Ask Smart Questions

Most interviewers pay more attention to the questions you ask them than the way you answer the questions they ask you. Avoid asking questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Instead ask questions that show you have the knowledge and experience to do the job you’re interviewing for. For example, if you’re interviewing to be part of a marketing team, ask the interviewer about their current marketing processes and marketing successes or failures. Ask questions that show you understand the marketing field and want to find ways that your marketing experience would be a useful addition to their company.

Don’t Answer with a Single Sentence

When you’re answering a question during the interview, tell a short story instead of giving a short answer. Anticipate the questions you are likely to be asked and come prepared with complex but concise answers that include stories about your past experiences. This gives the interviewer some insight on your personality and makes them feel like they’re conversing with you instead of interrogating you.

For example, if the interview asks why you would be a good fit for the job, don’t answer with cliched answers like, “I would be a good fit because I’m a hard worker and detail-oriented.” This doesn’t help the interview understand how you could be an asset to the company. Answer with specific examples like how you helped another company grow their customer base by 50% or reduce costs in the warehouse by $1,000 a month. Show the interview you have skills that can benefit their company.

Make Eye Contact and Listen

Don’t stare at the people interviewing you, but be sure to make eye contact whenever possible. Maintaining eye contact helps you appear confident and ready for the job instead of shy and uncomfortable. Candidates who make eye contact stand out from the rest of the candidates. It’s also important to take notes during the interview. Leather notebooks are great for taking notes during an interview because they look sleek and professional. Take a few notes on key points, but make sure to keep eye contact during most of the interview.

Bring a Sample of Prior Work

If you are interviewing for a job in your industry, be sure to have a sample of prior work you have completed to show the interviewer your skills. Make sure that the sample is not more than a couple of pages so that it doesn’t overwhelm the interviewer or make you appear arrogant. If you’re in the technology or design industry, your portfolio should be online for the most part. If your work is not online, bring one short but powerful example of your best work if possible.

For example, if you’re interviewing for a marketing position, don’t just bring in your resume. Bring in a sample of one of your marketing campaigns and show how it helped the previous company you worked for. Show off your work and help the interview understand how you made a difference at the other company. Don’t just show your resume and think that’s enough. Stand out from the other prospective employees.

Know the Company You’re Interviewing At

Most companies have a list of core values or a mission statement on their website. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the company’s values and be prepared to explain how your values and experience line up with the company’s objectives. The interviewer is likely to ask you why you want to work for their company. This is a great time to discuss their mission or core values and how they are relevant to your experience and goals.

This article was written by Dixie Somers. If you’re looking to impress in your next interview, leather notebooks are a great way to take notes and look stylish for your interview.

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While there are several case studies of how having a website have helped people build a successful career and land a dream job, one of the most notable examples is that of Matthew Epstein.

In 2011, Matthew created a website aimed at getting Google to hire him; with a very creative video and some media push, Matthew’s website went viral and he eventually received 80 job interview offers from some of the biggest companies in the world including Google, Amazon and Microsoft.

While a lot of people won’t go viral and experience the kind of massive success Matthew experienced, having a website will still position you above majority of people who have to constantly send pitches and hope they get the job.

Another great example is Mishri’s.  After applying to hundreds of jobs and only getting around 6 – 7 interviews, Mishri didn’t get a job until she set up her website.

Other than the fact that a website positions you better to get a job by allowing recruiters to directly contact you, it also helps you in every aspects of your career. Here are some ways having a website can aid your career:

1. Having a Website Helps You Control what Information is found about You Online

According to recent data, 70% of U.S. recruiters and HR professionals said that they have rejected candidates based on information they find online. Also, 85% said that positive online reputation influences their hiring decision to some extent.

When hiring managers are looking to hire a prospective employee, one of the first places they visit is Google; they will look for various details about you, including your social media profiles, online activity and other information publicly found about you online.

By creating a website, however, you can control what they find about you online since your website will naturally be positioned above your social media profiles.

You can even take things to the next level by guest posting on relevant blogs online; by doing this, you can link back to your website and as a result influence how well it ranks for your name. At the same time, the guest posts you write will appear prominently in the search engine ranking pages thus influencing information people find about you online.

2. It Refines Your Writing

How does better writing help you get hired?

Some of the biggest CEOs, people like Jeff Bezos, have publicly said that writing is one of the factors they consider when they want to hire an employee; CEOs like Jeff believe that if a prospective employee is able to better communicate his ideas via writing, then he’ll be able to better understand what the company wants and as a result communicate and implement them effectively.

And this is true; the more you write about something, the better your understanding of it and the better you can communicate it to others. Once you’ve created your website, you can create a blog where you constantly publish your thoughts. Over time, you start to understand yourself better and you also improve with constant feedback from people who come across your website.

3. Having a Strong Online Reputation Guarantees Job Security

In every field, you can think of a number of people who have a strong online reputation and are noteworthy in everything they do; more often than not, the media is always talking about them.

Aside from the fact that these people enjoy better jobs and higher pay, they also tend to enjoy more job security than the average employee; the last thing a company will want to do is get in the public and media’s bad graces by firing the wrong person without a valid reason.

By having a website, it becomes extremely easy to become an authority in your field; occasionally, as long as your website and writing is noteworthy, the media will contact you for your opinion on important topics in your niche. By constantly contributing, your online reputation will consistently increase. This makes you a valuable asset to any company that hires you and as a result ensures your job security.

4. Having a Website Suggests you’re Technical Savvy

When it comes to making hiring decisions today, most companies pay more attention to people who are technical savvy and can effectively use latest tools and technology to get things done. This is especially important when it comes to the internet.

Having a website instantly suggests to potential employees that you’re technical savvy and can make effective use of online tools to communicate; instead of just saying that you know about technology in your resume, prospective employees can actually see that you indeed know about technology because of your website.

5. You Can Make Some Side Income

Aside from the fact that having a website helps put you in the public and ensure you get constant job offers; you can also make some side income from it.

By sharing your experience in various aspects of your life, you’re gradually building an audience and you can make money in the future by promoting affiliate products, launching your own product or displaying ads on your website.

How to Create a Website

I could write a whole article on how to create a website but, since this article is already very long, I won’t. Instead, I’ll share two self-explanatory tools that you can use to create your own website.

1. Make a Website: This is a website dedicated to helping newbies create good looking websites; even if you don’t have prior online experience, everything you need to know about creating a website as well as the right tools are provided.

2. Easy WebContent: This is a WYSIWYG website builder that helps you create drag and drop websites without any technical knowledge.

Joseph is a professional marketer and blogger that helps people start a blog.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

But how do you know when it’s time to brush up your curriculum vitae?

A current resume is critical when job-hunting.

Haven’t Received Much Response to Your Current Resume

If you’re actively seeking employment and not getting any response, take a hard look at your resume to see where it can be improved. Get a third party to double check your work– two sets of eyes are often better than one.

Verify your online presence to ensure there’s nothing that might turn off potential employers. Many employers check a candidate’s online reputation before deciding to make contact. Set up a Google Alert for your name, or use one of the free or paid services like Reputation.com to monitor this on a regular basis.

You Haven’t Updated Your Resume in a Couple of Years

Thoughts of resumes quickly fall by the wayside the minute anyone gets a job. However, keeping your resume updated makes job-hunting much easier the next time around. If you’re still at the same job since the last time you updated your resume, a quick touchup is probably all that is necessary. A new degree or advanced training are typical things that may need to be added.

If it’s been more than a couple of years, chances are that your resume is in need of a complete overhaul. In this case, it’s not just a matter of updating some data, but ensuring the presentation matches what employers now expect.

You’ve Changed Jobs

No job lasts forever, at least not in the 21^st century. Stuff happens, and you need to be prepared and ready to meet with hiring managers at a moment’s notice. If you’ve changed jobs, revise your resume immediately with your job title and start date. Who knows? One day you may be a candidate for a job requiring a certain amount of experience. Update this information now, and you’ll have it on hand for those who need the details. Having this precise information available also creates a better impression by proving your attention to detail.

You’ve Earned Another Degree

Whether it’s a degree, certification, or any other type of formal qualification, make sure to update your resume with the pertinent details. Work-related awards also fall into this category, because you never know how significant they may be to a potential employer.

By keeping information current, you ensure your resume accurately reflects your experience and shows why you are the right person for the job. It’s even better if you can relate how the additional training brought value to the company you worked for. Concrete examples always work best so that you don’t leave the reader guessing.

Your Contact Details Have Changed

You wouldn’t be the first person to send out their resume with old contact details. It happens! Obviously you need to bring your resume up to date when you move, but it also applies to those who have their name changed, like when they get married. Double check your online contact information as well. Things like old university email addresses or social media accounts often need to be revised or removed in their entirety.

Keep your resume updated on a regular basis, and you’ll avoid the need for an extreme makeover.

Stephen Jeske is an avid outdoor enthusiast with a passion for coffee. He frequently writes on small business, careers, and reputation management.

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That’s great, but that’s what everyone says. You need to demonstrate HOW you exhibited these traits.

The most effective and most intriguing way is to tell a story.

The best stories have a setting, a conflict, resolution, and a result. You will learn how to craft your story today.

A great narrative draws in the listener and makes them more interested in you. You don’t need an amazing, mind-blowing story to be effective and get your point across.

Setting 

First, set the scene. Present the status-quo. Make it as different as you can from the result you are going to hammer home.

For example, if you found a way to cut the time of a project by 50%, you want to present the original setting i.e. the status quo as inefficient and unproductive.

What you’re doing is setting yourself, the knight in armor, up for a big entrance.

Conflict

This is the problem, the pain that stands in the way. Managers want their problems solved, and your goal is to present your problem-solving, creative-thinking skills.

What conflicts arose? How did they affect the team, how did they affect your boss? Again, you want to stress the severity of the problem and the negative effects it had. The worse the conflict the better you will come across as a leader in the workplace.

Resolution 

Here’s where you make your big entrance to save the day! Outline the steps you took to solve the conflict. How did you go above and beyond the call of duty?

Get specific but cater to the strengths needed for the position you are interviewing for.

Before you go into an interview, you should have an idea of what is important for the position and for the manager.

They want to make the right selection and it’s your job to find where the pain points they want solved or filled. The resolution, when tailored to the wants of the manager, becomes that much more effective. 

In the previous situation where you cut time by 50%, if you know HR wants someone who doesn’t need micromanaging, your resolution would outline the steps you took independently to get to a result. You didn’t accept the status-quo, but changed your mindset to an entrepreneur, and solved a problem without bothering your boss. 

Results

You made it to the quantifiable result, the meat, the happy-ever-after of the movie. What changed after the resolution? If you made others lives easier, especially your manager’s, you want to express this.

The results can be drawn out on your Resume to drum up interest, but you keep the story for the interview.

Make Your Story Today

Companies pay for results, and when you bring results, you can bring in more pay.

Get specific in your story-telling, but make sure you keep it brief. Set the table and problem quickly and then focus on your results and resolutions. Another quick tip: Make sure you practice each story before presenting. Research shows that a well-rehearsed narrative is always more effective than a last-minute, off-the-cuff ramble.

Throw away the generic “problem-solving” phrase plastered on so many Resumes, and actually show how you have those skills. Stand out from the pack with memorable stories.

Joe Cassandra, a personal brand equity strategist, is the Founder of the 7Minute Entrepreneur, where he shows you how to change your mindset and personal brand today from passive “employee” to thriving “entrepreneur” in your early career. You can follow him on Twitter.

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1.      Keep it squeaky clean

You wouldn’t believe the number of errors on resumes from people trying to work here at our company, Khraze.  Your resume is your first impression.  Thus, make sure it’s organized and contains ample white space (to give the reader’s eyes a rest).  If a resume has an error, most places will simply toss it in the trash—even if you are the most qualified candidate.  Why should potential employers waste their time on you if you aren’t willing to make the effort to ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors?  The first rule of resumes: having errors in the writing is not acceptable.

2.     Customize and personalize

Most people send the same resume time after time to different jobs—and don’t think hiring managers, human resource professionals, and companies don’t realize this fact.  The reality is that you are probably applying to slightly different kinds of jobs.  Thus, an easy way to stand out is to modify your resume, to tailor it to the specific job. For example, if you are applying for a finance job, make sure to highlight in your resume when you served as treasurer.However, if you were applying for a job that relies on time management, revise your resume to include the experience of planning an event for an organization.

3.     Format with Bullets, not Paragraphs

Attention spans have dropped from 12 minutes to only 5 minutes.  We don’t read full articles anymore; we skim the headlines.  Why should your resume be any different?  Make sure to use bullet points to drive your points across—the ability to be concise is a skill that is highly admired in corporate America.  The days of paragraphs are over; use bullet points to make your resume easier to digest.

4.     One Page, MAX

If you are reading this, you are probably around 30 years of age or younger. Thus, your resume should not be more than one page.  Yes, you are an astounding individual—and have much more than one page of information to tell.  That is what the interview is for—to present new, exciting information not yet included on your resume.  Boil your experience down to a single page, highlighting the best of the best.  And remember, tailor the experiences you include for the job you are applying for.  One simple trick: develop a page of “highlights” that you can copy and paste based on the job you are applying for.  Most recruiters throw away resumes that are more than one page—they simply don’t have time for it.

5.     Make sure to include keywords.

More and more companies are using automated computer algorithms to dig through the plethora of resumes they receive to narrow the selection.  It is crucial that you include keywords relating to the job you are applying for to get your resume “found” and passed onto the next level.  Use these keywords early in the resume, and use them often (but don’t repeat sentences—use them in different contexts).  For example, if a job description states it is looking for people with knowledge of the recently passed “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” that phrase and its acronyms will be noticed and will give that resume priority in the automated system.

Now that you have your resume in tip top shape, we have one more piece of advice: apply, apply, apply.  Job applications today are a numbers game.  By using these tips you will increase your ability to get your resume found.  Now you need to increase the number of people who get to look at it.  Set a schedule (i.e. “I will apply for 10 jobs a week—two for each weekday”) and get ready to watch the payoff and paychecks come in.

William L. Mehserle Jr. is co-founder and lead strategist at Khraze.com, a new media marketing company that creates custom marketing strategies for clients.  He is also co-founder of theExpressionary.com, a personalized gift company.  You can connect with him on Twitter at @WilliamMehserle or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mehserle. Resume expert Diana Mehserle contributed to this article.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com 

Getting to the finish line and landing a job isn’t easy.  It’s a very competitive process.  Once you make it past the first round, chances are you have all of the necessary credentials for the position.  It’s the interview process that will determine whether or not you get the offer.  The presidential election is arguably the most intense, lengthy, and competitive job interview process there is.  Mr. Obama ultimately proved to be better at interviewing.  Here are some key takeaways about interviewing from this election season:

Be Consistent

First and foremost, be consistent.  The biggest mistake that Mitt Romney made during the interview process was that he wasn’t consistent.  People didn’t know exactly who he was, what he stood for, or what he was going to do should he get the job. It’s hard to put your faith in a job candidate that you can’t figure out because they aren’t consistent.

Nowadays, most employers will do an online background check before hiring you.  They will Google your name and look at your social media channels.  They will verify your past.  If you’re going to be a reliable employee, you have to be consistent.  Being consistent also proves you are trustworthy. Look into the information you are putting out into the world and make sure it matches across all of the channels.

Know Your Audience

You also need to know your audience.  Mr. Obama knew what demographics he needed to win over.  He tailored his speeches accordingly.  Mr. Romney had difficulty connecting with and understanding his audience.  At the NAACP he talked about repealing Obamacare, a bill that has a lot of support from the African American community.  In the video leaked and published in Mother Jones, Mr. Romney stated that the 47% that will vote for Mr. Obama are the 47% that pay no federal income tax.  However, the states with the highest percentage of people who don’t pay federal income taxes are states where had a lot of support.

When you interview for a job, you have to know your audience.  Know whom you are talking to.  It’s easy to do a simple LinkedIn search to get to know the people you are interviewing with ahead of time.  You should also research the company and the company’s values.  During the interview process it is imperative to show the hiring managers that you belong and that you will fit in with the team. The way to do that is to know your audience.

Be Approachable / Personable

Barack Obama did not grow up in a wealthy or privileged family.  He had an average childhood.  His past is something that people can relate to.  He made sure to stress that throughout the campaign because that made him feel more approachable and personable.  And pictures of him holding a beer also helped.  It made you feel like you could go out and have a drink with him.  Mitt Romney also tried to relate to people based on his past hardships.  He spoke about the hardships he experienced after college and having to sell some of his stock.  But that wasn’t something that people couldn’t relate to.  Mitt Romney also had a tendency to come off as stiff.  That made him less approachable and personable.

If you’re applying for a job, you’re going to be working with a team of people.  If you can’t prove that you are approachable and personable, people aren’t going to want to work with you.  Usually, people feel most at ease with someone they can connect with and relate to.  In the interview process make sure that the interviewer feels a sense of comfort when speaking with you and that they can relate to you.

Be Realistic

Be realistic about your chances of getting the job.  Mr. Romney and his campaign team grossly overestimated his chances of winning the election.  Had they been more realistic about where he stood in swing states, he most likely would have redirected his strategy.  But he assumed that he had the election in the bag.  And this assumption is one of the things that cost him the job.

Be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses.  If you artificially inflate your chances or fit for the position, you’re doing yourself a disservice.  Until you have a written offer in your hands, you are still in competition for the position.  You might feel like you are the front-runner for the position, but your competition is probably feeling the same way.  Be realistic and don’t slack off just because you think you have a good chance of getting the job.
Use Your Network

Use your network!  Barack Obama had a far more sophisticated system for using his network.  He had data scientists working around the clock so that he knew exactly who in his network was most likely to help him out leading up to the election.

You can’t, and there’s really no need to, get nearly as sophisticated at Mr. Obama.  But you should leverage your network.  There is no shame in asking for help.  Most people get jobs with the help of their network.  You might not know anyone with a direct connection to the manager, but you might know someone who is connected to employees at the company you’re hoping to work for.  Reach out to them.  Get to know them.  If everything goes well they might put in a good word for you.  And that good word could sway things in your favor.

Elections are always tense.  After it’s over, inevitably some people are happy and some people are less than thrilled about the candidate who got the job.  But everyone can learn something from the process, especially if you’re looking for a job.

Stacy McCoy is the co-founder of Give To Get Jobs, a job board and information hub for jobs that use a sustainable business model to solve social and/or environmental issues.  Twitter: @stacymccoy / @Give2GetJobs

Your Confidence

You’ve probably studied basic interview preparations before, maybe even practiced some interview questions. But I can’t get to the juicier details without at least mentioning a few fundamental principles.

First things first:  Your clothes should be crisp—show that the interview is important to you.  Don’t have a suit and don’t know how to match a tie to a patterned shirt?  Hop over to Askmen.com, GQ.com, or for the more stylish sex, I suggest browsing Pinterest.  And since you are dressing to the nines, why not throw on a smile?  First impressions go a long way in this process, and being energetic, happy, and full of life show an enthusiasm for being there.  When you’ve been working a corporate job for a while, seeing this exuberance is heartening, and it shows an appreciation of the interviewer’s time.  I always drank an energy drink right before I went in—that way, I was quick to ask questions, on my toes, and excited.  Also, do a bit of research on the company. If they are public, read a recent article from a broker on why the stock is a buy or sell.  Read press releases that might point to future projects.  At the very least, read their Wikipedia page and corporate website.  This will give you a few questions to ask—and since you already know the answer, you’ve almost shifted the balance of power in the interview, especially when you launch that stellar follow-up question.

And lastly, the hard part is already over—you did get the interview, right? They narrowed you down from hundreds of applicants, based on an 8.5”  by 11” piece of paper.  All that is left is to show excitement, ask a few questions, and relax.

The HR Interview

Normally you will interview with people that will be on your team (co-workers), your potential boss, and a person or two from Human Resources.  Your time with the human resource representative is what I consider the most important.  To get a specific job, you may need to connect with many people on that work team.  If the stars align, this can happen, but sometimes personalities clash. Sometimes there is something on your resume that turns off an interviewer—and you won’t get a fair shot.  However, the HR interviewer knows of ALL the jobs available within the company.  If you don’t get that particular job, if he or she is overly impressed by you, they’ll want to get you plugged into a better fit in the company (which is often in a better group or position than the one you initially sought out).  The HR rep may also be able to sway the other interviewers in favor of your “personality traits” over other applicants.

A personal example: I was interviewing for jobs with a major oil company.  I was working with an HR manager out of Texas.  During the span of time of our interaction, I made sure I was quick to return phone calls, to communicate via email, and to ask questions about her life.  While the company was not hiring non-graduate degree chemical engineers at that point in time, they, nevertheless, flew me up to Illinois for an interview to fill a very technical role—one that I, honestly, wasn’t qualified for (I was no doctoral candidate).  During the dinner the night before, while everyone else was focused on the interviewers of tomorrow, I sat and chatted with the HR manager. Asked her all about her life, her family, and her job.  I asked about why she loved her company, what her favorite wine was, anything I could, to get her to remember me as a nice guy.  The next day, as I was going through the  interview process, it was obvious that I wasn’t qualified for that specific job.  Disappointed, I boarded the flight back home.  When I arrived, I had an email waiting in my inbox, letting me know that a position had opened in Southern California—on the coast.  She said that while, normally, they wouldn’t offer that job to someone from the East, with my degree and with little experience, she felt that I was perfect for the job. She even told me that no one else would be interviewing—I just had to fly out and meet the team. I had the generous job offer within a week.

Hopefully you find these tips helpful, and insightfully unique.  I credit them for much of my career trajectory—after all, isn’t life an interview?

William L. Mehserle Jr. is co-founder with Michael J. Flanigan of theExpressionary.com, a personalized gift site perfect for that “hard to buy someone,” and Khraze.com, a new media marketing company.  You can connect with him on Twitter at @WLMehsJr or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mehserle

Success stories describe situations where things went exactly right and the goals were met.  Bada-bing!

Failure stories are the ones where nothing went right, or it all looked good until the wheels came off.  (These stories are NOT “look what a moron I am!” stories.  Those tend to be Fun stories.)

Fun stories recount those situations where something goofy or unexpected happened.

And finally, Legends are stories that come from history, spirituality, or culture.  (These are your classic “Once Upon A Time” stories.)  Legends also have another definition: we all know stories about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates because we swim in the same business culture.

These are the four types of stories that I believe powerful leaders use to connect with and inspire people.  And as you already know, we must tell all four types in combination.  But what if I asked you to tell only one type?  And further, what if I said you only have one type to tell in your job search and interview process?  Which type would you choose?

Success stories!  Of course, right?  You think that success stories are appropriate in your job search efforts because “I want these employers to know how good I am, and so I’m going to tell them about my best successes!”

Wrong.

If I could wave my magic wand and choose for you, I would choose your failure stories.  “Wait”, you say, “are you &@#&%*% mad??” Maybe, but let me make my case.

First of all, realize a couple of things.  An employer will not talk to you in the first place if you don’t have some basic qualifications (some successes like: schooling, previous employment, references).  Second, most employers use the interview process to determine “fit”, not basic qualifications. They assume that you have the knowledge and skills to accomplish tasks, but that doesn’t mean that you are the right person for the job. They need something more from you.

So, let’s just imagine that you and I are both interviewing for the same position on the same day with the same person.  I go first.  And, like every interviewer in the history of man, the interviewer asks; ”Tell me about a time you failed…” And I tell, like every interviewee in the history of man, a story about when I “failed” but where I really saved it at the end, demonstrating, of course, that even in a failure I am a success!

It goes like this: ”A time when I failed?  Good question.  Several years ago, I was running a project for a client and I had brought the team together, crafted the deliverables, determined the right budget and gathered the resources we needed.  About 3 months in, it became clear that I had under-estimated the budget and the team was not the right one for this project.  The client started to see the seams and the wheels really started to come off. BUT…with only two weeks to spare, I was able to figure out what had gone wrong, correct the budget and move several people around. After working countless hours, we were able to deliver on time and on budget.  The result was a delighted client and a successful project. Whew!”

Your interviewer has heard a version of this story many times.

Now, it’s your turn.  You get the same exact question; ”Tell me about a time you failed…”. And you tell the exact same story, but the conclusion is very different. You end it this way instead: ”…The client started to see the seams and the wheels really started to come off. They were not happy, and I had a mess on my hands.  And you know what?  I own that.”  End of story. Crickets. No ”…and-then-I-saved-the-world-at-the-end-of-the-story” story.  Just a long pause. 

There are two reasons why your failure story is more effective than mine.

First, the interviewer will think you the better fit.  Why?  Because you have demonstrated that we all make mistakes.  You have demonstrated humility.  You have demonstrated maturity. You have demonstrated confidence, and 7,012 other things that we don’t have room to discuss here. I told a success story that was masked as a failure story and failed to actually answer the question.

Second, you will have the chance to tell them what you learned and how you changed your approach after failing. If you are brave and confident enough to share a true failure story and allow it to “sink in”, your interviewer will always ask, ”Wow. What did you do?”. You now have the ability to admit that failing created a big mess but that you became a better employee because of it.

There’s no contest here.  You win.  I lose.  But the irony is that I told a success…and you told a failure.  Funny how that works, huh?

Craig Wortmann is the CEO of Sales Engine, a sales consulting firm that helps others build and tune their sales engine. He is also the author of What’s Your Story?: Using Stories to Ignite Performance and Be More Successful and an entrepreneurship professor at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. You can connect with Craig on Twitter @SalesEngine.

Of course, this is the mantra you’re repeating to yourself as you anxiously wait for your name to be called by the receptionist. Suddenly, you’re in. You give a nice, firm handshake to your interviewer and take the hot seat. Here’s where the real work begins.

Making a First Impression

How do you make yourself appear to be the ideal candidate without being smug? Will they like you? Are they going to do a background check?

Here’s what you need to come ready to do in order to make a good first impression:

• The most important factor in any job search is knowing why you’re the perfect person for the position. You should come prepared to convince the company that what you have is what it’s looking for.
• You should never speak ill of previous co-workers or bosses; airing your dirty laundry in a job interview is a surefire way to not get hired. (If you’ll do it to your ex-employers, what’s to stop you from eventually doing it to the company interviewing you?)

However, even if you’re the perfect person for the job, your past may reflect the bumpy road it took to becoming you. People make mistakes. If you own up to those mistakes and, more importantly, learn from them, you will be a better employee in general. When you admit your faults in an interview, you’re showing you’re self-aware and honest.

Employers want to hire real human beings, with both strengths and flaws. Heidi Fuhrman, Director of Possibilities at the League of Innovators, says, “Past mistakes don’t typically lead to a job, but being transparent in an interview about your record provides an opportunity to discuss what you’ve learned. You don’t have to pretend to be perfect, but characteristics of transparency and personal growth are attractive attributes that can redeem the past.”

Admitting Your Faults

If your past is less than ideal, keeping something from a potential employer can be detrimental to getting hired. Most companies screen potential candidates prior to employment, so it’s important to share this information beforehand. (This includes checking out your social media profiles; even if you maintain these as private, many companies now pay to have open access to view your friends-only version.)

The interview process is also a great time to discuss anything on your record and explain either how you’ve changed for the better or why there’s an error present. My company participates in a program that aids in transitioning ex-convicts back into society. Their past transgressions are obviously more public than others’ might be, but their transparency allows us to have an open conversation about expectations and habits. Employers appreciate the opportunity to have a candid discussion with you about what they’ve found – and your willingness to participate proves to them that you’re cooperative and trustworthy, two “positives” on your side.

Your work ethic and abilities are shaped by your past. Additionally, many employers (rightfully) believe that past behavior is a good indicator of future performance. You should admit when you’ve done something wrong, but also explain what you are doing – or have done – to change for the better. “If the flaws are exposed and on the table, we can then focus on – and exploit – the strengths without confusion,” says Matt Roberts, COO of Molding Box.

Failure is something that enables each of us to grow as people. Even – especially! – the most successful people in the world have failed. You will learn more about yourself, and what you’re made of, in the process of picking yourself up than you ever will from not putting yourself out there.

The fact is no one is perfect. When a company is seeking to hire a prospective employee, it’s looking for people who are teachable and want to do great things. If you’ve found the perfect job that’s the sum of all your abilities, don’t be afraid to own up to your mistakes and embrace them. Being an open – and self-aware – book may just earn you your dream job.

Jordan Guernsey is the CEO of Molding Box, an innovative company that provides order distribution, shipping, print services, and CD/DVD duplication. Jordan started Molding Box in his mother’s basement and has grown the company into an Inc. 500 list member.

Enter Thomas and Kirk, two recent graduates from Mudville. Thomas was a sporting chicken who was known for his agility and speed, academics came easy to him, and he was a bit “cocky” in attitude.  Kirk was a thoughtful chicken, who loved to ask questions, was a careful planner and desired more than anything to understand the higher level picture of how farm worked. They had one thing in common: They both were unsure of what they wanted to do with their one unique and amazing chicken life.

Thomas and Kirk both graduated in May with bachelor’s degrees. Thomas achieved his degree in Biotech and Kirk’s was in Agricultural Science. It was now the end of a long, hot summer and it was time to get started on their new life.

Thomas and Kirk both came from upper middle class families and listened to stories about their cousins success as lawyers, doctors, and CPAs. Thomas chose to focus his studies in BioTech, because that was where there was money to made.

However for Kirk, just making money wasn’t going to cut it. Success might have been defined this way in past generations, like for Ma and Pa chicken, but for Kirk, he wouldn’t settle for anything less than a job he loved, that paid very well, and where his ideas were respected.  He wanted a lifestyle, not a job.  Someplace where there was a cultural fit between what he saw his life being and the way the company felt to work in.  He was indeed seeking to optimize his life and find happiness.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, creator of “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” and distinguished psychology professor at Claremont University, proposes that for a person (chicken) to achieve happiness in their lives one must differentiate themselves from others and integrate into a community that recognizes and appreciates their contributions.

 A self that is only differentiated – not integrated – may attain great individual accomplishments, but risks being mired in self-centered egotism. By the same token, a person (chicken) who self is based exclusively on integration will be well connected and secure, but lack autonomous individuality. Only when a person (chicken) invests equal amounts of psychic energy in these two processes and avoids both selfishness and conformity is the self likely to relectcomplexity.- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 1990

Kirk had achieved a nice balance between carving out a unique set of interests and talents for himself, while still achieving success in developing close relationships and showing kindness among his peers. It was a bit nerve wracking to have to leave the community he belonged to and find a place as equally satisfying. He consciously shifted his perspective from being afraid to seeing it as a challenge and an adventure.

Both Thomas and Kirk landed interviews with Henrietta, the CRD (Chicken Resources Director), and the interview was scheduled in one week.

Thomas’s Tale

Thomas had lined up interviews at all of the top farms in the region. He went out and purchased an expensive chicken suit and darn, did he look handsome in it.  The night before the interview, he scanned their website and reviewed the job description.  He knew all the tricks to good interviewing,

• Research the company beforehand
• Mimic your interviewer so they feel like you are a match for the job
• Respect the pecking order and be polite
• Have a solid “talon”shake
• Look passionate about the job

How could it go wrong?

Interview Day

Thomas arrived at the farmhouse and was greeted by the secretary, Lois. She was a sweet old hen, but Thomas treated her with insolence and a curt tone. She wasn’t making the decision to hire him, so why should he waste energy on being friendly to her?

When Henrietta entered the room, Thomas fluffed his chest feathers and immediately stood to greet her with a wide smile and solid “talon”shake.

She led him back into one of the stables where he was surprised to be greeted by two other farm animals. George Hoofsteader, a bull who led the R&D (Regurgitation and Digestion) department and Sheila Baaaghran, the lead sheep overseeing the Coop department.

The addition of the other farm animals to the interview ruffled Thomas’s feathers initially and he wasn’t sure how to adapt to the environment. Eventually he did settle in and his relaxedcommunication style lead him through the interview.  He did everything right, using the aforementioned checklist.  He answered every question they asked, he looked professional, and treated them with respect.  He even asked them a few questions at the end.  Here were some examples:

1. How much vacation time is included annually?

2. What are the benefits? Healthcare, vision, dental?

3. Do you do casual Fridays at the farm?

Thomas left feeling like he aced it.

Behind the Scenes

The post-interview conversation about Thomas went something like this:

Henrietta: Thoughts on Thomas?

George: He’s a good rooster, but I don’t think he’s a good fit for our culture.  He didn’t really ask us a lot of questions.  And if someone is serious about their careers, they should be as interested in us as we are in them.

Enter Lois carrying a tray of coffee, cream and sugar… Remember Lois, the Secretary?

Shiela: I agree. He’s a very likable and smart chicken. His answers were solid, and his academic and work record was impressive. However, the quality of his questions were generic, self-centered, and lackluster at best.

Henrietta: Lois, you’ve been here longer than all of us.  What did you think of the new candidate?

Lois: Do you really want to know?

Henrietta: Yes.

Lois: He was rude to me and treated me with no respect, suggesting that he will only treat those in his life well if he can get something from them. He lacks an overall kindness that I don’t think would be very pleasant to be around.

Thomas wasn’t going to fly at the farm after all.

Kirk’s Tale

Kirk had lined up interviews at a few farms, an agricultural law firm, an influencer marketing firm called BlogFrog, and a non-profit focused on advocating for small farms. He heavily researched each company and evaluated it not only for the position offered but also for cultural fit. He wanted a company that valued new ideas at all levels of the company (entrepreneurial spirit), knew that fun was a part of the creative process, and valued intelligence and learning.  He was quite impressed by the culture statement of BlogFrog and was really anticipating the interview he had lined up with them. He looked at the vision statements for each company to ensure his values aligned with at least 80% of theirs. He was ready.

Similar to  Thomas, he also went out and purchased an expensive chicken suit and the night before the interview, he reviewed their website and job description. What was different was that he had invested his time in really understanding each company, their product or service, their vision of why they were in business, and even prepared a list of pre-written questions with him on a yellow pad.  This was going to be his future. He wasn’t going to be too laid back about it.

Before the interview he called the front desk, introduced himself to Lois, and asked her what the dress code was for the executives at the office. He also asked who he would be interviewing with and where he could get their bios online.  He knew what to expect before ever stepping foot through the barn door.

Interview Day

Kirk arrived at the farmhouse and greeted the secretary, Lois, with a friendly “talon”shake. Lois, being happy to be greeted in such a way, offered Kirk something to drink while he waited.

He thought to himself, “What a kind old hen. So far, this is a very friendly environment to be in.”

When Henrietta entered the room, Kirk rose calmly from his seat, smiled and gave her friendly “talon”shake.  As he followed her back to the stables, he asked her about her weekend and about the latest press release he found while researching them online.

Henrietta was impressed that he had known about the press release and how inquisitive he was about the new product release.  He asked what departments in the farm were responsible for the original idea, how the market was tested for viability, where the product was designed, how they selected the materials, and how they were planning on marketing it with success.

With a smile, Henrietta stopped him as they entered the stable and said, these are all great questions for George and Sheila. Please come in.

The interview felt like an extension of the conversation in the hallway that was started with a few simple questions on a company press release.  It was a lively exchange, not a Q&A session.  Kirk was learning more about how the company as a whole worked by using a “product case study” approach. He could see how passionate the executives were about their work.

They gave him a tour of the farm and introduced them to other employees.  He saw the operations, marketing department, and financial center of the farm.

Behind the Scenes

The post-interview conversation about Kirk went something like this:

Henrietta: Thoughts on Kirk?

George: He was awesome! I really think he would fit in well here.  He is curious and open minded in a way that I think he would be engaged in learning about the farm, and confident enough to contribute new ideas as well.

Enter Lois carrying a tray of coffee, cream and sugar…

Shiela: He has the ability to discern the right level of conversation.  What I like to call “zooming in”  and “zooming out” at the right time to get the proper information to advance his understanding of the topic.  I really think he would be a great asset to the farm because of his ability to cross-communicate between departments.  He really wanted to know how the company worked… and where we were going.  Definitely looking at us for the long-term.

Henrietta: Lois, you’ve been here longer than all of us.  What did you think of the new candidate?

Lois: Do you really want to know?

Henrietta: Yes.

Lois: He is a lovely young rooster with a kind heart. I think he would fit perfectly and I would love seeing him every weekday morning.

Kirk was invited back for a second interview with the farm boss, Maximilian. He aced it and was offered the position.

You see, Kirk operated at a higher level than Thomas.  He was genuinely engaged with the staff, curious about how the company worked, asked questions to uncover important information about the quality of their products, how the executive team supported the tiers below them, and if the company had a future… especially one that he would want to be actively advancing with his own effort.

For a peek at what the questions were that he asked, check out Kirk’s yellow pad of questions.

Barbra Bannon the Principle Firestarter at Evolution Consulting, a social strategy and online marketing firm. She is a founding member of the BOSS Alliance, an exclusive organization of executives with proven track records in professional excellence. Her focus is in neuro-marketing and its use in crafting persuasive and sticky messages to influence and engage culture towards a socially responsible vision of the future. She is the author of “How to be an Online Marketing Rock Star”. She is the former owner of Cranky Creative Group, an out-of-home advertising and graphics company where she served clients such as Mercedes Benz, Lenovo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Kroger. She is an online marketing maven, a social entrepreneur, teacher, student, philosopher, writer, and idea addict. Her course topics range from “the modern media ecology and what it means for your brand” to “using social media to explode event engagement”. Connect with her at www.sparkevolution.com | Twitter @SparkEvolution | Facebook: www.facebook.com/IgniteEvolution.