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Articles from Peggy McKee | Selfgrowth.com
- Phone Interview Tips - Number 14: Your Phone Interview Voice - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2013 from Peggy McKeeYou might not think about the quality of your voice before your phone interview—but you should. Interviewers concentrate very hard on your voice in that conversation: Do you sound alert? Confident? Enthusiastic? Are there any red flags they need to be worrying about? They just don’t have ...
Views: 1519(1 vote) - Resume Objective Statements: Tell the Hiring Manager Why He Should Read the Rest of Your Resume - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2010 from Peggy McKeeDon’t be fooled by people who tell you that resume objective statements are optional, or that you shouldn’t have one at all. Their reasoning is usually that objective statements fence you in and limit your job-seeking focus. I’m here to tell you that you need an objective statement on your ...
Views: 3093(2 votes) - Use A Brag Book for a Successful Job Interview - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeDo you know one of the best ways to make a great impression in your job interview and set yourself apart from other job candidates? Build a brag book. Brag books can be very persuasive in an interview process (if you use them right). The fact that you've taken the time to put one together is ...
Views: 4565(1 vote) - Use a 30/60/90-Day Business Plan for Job Interview Success - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeCandidates are always looking for an edge in job interviews, and they try to gain that edge in different ways: crafting a killer resume, dressing for success, practicing interview questions and answers, researching the company, building a brag book, or even practicing positive body language. ...
Views: 20622(3 votes) - Impress Your Interviewer: Create a 30/60/90-Day Plan - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKee30/60/90-day plans are typically used for sales jobs, but did you know that you can use a 30-60-90-day plan for non-sales jobs? You can--it works for marketing, project management, technical support, and many others. For instance, I got a call from a candidate going for a job in Marketing ...
Views: 7192(2 votes) - What To Do With A Stalled Job Interview Process - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2010 from Peggy McKeeA Job Candidate’s Situation: A recuiter called a medical sales candidate about a job, gave him the name of the company and the manager, said that he had submitted his resume for consideration, and had the phone interview set up. Then, the recruiter called back to tell him that the phone ...
Views: 2585(2 votes) - 3 Simple Things You Can Do To Strengthen Your Resume - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2010 from Peggy McKeeAs a medical sales recruiter, I specialize in placing sales and sales management professionals, and I’ve seen tens of thousands of resumes throughout my career. Since I often sift through them quickly, it takes a great resume to stand out from the crowd and get my attention. And job seekers in ...
Views: 2032(3 votes) - Informational Interviews Using LinkedIn - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2010 from Peggy McKeeOne of the many, many fantastic applications of LinkedIn is that you can use it to land informational interviews. Informational interviews are just what they sound like: they are interviews that you conduct to gather information, usually about a job or a career field you’re interested in. ...
Views: 2233(3 votes) - Interviewing and Hiring Sales Reps: Top 5 Things to Know - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeIt's critical in today's uncertain business climate to make no mistakes in interviewing and hiring new sales representatives for your company. Hiring managers are under more pressure than ever before to make the right decision the first time. Beyond the basics of conducting a great interview and ...
Views: 1859(3 votes) - 10 Proven Tips for Your Medical Sales Job Search Success - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2010 from Peggy McKeeYour job search is one of the most significant tasks you’ll ever have. What job you end up with determines how you’ll spend the majority of hours in your day, how much money you’ll have, and how satisfied you are with your life. It’s worth making the effort to end up where you’ll be happy. ...
Views: 2442(1 vote) - 3 Easy Ways to Strengthen Your Online Brand Identity - by Submitted on May 22, 2010 from Peggy McKeeYour personal brand is nothing more (or less) than the image you project to others. It’s the whole (although abbreviated) picture of who you are and what you do–professionally. Online, it’s the sum of the parts. A large (maybe the whole) purpose of creating and maintaining an online brand is ...
Views: 1965(1 vote) - 5 Reasons to Use LinkedIn–Even If You’re Already Employed - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeMany people think that LinkedIn, a professional networking site, is only for those who are searching for jobs. So if you are someone who already has a job, there’s no use in posting resumes and recommendations, right? Wrong. It’s a misconception that LinkedIn is only for those who are ...
Views: 1935(1 vote) - 5 Things That Will Stop You From Landing the Medical/Healthcare Sales Job You Want - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeHere are 5 mistakes to avoid if you want to get into medical or healthcare sales. Some of them seem funny, but they are all very serious errors that recruiters frequently see candidates make. 1. Wrong degree To get a job in medical sales, healthcare sales, clinical diagnostics sales, ...
Views: 3720(1 vote) - Check Your Own Job References - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeRecently, I had a candidate who was going to get an offer-it was all over but the references. And that's where it all went wrong. We began calling to check (yes, we really do that) and two days later, only one was done. It wasn't even a matter of them trashing my candidate...they just wouldn't ...
Views: 2207(1 vote) - College Seniors Need a LinkedIn Profile Now - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeIf you’re a college senior, you’ll be a jobseeker soon. Students traditionally use on-campus job interviews as a way to get their first post-college job, but according to one article, less than 1/3 of college students find jobs from companies that hire through career services. So what’s ...
Views: 1897(2 votes) - Create a 30/60/90-Day Plan Now To Boost Your Job Search in the Future - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2010 from Peggy McKeeA 30/60/90-day sales plan is a written outline for exactly what you’ll do in the first 3 months on a new job. It’s the goals you’ve set for yourself as a new employee for the first 30 days, the first 60 days, and the first 90 days. A30/60/90-day sales plan is tremendously impressive to a ...
Views: 2970(1 vote) - Five Devastating LinkedIn Profile Errors: Don’t Let This Happen to You - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeI can’t emphasize enough just how important your LinkedIn profile is to your career in medical sales. Your LinkedIn profile is the primary thing other people (all 40 million of them on the network) will see about you. It is the online world’s equivalent of a first impression, so it should be ...
Views: 2252(1 vote) - How Does LinkedIn Work? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeLinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals, is a large community of over 40 million users from all over the world. It allows people to interact with other individuals and maintain profile pages that contain their career-oriented information and contact details. The advantage of ...
Views: 1756(1 vote) - How to Close Your Interview and Get the Job - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeIf you are searching for a job in any kind of sales and you want an edge in your job interview, here it is: know how to close the interview. Closing the interview requires that you stop focusing so completely on your own performance and ask questions that help you discover the needs of your ...
Views: 3220(1 vote) - How to Write an Effective Resume - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeMany, many people do not know how to write a resume, despite a wealth of information available. It's not just a list of jobs you've had, or skills you have. It's a marketing document. You are marketing yourself. In an uncertain economic climate, you must make the most of every opportunity you ...
Views: 1969(1 vote) - Interview Questions: Read This Before You Go to Your Sales Interview - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeJob interviews can be very stressful situations. To alleviate that stress so that you come across as confident, competent, and capable: be prepared, have good communications skills, and have a few tricks up your sleeve. Stepping it up so that you shine in the interview and stand out from the ...
Views: 3989(1 vote) - It is LinkedIn, Not Linked In. Are You On It? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeWhat a difference a space makes. LinkedIn is vastly different from Linked In, which implies that it is something that you just plug into. That’s definitely not what LinkedIn is all about. Instead, this particular site is a powerful networking tool that allows people to get in touch with other ...
Views: 1600(1 vote) - Job Interview Tip: Create a 30/60/90-Day Plan - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeIf you’re searching for a sales job (or any job), you want every advantage you can get, right? Which means, you’ve probably put a lot of effort into your resume, you’ve found the perfect suit for interviews, and you’ve gone over your answers to potential interview questions. Want another ...
Views: 6183(1 vote) - Job Interviews: How You Can Benefit By Asking Questions - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeWhat really separates candidates? It is not what you think. Of course, you need a great resume and you have to have presence. You have to have your shoes shined, show up on time and answer all the questions correctly. But you know what really makes a great candidate stand out from the ...
Views: 1588(1 vote) - LinkedIn Discussion For Sales Managers - What Do You Do When HR Can't Find the Hunters You Need? - by Submitted on Apr 02, 2010 from Peggy McKeeI recently posted this question on LinkedIn: Sales Managers: What do you do when your HR group isn't able to identify the hunters you need? With the incredible costs due to unfilled positions (customers going with the competition, RFPs not completed and generally missed sales ...
Views: 2530(2 votes) - Mid-Life Career Changes: What You Need to Know to Beat Out the (Younger) Competition - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2010 from Peggy McKeeThe days when a young college grad could start with a great company and settle in for a 30-year promotion-filled career with them are gone. Not only do we job-hop from company to company these days, more and more of us career-hop….but that’s where it gets tricky. Career-hopping in mid-life ...
Views: 1512(1 vote) - Ride-Alongs and Ride-Withs (aka Job Shadowing) - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeWhat is a ride-along? Why is it important? A ride-along is just what it sounds like: You spend a day with a medical sales rep who’s in the field you’re thinking you’d like to sell into, and see how a typical day goes. A ride-along can be one of your greatest opportunities to differentiate ...
Views: 2441(2 votes) - Sales Managers: Don’t Gamble With Your Medical Sales Hires! - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeSometimes, hiring medical sales reps feels like a roll of the dice. You hope you get a winner, but you’re never sure you will. In an article called “Stop Hiring Poor-Performing Salespeople,” Brian Jeffrey wrote about 3 specific pitfalls of hiring sales reps you should look out for, and ...
Views: 2200(1 vote) - Skip HR and Contact the Hiring Manager to Get That Job - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2010 from Peggy McKeeDo you feel like you're sending your resume down endless black holes? Not getting interviews? They might be getting hung up in HR-which means you need to go to the source: the hiring manager. Contacting the hiring manager directly sets you apart as a go-getter. It's a concrete demonstration ...
Views: 2476(1 vote) - STAR Interview Technique for Behavioral Job Interviews - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeEmployers want to know about more than just your skills and experience–they want to know how you’ll get along day-to-day. How will you react in stressful situations? What will you do when a customer gets cranky, or there’s some issue with the product? One way for hiring managers to get to ...
Views: 2333(1 vote) - The 4 Things a Hiring Manager Looks For in a Candidate - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2010 from Peggy McKeeCandidates are always looking for the “secret” to what the hiring manager is really looking for, so that they can highlight those parts of their experience that will entice the manager into making the job offer. If you look at hiring across industries and job titles, the basic qualities all ...
Views: 1891(2 votes) - The 80/20 Rule Applied to the Sales Manager Role - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeRest in peace Joseph Juran, inventor of the 80/20 rule. Your 80/20 rule saved many careers. How can that be? If you managed for any period of time and were an effective manager, you have used the 80/20 rule. Simply stated, the 80/20 rule says that 80% of your results will come from 20% ...
Views: 3406(3 votes) - The One Question You Must Ask The Interviewer - by Submitted on May 22, 2010 from Peggy McKeeDon’t get me wrong…there are many questions you must ask the interviewer in order to land the job. Asking questions in the interview demonstrates your intelligence, drive, enthusiasm, and preparation. It turns the interview into a conversation between professionals, putting you in a better ...
Views: 1802(1 vote) - Use the 80/20 Rule to Boost Your Sales Performance - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2009 from Peggy McKee80% of you won’t agree with this. 20% will: 100% – 20% = Failure for a medical sales rep How can that be? If you are a field-based medical sales, laboratory sales, medical device sales, or pharmaceutical sales rep, don’t you always have more tasks to accomplish than time to do ...
Views: 3847(1 vote) - Using LinkedIn For Long Term Career and Business Success - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2010 from Peggy McKeeLinkedIn is an amazing tool. I've seen a wide range of folks land both jobs and contracting opportunities. Careers can grow in unexpected and amazingly positive ways with this tool. Before LinkedIn, a young person beginning their career could have spent decades contacting and connecting with ...
Views: 1870(1 vote) - What to Keep In Mind When Choosing a Mentor for Your Career - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2009 from Peggy McKeeFinding a mentor can definitely help you advance your career, but there are several important points to keep in mind when choosing a career mentor. Usually people choose a manager, recruiter, or friend, but those choices might not be the best. A manager, for instance, might present a conflict ...
Views: 1547(1 vote) - What's the Secret for a Successful Job Interview? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeEveryone looking for a dream sales job wants a “secret weapon”—the edge that will make potential employers eager to hire him or her, and willing to bestow high salaries, benefits, and bonuses! In many cases, that weapon is the 30/60/90-day sales plan. What is it? It’s a written plan that ...
Views: 1835(1 vote) - Why Will a 30-60-90-Day Plan Get You a Job Offer? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeA 30-60-90-day plan is a written document outlining what you will do as an employee within the first 3 months of your employment. It's broken up into sections: the first 30 days usually includes training, as well as getting to know the company and customers; the next 30 days are more focused on ...
Views: 3977(1 vote) - 11 Phrases That Kill Your Job Interview - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeThink about the kind of impression you want to convey to your interviewer or hiring manager: experience, ability, and confidence. If you’ve been paying attention to me, you’ve got the experience and ability portions down: a winning resume, a brag book, a 30/60/90-day plan, and high-quality ...
Views: 2131(1 vote) - Book Review: Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire - by Submitted on Nov 23, 2010 from Peggy McKeeIf you are a woman in the business world, no matter what your age, you must read the book Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire, by Mirelle Guiliano. It will help you step around the mistakes you might make in your career or as a business owner, and step forward into an opportunity that you ...
Views: 2012(2 votes) - How Do I Use Twitter Now? - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2010 from Peggy McKeeTwitter is one of those social media sites that might surprise you. On the surface, it seems frivolous—do you really need to read all those Tweets about the smallest daily details of life? But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll realize just how powerful Twitter can be for your medical sales or ...
Views: 1637(2 votes) - How To Stay Motivated In Your Job Search - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2010 from Peggy McKeeIt can be really hard to stay upbeat in a job search, especially if you’ve been out of work for any length of time in this difficult economy. You can stay motivated by setting realistic goals that aren’t activity-based, but are instead performance-based. And what I mean by that are actions ...
Views: 2095(1 vote) - LinkedIn Hints For Building a Great Network - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2010 from Peggy McKeeMany people work wildly, seeking to grow their networks. Besides the largest sites of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, you can find many more that are dedicated to the subject, whether they are a smaller social networking site, a blog devoted to the topic, or simple product website that "helps" ...
Views: 1860(4 votes) - More Skills to Develop Before Your Interview - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2010 from Peggy McKee"A" players demonstrate many strong competencies on a consistent and convincing basis. As a medical sales professional, having these items clearly in your mind is a great way to structure your performance, develop your resume, present your experience, and understand your own weaknesses. Some ...
Views: 1627(4 votes) - Is Your Career Worth an Hour of Your Time? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeObviously, the answer to this simple question is a resounding “Yes!” After all, careers represent achievement and financial security. Giving up an hour of your time is an insignificant sacrifice considering the benefits that it can provide. The next question: How should you utilize that hour ...
Views: 1565(1 vote) - What are the minimum requirements for a job interview? - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2010 from Peggy McKeeI believe the minimum requirements for any job interview are to be well-dressed (appropriate to your industry) with shined shoes, conservative accessories, and a recent haircut; and carry some kind of portfolio that holds additional copies of your resume and a notepad and pen so you can take ...
Views: 2557(1 vote) - What Groups on LinkedIn Should I Join? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeOne of the best aspects of LinkedIn is that it allows people to connect with other professionals in specific areas of interest. LinkedIn Groups is a place for communities to form based on a common experience, goal, or any other characteristic. The idea is to provide a venue where collaboration ...
Views: 1779(1 vote) - Your Profile on LinkedIn is Your Key to a Great Job - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeAs any job-seeker can attest, finding a good job in today’s business climate can be quite challenging. The good news is that it is not an impossible task. There are some tools that people can use in order to increase their chances of landing a great career opportunity. One of these tools is ...
Views: 1602(2 votes) - Post-Interview Follow Up Tips: After The Thank You Note - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2010 from Peggy McKeeCandidates often ask me, “Post-interview, how long should I wait AFTER I send the thank you note to contact the hiring manager again? What should I say? Should I call or email again?“ The post-interview follow up period can feel like the trickiest of situations for candidates. Push too ...
Views: 2495 - Preceptorships (or Job Shadowing): Great Career Builder - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2010 from Peggy McKeeAre you looking to transition into a new career? Whether you are being forced to move on because of the current economic situation, or whether you’re one of the millions of adults switching careers just because you’re ready for a change, consider job shadowing to give yourself a boost. Job ...
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