Half Off! That’s Right, 50% off!

Job Interview Coaching, Career Coaching and Resume Building services are all 50% off from March 13 – April 30, 2011.  We want to help job seekers get noticed and get hired.  What better time than now to get a job!  Sign up now and pay for any of the discounted services before the end of April to receive this FANTASTIC sale.

ACT NOW!

To take advantage of this offer, click Job Interview Coaching, Career Coaching or Resume Building and get going!

360WorkForce is the newest and most innovative service provided by the creative minds of Jeff Garber, CEO, and Dan Fedrizzi, COO.  In an era plagued with a volatile job market and constantly evolving landscape, 360WorkForce is delivering what employers everywhere didn’t know they couldn’t live without.

As a client of 360WorkForce, Cathy Avallone, Vice-President of Human Resources for hhgregg was kind enough to allow me to interview her regarding her experience with this exciting new product.

Q.  Cathy, how would you compare your experience with 360WF to more traditional recruiting methods?

A. Like many companies working with very lean HR staffs, I don’t have a designated recruiter.  The people on my staff wear many hats and have more than they can get done in a day.  Once we were assigned an HR professional that met our needs, the process was very smooth.  We did not incur the typical costs that traditional recruiters charge and had all the information on our designated portal of the 360 website available 24/7.

Q.  What were the biggest challenges and what were the biggest advantages?

A. We are a unique retailer with very specific needs. Probably, the biggest challenge was getting on the same page regarding what we were actually looking for.  We are opening several new stores in new geographic regions, so this was a learning experience for all of us.  Once we were able to articulate what we wanted and our HR partner understood the criteria, it was like having an extension of the team, as opposed to just a vendor. I suppose that is the biggest advantage, along with being able to actually view a recorded screening interview.  So many times you bring people in having not met them and it is a total waste of time. That would not happen with this process.

Q.  As a service provider, was there transparency throughout the staffing process?

A. From the client side, I was able to log-in, review any or all resumes that were submitted, review notes and recommend who I wanted to be interviewed via a recorded Skype interview.  I was notified when the recorded screening interviews were available and was able to watch a 30 minute screening interview, which was very valuable.  Our HR resource also provided great notes and things she saw that were valuable to determining who to bring in for a face-to-face interview.

Q.  Did you find the quality of the candidates met your requirements?

A. Of the 5 we brought in for face-to-face interviews, 3 were made offers.

Q.  Would you recommend 360WorkForce to other companies?

Yes, I would recommend 360WF to other companies.  It is a great concept. I think it is especially beneficial when you are working with fewer resources than you need internally.  I loved being able to view the recorded screening interviews, which is a huge advantage.  I can’t stress enough the value and importance of the relationship between the employer and the HR resource.  I believe it is a cost effective way to enhance your staffing process.

So, there you have it – straight from the client.

The benefits of failure??

Sure. In fact, my question is why would you look at failure in any way other than from the positive side? The alternative is to wallow in self-pity. Blame the economy. Descend into depression. Sit on the couch, watch bad reality TV shows, and put on forty pounds.

The truth is failure is a necessary part of life. Failure can be a tremendous teacher. It is, as they say, all in the way you look at it. Failure can be viewed as a commentary on your personal value, or it can become a building block in your character. Failure can be viewed as a reason why you don’t deserve to succeed, or it can become a stepping stone in your path to success. Failure can cause you to give up, or it can be an indicator of what didn’t work this time.

This short video is a classic – an accounting of several famous people who overcame potentially crippling setbacks:

“If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived.” As an active job searcher, you need to understand that savvy employers look for failure in your background. They don’t ask those classic interview questions, “What was your biggest failure?” or “What is your biggest weakness?” just so you can spout some glib, prepackaged, seminar-influenced answer. They ask because they are often looking for employees with courage and initiative, and they realize that those people fail. The question is not whether or not you have failed, the question is how do you deal with it and did you learn anything valuable?

If you have interviewed twenty times and still don’t have a job offer, don’t blame anyone. Companies are not looking for employees who point fingers; they are looking for employees who solve problems. Sit down and figure out where you need to improve. Get professional help (you can find a career coach here at 360jobinterview.com). Make changes.

The main thing is to get moving. The late, great Chicago Bear’s running back, Walter Payton, rushed for over nine miles of yardage in his NFL career. When he retired, he was the game’s career rushing leader, having carried the ball 3,838 times and averaged 4.6 yards every time his number was called. This may sound simplistic, but it is nonetheless true – Payton was knocked down 3,838 times, usually by more than one 300-pound behemoth, meaning that he also got back up 3,838 times. In fact, it is fair to say that Walter Payton is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame today, not because he carried the ball 3,838 times, but because he got back up 3,838 times.

Choose to see failure or adversity as a teacher, not as an event. Get back up, and get back in the game.

Skype video job interviews are occurring at a rapidly increasing pace today. We can no longer say that distance is our obstacle, nor our time limited. Skype simply eliminates both costs and travel time, by allowing us to conduct job interviews in the comfort of our own home.  It is therefore important to refresh our skills to ensure a successful interview.

How Skype Is Changing the Job Interview

In Get ready for your next job with Skype interviews, Brianna Reynaud gives some great basic and technical tips:

1. Smile and Focus
One of the easiest rules to remember when interacting with anyone face to face is simply to smile. Also the person with whom you are speaking deserves your full attention so make sure to stay focused and make direct eye contact showing that you are engaged in the conversation.

2. Choose your Colors Wisely
Certain colors like many shades of blue–royal, navy, sky–look great on video while others like reds and hot colors like magenta can be too bright. Patterns with small dots or stripes can be less attractive and more distracting than solids so think about wearing a color that is easy on the eye.

3. Lighting and Background Check
While you are the focus of the video call, remember to think about how your webcam is set up and consider what can be viewed in the background behind you. Are you sitting so that a blank kitchen wall is behind you or is there a cluttered book shelf or large paining behind you? Also, check to be sure you have proper lighting to eliminate shadows as well as avoid harsh lighting conditions that may not look good on screen.

Ms Reynaud also links to an article of a very informative mock interview by Walet Pop. They conducted the interview to show us different behaviors to be aware of that can send the wrong messages. Here is a brief list of points we can learn from the mock interview:

• Be confident!
• Do some prep work before the interview. It is important to know about the position you are interviewing for, as well as the company’s goals. This also enables you to answer the questions sooner without needing to pause and think. This does not give a very positive impression.
• Do not speak negatively about your previous employer. This will reflect badly on you.
• When asked to speak about yourself, talk about your professional history as opposed to personal life and family. This refers to your accomplishments as well, they should be strictly professional.
• When asked your greatest weakness, choose one that can be turned to the positive, and may actually benefit the organization.
• When discussing your biggest challenge in the proposed position, be sure not to point out your weaknesses. Do your homework, and positively speak about the general challenges of the position.
• It is important to maintain eye contact. Be sure to look into the camera, and not the interviewer’s image at the bottom of your screen.
• Finally, make sure there is no distraction/movement in the background.

I strongly recommend anyone planning a Skype interview to watch this mock session.

Good luck!

We here at 360JobInterview are going to be embracing social media in the form of video, and we’ll be producing some additional insight to our blog postings through the 360JobInterview RoundTable.

Here are a few examples of our videos to date:

How to Stand Out in the Crowd of JobSeekers, by Linda Egerton

How to Ace the Phone Interview, by Brad Kaunitz

Parents Helping Graduates Get a Job, by Jeff Garber

Look for more of our video posts here on the blog, and be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed!