Interviewing

Does Your Employer Want to Know How to Keep You?

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Many organizations in both the federal and private sectors are initiating “stay interviews” to learn how to keep their employees from leaving. The idea is that instead of waiting until an employee leaves and conducting an exit interview to discover what might have been done to keep an employee, the stay interview allows employers to collect information designed to retain their talent. Generally, stay interviews explore what employees like about the organization—and what they would like to see changed—with a goal of improving employee engagement and retention.

If your supervisor or someone from Human Resources tells you that they would like to conduct a stay interview, don’t panic! This is not a performance review nor does it mean that you should start looking for another job. Here are some things to know about stay interviews.

Stay interview questions generally focus on three specific areas:

  • What issues in the organization are hurting your productivity?
  • How can the organization help you grow — especially professional advancement?
  • What does the organization need to do to keep you engaged and productive going forward?

Stay interview questions are usually open-ended — that is, they can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” The typical stay interview is a structured format.

Here is a list of questions that may be asked in a stay interview:

  1. What do you look forward to at work every day?
  2. What’s the best part of your job?
  3. What do you enjoy about your job?
  4. What do you dislike about your job?
  5. If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
  6. What do you like most about working here?
  7. What do you think of the way employees are recognized? What could the organization do to improve employee recognition?
  8. How could your work/life balance be improved?
  9. Are there additional benefits you would like to see added to the organization’s benefits?
  10. Where do you see yourself in the next 1-2 years? How about the next 3-5 years?
  11. What additional resources or professional development opportunities would be useful to you?
  12. What do you want to learn? What skills do you want to develop here?
  13. If there are opportunities to move up within the organization, are you interested in learning more about how to do that?
  14. What parts of your job cause you anxiety or frustration? What helps alleviate your stress?
  15. Tell me about a situation that has made you consider resigning. What prompted you to think about leaving?
  16. What does your dream job look like?
  17. What did you enjoy about the job you had before this one? What do you wish you could bring from that job to this job?
  18. What didn’t you enjoy about that job?
  19. What do you like about the organization culture?
  20. Who do you want to work with — or connect with — at the organization that you’re not currently connected to?
  21. What do you think about on your way into work?
  22. What do you think about on your way home from work?
  23. Do I say and do things that help you be more effective in your job?
  24. Is there anything I can do to be a better manager?
  25. How can I make your experience at this organization better?

When done properly, stay interviews can help you become more engaged in your role and with the organization. Organizations that conduct stay interviews generally benefit from reduced employee turnover and higher workplace morale. From an employee perspective, the opportunity to be “listened to” and “heard” is valuable. A stay interview can allow you to address issues at your current organization so that you don’t have to look for a new position.

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My Interview Went Well…But I Didn’t Get The Job

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It happens to all of us; you think you nailed your interview and you’re already thinking about resigning from your current position but then you find out that you didn’t get the job. What happened?

Man looking at tablet with disapproval.

A number of things, of course, could have happened. Here are 10 to consider:

  1. You misread the room. It’s always possible that the interview did not go as well as you thought…you may have just misread the room, come off as overly rehearsed, arrogant, or any number of things.
  2. There were a lot of well-qualified interviewees. You may, in fact, have interviewed very well—but it’s possible others did as well. Don’t be discouraged, your non-selection does not mean that you weren’t qualified.
  3. Something about the way you presented yourself was not a good match. You may have had a great interview and strong qualifications but there may have been factors (yes, let’s call them unconscious biases) that turned off your interviewers. I once had a hiring manager tell me that she wouldn’t hire someone because the interviewee came in wearing something other than navy, black, or brown!
  4. Your social media did not match the image the organization wants to project. Right or wrong, many hiring managers will check your social media. What does yours say about you?
  5. The organization already had another candidate in mind. Sometimes interviews are just proforma. Doesn’t make it right. Think about it as the organization’s version of practicing even though they’re not serious about you as a candidate. Applicants do this all the time.
  6. You didn’t close the interview, do any follow-up, etc. Hiring managers want to know that you’re interested in their job; you should close your interview appropriately and follow up (without being a nuisance).
  7. The job disappeared, got canceled, was subject to budget cuts, priorities changed, or the position suffered a similar fate.
  8. Your references were not strong enough. Most employers will contact references—even for candidates they really liked. Are your references strong enough?
  9. Your social interactions with non-interviewers (receptionist, security, etc.) were not as pleasant, warm, and/or polite as they were with the interviewers. Everybody counts! And sometimes, everyone gets a vote.
  10. Your responses did not include strong accomplishments. It’s one thing to have simpatico with your interviewers; it’s another to really back up your answers with strong examples of your success—and tie those examples to the job you’re interviewing for.

Good Interview Questions for Managers to Ask

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Since my first article this month explored Interview Best Practices for Hiring Managers, I thought it would be good to couple that article with some sample questions that managers can use. The best interview questions are job related; they can be behaviorally-based, or situational.

Behavioral questions are based on the premise that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance. These are recognizable because they start with, “Tell me about a time…” or “Give me an example when…”

Situational questions are similar but focus on how the applicant would handle a specific situation that he or she is likely to encounter. These kinds of questions typically open with, “What would you do if…”

Here are some questions that fit both categories and can be easily adapted, if needed, to specific jobs:

  1. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses at work that tested your coping skills.  What did you do?
  2. Tell me about a time when you had to use your oral communication skills in order to get a point across that was important to you.
  3. Tell me about a specific occasion when you conformed to a policy even though you did not agree with it.
  4. Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to gain information needed to solve a problem and then tell me how you analyzed the information and came to a decision.
  5. Describe a situation in which you were able to read another person effectively and guide your actions by your understanding of his/her individual needs or values.
  6. Describe the worst customer you have ever had and tell me how you dealt with him or her
  7. What would you do if you were asked to perform a task you had never done before?
  8. What would you do if you were committed to a particular project but your boss canceled it halfway through?
  9. Give me an example of a project you were a part of failed, despite your best efforts.
  10. What would you do if you were given a timeframe that you knew at the outset was totally unrealistic?

These kinds of questions allow you to ask job related questions AND find out a little bit about the candidate’s thought process, experience, and skills—in other words, see the person behind the resume! And do so in a way that minimizes the risk of making a bad selection and avoids potential legal pitfalls.

Virtual Interviews—10 Ideas to Ace Them!

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While the government and many companies are still hiring, the chance to have an in-person interview is slim at the moment. We all need to be prepared to ace our virtual ones! Here are 10 tips to do so:

  1. Make sure you have a camera. Even though the process itself is virtual, most employers will want to see you “face-to-face.” To accommodate this expectation, you should have a camera. The camera should be set a eye height (you may need to put your laptop on some books to raise it to the appropriate height) and your light should be on your face and not behind you.
  2. Make sure your cellphone is charged; or even better, use a landline for maximum sound quality. Or, if the interview is taking place on the computer, you should use a microphone to make sure you can be heard.
  3. Know how to use the technology ahead of time. What platform will the interviewer be using? Be sure to ask and plan accordingly. Download the technology before the interview. It’s never a bad idea to practice. While most of the common platforms work in a similar way, there are some subtle differences.
  4. Clean up the area where you will be interviewed; clear your desk / table and look at what’s behind you to make sure the image is clean and professional. If necessary; hang up a sheet behind you to cover things you do not want the interviews to see.
  5. Prepare. Just because the interview is virtual doesn’t mean you should “wing it.” You should prepare for your virtual interview the same way you should prepare for an in-person one; do your research on the organization, have your stories ready, and be ready with questions to ask the interviewers. And, you may even want to prepare more—you won’t have the advantage of establishing that face-to-face connection.
  6. Put your interview clothes on—even pants. Not only do cameras stray sometimes, you may move around. You don’t want to be caught in your sweatpants (or worse).
  7. A glass of water is OK, food is not.
  8. Minimize distractions. Close the door, banish your pets and children. Turn off any other phones, alerts, etc.
  9. Pay attention to your body language during the interview. You should sit up, and be slightly forward. Try not to play with your hair, twist your rings, or engage in other distracting behaviors. Maintain eye contact (well, camera contact!) and smile.
  10. Follow-up. After the interview, be sure to send a thank you email to your interviews; keep it short, thank him / her for their time, and add any point you want to emphasize or that you forgot.

While a virtual interview may feel different than what you’re used to, by following these tips, you can set yourself up to ace the interview!

6 Steps to Writing a Great Cover Letter

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While cover letters are generally not needed for federal applications, they are still common for private sector applications and even some federal hiring managers like them. So, if you are applying for a position in the private sector, or if you are a traditionalist, and want to include a cover letter with your federal job application, here are 6 tips you should use to do it right:

  1. Although many people use a template cover letter, you should customize it each and every time. Make sure that your cover letter is addressed to the right person, the right company/organization, and the right job. It is amazing how many people miss this simple step. In this age of Google, LinkedIn, company websites, there is no excuse for “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.”
  2. Match your cover letter formatting to your resume formatting. To ensure that your two documents are compatible, use the same font and formatting—you want to make it obvious that your documents go together. That being said, your cover letter should not be an exact duplicate of what is in your resume.
  3. Make your cover letter employer-focused. Address the employer’s needs and interests to show you are a good fit. Be sure to highlight your relevant job-related achievements in your cover letter and show how those accomplishments can help the employer solve their problems. Do not discuss your needs—like telework, part-time schedules, etc.
  4. Be professional. This means using a professional personal email address (ideally with your name; remove birth year—some employers will not consider resumes from people who use their birth year in their email for fear of potential discrimination concerns. You should not use your work email address for seeking other employment; nor should you be using AOL for job applications. It goes without saying (I hope) that you should not use hotmama@gmail.com or hotrodguy@yahoo.com. You should also doublecheck to ensure that your contact information (and the rest of your letter) does not include typographical or other errors.
  5. Start your cover letter with a “bang.” Your opening sentence should not be along the lines of “Enclosed please find my resume in response to your posting for…” This is boring; instead, make your opening sentence pop; think about something along the lines of, “As someone who is committed to improving educational opportunities for all, I have followed ABC company since its inception. I was excited to see the posting for…”
  6. Close the deal. Your last paragraph should include a “call to action.” Invite the reader to take the next step. Tell them that you welcome the opportunity to share more information and provide your best contact info (email, cell phone).

No, I Will Not Guarantee You That Your New Resume Will Result in a Job Offer

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I am often asked whether I will guarantee a job offer if someone uses my services for resume writing. Not only will I not guarantee that you will get a job, I encourage you to question anyone who makes that claim. Why? There are lots of things that go into getting selected for a job—your resume is only a very small part.

What are some of the other factors that go into determining whether you will get a job?

  • Are you actually qualified for the position(s) you’ve applied for? For example, do have the specialized experienced required (and not just time in grade), if you’re applying for federal jobs. Did you answer the questionnaire properly? If you’re applying for private sector positions, do you meet all of the qualifications?
  • Is the hiring manager just going through the motions of posting because he or she has to because of internal policy or some notion of transparency? Does the hiring manager have someone in mind (that isn’t you) but is just posting out of habit or again, internal policy?
  • Did you blow the interview? Perhaps you received an interview or were referred to the hiring manager; was your interview strong? How did you compare to the other candidates referred / interviewed?
  • Was the hiring manager required to hire someone else due to internal politics?
  • How many positions have you actually applied for? While it is certainly possible that you will get the first position you apply for, it isn’t all that likely. In many ways, applying for a new position is a numbers game. And, while I do not endorse applying for “everything”—also known as the “spray and pray” method, I do believe you need to be realistic about your chances. Most job postings result in hundreds, if not thousands of applicants.
  • Was there an actual position to be filled? Or was the posting in anticipation of receiving funding / approval for the position / whatever? Was it one of those federal postings I often see that are open in dozens of locations for all grades? If you read the fine print on those, it clearly says, “There may or may not be actual vacancies at the time you submit your application.”
  • Are you networking? Have you used LinkedIn or another source to identify people on the “inside” who might be able to assist you in learning about the organization, the position, and the hiring manager? Networking is critical to all job searches, federal and private sector.

The above represents just some of factors that go into a hiring manager making a decision. So, no, I will not guarantee you a job offer. I will guarantee you a best practice, competitive resume that is targeted toward your position of choice.