Diversity MBA Magazine – Managing Diversity, Executive Leadership Development, Diversity Jobs & Hiring

From his modest executive office, the Stillwater, MN-based corporate headquarters of CUB Foods Inc., Keith Wyche oversees the $3 billion SUPERVALU Inc. division. He is responsible for 69 stores and more than 8,000 employees.

Since January 2010, Wyche has been president and CEO of CUB, bringing his track record of success in customer acquisition, satisfaction and retention, along with his change management skills to the retail grocery industry”. Skills honed in the previous thirty years, helping to sustain divisions of some the nation’s largest corporations – including AT&T, IBM and Pitney Bowes, duirng a series of industry booms and transformations.

Wyche’s title puts him in a lofty and fairly exclusive echelon of African-American corporate executives. He’s one of the highest ranking executives in the country. And, his business experience throughout his career makes him a leader with a menu of abilities that don’t pigeonhole him to a specific industry. He also includes mentor, author and motivational speaker in his portfolio of accomplishments

The Cleveland native began his career after receiving his undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University. After the dismantling of the Bell telecommunications giant in the 1980s, and as cellular technology went viral in the ’90s – before “viral” was all the rage — Wyche was becoming known not only as a can-do but a go-to guy for weathering storms of industry change.

Wyche furthered his education with an MBA in systems technology from Baldwin Wallace College. His penchant for leading change came by default and several lemons-to-lemonade challenges. “Early in my career, many of the opportunities I got were things that weren’t working,” he recalls. “I got the worst territories handed to me and I’ve been in the worst business units. And when you go through a number of years of being given broken things to fix, you kind of create a talent for it. I didn’t set out 30 years ago to be this change-management leader; it’s just that I was given things that were broken that needed fixing. As a result, I built a reputation and a process for handling change.”

At the time, it seemed logical that Wyche’s career path would take him to a leadership role within a technology firm, emerging dot-com, or any of the buffet of top communications corporations. Instead, a grocery-store chain sought him out.

It’s safe to say that Wyche had little knowledge of the grocery industry, but, he explains, SUPERVALU wasn’t looking for someone who did. Rather, it was after a leader to help the corporation deal with the burgeoning competition and the diversity of its competitors. As growth, technology, and economics would have it, change had arrived at the front door of the grocery industry with the rise of such things as open to-the-public wholesale clubs and supercenters where discount  and big-box retailers began to offer groceries in addition to their normal non-food merchandise, creating one-stop-shopping markets. Hit with this onslaught, Wyche says, “SUPERVALU needed someone who had a change-management, customer-focus point of view. It wasn’t looking for someone to be a grocer; it had all the grocery knowledge in the world. I was not hired because of a grocery background; I was hired for a change management background.”.

Today, CUB. captures one-third of the Minneapolis/St. Paul market share, with Target and Walmart as two of its main competitors. There are 58 CUB Foods stores in the market.

It didn’t matter whether the change was from mainframe to PC, traditional wires to fiber optics and cellular technology, or a leap to the grocery industry.Wyche found some commutable fundamentals. “Change management is the process whereby a company has to transform itself because of factors either inside or outside the industry,” he says. “It’s really the process of changing and transforming the company from what it was to what it needs to be to compete in this new reality.”

In many ways, his previous experience of focus on client retention became interchangeable with his customer retention duties at CUB. Taking the helm of a business in an industry he hadn’t previously worked in, Wyche said part of getting acclimated and establishing his leadership presence meant turning to any company’s most prized possession: its human capital. He realized that much of the success of doing that lay in connecting with the 8,000 employees he would lead and the customer base he was responsible for retaining and growing.

“At the end of the day, at my level, it was more about my ability as a leader, as opposed to having hands-on grocery experience.” he says. “I did roll up my sleeves. I worked in the bakery department, I worked in the produce department, and I’ve been a cashier, because I wanted to understand what they felt,”

For the man whose life lessons included his father telling him as a boy, “You have no excuse not to be successful,” Wyche found that to be successful as a leader meant helping to create new leaders. In fact, that process is how he defines leadership. “A corporate leader is someone who can take the resources of the company — the human capital and buildings – and bring it all together to get the most value out of that,” he notes. “I always say that the job of a leader, above all else, is to create other leaders and to get the best out of people.” In selecting the members of his team, he made sure he surrounded himself with “the best and the brightest.”

Wyche has heard the stories of racial and ethnic disparities in corporate leadership roles and has been fortunate enough to be on the positive side of the statistics. This, he says, inspires him to reach back and offer advice to others climbing the ladder, especially minorities.While he understands that some groups have one (sometimes two) up on other groups, he still adheres to the  “no excuses” philosophy. “From any level, the demands and qualities of leadership are the same,” he says, adding that, there can often be splinters and grease on the corporate and leadership ladder some minorities climb. And minority representation at the top is still an evolving event: in 1995 there were no African-American CEOs at Fortune 500 companies. Today, there are at least 11. “Many times, we didn’t have the role models growing up to help us navigate corporate America,” Wyche says. “As we’ve not been in leadership roles as long, the scrutiny can be a lot greater, the margin of error a lot slimmer. I feel an immense amount of pressure to be successful because we don’t have a lot of African-American leaders in the grocery industry. I’m measured on the same yardstick as my peers, but I think the reality of it is, when you’re a person of color, you do have the added challenge of making sure that you can’t fail.”

He gives thanks to his employer for adding to his success. “SUPERVALU has allowed me to be stretched in areas I’ve never been stretched in,” he says. “ It has given me an opportunity to learn a new industry, to reinvent myself, and that’s a big win for Keith Wyche.”

He also believes SUPERVALU scored a win, too: “It brought someone from the outside who has a unique view of the business, who looks at it from a customer-centric focus as opposed to a grocery-centric focus, someone who is not afraid to ask questions.”

Wyche says he learned early on that in managing your career, there are three things to keep a bird’s eye on: your performance, your exposure, and your perceptions. “Too often, people really only manage the performance piece and they don’t realize that the exposure and the perception are equally important because in this business, no one breaks through the glass ceiling by themselves,” he notes. “Someone on the other side has to see you, recognize you, and pull you through.”

Once he embraced that idea, Wyche says, “My career took off.” This was after

several frustrating career events in which he thought he should and would have been promoted, only to find that he wasn’t and wouldn’t be. A business associate showed him some of the errors of his professional ways; chief among them was not branding himself. “I had to have a brand so that people knew what to expect and what not to expect from me,” he says.

His brand is all over the pages of his book, Good Is Not Good Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules For Minority Professionals, and prominent on his speaking circuit. Most importantly, it has been a boon for his role at SUPERVALU. Even when he’s vacationing, Wyche says,  he’s thinking of ways to further lead his division.

“Good is the enemy of great,” he says. “If you focus on the good, you’ll miss out on the better. and you’ll never get to your best.”

What has your brand done for you lately? It’s a question you should ask yourself on a periodic basis. Why? Great personal brands, like great company and product brands, stand the test of time. And the owners of those brands know when to adapt to ensure they maintain the appeal necessary to captivate their target markets. There’s added value in today’s competitive job market in understanding what sets you apart and whether that distinguishable factor is top of mind with those you’re trying to impress or influence.

Building a personal brand is a thorough process, but not a one-time event. It involves understanding and appreciating what you stand for, what you have to offer, and what your target audience wants. It requires that you get feedback on how others perceive you, to determine if others’ perceptions mesh with how you are attempting to portray yourself. It requires a lot of thinking and testing about what differentiates you from others, how to make that come to life, and testing how effective you are at it. Read the full story

Damayanti Vasudevan, PhD, vice president of diversity of RR Donnelley and the president of the RR Donnelley Foundation, is an accomplished individual by any standard. She’s been with the company since 1999, and prior to Donnelley, held various roles including principal consultant for Minerva Business Consultants and management consultant for Pope & Associates Inc. With a doctorate in organizational behavior from the University of Cincinnati, Vasudevan has has spoken at numerous international and national conferences, is a published writer, and sits on many nonprofit boards.

Asked about her most significant accomplishment, Vasudevan says, “It’s really not any single accomplishment. From the background I came from, Asian-Indian female born and raised in England in a working-class family during the 60’s and 70’s, just breaking through the gender, ethnic, racial, cultural, and economic barriers to reach a position in life where I can and hope to have a positive impact on the lives of others is for me an accomplishment in itself.”

The traits and skills Vasudevan believes have contributed to her success include learning from others which, as a leader, involves recognizing and adopting different styles for different cultures, challenges, and goals. Other skills she has leveraged include being a strong listener, being focused and getting results, building relationships, and being there for others. “To the extent possible, this means never letting no be my first answer when something needs to be done or someone needs help,” she says. “It might be my final answer, but not often my first.”

Vasudevan has no qualms with facing adversity head-on, and recognizes that different approaches are required for different situations. “Over the years, gaining a better understanding of what my own strengths and shortcomings are have helped me decipher when a difficult situation is about me and that I should own it, or it’s about someone else’s challenge, fear or insecurity and to leave it where it belongs,” she says.

In terms of life/career defining moments, Damayanti acknowledges that there have been many individuals who have seen her potential and have provided opportunities and/or support, including her family. Today, she says, she draws more and more upon an inner strength that wasn’t there during the early part of her career.

Her advice to others? “Never stop learning about yourself, others and the world around you.”

What stands between you and your career best, your entrepreneurial dream, your retirement home in the islands?

Is it the person you report to or the loan officer at the bank?

Perhaps it’s those colleagues who just can’t seem to put in a good word for you when you most need it, or the distraction of continual demands from family members?

Often, your adversary is closer than you think. Often, it is someone very familiar. Often, it is you. To be specific, it is the negative and fear-based thoughts, emotions and resulting behaviors that come from you.

An experience I had several years ago provides a metaphorical analogy. My husband and I had gone to dinner at a popular restaurant in a touristy section of Chicago. After dinner, we walked to our car to head home. As we approached our car, which was parked on the street, we noticed a very strong, almost nauseating smell. We immediately figured that someone had placed something on our car as a prank, or some animal had used our car as a pit stop. We checked the tires, the front and back of the car, but couldn’t identify where the odor was coming from. Since nothing was visible, we got inside the car and drove off.  Inside of the car we noticed that the smell was even stronger. I looked in the back seat, under the seat, but still couldn’t find anything. We checked the bottom of our shoes. Had we stepped in something?

Finally, after several minutes of conversation, it dawned on us that the pungent aroma we were both noticing was the oysters Rockefeller that had lingered on our breaths after dinner. The culprit was right under our noses!

This analogy characterizes human nature in that we often look outside of ourselves when things go awry. On closer examination, however, we often discover that we are protagonist and antagonist rolled into one. What gets in the way of our goals and aspirations is often the negative emotions, thoughts, and ongoing, uncensored monologue taking place within our heads. All this leads, all too easily, to doubt, procrastination, self-pity and fear of failing. This evil twin of ours comes out, particularly, when we are trying to embark upon a change in our lives.

Kally Reynolds, life coach and president of Renaissance Journeys, has a straightforward explanation for how he has been able to experience phenomenal growth in his career. “I guess it’s because I never make a case against myself,” he says. “ We’re all too quick to make a case against ourselves.” No need to do that, he adds: “The world will do it for us.”

Reynolds suggests that the evil twin undermining us is often a scared little girl or boy inside who does not want to get hurt again and withdraws out of fear of ridicule, not measuring up, or other humiliations.

Yet our opinions of ourselves are so frequently lower than the perceptions others have of us. We may have a poor opinion of our capabilities and potential, though this may not be picked up immediately on the radar of our colleagues and associates. Sooner or later, however, if we continue to think in this way, it will be projected outwards and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Others will see us as we see ourselves.

Turning off the Life Support and Creating New Thought Patterns

In order to maximize progress toward your career goals or – any goal, for that matter – and move past fear and self doubt, you must commit to quieting the troubled voice within. Les Brown, the motivational speaker, often says, “If you want to keep getting [out of life] what you are getting, keep doing what you’re doing.” One can take this a step further to “keep thinking what you’re thinking.”

While you may be excited about pursuing a dream, you may also feel a bit anxious and worried. The voices inside of your head can be your worst critics in your pursuit of new horizons. These voices and the strong emotions that accompany them awaken you in the middle of the night, shouting out that the odds are against you, demanding that you work out every possible scenario before making a move — and they keep you up all night! How do you turn them off?

Is it possible to just stop thinking? This is easier said than done! Given that nature abhors and rushes to fill a vacuum, you will need to replace old, negative thoughts with new, constructive ones. Beware: your old familiar thoughts will be kicking and screaming louder than ever, once they find out you don’t want to nurture them anymore.

Many individuals find it helpful to silently repeat affirmations of what they want. When negative thoughts creep in — “I’m too old/too young/ not connected enough to take on this venture,” for example – simply switch them over to positive thoughts: “I have life experience to bring to the table/fresh ideas/willingness to network with others.”

Others things you can do to internalize and sustain positive messages include seeking out and learning about success stories of individuals who have made their way, particularly when the odds were against them. This helps to reinforce new thought patterns that say, “It’s possible. Conditions outside of me don’t have to be perfect. I can do this!”

Research suggests that it takes 21 to 30 days to form a new habit. The three R’s – repetition, reinforcement and reward — will help you build and sustain new thought patterns and, subsequently, new behaviors.

Eyes on the Prize

Keep your thoughts focused on what you want to achieve and create a mental and physical environment that helps to reinforce these thoughts. It helps to create a clear picture of what you think success will look like. What is your goal? Picture it, verbalize it, feel how it would feel to reach it. Who’s in the picture with you? Who is not? Bring this image to mind every day and refine it.

To bring your new thoughts to life, put them in writing. Write a contract or statement of intention: I intend to ________ (fill in your goal) by (fill in the date). Then establish milestones: a month out, three months, six months, one year, three years. Then return to the present moment and create an action plan to clarify how you will execute and what resources you will use. Keep your plan simple enough so that it is not overwhelming; that can lead you to take no action at all.

Where can you get the most bang for your buck?

Start by asking yourself three questions:

1. What are the one or two things I need to start doing?
2. What are the one or two things I need to stop doing?
3. What are things I need to continue doing?

The things you need to continue doing will be the easiest and take the least energy. You already have built-up momentum here. You may experience withdrawal symptoms with the behaviors you are trying to stop and a bit of anxiety with the behaviors you are trying to start. This is where you will need to monitor the internal voices more frequently.

Engaging Others

There’s no need to go it alone. Others can help you as you pursue new horizons and work on stilling the evil twin within. Create a change support team or “board of directors.” Identify people who have information that would be helpful, can be supportive in an objective way, have done what you are trying to do, are good listeners, and/or can connect you with others.

Working with a career or life coach gives you a thinking partner. A coach or mentor will provide a safe haven for your concerns, and can be a valuable sounding board for your ideas. Sometimes it simply helps to hear yourself talk through your goals, plans, and concerns with someone else. A coach will be able to listen without judgment and will not be emotionally tied to any particular outcome, as a family member might be. A coach will also challenge you to exhibit new levels of excellence – the gentle push we often need — and will keep you focused on the positive by having you complete various exercises like “list 20 things that you are already fully competent in now.”

Rewarding Yourself

Celebrate successes along the way. Don’t wait until the end. Celebrate a day of thinking constructively! How about that? Psychologists, therapists, coaches, and other practitioners all agree that rewards are a critical component to reinforcing new thought patterns and subsequent behaviors. Identify a half-dozen or so rewards that are meaningful to you and easy to access.

Monitoring and managing our internal monologue can go a long way toward building the confidence we need to move into new territory and shape our own success. By nurturing those thoughts that confirm the creative and resourceful capability within us and selecting to surround ourselves as often as possible with others who reinforce this thinking, we can all reach the point where our evil twin turns into our best friend.

Charmon Parker Williams, Ph.D., an industrial psychologist, is a career and talent management consultant, coach, and contributing writer for Diversity MBA Magazine.

Some bosses are highly supportive of the success of the individuals whom they manage, doing whatever they can to foster career development and on-the-job advancement for those in their charge. Sad to say, however, some bosses exemplify in attitude and action the very opposite of career support.

For any number of reasons, consciously or subconsciously, these managers invariably thwart the advancement of their subordinates.

As an ambitious,career-minded professional, what should you do if you work for someone who stymies your opportunity for success? First, you’ve got to understand the likely reasons for your boss’s behavior. With that understanding in mind, you can more appropriately determine how to protect yourself while moving ahead in your career. Read the full story

While earning her Master of Business Administration degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Bridgette Young hoped her concentration in human resource management would lead to a lucrative career in corporate America.

When she graduated in 1985, Young went to work for Baxter Healthcare Corp. as a human resources manager. Three years later, she moved on to become a human resources manager for Taco Bell, where she oversaw the restaurant chain’s staffing in North and South Carolina.

In 1990, just five years into her career, Young became ill and was diagnosed with lupus. After a year on disability, she was able to return to work and was offered a position as a human resources director with Coca-Cola in Atlanta. But Young decided to change her direction and chose not to take the job. Instead, she opted to enter the ministry and use her MBA training for the church. After obtaining her Master’s of Divinity in pastoral care and counseling, she went on to oversee the ministries and staffs at Cascade United Methodist Church and, later, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church. Both are “mega-church” congregations in the Atlanta area, with a membership of about 7,000 each.

“I realized I no longer loved what I was doing and it was no longer consistent with what my value systems were,” Young says. “I wanted more than just working 12 hours a day for a big paycheck.” Read the full story

Amidst restructurings, mergers, acquisitions, and global sourcing, many senior careerists now find themselves in the predicament of having to look for employment. Let’s face it, times can be a bit challenging. But there may be a silver lining in all of this. This can be a time for you to reflect on your life, your goals, and the dreams you have swept under the carpet – a time to revisit a change of careers. Are you with me? Let’s take a look at a few tips you will need to keep in mind.

Create a Vision

What is your fantasy career? Musician? Corporate raider? Supreme Court Justice? Back paddle a few strokes to reality. Now move up. This mental exercise will help you create a vision for your next career move from a list of the implausible and the plausible. It enables you to identify what you are passionate about. As you begin to revisit your dreams, you may find some that you have outgrown and others that you have a curiosity about. On your route to seeking a new career, you may find that there are other outlets for you to express some of these dreams.

Explore Opportunities

Talk to friends and friends of friends about what they are doing. Read career profiles of various individuals in magazines and other media. If it sounds like something you might want to do, then get more information on the subject. There are several career sites on the Web that provide this type of information.

What do you have to offer?

Conduct a self-assessment. This is a critical step in any career planning. Conduct an inventory of your strengths and areas for improvement. Think past your current or last job to talents you have demonstrated in other venues – the community, professional organizations, church, home, school, etc. List your strengths and how you have applied them. List any feedback you have received on development needs. You also should list the things you value, are interested in, and want to avoid. It might be revealing to take a personality inventory (e.g., Myers-Briggs) to get a sense of your temperament, style of communication, and how this meshes with various careers. There are numerous career planning assessment tools available. Descriptions of many of these (like the Strong Interest Inventory, which measures your interests in a broad range of occupations, work activities, leisure activities, and academic subjects) can be found at http://www.career-lifeskills.com.

What does your desired role require?

Next, identify the competencies required for the role you are interested in. You may need to do some research to complete this list. Speak to professionals in the role. Look up the job requirements in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (which provides descriptions of more than 12,000 job titles). Talk to executive recruiters, who specialize in filling these roles, about employers’ expectations. You can find executive search firms by specialty in the Kennedy Guide to Recruiting Firms and other directories.

Analyze the bridges and gaps.

Now look for the points of connection, as well as the gaps between where you are relative to where you need to be. When there is a significant difference between what you are doing now and what you would like to do, you will often find that your connection points are based on broad, transportable skills such as communication, problem solving, or knowledge of a particular industry. The gaps that surface may be based on more specialized areas, such as certification or educational requirements.

In your gap analysis, you may surface the need to go back to school. You may view this as a longer-term strategy, but it may actually help you connect with others in the field you are choosing. Professors may be able to provide you with leads. Alumni may have opportunities for internships. If you don’t think you have time to go to school, think again. Many universities offer weekend and online degree programs.

Write a detailed career action plan.

Write a strategy for how you will get from your current role to your desired role. This strategy should include short-term, long-term, and contingency plans. You may want to enlist the assistance of a career coach at this stage. Your plan should specify individuals or networks that can help you reach your goal. You should also spell out what you are willing and able to give up to reach your goal — for example, a 20 percent decrease in salary, a status/title change, etc.

“But I have no experience. Who’s going to hire me?”

Dip your foot in the pool or at least get it wet. In most cases, you would be absolutely right in your assumption that experience gets the job. But the job is not the only way to get the experience. You may be able to develop the skills you need in other settings while you are in your current position.

For example:

• Volunteer your services to a community, civic, or social organization.
• Conduct committee work within a professional organization.
• Serve on a non-profit board of advisors or directors.

One tactic you may opt to use if your skill set is close but your experience level is off, is to negotiate a trial period with a potential employer in which they leverage your services for less than full salary. How much less will depend on your financial situation. “Try me out with less pay” should only be used if you believe you can come into an organization and quickly add value. Your manager and co-workers will be watching your every move.

Another tactic you will want to use to get your foot in the door is to make yourself visible in forums where professionals in your desired field congregate. This sends the subtle message that you are “one of them.” This includes joining professional organizations and attending conferences. It also includes arranging to make presentations in these forums on topics about which you are knowledgeable and can generalize to your audience’s interest. Writing for magazines or other publications that the target group reads is a related tactic.

Changing careers is a challenging endeavor that requires reflection, direction and persistence. Much of it breaks down to the fine art of networking, image building, and competence. The more your name is known in your desired arena, the higher the odds of you connecting with someone who is willing to give you that first chance.

Interviewing is akin to marketing and is a blend of art and science. Potential buyers will be looking for what you can contribute, what you cost, and whether or not there is chemistry. You are marketing a product which is you, and negotiating for the right price, location, and timing. There are a lot of parallels to marketing that apply in the job search and interview process including research, sales, packaging and promotion, and negotiation. You will need to draw on the skills you have in these areas to master the interview and get your ideal offer.

Preparation and Research

The job search process is 90% preparation and 10% perspiration. There is a lot you can do before your appointment to increase the probability of a successful interview. Find out as much as you can about the company and the industry you are interested in. Top 50 lists will help you understand the strengths of the company. For public companies, you can read the annual report. For just about any company, you can go on their web-site and find out valuable information including statements of their mission, vision, and values; their products and services, descriptions of each major line of business; employee size; and their various office locations. Find out who the company’s competitors are and what the company believes differentiates it from its competitors. Know the names of key officers. Interviewers will often casually mention the names of the CEO, COO and other senior officers during the interview, assuming you know who they are talking about. Without this understanding you may lose some of the context for what they are sharing or asking you to respond to. You should know all of these are data points prior to going into the interview; so that your questions are related to the position at hand.

Sales Pitch

Review your resume and think through your strengths, experiences, and transferable skills. How do these address a need or challenge within the company or industry you are interested in? Connect with someone who can help you prepare for the interview (e.g., career coach, trusted colleague in Human Resources, friend, or family member). Leverage these individuals as a sounding board and to rehearse how you will respond to various questions. Their feedback will help you identify where you may need to provide more detail or less, or adjust your body language and your expression. This is key! Any presentation may go well inside of your head, but you need to hear the words and ensure you are conveying confidence and a sense of authenticity when you speak with others who do not know you. If no one is available for you to practice with, rehearse in front of the mirror. Outplacement firms suggest you might even want to tape your voice so that you can hear how you sound or you can check out or buy a video on Effective Interviewing and observe as others role-model effective techniques.

Packaging

Packaging includes what’s inside the box (your personality and demeanor), how the product is wrapped or packaged (your appearance and body language) and what is around the product (your resume and other collateral pieces). At a basic level, you will want to ensure that your resume is error free, easy to scan, does not raise a lot of questions, e.g., gaps in employment dates. Packaging extends to your attire. Make sure your dress is parallel to what is considered interview apparel for the company. This may be slightly different that the standard dress code for the company. For example, the dress code may be business casual, but there may be an unwritten expectation that anyone interviewing is suited up or dresses a bit more conservatively. Know the “uniform” for the industry. In other words, you would not walk into an interview for a manufacturing company with the same level of flair you might suit up for to interview with a public relations or advertising concern.

Arrive to your interview, leaving enough time for you to find the appropriate building or office, stop in the restroom, examine your appearance, and gain composure – about 15 minutes early. Make sure you bring extra copies of your resume, a pad to take notes on, and a pen – that works! Enclose these neatly in a portfolio, so that you are not struggling to find these during the interview.

From Concept to Promotion

During the interview, you will be painting a picture so that the interviewer can get to know you. Your interviewer has some concept of you based on the accomplishments you have cited on your resume. In the interview they will be looking for validation of your experiences, interpersonal skills, and to test if you would be a good match for the company and role.

Many interviewers will use a situational or behavioral interview approach to validate your work experience in which they will ask you to describe in detail a situation or challenge that demonstrates a specific skill. As you describe your experiences, use the STAR technique. Describe the Situation or Task you were presented with, the Action you took, and the Results. Spend the most time describing the action and results – how you made a difference. Remember not to speak negatively of your employers or co-workers even if the situation was negative or challenging. Focus on how you were able to turn a negative into a positive either for yourself or others.

Depending on the job level you are at, you may have several interviews. There may be a screening interview with someone from HR. Leverage this time to ask logistical questions, For example – questions about the interview team composition, questions about the prior incumbent in the role, how long it has been vacant, and the timeframe in which they are looking to fill the position.

Each subsequent interviewer may be interviewing you to assess specific skill sets or competencies. Try to understand the perspective of each interviewer by asking them to explain their role in the organization and the working relationship they would have with the person in the position you are applying for. This team of interviewers will later convene to compare observations and provide their recommendation on whether or not you are a viable candidate.

Given there may be several interviewees competing and bringing a comparable level of value to the table, the interviewer’s decision may be based on their connection with you. You may establish a connection by sharing aspects about your experience that you know will resonate with your interviewer’s interests or background, or by coming across in a way that conveys authenticity, and engenders trust and comfort. This is the part of the interview that is clearly “art” versus “science.” To this end, pay attention to your non-verbal behavior. Appear interested, by sitting up straight and/or leaning slightly forward. Appear engaged by keeping eye contact and providing affirming gestures. Even if you are nervous, appear composed by controlling any nervous habits you may have such as fidgeting, tapping your feet, or clenching. Take a deep breath and smile inwardly so that you appear confident. Make sure you are talking at a pace that the interviewer can follow. Don’t be afraid to use brief silence to think through a question or pause to check for understanding.

Remember, during the interview you are promoting yourself, but it is also a mutual exchange. You are trying to find the best “buyer.” Make sure you have prepared some questions ahead of time so that you can gain a better understanding of the current and future direction of the role and company, the value of the role within the company, the work environment, any inherent challenges, and specific results you will be expected to deliver early on.

At the close of your interview, be sure to thank the interviewer for his or her time, ask about next steps, and get a sense of timing of when you will hear back from the company. A memorable and nice touch to keep you top of mind is to send a follow-up thank you note to each interviewer.