Things you should not say during an interview

I just returned from a long day of interviews and candidate presentations. Here is today`s digest of what you should not say during a job interview:


1. Candidate to hiring manager (CFO) after his question on some company detail was not answered in full detail: "Bur you as the CFO should know....."
Advice: Ask questions, but never challenge the interviewer so he/she feels uncomfortable! 


2. Candidate to interviewer: "When we relocated to ... we were looking for an adequate new home. You know, there you need to spend at least 1-2Million USD for a nice house...."
Advice: Do not get too personal in a first interview, and try not to leverage your social status or financial background. This does usually not leave a good impression. Understatement is - in most cases - perceived in a much better way than "showing off".


3. Candidate (interviwed for a sales position) referring to the hiring company hightech products: "I believe that servicing of these boxes is an integral part..."
Advice: If you are interested in the job and the company, use the appropriate business terms for their services or products, and do not degrade the possible usage or quality of the same. The hiring company is usually very proud of their products and usp.


4. Candidate to hiring manager: "Do not get me wrong by me saying this, but shouldn`t these practices have been put in place..."
Advice: Hold back any criticism of actions, services, measures or decisions if you do not (yet) have a clear picture of all factors involved, or if not being directly asked by the interviewer to make a judgement or immediate assessment.

Job - Networking - Community ... Countdown to Go-Live

Our new website, a unique job - networking - community is set to launch in beta mode in the first days of February 2010.


Here is a short description of how this platform will enable different kinds of users to get ahead:


Hiring companies and recruiters can post unlimited job openings for free, promote their company profiles, attract and connect with sought-after talent and prospect candidates.

Jobseekers will have various tools to search for interesting job openings on the platform, apply for open positions, and inform themselves about recent trends in hiring, find advice on application and interview processes.

Networkers can exchange relevant information on industries, markets, HR and career development with like-minded through direct communication and through articles, groups and forums. And our new and fresh platform will have a built-in referral system, interesting and lucrative for networkers and online marketers

! Some of the mentioned features will only become available later in February or early March though !

Our team is now testing the launch site with full steam in order to go-live in the coming days, and we are all excited about the design, functionalities and the (coming) features of our portal. 


Please check on www.jobeedo.com after February 1 and become a free member for the first month (ends Feb. 28). 


Invite your contacts and participate in the growth of this community - finally social networking WILL pay you back!

CAREER: Similar Trends in Job Search and Attracting Talent

If you look at trends both in jobseekers' actions, taken to find the long-waited dream opportunity, and companies or recruitment firms trying to find and attract top talent, a new trend has developed over the past years, a hype that seems unstoppable and comes with a fun factor: social networking.

Think about it – as a professional seeking a career change, would you send your application in reply to an advertisement, assuming that hundreds do the same in parallel, or would you rather discuss an actual opportunity with someone you are already connected with or who just approached you with regard to a (hidden) job opening? The answer seems crystal clear. But maybe the truth lies in-between?!

In most of the recent communication shared on the internet it seems that pure job sites would not have a long-lasting future ahead. But still many companies rely – and like to rely – on advertisements, for numerous reasons, e.g. attracting active candidates in a short time frame (although the cost involved adds some questions). Therefore, the actual job posting numbers have not significantly decreased (other than going with the overall economic development) in the past years. But social networking has built its way alongside. And networking seems to get more and more momentum with regard to headhunting and attracting future staff to organizations.

As a strategy for hiring companies and jobseekers alike, most HR gurus suggest that a well-designed mix of activities on job portals and networking sites would be the answer to a successful job search or hiring practice respectively.

Jobeedo.com will launch its job – networking – community within the coming days. A new and fresh portal, intelligently combining essential features for networkers, jobseekers, recruiters and hiring companies, all on one single modern platform!

CAREER: Prepare your Job Search now, be ready for the Upturn

You may or may not have a job or fulfilling career at current; whatever the reasons for your job search are, here are some tips for jobseekers in 2010, a year hopefully marked by economic improvement coupled with an increase of job opportunities. Even if the situation in your country, your market or your industry does yet look too promising, we foresee a general upturn this year, and the job market recovering likewise. In the following paragraphs you will find some advice, how to best prepare to "swim on the wave" once companies decide to rehire. It is advisable to make necessary preparations at an early stage, without time pressure, so you will be well-positioned when the time is right.

• Accept the situation.  We are all in the same boat, or at least most of us are. Only few industries have not suffered from the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009. Significant numbers of employees have been retrenched, internationally. And many high-income-earners have had to take significant salary and bonus cuts. Employed or unemployed and looking for a change - there are millions of jobseekers out there facing the same situation: a comparably small number of (advertised) job openings.

• Weigh your options.  Think about your past and your future. Try to create a list of your key interests, your professional experience, and your particular strengths, not forgetting your weaknesses. And compare these with your last or current job. Do you find a close match? What could be missing to make you happy and more engaged? Answers to these questions may lead you to some valuable conclusions, whether a different industry, type of company or job description could be a better future choice for you. A career coach can help you in the process of aligning yourself with the right opportunities.

• Upgrade yourself.  Are you missing some qualifications that stand between you and your dream job? Take an open and active approach to acquiring new skills. Maybe you can allocate some time to engage in a course, a seminar, or even sign up for studies in a new field. In preparation of a job search, an interview training should also be considered - are you aware of the do`s and dont`s and a successful interview strategy? Also consider health and appearance as possible success factors. Maybe you want to visit the gym more often; others will take note of a revitalized you. Be fit for the challenges to come!

CAREER: Employment vs. Entrepreneurship

Pros and Cons of Starting your own Business

To give you a short idea about my background, and why I see myself in the position to share some "advice" on employment, business start-ups, leadership, online marketing on my Blog, here are the facts:

• Born in 1974
• High School Graduation in 1993
• Student Exchanges to France, U.S. and Japan
• Studies in International Marketing Management, MBMEA
• International work experience in Germany, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Singapore
• Held positions in International Trade, General Management, Sales Management, Executive Management, HR and Management Consulting and Online Marketing
• Start-up experience in Management Consulting with regional responsibilities (VP level)
• Start-up experience in Online Social Networking/ Career portal: Jobeedo.com
• Leadership and career coach
• Author of numerous white papers on career management, retention, HR, etc.

So, now that you might have a clearer picture about myself, back to the original subject.

An increasing number of professionals from graduate to senior management level consider setting up an own business. There is a large variety of factors underlying these thoughts and tendencies.

As an experienced HR Consultant with significant insight in talent development strategies on corporate level to the (executive) search and recruitment process I have learnt about dozens of different ambitions, goals and reasons to consider a career change - or even leaving the "corporate world" and starting an own business. Again, the latter also includes myself - if you allow "member of a start-up team" in this criteria.

In a nutshell, let me share my gathered knowledge about the top 10 reasons to leave "Employment" and turn "Entrepreneur":