Hello and welcome
to "Working the Dream"
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I'm your host Eric
Kelly and today we're going
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to share tips on how you
can ace your next job interview.
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Now let's look at
how you got here...
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The recruiter or the hiring
manager thought enough about
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the resume that you sent in
to take a closer look at you...
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Great start!
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Now you might have
even gotten a screening call
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which further peaked
their interest... Good job!
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Now, this is the
do or die moment...
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Your interview goals are
to ensure that you make the
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best presentation of
your talents and abilities.
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Now, I think our next friend
should have asked for some help
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before his
interview, you be the judge...
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Has my 4 o'clock arrived yet?
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Um hm, alrighty...
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Ohh, they told me to
come in here - you must be the
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Mr. Martin they been
telling me about... Man, oh man,
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this looks like
a good day for me!
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Jonas Martin and you are...?
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GRANT, but
everybody call me "G-stacks,"
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you can call me
whatever you want, man,
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because you the man with
the job that's gonna make
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me HAP-PY, I feel good today!
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Yeah, my brother!
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Tell me a little about yourself.
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Man okay I tell ya,
I'm the slam dunk champion,
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the chess champion,
the checker champion,
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I am the little
product on the neighborhood,
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I got the highest
score on caller duty.
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What else you want
to know, my brother?
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All right, let's skip that.
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Why did you apply for the
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position that
we have here today?
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Why? What? Look,
I need some money,
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the G-notes, the C-notes,
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I need the paycheck,
that's why I'm here brother.
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I need - I got pockets,
but ain't nothin in 'em.
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Um, a couple of things...
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I'm looking at your
resume and, by the way,
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could you remove
those sunglasses please?
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Aw man, am I bad, my bad...
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Man it was sunny
outside today - Ooo
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Man, the doctor told me I gotta
protect these for your eyes,
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ya know what I'm sayin, so
I had to wear these things,
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but I think
they'll stay on my head.
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Don't worry about
it, I got it together.
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By the way, on your
over to the interview,
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you didn't run into any traffic
jams or anything, did you?
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I gotta apologize about that,
see - I set my clock for 3.
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Well what happened when
I woke up, I found out the
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batteries had died, man, and
the dog... wait, the cat chased
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the dog, took the other
alarm clock down the hall
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that was tied to his
collar, collar you know,
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and the neighbor was
supposed to be my backup alarm,
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but they fell asleep too.
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All right, all right,
we just have to get through
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this interview.
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Now the position that
we're talking about is that of
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junior analyst. Um hm
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And actually your work
experience is not too bad.
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Uh, it's pretty good.
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You got four
colleges, 6 different majors.
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Just a hint Mr. Grant,
when you're applying for a job,
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you don't need to list
every college you went to,
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and everything you
studied, just the last college
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you attended and the last course
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of study that
you graduated from.
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See the bottom line
was, see I didn't know
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which position was going
to get me the most money,
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you know, bang for the
bucks, so I decide study
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the whole thing - be
well rounded - that's my game.
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I got it all - the degrees.
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Now I see also that
you studied theology.
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Now pastors, as a rule,
don't make a lot of money.
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What was your thinking there?
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Well first, I don't look
like a pastor today, but man,
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you watch TV man?
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Them pastors be making
some big dollar bills, y'all.
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Selling snake oil, prayer
cloths, splinters from the
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tree of life and all that
stuff, so if I can't make it
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in the real world, I'm gonna
make some money as a pastor,
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that's what I'm trying to say.
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I understand, I understand.
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Don't you worry about it.
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What makes you think
that you're a good fit
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for this particular position?
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Man, I got the
experience, I got the education,
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plus I bring some swag-eye,
you know, nobody in this
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company so far that
I've seen got swagin.
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This company needs
some swagger that the
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G- stack brings to the table.
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This is not swagger. Um hm
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Sadly, there's no particular
position that requires swagger.
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So it's going to be a
little tough for us to kind of
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place you because your
skill set is a little different.
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Yo man... how long
is it going to take man?
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I been, I got 7-1/2 minutes,
8-1/2 minutes you been talking
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trying to fit me in,
but I parked in a 10 minute
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parking slot man, in
1-1/2 minutes I'm gonna
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get towed - how long
is it gonna take man?
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Well actually, our interview
is really quite finished.
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We're pretty much done
here, and I want to thank you
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for coming in.
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Okay now, while I'm with
you, I have 30 seconds more.
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While I'm leaving
though, don't forget this man.
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See I got it,
G-stack got what you need,
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what this company
needs and the best decision
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you could make, sorry
about the glasses, is to fit me
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into this office...
you know what I'm saying.
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You gonna need what I
got, and you got what I need.
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I'm out, my
brother, don't forget me,
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don't forget me. Call me!
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Okay, let's be real about
this, "Grant G-stacks" has about
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an icicle's chance in
a forest fire of getting
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hired for this position.
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Grant violated all of the rules
for job interview etiquette.
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Mr. Martin has already
written him off for this job.
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With his dress, his
lingo, his demeanor,
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Grant, as cool as he
thinks he is, just wasted
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an hour out of his
day and Mr. Martin's too.
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Now, let's examine
Cole's approach to preparing
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for the interview and
see if he can do better
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than our friend
Grant... Should be easy!
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Loud sigh...we really
need to do a better job
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with our HR
process. "G-stacks?" Wow.
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Phone rings... Yes?
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Cole Elliot is
early for the interview.
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Oh, thank you,
thank you, send him in.
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Cole, how are you?
I'm good, thank you.
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Please have a
seat. Thank you sir.
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Good to see you. Yeah
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Thank you for
coming in and thank you for
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coming in so
early. Thank you sir.
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We will try not to take
up too much of your time.
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Don't worry sir, it's your
time - don't worry. Alrighty.
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Looked at your resume and
it's very solid, very strong.
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I need to tell
you, I'm not a fan of
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traditional interview
techniques, all right?
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So we're going to change
things up just a little bit.
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Okay. Great.
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Uh, you like basketball?
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Love it sir. Great, great.
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Let's suppose I'm the
coach of the basketball team,
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and we're hiring you to be
our point guard, all right?
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What I need to know
is... are you a shoot-first
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kind of point guard or are you
a distributor - making sure that
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everybody gets their shots,
everybody gets what they need
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so the team can be successful?
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Hmm, well honestly sir,
it depends on what the team
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needs, I mean - I believe in
preparation, so first I'll try
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to understand the needs
of the team or, in this case,
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the company and I'll
learn the opponent's weaknesses
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and strengths and I'll use
that on a play-by-play basis...
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And if I need to
score, I can do that;
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if I need to make my teammates
shine, I can do that also.
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And, no matter the situation,
it's all about the team
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and what the
team needs to succeed.
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All right, great, great!
00:08:06.55\00:08:07.98
Give me some idea of
what you think are your
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character strengths
and then give me an example
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of how you would use them.
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Hm, well I feel that I have
a great attention to detail,
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and I strive for accuracy
and for best presentation.
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And, my last boss assigned
me on a project to improve
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our accuracy and I
found multiple holes that I
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tried to fix and so
made some recommendations
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and since those
changes were implemented
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98% of the reports
that were sent to management
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never came back for accuracy
errors. Excellent, excellent!
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Tell me now... who is your
favorite basketball player?
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"Kobe Bryant," sir.
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Kobe Bryant - why
is he your favorite?
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Because he gives it all,
you know, sir, and he gives it
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all to win. Um hm, yeah, um hm.
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Do you see yourself as
sort of a corporate Kobe Bryant?
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No sir. Why not?
00:09:04.04\00:09:05.91
Well, I don't mind sharing
the ball, sir and that's like my
00:09:05.94\00:09:09.44
dad always says, "You can
have all the success you want
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if you give all the success
to other people." Um hm, um hm.
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Um hm, kind of a "Zig
Ziglar" philosophy, uh huh.
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Your dad is a very wise
man, you should listen to him.
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Thank you sir, thank you.
00:09:22.86\00:09:24.19
Well, we don't have much
more and you've done a fine job.
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Glad you came in... we
will be in touch, thank you!
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Alrighty. Thank
you, thank you sir.
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Take care. You too sir.
00:09:31.73\00:09:33.07
Ha, ha, ha - Kobe
Bryant...? whatever happened to
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Michael Jordan?
Those young people!
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Now Cole values
getting help from a mentor,
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and he got some
pretty good advice too.
00:09:51.45\00:09:53.49
If he follows it, he
should do well in his interview.
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Okay, let's think
about what we just saw...
00:09:57.56\00:10:01.03
We've already established that
the interviewer must like you
00:10:01.06\00:10:04.70
in order for you to get the job.
00:10:04.73\00:10:06.33
Cole definitely
impressed Mr. Martin and by all
00:10:06.37\00:10:10.67
indications has a shot at
landing a pretty cool job.
00:10:10.71\00:10:15.41
So let's look at what
needs to be done prior to
00:10:15.44\00:10:19.31
the initial shaking of
hands with an interviewer.
00:10:19.35\00:10:23.02
Research the
company on the internet.
00:10:23.05\00:10:25.02
Prepare questions to ask.
00:10:25.05\00:10:26.86
Dress one level above the
position you're applying for.
00:10:26.89\00:10:30.06
Arrive 20 minutes early.
00:10:30.09\00:10:31.56
Pray silently for confidence.
00:10:31.59\00:10:33.63
Before you go to your interview,
00:10:33.66\00:10:36.16
you need to do
a little research.
00:10:36.20\00:10:38.63
Interviewers love applicants
that walk into the room
00:10:38.67\00:10:42.84
and have an idea
about what company
00:10:42.87\00:10:45.57
they're interviewing with.
00:10:45.61\00:10:46.94
So, go to the
internet and find out as much
00:10:46.98\00:10:50.35
as you can about the company.
00:10:50.38\00:10:51.85
Find out about their products,
their goods, their services;
00:10:51.88\00:10:56.48
in fact, read any little
news clips about their company.
00:10:56.52\00:11:00.69
Know what they make,
how they make their money,
00:11:00.72\00:11:04.36
and if they're publicly
traded, it doesn't hurt to know
00:11:04.39\00:11:07.03
a little bit about their stock
price and their stock history.
00:11:07.06\00:11:11.60
The second thing you want
to research is the position.
00:11:11.63\00:11:14.30
What position
are you applying for?
00:11:14.34\00:11:16.67
If online, in any way, you
can find out what this position
00:11:16.71\00:11:20.11
does and what's some of
its responsibilities are...
00:11:20.14\00:11:23.41
In fact, if you don't
have the specific information
00:11:23.45\00:11:27.02
for that company, if you
can find general information
00:11:27.05\00:11:30.15
about that position -
when you're talking to the
00:11:30.19\00:11:32.82
recruiter, it helps
them understand that you know
00:11:32.85\00:11:36.86
what you're asking for.
00:11:36.89\00:11:39.13
Then you might want to do a
little looking at the pay...
00:11:39.16\00:11:42.16
How is the pay structure?
00:11:42.20\00:11:43.77
How much do they
pay for that position?
00:11:43.80\00:11:46.70
And, you can go online
and find so many different
00:11:46.74\00:11:49.57
websites that kind of give
you a general idea of how much
00:11:49.60\00:11:53.17
is paid for each position.
00:11:53.21\00:11:55.28
Now, the recruiter, the
interviewer - they are going
00:11:55.31\00:11:58.08
to have discussions about
pay and you should have an idea
00:11:58.11\00:12:02.55
about how much you're
going to be asking for
00:12:02.58\00:12:05.49
because they're going to ask
YOU what are you looking for?
00:12:05.52\00:12:09.42
Now here's the
interesting thing about pay...
00:12:09.46\00:12:11.53
The first one that talks about
money loses and let me explain.
00:12:11.56\00:12:15.43
The interviewer does not want to
tell you how much the job pays
00:12:15.46\00:12:20.00
because if they ask you how
much you're willing to work for
00:12:20.04\00:12:23.97
and it's less, that's probably
where you're going to start.
00:12:24.01\00:12:27.74
You are trying not to say
how much you'll settle for
00:12:27.78\00:12:31.25
because you want to
know how much they'll pay.
00:12:31.28\00:12:33.92
So there's a little
bit of a dance around pay.
00:12:33.95\00:12:36.85
The first person
that blinks loses...
00:12:36.89\00:12:38.99
But, if they ask you how
much you are definitely willing
00:12:39.02\00:12:42.92
to work for, it's good
to have done the research,
00:12:42.96\00:12:45.83
gone to the internet and
find out what's the average
00:12:45.86\00:12:49.46
pay for that position and don't
pick the high end of the scale,
00:12:49.50\00:12:53.20
pick the middle of the scale.
00:12:53.23\00:12:54.80
If it's between 80,000
and 95,000, find a number in
00:12:54.84\00:12:59.31
the middle
somewhere... 85,000, 87,000,
00:12:59.34\00:13:03.11
but make sure that you
have an idea of what would
00:13:03.14\00:13:06.35
work for you
and don't be greedy.
00:13:06.38\00:13:09.42
Understand the culture
that you're going into.
00:13:09.45\00:13:11.85
Also, look at that culture
and see if that's a place that
00:13:11.89\00:13:16.12
YOU would feel
comfortable working.
00:13:16.16\00:13:19.73
Ultimately in this process,
you must pray for discernment
00:13:19.76\00:13:24.27
and God's leading.
00:13:24.30\00:13:25.83
Every job that looks
good on a recruiting board
00:13:25.87\00:13:30.31
or on paper, may not
be what God wants for you.
00:13:30.34\00:13:34.08
God knows whether or not that
company is going to be around
00:13:34.11\00:13:37.31
He knows if there's going
to be a merger and the job
00:13:37.91\00:13:40.95
that you're applying for is
going to go away in 8-9 months,
00:13:40.98\00:13:44.92
a year or two once
you get settled in.
00:13:44.95\00:13:47.09
God knows everything
about what's going to happen
00:13:47.12\00:13:50.03
to that company... so pray
for His leading and guidance.
00:13:50.06\00:13:52.96
He may tell you -
apply somewhere else.
00:13:53.86\00:13:57.20
Listen to His voice -
it's the guarantee of success
00:13:57.23\00:14:01.30
in your life.
00:14:01.34\00:14:02.67
Now, let's look at what
we need to do on the day
00:14:02.70\00:14:07.84
of an interview.
00:14:07.88\00:14:09.88
"Acing an interview"
means that you want to start
00:14:09.91\00:14:13.35
the day of the
interview with a good mood.
00:14:13.38\00:14:17.75
Read promises from God's word.
00:14:17.79\00:14:20.89
One of the verses I
love is: "I can do all things
00:14:20.92\00:14:24.33
through Christ
who strengthens me."
00:14:24.36\00:14:26.63
Spend time that
morning, if you never spend time
00:14:26.66\00:14:30.40
in the word and
talking to God, no matter how
00:14:30.43\00:14:34.74
talented, gifted,
educated, bright, articulate,
00:14:34.77\00:14:37.87
no matter what your
gifts are - unless God is
00:14:37.91\00:14:41.44
blessing them that day,
may not be such a great day.
00:14:41.48\00:14:45.28
So spend time with Him
and get that divine connection
00:14:45.31\00:14:48.68
before you do anything else.
00:14:48.72\00:14:50.29
Now you also may want to
make sure the blood is flowing,
00:14:50.32\00:14:54.46
the energy is there, so you
might want to take a brisk walk
00:14:54.49\00:14:58.43
and kind of get the heart
pumping and the blood moving
00:14:58.46\00:15:01.73
and, by the way, that
kind of keeps you in a better
00:15:01.76\00:15:04.27
positive frame of mind.
00:15:04.30\00:15:06.94
You might want to work
out, you might want to stretch
00:15:06.97\00:15:08.70
a little bit and kind
of get pumped up, after the
00:15:08.74\00:15:13.07
walk and breathe some
good lungfuls of air...
00:15:13.11\00:15:17.48
You know, really make sure
that you're alive - all the
00:15:17.51\00:15:20.42
time communicating with
your Father, your Higher Power.
00:15:20.45\00:15:24.09
Now meditation and
prayer can also help you relax.
00:15:24.12\00:15:27.49
This is not a
day to get nervous.
00:15:27.52\00:15:29.12
In fact, think about this...
If God wants you to have this
00:15:29.16\00:15:34.20
job, you will have it,
so turn it over to Him.
00:15:34.23\00:15:38.00
In your prayer,
in your meditation,
00:15:38.03\00:15:40.34
ask Him for the
peace to trust Him.
00:15:40.37\00:15:43.74
So this isn't a moment
where you've got to make it all
00:15:43.77\00:15:46.71
happen - kind of relax,
sit back, you've done all the
00:15:46.74\00:15:51.68
work that you can do
and let God do what He does.
00:15:51.71\00:15:55.82
Give yourself a pep talk...
00:15:55.85\00:15:57.29
No matter what happens - before,
after or during this interview,
00:15:57.32\00:16:01.76
you are still a
favorite child of God.
00:16:01.79\00:16:04.86
You're still a person of
value, no matter WHAT is said
00:16:04.89\00:16:08.96
about you, no
matter what is said to you.
00:16:09.00\00:16:11.47
So give yourself a pep talk,
remind yourself who you are
00:16:11.50\00:16:14.70
and WHOSE you are.
00:16:14.74\00:16:16.07
Sing a favorite song -
in the car belt one out,
00:16:16.10\00:16:19.21
I mean let it rip,
enjoy it, clap your hands,
00:16:19.24\00:16:22.91
let yourself FEEL
that you're ALIVE!
00:16:22.94\00:16:25.68
Remember, no matter what happens
here, you're still going to be
00:16:25.71\00:16:28.95
there a person of value and God
00:16:28.98\00:16:30.95
is still going
to take care of you.
00:16:30.99\00:16:33.15
Recite your
favorite inspirational quote.
00:16:33.19\00:16:36.62
Let your ears hear your mouth
say something that moves you.
00:16:36.66\00:16:42.03
Now, how do you want to
appear during your interview?
00:16:42.06\00:16:46.37
Well first of all, you
need to be well-dressed.
00:16:46.40\00:16:49.47
The tip is - you need to dress
a level above the position.
00:16:49.50\00:16:53.64
So, let's say you're
applying for a position as
00:16:53.68\00:16:56.75
an accounting supervisor,
you need to dress like the
00:16:56.78\00:17:00.25
accounting manager would dress.
00:17:00.28\00:17:02.18
Now I know when we
talk about issues of dress,
00:17:02.22\00:17:04.59
people feel this is their
last area of individuality...
00:17:04.62\00:17:09.16
Well, that may be
true, but it is also
00:17:09.19\00:17:12.29
how you will be judged.
00:17:12.33\00:17:13.66
So dress above the position
that you're applying for.
00:17:13.70\00:17:17.87
It makes an
incredible impact on the people
00:17:17.90\00:17:20.97
that are interviewing you.
00:17:21.00\00:17:23.04
The next thing is - be
natural, just be yourself.
00:17:23.07\00:17:26.11
The nervousness - let's give
that to God, let's trust Him
00:17:26.14\00:17:30.01
to make the way
straight for us, but be natural.
00:17:30.05\00:17:32.65
Just be you - if your
hands move a certain way,
00:17:32.68\00:17:34.72
you talk a certain
way, just be who you are
00:17:34.75\00:17:37.09
because that's going to
come across as you being real
00:17:37.12\00:17:40.16
to the person
that's talking to you.
00:17:40.19\00:17:42.59
ALWAYS be on time.
00:17:42.62\00:17:45.16
There's nothing that
sends a message to the potential
00:17:45.19\00:17:48.66
employer about how you're
going to be as an employee
00:17:48.70\00:17:51.93
as someone who is
late; in fact, be early!
00:17:51.97\00:17:57.21
Now this might sound a little
hokey, but if you're early,
00:17:57.24\00:18:01.18
many times it signals to your
employer or your prospective
00:18:01.21\00:18:05.21
employer - this is somebody that
is going to be early to work.
00:18:05.25\00:18:08.98
They're really eager,
they really want this thing.
00:18:09.02\00:18:11.75
So always, always be on time.
00:18:11.79\00:18:14.56
In fact, if you're going
to be late, see if you could
00:18:14.59\00:18:17.49
postpone the interview.
00:18:17.53\00:18:19.69
But on-time sends a big
strong message to them about
00:18:19.73\00:18:23.50
how serious you are
about working for them
00:18:23.53\00:18:26.50
and how serious you'll be
about work once they hire you.
00:18:26.53\00:18:30.67
Stay company-focused
with everything that you say
00:18:30.71\00:18:34.71
to the interviewer.
00:18:34.74\00:18:36.08
Getting them to focus
on how your specific skills
00:18:36.11\00:18:40.58
can help them in
their organization.
00:18:40.92\00:18:43.08
Ask questions based
on what you've learned,
00:18:43.12\00:18:45.69
the research that you did
about the company and be ready
00:18:45.72\00:18:49.49
to elaborate on any information
that you put on your resume...
00:18:49.72\00:18:53.93
which is why we said,
when you write the resume,
00:18:53.96\00:18:56.10
make sure that you're
absolutely perfectly honest.
00:18:56.13\00:19:01.34
Now, practice makes perfect and
perfect practice makes perfect.
00:19:01.37\00:19:08.14
You need to practice
your interviewing skills even
00:19:08.18\00:19:11.25
when there is no
pending interview.
00:19:11.28\00:19:13.42
You need to keep these
up, so here's what you do...
00:19:13.45\00:19:16.08
Ask a family member
or a professional friend
00:19:16.12\00:19:20.26
or a mentor or anybody
that you can coerce to put you
00:19:20.29\00:19:25.59
through your paces prior
to an important interview.
00:19:25.63\00:19:29.23
Skilled interviewers will pose
behavioral interview questions
00:19:29.26\00:19:33.84
and they're going
to ask you to describe
00:19:33.87\00:19:36.44
specific
examples of an experience.
00:19:36.47\00:19:39.67
In these situations,
your response can easily last
00:19:39.71\00:19:43.14
much longer than 90 seconds,
but try to keep the answers
00:19:43.18\00:19:46.98
short and concise.
00:19:47.02\00:19:49.08
The five most common
interview questions include:
00:19:49.12\00:19:53.36
#1. Biggie - so tell me about
your weaknesses and strengths.
00:19:53.39\00:19:59.69
Now some people answer those
in the most ridiculous ways.
00:19:59.73\00:20:04.17
We heard one that said,
"Tell me about your weaknesses,"
00:20:04.20\00:20:07.04
and the person responded,
"Well one of my weaknesses
00:20:07.07\00:20:09.84
is that I'm a workaholic
and I work so hard that my
00:20:09.87\00:20:13.84
employer has to
tell me to slow down."
00:20:13.88\00:20:16.04
Yeah - we're buying that one.
00:20:16.08\00:20:19.15
Or tell me about your strengths,
and you elaborate on how
00:20:19.18\00:20:22.05
wonderful and fantastic you are.
00:20:22.08\00:20:24.05
Now the interviewer is
expecting to hear you talk
00:20:24.09\00:20:27.02
about your
strengths and weaknesses,
00:20:27.06\00:20:29.92
but they want you to be real.
00:20:29.96\00:20:31.56
They want you to be honest and
there's probably an area that
00:20:31.59\00:20:34.53
you're weak in, not a
major one, that you're able to
00:20:34.56\00:20:37.50
share and kind of let them
know what kind of a employee
00:20:37.53\00:20:41.14
they are getting.
00:20:41.17\00:20:42.60
Second question -
happens all the time...
00:20:42.64\00:20:45.44
"Why did you
quit or get terminated
00:20:45.47\00:20:48.58
from your previous position?"
00:20:48.61\00:20:50.25
Now be very careful when
you answer this question.
00:20:50.28\00:20:55.32
If you answer it
based on relationships,
00:20:55.35\00:20:57.72
it could be a problem.
00:20:57.75\00:20:59.09
"Well I left my last job
because my boss was an idiot."
00:20:59.12\00:21:02.92
Or, "I left my last job
because I hated my coworkers."
00:21:02.96\00:21:07.06
Or, "I left my last job because
00:21:07.10\00:21:08.46
the people there
just didn't get me."
00:21:08.50\00:21:10.37
And do you see what you
just told the interviewer?
00:21:10.40\00:21:13.47
You just told them that whether
it's your boss, coworkers,
00:21:13.50\00:21:17.31
people that you work
with, you're not going to a
00:21:17.61\00:21:20.58
good job fit.
00:21:20.61\00:21:21.94
Now remember, their job
is to make sure that you fit
00:21:21.98\00:21:24.61
into the position they
are interviewing you for...
00:21:24.85\00:21:27.48
So why should they choose you?
00:21:27.52\00:21:29.28
#3. Why should we hire you?
00:21:29.32\00:21:33.56
Make this a good one.
00:21:33.59\00:21:34.92
Ah, you can use terms like
"career growth, interesting
00:21:34.96\00:21:38.83
company," there are a
lot of answers you can use;
00:21:38.86\00:21:41.56
however, please do not
say, "You should hire me
00:21:41.60\00:21:44.43
because this
position pays a lot of money,
00:21:44.47\00:21:46.97
and I'd like to
make a lot of money."
00:21:47.00\00:21:49.34
Now that may be absolutely true,
00:21:49.37\00:21:51.47
but there are
better ways to say that.
00:21:51.51\00:21:53.27
In fact, one of the
best ways I've heard about
00:21:53.31\00:21:55.64
someone that wants to grow and
develop is simply saying that.
00:21:55.68\00:21:59.35
"Hey, I looked at your
company and it looked like
00:21:59.38\00:22:02.18
an organization where I
could really grow and develop
00:22:02.22\00:22:05.82
to the best of my abilities."
00:22:05.85\00:22:07.89
Now, here's where they
want to find out if you know
00:22:07.92\00:22:11.23
how to problem-solve
and deal with issues.
00:22:11.26\00:22:13.96
So they're going to ask
you, "Tell me about a problem
00:22:14.00\00:22:16.40
that you had with a
previous supervisor, team member
00:22:16.43\00:22:20.40
or employee."
00:22:20.44\00:22:21.80
And what they want to
hear from you here is...
00:22:21.84\00:22:24.74
4. How do you handle adversity?
00:22:24.77\00:22:27.68
So what you might tell
them... "Well I had a supervisor
00:22:27.71\00:22:30.58
who was rather skeptical about
me working a certain project
00:22:30.61\00:22:35.82
and I was able
to win them over by:
00:22:35.85\00:22:39.22
a. Doing all my work well.
00:22:39.25\00:22:41.69
b. Winning in small projects.
00:22:41.72\00:22:44.36
c. Finally get a chance to
show my skills and abilities
00:22:44.39\00:22:48.93
on a bigger project.
00:22:48.96\00:22:50.30
And from thereon out, they
were able to use me in some
00:22:50.33\00:22:52.67
pretty important projects."
00:22:52.70\00:22:54.57
Now what you just told the
interviewer there is that you
00:22:54.60\00:22:57.47
grew and developed and
instead of fighting that person,
00:22:57.51\00:23:00.91
you were able to sell them on
what you brought to the table.
00:23:00.94\00:23:04.28
5. This is a biggie...
Tell me about a time when you
00:23:04.31\00:23:09.85
made a mistake.
00:23:09.88\00:23:11.85
Please be honest...
Now I'm probably not
00:23:11.89\00:23:14.86
going to tell you about
the biggest mistake I ever made
00:23:14.89\00:23:17.63
because that might
scare you just a bit,
00:23:17.66\00:23:19.89
but we've all made
mistakes, we are human beings.
00:23:19.93\00:23:23.00
So pick one that didn't turn
into an incredible disaster,
00:23:23.03\00:23:25.93
preferably one that you
were able to fix once you
00:23:25.97\00:23:28.90
were aware of it and
share that with them.
00:23:28.94\00:23:31.71
What they really
want to know is...
00:23:31.74\00:23:34.81
Are you human?
00:23:34.84\00:23:37.65
Now, during the
interview, don't talk too much.
00:23:37.68\00:23:42.98
The average interviewer's
attention span looks
00:23:43.02\00:23:47.29
something like this...
00:23:47.32\00:23:48.72
As you begin speaking,
the interviewer is listening
00:23:48.76\00:23:52.36
with nearly full attention,
then after about 10 seconds,
00:23:52.39\00:23:56.26
he begins listening
with less than intensely.
00:23:56.30\00:23:58.80
After about 60 seconds,
his mind begins to wander
00:23:58.83\00:24:02.57
and he is remembering he
has to pickup the children
00:24:02.60\00:24:04.67
from school and he's devoting
00:24:04.71\00:24:06.88
less than half
his attention to you.
00:24:06.91\00:24:09.24
Now, the interviewer
starts asking questions about
00:24:09.28\00:24:13.05
your responses or begins
formulating his next interview
00:24:13.08\00:24:16.99
question while he's thinking.
00:24:17.02\00:24:19.19
Now after you've been
speaking for 90 seconds without
00:24:19.22\00:24:21.62
any
interruption... Oo, oo, oo, ooo,
00:24:21.66\00:24:23.59
the interviewer is
barely listening at all.
00:24:23.63\00:24:26.59
So when you're
attempting to sell yourself,
00:24:26.63\00:24:28.53
don't take the conversation
and run away with it
00:24:28.56\00:24:31.23
because they really
might not be listening.
00:24:31.27\00:24:34.77
The last thing
they're going to ask you is...
00:24:34.80\00:24:38.37
"Well, do you
have any questions?"
00:24:38.74\00:24:41.24
Now to be impressive,
you want to ask about some
00:24:41.28\00:24:44.81
issue that during the
research about that company...
00:24:44.85\00:24:48.05
that you learned or
maybe even something personally
00:24:48.08\00:24:51.35
while you have
that conversation.
00:24:51.39\00:24:52.72
It's so impressive
when you ask about...
00:24:52.75\00:24:56.39
"Well what's the
biggest push this company
00:24:56.42\00:24:58.09
is making this
year or what's the focus
00:24:58.13\00:25:01.50
of the organization this year?"
00:25:01.53\00:25:02.86
"Where could my
talents best be used to
00:25:02.90\00:25:05.03
make this
company win this year?"
00:25:05.10\00:25:06.84
Man, does that sound like
you're ready to go with this!
00:25:06.87\00:25:09.84
And, here's when
you make it personal...
00:25:09.87\00:25:11.87
Since people like to
talk about themselves,
00:25:11.91\00:25:14.41
ask them, "What in this company
made it so good for you?"
00:25:14.44\00:25:18.78
This interviewer, who obviously
is like everybody else,
00:25:18.81\00:25:22.48
once they start
sharing why they enjoy it,
00:25:22.52\00:25:25.59
you'll get an insight
not only into the company,
00:25:25.62\00:25:28.69
but you'll get an
insight into them.
00:25:28.72\00:25:30.93
Remember, talking about
ourselves is most peoples
00:25:30.96\00:25:34.23
favorite subject.
00:25:34.26\00:25:35.60
At any rate, your final
questions should reflect
00:25:35.63\00:25:38.60
interest in being an
asset to the company.
00:25:38.63\00:25:42.30
Now, here's a set of
questions that will completely
00:25:42.34\00:25:45.81
turn the interviewer
off at the end of your
00:25:45.84\00:25:48.64
wonderful
interview, here's one...
00:25:48.68\00:25:50.88
"Do you have any
questions for me?"
00:25:50.91\00:25:53.08
"Yes, I'd like to know
how many sick days you give?"
00:25:53.11\00:25:56.08
I'm pretty sure that
signals, you're not even sick
00:25:56.12\00:26:00.46
at the moment, but
you're planning on it
00:26:00.49\00:26:02.69
as soon as you get
there and get hired.
00:26:02.72\00:26:05.66
"How many
vacation days do you have?"
00:26:05.69\00:26:08.10
Well, you haven't been
hired yet and you're still
00:26:08.13\00:26:12.03
trying to figure out how
soon you can take time off.
00:26:12.07\00:26:15.20
It's not a bad thing to
do, but it is simply giving the
00:26:15.24\00:26:18.94
wrong message
to the interviewer.
00:26:18.97\00:26:22.24
Remember, you need to
focus on what you can do
00:26:22.28\00:26:26.18
for them, not necessarily
what they can do for you.
00:26:26.21\00:26:30.09
Finally, panel types come in
different sizes and different
00:26:30.12\00:26:33.92
forms - sometimes it's
a one-on-one interview,
00:26:33.96\00:26:36.73
sometimes it's a
two-person interview,
00:26:36.76\00:26:39.96
and occasionally it's a
panel interview where they all
00:26:40.00\00:26:43.03
line up in front of
you and ask you questions.
00:26:43.06\00:26:46.17
Let me tell you, no
matter what, God is with you.
00:26:46.20\00:26:49.40
Well, that's all the time
that we have today, friends.
00:26:49.44\00:26:52.17
So use the information
we shared with you today,
00:26:52.21\00:26:55.71
and know for sure
that your next interview
00:26:55.74\00:26:59.11
will be an
impressive and blessed one.
00:26:59.15\00:27:02.32
Remember, you are powerless
over what they can do to you,
00:27:02.35\00:27:06.79
but they are powerless
over what God will do for you.
00:27:06.82\00:27:11.29
This is Eric
Kelly, until next time,
00:27:11.33\00:27:13.50
keep "Working the Dream"
00:27:13.53\00:27:16.33