How to Get Beyond the Gatekeepers While Job Hunting

Getting beyond the gatekeepers can be one of the most challenging for job-seekers. Gatekeepers can be those most obvious, such as administrative or personal assistants to the company’s hiring managers, department heads, and executives. But, gatekeepers can be those in less obvious roles as well, such as assistant managers, supervisors, engineers, and so on.   Your first thought might be that only those within some sort of support role serve as gatekeepers, yet directors and executives can be gatekeepers as well. Gatekeepers are merely those who put obstacles in front of you — demonstrated by dodging questions, failing to answer emails, and eventually pawning you off to someone else.
 
Gatekeepers are generally tasked to… Provide limited or no information to job-seekers.  Point every applicant down the same path for applying; Comply with company procedure pertaining to hiring practices   Sometimes, job-seekers get short-fused when having to deal with gatekeepers —unfortunately forgetting that gatekeepers are people, simply doing their jobs. 
 
Need to get beyond a gatekeeper? Try a technique that works for those in sales, such as initiating and subsequently striking a quick relationship with those on the other end of the line, so you’re not such a stranger whose only motive is to get more information. There are several resources to help you talk with people and subsequently build a relationship on the fly, including Christopher Gottschalk’s book,How to Start and Make a Conversation: How to Talk to Anyone in 30 Seconds or Less.
 
Another technique is to ensure to sound “human”when on the phone. Sometimes, we get nervous when making important calls, making our voices crack, our brains misfire, and our overall personality to come off as mechanical. We have our notes in hand, but we read from them practically word for word, rather than using that material for nothing more than quick reference.
 
Don’t have a problem being a little tricky? Another not-so-great idea is to ask for the hiring manager by name, and then mention “he’s expecting my call.” Beware however. This recommendation can backfire, as seasoned gatekeepers are wise to these sneaky strategies. Gatekeepers are typically very good at what they do, and have become attuned to the tricks that job-seekers sometimes use.   Still can’t get by the gatekeeper? If no, you’re not alone. Getting beyond gatekeepers is rarely an easy task … if easy, everyone would be doing it, making gatekeepers unnecessary.  
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Returning to the Workforce

People leave the workplace under all kinds of circumstances, whether voluntary or not. Lay-offs, sicknesses, and motherhood are the most common reasons for taking time off from work. With the poor state of today’s economy, unemployment rates are surfacing at an all time high. Because the workplace changes over the years, being out of work for a while can mean a need for updated wardrobes, resumes, interviewing skills, and knowledge of what employers are looking for. Many of these issues evolve over time and by keeping up with the trends, candidates will successfully convey their interest in getting the job.The majority of people facing unemployment or getting back to work for the first time in months or even years are generally the population that were laid-off during the recession.

Diana Middleton of The Wall Street Journal states how “Starting any new job is hard, and coming back to work after a long layoff can be even harder. You have to re-establish a routine, refresh your skills and rebuild your confidence.” Keeping up with the current trends is imperative in making a successful comeback. Get back into the swing of things. Going back to work for the first time in months and in many cases, even years, can be an extremely intimidating and nerve-racking experience. This is especially true for the many people who got laid-off from their previous jobs and experienced months of unemployment. Returning to the workplace is, although an exciting time, very stressful for people who have gotten out of the “working routine.”

As Michael Luo of The New York Times suggests, “Interviews with more than a dozen people who were out of work at least a half-year during the recession and have now landed jobs found many adjusting to new realities. They include grappling with new found insecurities and scaled-back budgets; reshaped priorities and broken relationships. In some ways, it is equivalent to the lingering symptoms of post-traumatic stress.”In general, interviewing is only half the battle when making a return to the workplace.

Dealing with the implications of unemployment for months or years is one of the most difficult obstacles, especially mentally, when finally returning to work. People’s anxieties are extremely high when they face this type of a comeback. By making a routine of exercising, eating, and sleeping, newly employed people can get back on their feet both physically and mentally, which will lead to a better workplace performance. A successful transition. Being the “new person” in the office can be a stressful time. It is best to connect with people quickly in order to learn as much about the company as possible. This way, the transition from the unemployed world to the working one can be as rapid and worry-free as possible. This will reduce the stress and anxiety that may accompany starting a new job.

Overall, the key to getting back to work and feeling comfortable with this transition comes from establishing a routine and rebuilding poise. With this confidence, new employees will flourish.Reaction Search International is a leading executive search firm specializing in the placement of sales and marketing professionals throughout various industries within the United States and abroad.Article

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Boroff

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To get more tips on the subject matter, Join us on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. for a workshop on Interview Readiness. You will learn techniques to make sure the interviewer can see your true personality and how you would be a great fit for their organization.
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Tell Me About Yourself, Interview Strategies

Re-posted article from Resume to Referral  Original post date -February 14, 2013
I’ve seen professionals who not only can appear confident, but who ARE confident, very successful sales professionals for example, fall flat on their faces in interviews. It’s a very different ball game.
Many of the most skilled and successful professionals are victims here. I only reference sales professionals because they are the people likely to understand the dynamics of an interview for it is like the sales call. Unfortunately, even they may sometimes forget the basics of “selling”. So skilled they are that they forget the basics, and it is there, where the control in an interview is both gained and lost. When lost so are the “wits” of the so-called “confident and accomplished professionals” and they assume a more reactionary stance. Here are some tips for gaining more control in an interview that may help: Addressing the infamous “Tell me about yourself”.
“Tell me about yourself” may be the single-most important pitch moment you have and a favorite question that has befuddled many an unsuspecting candidate. Responses can range from strong to weak to irrelevant to fatal. Having a good response is as important as having a good tennis serve. There are several different types of responses. Two that are especially effective are the Specific Approach and the Overview Approach.
• Specific Approach allows you to identify specific, relevant aspects of your background
• Overview Approach is more of a summary of your background. The Overview is also used to keep you out of trouble when you are not certain of what the interviewer wants to hear.
With either approach, your response should be followed by a question that is intended to evoke anarrower question from the interviewer. That is, it forces him or her to ask a more specific question in line with your opening statement. Since I prefer to combine the two approaches, I have a model I advise folks to use.
A SIMPLE 4-STEP APPROACH
 
1. Prepare Bullet Phrases
Do your research and prepare four or five bullet phrases relevant to a business challenge or a market threat or potential opportunity that the target firm or industry faces. Each bullet should be no longer than 3-seconds and associated with action-oriented successfully completed tasks (“I started-up this”…“I developed and successfully executed that”…“I spearheaded something and brought it to something other”). The bullets should also touch on your positive attributes and personal characteristics – all combined, a big order I know. Here are some examples of words and phrases that have impact and can trigger interest:
• Ability to identify alternatives
• Results-oriented
• Successful business startups
• Led both large and small companies
• Decisive; easily cuts through non-essential information
• Put through major changes
• Ability to identify alternatives
• Good long-range strategic planner
2. Story-Telling
Prepare a 30- to 50-second story for each bullet using a “story-telling” technique I refer to as S.O.A.R.
S The Situation or circumstance in which you were involved
O The Opportunity that existed for, first, your organization and then you
A The Actions you took in face of the opportunity
R The Results of your action
Example: (S) The ownership of a physical therapy and sports medicine company recruited me to (O) lead, grow and concurrently stabilize a $4.7 million health systems company staffed by 85 professionals. (A) I developed and executed all business plans and opened new markets in industrial and corporate health promotion, (R) positioning the company for its very profitable $6.6 million sale, $2.5 million more than the ownership had anticipated.
Strong, well-articulated success concepts and persuasive examples of your successes using the S.O.A.R. technique are essential for securing a quality position.
3. Bullet Phrase Roll-Call
In the Interview: When asked “Tell me about yourself” begin with “As you can see from my resume my experience covers…” and then recap your resume for him/her (eg. “…covers the full breadth of starting up a business from developing a business plan to obtaining seed capital to acquiring plant and equipment to hiring staff) and quickly roll through your four or five specific 3-second bullet phrases
4. The “SOAR” Story
After rapidly firing off your bullets you can wrap-up with “on which of these would you like me to elaborate?” or, if you learned something that is important to your target firm, you may suggest one upon which you can expand, such as “would you like me address some of the specifics of my business start-up experience?”. I personally prefer to lay out the bullet phrases and let him/her choose thus giving the illusion that they are selecting the topic. BTW, I have yet to receive feedback of an Interviewer suggesting you talk about something other than one or more of the bullets that have been outlined. Now, once you have your marching instructions, the bullet phrase(s) on which s/he wants you to elaborate, you can provide your well-prepared corresponding SOAR story. Be prepared to keep it under 1 minute.
The combination of your resume, bullets phrases from relevant research and the “story technique” is a great method to address the infamous “Tell me about yourself”.
Hope this answers some questions.
Rob Taub, MBA, Credentialed Career Master, and successful businessperson is a 25-year veteran in the career consulting field, Principal at Job Search Corner, creator of the blog, “Job Searching with Rob”http://bit.ly/18wCkO and is a CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert and LivePerson’s Online Expert for Career Coaching http://www.liveperson.com/rob-taub
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To get more tips on the subject matter, Join us on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. for a workshop on Interview Readiness.  You will learn techniques to make sure the interviewer can see your true personality and how you would be a great fit for their organization. 
Click here to register!
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