In sales, like in most sectors, the prevailing wisdom is that experience, appropriate training and credentials are the three most important things to look for in a new hire. (for more on best practices for a new hire, read here) But just because wisdom has prevailed, does that make it right?

Let’s dive deeper and discuss if prior sales experience is really the most important thing to look for when recruiting sales Reps.

What Does Prior Experience Look Like?

When tasked with filling an open desk on their team, many hiring managers do what they were trained to do: they open up the playbook and run down a list of qualifications

• Knowledge of, and experience in, selling in the sector
• Robust customer base
• Sales methodology
• Sales assessments
• Psychometric analysis

While all of these are important metrics to consider, they simply don’t represent the whole picture. Regardless of prior training or experience, all great salespeople embody the following traits:

Good Listener

First and foremost, salespeople are educators. Their primary goal is to find out their customer’s pain points than to instill faith and confidence that they can help find a solution. And the only way to achieve these goals is to be a good listener, to have the patience and agility of mind to listen for real needs.

You’ll find those good listeners are hard to come by and that not all sales reps have the ability to drill down and help prospects articulate their true pain points. Part therapist and part guide, people with this kind of talent are primed for a successful career in sales.

Flexible

Speaking of agility, sales requires the ability to shift gears mid-stream. If a pitch isn’t going in the anticipated direction after 2 minutes or so, the successful salesperson knows they have to try another way around. Not everyone has the ability to think fast or know how to read a situation well enough to know what is called for. This is a particular kind of talent, and if you can find it in a candidate with little or no prior experience, you’d be smart to grab them and train them up.

Conscientious

If sales require one thing, it’s diligence. Successful sales reps are people who know that taking pride in their work, as well as finding a way to stay organized and efficient paves the path to success. It’s a hard knock life, but they know that rewards are waiting on the other end.

Again, this isn’t a character trait you can teach -- some people have it, and some don’t. All the training in a specific sales methodology can’t replace passion and drive.

Initiator

Someone who is self-motivated and able to take matters into their own hands is a natural born salesperson. If there’s a job to be done, they are going to find the way to do it. If there is a problem they will keep digging until they find a solution. And when they encounter road-blocks, they are able to give themselves the much-needed pat on the back to keep moving forward.

Imagine if your entire sales team was this motivated? Well, they can be, especially if you are willing to look past prior experience when interviewing.

Persistent

Resilience is born of experience. You want candidates who have encountered disappointments, but who have been able to move forward and find a new way through. And once again, those experiences don’t necessarily have to have been in your sector, or even in sales. What matters here is the innate ability to recover from disappointment, and negotiate obstacles. You might call it a thick skin, but what it really is a strong belief that there is always another way to solve a problem.

Coachable

Sales require agility of thinking, and the ability to pivot when a pitch isn’t working. A sales rep who is too invested in “how it should be done” or is married to a particular sales methodology is someone who's had the ability to think on their feet trained out of them. You want sales reps on your team who are open to new ways of doing things, and who are able to implement creative solutions. Just as nothing in sales is ever done until it’s done, your team’s mindsets must remain flexible and open.

Thinking beyond past experience and metrics can lead you to some of the best prospects for your sales team -- keep your eyes and mind open to look for those candidates who, while they may not have the experience you’re looking for, have the heart and soul of a salesperson.

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“Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction, But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together" Mark Zuckerberg

The next big wave has hit our shore, and it's known as Virtual Reality. With projected growth from $685 million in revenue to $3.89 billion; it’s safe to say VR is here to stay. Though it’ll be a few more years until VR gets a firm foothold into the market, it’s guaranteed that business practices and operations will never be conducted the same once the new technology takes hold.

Here are some ways virtual reality will soon be changing your business.

Meetings & Interviews

Technology has already had a huge effect on how we do business. Interviews started as a one-on-one physical meeting, then advanced to a monitor based video-conference, and soon will further evolve to virtual headsets. VR creates a real-life sense of space compared to screen-based teleconferencing. As it is, businesses spend an average of 143.3 billion dollars on domestic and international travel. This new technology will allow companies to get a more personal feel for the people on the other end of the screen. And to put the cherry on top, it ultimately reduces costs.

Your conference in Japan will soon be a lot easier and cheaper to attend.

Customer Experience & Service

With the introduction of VR, the whole customer experience is going to undergo an extreme makeover. Customers and consumers will have the option to get an up close and personal look at all your new and upcoming products. Since virtual reality headsets mirror the sights and sounds of the real world, using a combination of motion-tracking, graphics and algorithms, the testing phase will become much richer.

Businesses that have already begun using VR to market their products have created a way for their customer to try out new products and services before committing.

On the consumer level, instead of viewing an advertisement through the television or internet, consumers will be inside the promotion, as if they’re testing out the new product or service in real time -- creating irreplaceable value.

Customer support is another area where VR will be invaluable. Currently, if customers have a problem or concern, customer service only has a description of the problem to use and work through to develop a solution. You can see how this could lead to inaccurate results. With VR, consumers will be able to do exactly what support is advising, creating a real three-dimensional interaction between support and customers; potentially making the troubleshooting process a walk in the park.

Training

It's common for newly hired employees to go through a training process where they are coached up on business practices and routines. Though these costs vary, retail and wholesale businesses spend an average of $1200 per employee for training programs. With virtual reality, employees will have the opportunity to learn and build their skills in a contained and monitored space.  Studies have shown that the three-dimensional setting and interactive environment helped the subjects retain the information on a strong scale compared to video training guides. A salesman will get to experience what it’s like to negotiate in a 3D interaction, or a surgeon can be guided through a cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure without the risk of harming a patient. The applications are endless.

The potential to implement VR into your business may be limited right now, but the pace of innovation is happening rapidly. Make sure you're keeping an eye on the market, and constantly thinking of new ways to fuse virtual reality to your business. VR might be hitting some speed bumps with data storage and security, but as the old saying goes, “Rome wasn't built in a day.”

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WILL VIDEO CONFERENCING INTERVIEWS SAVE OR COST YOUR COMPANY?

More and more companies have begun using video conferencing to conduct the early stages of the interview screening process. What begun as a trend, has now become an industry standard, but is this really an effective use of a company’s resources? Let’s explore some of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of video interviews from a cost/benefit perspective.  

STRENGTHS

Convenience

The need for two people to be in the same room is eliminated. Hiring managers and candidates both enjoy greater flexibility, meetings no longer have to be confined to the office, and both parties can meet from the comfort of their own office or home. 

Cuts Costs

Handling candidate screening remotely can cut traveling, scheduling, and costs. Money saved can be re-allocated to improving productivity in other sectors of the organization, or towards expansion. Similar to phone interviews, video feed can be one of the most cost effective ways to meet candidates.

WEAKNESSES:

No Face-to-Face Interactions

There’s no better way to get a feel for someone than shaking their hand and sitting across from them. Video can flatten out an interaction, allowing cues you might have picked up in person, to go unseen. When deciding to bring someone into your department, you want to be assured that there’s chemistry and a connection, something you can only fully experience in person.

Feel for the Space

During a face-to-face meeting, candidates are able to get a feel for the environment of the office. Remote meetings cut out the possibility for spontaneous introductions to different team members, while also eliminating the candidate’s opportunity to get a sense of what the office is like. A potential hire's first visit to the office is also one way of seeing if they are a good cultural fit for your organization. 

OPPORTUNITIES

Saves Time

Time is money. Instead of budgeting time to get to and from the physical location, all that is necessary is a block of time in front of a computer. Most importantly, video conferencing reduces the time it takes to fill an open position, as you are able to meet more candidates in a shorter period of time.

Broader Selection

Distance is no longer be an issue for first or second round interviews. You can connect with candidates all over the globe with a touch of a button, allowing you to reach out and discover the hidden potential in unexplored terrains. You don't have to miss out on discovering the final piece to your puzzle because the applicant lives too far away. 

Playback  

One of the prime features embedded in a virtual interview is the ability to re-watch or playback the meeting. After a face-to-face meeting, you are left to rely on memory and notes you took during the conversation. Video conferencing allows you to take a second look to analyze body language, or discover cues that might have slipped past you in the moment. You can dig deeper into the candidate's responses, and you can get more team members involved in the decision process.

THREATS

Glitches

For all of its advantages, technology can sometimes be unreliable. There’s always the possibility for hardware/software problems. Connection is a two way street, so the chances of an interference is doubled, and the wait time can be unpredictable. Lag and delay can both cause interruptions. Hardware problems such as microphone/webcam failures can make communication problematic. With video conferencing you’re buying into the possibility that complications can disrupt an entire interview, setting back your workday.

With the benefits of cutting costs and time, it makes sense to switch over to video conferencing for the early stages of the screening process. 

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IOT SECURITY: PROTECT YOUR COMPANY AND CUSTOMERS 

As the IT field increases to expand, so does the demand for qualified Project Managers. This role not only demands technical expertise, but also cohesive soft skills. This complex position can be broken down into three categories of expertise: Business Management, Human Resource Management, and IT skills.

If you're currently a manager in information technology and looking to move up to the next level, here are some skills to master on your journey to becoming an IT Project Manager.

Communication

Studies have shown that the most vital success factor to master before entering project management is effective communication. Managers must manage communication between their crew, upper management, and customers. You can think of communication as the bridge connecting you to your network, so it’s important that you be able to break down the given information and thoroughly understand it. To be an effective communicator, you must provide the correct information, in the correct format, and directed to the right audience at the right time.

Predictability

As a team leader, it will be your job to have your techs ready for whatever comes their way, and to anticipate a whole range of possible outcomes, hiccups and problems. Make sure you're aware of what’s going on in the market and your organization. To prepare, start creating weekly and monthly risk assessment of your current job, in a qualitative or quantitative manner. Identify which risks pose greater threats than others.  A good manager is ready to turn on the dime.

Familiarity With Technology

You’ll often find Project Manager’s working with system design, integration, and custom programming, so It's important to prioritize staying up-to-date with new technologies and programs. Gather a thorough understanding of the commonly used software and applications. Become an expert on the agile methodology with the numerous concepts embedded within (Iteration. Sprints. Scrum.). If you lay the groundwork now and continue to invest in building your knowledge, you’ll be better prepared for the transition to PM.

Allocation of Resources

A great manager can make use of the resources at hand. There will always be time and cost constraints involved in any job. You’ll need to assess a project and, using your available budget and resources, to produce top quality results. Part of the joy of this position comes from the constant challenges and problem solving that is required.

The Extra Step

Though certifications might not necessarily be required to land the PM position, they certainly help prepare you for the role. Experience might be the most important variable when it comes to getting hired; however, coming equipped with certifications very well might place you at the front of the line. The two main Project Management certifications are Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). The PMP and CAPM are heavily recognized certifications out in the field. What you lack in experience can be compensated for by education earned.

Decision-making

Out in the field, you might come across situations that seem to have two apparent answers, or none at all. You’ll find yourself deciding which resources to allocate to which project, or which crew member to assign to a which site. There is no such thing as the correct answer, but rather, the answer you believe to be right. Your experience out in the field will have prepared you in more ways than you could expect.

Get ready to enter a work environment that invites challenges and enjoys the responsibility of driving business results. Over the next eight years, demand for qualified PM’s is expected to grow 15%, with salaries for highly qualified PM’s averaging $100,000-$130,000 annually. Put in the time and effort to build on these qualities and traits, and opportunity will be there to meet you on the other side.

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10 TIPS TO HELP YOU STAND OUT AND GET PROMOTED

The road from AV technician to management is not always direct. Certainly, there are the fundamental skills and attributes you need in order to move from tech to lead, but the route to promotion tends neither to be linear nor all that clearly demarcated.

That much being true, it is also the case that a great audio-visual technician with solid fundamental skills is primed to move into management. They are knowledgeable, reliable, thorough, and have good communication skills that allow for effective customer interactions on the job site. More than that, they understand that their Technical Operations Manager is swamped, and are able and willing to go to great lengths in order to distribute some of the burdens.

While the Ops Manager is in charge of the job, their days are filled with juggling meetings with upper management and clients. Still, they must monitor budget concerns, schedules, parts orders, and troubleshoot day-to-day disasters. If they’re the equivalent of commissioned officers, what they need are reliable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy sergeants out in the field, running interference for them.

So, how does one move from a hands-on position as an AV field technician (foot soldier) to a hands-off role as a field manager (sergeant)? There are three fundamental routes an audio-visual technician can follow to this destination. They are as follows: 

It’s Organic

Perhaps the first circumstance requires the least explanation of the three, but, as we all know, sometimes it just happens.

I know that sounds too easy, but think about it. You have a team that’s taxed on both ends -- managers who are trying to accomplish a goal on time, within a budget, and up to a standard of  quality, and technicians who are racing to get the work done. It very frequently turns out that the best person to play the intermediary is someone who can already do everyone else’s job.

If you’ve proven yourself to be trustworthy, competent, and an apt communicator, then you will likely find yourself entrusted with increasing amounts of responsibility as a natural outworking of having done your job well.

Find A Hole And Fill It

Okay, so let’s say you’re everything you should be on paper, but no one is offering you a bump up. If you think you’re ready, ask for more responsibility. Make it your prerogative to ensure that the job site is kept clean, that customers are happy, and that everyone is following procedure.

This is not to say that you should become a self-appointed boss, only that if you zoom out enough to both see the big picture of an installation and act on your perspective, you will have assumed a position of increased responsibility and demonstrated that you are a person who is capable of taking the initiative.

Since there are many managers out there who are simply too busy to stop and search for the help they need, if you want it, you’re going to have to ask for it. One of the best ways to "ask," in this case, is simply to do.

Go Out And Get It

It’s possible that you’re doing everything that's expected of you: you’re motivated, reliable, trusted and a great mentor to the other guys in the field. And yet, you still struggle to find a way to move up in your company.

If that’s the case, it very well might be time to move on. Not every company is well-suited or prepared to foster in-house talent. It could even be that they’ve given you additional responsibility but are not in a position to bump up your compensation. This is the time to make sure your resume is up to date, and get in touch with a trusted and knowledgeable recruiter.

There’s a great deal of opportunity out there today for motivated and well-rounded techs, but the same truism holds here as elsewhere: you have to make sure you don’t get left behind!

The tech sector is constantly on the move, and the demand for qualified managers has skyrocketed. If you are a technician or software developer, now is the time to prepare to move up, otherwise, you might end up getting left behind like your 98’ VCR player.

Let's break down the role of a Technical Manager, and identify the key technical and management skills you should be working on now to prepare for your bright future as a tech manager.

TECHNICAL SKILLS TO HONE

Know Tech And Know It Well

The first things you'll need to be familiar with is handling different software tools and building a strong understanding of distinctive programming languages. Make it your business to stay on top of all the new software applications. Learn to communicate with different machines by studying numerous programming languages (SQL.JAVA.). Play with various systems on the client and server side of things.

By working with a broad range of tools, you're essentially preparing for the future. Skills learned are also skills to one day pass on to the team you'll be managing.

Stay Up-to-Date

As a future leader in the technology field, you must keep current with the constant advancements in tech. Being proficient in the latest software applications, and maintaining a general understanding of upcoming tech puts you in a strong position to keep growing your abilities. Have sites like Cnet or Techradar bookmarked to your dashboard to stay up on tech news, and subscribe to sector specific groups on LinkedIn. By keeping up with relevant companies and technologies, you’ll increase your relevancy within the job market.

Solve Till You Dissolve

Once you are leading a team, you're often going to be called on for numerous solutions and reports. It’ll be your job to guide your team through different situations, using unfamiliar tools, in unusual settings. You won't have to know every answer, but you will need to know the steps to get to the right one.

Experience is the only antidote when its comes to improving your problem solving capabilities. So put yourself out there and don't be intimidated by the game of trial-and-error.

DEVELOPING YOUR MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Communication

As the point person on a project, it's going to be your responsibility to constantly relay messages from upper management to your staff and vice versa. You will come across numerous situations where you'll have to communicate different steps, in their correct chronological manner. If you fail to relay all the necessary components an entire job can be put at risk. It’s crucial that you are able to breakdown the essential info and understand all the variables, especially when you're communicating with customers. Being a proficient communicator will positively increase your workflow, your team’s productivity, and ultimately your performance. 

Leadership

Being a leader is much more than barking orders at your team. To be effective as a leader you must lead from the front. Your work ethic sets the tone, and your ability to communicate clearly ensures that the team can work as one. Show your team that you’re willing to get your hands dirty. Create an atmosphere where your crew can pitch in ideas and suggestions. Build a level of trust. You're only as strong as your team.

The Three P’s

Prepare. A well executed plan only gets accomplished after a considerable amount of preparation. Create a system or a step-by-step solution playbook for common problems that you and your crew can refer back too. Strong strategies prepare for you the unexpected.

Prioritize. As a manager, you'll need to be able to prioritize your jobs and the routes to complete them. Scalability and resources at-hand are a few of the factors that go into scheduling jobs that deliver on time. A strong awareness of time management and procedures are vital to your success.

Proceed. You'll need to delegate tasks to your crew. For an effective outcome, you’ll need to be aware of your team's strengths, weaknesses and assign accordingly. You have a team of professionals, so match them with a project that will utilize their maximum potential.             

To prepare for a jump into management keep learning, whether it be new applications, new systems, or new skills. This industry is growing at a much quicker rate than the supply of qualified candidates can keep up with. Get in the game!

If you are ready to advance your career, get in touch with a leading recruiter in your field, they are your best resource to test if you are ready for the leap.

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6 SKILLS YOU NEED TO DEVELOP TO BE A LEADER AT WORK

Everyone wants to hire a Rock Star, aka the perfect candidate. You’re looking for skills, experience and depth of training. But there’s another quality that makes someone stand out, and that’s their ability to communicate.

So here are a few tips on how to improve your ability to find and hire candidates with great people skills.

Awesome Descriptions Drive Traffic

Designing a killer job description is the first way that you’ll start attracting talent with strong interpersonal skills. Be certain to highlight specifically what people skills you’re looking for. Do you need someone to be customer facing? Someone who can deal with complaints well? Or just someone who can work well in the office? Identifying exactly what you require and being clear about it will help attract the brightest candidates..

Resumes With Meat

While a resume helps you find people with the necessary technical skills, it cannot necessarily tell you how proficient a candidate is with people. A resume that touts “good communication skills” isn’t a specific description of the candidate’s soft skills. So, start by looking for specific examples of their ability. Has the candidate headed up a team? Do they cite specific customer facing projects supported by metrics and data? Someone writing “skilled at dealing with a wide variety of people” indicates they’re aware of their ability to work with multiple types of personalities.

Interview (Should) = Reality

The best way to see how a candidate  communicates is to communicate with them. If they say they’re experienced in dealing with difficult customers, look to test that. Stage a mock sales call in which the customer gets angry or confrontational.

Also observe how they communicate with others in your office. Are they able to easily communicate or do they falter and stumble? This is also a good way to see if the candidate, and their communication style, is a good fit with your organizational culture.  

Willingness to Argue

As counterproductive as it sounds, someone who is able to argue effectively can be a great employee to put in front of customers. They can represent your company even in the most difficult settings.Candidates who show they can handle tough situations, and work to defuse even the most tense situation, are the people you want representing your company.

Give them hypothetical arguments to make. Have candidates defend a previous decisions they made in another organization. Point out to them some hypothetical flaws. Ask them what argument they would make if you told them you didn’t think them a fit for the job. How they handle the stress tells you how they’ll handle it in the field.  

Not all Follow Ups are Created Equal

Every candidate should, of course, follow up after an interview. But if you're looking for people skills, look for those who include personal or especially specific information. Do they remember every person they met, from all levels in the company? Doing so is indicative of someone who is detailed oriented, and knows how to make an impression.

People skills are what makes the difference between a competent candidate, and a real rock star. There may be plenty of qualified people out there who meet your technical qualifications, but it’s the great communicator who will help move your business to the next level.

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IoT Security: Protect your product and your customers

Think of IoT as the gateway between the digital and physical worlds. Products are being created with pattern recognition and monitoring sensors providing valuable data that can be applied for the benefit of its users and producers. This market will continue to expand over the next 10 years with companies connecting more and more devices. However, with the connection of so many devices, also comes an increase in the number of entry points for potential hackers.

Since IoT is relatively new to the market, devices often lack basic security measures (Communication Encryption). Researchers have shown that many IoT device manufacturers and service providers are failing to implement common security measures in their products. Reports have surfaced exhibiting the increase in programmers hacking into products, ranging from baby monitors to self-driven cars.

Standard security technologies (SSL.SSH) are no longer enough when it comes to safeguarding your IoT devices. The only way to stay ahead of the cyber terrorists is to embed integrated firewalls directly within the protocol stack at the link-layer- configured with a specific set of rules on what communication is and isn't allowed.

These firewalls are necessary to stop the cyber-attacks before they begin. 

Failing to implement a strong security protocol will result in:

Loss of Customer Trust

Customers don't want to worry about having their personal information exploited. We all remember what happened to Target.

Increase of Expenses

After being hacked, there is a mass amount of damage control to attend too. That’s a pricey expenditure.

Competition Head Start

To compete in the market, you must offer benefits that your opponents cannot. Don't let your competition leave you in the dust.

Firewall_1.png

Investment in securing IoT machinery is going to drastically increase from now till 2020. If you're in the market, it's time to check your

Having your employees sign a Non-Compet agreement has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide whether it benefits your company to keep one in place, or places unnecessary restrictions on you and your employees.

But first, what exactly is a non-compete agreement?

A non-compete agreement is a legal contract that prohibits an employee from working for or becoming a competitor for a certain period of time. 

Noncompete agreements are typically enforced when the relationship between an employer and employee ends and the current employer wants to prevent the employee from competing against them in their next position. 

Pro’s of a Non-Compete Agreement

Employee Retention

Your employees very well might be less susceptible to recruitment offers, as a new position would require them to move or change their role. On the flip side, your competition is less likely to try hiring away your employees if they know there are restrictions on their availability.

Higher employee retention naturally feeds your customer retention rate. When you have greater continuity of personnel, your company is able to provide better service, leading to greater satisfaction. 

Employee Retention = Customer Retention = Healthier bottom line

Singular Offerings

A secure company is a valuable company.  Non-Competes increase the value of your company because they ensure that your intellectual property is secured. Customers and candidates alike value companies that keep proprietary practices in-house and the practice sends a powerful message of security and integrity to potential investors and companies who might be looking to acquire you.

Cons of a Non-Compete Agreement

Makes Recruitment More Difficult

Non-Competes are perceived as a barrier to many candidates. Knowing that leaving your company means either moving, changing industries, or just being unemployed for an amount of time gives potential hires pause. In the current hiring environment, you have to give yourself every available advantage to attract top talent. 

Make Your Competition Look Good

If your competition isn’t using a  NonCompete agreement they may become much more attractive to top performers. When given a choice between your company, and one where they aren’t tied down, most high performers would choose to the freedom the position that offers more flexibility.

It’s a State to State Proposition

The enforcement of these contracts varies wildly across state lines. In 2016 the White House put out a report on Non-Competes showing that some states, such as California, have a history of not enforcing the clauses, while others, such as Florida, tend to side with employers in litigation. Massachusetts recently attempted to pass new legislation to restrict or eliminate Non-Compete Agreements. Depending on where you’re doing business, your ability to even enforce your agreements could be in jeopardy.

A Third Way Forward

If the risks of requiring a Non-Compete are too steep, there is another way. Non-Disclosure agreements provide a level of security to your information and proprietary products without being so restrictive. You get the level of security you need, and your employees get enough freedom to move to another position if and when they need to.

A Non- Compete Agreement may be the closest thing to a win-win you can get.

A poor first impression doesn’t have to lead to a bad interview

First impressions matter. In fact, they're more powerful than facts. Research has shown that we form our most lasting impressions of someone within the first 5 seconds of meeting them and that we rarely change these initial ideas even in the face of hard evidence.

5 seconds...

That’s hardly enough time to walk in the door of an interview and take your seat, let alone make a strong case why you’re the best candidate for the job. But, it is enough time to blow an interview. Stumbling over a bump in the carpet, offering up a weak handshake, poor eye contact, or misjudging your wardrobe can all cost you dearly.

Prevailing wisdom dictates that it takes at least 8 positive interactions to overcome a bad first impression. And while that may sound insurmountable, the good news is there are some steps you can take to hit the reset button and reverse your losses.

6 Ways you can Reverse a Bad Interview:

1. Take a Cue from the Performers

Think back to the last time you were watching a live performance and a dancer slipped, or an actor flubbed their lines. The dancer who seamlessly continues on with the choreography or the actor who allows the gaffe play in their favor often winds up as audience favorites. It’s the ones who pull a face or get so flustered they can’t find their place that loses the audience’s favor - something no amount of raw talent can make up for.

Handling small mistakes with grace goes a long way to mitigate their potential damage. Allow yourself a brief moment to recover, make a joke or offer a polite apology appropriately. What is important is to dust yourself off and get back to the business at hand. You’re there for a reason - to get the job - now is the time to focus on that.  

 2. Remain Positive

Running yourself down or trying to overcompensate with ongoing apologies will only serve to highlight your flaws. Unless you’ve been summarily dismissed from the job interview, you still have the opportunity to turn things around. It’s important that you turn your attention from yourself and your embarrassment and toward your interviewer.

Demonstrating that you are flexible and can bounce back from setbacks is attractive to potential employers- use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your resilience.

 3. Pivot

Now is the time to return the full force of your focus to the interview. Leave the mistakes behind and communicate in an open, expressive manner. Let the interviewer see who you are and your core competencies. Shine a light on what you bring to the company and try to help them see you in a new.

A word of caution: Don’t push. Overcompensating will only serve to further alienate yourself and could do even greater damage than the original slip-up.

 4. Find Common Ground

Even a bad first impression can be softened if you and the other person share something in common. It is more difficult to affirm the negative ideas we formed when confronted by similarities. If you and your interviewer share a point of view or interest, they are less likely to hold their initial reaction against you.

 5. Close Strong

Just as first impressions are important, the end of an interview can have a long term effect. Leave the interviewer with positive things to remember you by. Arriving prepared, having done your homework and presenting your interviewer with well-considered solutions can help stem the tide that was flowing against you. There’s no reason to allow a poor beginning to set the tone for the entire interview- you’ve come to sell yourself, don’t sell yourself short.

 6. Let it Be

There are also those things that are outside of your control. All that you can do it make certain that you are professional, and have communicated the value you bring to any position clearly. Focus on the things that are in your control and let the blunders and mistakes be your teachers for future job interviews. After all, if you chose to wear grey shoes to an interview and the hiring manager absolutely detests grey shoes, there’s nothing you can do about it.

J. Patrick & Associates, Inc is an Executive Recruiting firm that focuses on Executive Management, Sales, Marketing and Technical roles within Information Technology markets. We have over 20 years of experience recruiting in every aspect of AV/VTC/UC, Application, Storage, Information/Network Security, Mobile Technologies and Telecommunications.