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Preparing for an Interview – The Day Before the Big Day !

Preparing for an Interview – The Day Before the Big Day !

by | Jan 21, 2015 | Interview, Office Etiquette

When appearing for an interview, most people hardly ever plan out for the interview before the big day. This is a tragic mistake for we all know preparedness is the key. When you go prepared for your job interview, it speaks volumes about your professionalism and your enthusiasm for the job. Here are a few pointers that you can use to groom yourself before that big day of the interview.

Practice makes for perfection

Plain and simple, you cannot be good at something if you don’t practice—and this goes for interviewing as well. It is helpful to review potential interview questions a day before by yourself or with friends and family members so that you are confident during the interviews. In addition, the more prepared you are, the better equipped you’ll be for interview success.

Do your research 

Before you go on any job interview, it is extremely important to find out as much as you can about the company, the position, and the person/people who will be interviewing you (if possible). In other words, put in the time to research. Google the company and read up as much as you can about it. Understanding the company’s mission and history can not only help you in determining the sorts of questions to ask, but can also help you decide whether it’s the right place for you.

The more you know, the better equipped you’ll be to give an intelligent answer. You can also strike up a conversation with the interviewer and calmly describe how you fit in with the principles and agenda of the entire company and how you can help the company grow if you’re given the job. To start preparing questions to support your application, try and take out the job description, details about the interviewer or any other material you have and see if you can find something in those to ask cracking, awesome questions.

If not, think like an interviewer. What would you love to be asked about the job or role if you were interviewing?

Go back to the job description and ask yourself, what problems are they trying to solve with this position?

Dress to impress

Clothes count. Appropriate attire is not only respectful, but refreshing. So what’s the appropriate dress code for an interview? Dress code may vary depending on the formality of the workplace or the job. If you’re not sure what to wear, it’s perfectly acceptable to check with the person scheduling the interview. You want the first impression you make on your potential employer to last. So, deciding on an appropriate attire is important, so don’t forget to spend some time planning your outfit accordingly. Avoid non traditional clothing, heavy jewelry, strong perfumes and loud colours.

Ammunition

Bring in the heavy guns! You’ve practiced your interview answers, done your research, and prepared a series of questions, what’s next? Now is your time to shine. Make a list of your skills, certifications, abilities, experiences, and professional or personal qualities that are critical to the position, and review your list, and the job requirements, prior to the interview so that you are fully prepared to share with the employer your qualifications.

Everyone loves a good show-and-tell. If you have concrete examples that demonstrate what you can do for the role, like a personal website you designed, or a business project you created in college, definitely share it! You can try and tailor examples of your qualifications to the company and the position you’re applying for, like preparing a simple audit of the company site and preparing a list of recommendations the company can use for improvements. The more specific these examples are to the position, the more the hiring manager will see that you have the skills needed to do the job.

Know your way

Such a simple concept, yet many of us still manage to get lost on our way to our interviews, which is totally understandable. You might get delayed or even lost looking for the office and the clock ticking down on your scheduled interview time,  Not the best situation to be in, but an avoidable one at least, if you know your way. That is why it is recommended reading over the google map directions and writing down the number of the front desk (or anyone within the company willing to help if you are lost) before you head out of thedoor. Being late even before you join the workforce isn’t a good sign. Also, do carry a bottle of water, its life saving potential is under rated!

Lastly…

Smiles are contagious. Go into your interview with an enthusiastic and positive attitude, and sure enough your interviewer will feel the positive vibes. Your resume gets you through the door, and the ability to communicate your skillsets and personality gets you hired. So don’t forget to be your inherent awesome self!

Interview Tips – While in Conversation – Part II

Interview Tips – While in Conversation – Part II

by | Jan 5, 2015 | Interview, Office Etiquette

It is the small things that make a big impact during an interview. We have put together a set of interview tips to help you get prepared to ace the interview:

  • Be honest if you don’t know an answer.

    But also, if applicable, express your interest in learning or tell how you’ve already begun looking into it (if you have) or even add a good question related to what they just asked. No good employer expects you to know absolutely everything.

  • Use your real-life stories.

    You’ve researched the company. You’ve read the job description. Match your stories and experiences to what they are looking for. How you solved problems. How you overcame obstacles. How you improved processes. But once again, make sure you’re listening to them and answering their real questions, and not just trying to run the interview yourself.

  • Still feeling nervous? Nerves are expected. 

    If you falter, it is ok to mention nerves a little if you think it would help to diffuse your discomfort. You can add a few words about how excited you are about this opportunity. But keep it brief, and then move on to answering the question that was asked.

  • If there is more than one interviewer in the room – 

    direct your answer mostly to the person who asked the question. But make sure to have eye contact with each person at some point during the interview. Always, speak clearly, at a normal conversational pace, collect your thoughts and frame them properly before saying, a pause is better than a blunder.

  • Avoid jokes. They can fall flat.

    A little humor can be fine if it feels right; and if the interviewer is being funny on purpose, feel free to laugh along. Just not one of those weird sitcom laughs, keep your jokes limited to when you enter or when you leave, this is a serious setting.

  • Maintain eye contact and energy – and listen.

    If you feel yourself starting to think ahead about an answer or what else you might want to bring up later, stop yourself. You will lose more than you gain by trying to jump ahead. Just be in the moment and trust yourself. Again, the personal connection and a feeling that you would be a great person to have on their team is key.

  • Have some questions prepared should they ask you if you have any.

    They usually do. BUT … also feel free to take brief notes and use things you learned during the interview to come up with questions. A big plus. As your last question, if it feels right, let them know you’re very interested and ask when you might expect to hear from them. Try not to talk money until you know they want you: When the salary question comes up at the beginning of an interview, say that money isn’t your most important consideration — nor should it be at this point. You should be holding out for the market value of the new job, not settling for an inadequate figure of your present or previous employment.

  •  Remember to shake hands and smile warmly as you thank each interviewer for the interview.

    (Not the death grip!) Ask for their name if you don’t remember or were not introduced and make sure you mention them in a thank you note that you send to your interview point of contact.

All the very best! You are now one step closer to get the dream job you are striving for!

Interview Tips – While in Conversation – Part 1

Interview Tips – While in Conversation – Part 1

by | Jan 5, 2015 | Interview, Office Etiquette

Your intellect and capacity would determine whether or not you achieve the dream job you are striving for. Very often, we focus on the ‘big things’ and forget about the subtle things we need to take care of during an interview. This post and the next are a collection of those interview tips which will help you breeze through the interviews!

  • Dress professionally:

    It helps to think about the kind of company and try to match that (if you know someone in the company, ask him/her or ask the recruiter/HR person about the dress code). But if they wear jeans and tees, you probably shouldn’t, for the interview. A simple jacket and trousers (or a skirt) is a good choice if you think a formal suit is going to make you look over dressed. It is best not to be loud/overdressed – too sexy (tone it way down), too elegant, too casual, too avant-garde or haute couture (unless that’s the kind of job you’re applying for; but even then don’t try to wow them). Less is more here.

  • Be on time:

    Actually, be before time so you are settled down and ready for your turn. Not being punctual for an interview is a definite no-no. Make sure you know where the interview venue is and how long it will take you to get there, to time yourself accordingly.  If you are not able to make it in time due to crisis not in your control, make sure you call the recruiter and inform him/her beforehand.

  • Turn your cell phone off or mute it once you enter the interview venue:

    Easy to forget. Not necessarily a deal-breaker (although for some it is), but definitely annoying. So just remember. You’ll be less distracted that way.

  • Remember that the receptionist can be a great ally:

    You may wonder why we mention this. It’s to remind you of something important: words are only a part of it. Overall impressions make a huge difference in your interview. The interview doesn’t just start the second the interviewer walks into the room and shakes your hand, nor end when you leave the interview room. People – anyone – at any step of the process share information about the candidates. Be nice to all!

  • While in the designated waiting venue: 

    no gum, no cell phone, no tablet, no humming to yourself, no putting on make-up, no slumping or feet up on a chair while slurping your coffee (this holds for the interview too). Be prepared to wait patiently – no matter how long it takes – and look as pleasant and energized as possible. Use the waiting time to think about your stories and all the ways you and your experience fit the company. But also use the time to observe whatever you can, since you are also deciding if you want them.

  • Stay positive while waiting:

    It is quite plausible that you might be restless while waiting for your turn and it so happens that sometimes you think time is just passing by slower. Do not give in to such thoughts, sing your favourite song in your mind. Check if all your documents are in order and stay focused. Be confident and keep your spirit up, there is nothing as contagious or uplifting as a good spirited person walking into the interview.

  • Meet the interviewer’s eyes and smile warmly as you walk in. Shake hands firmly (no death grip match), and say something pleasant. Be natural. Be real. And don’t use canned answers. When you’re in the actual interview, trust that you’ve done all you can up to that moment. Answer in your own words, making sure you heard exactly what they asked you. Job seekers sometimes prepare so much that they try to fit a canned answer into a question that wasn’t even asked. Not a good idea. Shows you don’t listen. So feel free to turn to your success stories, but also be conversational. Memorized words will lose you the human connection you want to build.

Liked the post? Read the second part too ! 🙂

Five Ways to Build and Sustain Organizational Culture

Five Ways to Build and Sustain Organizational Culture

by | Jul 30, 2014 | Business, Leadership, Management, Office Etiquette, Performance, World of Work

That mysterious thing called organizational culture – everyone loves discussing this topic. A company is doing well – credit goes to the culture. A company is not doing so well – blame goes to the culture. And it is perhaps true. Culture is critically important to business success, according to 84 percent of the more than 2,200 global participants in the last Booz & Company Survey (Infographic). But what is more surprising is that 96 percent said some form of culture change is needed within their organization with 51 percent believing that their organization is in need of a major culture overhaul. If organization culture is so widely accepted as a critical factor for a company’s success, and people believe the culture needs to change, why is this not happening? I think the problem lies in treating the whole culture thing as a mystery (that is here, there and everywhere, can be sensed but cannot be grasped – you get the drift) or as something that lies in the HR department’s purview (along with other mysterious things like employee engagement, succession planning, etc.).

Wiki defines Organizational culture as “the behavior of humans within an organization and the meaning that people attach to those behaviors. Culture includes the organization’s vision values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits.”

I would interpret this as the “how” in the company. How do we work on a daily basis – how do we interact with each other and with the external world, how do we react or respond to situations, how are our actions guided. I recommend you read “What Is Organizational Culture? And Why Should We Care? by Michael Watkins” – the post and the comments to see how many different interpretations there are of culture (no wonder it is a mystery).

For all my readers out there who want to delve into this mystery a little more and add to the already high discussion levels on this topic and perhaps bring about culture changes in their own organizations, this post is about building and sustaining company culture from my experiences in two stages of my career – as a team leader in mid-size and large companies and as a small business owner in the third year of leading my company.

Company Culture Builder #1 – Have a clear Vision, Mission and Values statement: This is where you define the culture of the company. It is critical that every employee knows and understands the vision of the organization and the values that it stands for. It needs to be simple enough or made simple enough that everyone in the company can understand them and get aligned to them. The idea here is to get people really involved and committed to the culture – logic and reason have their place, but in initiatives like this the emotions of people have to be tapped – and a clear mission, vision and values statement serves as a great way to bring everyone on the same page.

Company Culture Builder #2 – Hire people who embody these Values: No matter how talented a person is, if you don’t think that the person would be a cultural fit in the organization, resist the temptation and don’t make an offer. The people you hire are your ambassadors for culture, they will be the examples for the next set of hires. As they say, one bad apple spoils the basket – not only do you need to ensure that you hire, promote and reward people not just for skills or performance but for attitude and behaviour that aligns with the culture that you want to foster but also help people who are not aligned to be aligned or move them quickly out of the organization. When valued behaviours are not demonstrated, no matter where he/she is in the hierarchy, there should be consequences that show that such behaviour is no longer acceptable in the organization. This is important to establish accountability.

Company Culture Builder #3 – Understand Culture is not just Top-down: It is side-wise too. Yes, it does start at the top but it happens together – built through everyone’s behaviour and interactions in the team or company. Culture is everyone’s responsibility. Every person in the company should be walking the talk, walking it together, and knowing enough to course correct if some action in the day-to-day operations of the organization does not fit the culture.

Company Culture Builder #4 – Bring Culture in when solving Business Problems: I think this is the best way to bringing the theories to practice, to reducing the whole mystery about culture. When you have an irate customer or a profitability issue or a collaboration issue, that’s the time to do a root cause analysis that also assesses the problem based on what value was or was not used. Did we follow our culture? Were any of our values ignored? Based on what we stand for, what is the right thing to do now? Do we need to change anything in our culture so that this problem does not appear again? These discussions really help in reinforcing the message (and solving the business problem).

Company Culture Builder #5 – Focus less on Perks and more on building Trust and Respect: A cool office, a world-class gym, free food are all good but not at all the main factors that will make a company an employer of choice or build a culture that makes both customers and employees happy. These are short-term motivators only. Enough studies have been done to show that people want to work in an environment where they feel valued, respected and are making a significant contribution to a purpose larger than themselves (meaning). Therefore, creating a strong and healthy organizational culture is more than providing a few services that give a nice shiny surface gloss. Build trust and respect so that when one digs below the surface, one finds a strong and healthy foundation for a great culture.

Taking the digging analogy further, I want to end with these wise words from Edgar Schein, Professor Emeritus with MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of many best sellers including the Corporate Culture Survival Guide :

“Culture operates at many levels and certainly how we do things around here is the surface level. I like to think of culture to be like the lily pond. On the surface you’ve got leaves and flowers and things that are very visible; a visitor would see them. That’s the ‘how we do things around here;’ but the explanation of why we do things in that way forces you to look at the root system, what’s feeding it and the history of the pond, who planted what. If you don’t dig down into the reasons for why we do things this way you’ve only looked at the culture at a very superficial level and you haven’t really understood it.”

How would you define company culture? What do you think are the key factors to build and sustain a great company culture? I would love to hear back and learn from you.

Five Tips to Navigate your Way Successfully through Matrix Organizations

Five Tips to Navigate your Way Successfully through Matrix Organizations

by | Jun 3, 2013 | Career, Managing Yourself, Office Etiquette, Productivity, World of Work

If you are an employee in a large organization, a freelancer or a consultant, you have probably worked in the matrix structure without being fully aware about it. A matrix structure is usually a combination of a vertical (product/service P&L Unit) and a horizontal function (Finance, Marketing, HR, IT, etc) and is implemented to facilitate balanced decision-making and flexibility.  In other words – welcome to working in complexity where you may have all the responsibility but without the necessary authority.

More and more companies are gravitating towards matrix organizations to deal with the increasingly dynamic and chaotic work environments. Gartner highlighted these changes in their predictions for the world of work in this decade:

“Work will become less routine, characterized by increased volatility, hyper connectedness, ‘swarming‘ and more,” said Tom Austin, vice president and Gartner fellow. By 2015, 40 percent or more of an organization’s work will be ‘non-routine’, up from 25 percent in 2010. “People will swarm more often and work solo less. They’ll work with others with whom they have few links, and teams will include people outside the control of the organization,” he added. “In addition, simulation, visualisation and unification technologies, working across yottabytes of data per second, will demand an emphasis on new perceptual skills.”

Sounds familiar? If you are in the business management/operations role like me, this style of working is the norm and not the exception and it needs some special skills and abilities to successfully navigate your way through the organization. Based on what has worked for me and what hasn’t, I have put together my five working tips that help in adapting and being effective (and happy) in working in roles that give you responsibility without immediately clear authority:

Working Tip #1 – Know what you need to achieve:

This is rule number one – Knowing what you need to achieve before you embark on an initiative involving different teams helps you to keep your eyes on your goal and not get blind-sided by the priorities of the other teams. Of course the ultimate goal would be the one that the organisation has set and has necessitated the working in the matrix structure and you need to be aligned to that  but you also are solely responsible for your part of the whole and that is why in every meeting or interaction, it is necessary for you to remember that. This helps you to ensure that the working plan is moving towards that goal at all times and give your inputs with that clarity when it is time for group decision-making (helps combat “groupitis” or death by committee scenarios).

Working Tip #2 – Let go of the need to be liked:

The desire to be liked, to be popular is a very strong human driver and this is quite normal. But be careful that this does not become a “need” that drives the way you operate at work. It leads to making compromises that you are not comfortable with because they are not aligned to your internal ethical compass. Don’t go with the herd mentality because you are afraid that speaking up or standing up for something will make you unpopular. Not everyone everywhere will like you and that’s okay – you are not at work to win a popularity contest. Just treat everyone with respect (the way you would want to be treated by others) and focus on the work. You will get more done and be happier too.

Working Tip #3 – Sharpen your conflict-management skills:  

You have to be comfortable with conflict as it is a given in situations where people from different functions or roles need to work together. Understanding conflict management techniques is important to reach a resolution quickly (and with the least amount of blood-bath). To quote of one of my favourite leadership bloggers, Mike Myatt, from his post on workplace conflicts –

“Don’t fear conflict; embrace it – it’s your job. While you can try and avoid conflict (bad idea), you cannot escape conflict. The fact of the matter is conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. It will find you whether you look for it (good idea – more later) or not. The ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of conflict, and to be able to bring swift and just resolution to conflict will serve you well as a leader – the inability to do so may well be your downfall.”

And also, you need to be wise enough to pick your battles with care.

Working Tip #4 – Escalation is not the best solution:

Don’t be trigger happy with hitting the escalation button. This should be your last option when working in a matrix organization and there are many reasons for this – the main one being that trust and teamwork is the foundation for a successful matrix organization. And a blame-game attitude poisons the foundation pretty fast. (Pardon me for all the “killing” analogies – it is a side-effect of working in the corporate world for so long :)).

Moreover an escalation may not work as the final decision-making authority would not be your immediate superior – in a matrix org, it is usually the CEO or a level lower than her and do you really want to go whining all the way there when you have other options to make things work ? Also by escalating, you let go of all the influence that you have managed to build so far – and influence trumps authority to get things done in complex organizations.

Working Tip #5 – Communication is key:

I have saved this for the last as it is a common thread for all the earlier tips. For you to be successful in a matrix organization – you have to get personal. You have to take the time to know every person that you are working with directly or indirectly – their strengths and weakness, their goals and needs. Strive to understand before being understood. And for that you have to communicate. Be open and transparent about yourself. Listen. Interact. Absorb. Empathize. Thank often. Criticize less. Give credit often. Build relationships. Pick up the phone when emails seem to be getting shorter and cc lists getting longer. Meet up/Video when you think phone conversations and calls seems to be getting you nowhere. Communication helps break down the vertical and horizontal silos, improves relationships and creates an effective “groupthink” environment that further promotes teamwork and trust.

I believe that these are skills that can be developed and honed and really help in leading and working in a matrix operating environment. And ALWAYS in your work, as Seth Godin says – Be open, generous and connected:

Open to new ideas, leaning forward, exploring the edges, impatient with the status quo… In a hurry to make something worth making.

Generous when given the opportunity (or restless to find the opportunity when not). Focused on giving people dignity, respect and the chance to speak up. Aware that the single most effective way to move forward is to help others move forward as well.

and connected. Part of the community, not apart from it. Hooked into the realities and dreams of the tribe. Able and interested in not only cheering people on, but shining a light on how they can accomplish their goals.

What do you think?  Have you come across any challenges while working in matrix organizations ? What makes you lose your cool and what helps you get your “balance” back? Have these tips worked for you ? I would love to hear and learn from you.

Pic Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecorey/7281531296/

Five Management or Leadership Styles that should be Banned from the Work Place – Business Operations Performance Challenges

Five Management or Leadership Styles that should be Banned from the Work Place – Business Operations Performance Challenges

by | Aug 5, 2012 | Business, Business Operations, Leadership, Management, Managing Yourself, Office Etiquette, Performance, Productivity

Do you think that every work/office space should have a few punching bags around? Sometimes I definitely feel there is some merit in the idea.  All that violence and stress bottled up inside cannot possibly be good for anyone. Violence, stress, punching bags – does not exactly fit the theme of my blog, Happy in the Now.  But hey – work is not all sweetness and light particularly when you have to work sometimes with people who have the talent of bringing out the worst in you. I have written about the barriers to operational excellence before and about behaviors that are best avoided at the work place. This week’s post is focused on the leadership or management styles that block progress and help no one – not the managers or leaders nor their teams and certainly not the organization.

With great power comes great responsibility – leaders and managers need to keep this in mind in all their daily interactions and do everyone a favor by keeping a firm check on these punch-bag reminder inducing styles:

Management/Leadership Style #1 – Waffling: Here is the dictionary definition of the word and I am quite sure some images/experiences will pop up in your mind:

Waffling – present participle of waf·fle (Verb): 1. Fail to make up one’s mind 2. Speak or write esp. at great length, without saying anything important or useful.

This is the work place equivalent of the Hamlet soliloquy – To be or not to be…be, not be, be, not be– God, can you please make up your mind and move on and let your team get to the work at hand  ?

Management/Leadership Style #2 – Death by Committees: This one starts with – sounds like a good idea, let’s set up a meeting to decide who needs to decide, and invite them to a meeting to decide when it needs to get decided and then set up a meeting to discuss who else need to be invited that needs to decide and then set up a meeting to discuss what we need to decide – hey! Can you please remind me what the great idea was again?

Ok, so I know that there is research that says there is wisdom in crowds but seriously, can we please stop killing all possible innovation and initiative through this inclusive decision-making (read as death by committee) style?

Management/Leadership Style #3 – I am the victim – This style shows up in full bloom when the time comes to take hard decisions and set ownerships.  Some symptoms to diagnose this style is when someone says –  Hey don’t ask me why things are not working because I am just the new person here/the markets are down/whoever drew up the budget or the plan was smoking something/no one supports me/other people don’t know how to do their jobs/ whine whine whine whine whine……

You are a manager or leader because sometime somewhere you did do something right. Can you please stop whining and get your act together again – everybody knows the problems, YOU are the person who has to provide the solution – that is why you are where you are.

Management/Leadership Style #4 – My way or the highway – This is the style of the professional bully who relies on his/her title, or a loud voice, or a threat or other trappings of power to force complete submission of subordinates or colleagues and does so because he/she can, and because that’s the only way he/she knows how to manage.

But seriously, the command and control style of leadership was outdated even a century back – isn’t it time to change your style so that people actually WANT to work for you or with you?

Management/Leadership Style #5 – Divide and Rule –  Best explained in Wiki (derived from Latin: divide et impera) (also known as divide and conquer) is a strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. In this case, insecurity rules, the leader/manager’s own insecurity makes him/her intentionally create disharmony, goes about collecting information (the water-coolers sessions equivalent) from team about team-mates, discusses and is dismissive about subordinates in front of their peers and actually pits one against the other. When this happens, the subordinates would obviously not come together as a team and be a threat to his/her security.

Excuse me – but the Cold War is over, can you please stop behaving like a secret agent/playing childish games and grow up and be the fair and trust-worthy leader that your team needs you to be?

We all need to look into the mirror frequently and do some honest evaluation of our leadership and management styles. It is easy to slip and slide and fall prey to the trappings of power – remember the adage, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely? Introspect, Acknowledge and Change – it is never too late to be the leader or manager we should be (and then the idea of punching bags in the office would become obsolete!)

So did reading my post ring any bells for you? Do you have some “boss from hell” or “the best boss” stories to share? I would love to hear back from you.