Following up is the final tip in sealing the deal and getting hired.

Let’s make sure you follow up and leave a lasting impression!

Tip 10: Follow Up.

Following up is critical to the interview process, but it intimidates some women. Many wonder if they will be perceived as a “pest” if they follow up too strongly. I disagree. When someone fol-lows up with me, I see it as a positive. If someone isn’t aggressive in following up with me, then they probably won’t be aggressive in getting their job done.

It’s important to let your interviewer know that you appreciated their time. Recount the alignment between you and the position, use the manager’s own words in the follow-up email and ask when you can expect to hear back from them. They don’t know that you don’t have two other job offers pending, so let them know that timing is important to you.

Following up is the final step in doing everything in your power to land the job of your dreams!

The post Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up appeared first on Heather Monahan.

With my 17 years’ experience hiring talent, friends and acquaintances often ask me for advice on how to get hired at their dream company. I’ve compiled my top 10 easy tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore the best ways to ace your interview—in detail—one tip at a time.

Let’s help you close the deal and get that dream job offer!

Tip 9: Go For the Close.

No one will get a job if they don’t go for the close. This can be a daunting task for many women if they’re not used to being direct, but it’s an essential part of getting hired.

Repeat after me: “I will not leave the office of the hiring manager without saying this: ’What else do you need to know about me in order to offer me this job? Are you the only person that will be making this decision and if so, will you be offering me the position?’”

You can frame this question many different ways, but the bottom line is you need to ask for the offer. If it makes you uncomfortable to think about doing this, consider the alternative:

You will not get the job unless you ask for it.

Just as you did with your other prep tips, practice asking for the offer until it becomes second nature. Once you remove the fear, there is room for excitement at the prospect of getting the job!

The post Close the Deal appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Friends and acquaintances often ask me for advice on how to get hired. I’ve compiled my top 10 easy tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore the best ways to ace your interview—in detail—one tip at a time.

Let’s help you find your strengths and ask direct questions!

Tip 8: Be Direct.
You will never get the information you need in order to close this deal if you don’t ask direct questions. I have seen many women get nervous in this phase, even when they are the most qualified for the job!

First, think about when you overcame fear or adversity.
I suggest looking at other experiences in your life where you felt nervous but were able to over-come the nerves. I keep a short list of accomplishments top-of-mind and readily available for me to pull from. Sometimes, it’s as simple as remembering that I completed a workout on the treadmill at a speed I thought I couldn’t possibly achieve. Other times, it’s remembering that when everyone told me my idea of adding new product offerings to our lineup wouldn’t work, I saw it through and celebrated my achievement.

It also can be a different kind of win, like remembering how scared I was that my son would suf-fer as a result of my getting divorced. Now, seeing him thriving and realizing I made the right decision gives me confidence in the face of other challenges.

Second, power through your nerves in order to be direct.
Whatever adversity you have overcome, use it now to power you forward through the nerves you may be feeling. Only you can make this happen.

Some good direct questions to ask are, “How do I compare to your other candidates? What skill set is specifically imperative to have with this position for you to be happy? What happened to the person that previously had this job? What would I be able to expect from you as a boss?”

Figure out what your strongest moments have been and keep them readily available to you. Don’t be afraid to use them to your advantage to secure the job you’ve been dreaming about!

The post Fearlessness Is a State of Mind appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Let’s ensure you make the most of your face-to-face interview time!

Tip 7: Be All About the Manager and Their Company.

No one wants a potential candidate to come in for a job interview and talk solely about them-selves. Every employer is looking for candidates who work well with others, perform strongly as part of a team, are collaborative overall and are excellent listeners.

This is where women really excel. As women, we are typically interested in hearing about oth-ers; this puts us in a natural position of strength in an interview.

First, ask about the interviewer.
This is a strong approach that works wonders. Remember the connection points that you found in tips 2 & 3? Now it’s time to utilize them to more closely align yourself with the hiring manager.

People like to talk about themselves; give them this opportunity! Women are generally strong listeners that don’t often come across as arrogant—yet again, a huge advantage! The more you get the hiring manager to talk about themselves and their life, the more they will like you.

Second, use the mirroring technique.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as saying, “I can only imagine how hard it is to meet with so many candidates and still try to stay on top of your responsibilities. I’m really hoping to show you how I can fill this position so you can move on from this added work load of interviewing.”

Mirroring is a useful tactic to help you make the meeting better for the manager, as well. If the manager is soft spoken, you may tone down your voice a little bit to more closely match theirs. If they are excited and loud, you may mirror them in that same regard.

Remember: This is not about changing who you are, but utilizing your listening and mirroring skills to connect to the person interviewing you.

The post Learn to Love Listening appeared first on Heather Monahan.

With over 17 years of experience in hiring talent, I have unique and invaluable insight into the interview process.

Let’s ensure you’re prepared for your dream interview!

Tip 6: Know Your Unique Value Proposition.

In order to differentiate yourself from the other candidates that made it to the face-to-face inter-view round, you need to be able to articulate simply and specifically what it is that makes you unique, valuable and the obvious hire for this position.

If you don’t already know what your UVP is, you need to determine it.

First, map out your strengths and assets.
Once you have them listed, compare them to what the company is looking for. It is imperative that you find a way to align your talents with their needs in order to illustrate the fit.

If you don’t know how to find your unique value proposition—and many of us struggle with this—I suggest you do what I did: Reach out to other women that you work with (co-workers, employ-ees, people you trust that know you well) and ask them to give you two specific things that make you unique.

Second, allow your eyes to open to how unique you are.
Many times women do not see or realize how unique they are until someone else points it out. This is truly a positive and eye-opening exercise for you to begin to see how special you are.

Once you have a list of these qualities, add them to your Unique Value Proposition. Read it until it becomes second nature for you to list all of your positive qualities, and how they align with the position you’re seeking. This is your dream company; let’s get you hired!

The post Know Yourself appeared first on Heather Monahan.

With over 17 years of experience in hiring talent, I have unique and invaluable insight into the interview process.

Let’s ensure you’re prepared for your dream interview!

Tip 5: Practice.

I’m often shocked by what I perceive as a lack of preparation on a candidate’s behalf. For instance, showing up to an interview without multiple resume copies comes off as being ill prepared; you never know how many managers are going to join the meeting!

Also, it’s amazing how many candidates don’t bring examples of their work or references to share on site. Remember, the minute you sit down to be interviewed, you need to be in selling mode.

First, be prepared to sell yourself as the only person for this job.

Interviews are about selling yourself: Your skills, your experience, your personality. Be able to answer basic interview questions. Research possible questions online, write them down and answer each one. Practice them out loud. It’s painful, but it will increase your ability to retain the information tenfold!

Second, know that the responsibility is yours, and yours alone.

You’re in charge of your interview performance. Always use personal experiences and stories from your career/school to illustrate examples of prior behavior and success. Take the time to do this well, to let your personality come through, and you will blow the manager away.

Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself speaking into your smartphone, or have a friend quiz you on your questions. Do whatever it takes to feel comfortable and confident for your interview; this makes a huge difference in getting that much closer to getting hired.

The post Practice Makes You Perfect appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Inspired by the questions I often get from friends and acquaintances on how to get hired, I’ve compiled my top 10 tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore—in detail—one easy tip at a time.

Let’s ensure you’re the candidate who stands out from the rest!

Tip 4: Always Have a Plan B.

Everyone needs a plan B in life. If you’re not the best “cyber stalker” out there and cannot find a common connection or mutual acquaintance to ask for a favor (which is hard for me to believe, so make sure you’ve really exhausted tips 2 & 3!), then it’s time to switch gears.

As I’ve already mentioned, you should never just send a resume and cover letter via email. This is the kiss of death! Instead, think about who this person is from the social media investigation that you undertook, then make a decision on what you are going to send them.

First, get ready to pull out all the stops.

Yes, you read that correctly: You are going to send the hiring manager something. Once, I was unable to get a meeting with a very important government employee that I needed to see in order to pitch an idea.

After a week of emailing and calling and receiving nothing but crickets in response, I decided to send him something. He had a very strong Irish name, so I spent time online researching and found his Irish family crest. I sent him an email with the subject line: “Our crests are so similar!” In the email, I talked about how unique his family crest was and how I wished I had one like his. I included a picture of his crest, and another one of mine.  One hour later, I received a response from him…and got the face-to-face meeting with him a week later.

Second, get ready to showcase your most thoughtful self.

Once you’ve committed to stepping out of your comfort zone, it’s time to send your gift. It might be a video message from you, it might be a calming essence with a note to say, “I’m sorry we haven’t met yet. I want to alleviate you of the responsibility of going through countless average resumes, so I sent you this calming essence to help you get through your difficult day.

Whenever you have time to see me, I will be there. I’m the candidate you are looking for!”

Plan B can also include sending a female hiring manager a cute floral arrangement with a nice note about picking up her spirits until you two can meet.

Plan B is about separating you from the sea of mediocrity out there so you can get hired at the company of your dreams!

The post Pull Out the Stops With Your Plan B appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Inspired by the questions I often get from friends and acquaintances on how to get hired, I’ve compiled my top 10 tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore—in detail—one tip at a time.

Let’s help you get in front of the hiring manager!

Tip 3: Connect.

You can never—and I repeat, NEVER!—send a resume with a cover letter to a hiring manager and expect a response.

Managers are receiving hundreds, or possibly thousands of candidates via email every day.  When it’s you who is in charge of hiring, it’s a daunting and tedious task to have to review the dredge of standard resumes that overload your inbox. In my experience, there are always a few people that stand out and get my attention. These are often the very people who get hired.

First, find a shared connection.

The standouts are the candidates that find someone in my circle who knows me. They have done their homework to see who we have in common, and they’ve applied pressure to ask someone for an intro.

Second, ask for favors.

I have never had someone ask me to do them a favor and interview so-and-so and not done it.  It’s good business to do favors for people. I do them, and so does the hiring manager that you are trying to hunt down. You will be able to see on LinkedIn and Facebook who you have for mutual friends. Once you discover the people you have in common, pursue those people and ask them to get you a meeting. This works like a charm!

Networking can make all the difference in keeping you top-of-mind and getting you hired for your dream job!

The post Connect The Dots appeared first on Heather Monahan.

Inspired by the questions I often get from friends and acquaintances on how to get hired, I’ve compiled my top 10 tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore—in detail—one tip at a time.

Let’s help you land that job you’ve always wanted!

Tip 2: Be a Social Media Stalker

No, I am not suggesting that you actually stalk someone because, let’s face it… that would just be weird. But I am suggesting that you spend an inordinate amount of time finding out all that you can about your target company, employees and most importantly, the hiring manager.

First, get friendly with Google.

Google has made it exceptionally easy for the candidates who actually want to take the time to do research. I promise you this: very few people take the time to complete this step— and this step is a game changer!

You want to know all that there is about pending projects, company awards, the founder of the company, and yes, the hiring manager.

Second, learn to love LinkedIn.

Review the profiles of key managers on LinkedIn; take time to review CrystalKnows.com and see what is being said about the hiring manager. Sharing feedback like this during the interview makes the interview more about the interviewer and shows that you have a genuine interest in them. This is the key to success in dealing with people—especially when you’re trying to get them to like you!

Third, know that the hiring manager is the real who’s who.

Do not be fooled by other titles! It is key that the hiring manager likes you. Your research on social media is to help you learn about them so you can see what connection points you have in common: Did they go to a big 10 school like you did? Do they have kids the same age as yours?  Did they grow up in the Northeast and major in business like you?

It is imperative that you find some common ground. Once you bring this up in the interview, you immediately begin to separate yourself from everyone else. If you can’t find anything online that gets you to that common ground sweet spot, you can always familiarize yourself with their background and tell them what about their career impresses you.

There is always something there, you just need to take the time to find it!

With a little prep work and a genuine interest in your target company and people who work there, your interview is off to a solid start. Stay tuned for more easy tips on how to get hired at your dream job.

The post Start Your (Search) Engines appeared first on Heather Monahan.

This often sparks an interesting conversation.  After 17 years working in the media business and hiring talent, I have come to realize that many women haven’t been taught simple hiring tips that can make all the difference in an interview.

To help demystify the interview and hiring process, I’ve compiled my top 10 easy tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore—in detail—one tip at a time.

Let’s empower you to get that dream job you’ve always wanted!

Tip 1: Appearance Matters.

Now before we go any further, I want to clarify what this means. When I talk about appearance, I am not saying that every woman needs to starve herself, book an appointment for plastic surgery or spend her life savings on a gorgeous Versace suit. Quite the contrary!  What I’m talking about is you being the best version of yourself, while also being mindful of where you are interviewing.

No manager wants to hire a sloppy, insecure, disheveled person who shows up nervous and sweating.  Nor does a manager want to hire a woman who comes into a professional environment with a mini-skirt on and too much makeup—from the hiring manager’s perspective, this is an HR nightmare waiting to happen.

How to strike the balance between who you are and where you want to work? The good news is, this is all in your control!

First, do your research.

Know what the company culture is all about. Some of the new tech start-ups definitely favor a more relaxed and creative vibe; this is often reflected in their employees’ appearance.

Find pictures of their offices and employees. Pay attention to what they’re wearing. Better still, contact someone who already works there to ask them about suitable attire.

Second, take care of yourself mentally and physically.

Again, this does not mean you need to be a size 2. It does mean you have to respect and care for yourself. When you look and feel your best, your confidence comes through. I recommend defaulting to a pencil skirt or dark pantsuit. You want to be yourself at all times, and if that means that you spice up your business attire with a colorful pair of earrings, so be it.  Just be sure to look polished, professional and pulled together.

Third, never—ever!—be more underdressed than the person interviewing you.

A cardinal rule, if ever there was one. Just don’t do it. If you do, you may as well turn around and walk back out.

With a little prep work and a shot of self confidence, your interview is off to a solid start. Stay tuned for more tips on How to Get Hired!

The post Dress The Part appeared first on Heather Monahan.