http://www.tlnt.com/2012/11/01/the-3-most-hated-interview-questions-and-how-you-can-juice-them-up/

The 3 Most Hated Interview Questions – and How You Can Juice Them Up by Don Charlton

When you’re asking interview questions day in and day out, it’s easy to fall into a rut.

Even the most intuitive and engaging hiring managers may find themselves rattling off the same set of stock questions every day, and thanks to Google, these prompts are less effective than ever before. Applicants search online for common corporate hiring questions and then simply memorize their responses. It’s hard to learn anything about your candidates when they’re telling you exactly what you want to hear.

If your company could use a little help making better hiring decisions, it’s time to give your stock interview questions a badly needed makeover. Try these creative alternatives to break through the scripted dialogue and assess candidates for who they really are.

Hated Interview Question #1
Bad: Tell me about yourself.

Better: What’s the most exciting thing that ever happened to you?

As one of the first interview questions posed to most applicants, this opener is meant as an ice-breaker.

The problem? Most candidates will recite a response that tells you nothing you didn’t already know from the cover letter and resume. To help them ditch the script and open up, ask interviewees about the most exciting thing they’ve ever experienced instead. The answers you get might surprise you.

A candidate who talks about the birth of his son shows that he’s committed and loyal. An applicant who beams while describing his first published piece of poetry gives you a glimpse of his creative side, and someone who’s gone sky diving or deep sea diving reveals that she’s not afraid to take chances and try new things.

Remember, when your questions are interesting, your answers will be, too.

Hated Interview Question #2
Bad: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Better: What do you want your job title to be when you retire?

Some interview questions have no good answer. This is one of those questions.

If candidates say, “Right here,” they seem ambitionless. If they reply, “Moving on to the position I really want,” then they seem uncommitted. If they say, “Sitting in your seat,” they come across as predatory, and if they steal Mitch Hedberg’s line and answer, “Celebrating the fifth anniversary of you asking this question,” they might get points for humor, but you won’t learn anything about their passions and goals.

Making the time frame less immediate will help you to uncover what applicants truly enjoy and what drives them to succeed. That’s the kind of information you need to make the best employee selection decisions you can.

Hated Interview Question #3
Bad: Tell me about a time when you had to overcome an obstacle.

Better: Let me describe a problem you might encounter while working here. How would you solve the problem?

Most applicants are prepared to tell you a story that paints them as the business equivalent of a superhero flying into a burning building to rescue orphans. Sometimes these stories provide valuable insights into a candidate’s character, but often these tales are unrelated to the kind of work the new position requires.

To get an idea of how your new hire would handle the decisions she’d have to make in her new position, use a real, concrete example and ask her what she’d do. You can even formulate questions designed to reveal different qualities.

For example, the question “What would you do if you found out a colleague was fraudulently inflating his sales numbers?” is a lot different than “If your business to business sales took a dip a few weeks before your performance review, what would you do?” Pointed questions can tell you a lot about a person’s social skills, integrity, technical knowledge and expertise.

Conducting an hour-long Q&A session that’s stuffed with clichéd interview questions is no way to start a business relationship. It’s trite, it’s uninspired and above all, it’s boring, both for you and for your interviewee.

Energize your interview sessions by revamping your questions. Not only will the process become more enjoyable, but you’ll get the information you need to make even better hiring decisions.

Remember what Tony Robbins once said: “Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”

This article originally appeared on The Resumator Blog.

Don Charlton is a Web entrepreneur, developer and speaker. His company, TheResumator.com,, helps employers hire with confidence. Contact him at don@theresumator.com.

I am a big believer in interviewing your recruiter before you trust them with your job search and your long term career. I wish I could help everyone! Sometimes I place my candidates the first time I meet them and sometimes I place them years later. The point is that I like to develop long term relationships with my candidates.

Good read!

http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/08/05/4-strategies-finding-right-recruiter-job-search/

When looking for a job, do you still spend all of your time looking for openings on job boards and sending off dozens of applications? That’s so 2004! No one does that anymore.

All the cool kids are using their network to get referrals for jobs that aren’t on job boards, and the coolest of the cool kids don’t just stop with people they know — they reach out and network with recruiters. But hold on, tiger. Don’t go firing off emails to every recruiter you come across. You have to find the right kind of recruiter for you. (Click here to tweet this list.)

1. Check your network
First the obvious: use your network!

Reach out through LinkedIn, emails, or however you stay in contact with your contacts, and focus on people in your industry and with the same level of experience. See who has dealt with recruiters, or knows someone who has, and write down anyone who gets positive reviews.

Stick to recruiters in your niche. They will have dealt with companies and employers in your industry and can help guide you through the hiring process.

2. Network on niche job boards
You might be thinking, “He just poked fun at job boards, and now he’s saying they’re useful?” Yes. Yes I am.

Good niche job boards have two advantages over larger, more general job boards like Monster and Indeed:

•Job postings might mention a recruiter or recruiting firm by name, so you can research and contact them.
•They have an established community of professionals in your industry, with whom you can communicate and build your network.
So, second verse same as the first — reach out to the community and see if people are willing to recommend recruiters they know and like. Barring that, you can see which recruiters and firms work in your niche.

3. Find recruiters on Twitter
Twitter has become a fantastic resource for both jobseekers and recruiters. You can use it to find recruiters in your niche and engage with them.

In the search bar, type something like “accounting recruiter” or “IT recruiter” to find recruiters who specialize in an industry or specific job. On the left side of the results page, click on “people” to narrow the search so you only find actual recruiters.

Another resource is Followerwonk.com, where you can perform the same type of search as on Twitter, but narrowed by location.

Check each person’s Twitter profile for links to a personal website or recruiting firm’s site. Recruiters you find this way will be similar to those you find on niche job boards — you’ll need to do some research on them unless you know someone who can recommend them.

4. Find recruiters with Boolean strings
Here’s a new twist on an old trick: A lot of recruiters use Boolean strings to find candidates through Google, job boards, or social media sites such as LinkedIn. You can use the same method to find recruiters.

You can use strings to search for recruiters on specific sites, such as LinkedIn. On Google, search something like the following: site:linkedin.com “marketing recruiter” AND San Francisco –inurl:dir.

Here’s that string broken down:

•site: restricts the results to what it can find ONLY in that website, which was LinkedIn in the above example
•“Marketing recruiter” restricts results to pages that contain the exact phrase within the quotation marks
•AND San Francisco further restricts results to the phrase in quotes that also have the location somewhere on the page
•-inurl:dir removes any results that go to directories, which won’t be useful for you
Basically, use the same formula and commands that recruiters use to find candidates, but sub in “recruiter.”

5. Reach out and be courteous
Once you’ve made a complete list, refine it to a handful of recruiters that seem best for you and your goals. Next, reach out to them while you keep in mind a few important things:

•They have to maintain a good relationship with employers, not you specifically.
•They’re knowledgeable about your niche, so they can give valuable advice.
•Having a good relationship with recruiters could help your career for years.
•Staying in contact with them helps keep your relationship strong.
•Whatever help or advice they give you, thank them for their help and advice.
The last thing to remember is that these tips should not be the only method you use for finding a job. You shouldn’t stop searching through job boards — yes, job boards — and building your personal brand online.

Brian Stewart is a career content writer at ResumeTarget.com. They are the only resume writing company that offers a professionally written resume coupled with the guidance of recruiters to guarantee that your resume will get results.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.

Great quick read! Some things really do not change. I love number 1, 2, 4 and 8.

http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2014/07/25/10-networking-tips-grandfather-still-apply-today/

July 25, 2014
By Sarah Beth Moore

10 Networking Tips from Your Grandfather That Still Apply Today

In today’s fast-paced world of branded personal narratives and social media blitzes, it can be hard to slow down. You live in the golden age of ceaseless self-promotion, but that doesn’t mean your every exhale needs to contain a horn-tooting statement nor your every keystroke a mini press release.

Yet, to many people, this is exactly what the word “networking” implies: an all-out firestorm of meeting and greeting, everything delicately iced with your signature brand of modest self-congratulation. It’s no surprise you’ve spent years shying away from the process. Who wants to deal with all that?

Well, the good news is that this is a misperception. Done right, networking needn’t be stressful or feel sleazy. Instead, take a cue from good old Grandpappy, and apply a more old-fashioned approach to this sometimes daunting chore. Check out these 10 tips for ways to start building your network authentically and worry-free. (Click here to tweet this list.)

1. Be on time
Punctuality always helps to make a great first impression. But being on time can reward you in more ways than one. For instance, Entrepreneur recommends showing up early for conferences and events. That way, you get a chance to scope out the scene before the crowds roll in and can easily find other people to connect with.

2. Don’t discount anyone
The idea of networking is frightening. In response, we tend to take a fear-based approach, only listing someone as a potential contact if a) we know them pretty well and b) they owe us one. Instead, make a list of everyone you know. That way you won’t miss someone who could help you.

3. Be formal
All right, so “To Whom It May Concern” has gone the way of the dinosaur. But people still appreciate formality and may take umbrage if you use their first names uninvited. To avoid looking presumptuous, use last names until otherwise informed, along with a “Mr.” or “Ms.” Avoid using “Mrs.” unless you happen to know the lady in question is married.

4. Celebrate good times
In the old days, people celebrated their clients’ wins and triumphs, marriages and babies, successful ventures and new launches. Grab some small-town spirit and send congratulatory notes to those in your network. It’s a great way to connect and put yourself back on their radar.

5. Get to the point
Granddaddy didn’t mess around, so why should you? If you’ve got a question to ask, ask it. State the nature of the favor you’d like instead of beating around the bush and hoping someone will suggest it. Get to the point: Everyone appreciates it.

6. Be strategic
Networking shouldn’t resemble a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Make a plan, then follow it. For instance, you might start by making a list of the contacts you regularly turn to, then broaden that list with online contacts you don’t know quite as well. Next on the strategic agenda: cold-calling.

7. Give like there’s no tomorrow
You’re not in kindergarten, but the golden rule still applies. If you want someone to do something for you, be generous in turn. Helping people is a great way to get noticed, so make introductions and do small favors whenever you can. Especially when giving costs you nothing, as is the case with a short positive review or testimonial, it’s a savvy thing to do.

8. Follow up
Although “following up” can seem synonymous with “badgering the heck out of,” that’s not true. When you wait a respectful amount of time before checking back in with a potential employer, client or contact, you appear conscientious and organized. Just don’t go overboard: If someone doesn’t get back to you after two attempts, beat a quiet retreat.

9. Keep it local
Your grandfather often didn’t have much of a choice, but you do. While networking outside your area isn’t off the table, you may get further in your hometown. Equal opportunity is a nice idea, but in reality, people like to help others in their own community. Plus, when it comes to the job search, employers usually respond better to applicants who don’t have to move.

10. Be polite
Good manners consist of more than “please” or “thank you.” They also require that you respect the time, interests and energy of others. If you’re pitching an idea, for instance, check in with phrases such as “Would you like to hear more?” This tells your listener that you care about them and value their opinion, which increases your chances of actually getting a yes.

Sarah Beth Moore is a freelance writer and web designer living in the Pacific Northwest. She has a master’s degree in education as well as journalism, and blogs at http://positivelydreaming.com.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.