Tips for interviewing from home.

Many of us are working from home since the pandemic.   The comfort of home can create habits that we may not consider when preparing for a job interview done using teleconferencing.  Here are some tips to insure a successful conversation that are focused on having a professional presence.  We will discuss interviewing tactics in a future piece.  

What does your home workplace look like?  Is it a spare room dedicated solely to work or is it a multi purpose room that your family uses as well?  In either case you should be aware of what a viewer will see when your camera is turned on.  Now is a good time to see.  Turn on your camera and look at the view.  Does the background appear cluttered?  Are there non work things in view like posters, etc?  Take a moment to insure that what is viewed by others is professional, even if that means that you have to provide a neutral background by clearing items or placing a temporary partition behind you. 

One of the great benefits of working from home is a chance to dress more casually and be comfortable.  That may be appropriate at times but treat this like you are meeting with a client for the first time.  Attire should be professional.  

Many of us benefit by being able to spend additional time with our children when working from home.  Pet lovers are often pleased to have their pets nearby as well.  Again, not appropriate for an interview.  Animals should be excluded from your work area for this time, preferably secured in an area of your home that will prevent anyone from overhearing barks.  Children should be instructed not to enter the room during the conversation and you would probably be best served to have someone babysit, visit a friend or other family member or be dropped off at an activity like a sports practice prior to the meeting.  You should also place a note on your main entry to your home telling potential visitors that you are unavailable and please don't knock or ring the door bell.  

These are just a few items to consider to insure that you are perceived in the best possible way.  Good Luck! 

Did you know?

I enjoy doing business with people that I know preferring the comfort of doing business with professionals that I have built relationships with. It is tough to establish bonds on social media/professional networking sites or by phone but that doesn't mean that we can't try. Today I am going to offer some things that you may not know about me. 

1. I grew up in the small steel town of McKees Rocks, PA which is less than 5 miles down the Ohio River from downtown Pittsburgh.  

2. I was an only child. My father was a crane operator and my mom a housewife.

3. Growing up I was a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers. I still passionately follow the Pirates.  

4. My first job was in high school working as an usher in a Pittsburgh movie theater. When I graduated I was promoted to manager of the Fiesta Theater.

5. I left college after 2 years to pursue a career.  I started in consumer finance as a manager trainee which was really a nice title for a "bill collector." 

6. Two years later I was promoted to manager. In coming years I was transferred to San Antonio, Corpus Christi and finally Orange, CA which is how I settled in California.

7. I left the consumer finance industry and became a mortgage lender where I helped families obtain their first homes. I also managed groups of other mortgage professionals taking pride in helping them establish their careers and helping others.  

8. I once again changed careers and became a recruiter when we moved to Morro Bay, CA. We had long planned to retire here but decided to move earlier and enjoy our favorite place.

9. My wife and I have been married for 26 years and our daughter is 30.  

10. I have always been a dog lover and we have 2 dogs. You probably remember seeing them in some of my posts.

11.  I am a devout Christian, very active in our community through Church, Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. I am on hiatus from Rotary and the Chamber.

Your LinkedIn Profile, Start Strong.

There is so much to say about building an effective profile & more than we can cover in 1 piece.  Let's start at the top & work from there!  We will follow up regularly with more over coming weeks.  

You are on LinkedIn for a reason, to be noticed!  It may be to increase business. It may be to meet like minded professionals and exchange ideas.  You may be interested in being contacted for job opportunities or becoming more recognizable in your field.  If you have a profile, make it work for you.  

The most important area that viewers will see is your pic.  First impressions are huge.  Insure that you have a professional photo & by all means, SMILE! People like to do business with friendly, pleasant people.  Make sure that they see that immediately when viewing your profile.  

The banner is a rather new item that can pay dividends.  It is a chance for you to use color, graphics, etc and make a statement about your firm or you personally.  Colors and graphics standout.  You can use Canva, free of charge, to create yours.  Take advantage! 

Let's talk next about your intro.  Use your headline effectively.    That may include keywords or a short statement regarding your value proposition.  Keywords are great because they help your profile rise when someone is searching using those words.  While editing your intro be sure to complete all fields so that it easier to be found and contacted.  

That's all for today.  Take a few minutes and make some well considered changes!  Talk to you soon.  

Recruiting for Hiring Managers Part 1

You would think that recruiting should be pretty straight forward.  You have an opening, people apply & you pick one.  Reality is much more complex, especially in today's market.

People are inundated with information from emails, social media and various other media.  Most tune out & your message is lost.  Additionally,  the world of hiring has changed.  Interviews are now more of a discussion and it is incumbent for a leader to clearly articulate what expectations that they have but also why someone that is successful should leave a company that they are doing well with.  What is your firm's unique value proposition?  What attracted you to the company?  What excites you today?  What growth opportunities to you see for the person that you are interviewing?  Be ready to discuss these things. 

Further, you should inquire about where they work.  Ask the same questions that I just noted.  Listen closely & be prepared to discuss how you may be able to better help them accomplish those things.  What things would they like to improve?  Don't accept that everything is fine.  Nothing is 100% satisfactory.  Maybe quiz about their last promotion, how their supervisor helps with difficult clients, how does their compensation package work?  These types of questions will help you to learn ways that you may demonstrate value that their current firm doesn't provide as well as gain market intelligence.  

Capitalism, Ingenuity, Benevolence, Opportunity

It is popular today to have feelings of jealousy &  rage toward many of our business leaders.  Undoubtedly there are some scoundrels as there have been throughout history.  Unfortunately many do not receive the deserved credit for their ingenuity, benevolence and the opportunities that they provide.  I don't know how Henry Kaiser was viewed in his day but he was certainly notable as a leader and visionary.  

From a humble beginning as the son of a shoemaker Henry founding his first company in 1914 at the age of 32.  His paving company was among the first to use heavy construction equipment.  The firm grew rapidly winning contracts to build roads & later was a prime contractor on the Hoover Dam as well as the Bonneville & Grand Coulee Dams.  He went on to build shipyards that were instrumental in building our naval fleet that was instrumental in WWII.  He companies were noted for the speed that they were able to build ships.  

In 1942 he opened Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital to provide care for injured workers in the shipyards.  The field hospital opened with 10 beds, later expanded to 160 (1944) and evolved to today's Kaiser Permanente which provides care for 12 million and employs over 300K.  It was the 1st voluntary group plan in the US to feature group medical practice, prepayment & substantial medical facilities on a large scale.  He went on to open automobile manufacturer Kaiser-Frazier which also owned the Jeep brand in the 50s & 60s before being sold in 1970.  

From humble beginnings Kaiser has positively impacted the lives of millions for generations for over 100 years.  When celebrating our Independence Day look at leaders like Kaiser to learn what anyone can achieve in the US.   

Jonas Salk, An American Hero

Heroes come from all backgrounds & aren"t necessarily war heroes.  In 1952 polio was a devastating disease affecting 60K American children, causing more than 21K cases of paralysis and killing more than 3K children.  As recently as 1980 there were 400K cases worldwide.  

A pioneer in the vaccine for polio was Jonas Salk.  Salk became director of the Virus Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh in 1947 receiving funding from the precursor to the March of Dimes to develop a vaccine for polio.  Contrary to prevailing scientific opinion at the time Salk believed that using a "killed" polio virus would immunize without the risk of infecting the patient.  He administered the vaccine to volunteers including himself, his lab scientists and his wife & children.  All developed anti-polio antibodies with no negative reaction.  National testing began on 1 million children in 1954 & the vaccine was found to be safe and effective.  The vaccine became widely available in 1956 & by 1962 the number of US cases dropped to 910.  By 2019 there were only 94 cases worldwide.  

Salk spent his last years researching a vaccine for AIDS passing on 6/23/95 at age 80.  His contributions have saved the lives & prevented paralysis of millions.  Dr. Salk is a true American Hero.  

Learn more about Dr. Salk at https://lnkd.in/gkS-bEe

 “Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality."  Jonas Salk

The Value of Communications

When is the last time that you called clients that had declined a proposal that you made? When did you last call a past client that you haven't provided services for recently?

Before any company can provide consulting services those services must be sold. It is imperative that everyone that provides technical services works to expand the revenue of the company and that starts with business pursuits.

I encourage you to start today. Identify the last 10 proposals that you were involved with. Also identify 10 clients that your firm has not provided services for recently but has in the past. Develop a strategy to pursue each one. At worst you are told that your services are not needed at this time, but, you now have begun to strengthen that relationship. At best you may have a lead for a new project.

Don't send an email or text. Pick up the phone or go to visit. You will be glad that you did.