Eagle Wing Strategies

Career Search Tip – Research

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:53:48 +0000

CAREER SEARCH TIP

One of the most important aspects of marketing a product is conducting market research. Learning as much about a “customer” and the “market” is essential to developing an effective marketing strategy. Whether it’s for a job interview or networking or pro-active approach to a company, the more knowledge you have the more successful you will be.

For many, researching a company can be overwhelming. The internet gives us access to huge amounts of information about industries and companies. However, you can make this process less intimidating and difficult by following a few simple rules:

1. BEFORE you begin to research, be sure to identify the specific information you want to retrieve. There are two categories of information you should gather: first, is general information about an industry and/or company; secondly, information specific to your functional role.
2. When developing your questions, put on your ‘functional role’ hat; that is, if you are a marketing specialist, what questions do you need to answer related to marketing that will help you identify the company’s challenges and, therefore, your value to them.
3. Remember that in addition to the internet, there are numerous other resources to look into: professional and trade associations, business journals, local newspapers, people in the industry are all good resources for information.

With advanced planning, identifying the required information based on your professional experience and knowledge and a little patience, you will be well prepared to develop a strong and effective strategy that will move your career in the right direction.

Share and Enjoy:

Career Search Tip – Interviews

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:52:20 +0000

CAREER SEARCH TIP #2

The “Interview” is an integral part of the job search process, for both the job seeker and employer. In today’s “buyers’” market, hiring decision makers are digging in deeper into a candidate’s ability to meet the demands of the position and to be successful. One tool interviewers use is the “Situational Interview Question.” These are questions asking the candidate to describe a situation and what he/she did about it. For example:

- “Tell me about a time you were confronted with an angry customer.”
- “Tell me about the biggest project you worked on.”
- “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision your boss made.”

In responding to these types of questions, it is not sufficient to simply ‘tell the story.’ You should not only explain the situation and how you handled it, but be sure to emphasize the results you produced AND the benefit to the company. By emphasizing the results and benefits, you are demonstrating your VALUE to the company.. the higher your value the higher the chances are of receiving an offer.

Share and Enjoy:

Career Search Tip – Improving Job Search Effectiveness

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:48:05 +0000

CAREER SEARCH TIP

We at Eagle Wing Strategies have frequently heard the following: “I work hard looking for my next job.. I’ve sent out over 100 responses to posted positions; and, nothing has happened.” This is an example of one of the classic mistakes individuals make in looking for that next career step. They may be actively ‘working hard’ with lots of activity, but they are not spending most of their time in activities with the highest probability of paying off.

There are several sources for identifying and securing a career position: posted ads (internet and print media), recruiters and networking. We advocate capitalizing on all sources available; however, you should be putting as much energy in any one area as that area has the probability of success. So, posted ads generally account for approximately 4% of secured positions, recruiters approximately 7% and networking has the highest probability for pay off.

Networking has the highest probability of payoff. Conducted properly, networking can help you uncover corporate challenges that you can meet, identify and become known to the appropriate decision makers. Asking an individual if he/she knows someone looking for someone like you is not the right question. You should be prepared to tell your networking contact what you are looking for functionally, what target companies you have identified and ask, “Who do you know that I can introduce myself to who might get me closer to my targets?”

Spend most of your time in activities that have the highest probability of paying off.

Share and Enjoy:

Career Search Tip – Frame of Mind

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:31:25 +0000

CAREER SEARCH TIP

Most individuals go to an interview meeting with the wrong intent in mind. You should not go to an initial interview with the expectation of ‘getting the job.” For one thing, offers are rarely made after one interview.

You should go with the intention of determining whether there may, or may not, be a potential fit between you and the hiring decision maker. Therefore, the job interview is the highest form of informational meeting, that is, you are there to gather the information you need to determine if: A) you CAN solve the person’s problems; and B) do you WANT to solve his/her problems.

One of the interviewer’s tasks is to eliminate you. They are looking for reasons NOT to hire a particular individual from their pool of interviewees. To accomplish their task, there are four questions types they can ask you, although there are numerous ways to ask these questions. These questions are:

Tell me about yourself
Why do you want to work here?
Sensitive questions, such as: “what are your weaknesses?” “Have you ever been fired?”, etc.
Salary questions

By determining which type of question they are asking, you are able to respond in a way NOT to get eliminated, and using the opportunity to emphasize your VALUE to the hiring decision maker.

Remember: LISTEN carefully, THINK before speaking, emphasize your VALUE.

Share and Enjoy: