Category Archives: Interview

October 17, 2012

Writing a Cover Letter? – Make it a great one!

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

My friend Erica is a Marketing Business Analyst.

For those of you that do not know what the entails, you are not alone. Marketing is like the CIA of the corporate world. The day to day responsibilities are so secretive, even marketing professionals do not know what they do. It is a little Dead Marketers Society, where they hide in caves, sip wine and determine how they can mislead the public with analytics, reports and high powered PowerPoint presentations. They plan has been executed with brilliance for hundreds of years.

She recently found her self back in the market and in search of the next great career adventure. Now Erica is an avid outdoors woman. Bikes, hikes, eats healthy, supports local farms and gets her feet wet or muddy quite often. She is the role model for healthy living. It made sense that Trek was one of her targeted organizations to woe.

The question that lingered on her mind was, “how do I make them understand that I was born to be a part of that culture?” Sure she could put biking and hiking in her interests category on her resume or even through out a few biking clubs/organizations to boot but that seems cliché and forced. Why not make this one competitive, topical and passionate.

That is just what Erica did. She reached deep inside her creative juices and let it all out with this cover letter:

I’m not writing you a cover letter.

Those are boring and nobody reads them, anyway. Instead, I’m providing you a brief background on why I’m looking to become a Trek-ie (who cares if the Star Trek people have already coined that one) along with my list of demands, should I accept your offer of employment.
I didn’t start out a Trek-ie. My first “real bike” was a Cannondale M450 steel frame Franck Roman (if you don’t know who that is, shame on you, and you’d better look him up because there will be a quiz) that I purchased while stationed in Augsburg, Germany, in 1995. I purchased my first road bike 15 years later – an Orbea Lobular, AKA the DreamCYCLE.

Since then, my friends have started to slowly convert me into a Trek-ie (and, my husband, I suppose, who has a Madone 5.0). Ok, maybe slowly is not really the word when the first Trek you purchase is a Project 1 Speed Concept 9.0, but hey, who is keeping track here? My most recent bike purchase was not a Trek, however. With all the 29ers out there, I still wanted 26′s on my mountain bike, so I ended up buying a used Gary Fisher. BRING BACK THE 26′s…!

So, enough of the background drivel – below are my list of demands, should I accept your offer of employment:

1. There will be no making fun of the DreamCYCLE. Even if she is aluminum/carbon, with the right rider, she can kick butt any day of the week.

2. When the Speed Concept is in the office, she will enjoy indoor, premium parking, and a wreath of flowers will be draped over her handle bars so that she always feels like she’s in the winner’s circle.

3. When you interview for the communications specialist position you have posted, I expect to have a vote on whether or not the chocolate cookies pass muster.

4. And, I will not actually interview for this position; instead, I challenge the hiring manager to a road race on the bike of his/her choice. I, of course, will be on the Speed Concept. If I win, I get the job. And, the hiring manager’s bike. :-) If I lose, I get the job anyway, and I get to keep my bike.
If you agree to these terms and conditions, I look forward to hearing from you at the number provided in my online application.

With tongue in cheek,

Erica ______

P.S. Don’t take my resume seriously; it’s all drivel, too.

There you have it. A cover letter that addresses:

  • Cultural fit
  • Passion
  • Research on the company, products and brand
  • A edgy first impression
  • Confidence
  • Persistence

If you do your research and find a place where you “fit”, let them know that.

2 comments | posted in bikes, cover letter, Interview, Jobs, passion, Research, Resume, Trek

April 7, 2012

Dear CEO, Hire Me

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

Two years ago I attended the Annual Carolinas Payroll Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. As a vendor my role was to raise awareness for my organization and discussion potential career opportunities we had for a client implementation. The next morning at 9:45 AM, I was approached by the conference coordinator and asked if I could step in and do a 45 minute presentation given that one of the presenters was running short. I didn’t know payroll but I was very affluent in career planning and personal brand strategy. I asked how long I had? I was informed I had about one minute to prepare.

Yes, I had one minute to prepare for a 45 minute presentation. No slides, no real topic, no agenda and no time. It went incredibly well. Almost inspirational. During the discussion, I told the audience of 170 payroll professionals that it was ok to reach out to an executive or even a CEO if you presented yourself in a unique way that showed how your skills were ideal for the organization.

The next day, an attendee approached me to thank me for the advice. I wasn’t sure which advice but how can I say no to a nice compliment. She informed me that her husband’s former employer that develops large commercial planes lost their largest client to a local competitor. He was an operations line manager with twelve years under his belt and had applied over three weeks earlier to move over to the new company without receiving a single acknowledgment. They went online, found a contact email for the CEO and sent over a cover letter explaining his background and resume. One hour later, the Director of Recruitment called him up to schedule a phone interview.

The bottom line lesson from that tidbit I presented was that if a recruiter receives a referral from an executive, there is almost a 100% chance you will get an interview or an informational call. Many organizations have an executive team that is focused purely on executive referrals.

The key is not necessarily to know the executive or even be the best candidate; the key is to have the best presentation. If you can sell yourself to an executive in paragraph, you can impress anyone. They just need to see one thing only to draw their attention and they will forward it on. It can be the same college, similar hobbies, a specific skill set or a unique fact about the organization that you are trying to get your foot in the door.

Social networking has allowed all of us to become amateur background checkers. We have the capability through Jigsaw, Facebook, LinkedIn, MyLife and Pinterest to learn about our target. Once you learn what you need to know, you are set. It is like finding a person in a bar you are interested in and having an instant profile on your IPhone prior to even approaching that person.

Recently, a close friend had an interview with Random House, her dream company given her career focus in the publishing/media industry. She had a second interview for a Junior Executive Marketing/Sales role. She felt she was too junior but really wanted this role. We did a little background checking and found out her interviewer was a huge fan of the Marx Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald and the New York Mets. We found a first edition of a book from the early 70′s called The Groucho Marx Letters to present to her during the interview along with a business plan for the next year at Random House. That was the edge I felt she needed to make the connection, show her passion for the publishing industry, demonstrate her research skills and show her business strategy capability.

Stand Tall
Stand Out
Let our your true Wow Factor

Here is how to impress an executive in 60 seconds

1. Do your research. Learn as much as you can about the executive you are reaching out to and make a personal connection immediately in your initial letter or email.

2. Be confident. Everything is about personal branding and marketing yourself. An executive is one of the highest levels in any organization. You need to be at the top of your game to sell yourself to a top leader.

3. Use the power of your network and friends to sharper the outreach. Before you send any communication, make sure it is proofed and re-proofed. You may get 30 seconds to 1 minute on a desk of an executive before it is either read or dismissed. Make it bold, make it confident and make it memorable.

4. Think outside the box. Don’t make it a traditional outreach. Be unique. Find an approach that is completely you and make it your own.

5. Move forward with a yes attitude. If you have a defeated attitude prior to engaging in this exercise, that will show in your writing and your ability to follow through if you get the chance to prove yourself.

If you follow these simple instructions, know this is the right organization and culture for you, have the ideal skill sets and can develop a personal brand that has a “wow” factor then you are ready to go.

Take that bold step and get your dream job.

Watch out CEO’s, you may want to check your inbox. The next great leader maybe waiting.

Leave a comment | posted in Career planning, CEO, Executive, Interview, Job Search, Jobs, Marketing, Personal Branding, Recruiterpoet

April 21, 2010

Listen Up Ladies – Let Sarah Ivens Tell You How to Make Your Interview Memorable

By Recruiterpoet - Professionalism With Flare

How To Make Your Interview Memorable

Provided by: Sarah Ivens, author of A Modern Girl’s Guide to Networking, published by Piatkus

Interesting interviews
You’re selling yourself and trying to improve your future – so what makes you think you can turn up in a dirty shirt with a hangover. You must be interesting, alert, clean, smart, entertaining, honest and humble.

In fact, let’s make it simple. These are the things you must not do:
Do not arrive late. Look up where you’ve got to get to and leave with 30 minutes to spare for traffic, emergency toilet trips, and so on.
Don’t dress like a tramp. You make the greatest impact in the first 17 seconds of the interview, and in that time all the interviewer really has time to take in is your personal hygiene, your wardrobe choices and your handshake. Keep colours subdued, patterns simple and do be conservative – gold lame mini-dresses are never good, least of all in an interview.
Even if your mind has gone blank and you’re feeling like an extra from Shaun of the Dead, remember not to zombify totally. Smile, make eye contact and sit up straight.
Research! Why are you better than the many other qualified, charming modern girls who have applied for this job? Read up, learn the facts and prepare a few sensible, relevant questions for the end of the interview.
Don’t smoke, drink, chew or blow gum bubbles during an interview. ‘Nuff said.
Yes, the interviewer wants a full answer – but not War and Peace. Don’t go rambling on and on and on. Keep your answers clear and focused. Also, on the subject of chit-chat, do not interrupt the interviewer or talk over the top of them. Make sure you listen properly to everything they say.
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Keep it shut rather than backstabbing and bitching your current company, colleagues or boss. Moaning and nastiness will send out the wrong vibes and you’re better than that.
When the person asks what your weaknesses are, use only the ones that can be turned around into a lesson learned or a positive. Think carefully about your qualities, skills and accomplishments to sell them without over-selling them. No one likes a show off.
Fit your interview banter to the job and the company you’re applying for. Practise the interview in front of a mirror or with a friend. Explain how your career history and education would benefit the company.
When your time is up don’t just go on about your salary expectations and what kind of package you desire; you should leave the interview with a firm goodbye speech stating why you want the job and why you’d be brilliant at it. And, again, a good, firm handshake.
Holly, 29
‘In my job as a recruitment consultant, I see it all. But the most impressive interviewees are those who have real passion and spark. They’ve done their research but they’re not boring you with it or asking you lots of questions. They want the job – they tell you as much. Their answers are short and to the point, and they look me in the eye when they’re telling me. My pet hate is fidgeters – I don’t trust applicants who can’t sit still. If you get nervous, sit on your hands or hold a copy of your CV to stop the wriggling.’

How to be impressive on the phone
Whether you’re doing a phone interview, a conference call or cold-calling a company you’d love to work for, a good telephone manner is essential. Try the following:
Smile – you can hear it in your voice
Keep a pen, paper and calculator to hand in case you need them
Don’t smoke, chew or slurp – those sounds travel
If you stand up your voice sounds stronger and more authoritative
Pace the call, don’t rush and let the other person speak
Avoid ‘er’, ‘um’, ‘huh’, and the rest they’ll make you sound dumb

Leave a comment | posted in HR Humor, Interview, Networking, Tips, Women

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