Top Ten Qualities of Successful People or How To Get Hired

Top Ten Qualities of Successful People

• Honesty – Without it you have nothing
• Intellect – The ability to think of new ideas, to create opportunities and solutions to problems
• Service – No matter what your job or profession you need to add value by serving others
• Communication skills – “whaaaat?”
• Energy – You need to show up and work hard
• Balance – You need to take care of yourself to be able to take care of others
• Education – Not necessarily school education but I mean the ability to learn from others so you don’t need to reinvest the wheel.
• Loyalty and respect – Is the ability to understand what is best for me and what is best for you and respect that balance. I have your back and you have mine to protect not to stab. And when it is time to move on it is time to show your cards and allow the relationship to move to the nest level.
• Quick learner – It is necessary to keep up with your industry and those things that effect your industry.
• Organizational skills – Set goals, make a plan, execute the plan, inspect results, revise plan, repeat

Job hunting in banking

The job market is chilly but there are jobs out there and more of them this month than there were last month. To find the right one you need to be smart, diligent and build a good network. Here are a few ideas that have proven to helpful in finding the right job in banking.

Have a plan and execute the plan. Make a goal to contact a certain number of people who have hiring as part of their job duties. Let’s say 10 conversations each day. If you are used to making phone calls you can do a lot more but we will use 10 as a minimum. That makes 50 people you present yourself to each week. These 10 calls are in addition to any follow-up calls you created by asking leading questions in previous calls. Make note so you know who you have called and when to call them back.

Call multiple people at each bank. Anyone who might use your talents or might know someone in management who could hire someone with your skill set. Yes you should call human resources and the manager of any departments that might need someone with your skill set.

Call old hiring managers, past co-workers, The Chamber of Commerce and any banking associations: talk to the officers of each of these associations. Always include a call to the person in charge of new members. Large banks will have managers in each region that hire people with specific talents and skill sets ask for the names and contact number.

On each call ask:
Are you hiring anyone with my skills?
If you had the opportunity to hire an exceptional _____ would you be able to hire them?
Do you have any plans to hire anyone in the next 90 days?
Is there anyone else in the bank that I should be talking to?
Is there anyone else in the bank that has responsibility for ______?
Have you heard about any job opportunities or other banks that are hiring?

Think positive and talk to these people like you would talk to a good friend. Losing a job is a reflection on the economy not you. If you are having trouble feeling pumped up visit the library and pick out some motivational videos to help.

Take a look at our website for more advice www.thehanovergroup.com

Good luck and I hope you find your dream job in banking.
Tom Graff

Still out of work!

I have a friend who got laid off from PNC when they shifted some credit positions to other locations. They offered him a position in Ohio but he could not sell his home. He has a good credit background and seems talented but he continues to end up a runner up with each position he interviews for. This has happened at least six times. He gets the interview goes through two or three levels to be a finalist. He gets all the positive responses and then the rug gets pulled. What should he do?

Job hunting in banking

I have been an executive recruiter serving the banking industry since 1986. I share this tidbit because it means I have been here through the S&L crises, several recessions and countless mergers. These are tough times for banks and bankers. We are losing banking talent to other industries at an alarming rate. It is good to have the periodic recession to cut out the weak and the less talented but we are bleeding top talent. What is going to happen when the market turns and we need that talent back to manage the new surge in the economy and keep the banks safe and healthy?

Quotations

I have always liked quotes because they give us insight to what someone it thinking with an economy of words. I like this quote by Daniel Reardon: "In the long run, the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."
And so does everyone else on the trip.
What quotes do you like?