Archive for Communication
Job Interviews – 5 Key Questions Interviewees Fail to Ask Before Accepting a Job Offer
Posted by: | CommentsNever forget that a job interview is a two-way street. The questions you ask are as important as the questions you’re asked–so be prepared for both.
Ask questions that not only highlight your depth of knowledge but questions that show you are a savvy negotiator before negotiations even begin.
People fail to ask these 5 Critical Questions during an interview:
1. Ask about a typical day on the job including key players you’ll be interacting with frequently.
Often a cursory description of daily activities may be offered, but your interest is to get a clear understanding of the role or roles you would be expected to play and daily expectations.
Will you be expected to cover for an absent co-worker, cover calls during breaks, or be required (or expected) to attend company or charity events not held during the workday?
Who will you be expected to work with on key projects? Who will have ultimate decision making on joint projects? What people or departments will you need to depend on for critical information in order to do your job?
Listen between the lines and rephrase your question if it isn’t being answered directly.
2. Ask about the financial stability of any organization you are considering for employment.
Read, listen and investigate the financial reports of an organization before the interview. If an organization is having difficulties you’ll want to address them at that time.
Ask a direct question in a neutral tone that allows the interviewer to refute rumors or give reasonable explanations to negative news stories. This not only shows interest and initiative on your part, but subtly puts them on alert should anything happen after you accept a position.
If the rumors turn out to be true, you may have a bargaining chip if you are laid off due to financial difficulties or bankruptcy.
3. Ask what drives your immediate supervisor(s) crazy.
The key here is to fully grasp unacceptable behaviors that might result in poor reviews or even dismissal.
This is often a question about values. You might think that being a few minutes late is no big deal, but if your future boss considers “on time” as 30 minutes before the day really starts, you’ll be clashing in no time. It’s the small things that make for big issues and they often aren’t discovered until too late.
Listen closely to the answer and probe for expansion. Usually there is more than a single “unacceptable” behavior that drives a boss nuts, so uncover as many as possible.
If your values don’t match up significantly you’ll want to consider another place to work.
4. Ask permission to take notes during the interview.
This is more powerful than you might think. It not only shows your interest and respect but it might help an undirected, unprepared, or nervous interviewer stay on track.
If you find yourself with a “talker” who fails to either ask questions or allows you to ask questions, you may be able to slow them down if you gently interupt their monologue by saying you want to capture every point. Then ask a clarifying question that makes them stop and think. This is easier to accomplish if you are taking notes.
Try it. I once got a job simply because I asked permission to take notes.
5. Ask what qualities the most successful employees possess and what qualities the least successful person is lacking.
Pay attention. If the answer is “”drive or “attention to detail” to the first part of the question, you’ll want to know what “drive” means to them. Ask. Do the same for the negative qualities.
Your aim is to match expectations to reality before you consider accepting an offer of employment.
These are just five questions candidates fail to ask during an interview but certainly not all. What questions do you want answers to before deciding if this is a person or an organization you want to work with? Think about it.
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? Share the knowledge but you MUST include the following: Allie Casey , Reinvention Specialist, can help you and your team ramp up your communication for more productivity and profits and fewer misunderstandings and headaches. To get your F.R.E.E. audio course, more communication articles and information visit www.alliecasey.com.
Find more tips on workplace communication in Misunderstood! The Fast Guide to Communicating at Work– What to Say, How to Say It and When to Shut Up!
Artist, Entrepreneur, Coach, Author and Hand Analyst
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I was a kid I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I loved to color and sketch and make things from the big “Make It!” book my mom always had on hand. That book satisfied my curiosity about how things were made and it sparked my creativity…not to mention saving my mother’s sanity!
My curiosity about how things were made probably accounts for my passion for the act of sewing…the how-to part. (Some people sew but only because they like the end result not the process–but I loved both.)
I loved figuring out how I could use the least amount of fabric when laying out a pattern often getting a better yield than the suggested layout.
For me the “fun” part would be figuring out how to cut an “uneven” plaid so every seam of a pleated skirt would match perfectly. That’s just how my brain works.
This obsession with “figuring things out” showed up in my life in the oddest moments. I remember sitting in my office on the 34th floor looking north up 7th Avenue (in Manhattan) and watching an office building being built a few blocks uptown.
I was fascinated by how quickly progress was made and each day I walked into my office with great anticipation as to what would happen next.
But the one thing I couldn’t figure out was how the construction elevator rose above the floor that was being constructed before there even was a floor! It was like watching magic.
Finally, I could stand it no longer and broke down and called my father, a retired electrician. I said, “Pop, how do they get the elevator up when the floor isn’t even completed?”
He told me they build it as they go and explained the process.
“They build it as they go.” Seems like the same process we use to build a business. Build and add a new floor as you get a little further along. I know that’s what I have been doing.
You might have noticed these recent additions to my services: hand analysis and new coaching programs. It’s the build as you go philosophy.
I love hand analysis the same way I loved figuring out how to lay out a pattern or sew a besom pocket. There is a certain “eureka” at the end. The light bulb goes on and everything is “illuminated” as though you’ve never seen the very thing you’re looking at before.
That’s what hand analysis does. It “highlights” your innate talents and purpose. It adds a whole new layer of information that colors and adds definition and detail to an individual that may not have been “visible” before. Like holding a letter written in lemon juice over a heat source.
The message was always there…you just couldn’t see it until you had “the secret.”
Hand analysis reveals your purpose and the pattern that keeps showing up for you as a “stall” or a “wall” in front of your success. It’s the “secret” without actually being a clandestine process.
What I mean by that is that hand analysis is a repeatable process. It is not a predictive tool but a tool to help you understand yourself in the moment.
Couldn’t you use a little more light on your life purpose and your life lesson? Certainly it helped me.
Check out this April Showers Special Here: Hand Analysis for You.
Business Communication – Customer Service – Intuition – What Counts?
Posted by: | CommentsI need to immediately replace my air conditioning unit–yes, the whole shebang. Why the urgency? I’m in Orlando–can you say 85 degrees plus humidity. Lucky for me I’m a warm weather gal but even I have my limits.
So I’m waiting for the second of the 3 AC services I’ve been in contact with to show up and give me a quote. Which, of course, got me thinking about how businesses communicate…you knew I was going there right?
The first contender, whom I called directly, shows up a few minutes late but he did call a few minutes prior to our appointment time to let me know he was running behind. No points off…he called promptly and I know how things go in labor service.
He explains everything and calls me to come downstairs Read More→
“THE BALANCING ACT” on Lifetime Television – Watch April 13th
Posted by: | Comments I talk about Workplace Communication and Reinvention Intervention with Beth Troutman from The Balancing Act, on April 13th. Watch Below!
Watch Below!!
Resisting What’s True for You
Posted by: | CommentsNothing makes me crazier than knowing the truth about something and choosing to dismiss it.
Decades ago, I worked as a part of a merchandising/design team for a women’s sportswear company. As we developed designs for each new season we were required to present them to the president and sales manager for critique and “adoption.” In fact, the meetings were called adoption meetings! In essence, it meant your “job” was on the line each week. No matter how well we defended our choices of fabric, pattern and style, decisions were often made for what seemed like ridiculous reasons.
But this one time, the president uttered a statement that made my jaw drop. He said, “We know it’s the right thing to do–but we can’t do it.” Honestly, I no longer recall what he was referring to–but it doesn’t really matter.
Of course, what he meant was…”We know it’s the right thing to do, but we are ‘CONSCIOUSLY AND DELIBERATELY CHOOSING NOT TO DO IT!”
The thing was that there wasn’t anything stopping him from doing the right thing, he simply choose not to. This meant that everything done in relation to this decision was FALSE. A LIE. A SHAM. And that just pissed me off to no end.
And that is how I feel when someone is given a piece of truth about their life purpose and then chooses to ignore it and proceed rapidly in the opposition direction. As a coach, I’ve seen this happen time and again.
If you want to be living in your purpose, first find out what it is if you don’t know, and then proceed Consciously and Deliberately along your path and honor your truth. It will make your life so much easier and happier.
If you don’t know what your purpose is I invite to get your hands analyzed now…here’s how: Hand Analysis Now!
Best Communication – Be True to Yourself
Posted by: | CommentsLifetime TV – The Balancing Act
Posted by: | CommentsI taped my segment for Lifetime Television’s–The Balancing Act, yesterday. Great fun!
My host, Beth Troutman, is smart and vivacious–an excellent communicator who clearly loves what she does for a living. (And, yes–she’s quite beautiful in person.) She made my interview seem like an intimate conversation between girlfriends and I’m hoping that’s what it looks like in the final production.
We talked about my book, Misunderstood! The Fast Guide to Communicating at Work, and why misunderstandings and the lack of honest communication (especially inner or self conversation) may be the source of so many unhappy, frustrated workers. A recent Parade poll showed that 61% of the people who responded would not make the same career choice if they had the opportunity to do it all over again. Sad statistic.
It’s why I know there is a need for Reinvention Interventions–we need to be living and doing our purpose in the world–just like Beth.
It’s not too late to join me for Reinvention Intervention: 5 Really Smart and Simple Steps to Relaunch Your Life. This 5 week teleseminar course starts Tuesday, March 15 and you can still attend at an amazingly low price. The bonuses alone make this worth attending. Read more here: Reinvention Intervention Teleseminar.
My experience with everyone I met at The Balancing Act, from the make-up artist, to the camera crew to the producer (and everyone in between) was friendly and professional, making the entire experience a memorable one. Thank you all.
The segment will air sometime in April so stay tuned for updates.
Manager’s Top Job – Clear Communication
Posted by: | CommentsUnclear communication and workplace misunderstandings can lead to a loss of productivity, money, clients or worse. Clear communication is the benchmark of a good office and tops the lists of best business practices with a capital “C”.
The clear communication implementation process begins when a new hire joins your team. As a manager, it is your job to make the person feels at ease and that he or she becomes a productive member of the company and your team.
Start by making sure that your new hire is aware of all of the functions your team provides. Clearly communicate what is expected of him or her. A small list of to-dos and reminders, managers can use with each new hire, are listed below. You, as a manager, should have this in your left pocket at all times.
Step 1. Introduction. Introduce your new hire to the tasks verbally. Let the worker know what is expected of him and how he can be a potential star in the company by doing the X-Y-Z list of things. Let him hear you – loud and clear- but don’t forget to connect your head to your heart during your communication and open up a place in the conversation for questions.
Step 2. Create a master list of the job function. Take time and create a written charter of duties. Make a list of to-dos which would be required of the new team member. A generic framework of what is desired and where he/she fits in the office. This is a good time to review job descriptions with your whole team–you’ll be surprised at the misunderstandings.
Step3. Make a detailed description of your wants as a manager. The new team member needs to know how your team functions and what is expected of him or her as a member. As a manager, you need to educate the newest member on the processes and procedures of the company. Make sure they are aligned with the ways of the company by means of a detailed description of the tasks, the expected time-lines and reporting channels. Be clear and describe the expectations in detail – yours and the company’s.
Step 4. Describe the role outside the team. Let the person know his or her role outside the team as well. Describe what is expected of him as a company employee who represents the company on whole with every encounter. Be clear and be concise. Cite facts.
Step 5. Ask for a feedback. Remember communication is a two way process…. You need to ask for feedback and remove noise from the system. Clarify all the issues you feel are still in the gray and make sure that they are fed back into the communication loop. Observe and correct by reverting back to steps 1 to 4, if needed.
Step 6. Make the person create a summary of the tasks at hand. This is perhaps a yearly process, but its advised to initiate this practice after the new team member is apparently comfortable in the job. An analysis of this will illustrate the difference between your explanation and the resource’s understanding. Clear the communication deficit now for greater productivity and profits later.
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? Share the knowledge but you MUST include the following: Allie Casey , Reinvention Specialist & Chief Communicator at Casey Communications can help you and your team how to ramp up your communication for more productivity and fewer headaches. To get your F.R.E.E. audio course, more communication articles and information visit www.alliecasey.com.
Inner Communication is the Key to Reinvention
Posted by: | CommentsI believe that the most important conversation you can have is the one you have with yourself.
Have Some Fun!
In my new teleseminar series, “Reinvention Intervention – 5 Really Smart and Simple Steps for Relaunching Your Life”, I talk about the #1 thing that keeps you from living the life you want to live, keeps you from making timely decisions, and keeps you in a place of frustration.
So, what is it–you ask. It’s the failure to make a choice. A decision. Yup, it’s that simple. We live in limbo land and rationalize the end result of possibilities and create endless lists of pros and cons until we are blue in the face–but we never quite commit to a, well…a commitment.
I use that word purposely, because commitment tends to feel like a heavy yoke on our shoulders, weighing us down with responsibilities when in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Not making a decision is what weighs us down. Making a decision is freeing and liberating. Making a decision lifts the fog. Making a decision propels you forward.
If you’re serious about reinventing yourself, you are, my friend, going to have to make a decision. Probably a bunch of them…but, let’s start with one.
Making a decision is a declaration to move in a direction based on your bigger why. The “why” is the compelling reason to change that supersedes all others. It’s the single compelling force that allows you to forge ahead even when the cons seem to outweigh the pros.
And yet, this inner conversation is often the one we fail to initiate with ourselves because it means acknowledging that undefinable thing. That thing we call “gut” feeling or hunch or, if you are more enlightened…your intuition. It means listening very closely for the the truth and, that is indeed, scary.
Here’s the remedy for failure to decide: Put down the pen and paper and go talk a walk. Get out of your office or away from the kitchen table and engage your right brain. Play a game, play with your kids, play hoops, hula hoop, or potsy, frankly, I don’t care. Do anything but think logically.
And then, get quiet and listen to what you are feeling. Get beneath the chatter and you’ll find your feelings. Pay attention. Now, you’ll know what to do.
But, you know this is only the start to your reinvention – don’t you? If you’re living with a sick feeling in the pit of stomach because your life is passing quickly and you’re scared you’re never going to live a life that has meaning for you then join me for The Reinvention Intervention-5 Really Smart and Simple Steps to Relaunch Your Life Teleseminar Series. You’ll discover how to stop feeling afraid to step into your passions, gain the confidence to make decisions and create a map for the next phase of your life!
Information Contact Allie at 407-313-4967
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