Person of the Month

The Smart Interview

Talking to HR Expert Liz Moffitt

by Lucas Fairchild

"People get into jobs for various reasons—but into thriving careers because of passion. We may get in at first for the money but after a while, that's not what drives us to work every day. After a while it's: "I want to get out of this and do what I'm passionate about." "
—Liz Moffitt

Pretend you're the employer. You built a top-flight company and this week you want to sign contracts with sharp workers who can keep your bar charts movin' up. It's 8:30 a.m. on a Monday and interviewee number one walks in wearing flip-flops and a sunglass tan.

Are you surprised?

Liz Moffitt wouldn't be. Liz is a human resource expert, an interview guru, and she's been there and seen just about everything.

In resume speak, you'd say Mrs. Moffitt is president of The Christopher Quinn Group, Inc., a Human Resource Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), consulting and staffing firm with more 20 years in the saddle. Translated: she knows everything from the dynamite impact of a first impression to interview subtleties that can explode a potential career faster than you can say, "Can I put my gum here while we talk?"

Now Liz gives you top-dollar career advice from ground zero of today's competitive job market. If you're looking for a job, wanting to move up, or know someone who does, this would be the time to take notes.

Liz what do you call what you do—and who needs it?

I'm called a career coach because I help people search for jobs and explore career options. Some of my clients want promotions, some want to change fields. I help them find invisible barriers inhibiting them from moving up or moving on—and I coach them through different management styles, dress, and behaviors that help them achieve their goals.

Before you go into an interview, how does a person narrow down the career field, take inventory of her skills, know her best fit?

It's about self-reflection, about knowing what you're really passionate about. People get into jobs for various reasons—but into thriving careers because of passion. We may get in at first for the money but after a while, that's not what drives us to work every day. After a while it's: "I want to get out of this and do what I'm passionate about."

Okay, let's leap ahead to the actual interview. What's the most important thing to know about a first impression?

To treat everyone well no matter who. If you have contact with a receptionist, treat him or her well. A lot of recruiters will get feedback from everyone who came into contact with you. Talk down to the receptionist and you might lose your chance.

Once you're in the interview, what is the big question to prepare for?

I teach people to prepare for the "Tell me about yourself" question, which can make or break an interview. My clients must prepare for that question with a 30-60 second infomercial about their field, education, experience, what makes this job a great fit, and how they can impact the company if they get that job. The thing is to not make that answer personal. This is your chance to quickly sell yourself professionally.

What about unskilled laborers? If you're unskilled and don't have a college education or trade or skill? What do you do?

So many organizations are out there to help individuals. Texas Workforce Commission has classes on helping people become re-skilled. I tell people don't just sit at home if you're unemployed. Volunteer for organizations, volunteer your way into a job. If you don't have computer skills, temp agencies have computer-based training classes you can take to become skilled. Start doing some research. So many places will actually help you gain the skills you need to get in the workforce. If you have a job and need new skills, see if your company will reimburse you for taking college courses.

Don't let your skills go stale. I don't hold it against people if they don't have a job; but I want to know what you've been doing in that time. Getting a job takes more than sitting home and sending out your resume.

Studies say the first 20 to 32 seconds fix the first impression and the final impression.

I would agree. A lot of that has to do with eye contact—or lack of it—and with the firm handshake, another thing so simple. If you have an idiosyncrasy about touching people—well, the interviewer takes that personally. Eye contact and dress say right off whether we're comfortable with who we are with.

When you're nervous, it's easy to shake a hand too soon and get a poor grip. When you stumble like that, how do you recover?

You can always use the end of the interview to recover. That's also a time to restate the answer to a question you want to improve on. The closing is your opportunity to resell yourself—and to leave on a better handshake. Don't be afraid to repeat the points in your infomercial. It's always a good way to sell yourself in the end and make sure you get everything across.

Company culture is big. One survey says that 25 percent of hiring managers look for someone to fit the company culture—the "culture" fit beats even skill level and experience. So how does a job seeker pick up on a company culture in advance?

I tell people if they don't know what the culture is like, then go and park in the company's parking lot. Observe the dynamics, the camaraderie of people coming in and out. Do they look happy? What's the dress code? Those are tells. I wouldn't start calling a lot of people in the organization. But if you call the receptionist and get his or her perspective of the company, that's a plus. You'd be surprised what information you'll get. You can have all the skills in the world, but if you don't like the culture you won't want to go.

How important is a cover letter and resume?

It's critical because it is your first impression. Make sure whatever you send is up to date and truly represents who you are. People should keep their resumes current and ready to pass out any time. You don't want to get caught unprepared.

What red flags do you look for with an interviewee?

Communication. I listen for whether they can communicate. They're going to be talking with my customers and bad skills in that department are a huge turnoff for me. Also no gaudy jewelry or big hair. I've see some people go to interviews in flip-flops. Never, ever do that. That says right up front that this person is going to also use bad judgment on the job.

Some say you don't want to overdress for the interview and potentially out-dress your interviewer and look cocky. On the other hand, some argue you should dress like the boss to show confidence and ambition. What do you recommend?

That's a big one. I lean toward tradition in dressing—you dress your best. Unless someone has told you not to wear your best suit, you should go putting your best foot forward. You have less than 15 seconds to make an impression. If you don't feel comfortable with what you're wearing, that comes across. It exudes confidence; it says, "This is where I want to work."

It's all about projecting confidence...

Yes, and if you know yourself well you're going to do a good job in answering the questions because you can always take their question and make it fit your experience. You want to show how well you can respond on the spot and how well you know your capabilities.

What if an interviewer asks you inappropriate questions?

You say: "I would rather not comment on that at this time."

What are some inappropriate questions to be alert to?

Whether a person is married, has children, when they got their high school diploma. {You can kind of figure out a person's age if they say when they got their high school diploma.} Whether they have a car. If you don't have a car, you say: "I have no problem with getting to work" because that's the real question.

What questions should the interviewee ask with caution?

Be careful asking questions about salary. Even before you get to the interview, if there is a telephone interview, that's usually where a question's asked about the salary range. Know your own worth. Do your own research and don't rely on the company to know everything.

Monster.com is one source for salary information. Another is SalaryExpert.com. I typically refer to those for salary benchmarks.

After an interview ends, there's follow-up...

I'm a big advocate of a handwritten thank you note, quickly. They're looking to fill the position right away. Make sure of no typos, no mistakes. Have someone you trust read it over before you send it.

Let's boil down all this good advice. Say I run into you in the waiting room of my first job interview and you have 30 seconds to counsel me. What would you say?

I'd tell you to be confident in knowing this is the job for you. Speak well. Pause if you don't understand the question, ask them to restate it. If you don't understand the question or don't have an answer right away, feel comfortable saying "Can we come back to that question later?" Just creating an answer is not best.

Anything else?

One of the things I didn't communicate is the importance of networking: whether you're looking for a job or have a job, get to know people. At times you'll need to go back and re-contact that individual. When you leave an organization, don't burn bridges.

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