Here’s a peek behind the interviewer’s desk.

They saw something promising on your resume and decided to call you for a phone interview. That went well-you handled yourself well on the phone and answered the basic questions they asked.

Something happened when they met you in person.

Each interviewer is different, but here are some common reasons why you may not hear back from them.

You weren’t dressed appropriately for the position or company.  Think about the way others at the company were dressed, and the status of the position you were interviewed for.  Were you “dressed to impress”?  One time I interviewed someone for an account manager position that might be a bit of a stretch from what he was currently doing.  I was willing to give him a chance.  However when he showed up for the interview he was dressed pretty casually and didn’t even bring a notebook to take notes during the interview, or a pen to write with.  I needed him to show me that he was going to project a professional image without my having to follow him around to remind him to bring a notebook when he meets with a client.  I expected him to look more pulled-together, and that he was hungry for this job.  I didn’t see that in him, and was turned off.

Your body language was a turn-off.  Did you maintain eye contact with the interviewer?  Not in a creepy-staring contest kind of way, but in an honest, sincere, and interested way?  Did you look comfortable?  Were you jumpy and nervous?  Did you talk very quickly?  What was your interviewer’s facial and body language while you were speaking?  Try to be objective about how you were presenting yourself.  You want to learn from each interview, not perpetuate your problems because you refuse to admit what you do wrong.

You just weren’t a good fit for the organization or with the interviewer.  Remember that they need to work with you day in and day out.  If they think that you’ll be irritating-for whatever reason-unfortunately it’s their prerogative to not hire you.  Period. End quote.  It isn’t fair, but better that they eliminate you now, than you get on each other’s nerves after you are hired.   There isn’t anything you can do to improve your chances if it was just a personality-thing, but just hope that you will have a better fit in your next interview.

So why don’t you hear from an interviewer after the in-person interview?  Consider the possible reasons I’ve outlined above and then imagine yourself in the interviewer’s position.  Would you rather have them cite one of the reasons above, or give you a polite but inaccurate reason, or not reply at all?  There isn’t a best answer, but those are the choices most interviewers are faced with.  So send your followup email, but if you don’t hear back from them, just move on with your search and try to improve your performance in your next interview as best you can.

Uh.  No.

A resume needs to be an attractive, readable, interesting document that makes the employer want to get to know you more.  Think of it like an enticing description of a dish on a menu.  When you go to a restaurant for the first time, you have no idea what you’re going to order.  You have to rely on the descriptions to entice you and steer you in one way or another-ideally for the restaurant toward the highest priced item.  They don’t just list the ingredients of the dish, but the description pulls the whole thing together and makes it sound appetizing.

Is your resume enticing to an employer?  Here’s what turns them on.

RESULTS:  Employers have GOT to see that you get results for the work you do.  How effective are you?  There’s a difference between not increasing sales at all, and seeing a 34% increase–so put that on the resume!  How have you affected the company since you’ve been there?

CAREER SUMMARY: This takes the place of the Objective at the top of your resume.  A career summary should give an employer a thumbnail view of who you are as an employee-think of it as a thesis statement on your old high school research papers.  DO NOT simply provide a shopping list of qualities such as:  hard working, dedicated, loyal, or the phrase attention to detail.  They are on EVERYONE’s resume-trust me, I’ve seen my fair share.   Instead paint yourself as if you’re an enticing dish on a menu and write something truly descriptive like this:   “Syndicated/qualitative research professional with in-depth, customer service experience across a variety of industries.  Successful track record of client retention, strong contract negotiation skills and increased sales through up-sell opportunities and new product development.  Specialized experience in analytical category analysis, internal data management and written/verbal client presentations.”  This describes the person behind the resume and paints a detailed picture of her experience in a short period of time.

BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTIONS:  Under every company, job title and dates (and yes, in most cases, you should include months as well as the years), you should provide one or two sentences to describe what the company does (in case the name isn’t well known), and the basics of your job description.  That’s it.  Employers need to understand the industries you worked in, and the basic responsibilities of your past positions.  They do not need to see your duties spelled out-your accomplishments will answer those questions in their mind.

So take a look at your resume.  Does it pass the test?  If not, email it to me for a FREE 10 minute critique and we can strategize where you should go from here.

Isn’t it worth it to have that nagging “is it my resume?” question answered?

I now try to teach people what I’ve learned from my years of having to “work a room.”  I’m naturally an introvert–yes, believe it or not, I am-so I can definitely empathize with people who are terrified out of their minds at having to make conversation with people they barely know, let alone eventually ask them for a job.  I still have to gear myself up for an event and get a game plan in my head.  I don’t claim to be an expert, but there are definitely some never fail things I do that make the process easier.

1         Wear something you look and feel good in.  It’s impossible to confidently talk to new people if you think that a pair of pants makes you look fat, that your tie has the remnants of lunch on it, or if your shoes hurt.  You need to wear an outfit that makes you feel like you’re hosting the party. You score extra points if you wear what I call a converstation-starter piece of jewelery (ring, pin) or a distinctive tie or scarf.  It gives people something to say to you when they walk up to you..which leads me to…

2        The best conversation-starter is a compliment.  Hands down.  Never fails.  Who can’t resist liking someone who just paid them a genuine compliment?  It’s not sucking up if it’s genuine and sincere, so find something about that person that helps them to stand out from the crowd.  They’ll then feel like they owe you some conversation and will take the time to get to know you.  It’s all good.

3        Listen to the other person.  DO NOT scan the room looking for your friend, the punch bowl, or the closest restroom (unless it’s an emergency).  People love eye contact and feeling like they’re being listened to.  Everyone is an interesting person, you just need to show them that you want to figure out what is interesting about them.

4        Have your exit strategy at the ready.   A few years ago I would go to some events like book signings, or business networking/chamber of commerce shindigs.  Inevitably I’d get stuck in the corner talking to some person-who was very nice-but was never in a million years going to refer business to me, and was just leaching onto me because they were too nervous to meet other people.  Ahhh the curse of being TOO nice.  So I’d get stuck, and then ticked off at myself for being such a dope who couldn’t get out of a bad conversation.  So now I have my exit lines ready, and I ain’t afraid to use ‘em.  My favorite one is to say:  “I don’t want to monopolize your time, so I’ll let you go and meet other people.  I’ve enjoyed talking to you, we should keep in touch.” and then ZOOM, I’m outta there, and we’re both free to roam about the room. Deep down they know they should meet other people too-so they really can’t argue.  You can also leave a conversation to get another drink, more food or some fresh air.  Don’t feel bad, if you really did like that person, I’m sure they’d be happy to chat with you further when you don’t have a networking agenda.

The cool thing that the students realized the other night is that you can network ANYWHERE!  All of us come into contact with strangers every day, we just need to be open to meeting them.  The bookstore, mall, grocery store, train, any place where you make that quick eye contact with someone and start a connection.  Perhaps you are in the grocery store picking some lettuce in the produce dept. and you and someone else suddenly get a cold shower when they wash down the vegetables.  Laughing, making eye contact and sharing the moment with them can start a bond.  You can share a few words and might even start a longer conversation.  Sometimes it happens just that simply.  You end up exchanging business cards and might even start a friendship.

Bottom line, be open to the possibility.  Having a genuine curiosity about your fellow man can lead to some interesting opportunities.

Job postings that are overeager, and vague also serve companies or  (temp agencies) one of two ways:  First, they are good bait to attract ambitious, young, hard working candidates who are desperate for a shot in the real world.  Second, they can provide a wealth of resumes for a headhunter to build their database.  It’s expensive for them to place numerous ads for the different jobs they’re representing, so they can post one vague catch-all posting (knowing that people who are under-and over-qualified will respond) further beefing up their database.  You get your hopes up thinking it might be a real job, they have no intention of calling you because they don’t have a job for you.

Also be aware that there are companies out there that are hiring for multiple positions, but the ad will read as if they’re filling one position.  These are typically Financial Services advisors, help desk or call center employees, sales or Insurance brokers, among others.  Nothing against these jobs at all, but be aware that they’re probably looking to bring in quite a few people and put them through an intensive training process that serves to weed out people who aren’t suited to the position.

And third, do NOT send your resume through one of those “resume distribution” services.  I have it on reliable authority that those resume services are nothing more than Spam to the recruiters. And yes, back when I was looking for a job about 7 years ago, I did pay for one to send out my resume.  I was a little concerned when after they sent it out, I got numerous email bouncebacks from individual recruiters with their out of office messages.  The whole process just seemed so transparent-the company just had a database of email addresses of recruiters that they had compiled, I sent my resume to them, they blind copied everyone and hit send.  I’m sure that there are a few people who have success with this (SPAM emails would stop if people stopped buying things), but it’s based on the chance that the recruiter who gets your resume has a position they’re looking to fill and you’re a perfect candidate.  You can calculate the odds, but they ain’t too good.  Don’t waste your money.  You’re better off researching recruiting firms who hire in your industry and contacting them directly.

In summary, only apply to jobs that provide you with a detailed description of their expectations for you-without a lot of hype.  If you do want to take a chance on the questionable ones, feel free, but again, it’s a Hail Mary application, so try not to take it too seriously if you don’t hear back from them.

However, the trouble arises when jobseekers start to apply for those jobs that they think they’re “perfect” for, but neglect to really read the ad and what they’re looking for.  Here’s an example of what I mean.

The ad states that they’re looking for someone with 2-3 years of experience, and you have 10+ years of experience.  In your mind you’re probably thinking one of two things:

1.    Hey, I’ve got even MORE than what they need, I’m a shoe in!

Rationale #1:  A hiring manager has listed 2-3 years of experience on there for a reason.  First, they don’t have the salary line to pay what you would want with your 10 years of experience, and second, the tasks that this person will be doing are actually what you were doing 7 or 8 years ago-in other words-menial.  There is NO WAY that they would look at your resume and think-yeah, I’m sure this person wants to take a STEP BACK in their career.  I’m so exited that they want to go back to grunt-work.  I’ll give them a call. Makes no sense.  Your only hope of this working is if you directly discuss and acknowledge it in your cover letter-that you’re trying to make a career change and completely understand that the pay scale is totally different since you are starting out in a new career.  It’s still a long shot, but sending in a resume without calling out the discrepancy is instant suicide.

2.    I’ll apply to this and they’ll see how fabulous I am, they’ll call me for another position in the company.

Rationale #2:  Yes, this could happen.  I know that the HR Directors who read this will send me nastygrams saying that it is so rare that it’s the same as an impossibility, but I do know a case where it did come true.  Basically with this strategy, you’re banking on whoever is reading the resumes to know who else in the company is hiring and to care enough to forward your resume to that person, or to hang onto yours because they’re so overwhelmingly impressed that they will pass it along when something opens up.  This can happen, but if you do decide to take a shot and apply, at the very least, call out your intent in the cover letter so they know that you’re not dumb enough to assume that your 10 years of experience is going to get you an entry level job. THEN, in your mind where you’re keeping score of all the jobs you’re applying for-do NOT count this one as a possibility.  It’s a Hail Mary application.  Nothing more.  Let it go.  You’re better served networking your way into a company.

But I’m not writing this with the intent to plug the book - even though that’s what it looks like. I’m writing it to tell you about how a bad recruiter can really screw things up.

My boyfriend is looking to make a change. He’s a high-level tax guy. He’s a recruiter’s dream, because he has everything a company could want: public, private, international, specific (and not very common) government regulations and all sorts of other stuff. Plus he’s been with his current company for ten years. That’s about as specific as I dare get.

So this recruiter calls him and from the small amount of information provided, it sounds like exactly what Steve is looking for. He checks in with me on questions and prep and everything else he wants to make sure he covers, gets back with the recruiter, finds out additional pertinent information, and they set up a phone interview.

As soon as the phone interview is finished, the company wants to set up an in-person interview so that Steve can meet a few others. That takes place less than a week later. A very good sign.

He’s psyched when he returns. Chemistry was great, philosophy perfect, area of the state is wonderful and not much more expensive than where we live….all in all it sounds like a great fit for both parties. And then things stall….just before going straight down hill.

The recruiter isn’t calling the company. Read that? He’s not. calling. the company. He’s waiting for them to call him. Steve, using verbage from me, gets on the phone with the recruiter and impresses upon him the importance of calling the company and why, which the recruiter finally does, with no response. So the recruiter waits some more.

At this point, it’s clear that some snag has developed. The recruiter should know what’s going on, but he clearly does not. What’s more, he doesn’t seem willing to attempt to find out. Obviously, he’s not in control of the situation. Why? Because he didn’t set himself up from the beginning as being important to the process. He’s not a partner or a consultant with the client company, he’s a convenience, as in a “resume sender.” (3/27 note: lately, I’ve come to call them “puppy dogs.”

I mention to Steve that my guess is that his recruiter either doesn’t charge more than 15% or he drops his fees to get the job. His method of working seems to indicate his only advantage to a company is access to resumes, or not only would they be including him, they’d be looking to him as a partner in the decision process of the next step - whatever that turns out to be.

Steve calls the recruiter - again with verbage from me (I say that not to brag, but to take responsiblity for Steve’s communication with the person). Not only does the recruiter not have post-interview feedback on Steve, but he doesn’t know the time frame, the process, how many candidates have been interviewed, where Steve is in the line up, or any of the other information he should know. And c’mon! These are basic questions that I asked as a recruiter, and now teach my clients to ask (with some differences).

So we wait. We knew the next step was for the executive decision maker (EDM) to fly in from the corporate office and meet with …..whomever or however many candidates are finalists. And that’s what we finally get the word on - he’s flying in.

Here’s where I blew a gasket. Apparently one of the finance/accounting people contacted a tax person he used to work with who, as it turns out, was looking. The company interviewed him. Obviously they liked him, but since the recruiter didn’t ask anything about this person’s background, who knows what it was. Please note: this candidate was an internal referral. He was not through the recruiter. That means if this guy is hired, the recruiter does not earn a fee because I’m dead sure this guy is contingency (and this position should be handled by a retained firm).

Anyway, we learn that the EDM is coming in, but only to interview this one person. Apparently Steve was their top choice until this guy entered into the process, so they decided that the decision maker would come in and interview only the one person - the referred guy. And if the decision maker didn’t like this other person, then he’d come back in to interview Steve and a second candidate they liked almost as much. This is the decision they told the recruiter, and I guess the recruiter simply agreed and never proferred an alternative scenario. (Hence my term “puppy dog.”)

Why was I so furious? Well, that Steve got blown out of the picture is only a small part of it. What that recruiter should have done - because after all, not only does it make sense and is the wisest counsel to the client company, but it’s a matter of his fee - is sell why the decision maker should interview all three of the candidates while he’s in town. Or even, because again, it’s his fee and his candidate, even the top two candidates (Steve and this referred person). There’s strategy to that, but since I’m not training recruiters, it’s irrelevant.

You can make a case for the top two - or the top three, either way - not only from convenience but from the power of choice and time usage and how that’s all of benefit to the EDM - because he’s taking the time and expense to fly in. How do I know this recruiter didn’t do all that? Because Steve asked him if he suggested it. And the recruiter said, “No, because that was their decision.”

Recruiting is about sales: sales to the candidate and sales to the company. It’s not about unethical sales, or making a match that isn’t a match just to get a fee. It’s not about steering a candidate wrong or telling either party incorrect information. But it is certainly about knowing what’s going on and doing what you can to ensure the process unfolds in the most logical and beneficial way relative to what’s taking place and those involved.

What do consultants do? They’re paid to give advice and to alter paths to make things work better and to bring their experience to the table so that their client company benefits. They sell. They sell their services and expertise to close the deal. And when they’ve been hired, they often have to keep selling - basically convincing their client to do whatever the conslutant is recommending the company do for the reason the company hired them.

They keep selling because it’s change and most people/companies/whatever are averse to change. So “sales” becomes the same as helping someone to understand or guiding them to a more effective or beneficial way or assisting them in seeing things from a different perspective. It’s not cramming something down someone’s throat

Maybe you say, “What’s wrong with them interviewing the others later?” Because A) it doesn’t make sense, B) it removes the choice, and C) he may not pick someone he’s met, but he’s sure NOT going to pick someone he HASN’T met. The odds in favor of the recruiter and the candidate go up if they’re in the process. If they aren’t, their odds are pretty much zero. In the meantime, the EDM has a choice. He has options. He can compare. Psychologically, having two or three options is always a benefit to the buyer - even if you’re buying sun tan lotions at Target.

Consequently, both candidates and companies suffer. Candidates don’t receive all the information and lose options that might have worked out for them and companies who just want a resume sender aren’t likely to include the recruiter in much of what’s taking place. So they aren’t getting the benefit of a consultant’s expertise. But if that consultant doesn’t have the expertise, he doesn’t have anything to sell as a benefit to the client, even if he understood the irony of it. At that rate, no wonder candidates figure it’s just as easy to answer an ad in the newspaper.

A good recruiter is a gold mine of information and opportunities that don’t make it into the public eye. A good recruiter will advise you, counsel you, go to bat for you, straighten out miscommunications, present a different point of view, suggest, strategize, and keep you in the loop…..because they know how to keep themselves in the loop. If you’re contacted by a recruiter, you might ask them how involved in the process they are or if they primarily send resumes. Watch your tone of voice so you don’t sound challenging or give the “right” answer away.

Don’t bother asking them how long they’ve been a recruiter - that doesn’t indicate anything. Believe it or not, this guy has been one for about 15 years. What you want to know is how much they know about the position. If all they know is a job description and salary (and they shouldn’t tell you the salary), but very little about the personality or history of the position or company, nothing about the process, the time frame, and other factors you’d expect them to know, that’s your clue they’re mediocre at best. Proceed at your own risk.

1.  Look at the job posting you are applying for, and develop sound bites that address the needs of the employer.  Think of examples where you demonstrated the skills that appear in the job posting and develop answers that clearly show an employer that you are the perfect candidate for this position.   All sound bites should be 2-3 minutes in length.

2.  Use the TODAY acronym to develop additional sound bites of your experiences.  TODAY stands for Teamwork, Overcoming     Obstacles, Duties of your past positions, Achievements, Your strengths and weaknesses.  Remember to clearly describe exactly what you did in each situation. The employer is hiring you, not the other people in your story.

3.  Research the company.  Search the internet for any recent press releases and check out the company’s website.   Know what they do, and develop some idea as to how the position you are hiring for fits within the company.

4.  Think of questions to ask an interviewer.  Look at the job posting and your research about the company and think of 3-5 questions you can ask during the interview.  What are you curious about?  Do they manufacture a product you are familiar with, or never even knew existed before you started to research the company?  Where does this department fit in the grand scheme of the company? What projects is the department currently working on?

5.  Lastly, prepare answers to the following questions: Tell me about yourself, Why did you leave your last position, or why are you looking for a new job, Why should I hire you, and The Salary Question.  You know that these questions will be asked in one form or another, so there is no excuse to not have prepared an answer.

And that’s it.  Interviewing is just that simple when it’s broken into it’s simplest components.  Focus on preparing answers to all of the scenarios above, and you will be ahead of the game.  Remember to clearly articulate in each and every sound bite exactly what you did.  Practice with a tape recorder to critique yourself, or with a friend to repeat back to you exactly what you did in a situation to make sure you’re preparing correctly.

Let me tell you-this will KILL and I mean-RUIN your chances for a follow up interview, especially if your first interview is a phone interview.

As the interviewer on a phone interview, I have nothing else to focus on other than the sound of your voice.  If that sound is constantly interrupted by an umm, or a ya know, I’m really going to notice it.  If the job I’m considering hiring you for has a lot of phone work involved, I’m not going to subject the person on the other end of the phone to your poor verbal abilities.  At this point, I don’t care if you are the most qualified person on paper-you’re out of the running because your message is being lost in a sea of these verbal crutches.  It’s a very silly way to get eliminated.

Here’s how you clean up your act.  First, you need to either ask your friends very seriously and honestly if you are a verbal crutch offender.  Explain to them how important this is in your job search, and unless they want to hear you whine for an additional six months about not finding a new job-they should help you.  Verbal crutches are bad habits that can become more apparent when you’re in stressful situations like job interviews, but are probably apparent when your guard is down like when you’re hanging out with friends.  They don’t just appear when you pick up the phone for an interview.

Your other option is to record yourself while you practice for the interview.  This can be trickier because you will of course know that you’re taping and will make more of an effort to clean up your act, but it could work.

Another option is to just make a conscious effort throughout the day to listen to what you are really saying.  Too many times I find that if I’m not completely engaged in what I’m saying and am not truly “in the moment” that I will start umming and ahhing as my brain searches for the next coherent thought.  When I focus on the message I’m trying to convey, my speech patterns clean up immediately and I’m back on track.  I sound more professional and people have a tendency to not tune me out because they’re tired of trying to sort out the wheat from the umm and ahh chaff.

So bottom line, if this could be a problem for you-fix it NOW!  Make an effort everytime you say something during the day to really listen to what you are saying-don’t tune out!  If you want the interviewer to pay attention to you-you need to pay attention to you. For some people, this will be a hard habit to break, but it is well worth the effort, I guarantee it.

Then you become an adult and realize that your vocal-memory is just as unreliable.

So what do you do when you’re in a job interview and your head becomes as empty as a church on a Monday morning.

Relax.  It happens to everyone. Even the interviewer.  Many interviewers (with the exception of the really difficult ones) will understand if you stammer through a few questions.  They know that you are nervous.  Keep that in mind.  It will help you relax.

Take a deep breath, and you can do one of the following things:

1.  Ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Say that you were still thinking about your last answer and your mind wandered for a minute.
2. Rephrase the question.  This is a classic way to stall for a little time, but if it helps you think of a better way to answer the question than blurting out the first thing that pops into your head-then it’s a successful strategy.
3. Ask if you can take a minute to think about it.  When your only other immediate option is to open your mouth and say something stupid, the better option is to ask for some time to compose your answer.

You can’t use these techniques too often during the interview, but for most people just knowing that there are ways to handle these situations is like money in the bank.

Remember, the interview is a conversation, not an interrogation.  It’s normal for your mind to go blank during a conversation, and you recover quickly enough because you don’t stress about the situation.  The same thing will happen in your job interview. Stay calm, have these techniq

This is one of those job interview questions that will be asked by the savviest of interviewers. Although it’s positively heart-stopping to be on the answering end of this question, if you were the employer, wouldn’t you want to know how this seemingly fabulous person ended up on the job market? It’s similar to meeting an interesting, attractive person of the opposite sex, or finding a used car that’s only got 1000 miles on it and is 3 years old. Just a little too good to be true, and you can’t believe that no one else has discovered this amazing find.

Basically they’re trying to figure out what is wrong with you, and suspect they will get a clue by looking at your relationship with your last job.

So your task is to not give them any ammunition to rule you out of the game.

1. Never, ever, ever speak ill of your current employer, or any former employers for that matter. Everyone knows that one reason for this is because your interviewer will envision you badmouthing them when you decide to leave, and nobody wants to think about bad rumors about themselves traveling through the industry. Another reason to avoid dissing your past employer is that in this very small world, they could be a friend, relative or even your potential client at this new job. No person works on an island and you must always be conscious of the seemingly invisible threads that connect so many people.
2. Another never is to speak ill of the tasks you were asked to perform at your past or current job. ANY tasks. You may think that this new job would provide a blissful escape from the tedium of your last one, and so gleefully explain to an interviewer all of the mind-numbing things you were asked to do. However, your interviewer is thinking about the similar (but different) mind-numbing tasks of this position, and decides that you would quit after the first month. There’s no reason to hire you if you’ve already given them a reason for you to quit.
3. Also, you don’t want to speak ill of your co-workers. Those were or are your teammates, and the same rule holds true as reason #1. This world is too small, and good jobs are too few to take the chance.

So what CAN you say?

1. You can say that you wanted a new opportunity. That you felt that you had taken your current or past position as far as you could within the company, you had achieved X, Y and Z, and now feel that it’s time for you to learn a different aspect of the business, or to work for a bigger (or smaller) company. The key here is to focus on the future. Focus on the opportunities you see in this new position, how it will help you grow and learn and not what was wrong with the last company you worked for.

2. If you are applying for a job that touts flexible hours, work from home or excellent benefits in the job posting, you can mention those qualities as a reason to look into this new position. Again you don’t want to speak ill of your current employer, but say that you understand why they need to run their business as they do, but if the working arrangements at this new company are better suited to your lifestyle at the moment then it might be a good fit. You are showing the employer that there is a natural fit between their needs and your needs.

In the cases where you were let go from a position, all of the above rules apply. If it’s the truth, you can say that you were laid off as a result of a company-wide restructuring or budgetary cuts. If it was due to a disciplinary action you can say that at the time you were having some time management issues (if you were fired for being consistently late), but you have learned your lesson, that you take an employer’s requirements a lot more seriously and have taken proactive measures (which you can briefly describe) to prevent yourself from getting in that situation again. Show that you have made your mistake with your past employer and have absolutely no intention of making the same mistake twice. Sincerity, an action plan and great references are necessary to counteract any remaining issues.