Are you interview ready? With the onset of The Great Attrition, companies are expecting many new hires and many young, entry level employees are finding themselves asking what are the best practices for interviews in this highly competitive time. In response, this episode of the Can You Hear Me? podcast focuses on what employers are looking for and evaluating when interviewing candidates. The goal of today's discussion is to shed some light on how job candidates, particularly those who are newer to the workforce, can best position themselves for success when applying and interviewing. Joined by agency leaders of The Harbinger Group's team, host Eileen Rochford and team members Kellie Kennedy and Tony Bosma answer various questions posed by young job candidates to explore the best advice and guidance on how to stand out as a candidate and how to communicate to your best advantage when interviewing for jobs in marketing communications.
Best Practice Advice
For additional advice and tips on how to create your own unique and personal brand, reflect on our episode with Kraig Kann!
P.S. The Harbinger Group is Hiring!
Eileen Rochford [00:00:18] Hello again, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Can You Hear Me? I'm Eileen Rochford, CEO of the marketing strategy firm The Harbinger Group. And today I'll be hosting our show solo as my co-host, Rob, is off on a well-deserved break with his family and really hope that they're having a fabulous, fabulous time together. So we're going to be talking about interview communications today, which is a very timely topic. You know, we've been going through the great attrition in the hiring frenzy that we've been experiencing this year in the summer. We're going to focus on what employers are looking for in evaluating when we're interviewing candidates. The goal of our discussion today is really to shed some light on how job candidates, particularly those who are newer to the workforce, can best position themselves for success when applying and interviewing. So we're going to share some advice on our best practices and guidance on how to stand out as a candidate and communicate to your best advantage when you're interviewing for jobs in marketing communications, especially in agencies like ours at The Harbinger Group. I've invited a team of super smart people to join me today to share their advice and perspectives. So we have two folks from our leadership team at the Harbinger Group; Kellie Kennedy, she's an executive vice president of Strategic Earned Marketing, and Tony Bosma, vice president of Digital Marketing. Kelly and Tony will be helping me to answer questions posed by three of our newest team members, our interns Karol Skoczen and Sean Valentin and Avery Resendiz. You guys may remember, Karol, Sean and Avery from our recent episode, The Next Generation Workforce Speaks Out, which was one of our most popular episodes basically of all time since we started the show in May 2021. And since that show was published just three weeks ago, it's the second most downloaded episode. So welcome back to you three. Basically, we have these resident Internet celebs like, yes. So it's set the stage for a conversation. I want you guys to understand that our leadership team here has been actually recruiting and interviewing candidates recently. So over the past three weeks. And we have a lot of insight that we've gathered during that time to share on the subject of good or successful interview communications. Our interviews have happened exclusively via video conference, which, you know, has clearly become the norm over the past two years. Yet, that format presents, as we have found, some really interesting situations and challenges for employers and job candidates alike, which we'll definitely talk about today in this discussion. One last thing, I'll also mention that the candidates we've been interviewing, they've been working for about between two and four years now. So, they're not totally new to the workplace or to having to interview, but they're definitely fresh. So, I think this is really relevant experience and we're excited to share it. So let's get to it. Avery is going to ask our first question to get us rolling.
Avery Resendiz [00:03:28] Thank you so much for having me back. So, my first question is, what is your best advice for standing out against other candidates?
Kellie Kennedy [00:03:38] So I'll start with two thoughts. The first is to prepare. If a candidate can really demonstrate that they've done their homework on the firm- going to the website, visiting their social media pages, listening to their podcasts in the case of the Harbinger Group- and can really show that they're motivated to learn about the agency and understand it and the clients that we have, that goes a long way to show that they are really interested. And second is, before you come into the interview, identify your strengths and practice the delivery of them and have examples to support that. It's hard to talk about yourself and being able to do that succinctly and tell why you're a good fit is really important because, especially during interviews, it's natural to be nervous. And sometimes when people are nervous, they ramble. And when that happens, they lose me during interviews. So really have those points down about what your strengths are and come with examples. So if you are a social media expert, come with examples of campaigns that you've put together and results that exemplify why we can't turn you away. I think those are two pieces that really stick out for me.
Tony Bosma [00:05:18] Yeah, those are great answers Kellie, and I think one of the other things that candidates really need to think about is the questions that they may have for a potential employer. You know, even though the candidate is the one being interviewed, I think that you can really stand out above some competition if you bring very good questions to ask the person who's interviewing you. And these might be questions about the agency or the company that they're interviewing with, but also about the position and about their clients and the individuals and companies that the potential employer is working with. I think as long as the candidate brings really good questions, I think that the interviewer is going to take note of that and it shows a different level of engagement of just being prepared for yourself. It's also showing the enthusiasm that you may have to work for the employer and for the clients or companies that they work with.
Eileen Rochford [00:06:20] Great advice, both of you. I think what I would reinforce is Kelly's point about coming prepared and having a really succinct, you know, personal brand positioning, if you will. What you're good at, what you stand for and why this company, the one you're interviewing with at that moment, is a right fit for you based on what they're looking for in the culture of the organization. And just doing your homework, it's essential under reflecting in your answers that you've studied the organization deeply, you've studied the people you're interviewing with, you've studied the leadership team. You've gone and dug through the history of their social posts, their newsroom, all those things. I'll just reinforce that, you know, when it comes to me interviewing candidates, all of those are very, very important to me when selecting folks and spend a lot of time preparing- be really ready. Okay. So let's move on to our next question. And, Karol, you get to ask this one.
Karolina Skoczen [00:07:41] Lovely. So, what I want to know is how does an entry level individual make a lasting impression during the interview process? Whether that's like chiming into professionalism or showing your personality. Maybe being a little bit more confident? Or would you prefer someone who is modest?
Tony Bosma [00:08:01] Karol, I think that's a really great question. And really the answer is yes to all of the above, but I would rank them in this way. So- confidence, number one, and modesty number two. And so that may seem like, you know, they're sort of battling against each other. But here's the thing- if you're an entry level person, right, the interviewer knows that you're an entry level person. So it's really important not to oversell yourself, but you want to be able to be confident in the skills that you do have and the experience that you have. So that's, you know, it's sort of a two edged sword, like you want to be confident, but you also want to be modest and showing that you don't know everything yet. And I think being confident and being modest, that really is going to reflect on your professionalism and your personality. And so being modest doesn't mean that you have to be, you know, sort of in your own show, sort of an introvert. It really is just being very honest with yourself about your skill set and the experience that you do have. And I think all of that shows confidence, which is really important to me when I'm interviewing a candidate.
Kellie Kennedy [00:09:15] You know, just to echo what Tony said, I think that makes a lot of sense. And I also think that entry level individuals need to remember that while they might not have been in the workforce at all or for a long time, they have applicable experience. And that I'm really impressed when candidates can talk about their experience. So maybe they have not been in, you know, marketing communications, but they can talk about how when they were a server at a restaurant, they worked really well under stress and they had to be extremely organized and they had to work with people of different personalities, you know, really be able to apply any experience that you had to show your strengths that would apply to that job. And to piggyback on what Tony said about asking smart questions, that really stands out as well during an interview, because while you may not have a ton of experience, asking questions, shows that you've thought about the position and you're curious and you want to know more. And that says a lot as well.
Eileen Rochford [00:10:37] Oh, that's great advice. I think what I would add to that is a couple of things. So when you're an entry level person, you've got a lot of obstacles to overcome. But you're also in a position where people are far more forgiving of things that you don't have at that stage of your career. So, recognizing that overcoming the obstacles is something that you want to have really front and center in your mind. And I believe that one of the big ways to do that is to overcompensate on the professionalism side, you know, don't pretend to be something that you're not, but definitely show up looking like you are 100% ready to be in a professional environment. And today, those interviews are being conducted, especially the ones that we've been doing, via video conference, right. Well, that is the same environment- if you're interviewing for a remote position or even a hybrid position, that's the same environment that you'd be reflecting when you're on client calls or team calls. Recognize that. Make sure you show up with the background looking professional. You don't want to show an unmade bed. You don't want to show a messy bedroom. Be aware of that. Your personal appearance also matters, I think, particularly when you are entry level, but frankly, always. And that just means professional attire. You know, you don't wear a college T-shirt, okay? Like wear a suit jacket or at least a blazer, something that reflects a professional environment because you'll be put in front of clients, you'll be working within client teams, and you definitely want to demonstrate that's your opportunity to demonstrate "I can show up and look like a professional team member when I need to," and you're kind of on the stage at that moment. So take advantage of it and really demonstrate that you can do that and you can, you know, be highly professional in the way that you approach meetings, just like your interview, for example. I would also say that confidence is super important and I echo Tony's advice about being very self-aware. You never want to over inflate, I guess, overexaggerate what your experience has been. But there is a way to counter that, and if this is true of you, demonstrate that you're a lifelong learner, demonstrate that your core area of interest or in your core area of interest, be it digital marketing, audience targeting, social media, whatever it may be, demonstrate that you've taken the time to get your own certifications in, you know, all these abundantly available courses that are online. Do something that shows "while I may not have direct application of experience yet, I have knowledge and I have interest. And I have passion." That's my answer.
Kellie Kennedy [00:13:52] And I would like to add one more thing. I am a bit old school when it comes to follow up notes, but the follow up notes after an interview always make an impression with me. So just sending a quick note to say, you know, "it was great talking with you." Pulling in a few pieces from the conversation and adding some sort of personal notes is always a nice added touch after an interview and another way to remain on the company's radar screen too.
Eileen Rochford [00:14:30] I'm so glad you mention that, Kellie. That's great advice. I totally agree with you. It's almost like maybe 50% of people do that today. And I can't believe that- it's such low hanging fruit, right? Like in terms of an opportunity to make an impression, so not sending out thoughtful follow up, but, you know, immediately after the interview or certainly that day, I think it drops you down on the consideration list.
Kellie Kennedy [00:14:55] And I will say that one of The Harbinger Group's interns last year after the internship was over, she wrote me a handwritten note, and I still have that note to this day.
Eileen Rochford [00:15:07] So do I!
Kellie Kennedy [00:15:07] So, anytime she wants to come for a recommendation, she knows that she can get one from me. But it was so thoughtful and, you know, really meant a lot. I mean, that certainly left an impression in addition to the incredible work that she did, of course, but really going that extra mile counts.
Eileen Rochford [00:15:27] Okay. I think Sean's up next, right? All right, Sean. What do you want to know?
Sean Valentin [00:15:32] Do you guys think that a cover letter is important or do you believe that you gain all the info about the candidate from the rest from the resume and then the interview?
Eileen Rochford [00:15:47] Terrific question, Sean, and I can answer that straight away. The cover letter is so important. Here's why. When you send or when you write that cover letter, you're demonstrating you've already done research on the company, ideally, right? And you're also taking advantage of the opportunity to tell your personal story of why you should be considered, why you are in the top five. What have you done that matches the criteria mentioned in that job description that you saw in or in the ad that you saw match up, the research that you've done on that company and what interests you about the company and the job with your own skill set? Weave narrative that makes people instantly say, "Oh, great. They fit. They check all the boxes let's put in through into the interview process." It, you know, separates the wheat from the chaff, if you will, in many, many ways. So my answer is you need to write that cover letter and you need to do a really good job writing that cover letter. Do your research before you even sit down. Research the company, right? Now, think about it, if you've written that cover letter and taking the opportunity in that note to highlight things about yourself that go deeper than what someone could see in your resume or your work samples. When you get in front of them in the interview, what they asked you about, you then free up all this time where you can tell your own story more deeply. They don't have to ask you the basic questions as much. You've highlighted some of the things that might have eaten up some of your interview time in that cover letter. So my opinion is the cover letter is essential.
Kellie Kennedy [00:17:41] I agree. It's very important and I would just caution that while the cover letter can really help you, a poorly written cover letter can really hurt you. Even if your resume is really impressive, if there's a cover letter that just doesn't get to the point or is just plain and simple, not well-written. That's a reflection on you as well. So I would really caution to have someone else read that cover letter and make sure that you're really getting to the point and that it's well written. But overall, I think that it's a really important piece that represents you. And then, of course, the resume is the focus.
Tony Bosma [00:18:32] And I think just a couple other things to note on the cover letter, and Eileen and Kellie, I think you've made a really great points. Don't be formulaic in your cover letters, because it shines right through that you've just copied and pasted the position that you're applying for in the company. So it's really important to put the time in because it shows that you're willing to put in the work and that you've put thought into why you would be a good fit for the company and for the position. And the cover letter is really your first impression when you have to submit one for a job. And, you know, one example that I'll give is as we've gone through an interview process to hire here at the Harbinger Group is; I received a really great cover letter from a candidate. It included work examples really relevant to the position. You know, talked about why the person would be a good fit for The Harbinger Group, and at that point, I just had to scan the resume because I was already impressed with the cover letter. It showed that this person was really, really passionate about working for our company or for our agency. And, you know, it can move you along in the process quicker if you put the time in. And so I think I just I agree with you, Kellie and Eileen. It's just it's super important, even though it seems like it's this extra thing you have to do and it's going to take you more time rather than just clicking apply on LinkedIn to a position. It can go the extra mile. And just one last point on that, I think it's important to also utilize the communication tools that we have today. So, yes, you need to build a cover letter, but you're going to stand out to a potential employer if you send an inmail on LinkedIn. Think of that as like a secondary cover letter. You only get so many chances to make a first impression and make that first touch point. So I would just encourage, you know, do all of the things that you can do at the outset. And that includes the cover letter and inmail messages on LinkedIn.
Eileen Rochford [00:20:37] Excellent advice. Thank you. I want to add one thing therein to your LinkedIn point, which I totally appreciated you mentioning, Tony. There haven't been many folks who have sent LinkedIn to me during this interview process here at The Harbinger Group, but, I have had a few, and in some cases it was upsetting and disappointing because they didn't follow any of the directions in the ad or the what was on our landing page for the position. So that can hurt you too, right. Don't circumvent the process that the agency has so clearly said, "this is what I want you to do. I want you to answer these questions and screening, provide a cover letter, provide your work samples, etc.." Don't try and circumvent that just through a LinkedIn inmail. I've received a couple of those and they were pretty disappointing. Okay, so moving on. Now, Avery gets to ask us another question.
Avery Resendiz [00:21:41] Yeah. So, I think that so far we focus a lot on what you should do during an interview. But I think my biggest question right now is, in your opinion, what is the biggest mistake you can make as a candidate during the interview process?
Kellie Kennedy [00:21:54] Well, Avery, you know, gosh, there are a few to choose from here. Certainly not being prepared and doing your homework is a biggie. And just remember that everyone's time is valuable, so if you're not going to take the time to learn about the company that you're interviewing with, then don't take their time for the interview. So really make sure you know the organization and understand the job description and also you want to develop a rapport with the person you're interviewing with, but you don't want to be too personal or get too relaxed, especially during those initial interviews. You know, you want to always maintain the high level of professionalism that you will reflect when you get that job. So while it might be great to connect with the person, you want to make sure that you put boundaries around that and not get to relax. You know, when I was at another company, I was interviewing someone and they got really relaxed and mentioned some things that I thought, "Wow, if they're mentioning this in a first interview, how would they be in front of a client?" So really be mindful that you don't want to go too far down that path.
Tony Bosma [00:23:22] That's a great point, Kellie. I think one of the things as we've gone through some interview processes here at The Harbinger Group- one thing that always stands out to me is when a candidate treats a question like a yes or no question and they do not elaborate on their responses or go very in-depth, I think that's a big no no. So, for instance, if someone asks you, you know, do you have social media experience? If you just say yes and you don't expand on what that experience is, the interviewer is not gleaning anything from your answer. So I think it's really important, as Kellie mentioned, to be prepared and, you know, not just in the way you look and the appearance of your background if you're doing a virtual interview, but being prepared with your responses doesn't mean that you're reading them off a piece of paper. If it's obvious that you're not being conversational in the interviewing, you're just reading the bullet points that you put together- It shines through in so many different ways. So, you know, I think it's really, really important to be prepared, but also not overprepared.
Eileen Rochford [00:24:38] Great advice. Avery, I have to say, this is one of the hardest questions that I saw you guys had prepared, because there's so many mistakes any of us could make in these situations, right? But what is the biggest, huh? I think I have to just kind of fall back on lack of professionalism. And maybe, Kellie, that might lead into your point about getting too relaxed, I don't know but, show up like you mean business. Show up with your game face on, you know, your uniform on, your game plan at the ready. All those things are required and if any one of them is missing, then, I'm going to discount you as a candidate. I mean, I'll just be frank that you got to be super duper prepared and you have to look like you are ready to do business. And in our case, we are a business to business communications firm and we are always working with businesses in business environments. You know, we're not a consumer- it's a different, I guess, culture or environment in a way. And so that, you know, professionalism, client facing professionalism, which I think is what you should strive to reflect in an interview environment, because that's really what you're being looked at for, not, you know- workdays when we're not interacting with clients, I show up in a baseball cap all the time. Sure, that's fine. Not when you're on an interview. No way. So that's what I would say. All right. So, Karol, let's answer your next question at.
Karolina Skoczen [00:26:22] So I know we talked a little bit about showing your personality during the interview, and I know The Harbinger Group has core values that would be ideally sought for in a candidate. So, I was wondering how you determine if somebody is a fit in those, you know, personality traits and values that you're looking for? And how do you ask those questions? What type of questions you ask?
Eileen Rochford [00:26:50] Well, I'm glad the three of us are answering this, because I'm actually super interested to hear what Tony and Kellie say. But I'll offer something first. The way that I explore that, Karol, with candidates is I ask them questions first open ended. For example, I'll say, "which of the core values of The Harbinger Group do you identify with most strongly?" And I'll ask them to talk to me about that and I'll ask, you know, probing follow up questions like why? Why that one in particular? How does that resonate with you? Now give me an example of, you know, either your college or your work experience where that wasn't present in a work environment. And how did that impact you? Things like that. Right. So I'll I'll basically ask the candidate to both demonstrate their knowledge that they have read about our core values, looked at how those core values are reflected in our content on our website, in our social content and other things on the show. If they listen to this show, we talk about them all the time. So I'll ask them to kind of tell me how those six words matter to them, or which of those six words maybe mean the most.
Tony Bosma [00:28:14] I really love this question, but I also don't like it because since there's so many lanes we can go down here. And sometimes it just comes down to in terms of a fit of personality and values, you can just tell. Like someone feels like, you know, one of us in a lot of different ways. But one of the things I really like to ask candidates is, "what are you passionate about?" And so I'm not looking to hear that, "Oh, I like to go hiking or I like to spend time with my family all the time," you know, not like those super kind of granular things that, you know, are areas in which we probably all have, you know, passions for in different ways and different activities. But I ask that question because I want to see how they weave work into it and their profession. Are they talking about how they love to learn? They love to read because they like to take these adventures with their mind and sort of weave in and out of things and they have this hunger for knowledge. And so it's easy to ask someone what they're passionate about and for someone to respond to it about the hobbies that they like to do. But what I'm keenly interested in is really, you know, how does that translate into your work life, right? And then a lot of times when I ask those kinds of questions, it'll lead into, you know, how do you do, you know, work life balance, you know, how do you manage that and those different types of things? But, you know, it seems like an easy question to answer, but I think it can go down a lot of different lanes that help you learn more about who a person is outside of just what their hobbies are.
Kellie Kennedy [00:29:56] Oh, Tony, that's a great response. Two questions I always ask during any interview is to share a success that you're most proud of. And at the same time, tell me about a failure and how you dealt with that. Because we're all human, we all fail. But I think how you respond to a failure says a lot about a person. And so it's always interesting. And, you know, that question tends to catch people a little bit because during an interview you certainly don't want to talk about or you don't want to focus on a bad thing that happened or something that you weren't successful at. But that is really a question to probe about how you react and how you kind of pull yourself back up and rebound, because we all do that on a daily basis. And so that has been a really telling question for me and it's interesting because I was really impressed with an interview candidate we talked with recently who gave me one success and again, he was very specific and had examples of the campaign and the successes and numbers and data and everything. And then he went and he told me about two failures. He didn't just give me one, but he gave me two. And how he really rebounded from those, which I thought really gave me a lot of good insight into him and his personality. The second question I ask is how do you gain the confidence and the respect of of others? And the reason I ask that is because I feel like it's a question that probes a bit into collaboration and really being mindful of the task at hand and how to meet expectations and hopefully exceed them. And so have really gotten some good responses to that as well because it's certainly not looking for someone to be braggadocious. But how do you help people or make them see that you are a quality employee and person? One candidate not only responded professionally how she gains people's confidence, but she wove in how personally she gains their confidence, which I think is just as important as the professional side. So those two questions really give me a sense of of how they collaborate and their dedication and really how they are as people and that how they might fit with the agency.
Eileen Rochford [00:33:00] Oh, that's terrific advice. I'll just say, Karol, on your question, the personality part is honestly the most interesting to me, the use of that word, because it made me think about how here I don't think we're looking for one specific type of personality. I don't know, maybe that's the case in other places. Personality is, here I am thinking about all the people who work here and how vastly different everyone is from being, you know, slightly introverted and reserved to being super duper social, outgoing, passionate. It's funny. So I'll just say that the use of that word really got me thinking. So let's move on to our last question, which is from Sean. Okay, Sean, let's hear it.
Sean Valentin [00:33:51] Yeah. Do you believe that if a candidate doesn't exactly fit the required years of experience, it's still worth applying for? I feel like especially nowadays, we see it on social media of like, you know, in kind of a joking manner that, you know, an entry level position requires ten years of experience, the highest bucks to get the experience, you know, if you can't get a job in the field. So do you think that, you know, still worth applying if you're a year or two off of the required years of experience?
Kellie Kennedy [00:34:28] I think that's a really good point, Sean, and I think you nailed it. Yes. My response is yes. With the caveat that if you're one or two years off of the required years of experience, if it's a job that is looking for 8 to 10 years experience, and you've got two I would really think long and hard about that. At the same time, we all got our break in our careers at some point. And so I'm a firm believer that, you know, everyone needs to start somewhere. And so, again, if you're 1 to 2 years off and the job description is something that you have some level of experience in, and you can demonstrate, like Eileen mentioned earlier, that you're a lifelong learner and you're curious and you want to learn more and you've taken some steps to learn more to meet the requirements of the job- by all means, throw your hat in the ring. I mean that as long as you are completely transparent and accurate in your resume and they see the experience that you have and know that you are not necessarily meeting their required years, but if you still stand out and they want to talk with you, then I think that it makes all the sense in the world. So I think it's definitely still worth applying.
Tony Bosma [00:35:58] Yeah. Kellie, I agree. And, you know, but I think one of the things that's really important is if you don't meet the number of years of experience that an employer is looking for, you have to find other areas to sort of make up for it, right. And so, you know, having a great personality, being professional, showcasing the skills you do have and talking about, you know, how they're transferable, I think is something that candidates really, really need to do. And I think the other piece of this is it's super important, especially for entry level, that you put the work in during college and I don't mean the schoolwork and going to class. It's finding internships and ways in which you can get real world, applicable experience, you know, while you're in school, because that's really the only way to counter, you know, Sean's meme of, you know, "entry level requiring ten years of experience," right. And so I find that to be super important. It also shows initiative that, you know, you had this really packed schedule, but you still managed to fit in getting this real world experience. And it can be done. All of our interns are doing it right now. So yeah, I think at the end of the day it's okay to apply if you've got, you know, a couple of years less experience, but you have to understand that you need to make up for it in some other way.
Eileen Rochford [00:37:30] Great, great advice. I don't know that I have a ton to add to what our colleagues have already said, which is right on and perfect. Aside from, if it's an entry level position, for example Sean, I don't think anybody who's entry level should be applying for anything that says anything less than entry level. I just don't think you'd be considered for a job that says, you know, three years of experience required because what they're looking for is someone who's had- they're not, you know, what do they call it, wet behind the ears. I don't even know if that means. Does anyone know what that means? Anyway, you get it, right, that they want you to have had some experience in the workplace at that point. So, when you're totally entry level, focus your time and getting the work experience just like what you guys are doing right now, you're doing all the right things. You have so much concrete work sample now to provide to, you know, potential future employers that you're going to be in a great position to apply for those newer entry level type of jobs. And I think you're going to be super, you know, just well prepared for that. If a job is asking for, you know, 3 to 4 years of experience and you have ten, don't apply for it either. That's crazy. Here's what the employer's going to think, "why would I consider you and waste my time interviewing you when there's no way that your salary requirements are within the band that we've budgeted for this job?" So I'll just add that final point. I think that that's, you know, the reverse is definitely not worth your time. Okay, those were six fabulous questions. You guys definitely provided us the opportunity to give great insight to newer, kind of fresher folks who are maybe less than five years looking for jobs in the marketing industry, especially within the agency sector that we're all in. And we appreciate the opportunity to answer those questions. Is there anything we didn't cover that we want to add as our closing point, Tony and Kellie?
Kellie Kennedy [00:39:47] Gosh, during media training, we always counsel clients to take advantage of this question, so I feel like I need to here. I would just reiterate some of the points that we made. Do your homework and have really good follow up and know the company that you're applying for and and the clients that they work with and demonstrate that you've done your homework and taken the time in your responses to weave in how you know them and that you could jump in feet first and really hit the ground running.
Tony Bosma [00:40:27] And I would just say in closing, you know, just do all of the little things you can to make yourself stand out and to try to keep a line of communication with an employer or a potential employer because they're getting hundreds of resumes. It's hard to review all of them. So when you do the little things, it gives you, you know, a better chance of being recognized so that you can get an actual review of your resume and your cover letter.
Eileen Rochford [00:40:57] I love that little things, Tony, and I'll build on it because I think everybody might benefit from this little tidbit. So we're a small company, right? And while we're small, we've been in business for 20 years and we have a wealth of information that's available out there about us because it's been 20 years. I am always looking to see when we're in hiring mode who's bothered to go and follow The Harbinger Group's social feeds, who's bothered to send connection invitations to members of the leadership team at The Harbinger Group, who is engaging with our social content when we put it up- because we put up, you know, a couple of times a week. And if candidates aren't doing that, that actually leaves a huge impression on us because we're a small company. So if you're looking to interview with smaller, even mid-sized organizations, that's totally something that you should be doing. And I think it really will make you stand out. So I love that little things points and I just want to add one more. All right, I want to thank Avery, Karol and Sean for being here to represent the perspective of newer job candidates and what they're looking to find out. And thank you to Tony and Kellie for being here to share kind of your veteran marketing experience as employers and interviewers. And you've shared such great insights, and I deeply appreciate that. So thanks to everybody for being with us today. And that's going to do it for another episode of Can You Hear Me? I'm Eileen Rochford, and we thank you for listening and remind you that you can find Can You Hear Me? wherever you get your podcasts on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more. Thanks so much.