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13 Key Strategies to Plan for a Successful New Year

With 2023 only a couple of weeks away, business leaders are already deciding how their companies are going to forge ahead into the new year.

A company should always seek to improve itself and requires lots of small changes and “tweaks” over the years to achieve. Thirteen experts from Forbes Coaches Council examine a few techniques business leaders can implement as they start planning for the new year and explain why those methods are so important to achieving success.

1. Be Honest With Yourself

The hardest part of goal setting is being realistic. It’s easy to attempt to convert every dream into goals, but far from easy to convert those goals into achievements. Be realistic when planning for the new year. Consider tasks that take time and attention and be sure to incorporate recovery and relaxation. This will refine your “open” time for work and make goals truly achievable.

2. Conduct Your Own SWOT Analysis

In addition to setting a business strategy for the new year, be sure to set your own leadership strategy by conducting a personal SWOT analysis. Ask trusted, objective colleagues: “What are my top leadership strengths?”, “What are my top weaknesses?”, “What are my growth opportunities?”, “What are the internal (mindset) and external (marketplace) threats to my success?”. Plan your goals based on the feedback.

3. Humanize The Workplace

Planning for the new year starts with gratitude. It’s prudent to identify the highs and lows of the previous year. It’s also important for leaders to ensure that their team members understand the struggles and successes the organization had. Most importantly, pose a question to the team: “Where do we go from here, and what’s the work to be done?” Be prepared to do the work together with a clear goal.

4. Develop Growth Plans For The Team

We get so wrapped up in what happened last year and what we want to accomplish next year that leaders often forget the most important part of these goals—their team! They forget that it’s their team that led them to success so far, and it will be their team’s growth that will lead them to the new year they want to achieve. Work with these individuals and help them get personalized growth plans!

5. Take Time For Self-Reflection

It is vital that leaders make time to reflect on the year gone past in relation to goals, actions, values, successes, and, of course, their “best” failures of 2022! This gift of time to self-reflect allows leaders to take stock of what has and has not been accomplished and helps them pause and consolidate experiences in order to learn and focus on achieving more of what is desired in the year ahead.

6. Plan For Mental And Physical Strength

Most high-impact and ambitious leaders are excellent at planning professional goals, but they forget to secure time for energy renewal. I recommend looking at the 2022 agenda and plan for family events to participate in, friends’ reunions or routine outings to go to, winter holidays, summer holidays, and regular “me time.” All of this will ensure that you will be physically and mentally balanced in 2023.

7. Focus On Only A Few Priorities

Look at the overly ambitious goals we all seem to make every year and slow your roll. A few key priorities are enough to power up your 2023. To have a career vision, I recommend you get with your key players and really hone down those goals and get buy-in for the new year. For example, with three key priorities or bites of the elephant, you will have to-dos that will make your list long enough.

8. Practice SMART Goal Setting

When leaders are planning for a new year, it is important to begin with SMART goals. Goals are things you’d be proud to have accomplished within a certain time frame. SMART goals are strategic, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound with deadlines. The best goals have benchmarks and key performance indicators to measure success along the way.

9. Reinforce Being Strategically Agile

Setting the bar too high for your organization can leave your team feeling inadequate. Don’t forget to let your team know what things are important—and what things can shift based on the need of the business.

10. Be Ready To Give (And Take) Feedback

Despite what you may think about your workers receiving feedback about their performance, research shows that they not only want it, but they also want to give it to you. A whopping 65% of workers want more feedback. And that number swells to 80% for younger workers (76% of which also want to give their bosses feedback). So as 2023 kicks off, be generous with your feedback and open to criticism yourself.

11. Celebrate Wins And Acknowledge Losses

Wrapping up a year, and a decade at that, is an exciting time. As a leader reviews the wins and losses of the previous year, it is powerful to revisit the wins that were experienced. Acknowledging the misses through story will help ensure lessons are taken forward as valuable learning experiences. Casting a compelling vision will help generate momentum for a bright start to the new year.

12. Engage To Create Ownership

Incorporate employee engagement in your planning process. Ask for their input in two areas: 1) Ask them to identify issues and opportunities they think are critical for the company’s success. 2) Share the company’s top priorities and ask them how they think the company can best work toward those priorities. This gives you a chance to see a blind spot and creates ownership of the top priorities.

13. Keep Your Eye On The Three Horizons

The Three Horizons Model developed by Baghai, Coley and White in the Alchemy of Growth is a great way for leaders to start 2023 with clarity, drive and excitement. In Horizon 1, you’re clear about your core business and how to expand it. In Horizon 2, you’re focused on what aspects of the business you’ll build for growth. And in Horizon 3, you’re exploring new ideas that will shape your future.  – Courtesy of Forbes

If you are seeking a career change in 2023 and are seeking to locate opportunities, we are here to help!

Please visit www.enhancerecruiting.com and have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

How to Determine if an Employee is an A, B or C Player

Everyone wants as many A-Players as possible on the team. But what does an “A Player” actually look like?

To identify if an employee is an A, B, or C player, I consider 4 criteria:

1. What happens when you delegate to them?
2. What happens when you recruit?
3. What happens when they need to do something new?
4. What happens when they are blocked?

Now, to look at A, B, C players based on these criteria:

A Players

• When you delegate to them, you are confident it will get done
• When you recruit, you look for others that are similar
• When they need to do something new, they teach themselves
• When they are blocked, they ask for help

B Players

• When you delegate to them, they get it mostly done but need guidance
• When you recruit, you always look for someone better
• When they need to do something new, you have to guide them towards how to learn it
• When they are blocked, they waste time trying to figure it out inefficiently, rather than admit they are struggling

C Players

• When you delegate to them, you are worried it won’t get done well
• When you recruit, you purposefully look for someone very different
• When they need to do something new, you need to precisely show them exactly how to do it, and it often still gets done wrong
• When they are blocked, they rarely ask for help and instead, just let the project slip

While there are certainly other criteria a CEO can use, I’ve found this a good start to understanding who your A, B, and C players are. As you think about how to effectively manage each of these types, consider:

1. Set clear objectives and definitions for success

Everyone needs to be aligned on what the objectives are, and how success is being measured. A players will be eager to be a part of the process to define it. For B players, it’s important that they feel bought into the process, even if they may not contribute as much. C players will find excuses why the objectives are unachievable and success unrealistic.

2. Hold everyone accountable for delivering results

A very quick way to expose A, B, C players is truly holding everyone accountable for delivering results. Make it a practice of getting objectives and progress in writing. It is the only way people can be truly held accountable. A-players will be eager to participate, highlight their wins and comment on losses. B players will as well but maybe more reserved in how they share. C players will want to avoid this at all costs, because it exposes their failure to deliver.

3. Always (always!) let go of C players

The biggest mistake I’ve made in this area is keeping C players too long. I’d give myself excuses like:

• They are filling the role I need now
• It will be too painful to have that role empty
• It will be too annoying to find someone new

Every time, I have ultimately regretted not letting go of a C player sooner. C players drag down the team and create weak links in an otherwise strong chain. It takes some guts and leadership to make those changes, but it almost always is the right decision.

4. Coaching is used to turn B Players into A-Players

When you have a B player, that is a perfect opportunity for coaching, mentoring, and guidance. There are so many cases where after a period of time, a B player can step up into a B+ and ultimately an A. For C Players, coaching is difficult. By nature of being a C player, they are less likely to respond well to coaching or to even recognize that they have a need to improve. Thus, see point #3 on always letting go of C players.

To learn more or to apply for new opportunities please visit:

www.enhancerecruiting.com

 “WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?”

The last thing you want during a job interview is to be surprised. Walking into an interview, you may have layered on our deodorant and put on our best silk shirt. But – nothing can prepare you for that moment when someone asks you a question that totally stumps you. A candidate commented a particularly hard question: “why should we hire you?.

This question is honestly difficult for a multitude of reasons. For one, you don’t want to sound conceded or cocky, but you always have so much to say. I mean odds are, you are awesome and people SHOULD want to hire you! So how can you phrase your answer so that the interviewer knows this without saying, “I’m the best and that’s all you need to know?!”

“Why should we hire you” is one of those interview questions that you should practice learning how to answer in advance. You’ll most likely be asked this question in every job interview. Seriously. Every single one. So the more you are able to speak to yourself, the better you’ll be.

I’m going to provide a bunch of things you should and should not do when preparing this answer. If your brainstorming your answer – start with these questions:

• What makes you a good fit for this particular role?
• How does your past experience fit with this new experience?
• What skills and qualities do you have that make you a great fit for the role?

Keep It Simple

Because you’ve practiced your answer (right?!), your answer to “why should we hire you” should be succinct. Like short. Similarly to almost any interview question, you don’t want to be droning on and on for hours. Basically, don’t be like Hannah B from the Bachelor (please say you get this reference).

Don’t Focus on Being Simply A Hard Worker

A lot of people focus on their qualities when answering “tell me about yourself”. You know those people that self describe? People will say, “well I’m a hard worker, I’m proactive, etc.” Don’t be this person that solely self-describes and expects people to believe you. Just don’t. And I’ll tell you why.

You want to show your interviewer that you have these skills when talking about what you’ve done. Show them that you are a great fit for this role. Try and pull from your prior experience by saying that your past experience in (whatever your past experience is) combined with your passion for whatever the job is, makes you a great fit for the role. Bingo!

Talk Through Your Past Experience

Use this question to give a subtle plug about how your past work makes you a great fit for this role. Don’t worry about bragging about yourself – that’s LITERALLY the point of a job interview! In short, people want to know about you.

When you are preparing for the interview, think hard about what specific (seriously, get detailed!) experience from your past makes you a great fit for this job. Pull those experiences into this answer to say why someone should hire you – because you already know how to do the role!

Show That You Know The Role

When answering “why should we hire you”, you should also mention that you have a passion for the role you are applying to. As I say in almost every post similar to this one, people want to hire people who are excited about the job.

What Value do You Bring?

If the connection isn’t already made for the hiring manager (or even if it is), talk about what value you’d bring to the role. If you bring on your past experience, state that your past experience will allow you to bring value to the role that they couldn’t get elsewhere – you are unique!

Practice Your Answer

With any job interview, practice makes perfect. The more you can prep (yes take out that mirror!) your answer – the better off you’ll be.

Here’s your formula for answering the question, “why should we hire you”. Firstly, talk through your past experience that makes you able to crush this role right away, make it clear you know what the role entails, and talk about your passion for the role. Easy!

Again, you can say something like, “My experience in X, Y, and Z, combined with excitement for your industry makes me a great fit for this role. I’d be thrilled to have the opportunity to (whatever you’d do in the role).

If you are a PE certified Civil Engineer or in Manufacturing management or leadership and looking for new opportunities, we are here to help!

For a full list of open positions please go to www.enhancerecruiting.com

 

If you think it’s recruiters and hiring managers are ignoring you and your resume, think again.

Recruiting firms such as Enhance Recruiting, 98% of Fortune 500 companies, and a large number of mid-sized corporations are using some form of an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter through the thousands of resumes they receive for their positions.

It’s important to understand how the ATS works so that your resume gets seen, read, and doesn’t end up in a black hole.

If your applying to jobs online and getting little to no response, one of the first things that you should do is make your resume Applicant Tracking System Friendly.

What is an applicant tracking system (ATS)?

Whenever you apply for a position online it first gets processed by the ATS. In other words, before it ever gets into the hands of a recruiter or hiring manager at the organization, it gets processed through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This software helps recruiters by scanning for contextual keywords and key phrases, scoring them for relevance, and showing only the most qualified ones to the recruiter.

There are many software systems that keep job seekers from their dream jobs and there’s no guaranteed way of knowing how each recruiter will use the ATS, but there are best practices that you can implement on your resume to make sure it’s ATS-friendly.

1. Keep Formatting Simple

In order for the ATS to easily pull the text off your resume, you want to make sure you keep it simple. Complex templates, overemphasizing features, tables, and graphics are all things you want to stay away from. Again, keep the graphics to a minimum this is one of the most common mistakes because although aesthetically it may look better when going through a system the format can get distorted and take away from the “meat” of your resume.

Use a simple resume template and stick to standard formatting in common fonts like Arial or Verdana.

2. Nail the Correct Keywords

Every profession and industry has its own unique skills of lingo, jargon, software, responsibilities, and licenses – and the Applicant Tracking System is looking for them on your resume. This is why it’s a good idea to try to match and mirror the keywords you find on a job description and requirements to your resume.

3. Scan Your Resume 

A tool that will make it extremely easy for you to make sure you’ve got the proper keywords on your resume is a tool called Jobscan.co Once you copy and paste your resume and the job description into Jobscan.co, it will give you a score based on the scoring algorithms based on the top Applicant Tracking Systems.

This is a complete time-saver since you should be tweaking your resume for each position to make sure it’s getting through automated systems.

If you are in Manufacturing Management and/or Engineering please go to www.enhancerecruiting.com for more information or to apply for opportunities.

Having a job interview is exciting yet it could be nerve-racking. Congratulations, you passed the first hurdle!

Your potential employer thinks that you have the right experience and skills and they want to interview you.  You want to leave a good impression and do not want to blow your first job interview.

Here are some mistakes you should avoid during your job interview.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Mistake #1 candidates make is that they do not do their research. Do your research before each interview. Learn about the company, what they do, how big it is, and when and how it was founded. Impress your interviewers by providing answers that show that you did your research. Relate your interest in the role of what the company does and where it is going.

If you know the name of the people who are going to interview you, research them and find them on LinkedIn. Find out who they are, what their roles are, where they worked before, and what their interests are. If you have any common interests (for example, playing a similar sport or similar hobby, born in the same town), make a mental note. If an opportunity presents itself, mention this to your interviewers to build some rapport. People like that you took an effort to learn about them.

TAKE YOUR TIME

Mistake #2, it is a common practice nowadays to do a phone interview first before inviting the candidates for a face-to-face meeting. Over and over again, I had to cut short my phone interviews because job seekers often forgot which roles they applied for and started talking about a completely different company and a different role. While it is understandable that sometimes in pursuit of your first job you may have to apply for numerous vacancies, you have all the right to ask the interviewer to call you back at a more convenient time. Recruiters or managers would gladly call you back.  You can take your time to quickly look up the company and the role you applied for and have a quick preparation before the interview.

PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW

Mistake #3 preparing for an interview. If you are not prepared, it would be obvious during the interview.  Given the plenty of resources available online, you will simply be considered lazy.  You should prepare a short pitch about yourself and why you are interested in the role. Read through the role description or advert and identify what skills and experiences they are looking for and write down the questions they may ask you. Be prepared for behavioral-based questions, when you will be asked to give examples for various situations. Write down 2-3 main points and make them relevant to the role.  Practice your answers several times.

LISTEN TO THE QUESTIONS

Mistake #4 is not listening to the questions. There is nothing more annoying than hearing irrelevant answers. Listen carefully to the question and think why they are asking you this and make sure you do not deviate. Do not provide an answer for the sake of answering.

It is better not to answer immediately if you are a bit lost. Rather ask for some time to think about it. You can say: It is an interesting question, can I take a bit of a time to think? Sometimes, applicants assume that they should respond immediately, and they tend to ramble and waffle which can make them look rather stupid.

Don’t be afraid of silence and pause. Silence and pause are more powerful than you think.

Another alternative for difficult questions is that you may ask them if they can move on to the next and come back to this one later as you may need a bit more time to think about it. Another trick is that if you do not know or cannot provide an exact example, you can say that you can provide another one relevant to the situation.

STRIKE A BALANCE OF HOW MUCH YOU TALK

Mistake #5 is talking too much or too little. Be very careful how much you talk. You need to strike a balance. Try to answer to the point and provide concise answers. But at the same time make sure your answers are not too short. Simple “yes” or “no” answers are not enough. This is not an answer the interviewer is wanting. You need to elaborate and provide the context, example, situations, and solutions.

DRESS APPROPRIATELY

Mistake #6 is dressing inappropriately. You may like to be casual, and you believe that you should not be judged by your outfit. But the job interview is not only about you, the job interview is about interviewers.  Dressing appropriately is showing respect to others and showing that you are taking this seriously. It is better to overdress rather than underdress.

DON’T LOOK TOO DESPERATE

Mistake #7 is looking too desperate. Even if you feel like you want just any job, just give me my first job situation, never show this. Show you are enthusiastic and really interested in the role but do not tell the interview panel how much you need this role and you are prepared to work for free the first month to show how hardworking you are (yes, there was this kind of proposition). Exude confidence and show that you have a lot to offer.

Your first job interview is your first test. With every job interview, you will get more and more confident, and you will learn a lot about yourself.

If you are looking for new opportunities please go to www.enhancerecruiting.com and apply today!

 

Why Didn’t I get the Job!?

 

Did you think you nailed that interview, then didn’t get the job? With that in mind, I took some time to chat with other recruiters and hiring managers to figure out what their top job interview pet peeves are. Here are the most common along with some that might never have occurred to you (honestly, some didn’t to me).

1. LYING 

Let’s just get the most obvious out of the way first, shall we? You should not lie in the interview, but this also applies to “white lies,” “stretching the truth,” and certain forms of “spin.” Especially at larger companies, the recruiter or hiring manager will cross-check your work history and call references. Plus, lying means you’ll likely have a harder time keeping your story straight and even worse not be able to keep up once you are hired. The truth will come out, so make sure you are telling it in the first place.

2. NOT WRITING AN INTERVIEW THANK-YOU NOTE 

It really just takes 5 minutes to send a quick thank you email. If you don’t send a thank you (preferably within 24 hours) after a job interview, you’re not the right candidate. A thank-you note shows that you’re excited, but it also shows you’re capable of tying up loose ends on a project. Honestly, I’d recommend sending it within 2-3 hours of leaving the interview room. Send it to everyone who interviewed you that day—if you don’t have the contact information, look them up on LinkedIn. Still can’t find them, make sure to mention something like, “I’d also like to thank Susie for meeting with me as well, but don’t have her contact. Could you please let her know I appreciated her time?”

3. BEING A JERK TO THE RECEPTIONIST

Or on the elevator coming into the building—wherever it might be. “Our front desk assistant used to message me when interviewees arrived,” says Lauren, “And there were a couple of times where she’d say, ‘Heads up, this guy’s so rude.'” On tight-knit teams, everyone’s opinion matters. And you never know whether that day, it just so happens that the receptionist is actually your future colleague filling in for a few minutes. The interview starts as soon as you get out of your car and walking into the building and don’t break your interview state of mind until you’re safely back in the car, which brings me to my next point…

4. MAKING PHONE CALLS WHILE IN THE BUILDING 

I work out of a coworking space that also houses a renowned nonprofit that’s frequently interviewing for positions. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out into the hall to a conversation an interviewee is having on the phone either before or after their meeting, often discussing very clear details/grievances/sometimes even a lie (see #1 above) they got away with. Other recruiters told me similar horror stories where another member of their team happened to catch the elevator down with a candidate, only to hear everything they had to say about their experience. Not good!

5. SOUNDING REHEARSED 

So many articles tell you to prepare, prepare, prepare because you should. You absolutely should. You should also have your personal pitch down so you can sail confidently into an interview. But a job interview is also a conversation, which means that you should be able to flow naturally through these questions without giving canned answers.

The easiest way to solve this problem? Slow down. I know you’re nervous, so if you can’t crack a joke or two to break up the dialogue, that’s okay. But don’t hesitate to ask for clarification on a question or pause to think about how you can answer in a way that specifically applies to the job at hand. Pauses are much better than a robot vibe.

6. OR NOT REHEARSED ENOUGH

Do not come into a job interview without knowing everything you can. If you want the job, know the company inside and out, not just the department that you’d be working in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone talk to me about what they’d like to improve on in the editorial department but not know a single thing about the other projects we work on.

If you want the job, plan on spending at least several hours researching the company, your interviewer press about said company and anything you can find out about current projects. And if you’re not subscribed to their newsletter/following important social media accounts, you should be.

7. OVERSHARING / TALKING SMACK 

There will be that question, what don’t you like in your current role? You can be candid without telling your interviewer how much you hate your boss or what a toxic coworker you have. But there are some more subtle ways that oversharing takes a toll as well. One that we often talk about is how often people tell us that they applied because “I want a more flexible schedule so I loved that you have work from home days.” This may not be the way to go because we’re looking to hire someone who wants to work with us to build something, not because it’s convenient for them. Keep the focus on what you can do for the company you’re interviewing with and how excited you are about the potential role. By doing that, you’ll avoid most of the danger of oversharing.

8. NOT MAKING EYE CONTACT

A job interview is not just about seeing whether you’re qualified, it’s also about seeing whether you’d make a great part of the company culture. So try to keep yourself from fidgeting, make comfortable eye contact, sit up straight, and relax as much as possible. Of course, you’re going to feel nervous, but try to remember that the person on the other side of the table or computer screen is human—plus they’re probably a bit nervous, too. In the end, they’ll remember your personality as much as certain answers you give.

9. NOT HAVING QUESTIONS  

I will ask you whether you have any questions about the position. So will 99.9% of other hiring managers and recruiters. Have at least 2 questions prepared! Also, take note during your interview of one question that comes up as you’re talking with the hiring manager. This shows you were really listening to them while they were listening to you.

10. NOT HAVING A CLEAR IDEA OF YOUR SALARY REQUIREMENTS

You may get asked for your salary requirements, you may not. But if I ask you (which, frankly, I almost always do) and you say, “Well, I’m flexible…” NO! Have a clear salary range—usually a span of $5,000—and say it with confidence. Because in the end, if it’s close to our budget and we want you, we’ll find a way to make it work. And if it’s not? Then it’s not meant to be and you’ve saved yourself the exhaustion of follow-up interviews.

11. COMING TOO EARLY

We all know it’s not acceptable to come late to a job interview, but frequently, people show up for interviews 20+ minutes early. Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes: I’m rushing to get a project finished before my interview arrives, and suddenly, I get a call that she/he’s already here. I then have to put down what I’m working on and shuffle things around. Sometimes at smaller companies, there isn’t even a reception area so by arriving early, you’re disrupting the whole team. It’s great to get to your meeting with time to spare, but if you do, stay in your car until ten minutes before.

If you are preparing for an interview with us, please feel free to ask as many questions as possible, we are here to help you land your dream job!

Start now: www.enhancerecruiting.com

 

 

 

Are you making the final touches to your resume and ready to submit? Ready, set, GO!!!

As you wait, crickets….chirp chirp chirp.

What am I doing wrong?

There are so many resume do’s and don’ts and if you aren’t aware of these important tid bits, you may just be wasting your time.

Do:

DO focus on what is in it for the company.

DO talk about your accomplishments.

DO customize your resume for the job.

DO make every word and keyword count.

Don’t:

Don’t lie on your resume, EVER.

Don’t include anything irrelevant to the job description.

Don’t ignore details like spelling, grammar, and formatting.

Don’t overstuff your resume with too much information.

Yes, it takes time to reword your resume as it pertains to every job opportunity you apply to, however, in the long run, this will get you in the door to land your dream job. Now you are READY, SET, GO!

Here are some examples of good resume layouts from modern to professional.

–If you are a PE certified Civil Engineer or management level manufacturing professional and need assistance creating your resume, please reach out to us. We can assist you with your job search from start to finish. Go to www.enhancerecruiting.com for more information. Happy job hunting!

 

 

The dreaded phone interview, welcome to the new “norm”.

Why do we even have to go through these? What can a hiring team honestly figure out from a 10-minute phone conversation?

A lot. You would be surprised.

And think about it from their point of view: interviews take a long time and cost a significant amount of money in soft and hard dollar costs. If they can weed out the competition through a couple quick questions on the phone, wouldn’t they be fools not to?

Here are 8 easy and extremely effective tips for preparing for the phone interview in a previous blog.

 

#1 – Be professional when answering the phone.

SouSounds simple enough, but so many people miss this step.  When you answer the phone, the first impression is so important!

Pick up the phone, and professionally say, “Hello, this is                        .”

Think of it this way: the way you answer the phone for your interview should be the EXACT same way you would answer the phone if you were at work.

Any other way, and it truly sounds like you totally forgot about your interview.  Simply, “Hello?” makes it sound like maybe you were expecting it to be someone else.

You also want to be in a quiet place where you do not have background noise or distractions. Don’t answer the phone with your dog barking at the front door, while you’re driving in a rainstorm, or while you’re out running errands. Yes, these are all real examples.

 

#2 – SMILE

It’s so important to smile when you answer the phone because it can make a huge difference in your energy and how you sound on the phone.

A smile costs nothing and can make a world of difference.

 

#3 – Remember names

Keep a notebook in front of you, and when the panel or interviewer introduces themselves, write down their names so that you can thank them individually at the end of the interview.

If they don’t introduce themselves, and you have a natural break, you could ask, “And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?”

If you are invited to in-person interviews, you will most likely meet all or some of the people you speak to on the phone anyways.  Attention to detail goes a long way!

 

#4 – Don’t mumble or rush.

Try your best to take a breath, slow down, and speak clearly into the phone.

Your adrenaline will be pumping, so you will be likely to react accordingly, whether that’s rushing through your speech or speaking more quietly that normal.

Don’t use speakerphone, It can create a weird echo or generally make it harder for the panel to hear you. It can also expose your conversation to unexpected external noises in the background of your environment.

Also, don’t be playing with anything while you talk – particularly something that makes noise.  The panel will be left wondering what on earth you were doing while talking to them on the phone. Awkward.

 

#5 – If you need a minute, let your interviewer know 

It’s okay if a question takes you by surprise and the best answer doesn’t come right to your mind, but you need to ask your interviewer for a moment to think.

Remember, you can’t be seen, so if you simply sit pondering in silence, the panel may think they’ve lost the connection or that you’re just a fan of awkward silence.

Simply say something like, “Great question! Give me a quick moment to think about it.”  Then, go ahead when you’re ready.

 

#6 – Listen and don’t ramble 

You usually have about 10 minutes to really wow the interview panel. And you need to remember that a phone interview is still a conversation—not a one-sided presentation.

Listen intently to the questions asked, be human (conversational), and focus your answers on the most important, relevant information as it relates to the questions you are asked.

Do not try to exhale your entire resume in one breath!

The interview panel may not be able to pick out the key details in your exhaustive list of jobs, hobbies and accomplishments.  More than likely, they are interviewing several qualified candidates in one long, tiring session, so you need to make your responses concise and to-the-point to keep their interest.

Once again, having your prepared notes in front of you will help you focus on a few key things you want to share.

 

#7 – Keep it professional. 

This applies both to phone and in person interviews.  You want to stand out with experience and knowledge that relate professionally to the job you are applying for.

If the panel asks you why you want the job (a very common phone question), stick to the professional reasons you applied.

DO NOT waste your time by talking about how the reason you want to work for their organization is because of a personal reason, a friend works there or the office is close to your home. Research the company, know what they do in and out then apply it to how you can be an asset then nail this question!

You got this!

If you are a licensed PE & need assistance with your resume, interview tips or want to apply to one of our positions please go to www.enhancerecruiting.com

-The Enhance Recruiting Team