 As you complete your summer internship, you might not be thinking about becoming a CEO, but it's crucial to start developing a CEO mindset. Adopting this mindset opens up various possibilities, such as getting ahead in your career, starting a business, and even becoming a CEO. Are you alarmed by the onslaught of headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over jobs as shown below: India now has AI news anchors. I tuned in and within the first 5 minutes, it's clear that news presenters are in serious trouble. ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners.IBM could replace 7,800 jobs with artificial intelligence, CEO saysChatGPT creator says AI advocates are fooling themselves if they think the technology is only going to be good for workers: 'Jobs are definitely going to go away' However, amidst these advancements, one thing is certain – there will always be a demand for individuals with a CEO mindset. Conversely, those who adopt a "worker bee" mindset (i.e. performing the same tasks in the same way each day) will be vulnerable to AI. To safeguard against such vulnerabilities, you must get AI insurance by cultivating a CEO mindset, starting with your current job as an intern. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. So, how do you develop a CEO mindset? Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of HP, provides valuable insights into developing a CEO mindset in this podcast "Learning Leader by Ryan Hawk" titled "Episode #307: Carly Fiorina – Why You Should Run Towards The Fire" and in her book, "Find Your Way: Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential." She emphasizes the importance of a strong work ethic, regardless of your current job. Even when she was a secretary, she committed to working hard and excelling in whatever tasks she was assigned. For young people who might not feel fully engaged in their current job, Carly advises that it doesn't have to be the perfect job. Instead, doing a good job allows you to learn about yourself and those around you. Opportunities will arise, and you should fearlessly embrace them. Carly Fiorina's exceptional approach involved actively solving problems and collaborating with others to improve the situation. This CEO mindset garnered attention and led to more opportunities for her. Based on Carly Fiorina's advice, here are essential steps to follow at your current job:
To unlock your CEO mindset during your current internship, consider the following questions:
Remember to document your thought process and findings. The path to fostering a CEO mindset begins with your internship and continues throughout your career. Key points to keep in mind while you are working as an intern:
CEOs get to the top because they have solved a lot of big problems that got them noticed and were entrusted with more responsibilities. You don’t need a title to think, act and speak like a CEO. You can easily learn by reading and observing.
By following this blueprint, you can lay the foundation to develop your CEO mindset. Remember, it all starts with your internship and continues throughout your journey to the top – and remaining there. ########  I guide people succeed when they want to win, such as getting a good job, advancing in career or winning a sales deal.
I wrote a practical, no-nonsense book on winning titled Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. Get the Free Speech Checklist Email: joza@winningspeechmoments.com Phone: 732-847-9877 Time is Money, Communication is Wealth
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 Photo by DL Wyer on Unsplash Most people like watching the popular TV show Shark Tank because it is entertaining and can teach you a lot about entrepreneurship. But even if you don't aspire to become an entrepreneur, it can also teach you a lot about how to ace a job interview. It's hard for entrepreneurs to get on Shark Tank. Very few get to pitch their business to "sharks" (investors interested in funding entrepreneurs' business for equity). Getting a deal from "sharks" is harder. You have to prove your mettle and your growth potential. Similarly, getting a job interview is hard; walking away with a job offer is harder. Getting a deal on "Shark Tank" is not much different than getting a job. You have to use the same skills. Just like entrepreneurs on Shark Tank, to get a job, you must have these five things: Product, Purpose, Passion, Presentation, and Prize. Product Entrepreneurs on Shark Tank have a product or service they have developed over a long time. The product must solve customers' problems and make money. In a job interview, you are the product. And you have to show how you can solve an employers' problem so they can make money. Purpose This is your why. Most entrepreneurs on Shark Tank have a good story on why they are entrepreneurs. Sharks like to hear about entrepreneurs' why before they invest. When interviewing, you must have your why. Interviewers need to know why do you love what you do as a professional. Passion Entrepreneurs on Shark Tank are passionate about their products. This is a MUST. If entrepreneurs can't get excited about their product, they can't get "sharks" excited about making an investment. You must do the same when you are interviewing. You must show passion for your product---You--- and the value you will deliver. Presentation Entrepreneurs on Shark Tank are judged on how well they can present to "sharks." This is the test all entrepreneurs must ace. In a job interview, you must also do the same. You have to show who you are, what you have, and why they should care. If you do this well, you are likely to get the job. Prize Entrepreneurs know why they are on Shark Tank. They want a deal from the "sharks" to take their business to the next level. Also, they need to show why they are a prize for the sharks to want a bet on them. In a job interview, you must focus on getting a job offer and showing why the employer should bet on you to drive growth. Presentation Wins Deals To secure a deal from "sharks," entrepreneurs have to do a great job at presenting their product, business, and growth. Similarly, getting a job comes down to how well you can articulate the value you bring to an employer. You have to show confidence by displaying these five attributes in your interview like you are on "Shark Tank":
Simplicity Sharks get pitched a lot, so entrepreneurs must keep it simple. The successful ones tell, sell and close.
You have to do the same when interviewing. You have to keep it simple and must tell, sell and close. Clarity Entrepreneurs who are talking too much and not clear of what they are doing and where they want to go with their business are less likely to get a deal. The ones who get a deal are very clear and don't make the sharks think too hard. You must do the same when you are interviewing. Clarity is key to your success. You want to say less and let the interviewers ask for more if they are interested in knowing more details. Remember, the more words you use, the more you will confuse. You are likely to make the interviewers think hard. And when they have to think hard, they don't make a decision in your favor. Focus A lot of entrepreneurs lose deals because they are not focused. Lack of focus confuses the sharks, and they don't invest. In a job interview, you must stay focused on your message, narrative, problem-solving skills, and the value you can deliver to an employer. And keep repeating it. Saying it once is not enough. In the Old Testament, you see the Lord reminding Israelites how He rescued them from Egypt and gave them the land filled with milk and honey? There is a lot of repetition in the Bible. And the Bible is still the most popular book in the world. In an interview, act like a Lord and repeat what value you have delivered and will deliver in the future. It works. Money Entrepreneurs must be able to talk about money confidently. They must explain how much money they have made. How they plan to make more money in the future and how. Entrepreneurs are judged heavily on their ability to explain money. In a sense, it's all about money. Similarly, you must talk about money you have made for previous employers. How you plan to make money for the employer with whom you are interviewing. You are going to be judged on this part of the interview more closely than anything else. Employers may like what you can do for them, but it is your job to link it to money. Companies are in business to make money and lots of it. If you have done it, say it. Don't assume the interviewers will figure it out. And yes, like the Bible, keep repeating, "I help companies make money." Attitude If you are on a stage that can change your life, you have to act like a winner. Entrepreneurs who act like winners on the show not only get a deal but get an excellent deal. When you are interviewing, you must show a winning attitude. It's contagious. You will not just get an offer but get an excellent offer. You have to act like a winner before you can be a winner. You must maintain your composure in a stressful situation and stick to your game plan. If you do that, you will exude confidence and increase your chances of getting a job offer. Getting a job is no different than getting a deal on "Shark Tank." You must have something sellable, but that is not enough. You have to do a great job in presenting your value in a job interview. It is a test to get the job. With some work, and perhaps so some targeted coaching, anyone can ace it. Good Luck! #####  I guide people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, career advancement, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. I wrote an advanced and comprehensive book on public speaking titled Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. The main idea of the book is that if you want people to remember you and take action, you must create a winning speech moment in your speech.
Please contact me if you would like to thrive on high stakes stage. You can reach me at joza@winningspeechmoments.com or 732-847-9877. Remember, Time is Money but Communication is Wealth  Shutterstock,com We often don't pursue a job unless we have experience. So how do you get a job when you don't have the experience? It's is a classic chicken and the egg problem. How do you get the experience if you don't get the job first? Suneel Gupta offers an excellent approach to try in his book "Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take A Chance On You." He explains what Reid Hoffman (entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, podcaster) did early in his career to become a product manager at Apple without any experience. Instead of competing with better-qualified candidates, Hoffman tried something different. He approached James Isaacs, the head of product management, whether he would be open to looking at his ideas presented in a document. Isaacs agreed. After completing his document, Hoffman went to see Isaacs get his feedback. Though the document was not perfect, it showed to Isaacs that Hoffman had real potential. By taking a chance on Hoffman, Isaacs was now invested in Hoffman's success. And that's how Hoffman started his career in product management. Gupta used this lesson when he was trying to get funding for his startup. Hoffman advised Gupta that when you pitch for financing, address one to issues that are problematic right upfront. Don't wait for it to come up in Q&A. If address the issues upfront and show how you plan to address them, they may be more willing to take a risk on your startup. It worked. Gupta received funding for his startup. So the lesson here is that when you don't have the experience, there is a lot of uncertainty that makes it easier for someone to say no. The one way to overcome this uncertainty is to point it out upfront and then do something about it that makes you less uncertain. That is what Hoffman did that jumpstarted his career. That is what Gupta did that got him funding for his startup. That is something we can all do to get ahead in our careers, business and life. #####  I am an author, speaker, career success coach. I guide people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, career advancement, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. I am the author of a practical book on speaking titled Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. The main idea of the book is that if you want people to remember your speech and take action, you must create a winning speech moment. Please download the free speech checklist I created that I always use to create a winning speech for any occasion.
Please contact me if you would like to thrive on high stakes stage. You can reach me at joza@winningspeechmoments.com or 732-847-9877. Note, if you are an author, executive, podcaster or interesting and would like me to interview with five questions and then publish it as a blog post and promote it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and become famous, please contact me.   Super Bowl is here again. It is the pinnacle of a long National Football league (NFL) season where the winning team will walk away with the most coveted trophy in American sports: the Vince Lombardi trophy. The winning team's players will receive their Super Bowl rings and the glory that accompanies winning the big game. To make it in the NFL, you must have a boatload of talent and willpower. Then to make it to the Super Bowl, you are the best of the best. That's why the game gets so much attention since it has a lot to teach us how to be the best in what we do and what it takes to win the ultimate prize of success. For us, our equivalent to playing in a "Super Bowl" is a job interview. To get an interview that can lead to getting a job and having a good career requires a lot of work. You need a good education, strong work experience, and marketable skills. When you do well in a job interview, you win a job, get a pay increase, and a path to a good career. To win a job interview, you have to be talented, experienced, adaptable, well-prepared, and poised. Interviews are highly stressful, and they should be since there is so much riding on them. Both you are the employer have to make a decision on making a big investment. And if it does not work out, it can be devastating for both. This makes interviews very high stakes and high opportunity. Football payers strive to have an opportunity to prove their worth in the Super Bowl. All NFL players are winners to be playing in the NFL. But they want more. They all have two goals: One, to get in the Super Bowl; second, win it. Is it just another game? Yes and No. The game does not change. But It is no ordinary game. It is the only game watched by over a hundred million people all around the world. People scrutinize every play on the field, every decision made by coaches, every call made by officials, every commercial aired on TV, and every song sung by the entertainment act during half time. Similarly, you have to prove your worth in a job interview. You are being judged on what you say and do during a job interview. You have to know what you are up against since there are no second chances. Your real competition is not another candidate but the interviewer. The other candidates can't affect your performance. It is how well you play the interview game against the interviewer to get you the win. You are probably saying at this point, hey, I thought I was just interviewing for a job, not taking it like I was playing in a so called "Super Bowl." Perhaps you should. Are you working hard to get an interview in the first place? And then, when you do get an interview, are you doing whatever it takes to get the job offer? If the answer to both is yes, then you have the same mindset of an NFL player. The stakes are very high for the Super Bowl as there is a lot of hype surrounding the game. For your job interviews, you have to raise the stakes. Unfortunately, many don't. I am amazed at how ill-prepared candidates often are for job interviews. People don't realize how much work is involved when you are interviewing for a job. Many have done more preparation for their SATs than they do for job interviews. You may get away with this for entry-level positions, but not if you want to get ahead in your career. Your competition will get much more difficult, and you can assume that they are all in it to win it. Most people can't give a well-thought answer to a simple question, "Tell me something about yourself?" Can you answer that question and score a "touchdown" in the opening question? If you do, your chances of winning the job go up quickly. It is a statement answer for the interviewer. He or she will know that you have not just shown up to play but are ready to stand out and secure an offer. Having a good career is not an accident, just like winning a Super Bowl is not an accident. Winning a Super Bowl means you worked harder, smarter, better than others both individually, as a team, and as an organization. And probably got some luck along the way too. Football players don't do it alone. They have had all kinds of coaches from young age to a professional career. You can do the same by having a support group, mentors, and coaches to succeed. Winning is a team sport, whether it's Super Bowl or job interviews. Stakes are very high; thus, rewards are very high. That means you must want it badly and willing to do just about anything to win. Now go plan, prepare, and play to win like the NFL players will do at this year's Super Bowl. You can be a winner and get to celebrate your getting a new job with your family and friends and then start planning for your next win. #####  I am an author, speaker, career success coach. I guide people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, career advancement, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. I am the author of a practical book on speaking titled Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. The main idea of the book is that if you want people to remember your speech and take action, you must create a winning speech moment. Please download the free speech checklist I created that I always use to create a winning speech for any occasion.
Please contact me if you would like to thrive on high stakes stage. You can reach me at joza@winningspeechmoments.com or 732-847-9877. Note, if you are an author, executive, podcaster or very interesting to talk to and would like me to interview with five questions and then publish it as a blog post and promote it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, please contact me.   “Nothing else in the world…not all the armies…is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.”–Victor Hugo, The Future of Man. One thing we have learned from President Trump is how leaders like him think and hire. The leadership books make it appear that leaders have a methodical process that they follow when hiring. But that's not true. Leaders in business and politics operate by the gut. The trick to getting the job with them is to appeal to their gut. In this post, I will focus on William Barr, Attorney General (AG), in how he got the job of AG. I am using an example from the political world since most are probably familiar with him and can verify for themselves, but Barr's technique will work in any field. Note, you don't have to like William Barr or the job he is doing as AG, but you can definitely learn a lot on how to get a job. If you follow his technique, you too can get the job you want. What I find so interesting about William Barr is that he was not on anyone's shortlist to replace Jeff Sessions as the AG. So how did he end up getting the job? Below you will find the technique he used. Below are the steps William Barr went through that not only got him the job he wanted but has enabled him to keep the job, which is hard under President Trump. Validation Everyone wants to be validated and no one wants this more than leaders. If you validate their thinking, you are likely to get their attention. And no leader has demonstrated this more than President Trump. President Trump kept saying after he became President that he wanted his "Roy Cohn," a lawyer who can get him out of legal troubles. Roy Cohn was his lawyer in New York City who got him out of legal troubles. Unfortunately, he didn't have his "Roy Cohn" in the justice department to get him out of legal trouble, especially the Mueller investigation. President Trump was letting everyone know about his problem and what he was looking for in an AG who can solve his problem. President Trump's problem started when his first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, had recused himself from the Mueller investigation since he had contacts with the Russian Ambassador to the United States. Sessions got the AG job because he helped Trump get elected President. Sessions, when he was the senator, was the first major political figure to endorse Trump. Sessions was very loyal to Trump and did everything Trump wanted in enacting his policies, especially when it came to immigration. But Sessions was not his "Roy Cohn." For recusing from the Mueller investigation, Sessions drew Trump's ire. It was a matter of time before Trump replaced Sessions. Enter William Barr. He has always had this view of the Imperial Presidency. Barr's interpretation of the Constitution allowed a president to exercise unlimited power with little to no checks and balances from Congress. Barr and the President thought alike. Barr's idea and time had collided and he was not going to miss this golden opportunity to redefine the presidency the way he envisioned it. But first he had to get his idea to the President since I don't think Trump knew who William Barr was. But how do you get the President's attention? Appeal to his self-interest. One thing I want to mention. All CEOs will say that they are not driven by self-interest. But when you look deeper, that is not likely to be true. All leaders are driven by self-interest. You just have to do some research to find out what that is and if you focus on that, you will not only get their attention but a job too. Thought Leadership Barr had the credibility and the experience since he was the AG under George H.W. Bush for fourteen months. But he didn't get to re-define the presidency as he envisioned since Bush was defeated in 1992. Barr saw an opportunity with President Trump. Barr understood Trump's problem and knew how to solve it. But first, he had to get his view in public so Trump would find out. Barr was positioning himself as the "Roy Cohn" Trump was looking for. Barr wrote a memo dated June 8, 2018, titled "Mueller's 'Obstruction' Theory" that explained what he saw wrong with the Mueller investigation. In short, he thought that a president can't be investigated while in office. Below was the opening sentence in this memo: "I am writing as a former official deeply concerned with the institutions of the Presidency and the Department of Justice. I realize that I am in the dark about many facts, but I hope my views may be useful." To follow an appropriate protocol. Barr sent the memo to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Assistant Attorney General Steve Engel. But his ultimate audience was President Trump, and he knew that with his credibility and experience, the memo would get Trump's attention. And it did. Build Consensus But President Trump needed to see whether William Barr had support from his core supporters before he replaced Jeff Sessions. Barr had plenty of support. One of the people who lobbied on behalf of Barr was Pat Cipollone. Cipollone was Barr's former speechwriter, a fellow board member at the Catholic Information Center, and White House Chief Counsel. Barr also received plenty of support from Fox News, especially Laura Ingraham, whom president Trump frequently talks to get her views on political matters. President Trump now had the cover from inside the White House and Fox News who he depends on getting ideas and making decisions. Trump wanted Barr. Getting the Job Selling President Trump was not hard since the memo did the job. Since Barr's view of the Imperial Presidency aligned with President Trump's view, Trump finally had his "Roy Cohn." To make it official, Barr had to look and sound reasonable in the Senate Judiciary hearing to not cause any consternation among Senate Republicans when it came to confirming Barr. Since the Republicans had the majority Barr was confirmed along party-line votes. Doing the Job Barr now had to live up to being Trump's "Roy Cohn" and he did not disappoint. Mueller Investigation Instead of releasing the report, Barr released a four-page letter with his interpretation of the Mueller report on March 24, 2019. And the redacted report was not released till April 18, 2019. This allowed Barr to spin the report that Mueller did not find any collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. He also did not find any obstruction as he wrote this in the four-page Barr letter: "... Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." The characterization of the Mueller report in the Barr letter allowed President Trump to keep repeating "No Collusion, No Obstruction, No Nothing." And it stuck. Trump did not get impeached even though there were at least ten incidents of obstruction cited in the Mueller report that were committed by President Trump. But Barr kept Trump out of trouble by creating narrative that the investigating didn't find anything impeachable. It worked. Michael Flynn Investigation William Barr recommended that charges be dropped against Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor. Flynn had admitted that he had lied to the FBI twice regarding his contact with the Russian Ambassador. The reason Barr cited was that Barr felt that the government had no legitimate reason to investigate Flynn in the Russian probe. Again, Trump did not want Flynn to go to jail, and Barr acted as Trump's "Roy Cohn." The Appeals court will decide whether the justice department can drop the charges against Flynn. Roger Stone Investigation Roger Stone, long time ally of President Trump, was found guilty of witness tampering and lying. The prosecutors in the justice department wanted to recommend a sentence from seven to nine years. But when Trump sent angry tweets, the four prosecutors withdrew from the case. Another prosecutor working for Barr recommended that the original recommendation was too harsh. Again, Barr came through as Trump's "Roy Cohn." Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison, a $20,000 fine, two years of probation, and 250 hours of community service. But he never served any time in jail since his sentence was commuted by President Trump. E.J. Caroll E.J. Carroll, an American journalist and advice columnist, had filed a defamation suit against Trump. She had accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at the Bergdorf Goodman store in the late 1990s. When a judge ruled that Trump had to provide his DNA, Trump again needed his "Roy Cohn" to go into action. And that is what Barr did. The justice department took over the case, and at the least, it buys Trump some time during the re-election. At worse, the case will simply disappear since the government can't be charged with defamation. Barr knows what his job is and why he wanted the job and has not disappointed Trump thus far and unlikely to do so. Barr understood Trump's problem and knew he could solve it. He got Trump's attention by writing a memo and got the job. He has kept Trump out of legal troubles. If you do what Barr has done fro Trump, you too can get the job you want. ##### Jay Oza is an author, speaker, executive coach. He makes people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. He is the author of a practical book Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. You can get this book on Amazon for 99 cents for a limited time. Please download the free speech checklist that you can use to help you create a winning speech for any situation.
Please contact him if you would like to have a two 75 minute coaching session on job interviewing or high-stakes speaking. If you are interested in inviting him to give a talk on job Interviewing or high-stakes speaking. You can reach him at joza@winningspeechmoments.com.  Hiring the right candidate for a job is hard, especially if it's for a high-level position. Whomever you hire will either help you win or lose; hence, the stakes are very high. When hiring, there are usually three types of candidates you end up considering: 1) Candidates who are NOT interested. 2) Candidates who really want the job. 3) Candidates who are interested. In this blog post, I focus on #1, those who are not seeking the job you have or are even interested in the beginning. For you to get these candidates, you need a lot of skills besides sales. In future posts, I will cover #2 and #3. Candidates who fall in to category #1 have no competition and it is up to them whether they take the job. Note, this position is not advertised. The only person who knows about this position is the person who is hiring. And this happens at high-level, mid-level and low-level. You want to get into this category by letting people know you are worth the bet. Why target those who are not interested? They are likely to help you win if you can persuade them to work for you. It won't be easy. The uninterested candidates require time, patience, flexibility, and gentle persuasion. If you want to be an effective leader, you must do whatever it takes to get these people on your team. You see this in football, both NFL and college. The winning coaches have outstanding assistant coaches. All good coaches want to work for Bill Belichick, head coach of NFL's New England Patriots, and Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama. If an assistant coach is good and lucky to get to work for these two great coaches and help them win, that assistant coach will have an excellent shot at getting the head coaching job either in the NFL or college. It's no different in business and politics. In this post, I use as an example of how Barack Obama got Joe Biden to become his vice president. I show the ten steps that are required to entice talent and demonstrate you are indeed an effective leader. The source for this post is Joe Biden's book, Promise Me, Dad. The candidates are going to go through these three phases. First, the candidate is going to go from not interested to interested. Second, the candidate is going to go from interested to serious consideration. Third, the candidate is going to go from serious consideration to acceptance. Below you will see what you have to do to take the candidate through these three steps. If you sell too hard or close to fast, it can backfire. Remember, the uninterested candidates have options so you have to foremost develop a relationship. You have to show that you are a good bet. Steps To Hire Someone Who Does Not Want the Job 1) Express Interest in Hiring Barack Obama, after he had secured the Democratic nomination in 2008, contacted Joe Biden to vet him for vice president. Joe Biden's initial response was that he was not interested. Though Obama made it appear that Biden was the leading candidate and tried to close him by telling him that "This is real...But I need an answer right now." Joe Biden said, "Then the answer is no." What do you do if you were Obama? Move on to other candidates or persevere? This must have been hard for Obama to be rejected right after he locked up the Democratic nomination. If this happened to us, our ego is likely to get in the way. But you must learn to suppress your ego when you are trying to get talent if you want to be an effective leader. The uninterested candidates are going to be very challenging since they are not looking for a change. They are happy and secure where they are. Your work is cut out for you. Until they feel you care about their well being and future, they are not likely to want to take you or the job seriously. 2) Keep Trying Don't give up, if rejected. It's a long game. If you want to be successful, then hiring has to be one of your strengths. Talent is rare so you have to work hard to get those that you believe will make a difference. If you can't assemble an "A" team and get them to work well together, you are likely to fail and, worse, be blamed for failure. To get talent, you must be humble, patient, and flexible. 3) Show Patience If you want someone that is hard to get, you have to be patient since that person does not care if you don't hire him. He has to feel like he can make a difference. This takes some intense trust-building. Also, you must show empathy by urging the person to talk it over with the family. Why? Others close to the person are more likely to better persuade the candidate than you. They will provide a different perspective that can easily cut through. In Joe Biden's case, his sons wanted him to run with Obama. They felt---and were proven right--- that Biden can help Obama win Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. His wife Jill was relieved that it was not the Secretary of State job since that would require a lot of traveling. But his mother may have been most effective in persuading Biden to take the VP job seriously when she said, "So let me get this straight, honey. The first African American in history who has a chance to be president says he needs your help to win—and you said no." So after talking to family, he started doing some serious due diligence. Pro: Make history by helping elect the first African American nominee. Con: The vice president position has been a butt of all kinds of jokes. Challenge: Reinvent the vice president position to make it work for both. There was one more thing that Biden had to overcome: he had not worked for a boss for several decades. When he brought this concern to his wife, she said, "C'mon, Joe... Grow up." Joe Biden went from not interested to interested. He finally agreed to be vetted but still wasn't committed. He still needed to have a one on one with Obama to discuss Obama's vision and priorities for the country and what role he envisioned for Biden. They were now entering a trust-building phase of the hiring process. 4) Develop Rapport Biden met with Obama and wanted to understand what Obama's expectations were. He found out that Obama wanted his help with foreign policy, an area Biden was strong in. Biden liked Obama's focus on helping the middle class. After their one on one meetings, Biden had a better understanding of Obama's vision for the future and the role he saw Biden playing. Biden was convinced that Obama was honest and could be a good president. Biden felt he could help Obama not only win but govern. But he still needed to be comfortable with the role that would make him happy. Joe Biden went from interested to giving the job a serious consideration. 5) Redefine Job Joe Biden liked Obama, but he still had not defined his role to make him accept the job. Joe Biden had experience in many areas based on his years in the senate, so he felt he can help Obama in all areas. Here is how he defined his role to Obama: "I want to be the last guy in the room on every major decision... You're president. I'm not. I get it. But if it's my experience you're looking for, I want to be the last guy to make the case." Obama agreed and got the man he wanted to be his vice president. They were both happy. But now they had to make it work. You can stop here and say that you got the person you wanted, but you will not be able to attract talent in the future. You must do more. And the next five steps are what you have to do to continue to attract and develop talent to remain an effective leader. 6) Build Trust Trust does not happen with one meeting. It has to be built and nurtured. And that's why Joe Biden wanted to have a weekly lunch meeting with Obama. It worked. It is something that not only helped them develop a strong working relationship but build deep friendship. 7) Give Responsibility If you hired well, then you must give the individual the responsibility to shine. And that is what Obama did with Joe Biden. Obama made Biden responsible for Iraq, Recovery Act, Ukraine, Northern Triangle, Cancer, and others. Biden did a good job with all the areas he was responsible for. 8) Grow into the Next Job The person has to do a good job, so his profile is enhanced and makes him attractive for a top job. In Biden's case, the president. In the corporate situation, this could be the top job at the same company or other companies. 9) Support and Promote If the person has done an excellent job and helped you win, you must do your part to support the person and promote him for a future top job. Again to use a football analogy, Bill Belichick has so many assistants who became head coaches. 10) Make Successful Once the person gets the top job, you have to help him in any way possible so he succeeds. As you can see, there are a lot of steps, but this is what's required. Great leaders do this, and that's why people want to work for them. #####  Jay Oza is an author, speaker, executive coach. He makes people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. He is the author of a practical book Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. You can get this book on Amazon for 99 cents for a limited time. Please download the free speech checklist that you can use to help you create a winning speech for any situation.
Please contact him if you would like to have a two 75 minute coaching session on job interviewing or high-stakes speaking. If you are interested in inviting him to give a talk on job Interviewing or high-stakes speaking. You can reach him at joza@winningspeechmoments.com.  The purpose of any interview is to show up, stand out, and secure an offer. If you are meeting Joe Biden, then you are on a shortlist of potential candidates. You will prepare to show up. But you still don't have an offer, So what do you do to stand out? You must seize control during the interview. Seizing Control This is the most important part of any job interview. The reason for this is that the interviewer will take a very short time to make a go/no-go decision; hence, you must seize control very early. The best way to do this is to have a three-minute pitch ready to be delivered on why you should be hired. The purpose of the pitch is to steer the conversation toward a direction where you can score points and win. To pull this off, you need to script the pitch first, practice hard and perform at the interview. In this post, I have shown the script of a pitch I would use to seize control. Look, you don't have to like Joe Biden to do this exercise. This exercise is all about how you would show up, stand out, and secure an offer if you were under consideration for the VP job. This what we all have to do when we are on a shortlist for a job. I coach people on job interviewing, and getting my clients to do a three-minute pitch is very hard, including those pursuing executive-level jobs. Most never do it no matter how much I encourage them. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that getting rejected is a lot easier than making a three-minute video that could help them get the job they want. People don't like to put in the work that is necessary. Interviewing is the most important skills for success. If you would like to learn more, you can watch the talk I gave on this topic: Interviewing is the Most Important Skill for Success... Today. Why three-minute speech is important to getting a job? A three-minute pitch is important because it allows you to focus, based on your research, on what will resonate with the interviewer. You don't want to think during the interview. You want to do most of your thinking before the interview during your preparation. Preparing for a job interview is no different than how PGA professional golfers prepare for major golf tournaments, if not all tournaments. I was watching the PGA Championship, and when golfers were interviewed after their round of play, they all tend to say they tried to stick to their process and not think on the course. The winner of the tournament will be the player who has a good game plan and can execute well will walk away with the Wanamaker trophy. The three-minute speech will allow you to stand out in any interviews, including interviewing for the VP job in any field and likely securing a job offer. Does this mean you will always walk away with a job offer? No. It just means that you will have done everything in your power to stand out. The decision to hire you is outside your control. Similarly, a golfer can only control the ball he or she is hitting. A golfer can't control how others play the game. Rough Script of the Three-Minute Pitch for the VP Job ( Indented ) I wholeheartedly agree with you when you say that the soul of our country is at stake in this election. I believe as you do that the experiment to make this a perfect union will end if we don't win in November. That's why it's critical that you pick the VP that will give you the best chance to win in November, and help you move this country toward the vision of our modern founding fathers like John Lewis. So what does restoring the soul of our country mean to me? It has two parts. One is believing in fundamental American beliefs; second, governing and prioritizing based on those beliefs. Fundamental American Beliefs The traditional American beliefs have been life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. But we need to revise that since we have lost our ways since Donald Trump became president. We need to restore beliefs in the following: Constitution Democracy Justice Decency Facts Science Compassion Equality When we start becoming more like autocratic countries, we start losing the soul of our country. Time has come to revise the Declaration of Independence and come up with a Declaration of Revival. Governing Beliefs The second part is to govern based on those fundamental beliefs. We have to strengthen our national security, economic security, and future security. National Security
America is first when it leads, not when it follows or hides. With your leadership and the outstanding team you will put together, I know America will again be the leader of the free world. And when that happens, the world will be a better, safer, and prosperous place. And I will contribute in any way I can to make that happen. Now it's your turn to come up with a script of a three-minute pitch you would use if you were under consideration for the VP job. If you don't do it for this exercise, you will need one when you are interviewing for a job. It will increase your chances of securing an offer. ##### Jay Oza is an author, speaker, executive coach. He makes people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. He is the author of a practical book Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. You can get this book on Amazon for 99 cents for limited time. Please download the free speech checklist that you can use to help you create a winning speech for any situation.
Please contact him if you would like to have a two 75 minute coaching session on job interviewing or high-stakes speaking. If you are interested in inviting him to give a talk on job Interviewing or high-stakes speaking. You can reach him at joza@winningspeechmoments.com.  Tasha Eurich, the author of Insight, writes in her book that self-awareness is a meta-skill for success. Self-awareness, according to Eurich's research, has many beneficial effects:
As you can see, self-awareness is a critical skill for success in just about everything. However, most people don't put a lot of importance to this skill especially when they are developing relationships or looking for a job. I think it would save them a lot of grief later if they focused on self-awareness, so they don't end up wasting a lot of time, energy, and money. The reason to be attuned to this skill is simple. It is hard to become self-aware if you aren't. Soft skills like self-awareness are not "soft," they are very hard. It is also very hard to detect someone's soft skills if you are not good at identifying what that even looks like. For example, have you ever seen a person who is not self-aware able to make a change? It is rare and has taken that person who was able to change a very long time. In this post, I focus on looking at self-awareness when you are interviewing for a job. We spend so much time in this endeavor, so it is important to know how self-aware people are whom you may end up working with. And also determine whether the organization overall is self-aware. The only way to find out is to ask three simple questions during the interview. I have modified three questions that Eurich uses when she is conducting a Team Candor Challenge at workshops with corporate clients. You can ask these three questions to get a good idea of the self-awareness quotient of an individual and the organization. 1) What does each of your team members do that contribute to the team's success? 2) What behavior could each person change that would make the team more successful? 3) What do I need to do to make the team successful? Assuming that you determine that people and the organization are self-aware, you still have to keep working on it from the day you start work. If you do, you will not only enjoy your work but enjoy being around your team. You will find that a cohesive team is usually highly self-aware. It is a lot of work, but without developing and mastering this skill, you will find life hard and work even harder. #####  Jay Oza is an author, speaker, executive coach. He makes people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. He is the author of a practical book Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. Please download the speech checklist that you can use to help you with your next high stakes speech.
Please contact him if you would like to have a two 75 minute coaching session on job interviewing or high-stakes speaking or interested in inviting him to give a talk on job Interviewing or high-stakes speaking. You can reach him at joza@winningspeechmoments.com.  If you are currently out of a job or looking for a better job, then it’s no secret that you’re frustrated with the interview process. You are not alone. In this blog, I will give you some ideas on how to navigate the interview process by breaking it down into five steps. Getting a good high-paying job comes down to five key questions:
If you don’t have marketable skills, then you must address this quickly since companies want certainty; thus, they are very risk-averse. If you find yourself in this situation, my suggestion is to take a temporary job, consult or do some volunteer work while taking courses to build your marketable skills. Today, you have to be a lifelong learner and keep stacking skills that will make and keep you highly marketable. And the only way to know that you are marketable is by constantly testing the job market. So you have to develop and master your interviewing skill. Briefly, here are the five Interview steps that you typically go through: First Step -- This could occur through social media like LinkedIn, YouTube, blog, resume with a cover letter or some networking contacts. In this step, you are going to be interviewed indirectly. Second Step -- This occurs via phone with an internal recruiter, employee and/or hiring manager. This is a discovery call, so you want to keep this call short between twenty to thirty minutes. It is better to have multiple calls than one long one. Third Step -- This occurs face to face onsite or offsite, and it is going to be detailed since you are going to have to make a go/no-go decision. Fourth Step -- This will be a reference check. You are going to be interviewed indirectly. Fifth Step -- This is Go/No-Go decision step by the company. You are going to be interviewed indirectly. Breaking the interview process into five steps will help you navigate through the process with focus, strategy, and confidence. It will increase your chances of getting a job offer. To interview effectively, you must have consistency during the entire five steps of the interview. And that means that you have to focus on these five key questions:
You will not need to answer all four questions for all the steps, but you do need all of them if you want to land a job offer. All questions that you are asked will fall into these five buckets, so it is important you prepare well by focusing on these five questions, so you have a solid game plan to execute and win. If you don’t, you are likely to lack focus and could potentially confuse interviewers and end up wasting time. Remember, the interviewers are not going to remember much, so the burden is on you to make them remember you. And the reason you have to make the interviewers remember you is that when they are discussing you or making a decision, you are not going to be in the room. You have to make sure that they can answer those five questions for you. You have to keep feeding the answers until they can do a got job representing you in absentia. First Step This could happen one of three ways: social media, resume with cover letter or networking. If your resume is submitted through your networking contact, it is important you provide your networking contact the talking points, so he or she does a good job selling you. Hence, it is your job to empower your contact with the answers that you understand the job, you can do the job, and you want the job. Similarly, you have to craft your social media profile on LinkedIn and resume that answers the five key questions since that is what an employer is really asking when you are not there. You have to be direct and specific, so you don’t waste your time. Clarity acts as a qualification, so you only receive calls from companies that want what you have. The one thing that many job candidates complain about is how hard it is to get one’s resume selected by the Application Tracking system (ATS) that companies widely use to filter resumes. We don’t know what kind of parameters the companies are using for ATS, so I recommend you create two resumes. One resume for the ATS that is heavy on the skills based on the job description and light on the five key questions I cover here. The second resume is for interviewers that is heavy on the five key questions and light on the skills mentioned in the job description. After you receive a call from a company, you probably want to send the recruiter a resume you have created for interviewers. The two main questions you want to focus on are the following:
The outcome you want to achieve in this step is for someone from the company to contact you, and most likely it will be an internal recruiter. Second Step Before you talk to the recruiter, you want to find out three areas the recruiter wants to talk to you about. At a high level, you must know what to expect when you have the call. The one thing many candidates do that is amateurish is they have no idea what the conversation will consist of. You do not want to get on a call blindly. You want to be prepared, so you don’t get ambushed. Your objective is to have a good conversation that makes you sound like a professional. Again, your focus on the phone should be on just questions:
The other two questions are appropriate to bring up during a face to face interview where you are interviewing with people who will make the hiring decision. Your objective on this call is to qualify the opportunity well so you can determine if the job is a good fit for you. If the recruiter feels the same, then ask the recruiter to schedule a 30-minute call with the hiring manager. Note, you don’t want to take on an onsite interview until you have qualified the opportunity well and both you and the hiring manager agree that there is a good mutual fit to necessitate a face to face interview. I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to take an offsite meeting to get to know some of the team members and the hiring manager a little better. The desired outcome in this step is to move to a face to face meeting. Third Step If you and the company don’t have urgency or you are interviewing for a position that is not advertised, then it makes sense to have an unofficial interview off-site. This will allow you to qualify the opportunity further, develop your network, gauge the company’s interest and stay in the game. You don’t want to look like you are desperate. The informal interview will allow you to find out more about the company that is not easily accessible on the Internet, its culture, its people and the job that they need to get done. You will get more information to determine whether you want to go for a formal interview where everyone is guarded, so it is hard to tell what it is going to be like after you join if you get the offer and accept. For formal face to face interview, you have to open it up to all five questions since it’s performance time and you are there to win the job offer. Again, before you meet with the interviewers, you should get each interviewer to send you three areas he or she wants to cover with you. This way you can be better prepared to have good conversations to make a go/no-go decision. Also, you have to continue to qualify the opportunity to make sure this is more than a place you want to work, but a place that will enhance your career. Before you leave, you want to validate that interviewers think you understand the job, can do the job and ready to start. If you don’t do this, you are committing interview malpractice. Note, companies make quick decisions so do not give them more than 24 hours to get back to you with a verbal commitment. If there is a mutual interest, you are not done until you get the written job offer. You will still have to go through reference checks which, unfortunately, many candidates do not devote much time with. And it is possible, you may still have a final face to face interview with a senior executive or the CEO who will be involved if you are deemed a strategic hire before a final decision is made. Until you are extended a job offer, you have to keep qualifying the opportunity and look for any inconsistencies during the interview process. You do not fall in love with the company, people or a job. If you do, then you will miss potential signals of potential problems. Companies want a perfect candidate. Similarly, you want a perfect company. If there is a fit and you like everything, then you should try to close it out with a go/no-go decision. You can’t move to the next step until you get an email from the hiring manager or human resources manager indicating that the company would like to make an offer after the reference checks or any other checks. Note, until the offer is formally made, you don’t have an offer. If there is a delay, then you should ask what could cause the offer to be withdrawn. This is the step where you want to open up to focus on all five questions, since you may not get another chance to meet face to face. You are in it, so go win it. That should be your attitude in this step of the interview. The five questions include the following:
The desired outcome in this step is to get a verbal job offer. Fourth Step This is another important step in the interview process that many ignore. When someone calls your reference, you are being interviewed indirectly. The same five questions are going to be asked of your references. You have to make sure whom you select as your reference is articulate, motivated and coachable to help you get the job. That means that a person better spend some time with you so he or she can perform on your behalf. If they are not willing to help you, then don’t use them as your references. If you are not careful, you could lose the job offer if your references don’t make you look good. If they are not articulate, at the least, they should do no harm to your getting a job offer. If your reference creates any doubt, then the company may delay or rescind the job offer. You have to coach your references that you understand the job, you can do the job, and want the job. Keep it very simple for them. You should keep your references in the loop, so they are already thinking of how to help you when it’s their turn at bat. Make sure your references ask the person who will be calling them to send them by email three areas they want to cover about you. Again, you want your references to realize that this is a high-stakes call. It is your job to let your references know that if they don’t perform, they could hurt your chances. For this step, you want to focus on just two questions to keep it simple for your references:
The desired outcome in this step is that the company feels further assured that they made the right decision in hiring you and will pull all the stops to get you to join, even a higher salary. Fifth Step This is when the decision is going to be made. You may have to meet with the final decision maker that could be the CEO or a senior executive. You don’t want to assume this is a formality since the company may be down to two final candidates and only one person can get the job. You must take this last interview very seriously and must perform to close the deal. If there is a final interview, you can’t go in cold. You want to ask the hiring manager to have the senior executive send you three areas he would like to cover with you. You can’t be scared to ask at this point. Remember, you are not interviewing; you are doing a job so act like a professional. Whether you have a final interview, it is important that your thank you note after the face to face interview is more than thanking them for meeting with you. It is your final closing argument as if you are an attorney. You have to focus on the five questions so if there is a meeting to decide who should get the offer, you want to make it easier for them to champion you. You don’t want them to think about the value you bring. Just give it to them on a silver platter. The questions you want to focus on three questions to keep it simple:
One More Thing It is possible that you may not accept the job or the company may not extend a job offer to you. No matter what, you should always negotiate before taking a face to face interview to have a 15-minute post-decision call to see if there was anything that could have been done by either side to close the deal. You also want to add the hiring manager to your network since you both can help each other out. Just because it did not work out this time does not mean it can’t work out in the future. A lot of people don’t do this and miss a big opportunity to grow their network that can help them get an excellent job or expand their business network. Final Step As I mentioned earlier that it is important to determine how marketable you are so you know what skills you need to add. You have to test the market so you will have to go through these five steps of interview frequently even if you have no intention of leaving your current job. You are the CEO and salesperson of the most important product: You. You have to take charge of your career. You can’t outsource or neglect this important function. I want to remind you of my experience that you do not want to get lulled into thinking that you can’t lose your current job. You could be doing a great job, but that won’t save your job, There are so many things that can happen that are outside your control such as an acquisition or merger, change in company’s direction, change in management, loss of funding, etc. Your antidote to job security is to possess both marketable and interviewing skills. I think now you know that to get a good high paying job, you not only have to have excellent marketable skills but you also need an outstanding strategy to interview well across all five steps, so you have an excellent chance to walk away with a job offer. The interview is the most important skill for anything, especially getting a good high paying job. But to do this well, you have to make this skill a competency since you will be using it over and over again to get ahead and stay ahead. #####  Jay Oza is a writer, speaker, executive coach. He makes people thrive on high stakes stage whether it is for job interviews, sales presentation or an important speech. He is the author of the book Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. In addition he was recently recognized by Hire Heroes USA for his outstanding volunteer work with military veterans and their spouses for coaching them get good high-paying jobs when transitioning from military to civilian life.
Please download the speech checklist and the speech workbook to help you with your next high stakes speech. You can get more information at www.winningspeechmoments.com. You can contact him at joza@winningspeechmoments.com or 732-847-9877. If you have a high stakes event (job interview, sales meeting or a big speech) coming up soon, please contact him right away that is if you want to win. |
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