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The #1 Interview Question AND How to Answer It!

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Are you ready to answer the #1 Interview Question?

To start with lets mention the resume style and content that is most likely to get you the interview.

One of the most frustrating parts of a job search is dealing with all the advice you get about resumes. The best approach is a resume that gets you the interview, and helps you get the job! If we have one piece of advice it would be… Don’t make the person reading your resume, work hard to figure you out.

If you have a (numeric) results-oriented, functional style resume you are showcasing… WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU and not just everything that you have done.

Don’t make the person reviewing your resume work hard to figure you out.

So now you have a great resume and you got the interview! Are you ready for the #1 question you are likely to be asked?

OK here it is…

Tell Me About Yourself

The #1 question is not easy to answer UNLESS you are prepared so PRACTICE in front of the mirror over and over until your answer lasts about 20 – 30 seconds at the most, you sound natural and confident. PRACTICE.

Tell Me About Yourself

you passion opportunity

YOU >>>> You need to give up some personal information. Something about YOU. If you don’t, the interviewer will think you can’t fit into the company, or that you are cold, secretive or not someone they want to have around. We suggest you share innocuous info. that is already on your resume such as (1) where you live now and (2) where you are from originally which is easy to figure out by looking at your high school location and finally (3) something personal related to family (spouse, children, parents, siblings. If you resist this question and say something dumb like “You’re not supposed to ask me that question”, the interview is most likely over. But the trick is to move on very quickly, without a beat. Don’t allow the Interviewer time to ask a follow-up personal question. Move on to…

YOUR PASSION >>>> Are you passionate about what you do AT WORK Yes? Great. No… Whatever, fake it if you have to. Get excited about your career, the things you have done that are connected to WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU. Let the Interviewer start to see that you’re passionate about what you do AT WORK and it is right on target to what they need. Don’t talk about hobbies, trips, your favourite music etc. ONLY AT WORK PASSION. That’s why you are there.

Now just as quick move on to the OPPORTUNITY >>>>

“and, I am very excited about the opportunity to _ _ _ here”

This final part should be EXACTLY AS QUOTED ABOVE. It brings back the answer to why you are sitting there. The most likely follow up question in the interview will be about the opportunity, the job and hopefully your passion for it!

You have showed that YOU are going to fit in, and that you are a good trustworthy person by sharing a bit about yourself. You talked with PASSION about your work and then you expressed interest and excitement in the OPPORTUNITY. Don’t worry if you think it will sound prepared – it won’t. It will sound professional and poised; much better than stumbling for words, or going on and on about things the interviewer isn’t interested in.

Please comment if you found this post helpful or interesting!

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Tags: #1 question, interviews, resume, you passion opportunity
Posted in Create Your Own Opportunity, EQ, emotional intelligence, peak performance, zenpeak | 3 Comments »

Career & Life Choices: job vs. self-employed vs. business owner – 2 of 3

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Ever thought about going into business for yourself, and wondered if you are the right type?
What are the differences between being self-employed and business ownership?
How do you reduce the risks of being self-employed, on commission, or starting a business?

What are the differences between being self-employed and business ownership?

According to Robert Kiyosaki, being self-employed and earning income based on an hourly rate or owning your job, is different from being a business owner. A business owner can earn income regardless of being at the office and/or working day to day. A doctor or dentist or real estate agent for example, are self-employed but still depend on their own day to day involvement and input to earn the bulk of their income. Being self-employed removes you from the insecurity of having a job and the possibility of being fired.

If you are a high-producing commissioned salesperson, you may not be technically self-employed, but the risks of being fired and not being able to replace your job, are low; since you clearly contribute to revenues and profits vs. being an expense or drain on a business.

If you are not comfortable having your own business, and are more inclined to being self-employed or secure in a commissioned sales role, then give some thought to how to increase your chance for success. It’s not just what you sell, but where and for whom that counts!

Tags: cash flow quadrant, commission, self-employed, XL Wealth
Posted in Create Your Own Opportunity, peak performance, zenpeak | 2 Comments »

Why do some people not like the idea of a sales job?

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Fear, misunderstanding, laziness,ego/status perceptions.

fear: not being a good salesperson
misunderstanding: thinking every sales role is the same
laziness: really don’t want to work hard
ego/status perceptions: salespeople have a bad reputation

How about you… Have you ever thought about a SALES job?

Common Answers… “I’m not a salesperson” or… “I don’t like sales”

Are you currently looking for a job? Frustrated? Not getting good interviews? Did you know that hundreds and thousands of people compete against each other and apply every single day for every single salaried job, they never get an interview and they are still unemployed. Did you know many people are under-employed, making less $ than they should based on their efforts, talent, education or experience?

zenPeak has a number of jobs currently available.

We can help you. Even if our Clients don’t offer you a position, you will learn and benefit from our recruitment process. Our process includes interviews, testing, assessments, interview coaching, resume repair and it costs you nothing.

Who is zenPeak?

Our company recruits peak performers for our Clients. We have a system that makes sure a person is right for the position, and that they will perform at a high level.

zenPeak has a number of jobs currently available.

Technology companies
Software companies
Mortgage companies
Financial Planning and Investment companies
Administrative Services companies

Are you ready to TAKE ACTION and get on track to making GOOD MONEY and having REAL SECURITY? Did you know that the most secure job is always in sales? Top performing salespeople never have to worry about finding a job. We have a number of SALES positions in the GTA and Ontario available NOW for the right person.

Are you ready to work hard and change your life and get real job security!?

Our Clients don’t just hire anyone. Many of these opportunities include base salaries and a guaranteed flow of business. You need to go through our zenPeak recruitment system which is built to recruit peak performers for our Clients.

The good news is that our assessment looks past your resume, and looks at What You Can Do For The Company and for Yourself.

Why do some people not like the idea of sales?

They are lazy and they don’t want to work any harder than they have to once they get a job – please please look elsewhere
They want a steady salary – no problem! many of our opportunities include a base salary
They think they won’t find customers – no problem! many of our opportunities hand you fresh quality business leads from multi-million $ advertising programs
They think they are not good salespeople – there are different types of sales. Our system can determine which you will succeed at
They think it is not a good career – the truth is… the wealthiest and most successful people have always been salespeople selling products and services

Our company recruits peak performers for our Clients. We have a system that makes sure a person is right for the position, and you will perform at a high level.

Are you ready to TAKE ACTION and get on track to making GOOD MONEY and having REAL SECURITY?

call me now

Frank Abrams
CEO and Founder
zenPeak
416 733-3001
fabrams@zenpeak.com
www.zenpeak.com

Tags: career, jobs, sales, selling
Posted in 3 Seconds to Career Success, Create Your Own Opportunity, EQ, assessment, emotional intelligence, peak performance, zenPeak more, zenpeak | No Comments »

One week to podcampToronto #pcto10 but first… the Total Woman Show in Waterloo this weekend.

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

podcamp Toronto

One week to podcamp toronto #pcto10 and it is truly amazing to see this come together from the hard work of a few people. Over 900 people have registered last time I checked. I picked out the sessions I plan to attend and am crossing my fingers that they won’t conflict, and I can get a seat! Happy we are a sponsor and able to support podcamp toronto 2010.

to register for podcamp toronto

http://2010.podcamptoronto.com/register/

Our sponsor blog post

http://2010.podcamptoronto.com/02/08/sponsor-spotlight-zenpeak/

sessions that I am planning to attend – what about you?

http://speakerrate.com/talks/2094

http://speakerrate.com/talks/2109

http://speakerrate.com/talks/1963

http://speakerrate.com/talks/1997

http://speakerrate.com/talks/2100

http://speakerrate.com/talks/2055

http://speakerrate.com/talks/2096

http://speakerrate.com/talks/1984

First, I’m on my way to Kitchener Waterloo to the Total Woman Show this weekend to meet some great business people and to talk and share the excitement of what’s happening in Waterloo with zenPeak.

Tags: #pcto10, Kitchener, podcamp, toronto, total woman show, Waterloo
Posted in Internet Marketing, peak performance, social media, social networking, zenpeak | No Comments »

You`d be great in the new job… but lousy in an interview?

Monday, January 4th, 2010

A good recruitment system will help Clients find peak performers. Some candidates would be great in a job, but are poor in an interview.

In our zenPeak system, we identify those who may be weak in the interview and alert Clients that they should get past the first impression, and consider competency, EQ and fit to the position, the organization and management operational style. Just because someone can sell themselves in an interview, does not mean they are going to be a peak performer!

lousy in an interview?

In the graphic below from our written reports, you can see that our testing and assessment system identifies these candidates. This is of great benefit to candidates, to enable them to get a fair shot at the opportunity.

Tags: EQ, first impressions, interview, interviews, peak performance, testing
Posted in EQ, assessment, emotional intelligence, peak performance, tests, zenPeak more, zenpeak | No Comments »

4 Success Habits (Mr. Gray’s speech page 6 paraphrased)

Friday, December 11th, 2009

I read this 9 page speech by Mr. Gray as part of Bob Proctor’s bonus materials on a success website. I don’t think the speech is well-written but the truth about achieving success is painfully clear. I am paraphrasing a small part of it, and invite you to email me for the full text. As an added piece of inspiration, Tony Robbins audio clip about Sylvester Stallone and the making of Rocky is at the bottom.

If you are on a job hunt, or growing a business, I believe Mr. Gray provides great advice…

Reminder to Self:

4 Success Habits – (paraphrased from pg. 6 of Mr. Gray’s speech)

persuading/calling/contacting/working

It’s easier to persuade someone to a particular course of action, than to find someone who already wants to do it. So if you lack contacts interested in what you do, then you have unconsciously formed the habit of limiting your contacts to people who already want what you offer. Contacting people who need what you offer, (regardless of their “wants”) is the path to success; and they may also be a source of referrals.

If you don’t call on people who are able to do what you want, but may be unwilling to listen, then you have unconsciously formed the habit of limiting yourself to calling on people who are willing to listen, but may be unable to do what you want. What’s the worst that can happen, and does that involve my pride and ego?

Successful people form the habit of calling on people determined to help them see why its in their best interest to take action. If you don’t do that when calling on people, then you have unconsciously formed the habit of calling on people when you are in a state of mind, willing to let them convince you of their reasons for not taking action.

Working habits according to Mr. Gray take care of themselves if the other 3 habits are looked after. I think they take work too as I can procrastinate with the best of them. Follow ups and persistence need work. I try and make a mental note of how you feel when you are working hard, and getting things done. I know I feel better.

Speaking of mental notes I find that making a mental note of how you feel the instant after hanging up from a telephone call is very helpful. People respond positively to talking with someone who knows their stuff and believes in what they do, even if they disagree or are not interested.

These are the success habits according to Mr. Gray, and they are driven by long term purpose in life.

To get Mr. Gray’s complete speech please email me. Click on the picture to hear Tony Robbins talk about Sylvester Stallone and Rocky.

Rocky with his dog

Tags: Bob Proctor, habits, human capital, long term purpose, Mr. Gray, opportunity, success, success habits, Tony Robbins, zenpeak
Posted in EQ, emotional intelligence, peak performance, zenpeak | 4 Comments »

Do’s and Don’ts for hiring from Fast Company

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts for hiring from Fast Company that are good common sense for small to mid-size growth companies (the kinds of clients we have at zenPeak for the most part).

Of course, picking the right person who will be a peak performer in your company is still an art and a science. Our system includes assessments that use position benchmarks, and examine the EQ competency scores that will lead to peak performance… and… IT WORKS!

Fast Company's The Do's and Don'ts of Hiring

Tags: fast company, hiring, hiring tips
Posted in EQ, assessment, emotional intelligence, peak performance, tests, zenPeak more, zenpeak | 1 Comment »

SES Toronto – Are Internet Marketing career opportunities bigger than ever?

Monday, June 1st, 2009

SES 2009 Toronto – Search Engine Strategies Conference arrives in town next week.

Thinking about a career in Internet Marketing? Your timing is good!

Wal-Mart beat K-Mart and Sears because they invested in data-rich marketing and merchandising technologies. Companies that think only 10% of marketing budgets should be online are in for a shock to their core! as they play catchup for years to come.

SEM is part of Internet Marketing; a growth industry that is about to explode. This all began with a handful of visionaries like Dr. Ralph Wilson back in the mid-1990s. It has taken 15 years, inc. a few business shakeouts, to bring us to a point of complete transformation.

Social and economic changes usually take at least 10 -15 years, and are often under-estimated in depth of their impact because the growth and retrenchments are only easily recognizable looking back in hindsight, with a “time lapse” perspective. And the future?…

A top “peak performer” career path for the future is VP of Internet Marketing, with the future responsibility of managing 90% of a company’s marketing dollars AND… demand for senior-level marketers will continue to be high. A broad expertise in Internet Marketing web, social networks, and mobile is rare!

If you have been paying attention to the terrible condition of newspapers in North America, you have to ask yourself is this just the economy? and when business picks up, the advertisers and subscribers will return?, or is it a major transformation?

We are inside the transformation, so its hard to see it. Today’s generation has always been plugged in and online. It is no longer cute or charming to be a luddite and announce you don’t use a computer or a mobile device. You will just get shrugs and blank stares.

Digital, interactive, on-demand, high-definition, data-rich media is where its at. Newspapers and newsmagazines are in decline, with just a few destined to survive in some fashion. They are slow, labor-intensive, high-wage, energy gobbling, analog industries with an insatiable desire to cut trees and burn fossil fuels, just to drop printed pages on your doorstep. Much of the information they deliver is stale (sports scores, stock listings) and their strategic knowledge of their readers (preferences and behaviours) is almost nil or dependent on surveys, and is rarely granular, actionable business intelligence.

From an advertiser’s point of view, the content isn’t really important but rather the ROI of Marketing. Can Internet Marketing deliver ROI? Yes, and Search Engine Marketing is a key component.

So now we come full circle back to the prospects for a career in Internet Marketing. Yes, your career prospects and your timing are both excellent!

Tags: Internet Marketing, SEM, SES, SES 2009
Posted in Internet Marketing, Web Development, peak performance, social media, social networking, zenPeak more | No Comments »

Earn Customer Trust with Employees who can be Trusted!

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

There are a number of steps a company can take to build a trust relationship with customers.

According to Deborah Nixon of Trust Learning Solutions. In the Financial Post article of May 26 2009, she lists a few;

survey customers
survey employees
examine strategies and programs against survey results
align communications with trust messaging
recheck changes made in 6 months

According to Nixon, “Employees who doubt the integrity or ability of their organization to cope with challenges will deliver poor customer service”

I don’t fully agree with this statement, although there are certainly lots of problems resulting from companies operating low trust corporate working environments.

A worker may hate their job and their boss and think the company is slimy, but may still do their work. EQ assessments, and over 40 years of studies, show that an individual’s empathy and organizational loyalty, and other emotional intelligence internal and external competencies, will impact the degree to which they follow the rules and do their job, regardless of the level of trust around them.

Testing is a critical component in a high-trust organization that wants to be trusted. Companies must invest real resources to take this path. In addition to Nixon’s excellent advice about surveys etc., companies need to recruit and retain people who have been assessed, and will likely be suited to their roles. This is the way to peak performance in an organization.

Tags: deborah nixon, financial post, trust
Posted in EQ, emotional intelligence, peak performance, tests, zenpeak | 1 Comment »

Peak Performers will love the new Scotiabank Executive Compensation scheme!

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Peak Performers will love the new Scotiabank Executive Compensation scheme!

According to the Financial Post of May 20 2009, under the new compensation plan, investment bankers at ScotiaCapital will win in the long run if all stakeholders, including the bank and its shareholders, also win in the long run.

The Financial Post outlines the details, and asserts that there may be a rush for the exits if other Bay St. firm don’t head down the same path as ScotiaCapital.

While the world’s big financial institutions cope with stress tests (the Federal Reserve Stress Test guide is here) zenPeak has another thought…

Why not test staff for how they respond to stress with a comprehensive Emotional Intelligence profile from zenPeak?

It’s a proven methodology to discover the EQ and get some awareness on how someone will perform in their job. Take a look at the core competencies that bring peak performance on Bay St.!

salespersoncompetencies1

Tags: broker, ScotiaBank, ScotiaCapital, unauthorized trading, zenpeak, zerorisk
Posted in EQ, assessment, emotional intelligence, peak performance, risk, rogue trading, tests, zenpeak | No Comments »