Duals & Duets on the Subject of Work

The Word is not yes! (and it's not NO PROBLEM, either)

You didn't get the job, and you were perfect for it. They needed to get A,B, and C, done, and you said, "no problem." And it wouldn't have been a problem, you're an old pro. Didn't they realize that?

Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on what you told them. And guess what? YES is the wrong answer to any question other than "Do you accept our offer?"

What's the right answer to interview questions? Chances are it includes a description, and action words, and adjectives.

How might you respond to a question like, Do you know how to make lemonade?

Saying yes does NOTHING to sell your knowledge and capabilities. But saying something like, "I like to start with Ponderosa lemons because they're juicier and sweeter than Eureka lemons..."

If you're a buyer who do you hire, the guy who said yes or the one who told you which lemons he'd use.

Don't just say yes. Sell yourself.

Talking about bucks

How much bacon do you want to be makin’?

How much green do you need?

What’s the spread of your bread?

What’s the stage of your wage?

There may be many ways to phrase the salary expectation question BUT there's only one way to answer it.

SAY: I WILL CONSIDER YOUR BEST OFFER.

Isn't that avoiding theuestion? You bet! And that's exactly what you should do. Why?

• Because once you give them a number, the interview becomes about the number and not the value you bring.
• The interviewer, consciously or unconsciously, weighs your answers to questions like: "Tell me about your biggest challenge" against the figure you gave them.
• They're no longer able to listen to unbiased. And the bias makes you either reasonable or unreasonable, a ripoff or a steal, an egomaniac or an idiot.

Everything becomes colored by the price tag.

Don't believe me?

Suppose you're in the market for a new car , you have 40k to spend, and a friend tells you that the Porsche dealer down the road over-ordered 2008 Porsche Caymans and that there's one on the floor available below sticker.

 

So you hustle over to the dealership. The Caymans are all either red or black, you'd love either color. What's the first question in your mind?

How much?

If the salesman's any good, he's not going to answer your question. He's going to tell you about the Tiptronic transmission and how you can shift between economy and sport. He's going to invite you to sit in the car so you can touch and smell the new leather. He's going to tune the radio to your favorite station so you can hear it through BOSE speakers. He'll do all this until you're salivating for a ride and once you've driven the car, fallen in love, and decided that you have to have it, well...the salesman's in a stronger position then when you first walked into the showroom,right?

Had the salesman told you 50k when you first walked into the showroom, you might have turned around and walked out. But now that you want the car, must have the car, you might just go find the money, sell a motorcycle, dip into your savings, forgo a trip to Hawaii...something.

So what's your next employer willing to spend on you? If you're good at what you do and you know how to sell your skill set, the later you discuss dollars the higher your price tag will be.

Interview Tips from Tippy

Do you have any questions?

There will be a trick question on your next job interview. It will seem innocuous. You’ll think it’s all about your needs, something a polite host asks a guest.

But guess what?

The way you answer it will speak mountains about you, your interest in the job and the company at which you are interviewing.

What’s the question?

                                       Do you have any questions?

The answer best not be “no”. Even if you’ve already interviewed with ten people on three separate interviews, even if you think you know more about this company than the one you currently work for.

You best have a question. Why?

It shows your interest in the company and the position.

It shows that you have thought about the job.

It shows that you’ve done homework on the employer

It invites a relationship and level of intimacy with the interviewer.

So, before you go to an interview, make a list of questions. Have them in writing and keep them in your folio or briefcase. And when the “Do you have any questions? question is asked, grab the list, and ask away.

Positioning Yourself

Think Bread

People hire for competence, ability, and proof that you can get the job done.

Companies hire consultants for their expertise. Companies hire employees for their experience, personality (they call it chemistry) and potential, even at executive levels.

Picture yourself as a loaf of bread (go with me on this.)

If you’re interviewing for a position as an employee, and you're a loaf of bread that’s done baking, the next thing for you to do is turn stale. Who wants to be around that for more than a day?

But, if you're interviewing for a contractor's or consultant's position, you want to be the bread just as it's coming out of the oven. No one wants to wait for you to finish baking, they're hungry for what you've go to offer right now. So stay warm, bring butter, and find someone who's hungry.

How you position yourself matters.