1. As a bank recruiter, I am able to combine my commercial banking
expertise and over ten years of recruiting experience. I have had
fourteen years of senior level banking experience as SVP of
Community Bank of Central California (now Rabobank) and four years of commercial
bank consulting. I am acutely aware of the critical areas of performance and the skills sets
necessary to source the ideal candidate matches.
Let’s make something happen! Scroll down and you will find some valuable information
that will definitely help to give you the edge you will need in today’s competitive job
market.
GlennWoerz@gmail.com
847-757-8377
JOB SEEKER PLANNING GUIDE
Preparing For The Interview
The more prepared you are the easier it will be for you to stand out against other candidates.
The Telephone Interview
In most cases a company will choose to have a brief telephone interview with a candidate before
setting up a personal interview. Telephone screens offer an introduction to the firm,
responsibilities of the job and technical skills needed without taking too much of either person's
time. Telephone interviews can be difficult since the conversation is not backed up by personal
presentation and expressions. Therefore, it is important to keep a few things in mind when
preparing for the call.
Always sound alert and interested. Enthusiasm will increase your chances of being invited for an in-house
interview. One of the most often received objections regarding a candidate is, “We couldn’t
determine if he/she was interested or not.”
Eliminate background noise and interruptions. You will seem unprofessional or inattentive if the caller
can hear your television, radio, children, computer keyboard, etc. Turn off your call waiting! Try to make your
environment sound as quiet as possible to appear 100% focused on the call. In anticipation of receiving
GLENN WOERZ

2. potential voice mails, it is important to have an updated, polished, professional message
announcement.
Be prepared. Keep your resume, appointment book and a list of questions you have near the phone.
Give concise answers. Think of questions that might be asked and formulate your answers accordingly. Make
sure to give enough detail but don't go off track.
Ask questions. Show your interest in the opportunity by asking questions that are focused on the position. Do not
ask about salary or benefits. A telephone interview is not the time to discuss those issues.
Inquire about the next step. At the end of the conversation ask what the next step will be.
Express your interest in further pursuing the opportunity!
Email Follow-ups. At some point in this process whether it is at this early stage or later when thank you letters are sent, it is
imperative that your emails look and sound professional. Your email address should not contain any “cute” nicknames or
verbiage. Though industry acronyms might be the norm, Internet abbreviations are not. With the advent of Spellcheck, there is
no excuse for misspelled words!
The Personal Interview
You've been invited into a firm for a personal interview. Again, preparation will be the key to
appearing confident and ready. With a little effort and focus you will leave a positive and lasting
impression.
Project an enthusiastic personality. Once a candidate has undergone a series of screening and preliminary reviews, it is said
that the hiring decision is predicated on 50% ability and 50% personality. In today’s marketplace one could easily argue that it is
closer to 20% ability and 80% personality. One can assume that once this level is reached that all the candidates being
considered have the qualifications to do the job at hand.
Know where you are going and be on time. Your prompt arrival indicates courtesy and a commitment to your
profession. Making sure you know where you are going in advance will alleviate any nervousness about traffic and potential
miscalculations of time and location. There is rarely a good excuse for being tardy to any business meeting.
Dress professionally. A first impression is the strongest impression and often it is the last impression. Even if a firm has
a casual dress code, you should dress conservatively, preferably in a suit.
Know your subject. Do some basic research on the firm. With the advent of the Internet, company information is readily
available. Having knowledge of the company demonstrates your intent and enthusiasm.
Know whom you will be meeting with. Make a list of those individuals that you will be meeting with. Get
proper spelling and pronunciation of names, titles and contact information. This will not only help during the interview process,
but when you follow up with thank you communiqués later.
Brush up on your skill set. Review as much of your recent and past work experience as you can. This will help you to
recover lost details and facilitate your recall of them during the interview.
Let the interviewer talk. Be courteous to the interviewers and let them take the lead, especially early in the meeting.
Some interviewers have a set agenda/list of questions they have to get through. Ask your questions when related issues are
addressed by the interviewer.
Stress measurable accomplishments. Always remember to market yourself to the best of your ability.
Particularly if the position was listed on the Internet job boards, what differentiates you from the
other 200+ candidates they have reviewed?
Ask good questions. Be sure to ask questions relating to business issues and operational procedures in addition to
questions that will address the factors on your wish list. Interviewers are impressed with candidates who show knowledge and
interest in the position and organization.

3. Ask indirect or open-ended questions. These question start with how, what, when, why, where
and cannot be answered with a simple, non-engaging yes or no.
Ask them to describe the ideal candidate. Make a concerted effort to relate your experience and describe your attributes as
they relate to the ideal candidate. Similar verbiage should be incorporated later in the thank you letter.
Be yourself. Project yourself as flexible by showing there is more than one-way to handle a given situation. Avoid
controversial subjects such as politics, religion, gender and other issues that generate strong emotional reactions. This doesn’t
mean that you have to agree with the interviewer. Be honest but not argumentative. Walk away from the interview with a
balance between flexibility and independence.
Bring additional, updated copies of your resume, along with a complete list of references and contacts, to the
interview.
Use positive body language. Remember to smile and use posture that demonstrates attentiveness and a positive self-
image. Face your interviewer; sit up straight and don't forget a firm handshake!
The Salary Question
If you are planning to interview, be prepared to discuss your current salary and other related
earnings. Prospective hirers want to understand how you are compensated, and what your
expectations may be, in order to ensure your needs are within their capabilities. A recruiter, in
your field of specialty, would be a good source of information to help you make this assessment.
How to handle the salary discussion.
Know your total compensation and the various components (base, bonus, stock options, etc) and
when you are due for your next review. Be honest with your representation of these numbers.
(This information will be verified at some point in the process!) Your compensation expectations
should be realistic and representative of the position's responsibilities. Be ready to present your
expectations clearly and consistently through the process.
Remember to demonstrate flexibility with your expected pay. This means to be open to what the
prospective hirer feels is appropriate for your background in comparison to the job and their
internal company structure. Your career and the actual position are the main priorities at this
point in the process. You do not want to leave a negative impression by appearing overly focused
on monetary issues. If you leave the impression that you will consider any fair offer, you are
leaving the door open, not only for current consideration but for future possibilities as well.
Frequently Asked Interview Questions:
General
• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you changing jobs; what is interesting to you about this job?
• What are your long- term professional goals?
• What do you like most about your current position? Least?
• What do you feel you can contribute to this organization?
EXPERIENCE

4. • Describe a typical day at your office.
• What is your role within your department?
• Do you supervise or manage people? If so, to what extent?
• What is your experience with external entities? (FDA, software vendors, CROs, etc)
• What are your technical competencies?
• How would you describe your ability to communicate technical issues to non-technical
people?
• How do you prioritize projects and/or crisis situations?
ATTRIBUTES
• How would you describe your abilities as a team player?
• What is your leadership style? Do you enjoy being a leader? Why? Would you prefer to
not be in a leadership role? Why?
• How would you or past employers describe your personality? (initiative, enthusiasm,
stability, consistency, etc.)
• How would you or past employers describe your work habits? (address issues promptly,
met deadlines, provide accurate paperwork, etc.)
• How do you perform under pressure?
• What do you like to do outside of work?
• Be prepared for hypothetical questions where you will be asked to explain what you
would do given a certain situation. These types of questions address how you respond to
situations in a short amount of time. They also attest to the extent of your business
knowledge.
Ten Most Asked Managerial Interview Questions
Here are ten most popular manager interview questions to help you prepare for your important
management interview. There is no substitute for good preparation to handle such interviews so
start preparing well. A good place to begin is to be well organized about your personal facts and
figures and prepare your answers for commonly asked questions. Given below are some
frequently asked manager interview questions for which you can write down your answers. Make
the answers positive, responsible, honest and factual. Practice the answers before a mirror or a
third person and get some feedback.
1. How do you handle non-productive team members?
2. How do you motivate team members who are burned out, or bored?
3. How do you handle team members who come to you with their personal problems?
4. What are your career goals? How do you see this job affecting your goals?
5. Explain how you operate inter-department wise.
6. Tell me how you would react to a situation where there was more than one way to accomplish
the same task, and there were very strong feelings by others on each position.
7. Consider that you are in a diverse environment, out of your comfort zone. How would you rate
your situational leadership style?

5. 8. Give me an example of your leadership involvement where teamwork played an important
role.
9. Tell me about a situation where your loyalty was challenged. What did you do? Why?
10. In what types of situations is it best to abandon loyalty to your manager?
After The Interview
Contact your recruiter immediately! Action needs to be taken by an effective recruiter to enhance your
chances of getting hired, but there is vital information that the recruiter must first have. Though a potential employer
may tell you to take your time with this all-important decision, they normally are in contact with the recruiter within an
hour of your departure to hear what sort of feedback the recruiter has received. Do not put off making this call!
Write a thank you note.* Though everyone would love the luxury of time to hand-write a customized
thank-you, in today’s fast-paced world, email is your best and most readily accepted bet. By the
time, you go through the process of writing and mailing a thank-you, which could take as many
as four days to reach an executive’s desk, they will be scratching their heads saying, “Which one
was he?” What better way to express your enthusiasm and interest while then to click off a
thank-you the same day while their interest is peaked.
Keep a record of your initial impressions of the day, what you learned and also questions that you still have that will
need to be addressed. Very often the interview process can take 3-6 months. Writing down your thoughts will help
keep information from various interviews/companies sorted and assist in stirring your memory on events and issues
that may become important later.
If you get an offer always respond enthusiastically! Leaving a positive impression at this point is extremely
important. If you are disappointed by the offer, don't start to negotiate on that first call. It's better to wait a day (but no
more than one day) to make your request. Even if you're not interested in the position, it's best to let a day go by
before you decline the offer. Waiting makes it appear as though you've given the offer some serious thought before
responding. This is appreciated by the prospective company. Again, whether you have an inherent interest or not it is
always important to make a professional and positive presentation.
Accepting a Proposal/Job Offer
The hiring courtship can be compared to the marriage courtship. After period of time of
courting each other, one of the parties asks their beloved to marry them. The soon to be
betrothed agree that they can take 10+/- days to reach this all important, life-changing decision.
All is wondrously and lovingly bliss for the next couple days, yet as the number of days without
an answer begins to increase the proposer, who has not yet received a response, begins to wonder
if their beloved is as interested in this marriage as they are. As each day passes the concern
justifiably grows.
If you truly want and appreciate the position, demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm by giving
a prompt and genuine acceptance. Likewise, if you truly do not want the position, let the
proposer know in the same expedient manner.
Sample Email Thank You Note

6. (Type your thank you on a Microsoft Word draft and then upon completion cut ‘n paste it to the
text portion of an email. Do not send it as an attachment as this will require you to adopt a more
formalized format, which is not necessary for this timely communiqué. Preparing it on a
separate Word draft will also give you more accessibility to the writing tools such as spellcheck
and grammar check.)
Dear Mr. Smith, (or Dear John, if instructed to address the hiring authority by their first name)
Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you and _(Others)_, and to learn more about
_(Company)_. I am anxious to contribute my skills and talents to your growing organization, and
to progress to the next level in your hiring process.
In our discussion you indicated that _(Company)_ needed someone who could
__________________, ______________ and _______________. My measurable experience in the
areas of ________________ and _____________ provide me with the confidence of knowing that I
can continue to achieve the desired results that will bring continued success to _(Company) and
me. In response to the comments you made regarding ____________, let me again assure you
that my valuable, time-proven experience in this area has prepared me to meet most any
challenges that I will encounter.
Please do not hesitate to contact with any questions that may arise or that may hinder my ability
to move forward in becoming a valued member of your organization.
Regards,
Mary Jones
(Contact Information)
How to Resign
Two Biggest Mistakes
The two biggest and easiest mistakes to make verbally or in writing are saying “I’m sorry for leaving” or
“Thank you for the opportunity to work here.” You do not need to say you’re sorry for leaving when your
current employer couldn’t do what was necessary to keep you in their employ. They, in fact, should be saying
that they are sorry to you for not doing what may have been necessary to key you as a key employee.
Likewise, they should be thanking you for your good work and contributions.

7. Resignation Letter
Dear (Boss),
Please accept this letter as my official notice of resignation. I appreciate the work we have been able
to accomplish together at (Company), but I have now made a commitment to another organization and will
begin working with them in two weeks.
Know that it is my intention to work diligently with you to wrap up as much as possible in the
remaining time that I am here to make my resignation as smooth as possible. If you have any
suggestions on how we can best accomplish that goal, I hope that you will share them with me. I am eager
to leave on the most positive note possible.
Sincerely,
(Me)
Face-to-face Meeting
With few exceptions, a resignation should be done face-to-face. It is your responsibility to request a meeting
and to set the agenda. If the employer asks for a reason for the meeting, your response will simply be, “It is a
matter of personal concern that needs to addressed confidentially.” Start the meeting by handing the prepared
resignation letter to the employer, followed by this verbiage: “I have made a commitment to join another
organization and will begin working with them in two weeks. Please accept this letter of resignation. Please take
a minute to read my letter before we discuss how we can make this a smooth transition.”
If the employer attempts to dodge this request or begins asking questions about your leaving, it is because
they are going through some predicable phases of denial and taking the initial steps to establish a power play.
They already know what the letter says and if they are attempting this ploy, it should confirm that your
resigning is the right decision.
The “who…what…why” Questions
Stick to your agenda and fend off such questions with, “I know you may be curious about where I am going
and why, but it is not my intention to discuss that with you today. My decision has been made. If it is truly
important for you to know where I am going and why, let’s talk about it when it is not an emotional issue for
either of us a month from now. Today, my goal remains to discuss how to make the transition as smooth as
possible.”
This is not some sudden interest in advancing your career as they will often have it appear. It is a common
stalling tactic for them to figure out how to cover their backside with this new problem that has just landed
on their desk. At the conclusion of this meeting make certain that copies of resignation letter have distributed
to those in the company’s hierarchy and HR.
Counteroffers
There are volumes of data and research on the pitfalls of accepting a counteroffer. For the purposes of this
resignation exercise, if the desire is to evade a counteroffer, take the preventive measures in advance of telling
at least two fellow employees that you are resigning. If there is the slightest chance that your employer will
make a counteroffer, you will hear the words, “Have you told anyone else that you’re leaving?” If you were to
answer no, your employer’s response will be to request a few days for management deal with the issue of your
leaving before you make it public. If you indicate that you have informed others, you will remove any
negotiating leverage that your employer may have been grasping for. If they present you with a counteroffer,
they know there will be a line of resignations at their office door the next day, all seeking counteroffers.