Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Taylor Simmons

  • A Terrible Answer to an Interview Question

    A Terrible Answer to an Interview Question

    I recently conducted an interview with a job candidate for one of our clients. During the session, the young lady answered all of the questions perfectly. As the conversation was coming to a close, I had one final question. I asked, “Why did you make the transition from your last position to your current one?” The resume was stellar, the interview had gone well so far, but her answer allowed me to easily make the decision to not recommend her for a call back. Her answer, you ask? “I was just late too many times, and they had to let me go.” I paraphrased, but that was the gist.

    In my recruiting role, it was easy to discard the resume. However, my career coach heart wanted to scream “please, don’t use that answer ever again!” I will give her points for honesty. However, I could not in good conscience recommend her for the position.

    So, if I were her career coach, how would I guide her in answering the question? That’s simple. First of all, I would find out why she had trouble with being on time. There is always a root cause. Then, I would ensure she has made adjustments or has the resources she needs to always be on time moving forward.

    As far as how to answer the question, I would recommend that she address the question before it is ever asked. Early on in the interview, I would recommend a dialogue like this:

    “You’ll notice I transitioned to a new role 6 months ago. I would like to be up front and share that I had some personal issues (share if possible) that prevented me from consistently getting to work on time with my previous employer. I’m thankful that my current employer provided me with a new opportunity. I have not missed a day or been late since. And, I can assure you, if I’m chosen for this position, punctuality will be a priority.”

    Want to read more about how to prepare for an interview? Check out these posts from The Point Blog:

    3 Tips for Eliminating the Stress of a Job Interview

    How to Answer the Interview Question “What is your greatest weakness?”

    Authenticity and the Job Interview

  • 3 Things to Do When You’re NOT Looking to Make a Career Move

    3 Things to Do When You’re NOT Looking to Make a Career Move

    HR professionals know the War for Talent is real. So, what does that mean for individuals who are comfortable in their current jobs? It’s simple; don’t get too comfortable.

    I received a call from a colleague once who said a hiring manager had reached out to her about me. Apparently, she had seen our connection on LinkedIn and asked if she thought I might be interested in a job. I wasn’t even looking, but was offered an opportunity that turned out to be enjoyable contract work and nice supplemental income.

    Now more than ever, recruiters and hiring managers are seeking out passive candidates. Even if you love your job, you never want to become complacent. Always strive to be the passive candidate companies are looking for.

    Here are 3 things to consider:

    1. Grow and foster your connections – reach out to at least one potential or current contact per week to touch base. This can be as simple as a call, text or email. Check out: 7 Networking Do’s and Don’ts.
    2. Keep your LinkedIn profile current. If you don’t have one, check out 3 Steps to Get Your LinkedIn Profile Job Search Ready.
    3. Be a lifelong learner. For ideas, read this article via HR bartender: How to Plan Time for Self- Learning.

    Are you ready to be an amazing, passive candidate?

  • Revisiting 4 Tips to an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview

    Revisiting 4 Tips to an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview

    A couple of years ago, I worked with a student who participated in a job shadow offered through a program at her school. She was interested in the medical field. However, during the job shadow, she realized it was not for her. The eye-opening experience helped guide her to another path.

    Summer is almost here, and now is a great time for recent grads and college students to consider a job shadow or internship! If opportunities for those are not available, an informational interview is another option. All of these are valuable components of career exploration. I would argue they are just as important as interest assessments.

    Where do you begin? Talk to your high school counselor or a career advisor to brainstorm ideas. Then, revisit our blog “4 Tips to an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview.”

  • What do you value most?

    What do you value most?

    Values – integrity, authenticity, honesty, loyalty, service – and the list goes on. Values are what make each person unique. Individuals want to work in organizations that prioritizes values, and companies seek out individuals who add value to their organization.

    A Career Decision Making Tree is one tool we use at Horizon Point in guiding individuals in career planning. We share this in our career development course with other professionals; it’s available in our workbooks also. The idea is to determine what you value most in a career, which are the roots of the tree (i.e. career must haves). Then, you can narrow down your list of careers. We often facilitate this after a formal interest inventory assessment.

    Satisfaction in your career is closely connected to values. Doing work that you are passionate about and that you find value in often predicts job satisfaction.

    Unsure of what you value in work? Use this free assessment at Career One Stop to find out: https://www.vawizard.org/wizard/assessment-combined.

  • Making Passion a Priority in Work

    Making Passion a Priority in Work

    I recently wrote a blog about “People First” and I how I feel we do that well at HPC. You can check it out here: People First.

    Of course, as with anything, there is always room for improvement. One company value that I personally would like to improve upon is “Passion”.

    Passion. We believe passion should be a key driver in the workplace. Therefore, we demonstrate passion in the work we do, hire individuals who are passionate about the work our organization engages in, and strive to help our clients discover, develop and maximize their passion through career and talent development processes. In order to help drive passionate decisions, we foster a value for creating self-awareness, developing personal and professional mission statements as well as values that govern mission.

    Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague who shared she had experienced a form of burn-out which is always a result of a catalyst. As our conversation continued, we discussed getting organized in our home offices and going through recredentialing processes and the pains that go along with such. Her epiphany on how “just getting organized” made a difference in her outlook completely resonated with me.

    As I’ve shared before, I enjoy my work and the work we do at Horizon Point. However, sometimes, the day-to-day rush of work mixed with life can lead us to forget why we do it all in the first place. So, I have thought through some steps to help when we feel like we are “in a rut” and are forgetting what why we do what we do (our passion):

    1. Organize one file, process or space in your office each week. Within a couple of months, you will be so glad you did!
    2. Keep your mission statement in a place where you can see it daily. Mine is in my office right above my desk. Don’t have a personal mission statement? Check out my blog about developing one here: Developing a Personal Mission Statement to Prevent Stress & Burnout.
    3. Schedule downtime every week. At least one day per week, I try my best to not schedule any appointments or calls. This a great way to build in catch-up time.
    4. Set goals, work towards those goals, and have an accountability partner to help you. Check out The Point Blog for goal setting tips.
    5. Make continuous learning a priority. Allowing yourself time to learn and grow can often times feel like a break from the rat race. Attending a short conference can do the trick, and if you happen to schedule one close to the beach, you get a mini-vacation – BONUS!

    Is passion a key driver in your workplace? If not, contact us at Horizon Point. We would love to help!