When is a Performance Appraisal Like a Resume?

Over the past few months my husband and I have been packing up and moving from our home of 25 years. In the process I found a stack of books and articles that I thought were worth keeping and moving to our next home. One of these is a small booklet called Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals. A guide to Successful Evaluations by James E. Neal Jr. Back in my corporate human resources days I was asked to design a couple of performance appraisal systems and this book was my go to tool for developing specific wording.

The phrasing in the book is designed to help an appraiser select accurate words to describe a variety of competencies. The sentences are positive in that they are worded to show superior performance. For example, under the category of Delegation, one of the phrases says, “Effectively delegates responsibility”. When I used this book to train our leaders, I would ask them to take this sentence further by detailing “how” the staff member effectively delegated responsibility during the performance cycle.  What steps did he or she take, what were the results or return on investment? Similar to setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely) performance goals, the resulting behavior should also be described as SMART and be substantiated with facts and figures.

The same thing can be said about writing your resume. Look at the tasks, skills, knowledge and behaviors needed for the position for which you are applying and for the positions that you have held. Next, write out your accomplishments. Ask yourself how you completed these in your past positions. What did you (not your team) do? How did you do it? What were the results of your efforts? Create your own SMART story to describe your successes. Make sure to include the situation, any measurable numbers or percentages, your actions and the impact it made to your department and organization. 

These days having multiple, focused resumes is the norm. Creating them can be easier if frame your tasks and successes in SMART descriptive, positive language.

The Johari Window and the Interview

I’ve always been interested in human behavior and inserted various tools such as Myers Briggs or DiSC into my training programs. They provided a new way of looking at things and were a thought provoking take on what I was teaching. That’s why I find the Johari Window noteworthy.

The Johari Window was developed in the 1950s by Joseph Ingham and Harry Luft (Johari; interesting take on their names) to increase our understanding of the relationships and behaviors we have with ourselves and with others. The Johari Window looks like this.

I Know Open You Know Information about you that both you and others know.	I Don’t Know Blind Spot You Know Information about you that you don’t know but others know.
I know Hidden You Don’t Know Information about you that you know but others don’t know.	I Don’t Know Unknown You Don’t Know Information about you that neither you nor others know.

Open- This is the information that both of you know about you. It can be basic, such as your name, job title, location but you can also share feelings, motives and behaviors with others. The more you share with others and the more self-aware you are and the more “open” this particular window is.

Blind – This is behavior that you don’t know about yourself that others do know. For example, perhaps you jingle the change in your pocket or constantly clear your throat when you are nervous. It can also be your good habits such as being trustworthy or inclusive. You want to be aware of these habits so you bring them over to the “Open” area.

Hidden- There are certain bits and pieces of our behaviors and personality that we don’t share with people. It may be because we don’t know someone well enough or are uncomfortable sharing them. An example of this can be as simple as not telling someone that you are afraid of enclosed spaces or that you were up all night worrying about an interview response. Once you share that information it again moves to the “Open” area.

Unknown – This area represents the unspecified, undetermined behaviors about yourself that neither you nor someone else may know. You may have just met someone and have not yet shared any information or behaviors. This area reminds me of starting an icebreaker exercise at the beginning of a training program and being paired up with a complete stranger. It’s a clean slate; you can share as much or as little as you care to with this person. Once this happens, the information moves to the “Open” area.

Using the Johari Window for Your Job Search

The Johari Window can also be used in the job search. Let’s look at the quadrants in relationship to an interview. Other than a resume or perhaps a referral or connection, you and the interviewer are in the Unknown territory. Obviously you want to share your skills and experience with the interviewer and expand the Open area. 

Open - The more you share, the more this window expands. Here is where you share your experiences, strengths, weaknesses, goals and career aspirations. This is where you are aware of your personal interviewing strengths and how to use them. 

Blind Spot – Before the interview ask for feedback. Get a friend or hire a coach to practice interviewing with you and then get their candid feedback on what you did well and where you need practice. Did you fidget, did you make direct eye contact, was your handshake firm, were your responses direct and did they highlight your accomplishments? What wee your strengths? Once you get feedback, work on it.

Hidden - There are some things to keep hidden and then there are others that might want to come out. For example, the fact that when you are nervous you ramble doesn’t need to be shared. You could share that you felt exhilarated when a client bought into your product or service. It’s up to you; share this quadrant when you feel it is important to the interview.

Unknown: The more you share during the interview the more this quadrant shrinks and the Open area grows. 

The key to the Johari Window is to enlarge the Open quadrant by sharing information about yourself when appropriate. This expansion leads to better relationships and more self-awareness.  It may help with your interview too.

Beating the Interviewing Jitters

When I was a new trainer, it used to bother me that I would get so sickly anxious before I gave any type of presentation. My knees and voice would shake and my mouth would go dry; I’d even get splotches all over my neck and face. For a while there I took to wearing turtleneck sweaters to cover up. I asked a friend whose presentation style I greatly admired, how he managed to be so smooth. He told me two things that I have always remembered; be prepared and be yourself.
 
The same advice can be used for preparing for most interviewing questions/scenarios and while they won't totally eliminate all of the jitters, they will go a long way in alleviating the stress.
Prepare: To prepare for any type of interviewing question, you must do some upfront legwork and here’s an easy way. Take a piece of paper and draw two columns. In the first column, write down the job wording and job responsibilities of the open position. In the second column, write out your accomplishments as they relate to these words and phrases.
Look at your resume for guidance (after all, there was something in your resume that interested the hiring manager or HR representative), refer to your prior work experience and also any outside or volunteer work. Also, look up the company website and read the sections entitled Home, About Us, News and Our Employees. These sections will provide additional information and boost your understanding of the company. Looking at your accomplishments, the company website and any other media articles will help you better understand your strengths, weaknesses, challenges and the corporate/job fit. Understanding these will prepare you to respond to many of the typical and atypical interview questions. This exercise will also make it easier to be yourself and feel comfortable with your responses.
 
Now for the Questions:
1. What's the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it? Be prepared with a specific example of a work related challenge and be able to take the interviewer through the steps you followed to address it. Be sure that you include the final results and any lessons learned.
2. What's your biggest weakness? Relate this to a job related weaknesses only. After stating the weakness, immediately explain the steps you took to correct it. If, for example your weakness is disorganization, you might say the following, “After attending a time management class I realized that my disorganization stemmed from poor prioritization. I now prioritize my workload every morning and have learned to stay focused on the goals of the task, especially when solving complex problems.”
3. Tell me about yourself. This is a common introductory statement and a good place to insert your elevator speech. A general response might be, “I welcome the opportunity to talk to you today about the Editing Manager position. I have over 10 years of experience writing and editing communications in the global pharmaceutical industry at company name(s) and my work has been featured twice in the New York Medical Journal. I look forward to sharing that with you today.”
Because this is such an open question, many times the interviewee doesn’t know how to respond. Another response with an ending question to the interviewer might be, “I welcome the opportunity to talk to you today about the Editing Manager position. I have over 10 years of experience writing and editing communications in the global pharmaceutical industry at company name(s) and my work has been featured twice in the New York Medical Journal. Is that where you’d like me to begin?”
4. Give me an example of a time or situation where you had to….. If you wrote out your accomplishments as they relate to the open position, you will not be caught off guard with this question. This is a behavioral interview question and will most likely be the “meat and potatoes” part of the interview. For specific information on behavioral interviewing, please refer to STAR interviewing. 

My friend told me one more thing about nerves; being nervous shows that you care about the outcome of the presentation, interview, etc and is a good thing. He said that when I stopped being nervous about any presentations, that was the time to worry. I agree and still get butterflies and rocks in my stomach before any new presentation. Be authentic, be you, be prepared and your experience and personality will most likely flow right into the interviewing conversation. When you look at the interview as a conversation and are prepared and excited, most of your jitters will disappear.

Shake Up Your Resume

Today I reviewed a resume for a man in a very creative position; a graphic designer. The resume needed work as it was vague, boring and not in a recognized format. It in no way highlighted his strengths. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that this person, while highly talented was being passed over time and time again because of his vague resume.
Here are some tips that I shared with him to help create a better, focused resume.

1.   The first thing to do is Google the skills needed for this particular position. For this example, I got a nice mix of soft skills such as communication, attention to detail and time management and technical skills such as expertise in Adobe, web design, typography, color theory and other areas.  

2.   The next step is to look up various open graphic designer positions. Many of these positions have a wonderful listing of job responsibilities that are perfect for crafting a resume. Here is an easy example:

“Candidate will be proficient in all Adobe programs: Illustrator, Photoshop, Quarkxpress. Preparing and evaluating art files for print. Ability to expertly prepare print-ready files. A clear understanding of fonts, collecting art, Pantone colors, process printing and vector/raster images. Excellent communication and organizational skills. Self-motivated, detail-oriented and extremely personable. Ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and work in a fast-paced environment excellent oral and written communication skills. Able to be collaborative, reliable and work well in a team.
Will be responsible for preparing catalogs, website images, images for email campaigns, print advertising and more.”

3.   To get started crafting your resume, plot the open job responsibilities on either a worksheet or in free-form style. Match your accomplishments with the open position requirements. Here is an example using the job responsibilities posted above. 

Position: Graphic Designer

Skills Needed in Open Position: Adobe Programs including Illustrator, Photoshop, Quarkpress, prepare and evaluate art files, prepare print ready files, fonts, Pantone colors, process printing and vector/raster images. Communication, organization, motivation, detail oriented, multi task, deadline oriented, oral and written communication, operate in fast-paced environment, team oriented, reliable.

Skills that I Possess: List your skills here. Match those needed in the open position.

Position Requirements: “Preparing catalogs, website images, images for email campaigns, print advertising and more.”

Examples of my Accomplishments that Support the Position Requirements: Include your key accomplishments. Think of projects, services, opportunities in previous positions or volunteer position. Think who, what, what were the results of my efforts in the following areas:
Prepare Catalogs:
Create Website Images:
Create Images for Email Campaigns:
Create Print Advertising: 

Other Areas: Education, Skills and Training, Certifications.

Summary Statement: What makes you unique? What do you possess that makes the hiring manager want to read further? 

Format: There are creative positions and there are more formal occupations. If you are in a creative industry make sure that your resume format is edgier and showcases some of your design talents.

Portfolio: If you have an on-line portfolio, make sure to include the link to showcase your talents.

Here is a sample worksheet: 

Open Position:

Skills Needed in Open Position (mix of technical and soft skills)	Skills that I Possess
Position Requirements:	Examples of my Accomplishments that Support Position Requirements
Education/Skills/Training/Certifications/Portfolio	My Education/Skills/Training/ Certifications/Portfolio

Summary Statement:

Try these tips to create your own resume, whether it is a creative spot or not. Good luck!