Dubin & Lee Blog

3 Interviewing Skills You Never Knew You Had

  

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You can now no longer say, “I’m just not good at interviewing.” It is true that just having the skills and experience for the job is no longer enough to get the job.  You must be able to “ace” the interview.

What does “ace the interview” actually mean?

Acing the interview means to successfully convey your ability and eagerness to do the job while allowing people to connect with you enough as a human being that they would want to work with you everyday.

Here are 3 crucial interviewing skills that you use every day:

1.  Listen.  We all know how to listen but we don’t do it when our mind is racing about what we are going to say.  If you prepare properly for the interview, you will have all the past scenarios that prove your experience cued up on the tip of your tongue.  This way, so there is no need to be searching the far corners of your mind while the interviewer is talking to you.  Another key to listening is not to say something as soon as you think it.  Make sure you have heard the entire question and be certain that the interviewer has finished his or her thought.

2.  Ask questions.  This is the most common way most job interviewees blow it that are otherwise qualified for the job! Either they don’t ask questions or they don’t ask the right questions.  It is fine to ask a couple generic interview questions like “what would you expect of someone on day one?” but try to keep the generic questions to a minimum.  Ask questions that convey that you have done your research and you are serious about your due diligence when joining a company. This will show the interviewer that if you are hired, you are there for the long term. 

A client once told me that he judges a job candidate’s intelligence not by how he or she answers the questions but by the questions he or she asks.

3.  Show enthusiasm.  Playing it cool will not get you the job. It is not necessary to convince the interviewer right from the beginning that this is the job you want.  Think of it like a marriage proposal on the first date.  You should, however, show interest and enthusiasm for what you know thus far in the process. Companies look for mutual enthusiasm as a sign of a good fit…somewhat like dating.  Keep in mind, that when you get to offer stage, they are going to want to hear that you want the job, especially if you want the highest possible offer.  It takes a lot of work internally to get offers and “top of the range” salaries approved.  The best way to get it approved is to prove that the candidate wants the job and this is not just for his or her ego or to get a counteroffer from his or her current employer.

Listening, asking questions and showing enthusiasm are things we all know how to do but we don’t do all the time.  You will find that these things might even have a warm reception from your spouse when you go home tonight.

For more helpful career and job search tidbits, check out the Dubin & Lee Facebook page.

If you “like” it, you will get a, 6 page, “Getting Hired Guide” complete with video tutorials and advice from building the resume to the interview “thank you” note.

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How Going to Networking Events Can Lead to a Job

  

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Can going to networking events lead to getting a job? 

Yes, but only if you do it right!

I see so many people that don’t believe that networking events can lead to a job so they don’t go or they go and get nothing from it so they feel it was a waste of time.

Here are 5 steps to help a networking event lead to a job:

1. Dress for the part.  If you are unemployed, do not dress like it.  Always look like you came right from the office to give the subliminal message of being “high hanging fruit.”

2. Walk in with the right frame of mind.  If you feel desperate or downtrodden it will show so if you need an attitude adjustment before you go in, do so. 

On the way there, repeat out loud (people will think you are singing with the radio or talking on the phone hands free) all the amazing skills and characteristics you bring to the table.

You laugh, but it works.

3. Listen first. Being successful at a networking event is dependent on your sincere desire to meet and talk to people.  When you meet someone, make a point not to talk about any of your needs until you have fully listened to theirs and asked some really good questions about what they do or what they are looking to do.

4. Connect on LinkedIn.  After the event, connect with that person on LinkedIn and cultivate the relationship.  This does not mean immediately sending an email via LinkedIn to remind the person who you are. Being connected on LinkedIn will help you stay visible to that person. By doing quality updates such as comments on news and blogs in your industry as well as your own blog, it will situate you in that person’s mind as a subject matter expert and someone who is very much still “in the game.”

5. Give first, get later. This is the best way to cultivate a relationship on LinkedIn. Pay attention to the person’s updates and needs to try to help them; even if it is something as simple as forwarding an article.

Networking will become more and more crucial as you grow in your career.  Even if you are not in a job search, start networking now, before you need to.

We at Dubin & Lee are willing to bribe you with the newest iPad for some networking.

Check out our iPad for a Referral promotion and learn how to get an iPad just for networking!

What Are the Best CPA jobs?

  

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The best jobs are usually the ones that offer the best career path. Upward mobility or marketability might not be a priority for you today but someday it might be.  The abundance of job opportunities available to you in your career looks like a bell curve. 

• It is really tough to get a job right out of school with no experience because the playing field is quite level and it just boils down to how well you play the job search game.

• Once you get a few years of good experience, the market will open up for you because you know enough to do the work and you are much more willing to roll up your sleeves and do some “grunt work” or work some insane hours that the Sr. Management is not willing to do. 

• Once you’re making more than 125K salary per year, things start to slim out a bit.  The job opportunities above this level are just fewer and farther in between, therefore, the competition starts to thicken again and only those that did “everything right,” land the jobs.  Those that did not, are left standing, without a chair, when the music stops.

So, what are the best jobs for a CPA?

Those are the jobs that strengthen your marketability every year or as we Headhunters say, he/she did “everything right.”

Here are 5 things to keep in mind to leverage your CPA credential for maximum career gain:

1. Never take a job just for more money.
2. Take ONLY jobs that will offer you exposure to experience that is in demand in the job market such as SEC reporting, Software Revenue Recognition and IFRS.
3. Do not fall into a comfort zone.  If after one year, you are not getting what you expected out of your role, it is time to re-evaluate your current situation.
4. Get into the boardroom. Don’t let all of your hard work run off into the boardroom without you to be presented by someone else.  If presenting is not your thing, make it your thing!  We can help.
5. Only take jobs with companies that have a culture and proven history of nurturing the employees’ careers.

Now that I’m running my own staffing firm, I can make sure that we only represent job opportunities that increase the potential new the employees’ marketability…the only true job security that still exists.

Check out a few of our job openings in this week's featured opportunities.

Need a Little Resume Help?

  

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Does your resume need a tune up? No need to do a full resume revamp if you don't have the time.

Here are 2 quick resume tips that will make a huge difference:

1. The easier to read the better.
2. Customize your resume for each submission.

Check out my 2 minute video that explains these 2 resume tips.

Check out our featured job opportunities this week.  If you don't have time to customize your resume, we can help you with that.