Presenting Yourself for the Job Interview

A job interview is a business presentation. You have the opportunity to learn about new companies, new positions, and network with new people. The first step is to equalize the power. And that involves an attitude adjustment. The power should be 50-50. The interviewer is sizing you up AND you're sizing up the company. Don't give all the power to the interviewer. You decide if the company meets your criteria. Once you've balanced the power, here are some tips for presenting a positive image:

Prepare and rehearse. Anticipate difficult questions and prepare a strategy for answering them. Practice your answers out loud until you feel confident.

Know your message. What are your top three strengths, abilities and accomplishments? Know them cold and be able to back them up with examples.

Give a firm handshake. This is your first impression. A weak handshake creates a negative image, as does a bone crushing grip. A firm handshake combined with direct eye contact spells confidence. The handshake should not differ for men and women. Use the same confident and firm grasp.

Create chemistry. Make some small talk to break the ice. Then observe the interviewer and pace his or her energy. Does the interviewer like to get down to business? Then sit up and get to the point. Is he or she a storyteller? Then slow down and give more examples and vignettes. We like people who are most like us. A University or Michigan study determined that when hiring managers the formula was 60% chemistry and 40% skills.

Think and Pause. An interview is not a free association test. Think before you answer. Pause and wait for a response. Don't rattle on at breakneck speed. Speed talking is a sign of nervousness.

Be enthusiastic and upbeat. Nothing sells like enthusiasm. A study by the University of Michigan revealed that when hiring managers, the formula was 60% chemistry and 40% skills. Eagerness and a positive attitude can compensate for a lack of experience.

Ask questions. Job candidates who don't ask questions are perceived as disinterested. Preplan some questions. In the event that the interviewer is extremely thorough, ask an industry question. Don't lead with salary and benefit questions.

Listen. This skill more than any other is the key to your success. Listen with your eyes. What's the body language telling you? Listen with your ears. What do you hear in the tone and words? Listen with your heart. What do you hear between the lines? What is not being said? Clarify and paraphrase what the interviewer said before answering the question. (To improve your listening ask about the Listening Styles Profile and the Listen and Sell audio tape at www.diresta.com)

Ask for the next step. Don't leave without knowing what's next. This is especially critical in sales jobs. The interviewer wants to see if you can ask for the order. If appropriate ask for the job. Express your interest and say, "Where do we go from here?" " What is the next step?" "When should I call you?"

Say thank you. Write a thank you note and mention something specific to each interviewer. Stay in touch. Follow-up may be the reason you finally land the job.

Copyright © Diane DiResta. All rights reserved.

Are You Straining To Speak?

I just returned from a networking event. The venue was crowded and noisy. The host tried to get our attention by speaking over the crowd. We had difficulty hearing him and he was obviously straining his voice. Straining your voice can cause laryngitis, vocal nodules and inflammation. A vocal pathology affects your image but can also cause you to cancel meetings and lose business. Too many people misuse their voices.

To protect your voice, here are some tips for good vocal hygiene:

Never speak above noise. Find a quieter venue or use a microphone or an amplifier. Chattervox or VOISTA digital voice amplifer are two portable, cordless products you can carry with you.

Avoid dairy products 24 hours before a long speech. They create mucus build up. Drink water with lemon at room temperature. Coffee can restrict the veins. Alcohol has a drying effect.

Use abdominal breathing to project your voice and to remove tension from the neck muscles.

Hydrate the day before. Drinking lots of water will reduce dry mouth.

Do some neck roll exercises to relax the muscles.

Pause so you can fill up with enough air before your next sentence.

Take turns speaking. Who said you have to do all the talking? Let a partner have the floor to make announcements or introductions.

Don't speak at full volume. Practice speaking more softly when talking to an individual.

Resist clearing your throat. Take in air and swallow instead.

Practice vocal rest. People are constantly on their cell phones and taxing their vocal folds.
Try 1o minutes of silent meditation each morning. Better yet, practice the art of listening. It will save your voice and pay great dividends in building relationships.

How is Public Speaking Like Cooking a Meal?

On Christmas day, my husband prepared a delicious fish dinner. He started with bass made with ginger and scallions,and prepared scallops which were sliced in half and sauteed in a glaze of orange marmalade with lemon and orange zest and ginger. The side dishes were a ratatouille of zucchini and squash, steamed spinach and a medley of mushrooms and onions.

After complimenting his cooking he said, "The hardest part is the preparation." How true! It seems like most of us enjoy the fun part of cooking-eating. It's the same with speaking. Most presenters enjoy being in front of an audience but they don't give as much thought or time to planning and preparation. Every chef knows the importance of shopping for the freshest produce. Then they set up the kitchen with the right tools. Once a system is in place, the process of chopping, dicing, and mixing takes place. The chef needs to get the heat just right and test the food to know when it's done. It takes hours and hours of prep time for a 15-30 minute meal.

When it comes to speaking it's 90% preparation and only 10% delivery. Unfortunately, too many presenters wing it. They throw together a few message points on a slide and then stand up and deliver them. They continue from beginning to end without checking in with the audience. That's like putting a high flame under the pan regardless of what is cooking.

When a chef "throws a meal together", it's based on years of practice and principles of cooking. And when a speaker makes speaking look easy, you can bet it's because of preparation and experience. The writer Mark Twain once said, "It takes about two weeks to give a good impromptu speech."
If you had company you wouldn't leave your meal to chance. And good presenters don't don't throw their presentations to the wind.

The secret sauce to good cooking and good speaking is this:
It's all in the preparation!
To learn more about preparing a presentation read chapter six in Knockout Presentations.

Seven Social Media Mistakes

Social media is the big buzz. We've been swept up in the currents of Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter. We can allow the currents to carry us to new connections, new business, and massive reach and visibility. Or we can get caught in the riptides that pull our reputation under.

The biggest mistake in social media is not realizing that social media is a presentation. That's right.

Success in social media follows the rules of effective presentation skills.

Mistake one: No purpose or focus. What is your objective? Why are you using social media? What are you trying to accomplish? To make new contacts? To promote yourself or your business? To research? To reach new markets? To establish yourself as a thought leader? To find a job?

Mistake two: No strategy. How will you use social media? How often? Which forms? Frequent communication is better than an occasional posting.

Mistake three: Speaking to the wrong audience. Who is your audience? Are you simply collecting names or are you more targeted? Linkedin is more business-like and professional. Facebook is more social and casual. For example, if you're serious about job hunting you'll want to use linkedin as well as Facebook.


Mistake four: Projecting the wrong image. I've read posts about working on a boring project for a client. Maybe you know your client isn't one of your connections. But what about the people who referred you? What are you saying to them? People tend to let their guard down more easily on Facebook. It's inappropriate to talk about a nasty divorce, problem kids, or drunken driving. This is not a private conversation. Worse yet, is to use another's name in a survey. Ex. "Do you think Jane Doe is good looking?" People fail to realize that they are always on stage. Mistakes after a live presentation can be forgotten. In social media, your blunders live forever on the internet.

Mistake five: No real message. What do you plan to say? How will you say it? What is the style and tone of your communication? Nobody is really interested that you're watching TV. This kind of banter is content free. Provide value and you'll attract more followers. New blog entries, an interesting statistic, a link to an article or even a thought-provoking quote or book reference will make you more interesting.

Mistake six: Hard selling. Nobody likes a presenter who sells from the platform. It's no different in social media. If every post is an ad for your products and services you'll soon be disconnected. Let people know about your accomplishments but don't tell them to buy.

Mistake seven: Not building relationships. Many people put up a profile and never visit the site. Maximize your presence by updating your profile to let people know what you're doing. Ask questions. Answer questions to establish your expertise. Invite people to connect with you and then stay in touch. Be a resource. Connect others. A good presenter knows how to create a relationship with the audience.

Nothing will ever replace face-to-face communication. But meeting in person can be time consuming. Social media can be a phenomenal platform to build a reputation and to communicate with the world.

Just be sure you know how to present yourself, your message and your value.

Speaking Internationally

If you've been invited to speak internationally or would like to, I thought you'd benefit from my experiences abroad.

Speaking internationally is an adventure and a learning experience. When I traveled to Russia with 20 women from The Alliance of American and Russian Women, I learned quickly the importance of cultural training. We were there to teach women about entrepreneurship. It was 1993 and a market economy was a new concept for Russians. We were warmly welcomed.
The Russians drank at every meal and made a series of toasts. When it was my turn, I shared my husband’s nervousness about my traveling such a distance. He didn’t want me to go. But it was so important to me, I said, “Too bad. I’m going.”
At that moment, the interpreter stopped talking. There was a deafening silence. I later asked the association leader why that had happened. She told me that to say “Too bad” was to wish someone much badness. And in addition, a Russian woman would not stand up to her husband in that way.

Language and culture can be barriers to success internationally. It’s important to ask whether you’ll be receiving simultaneous or consecutive translation and to know whether the interpreter studied British or American English. It’s also important to meet in advance and to give examples of your definitions. I gave a talk on doing business with the U.S. and explained the concept of quality control which was not widely practiced at this time in Russia. The example I cited was of consistency. For example, If they manufactured Russian flags for export, each of those flags had to be identical and without defects. After hearing my example, the interpreter turned to me and said, “Oh. I thought consistency meant durability.” Close but no cigar.

Another time I was speaking in England. I was a training specialist for an investment bank and they had sent us to do management training for their London office. I thought this would be easy because there was no language barrier-or so I thought. During one of the modules I happened to reference packing my luggage and told them that I brought a pair of black pants. Suddenly I heard snickering in the room. It turned out that pants are not slacks but underwear. Oops. So from then on I was careful.

The seminar was going well and I was very confident in the material. After all, I had delivered this program many times in New York. I wanted them to know that this was not theory; they were receiving practical skills. With absolute conviction, I said, “These are skills you can use back on the job.” The entire room broke out in laughter.
I quickly learned that “on the job” meant turning a trick. Was my face red!

But language isn’t the only consideration. I used to do an exercise where I would use the A-OK sign with the audience. I would never do that in Brazil where the same gesture is an obscenity. In fact, when I speak at an annual convention in the U.S. I know that the audience is international and I don’t use that exercise.

In addition to language and gestures, culture is probably the most challenging area to master. In 2009, I was invited to Egypt for two weeks to coach eight of their top executives. I was both excited and wary. In the past, I was hired by U.S. companies overseas. This was the first time I would be working directly with a foreign company and it was my first experience in the Middle East. We had some sticking points during contract negotiations.

I expected to be paid 50% of my fee in advance with the remainder of the fee to be paid upon completion of the service. This was not their policy but they finally agreed. They wanted a letter of guarantee from my bank. This involved moving half of the fee from my business account with the provision that the money they advanced me would be withdrawn from my account if I didn’t perform. Fair enough.

I asked my banker if they could give me a letter of credit. The Egyptian company refused. They wanted a letter of guarantee. After much back and forth haggling and miscommunication, they finally realized a letter of credit and letter of guarantee were one and the same. Because of the stalled negotiations, the Christmas holidays, and the banker’s vacation, the Egyptian company did not deposit the money to meet my deadline. I had to decide whether to get on the plane and trust that I would be paid.

I arrived in Cairo but did not feel comfortable. I brought up the fact that we signed a contract for a 50% advance and it wasn’t deposited. The training manager looked at me and said, “What about trust?” At that moment I kept my mouth shut and did not bring up the subject again. I realized that I could be insulting her integrity. Four days later they wired the money into my account. The assignment turned out to be very successful and everyone was happy.

I treasure my international travel and I can honestly say I have never regretted any trip whether for business or personal. There is an enriching education that comes with travel and I’ve discovered that people are the same everywhere.
What is different is the way they express themselves. In 2003 I was invited to speak in Tanzania by Women’s Campaign International to media train 100 women directors of NGOs. After learning a few words of Kiswahili. I opened my talk with “Good morning. I’m happy to be here.” The audience broke out in applause. People appreciate when you take the time to speak their language, learn their customs and share your learnings. Business, whether domestic or international, is about communication. Learning to communicate across cultures and showing you care are keys to a successful International experience.

What's Your Reputation Worth?

Diane DiResta, top speaking strategist and founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, a communication skills consulting company, was invited to speak at the Biotech 2009 conference held in Philadelphia, November 16-17. Her panel session, Creating and Delivering the Message: Advanced Lessons in Reputation Management, focused on creating and successfully delivering credible key messages, reviewed current best practices in corporate and marketing communications, and offered various perspectives on how to develop internal consensus on key messages, how to present them effectively, and how to build reputations for transparency and excellence.

Referencing her unique approach, DiResta presented the science of speaking. "There is a science to confidence," DiResta advised. "When there is an inconsistency between body language, tone and words, there is an automatic disconnect with the audience. Trust is broken." She cautioned, "If a spokesperson projects weakness or delivers a dispassionate message, rumors can begin to spread that the company is in trouble."

Jason Rubin, President of The Redstone Group, LLC, moderated the session. Other panelists were: Steven Campanini, Health Care Communications Consultant, Blaine Davis, VP of Corporate Affairs for Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Pam Murphy, VP of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications for Incyte Corporation.

As CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc., Diane DiResta has trained spokespersons in sports and entertainment such as NBA players and Vanna White, as well as physician spokespersons representing pharmaceutical companies who want to communicate with maximum impact - whether face-to-face, in front of a crowd, or from an electronic platform. In addition to her corporate clients, DiResta developed a Confidence Class for seventh grade girls in Staten Island for two years. "I can't think of a better investment than to invest in communication and we need to start early," she said. "The need for good presentation skills is growing in the workplace. The ability to express oneself is what separates the good from the great - whether defending a thesis, interviewing for a job, or pitching an idea."

A top international speaker and media coach, Ms. DiResta earned her M.S. degree from Columbia University, is a Certified Speech Pathologist, and author of Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz, an Amazon.com category best-seller. She is past president of the NYC National Speakers Association and was honored with the Golden Mic award.

How Should Tiger Woods Present Himself?

The media won't stop asking questions and covering the Tiger Woods accident. Up until now, Tiger had a squeaky clean image. But with the hint of a scandal and unanswered questions, it's become a media circus and a problem for his reputation.

What should he do? One of his mistakes was to retreat. When a crisis hits, the best strategy is to respond immediately, in person, and in a positive way. If there is any personal culpability take responsibility.

Tiger's website posted this statement:

"As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I'm pretty sore.

This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again.

This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.

The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.

This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be."

While it's a good statement, his mistake was not showing up to deliver the message in person. Trust is increased when people meet face-to-face. Lawyers often advise against saying anything in public. Even if he doesn't answer questions, he can still speak for himself. People want to hear from the person and not read a public relations statement. He needs to manage his reputation. As Michael Paul, a crisis communication expert so eloquently put it, "Image is what people think you are. Reputation is what you are."