The Crow

Perception=Reality: 12x12x12 Rule

 
 
Photo courtesy NickiandJulie on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/altesmith/5251582838/

Perception is reality. How many times have you heard that saying? Probably enough to know that the way you’re perceived does affect the business you conduct (or don’t conduct) with other people. This is especially true when it comes to networking and meeting someone for the first time, and this is where the 12 x 12 x 12 rule becomes so important.

What is the 12 x 12 x 12 rule? Basically, it involves three questions: 1. How do you look from 12 feet away? 2. How do you look from 12 inches away? 3. What are the first 12 words out of your mouth?  This is perception versus reality- and it is very important to create the right perception of yourself and your business. The 12 x 12 x 12 rule looks at you from the perspective of other people and shows you how to optimize their perception.

 Here are the specifics of the 12 x 12 x 12 rule and how you can manage the perception others have of you.

• LOOK THE PART. You’d be surprised how many people fall short in the fundamental area of appearance. Wear nice clothes. You need to be well rested when attending a morning meeting. If you’re not a morning person, hit the sack earlier the night before so you avid looking like the walking dead.
• BODY LANGUAGE. When it comes to forming networking relationships, a lot of important information is communicated through cues such as posture, facial expression, and hand gestures. Avoid standing rigid with your arms crossed.
• GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Always have business cards and know which pocket they are in. Handing a potential referral partner someone else’s card is embarrassing. Smile when meeting somebody for the first time. You can avoid grinning and shaking hands like a hyperactive clown- that’s going little overboard. Just show you’re having a good time- that will send the right message.
• HAVE YOUR FIRST 12 WORDS READY. When someone asks what you do, make sure you’re ready with a succinct response. I advise my clients to come up with a “unique selling proposition” (USP). Here’s an example: When someone asks what you do, avoid replying with a bland, general statement such as “I’m a consultant”. That tells me nothing. Instead, you could say, “I work with small businesses to help them attract more clients than they could possibly handle”. This is short and powerful. A USP is obviously something you’ll have to tailor to your specific business. Whatever 12 (or 16, or 20) words you choose, make sure your answer is quick and informative.

Perception is reality when it comes to meeting people for the first time. By keeping the 12 x 12 x 12 rule in mind, you’ll go a long way toward creating the right impression in the blink of an eye!

Shawn McCarthy

Guest Blogger Shawn McCarthy is the Executive Director of BNI (Business Network Int’l) in Ventura County. BNI was founded in 1985 as a way for businesspeople to generate referrals in a positive and structured environment. The organization is the world’s largest referral network and has 6,000 chapters in 48 countries. The program is designed for businesspeople to develop long term relationships, thereby creating a basis for trust and, inevitably referrals. Shawn lives in Ventura County and enjoys basketball- he once scored 44 points in a city league game! For more information about the 28 Ventura County chapters of BNI, feel free to contact him at (805) 850 – 0157 or check out bni-vc.com.  

 

 

 

Free Resume Analyzer - Let a Robot Help your Job Search!

 
Found on Mashable! this morning: RezScore is a free web app that reads, analyzes and grades résumés. Seems like a potentially useful tool for the job seeker! They have set up some algorighms that will read your resume and provide feedback on things like brevity, key words, etc. You then get a "grade" of A-F...So it may or may not make you feel good, but if your resume is really bad (see preceding post!) maybe it will help you identify what areas you need to work on. I wasn't brave enough to put mine in there in case it gets an F...if you try it, LMK how it works for you!

tracy c

$%^&! Behavioral Interviews

 
 Photo from flickr by ofelaine http://www.flickr.com/photos/ofelaine/315671449/

As a manager or a person on an interview team, you know you’re supposed to ask behavioral questions. Maybe you know what in the hell that means, and maybe you don’t. And as a candidate…how should you handle these kinds of questions when you get them?

A behavioral question - or series of them, comprising an interview - differs from a non-behavioral interview thus:

• "Did your last manager frustrate you?" is not behavioral because it's basically a yes/no question.  Compare this to: "Tell me about a time when your manager made a decision that frustrated you. What happened?" This is behavioral, because it's asking the candidate to describe a specific example, not some vague, general item or a yes/no question.
• Similarly, "chatty" kinds of discussions in an interview that don't require the candidate to provide examples of behavior don't fall into the "behavioral interview" bucket. Some of these questions are necessary, such as “How many people did you manage?"  Some are better as behavioral questions: “Tell me about a time when one of your direct reports wasn't performing. How did you address it?”

As a manager, the more behavioral questions you can ask in an interview, the better. Why? Because you'll simply get better stories, examples, insights and information out of your candidates by doing so. I’ve had an amazing number of candidates do well on basic questions and really fall down when I asked behavioral questions…because they’re harder to answer. They’re harder to answer because they require the candidate to come up with a specific example, and, as we have learned from Barry Bonds, most people are crappy liars.

As a candidate, the more opportunities you have to tell your story the way you want it told, the better. Sure, it’s easier to answer monosyllabically. But that doesn’t give you a chance to paint a beautiful picture of your performance to impress potential hiring managers, enticing them into offering you top dollar for a job. Come prepared with several “stories” you can use to your advantage with various questions. Thinking through this is almost as important as your resume…that gets you in the door, and the interview is what gets you the job. Be ready.

tracy c

Will Your New Manager Suck?

 

 

Steve Carrell from The Office

My latest Quora answer…BTW, some guy had the nerve to edit my answer, what the hell is that??? Anyway.

How to find out if a manager is going to be decent during the interview process (they asked it some other way but that is essentially the question):

Ask some solid behavioral questions and don't let them give you a vague answer with no specific examples. Remember, you are interviewing them as much as they are you, it goes both ways (unless of course, you're desperate!). People who provide real, honest answers to behavioral questions will divulge parts of their personality they may not mean to. This is why HR people tend to love behavioral questions! So, ask something that address your area of concern.

• Worried about being micromanaged? "Tell me about a time when you had an employee who wasn't doing the work as well as you knew you could do it; how did you handle this situation?"
• Worried about a clock watcher? "Describe a time when you had an employee who regularly needed to leave early/come in late for some personal reason. How did you address this issue?"
• Worried about a guy who will take all the credit for your work? "Tell me about a time when an employee did a great job on a project for you. How were they recognized by the company?"

Also, I always recommend reading body language as much as you can. Do they appear uncomfortable with any of these questions? If so, which ones?

Any other suggestions out there? Just don’t edit my answer!

Tracy c

LinkedIn - The New Resume

I just discovered Quora. So, because I am a know it all, I responded to a question. It will probably be the first of many. Here is my answer pasted here since Quora and Typepad are apparently not friends.

Q: ResumeResume Writing -- How will curriculum vitae / CVs / resumes evolve in the changing workplace?

I think it's likely that your social media footprint will take the place of the traditional resume. I have experienced several senior level candidates who simply submit a copy of their LinkedIn profile in place of a traditional resume. Additionally, many execs have a web page that, instead of linking to a resume, showcases their LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and blog.
 
Gone are the days of agonizing over fonts and lining everything up just right. Most recruiters just want the high level information anyway - given the number of resumes they need to plow through, only the key points are worth noticing on a first pass; detail tends to get saved for the phone screen or interview. Let's face it, in a 140 character world, 4 page resumes are history.

Do you agree?

tracy c

To Hell with Best Places to Work

 

 
I struggle with this. As the HR person, I like to have this badge of honor for my company. I feel like it says I did something right.  On the other hand, I have to admit that it is kind of bullshit. So many companies game it. And they should, because it is a marketing tool, thinly disguised as an opinion survey.

There are a ton of these lists out there. Best places to work in Indiana. Best places to work in academia. Fortune’s best places to work. Ugh. really? I’m going to start my own survey, charge all of you 300 bucks to participate, everyone can be a winner, I make a little money and you get the badge, “Crow’s Best Places to Work 2011” for your website.

I have a “friend” (we’ll call her Stacy, yeah, that’s the ticket), who’s company was thinking about doing this, and decided not to. They didn’t want to tell employees to say nice things just to help with the recruiting effort. They preferred instead to be honest, and honestly? Yeah, it’s a good place to work. Is it one of the best? Well, that all depends on who you’re comparing to. It’s all relative.

At first, I thought Stacy should push to do it, but the more I thought about it, I decided it’s actually pretty punk rock to refuse to do it. F*&^ those Best Places to Work game playing marketing types. HR anarchy. Contests? Badges? We don't need no stinking badges. 

When you are looking at companies, does it matter to you in your job search if they are listed as a best place to work? What does it say to you if they have that badge? What if they don’t? What if they had it 3 years ago and still have it on their site? Don’t you care more that the people aren’t jerks, the work is interesting, and that the pay and benefits are decent?

tracy c

Rude to the Receptionist?

 

 
Image courtesy Michael Pujals on Flickr

Didn’t you always suspect it? That how you behave the moment you walk through the company door can make or break your interview?  Well…it’s true.

Many receptionists are an informal part of the interview team.  Hopefully, you aren’t one of those people who automatically dismiss the garage attendant, the waiter, the guy working at the 7-11. If you are, then you probably deserve what you get (or don’t get). Because when you are looking for a job, your attitude in the lobby could very well have an impact on the hiring decision.

The same thing holds true if you are at a level where the recruiters and managers wine and dine you; how you act with the server indicates character, and if you are polite, it’s a mark in your favor. If you aren’t, well, it says something about you. Something you might not want to say to a potential boss or colleague.

If you are lucky enough to get the interview…Make nice with the receptionist! And just in general, be sure to be pleasant to those folks who are in what are often thankless jobs.  It’s the little things that show your character, good, bad or indifferent. Your boss is watching. So is Santa.

tracy c

Should You Lie When You Apply?

Video thanks to BR123 on YouTube; Article referenced was Washington Post

Roger Clemens, the most decorated pitcher in baseball history, was indicted Thursday on charges of lying two years ago when he told a congressional committee that he never used performance-enhancing drugs.

Well, duh.

On the integrity meter, how do you measure up? When is it ok to tell a little white lie, or even a big one, and when do you need to just fess up? If you were convicted of something, do you put it on the application? Or do you leave it blank and hope to God that HR doesn’t notice? Or…do you lie? As Roger belatedly discovered, those little white lies can come back to haunt you.  It’s definitely a gamble.

How convictions are dealt with varies from company to company. Obviously, if you are seeking a job operating heavy equipment, a DUI in your work history is not going to be considered a good thing. However, in a high tech environment, it’s not really relevant. Some HR people might take issue with it, others will let it slide. It is hard to know.

Personally, I think honesty is the best policy.  But I recognize that desperate times occasionally call for desperate measures. If you fall into the category of “I had a questionable conviction” in the past, you should know which of the companies you are applying for require background checks. Most do these days. If they do, definitely opt for honesty; explain the situation that led to the conviction, and proactively do your damndest to convince that HR person that it is in no way relevant to the job you need them to hire you to perform.

Do what makes the most sense for you, as long as it allows you to sleep at night and earn a paycheck at the same time.

tracy c