“Colleen’s work is positive and uplifting with great tips for living life with intention and purpose!”
Preparing for a Job Interview: Appearance? Really?
In preparing for a job interview, there are numerous factors to consider. In addition to some of the more obvious things like showing up early, pay attention to your appearance. It’ll help you get prepared for those all-important job interviews.
Some of you may be thinking, “Appearance? Really? In preparing for a job interview, does it matter that much?” Well, yes, it does. In conducting in-depth conversations with hundreds of managers, supervisors, and executives, I was even startled at what they shared with me.
- Appearance, image, and grooming before the job interview. Like it or not, done poorly, this is a deal breaker. Do you exhibit positive personal hygiene? Do you dress and look the part? Numerous supervisors said to me, “This will sound ridiculous, but honestly, I have to question, did the applicants wash and comb their hair? Did they brush their teeth?” Some of them actually bring an air freshener into the room to tolerate those applicants who don’t seem to bathe. (I’m just the messenger here, folks.) One manager told me he has the front desk assistant alert him when an applicant drops by to pick up an application or drop off a resume. Why? Managers want to meet you and interview you for a couple of minutes precisely because they know you aren’t expecting it! They want to see how you behave “off the cuff.”
In preparing for a job interview, like it or not, appearance does matter. Even if you are interviewing to be a waiter or bartender, it is wise to wear a nice suit. Yes, you want to look the part, but managers overwhelmingly told me they also expect the applicant to look professional. They said it shows that you take the job seriously.
About Colleen Seward Ryan, Leadership Expert, Keynote Speaker, Coach, Podcaster.
An internationally recognized award-winning speaker, Colleen is the author of the book, Secrets Your Boss Isn’t Telling You, as well as 10 unique audio programs available at www.BounceBackHigher.com
As a keynote speaker and leadership expert, Colleen has delivered more than 1,100 fun and entertaining programs before thousands in 48 states and six countries. She has served as a keynote speaker for conferences, corporate meetings, associations, Native-American tribes, and non-profits. Based in Aiken, South Carolina, Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, and seminars by calling (971)212-0479.
What Employers Look for on Interviews
Later today, I’m going to be a guest on a radio show being interviewed by Doug McDuff on AM 1380 in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The topic? What employers look for on interviews.
In these tough economic times, it’s especially important to learn what interviewers look for that will make them hire you. For example, they want to see if you’ve conducted any research. Have you checked out their companies’ websites even if they’re well known? When I was conducting research for my book, Secrets Your Boss Isn’t Telling You, a number of managers reported how impressed they were that some applicants brought printouts from the company website and asked questions based on what they’d read. This is notable because employers want a sense that you specifically want to work for their organization–not just any job will do.
After Doug’s radio show, I’ll post more information about what employers look for on interviews. Stay tuned!
About Colleen Seward Ryan, Leadership Expert, Keynote Speaker
An internationally recognized award-winning speaker, Colleen is the author of the book, Secrets Your Boss Isn’t Telling You, as well as 10 unique audio programs available at www.BounceBackHigher.com
As a keynote speaker and leadership expert, Colleen has delivered more than 1,100 fun and entertaining programs before thousands in 48 states and six countries. She has served as a keynote speaker for conferences, corporate meetings, associations, Native-American tribes, and non-profits. Based in Aiken, South Carolina, Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, and seminars by calling (971)212-0479.
What DO Bosses Want from Employees? Team Players!
What do bosses want from employees? Team players! In conducting in-depth conversations with hundreds of managers, supervisors and CEOs, this is part 2 in a series.
Part 1 talked about how managers repeatedly asked for “someone who is a proactive problem solver, not reactive–an employee who thinks ahead.” In part 2, we’ll explore the importance of getting along with others in the workplace. Let’s get started!
Be a team player willing to help your co-workers and customers. Admittedly, while conducting these in-depth conversations, it was a surprise to me that “team player” was specifically mentioned over and over and ranked as the second top trait or behavior bosses want. Obviously, productivity is an important reason for this, but the effect that being a team player has on the morale of others scored even higher than productivity.
Bosses overwhelmingly mentioned “willing to help others, anyone” in terms of sharing job knowledge, skills, and ideas as well as “willingness to help customers.”
Simply put–and this is repeated throughout many of my articles, books, and blog posts–managers don’t want to be bothered with emotional conflicts among their employees. They frequently report, “I feel like a referee and a babysitter and I don’t want that role. I want my employees getting along and resolving conflict themselves.”
Bosses consider good employees to be those who attempt to resolve issues on their own first without always running to the person in charge. When I’m speaking, I often ask managers and CEOs in my audience, “Do any of you feel like you’re running an adult day care?” They laugh and say, “Yes! You must know some of my employees!”
Many managers and supervisors get promoted to management or leadership positions based on their hard skills or technical skills. They (and maybe you) received a promotion because they did a great job. But in these areas, the skills that got them promoted aren’t always the ones they need to manage people. That’s why they don’t want to deal with issues such as conflicts between employees. Not only that, these managers and CEOs are overloaded with work themselves and don’t have time to deal with emotional problems between co-workers.
So, what do bosses want from employees? Team players, proactive problem solvers and more. Stay tuned!
About Colleen Seward Ryan, Leadership Expert, Keynote Speaker
An internationally recognized award-winning speaker, Colleen Seward Ryan is the author of the book, Secrets Your Boss Isn’t Telling You, as well as 10 unique audio programs.
As a Aiken, South Carolina-based keynote speaker, Colleen has delivered more than 1,100 fun and entertaining programs before thousands in 48 states and five countries. She has served as keynote speaker for conferences, corporate meetings, associations, Native-American tribes, and non-profits. Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, and seminars. For more information, please visit https://bouncebackhigher.com
