Job

Interviewing
Skills
Essential Communication
Techniques for Career
Management Success

Presenters
John G. Self JohnGSelf + Partners, Inc.
Nancy Swain Strategic Intelligence, Inc.

John G. Self
Managing Partner of JohnGSelf + Partners
Forty years in healthcare leadership
More than 20 years in executive search
Began healthcare career at Hermann Hospital as the
first director of Life Flight
Former crime writer and investigative reporter for The
Houston Post
1800 Main Street, Suite 2402 Dallas, 75201
214.761.5472 Ext 101 | john@JohnGSelf.Com
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Nancy Swain
President, Strategic Intelligence, Dallas
More than 20 years of extensive and diverse experience in
counseling, public speaking, education, training, sales, and
career transition coaching
Was an instructor at the Cox School of Business at Southern
Methodist University, Dallas, from 1998 through 2003 teaching
Career Management, Organizational Change, Human
Resources Administration, and Business Communications
She has facilitated career transition workshops and provided
executive leadership coaching for multiple corporations in all
industries including privately held and Fortune 15 companies
NSwain@sbcglobal.net
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Learning Objectives
Understand the impact of healthcare reform and
how changing markets impact recruiting, and career
management
The importance of your Value Proposition in
interviewing
How executive interviewing is changing and how
you must adapt your approach to succeed

Agenda
Overview of the foundational issues
Concept of brand management
Tools to take control of your image, your reputation
Building, feeding and weeding a robust professional network, including recruiters

Understanding Your Value Proposition - Critical First Step

What Is Your Value Proposition
Why Your VP Is Critical to Your Success
Defining Your Skill Sets
Develop Quantifiable Examples
Finalizing Your VP, Clarifying Your Brand

Agenda
The Art and Act of the Interview
Pathways to consideration - How you are identified for
consideration
Types of Interviews - Resume review to the site visit
Strategies for Interviewing - From how you dress to effectively
telling your story
Some important dos and donts

Questions & Answers

DEVELOPING YOUR VALUE

PROPOSITION
Define your value proposition and go to market strategy

Your Unique Brand

Dale Carnegie once stated, There are four ways, and
only four ways, in which we have contact with the world.
We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts:
What we do, How we look, What we say, How we say it.

By creating your own unique brand, you are

prepared to make a lasting impression in all four
areas of contact.

What is Your Value Proposition?

A short descriptive paragraph about you that contains 4-5
main value messages - each with an example or a metric
($, %, #, certificate, award, degree) to support it
This menu of value about yourself should then be
customized for specific opportunities or events because
value is relevant to the listener and must be perceived as
important by the listener
This is your career brand The answer to tell me about
yourself. What you are an expert in. Conversational and
TRUE
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A Compelling Value Prop, Career Brand

Can Make the Difference
Make you more confident and professional
Helps you understand yourself and all that you are
The foundation for your resume, interviewing and
networking
Controls what interviewers remember most about you
helps you take MINDSHARE
Demonstrates you can tie your capabilities to the
needs of the listener with relevancy
Stand out from the competition
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How to Develop Your Value Proposition/

Career Brand
List all your present or past skills EVERYTHING
List all your knowledge areas
List all your degrees, diplomas, certifications,
awards, and honors

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Defining the Skill Set

How do you know you are good at the skill you listed
You need an example and it needs to be measurable
so people understand it better!
Ask yourself

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Keep Asking Yourself

What size companies and teams have I led?
Beds, budgets, people, sites, clinical areas
What have I planned, executed, implemented,
created, co-created or authored?
(people, projects, events, accounts, budgets, service, key
relationships, implementations, strategic planning, squad,
platoon, company, projects, order of ops, missions, etc.)

What might be unique to me? Awards, Education,

Community Involvement, achievements, etc.
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Now, Quantify the Examples

WHAT IS MY QUANTIFIABLE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE SKILL?
How do I know I am good at this?
IS THERE AN OUTCOME OR A DIFFERENCE THAT CAN BE MEASURED?
Was there a % of difference from before? Improvement
Did I get things done faster? By how much?
How many people were involved?
What was the budget number?
How many people have I trained? How many people have I led?
What technology do I know?
What languages do I speak?
Did I make or save any money?
How big was the mission, project, or job?

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Organize Your List

EACH ITEM ON YOUR LIST MAY HAVE MULTIPLE
QUANTIFIABLE EXAMPLES
You need to decide what skills, value and knowledge
to lead with Prioritize & Categorize! This is what
you are selling!
4-5 main message points. No more

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Categorizing the Skill List

You will have too many for the listener!
EXAMPLES:
LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT
LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN
STRATEGIC PLANNING
TRAINING
OPERATIONS
TECHNOLOGY

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Developing Your Value Proposition

Using your lists and 4-5 main messages
KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND DEGREES,
CERTIFICATIONS, AWARDS, HONORS
You write a brief Value Proposition with no more
than 5 value messages to take to market

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Example:
My value really consists of these things:
Training / Teaching (prepared examples)
Public Speaking (prepared examples)
Strategic / Tactical Planning (examples)
Coaching / Counseling (prepared examples)
Marketing / Sales ( prepared examples)

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A couple of things Im most proud of are:

________________ and ________________
I was awarded or graduated from or earned a
certificate or degree in
Make your examples relevant to the
opportunity you will have many, but
not all of them will be relevant.

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Can I Use Attributes?

Yes, but they are not competitive unless you support them with
something measurable!
GOOD LEADER Who/what did you lead? How many? What was the
objective? Did you get it done? Were you recognized in some way?
GOOD COMMUNICATOR We all say that. What is your example?
Were you selected to give daily briefings or explain missions? Did you
win an award for communication?
TEAM PERSON How do you know? Did you get feedback? If so,
from who or what group? How many teams have you been on and
what did they accomplish?

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Your Value Proposition

Make you more confident
Helps you interview better
Gives you a menu to choose the appropriate value
example
Its customizable
Can be added to
Makes responding to job opportunities easier
Helps you develop your resume

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Using Your Value Proposition

It is your resume professional summary
Cover letters
Networking
Interviewing
Business card
Determining your go to market strategy

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The Art and Act

of Interviewing
Preparation, the process and developing strategies to succeed

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Understanding the Game

Important Guidelines
Types of recruiters
Contingency
Retained
Internal

Types of candidates
Passive
Active

How to build relationships with recruiters

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Important Guidelines
If you lose your job, take heart, you automatically have
a new full-time job - finding a job
Do NOT go to market until you are ready - grieve, get
help, be prepared, do your homework
The odds will always be against you. There are more
candidates than jobs. Stay focused
Do not get mad, frustrated or angry with the process
Appreciate the irony - you and recruiters have
something in common
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Important Guidelines
Your resume is your first interview - make it count
Electronic submissions - LinkedIn, ACHE
The recruiter represents the client, not you
The search process will NEVER move as fast as you
would like it to
The competition is fierce - do not expect regular chatty
phone calls from the recruiter
Be timely with your responses to the recruiter and/or
employer
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Important Guidelines
You are entitled to certain information up front
Name of the organization - blind responses can be dangerous
Salary range - If they do not know or wont say, its a yellow flag
Timeframe for an employment decision

Critical information to know before Accepting

Why is the position available - why did the incumbent leave?
If it is a new job, is the team in agreement with structure?
What are the performance deliverables?
What are the hurdles to success?
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Types of Recruiters
Contingency Recruiters
They are paid only if they are successful
Typically do not work on an exclusive basis
Fees vary from 20 to 30 percent of compensation
Placement guarantee - 0 to one year; 90-days to 6 months is
average
Rarely provide in-depth position or client information
Rarely meet their client or the candidates face-to-face
Warning! In non-exclusive engagements: speed counts!

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Types of Recruiters
Retained Recruiters
Exclusive representation
Fees - 25 to 35% of first-year base cash compensation or total first
year compensation
Longer placement guarantees
In-depth information regarding client
More in-depth candidate screening
Face-to-face encounter before submission
More in-depth background investigation and referencing
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Types of Recruiters
Internal Recruiters (executive engagements)
Large corporations and major health systems
Should be more knowledgable of the organization and its
culture
Follow most of the processes used by retained firms
May rely more on Skype or video conference technology
Typically not as aggressive with background investigations

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Types of Candidates
In the NFL, there are two kinds of
head football coaches thems
that have been fired, and them's
that are gonna be. - O. A. Bum Phillips

Passive
Active
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How to Build Relationships With Recruiters

The search firm business model dynamic
Pressure to find new candidates and new business is intense
They are not bad people because they dont call you back
Client relationships, their priorities come before you

When they do call, THEY need something

Take the call, add value - offer to help
Mine a recruiters contact information but dont
abuse it
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Strengthening Your Social Media Profile

Search firms handle only about 30 to 35 percent of
the total number of searches each year
Recruiters and researchers troll the Internet
Social media presence, especially on LinkedIn, is
critical
Your social media profile must match your resume
Candidates with a professional photograph on their
profile are significantly more likely to be contacted
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Strategies for Interviews

Be prepared - explore the organizations culture to
potential questions you would just as soon avoid
Avoid R&P - religion and politics
The art of selling yourself
Be self aware - monitor your energy level
Ask questions - show them you are interested
Close the deal - let them know you are interested

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Types of Interviews
Resume Review - It all begins here
Telephone screening interview - Dos & Donts
Skype or FaceTime - mastering the technology
Video conference interviews - words of caution
Face-to-face with a recruiter - what to expect
Panel interviews - strategies to succeed
Meal time/community tour interviews

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Resume Review
The first time your resume is seen, it will be on a computer
screen - so do not use a typeface smaller than 11 point
No absolute rules on length - proportional to experience
and relevant accomplishments
Ten to 20 seconds average eyeball time your resume
will get on the first review
Important - career summary paragraph that relates to job
Have ALL contact information in The Stack - make it
easy for the recruiters, they are slammed!
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The Stack: Make It Simple

John G. Self
1800 Main Street, Suite 2402
Dallas, Texas 75201
214.761.5472 Ext 101 (o)
214.577.5540 (c)
john@JohnGSelf.Com
www.linkedin.com/in/johngself
(make the links active)

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Telephone Interview
Clean up mentally and physically - no hair rollers,
bathrobes, tank tops, boxer shorts - dress as though
you are going to the office
Do your homework - organization and the recruiter
Standing or sitting - pick a position that helps you
stay focused and on point
Talk accomplishments, not just experience - connect!
Look at yourself in a mirror - are you smiling?
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FaceTime, Skype and Video Conference Interviews

Dress as if you were on a site interview
Be aware of your surroundings - what will the
interviewer see in the background
Avoid backlit - No windows or bright lights in the
background
Cell phones, iPads - Beware of the angle
Confirm connection contact information in advance
Video conference pitfalls - camera angles, framing
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Face-to-Face Interviews
Be prepared - do your homework, avoid questions
you should already know, who you will meet, etc.
Dress conservatively in a confidence-building outfit
Grooming - shoes shined, nails clean, manicured
Arrive early - 15 minutes is a target
Interview starts the moment you enter the building be nice to everyone you meet - receptionists to E.A.s
Connect with their needs - it is NOT about you!
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Face-to-Face Interview
Bring business cards and extra copies of most
recent resume
Smile, be gracious
Engage, be prepared with relevant questions,
especially when meeting with senior executives
Be prepared for the unusual question or the one you
do not want to answer
Be authentic
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Panel Interviews
Personally introduce yourself to participants
Decision to stand or sit - based on the room set up
Make eye contact with questioner, then others on
panel involve everyone in your answer
Beware of the complex question - If you take too
much time answering, you may be unfairly criticized
Thank the panel - make it count

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Dinner/Lunch, Community Tour Interviews

Rule number one: you are always in the spotlight
In a group lunch or dinner, try to be in the center of
the table - your ability to engage people is important
Order conservatively - you are being interviewed!
Be aware of table manners - this can hurt you
Alcohol consumption - lunch (no); dinner (follow lead
of your host)
Realtors will be asked for feedback, too!
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Questions & Answers

The dumb questions are the ones you do not ask

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