March 30, 2025 • 29 mins
Today I explore interviewing skills for single moms seeking employment, focusing on aligning job choices with personality types and mastering the interview process.
• Match job descriptions to your personality type - introverts prefer independent work while extroverts thrive in people-centered roles
• Research potential employers thoroughly before interviewing to demonstrate genuine interest
• Present professionally with conservative attire and minimal distractions during interviews
• Respond to interview questions concisely and put a positive spin on challenges or weaknesses
• Ask strategic questions about work-life balance, day-to-day responsibilities, and growth opportunities
• Include specific numbers and measurable results when discussing past accomplishments
• Be honest about your capabilities while expressing willingness to learn new skills
• Working provides financial independence and serves as a positive example for your children
I encourage you to spend at least one hour with your child without phone distractions this week. Children need your presence and attention in this challenging world, and the connection benefits you both.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey ladies, welcome to Single Moms United podcast.
Hey, if this is your first timejoining, welcome If you are a
repeat listener.
Thank you for your loyalty.
Hey, I'm going to jump right intoday with our topic and I'm
still on the letter I and ifyou've been following me since
(00:25):
the beginning of the year orlonger, you know I've been
extracting words from the letterI and trying to align it with
parenting skills, and so today'sword is interviewing.
So I'm pivoting a little bitfrom where I was, as it relates
to really directing, as itrelates to your parenting to
(00:49):
your child or your children.
But if you are looking for a joband you have that ability to go
out and work, which is anawesome thing, then I just want
to talk a little bit about thatand helping you prepare for your
interview and looking for a job, because it's important.
(01:09):
If you have to work, then behappy to do it.
Unfortunately, if we're not setup the right way in our
approach to go after a specificjob, more than likely we're
probably not going to stay therelong, and if we are there, then
we're probably going to bemiserable most of the time
(01:30):
because it's not really what wewant, but we're doing it because
we need money, but here I hopeto share with you how to
identify that role that alignswith your personality and also
give you interviewing tips asyou're engaging, as you get that
(01:50):
interview, and really try toset you up for success.
I mean, that's what thisepisode is all about.
Again, it's not a one size fitsall, but hopefully you can
extract some of the thoughtprocesses that I'm delivering to
you and say, oh, I didn't thinkof it that way, or this is
(02:11):
right on time.
I have an interview in twoweeks, or you know what.
Maybe I need to think aboutthese jobs I'm applying for and
really make sure it makes sensethat goes with my personality.
So that's my first point, andactually I think I have about
three points.
One is interview preparationhow to respond to questions that
(02:36):
you're being asked and youasking questions.
Yeah, that's a big one.
That's a big one and I'mprobably going to spend quite a
bit of time there.
Thankfully, I guess I've beenon both sides of the table.
I've been the interviewee andI've been the interviewer right,
so I was able to see somethings and take notes of some
(03:00):
things of people that did reallywell in interviews, because
unfortunately that is myweakness and thankfully I don't
have to worry about that anymorebecause I will be retiring soon
, so I don't have to worry aboutgoing through the interview
process.
But anyway, for you all that do, and still, hopefully you know
(03:21):
something is going to be saidthat is going to help you
prepare All right.
So the first thing you need tounderstand as you're looking for
a job is make sure the jobdescription matches your
personality type.
And there's two personalitytypes.
One is introvert and one isextrovert.
(03:45):
Introvert means you're kind ofa private person.
You're okay if somebody doesn'ttalk to you.
You're okay with working alone.
You're okay with being over inthe corner by yourself doing
your thing.
You're okay with that.
That's an introvert.
I'm an introvert.
I work best as when you give methings to do and say, hey, go
(04:09):
do it.
That's how I work and I'msuccessful at it.
If it's that type of role whereI just have to focus on getting
the job done, then I'm able tofocus on that, unlike an
extrovert.
An extrovert, long story short,is a people person.
They've got to be around people.
They enjoy being around people.
(04:31):
They feed off of that energyfrom being around people and
they like to be out front, andin a past episode that I did
with you all.
If you're struggling with, am Ian introvert or an extrovert?
Picture yourself in thenewsroom, okay.
So you have people in front ofthe camera, but you also have
(04:53):
people behind the camera and,for the sake of this exercise,
the people behind the camera areintroverts, the people in front
of the camera are extroverts.
So if you think of it that way,do you prefer to be behind the
camera or do you prefer to be infront of the camera?
And that's how you go aboutlooking at these job
(05:16):
descriptions.
If you got to present or dosales that type of thing, then
that's an extrovert job.
Do sales that type of thing,then that's an extrovert job.
But if it's doing like dataanalysis, data entry, special
projects, a specialist, that'sprobably more of an introvert
role.
When you look at these rolesand the job descriptions, just
(05:40):
make sure you're honing in whatthese folks have to do or what
this job consists of, becauseit's going to make a world of
difference later on.
We talked about introvert andextrovert, so now you need to do
your research on the companyyou're applying for, just not
only look at the job descriptionand the role of the job.
(06:03):
Who is this company?
How long have they been inbusiness?
These are things you want toknow because if it's a startup,
just be leery of that, becausesome things aren't very settled
yet.
They're still getting theirfeet wet.
But when you're ready or getthat call for the interview,
here are some things to takeinto consideration as far as
(06:23):
your style and preparation.
Number one when they call youfor that interview and they set
up a time, be on time, beflexible with timing Things may
have to change and try not toreschedule.
I remember I was interviewingsome folks for a role that I had
.
I ain't gonna lie, it kind ofirritated me when they asked to
(06:45):
reschedule and it's like, well,you're really not serious about
this role, but that's just me.
Dress conservatively right.
They always say wear blue orblack.
Why is that important?
Because it's toned down and youdon't want to be a distraction.
You don't want to wear boldcolors or prints.
(07:06):
Now they can become adistraction.
So they're not listening toyour responses.
They're focusing on what you'rewearing and so you don't want
to create that distractionduring the interview process
when, ladies, when you'rewearing makeup, just kind of
keep it neutral colors Because,remember, makeup is just
(07:27):
designed to enhance your currentfeatures.
If you have eyelashes, then puta little mascara on versus
putting actual lashes, becauseagain they can become a
distraction.
I do recommend, if you havetattoos, try to cover those up,
because, again, you're notpaying attention to me if you're
looking at my tattoos and sotry to cover those up, mask them
(07:51):
maybe, put some makeup on themor something like that, if
they're on your hands or yourarms, or just wear long sleeves.
How about that?
One spray of perfume?
You don't have to get in it andsplash around in it, just one
spray because, again, if theygot allergies or whatever, you
don't have to get in it andsplash around in it.
Just one spray Because, again,if they got allergies or
whatever, you don't want themsneezing through the entire
interview process.
(08:12):
Try to wear knee-length dressesor skirts.
I encourage you to wear lipgloss versus lipstick, because
sometimes lipstick can comeacross too bold, where lip gloss
is a little more laid back andnot as prevalent as lipstick.
I also encourage you to do amock interview.
And here's the thing.
(08:33):
If you say I don't know whowould do a mock interview with
or how that works.
Where's the good news?
Here's good news lady, if yougo to singlemomsunitedpodcastcom
, send me a note and say, hey, Iwould love to doa mock
interview and I'll be happy totry to work with you because I
want you to be successful aswell when you get in the
(08:55):
interview.
Be specific with your answersand concise.
Try not to ramble.
Again, that was one of myissues as I was interviewing.
I always found myself rambling,so try to just be as specific
as possible.
Sometimes you'll have to writethings out, kind of rehearse it
a little bit, but definitely donot go in at being scripted.
(09:19):
It's like, okay, I don't knowwho I'm talking to.
I'm talking to a script, not aperson.
Try to be specific and conciseas it relates to your experience
and your skill set.
Now, how to respond to questionsthat you may get the standard.
Once the interview is complete,the interviewer will say do you
(09:42):
have any questions?
Please don't say no, I don'thave any questions.
It comes across as you reallydon't care.
You're just going through themotions and we'll get to some of
the questions you can ask in aminute.
Don't respond with I don't knowmuch about the company.
Again, that suggests you didn'tresearch anything.
(10:03):
Again.
I just sum it up you don't care, I'm just going after this job.
And when you don't care,longevity with the role is
pretty much going to benon-existent, or you're going to
get frustrated along the waybecause you didn't do your
research.
If they say you have anyweaknesses or things you're
(10:24):
working on and you say, nope, Isure don't, that illustrates
arrogance, because we all haveweaknesses.
We all have things that we needto work on.
Mine is patient.
Mine is being a betterinterviewer if I was still
interviewing.
We all have weaknesses and weneed to respond.
Yes, I do and I'm working onthat, and I'm hoping this role
(10:46):
will help strengthen me in thoseareas where I'm weak.
Never say you were fired fromyour last role.
Better is, the previous roleended unexpectedly and that's
absolutely fair because it didright.
Try to avoid saying I'm lookingfor a job right now.
Better is, I'm looking to usemy strengths and I'm excited how
(11:09):
this role aligns with that.
Avoid saying I'm not great withtime management.
Better is I use this tool tostay focused.
Once upon a time, we used tohave planners back in the day,
but now you can just use thecalendar either on your laptop
or your phone to help you betterwith time management, and thank
(11:30):
God for reminders on the phone.
I guess I'm at the age nowwhere I definitely need
reminders, so I'm thankful thatthat is built in on phones now.
Please avoid saying I don'thave any career goals.
Better is, my short-term goalis to excel in this role and
(11:52):
long-term I aim to grow mystrengths.
Long story short we want todefinitely put a positive spin
on our responses, whether we'reable to accommodate or achieve
what they're asking for or wedon't have a good example.
Just make sure you put apositive spin at the end of what
(12:17):
your goal is and how you'reresponding to that.
Okay, because again, we'retrying to set you up to get the
job.
We're trying to leave apositive impression on the
interviewer, all right, so whatquestions should you ask?
I tell you, as an interviewer,one of the biggest things that
impressed me the most about thecandidate, that really moved
(12:41):
them up on the scale of beingconsidered, was them asking me
questions.
You know, even if they didn'tanswer all the questions quite
right, which is fine but whenthey came back and was asking me
things, yeah, I was veryimpressed because that means
they did their homework and thisis more than just let me try
(13:06):
this job, let me see whathappens.
So here are a few questions youcan ask the interviewer, because
now the tables have turned,you're in the interviewer seat.
Think about that.
Now you're in control.
Think about that.
And I remember when I was theinterviewee and I'd be so
(13:29):
nervous and everything, and Iknow I just flubbed up the
entire interview.
But then when it came down totime for me to ask questions,
all of a sudden my shouldersreared back and I was sitting up
straight and the confidencelevel that just went to the top.
I was just like, oh yeah, I gotthis now.
(13:51):
Now let me ask you a fewquestions.
I sure did, I sure did, but letme get back on the highway.
See, y'all done got me.
But anyway, your confidencelevel does increase when the
tables are turned.
So here are a few questions youcan ask the interviewer.
Number one what opportunitiesare there for cross-training or
(14:13):
learning new skills?
We have to.
We shouldn't just come in withthe skills that we offer.
We shouldn't just come in withthe skills that we offer, but we
also should be able to learnnew skills.
What training do they offer tohelp you build those skills?
Number two what are the biggestchallenges facing the team or
(14:35):
department right now?
So when you get there and youget hired and you see there's a
backlog of work, how did thatbacklog of work get there?
Yeah, and the next thing youknow, you're feeling overwhelmed
and stressed.
Nobody told me this.
So that's why you ask up frontand most employers are going to
be honest with you hey, we lostX number of people.
(14:56):
Now we have to rehire.
As a result of losing thesepeople, the work got backed up
and so now we got to hire peopleto try to clear out, clear all
of this extra backlog work out.
And that's fair.
So when you get hired, you'recoming in knowing that there's a
lot of backlog work that needsto be cleared out and you're
(15:17):
going to be responsible for that.
So you shouldn't feeloverwhelmed because they set you
up and they responded to this.
And guess what, had you notasked that question, they
probably wouldn't have told you.
I'm just being honest Because,remember, they're interviewing
you to see if you have the skillset that matches the role, not
(15:42):
that, hey, yeah, we arebacklogged because of you.
Know, we lost quite a fewpeople, or they're introducing a
new product and they don'tproperly know how to staff for
this new product rollout.
Again, these are questions youneed to ask Now.
(16:04):
Third one what would you wantthe key achievements to be in
the first six months of the role?
That's a fair question.
Where do you hope I'm going tobe in this role?
What's the achievement looklike?
Do you have any grasp of that?
And, depending on how theyrespond right, and if there is
(16:24):
no response, that's somethingyou need to think about.
Yeah, because in six months,and especially if this hiring
manager has been there for awhile, they should know what the
plan is in six months and ifnot, that really tells you
something about their leadershipskills.
All right, number four how doesthe company support work-life
(16:47):
balance for its employee?
That's a big one, ladies,because you're a mom and so your
child is going to get sick.
You're going to get sick,there's going to be unexpected
things that happen and you needto know how that company feels
about work-life balance.
Or they're going to want you towork overtime and you got a
(17:12):
child or children at home andit's not going to allow you to
work overtime.
So what does that look like?
One of the things with thecompany I work for, they have
flex schedules, which I thinkare wonderful, because now,
depending on what's going on,you can take part of your day
(17:33):
off or take extra time, or do asplit shift, do a few hours in
the morning, come back later anddo more hours, or, if you've
got time on the weekends, youcan make the time up.
That's work-life balance.
That's the type of job you want, especially with kids that you
(17:53):
can make it up so you don't haveto take PTO.
So actually, ladies, I willmove that to number one on my
list of questions.
That's important as a mom withkids, and if you're doing it by
yourself, then you definitelyneed to know what the work
balance life is like with thejob.
(18:16):
What does day-to-dayresponsibilities look like with
this role?
Yeah, I know what the papersays, but can you share with me,
from the time I get here untilthe time I leave, what the job
looks like?
What are the expectations withthis role and responsibilities?
(18:38):
Because, remember, you're goingto be evaluated, ladies, and
some evaluations are monthly andI think when new hires, they do
like 90 days training on thejob, training, that type of
thing.
But you're going to beevaluated, so I need to know
what my responsibilities are, upfront, right, and I know
(18:59):
they're subject to change, butwhat are the basics, what's
required of me to do this jobeffectively?
And finally, is the companyactive in the community?
And that's called CRA CommunityReinvestment Act where these
large corporations have to giveback or be visible in the
(19:22):
community?
And so I hear you well, whydoes what difference does it
make?
Well, generally, when they doCRA, it's a lot of volunteering
that occurs, and I know with thecompany I work for, they went
into schools, they went intohomeless shelters.
(19:44):
They've done a lot of thosetype of initiatives.
When you're volunteering, you'relearning new skills and you're
also networking.
So, if you're trying to go toanother level, this is your
opportunity to network withother folks in the business that
you may not even interact withon a day-to-day basis, and
(20:08):
you're acquiring new skills,depending on what it is and what
needs to be done.
You're learning, and you shouldalways be learning, because
you're more than a mom, you're amentor and you can pass this
along to your kids.
All right, so those are just afew of the questions I would ask
during the interview process,and, thank God, this is a
(20:32):
podcast where you can hit rewind.
So if you didn't get it all,you can hit rewind or playback.
Or you didn't get it all, youcan hit rewind or playback or
whatever the term is these daysto pull out these questions
again so you can take note ofthem.
One other thing to help you besuccessful in your interview if
you have any type of supportingnumbers as it relates to things
(20:55):
that you've accomplished, pleaseinclude them in the interview,
even if they don't ask you.
You know at the end of theinterview they always say you
have any questions or comments.
That's your area to do yoursummary, to sell yourself of who
you are.
I worked for this particularcompany for this amount of years
(21:17):
.
I was able to do this.
Here are some of the numbers.
As a result of what wasaccomplished.
You know the company startedoff with XYZ number and, as a
result, my skill set, I was ableto reduce that number.
But also always try toincorporate numbers.
(21:38):
That's always impressed me andit's always helped me when I did
get the job, to impress thosefolks that I was interviewing
with.
So always try to includenumbers.
Also, don't forget to thank themfor their time.
Be sincere about that, becauseit's important.
(21:58):
They probably had a whole listof candidates and you were
chosen out of that entire listof folks for them to talk to.
So you definitely want to thankthem and you might want to
position it that way.
You know, I know you had manyothers you could interview, but
I thank you for taking the timeto allow me to interview with
you and share my skill set andyou can use that during your
(22:23):
interaction.
Make sure you're honest with,make sure you're honest in your
responses.
Why is that important?
Because, depending if you'reoffered the job and you get the
job and you embellished one ofyour responses on your skill set
(22:45):
and it's time to get in thereand do the job and you're like,
uh-oh, be honest, just be honest.
For example, I think I'm prettygood with Excel.
Just be honest.
For example, I think I'm prettygood with Excel.
I can do some things.
I can do formulas and thingslike that.
Now, am I really fluent with it?
No, but I'm pretty good with it.
(23:06):
And one time I was in aninterview, the hiring manager
asked me about pivot tables.
I was like what's a pivot table?
I was honest, I'm not familiarwith pivot tables, but I'm
pretty fluent with Excel.
And so if I could just get alittle push in the right
direction, I think I can learnit fairly easy and implement it
(23:32):
into the role.
The key is I'm willing to learnand since I'm already halfway
there by knowing Excel, this isjust another feather in my cap
to understand what a pivot tableis, be honest, and if it's
linked to Excel, then I'm sure Ishould be able to jump right in
(23:52):
, figure it out or give it alittle push in the right
direction to get us where weneed to be, to make sure I meet
expectations when it comes tothis role.
All right, ladies, there youhave it.
So if you are interviewing orplan on interviewing, I
recommend you tag this episodeand go back and play it before
(24:18):
your interview to help youprepare.
Again, it's not about how youarrive at the single mom title,
it's what you do with it.
Because society says we have tobe on welfare, we have to be on
public assistance.
No, ma'am, we don't.
(24:39):
How do I know?
When I had my kids, I workedthe entire time.
I didn't get any publicassistance I could have, but I
chose not to.
So, although I'm a single mom, Isaid I'm going to go after and
work for a living.
I'm going to make sure my kidssee me out working, because you
(25:02):
know why.
They're watching, they'repaying attention, and so when
they see me go to work, thenlater on in life they're going
to go to work, they're going togo out and get into the
workforce.
But they have to see positiverole models, positive examples,
and if they're not seeing that,then how is that encouraging
(25:25):
them to go out and get that job?
All right, moms, I'm gettingoff my pedestal now.
Now, next week, come back.
I'm going to have another Iword, I'm not going to tell you
what it is because I want you tocome back.
And also, if you haven't spentat least one hour with your
child, by putting your phone onmute or putting it down, putting
(25:49):
it in another room, I encourageyou to do that.
Spend some time with your child, build that relationship,
because this world is somethingelse and they need you, mom.
They need you.
And guess what?
You need them.
Yes, you do.
Yes, you do that hug you givethem.
(26:11):
It comes back to you as well,right?
Because at the end of the day,we're human.
We are human and just like theyneed it, you need it.
Have a great day, ladies, takecare.
Hey ladies, welcome to Single Moms United podcast.
Hey, if this is your first timejoining, welcome If you are a
repeat listener.
Thank you for your loyalty.
Hey, I'm going to jump right intoday with our topic and I'm
still on the letter I and ifyou've been following me since
(00:25):
the beginning of the year orlonger, you know I've been
extracting words from the letterI and trying to align it with
parenting skills, and so today'sword is interviewing.
So I'm pivoting a little bitfrom where I was, as it relates
to really directing, as itrelates to your parenting to
(00:49):
your child or your children.
But if you are looking for a joband you have that ability to go
out and work, which is anawesome thing, then I just want
to talk a little bit about thatand helping you prepare for your
interview and looking for a job, because it's important.
(01:09):
If you have to work, then behappy to do it.
Unfortunately, if we're not setup the right way in our
approach to go after a specificjob, more than likely we're
probably not going to stay therelong, and if we are there, then
we're probably going to bemiserable most of the time
(01:30):
because it's not really what wewant, but we're doing it because
we need money, but here I hopeto share with you how to
identify that role that alignswith your personality and also
give you interviewing tips asyou're engaging, as you get that
(01:50):
interview, and really try toset you up for success.
I mean, that's what thisepisode is all about.
Again, it's not a one size fitsall, but hopefully you can
extract some of the thoughtprocesses that I'm delivering to
you and say, oh, I didn't thinkof it that way, or this is
(02:11):
right on time.
I have an interview in twoweeks, or you know what.
Maybe I need to think aboutthese jobs I'm applying for and
really make sure it makes sensethat goes with my personality.
So that's my first point, andactually I think I have about
three points.
One is interview preparationhow to respond to questions that
(02:36):
you're being asked and youasking questions.
Yeah, that's a big one.
That's a big one and I'mprobably going to spend quite a
bit of time there.
Thankfully, I guess I've beenon both sides of the table.
I've been the interviewee andI've been the interviewer right,
so I was able to see somethings and take notes of some
(03:00):
things of people that did reallywell in interviews, because
unfortunately that is myweakness and thankfully I don't
have to worry about that anymorebecause I will be retiring soon
, so I don't have to worry aboutgoing through the interview
process.
But anyway, for you all that do, and still, hopefully you know
(03:21):
something is going to be saidthat is going to help you
prepare All right.
So the first thing you need tounderstand as you're looking for
a job is make sure the jobdescription matches your
personality type.
And there's two personalitytypes.
One is introvert and one isextrovert.
(03:45):
Introvert means you're kind ofa private person.
You're okay if somebody doesn'ttalk to you.
You're okay with working alone.
You're okay with being over inthe corner by yourself doing
your thing.
You're okay with that.
That's an introvert.
I'm an introvert.
I work best as when you give methings to do and say, hey, go
(04:09):
do it.
That's how I work and I'msuccessful at it.
If it's that type of role whereI just have to focus on getting
the job done, then I'm able tofocus on that, unlike an
extrovert.
An extrovert, long story short,is a people person.
They've got to be around people.
They enjoy being around people.
(04:31):
They feed off of that energyfrom being around people and
they like to be out front, andin a past episode that I did
with you all.
If you're struggling with, am Ian introvert or an extrovert?
Picture yourself in thenewsroom, okay.
So you have people in front ofthe camera, but you also have
(04:53):
people behind the camera and,for the sake of this exercise,
the people behind the camera areintroverts, the people in front
of the camera are extroverts.
So if you think of it that way,do you prefer to be behind the
camera or do you prefer to be infront of the camera?
And that's how you go aboutlooking at these job
(05:16):
descriptions.
If you got to present or dosales that type of thing, then
that's an extrovert job.
Do sales that type of thing,then that's an extrovert job.
But if it's doing like dataanalysis, data entry, special
projects, a specialist, that'sprobably more of an introvert
role.
When you look at these rolesand the job descriptions, just
(05:40):
make sure you're honing in whatthese folks have to do or what
this job consists of, becauseit's going to make a world of
difference later on.
We talked about introvert andextrovert, so now you need to do
your research on the companyyou're applying for, just not
only look at the job descriptionand the role of the job.
(06:03):
Who is this company?
How long have they been inbusiness?
These are things you want toknow because if it's a startup,
just be leery of that, becausesome things aren't very settled
yet.
They're still getting theirfeet wet.
But when you're ready or getthat call for the interview,
here are some things to takeinto consideration as far as
(06:23):
your style and preparation.
Number one when they call youfor that interview and they set
up a time, be on time, beflexible with timing Things may
have to change and try not toreschedule.
I remember I was interviewingsome folks for a role that I had
.
I ain't gonna lie, it kind ofirritated me when they asked to
(06:45):
reschedule and it's like, well,you're really not serious about
this role, but that's just me.
Dress conservatively right.
They always say wear blue orblack.
Why is that important?
Because it's toned down and youdon't want to be a distraction.
You don't want to wear boldcolors or prints.
(07:06):
Now they can become adistraction.
So they're not listening toyour responses.
They're focusing on what you'rewearing and so you don't want
to create that distractionduring the interview process
when, ladies, when you'rewearing makeup, just kind of
keep it neutral colors Because,remember, makeup is just
(07:27):
designed to enhance your currentfeatures.
If you have eyelashes, then puta little mascara on versus
putting actual lashes, becauseagain they can become a
distraction.
I do recommend, if you havetattoos, try to cover those up,
because, again, you're notpaying attention to me if you're
looking at my tattoos and sotry to cover those up, mask them
(07:51):
maybe, put some makeup on themor something like that, if
they're on your hands or yourarms, or just wear long sleeves.
How about that?
One spray of perfume?
You don't have to get in it andsplash around in it, just one
spray because, again, if theygot allergies or whatever, you
don't have to get in it andsplash around in it.
Just one spray Because, again,if they got allergies or
whatever, you don't want themsneezing through the entire
interview process.
(08:12):
Try to wear knee-length dressesor skirts.
I encourage you to wear lipgloss versus lipstick, because
sometimes lipstick can comeacross too bold, where lip gloss
is a little more laid back andnot as prevalent as lipstick.
I also encourage you to do amock interview.
And here's the thing.
(08:33):
If you say I don't know whowould do a mock interview with
or how that works.
Where's the good news?
Here's good news lady, if yougo to singlemomsunitedpodcastcom
, send me a note and say, hey, Iwould love to doa mock
interview and I'll be happy totry to work with you because I
want you to be successful aswell when you get in the
(08:55):
interview.
Be specific with your answersand concise.
Try not to ramble.
Again, that was one of myissues as I was interviewing.
I always found myself rambling,so try to just be as specific
as possible.
Sometimes you'll have to writethings out, kind of rehearse it
a little bit, but definitely donot go in at being scripted.
(09:19):
It's like, okay, I don't knowwho I'm talking to.
I'm talking to a script, not aperson.
Try to be specific and conciseas it relates to your experience
and your skill set.
Now, how to respond to questionsthat you may get the standard.
Once the interview is complete,the interviewer will say do you
(09:42):
have any questions?
Please don't say no, I don'thave any questions.
It comes across as you reallydon't care.
You're just going through themotions and we'll get to some of
the questions you can ask in aminute.
Don't respond with I don't knowmuch about the company.
Again, that suggests you didn'tresearch anything.
(10:03):
Again.
I just sum it up you don't care, I'm just going after this job.
And when you don't care,longevity with the role is
pretty much going to benon-existent, or you're going to
get frustrated along the waybecause you didn't do your
research.
If they say you have anyweaknesses or things you're
(10:24):
working on and you say, nope, Isure don't, that illustrates
arrogance, because we all haveweaknesses.
We all have things that we needto work on.
Mine is patient.
Mine is being a betterinterviewer if I was still
interviewing.
We all have weaknesses and weneed to respond.
Yes, I do and I'm working onthat, and I'm hoping this role
(10:46):
will help strengthen me in thoseareas where I'm weak.
Never say you were fired fromyour last role.
Better is, the previous roleended unexpectedly and that's
absolutely fair because it didright.
Try to avoid saying I'm lookingfor a job right now.
Better is, I'm looking to usemy strengths and I'm excited how
(11:09):
this role aligns with that.
Avoid saying I'm not great withtime management.
Better is I use this tool tostay focused.
Once upon a time, we used tohave planners back in the day,
but now you can just use thecalendar either on your laptop
or your phone to help you betterwith time management, and thank
(11:30):
God for reminders on the phone.
I guess I'm at the age nowwhere I definitely need
reminders, so I'm thankful thatthat is built in on phones now.
Please avoid saying I don'thave any career goals.
Better is, my short-term goalis to excel in this role and
(11:52):
long-term I aim to grow mystrengths.
Long story short we want todefinitely put a positive spin
on our responses, whether we'reable to accommodate or achieve
what they're asking for or wedon't have a good example.
Just make sure you put apositive spin at the end of what
(12:17):
your goal is and how you'reresponding to that.
Okay, because again, we'retrying to set you up to get the
job.
We're trying to leave apositive impression on the
interviewer, all right, so whatquestions should you ask?
I tell you, as an interviewer,one of the biggest things that
impressed me the most about thecandidate, that really moved
(12:41):
them up on the scale of beingconsidered, was them asking me
questions.
You know, even if they didn'tanswer all the questions quite
right, which is fine but whenthey came back and was asking me
things, yeah, I was veryimpressed because that means
they did their homework and thisis more than just let me try
(13:06):
this job, let me see whathappens.
So here are a few questions youcan ask the interviewer, because
now the tables have turned,you're in the interviewer seat.
Think about that.
Now you're in control.
Think about that.
And I remember when I was theinterviewee and I'd be so
(13:29):
nervous and everything, and Iknow I just flubbed up the
entire interview.
But then when it came down totime for me to ask questions,
all of a sudden my shouldersreared back and I was sitting up
straight and the confidencelevel that just went to the top.
I was just like, oh yeah, I gotthis now.
(13:51):
Now let me ask you a fewquestions.
I sure did, I sure did, but letme get back on the highway.
See, y'all done got me.
But anyway, your confidencelevel does increase when the
tables are turned.
So here are a few questions youcan ask the interviewer.
Number one what opportunitiesare there for cross-training or
(14:13):
learning new skills?
We have to.
We shouldn't just come in withthe skills that we offer.
We shouldn't just come in withthe skills that we offer, but we
also should be able to learnnew skills.
What training do they offer tohelp you build those skills?
Number two what are the biggestchallenges facing the team or
(14:35):
department right now?
So when you get there and youget hired and you see there's a
backlog of work, how did thatbacklog of work get there?
Yeah, and the next thing youknow, you're feeling overwhelmed
and stressed.
Nobody told me this.
So that's why you ask up frontand most employers are going to
be honest with you hey, we lostX number of people.
(14:56):
Now we have to rehire.
As a result of losing thesepeople, the work got backed up
and so now we got to hire peopleto try to clear out, clear all
of this extra backlog work out.
And that's fair.
So when you get hired, you'recoming in knowing that there's a
lot of backlog work that needsto be cleared out and you're
(15:17):
going to be responsible for that.
So you shouldn't feeloverwhelmed because they set you
up and they responded to this.
And guess what, had you notasked that question, they
probably wouldn't have told you.
I'm just being honest Because,remember, they're interviewing
you to see if you have the skillset that matches the role, not
(15:42):
that, hey, yeah, we arebacklogged because of you.
Know, we lost quite a fewpeople, or they're introducing a
new product and they don'tproperly know how to staff for
this new product rollout.
Again, these are questions youneed to ask Now.
(16:04):
Third one what would you wantthe key achievements to be in
the first six months of the role?
That's a fair question.
Where do you hope I'm going tobe in this role?
What's the achievement looklike?
Do you have any grasp of that?
And, depending on how theyrespond right, and if there is
(16:24):
no response, that's somethingyou need to think about.
Yeah, because in six months,and especially if this hiring
manager has been there for awhile, they should know what the
plan is in six months and ifnot, that really tells you
something about their leadershipskills.
All right, number four how doesthe company support work-life
(16:47):
balance for its employee?
That's a big one, ladies,because you're a mom and so your
child is going to get sick.
You're going to get sick,there's going to be unexpected
things that happen and you needto know how that company feels
about work-life balance.
Or they're going to want you towork overtime and you got a
(17:12):
child or children at home andit's not going to allow you to
work overtime.
So what does that look like?
One of the things with thecompany I work for, they have
flex schedules, which I thinkare wonderful, because now,
depending on what's going on,you can take part of your day
(17:33):
off or take extra time, or do asplit shift, do a few hours in
the morning, come back later anddo more hours, or, if you've
got time on the weekends, youcan make the time up.
That's work-life balance.
That's the type of job you want, especially with kids that you
(17:53):
can make it up so you don't haveto take PTO.
So actually, ladies, I willmove that to number one on my
list of questions.
That's important as a mom withkids, and if you're doing it by
yourself, then you definitelyneed to know what the work
balance life is like with thejob.
(18:16):
What does day-to-dayresponsibilities look like with
this role?
Yeah, I know what the papersays, but can you share with me,
from the time I get here untilthe time I leave, what the job
looks like?
What are the expectations withthis role and responsibilities?
(18:38):
Because, remember, you're goingto be evaluated, ladies, and
some evaluations are monthly andI think when new hires, they do
like 90 days training on thejob, training, that type of
thing.
But you're going to beevaluated, so I need to know
what my responsibilities are, upfront, right, and I know
(18:59):
they're subject to change, butwhat are the basics, what's
required of me to do this jobeffectively?
And finally, is the companyactive in the community?
And that's called CRA CommunityReinvestment Act where these
large corporations have to giveback or be visible in the
(19:22):
community?
And so I hear you well, whydoes what difference does it
make?
Well, generally, when they doCRA, it's a lot of volunteering
that occurs, and I know with thecompany I work for, they went
into schools, they went intohomeless shelters.
(19:44):
They've done a lot of thosetype of initiatives.
When you're volunteering, you'relearning new skills and you're
also networking.
So, if you're trying to go toanother level, this is your
opportunity to network withother folks in the business that
you may not even interact withon a day-to-day basis, and
(20:08):
you're acquiring new skills,depending on what it is and what
needs to be done.
You're learning, and you shouldalways be learning, because
you're more than a mom, you're amentor and you can pass this
along to your kids.
All right, so those are just afew of the questions I would ask
during the interview process,and, thank God, this is a
(20:32):
podcast where you can hit rewind.
So if you didn't get it all,you can hit rewind or playback.
Or you didn't get it all, youcan hit rewind or playback or
whatever the term is these daysto pull out these questions
again so you can take note ofthem.
One other thing to help you besuccessful in your interview if
you have any type of supportingnumbers as it relates to things
(20:55):
that you've accomplished, pleaseinclude them in the interview,
even if they don't ask you.
You know at the end of theinterview they always say you
have any questions or comments.
That's your area to do yoursummary, to sell yourself of who
you are.
I worked for this particularcompany for this amount of years
(21:17):
.
I was able to do this.
Here are some of the numbers.
As a result of what wasaccomplished.
You know the company startedoff with XYZ number and, as a
result, my skill set, I was ableto reduce that number.
But also always try toincorporate numbers.
(21:38):
That's always impressed me andit's always helped me when I did
get the job, to impress thosefolks that I was interviewing
with.
So always try to includenumbers.
Also, don't forget to thank themfor their time.
Be sincere about that, becauseit's important.
(21:58):
They probably had a whole listof candidates and you were
chosen out of that entire listof folks for them to talk to.
So you definitely want to thankthem and you might want to
position it that way.
You know, I know you had manyothers you could interview, but
I thank you for taking the timeto allow me to interview with
you and share my skill set andyou can use that during your
(22:23):
interaction.
Make sure you're honest with,make sure you're honest in your
responses.
Why is that important?
Because, depending if you'reoffered the job and you get the
job and you embellished one ofyour responses on your skill set
(22:45):
and it's time to get in thereand do the job and you're like,
uh-oh, be honest, just be honest.
For example, I think I'm prettygood with Excel.
Just be honest.
For example, I think I'm prettygood with Excel.
I can do some things.
I can do formulas and thingslike that.
Now, am I really fluent with it?
No, but I'm pretty good with it.
(23:06):
And one time I was in aninterview, the hiring manager
asked me about pivot tables.
I was like what's a pivot table?
I was honest, I'm not familiarwith pivot tables, but I'm
pretty fluent with Excel.
And so if I could just get alittle push in the right
direction, I think I can learnit fairly easy and implement it
(23:32):
into the role.
The key is I'm willing to learnand since I'm already halfway
there by knowing Excel, this isjust another feather in my cap
to understand what a pivot tableis, be honest, and if it's
linked to Excel, then I'm sure Ishould be able to jump right in
(23:52):
, figure it out or give it alittle push in the right
direction to get us where weneed to be, to make sure I meet
expectations when it comes tothis role.
All right, ladies, there youhave it.
So if you are interviewing orplan on interviewing, I
recommend you tag this episodeand go back and play it before
(24:18):
your interview to help youprepare.
Again, it's not about how youarrive at the single mom title,
it's what you do with it.
Because society says we have tobe on welfare, we have to be on
public assistance.
No, ma'am, we don't.
(24:39):
How do I know?
When I had my kids, I workedthe entire time.
I didn't get any publicassistance I could have, but I
chose not to.
So, although I'm a single mom, Isaid I'm going to go after and
work for a living.
I'm going to make sure my kidssee me out working, because you
(25:02):
know why.
They're watching, they'repaying attention, and so when
they see me go to work, thenlater on in life they're going
to go to work, they're going togo out and get into the
workforce.
But they have to see positiverole models, positive examples,
and if they're not seeing that,then how is that encouraging
(25:25):
them to go out and get that job?
All right, moms, I'm gettingoff my pedestal now.
Now, next week, come back.
I'm going to have another Iword, I'm not going to tell you
what it is because I want you tocome back.
And also, if you haven't spentat least one hour with your
child, by putting your phone onmute or putting it down, putting
(25:49):
it in another room, I encourageyou to do that.
Spend some time with your child, build that relationship,
because this world is somethingelse and they need you, mom.
They need you.
And guess what?
You need them.
Yes, you do.
Yes, you do that hug you givethem.
(26:11):
It comes back to you as well,right?
Because at the end of the day,we're human.
We are human and just like theyneed it, you need it.
Have a great day, ladies, takecare.
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