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The magic of common sense,
know-how, and spiritual exercises as
applied to the job hunting process

Janus: in Roman mythology the God of gates,
doors, doorways, beginnings and endings.

Daniel Barber

Handbook for (IT) Job HunTers

Handbook for (IT) Job Hunters
daniel barber
Copyright 2010

Handbook for (IT) Job

HunTers
da n I e l ba r b e r

Handbook for (IT) Job HunTers
Ta b l e o f C o n T e n T s

P r e fac e - 1

c ha P t e r 1 h ow to G o a b o u t t h e Job of Job h u n t i nG - 3

k n ow b e f o r e yo u g o 3
P l a n n I n g w HaT T o d o 3
C om m o n se n se 5
w HaT T o e x P e C T 9
T H e T y P IC a l H I r I n g P r o C e s s 10
reCord keePIng 13
r e g a r d I n g s a l a ry 14
Qu I z & r ev I ew 15

c ha P t e r 2 Yo u r t e a m - 1 6
C om m o n g oa l — C om m o n C au se 16
T H e P r o C e s s a n d T H e g oa l s 18
e sTa b l I sH I n g r a P P o rT 20

c ha P t e r 3 t h e wa i t i nG G a m e - 2 1
baC k f I l l P o sI T Io n s 21
ov e r f I l l P o sI T Io n s 21
Too many Cooks In THe kITCHen? 21
H r a n d yo u r r e sum e 22
T H e H I r I n g m a nag e r a n d yo u r r e sum e 23

c ha P t e r 4 e f f e c t i v e r e su m e De v e l oP m e n t- 2 5
T H e P u r P o se o f a r e sum e 25
T H e sum m a ry 26
e du C aT Io n 27
T e C H n IC a l sk I l l s 28
wo r k H I sT o ry 28
a sI m P l e a n d su C C e s sf u l m e T Ho d o l o g y 28
J o b sP e C I f IC aT Io n / d e s C r I P T Io n 29
a w e b d ev e l o P e r J o b d e s C r I P T Io n 29
r e sP o n sI b I l I T I e s 30
m a n daT o ry r e Qu I r e m e n T s 30
Preferred reQuIremenTs 30
d ev e l o P I n g a r e sum e f o r T H e w e b d ev e l o P e r
P o sI T Io n 33
m u lT I P l e r e sum e v e r sIo n s ? 41
a P IC T u r e I s wo rT H a T Ho u s a n d wo r d s 42
C o n sI d e r u sI n g a sk I l l s & e x P e r I e n C e g r a P H IC I n
you r r e sum e 42
leT Ters of referenCe 43
P r o f e s sIo na l r e f e r e n C e s 45

c ha P t e r 5 e f f e c t i v e i n t e rv i e w i nG - 4 6
T H e m o sT o f T e n s o u g H T a f T e r 46
T H e r o l e P r e se n C e P l ays 46
m o o d s a n d T H e I n T e rv I ew 51
m o o d Pa r I T y 54
mood sCale 55
o P P o sI T Io n — m I sI d e n T I f IC aT Io n — l a b e l I n g 57
“C Ha r g e” 63
d r e s s f o r T H e I n T e rv I ew 64
a n T IC I PaT e T H e C l I e n T 65
P r aC T IC e 66
w HaT m o s T P e o P l e wa n T f I r s T a n d f o r e m o s T 68
r a P P o rT 68

c ha P t e r 6 m or e a b o u t t h e Job i n t e rv i e w- 7 0
T H e T y P IC a l J o b I n T e rv I ew m o d e l 70
daTa g aT H e r I n g 70
f o C u se d P r e se n TaT Io n 71
C l o sI n g 76
f o l l ow u P 76

c ha P t e r 7 r e a l l i f e i n t e rv i e w Qu e st ion s - 7 8
u sua l Qu e s T Io n s 78
m o r e Qu e sT Io n s a n d P o s sI b l e r e sP o n se s 80
o f f- T H e - wa l l r e m a r k s 84
P r o b l e m - s o lv I n g Qu e sT Io n s 85
w HaT I f Qu e s T Io n s 85
sI l e n T a s se s sm e n T 86

c ha P t e r 8 s a l a rY e x P e c tat i on s - 8 8
T H e s a l a ry r a n g e 88
a b ov e T H e r a n g e 88
s a l a ry H I s T o ry 89

c ha P t e r 9 f or t h o se J u s t s ta rt i nG ou t- 9 0
you r g oa l 90
T H e e m P l oy e r sk I l l s a s se s sm e n T 91
C om Pa r I s o n 93
THe HunT 93
su g g e sT Io n s 93

c ha P t e r 1 0 f or t h o se w h o a r e u n e m P l oY e D - 9 5

f I r sT T H I n g s f I r s T 95
e x e r C I se 1 — sk I l l s a s se s sm e n T 95
sTa rT w I T H yo u r f I na n C e s 97
d ev e l o P a wo r k s C H e d u l e 98

c ha P t e r 1 1 G e n e r a l t i P s - 9 9
C om m u n IC aT Io n sk I l l s 99
P r e se n T vs . a b se n T 99
P o sI T I v e v e r su s n e g aT I v e 100
“ T H e b ox” — u n d e r s Ta n d I n g I T, wo r k I n g w I T H I T 100

c ha P t e r 1 2 w hat to l o ok f or i n a n aG e nc Y- 1 0 6
J o b C oaC H I n g 106
I n T e rv I ew C oaC H I n g 106
r e sum e d ev e l o P m e n T 106
mood sCale TraInIng 106

c ha P t e r 1 3 a DDi t i ona l t e s t i m on ia l s - 1 0 7
f r om J o b se e k e r s 107
f r om C o r P o r aT e C l I e n T s 112
aC k n ow l e d g e m e n T s 114

Handbook for (IT) Job Hunters 1

Preface

d aniel barber has a 41 year IT (Information Technology) back-
ground with 25 years as a recruiter, and is an experienced personal
advisor. He founded niche Technologists, Inc. in 1993 following 26 years
in corporate america where he held a variety of roles from entry to senior
level management/executive positions.

n iche Technologists is an IT (Information Technology) consulting
and staffing company that provides corporate clients throughout
the u.s. with flexible and permanent IT staffing support services.

m r. barber has been quoted in various trade publications, appeared
on television, participated in radio talk shows, published in sev-
eral newspapers and trade magazines, is an ex-drug rehab counselor, a
student of Crv (Controlled remote viewing), and student/adept in the
field of metaphysics the past 38 years.

“ my purpose in writing this guide is to empower job hunters to do
for themselves in their job search what I do for others. although the
slant is for the experienced IT professional, the guide should be useful
to anyone job hunting. It also gives one a look at the process on the
Corporate/Hr side.”


Chapter 1
How to Go About the Job of Job Hunting

k now before you go

a good first step is to write a plan before you launch into the job
search.
a simple, realistic plan will help to reduce the stress and establish
prediction and stability.
a plan gives you a road map to follow, keeps you out of the woods.
If you are currently employed, skip the obvious parts of the follow-
ing sample plan.

P •
lanning what to do

decide if you are willing to relocate for the “right” job. If you are,
make a list of geographical areas you are willing to relocate to.
• fully describe (write it out) what the “right” job would be for you.
• If you’re not willing to relocate, do not invest any time consider-
ing a job that would require relocation.
• decide if you are willing to take temporary work through a
consulting company/agency or if you would be willing to take
temporary work that includes a right-to-hire option.
• If you are, decide if you’re willing to travel during the week if
required; if you are, ask your associates for names of any consult-
ing companies/agencies they may be aware of in your area, and
then search for them and others on the web.
• Put the contact information of those consulting companies into
a folder labeled “Temporary Jobs”.

4 Daniel Barber

• make a list of current and past co-workers, and managers you
have reported to.
• Inform them you are looking for a job. ask for their help by
informing people they know who may be in a position to help.
• Put those contact names and dates you contacted them into a
folder labeled “networking”.
• search the major job boards on the Internet but do not post your
resume yet. what you want to do is search for, retrieve and print
out job descriptions that align with your background experience,
skills and geographical preference. Put these job descriptions in
a folder labeled “Job boards”.
• Create a search agent to automatically notify you when jobs are
posted that align with your background experience, skills, and
geographical preference.
• If you do not want to relocate, generate a list of companies that
are within a reasonable commuting distance. a directory of cor-
porations is available in some of the larger libraries and perhaps
through a local Chamber of Commerce. some libraries offer the
on-line use of “usa ref ” which is a database of thousands of
companies throughout the u.s. complete with contact names,
titles, addresses, etc.
• using the Internet, go to the web sites of these companies and
search their career opportunities/job postings for any that seem
to align with your background (do not apply on-line yet). Print
out these job postings and place them in a folder labeled “local
Companies.” revisit these web sites each week for any new post-
ings.
• go to the chapter in this guide on effective resume development
and read through it several times.


• go to the “Job boards” and “local Companies” folders. Pull out a
job description and create a “skills Comparison Table” as shown
in the chapter on effective resume development.
• follow the steps to develop your resume for that position.
• return to that appropriate job board or company web site and
apply / submit your resume on-line.
• Continue with the next job description until completed. keep a
list of all companies where you submitted your resume and the
date of submission.
• afterwards, post your resume on the major job boards.
• now go to the folder labeled “Temporary Jobs”.
• repeat the process.
• Purchase newspapers and review the jobs advertised. Proceed
accordingly.
• look for job fairs and attend them with several copies of your
resume (be sure to get as much detail on open positions that is
available).
• look for monthly or bi-monthly “business card exchange” gath-
erings. attend them with several copies of your resume.
• Contact the local Jaycees and ask if they can help.
• Contact the lion’s group and ask if they can help.
• Contact the association of retired professionals (or some such
title) and ask if they can help.

c ommon sense

If your skills and experience are a stretch for a particular job, don’t
waste your time by putting your resume forward. you’ll only become
frustrated if no one gets back to you.

6 Daniel Barber

If you have all of the mandatory skills and your background aligns
with a job description, go for it by all means but take the time to research
the company by going through their entire web site for starters, and then
surf the web on the company name.

If you have a majority of the mandatory skills and your background
aligns with the job description, go for it.

If you are entry level, look for entry level positions.

If you are entry level but can’t find an entry level position, look around
your area for consulting companies and agencies such as robert Half and
kelly services. Contact them for an entry level position or temporary job
while you search for a full-time position.

If you are entry level, think about starting your own freelance con-
sulting company to gain the necessary experience that can help you get
a full-time corporate position (you can always subcontract yourself out
to established consulting companies who work in your field).

If you’ve been out of the game for a while and want to get back in,
look for entry level positions — or make yourself available on a trial
basis for a more advanced position. offer yourself on a trial basis with
a right-to-hire option. These trial periods usually run 3 months. at the
end of three months, or before, a decision is made to either let you go or
convert you to full-time employee status. The objective here is to show
the client he does not have to make a long-term commitment right away
and allows both parties the opportunity to get to know one another (often
referred to as “try/buy”).


If your background reflects a pattern of career volatility (job hop-
ping), don’t expect a response to your resume if you apply for a full-time
position. Three jobs over a five or six year period usually qualifies as job
hopping. The client will see this as a red flag and have no reason to believe
the pattern won’t continue. doesn’t matter what caused the job hopping,
what matters is the pattern. That said, given the recent “crash” don’t put
too much attention on this, just be sure to include a brief statement in
each work history resume entry such as “laid off,” “downsizing,” “m&a
led to reorganization and layoffs.”

If you are a consultant wanting to leave the consulting sector for a
full time position, the client may be concerned about five things: (1) your
salary history, (2) your salary expectations, (3) why you want to leave
the consulting sector, (4) that you might return to the consulting sector,
or (5) that you may continue doing “freelance” work in your off-hours.

regards (1), your salary history, and (2), your salary expectations,
consultants typically out-earn full-time corporate employees. It’s likely
the full-time position pays far less than what a consultant is accustomed
to earning. It’s a trade-off that requires some careful thought on your part.

regarding (3), why you want to leave the consulting sector: the con-
sultants I’ve worked with who decided on a full-time position usually
wanted to eliminate extensive travel (spend more time with their families
or create a worthwhile relationship); wanted more stability in their life
(eliminate being unemployed for extended periods between contract
work); wanted to build a steady retirement fund (not always possible
for a consultant when he or she is not on assignment); wanted a good
medical, dental, vision, etc. benefits package (a consultant often pays all

8 Daniel Barber

or as much as 50% of this while a corporate employer usually pays all or
the majority of the costs).

regarding (4), you might return to the consulting sector, the items
in (3) above address this concern.

regarding (5), a good response is that your decision to leave the
consulting sector includes any free-lance work. what you do in your off
time is your business, but I’ve seen clients dismiss very qualified appli-
cants when they said they planned to continue free lance work on their
off hours. why they were dismissed is because the client/hiring manager
had a past bad experience with just such a person.

If you are a consultant who has left the consulting sector for a full
time position in the past but later returned to the consulting sector and
now want to return to a full time position, the client has no reason to
believe that pattern won’t continue.

The pattern is a reflection of your employment stability or instability
and, of late, the uncertain economy. but patterns can be deceptive. for
example, I’ve had candidates who were laid off a full time job and later
took a consulting engagement because no full time positions were avail-
able that aligned with their skills or that paid a decent salary. now that
one is available, they wanted to go for it. explain that to the client in your
resume summary (more about resume development in a later chapter).

be honest with yourself and those you work with during the process.
don’t kid yourself or waste your or their time. for example, if you initially
informed the client or agency that your salary expectation for a position


is x but you later decide it should be increased to y, you need to inform
those involved before you get into the interview phase. likewise if you
have known all along that a position does not include a bonus and you
agreed with that but later decided you want a bonus, you need to inform
those involved – I have had very qualified professionals tell me what their
salary expectations were, which I passed on to the client. The interviews
went so well the person told me he would bet the client would pay more.
I strongly advised against this but the person told the client he decided
he wanted more money. The client wanted to hire the person but decided
to walk away. The person was not viewed as trustworthy.

If you’re currently employed and decide to leave, isolate and identify
the exact reason(s) why you want to leave your current employer. Then, if
possible, discuss this with your manager and ask for him or her to work
with you to resolve the problem. realize that any new hiring manager who
interviews you is likely to ask “Tell me why you want to leave your current
employer?” or/and “did you try to resolve the problem with them?” what
will your answer be to those questions? I had one job seeker tell me he
left two jobs because “It was time to move on.” well, as a hiring manager
myself, I would and did discount him as a viable candidate. moreover,
there are always at least two reasons for moving on, the one you tell the
hiring manager and the one you don’t want to reveal.

w hat to expect

understanding the typical hiring process may help to alleviate frus-
tration you could experience during your job search.

10 Daniel Barber

t he typical hiring process

understanding what usually happens on the client side when they are
hiring will help. The sequence and time line explained below is typical
but not always the case.

• The job description is usually posted internally to give current
employees the opportunity to apply (career path opportunity).
This internal posting period is often for two weeks.
• If no internal candidates, the job description is then posted on
one or more of the major job boards, often posted on the client’s
corporate web site, and given to a few recruiting agencies the
client has developed a relationship with over time.
• resumes begin to arrive and are routed to an assigned Hr
(Human resources) representative.
• Hr reads through the resumes to determine if the candidates
appear qualified to the job description. If not qualified, the
resume is basically ignored. If qualified, the Hr usually does a
pre-screening interview by phone with the applicant. If the Hr
is reasonably assured the applicant is qualified, the resumes are
routed to the hiring manager for review.
• The hiring manager reads through the resumes and generally
sorts them into three categories: (1) those he wants to interview
first, (2) those he wants to interview in a second round if no one
is hired from the first round, and (3) those he does not want to
interview.
• The hiring manager then informs the Hr representative who
he would like to interview and includes dates and times he is
available.


• Hr then contacts the candidate directly or the agency to sched-
ule.
• The first round of interviews begins usually with the hiring man-
ager and one or more of his team attending. This first interview
is almost always a technical assessment; it can be on-site or on
the phone.
• all the while resumes continue to arrive and the process contin-
ues until the hiring manager has lined up four or more candi-
dates for the first round of interviews. This cut off point of four
is arbitrary and at the hiring manager’s and/or Hr’s discretion.
what generally happens is all resumes are put into a hold status
once this cut off number for the first round is decided. If no one
is hired following the first round, the hiring manager goes to the
second category candidates (my experience is that someone is
almost always hired when the first round concludes).
• when the first round of interviews is completed, the hiring man-
ager will meet with others who were involved in the interview
to decide which applicants they want to bring back for a second
interview. This second interview is usually to meet the senior
managers. note that it is not unusual for four or more interviews.
• again, the hiring manager will contact Hr with names of those
for the second interview and provide dates and times he and the
team are available. This is a narrow down and usually includes
the top two applicants.
• and again Hr contacts the candidates directly or the agencies
to schedule.
• The second interviews begin.
• once these are completed, Hr and the department managers
will select who they want to hire.

12 Daniel Barber

• Hr is contacted and they in turn call the candidates (or agencies)
to arrange a third and final meeting but this time with the Hr
representative. This meeting includes the formal offer, a review
of policy, benefits, forms to sign, establish a start date, etc. The
offer is often contingent on successful reference checks, drug
screening, sometimes background and credit history checks, and
almost always employment and salary verification.
• The remaining candidates are often not contacted with the
feedback that the position has been filled. However, the agencies
usually are and most of them will inform their candidates. I think
the reason so many candidates are not kept well informed by Hr
is because of the sheer volume of resumes received (hundreds
is not unusual).
• at some point, the job description will be removed from the
client’s corporate web site although any posted on the major job
boards are usually left to expire.

The above hiring process can take as few as 2 weeks or as long as 3
months.

you also need to be aware of another variable: there are agencies that
browse other agency web sites in search of job descriptions. They will
often copy them and then post them to their favorite job boards and / or
their own web sites in hopes of finding a qualified candidate (this often
explains why you’ll sometimes see several postings for the same posi-
tion). If they do find a qualified candidate, they will contact the agency
from whom they pulled the job description in hopes of working a “split
fee” arrangement.


most agencies (not all) will not go along with a split fee so be sure to
ask any agency if they have the job order directly from the client or have
been invited to help by another agency that was given the order by the
client (these agencies will have agreed to a split fee).

r ecord keeping

every time you apply for a position through an agency or on your
own, put the company name on a list and the date you submitted your
resume alongside. Tell agencies representing you to ask for your prior
approval before putting your resume forward to any client, and ask they
send you a copy of your resume that was sent to the client.

Having the agency get your approval before submission lets you check
the agency’s client against your list and avoids “double submissions,”
potential conflicts, and upsets. (be willing to give a copy of your list to
the agency so they don’t waste their time.)

I’ve seen clients walk away from valid candidates when two submit-
ting agencies made a fuss about who should receive commission if hired.
sometimes this is avoided if the client time stamps the resume on receipt
(first in wins). but the best handling is no handling when you employ
good record keeping and set the ground rules with the agency.

Having a copy of your resume that the agency sends to the client lets
you know what the client knows about you.

If you’re using an agency and you want to review your resume for
any changes they may have made, ask for a review before they submit it,

14 Daniel Barber

but be willing to guarantee your turnaround within a few hours or 1 day
at the most (time can be of the essence).

r egarding salary

many companies instruct the agencies working / recruiting for them
to never give a job applicant the salary range for a position nor allow it to
be posted on any job board. why they do this is because their experience
is that job applicants, hearing the salary range, will only remember the
top end of the range. This is too often the case and if the client decides for
any reason not to offer the top end, the applicant is upset, and the agency
who presented the client gets a hand slap or knocked off that company’s
agency list. but there is another reason salary ranges are usually not posted
within job descriptions: it happens that current employees of the hiring
company who have similar qualifications, perhaps in a similar role, will
find that job description and become upset if the salary range exceeds
what they are currently earning and this often leads to discord that can
affect an entire team/group.

If your average annual earnings over the past 3 years was in or near
six figures and your salary expectation is in or near six figures, don’t
expect a client to respond if the position pays a starting salary less than
$75,000 unless the position includes bonus, options or commission such
that, combined with the salary, you have a total compensation package
that can move you into that earnings range.

regardless of what the starting salary is, take into account the whole
package: salary, medical, dental, 401(k), pension plan, bonus or com-
mission plan, tuition reimbursement, company sponsored training, paid


vacation, holidays, personal days and sick days, career path opportunities,
working environment, and payroll taxes.

a starting salary of $75,000 can easily ramp into the six figures when
you take all of this into account — and you may be sure the client has
taken this into account in structuring the compensation package.

another thing to know about salary is they are often determined by
a Compensation analyst in Hr and, generally, are competitive for the
geographical area (but not always).

also to know is that hiring managers are sometimes given authority
to offer more but this rarely happens unless the hiring manager really,
really wants to hire a particular candidate.

Q uiz & review

1. list three reasons why having a plan to follow is a good idea.
2. what are some of the advantages of setting and holding to a
schedule when you’re between jobs?
3. why would it be important to understand the typical hiring
process?
4. what is the purpose of record keeping?
5. what are some of the things you can expect during your job
search?
6. what are some of the things you can do to relieve tension and
frustration during the process?

16

Chapter 2
Your Team

c ommon goal — common cause

your team includes you, your PC, the job boards, your resume, your
network, the hiring manager, Hr representatives, family, friends and
associates willing to help, agencies, etc.

your tools include your plan, a job-hunting work schedule you stick
to, an effective resume each time out, job board postings, the Internet,
job openings that fit, etc.

Hiring managers want to hire job seekers who are qualified to their
specifications (the job description).

Hr wants to give the hiring managers resumes that are qualified to
those specifications.

The successful job seeker wants to be hired and should only go after
job specifications for which he is qualified.

all share a common cause: all are working towards the same goal.

but on occasion there is another dimension on the client side which
the job hunter must be aware of and prepared to work with.

That dimension could be described as a veil that sometimes exists
between the job seeker and the hiring manager, and the job seeker and


Hr — a veil that you have to work with and through although you had
nothing to do with its existence.

If you were a hiring manager or Hr representative, how would you
feel about having to tell people you’ve interviewed and like that they will
not be hired?

what would you tell them?

what reason(s) would you give?

Hiring managers meet and interview dozens of job applicants when
they have positions to fill.

Hr is continually tasked with interviewing hundreds of applicants.

both try to get “close” to each applicant they meet in an attempt to
get a “good feeling” about the person.

a “good feeling” about someone means you would like or be willing
to have that person around, get to know, etc.

but a hiring manager and Hr know they are going to have to tell
some of the applicants they would like to have around that they aren’t
going to be around.

on the one hand they want to get to know you, but on the other
hand they may have become somewhat regretful from having gotten too
close to too many others before you whom they have had to disappoint.

18 Daniel Barber

most people don’t enjoy disappointing other people especially those
they have come to like even a little. In fact, some people may actually
feel as though they are committing a harmful act by having to disappoint
someone.

some people, rather than give someone disappointing news will
simply try to avoid talking with the person which, in part, explains the
absence of feedback.

regardless, the successful job seeker has to presume the existence of
this veil and work with it to bring about a “good feeling” about him by
the hiring manager and Hr.

a good feeling about someone is called rapport but it’s really a com-
posite of empathy, self-esteem, honesty, effective communication, and
the ability to interface with others.

you begin to work with the potential existence of this veil through an
effective resume which insures the client will know within the first 5 - 10
seconds of looking at it that you meet the job specifications — (Chapter 4).

you continue through effective interviewing (Chapters 5 – 7).

t he process and the goals

many job seekers fail to realize they are participating in a hiring
process without having a clear understanding of what that hiring process
entails; this lack of understanding can lead to a great deal of frustration.


of course, it would be nice if the process was explained up front but
it rarely is and that is why I’ve given you a typical hiring process. Having
some understanding of the process sequence and how it flows allows
you to put some reasonable prediction in with regard to what to expect
and when.

If you’re dealing through an agency, ask them to explain the client’s
hiring process.

If you’re not working through an agency, use the typical hiring process
model or ask the Hr representative if they would explain their process.

a majority of job seekers also fail to incorporate and more closely
align their approach with the goals of the client.

your goal is a no-brainer: to get hired.

a search agency’s goal, if you’re using one, is a no-brainer: to get
you hired.

Is anything missing?

what about the hiring manager’s goal?

The hiring manager’s goal is to hire someone he feels is best fit for
the position.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that “best fit” does not always
mean the most technically qualified.

20 Daniel Barber

managers regularly hire people they have a good feeling about whose
technical skills are lighter than stronger technical applicants they don’t
have a good feeling about or whose “soft skills” are lacking (a soft skill
would include strong interpersonal skills, high on empathy, willing to
interact with others, etc.).

The Hr goal includes reviewing resumes, interviewing applicants,
and sending to the hiring manager those applicants’ resumes they believe
fit the job specifications.

later in the process, Hr meets the applicants chosen to interview,
has them fill out an employment application, explain what they know
about the position, usually give an overview on the company, and ask a
few questions before introducing you to the hiring manager.

e stablishing rapport

establishing a rapport begins with realizing that you and the client
are on the same team, the same page, developing your resume to parallel
the job description, and the aforementioned attributes.

Q uiz & review

1. what is the value of having a team whose goals are aligned?
2. why would it be important for you to view yourself as someone
who is on the same team as the client?
3. what is the definition of rapport?

21

Chapter 3
The Waiting Game

T here are two types of positions you should be aware of so that you
can estimate how long the hiring process is likely to take.

The two types are often referred to as “backfill” and “overfill.”

a backfill comes about when someone vacates an existing position
(promoted, transferred, resigned, whatever). an overfill position is a
newly created position.

b ackfill positions

Hiring managers are usually in a hurry to fill them because his or
her team is carrying the extra workload. I’ve had backfill positions close
within two weeks from resume submittal, through the interviewing pro-
cess, and formal employment offer. However, sometimes they take longer.

o verfill positions

The hiring manager is usually not in a big hurry to fill these. I’ve had
overfill positions take three or four months to close.

t oo many cooks in the kitchen?

expect unusual delays in the process if three or more hiring managers
are involved in the decision making process. why is because each manager
has a vision of what he feels is needed and sometimes these visions are

22 Daniel Barber

not aligned. It becomes your job to find out what they are and to align
yourself to them (more about this in Chapter 6).

when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, whose vision do you
think will win out? usually it is the most senior of the managers.

h r and your resume

Hr representatives do much more than read through resumes,
schedule job interviews, make employment offers, review benefits, policy,
etc. many of them are also responsible for a host of employee relations
activities: understanding and implementing relative federal and state
legislative issues, resolving workplace issues, managing industrial and
labor relations, labor negotiations, mediations, employee counseling,
state and federal Hr audits, etc.

Hr is usually assigned to partner with hiring managers when the
hiring manager has an open position to fill. Their purpose is to save the
hiring manager time so that he can continue to spend most of it on his
primary duties.

when Hr is involved, it is they who first read through incoming
resumes, often hundreds of them. It is Hr who decides which resume
seems to fit the job specifications. It is Hr who usually interviews you
first, and who sends your resume to the hiring manager for his review if
a good interview, and it is Hr who will try hard to get feedback.

until you read through a few hundred resumes for a single position,
and sort out who seems to fit, all the while handling interruptions which


break your train of thought, having to turn your attention to a higher
priority issue, etc. you can’t image how frustrating this single task can be.

I’m not making excuses, but I am giving you an understanding of life
on the other end during the hiring process.

If your resume does not immediately convey to Hr that you have
what the job specification calls for, it’s not likely to find its way to the
hiring manager.

and if your resume does finds its way to the hiring manager, but does
not immediately convey to him that you have what the job specifications
calls for, it’s not likely you’ll be interviewed.

t he hiring manager and your resume

as hiring managers read through resumes, they usually sort them
into there categories: (1) candidates they want to interview first, (2) can-
didates they will interview if no one is hired from the first round, and (3)
candidates they will not interview.

Clients often, but not always, fill positions when the first round is
completed.

making the first round requires getting your resume to the client
quickly, making sure it presents you effectively and how long the posi-
tion has been open.

24 Daniel Barber

Q uiz & review

1. what is a backfill position?
2. what is an overfill position?
3. why is it important to know if the position is backfill or overfill?

25

Chapter 4
Effective Resume Development

t he purpose of a resume

The purpose of a resume is to get you the first interview (there are
usually 2 or more interviews in the hiring process).

There’s no such thing as a “job winning” resume. There is such a thing
as an effective resume summary drafted to the job’s particulars such that
you probably will be interviewed.

I’ll show you how to create a resume that will stand out above the
others and be more likely to get you the interview.

Presuming you have the hard and soft skills, you’ll win 2nd and 3rd
interviews through your friendliness, preparation, ability to empathize,
and effective communication and interview skills.

you’ll win the job offer through your friendliness, preparation, ability
to empathize, and effective communication and interview skills.

Here is an exercise that will help increase a person’s friendliness:
exercise 5
as yourself or have another person ask:
1. look around here and find someone, something, or somewhere
you would be willing to like.
that’s really real to you.

26 Daniel Barber

that you wouldn’t mind contacting or getting into communica-
tion with.
you wouldn’t mind or would be willing to understand more of.
you would be willing to have a higher quality friendliness toward.

Cycle through 1 – 5 over and over and continue until you notice and
feel a nice improvement in friendliness and then end off.

To increase your chances of getting the interview, here is one approach
I’ve been using with a great deal of success with hundreds of job seekers
for many years.

a resume would contain (1) a summary, (2) education, (3) Technical
skills, and (4) work History.

summary
education
technical skills
work history

t he summary

The summary is the key component; it is the first thing that appears
on your resume and the first thing the client will read.

The summary is developed and written to closely align with the cli-


ent’s job specifications.

(Job specifications are almost always developed or approved by the
hiring manager.)

your summary tells them you have what they have been looking for
(presuming you do).

They will read through your summary, realize you appear to have
what they are looking for.

at this point, they will look down into the “body” or work History
of your resume in search of entries that support what you have told them
in the summary

supporting entries in your work History show them where, when,
and how you have done what the summary says you have done.

If your work History does not support your summary, you’re out
of the game.

If your work History does support your summary, it is highly likely
you’ll be called in to interview for the position.

e ducation

Here you would include educational background including any cer-
tifications and on-going academic pursuits.

28 Daniel Barber

t echnical skills

software and Hardware.

w ork history

This is the “body” of your resume — whatever else it contains, it must
also contain entries that support your summary.

In this section, you would highlight or otherwise emphasize (bold
type works well) those entries that support your summary.

Q uiz & review

1. what is the purpose of a resume?
2. what sections should be included in a resume?
3. what importance does the summary have?
4. why is the summary placed at the beginning?
5. why is it necessary that the work History section support the
summary?

a simple and successful methodology

I’ll introduce you to a simple and successful methodology I have
used to employ hundreds of job seekers all over the united states who
were or still are employed by some of the largest companies in the world.

The methodology begins with a job description/specifications, con-
tinues with the development of a “skills Comparison Table,” and follows


through with the development of an effective resume.

J ob specification/description

you’ll find these posted on job boards, corporate web sites, in news-
papers, trade publications and magazines, or through agencies.

read through the job description several times until you understand
what is wanted and needed.

study the mandatory skills, desirable skills, preferred skills, and job
responsibilities. Honestly compare your skills and experience against the
job description.

a good way to do this comparison is to develop a “skills Comparison
Table” consisting of rows and columns (example below).

The left-hand column contains the skills, experience, etc. that are
listed on the job description.

The right-hand columns you fill in based on your skills and experi-
ence.

when completed, you’ll know if you’re qualified. If you are, you will
use the table to develop your summary.

a web Developer job description

Here is a web developer job description from one of my clients:

30 Daniel Barber

r •
esponsibilities

Handling day to day maintenance of HTml and Javascript on
any of our branded websites;
• building and maintaining the content management system for
various sections of our primary web site;
• researching emerging technologies and the ability to determine
how they could be applied to current initiatives.

m •
andatory requirements

2-4 years of experience with HTml, dHTml and Javascript
(not academic or self study);
• some knowledge of Java J2ee programming;
• sample work available for viewing either on disk or via url is
required;
• The ability to take direction well and follow project guidelines
closely, as well as have a strong desire to learn new development
languages and techniques;
• well-rounded in both client and user side interfaces;
• must live within reasonable commute distance

P •
referred requirements

experience with xml/xslT and JsP/servlets/oo Programming
• some knowledge of Coldfusion
• Prior experience with a content management system; e.g. Inter-
woven.
• 4-year degree


• some experience developing front-end applications in a portal
environment

A Skills Comparison Table developed from the Web Developer Job Description
mandatory skills my hands-on last time i my skills level:
(taken from the Job experience used the b = beginner
Description) not including skill i = intermediate
academic or a = advanced
self-study

HTML : 2-4 years 4 Sept 04 I
experience required

DHTML : 2-4 years 4 Sept 04 I
experience required

JavaScript : 2-4 years 4 Sept 04 I
experience required

Some knowledge of 1 2 projects B
Java programming since 2002

Sample work avail- Yes
able on disk or URL

Can take direction Yes
well and follow proj-
ect guidelines closely

Strong desire to learn Definitely
new development lan-
guages and techniques

Reasonable commut- 43 miles
ing distance from the
client?

Well-rounded in 3 Sept 04 I
client side user inter-
faces, and server side
dynamic scripting

Preferred skills (taken
from the Job Descrip-
tion)

32 Daniel Barber

self-study

XML No

XLST No

Servlets Yes Sept 04

OO programming Yes J2ee Sept 04

ColdFusion or similar No

Content management No
software; e.g. Interwo-
ven or similar

Developing front- A little Jul 04
end applications in a
portal environment

Computer Sciences No, Masters in
degree Biology

responsibilities
(taken from the Job
Description)

Handle day to day Yes For the
maintenance of past 2
HTML and JavaScript years
on any of the branded
web sites

Building and main- A little Helped do
taining the content this on a
management system project 1
for various sections of year ago
the primary web site


self-study
Research emerging Yes Respon-
technologies and sible for
determine how they this over
could be used with the past 2
current initiatives years
The completed table reveals that you have the mandatory skills, some
of the preferred skills, and experience with similar responsibilities.

you’re qualified to proceed.

D eveloping a resume for the web developer position

This is prepared from your skills Comparison Table using your current
resume.

(This applicant was invited in by the client for a technical interview, a
second interview to meet senior management, and subsequently hired.)

John doe
2 nabisco way
wala wala, wa 00009
(610) 555-1111
email address

web develoPer summary

i have been using html, Dhtml and Javascript since 2000 and rate myself
at an intermediate skills level with these tools. i also have used Java J2ee

34 Daniel Barber

since 2002 on two projects.

i have a master’s degree and a 6+ year it background with one employer
and have been looking for a web Developer position since relocating to this
area in January 05.

my communication and interpersonal skills are excellent. i am a strong
team player, take direction well and have no difficulty following established
guidelines.

[The summary was developed from the skills table. The table was developed
from the job description. The summary appears as the first entry in the resume
so as to immediately inform the client you have what they want]

technical skills

web Development: HTml, dHTml, Css, Javascript, Java, Jrun,
dreamweaver, asP, frontPage
Databases: sQl server, microsoft access 97/00
operating systems: windows 95/98/00
languages: vba/visual basic 6.0
software: ms excel expert, adobe Photoshop, microsoft office

eDucation

studied Computer Information systems at (name of college or university)
master of science degree in biology

work historY

(Company name, city, state) Sept 98 – Dec 04
web developer/Programmer

[The experience section supports the summary & objective. The support-
ing entries are highlighted so the client can easily and quickly spot them]

Technologies utilized: sQl server, asP, vbscript, Java

• upgraded existing Process Control Plan application to expand its use
across other engineering departments.
• added more users to the database and as a result improved security
of the application
• Improved robustness of sQl server back-end and asP front-ends with
increased normalization of entity relationships.
• Created Java classes for timers and escalation notices
• upgraded older technology used in the application to comply with the
J2ee standards

Technologies utilized: sQl server, Jrun, Java

• upgraded the business process by eliminating the usage of ms excel


and created a web-based Java front end using the mvC architecture
(JsP, Java servlets & Java beans)
• developed document/file management with version control and secu-
rity features.
• Produced HTml reports for management for tracking visibility of
upcoming issues.

Technologies utilized: visual basic for applications, excel, sQl server,
Jrun, Java

• developed an application that automates and consolidates the scorecard
entry of all validation employees.
• generated reports in ms excel using vba for departmental cost met-
rics, cell phone usage metrics, budget-based on workdays and glide
path report.
• used an innovative approach to integrate two different application
environments, Java and microsoft.
• upgraded the application by creating a sQl server back-end and Java-
enabled web front-end using mvC architecture (JsP, Java servlets &
Java beans) for entering information.

Technologies utilized: html, Dhtml, Javascript

• led a website development project for productivity improvement and
managerial efficiency.
• designed and developed website solutions for process validation, TasT,
departmental support, Iso, and the manufacturing engineering’s
executive director’s website. Had all of the sites certified by the I.s. &
s. board of certification.
• achieved balance between user and customer requirements and ePd
template requirements.
• effectively established a network within the engineering department
for data and web support.
• represented the department in developing a coordinated web strategy
for manufacturing engineering.
• Created a system delivery Process using sdP-21 for dTs application
• developed project charter, business case, project plan, system require-
ments, system design, and system construction

Technologies utilized: visual basic for applications, ms access

for the following three projects, analyzed user requirements, information
flow, project definition, design, development, implementation of security,
comprehensive data testing, piloting, data acquisition plan, documentation,
distribution, training, backup, and maintenance for several applications.

for all of the databases, a multi-user setting with multiple layers of security
was applied which was inclusive of creation and addition of users, granting
permissions to users, generating mde and mdw files.

technical specification Database
• Converted access 2.0 to ’97 and eventually to 2000
• Importing and exporting from ms excel to ms access

36 Daniel Barber

• Created macros in excel.
• successfully completed and deployed version I of the Technical speci-
fication database.
• revised version II with user-friendly front-end and lean charts for
database requirements.
• Compiled vba codes and compacted the database

metrics Database
• developed and deployed dimensional lean engineering metrics
database.
• effectively integrated ms excel charts with ms access.
• Compile vba codes and compacting the database
• key features included production of a variety of charts for average
hours/deliverable, average deliverables/engineer, and average cost/
deliverable.

facility Database
• Created initial version of a facility database: The application maintains
the departmental people information such as the personal info, profes-
sional info such as years of service, education, training etc.
• developed database design, user defined queries, reports, and forms.
• generated monthly headcount report to the director used for main-
taining headcount.
• generating complex queries, canned and ad hoc reports and user
defined forms. Creating modules, macros, sending objects via email.
Importing and exporting data from various applications.
end

another example
a hyperion essbase Job Description

Job title
Hyperion essbase systems administrator

Job Description
This position is responsible for Hyperion essbase application development
and administration within the management reporting and Planning divi-
sion. This position will work with the account department on monthly
system operations and maintenance. The position will be responsible for
developing and maintaining essbase cubes, developing relevant catalogs
and reports, applying essbase formulas, building load rules and running
calc scripts. In addition, the position will manage the budget process and
maintain systems related sarbanes-oxley control items. This position
requires primarily technical skills but knowledge of financial and profit-
ability information is required as well.


responsibilities
maintaining and developing essbase cubes
Creating and maintaining relevant reports and books in essbase
developing critical essbase applications to fulfill expanding needs of grow-
ing company and provide internal support for internal customers
day-to-day system operations and maintenance including system upload
plans and procedures, system backups and server upgrades
develop and maintain essbase calculation scripts
maintain system security, budgeting information, currency tables, business
rules, updating interfaces
manage development work
maintain system documentation
developing and delivering training on Hyperion reports and analyzer

experience and skills required
ability to develop database applications within essbase, implement those
applications into a production process and provide ongoing production
support to the application.
ability to work independently with business areas, internal technical sup-
port functions as well as external vendors.
ability to assume some senior level development and leadership respon-
sibilities.
bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or IT
display and ability to work with the financial aspects of Hyperion and com-
prehend complex financial calculations. International experience, including
working with multi-currency translations, a definite plus.
Two years experience with Hyperion essbase, reports and analyzer and
demonstrate the ability to develop applications in these disciplines on their
own.
strong technical background

hyperion essbase skills comparison table
mandatory my hands-on last used my skills level:
skills experience b = beginner
i = intermediate
a = advanced

2 years develop- Approximately 4 Starting in 1998, Advanced
ment experience years of experi- and used for over
using Essbase, ence (4 years 2 years. Also
Reports and with reports currently using it
Analyzer and and 2 years with during consult-
demonstrated Essbase and Ana- ing.
ability to develop lyzer). Extensive
applications in experience writ-
these disciplines ing reports, as
on their own well as building
data cubes.

38 Daniel Barber

i = intermediate
a = advanced
Bachelor’s Degree Bachelor’s degree
in Finance, in Economics,
Accounting or IT Master’s degree in
Finance and MIS

Experience Extensive in all Since 1998 Advanced
working with the aspects of my
financial aspects career. Experi-
of Essbase, and ence in financial
comprehend calculations as
complex financial well as statistical.
calculations

International International Intermediate:
applications experience comes I understand
experience and from working multi-currency
multi-currency abroad for over translations and
translations two years. international
applications.

Strong technical Yes Since 96 Advanced
background

Experience Numerous Throughout my Advanced.
includes devel- custom financial, career
opment and operational and
implementation reporting applica-
of applications tions in a variety
into a produc- of software.
tion process with Each has been
ongoing support supported and
documented.

Experience work- Both within
ing independently companies and
within business as an outside
areas, providing consultant.
internal techni-
cal support and
interface with
external vendors


i = intermediate
a = advanced
Experience Management
assuming some responsibilities of
senior level up to 20 people
development reporting to me.
and leadership
responsibilities?

hyperion essbase resume
(The client interviewed this job seeker, once on the phone and then flew
him in for an on site interview. a formal offer was made a few hours after
the on-site interview, which the job seeker accepted.)

John doe
2 nabisco way
wala wala, wa 00009
(610) 555-1111
email address

summarY

• approximately 4 years experience with reports and 2 years with essbase
and analyzer. extensive experience writing reports and building data
cubes (advanced skills level).
• extensive financial systems throughout my career (advanced level,
financial and statistical).
• i understand multi-currency transactions and international applications
from my experience at (company name) (intermediate skills level).
• bachelor’s degree in economics, and master’s in finance and mis.
• Development and implementation of applications into a production
process providing on-going support has been the cornerstone of my
career. i have created numerous, custom financial, operational and
reporting applications in a variety of software, supported and docu-
mented (advanced skills).
• experience includes working independently within business areas, pro-
viding internal technical support and interfacing with external vendors
and clients, both within companies and as an outside consultant.
• experience assuming senior level development and leadership respon-
sibilities with up to 20 people reporting to me.

technical skills

• Hyperion essbase, Hyperion analyzer, Hyperion reports, Crystal report-

40 Daniel Barber

ing, sPss, sas, saP, vantive.
• excel including programming macros, access including modules.
• microsoft office programs including word and PowerPoint, Project, visio.
• as400 applications including Jde.
• mainframe computing including foCus and nomad.

eDucation

master of business administration (Name of college or University)
Concentrations in management Information systems and finance Honors

bachelor of arts
major: Political economy minor: Political science (Name of college or University)

work historY

consultinG sept03-Present

• Currently providing analytical consulting for a range of clients.
• adjunct professor in communications and humanities.
• Created custom reporting database developed in access and designed
accounting reporting system in essbase.
• Conducted sarbanes-oxley process flow documentation analysis.

(company name, city, state) may 02 – sept 03
Project manager

• Performed data and financial analysis for channel incentive programs.
• organized writing and implementation of all original training, including
innovative reference documentation system for 75 person customer care
department. Trained all instructors in courses and teaching methods.
• Created manufacturing scheduling system in access to provide management
information not available with the current system.
• streamlined order process and reorganized department to improve efficiency
and increase productivity. directed my team in diagramming out the sales
order process from company receipt at end of sale to user receipt and fulfill-
ment. This included documentation, process flow analysis and reorganiza-
tion through saP and vantive. month end close time was reduced by 50%
with no additional headcount required saving significant overtime costs.
• supervised fifteen employees.

(company name, city, state) aug 00 – may 02
manager of finance and mIs

• Project manager on a comprehensive budgeting model using access in a
client server environment. This included designing the model to specifica-
tions, overseeing and coordinating development and testing, training and
support during use, and analysis of results.
• Project manager on several financial and hospitality forecasting models and
automated financial reporting process.
• both projects involved international analysis and reporting which incorpo-


rated currency exchange and consolidation from several countries.
• Provided all finance and mIs support for all divisions. This included ess-
base development and reporting, custom applications in visual basic, and
advanced Jde.
• Casino statistician.
• supervised two employees.

(company name, city, state) oct 98 – Jul 00
senior financial risk analyst

• directed essbase reporting for auto loan and lease division.
• developed several original loss forecasting methods that were later adopted
by a major consumer credit bureau.
• Implemented automated decision process.
• Created analysis of relationship between loan origination and loss rates
using sas.
• developed consumer credit criteria for targeted sales and database market-
ing analysis for subsidiary.

(company name, city, state) mar 96 – oct 98
financial analyst

• developed and managed implementation of new division level reporting
tools in excel and access using visual basic for automation. Contribution
for several sales and customer databases included design and formatting,
all programming, writing user manuals, teaching end users, and follow up.
• developed a production forecasting tool in access that incorporated infor-
mation from the as400 and the mainframe and provided automated output
within minutes.
• Provided monthly statistical regression analysis on forecasting accuracy
using sas
• automated several capital investment Irr processes, as well as roI model
for field use.
• supported all divisions including accounting close, marketing, sales and
manufacturing.

end

m ultiple resume versions?

This system does not require that you develop multiple resume ver-
sions for each position you apply for.

This system conditionally requires that you develop a new summary
depending on what skills and experiences are emphasized in different

42 Daniel Barber

Job descriptions. my experience has been that a resume developed, for
example, towards a web developer position with one company requires
no or very minor changes to the summary for a web developer position
with another company.

you can end up with multiple summary versions but the body (work
History) of your resume does not change other than what you highlight
based on the summary and job description.

a picture is worth a thousand words

from a survey I conducted with several hiring managers, one of
the questions I asked was: “what do you want to immediately see in a
resume?”

The majority of hiring managers told me: “a picture that shows me
the candidate has what I’m looking for.”

I’ve given you one approach, which is the summary at the beginning
of the resume.

There is another, often more effective approach: give them a picture
of the summary and then the summary in words.

c onsider using a skills & experience graphic in your resume

The next page gives you the picture incorporated into the resume but
only shows the graphics and the summary.
hyperion essbase resume with a picture and summary


John doe
2 nabisco way
wala wala, wa 00009
(610) 555-1111
email address

HYPERION ESSBASE ADMINISTRATOR
YEARS EXPERIENCE

ESSBASE & ANALYZER

HYPERION REPORTS

FINANCE & IT

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

summarY

• approximately 4 years experience with reports and 2 years with essbase
and analyzer. extensive experience writing reports and building data cubes
(advanced skills level).
• extensive financial systems throughout my career (advanced level, financial
and statistical).
• I understand multi-currency transactions and international applications
from my experience at sun International (intermediate skills level).
• bachelor’s degree in economics, and master’s in finance and mIs.
• development and implementation of applications into a production process
providing on-going support has been the cornerstone of my career. I have
created numerous custom financial, operational and reporting applications
in a variety of software, supported and documented (advanced).
• experience includes working independently within business areas, providing
internal technical support and interfacing with external vendors and clients,
both within companies and as an outside consultant.
• my experience assuming senior level development and leadership respon-
sibilities with up to 20 people reporting to me.

(The hiring manager immediately “sees” and then reads about the major skills he
wants. MS Excel was used to generate the graphic, which was then copied and
pasted into the resume in MS Word.)

l etters of reference

I suggest you obtain letters of reference as these can be powerful tools
if you know how to use them in your resume.

44 Daniel Barber

The following page gives a resume of a job seeker applying for a
network systems administrator position. This job seeker had letters of
references which I excerpted into the summary and then attached to
the resume which I sent to the client. The resume won him the initial
interview.

The Job description and skills Comparison Table are not included
in this example.

network administrator’s resume that includes a graphic and excerpts in the
summary from letters of reference

John doe
2 nabisco way
wala wala, wa 00009
(610) 555-1111
email address

HYPERION ESSBASE ADM INISTRATOR
YE ARS EXPERIENCE

ESSBASE & ANALYZER

HYPERION REPORTS

FINANCE & IT

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

summarY

my technical background for this position includes 6 years with windows
nt, 3 years with windows 03, 5 years with windows 00, 3 years with sQl, 5
years with iis, 4 years with terminal, 6 years with wins, 8 years with ms office
suite, 10 years with backup units, routers and scanners, 10 years with ibm
and compaq desktop and laptops, 5 years with norton antivirus, 4 years with
cisco hardware, 10 years with compaq and hP hardware, 5 years Dns, 6 years
Dhcp, 2 years landesk and sus servers, 5 years active Directory, 6 years with
application, print and file servers, and 4 years with veritas backup software.

i have a masters Degree in computer sciences, and a bachelor’s in business
administration. my certifications include mcP, mcP+, and mcse. i am
currently pursuing ccna/ccnP certifications.


references from my last employer are attached. excerpts below:

“he has performed extremely well in the daunting task of supporting in
excess of 200 users in 17 locations among 5 states. his ability to effectively
and punctually service and administer the infrastructure of the company
single-handedly is testimony to his abilities and work ethic. i whole-heartedly
recommend him.” — Director of mis

“his assistance in the communication and data area has been the key to
keeping our systems functioning at a high level of accuracy. he provided the
proper balance of support and direction needed to enable individuals to suc-
ceed and has a sense of urgency about business and consistently reinforces the
priorities of the company. he promotes good relations and adheres to a high
standard of ethics. i enthusiastically recommend him.” — vP of operations

(The summary was developed from the skills Table. The skills Table
was developed from the Job description.)

P rofessional references

Take the initiative and have two references lined up with former
supervisors.

Q uiz & review

1. what is a skills Comparison Table?
2. what is the purpose of a skills Comparison Table?
3. what is used to prepare a skills Comparison Table?
4. what is used to develop the summary?
5. why must the “body” or work experience part of the resume
contain information that supports the summary?
6. what is the value of having letters of reference in preparing your
resume?

46

Chapter 5
Effective Interviewing

t he most often sought after

I’ve seen hiring managers time and again hire the job applicant who
was friendlier, and whose interpersonal and communication skills were
superior to other applicants — even though the other applicants were
technically stronger.

This tells you the importance friendliness, empathy, self-esteem,
effective communication, honesty, and interview skills play in the process.

t he role presence plays

Presence is defined as you being “here now.”

Here are two axioms you can live by:

• where your attention is — Is where you are.
• where another’s attention is — Is where they are.

your attention can be in the past, the present, the future or all three
concurrently.

attention in the past

you left home earlier than usual this morning so that you could get
to the office by 8:00 am, plenty of time to complete the business plan that


you’re scheduled to present at a 10:00 am manager’s meeting.

severe traffic congestion and long lines at the toll booth caused
unusual delays and you end up arriving at the office at 9:15. you’re very
frustrated and frankly quite angry because now you have only 45 minutes
to prepare. Then you realize this time of the year is when a lot of people
are vacationing, more cars on the roads then usual and you get a little
angry at yourself for not remembering this last night so you could have
left home even earlier.

regardless, the plan is due and you immediately start working on it
— but you can’t seem to take the plan to a satisfactory end point because
of the frustration and anger. now you find yourself getting angrier than
before.

you are being pulled back into the past.

Do exercise 3 on Page 50.

attention in the future

you’re discussing the status of on-going projects with the project
manager in an 8:30 meeting, but your attention keeps getting pulled
onto the employee reviews that are expected by your manager at 4:00
pm. you’ve had review meetings with all 8 of your staff but still have to
complete the review forms and handle everything else that will probably
come up during the day. you know from past experience that each review
form takes about 1 hour to complete.

48 Daniel Barber

you are being pulled into the future.

Do Exercise 3 on Page 50.

again, where your attention is — is where you are.

absence prevents effectiveness.

In both of the above examples, the person was absent from the “here,
now.”

This can be especially lethal during an interview, review, presenta-
tion, etc.

Can you recall a time you became slightly annoyed with someone
you were talking to because he really wasn’t there — lights were on but
no one at home?

Can you recall a time someone became slightly annoyed because you
weren’t really there?

absence is the opposite of presence.

absence comes about when your attention isn’t where it should be
or where you want it to be.

Presence is vital to effective communication which is the mainstay
in successful relationship building, interviews, presentations, conflict
resolution, evaluating the important from the unimportant, establishing


priorities, envisioning, planning, implementing, etc.

exercise 2— freeing up your attention to increase your presence

below is an exercise that will help to increase your potential to be
more present.

• make a list of all the projects you may have your attention on —
set aside some time to do this and let it take as long as it takes.
• when you have completed the list, take a look at the first item
and estimate how much time it is likely to take to complete. Then
do the same with the next item, etc.
• now go back through the list and decide which should be done
first, second, etc. Here you are establishing priorities, orders of
importance.
• Then schedule time for the first item and do it. doesn’t matter
how long it takes to complete, what matters is that you do it fully
and to the best of your ability. (If you do something half-way, it
will come back at you to be done again.)
• Take the second item and do it.

Change priorities as needed, and allow for new things to be added to
the list. expect some things to take longer to complete than you expected,
and expect things to come up that may cause delays.

as each project is completed, you’ll feel a little better, more present,
less “scattered,” and more in control. your attention that was focused on
that project frees up and comes back under your control for use elsewhere.
This not only gives you an increased sense of well being but increases

50 Daniel Barber

your presence factor in that you have more of you to work with than
before. It’s that simple.

exercise 3 — how to increase your presence and friendliness

Here is a simple exercise that will help you become more present
and friendlier. I find this one particularly enjoyable while taking a walk
outdoors although it can also be done indoors.

• notice something in your surroundings.
• now notice something about it that you can agree with or like.
• notice something else in your surroundings.
• now notice something about it that you can agree with or like.

repeat this exercise until you feel more “here” and friendlier.

Q uiz & review

1. what is meant by presence?
2. what is meant by absence?
3. recall a time when you were present with someone.
4. How did that make you feel?
5. recall a time when you were absent with someone.
7. recall a time when someone was present with you.
9. recall a time when someone was absent with you.


m oods and the interview

moods can be very powerful and they play a key role in interviews
and in life.

a mood is just a mood. There are lots of them but the main ones
include apathy, lethargy, sadness, fear, masked rage, rage, anger,
Contentious, boredom, reserved, Interest, enthusiasm, and a few others
(refer to the mood scale below).

a mood is not you. a mood may certainly influence you, but a mood
is not you.

moods are triggered by the ups and downs of life. They put a person
into a particular frame of mind (attitude) and it is from this position that
we try to get things done.

so powerful are some moods that people have a tendency to become
the mood as reflected in their attitude: anger can cause a person to become
angry. Cheerfulness can cause a person to become cheerful.

bad moods are catching.

recall a time someone near you was in a bad mood.

How did that affect you?

good moods are catching.

52 Daniel Barber

recall a time someone near you was in a good mood.

How did that affect you?

everyone experiences a bad mood at one time or another so go easy
on yourself or the other person. keep in mind a mood is simply a mood,
not the person, and that moods are triggered by the ups and downs of life.

To handle the unwanted moods, you need to know more about them
and how to work with them.

ever try to be effective, productive or friendly when you’re angry?

Takes a lot of effort, and makes for a tough day.

ever notice how little effort it takes to be effective, productive and
friendly when you’re in a good mood?

not much at all and it makes the day more enjoyable for you and
those around you.

as an aside, it is when you are in a good mood that you want to think
about and plan your future.

when you are in a bad mood, your immediate goal should be to
separate yourself from that mood.

Here is an exercise that will help you do that: exercise 4
ask yourself or have another person ask: “describe your mood level.”


Then describe your mood level. describe everything you feel about
it, holding nothing back. repeat and answer this question as many times
as needed until you can feel that your outlook has improved if even just
a little. all you want to do here is improve your mood level so end off
when you feel a little better.

what happens during the exercise is that each answer to the question
requires that you actually push the mood slightly away from you so as to
get separation. The further it moves away from you, the better you feel,
and the more able you are to describe it. It’s the act of separating yourself
from the mood that causes improvement.

note: The agent that binds the mood to you, what keeps it in place,
is emotions which are contained within the mood so expect some to
manifest as you go through this extremely effective exercise.

moods generate carrier waves whose characteristics are determined
by the mood.

a carrier wave transports (carries) your feelings and words.

The carrier wave is projected outwards and makes first contact —
before the words arrive.

The negative moods generate dense, heavy and slow moving carrier
waves: lethargy and boredom are two examples.

The positive moods generate lighter, faster moving carrier waves:
interest and enthusiasm are two examples.

54 Daniel Barber

someone in a positive mood will be highly effective, more productive
and friendlier than someone in a negative mood.

m ood parity

what happens during a job interview if you are in a positive mood
but the client is in a negative mood?

a majority if not all of what you say will simply not arrive because
the absence of mood parity prevents connection.

you and the client are at different positions on the mood scale. He’ll
hear your words, see your lips moving, but the words won’t register. It’s
like trying to send an e-mail with no connection to the Internet or Intranet
(the message never arrives).

effective communication will not occur.

Conversely, if the client is in a positive mood but you are in a negative
mood, the same thing happens.

It’s like trying to draw a circle with pen to paper but not being able
to connect the start point to the end point.

you end up with a sort of but lousy circle or a sort of but failed attempt
at communicating because the two carrier waves were so out of range
they failed to connect.

you walk away feeling a little confused. The client walks away feeling


he’s just wasted valuable time.

you’ll encounter people in various mood levels so knowing how to
recognize and approximate various moods in order to achieve parity is a
vital skill to possess if you really want to win more often in life.

m ood scale

below are a few of the moods. There are many more, but these are
the major moods.

look up the definition of each mood. role-play each mood. observe
others and try to spot their mood. Then approximate their mood.

when you become reasonably accurate at spotting mood levels,
you can take a position on the mood scale that approximates the other
person’s mood.

The process of defining, acting out, observing and approximating
moods can be a lot of fun so long as you keep it at the spirit of play level
(keep it fun).

developing the ability to recognize and then achieve mood parity
is a tremendous asset that is vital to achieving effective communication.

achieving mood parity does not require that you assume the same
mood. all you really have to do is approximate the mood.

for example, if the other person appears to be in a mood level of

56 Daniel Barber

boredom, you can either assume boredom or the next higher mood:
reserved or conservative.

In a mood of reserved or conservative, you would be reserved or
conservative in speech and manner.

If the other’s mood is interest, assume the mood of enthusiasm.

In a mood of enthusiasm, you would be enthusiastic in speech and
manner.

earlier I said that good moods are catching. with practice, you can
actually lift another person’s mood level say from interest to enthusiasm
simply by being enthusiastic around that person in your manner and
speech.

If the other person’s mood is contentious, assume the mood of bore-
dom. and so on.

The main moods from top to bottom:

enthusiasm
Cheerful
Interest
reserved
boredom
Contentious
anger
rage


masked rage
fear
sadness
lethargy
absence

Q uiz & review

1. what is a mood?
2. what is a mood not?
3. what is meant by mood parity?
4. recall a conversation when mood parity existed.
5. what were some of the consequences of that?
6. recall a conversation when mood parity did not exist.
7. what were some of the consequences of that?

o pposition — misidentification — labeling

known opposition could be a member of the opposing team. for a
salesman it could be a competitor. for a job hunter it could be other job
hunters applying for the same position.

known opposition can also be problems that surface during a project,
not having enough time to do what needs to be done, having to make
a lot of things go right to get to work each day, managing a budget, too
many interruptions, too many meetings, trying to be well rested during
the week, etc.

58 Daniel Barber

It’s easy to go into opposition with someone or something — we do
it all the time.

known opposition has its dark side to be sure, but unknown opposi-
tion is insidious because it comes about unknowingly and without the
benefit of self-awareness or inspection.

example

you are introduced to John, a hiring manager, who is going to inter-
view you for a job.

shortly after being introduced to John you begin to feel something
about him you don’t like — you can’t put your finger on it but you can
feel it.

These feelings may include anger or resentment or anything at all.

you are aware of and sense the feeling but are completely unaware
of the cause.

In spite of your best efforts to suppress your feelings the interview
does not go well.

you leave the meeting confused, a little upset about what happened
and why. you may even think something is wrong with you.

afterwards, you rack your brain trying to understand what happened.


Then you get it: John reminded you of Joe!

Joe was a bully in grade school who frequently picked fights with
you or was always putting you down, making less or nothing of you in
front of your friends.

what actually happened?

although you were not aware of it at the time you met John, you
noticed something that was similar between him and Joe.

The similarity could have been anything: appearance, tone of voice,
facial expression, color of his hair or how it was combed, how he looked
at you, how he moved toward you to shake your hand, how he asked
questions, mannerisms, etc.

something about John reminded you of Joe and you still harbor anger
and resentment toward Joe.

Misidentification

you didn’t like John because he reminded you of someone you had
problems with so many years ago that you had all but forgotten. and this
silly little thing could cost you a job or a relationship.

worse, you walk away thinking something is wrong with you!

nothing could be further from the truth.

60 Daniel Barber

when you unknowingly and unwittingly connected John to Joe you
went absent from John — and the interview.

your attention was pulled back to those encounter points in the past,
the where’s and when’s you had major problem encounters with Joe.

your attention then got caught on those encounter points. you didn’t
know at the time what was going on but you struggled to maintain some
control and attention during the interview.

This, and the ensuing confusion, can knock anyone off the rails.

when misidentification takes place (Joe to John), the tendency is to
involuntarily superimpose your feelings about Joe onto John.

Labeling

you no longer see John — you see what John represents to you: Joe

something about John acted as a “trigger” on Joe.

The trigger caused you to access past incidents with Joe that were
still “charged up.”

These past incidents came rushing forward with your attention in tow
and were overlaid onto where you were (environment), who you were with
(people), and what you were doing (interviewing) in the present time.

The moods associated with these feelings included anger, resentment,


wanted to knock Joe’s block off, etc.

you involuntarily superimposed these feelings onto John.

John could feel them but was in total mystery as to what was going on.

you were struggling to maintain control but having a hard time sort-
ing out Joe from John, the present from the past.

your attention was in the past and, to some degree, also in the present.

This can knock anyone out of present time — small wonder the
interview didn’t go well.

To give you an example of how destructive misidentification can be
especially during the job hunting process:

one of the job candidates I recently worked with had submitted his
resume to a client company from a job posting that client had placed on
one of the major job boards. a few days later he followed up by calling Hr.

He spoke with (we’ll call her debbie) in Hr who confirmed they had
his resume and that he seemed to be a valid candidate for the position.

over the next week, he placed two or three more phone calls to
debbie but she didn’t return any of them.

He became exasperated and very upset with debbie. He wanted to
tell her off, remind her she said he seemed to be qualified for the job,

62 Daniel Barber

remind her of the unanswered phone calls, etc.

about a week after this incident, he called me in response to one of
my job postings. However, to him I was another Hr person (I “repre-
sented” debbie).

He proceeded to give me all the details about the incident with
debbie and thoroughly vented for nearly 10 minutes. fortunate for him
I understood the life mechanics that sit behind such incidents so I simply
allowed him to vent all the pent up anger and frustration.

but what’s wrong with this picture?

He is in opposition with the very people that are in a position to help
him find a job because he has unwittingly misidentified them with debbie.

The truth is that nine out of ten Hr people you deal with would love
nothing more than to be more helpful. The problem is the hiring process
they have to work with is one they have little, if any, control over. The
problem is also the sheer volume of resumes and phone calls from other
candidates.

I’m not excusing the lack of good manners, but you must realize
that’s the way it is.

you don’t have to agree with a client’s hiring process, but you do have
to try to understand it and work with it if you decide to put yourself in it.


Q uiz & review

1. what is meant by labeling?
2. recall a time you put a label on someone.
3. did you feelings towards that person change afterwards?
4. recall a time someone put a label on you.

charge”
“ when John triggered the past bad encounters with Joe, the candidate
was triggered into the past unpleasant experiences he had with Joe.

The charge (harmful energy) contained in those experiences revivi-
fied and the candidate could feel them as through they were happening
all over again right now!

The candidate accumulated a lot of charge on Joe and poor John got
it all put on him.

The upset with debbie in Hr began the accumulation of charge on
every other Hr person this candidate contacts during his job search —
the people whose very survival the job seeker depends on at this time
in his life.

do exercise 3 before the interview. In fact, if you do it regularly it will
have an accumulative affect that keeps you more present and friendlier.

64 Daniel Barber

when you are present and friendly, things that might otherwise cause
opposition become things you are more willing to work with. moreover,
you’ll find fewer things coming your way that you will oppose.

simply being aware of this mechanism will give you some altitude
over it.

D ress for the interview

Image conveys a message.

People often tend to make snap judgments.

you want to convey a professional image and message in your appear-
ance.

dress for the interview and then take a look in a full length mirror.

what image does your dress convey?

business dress is best at the first interview unless you’re told other-
wise. If the client invites you to return in business casual dress, do so but
be conservative. and if the client is dressed business casual, take notice
of what is acceptable.

Try to be well rested and well fed before the interview. People who
are physically tired and hungry often go absent and can become easily
confused.


a nticipate the client

Presume you are the hiring manager and that you wrote the job
specifications. you then sent the specifications to your contact in Hr
who subsequently posted them to one or more of the major job boards.

a few days later Hr begins to receive resumes; they set them aside
until they collect six or a dozen to read through. after reading through
them, they find two that seem to fit your (you as the hiring manager)
specifications. Hr then sends those resumes to you.

you’re busy when they arrive so you set them aside until you have
some time to read through them. when you do read them, you find that
one that looks promising.

you call Hr with days and times you’re available to interview that
candidate and then you begin writing out a list of questions you plan to
ask during the interview. you also contact your team leader and ask him
to do the same (you plan to have your team leader join you on the first
interview).

now if you were the hiring manager, what questions would you ask?

review the job description.

realize the first interview is almost always to technically assess your
software skills and experience against those identified in the job descrip-
tion (to learn what you did with the software; to get an overview of the
project; to learn what your role was in the project; the size of the project

66 Daniel Barber

team; the hardware and software platform; if the project was a difficult
one and, if so, why; to learn what you would do differently and why if
the project was a difficult one, etc.).

make a list of questions. refer to the questions in Chapter 7, ask
friends who have interviewed for similar positions, and ask the agency
what questions he thinks you will be asked.

P ractice

If you’re working through an agency that does not offer an interview
role-playing service, do some role-playing with a friend and tape or video
record the pretend interview.

ask the first question from your list as though you were the hiring
manager (or ask a friend to assume that role).

now answer each question as the job applicant.

Continue through the list until completed.

now replay the tape and listen/watch carefully to your responses, your
tone of voice, your facial expressions (if video), if you are coming across
with confidence, if you sound nervous, your mood level, etc.

If you’re not satisfied with the first role play, repeat the process until
you are satisfied.

as an aside, the first time I video taped a mock interview I was hor-


rified at how awful I was coming across and not at all pleased with my
facial expressions. I sounded nervous, my answers seemed uncertain,
my mood level was fear, and I realized that I wouldn’t hire me! I simply
repeated the process until I just knew I was ready.

a rrive early

my suggestion is that you arrive at least fifteen minutes before the
interview is scheduled.

do exercise 3 outside the building or in the lobby for five minutes.

review the job description and the questions you expect to be asked.
be prepared to let the interview take as long as it takes. If the client asks
how long you have, tell him as long as it takes. If you only have an hour,
make sure the client was told this when the interview was scheduled and
make sure to tell him again before the interview begins and explain why
you only have 1 hour.

usually, the longer an interview takes, the better — a client will not
waste his time if he doesn’t have a good feeling about you within the first
few minutes.

“good feeling about you” — remember moods and carrier waves? If
you sense the client is in a mood of boredom, then you need to be in a
slightly higher mood in order to connect (try reserved or conservative).

look up the definition of boredom, role play that mood. look of the
definition of conservative, role play that mood, etc.

68 Daniel Barber

you don’t have to be in the exact same mood level as the other person,
but you do want to position yourself in the approximate area or slightly
higher.

for example, if the other person is in boredom, you can assume the
mood level above it: reserved or conservative.

when you assume a mood level you act and talk through that mood
level about anyone or anything that is discussed.

refer to the mood scale.

w hat most people want first and foremost

what do you think most clients are really looking for when inter-
viewing job candidates?

It might surprise you to learn that what they are really looking for is
friendliness, someone who can establish and maintain a rapport. yes, the
technical skills and relative experience are important to be sure, but the
winner is almost always the friendlier person even if his technical skills
and relative experience are less than the other candidates.

r apport

realize that dozens of people have the technical skills and the experi-
ence, but not all have the ability to establish and maintain the tempo of
a friendly rapport.


I’ve heard it told me many times by hiring managers and experienced
Hr people:

“I’ve seen friendliness win out over technical time and again.”

look for something about the other person you are willing to like
and build your relationship on that.

be willing to communicate freely and willingly. be friendly. be your-
self by being present.

get a sense of the mood level of the person in front of you. Pay atten-
tion to mood parity.

70

Chapter 6
More About the Job Interview

t •
he typical job interview model

data gathering
• focused presentation
• addressing concerns or objections that exist or seem to exist
• Closing
• follow up

D ata gathering

It’s always a good idea to know the job description cold. read through
it until you are thoroughly familiar with it but realize the vast majority
of job descriptions do not contain all the information you really need to
make an informed decision — there will be questions you will want to
ask in interview. In fact, the more relevant questions you ask, the more
interest you are showing about the job (a good thing).

The interview will start with introductions before it gets into the
actual Q&a phase.

after introductions, explain your understanding of the position based
on the job description and ask the manager if he would mind giving you
a more complete overview, the size of his department or group, how it
fits into the overall organization, about on-going projects and planned
projects, etc.


His answers to your questions will give you what aspects of your
background you want to emphasize so that your presentation stays on
point and stays focused.

remember your goal is to partner with the client to help him achieve
his goal. by knowing more about what he wants, you are in a better
position to emphasize those aspects of your background that will be of
interest to him.

some people have a tendency to become nervous during job inter-
views. The danger is this can cause the job applicant to go absent, to drift
in and out of the interview.

one way to work with this:

after the introductions, but before the Qa begins, explain: “I’m truly
glad to be here and appreciate your time, but I want to let you know
that I have a tendency to get nervous in job interviews so please bear
with me.” This often eases tensions and results in a far more relaxed and
comfortable setting.

f ocused presentation

The adage “know before you go” is a good one. knowing as much
about the job before the Q&a begins will empower you in that you’ll
know what is and what is not important. If you’re not sure about the
importance of something, ask the question.

72 Daniel Barber

stay on point, stay focused, no rambling. be sociable by all means,
but do so while staying on point. on point is to know what is important
and what is not important and staying with what is.

If you ramble, your audience will lose interest and go absent.

Hiring managers often look to see how long it takes an applicant to
answer THe question they ask, not what the applicants THInks they
asked. so if you don’t understand a question, ask for clarification.

example

Hiring manager: “Can you give us an overview of this project you
worked on while with xyz Company?”

Candidate: “That was a tough one because we really had to guess
what the users wanted and often had to go back to square one because
we missed. Try as we did, we couldn’t get them to schedule enough time
with us to work out the specifications.”

what happened here?

The candidate’s answer was not an answer to the question asked.
moreover, the candidate reveals a potentially failed project.

Hiring managers also look to see if the applicant is on the same page
or “tracking” with the interview.

example


The interview is hot and heavy into technically assessing the candi-
date’s know-how with specific software tools.

The job applicant asks about career path opportunities.

Career path is important to be sure, but what does it have to do with
technical assessment?

a ddressing unspoken concerns or objections that seem to exist

It’s pretty easy to “read” most people by their facial expressions — if
you look.

for example, if you ask a question and then notice a blankness or sort
of question mark or confused look on the person’s face, your question
may have triggered something.

If something was triggered, it could be anything but never leave it
to chance. for all you know, there could be a Joe to John thing going on
with you acting as the trigger.

It’s vital to take it up it then and there.

How would you address it?

one way would be to say “did I say something that needs clarifica-
tion?” and then look at them expectantly.

74 Daniel Barber

or, “do I remind you of someone?”

If the person asks why you asked, explain you noticed a sort of
puzzled look on their face and just wanted to make sure it wasn’t you or
something you said.

If there is nothing to address, let it go.

If you don’t pick up on these and address them the moment they
occur, the other person may go absent for the remainder of the meeting.
worse, if he misinterpreted your answer to his question, he may get the
idea you are not qualified.

It’s also important to never say or do anything that might distract the
other person after you’ve asked a question.

Here’s what goes on after you ask a question:

when you ask someone a question they look to their mind for an
answer.

The mind is an infinite repository of data, thoughts, feelings/moods,
precepts, fixed ideas, conclusions, past experiences, and mental imagery
all very nicely sequenced by time and location, indexed and cross-
referenced.

It is through this interaction with the data in the mind that one educes
(draws forth) information relative to the situation at hand.


The other person takes your question, looks to his mind where rela-
tive information is stored. That information is retrieved, reviewed, and
then passed over to you.

If you look at the person’s face after you ask a question, you can actu-
ally see him viewing and assessing the information he retrieved from his
mind.

you can also tell if he has more to say when he’s answering as he will
pause but is still looking. If you interrupt, you chance cutting that educ-
tion line before he’s through and this can cause upsets.

Can you recall a time you were in the middle of answering a ques-
tion and the other person fired another question at you or did something
unexpectedly that cut your eduction line?

you’ll know when he has no more to say. If you’re not sure, gently
ask “Is there anything else?”

listen carefully to each answer because it may contain the answer to a
question you plan to ask later. If you don’t fully understand his response,
ask for clarification.

If at any time during the interview, you notice a blank, question mark
or confused look on a person’s face, take it up. effective interviewing,
presentations, etc. require presence and know-how.

76 Daniel Barber

c losing

a lull in the meeting will take place just as the interview is conclud-
ing. If you’re comfortable with it, make the following or a similar remark:

“I want to thank you for your time. I have a good feeling about this
opportunity and would like to continue with the next step. do you have
a good feeling about me for this position?”

This closing statement says you want the job, and puts their attention
on you as a good fit for the job. sometimes you’ll get a direct answer and
sometimes you won’t, but you do want their attention on you as a good
fit for the job.

f ollow up

a summary (very brief) email follow up with those you met is a good
idea. be sure to cc your agency representative if you have one. If you are
using an agency, give them a thorough debriefing after the interview
and feel free to have them review your follow up before you send it (they
may have some good suggestions to make it more effective). The agency
will use your feedback in his debrief with the client at which time he can
assess if the client wants to continue with you.

Q uiz & review

1. what could happen if you ramble during the interview?
2. what could happen if you fail to recognize and then follow up
with someone who seems confused about something you just


said?
3. what is the value of asking a closing question?
4. why would it be important to make sure you understand as
much about the position as possible before getting into the heart
of the interview?
5. what is the value of a follow up after the interview?

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Chapter 7
Real Life Interview Questions

I f you’re working with an agency that knows their stuff, is on the ball
and really doing their job, they will offer you coaching and role-playing
before the interview as part of their service. They will also give you effec-
tive resume tips and help you develop one for the position.

The agency will also assume the role of client and role play the inter-
view using his list of questions and your own.

u sual questions

The client will want to know more about your background as reflected
in your resume. If you use an agency, be sure to get a copy of your resume
as sent to the client and take a copy to the interview.

Questions might include:

Tell me about the most difficult project you’ve worked on, and what
you would do differently, if anything.

your answer gives the client some insight as to how you handle
yourself in a difficult situation, and if you self-critique with the intent
of improvement.

How would you describe the best manager you’ve ever worked for?

your answer gives the client a short-list of the managerial charac-


teristics that you respond to best. It also enables the client to assess if the
manager you will be reporting to possesses some or all of these traits,
and if it is likely you will work at your best with that manager and within
their particular culture.

How do you go about setting up for production each day?

Think about it -- your answer to this question provides some insight
regarding your self-discipline, your analytical / reasoning skills, how you
set your priorities, how you distinguish between the more important from
the less important (orders of importance).

What is your career goal over the next 3 – 5 year’s?

watch this one, I’ve seen strong contenders blow it by saying they
expected to be in a senior management position within the next 3 years
— while interviewing with a company that could not offer a senior man-
agement position within the next 3 years.

Clients are reluctant to hire anyone whose career path time frame
they may not be able to accommodate. all depends on the position and
career path they can offer, but it’s safe to simply say your immediate goal
is to master your current profession: if you are a web developer, your
immediate goal is to become a master web developer, etc.

How do you learn new technologies?

give a real-life example of a situation in which you had to learn a new
software tool in order to the job done. describe what you did to learn

80 Daniel Barber

that new software, how long it took you to learn it well enough to use it,
and then what you did with it.

What is your greatest strength?

your answer could be anything from being a good listener, to some-
one who does not compulsively react to situations, that you finish what
you start, or that you can be assertive when necessary, that you do not
jump to conclusions but rather tend to gather as many facts about a situ-
ation before making a decision, etc. whatever it is, I think it best to relate
the strength to your career / profession.

What is your greatest weakness?

again, I would keep the answer relevant to career / profession. one
example is an interview I had in the late 60’s with a large computer
company. my answer to the question was that my people skills needed
improvement and so I had taken some after hours’ classes in effective
communication to improve my interpersonal skills. I then told him what
classes I had taken and asked if he could recommend others.

What made you want to become a (Java Developer, Web Developer,
Business Analyst, etc.)?

m ore questions and possible responses

Why should we hire you?

rare is the job applicant who has all the qualifications a client wants,


but many have a majority of the most wanted, the “mandatory or must
have” qualifications. If it’s obvious you lack one of these, a response that
did result in a job offer and acceptance went like this: “well, I’m not a
perfect fit because I don’t have experience (or that much experience)
with (whatever it is). However, I do have the experience you ask for with
(whatever it is), and am otherwise a good fit and a fast learner. also please
note that I have demonstrated by ability to learn new skills quickly, and
apply what I learn quickly.”

How do you feel about working for a large company?

I feel pretty good about it. larger companies usually offer a good
career path, more responsibility, use the latest technologies, and offer a
good benefits package.

Tell me about yourself.

This and similar questions are considered “open ended” in that they
really don’t go anywhere. a good response would go something like this:

“well, I earned a b.s. in Computer sciences in 1996 and landed my
first IT job 2 months later as a Java programmer at (company name). I
found that I really enjoyed working with the technology and developed
a lot of affinity for it. I stayed at (company name) for the next four years
but found my salary hadn’t improved that much from when I first joined.
I left to join my current employer in 2000, and have been continuing to
develop my Java skills all the while. Truth is I really like my job and the
company, but the company has announced outsourcing and it looks like
my position will be eliminated.”

82 Daniel Barber

How would you approach a problem you’re not familiar with?

Why do you want to work for (company)?

be sure you have learned all you can about the company before
going to interview. you can learn a lot by simply doing a search on the
company name on the Internet. Try to learn about the people who will be
interviewing you. ask the client Hr for names and titles, or the agency
rep. Then go to the various social networks such as linkedin, facebook,
the company’s web site, etc.

This question also presents an opportunity to gather more informa-
tion about the position, and the company if these have not been discussed
earlier. If not yet discussed, one response would be to ask if it would be
okay to first discuss the position and the company based on your current
understanding. This approach demonstrates your interest in the position,
the company, your analytical skills, that you gather relevant information
to ensure you are on the same page, etc.

with an okay from the client, present your understanding of the
position – it’s also a good idea to end your final remark as a question
because a question naturally invites further discussion (by the client).
His or her response will give you a more fully developed picture of the
position, which information you can use during the remaining course
of the interview.

say or do nothing that might distract the client at anytime when he
or she is talking – you want their attention to remain where it is rather
than be pulled away by some distraction.


when the client has finished talking you can say the position is what
you are looking for (if it is), and then explain why so.

once the discussion about the position is completed, you can repeat
the process with regards to your understanding of the company (its his-
tory, products / services, the public or publics it serves, etc.).

now and again a job applicant can become quite surprised during
the interview to learn that he or she is being interviewed for an entirely
different position! such occurrence points out the need for you to address
your understanding of the position very early on during the interview
process – shortly after introductions and pleasantries are exchanged. I’ve
had experiences where the hiring manager had more than one position
open, and confused the two while interviewing the applicant. I’ve also
had hiring managers ask job applicants towards the conclusion of the
interview if they would be interested in a different position – this usually
occurs when the manager’s assessment of the applicant is such that he or
she would be more qualified, more suited to the other position.

What really drives or motivates you?

relate whatever it is to the position, to your career. Could be what
really motivates you is a job well done, a system well maintained, satisfying
clients, challenge, acknowledgement when a job is well done, a manager
that does not micro-manage, learning and applying new technologies, etc.

What do you like most about you current job (or last job)?

your answer enables the client to assess if the job you are interviewing

84 Daniel Barber

for contains any of the components that you like best.

What did you like least about it?

Careful here about “sour grapes” and also careful you do not inad-
vertently reveal information that may be or is considered sensitive about
your current or last employer.

Tell me about a time you went “above and beyond the call of duty”
to get something done?

again, keep it relevant to your current or past position, and be able
to back up what you say with a reference or two.

How would you deal with a difficult co-worker?

as with any of these questions, think them through before the inter-
view and be prepared.

Tell me about a time when your listening skills enabled you to see a
problem that no one else spotted.

use resources around you, ask for some advice.

o ff-the-wall remarks

you may be asked an off the wall question to see how you handle
yourself with it.


an example from personal experience: during an interview I had
several years ago with a senior executive who made the remark: “you
seem all used up, burnt out.”

I noticed he had a smile on his face as he made the remark. my
response: “funny you said that, I was just thinking the same thing about
you.”

I’m not recommending this response but you get the idea. I was suf-
ficiently present to have observed his mood and went with it.

P roblem-solving questions

you have a water tank that holds an infinite amount of water. you also
have a 5 liter bucket and a 3 liter bucket. How do you go about getting 4
liters of water into the 5 liter bucket?

you’re hired by a rich entrepreneur who wants you to tell him how
many quarters it will take if stacked one on top of the other to reach the
height of the empire state building. Including the lightening rod on top
of the building the total height is 1,454 feet. How would you go about it
and what is the answer?

w hat if questions

what if you are a hiring manager and you have two qualified candi-
dates applying for the job. one is a super technical person and the other
has the technical skills but also has strong “soft” skills (good communi-
cator, good interpersonal skills). which one would you hire and why?

86 Daniel Barber

If all I really need is a strong super technical person, I would hire
that one. but if I needed a good technical person with good soft skills, I
would hire that one.

be honest with yourself and the client. be willing to tell the truth.
be yourself.
stay on point. stay focused. stay on the same page. answer THe
question asked.

The person interviewing you will presume how you act in his pres-
ence and how you handle yourself is how you will conduct yourself in the
presence of others including his management. observe good manners.

s ilent assessment

The client will be quietly assessing what many call “chemistry.” what
he’s really doing is looking to see if you’ll be able to fit in and adjust to the
varying personalities of people you’ll be working with (your friendliness
factor, your interpersonal skills, your ability to connect with others, to
integrate into the team), if you can fit into and work with their brand of
corporate culture.

will you fit, can you adjust, have you had to adjust in the past, are you
flexible, are you friendly and willing, are you a “work with” type, are you
the aggressive type, etc. all these things the hiring manager will assess.

expect additional interviews if the first one is successful. expect as
many as three, sometimes more before getting a decision.


expect the hiring process to take as long as it takes and be sure to
know if the position is a backfill or overfill. If you don’t know, ask the Hr
representative, the hiring manager or the agency representative.

regards freelance work when applying for a full-time position:

I had one hiring manager who was ready to make an offer to an
outstanding job candidate coming out of the consulting sector. The
hiring manager decided not to make the offer. Turns out during the job
interview the candidate got carried away with his free-lance work and
mentioned how excited he was about a upcoming free-lance project he
would do in his off-hours.

The problem was the hiring manager had past bad experiences with
others he hired who were performing occasional off-hours work because
it had severely interfered with their full-time duties.

what you do in your off-hours is your business but if it includes occa-
sional freelance work, keep it out of the interview and out of the office.

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Chapter 8
Salary Expectations

t he salary range

a salary range for a position is almost always established before the
position is published to the job boards or released to the employment
agencies the client may be working with.

Postings to job boards and corporate web sites by client companies
almost never include the salary range.

agencies almost always know what the range is or is likely to be, but
most will not include it in their job postings.

The range is usually established by Hr compensation analysts and is
generally based on competitive salaries for similar positions within the
geographical area, as well as existing salaries within the target area of the
client company — but not always. I’ve seen a difference of $10k within
a 40 mile radius that crossed state lines.

sometimes hiring managers have authority to offer a bit more espe-
cially if they find a candidate they really want to hire.

a bove the range

The salary offer can be higher than the salary range, but for the most
part it is usually kept at the mid-point of the range — the client wants
some room when it comes time to review and increase.


an offer exceeding the range can occur when the client has not been
able to locate a qualified candidate over some extended time period.
In this instance, clients may even be willing to provide some form of a
relocation package even if the posting says otherwise or nothing at all
about relocation.

If relocation is involved, you should take into account the cost of
living differential between the two locations. other things to consider:
salary comparisons, state tax comparisons, sales tax, local tax, property
tax, cost of homes if you plan to buy one, best areas within a reasonable
commute, local schools if you have school age children, etc. you can easily
research all this and more on the web.

s alary history

If you use an agency, they will probably ask for your salary history
(usually the last 3 years), and your salary expectations. This information
is usually submitted to the client along with your resume.

If you submit your resume directly to a client through a job posting
that does not ask for salary history, you will be asked at some point if the
client contacts you.

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Chapter 9
For Those Just Starting Out

Y our Goal

The first step is to decide what job you really want to go for: web
developer, Java Programmer, network engineer, etc.

I’ll take you through an exercise that presumes you want to be a web
developer.

your skills and Competency assessment

The second step is a personal skills and competency assessment.

In other words, (1) what IT skills do you have, and (2) what is your
competency level with those skills?

all you want to do at this point is make a list your skills, and along-
side each put a competency level: “b” (beginner), “I” (Intermediate) or
“a” (advanced).

example
my technical skills
HTML Intermediate level
DHTML Beginner
JavaScript Advanced
The next step is to learn what skills employers are looking for when
they hire web developers.


t he employer skills assessment

at this point, you want to gather enough information that will enable
you to compare your skills and competency assessment list against the
skills employers are looking for.

one way to do this is by going to one or more of the major job boards
(dice, monster, etc.) and perform some job searches.

use the appropriate job title as your search criteria. for example,
search for web developer job postings.

Carefully read through five or six web developer job descriptions
posted by five or six different employers, and make a list of the required
skills.

example
xYZ company web Developer post- required skills
ings
HTML
DHTML
JavaScript
Servlets
ABC Company DHTML
HTML
JSP

ProgrammerRUs JSP
DHTML
Applets
EJB

92 Daniel Barber

xYZ company web Developer post- required skills
ings

Software Solu- DHTML
tions, Inc.
HTML
JSP
EJB
Perl Script

Acme DHTML
JavaScript
HTML
when completed, take the above list and make a new one that shows
each of the skills from the job descriptions by order of priority.

example
DHTML Appeared in all 5 post-
ings
HTML 4 times
JSP 3 times
JavaScript 2 times
EJB 2 times
Servlets 1 time
Perl Script 1 time
now you know with confidence that dHTml, and HTml are must
have skills for a web developer position and that JsP, Javascript, ebJ,
servlets and Perl script, although required, are not considered vital by
five employers each looking to hire a web developer.


c omparison

Take the above list and compare it to your skills and competency
assessment list.

The results tell you if you do or do not have the vital skills (dHTml
and HTml).

If you do not have those skills, then you need to get that training. If
you do have those skills, you’re ready to start your job search.

t he hunt

review earlier Chapters and those which follow to extract what is
most appropriate for you as someone starting out, and follow through
as suggested.

s uggestions

Presuming you have no “real world” hands-on experience, ask for
letters of references from teachers. use the excerpt approach in your
summary as was done in the network administrator’s resume.

search for entry level within job descriptions.

If you need to strengthen your technical skills, consider an IT techni-
cal training school (look for one that also offers job placement services).

search out IT consulting companies within a reasonable commute

94 Daniel Barber

from your home. Call them and ask to speak with the Technical services
manager (or some such title). explain you are looking for an entry level
position and want to “prove” yourself.

Contact local companies to see if they have an IT department. ask
for the IT manager and ask for part-time or overflow work. explain
you’re willing to come in as a temp or that you’re even willing to come in
free for a week — if they like your work and want to keep you on, you’re
flexible on starting salary.

Contact job agencies. brain-storm any reasonable approach and
follow through on all of them until they dead-end or pan out.

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Chapter 10
For Those Who Are Unemployed

f irst things first

Consequences of an extended period of unemployment often include
lowered self-esteem and perhaps a sense of failure.

It’s hard to be effective and give off a “sunshine and good roads” atti-
tude in the job hunting and interview process but that’s what it’s going
to take.

I can tell you with certainty that your sense of self-esteem and your
mood level will have a dramatic affect on your job hunting activities.

my experience is that a hiring manager may very well empathize with
someone who’s been out of work for several months, but not many will
hire someone who appears and comes across as down-trodden.

Here is an exercise that may help rebuild a feeling of self-worth:

e xercise 1 — skills assessment

set aside some quiet time and fully answer the following questions.
doesn’t matter how long it takes; just do it.

make a list of all your skills (a skill is defined here as something you
have developed an ability to do well).

96 Daniel Barber

for example: good writer, listener, organizer, diligent programmer,
strong documentation skills, strong financial skills, good time manage-
ment skills, etc.

Include any certifications, degrees, letters of reference, letters of com-
mendation, awards, etc. — and any on-going academic pursuits whether
formal or self-study.

next to each skill, write how long it took you to develop the skill.

next to that, estimate how much money it cost to develop that skill
(your money, a past employer’s money, your parents’ money, etc.).

you can develop a table similar to the one below for this exercise:
Skill How long it took to The estimated cost to
develop the skill develop the skill

Degree(s) How long it took to How much it cost
earn

Certification(s) How long it took to How much it cost
earn

Letters of reference What it took to earn
– Commendations –
Awards


after the table is completed, read through it as though you were
reviewing another person’s background for the first time.

The purpose of this exercise is simply to get a person to acknowledge
and appreciate the time, energy and expense it has taken to develop those
skills.

If you job hunting experience has caused feelings of anger, resent-
ment, frustration, etc., go to Page 52 and do exercise 4.

s tart with your finances

• make a list of your basic monthly financial obligations that must
be met (mortgage/rent, food, transportation, utilities, etc.)
• for all other expenses, work out how much you spend each
month on each item (you’re looking for an average over the past
three months)
• Take a look at which expenses can be temporarily reduced or
eliminated
• Take a look at your cash reserves/savings
• work out how long your cash reserves can satisfy your basic
monthly financial obligations that must be met (mortgage, etc.)
• If you have investments that can be liquidated if needed, work
out how much cash that would yield
• The bottom line you’re looking for is how long can you go without
income. and don’t feel that taking advantage of unemployment
compensation makes you less worthy or less honorable. your
employer has been financing the fund as long as they have been
making payroll. you have been financing the fund as long as you

98 Daniel Barber

have been on any payroll. and the fund exists exclusively to help
those who have become unemployed.

once completed, you’ll have a grasp of your financial scene. using
this information, develop a simple plan that covers all your basic expenses
(mortgage, etc.).

D evelop a work schedule

approach job hunting as you would a regular job with regular work
hours.

when you need to take a break or when you’ve done all you can do
for the day, work on some indoor or outdoor project.

Job hunting can be stressful; it’s very important to do things which
are not related to the job hunting process when you’ve had enough and
want to take a break.

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Chapter 11
General Tips

c ommunication skills

The precursor of good communication is both parties being present.

when someone is talking to you, put your attention on him and what
he is saying. when he is finished, acknowledge him so that he will know
you were actually listening.

lack of an acknowledgement can cause people to ramble on and on in
an attempt to deliver their communication; it can also cause the recipient
to go absent or elsewhere with his attention.

P resent vs. absent

being present is having your attention on the here and now. being
absent is having your attention elsewhere.

everyone has had situations where going absent is more pleasant
than listening to _____________ (fill in the blank — e.g. drivel, pomp-
ous associates, etc.).

but going absent is a bad solution. It can become a chronic, unwanted
condition.

Instead, find something about the person that you can like or relate
to and build your relationship on that.

100 Daniel Barber

P ositive versus negative

People like working with positive people.

validating what has been accomplished and envisioning how to
improve upon it is more productive than complaining that it’s not good
enough.

making less of people makes them feel smaller and can set up an
adversarial relationship.

backing up people encourages them to do more and creates allies.

an empowered team will out-produce a group of unfriendly indi-
viduals.

enabling all the people who you deal with will result in an easier and
quicker realization of common goals.

The box” — understanding it, working with it
“ working with “the box” requires an understanding of what people
mean when they talk about “outside the box,” what a box is, how they
come about, and how to work with “the box.”

what people mean when they talk about “outside the box”

what they’re referring to is the ability to look beyond the usual or
the normal so as to glimpse or conceive a new approach, a new solution,


innovation, a new idea, another way to approach an issue, etc.

what a box is

Think of the box as a huge walk-in closet. The closet is filled with a
stunning variety and diversity of clothes. each piece of clothing represents
how we are going to behave, what is ok and not ok for us to perceive,
and how we are going to conduct ourselves when we put on that piece
of clothing.

example

a senior executive would retrieve an entirely different set of clothing
for work than would a senior programmer (different roles would call for
different behaviors, different levels of perception, different standards of
conduct).

and so on for different roles: husband, wife, father, mother, brother,
sister, salesman, recruiter, simply relaxing at home, dressing to perform
work around the yard, etc.

How a box is created

we create our box from the precepts and fixed ideas we accumulate
in life.

A precept is a rule or principle that imposes a particular standard of
action or conduct.

102 Daniel Barber

example of a precept

“If you want something done right, do it yourself.”

The particular standard of action or conduct imposed on a person
by this precept would include a reluctance to delegate responsibility or
trust others to get the job done right.

Consequences might include not being promoted into a management
position or a manager who manages by force and intimidation because
he doesn’t really trust others to get the job done right.

Consequences of someone working for a manager with this precept
might include unnecessary stress, likes the company but not happy with
the job, continual complaints about always having the boss looking over
his shoulder, etc.

Consequences to the employer with such a manager would prob-
ably include low morale and high employee turn-over in his group or
department.

A fixed idea is an idea that worked in the past. It could be based on
tradition or it could be an unusual solution to a specific situation. A fixed
idea becomes a piece of frozen logic accepted as truth without personal
inspection.

a fixed idea that worked in the past

alfred was 10 years old in 1965 when his father purchased a new


sports car that required a premium grade gasoline for best engine perfor-
mance. Today, alfred continues to use a premium grade gasoline in his
2000 model car although the engine was built to run on a regular grade
gasoline. alfred believes using a premium grade will improve engine
performance.

some consequences include spending more money for gasoline than
is necessary and achieving poor performance with the 2000 car.

a fixed idea based on tradition

mounting a horse from its left-side started in the middle ages.
armored knights wore their swords on the left side so always mounted
from that side of the horse. The tradition of mounting a horse from its
left side continues to this day.

Consequences could include a rider who is thrown from a horse and
hurts his left ankle. not having ever mounted the horse from its right
side, the rider makes several clumsy and unsuccessful attempts to mount
from the right. The horse becomes agitated so the rider decides to lead
the horse back to the stables, or the horse becomes agitated, breaks free
from the rider and gallops away.

a fixed idea from an unusual solution to a specific situation

Jack arrives home one evening from work to find his daughter in tears,
seems her boyfriend dumped her. she looks to her father for consolation
or help. Confused and not really sure what to say or do, Jack listens but
then walks away. unbeknownst to Jack, his wife has a heart-to-heart with

104 Daniel Barber

the daughter afterwards. The next morning Jack notices his daughter is in
better spirits. He gets the idea that doing nothing was the right thing to do.

later that day one of Jack’s staff comes to him with a complaint about
the group’s leader. Jack is a bit confused about this and not quite sure what
to do. He listens but takes no action. a few weeks later the complaining
staff member resigns.

addressing the box

a precept is a rule or principle that imposes a particular standard of
action or conduct.

a fixed idea is an idea that worked in the past. It could be based on
tradition or it could be an unusual solution to a specific situation. a fixed
idea becomes a piece of frozen logic accepted as truth without personal
inspection

1. review the above definitions and give a few examples of each.
2. Then look for any areas in life that are troublesome, not going
right, etc.
3. Carefully examine the area to see if a precept or fixed idea might
exist that could be causing interference.
4. If you find one, describe it.
5. Then make a list of potential consequences that could result from
having that precept or fixed idea.
6. Take another look for other fixed ideas or precepts that might be
in the area from step 2.
7. If you find more, repeat steps 4 – 6.


8. finally, describe an optimum version of the area in step 2.

106

Chapter 12
What To Look For In An Agency

J ob coaching

one who will work with you to determine if the position you are
considering aligns with your short and long-term goals.

i nterview coaching

This is role-playing before the interview from a list of questions you
and the agent generate from the job description, combined experience,
and common sense.

r esume Development

an agent who will work with you to develop your resume with one
objective: to increase your chances of getting the job interview.

m ood scale training

using a copy of the mood scale, role play various mood levels, and
practice mood parity.

107

Chapter 13
Additional Testimonials

b elow are several quotes from both job seekers and corporate hiring
managers.

f rom job seekers —

“Niche helped me to close on my job quickly and easily.

“Daniel related my offer to me as I was driving home from the interview.
By the time I arrived, he had negotiated for me the high end of the range.

“The offer letter came by e-mail that night. Everything was handled quickly
and professionally from the moment I first responded to the time I started
the job.”

“I want to thank you for the effort and time you dedicated to my search. as
you know, in the beginning I had wondered if a “daniel” existed because
I have been getting the niche e-mail for so long I had figured you were
more of a front for a large, impersonal corporate recruiting engine. How
wrong I was and happy to be so!

“your personal style, coaching, and professionalism helped me success-
fully present myself to the hiring company with confidence and clarity.
your advice helped me discern the opportunity with a clear mind and be
able to truly measure critical aspects of the job when making a decision.

108 Daniel Barber

“additionally, once I received an offer, I most appreciated the help with
fashioning a successful counter-offer (helping me obtain all but one of
my counter points) that allowed me to accept the position. you were able
to help me in the right places at the right time and I want to personally
thank you for that. In short, your services were an invaluable aspect of
my being able to secure an attractive offer.”

“My experience with Niche Technologists exceeded expectations. Dan was
great to work with and did an excellent job of matching my skill set to the
client’s needs. The result was satisfaction for all involved.”

“as a professional who has been in ranks for almost 25 years, I have experi-
enced the workings of professional placement firms and their approaches
to assisting me in my quest to grow in the IT market.

“with this experience in mind, I can emphatically say that the tireless
work and strong ethics associated with niche Technologists, and its
president dan barber, has provided a great positive change in my pro-
fessional life.

“dan’s philosophy on matching the goals of both the individual being
placed and the hiring organization includes a strong adherence to making
sure the position is a right fit for the client both personally and profes-
sionally.”

“I would like to thank you for your attention and efforts regarding leveraging
my skills in a tough market. I can truly say that out of the dozens of people
I interfaced with over the five month period, you and your company stood
out above the rest in terms of treating me like a person rather than just a


resource. Thank you. Someday (not too soon) I hope our paths cross again.”

“It is refreshing to work with an organization that truly “walks the walk”
in its strong code of business ethics in an industry that has taken its fair
share of lumps. dan is a role model that others in this business should
follow if success is to be the end result.”

“The most thorough and thoughtful recruiters I’ve ever worked with. Com-
pletely on top of every step of the process. I’ve enjoyed working with them
and would recommend them to anyone.”

“The attentive support and wise advices for me while locating a full-time
position demonstrated a high level of sincerity blended with a mind-
fulness and deep understanding of my need to find a healthy working
environment. It was a delightful and refreshing experience.”

“I have been receiving e-mails from Niche for about the past two years. The
personal sounding tone of the e-mails caused me to take a look at them
and not delete them like it was spam. Eventually, I knew there would be an
intersection of the right job at the right time and recently that very thing
happened.

“I have been a traveling consultant for the better part of four years. My
wife and I decided it was time to try and make a transition where I could
be home in the evenings with our growing family. Given I have had a lot of
success as a consultant there was skepticism that I could find a permanent,
“no-traveling” opportunity without giving up on the compensation side.

“Well, one day the usual e-mail from Niche came in and instantly my wife

110 Daniel Barber

said “This is a perfect fit.” So I replied to the e-mail and attached my resume
and the next day I got a reply and Daniel and I worked out a time to call
that weekend.

”Sure enough, after a good conversation with Daniel he was able to forward
my resume, which he helped to personalize based on our conversation.
Shortly afterwards I was requested for an interview, which with some coach-
ing from Daniel went very well. Then I received an offer which included
relocation, stock options, and a generous salary. However, there were a
couple more details that I wanted to negotiate.

“To do this, I drafted the main points out and Daniel helped with the word-
ing and I forwarded my counter-offer. After less than a day, I received an
answer that met all but one of my desired changes. The item that did not
get approved was not on my critical list so it was a go!

“Personally, I truly appreciated the approach that Niche took in helping
me realize an opportunity. Daniel was always available (and we had to
have a couple of weekend conversations due to the fast-moving nature of
the opportunity), had sound advice and helped me frame my thoughts in
a fashion that allowed me to focus on the important things that mattered
in the exchanges between myself and the hiring company. I hope in the
future, when the time comes again, to look at Niche e-mails in the inbox
with another great match.”

“you helped me to completely overhaul my resume without my request-
ing; my resume was a mess before, and you made it shine.

“you kept me updated about the status of the position and encouraged


me to keep you updated at the same time; kept an open line of commu-
nication with me.

“you asked me for feedback in order to improve your services; I’m
impressed by those who invite both positive and negative feedback.”

“Thank you for helping me out with my job search, particularly with rework-
ing my resume. I updated my posted resumes to use the one you reworked,
and also used the reworked resume on my job search.

“I think it helped a lot since I got quite a few phone calls and I was offered
a job 7 miles drive from my house!

“I’ll definitely get in contact with you if I start a new job search in the future,
and I wish you the best in your business and everything else.”

“I would like to thank you again for all of your help, advice and especially
your frankness and honesty.

“out of all the other recruiters and consulting agency people I have met,
only one other person has come close in the kind of coaching and com-
munication as you.

“now I finally understand why someone else would make some money
when I get a job.”

“Dan Barber reviewed my skills and interests meticulously and matched
them to a position.

112 Daniel Barber

“His weekly reports kept me informed about the proceedings with the hiring
company.

“The whole process was very professionally handled and I not only got the
job but a starting salary that was more than expected.

“Thanks Dan! I will certainly recommend Niche and refer my associates to
the jobs that you have available.”

f rom corporate clients —

“you were very responsive, quick to provide candidates and had continual
communication with us about your progress. you kept both parties
informed in a timely fashion. I believe that is why we had a successful
candidate.”

vice President of Human resources

“as always, you are at the front of my call list with regards to when we
commence new hires.”

director, fortune 100


“frankly, I would prefer to do business with you as you understand the
market space and the qualifications I’m seeking . . . most of these other
recruiters are flying blind and just sending me anything that has essbase
on it.”

vice President, fortune 100

“niche has been a favorite of ours in the search for reliable, experienced,
and cost-effective staff. we have utilized niche personnel for consulting
on several occasions, and even filled a permanent staff position through
niche.

“going to the vendors for olaP expertise is cost-prohibitive. we go to
niche.”

manager, fortune 500

“niche Technologists really understands the unique human resource
demands associated with the latest business Intelligence tools and tech-
nologies. Coupled with their warm and personal service, this makes them
the first supplier I call when I need a temporary or permanent addition
to my staff.”

senior manager, fortune 500

114 Daniel Barber

“niche Technologists responds with a sense of urgency to client requests
and delivers high quality resources. It’s a real pleasure working with an
organization that not only wants to respond to critical business needs,
but has a wonderful focus on customer support.”

senior manager, fortune 500

“The assistance we got from niche played a major part in helping us to
meet our objective. The quality of assistance was outstanding.”

manager, fortune 500

acknowleDGements

To my wife, anne C. young, a highly trained and experienced Personal
advisor, counselor, and best friend whose advise and help over the years
and in writing this guide have been extremely insightful and helpful.

To all the Personal advisors who have worked with me over the past 32
years, particularly the late mr. alan walter, mr. eric wolery, and ms.
rana killough for her untiring work in helping put this book together
and published.

To the multitude of self-help books and their authors I’ve studied over
the years, and all the wonderful clients and Hr professionals I’ve had the
pleasure of knowing and working with.


and to the managers and mentors I’ve been associated with throughout
my career.

This handbook is a guided experience that takes the reader through the spectacle of
the entire job hunting process in detail. Although written with a slant in IT (Information
Technology), the handbook is useful for any job hunter regardless of his or her field. It
contains an abundance of real-world, tried and true actions, approaches, real examples,
quizzes at the end of major chapters, spiritual and mental exercises designed specifi-
cally to keep you at your best, an extensive chapter on effective resumes, interviewing,
salary, and much more, all based on more than 4 decades of experience by a profes-
sional still active in the field.
ENDORSEMENTS FOR
DANIEL BARBER
“. . . a thorough set of guidelines on how to successfully find work . . . even better than Rich-
ard Bolles.”
“. . . a great guidebook and so detailed.”

“. . . invaluable to me in my continued growth as a working professional . . . provides a solid
foundation . . .”

“ . . . I was able to land a position with a company that truly represents the best opportunity
for my career . . .”

“. . . the advice, coaching and collection of articles he’s written on interviewing definitely
helped me ace the interviews and ultimately land the job.”
“. . . my management team indicates delight in the successes you’ve had placing people here
. . .”
– Senior VP, Fortune 100
“I always interviewed Dan’s job applicant’s first.”
– HR Recruiter, Fortune 100
“. . . first supplier I call when I need a temporary or permanent addition to my staff . . .”
– Senior Manager, Fortune 500
“. . .a wealth of experience and an unbelievable awareness of the workings of this world . . .
”

About The Author:
Daniel Barber, is a 41 year IT (Information
Technology) veteran, 25 year corporate recruiting
veteran, personal advisor, a 38 year student/adept
in metaphysics, and student of CRV (Controlled
Remote Viewing).
USA $14.95

Visit us on the web at www.NicheTech.com

Published Handbook for (IT) Job Hunters

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