Interesting color profile personality test. Check it out.

USA Today: Favorite colors test shows CEOs are different; take the test

Solid read on the WSJ blogs on why you need to “ABC” “A, Always B, Be C, Closing” on you. Another great tidbit from over the weekend, “Do not focus on the role. Focus on you. If they are looking only for requirements on a job rec, you will be unhappy within 6 months — if you get the job.”

WSJ Blogs: Advice: After Years With an Employer, Jumping Back Into the Interview Process

Some great advice for your next interview. Pitch yourself. Inevitably you will be shuffled from place to place and interview to interview. Why not craft your own elevator pitch?

Check How to Perfect an Elevator Pitch About Yourself.

I found this via LifeHacker Get Comfortable Bragging to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch.

“I” before “We”.

If a candidate is qualified, I tend to judge by the questions the interviewee asks. It shows the level of interest and a slice of the behavioral aspects of the individual’s work approach. People that ask no questions or questions about compensation before an offer never get the job.

Check Seven Great Questions to Ask at a Job Interview for some insight into questions that you can tailor to your next interview.

Prepared = Luck = Success

A key to get the job is to ask great questions. Check this well written article: Seven Great Questions to Ask at a Job Interview.

Have questions. Get answers.

Older, but relevant post: 50 Common Interview Questions. The salary questions/answers are only half correct.

Being prepared is the best luck.

Solid read at the Harvard Business Blog. Check Ace the Interview by David Silverman. Some sound advice when you land that interview. Glad to see that I am not the only one blogging about this topic.

Readers are Leaders.

More than ever the phone screen is making deep dives into questions typically reserved for the interview. In reality there is really no difference between a phone screen and a sales call. Present yourself in lieu of a product and land the face-to-face. Here are some tips that help me present over the phone:

• Look in the mirror. You will have a more conversational tone if you can see your own face.
• Talk with emotion. Stand up. Walk around. Your activity will help you be expressive and “up”.
• Let the interviewer finish the question. Repeat the question. Know when to stop.
• Be deliberate in your words and slow down.

Being prepared is the best luck.

It is not about you. Think about the current employment situation. Tons of qualified talent on the market competing for a few open slots. The reality is that if your resume does not separate you from the qualified crowd, you will not interview.

Think about what the hiring manager really needs. Much of time that means you have to have good information and perhaps a connection to the company. Does the hiring manager really know what they want? Are they looking for a candidate with specific domain knowledge? How many keywords does your resume already hit for the opportunity? Could it hit more? This will add extra time to the process, but in the end it will prove worthwhile.

Remember, your resume is not about you. It is about solving a company’s opportunity.

Happy hunting.

Being ready is the best luck does not only apply to interviewing. Check Closing a Sale: Objections by The Sales Hunter. If you are in a job hunt, I recommend taking 15 minutes to answer one of the “Tell Me About a Time” questions. Write your answers down. Repeat with another question later in the day. Overtime, you will have all the “Tell Me About a Time” questions down with the answers you want to give to get the gig. It is good habit and it can carry into other disciplines when you land your new job.

Happy hunting.