Youre Probably Not Using Your Best Recruiting Weapon

Youre Probably Not Using Your Best Recruiting Weapon What if I told you that your company possesses a powerful recruiting weapon â€" I’m talking nuclear strength.   It’s so powerful, in fact, that using this weapon would almost certainly improve your quality of hires, retention, productivity, and overall employee happiness. And what if I told you that every company has the ability to cultivate this weapon in the arms-race that is recruiting? Maybe you already guessed it, but I’m talking about company culture â€" or the collective behaviors, values, beliefs, and norms within a company.   Put simply, it’s the company’s personality.   And it’s a huge consideration when talent is scoping out their next job. How huge? Consider this: a recent CareerBuilder survey found that “91% of candidates believe employment brand plays a key role in their decision whether or not to apply.”   91%.   And what’s a main driver of “employment brand”? You guessed it: company culture. The (troubling) word on the street: Ok, great â€" company culture is critical.   So what’s the big deal? Well, here’s what I’m seeing: too many companies aren’t doing everything they can to take advantage of their culture to bolster their recruiting. For instance, I’ve seen companies where the only people who really get the company’s culture are their current employees and maybe a few loyal customers.   (And, maybe, some board members and investors.) But that’s it.   No real showcasing of it to folks on the outside â€" for example, to people who might be thinking about finding a new job or employer sometime soon. And that’s a shame. Because every company has a culture.   And it’s worth showing off in order to attract not only the best talent, but â€" and perhaps more importantly â€" the right talent. In essence, companies have a winning lottery ticket…but don’t know how to cash it in.   (Congrats if you caught the Good Will Hunting paraphrase.) Start strutting your cultural stuff. Immediately. So you’ve got this important asset that’s core to who you are as a company…but for the most part lives within the four walls of your office.   Here’s how to harness your (currently) secret weapon. 1)  Make culture a priority: First things first.   Acknowledge that your company culture is a top priority.   And I don’t mean, “Oh yeah, we take culture seriously here â€" it’s really important to us.” I mean, “Holy crap â€" we already have a culture…and it’s pretty cool…so why aren’t we telling everyone about it?!   This needs to change.   Today.” 2)  Describe your culture: To make things real, your company’s personality can’t just exist in the abstract sense. Well…technically it can.   But having your culture exist solely as an amorphous idea in peoples’ heads isn’t going to help you attract talent.   You have to be able to describe it to outsiders, to people who may have never heard of your company before. So grab a few people in the office â€" from the most senior positions down to the most junior â€" and ask them to describe the company’s culture, warts and all. Literally, just describe it. Are you scrappy, flexible with hours, love to throw events and parties, and tightknit like a family (sometimes too tightknit…read: everyone knows everyone’s business)?   Or are you a heads-down organization, with a quiet office and data-driven, analytical people who tend to make decisions autonomously? A couple pointers to keep in mind.  At FirmPlay, when working with other companies to identify and document their culture, we look at four components that you may also want to look at: People: what are the people like, and who tends to be successful at the company? Work: what’s the company’s work style like, from typical hours worked per week to feedback style? Play: what do you do for fun? Office: what’s your physical environment like, both within the office and the external surroundings? If you’re having trouble putting your culture into sentences or phrases, just start by doing simple word association. Once everything is down on paper, take a step back and look over what you’ve got.   Reread everything, thoughtfully.   What you’ll likely notice is that a few themes pop up consistently in peoples’ comments.   Identify these repeating themes (you usually end up with 3-5). They’re your company culture in a nutshell. 3)  Show, don’t tell: Remember the old writing tip our teachers drilled into us back in middle school?   “Show, don’t tell.”   It applies more than ever here.   It’s hard for people to get excited about working for your company if they can’t see what that would be like.   That means text alone won’t cut it. Keeping in mind the cultural themes you identified in the previous step, borrow a camera â€" DSLR is ideal, but even a good smartphone camera will do â€" and start capturing the buzz in the office.   Take photos of the desks and workspaces, of people meeting and interacting, and even of the kitchen if you have one.   No need to stage anything, either.   Just capture the office as it normally is.   Aim to get 5-10 good photos. And if you’re feeling ambitious, grab the people from Step #2 and have them answer again some of the questions you ran through together â€" only this time looking into the camera.   Again, doesn’t need to be fancy.   Just honest.   It’s worth repeating that you’ll want junior as well as senior folks represented.   Aim to get at least one answer from 2-3 people, and keep the answers to 30-45 seconds or so in length.  (Note: you can upload the videos to YouTube or Vimeo, and then easily embed or link to them wherever you like â€" more on sharing in the next step.) 4)  Communicate your culture: You’ve done the heavy lifting in the previous steps.   Now for the last step: getting the word out. There are a number of ways to spread the word, so much of how you execute this step is up to you.   But here are a few best practices to keep in mind: Start with your careers page:   Take the photos and videos from Step #3, combine with some short captions and descriptions, and embed into your careers page.   There really is no strict formula here, so get creative.   The point here is to focus on your culture before throwing a bunch of job openings in a candidate’s face.   It’s a much more authentic approach. Share on social media:    Share some of your awesome new content on all your social media accounts, a little at a time.   And always make sure to include a link to your careers page and job openings. Upgrade your job descriptions:    From now on, make it a rule to describe your culture in every single job description you ever write.   And link back to your careers page for more cultural info (we’re sounding like a broken record, we know). Arm your coworkers:  It’s no surprise that employee referrals are often the best source of candidates.   To help strengthen your referrals, let your coworkers know about the emphasis on culture in your recruiting efforts, and where they can direct their referrals for more information on what it’s like at your company. You’ve just started harnessing your secret weapon. Don’t stop now: Congratulations!   You’re steps ahead of the majority of companies out there.   But here’s another little secret â€" everyone’s catching on to the power of company culture when it comes to recruiting. To maintain your recruiting advantage, update your content on a regular basis.   Even once every six months works well.   After all, you’re hiring, which means you’re probably growing…which means your culture evolves a bit over time.   Make sure to capture that evolution.   In doing so, you’ll keep candidates engaged â€" especially the candidates who aren’t thinking of a new job for tomorrow, but rather, for 6 to 12 months from now. Because the best part about this whole process? If you do it right, you’ll build up a pipeline of talent that follows you and keeps you in mind.   That is, you’ll have an existing community of engaged candidates you can tap into whenever you have an opening.  So you’ll have less of a need for shotgun recruiting tactics (e.g. massive, generic job boards) that get you hundreds of candidates who aren’t a good fit.   And you’ll shorten your time to hire and overall hours expended per hire, from sourcing to assessing and interviewing. So start harnessing your secret weapon â€" your culture.   Before the secret gets out. Author: Vasilios Alexiou is the Co-Founder of FirmPlay,  a new job search site that takes job seekers behind the scenes at companies using photos and videosso they can discover a job theyll love.   He received a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.  Follow Vasilios at @FirmPlay.

Personal Branding Interview Larry Winget - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Larry Winget - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Larry Winget, who is a four-time  New York Times/Wall Street Journal  bestselling author. He is a member of the  International Speaker Hall Of Fame. He has starred in his own television series and appeared in national television commercials.   In this interview, Larry talks about how passion is irrelevant to success, why you need to make decisions and accept the results, why we  sabatage ourselves  and some advice for getting by in this bad economy.   Larry ends up talking about how important authenticity is, using himself as an example! What is more important to an entrepreneur, passion or excellence and why?           When I appeared on  The Big Idea  with Donny Deutsch, I told him that, Passion is a total load of crap.  Believe me, that got Donnys attention.  But Im right.  I know people who are passionately stupid, passionately wrong and passionately incompetent.   The key is not passion but instead two completely different concepts:  Hard work and Excellence. Hard work alone isnt enough.  If you arent excellent at something, you are only going to be working hard to promote a mediocre product or service and end up failing.   You will say, But I worked so hard!!!  Big deal.  Hard work isnt enough.  Excellence isnt enough either.  To be amazing at something and then not work hard to market, sell and service that product will still leave you a loser in the end.  It takes the combination of hard work and excellence.  Forget passion get good and go to work instead.  Besides, passion is an emotion.  Emotions are not the way to run a business.  And sometimes your passion, or leading with your heart, will cause you to make poor business decisions. Why do people make poor career decisions and end up depressed at their job?     This one just ticks me off.  Make a decision and then go to work to make that decision right.  Dont get depressed about the fact that you dont like the decision you made.  Either live with it or take responsibility for it and change it.  Just dont whine about it.  Depression is a choice.  You change your situation by making a new decision.  People get depressed and experience stress NOT because they made a mistake, but because they wallow in their mistake.  If you find out you made a poor decision get over it fix it and move on.   What are three ways people are  sabotaging  themselves and what can they do to resolve it? In my new book,  People Are Idiots And I Can Prove It: The Ten Ways You Are Sabotaging Yourself And How To Overcome Them, I go over the ten sabotaging behaviors and what to do to fix them in great detail.  However, Ill quickly give you three.   1.   People are lazy.  Its easier to watch television than to take action on your life.  People spend on average, an hour and a half per day online cruising the internet, then they spend on average six hours per day watching television.  They dont exercise, they dont read.  Yet, they wonder why they are fat and stupid.    Duh! 2.   Poor priorities.  Your time, your energy and your money always go toward what is important to you.  If looking cute is important to you, then you spend your money at the mall.  If having a secure financial future is important to you, then your money will be used in making sure that happens.  Want to know what your priorities are?  Just look at how you spend your time and how you spend your money.  Forget what you say is important, instead, track your time and spending to find out the truth.   3.   People dont have any plans.  When you plan your vacation you know where you want to go, who you want to go with, how you plan on getting there, what you want to do along the way and how much it is going to cost.  Very few people have applied those five concepts to their lives.  Only 3% of our society have written down plans for their lives. How can people who just get laid off find work again and be happy?  What is your best advice? Happiness is a choice so I have no comment on that.  You CHOOSE to be happy and you can be happy under any circumstances.  About finding a job:  Take ANY job.  You arent too good to work regardless of what the job might be.  When I lost my company twenty years ago, I did anything I could find to bring in a buck.  Yes, I USED to be the company president but now I was unemployed and needed money because I had commitments.  So I mowed yards and trimmed trees and even sold plasma.   Was it beneath me?  It was beneath my skill level but it wasnt beneath me.  Im not too good to do whatever it takes to take care of my family and pay my bills.  People need to work!  Take any job you can get until you can get the job you really want.  You will feel better about yourself when you are taking positive action to fix your problems. What advice do you have for businesses that are struggling in this recession? Businesses exist for one reason and that is to be profitable.  If you arent profitable, you close your doors.  Only two things will impact your profitability:  You can either reduce expenses or you can increase income.  You should do both.  Look hard at how you are spending your money.  Always know that the most expensive thing in your business is people.  That might mean you need to cut people.  Sad?  Yes, but it is the job of the leader to keep the business alive so it can serve as many people as possible, so if a few have to go to save the rest, so be it.  Next, look closely at what you can do to increase income.   What can you do to serve your customers better?    You have to figure out ways to do both of these things to survive these tough times.   These tough times will hurt many, however, the hard times will also weed out the weak and those companies that were only still in business because times were so good.  Get tough, make your business the kind people want to do business with.  Communicate with your employers, suppliers and customers. You know a lot about being authentic and true to yourself.  Why is this so important? Authenticity is the key to my personal success.  I used to be a typical motivational business speaker.  I was full of happy platitudes that I could spew from the stage with the best of them.  And I was making myself sick!  I am caustic, irreverent and a bottom-liner by nature.  I believe that your life is your own damn fault.  I hate whining.  I believe in hard work and honesty and integrity.  Yet, I wasnt saying that from the stage and wasnt being true to myself.   When I became so frustrated that I was ready to quit the business rather than continue being inauthentic, that is when I decided to be true to myself.  Thats when I started giving my true self from the stage and in my books.  And that is when I became truly successful.  I believe that ultimately that will work for everyone.  It is based on my philosophy that says: Discover your uniqueness and learn to exploit it in the service of others and you are guaranteed success, happiness and prosperity.  I did that.  I suggest that everyone discover their uniqueness and learn to exploit that uniqueness in the service of others.  It will work for individuals and also for businesses. - Larry Winget is the pitbull of personal development and  best-selling author of  Shut Up, Stop Whining Get A Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life,  Its Called Work for a Reason: Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault, and  Youre Broke Because You Want to Be,  and teaches universal principles that will work for anyone, in any business, at any time, and does it by telling funny stories. He believes that most of us have complicated life and business way too much, take them way too seriously, and need to lighten up, take responsibility, and keep it all in perspective. Winget can currently be seen on AEs reality series  Big Spender and in his appearances on CNBCs  The Millionaire Inside. His most recent book is  People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It!: The Ways You Are Sabotaging Yourself and How You Can Overcome Them.

So you want a career in market research

So you want a career in market research We hear a lot about market research but that doesnt necessarily translate into an understanding of what a career in the  field could be like. What does  it  entail? What might you be doing and what skills are you likely to need? I thought I could do with finding out a bit more about it, so I went along to the Research Club  Networking event in Manchester on 26th March, here’s what I discovered! What kind of person does market research? I think you can get a clue from the fact that The Research Club exists. It brings together professionals in the area, facilitating networking and allowing members to catch up with one another and exchange ideas on best practice. I’m not a natural networker and didn’t know anyone going, so I took my own networking advice advice  and decided to arrive punctually, when it is often easier to strike up conversations. I was glad I did, but at the designated start time the gathering was already well underway. These people enjoy a party and my entrance ticket entitled me to three free drinks! I managed to speak to a range of different professionals engaged in the field. They were friendly and welcoming and everyone told me that it’s a big help to be outgoing and to like talking to people. As a group they like to network: there are relatively few big players in the industry and everyone seems to know everyone else. It’s not really a surprise that people engaged in this sort of work tend to be natural communicators and good with people. It’s what the job’s about. You need to talk to people if you are going to be effective at researching a market. You’ll have to be able to build one-to-one relationships with interviewees, successfully facilitate focus groups and make presentations both to pitch for business and to report findings. Of course there is space for the “back room” quantitive researcher too. Most market research companies need people able to “crunch numbers”, come up with erudite conclusions and present them in the form of coherent written reports. So, if the socialising isn’t for you but youre really keen on the research don’t rule this out as career option. How do you get started? Everyone I spoke to told me that you need to be prepared to gain experience in the field by collecting data to stand a good chance of forging a career in market research. This is a competitive and reasonably small market and being a high flying graduate is not necessarily going to be enough to get your foot through the door. You’ll need to show that you have experience of asking the questions. The good news is that there are opportunities available both to get the experience and to earn some money. The even better news is that you may even be able to do research from the comfort of your own home. Some companies have all the technology in place to allow this (although there may be some constraints on operating in this way, as a result of the need to comply with Health and Safety legislation). If you think that market research might be for you then start trying to gain some experience. Look for relevant companies operating where you live or study and make a speculative application. T he chances are that your approach will be well received and you could find you land yourself a job which is really going to enhance your career aspirations. It’s a great idea to go along to one of the regular networking events like the recent one in Manchester too. Make sure that you book in advance and I am sure that you will find, (as I did) that people look out for you when you arrive and make some introductions to get you started. I spoke to quite a few people who expect to have vacancies for researchers at some time over the next few months. Get your LinkedIn account up to speed before you go, this will help you to capitalise on the opportunity and follow up people you met  once you get home. Keep in touch with them afterwards. Remember that most people are happy for you to ask for advice and perhaps less keen if you approach them cold to ask for jobs. Make some notes to debrief yourself too, these will stand you in good stead when you come to apply for jobs, they should help you show both an insight into the industry and your enthusiasm to enter it.

New Book for Your Personal Branding Enhancement - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

New Book for Your Personal Branding Enhancement - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career To write The CEO Difference: How to Climb, Crawl, and Leap Your Way to the Next Level of Your Career (McGraw-Hill, Feb. 2014) I asked over one-hundred CEOs and C-suite executives these three questions: What causes someone to positively stand out in your eyes? What do you look for in people you promote? And, what did you do in your career to get to the top? The answers from those 100-plus interviews can be summarized into six words: Learn how to exceed among exceeders. You see, others are working just as hard as you with goals and dreams of success just like you. If you want to be uber-marketable and have a potent impact, while staying ahead of hyper competitive colleagues not only in your own company but also outside of it you have to set yourself apart from every other overachiever to whom you compete. People who excel always do things different and better. Why? 1.That’s how your boss chooses among comparably talented people to promote. 2.When all candidates look good on paper, this is what recruiters look for. Though most people like to believe they are singular, unique, and one-of-a kind in their assignment, few are. Across the world we are more similar than dissimilar. Yet, as fate would have it, that is exactly what your boss is looking for â€" someone singular who outshines the rest. You see, right now, private conversations in secret sessions, behind closed and locked doors with shades drawn (both online and offline), management muckity-mucks sitting in high back leather chairs are thinking hard about you and a smattering of your competition. One person is being enthusiastically singled out with the confirmatory statement of, “He’s different.” Someone asks, “What do you mean?” and the muckity-muck answers, “He fits in but he stands out from the rest, too. He does more, gets more out of others, knows more, cares more, and is more….” Those few words carry significant ramifications in your work life and they usurp the university you attended, companies you’ve worked for, titles you’ve held, and any other personal or professional pedigree attached to you. [Please note: The use of man and he is generic; it could be exchanged with woman and she.] Not everyone is going to be able to move up. They are scrutinizing your skills and talent; performance and results; the continuous competitive advantage you furnish the organization; and your affect on others. You want to be the one to “echo beyond the room”, meaning keep the conversation going about you after you’ve left. As one female friend put it, “The often quoted Coco Chanel said it well, ‘In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different’.” There is a lot you can’t control in life, but there is one area you can exert more echo in and that is what my new book The CEO Difference is about. To help you: -Find what differentiates you. -Do regular things in a different way. (e.g. self-confidence, trustworthiness, optimism, presence, passion, decision making, communication, risk-taking, and influencing others) -Do different things than your competitors all to add value as you compete. If you take the position that all you want to do is to hang onto your job, you won’t be in the game long. You cannot turn in average, mediocre, lackluster results at any stage or you will be racing to catch up forever. You have to fight extra hard, kick and scratch to more-than-measure up; climb, crawl and leap to move up.

Articles About Resume Writing - The Writing Process

Articles About Resume Writing - The Writing ProcessWriting articles about resume writing is something you will have to consider if you are going to have any sort of success in this field. The article you write is going to be one of the first things that an employer sees when they are looking through your resume. You need to make sure that all of your information is accurate and up to date in order to ensure the employer that you are someone who can be trusted.You also want to make sure that your information is formatted properly for publication on the internet so that people who see your resume do not have problems with the formatting of your resume. Make sure that you are using the proper text format for different types of jobs. For example, you want to make sure that you format your resume for a medical professional.This is one of the most important pieces of information that you will have to include on your resume in order to get a new job. This is a big part of the interview proc ess and the employer is going to check the credentials section of your resume. Make sure that you include your degrees and certifications in this section of your resume. It does not have to be lengthy but you want to make sure that you list them all.You want to make sure that you have all of your information on your resume in one place. This will make the job much easier for the employer when they go through your resume. You will want to make sure that you have your contact information as well and list it on the cover page of your resume. Make sure that you do not list the incorrect information so that you do not put yourself in a bad situation with the company.You want to make sure that your resume is organized so that the employer does not have to go back and reread it just to figure out what they are looking for. Many times the employer will use search engines to find a potential employee. You want to make sure that you keep everything organized and listed in the right order.When you have all of the final information in one place and you have your contact information listed correctly, it will be much easier for the employer to hire you. You want to make sure that you are always communicating with them and making sure that they know that you are available when they are interviewing. You can also send them some samples of your work so that they can see what you are capable of doing.It can be hard to write articles about resume writing. You have to take some time to think about how you will write the article and make sure that you cover all of the details that the employers are looking for. If you are able to do this then you will be able to easily get hired for the job.When you learn how to write articles about resume writing you will find that you have a lot of freedom to write about the specific details that the employer is looking for. When you are able to make the resume easier to understand for the employer, you will have a better chance of getting hired . You want to make sure that you can write articles about resume writing so that you can maximize your chances of getting hired for the job.

3 Reasons to Meet Face-to-Face in a Virtual World

3 Reasons to Meet Face-to-Face in a Virtual World 3 Reasons to Meet Face-to-Face in a Virtual World Are you as confused as I am?  Do you know when it’s ideal to communicate with colleagues and clients via email or whether you should pick up the phone and call? Do you have a firm grasp on when a face-to-face conversation may be more appropriate?     In today’s constantly evolving digital landscape, there are a myriad of apps, tools and services that enable virtual communication. From voice and video calls to texting, emailing and social media posts, these virtual services not only enhance our personal lives but also help boost efficiencies and productivity in the workplace.     And while digital communication methods can indeed help in our professional lives, there is also still true value in good, old-fashioned face-to-face communication.  I  reached out to business  leader,  international speaker  and  mental health activist, Ulrich?Kellerer,  who  has identified  three reasons why face-to-face communication is still vital in today’s workplace.   1 Builds Trust.? In general, our body language  influences how others interpret our words. So, if your body language mirrors your words, you end up developing better trust and understanding with others.  â€œIf you can read someones body language in-person, you have better access to a wealth of crucial information that  cannot  be conveyed through a phone meeting or text message,” says  Kellerer   2 Enhances  Engagement. Visual connections can add an element of accountability for  everyone  involved in a face-to-face meeting.  Kellerer  adds, “With this strategy, participants who are often busy and easily distracted will not have the chance to attempt multitasking â€" which can unfortunately happen when meetings are handled via phone or email.”  In-person communication also helps to create more collaborative environments that inspire people to participate in  meetings.   3 Reduces  Confusion.? With personal interaction, you can reduce misunderstandings,  increase  opportunities for clarification,  and  foster more effective business practices. Never underestimate the importance of in-person conversations, in real rooms and in real-time.   Striving for a Personal Connection   While  emails, phone calls and texts all help start â€" or continue?â€" important conversations with colleagues and clients, the key is realizing that you still  must  do the hard work of building and nurturing relationships.   Ulrich adds, “The benefits of face-to-face communication are countless.  Being in the presence of other people allows us to hear what they are saying, and helps us read and assess body language, non-verbal and emotional cues better, as well as formulate appropriate responses.”   Effective communication is a vital aspect of true connection in today’s business world and  using only  email and text just  doesn’t  cut it. Today’s employees require the support and encouragement that can only come in more profound ways via in-person communication.     When employees and clients come face-to-face with each other, they are compelled to be “real” and express themselves in deeper ways. And when you  make an effort  to get together with others in-person, you will experience a more significant benefit: the chance to truly connect and build meaningful, long-term relationships together.   Join Dana Manciagli’s  Job Search Master Class ®  now  and get the most comprehensive job search system available! #JSMC #careeradvice  #onemomentcanchangeyourlife  #jobsearchmasterclass  #careercoach  @danamanciagli @jobsearchmasterclass

Explaining Why You Are In a Job Search-Tips for the Downsized Professional

Explaining Why You Are In a Job Search-Tips for the Downsized Professional The key to successful interviewing is being prepared. Certain questions are considered “standard”, yet few people think about their responses ahead of time. When candidates are unprepared, their answers may showcase emotions that are valid, but could be damaging to reveal during an interview. One of the most common interview questions is “Why are you currently in a job search?” When you have been downsized and you need to communicate your situation to a hiring manager, your response should combine a positive reflection regarding your previous employer with a brief discussion of the business reasons why you are no longer employed by them. Below are five strategies for crafting an effective statement.Examine your emotionsWas your position offshored to a country where labor costs are one-third of what they are at home? Did management reduce their front line staff while increasing executive bonuses? Did your position become redundant after a company merger? When jobs are lost bec ause of these types of situations, people can become angry and feel betrayed by their former employer. If this anger comes across in the interview, you will not be seen as the top candidate, even if you are the most qualified. Nobody wants to hire someone who’s carrying around excess baggage or has a chip on their shoulder.Prior to your interview, you need to separate your emotions from the business reasons for a job loss. Acknowledge your emotions to yourself and those close to you, but prepare a statement that conveys the business reasons for why you are currently in a job search.Say something positiveBefore you discuss the situation that led to your job loss, say something positive about your experience with that employer.ExampleI was fortunate enough to work with company X for seven years. I had the opportunity to work with some exceptional programmers and hone my technical skills.I was proud to provide quality customer service to clients at XYZ company. They st ood by their products and rewarded employees that made a favorable impression on their customers.Discuss the business reason for the job lossDiscuss your job loss in the general context of the company. Rather than personalizing the situation by saying things like “I was let go”, “My job was eliminated” or “My position was outsourced”, discuss how a department, business group or particular type of professional responsibility was eliminated. This shows the hiring manager that others lost their jobs as well and that the loss was not due to your individual performance.ExampleUnfortunately my entire department of 20 was eliminated.As a result of a global company restructuring, the company had to reduce their NY workforce by 25%.The accounting function was outsourced and all ten accounting professionals were let go. Prepare multiple level responsesIf you were let go, but your co-worker who performs the same job function was not, it is wise to create two res ponses. Part one is a general response and part two is used if the interviewer probes further about your situation. Level One A business decision was made to reduce the help desk staff by 50%. Level Two For some interviewers the previous answer satisfies their curiosity. Others may probe and ask: How many were in your department and how many were let go? Why were you let go rather than your co-worker?Assure the interviewer that the job loss was not performance based. Don’t discuss any speculations you may have about the company or your manager’s motives. ExampleThe company suffered low 4th quarter earnings which translated into a 50% reduction of staff in four departments. In my group the 50% reduction represented the elimination of one position. The specific reasons for the decision were not communicated to me; however I can assure you that the decision was not performance related. My manager was extremely satisfied with my performance and has offered t o serve as a reference on my behalf. Keep in mind that if your company’s workforce reduction was significant, the situation may have received widespread media attention. If this is the case, the interviewer may comment on what they’ve read in the papers or say something like “I recently read that company X laid off 3,000 employees in the 4th quarter…that must have been an extremely difficult time.” Stick to your original story, be sure to say something positive about the company, and don’t turn it into an emotional exchange.PracticeWrite out what you plan to say and make revisions. Practice your response with someone close to your situation such as a family member, friend or colleague. Record your response on your telephone answering machine, play it back and critique it. Have you personalized your situation or discussed it in a business context? Do your words flow and do you sound sincere?Preparing an effective statement to explain the reason you are in a job search is critical to the overall success of your search campaign. Reflect on the positive aspects of your work experience and take the time to create a statement that explains your reasons for being in a job search. You will enhance your confidence during the interview and improve your credibility with the hiring manager.