10 Things not to do during an interview

By profession, I am IT infrastructure projects sales manager. A pretty large portion of my time is spent interviewing potential candidates for both contract and full time IT positions. I interview for positions on my team and also assist other managers when they are interviewing. I enjoy the interview process, as it provides me a totally different opportunity to meet new people and attitudes apart from my day today meetings.

It’s amazing to me how much the various candidates differ.  Some are very technical,  some not at all.  Some professional, some not.  Some very talkative and others hardly say a word. As I’ve been interviewing over the past few months, I’ve compiled a list of 10 things you shouldn’t do during an interview. These are things that pretty much make me cut the interview short and walk out.

Say you know something when you don’t

This is the number one blunder in my book. Nothing irritates me more than to say you know something on your resume, during an interview and then not be able to answer questions about it. One candidate I interviewed claimed on his resume that “He was the primary developer for all parts of the system“. I thought this was great and is exactly the kind of person I like to hire, someone well rounded. I began asking him questions about the system and in a very short period of time, it became clear that he only worked on one part of the system, “but knew about the other parts“. He knew about the whole system alright, knew they existed!  But he couldn’t tell me anything more about the rest of it. He flat out lied on his resume. Next!
When you put together your resume, it’s fine to sell yourself, but don’t oversell or flat-out lie about your experience or what you worked on. During the interview if you’re asked about something, be honest and state your exact involvement. If you don’t know something or don’t know the answer, just say you don’t know. One answer that really impresses me when I am interviewing is “I don’t know, but the first thing I would do is pull up Google and learn about it“. This answer shows both honesty and initiative, two primary things I look for. I don’t expect you to know everything, but I do expect you to know how to find the answers.

Dominate the conversation

A fairly recent candidate we interviewed looked really promising. They had tons of technical experience and lots of knowledge about the development products we use. At first he seemed great, he was very communicative, friendly and easy going. The problem was we couldn’t get him to stop communicating. He would barely let us talk, let alone ask a question. We would ask him a question and he would start to answer before we even finished asking.  Then he would ramble…and ramble and ramble.  We had one hour scheduled for the interview, and at the end of the hour I think we asked him a total of 3 or 4 questions. We normally have about 30.
Needless to say we didn’t hire him. We also developed a way to communicate to each other (we often do paired interviews) that we don’t like the candidate. As the candidate, you should definitely talk more than the interviewer, but stay focused on answering the question and be wary of the amount of time the interview is scheduled for. If there is time at the end of the interview, you can always ask questions and elaborate on previous answers.

Tell Jokes, Discuss Politics, or Religion

While this doesn’t happen often, it does happen. I had one guy a year or so ago that while waiting for my manager to come into the room, started telling me inappropriate jokes. Some of them were sexual in nature, but most were female blond jokes. I was trying not to rude, but I didn’t appreciate them one bit. About the time I was getting ready to say something to him, my manager walked in. She’s blond. I have never seen a guy turn so pale in my life. I told him that based on our short conversation, I didn’t think he was a good fit for the position and escorted him to the door. All the while he was apologizing all over himself.
Another candidate we interviewed asked me if I was religious during the interview. First off, having these kinds of discussion is a HUGE HR no-no. Second, it’s just plain inappropriate for a job interview. Anyway, I asked him why he wanted to know. He proceeded to tell me about his particular religious association, about their beliefs and how Christians were such a huge problem. Of course me being Christian, I had obvious issues with his comments, but held my tongue. Again, I didn’t proceed with the interview. If he is willing to bring these kinds of discussion up in an interview I can only imagine what issues he would cause in the workplace. I have enough to deal with without adding a huge HR issue to my team.
Avoid telling jokes all together as you never know the person’s perspective your talking to. Avoid politics and religion as they really aren’t appropriate in most professional environments and they cause a great deal of controversy. Also, they just aren’t pertinent in an interview. I’m talking to you because of your credentials and experience, not because of your religious or political perspective.

Dress too casually

This is another one that doesn’t happen to often, but I’ve had candidates arrive too casually dressed. First, let me state that I don’t hire people based on how they dress. That isn’t important to me. I do expect you to look decent and adhere to the corporate dress policy (which is at a minimum jeans and a polo shirt).
I don’t think showing up in jeans and a t-shirt is appropriate for an interview though, at least not where I work. The far safer option is to overdress a little more than usual. For example, in my normal job I wear khaki slacks, casual dress shoes, and either a polo or button down shirt. For an interview I would wear the same but add a sport coat.  You can’t go wrong with a suit and tie.
At at previous employer who required people to wear suits, we had a candidate show up in shorts. HR didn’t even bring him upstairs. The best option is to ask the company about their dress code before the interview and either meet or exceed the dress code.
Dressing too casually shows lack of respect for the companies policies and lack of interest in the job. After all, if I can’t get you follow the dress code, what success am I going to have in making you follow other even more important company policies. Managers have enough work to do dealing with their good employees without having to manage a rebel.

Arrive Late

If I have to explain this one too much, you probably have larger issues need  to consider, but arriving late (without a really good reason) will make me trash your resume in a heart beat. During the normal business day, I probably have 1-2 hours at my desk to get work done. The rest of my time is spent in meetings either with my employees, my management, or with my business area. I also like to leave at a reasonable hour to spend time with family in the evening. Don’t disrespect me and waste my time by being late.
Inevitably things will occur such as traffic jams, car problems, family emergencies, etc. Keep the contact number for the HR person or manager you are interviewing with handy. If something happens and you are going to be late, call them immediately to let them know. Even better, leave extra early. Personally, I would rather wait in the parking lot for 30 minutes than be 5 minutes late.
Also, if for some reason you can’t make the interview due to misunderstanding the time, or some other crazy reason, call the company to explain and make an effort to reschedule. I had scheduled a phone screen with a candidate a month or two ago.  I dialed in at the agreed upon time and waited on the phone for a good 15 minutes and they joined the conference call. They also never called to explain why they didn’t call in.  They didn’t get the job.

Use profanity

I know this is a very personal thing and some people are okay with it and some people aren’t.  Profanity is just inappropriate in an interview. You don’t know what what the interviewers thoughts are about profanity so just don’t risk it. To me, use of profanity just shows you aren’t intelligent enough to find more appropriate words to express how you feel. Just don’t do it…at all.

Chew Gum

I had a candidate one time come into the interview chewing gum. At first I had no problem with it, but as we proceeded through the interview it became more and more distracting. I got so distracted with their gum chewing I had a hard time focusing on what they were saying. To make matters worse, chewing gum was their nervous habit, so as the questions became tougher, the gum chewing became more aggressive.
It’s perfectly fine to have a mint or gum before an interview, but remove it before meeting the interviewer. Chewing gum in an interview just looks unprofessional.

Smoke a cigarette right before the interview

As a non-smoker, there is nothing worse than having to sit in a small interview room with someone who just finished smoking a cigarette. I know, you smokers can’t smell it, but  non-smokers can.  I’m fine with people who smoke, but be aware of the effect it may have on the interviewer.
If you do need to smoke before an interview, smoke outside so the smoke doesn’t get in your clothes as much. Wash your hands, and chew some strong gum or a mint before interviewing. Don’t forget though, spit it out before the interview!

Have no questions for the interviewer

Nothing says I’m not interested in the the job more than having no questions to ask. At the very least I expect candidates to ask about the working environment, the type of equipment they’ll have, dress code, culture, etc. I also like it when a candidate asks how they did and whether I feel they would be a good fit for the job. Be warned though, you may not get the answer you want. So if you aren’t going to be okay with the answer, don’t ask.
I would come prepared with at least 3-5 questions. Visit the companies web-site and look at recent news items and ask about how a particular news item is going to impact work in the area. Ask about how the department you are interviewing fits into the larger corporate picture. These are just a few examples, but put some thought into it up front. Asking questions will go a long way in showing the interviewer you are sincerely interested in the job and the company.

When multiple interviewers ask you the same question, give the same answer

A pretty common interview strategy is to have the candidate interview with multiple managers or team members. Often the interviewers will ask the same or similar questions either through coincidence or strategy. It amazes me at the number of candidates who don’t think we’ll compare answers after the interview is over.
When interviewing make sure you keep your answers consistent. Don’t make the mistake of changing your answers based on what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Keep your answers honest and consistent and be assured they will be compared later.
One of the questions we ask is for the candidate to rate themselves on a scale from 1-10 on how well they know a technology. You might be surprised at the number of candidates that rate themselves higher to non-technical interviewers and lower to technical interviewers. Needless to say, people that do this don’t get hired. It’s an integrity issue.
How about you? Have some tips for do’s or don’ts when interviewing? Have a funny story to share? 

A Brand is a Promise

What’s the difference between a great brand and a silly slogan?

   A powerful brand is incredibly valuable. Interbrand estimates that a successful brand can be worth tens of billions of dollars. That’s far too much money to be attributed to nice words or cool colors. What makes a brand valuable is the promises it makes and keeps.
   Here are some examples of great brands that win through making and keeping their promises.
Apple Computer
Apple promises to make the machine work with the man. We love Apple products because they are made for us. Once you buy an iPod you never want to use another MP3 player.
  Apple doesn’t depend on ideas that are wholly original. All of their breakthrough products like the Macintosh, the iPod and the iPhone have been followers, not first movers. They invent surprisingly little new technology. The categories they enter have stiff competition, Apple just beats them at their own game.
  What Apple does is agonize over every small detail until their products work flawlessly. A thousand engineers working on a million things that most of us will never notice, but are essentially to delivering a superior product. This is a promise that they keep everyday.
   Many people have criticized Apple’s new iPad because it is, essentially, a lager version of the iTouch. Yet, it keeps all of Apple’s promises. It’s fun, tactile, easy to use and, as I’ve written before, the Apple iPad will most likely be a success.
Disney
   Walt Disney stands for wholesome entertainment filled worth magic and wonder. It is an incredibly valuable brand that has stood the test of time.
   Some marketing guru somewhere probably thinks that it would be a great idea to earn more value out of the Disney brand by extending it to include different categories. Why not have “Disney Sports” or attach the Disney name to movies for grown ups.
   The Disney brand has endured because they know that when you extend a brand you risk diluting its promise. ESPN, Miramax and Touchstone pictures are different brands with different promises and the company benefits from them all (Disney owns them).
McDonald’s
   McDonald’s promises a minimal standard of quality combined with great service and convenience. Go anywhere in the world and you can expect to see full McDonald’s restaurants. (And after a couple bouts of food poisoning I’ve had in some of the rougher places in the world, the McDonald’s brand can be an incredibly welcome sight).
   McDonald’s promises to keep their standards uniform everyday, anywhere on the planet. They have gone to enormous lengths to keep that promise. Their corporate university trains an amazing global network of executives that meet and are constantly exchanging ideas on how to improve processes and gain efficiencies.
   Every supplier in every country is vetted and inspected regularly and every no detail is left to chance. For instance, there are only a few photographers in the world who are authorized to take pictures of McDonald’s food for marketing campaigns. It is their constant attention to detail that allows them to keep their promises in 119 countries around the world.
A Simple Equation
  Brands are not built through gimmicks or sleight of hand. The consumer can not be fooled for long. Great companies build great brands by valuing their customers and wanting to make their lives better in some way.
   In the end, despite all the gimmicks and tricks that gurus use to sell books and seminars, it comes down to one simple equation:


Brand Value = the value of promises kept.


Everything else is just optimizing efficiency.

8 Follow-Up Strategies to Keep Your Prospect Engaged

How do you follow-up with your prospects after your first conversation or after your first appointment? Sometimes we get so tired of chasing people down that we lose focus and take the lazy approach of “calling to touch base,” or “calling to check-in,” both of which bring little value.

Here are 8 follow-up strategies you can use to bring constant value and keep your prospect moving forward through the buying cycle. As you work through each of these, keep asking for the business!
New Information to Share – Call your prospect with something new… something that will benefit and excite them about what you have to offer. I always like to call and say something like, “I’ve got some great news for you!” or “I’ve got an update for you!”
Answers to Questions – The higher the complexity of the sale, the more questions to answer. It’s not important that you know every answer right on the spot. What’s most important is that you are honest, and that you don’t talk your way through something you aren’t sure about. Take it as an opportunity to follow-up. Get the information you need, and respond to your prospect as-quickly-as-possible with answers!
Success Story – Sharing stories about how you’ve helped other prospects is a great way to share your passion for your products and services. You may not want to share specific company names, for reasons of confidentiality, but you should have a handful of great stories to tell.
Reference List – I always keep my reference list private until we get deep into the sales cycle, but once I know the prospect is interested, I want them to call my current clients. Some people have a reference list of five or six clients. I recommend building a reference list of 25 plus! When your competitor sends their short list and you send your giant list of happy clients, it’s a great way to make an impression!
Customer Testimonials – When clients send you emails and letters of praise, keep them on file, and better yet, ask for permission to use it in your marketing materials. When you run into a prospect with similar needs and interests, send them a targeted testimonial.
Article – Be a resource! You should subscribe to industry publications and newsletters that help you keep up with the latest news affecting your industry. When you get an article that applies to a current prospects situation, send them a copy of the article, and make a follow-up call! Tie the information in the article back to the specific ways your product will solve the prospects problems.
Related Case Study – Sometimes you need to provide more detailed information, something backed up by research, analysis, and statistics. If you have access to this type of data, you’ll have and advantage!
Give Them a Referral – We are always asking for referrals, or at least we should be… right? What about giving your prospects some referrals? You might refer a potential client for their business, or even a prospective employee to fill a position opening.
The last year has been riddled with layoffs and reorganization initiatives. Through all of your prospecting activities, you are certain to know of decision makers who are losing their job, and you also know of openings. Help your prospects with your network of contacts. Imagine getting a call down the road that says, “We need your services. You’ve helped me before, and I trust you.”
That’s my 8 Follow-Up Strategies to Keep Your Prospects Engaged! Did I miss anything? What follow-up strategies are you using to keep prospects moving forward and buying from you?

Picture of Leadership's Mistakes

The journey to leadership involves making mistakes. Mistakes are the seeds of great learning. If we are not making mistakes then we are not stepping out of our comfort zone and continuing our professional development. The key to great leadership, however, is recognizing when a mistake is made and taking responsibility for its impact. Leaders strive to become aware of what some of the most common mistakes are and try to avoid making them.
1-Forgetting What You Stand For.
Nothing is more confusing than to have a leader say one thing and act in a manner distinctly opposite. Sayings like "Walk the talk", have become popular as simple reminders of how important keeping your behavior and your words aligned.
2-Sounding Like Your Mother.
There can be a fine line between communicating with respectful authority versus parental commands. Using the commanding, intimidating, diminishing phrases that many of us grew up with fall out of our mouths so quickly we may surprise ourselves. I remember once using the phrase - 'I have a bone to pick with you" with one of the employees in my department. The moment I said it, I knew it was inappropriate and yet the situation which I was attempting to address reminded me very much like the one where my behavior when I was six require discipline by my mother. "Because I said so", "Do as I say" are not motivators and a leader's influence will soon wane if your style of communicating consistently borders on sounding like a parent.
3-Lacking Laughter, a Sense of Fun.
The nature of running and leading a company or department is serious business and so bringing a sense of humor and lightheartedness to the workplace can be both refreshing and rejuvenating. Taking a moment to laugh over the phrase "having a bone to pick with you" is reminder that we are all human. Leaders need to find the balance that relieves all work and no play for their teams and themselves.
4-Holding Back Information, Not Sharing What’s Needed.
Leaders have access to so much information. Many times leaders fall into the trap of censoring information; withholding information. The reasons are endless - "That involves sales, not us", "The employees will misunderstand why this is needed", etc. Leaders are role models. Leaders are the examples for others on what is acceptable behavior. An approach of withholding information can be go both ways - From the leader and to the leader. Setting the stage for open communication can be the key to not being blindsided. Sharing all kinds of information in a direct and interactive way shows a respect for others and their ability to handle information responsibly.
5-Failing to Acknowledge Progress.
The day to day tasks, meetings and deadlines can consume us. As a leader not only is the present day activities looming but we must also be looking to the future. Failing to reflect and take a good look at how far an individual, a team or whole department has come is a missed opportunity! Celebrating the small victories - a milestone met, a cost savings realized, a client compliment - can energize and motivate for weeks to come. Burnout from the pressures of both home and work activities is looming near for many workers. As a leader the effort to acknowledge a job well done, a great presentation, even acknowledging the tenacity to stick with a project can make someone's day.
Remember no one is perfect and leaders' exposure to feedback that are reminders of this is overwhelming at times. Keep these common mistakes in one of those "mind files" so a flag of caution is certain to be raised when a mistake is about to be made. And certainly, remember a simple apology and taking responsibility for your mistakes can make an otherwise long recovery much smoother and simpler.

Skill Management Needs Only 7Habits

1. Take care of your body.
General health is conducive to mind power, of course, but you should also develop a few specific habits, like eating fish and other brain foods daily, or taking walks three times a week.
2. Take care of your brain.
A routine of weekly chess matches, regular reading, intelligent conversation, or crossword puzzles can exercise the brain and keep it strong. If you find music that help you think, get in the habit of using it.
3. Question everything.
Make it a habit to identify reporter biases every time you watch the news, or to challenge the assumptions hidden in every conversation.
4. Identify essentials.
McDonalds doesn't make better burgers, so why are they successful. Start looking at every concept, thing and situation with the question in mind, "What is essential here?"
5. Be a problem-solver.
A fun and possibly productive habit, is to look at everything with the thought, "How can this be done better?" Practice a few specific problem-solving techniques until you find yourself using them "before you know it."
6. Be self-aware.
It's crucial to maximum mind power that you learn to see your own strengths and weaknesses. You also need to know what's going on in your head, just below consciousness. There will be more on this in the next lesson.
7. Use your knowledge.
If you don't put your thoughts into action regularly, your brain may engage in fantasy more than productive thought. You're basically telling it that thinking isn't relevant to the real world. Play mental games for fun and training, but also be sure to apply the lessons learned to real problems.


You probably noticed that each of these 7 habits is really a collection or category of habits. Don't stress over how many you develop or how fast. The important thing is to just keep working on yourself.


"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

Management of Time is a Top Skill

Time management skills are especially important for small business people, who often find themselves performing many different jobs during the course of a single day. These time management tips will help you increase your productivity and stay cool and collected.


1) Realize that time management is a myth.

No matter how organized we are, there are always only 24 hours in a day. Time doesn't change. All we can actually manage is ourselves and what we do with the time that we have.

2) Find out where you're wasting time.

Many of us are prey to time-wasters that steal time we could be using much more productively. What are your time-bandits? Do you spend too much time 'Net surfing, reading email, or making personal calls? Tracking Daily Activities explains how to track your activities so you can form a accurate picture of what you actually do, the first step to effective time management.

3) Create time management goals.

Remember, the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors, not changing time. A good place to start is by eliminating your personal time-wasters. For one week, for example, set a goal that you're not going to take personal phone calls while you're working. (See Set Specific Goals for help with goal setting.) For a fun look at behaviors that can interfere with successful time management, see my article Time Management Personality Types. Find out if you're a Fireman, an Aquarian or a Chatty Kathy!

4) Implement a time management plan.

Think of this as an extension of time management tip # 3. The objective is to change your behaviors over time to achieve whatever general goal you've set for yourself, such as increasing your productivity or decreasing your stress. So you need to not only set your specific goals, but track them over time to see whether or not you're accomplishing them.

5) Use time management tools.

Whether it's a Day-Timer or a software program, the first step to physically managing your time is to know where it's going now and planning how you're going to spend your time in the future. A software program such as Outlook, for instance, lets you schedule events easily and can be set to remind you of events in advance, making your time management easier.

6) Prioritize ruthlessly.

You should start each day with a time management session prioritizing the tasks for that day and setting your performance benchmark. If you have 20 tasks for a given day, how many of them do you truly need to accomplish? For more on daily planning and prioritizing daily tasks.

Start The Day Right With Daily Planning.

7) Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible.

While crises will arise, you'll be much more productive if you can follow routines most of the time.

8) Get in the habit of setting time limits for tasks.

For instance, reading and answering email can consume your whole day if you let it. Instead, set a limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to it.

9) Be sure your systems are organized.

Are you wasting a lot of time looking for files on your computer? Take the time to organize a file management system. Is your filing system slowing you down? Redo it, so it's organized to the point that you can quickly lay your hands on what you need.

10) Don't waste time waiting.

From client meetings to dentist appointments, it's impossible to avoid waiting for someone or something. But you don't need to just sit there and twiddle your thumbs. Always take something to do with you, such as a report you need to read, a checkbook that needs to be balanced, or just a blank pad of paper that you can use to plan your next marketing campaign. Technology makes it easy to work wherever you are; your PDA and/or cell phone will help you stay connected.

You can be in control and accomplish what you want to accomplish - once you've come to grips with the time management myth and taken control of your time.

3 Steps to Accurate Sales Projections‏.

Sales projections are among the most common challenges for sales people and their managers. Why? What causes these forecasts to be so far off the mark? Some reasons include…

Over optimism… people think it’s about  being positive.

The sales person needs to buy some time… keep their manager off their back… so tell the manager what they want to hear.

The team and the manager collectively lack an understanding of the business and their sales cycle.

The deadliest culprit of all… carrying over prospects who push month after month and keeping them on your projections report.

Here is a list of 3 steps I take to ensure my projections are accurate…

Be Honest with Yourself – It’s interesting to watch sales people. We get so excited about how much the prospect loved our product, and of course, we love to pat ourselves on the back about how much, “the prospect loved ME!”

It’s good to be optimistic, but when it comes to projections, it’s better to be realistic… and better yet… to be accurate! The first step in accurate projections is to look at your pipeline and get real.

Know Your Sales Cycle – The second key to successful projections is understanding where your prospects are in the sales cycle. As an example, much of it depends on the size of the account. Larger accounts typically take longer, while smaller accounts may close after the initial meeting.

Here’s another example… We’ve all been in situations where our prospect is fired up about how great our product looks… only to find out they were full of hot air. Ironically, the prospect who held their cards close ends up being the real buyer!

Never assume that someone is going to buy before they’ve gone through the natural progression of your sales process. Prior to adding a prospect to your projections, you need to have a strong verbal or written confirmation that you are the top choice and you have a timeline for a decision.

Know Your Closing Ratio – Now… We are in touch with reality, and we have a clear picture of which prospects are at the closing stages of the sales cycle. There is one step left to decide who makes it on the projections report. What is your typical closing rate?

Once I’ve narrowed it down to my strongest prospects, I’ll project about 20% to 30% of that pool. Most of the time, my projections are dead on. About 70% of the prospects will fall under the following categories…

Something unexpected comes up and they are forced to put the project on hold.

They decided to stay with their current vendor. They think it’s easier to keep the status quo.

Our product didn’t meet the needs of the prospect. It just wasn’t a good fit.

I got beat… another sales person out sold me on this one. It burns me up what that happens.

Accurate projections aren’t rocket science. It comes down to being honest with yourself and knowing your business. Remember this. You gain a lot more credibility with your manager and the executive team when you are consistently on target.

What other techniques do you apply to ensure your projections are accurate?