Be Just a Little Bit Better

We have an opening in our firm and so I have been conducting interviews over the past several weeks and I have interviewed some very interesting people.  There are some really big gaps that have stood out in those interviews that I wanted to talk about today.

We often hear that it’s the little things that matter, that you don’t have to be miles ahead of the competition; you just have to be a little better in order to stand out.  It is to this point that I want to talk about those things that stand out, in this case it is the things that most candidates don’t do during an interview.

Most of the candidates I have interviewed in the past several weeks have walked into my office, empty handed, that is to say, they didn’t bring anything to take notes on, and they didn’t bring any written questions to ask.  These are both critical mistakes in the interview process and they can be the difference in getting a new position or being second-place.

So on your next interview, bring a notepad.  After your greeting and after you sit down, ask the interviewer if they mind if you take notes.  No one will ever say NO.  Then open your notepad and take out your pen.  Your notes should be just the key words that the interviewer uses.  These key words are your chance to shine later.

Second, have questions written out that you want to ask.  The worst possible outcome from an interview I am conducting is for the candidate to say, no, I don’t have any questions or no, you answered all my questions.  NOTE TO FILE- If you did this in my interview, you just lost!  Always have questions to ask.  Even if I answered all of your pre-determined questions, ask them anyway.  Simply say, one of the questions I wanted answered, you already covered but please expand on your answer, tell me more.  Back to those key words you wrote down, now turn them into questions; you mentioned _____ tell me more about that.

The horse that wins the Kentucky Derby but a nose makes $ millions more than the second place horse.  Is the winner a million times better?  No, it’s just a little bit better but worth a lot more.  A little more effort on your part will make a difference.  It just might set you on a new career path.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

www.grnhuntsville.com

Clarity, Confidence, Commitment

I once had a major stockholder in the company I was with make a presentation to my Sales Management team.  This was the topic of his presentation.  As he made his presentation to us, it became clear to me that this was one of those life lessons.  As I listened to him, I could sense the value of his words.

Clarity, he said, was the first step in understanding why we do the things that we do.  It is the ground step, the cornerstone of understanding what Steven Covey called “beginning with the end in mind”.  If you have a clear understanding of why you want to do something, you can figure out what you need to do in order to get to the end-game.  If you know why you are doing something, then you can clarify the steps necessary to accomplish your goal(s).

Confidence is the result of clarifying your why and understanding that you can accomplish your goal with the steps you have outlined.  As long as you make your steps through the process clear, you can move from A to B, to C and so on.  It doesn’t matter how many steps there are in your process or how few, as long as they can be accomplished   With a clear vision, you can move confidently through the steps to success keeping you eye on the plan.  Confidence gives you the positive attitude and a positive attitude makes all the difference.

Commitment is the final piece for your success plan.  With clarity and confidence you will only need to commit to accomplishing your goal.  If you know and believe that you can be successful, if you are willing to take the necessary steps to be successful and you are committed to accomplishing your goal(s), that commitment will serve you well through the completion of the project.  Without commitment, you won’t have the drive to continue through the steps and around the roadblocks.

Clarity, Confidence and Commitment are your three new BFF.  Use them well.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

Change your Life

Every now and then, something happens in your life that changes our course.  We typically call those milestones.  We look back on those milestones and see how they altered our activities, beliefs, or whatever.  Sometimes those milestones are happy times, sometimes not.  The one thing they have in common is that they change our behavior (good or bad). 

In my experience, with only a few exceptions, have those milestones not been an event.  One of those milestones that wasn’t an event in my life was reading a book, not just any book but a book about happiness; The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor.   This book had such an impact on my life that I have purchased and given away well over 30 copies.  I am recommending this book to everyone, no matter where you are in your life or circumstances.

If you would like to get a flavor for the book beforehand, check out Shaun’s TED talk presentation; http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462