Powerful Phrases for Successful Interviews Read online

  POWERFUL

  PHRASES

  for

  Successful Interviews

  POWERFUL

  PHRASES

  for

  Successful Interviews

  Over 400 Ready-to-Use Words and Phrases

  That Will Get You the Job You Want

  Tony Beshara

  FOREWORD BY

  Dr. Phil McGraw

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Beshara, Tony, 1948–

  Power phrases for successful interviews : over 400 ready-to-use words and phrases

  that will get you the job you want / Tony Beshara; foreword by Dr. Phil

  McGraw.—1 Edition.

  pages cm

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-3354-6 (alk. paper)

  ISBN-10: 0-8144-3354-5 (alk. paper)

  1. Employment interviewing. 2. Job hunting. 3. English language—Terms and

  phrases. I. Title.

  HF5549.5.I6B47157 2014

  650.14'4—dc23 2013042989

  © 2014 Tony Beshara.

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

  The scanning, uploading, or distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the express permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions of this work and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials, electronically or otherwise. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  About AMA

  American Management Association (www.amanet.org) is a world leader in talent development, advancing the skills of individuals to drive business success. Our mission is to support the goals of individuals and organizations through a complete range of products and services, including classroom and virtual seminars, webcasts, webinars, podcasts, conferences, corporate and government solutions, business books, and research. AMA’s approach to improving performance combines experiential learning—learning through doing—with opportunities for ongoing professional growth at every step of one’s career journey.

  Printing number

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  As always, dedicated to God’s greatest blessings,

  my wonderful wife and best friend, Chrissy, and our wonderful family.

  CONTENTS

  FOREWORD by Dr. Phil

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  INTRODUCTION Why Powerful Phrases Make a Difference

  CHAPTER 1

  Powerful Phrases to Get Face-to-Face Interviews

  CHAPTER 2

  Powerful Phrases for Increasing the Chances Your Résumé Will Get Read

  CHAPTER 3

  Powerful Phrases for Opening and Closing the Initial Interview

  CHAPTER 4

  Powerful Phrases to Demonstrate Your Ability to Do the Job

  CHAPTER 5

  Powerful Phrases That Show You Will Be a Good Fit

  CHAPTER 6

  Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Problems in Your Background

  CHAPTER 7

  Powerful Phrases for Successful Follow-Up Interviews

  CHAPTER 8

  Powerful Phrases for Specific Professions and Positions

  CHAPTER 9

  Powerful Phrases for Clarifying the Job Offer and Discussing Money

  Index

  About the Author

  Free Sample Chapter from Acing the Interview by Tony Beshara

  FOREWORD

  by Dr. Phil

  We all know it is tough out there with so much competition for every job worth having. What you need is an “edge”—the inside information on what interviewers really want to hear and clear instruction on how to deliver it. That edge is Tony Beshara, and he has put everything you need to stand out in the crowd right here in this book.

  Interviewers’ questions can be challenging, and knowing the right words to say at interviews doesn’t come naturally. We’ve all been in interviews where we’ve said the wrong thing, which can make the difference in getting hired or not. On the other hand, saying the right thing in just the right way can turn a ho-hum interview into a home run.

  Tony Beshara knows the ropes like no one you have ever encountered. Tony has personally helped close to 10,000 people find jobs, because he knows exactly what employers are looking for, including the key words and phrases that will get people follow-up interviews and job offers.

  In this book he has distilled his decades of wisdom and experience into more than 400 easy-to-apply words and phrases. Whether you’re entry level or an executive, consult this book and you’ll be confidently prepared for every interviewing situation, from nailing down the initial interview to negotiating your job offer.

  I have seen it happen firsthand. Over the years on the Dr. Phil show I’ve depended on Tony Beshara countless times to find jobs for badly discouraged guests. Tony is the very best there is at preparing candidates and then getting them jobs. Adopt his thinking, and in my opinion you will have an incredible advantage.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As always, the greatest thanks go to Chrissy for her prayers, time, and spiritual support. The AMACOM team was wonderful as always: Ellen, Barry, Jim, and Kama, thank you so much! And, again, a special thanks to the thousands of candidates and hiring authorities I have worked with over the years who have contributed to this book’s contents.

  POWERFUL

  PHRASES

  for

  Successful Interviews

  INTRODUCTION

  Why Powerful Phrases Make a Difference

  Interviewing, finding a job, and hiring are considered among the most important business endeavors, so it might surprise you to know that the average professional hire in America involves only four hours of face-to-face interviewing. Though the emotional intensity for both finding a job and hiring are great, a job seeker should be aware that the time to make a successful impression on interviewing and hiring authorities is very short. In fact, hiring decisions are made more quickly than business managers and leaders like to admit. One McGill University study showed that most interviewers make up their mind to hire someone in the first four minutes of the interview!

  Psychologists have proven, and my own experience confirms, that in the interviewing process, employers evaluate job candidates on the basis of a few—very few—real facts, and 90 percent of the hiring decision is made emotionally. Candidates are hired because of a few little things they do or say, and the rest is emotional justification. Psychologists call this “motivated reasoning.” A plethora of recent business and psychology books and articles by
authors like Jonah Lehrer and Leonard Mlodinow demonstrates that most business decisions are made subliminally, with more emotion than logic. While the majority of job candidates are trying to be “competent” in the interviewing process, the successful ones focus on being liked and remembered. They use powerful words and phrases to accomplish this.

  You are going to be judged quickly and emotionally as a job candidate, so if you say the right things by using the right words, you stand out and are more likely to get hired. So little real face-to-face time is spent interviewing that hiring authorities make their decisions based on a few memorable phrases (good or bad) that a candidate uses.

  Use the right phrases, and you are remembered and thought of highly; you are more likely to get hired. Use the wrong phrases, and you are forgotten when you walk out of the room; you are certain to lose the job opportunity.

  THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION OF POWERFUL PHRASES

  I’ll give you a perfect example of just what I mean about how powerful phrases can make a difference. You will learn in Chapter 3 that I recommend two very powerful phrases to be used at the end of the first interview:

  1. “How do I stack up with the other candidates you have interviewed?”

  2. “What do I need to do to get the job?”

  Recently, one of our clients interviewed seven candidates. The only candidate that we referred used these two phrases to close the initial interview. The hiring authority remarked to the candidate—and later to us—that she was the only one of the seven candidates who actually asked how she compared to the others.

  In fact, as the hiring authority passed the candidate to the second group of interviewing authorities, he told his associates, “I interviewed seven candidates and this lady was the only one who asked for the job. I really like her.” The candidate, by the way, used the same power phrases, as well as others you will learn in Chapter 7, for her follow-up interviews to land the job.

  This was a mid-level purchasing manager position. The candidate only spent a total of two-and-a-half hours interviewing at the company: one hour at the initial interview and an hour-and-a-half with others in the company. The hiring and interviewing authorities did spend more time checking previous employment references and so on, but the candidate acknowledged that she became the “best” candidate because of the power phrases she used in the interviewing process.

  These two powerful phrases made all the difference in the world. The vice president of procurement openly admitted that our candidate was not the most qualified applicant. But, he said she interviewed better than the others. Even the candidate herself admitted that she didn’t seem to interview especially well except for her closing phrases. She is absolutely convinced that those two small phrases won her the job.

  Powerful Phrases for Successful Interviews is filled with similar phrases that will enable you to raise yourself to the top of the candidate pool, whatever the job, whatever the company, and whoever is doing the hiring. It is meant to be a quick reference to specific words and phrases to use at every stage of a successful job search. You will learn the most effective, short, simple, and expert phrases to gain an advantage in getting interviews, performing well on initial and follow-up interviews, handling the toughest questions to dispel any lingering doubt on the part of the hiring authority, and negotiating a strong job offer. You will have the right words to make the difference every time.

  CHAPTER 1

  Powerful Phrases to Get Face-to-Face Interviews

  The most important thing you can do to get a job is to interview. Nothing else matters unless you can get a face-to-face interview with a hiring manager—someone with authority (to hire) and pain (an urgent need to hire). Learning to use the right words and phrases can make getting an interview easier.

  Most people are uncomfortable with selling other people on interviewing them with the possibility of being hired. It can be daunting, burdensome, and an excruciating task. No one likes to be rejected. And there are fewer more clear-cut rejections than being denied an interview or being rejected for a job.

  The risk of being rejected goes with the process of getting interviews and being interviewed. The sooner you face that reality and prepare for this kind of rejection, the sooner you’re going to be able to find a job. Pristine résumés, brilliant research, great contacts, even superior previous job performance, will not help you find a job anywhere near the extent that getting numerous interviews and performing well in each interview will.

  The initial interviews, if they’re successful, will lead to subsequent second, third, or fourth interviews that will eventually land you a job. The most effective thing you can do is to pick up the phone and call anyone and everyone you can, whether you know them or not, to find people who might be able to grant you time for an interview.

  CONTACTING PEOPLE YOU KNOW

  The easiest place to start looking to set up interviews is with people you know. Here are the first people you want to contact and ask for the opportunity to interview:

  Previous employers, peers, and subordinates

  Family

  Friends

  Acquaintances

  Competitors

  Suppliers and distributors

  Customers

  Note that it is important for you to record the telephone number and date you call people. You may be calling the person back again in thirty, sixty, or ninety days. Many people will not respond to you positively for a month or two. You want to remind them that you need a job!

  Let’s start with words and phrases to use in contacting people you know. Keep these in front of you as you make the call!

  Previous Employers, Peers, Subordinates, Friends, and Acquaintances

  No matter how well you know the person, start your call with a simple introduction:

  Hello, ________ this is_________________ (your name). We know each other from _________________.

  This prepares the way for the phrase stating the reason for your call:

  I am currently looking for a new job. I called to ask if you know of any job opportunities available either with your firm or any others you might know about.

  Then provide a quick update on your job situation:

  For the past________________ (time period), I have been working at _____________________________ (company). I am looking for a job as __________________________. Can you think of anyone who might need what I can offer?

  (Very long pause) . . . If the answer is no, then say:

  I really appreciate your time. I’d like to send you my résumé, and if you can think of anyone who might be interested, please pass it along to them.

  I am not sure how long my search will take. I’d like to call you back in a month or so to see if you might have thought of anyone who might be interested. Would that be all right?

  This way, you’ve laid the groundwork for further contact down the road. And sending your résumé will provide a tangible reminder of your ongoing job search. (Very few people will tell you not to send your résumé.)

  Family

  With family members, your approach is basically the same:

  Hello, __________. This is _________________________ (your cousin, brother-in-law, or other relation). I called to ask you if you know of any job opportunities that might be available. For the past __________ (time period), I have been working at _______________ (name of company or what you have been doing). I am presently looking for a job. Can you think of anyone that might need what I can offer?

  (Long pause) . . . If the person says no, then say:

  I really appreciate your time. I’d like to send you my résumé and if you can think of anyone who might be interested, please pass it along to them.

  I am not sure how long my search will take; I’d like to call you back in a month or so to see if you might have thought of anyone that might be interested. Would that be all right?

  Again, it’s unlikely that relatives will say no to receiving a résumé, even if they don’t think they can be of help.r />
  Competitors, Suppliers, and Customers

  Here you’re approaching people you know through business. Start with a quick reminder of who you are and how you know them.

  Hello,____________. This is __________________________. We know each other from being a _________________ (competitors, customers, or suppliers). I called you to ask if you know of any job opportunities that might be available. Most recently I have been _________________ (describe what you have been doing). I am presently looking for a job. Would your organization be in need of a good _____________?

  (Long pause) . . . If the person says no, then say:

  I really appreciate your time. I’d like to send you my résumé and if you can think of anyone who might be interested, please pass it along to them.

  By the way, I am not sure how long my search will take; I’d like to call you back in a month or so to see if you have thought of anyone that might be interested. Would that be all right?

  Once again, you finish by asking if it would be all right for you to send your résumé and call back in a month or so to see if the person has thought of anyone who might be interested.

  CALLING PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW

  This part of the process can make a big difference in how fast you find a new job. The procedure is simple: You get on the telephone and present yourself to a prospective employer and ask for an interview. This is known as a cold call. It is simple and direct. The results you get will be immediate. The cold call will either result in an interview or it won’t.