I had lunch today (Jason’s Deli) with my buddy, Art Weeast, here in Park Meadows.  If you don’t know Art, he is the guy that started the LinkedIn group “The Art of Networking,” a unique networking approach that serves to help out-of-work people with their goals of finding a job, while, at the same time, providing support and camaraderie.

Art’s approach is unique in that he encourages job-seeking members to share open opportunities with one another and, if there is anybody else in the group that might be a fit for a position, to share all information with that person.  “Wait a moment,” you are probably saying to yourself.  “That sounds socialistic. How would I feel about giving away a job I *desperately* need to a competitor?”

Well, you’d be both right and wrong.  Whereas there IS a socialistic aspect to Art’s approach, it actually follows a pretty standard mathematical model that we saw expressed in the movie “A Beautiful Mind” and which is developed from the works of John Nash, the subject of the movie.

The theory on which this is based, a subset of Game Theory, is that if you compete for the same hard-to-reach goal, then you expend unnecessary energy in competition, and the results are marginalized.  However, if you work collaboratively, you both stand to come out ahead.  This is known as a “Coordination Game” and will result in higher rewards for all who choose to participate.

Art’s approach seems to be working very well, with candidates for the same position pooling information and encouraging the others in the pursuit.  Even if one gets the job, the remaining members of the group do not feel slighted, since it happened for a buddy.  Also, the support and encouragement of the few that didn’t land the job count immeasurably to the candidate who *did* land the job.  As a result, should another opening present itself at the hiring company, there is a very small pool of “almost-rans” who might still be approached to fill the secondary spot.

On another topic entirely, I’ve been working with a consulting agency lately who approach IT projects at their clients with a “concierge” approach, basically helping companies with complicated IT projects by stepping in and running the projects from “soup to nuts”, including on-the-ground architects, midlevel staff and support staff.  The approach is novel and working, from what I can tell, and I’m helping them find both Active Directory and Virtualization candidates around the country, including Southern California, Boston, New York and, of course, Denver.

If you are an Active Directory (AD) guru, and have implemented at least four distinct AD implementations, designing the approach, presenting to C-level management, and then spearheading the rollout, then I probably want to speak with you.  Ditto if you have implemented Enterprise Virtualization multiple times.

Got a question?  Post it to me at Lou@TalentRecruiters.net

Scott Birkhead makes an excellent observation for job seekers.

When reading this article, please remember that when you interview for a job, you are a sales person. The product you are selling?  YOU!

Enjoy!

Link:  Scott’s Article

Stop Getting “Maybe” in Interviews By Working Harder to Get to No.

Maybe…

I hate that answer. Of all the things that can happen when I sell, the very worst is when the client looks at me, smiles politely, and says “I’ll think about it,” “I’ll get back to you,” “I need to talk it over with someone” or any other form of maybe.

From experience, I know that “maybe” is most likely a non-confrontational no, so the person is not convinced.

But unlike a brave no, I get no feedback.

Selling is a process of ‘homing in’ on each target, like a rader-guided missile into an enemy aircraft. Those systems literally ‘find’ their way to a hit by comparing flight and position data with a moving goal, computing whether its current flight path will end up with a ‘hit,’ and making adjustments when necessary.

Maybe gives me no data for adjustment.

I want a strong yes. I will take a ‘hell no.’ But maybe is terrible. If I get a yes or a no, it means that I’ve done several things well:

1. I’ve been clear in my message.

2. People know where I stand and what I am all about.

3. They know exactly what I want them to do and why.

4. They know what they’re going to get and how much it will cost.

If they say yes, I know I’m on track. If they say no, at least I can steer or re-work my message (or completely change tactics if I need get too many in a row).

But the ‘maybe’ gives me nothing.

Many of my clients leave interviews (selling meetings) with neither a firm yes or a firm no. In fact, often they’ll take the absence of a ‘no’ to mean they’ve had a great interview. Then things just seem to fizzle…they’re always in the running, but never come out with the job offer.

That’s why you should be selling for the ‘no.’

What does that mean?

Literally you should be figuring out all the reasons a company might say ‘no’ to you, and then using your time with them to explore them in as much detail as you can.

That’s the opposite of what most interviewers do! Trust me, I know…I’ve interviewed probably 7000 people in my life, and most people are there with only one objective – highlight the good, hide the bad, and do anything necessary to get someone to say yes.

It results in a lot of amateurish sales behaviors – the ones you find so icky when they’re practiced on you: manipulating, whining, lying. You know, the things that make you cringe when you think of yourself as a ‘salesperson.’

That’s why selling for a ‘no’ is so much better and easier.

Most of the time when you find and investigate a particular reason for someone not to hire you, you’ll both realize it’s not a legitimate issue. Most of the reasons you get eliminated aren’t – skill set minutia, ‘overqualified,’ titles, etc.

When you dig into these reasons with a decision maker, you find most are like soap bubbles – they pop and go away without a trace. (Different story with HR people, but that’s another blog post).

Other times you’ll find a reason that IS valid – values, challenges you haven’t solved (and could be damaging if you fail), management style differences and the like.

When you dig into these, you’ll still get eliminated, but at least you’ll know WHY! And most of the time you’ll be OK with it (after all, if they have completely different values, you don’t want to work there anyway!)

Often, these no’s tell you that you’re exactly on track with your marketing messages – if you’re getting no for the right reasons, that is a WIN!

But often, the digging will reveal that you have much in common with them. And it will reveal that you’re a good digger, which tells them you care enough to ask great quetions, and are professional enough to only commit where you know you can make an impact.

That’s the true beauty of selling for a no – when there are no more no’s, people readily, eagerly say YES.

When preparing for an interview, remember to not overlook the importance of a first impression.  Get your hair cut well, trim your nails, bathe…all the usual things.

But when you first walk into the office for an initial interview, the first thing that anybody will notice about you is how you are dressed.  Especially your shoes.

Shoes are the key to how you portray yourself.  If they are scuffed and worn, that leads somebody who doesn’t know you to assume that you don’t pay attention to detail, that your habits are shoddy, and that you don’t really care.  These are not the things you want people to think upon first impression.

Also, never underestimate how it feels to be dressed well.  If you are applying for a position where the dress code is known to be casual, then showing up in a suit is a bit of a slap in the face.  Gone are the days when a suit for an interview was the rule.  Nowadays, especially in IT, it is the exception.  Ask your recruiter, or your interviewer, before the interview, if a suit is appropriate.  You may be surprised when it is not.

Finally, as Bill Vick states in his article below, dressing well imbues the candidate with confidence and a twinkle in the eye.  There is an old adage about communication being 85% nonverbal, and only 15% what you say.  An interview is a highly focused event, with both sides making grand, leaping conclusions about the other side.  It is in your best interest to make yourself as “strong” as possible when you walk in that door for the first time.  Dressing well, feeling confident, and being nice are only the beginning.

Enjoy Bill’s article, below:

Home URL:  http://su.pr/2cRdFl

Dressing Up For a Job Interview

Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 posted by Bill in Employment News, Interviewing

Dressing up is one of the most important parts in preparing for a job interview. You cannot simply overlook this. During the interview, your attire would be the first one to speak for you. You’ve already got the interviewer’s attention even if you have not spoken your first word.

“Dress to impress” should now be your favorite motto. Every serious job hunter should take this one seriously, that is, if you want to give a good lasting impression on the interview itself.

But what should you wear?

Needless to say, in any interview, you should first wear the right attire.  Right would first mean appropriate. Before applying your personal style, make sure you know what dress code is required. You could probably take a second look at the invitation. If it’s not otherwise indicated, you could call the HR just to be sure.  Some industries or fields may require a different set of dress codes so be aware of those too. And oh, do not wear casual attire for a formal job interview.

Here is another reason why you should aim for this. You do not just impress them with your clothes. If you are confident about the way you look, that would most likely add up to your total package as an applicant. On the other hand, if you’re worried about something, that would be obvious too.

But if you want to impress, you should do more than dress up right.

Most of the time, you would be wearing the standard business or professional attire. This would include the classic suit and necktie. Common colors for men’s suit would be black, navy, or gray, which are best matched with dress shirt and silk tie. You socks should match the shoes, which can be either black or brown. Brown leather shoes are for a brown suit.

Just make sure every piece of your attire is well coordinated. Be as conservative as possible.

Dress shirts not only come in many colors and designs, they’re also made of different materials. There are silk dress shirts, linen dress shirts, and the most popular cotton blend dress shirts. Keep in mind that silk and linen wrinkle more easily, while cotton dress shirts wrinkle less. As for color, white is always the first choice.  It’s also the safest choice.  White goes well with other colors.  White creates the perfect contrast whatever the color of your suit and tie. Practically, it’s easier to match accessories with white.

If you would rather not wear white, choose pale and lighter shades of colors like blue, pink, and yellow. Note, though, that you are also setting a limitation as to which tie color you can have.

Standard silk ties are the most common type of tie. Consider the shirt or suit’s color when choosing the tie. You can get any colored tie for white shirts, but not with colored ones. Solid, warm colors are most desirable.

There are many designer brands of men’s suits like Armani, which may be worth investing in. The quality is unquestionable and could last more than that of other, cheaper suits. There are still good discount suits to favor a limited budget that could look just as great, too.

Cinthia McDonald invites you to check out the latest neckties offered at The-Perfect-Necktie.com.  They are specialists in bow ties, mens neckties and mens accessories; you’re sure to find something to your liking.

I had the good fortune to meet with the Denver IT Exec Group today at my offices.

Watching them network with one another, sharing ideas, building rapport and truly seeking to better themselves, I was encouraged by the camaraderie and the good humor.

I always enjoy meeting with them and, as I mentioned today at the meeting, I always learn something.

Greetings!

You’re looking at our brand new website!

Like it? Have suggestions? Drop us a note at the “Contact Us” button up above!

We will continue to build this site to answer questions from both job-seekers and job-providers alike. We intend to build an interactive community wherein we educate as well as learn.

Enjoy!

Lou Berger
Senior Recruiter