Korene's Blog

October 15th, 2010 2:13 PM

As a mortgage banker, I am often asked questions related NOT to mortgages but related to finances. One that I am asked a lot is "What do you(I) suggest for someone seeking a job. Here is my 6 best suggestions.

6 Suggestions for Job Seekers

A job search is the most emotional thing we do next to dealing with the death of a spouse, a child, a parent or divorce. I want to offer these suggestions to job seekers in all career stages:

• Find employers with "pain" and sell yourself hard as the problem-solver.

• Don’t focus on time. No one can tell you how long the search will take, so turn all your attention to the process.

• Focus on doing well in the interview – not on getting the job.

• Manage your expectations of recruiters. They will only contact you if they think you fill a client’s need.

• Keep your résumé to no more than two pages.

• For employed job seekers, be prepared to explain why you’re looking to make a change.

Culture and personal growth are cited most often as the primary reasons people leave jobs. "No matter what is your reason, be prepared to explain why you have decided to look for a new employer." Just wanting "to stick my toe in the water to see what’s out there" is not the mentality that will sustain you through a job search, so don’t do it if that’s your reasoning.

Whether or not you have a job no longer matters to recruiters or to the people who might hire you, but if you are employed while in job search, it is actually harder to pursue your search — all the calls, meetings, research, paperwork, etc. that is necessary.

Winning Interviews: Converse. Connect. Convince.

In a recent live webinar program, executive coach Judy Rosemarin shared with members her views on interviewing, focusing on: ways to maximize the interview so that you can not only put yourself at ease, but put the interviewer at ease; learn how to get out of sticky situations; handle difficult and dreaded questions; and ask the right kinds of questions in order to keep your interview moving ahead.

"To convince others that you have value to their company, you must first convince yourself that the purpose of the interview is simply to get another interview. The purpose of a job interview is not to make you squirm or engage in combat," Rosemarin explains. "The interview is an opportunity to develop rapport, develop trust and to get to the next interview."

• Pity the Interviewer. The next time you are in an interview, think about how you can make the interviewer feel comfortable. When interviewing, you need to have spent time before the interview thinking not just about why you should be hired, but what you do that is different. What do you increase? What do you decrease? What do you maintain? If you can answer those three questions in your elevator pitch, you will be convincing.

• Always focus on the interviewer. The interview is about solving the interviewer’s needs and nightmares. It’s all about getting the interviewer comfortable enough to move you on to the next person or next step.

• Dreaded questions: You can handle them. "Tell me about yourself?" If you know what your value is, you need to show it as soon as you can. First, focus on what you’ have most recently done; think about it not as a description of the past but as present, past, future.

• The usual questions: Write out responses to expected interview questions, but don’t memorize them. Memorized answers come out too stiff and rehearsed.

• Getting un-stuck. The person selected is the person who feels familiar, comfortable and is liked by the interviewer. What happens if your interview gets stuck? Ask good "oil" questions. In the same way you’d oil a door that sticks, you can oil a conversation. Oil questions reflect back to the person that you’have heard them and want clarification. There are five types of "oil" questions:

1. Opinion

2. Open-ended

3. Closed-ended

4. Menu-driven

5. Clarifying

• The end of the interview. Effective interviewing is also about looping back. Be sure you tie back part of the conversation you had in a positive upbeat kind of way. You want to add a little piece about yourself and your enthusiasm.

Good Hunting and Successful Results.

Another question I get asked a great deal is related to someone's mortgage. How can I fix my mortgage? My answer is always the same. Let's make an appointment and go over your financial picture, your goals, dreams, and desires. Neither I not any mortgage originator worth your trust should give you a "one-size" fits all answer. You don't phone in your physical symptoms to your dentist, doctor, tax practioner, or attorney, because there are just too many unknown...I never want to give advice without making sure it is appropriate to YOUR circumstances.

Call me and we will work to make sure you are not paying more than you need to to have and enjoy your home.

Posted by Troy Landrum on October 15th, 2010 2:13 PMPost a Comment (0)

Subscribe to this blog