Dr. Arlene R. Barro, Career Coach ONE

Candidates Praise
the Right Fit Method


A candidate who asked not to receive his offer:

My first thought when I spoke with Dr. Arlene Barro for the first time was, “Who is this woman?” A complete stranger, she had called me to talk about an open position she thought I might be right for. She hinted that my résumé would need updating, even before she’d seen it, and that I’d need interview coaching, even though she’d never interviewed me. I was an adult, and, in my opinion, my résumé was perfectly fine. And I knew I was perfectly comfortable in interview situations, thank you very much.

But her enchanting personality got the best of me —that and the fact that the position in question was a fabulous one in a unique organization. After spending two hours having my résumé pulled apart, I saw she had a point. After another two hours of interview coaching, I realized I had been transformed. Arlene didn’t want to repackage me so she could pull the wool over the employer’s eyes, make the sale, and get me the job. Instead, she wanted me to pay careful attention to her two candidate mantras: “Manage the Process” and “Probe.”

As a candidate you mustn’t just sit in an interview and field questions that employers throw at you. You have to set the pace and the course of the discussion yourself. And when you probe, you can, as I did, find something out about the employer that the employer doesn’t even know. Armed with that knowledge, you can level the playing field and assess each other as equals. In the end, based on the information I uncovered, I decided that I didn’t want Dr. Barro to extend an offer to me on the employer’s behalf.

I dreaded telling her; she had spent many hours with me. But to my surprise, she simply listened, asked if I was completely sure, then made no protest. We chatted for a while, and then she wished me well. Her goal wasn’t to squeeze me into the job; it was to make a perfect match.

She believes no match is better than a bad match, and this is a testament to the power of her process. Most important of all, Arlene understood that her hours were not a waste of time. I had graduated; I’d learned enough about myself and about the process to liberate myself. I used my newfound wisdom to find on my own the position I truly wanted and that I was right for, and I use it still from the other side of the table when I talk with and interview candidates. I would have never reached this level of awareness without Arlene. Once you graduate, you never forget.


A candidate who was offered her choice of three positions by an employer:

What a remarkable experience it was for me to be evaluated and coached by Dr. Arlene Barro in preparation for my meeting with the prospective employer for whom she believed I was the Right Fit. We spoke in great depth as we prepared for my interview; it was like having a career personal trainer by my side. Throughout the process, she was there to ensure that things were progressing smoothly. Thanks to Dr. Barro, I was so well prepared that her client not only wanted to hire me, but presented a choice of three positions. My choice was a position the company created specifically for me. Dr. Barro extended the offer to me, and I allowed her to accept on my behalf. How exhilarating it was, and how grateful I am for her counsel and support.

“More than 10 years ago, I created the Right Fit Method,™ which I have successfully used to place and coach candidates in the United States and abroad. Eager to share my system with candidates, employees, and employers, I wrote WIN Without Competing! Career Success the Right Fit Way.

“To communicate the essence of my Right Fit Method, I asked ‘Laurie,’ one of my coaching clients, to share her thoughts about her coaching experience with me so that I could share it with you. I interviewed Laurie after coaching her to ‘stardom’ . . . the Dean of a School at a university, which is her first high-level management position.”


Highlights from Dr. Arlene Barro's Interview of Laurie

“When I first started working with Laurie, I knew that she really needed my help. She was a ‘wreck.’ I also knew that she really wanted to make significant changes in her professional life, but didn’t know how. In order to achieve her professional goals, she would also have to make changes in her personal life.”

Q:Why did you call me to coach you
A:"Because I knew I wanted another job. I was unhappy with my current job. I wasn’t getting anywhere on my own, and I was getting desperate."

Q:How did you know you were desperate?
A:"My son was going into high school. If I didn’t act now, I would have to wait another four years."

Q:How did you hear about me?
A:"I saw you two years ago speaking at a professional association. Even then, I was not really happy with my job, but I wasn’t ready to do something aggressive." "You were radically different from my traditional headhunter colleagues. You were organized and had an approach that was different and proactive, rather than letting someone’s resume sit in one’s filing drawer. You told the meeting audience that the candidate needed to take charge."

Q:When you called me, did you know what you needed to learn from me?
A:"No, but hoped that your approach would create activity with a successful outcome."

Q:What ASSUMPTION did you make about your son that was incorrect?
A:"My one big anxiety was the impact of the move on my son. I assumed that I would have a problem." • But actually: "It turned out not to be a problem. You were right."

Q:When we started to work together, you were reluctant to move and you focused more on your personal situation rather than professional growth. What prompted you to change your focus?
A:"I started interviewing for jobs that offered professional growth. I decided that I could do it. I had been concerned as to whether I had the skill set to do the higher level positions." "You said, 'You have to put time into this. I don’t care about the dinner dishes and the papers due next week, or the dog that needs to be walked. If you are going to get a new job, you need to focus on the tasks required to get that job. By next week, you must . . ..' Then we’d have a list. I knew that I’d better get my list done by the time we talked." "You gave me a mandate to take the time to do what needed to be done. You kept telling me that you have to focus on yourself." "I was highly stressed. My hair was falling out. I wasn’t sleeping. I lost weight. I was a wreck." "You said, 'Think of what you can do to reduce your stress to focus on the job issues: personal, current job, and family. What can do you do to create an extra hour?' You kept reminding me that if I didn’t get the better job, all these other things would not get better." "You built my self-confidence. You showed me how to reduce my stress in several different ways. Then you said, 'You aren’t getting the job that you want on your own because you aren’t Managing the Process,' which you insisted that I do." "You were task-driven, rather than feelings-driven. Managing the Process was task specific and concrete: step by step. My friends supported your approach."

Q:Throughout the time we were working together, I emphasized the need to forget about the competing candidates and focus on showing that you were the Right Fit for the position for which you were interviewing. How did this mindset help you?
A:"My anxiety was reduced. I was less worried about the competition. I did no research to find out who they were." "I always focused on showing them why or how I was the Right Fit. Your words reminded me to emphasize the positive."

Q:To prepare for interviews, we talked about what was important to say to the employer to show why you are "the Right Fit." I refer to this as "Packaged to Pitch."™ Were you ever asked about your management experience?
A:"I had managed 8 or 10 people many years ago. I convinced them that I could do it. I told them that I had managed a wide array of people. I gave them an appreciation of how I manage in different circumstances. I told them that the faculty wants to be independent, and that I needed to empower them rather than micro-manage them."

Q:How did Managing the Process help you close your offer?
A:"I didn't give up. I continued to Manage the Process to get the offer which had not come. You told me to ignore the rumors that they were re-opening the search and Manage the Process until the deal was done."

“Laurie and I worked together for nine months. Using the Right Fit Method, she made amazing changes in her behavior and achieved her professional and personal goals. Managing the Process is still not easy for her and for most of us. If you feel overwhelmed, you are NOT Managing the Process!

Tired of competing?
Then, the Right Fit Method is for you.

Candidates and Employees:
Arrange a time to speak with Dr. Arlene Barro to discuss her 1 to 1 coaching plan. Email Dr. Barro or call directly at (310)441-5305.