tracey-greene

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director of Executive Management & Technology Divisions

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

May

Why should firms hire you? This is a question that today’s profession isn’t asking themselves. I want to focus on helping today’s Job Seeker in this area. I have published a Survival Guide, now I want to address,

“What do you bring to a future employer? / Why should we hire you?”

People commonly answer this question without much thought.

Examples are…..

“Because I am a hard worker. Eager. “

87.96% of today’s work force believes they are hardworking. So how do you differentiate yourself from the other 87+%?

“Because I know I can get up to speed on this position and it isn’t that different from what I am doing now.”

No one is looking for the professional that ‘Can do it’, they are looking for the professional that IS DOING “it” and “Doing it Well”

“Because I have answered all of your questions and I meet the criteria of the position”

So you’rr match on paper. Come on, there are between 8-15 applicants on average for every position out there, one needs to have a more compelling reason to be hired.

So how do we answer the question correctly?

First we need to stack stock of who we are professionally.

It is important that we address a couple of valid points about ones current career.

1. What exactly are your action items & responsibilities at your job?

2. What skill sets do you consider yourself strong in?

3. What professional accomplishments and deliverables completed ( and how did you complete them) at your current firm?

4. What is your 6 month, 12 month, 24 month, and 36 month plan for career growth?

5. How will this particular position you are applying for help in propelling you on the above career path.

Once you answer these questions, you can address “Why should another firm bring you on for a particular position”. By answering these questions you can put together your response for being seriously considered for in an interview.

Why should I consider you for this role?

“Well, in my current role my responsibilities directly relate to this position, so I can hit the ground running without any need for getting familiar with the caveats of this position. I would also note that my core professional strengths play directly to this role in ********* manner. It should also be noted that I have accomplished and delivered on the following;

accomplishment/deliverable 1
accomplishment/deliverable 2
accomplishment/deliverable 3

These accomplishments and deliverables establish a framework that showcases my viability for this role. Taking on this role, I will grow in areas A, B, & C, which is in line with my career growth path I have set myself on. What do you think of my answer?”

Hopefully these weeks blog will give you food for thought over the holiday weekend.

Have a great 3 day weekend!

Thank you for your Time and Efforts,

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director of Executive Management & Technology Divisions

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Apr

Being Clear during your interview on WHAT You Have Accomplished, WHAT areas you are a subject matter expert in, and the TYPE of position you want to take on ins imperative to landing a new position.

With the huge response I gathered from yesterday’s short blog, I realized I needed to take another minute to address what one should do when speaking to a Recruiter, Human Resources, or a Hiring Manager. The video illustrates the frustration those interviewing you feel when a candidates responses aren’t quantifiable.

BE CLEAR. If you can state ‘what you do’ to someone foreign to your profession within two sentences, then you are being clear. However if you are speaking for more than three minutes and the message isn’t conveyed, you need to address your clarity on the subject.

Here is an example:

I staff high end technology and business support professionals within the financial markets of the New York Metro Region. The people I place have skill sets that range, Application Programming & Support, Computer & Network System Engineering, and Project Management/Business Analysis.

One can walk away with a clear idea of the service I provide and whom I provide it to. I didn’t delve into ‘What I could do’, ‘What is like what I do’. Those types of responses are a pet peeve of Human Resource Reps and Hiring Managers. They feel that you are wasting their time. Think on this. They need a person for a reason. In this economy everyone is doing more with less. So while they are taking time to speak with you, there are ‘to do items’ piling up on their desk. If those interviewing a candidate walk away from the interview thinking ‘I don’t know about this person’ …… They aren’t going to call you in for a 2nd interview. And that is the point, right?

So be clear, be concise, and be to the point.

Thank you for your Time and Efforts,

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director of Executive Management & Technology Divisions

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Apr

Are you caught in this area of not being able to define your career ? Many are. It is important in this current market that you can directly point to what it is you do, have you have accomplished it, and what impact your actions left on the organization. Today one needs to be a subject matter expert and be able to clearly state how they impacted the firm with their actions.

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director of Executive Management & Technology Divisions

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Feb

“The Laid Off Professional’s Survivor Guide”

Ok, so this video speaks more to the Red-Tape of Corporate America, but when you have been laid off, you have to admit this is how you feel… Am I right? Now that you understand that I feel your pain, I want to direct you on the way to remedy it. Read on.

Breathe…. For many this might be your first time being laid off. You will question your skills, your experience, and career choices you have made. This is all natural. Just breathe, take yourself to the movies, go to the gym/spa, and get yourself grounded again. It will come, don’t fight it. Peace of mind will come to you. Embrace where you are and don’t look back asking what if. There is no “What if”, there is only “What happens next”

Here we go.

Make a Plan. You are going to need think about:

Career to transition,

Methods to Network,

Good References,

Resume Focusing,

Selection of Recruiters,

Career Transition:

When one is laid off, they tend to think “Maybe this industry isn’t for me anymore”. Or maybe the industry you were in is going through a downturn and other field’s desire professionals with your skill set. Nothing should be off the table when deciding this step.

Methods to Network:

Email old friends out of nowhere telling them you are laid off, is not the way to go. Try to just reach out to “Say Hi” and reestablish contact with old coworkers.

LinkedIn is an excellent source to find where old co workers might have moved on to as well as reconnect with them.

The PHONE…… Yes, call them, it doesn’t have to be to set up lunch or drinks… Just say hi and shoot the breeze for 4 minutes.

The point here is to reconnect.

Good References:

You need to decide on 3-5 solid references of people you worked with that will speak well of your professional contributions. Remember if you list them, you MUST speak to them before hand and ask what they will disclose about your background. A reference that even hints to something somewhat cloudy will be a job killer without knowing it.

Resume Focusing:

Chances are that you haven’t updated your resume in a while. Write it ASAP. It is important that this be implemented within 24 hours of being laid off. Time is the enemy. Be prepared in case that perfect offer is out there. The Job will not wait for you to “get around to updating it”.

Selection of Recruiters,

The basic rule here is “No more than three recruiters in a given arena”. 3 that work strictly financial and 3 that work healthcare would be acceptable.

The Process. Your resume is complete. You have reached out to your Professional Network. You have selected Recruiters to work with and have spoken to them about your background and desires. Now is the time to make a list and always keep it up to date (you should have a listing like below filled out for every position you are submitted for. This is your reference.)

Name of Recruiter or Professional Network Contact:

Firm Submitted to:

Position:

Date Submitted:

When to expect status from Recruiter or Professional Network Contact,

Basic Job Description:

Why you are right for position:

What you find appealing about position:

The plan has been architected, tweaked, and implemented. You have the tools and direction needed to reach your goal.

Work your Plan.

Every day (Saturday’s & Sunday’s as well) you need to work a total of no more than 3 hours toward your plan. ( Burn out leads to frustration)

Reaching out to Recruiters,

Looking on the Job Boards for opportunities,

Refining your resume to be more digestible,

Reaching out to your network (Phone Calls, Emails, LinkedIn Invites)

Expected Outcome

Eventually you will see the fruits of your efforts. There will be moments when you question it, but if you stay committed you will find your future role.

Note from Tracey;

Believe it or not, right now is a great time in the job market. Many of my shops are starting the hiring process early this year. The first 2 months of Q1 2013 have already exceeded all of Q1 2012’s total job placements. Now is not a time to be worried all of the indicators are in your favor. Take advantage of the market momentum.

As always I am here if you need me!

Thank you for your Time and Efforts,

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director of Executive Management & Technology Divisions

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Jan

Happy New Year! The last quarter of 2012 was a bit of a rough ride for hiring. So I wanted to share some statistics for the last three months as well as give guidance on what I am seeing and hearing from hiring managers.

October 2012 Numbers:

Change in Job Openings

·Nationally: +13,300 Job Openings

·Nationally: +4.1% month-over-month

NY Metro: +4.3% month-over-month

·Nationally: +8.1% year-over-year

NOVEMBER 2012 Numbers:

Change in Job Openings

·Nationally: -60,800 Job Openings

·Nationally: 0.0% month-over-month

NY Metro: -3.5% month-over-month

·Nationally: +3.5% year-over-year

DECEMBER 2012 Numbers:

Change in Job Openings

·Nationally: +166,000 Job Openings

·Nationally: +3.9% month-over-month

NY Metro: +3.8% month-over-month

·Nationally: +10.5% year-over-year

The November numbers were expected to be down with the effects of Super storm Sandy being fully realized in the Northeast. December, a month that is notorious for slowdowns in hiring, gave the job market quite a bump. This increase in hiring is being carried over into the new year.

Optimism among U.S. hiring decision makers continues to improve as a slightly increased hiring pace is expected for Quarter 1 2013, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released by ManpowerGroup. The research concludes that Quarter 1 2013 is expected to have the Strongest First Quarter data collected since 2008, and is significantly stronger than the weakest first quarter Outlook in the history of the survey, reported in 2010. Employers in the Northeast and West anticipate increases in hiring in Quarter 1 2013. Compared to this time last year, employers in the Northeast indicate a 4 percentage point increase, while employers in the West expect to increase hiring by 7 percentage points.

A quick over view of Hiring Outlooks for specific Industry Sectors. For Quarter 1 2013, employers have a positive Outlook in:

· Professional & Business Services (+13%),

· Information (+12%),

· Financial Activities (+11%)

Specifically within these sectors, employers in the Northeast and West expect hiring to slightly increase.

With the passing of 2012, many of the Global Investment Houses are near completion on the ‘Right Sizing’ of their workforce for efficiency initiatives. Word on the street of future layoffs for Quarter 1 2013 is that with the completion of;

· Project New BAC – {Bank of America},

· 1^st Michael Corbat Initiative – {Citigroup}, &

· Project Mango – {Barclays Capital}

within the Q1 2013, Q2 and Q3 are looking to be a strong time for restructuring, possible realignment of business units, and even hiring.

If you have read my blog in the past, you know I believe that the best move for career improvement is within the small to midsized financial firms. There are other Specific players in the Enterprise Financial Arena I would give pause to, but that is for another blog. The good news is that 89.4% of my client firms are stating a need to hire high level Subject Matter Professionals within Quarter 1 2013.

So if you are unhappy, unmotivated, or underutilized at your current firm, dust off your resume and give me a call to discuss what the market holds for you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Dec

NYSE ICE MERGER JOBS LINKEDIN EMPLOYMENT WALLSTREET

The First Frost of the Year for hit NYSE.

ICE buys NYSE:

The company posted profit (down 32 percent from the same period last year.) of $357 million in the nine months through Sept. 30, 2012. With the amount of flow seeing significant drops year over year since 2006, NYSE was in need of a change of direction. The attempted Deutsche Boerse deal was shot down in Feb of this year by Europe’s competition authorities… ( I am not sure if they tested for Human Growth Hormone though…)

NYSE proceeded a cost cutting initiative ‘Project 14’ ( real ‘James Bondish’, right? ). As of November, the firm stated created a savings of about $80 million which was about a third of their target number $250 million to be hit by end of 2014.

So what does this deal mean?

“The rationale for the deal is to cut costs in an industry that is encountering reduced volumes and an increased regulatory burden,” Peter Lenardos, an exchange analyst at RBC Capital Markets in London, said today. The transaction is also “for ICE to gain access to European derivatives as NYSE is the owner of Liffe, one of Europe’s two prominent derivative exchanges,” he said.

The rumblings for the last couple of months at NYSE, have been of “layoffs” and “more layoffs’. The first significant round of layoffs started in August and there have been significant cuts since. The last couple of weeks there have been targeted senior level ‘right sizing’. With this new merger and shifting of responsibilities between the entities, jobs and security ones current title and reporting structure are at an all time low. So the Net - Net, this is great for the firm, but a trying time for professionals concerned with their current career path.

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Dec

Citi is playing word association. Reduction => Layoffs. There is stream lining for efficiencies and then there is just cutting to the bone. I think they are doing the later.

Today Mike Corbat Announced a series of actions that will result in a reduction (Layoffs) of 11,000 positions across business & geographies and an approximately $1 Billion charge to the fourth quarter. He is hoping that these will lead to an annual savings of over $1 Billion, $900 Million of which will be realized next year. Though Citi hasn’t come out and directly stated which groups….. here is what is being rumored.

Citi expects the repositioning activity to affect the following businesses and functions:

Institutional Clients Group (ICG): Approximately 25 percent of the announced fourth quarter repositioning charges are expected in Securities & Banking with another 10 percent in Transaction Services. The repositioning actions are expected to result in a reduction of approximately 1,900 positions, of which more

Dec

JOB CAREER QUIT CHANGINGJOBS PROFESSIONAL CAREER WALLSTREET OPPORTUNITY

Thinking it might be time to change firms?

This happens to a lot of professional this time of year. Don’t worry, I am not going to go into a long speech on why you should give me your resume. Rather, I am going to prompt you to ask yourself some questions that will make you think about your career and your life. If you find yourself answering “No” to more of these questions then you are comfortable with. It is time to move on. If you find yourself muttering in your mind Sarcastic replies as you read these questions. It is time to move on. If you feel a bit depressed after taking this test. It is time to move on.

Here are the Twenty Questions that will help you figure out if it is time to move on.

Do you admire and respect your boss?
Do you want to be in your boss’s shoes one day (professionally and personally)?
Do you have time to spend with your family and friends?
Do you keep a regular fitness routine (3-5x/wk)?
Do you sometimes wake up earlier than your alarm because you can’t wait to start working on an idea you have?
Do you believe it’s possible to do work you love?
Do you find yourself constantly wanting to talk to people about your work?
Do you know and use your natural talents and strengths on a regular basis?
Do you deeply believe in the product your company produces?
Do you frequently find yourself getting lost in your work, and get caught up in the fun of it?
Is the work you’re doing making you, and those around you, better Professionally?
Do you come back from vacations rested and eager to get back to work?
Do you feel like you are living up to your Professional potential?
Do you trust and enjoy spending time around your co-workers?
Do the people you spend the most time around, support and encourage your ideas at work?
Are you content with the amount of money you currently make?
Do you believe in your company’s mission and purpose?
Do you have a mission and purpose for yourself and your own work - could you write it down or say it right now if you had to
Think back on the last time you were genuinely excited. Do you get this feeling of excitement on a regular basis (at least weekly)?
Do you have a clear vision and direction of the impact you want to have in the next ten years?

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Nov

ENDOFYEAR INTERVIEWING INTERVIEW JOBS TIPS WALLSTREET EMPLOYMENT NYC NJ

December Interviews? Sure, this year there is a lot of activity.

It’s the end of the year, your family is already planning When you are going to take off… Your planning who and where you are going to meet family and friends for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, etc. The last thing on your mind is taking an interview during the month of December.

Well I am here to make it the top thing on your mind. Let me point out why this makes sense.

Time is easier to take for an interview in December (most people are feeling the holiday spirit and are more accommodating of you taking a half day)
Most firms are pushing a freeze on deployments for the month of December, so the pressure of being away from your keyboard isn’t high.
Bonus numbers will come out and are starting to be paid.
With the interview process starting in December, a good recruiter can slow the process to help you receive your current bonus and give notice ( or get a sign on for you to mitigate missing a bonus)
Hiring managers want to go into the holidays thinking ” I Have My Guy (or Girl)” If he process goes into January, you are the first person on the hiring manager’s mind when it comes to making a choice ‘which candidate to bring on board’ the week of Jan 8th…
You have a moment to slow down mentally. We tend to really grind it out professionally the last quarter of the year. During December work slows and we tend to be more reflective of where we are career-wise.

I just wanted to give you insight into why you should take that interview this coming month…. Don’t kick yourself in the head for missing out on a great opportunity when you reach out to your network the 3rd week of January.

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Nov

WALL STREET ROCKS is a great Organization that I (& TechExec Inc.) feel very strongly in supporting. They do fantastic job supporting great causes and the audience tends to be made up of Professionals within Wall Street ( It is nice to see my community help in giving back). Some of the causes they contribute to are:

The Wounded Warrior Project.
The Reserve Aid.
Hurricane Sandy Victims.

My audience mostly consists of Caring Wall Street Professionals, so I wanted to make you all aware of WALL STREET ROCKS next Great Event in Support for Hurricane Sandy Victims Tuesday Dec. 4th (Next Week).

A little bit about the event:

Responding to Hurricane Sandy

In the aftermath of the enormous super storm that wreaked havoc last week throughout our area, proceeds from our December 4th event will not only go to Wounded Warriors Project and Reserve Aid, but will also go to local charities that are providing relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. These charities include The Salvation Army and Project Hospitality.

We appeal to you to purchase a ticket to our show so that we can donate a part of our proceeds from the evening to help these charities that are doing their best to help those that have lost everything.
With less than one week away, the final countdown is on for Wall Street Rocks Battle of the Bands Finale 2012 taking place at New York City’s Irving Plaza.

We thank you again for your generosity and your helping in our effort to support the amazing charities that are supporting worthy causes and especially the families that are in such desperate need.

We look forward to seeing you on December 4th
and to making it a great night.

WALL STREET ROCKS
BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2012 FINALE

with very special guests
THE SPIN DOCTORS

PLEASE HELP SUPPORT   WALL STREET ROCKS   IN OUR EFFORT TO RAISE MONEY FOR

HURRICANE SANDY VICTIMS & OUR NATION’S MILITARY ( Wounded Warrior Project )

v When:            December 4th, 2012

v Where:           Irving Plaza
                      17 Irving Place, NYC

v Doors open at 6:00pm

v Show Starts at 6:30pm

TICKET INFORMATION:

To purchase tickets, please go to Ticketmaster.

http://concerts.livenation.com/event/0000496DB5E0BBB4

Hopefully you can attend this great event. If so, send me an email and we can sync up for a drink.

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Nov

JOBS SECURITY NETWORK JOBS HIRING WALLSTREET NETWORK WINDOWS EMPLOYMENT STAFFING SANDY HURRICANE

So before I push off to make a Thankgiving Masterpiece of a meal, I wanted to let you know “WHATS HOT” going into the Thanksgiving Holiday.

With Hurricane Sandy and its effects slowing down the interview cycle to a crawl, the expectation for interviewing to be not only hot but On Fire is very high. Next week is going to be extremely busy. Most of my hiring managers and friends in Human Resources are relaying that the scheduling frenzy will begin middle to end of next week.

So with that in mind, I wanted to make you aware of what are hot opportunities for the end of year hires.

Security ( not only network, but holistic hands on Security Architects)
Virtualization ( Hands on Architects, as well as Engineers)
Windows ( Systems Architects)
Desktop Engineers ( looking for someone that is extremely hands on)
Linux ( System Architects)
Network ( High Level Engineers and Architects)
Windows Systems Managers ( Operations and Engineering - Need to be SME’s)
Management:( Infrastructure, Had of types managing 100-160 people)
Management:( Networks - Operations & Engineers)
Application Architects:(Hardcore Java SOA - Hands on Developers)
Product Managers:( Ifrastructure focused )

What are Not in Demand:

Administrators:( Windows, Linux, Market Data, Database, Network )
Market Data Engineers:( Tese are usually seasonal )
Business Continuity/DR: ( There has been a dry spell here for a while )

While sitting arond the dinner table with family, the subject of work always comes up:

“How are things at work?”

“Have things gotten better at work?”

“Have you had any promising opportunities?”

Its the nature of family gatherings…. these comments come right before “How are the kids? & “So when are you going to have some kids?”, but usually right after “Can you believe how bad the Jets have been playing???!?!?!”

Either way, the market is looking to be hot going into Christmas, now is the time for selfreflection when it comes to your career. Many of the major investement firms are not only stating…. but SHOUTING that they are going to layoff thousands of workers. You have heard the saying a million times,

‘The Best Time to Find a Job, is When You Have a Job’

So gather your resources, go on a couple of interviews just to see what is out there and be proactive about where YOU TAKE YOUR Career.

Just some friendly observations and advice from me to you for the Thanksgiving holiday. Take it for what it is worth. I am always a phone call or an email away.

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Nov

Jobs EMPLOYMENT WALLSTREET Thanksgiving Sandy Hurricane Interview Opportunity Employment Wallstreet

37 States Lower their UNEMPLOYMENT Rate…… it’s not perfect, but it is a great start to take with you into the holiday Season.

We are experiencing good news in the workforce nationwide. For the US as a whole, the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9 percent in October. But it has declined a full point in the past year. Employers added 171,000 jobs in October. Job gains in September and August were also much stronger than initially estimated. That raised the average job growth from July through September to 174,000 a month, up from 67,000 a month in the April-June quarter.

Which is great news, it really is. However, we in the North East haven’t yet experienced the full impact of this employment push. We are dealing the ‘Sandy Effect’. Many opportunities have had their traction slowed due to the effects of the Hurricane:

People unable to come to work ( offices still damaged)
People unable to come to work ( their homes damaged)
People unable to come to work ( their local transportation infrastructure damaged)

It is hard to go to an interview when their is no one in the office to meet with………………………But this week my office saw measurable progress in the interview workflow. Unfortunately, the Thanksgiving Holidayis now slowing this progress for the rest of the week. I expect to see noticeable differences in the scheduling of interviews (The opportunities are on my desk, so I am sure they are on other Staffing agency Desks). If you are on the sidelines reading this news, hold tight. I predict that by end of next week, the interviewing scheduling machine will be back up and running at a 100 percent.

Thank you for your Time and Efforts,

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director,Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Blog: http://tracey-greene.tumblr.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/WallStRecruiter/

Nov

Wall Street gives back to Wounded Warriors & Sandy Victims.

Myself and my firm are looking to help Sandy Victims and the Wounded Warrior Project as much as possible. In this effort we are helping to promote this spectacular “WALL STREET ROCKS” initiative on December Fourth (12/4/2012). The Wall Street Rocks outings have been a hit every time and always have a huge following. This is a great place to meet up with some of your old buddies from past firms, enjoy some great music, have a couple of cocktails, connect with other like-minded professionals without the ‘corporate-thing’, and help great causes.

I would love to have a drink with you and catch up before the X-Mas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc holiday.

In case you can’t read the flyer the Event will take place at:

· December Fourth (12/4/2012)

· 17 Irving Plaza NYC NY

· Noted Bands: The Blues Brothers Project, The Spin Doctors, The Subscribers, Stonehedge, and Big Dog Party.

Come out and have a drink….. You could use it, but more importantly, the Victims of SANDY & The Wounded Warrior Project could use it more!

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division

O: (914)-235-5901

Sep

interviews jobs tips talking questions economy newyork

Did you talk too much on your Job Interview?

(Version-4.4):

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director of Executive Management & Technology Division

You might have ended up talking your way right out of the job. It is hard to understand when you’re in an interview, but the person on the other side of the (Desk/Phone line) is only human, and their attention tends to wane as you speak. Today’s professional needs that communicating EFFECTIVELY during an interview is crucial. One’s response should be less than a minute and a half when an interviewer asks you to “tell me about yourself.”

It is a known statistic that the person being interviewed has the interviewer’s attention for just about 90 seconds. The average interviewer’s attention span looks something like this:

As one begins speaking, the interviewer is listening with nearly full attention.
After about 10 seconds, the interviewer begins listening with less intensity.
After 60 seconds, the interviewer‘s mind begins to wander and he’s devoting less than half their attention to you. The interviewer starts asking questions about your response or begins formulating his next interview question.
After you’ve been speaking for 90 seconds without interruption, the interviewer is barely listening at all.

An interviewer’s attention level can be hard to detect, because most people are skilled at nodding their heads and saying “hmmm” while looking at you, all in an effort to disguise their wandering minds. It is important to be aware that the longer one speaks without interruption, the less attention the listener is giving you. Hence, when one provides a long interview answer that builds to an important conclusion, often the interviewer is no longer listening. This is particularly important when one responds to an interviewer’s request to tell him about yourself, because there is just so much one can say on the subject, and you can’t be sure what part of your background the interviewer is most interested in learning about.

Ultimately it is important to keep your answers focused. Before you go into the interview be prepared to:

Avoid being long winded.
Keep your answers directly related to the specific question asked.

Long answers to a short question may be interpreted as an unfocused mind or weak intelligence.)
Short answers or being abrupt may be interpreted as a lack of confidence, interest or arrogance.)

Have at your fingertips the facts and discussion points of your achievements such as;

How was your performance measured?
What were new achievements you implemented for your firm?
What was the last problem you encountered at your firm?
What steps did you take to solve the problems?
What procedures did you need to create to achieve the goals?
What problems will you be able to solve for this employer?
How will you make this employer’s company/department better?

Keep these in mind and you will have effective communication when you land your next interview!

Thank you for your Time and Efforts,

Tracey Greene

TechExec Inc.

Director, Executive Management & Technology Division