Mastering the Telephone Interview

Many times the first real step toward a new position is the phone interview or more likely the phone screen as we like to call it (more on that in a minute). Sometimes the phone interview / screen is done by the actual hiring manager…that is usually good. However, often times it is done by someone other than the hiring manager…not as good. The reason the former is “not as good’ is that the non-hiring manager, many times does not feel the pain as acutely as the one with the “open position”. Also, another key to remember is that many phone screens are meant to do just that; screen out people, not screen them in. The skills needed in getting beyond the phone screen are different from those used in a successful face to face interview. So, with that in mind, here are some Does and Don’ts to help keep you on track:


Do: Remind yourself that this is not a real interview, it is a screen. Their objective is to screen you out!


Do: Sell yourself hard. Given the tendency for the employer to eliminate during this phase, you must sell yourself a bit harder. The key objective here is to get to the Face to Face interview!


Do: Know exactly before the screen what the criteria for the job are. Rehearse addressing those needs. Your recruiting consultant will help you here.


Do: Keep your comments concise and to the point. The more rambling, the more likely you are to be screened out. Say what you have to, but stay focused on getting the personal interview


Do: Be fully prepared. Have your resume, any research on the company you have gathered and questions that you have put together that show you know something about the company as well as the industry.


Do: Set an appointment for the phone screen, this will show that you are busy and you will come off more professional.


Do: Try to initiate the call if you can. The one doing the calling tends to be in control of the process more so than the one being called.


Do: Announce yourself when you are calling or being called as professional as you can. This is not the time for lazy talk or cute answering styles. This is the big leagues; make sure you are acting like you deserve to be there.


Now, here are some definite Don’ts to watch out for:


Don’t: Have a cute message on your cell phone or home phone. You run too great a risk at turning off the potential employer. Keep it simple and professional


Don’t: Use a cell phone on the road if you can help it. The connections can be spotty and you run the risk of really frustrating the interviewer.


Don’t: Discuss money in depth…this is not the time for that…not even close.


Don’t: Ask what can you do for me questions…enough said!


Don’t: Avoid obvious sensitive issues like too may jobs, being out of work for a while. Take it head on and address it and move on. Trying to avoid it only makes it worse!


Don’t: Say you know what you do not! There is nothing wrong with being human and comfortable enough to say I don’t know to any question that you shouldn’t know.


Prepare for the phone interview / screen in the same manner you would prepare for a face to face interview. Take it seriously and sell yourself!

Don't Eat Spaghetti on Your First Date

An interview is a lot like a first date. This is a somewhat funny, somewhat serious comparison between dating and interviewing. Now this is not to say that you should interview your date. You may not get too far with that approach. But, let’s think of the interview a little like how you should handle yourself just as you would for your date. We have a short flyer that we often send to our candidates that are about to interview called First Impressions Count. You can ask about it if you are about to interview and we haven’t yet sent one yet. The title tends to say it all. First Impressions are what count. Let’s examine some of the key areas.



Dress for Success – These days, the attire could be about anything from casual to a business suit. The important thing is to know where you are going and what the expected attire is before you get there. Going to take your date to dinner? Well then, call ahead and see what the attire is expected to be.


How about your personal appearance? Now I’m not saying that you need to spend a bunch of time doing your hair fancy, particularly for you ladies, but how about making sure you have a recent trim or haircut? I can imagine all kinds of things that might just make the interviewer, or your date cringe. How about the guy with a “uni-brow”, partially shaven, or nose hairs! Okay, sorry for that image. If you are really trying to impress your date, you’ll likely get cleaned up and look quite presentable. So, why not for the interview? Just be careful not to go overboard on the cologne or perfume (his/hers).


If you eat before the interview, how about taking a quick look in the mirror? It’s a bit embarrassing to have sesame seeds, a broccoli floret, or something green in your teeth. And, what about that spaghetti? How many times have you eaten spaghetti and not gotten a sauce splatter on your shirt or blouse (his/hers). A breath mint would be good, in both cases. Avoid the garlic and you won’t have to use more than one. Avoid the carbonation. You don’t want to have the urge to belch in the middle of the date/interview.


Sell yourself but don’t dominate the conversation. This can go for both the interview and the date. Listen in intently. Nothing spoils the atmosphere more than a disengaged attention. Listen actively. Be ready to exchange answers to lots of questions. Being prepared can really help. These days, it’s not that hard to do a little research on your date/interviewer. Ask around a little bit. What are they like? What do they like? What don’t they like? What do they like to do in their spare time? Ask good questions on your own. See the comparisons? Another comparison, an attorney in a trial generally will never ask a question that they don’t already know the answer to.


Discussing compensation is a serious “no-no” on the first date. There’s no way to win this one. You’ll either come across as greedy, or someone without a lot of value. Stay away from it.


Don’t forget to close. Do you want another date? Ask now vs. later. You don’t have to be specific about time and place yet. It’s just a case of measuring the response.


Always follow up. If you had just gone on a great date, wouldn’t you send something expressing what you feel? You bet you would. Why? You really want to get the message across of what you thought and what you want the next steps to be. Now you may not send a thank you to your date, but you sure should after your interview. There’s nothing like something from you personally to express thanks for their time and attention to what you are really after, that great job. Now you may not be committing for richer or poorer, but you do want to express commitment that you can really deliver on the objectives of the job. Do you want it? Then go get it.

New Ag1Source Website is Coming

We are pleased to announce that Ag1Source will be launching a new website on September 2, 2009. In conjuction with this launch we will also be providing new updates and information on our new blog. Please follow us and check back as more updates are soon to follow.

Your Guide to Interview Greatness

It all comes down; it seems, to this moment. You’ve been granted an interview with the hiring manager for your dream job. You have a week to prepare and you don’t want to blow this chance. What do you do? How do you prepare? What do you focus on? Keep these tips in mind and you will likely get a lot farther down the road.

1.  Be prepared…to ask great questions! If you come into an interview and just expect to answer questions fired your way, you will likely look very average. So what are you to do? Prepare a list of 5-6 great questions. Not just any questions, but what are called interrogative questions. Interrogatives are designed to solicit detailed answers that require thought from the person in order to be answered. They start with our old friends who, what, why, how, and when. For example, be prepared to ask a question like this: “what are your performance expectations for this position in quarterly increments over the next 12 months”? Another great question might be, “what would this territory (sales) look like with maximum market share”? This question will force your interviewer to paint a vision in his / her mind as to what this territory will look like at full capacity while you are sitting in front of them! And another great question for a sales territory that will yield some good answers and opportunity for follow-on questions is, “how is this territory performing now compared to where you want it”? Sit back, listen and take notes! The answers will give you the opportunity to dig deeper and show your ability to get to the bottom of a situation and provide a solution…which is why you are there in the first place! Take your time and think through 5-6 good questions that you would like to know the answers to going forward. Your ability to ask good interrogative questions will set the tone in your favor. Always remember that the one not talking is actually in control of the process!
2. When the conversation does dictate your need to give an answer, be prepared to speak professionally and be prepared to back up achievements and past accomplishments with facts and figures. Growing a business unit by 20% per year over the past 2 years is much better information than “we grew the business”. Further, and most important, be prepared to elaborate on how you were able to pull off this amazing feat! The deer in the headlights look won’t cut it here! If it is on your resume, be prepared to talk about it in detail. The more relevant details the better. 
3. Give some thought in advance as to how you would handle certain situations related to you’re job. If you’re in sales the question, “how would you handle losing your largest account to your competitor” is fair game. My advice is to give these potential questions some thought in advance.” If a product launch is late (which most are) how will you hold your customers off while it is being readied for market”? If you work remotely (away from the office) how do you organize your day, weak, month, year, etc.? This is not hard, but you will be better prepared to talk intelligently about these questions if you have ran them through the old gray matter first. 
4. The old standbys are still solid today: show up early, dress a notch above the position, call a day in advance and reconfirm the time, place, etc. Have all the materials you feel you will need with you including paper to take notes and a pen that works! 
5. Finally, don’t leave the interview without asking what the next step is. Remember to use our old friend the interrogative question. An example might be “Mark, I appreciate your time and I like what I have heard thus far, what do you envision the next steps being? Shut up and listen from this point forward as the answer should let you know how you’ve done.

 Good luck, and don’t hesitate to contact us here at Ag 1 Source for more great tips and excellent career opportunities.

What Employers are Looking for in a resume, or not

Most employers are looking for one of two things, whether to screen a resume in, or to screen a candidate out based on what they see in that first review. Most resumes are reviewed in about 1-2 minutes and some sort of conclusion is made on whether the prospective candidate is what they are looking for or not. This can be a good thing if your resume is being screened in, and can cause you to be screened out if your resume does not contain what they are looking for, or has content that gets you screened out.


You may very well have had a great career record, yet haven’t properly portrayed your experience. So, let’s look at must have content, and common factors that can get you screened out.

Must haves in your resume:

•  Accurate, correctly spelled information – double check your phone number and email address 
• An unbroken chronological history of employment – missing dates cause questions
• Key words relative to your industry – If you’ve been in sales, then the word must be in there. Many database programs search for your resume based on keywords
• Quantitative records of accomplishments-List not just what you accomplished, but how much and how broad
• Complete information on the company worked for, division, dates of employment, and title of position, followed by how successful you were in that role
• Education, licenses, and certifications 

So, maybe your resume has been screened in by the database, but now it’s being viewed by someone. What gets you knocked out? What must you avoid?

•  A resume that looks like a job description – In other words, you’ve written what your responsibilities were supposed to be, but have no description of what you actually accomplished
• Confusing or overlapping dates in your chronological history
• A resume that looks like it was “professionally” prepared by someone else, and lists you as an expert in many different areas – We’re not all experts in our field
• Your experience record totally unrelated to the position you are applying for. If it’s not clear somewhere in your resume that you have experience in the field that you are applying for, then it must be explained somewhere, even if that is in a cover letter.

 So, you’ve determined that your resume needs some work? Start by really deeply thinking about what your real objectives were in each of your past experiences, and just what you did to make a contribution or participate in the position’s main objectives. Actually, while you are employed, this can be one of those daily/weekly tasks, to reflect on what you accomplished that day or week. If you felt like you were really doing well towards the job’s objectives, then document it. Quarterly, semi-annual, or annual reporting periods are good times to get the bigger picture review how you are doing. Then write it down. Someday you may need it to add to your resume. It’s best to keep track of this on an ongoing basis, rather than be rushed to update your resume and have to scramble to track down the numbers.

How To Earn That Promotion

Why do most of us want a promotion? Money, responsibility, management opportunities or simply to take the next step may all be good reasons. However, in many cases the path to the promotion can be filled with forks in the road, pot holes and even quick sand. At Ag1Source we have watched many candidates work their way from one role to another and get promoted because they did a great job working on one or more of the following tasks that led to that promotion.

•  Deliver fantastic results in your current role—When an employee delivers outstanding results in their current role, one of two things usually happens. First, they get paid more because the organization doesn’t want to lose them and/or they get promoted to spread the knowledge and experience they have gained to others around them. 
• Talk with your Supervisor—A frank discussion during your annual review may pave the way to added responsibility and a chance to earn a promotion by working on some skill areas that may need improvement. 
• Be a leader—Each of us has opportunities to lead those around us. Either during a busy time when people are spread thin, or when a very important project comes along. If you think you are ready, volunteer, grab the bull by the horns, or step up at the right time. Show the people around you that you have a vision for where the company should go and help them to succeed. 
• Fly the company flag—Dozens of times a day you run into customers, town folk, or even suppliers that ask how things are going. In those interactions be positive! Talk about how well the company is doing and be the company’s best promoter/recruiter/marketing person. Positive people can have a big impact on the business and that gets noticed. 
• Be persistent and patient—Promotions don’t happen over night! It may take months or even years for the organization to promote the person in front of your, or a merger may shake up the entire system. Regardless, promotions happen after you’ve earned them and the organization is ready for you to assume that role. Work every day to demonstrate your ready, but be patient for the right time within the organization.
• You may need to relocate—Many organizations are getting very large and cover a lot of geography. An employee that is willing to move 50-100 miles to another location may have a BIG advantage and opportunity to get promoted. 
• Bust your tail—While all of the items listed above are critical to getting promoted, the most important thing our clients look for in people are those that work hard, every day, day in and day out. Working hard and smart gets noticed and opens doors to promotion faster than just about anything else.

 Using the above list of ideas, make your plan for how you can positively impact your organization and earn that next promotion.

To Apply or Not To Apply That is the Question

Most of us are always curious about how we compare to others in similar jobs, and we all find ourselves just checking in from time to time to see what other positions might be out there that we might fit. Am I right? It’s kind of like checking the dashboard. So it’s not surprising that we have a high volume of web page viewers, reading over the job descriptions, as do many other sites. To apply or not to apply becomes the viewer’s question. You’re thinking, I wasn’t really looking, but I might want to look into something more, just in case I need to. Actually, this is good thinking.



When to apply may be the better question. While there are usually a lot of positions posted at any one time, the best fit position for you may come about at any time and not just when you expect it or actually need it. It could be that you’ve seen positions that would fit, but just not where you want to be located, or a position that sounds good, but the compensation just isn’t going to work. That could be that ideal territory sales position that is listed in your region finally. The key dilemma then becomes, should you apply even if the right job in the right place is not out there, or do you apply, just to get your name in the hat, so to speak?


Kansas recruiting consultant, Mark Esfeld says, “This spring busy season is going to be all hands on deck, but for our top clients they are asking us to source candidates NOW that they can talk to in June.” So, this means that even if there isn’t a position listed out there that appears to fit, it actually is better to apply early and just not select a job at that time. Applying without selecting a specific position means that the information will be sent to a consultant working that industry area and the geographic region of interest. What it really does is that it allows consultants to view and work on your file prior to the right position opening up.


“For example, the seed industry has a good number of open positions that they have asked us to fill in May and June. While the interviews may happen during the busy retail spring season, they are all telling us they will be flexible to interview on rainy days, weekends or evenings.” Mark Waschek, recruiting consultant Minnesota office. This means that many times positions may not be fully released and posted, yet we know what may be coming up. There can be substantial work done on preparing candidates so that the interview process can happen timely when they do come open. It’s kind of like knowing when to be first in line for the “big event”.


To answer the question of, to apply or not apply, the answer is Apply Now. Ag 1 Source operates under a strict policy of not releasing Information until a candidate has been briefed on the prospective employer. Information is always kept confidential. It’s a lot easier to develop a solid understanding of a candidate’s skills and style when the pressure is not on rather than trying to match someone up in a short amount of time. Our recruiting consultants will work to get you considered for roles that you fit within your schedule and the clients schedule, but we need your resume and background information now before you get busy.


Want to apply? Just go to this link (insert) and build a confidential file. Use the fields on the online application form to explain what it is you are looking for and where. You can also expand on your top skills and accomplishments. Details are helpful.