The Best (and Worst) Questions Asked by Interviewees

By Lin Grensing-Pophal

 

 

“Do you have any questions for us?”
If you’ve landed an interview, you know that question is coming. One thing is certain: “Nope, I think you’ve covered everything” is the wrong response. That kiss-of-death answer can communicate a lack of interest in the position and a lack of preparation.
our interviewers expect you to ask intelligent questions, and may even make a hiring decision based on what you ask. Part of your interview prep should include thinking of effective questions to ask your interviewer. The questions should be well-thought-out and pertinent and should convey a positive impression of you. Sarah Hulsey, talent manager with Rising Medical Solutions Inc. in Chicago, says: “I expect interviewees to have some questions for us. In fact, if they come to the interview unprepared, it definitely detracts from their viability as a candidate.” Some good questions she’s received include:

• “How does your company perceive its culture?”
• “Can you describe the relationship between the hiring manager and the team?”
• “What sort of culture initiatives does your company engage in to motivate and keep employees?” Stephanie Daniel, a career transition expert and vice president at Keystone Associates, a career management company with offices in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, offers some additional suggestions:
• “Is there a work issue that keeps you up at night? And, given what you know about my background, is there a way I could help address it?”
• “What is the most gratifying aspect of the work you do for the company?”
• “I’m sure you have a number of goals you’d like to achieve in the coming year. Do you have a particular one that is top priority?”
• “How would you describe the top performers in this company?” Tracy McCarthy, senior vice president of HR at SilkRoad Technology, a talent management firm headquartered in Chicago, recommends asking what your performance would be rated on and how soon you would be rated. “Not many people ask this,” McCarthy says, “but it is a great question to ensure that the candidate understands what the performance criteria are. It also shows that the candidate is focused on and motivated to meet metrics and performance expectations.” Remember how your teachers told you there’s no such thing as a bad question? In an interview setting, that’s not entirely true. Among the questions that are likely to turn off your interviewers:
• “Do I have to pass a drug test to take this job?”
• “What kind of vacation leave do you offer, and how soon after you’re hired can you start taking it?”
• “How do raises work here?”
• “Could you tell me about your work/life balance policy?”

Questions like these, or any others that are related to pay, benefits or personal perks, should be held for discussion after an offer is made.
In addition, avoid asking questions that you could have (and should have!) easily found the answers to through your research about the company. With all of the information available today via the Internet and social media, there is no excuse to ask basic questions such as “Could you tell me more about what your company does?”

http://www.shrm.org/HRCareers/Pages/0112questions.aspx

Building Communication Skills to Be a More Effective Manager

By Kelly Botto

 

 

Communication is a critical skill for any HR professional. But for those hoping to move into managerial ranks, it becomes even more critical. Workplace communication can run the gamut from composing important e-mails to running a staff meeting to delivering difficult messages—maybe even delivering presentations to board members or shareholders.The first step for improvement: conducting a communication skills assessment.
An assessment will help you pinpoint areas that need improvement. Perhaps you need to beef up your presentation skills. Or, you may need to improve your one on-one or small-group interactions. Maybe you need to learn to deliver difficult messages well, or maybe you need to work on your communication via technology, such as by e-mail.
Seek opinions from others. Ask a trusted colleague to give you constructive criticism about your communication abilities. For instance, if you need to improve your presentation skills, the colleague can help you target where to start: Do you need a stronger introduction? Are you able to effectively engage your audience? Are you dynamic? Are you defensive in addressing questions? Getting specific feedback will help you further strengthen your skills.
Once you have completed your assessment and know which skills need sharpening, you can then focus on improving your techniques. Here is a six-part framework to consider when developing a more effective communication strategy:

1. Who is the audience? Are you speaking to board members, colleagues at a staff meeting, new clients, a department, the entire organization or an external audience? Consider the setting as well—there is a vast difference between a one-on-one meeting, a small-group gathering or a speech in front of thousands. Know your audience and what they are looking for. Communication is not one-size-fits-all; it should be customized for each specific group.
   
2. What is the goal? What are you trying to accomplish with this communication? Are you giving a report or trying to start a dialogue? Are you answering questions or asking them? Are you brainstorming ideas or trying to solve a business issue? Think about what you need as an end result as a way to frame the communication.
   
3. What are the messages? You may want to relay one main message or several. It is important to be succinct and to have a deep understanding of your messages so you can get your point across successfully. If you aren’t able to clearly articulate your messages to another person without stumbling, you need to develop them further.
   
4. What is the content? The content is the actual information you will include in the communication. How will you structure the information? What is the best format? What is the sequence? What technologies will you need, and do you have a mastery of them?
   
5. Where can I get feedback? Reach out to others for feedback. Where does your communication style need strengthening? Are the messages clear? Does information need to be added, removed or more clearly explained? Many of us develop “tunnel vision” when crafting a speech, proposal or presentation, and a fresh set of eyes can lend depth and perspective to the project.
   
6. How can I refine it? Use the information gathered from your feedback sources to polish your communication.

Effective communication is vital to being a successful leader. Yet, most of us could use improvement in at least one area of communication. If you identify that area and follow this framework for honing your skills, you can develop the skills that will prepare you for a management role.
Kelly Botto is a partner at Camden Consulting Group (www.camdenconsulting.com) in Boston. She specializes in the management of Camden’s strategic coaching programs as well as driving business development and client relationship management.


http://www.shrm.org/HRCareers/Pages/0112botto.aspx

The Unwritten Rules of Successful Mentoring

By Lin Grensing-Pophal

 

 

Working with a mentor continues to be a great way to build professional skills and make valuable connections that can boost job search possibilities.“Mentors can have a significant impact on your personal and professional growth and may also offer access to connections that can be key to landing a job,” says Carolyn Hughes, vice president of People at SimplyHired.com. “Mentors can introduce you to connections they’ve nurtured throughout their careers that can lead to opportunities for informational interviews, job interviews and the ability to get your resume into the hands of people at companies that interest you.”
But, while mentoring has been a fairly common business practice for a number of years, not all relationships are fruitful. Some “unwritten rules” of mentoring can help ensure success. v Make your goals explicit, advises Lois Zachary, president of Leadership Development Services in Phoenix and co-author of The Mentee’s Guide(Jossey-Bass, 2009). “The responsibility for keeping the focus on your learning lies with you,” she says. She recommends that mentees work with their mentors to create SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and timely) learning goals.
“Establish relationship ground rules and confidentiality safeguards,” Zachary adds. Don’t use a mentor just for his or her connections, advises Heather Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended in the Washington, D.C., area. “You are creating a relationship that is about leveraging your mentor’s experience and insights, not about exploiting their Rolodex.” Once trust and respect have been established, Huhman says, mentees can benefit from the introductions their mentors can make for them.
When choosing a mentor, don’t limit yourself to only people with a similar background to yours or who are in a position to which you aspire. “There is real value in working with a mentor whose background might be different,” says Deb Busser, a partner at Essex Partners. “Push yourself out of your comfort zone to work with someone who can bring a fresh viewpoint to your relationship.”
Finally, Busser adds, “Be considerate to your mentor. This is a two-way street.” Respect your mentor’s time by meeting at locations that are convenient for him or her. Don’t expect the mentor to pick up the bill—split it or offer to pay. Send a note or card between meetings to let him or her know how you’re doing. The bottom line: “Make sure they get something out of it, too.”

http://www.shrm.org/HRCareers/Pages/0112mentoring.aspx

What Are Today’s Companies Looking For?

1/25/2012  By Lin Grensing-Pophal      For HR job seekers who find themselves in job search mode for the first time in several years, the environment may look startlingly different than it did the last time they were seeking a job. The game has changed—and so have the players.Today’s job seekers are competing with a broad-ranging and diverse group of competitors that span every generation and offer a mix of talent and skills that encompasses everything from strategy and leadership to advanced skills in technology and social media. Even the terminology is changing. Raellyn Kovich, an associate partner with Bell Oaks, an executive search firm based in Atlanta, says the term “HR business partner” has replaced the popular “HR generalist.” That change represents more than simply semantics. “It comes with an expectation of understanding business and partnering in ways beyond benefits, recruiting and employee relations,” she says. HR leaders who hold an MBA or who have spent time working in operations, marketing or the customer side of the business are becoming highly desirable, she notes. The ability to create employee engagement and to manage change effectively are two additional skills that successful HR job seekers must have, Kovich says. But these skills have also evolved. “HR leaders must have experience in driving employee engagement beyond just executing employee surveys,” she says. And, when it comes to change management, HR professionals need to be able to see the big picture and act quickly. Businesses hit hardest by the recession, such as manufacturing and building industries, she says, have taken advantage of this time to “invest in their own infrastructures in order to proactively tackle new market share when things turn around.” Those changes represent challenges for employees and the HR professionals who lead them. “Some employees who have been successful for years may not be able to make the leap forward into the new way of doing things. Helping people through the transition into success on the other side will typically fall to HR.” Technology, of course, is a big game changer and can represent big benefits to HR job seekers, says Tracy McCarthy, senior vice president of HR at SilkRoad Technology in Chicago. “Social networking is the latest and greatest way to connect and network,” she says. “If you’re not a part of the online networking communities, you are at a disadvantage.” Networking and technology can help HR job seekers build their personal brands, she says. “Proactively reach out to people you know and get your name out there. Even acquaintances can help you find good leads.”

Hot New HR Role: Global Talent Management Leader

By Lin Grensing-Pophal

 

 

Salveson Stetson Group, a retained executive search firm in Radnor, Pa., predicts that one of the hottest and hardest to fill HR positions over the next five years will be that of global talent management leader.As more companies compete globally, they will need to manage an increasingly global workforce—but the pipeline of leaders with experience managing a company’s human capital on a global basis is short.
“It has been interesting to watch companies transform from multinationals to truly global organizations over the past decade,” says Sally Stetson, co-founding principal and HR practice leader at Salveson Stetson Group. “Skills like multicultural leadership, which were not even on the radar screen 10 years ago, are now critical to success as companies manage employees, partners and customers across the world.”
This represents an opportunity for HR professionals. Many companies don’t currently have a fully integrated global HR function, Stetson says, “let alone an infrastructure capable of global performance management, executive development and succession planning.” There are some specific global trends that are likely to drive this demand.
For example, a growing number of executives will be assigned overseas in the coming decade. But companies do not always do a good job of managing the talent that returns from around the globe. A global talent management leader can help executives manage their careers—not just their individual assignments.
Stetson adds that global talent management leaders are also needed in places other than North America. “When we talk with our executive search colleagues around the world, this is the No. 1 topic in the human resources industry,” she says. “Everyone knows they need to be searching for someone to fill this position—and they know they need to be looking globally for those candidates.”

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness.  These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives.  (Check out her book The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.

1. Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value.  Kinda cool right?  So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness.  And that’s without having to go out and buy anything.  It makes sense.  We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
2. Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism.  No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it.  She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life.  People who think optimistically tend to see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
   
3. Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous.  If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority.  Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out!  If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made.  What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place.  If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
4. Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain.  (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.)  Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside.  What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness.  How extraordinary is that?  Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on.  A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin.  Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
5. Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships.  Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely?  WHOA!  There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with.  We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.
6. Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character.  Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable.  Forrest Gump knows the deal.  It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan.  It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal. [Editor's Note: Check out this list of coping strategies, from BenzoSupport.]
7. Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being.  You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion.  When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system.  You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
8. Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still.  It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task.  Action and awareness are merged.  You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional.  You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing.  Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus when you are passionately engaged in something.
9. Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy.  It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences.  When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic.  It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
10. Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force.  Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere.  When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing.  Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
11. Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us.  We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever.  It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists.  Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”
12. Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be.  If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected.  Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft?  Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.

Jacob Sokol is committed to living an extraordinary life.  He’s the author and life-coach behind “Living on Purpose – An Uncommon Guide to Finding, Living, and Rocking Your Life’s Purpose.”  He also loves his mom dearly.

Beach photos by Sun Star - graffiti photo by Clarita, via Morguefile

The 9 Oddest Job Interview Questions Asked at Tech Companies in 2011Published 5 days ago

Peter Pachalfor Mashable

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Sanjay Gupta read this article.

When sitting down for a job interview at a top U.S. tech company, you’d typically expect the interviewer to hammer you with questions testing your abilities, past history and knowledge of the company. You wouldn’t think it was the time or the place to start exploring solutions to world hunger, but that’s exactly what happened to one candidate looking to be a software developer at Amazon.In Glassdoor‘s annual review of the top 25 oddball questions asked in job interviews in 2011, tech companies feature highly. Although there’s just one question from Google on the list, the Wall Street Journal recently profiled the search giant’s interview process, highlighting the trademark strangeness of some of the questions.
Google’s odd questions range from relatively straightforward mathematical brain teasers like, “Using only a four-minute hourglass and a seven-minute hourglass, measure exactly nine minutes–without the process taking longer than nine minutes,” to truly head-slapping queries such as, “A man pushed his car to a hotel and lost his fortune. What happened?”
Google isn’t alone in this practice. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and many others have challenged the brains of prospective job candidates in some truly odd ways for a long time. Glassdoor has been publishing a compilation for only since 2009, but the idea has been around a lot longer than that.
The “oddball question,” of course, is meant to challenge the job candidate to think on his or her feet. It forces the interviewee to reach beyond prepared remarks and start engaging in problem solving on the spot. The best “weird” questions still have some relation to the kind of work the position entails. (For example, questions about finding the correct sequence could relate to jobs involving organizational systems.)
What’s the weirdest interview question you’ve ever gotten? Let us know in the comments, and browse the strangest interview questions from tech companies on Glassdoor’s list below.
“How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30 p.m. on a Friday?” — Asked at Google, Vendor Relations Manager candidate
“If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” — Asked at Hewlett-Packard, Product Marketing Manager candidate
“Given 20 ‘destructible’ light bulbs (which break at a certain height), and a building with 100 floors, how do you determine the height that the light bulbs break?” — Asked at Qualcomm, Engineering candidate
“How would you cure world hunger?” — Asked at Amazon.com, Software Developer candidate
“You’re in a row boat, which is in a large tank filled with water. You have an anchor on board, which you throw overboard (the chain is long enough so the anchor rests completely on the bottom of the tank). Does the water level in the tank rise or fall?” — Asked at Tesla Motors, Mechanical Engineer candidate
“Please spell ‘diverticulitis’.” — Asked at EMSI Engineering, Account Manager candidate
“You have a bouquet of flowers. All but two are roses, all but two are daisies, and all but two are tulips. How many flowers do you have?” — Asked at Epic Systems, Corporation Project Manager/Implementation Consultant candidate
“How do you feel about those jokers at Congress?” — Asked at Consolidated Electrical, Management Trainee candidate
“If you were a Microsoft Office program, which one would you be?” — Asked at Summit Racing Equipment, Ecommerce candidate
More About: amazon, glassdoor, Google, interview questions

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