By Bill Zeeble, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-922066.mp3
Dallas, TX –
The state's unemployment rate just rose to 8.3 percent. More people are looking for work than we've seen in decades. Maybe your resume is updated and posted online. But what about that "two-minute" verbal resume? It could help secure the next job.
Scott Peek says the two-minute verbal resume is the answer to the question "tell me about yourself?" He's an experienced trainer of the method that helps those out of work show off their best attributes. He has taught thousands this approach over the years.
"Nine times out of ten in any interview, at some point, the hiring manager hasn't read your resume," Peek says. "They're trying to get a gut check on who you are. They want to break the ice and ask 'tell me bout yourself,' or 'I haven't had a chance to read your resume, so why don't you tell me a little bit about it.' All of those are the set-up question for what then needs to become your two-minute verbal resume."
Peek warns you not to go back years offering up your life story. It could be boring and misses the point. He says all the potential employer wants to know is if you're the right candidate.
The method broadly hits four main points.
First, Peek says, restate your name, just to be safe.
Second, spend the next 45 seconds highlighting your work experience. Be specific, says Peek. Details help the interviewer know if you'll be a good fit.
Step three, the next 45 seconds, is the hardest step, according to Peek.
"Now what you're wanting to project is how you'll take your past and talk about it in terms of that person's company, the role you'll play at that company and the potential results you can create for that person as you get hired," Peek says. "You've got to do research on that company to find their hot spots and how you might start working with them."
Navigate the recession with KERA! Get tips on avoiding foreclosure, access job resources and more at kera.org/economy.
At a recent training session, Peek played the hiring manager role in front of about 100 job seekers. In this demonstration, he's interviewing unemployed engineer David Johnson, who also has a medical background. The two have done this before. Johnson is midway through his two-minute verbal resume.
"I started a company doing '24/7' in the hydraulic engineering world," he says. "We were successful and changed the way people..."
After the demonstration, Peek critiques Johnson, saying he went too long about his past, and could have been more specific on how he could help the interviewer's company. Many here watching have gone through this verbal resume training. David Swinney, who took early retirement from Texas Instruments, is hoping to use the technique.
"It's difficult to condense and identify the right things for the right position as I go through the process," says Swinney.
Laurie Duncan, an out of work business analyst, says it's vital getting that two-minute verbal resume down. The trick, she says, is to create a compelling story.
"You have two minutes to capture their attention," she says. "After that, they're either telling you about the job or they're maybe listening to you, maybe not, so you have an opportunity to sell yourself in two minutes."
Duncan says she has also learned to interview the company. She and others say that might be among the most important aspects of an effective verbal resume.
"I need to find out if I'm good fit, if I work for them am I about to change dynamic of this team," she says. "That's serious. I'm going to be candid if I don't think I'm right fit for that team. It should be a two-way street. I'm interviewing them, they're interviewing me. I don't want to be in wrong position or waste their time anymore than they'll waste mine."
Scott Peek urges his students to script their verbal resume. Practice it out loud and in front of friends.
Fourth, and finally, don't forget about the last 15 seconds. He says it could be the game changer.
"This is a great opportunity to actually start a conversation," he says. "You should have prepared in every interview a list of questions you're interested in, about the company, about the job, about the people in the company, something."
So Peek says prepare and ask that big question so that the interviewer will have to answer it. That way he says, you're now in control, engaging the interviewer, instead of sitting there, disadvantaged, wondering what question will come up next.
Remember the basics, says Peek: your name, specific experience, how it will help the company succeed with you in it and questions you have for the potential employer. Peek says when done well, that last element can turn the verbal resume into a conversation that positively influences the interview's outcome.
You can find tips on how to put together your own two-minute resume and find an example, along with other tips for job seekers on KERA's Jobs Page