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5 Tips on Interview Prep With Thea Kelley

5 Tips on Interview Prep From Thea Kelley by Mark Anthony Dyson

When it comes to landing a job, interview prep is just as important as your resume. Hiring managers interview hundreds of candidates throughout their careers; they can spot your lack of preparation from a mile away.

Thea Kelley is an experienced career coach and the author of Get That Job! The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview. Recently, she was kind enough to speak with me and offer her advice on interview prep:

1. Be Real

Many job candidates prepare for interviews as if they’re bracing for the impact of a car crash instead of getting ready for a conversation. Hiring managers can sense how guarded you are when you walk into the room, and it doesn’t make you look good.

Kelley says it’s important the interviewer “feels like they’re connecting with [you] as a human being.” In addition to letting your guard down, avoid talking as if you’re some kind of job-seeking machine.

“Phrases such as ‘I possess the ability’ – who talks like that?” Kelley ponders.

2. Keep Your Language Simple

It’s okay to use a little industry jargon to demonstrate your knowledge, but don’t deliver memorized soliloquies or use large words that are unnatural to you. If you can answer a question using smaller, simpler, more direct language, do so.

I like using a recorder with coaching clients so they can hear their tone, vocabulary, and grammar and take corrective action if necessary. Every aspect of your delivery will face scrutiny in an interview, so pay attention to it all when practicing.

3. Display Your Emotional Intelligence

“Emotions can be beneficial for job interviews,” Kelley says.

Telling stories rather than dryly answering questions allows you to showcase your passion, enthusiasm, and even a little appropriate humor. This makes it easier for the interviewer to envision sitting next to you for eight hours a day.

4. Relax

Kelley points out world-class athletes who earn millions of dollars take the time to learn relaxation techniques. You, too, can benefit from practicing relaxation techniques before an interview. Kelley suggests using visualization to “imagine yourself in an interview and being authentic.”

5. Be Memorable; Tell Vivid Stories

Stories connect candidates to interviewers in ways that data can’t. They foster relationships and conversation, rather than inquisition. Storytelling is also a valuable way to work your own questions for the interviewer into the conversation.

Kelley says a list of attributes is not enough to demonstrate your fit or expertise. You must be able to show how your experience is relevant. Offering the interviewer vivid and specific examples makes your qualifications real and convincing.

Don’t just interview to pass a test. Interview to make it real, capture the interviewer’s imagination, and connect with them.

The article came from excerpts from my interview with Thea below:

This article was originally published on Recruiter.com!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Land a Job

5 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Land a Job by Mark Anthony Dysonptop, it might be too late.

Speed matters when you’re applying for jobs. If you’re always waiting to get to a laptop, it might be too late.

That’s one reason for you to get comfortable with using your phone for more than Facebook videos and Instagram posts. Your phone is the most important communication tool you own. It’s time to unleash its potential in your job search.

Ready to use your smartphone to land a job? Try these tactics:

1. Report Live From Professional Events

Are you at a professional event? Why not give a short synopsis of it on Facebook or LinkedIn? Some of your connections can’t make it to the event, but streaming it live is a way to include them nonetheless.

Perhaps you can interview the speaker(s) at the event. Not only will this yield valuable information for you, but someone will share your video with their connections, heightening your professional profile.

2. Record the Volunteer Training Session You’re Facilitating

Volunteering is an excellent way to fill employment gaps and is also useful for your online profiles.

By recording training sessions you lead, you not only help other volunteers, but you also demonstrate your competency to a wider audience. Employers and recruiters get an opportunity to see you in action. Published online, the video can offer hiring authorities a face, a voice, and proof of your potential.

3. Take Assessments

More and more companies are using pre-employment assessments as part of the hiring process. If you can take these assessments on the go, you’ll save time and prove your aptitude faster.

4. Engage With Companies on Social Media

via GIPHY

Many companies are actively engaging job seekers on social media, but they aren’t posting 24/7. Timeliness is everything, especially when you see companies post about job openings or receive a direct message about your resume. Recruiters and employers frequently promote job openings on social media. Your response time is critical if you want to land an interview.

5. Help Others

Mobile allows you to be useful in a timely way when it comes to opportunities with small windows. Forward job openings to your friends and colleagues as soon as you see them!

I see it time after time: People who actively help others experience reciprocation. This use for your smartphone is the most powerful of all. The more value you provide for others, the more efficient your job search will become. You’ll get noticed. You won’t have to convince anyone you’re a team-player when your timeline proves you are.

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If you’re trying to differentiate yourself from the pack, you must consider your phone’s capabilities. Employers are expanding their talent searches to mobile, and they are engaging with potential job candidates via this channel. No one enjoys the laborious, confusing, and tedious online job search process. Your cell phone is your opportunity to stand out from the hundreds of candidates competing for your dream job.

This article was originally published on Recruiter.com.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Networking According to James Brown

Networking According to James Brown by Mark Anthony Dyson

Frankie Ajaye was a regular working and mildly popular comedian in the 70′s who once made a joke I’ll never forget on the “Midnight Special” (a 70′s variety show that came on at…ready?…midnight).

He said James Brown used only six words per album — beyond that, the others were saved for the next. If you ever seen a James Brown show on YouTube, then you can understand that a man known for performance and funky grooves stood out much more than his lyrical peers and contenders of the singer/songwriter era of the early 70′s.

James Brown is a member of the Rock ‘N Roll hall of fame primarily because of his performances and songs such as “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” and over 100 pop and R&B chart appearances.

If you look at James Brown’s career, you can use his “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” philosophy in your networking. Networking is hard and takes a lot of energy and whatever you have in your personality and work ethic to stand out. In James Brown’s case, less words was the best strategy because his live performances spoke volumes. Your goal in networking and interviewing is for the job performances to speak for themselves and the words to be a supplement.

1. Like James Brown, you must “Get Up On The Good Foot”

Potential employers must enjoy components of your work, and the first impression is critical. To receive more introductions to influential people in the hiring process, it cannot be solely based on your saying so or that you “just want a chance”. Ready yourself and showcase what you deliver, and that will likely earn more meetings and opportunities. With job networking, the beginning is as important as the end.

2. Job networking that you must “Get Up, Get Into It…”

James Brown influenced a couple of generations of music in ways he never imagined, especially looking at the groups and people that emulated his dances and music. Like James Brown used his talent to influence, find ways networking will influence a variety of people and vice versa. Blogging is a great way to capture the attention of people who can spread the word about your abilities.

3. “Papa Don’t Take No Mess”

Tact and respect in every aspect of life is critical to your career, even if you are flipping burgers. There are countless stories about people who work for hourly wages making a lasting impression on strangers. But how you treat others matters more than your accomplishments and what it means to an employer and workers. The television show “Undercover Boss” has documented how great service, knowledge, and creativity — combined with hard work — impresses the big boss. And yes, it’s still networking, as everything is networking.

4. “…give the drummer some!”

When James Brown said this, he shared the spotlight with the drummer.

Let’s see…mmm…sharing the spotlight?

Nothing impresses me more than someone who offers his or her success stories seasoned with accrediting others. Not only does this person stand out, but also they demonstrate an acute ability to collaborate and build partnerships. Well, you know, networking with skill and purpose. Band members Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker (check out “Shake Everything You Got” on YouTube) worked for many years apart from James Brown’s band because he called both men’s names so often during performances that they made names for themselves.

5. “Get Up Offa That Thang”

James Brown performed up to 250 times a year in the 70′s and 80′s. Although for most people to attend job networking events like this is unrealistic, it is hard work to stand out in a field where many are jockeying for position. The combination of points 1-4 would provide enough for anyone to be considered “hard-working” without bragging. You have to “get up…”, network with others, and go where your career sojourn lands.

Back to Frankie Ajaye’s point about words…you don’t need many to convey your message in most cases. You actions will speak when your words cease. What is your job networking challenge? Is networking boring to you? Do you have a James Brown soul when it comes to job networking?