Tough Interview Questions | Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Tell Me About a Time You Lost a Sale | JobSearchTV.com

December 16, 2018December 16, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_pL1Tfagg

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This is really “Tell me about a time when you failed” in disguise.

This is a behavioral interview question that would obviously be asked of a salesperson but variations of this are asked of people in the c-suite or a manager level and above to talk about situations where failure occurred because this is really what the questions is about.
Tell me about a time you failed.
Now the key thing to always to remember is that the goal is not to blame others for the failure, even if. it was a part of why it failed because, ultimately, you're responsible.
As a sales person as someone in the C-suite, it is really hard to admit that you had a part in the failure. So, understand, what firms are looking for is dissecting and doing the post-mortem of the mistakes that occurred on the sale.
So, you can start by saying, "look, I want to be very clinical about this and break down exactly how the mistake occurred." Then, you kind of go through the sales situation. One of my favorite things, especially with salespeople, is to point out reflection.
"And, you know, one of the things I made the mistake of doing," and you get you soften your voice and you think theatrically and put together the situation in a way where you say, "You know, one of the things that happened here is that. . . . I believed the client when they talked to me about their pain points and what their issue was and I shortcut my process because, you know, frankly I believed what they had to say, but there was a secondary issue that was almost as important as the first that I missed. As a result, another firm was able to beat me on the deal."
"You know, it was a terrible mistake on my part. You know, there's just something where I felt connected to the interviewer or to the client. I thought they were giving me everything I needed and I have learned from this to go through my process of Investigation no matter what. And I can make jokes about it where I'll say, " Hey look, you're very clear about what you want but just bear with me a little bit because, sometimes, there are secondary things I just want to make sure I address those issues as well that our product or service can satisfy, too. I don't want you having any doubt about our ability. "
So, it's always about you and the mistake you made and if you want to sales leadership role, it's not about the junior staffer and the screw up that they made. It's about not giving them the resources, not managing them effectively so they don't take shortcuts. Not inspiring them sufficiently to hit their numbers. You get the idea of where I'm coming from with this

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1300 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice.” He is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Connect with me on LinkedIn. Then message me to schedule an initial complimentary session.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com offers great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle on Amazon and receive free Kindle versions of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.” If you are starting your search, order, “Get Ready for the Job Jungle.”

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

When They Ask “What’s Going to Make You Walk Away from This Negotiation?” | JobSearchTV.com

September 5, 2018November 22, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YOutHVABzU

How to answer questions about your “rock bottom” number.

Summary

Sometimes, you getting into a negotiation with someone and they're going to ask a question that translates into, “what's the least you are going to take?” Now, the two times in job search where you might be asked this question-- The first one is you’re talking to a recruiter, not a corporate recruiter but an agency recruiter. They may asking about your “drop-dead price” or “rock-bottom base salary, exclusive of bonus that you might find acceptable to join the staff of a firm?” There, I would answer the question. Here's why.

In that stage, you not really negotiating, but what they are trying to do is to find out the salary . . . They really want to get you as much as possible. The more you make, the more they make. There is a mutual interest there. So, (I’ll use a hypothetical example), if you say “I make 100K and I am looking for no less than 115K, you tell them that you are looking for 120K.

“What would you say the rock-bottom base salary is, exclusive of bonus, you would find acceptable?”

“It would have to be a really good job. $115, $116.” At that point, you are not negotiating but they're going to find out, in effect, positions in their inventory of positions that they learn about. They don’t want to come back to you and say, “good news! I got one at $105! What do you think?” it's a waste use of their time. There, be courteous.

When you get into the real negotiation when the offer is about to be made, sometimes, you are going to hear that question from the client, from the company, from the employer and they’re going to ask, “okay, so, I don’t know if we can hit your number. What’s going to make you walk away?”

“I don’t know that that's really relevant here. I want to do the best I can because, frankly, when I join, I don’t want to have second doubts here.”

“Oh, we are going to do our best to meet that but I’m not sure we can.”

“I want to encourage you do the best that you can because there are other alternatives I'm looking at right now. They’re real good; yours is really good. I prefer joining yours and bringing this to a successful conclusion. But, at the end of the day, that number is really irrelevant to the equation.”

So, you avoid answering the question because immediately they start zeroing in on that bottom number and it's hard to get above it. So duck the answer.

When you meet with an employer, sometimes, they are going to say, “what are you currently earning?” and most of them are going to insist that you answer. Now, I know that's there is a philosophy that says that's kind of irrelevant here. In sales, you might be able to get away with that, but in most professions, you really can't. Most jobs, you really can't because employers work based upon a formula on top of the current salary and frankly, they are going to throw you out. Sales is the exception because you can talk in terms of the current percentage that you receive and how much above quota and you can talk about what your total comp has been the last couple of years. Sometimes, you can say, “at the end of the day, I have always gotten more than my share by a lot. So, I want to bring that revenue producing goal to you. And if you come in too cheap, respectfully, I'm going to go to someone who's got a great product and a better. So, I just want to encourage you to make the strongest offer.” That's the approach for sales people.

For the typical employer, you might just simply say, “this is what I'm currently earning and I wanted a great job with a great organization that can compensate me fairly. I'm still doing my research about what the right number is for what I do but I just encourage you, at the end the day, if you decide I’m the right person for you and I decide this is the right opportunity for me, I just want to encourage you to make your strongest offer because I know other people are going to do that. I want to join an organization that values me well as well as getting me great work.”

So, you want to not necessarily commit to a number at the meeting unless they come back at you a second time, more likely a third time.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes, “Job Search Radio,” “and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

For more about LinkedIn, order “Stacked: Double Your Job Interviews, Leverage Recruiters and Unlock LinkedIn.”

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

How Do You Make Time For an Interview When You Already Have a Job? | JobSearchRadio.com

October 18, 2018November 21, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU4TXwOssxc

Listen to the full episode here::
http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2018/10/18/how-did-you-make-time-for-an-interview-when-you-already-have-a-job-jobsearchradio-com/

This one stumps a lot of less experienced professionals.

Summary

So, the question for today is, "how do you make time for an interview when you already have a job? Now, more and more people are doing phone interviews, more and more companies do phone interviews initially as part of their process. So I'm not going to address that. I think you all are pretty bright and can handle that without me.
I'm going to talk about the in person one because that there's really take the most amount of time. So, the first thing is consider the before 9:00 or after five interview. Can you do this where you get into work a little bit late, but the interview starts . . . Let's see normal starting time would be 9 . . . Let's say the interview starts at 7:45 or eight o'clock and you're arriving late. So, once you arrive late basically use the excuse of.
"the alarm didn't go off," or
"I forgot to set it last night."
" I it traffic on the way in"
" the subway was delayed"
"my bus was in an accident" stuff along those lines.
That allow you to explain your lateness that particular time.
Now, if you're dressing differently for the interview, you know, I want you to this to dress a little bit better a day or two before. Normally the day. Let's say two days before the day before you dress your normal way and then on the day of the interview you're dressing as in this special way that you would for an interview, and when people take note of it, just simply say, " we're going out tonight." or I'm going out tonight."
"So, where you going?" And just be prepared with an answer and the follow-up of if you ask the next day how it went, "we made a last minute change of plans." So you don't have to make an excuse about the interview..
You can also try the, "I wasn't feeling well," so,
"I had fever"
"I slept last night really well." Stuff along those lines that brings out the "oh, that's terrible. I feel bad for you," kind of response. You can also leave early with the "I'm not feeling well" excuse so that in this way you're able to get out a bit earlier.
You can also take the day off and say, " I'm going to work from home today and login remotely and then disappear. For someone who's not a native of the country that this is going to be listen to it, you might talk about going to immigration today. You can think about going out for a long lunch hour and simply saying, " I ran into someone who I haven't seen in five years. I spent a little extra time. Please excuse my being late coming back from lunch."
You know, taking time off isn't as difficult as people think it is. I'll just simply say if this is something that concerns you, practice your response to it because you don't want to come off as being nervous. nervous suggest that you're not telling the truth., But, if you smile and say "I just ran into someone I hadn't seen all this five years. I just needed to take time with them. So, excuse me for being late from lunch" or "coming in this morning a little late, but the likelihood of our getting together again or running into one another is so unusual since they live in" and then you mention that they live in another part of the country, and you wanted to see them.
Hope you found this helpful. Hope you have a great day. Take care.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes, “Job Search Radio,” “and his newest

show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Podcasting made easy on WebTalkRadio.net

Who Would Win a Battle Between Batman and Spider-Man? | JobSearchTV.com

November 18, 2018November 18, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOXuqjxuGDA

There are a few ways to answer this question.

Summary

This is asking too many interviews, supposedly Stanford University asks this question. I will give you a few different answers to it. Again, the question is, "Who would win the battle between Batman and Spider-Man?"

One way to answer the question is to be confrontational. This is not an ideal way to do it unless you're going up for sales job. If you are, demonstrating that there are nonsense questions that get asked is it the better approach. If that is the case, you might just simply say, "I'm curious. What are you trying to evaluate for by asking this question? I'm happy to answer it, but I'm curious what you think you're going to learn by knowing whether I think Batman or Spider-Man will win a battle. Whether I can analyze the superpowers of the 2 characters and apply them and analyze them… You'll learn one from that?" In terms of sales jobs, that is not a bad answer.

However, for other positions, certainly there are technical roles where appearing to have lots of joy when answering questions like this can go a long way toward getting you hired because they are sending a message with a question like this. The message can be. We want to throw you off your game and see how you respond to it. The message can also be "we are a little goofball around here. So we want to see how you respond to it."

Either way, you have to have a certain amount of clay to your answers so that you can go, "yeah! Batman. Spider-Man. I happened to be Batman fan (or I happened to be a Spider-Man fan) so my spiky senses would anticipate…" And you would go through a certain amount of joy and excitement in answering the question. Especially, for very technical jobs, that is not a bad approach. They are looking for someone who is "geeky." Someone who kind of like stuff like this. Enjoy it! Get off on! Have some fun with it.

Again, in sales jobs, no, I think confronting the question is a good one. I don't think for most positions, like if you are an accountant, or a controller and your asked this question, deathly confronted. What will they learn that actually is useful to them.

In certain professions, be a fan for a second where there is an association with "nerdy" or "geeky" or highly analytical behavior and thought processes. Let them see you get nerdy and geeky and analyze certain superpowers.

At the end of the day. Here's 1 of the fun ways to answer the question-- "I don't think they would ever fight. I think that within a short period of time, they would team up with Robin (if Robin was still alive because Robin has been killed off in the Batman comics). I think they would team up and be a great great crime-fighting duo and never really do battle.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-

person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Do You Speak to Others Before They Speak to You? | JobSearchTV

November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPm8FN2K0l0

I answer this question targeted to people working at a manager level and above and sales professionals.

Summary

I'm going to answer 1 of those tough interview questions and the question is, "So, do you like to talk to people first?" It is designed to see if you speak to others before they speak to you.

If you think of sales situations, in sales, they want to know if you are a "Hunter" or a "farmer." A farmer is someone who is going out and building on existing business; a hunter is someone who is going out and looking for new business.

In effect what they are asking you for is whether you are open to talking 1st or just wait there for someone to talk to you. What the try do is to get a sense of what they can really sell. It is 1 of those gentle questions that reveals a lot.

Now the place where it is particularly tricky is that you never want to come across as an arrogant SOB. Just be careful as you answer the question, and you might simply say, "Yeah, I have no problem talking to others. That's really the way I build my business. It's not like I wait for the phone to ring. I'm making lots of calls. I'm putting myself in the social situations where I'm getting to know people and their getting to know me and trying to build business that way."

It's really an easy and graceful answer to 1 of those questions,. It gets particularly tricky if they're asking you as a manager, a director or above whether this happens because the subtlety here is the try to find whether you wait for trouble to come to you or you are seeking it out.

You might speak about, "I like to manage by walking around and talking to my people. I see how things are going. I want them to know that I'm available for them to confess that they are having problems. If the not having problems, I'm not there to micromanage them. I just want them to know that the if they have a concern or an issue, I am available. So I put myself out there so that, number 1, they know that I care and, number 2, they can feel free enough to drop 1 of those little pearls that suggests that they are having a problem, but they don't say it directly. From there, I can speak with them privately, rather than in 1 of these walking around situations, be proactive and… I guess the answer is yes. I yes I do have no trouble talking to others. 1st, rather than waiting for them to come to me."

That's it in a nutshell; it's a fun little question but you have to understand what is behind it.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-

person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Why Have You Had So Many Jobs? | JobSearchTV

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwg67-ENxdE

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter describes what firms are looking to disqualify you when they ask this question.

Summary

Today, I want to offer up 1 of those tough interview is that show up from time to time. The question is, "So, I want that your resume and you have had a lot of jobs. Why be had a lot of jobs?"

You can understand from an employer's perspective that they are hiring someone and they help is like a marriage that last for a long long time and you look like someone who, when the going gets tough, you get going… Out the door.

There are several different ways to approach answering this question. The 1st 1 is, if it happened early in your career, you can point to the fact that when you were young, you didn't have the perspective that you do now for the hills you can acknowledge that and that you wised up. Somewhere along the line.

"I now understand that persistence is sometimes more important than the sometimes alleged again and I start to tough through situations when they got more difficult. "

The 2nd possible way of answering this question is if, some of these changes were because your consultant and you laid out your resume in a way where you just listed each of your individual engagements there and not the consulting firm names, you can very simply say, "Many of what you see, there are consulting assignments where I was only expected to be there for 5 or 6 months. As a matter of fact, some of the engagements ran long, because they like my work so much that they kept me around longer than the original contract was for." That becomes the 2nd way you can address.

A third way, and this is a variation that may apply to more recent economic times, you can point to the economy. "I intended to stay with each of these firms for a long time. However, the economy decimated sectors of our business. Eventually, our firm, in an effort to survive, needed to cut people. I was 1 of the last ones in and became 1 of the 1st ones out. As much as people like my work, and if you check my references you'll find that, I like the work of everyone else in the group and became very much like 'eeny meeny miny mo' when they made their decisions. It wasn't a reflection of my capabilities. It wasn't a reflection on my work. I was told they will provide great references. They basically chop the newest one.

That's how I would handle it from 3 different angles based upon how it was in your career.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle on Amazon and receive free Kindle versions

of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.” If you are starting your search, order, “Get Ready for the Job Jungle.”

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Give Me an Example of a Time You Took a Risk & It Failed | JobSearchTV.com

November 8, 2018November 8, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l32E7DUf_ps

Follow Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/NoBSCoachingAdvice

This is a variation on “the failure question” geared toward people at a manager level and above.

Summary

Now, I thought today I would do one of those tough interview questions. I've done variations on this one before. It's the failure question. It's designed to have you open up about yourself. You see, when firms hire people into leadership roles, they want to hire people, not only who can do the job, but who have a degree of emotional intelligence, who can understand the impact of what they do and own up to them. So this behavioral interview question goes, " give me an example of a time you turn you took a risk and it failed." And the key word in there is "failed" because it's a strong word. It's not a mistake you failed and they want to know that you can own up to your mistakes, you can own up to your failures and learn from them. It's kind of like the classic story from IBM, the old Thomas Watson story, about the person who lost ten million dollars in some business unit at a time when that was really a lot of money for them.He was asked why he didn't fire them and he said, "why would I fire them? The next person will get the benefit of the mistake that they made for me! Why can't I?" That's really what this question is designed to do is to get you– – to open up to your mistakes. So, the format is "The SOAR acronym--" What's the situation that you were in? What was the objective that you had? What was the action that you took and what was the result that you got? So, I'll give you an example of one. Doesn't mean that this is your story. Please .But use this is the type of example.
" You know, a few years ago. I took a position with an organization, moved across the country and I was hired to take over this new business area that they had and I stepped into the role, maybe with a bit of arrogance or cockiness about it, thinking that I could really make a huge impact on the organization.
And I misfired. The misfire was I realized after I was on board. Their were things I didn't know about the organization, about its capabilities and its investment in this business unit . . . And I was probably in over my head as a result. Now, I'm not blaming them. I just want to be clear about that. You know, I realized I stepped into a job that I didn't have all the information for and the result was we really couldn't deliver it and the result winds up being that, years later, when I step into new situations, I make sure that I'm covering all the bases and really understand what resources are available. So, then, in this way, I'm not flying blind anymore. I really know that, I can affect the change that they're looking for. I always know that there are surprises but nothing will ever be as big a surprise as that one."
So get the idea here. You're going with the situation, the objective, the action and the result . . . And owning up to your part of this. You have to do that. Without that piece,your answer has no meaning. It just sounds like you're blaming someone else and there's always a partthat involves you and the mistake that you made, even if it involves them like it did in the story. Like, I didn't have all the information about what was going to be available to me. . . . And that's your mistake. Follow?
I remember one time with a non-profit I was involved with, I was going for certification to run workshops for them. And the first time I sat before the group that certified people, I was told I wasn't ready for it.I was disappointed, to say the least and I came back and, again, attempted to get their okay to do it .
There was a point in the conversation where we talked about what had happened the first time. And they said, " are you saying that this wasn't your fault?" I said, "no. I've got a piece in this," and then I went through what the scenario was one more time and made it clear what my part was and that's exactly what they were looking for here. They're looking for you to own up to your part in the scenario, even if most of it involves them.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Why Have You Had So Many Jobs? | JobSearchTV.com

November 3, 2018November 3, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9zZCy37wac

In this video, Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter offers several different ways to answer this question depending on when in your career this occurred.

Summary

Today, I want to offer up 1 of those tough interview is that show up from time to time. The question is, "So, I want that your resume and you have had a lot of jobs. Why be had a lot of jobs?"

"I now understand that persistence is sometimes more important than the sometimes alleged again and I start to tough through situations when they got more difficult. "

That's how I would handle it from 3 different angles based upon how it was in your career.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

You can order a copy of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems” for Kindle on Amazon and receive free Kindle versions

of “No BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation.” If you are starting your search, order, “Get Ready for the Job Jungle.”

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

Tough Interview Questions: You Have 10 Minutes to Impress Me | JobSearchTV.com

November 2, 2018November 2, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYD19Enp2IM

Follow Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/NoBSCoachingAdvice

I know the tendency is to do one of two things. However, there is a third way that is much smarter and gives you control. Take it.

Summary

I'm Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. I'm The head coach for JobSearchCoachingHQ.com and welcome to another video that I'm doing Aboat job hunting. And this one is one of those tough interview questions. This is one that is designed to make you squirm, feel uncomfortable ,jump around like a trained seal . . . (seal noises () ) And the question is, "you've got 10 minutes to impress me."
Obviously, it's not an actual question, but it's designed to put people on the defensive. Now,, I know the classic answer isTo one of two things. Number one is, "goodbye," and the other one is for you to perform like the trained seal. I was mimicking that but neither was really correct and both are pretty immature. I want to offer a different approach that I think is much more effective.
So, If someone has the rudeness and the arrogance to ask this question, I want you to flip it on Them. I want you to just ask them, "why is that?" And just be quiet. Why is that? And the reason is obviously this person''s a lunatic or he's trying to or she is trying to present themselves as a lunatic. Who's the calmer head in this particular case– – the person who says, " goodbye," or the person who jumps like the trained seal?
The person who asks, why," that is. Which is actually the smarter approach? The one that's going to turn the interview on its head. And you may see a smile on their face. You may see get a response that basically says something to the effective of, " I've seen some great people so far and I'm having a rough time choosing between them." And, then, that invites the follow-up questions.
"Where's the deficiency? Because if you've seen great people why haven't you chosen one of them?"
And then you hear about the problems or you just see an absolute maniac in front of you and it confirms your initial intention to walk out. But you've, at least, explored it and seen whether there was an alternative that was being sought and why?
So again, Don't walk out and don't jump around and do a performance. Just simply ask the question, " why is that?"
I hope you found this helpful. If you're interested in my coaching you () because that's what I do () I'm A career and leadership coach, connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com /in/TheBigGameHunter and, once we're connected, send the message to me.
We'll set up a time to speak. I look forward to helping you. Hope you have a great day. Take care.

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews, the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.

What Are Your Weaknesses? | JobSearchTV.com

October 26, 2018October 26, 2018 by Jeff

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9GGgHW0KAc

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter offers a perfect way to answer this question by re-framing it and deflecting it.

Summary

Today, I want to talk with you about 1 of those tough interview that invariably trips people want. I want to set a context for it. Whenever you are on an interview and they asked the question, "Tell me about your strengths," you can be very sure that the next question is where the question after that is going to be, "So, tell me about your weaknesses." You might as well be prepared for an answer.

With regard to your strengths, you really should have 2 or 3 things you should be able to say without seeming like you're acting (as I've said many times, interviewing has a certain amount of theater to it. You have to have a certain amount of acting skill in order to be most effective). Talk about your determination. Talk about how you care about your work. Tell them how you work well with others. You facilitate change. Whatever it is you happen to be good at, that is what you will talk about. The.

So the answer to that question, "So, tell me about your weaknesses," what I would like you to do is is to say, very simply, "You know, there was a time in my career when I really spent a lot of time and effort fixating on my flaws. When I made a mistake, I will really beat myself up. I would read books. I will try to get better. I would ask for advice. I would sit in meetings and try to learn from people who were more experience than I in that area.. What I really learned over the course of time is that they're not certain things that I would be particularly good at. For example, in my case, I cannot develop an app. I find it particularly difficult to learn how to code. I just don't have that kind of mindset.. What I really learned to do is focus on what my strengths are and play to my strengths, because trying to cope with my weaknesses, well, there's always going to be someone better than me at those areas that I am. However, if I play to my strengths, no one is going to be better than me at those areas."

See what I've done? I re-framed the question of weaknesses to say, "I used to spend a lot of time worrying about them but, what I learned over the course of time, is to work with my strengths.

You've indirectly answered it by by talking, in my case, I can't learn how to code to develop an app. Okay. It is a throwaway answer. You'll figure out your version of a dumb weakness to give away in the course of the conversation. Then, you turn it into, "But, what I learned over the course of time was to fixate on what my strengths are and to really work with my strengths because they are exceptional. No one is better than me in these areas. Whereas, if I become tolerable at my weaknesses, there are plenty of people better than me in those areas. So what's the point?

ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No

BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.

If you have questions for me, call me through the Magnifi app for iOS (video) or PrestoExperts.com (phone)

Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.

Join and attend my classes on Skillshare. Become a premium member and get 2 months free.

Join Career Angles on Facebook and receive support, ideas and advice in your current career and job.

Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and a good review in iTunes

If you want to know how to win more interviews, order “Winning Interviews.” You’ll learn how to win phone interviews, in-person interviews,

the best question to ask on any interview and more.

Would you like to talk through a salary negotiation or potential negotiation you’re involved with? Order and schedule time with me.

Do you have questions or would like advice about networking or any aspect of your search. Order and schedule time with me.

Would you like me to critique your resume. Order a critique from me

Jeff’s Kindle book, “You Can Fix Stupid: No BS Hiring Advice,” is available on Amazon.