Powerful Interview Close Gets Job Offers

(see video below)
I had the awesome opportunity to speak at the ETP Charlotte Networking Group. This career management training education team located in Charlotte, NC is hosted by Empowering Today's Professionals (ETP) faculty leader Amanda Sherman.  She is also CEO and founder of Gala Affairs by ATUrBest, which provides event planning services in the Charlotte area.  On behalf of the ETP executive committee, I also had the honor of presenting a leadership excellence award to Amanda.   This places Mrs. Sherman in the ETP Who's Who Hall of Fame, for outstanding leadership in pioneering the Charlotte Networking Group, as a local community service for over a year.

In this training session I covered the topic of Running Your Career with a Business Owner Mentality, as the CEO of ME, Inc.. One of the hats worn by business owners is being a sales person.  Selling definitely comes into play during a job interview.  The end of an interview is your opportunity to help the interviewer decide that you are the best candidate for the job.  ETP member, Tiana Reid, shot the video below. I think she got my best side :-)  Whether you're the first, middle or last person being interviewed, this closing creates a memorable "Wow" moment.  Each interviewer will definitely remember you. Practice this close using a recording device and the mirror to achieve a high impact value proposition that eliminates the competition.

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Selling is a By Product of Developing Relationships, Not a Goal

Networking strategist, Mindy Selinger, has a down home way of succinctly distilling the true essence of developing win-win-win human relationships.   Whether you are a networking newbie or power networker Mindy's book, Face to Face Networking Skills In a Social Media World, provides one of the best primers on networking.  In today's economy, networking as a survival tool and front page news are interwoven into daily conversations.  The shyest of professionals in a job search, employees and entrepreneurs can put their business into high gear, by reading this networking course contained in 90 pages.

Right up front, Mindy provides a cautionary tale that hits the reader in the gut.  Selling has nothing to do with networking.  Power networking authors like Rick Frishman (Networking Magic) and Keith Ferrazzi (Never Eat Alone) certainly give solid definitions on what networking is about.  Ms. Selinger deftly reintroduces John Naisbett's (Megatrends) definition that networking is "the exchange of ideas, information and resources".  No where in that statement does "selling" appear.  This means "selling" has no place in initial networking conversations.

The grand finale of reading this book is Mindy inviting readers to continue their networking training with lunch and learn continuing education, which she provides to groups.  Just like success, developing good relationship networking skills is an ongoing journey, which Mindy Selinger teaches so well.   She also provides venues to practice networking techniques around the United States with NetworkingEventFinders.com, which Mindy founded.

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