute. Use that time to observe what’s going on. Is this a place where you’d like to work?
• Bring an extra resume with you. This process is, by no means, an exact science and you will learn to expect situations like… “We seem to have misplaced your resume.”

Bob Cohen is an assistant director at the career services office at Harvard University.