A working mom trying to do it all ....and succeeding!
Very exciting news for Nocatee Residents, Dunkin Donuts is officially open! Doors opened yesterday, and customers were very excited to get their coffee and donuts so close to home. I am definitely looking forward to stopping for coffee from now on after I drop the kids off to school. This new location is at 641 Crosswater Parkway right next to Big Fish Yoga and Pieology. Come check it out today!
HOURS:
Mon-Thu: 5:00 AM-9:00 PM
Fri-Sat: 5:00 AM-10:00 PM
Sun: 5:30 AM-9:00 PM
As a Nocatee resident, I am very excited about 2 new additions to our Town Center!!
Starbucks and Tijuana Flats are coming to the Nocatee Town Center! The global coffee house chain and popular Tex-Mex restaurant will be located west of Crosswater Parkway, directly beside Wendy’s, and construction is scheduled to begin soon.
To learn more about new coffee/dining at Town Center, click here: http://hubs.ly/H02Gwsb0
Why did I choose that as the title of my book?
It stemmed from the frustration I saw in friends, family, and peers who couldn’t seem to land that new career opportunity. They had self-doubt, don’t we all? If you break down the interview process, essentially you are going into a room full of strangers to explain to them why, out of ALL of the candidates, you are a perfect fit for this position. You have 30-60 minutes, GO!
Nerve-wracking!!!
“I’m not good enough, I don’t have an MBA, I don’t have enough experience, etc.”
STOP!!! I can help. What makes me qualified?
The 5 things you MUST do to nail that job interview
While my book goes into more detail, below are 5 musts if you want to secure that coveted career opportunity.
You should also be up to speed on the company itself. Look at industry trends, financials, technology, etc. I interviewed with a large bank for a position in their mortgage department and because of my research, was able to engage in some small-talk about mortgage standards and government regulations that hit the headlines recently. It was a great ice-breaker and I landed the position. I had ZERO mortgage experience on my résumé!
2. Dress to impress! If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you act with more confidence. Confidence goes a long way when making a first impression. Some studies have shown that interviewers have made a hiring decision within minutes of meeting you, make those minutes count!
3. Prepare relentlessly! You should be prepared to talk about YOU! They are not hiring your résumé, they are hiring you. They are not hiring your experience; they are hiring you and your skills. You should be intricately familiar with YOU. Review the below bullet points and BE THOROUGHLY PREPARED to discuss the details of the following.
My book contains worksheets to aid in the identification of your core strengths.
4. Answer the interview questions. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Frequently, interview questions start with, “Tell me about a time when you…. [Led a team through conflict, etc.].” I’ve experienced success (and those I’ve mentored) using the STAR method. Situation, Task, Action, Result. This technique has been around for some time, but is certainly not leveraged enough.
Below is an example, as seen on pages 39-41 of my book.
Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you had to motivate your team to achieve a goal they did not believe was attainable.”
Candidate: “That’s a great question, and all too common. I had a team of ten associates and a newly established sales goal of twenty-five units per month for each associate, five more per associate than they had ever achieved. The team was vocal about not being able to achieve that goal. In order to motivate the team to exceed the expectations, I called a team meeting and asked that they help in creating a team action plan for success.
We discussed the following:
The meeting ended with a clear understanding of our daily goal, the sharing of best practices from each associate, now documented in a central location for all to access when needed, associate ownership of fun sales games to play during the day, and a set in stone follow up schedule to track our progress.
The result was the realization of an achievable daily goal, increased sales skills through best practice sharing, increased accountability, and the now anticipated follow up meeting to share progress. Lastly, it created a sense of team and unity. We ended up hitting 105% of our sales goal and ranked 2 out of 18 sales teams in our department!”
5. Follow-up! I recommend a hand-written note mailed to each interviewer. The lost art of a hand-written letter will go a long way. Keep it brief, thanking the interviewers for the opportunity to discuss the position. Mail it immediately after your interview. This typically works well with a smaller company. I’ve found email to work better with larger companies. If you don’t have the interviewers contact information, email the recruiter and ask them to forward your appreciation.
Good companies will contact you before you have a chance to follow-up with them. I once had a company call me to schedule a second interview as I pulled out of the parking lot immediately after finishing my initial interview!
If you haven’t heard from them, place a follow up call 48-72 hours after your interview. Be polite, direct, and clear. Your communication should simply state who you are, who you met with, and that you are excited to hear about the opportunity. You should also let them know that you are willing to meet again if they have any additional questions.
Finally, CELEBRATE! You prepared for and NAILED your job interview! That takes courage and dedication.
I pray you find this article helpful and am happy to answer any questions you may have. I can do so through this post or by email, danny@dannyjohnson.com.
About the author: Danny Johnson is a 15 year corporate veteran who has facilitated countless job interviews, written interview questionnaires, and helped several large U.S. companies build entire departments from scratch; helping them hire the right candidate(s) for the right role(s). Danny is also an accomplished Comedian and Actor; having performed at Comedy Clubs, Corporate Events, and Churches, all over the United States. Danny has starred in over a dozen of commercials, a variety of voice-over spots, won multiple comedy contests, and appeared on Comedy Central’s Laugh Riots.
Danny’s dual career track allows him to blend his corporate experience, study of human behavior through years of stand-up comedy, and his own personal application of the principles in this book to outline how you will nail your next job interview!
Danny is available for speaking engagements, workshops, one-on-one coaching, stand-up comedy, acting or voice-over work.
PURCHASE BOOK here: Amazon
Connect with Danny: Twitter: @comediandanny Facebook
With living in New Jersey all of my life, and moving down to Florida 2 years ago, I am still in complete awe over the beauty of Palm Trees. I think I always will be.
