INTERVIEW INTERVENTION

BALBOA PRESS

Contents

Chapter 1 The World Actually Does Revolve Around You.............................1Chapter 2 Behind the Scenes—An Insider's View..............................17Chapter 3 The Two Types of Questions.............................................22Chapter 4 "Friending" the Interviewer............................................27Chapter 5 Storytelling...........................................................31Chapter 6 My "Silver Bullet" Interview...........................................43Chapter 7 Profit from Questioning—Sell Twice, Buy Once.....................64Chapter 8 Closing Time...........................................................78Chapter 9 Decision Time..........................................................84Chapter 10 The Breakup...........................................................90Chapter 11 Wait! Don't Leave!....................................................93Chapter 12 If You Interview Today................................................98

Chapter One

Research yourself first and the company second.

It seems obvious and easy enough. You're preparing for a job interview with a company, so you'll surf its website, perhaps call a few colleagues, gather some information, and jot down a few questions. You'll be ready. How many times have you thought this?

I'll go out on a limb. You're doing it backward. How do I know? For the last twenty-four years, I've served as a consultant to over 150 companies, helping them improve various business-, technology-, and employment-related issues. For the last seven years, I've focused primarily on executive search activities, helping prominent organizations recruit the best employee talent. In recent years, I've spoken with over one hundred people each week—every week—all year long. Unanimously, they approached changing jobs the same way. I wasn't sure why, because it always seemed illogical to me. They evaluated their available options and chose what they thought was best for them at the time. Their first option (if they were employed) was automatically their current job. Good or bad, that current job served as the perennial yardstick until something better surfaced. Their second or third options could have been opportunities they discovered through a job listing, recruiter, employed friend, or some similar means. Regardless of the source, the newly minted candidate likely goes into penciling the advantages and disadvantages of each option, often weighing them against each other. I've even seen some of the more energetic types draw matrices and tables. What I've never witnessed is a candidate who proactively documented or was fully aware of her needs and criteria before she took her first step. These criteria should become the centerpiece against which everything is measured.

As a job candidate, you might think your greatest qualities are your skills, work experience, and bubbly personality. While all are important, I think your greatest asset when evaluating and pursuing a career change is your self-awareness. That self-awareness will help you navigate through the murkiest of recruitment processes and serve as your beacon, especially when you feel that uneasiness in your stomach that indicates something escapable doesn't "feel right." It will also, most importantly, serve as the focal point upon which you can evaluate the company and whether it is right for you.

Throughout this book, I don't define interviewing success as "getting the job." Many candidates who get the job become miserable employees. They might have been better off not getting the job or turning down the employment offer. Success, as I see it, is securing the right job with the right company that keeps you happy for a sustained period. I assume everyone would rather be employed and happy than simply employed. Much of this book focuses on techniques that help you evaluate the company and job as you interview to ensure you make effective decisions regarding your career.

Buy what you need, not what they're selling.

Most candidates I interact with look at their job options in a vacuum that contains only their choice of employers and roles. I have yet to encounter one who, without prompting, has a compelling grasp of "herworkself" and what makes her happy. In my life, for that matter, I seldom come across someone who is self-aware. Some people are satisfied going through life aimlessly, grabbing what comes their way. Others are intent on making things happen. You can go through life in whatever manner you choose, but if you are reading this book, you are likely taking a step toward improving your ability to find or create the right job for you. That makes me happy.

When I open a discussion with a candidate, we talk for a few hours, uncovering a wealth of information before ever discussing her work background. That is because while her qualifications have much to do with her ability to effectively perform her job, her desires and needs have a much greater impact on her overall happiness. Most people look for job opportunities based on what they can do instead of what they want! Why? This seems backward to me, so I never conduct an initial recruiting call based on what someone can do or what her work history looks like. I want to know what she wants to do.

Know what matters to you, before the fact.

I love stories, so you will get a few throughout the book. I would like to open this chapter with one of the more encapsulating events I have encountered while helping match individuals with companies. A colleague of mine who is also a recruiting professional asked me to speak with her husband, who works in the technology sector. Let's call him John to protect the innocent. She shared with me that he is in his early forties and held several jobs throughout his career. She was hoping I could provide some advice regarding how he could more effectively approach his job search. I was happy to do it.

John called, and we got together. I reviewed his résumé, which contained nine different jobs, so he was averaging a couple of years at each company. Early in the conversation, I asked him to summarize in one or two sentences why he held so many jobs.

He said, "Well, the reason for leaving each one is different, so it would be difficult to summarize in one sentence."

I said, "Okay, tell you what. You've already shared with me why you want to leave your current employer. Take me back to your second company and tell me why you transitioned to the third and fourth companies." After he did, I asked, "Do you see the common denominator?" He had a perplexed look.

I said, "John, in each instance, you completely ignored your criteria in favor of your friends' opinions and enjoyment in working at those companies." (In each instance, he was an "employee referral" into the company.) "Let me connect the dots for you. In your current situation, you want to leave for three reasons. First, the company is headquartered in California, and you live here [Chicago]. That doesn't allow for much contact with the senior executives and doesn't help your advancement. Second, you don't support the corporate strategy and the direction the company is headed. Third, you think the software product is subpar. Were you aware of all this before you accepted the position and has anything related to any of these areas...