Canada, Congratulations You Are Hired: It was Easier than you thought

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

To my amazing Parents Adrian & Rachel,

Thank you, for your patience, love and support; in my numerous adventures in life. As the days pass, I still continue to learn from both of you about the importance of so many things including honesty and integrity. I can only hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to be a role-model to others as you have been to me. Your wisdom continues to awe and inspire me. I love you both and am honoured to call you Mom and Dad.

I dedicate this book in loving memory of my father who always believed in my potential and I know continues to guide and watch over me.

Preface

Why should I buy this book?

This book is not about teaching you more of what you know it’s about ensuring you know how to stand out above the competition; by using proven tools and techniques that will get you noticed in any industry for any job in any economy. It’s about tweaking and refining your approach to finding the perfect job for you!

Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.

H. Jackson Browne

Many qualified and capable individuals have found themselves scrambling to find any job they can; willing to settle for anything just to make ends meet. After a few negative experiences many start having fears and doubts, so much so that we lose sight of who we are! How does this affect us? Do we start playing it safe and safer and safer in order to avoid getting hurt? Do we give up our dreams and our passions? Do we throw out our laughter, our joy and our self expression? If you are like me; as the bills pile up and your confidence in your abilities diminishes you may experience this. You may get stuck in a vicious circle of failure and disappointment and forget why you were good at what you did. Having a unique resume, being able to wow your interviewer, looking for work in the right places and focusing your energy will only result in success. I promise YOU!

For most people, they feel completely drained and uninspired when their job search has elapsed a certain period of time. Do you know them? Have you been one? Do you feel completely stopped in one or several areas of your life for days, weeks, months and even years! Want to know how to get out of being unstuck of this disastrous draining wheel of life? Regain your confidence. Bring back the passion for your work. Take a leap of faith that being different will pay off big as you will land a position that is better than you could have imagined.

So why don’t more people take this leap of faith, why do we keep making the same mistakes, why do we all have the same cookie cutter resume, answer most interview questions with the same text book answers and email blast our resume everywhere? What do you think happens? Life happens, life gets in the way of living and we get stuck on the wheel of life. Most people have heard of the 80-20 rule but don’t really understand it. It’s simple; the majority of unemployed individuals are looking at 20% of the jobs and then throw their hands up in the air in frustration as they feel can’t find anything. By adding flavor and personality you will have confidence and you will get noticed!

We get stuck in routines and responsibilities that prevent us from fulfilling our dreams. We play it safe, instead of taking that leap of faith and truly believing in our talents and abilities. We spend hours online looking for a job instead of pounding the pavement and going to talk to people. We settle for less than what we are destined to do. How different would your life look like if you took the leap of faith and just followed your dreams? Just imagine how happy you would be, doing what you love and making a living at it. We live in a world where innovation and creativity are the key components of implementing change and redefining the existing business model.

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.

Steve Jobs

Following your dreams should especially hold true for what you do for a living, as you spend a majority of your life doing it. You need to show that you have value to offer, that you bring something to the table that no one else can offer. Oprah Winfrey said You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it. This book will bring to light just what an important role you play in getting work done efficiently and effectively in order to help a company grow and increase overall profits.

The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!

Earl Nightingale

Introduction

Josef Stetter has coached and trained over 8,500 job seekers and new immigrants on finding a job in their field. Using his techniques he has had an 85% success rate in finding people jobs within three months. What makes this astonishing is that these people had no Canadian experience, some had criminal records, disabilities, and many were regular job seekers at all levels. It was simply his coaching that made the difference. Whether the economy is good or bad there are jobs available! It really comes down to how you market yourself, how you make yourself stand out. Josef has successfully helped people find work in all industries including: Engineering, Education, Sales, IT, HR, Pharmaceutical, Marketing, Project Management and Construction and to find the jobs they wanted. It doesn’t matter what industry or position you seek, as long as you have the specific technical knowledge for the job and the passion. It is all about who you are. What you bring to the table is the same for any job in any industry.

Here are a couple of examples

Josef’s brother was just finishing his third year of mechanical engineering and had applied to a company for an internship. However, by the time the company responded with an interview he had already registered for fourth year and had decided he no longer wanted that job. So he asked Josef to cancel the interview. As a career coach, Josef thought this would be a great way to personally try out his seven step program. So he went to the interview as his brother. Keep in mind that he had no engineering knowledge; he had only studied economics and business. All he knew was what he had written on his brother's resume.

In the first interview he was in competition with more than 100 engineering students from four universities. Within forty-five minutes the company called to ask if he would meet with the hiring manager. During that meeting, Josef simply repeated what he knew from his brother's resume. For example, that his brother had been on a team that designed a wheelchair for third world nations that uses a tank chain and, therefore, can go on any terrain. The project won second prize in Ontario for the best mechanical engineering project of the year along with a $500 prize from the Royal Bank of Canada. Josef also told the manager that his brother had studied quantum physics and thermal dynamics even though Josef himself had not a clue about what those were. Fifteen minutes after the interview the manager called him to say that he wanted Josef to come in for third and final interview. Out of the one-hundred initial candidates Josef – a non-engineer – made it to the final three.

The next morning he was first to arrive at 8:30 a.m. sharp. The manager came over and said, Congratulations, this is your letter of offer. All you have to do is pass this mechanical engineering test. After looking repeatedly at the test and the manager Josef finally said I am sorry, but I cannot do this test. I guess I am a lot more comfortable with design than I am with calculations. I am not the right candidate for you. I am truly sorry for wasting your time. The manager replied, I know you’re nervous, let me help you. He then proceeded to give Josef answers for the first three questions. Amazed, Josef responded, I’m flattered, but I cannot take this job I’m not the right candidate. The manager followed Josef to his car and begged him to take the job arguing that he had interviewed so much better than all the other engineers.

Without any engineering skills and by simply using his own seven-step interview technique Josef had stood out above far more technically qualified candidates and could have landed the job.

A final illustration of how effective Josef’s seven-step technique can be is the time Josef and a friend were discussing a new job she wished she could land. Believing she was severely under qualified she thought she had no chance at landing the job. Josef suggested she try his seven-step program. At first she resisted. After all, she thought, how could some predefined seven-step interviewing process make up for her lack of technical qualification?

Fortunately, Josef persisted and as he described his seven-step program she began to realize its value. As a result, and along with Josef’s suggestions for modifying her resume not only was she interviewed but within two weeks was actually offered the job! They told her she was best candidate out of more than 100 they had interviewed. The position had been open for more than six months and no one had even came close to passing the second interview that comprised of eight people from different departments. Thanks to Josef’s coaching and his techniques his friend was able to amaze them, deal with the various personality types effectively and have them all agree that she was indeed the right person for the job.

Now, readers can discover Josef’s seven-step techniques and more by simply reading this book and get started on their path to success.

Good luck with your career.

Josef Stetter

FOREWORD

Barry, the phones for you!’ my mother called out. Thinking it was one of my friends calling me to come out and play baseball; I excitedly picked up the phone and said, Hey Randy -what time do we start?"

This isn’t Randy -but you start Thursday if that’s okay? said the female voice on the other end of the line.

I’m sorry, who is this? I embarrassingly choked out.

The voice giggled and said, It’s Susan from Student Manpower -the hardware store called and told us they want you to start Thursday -Congratulations, you got the job!

After thanking Susan and apologizing for my phone blunder, I thanked her for her assistance in securing me my first job that did not involve working in our family business.

I had always wondered what it would be like to search for a job like my friends had to. Working in the family business was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I always had a job to go to. A curse because the job was always implied -I did not have a choice!

Many of my friends had to apply for jobs, go for interviews and wait anxiously by the phone to see if they would get the job that would allow them to spend their days working for someone else -so they could spend their nights hanging out, going on dates and buying stuff we didn’t really need -just so we could look cool and fit in.

I was now in the same position, as my Dad sold his business and the new owner was shutting it down for a few months so he could renovate the building. After consulting with my buddies -I took their suggestion and went to the Student Employment Centre.

Susan was my contact person and she was enthusiastic about my chances because of the experience I had accumulated working for Mom and Dad.

As my telephone call was ending I excitedly blurted out, Thanks again Susan, I really appreciate your help!

My pleasure Barry. Before you hang up, would you like me to tell you what the client said when he called to tell me the job was yours? After I told her that I’d be happy to hear what my new boss had said, Susan continued, He had seen you work when he visited your Dad’s gas station and carwash and he was impressed with your work ethic and that’s why he wanted you.

It does not matter whether you are 16 or 60, whether you are pumping gas or working in an office, one of the most beautiful phrases you will ever hear is, Congratulations -You’re Hired!

This book should be your constant companion as you search for your next adventure. In my opinion, Josef Stetter has assembled the ultimate job search guide for you.

However -you must be careful -reading this book will fill your mind with great ideas and fill your heart with hope -but it will all be for not

If you do not USE the strategies that Josef has laid out for you. Accumulating more knowledge is always admirable but knowledge without implementation leads to frustration.

Whether you are searching for work and trying to attain employment or you have a job and you are searching for a new challenge, this guide book will be your secret weapon in taking on the job hunt.

Some of the strategies will invite you to step outside your normal comfort zone. You may be tempted to say, Oh, I could never do that! in response to some of Josef’s inventive suggestions. WHY NOT? would be my question to you.

Without sounding too harsh, if you do not have a job now or you are unhappy in your current position -What is the worst that can happen if you don’t try these ideas? I think the worst thing would be -you don’t get the new job. Agreed? Simple logic tells us -you do not have the job now anyway -so what did you lose by trying the new idea? Nothing.

Like Mark Twain said, If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got. Trying something different may be the KEY to getting the position you want.

Imagine yourself in possession of the job that you really want. Visualize yourself walking in to your ideal place of employment, speaking with your work mates, going to lunch with your new friends, having the customers call your boss and saying, That new person you hired, they are amazing!

When you get to your job interview, and your prospective new boss says, Do you have any questions? You simply reply with, "Yes, I have one question. When a client calls in to tell you that I have done a wonderful job for them -what specifically have I done to make our client so happy?" Ask that question and stay silent!

Your question has accomplished a few things: it has put the employer in a position to imagine YOU already in possession of the job and it shows them that you are focused on making the clients happy. Happy clients make happy bosses.

Dive into the pages of this book. Swim around and bathe in the brilliance of the ideas that Josef has presented and it should not be too long before you hear the words; Congratulations -You’re Hired!

Barry Spilchuk

Coauthor -A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul® Founder -Canada’s Public Speaking Academy www.CanadasPublicSpeakingAcademy.com

Congratulations You Are Hired: It was Easier than you thought.

Chapter 1

GETTING EXCITED ABOUT YOU!

GETTING EXCITED ABOUT YOU!

It’s time to make changes in your life and find a new and exciting career. Regardless of whether you are looking for security, income, growth or happiness, searching for a career you absolutely love is easier than you think and can be found at any time. This resource manual will provide with all the tools necessary to make your transition in finding new employment smooth and easy.

REMEMBER It’s not experience that counts or college degrees or other conventionally accepted factors; success hinges on a fit with the job. Harvard Business Review.

Before getting started on your job search it is important to examine what drives you in life and what you are excited about. Take some time to answer some of the following questions to help get you into an excited state of mind and thus manifesting success in this venture and change of career. The answers do not have to be from your career but can be used as a source of inspiration.

Success Factors

1. What are you proud of and why?

2. Think of something you have been successful at. What is it? Why were you successful?

3. Can you replicate the effort of your success in other parts of your life? If so, how?

4. What would your life look like if you had more successes?

5. What is it specifically that you want to be successful for/at?

6. What are you willing to commit to in order to succeed?

7. Are you willing to be successful despite repetitive failures? Why?

8. What can you learn from failure and trying until you succeed?

9. Are you willing to be humble and develop a farmer's attitude (do everything your mentor says and to do it exactly as they say it)? Remember, if you have an attitude of being too good few will want to mentor you. Mentors are essential for success!

10. Are you confident enough to keep at it until you see the results you want? Why?

11. Can you get into the mindset that feedback in any form good or bad can only improve you and make you successful? Why is this important?

12. Decide when you will get started, no time like the present!!! [Hint: Pick a date]

Chapter 2

THE INTERVIEW PROCESS MADE EASY

7 RULES TO A WOW INTERVIEW

PREPPING FOR THE PERFECT INTERVIEW

Great news, you have an interview!

Date of interview: _____

The company name is: . _____

Their address is: _____

Their website is: _____

To begin preparing, search on the company and/or the person interviewing you. You can use LinkedIn, Zoominfo, Google+ and more so you will have additional information. Researching the company before the interview is very important as preparation is 40% of what it takes to ace the interview.

You will be meeting with ______ who is ______ (position/title): . His/her phone number is ______ in case there is a problem but also to call and to confirm the interview.

Her/his e-mail address is ______.

This is for you to send and thank them with a thank-you letter after the interview. To further impress, mention the key points discussed during the interview. This helps establish the confidence that you are

the best candidate because you are one of only a few who took the time to listen and to understand what the company really needs.

When going for an interview it is important that you remember the interviewer is asking what’s in it for him/her to hire you; in other words what is the End Result you can produce.

There are 3 things companies listen for when deciding who to hire:

1. Can you make them more money?

2. Can you save them more money?

3. Can you make them more efficient?

If you have the confidence that you have the job your answers will correlate to your ability to do the job better than anyone else.

Exercise:

Pick at least five examples that highlight your achievements and contributions.

Include dollar amounts, percentages, time savings or inventory controls that your contributions have made. Mention any policies and procedures you created. If it's technical work mention templates, macros, or software that you modified or created, any documents that you created to standardize work and communication. Mentioning specific operational efficiency gains you contributed is also important.

Key point: be specific

Use phrases like:

1. What I’m proud of,

2. Where I was successful,

3. The significance of my work was,

4. The results I achieved,

5. The contributions I made,

6. The achievements/accomplishments,

7. The importance of my work

8. The impact of my work –

Rather than using my duties were, my responsibilities were, use these eight phrases with specific examples to help distinguish you! It will also show your confidence and highlight what you bring