by Edwin L. Carpenter, Editor – The Dove Foundation
Long-time businessman, employee recruiter and entrepreneur Alan Ladd has just released Interview the Best, a DVD which targets job seekers who have skills but are lacking in a few crucial areas when it comes to landing their dream job.
The Dove Foundation has reviewed Alan’s DVD and we have awarded it our Dove Seal. We recently chatted with Alan about his new release and his enthusiasm was overwhelming.
We kicked off the interview by asking Alan to give us more details about his background and what had led him to making the decision to produce the DVD.
“I owned an executive search firm for about twenty years,” he began. “It didn’t matter whether a CEO came in, or an entry level person right out of college. I found that they made the same mistakes. They were lost when it came to interviewing. Then I started asking them questions. Have you ever been taught how to look for a job or to interview for a job? I’m telling you, ninety nine percent of the people always said no
Alan stated that as he asked the same question of other people, he always received the same answer. No, no one had taught them how to look for a job or how to interview.
“They go from interview to interview, making the same mistakes over and over till they get lucky, or until they identify, ‘Uh-oh, I’ve done that before. I shouldn’t do this anymore.’
“You would think they would be taught this in High School,” I said.
“And they’re not,” replied Alan. “So, basically I took the information from all the managers and I’d send ten people in for an interview. I’d have post follow-up interviews to find out what questions came up, what responses they were looking for. And then all of a sudden it was like the light shined in my face and I realized there is a method to this, and if I can teach my applicants how to do it, I’m going to close more deals.
“And then one day a lady came to me and said, ‘Alan, I’ve joined this on-line service, and they’ve given me a fifteen days free trial and after that it’s thirty dollars a month. They want you to sign up for at least ninety days. They also asked me if they could take a look at my resume, and for free they will critique my resume.” And then of course they came back and said her resume really needed help and they wanted their professional resume writer to write it. It was only going to cost her $595!
“Everyone had always asked me to put this information down on a DVD, to help more people. I didn’t procrastinate but it costs money to do this!”
Alan said part of his motivation in producing his DVD was his realization that some on-line services were taking advantage of people. “In today’s economy, you can’t afford $90 to be on an on-line site. $595 for a resume! I tell people and you see this on the DVD, ‘You never pay anybody anything, especially for your resume.’ Every interview is different and every resume needs to be tailored for a specific job. If you have it done professionally are you going to have it done three or four times?! That’s not necessary!”
Alan added that people can’t get the job before they get an interview. “There’s a need out there” he said, referring to people who must be educated in how to find the right job. He also referred to the troubled economy we are currently enduring. “People need help. If you can give them affordable help, you can change the world and you can change the way the masses look at the work place and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
He said he researched what was out there and what was being charged for various services before he made his DVD. “I didn’t just do this blindly,” he said. “What’s out there ranges from three hundred dollars to fifteen hundred dollars. We’re charging $29.95 for the DVD”.
He added that college graduates who have just spent thousands of dollars on their education don’t need to turn around and spend a lot more money on landing a job. He mentioned that employers are looking to find out what the strengths are of potential job seekers, and this is an area he covers in his DVD. “As soon as that word ‘Umm’ comes into play, you know they’re not prepared and they don’t have a clue as to how to interview.”
Alan covers several important areas of job seeking in his DVD, including the resume, looking for a job, identifying one’s strengths, the interview including how to dress, questions and answers, and the close. Alan works with several people in the DVD, and asks them questions they will be asked in an interview, and then he gives them feedback and constructive criticism. Interestingly enough, almost everyone in the group makes some serious errors but Alan turns it around and helps them to focus on what they need to say in identifying their strengths.
“They have it in them,” he says. “They just don’t know that they have it in them.” He encourages strong preparation for the interview, so that the candidates will be confident when the moment arrives.
Alan believes his DVD will help people land jobs. “You can rewind it and review it,” he says. “You can see the typical mistakes that people are making so that you don’t make them. I think that’s what I’m most proud of. The DVD is broken down well. It’s broken down into chapters. You can sit in your home or at your computer and watch it at your leisure and you’re going to get something out of it.”
We certainly got something out of our time spent with Alan. He wants to help people interview the best, and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s a job specialist who has made important and vital job-seeking tips affordable. You can just pop the DVD in, and listen to him share his knowledge.
You can learn more about this product at www.interviewthebest.com
Read Dove’s Review of “Interview The Best“
