DON’T INTERVIEW FOR A JOB…….
INTERVIEW FOR AN OFFER!
Sounds strange, right? Most of us assume that the main purpose of interviewing is to get a job.
Not exactly!
Having coached dozens of mid and late-career executives across the country in the last ten years, I believe that you are interviewing to get an offer, not necessarily a job.
Think about it. How many times have you been seeking employment where the specific job is really not what you want, but the company is?
The point is that you should be interviewing to join the company in a position that makes sense for you, not simply a job that is listed on a job board or introduced to you by a zealous recruiter. You are seeking work that is right for YOU, not just a job.
The way to accomplish this is to get an offer. Then, once the company has committed to you with this offer, you are in the “catbird’s seat”. Up until the offer, you were one of many candidates. Therefore, you played ball and did your best in the interviewing process. Once you have a written offer in hand, it is now your turn to ask the probing questions, meet more people, visit a couple of company offices or whatever you need to do to convince yourself that this is the right place and job for you.
Then, meet with the hiring manager (not anyone else) and have an adult conversation regarding whether this offer is best for you and them, and discuss how you see revising it to better serve both parties.
In most cases, you will focus on the specific position in question and negotiate a better offer. They want you; this is the best time to ensure you get what you think you need to be properly rewarded and motivated to do your best for them. It is also the last chance you will get for a long time to realize your key demands and needs.
In a lot of cases, the job they offered is not quite right for you. This is the time to ask if they can revise the position or identify another role in the company more in sync with you and your goals. One of my clients recently convinced a financial services firm to combine two open marketing positions which resulted in a VP title and more money.
Yes, this requires some courage and finesse. But, remember, with a firm offer, they have said “we want you to join the company”. It is now up to you to ensure that you will be doing “the right work for you”, not just filling a position on an org. chart.
So focus on getting an offer, and then focus on shaping the actual job to best fit your talents and needs as well as being responsive to the company’s requirements.
Monday, September 5, 2011
DIDN'T GET THE OFFER? TRY THIS.........
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DON’T GET THE JOB OFFER.
In my many years of coaching mid and late-career executives to seek “work, not just a job”, I have been mystified by an almost universal response on the part of candidates when they are rejected in favor of another executive for a position they really desired.
These executives, who are highly-qualified, talented and motivated, simply “take no for an answer” and move on to other opportunities.
What a waste of weeks of work on their part interviewing for the position as well as the contacts they made at the subject company, many or most of which were likely to have been positive ones.
Should you be rejected for a job, my earnest advice to you is the following:
1 If you really wanted the position, express that fact and the reasons for your interest in a follow-up letter or email to all the people you met. State in a pleasant, yet confident fashion that you would like to stay in touch and hope they will reach out to you should other opportunities arise in the near future.
2 Specifically follow-up in a phone call with executives you met in the process with whom you really “hit it off”. Express your pleasure at having met them, remind them of your on-going interest, and ask that they keep you in mind for future opportunities at the company or elsewhere. Add them to your Linked In contacts. Linked In will advise you when they have changed positions or companies, another reason for contacting them again.
3 Review the entire interviewing process in your mind (and with trusted advisors or your career coach), and endeavor to refine your interviewing skills and improve your professional presentation based upon any insights you can identify or glean from the people you met.
4 Add these people to your network and periodically update them on your progress (especially when you land a new job).
5 Consider offering to work in a consulting capacity if you are aware that the winning candidate may have more on their hands in the new position than they can handle.
6 Consider contacting the hiring executive or Human Resources in five months or so. Often the winning candidate will have succeeded or failed by this point, so your follow-up could be well-timed.
7 Look for other ways to stay on their radar. But, don’t just let them “go away” if you were strongly interested in the company.
8 Look for other ways to stay on their radar. But, don’t just let them “go away” if you were strongly interested in the company.
In my many years of coaching mid and late-career executives to seek “work, not just a job”, I have been mystified by an almost universal response on the part of candidates when they are rejected in favor of another executive for a position they really desired.
These executives, who are highly-qualified, talented and motivated, simply “take no for an answer” and move on to other opportunities.
What a waste of weeks of work on their part interviewing for the position as well as the contacts they made at the subject company, many or most of which were likely to have been positive ones.
Should you be rejected for a job, my earnest advice to you is the following:
1 If you really wanted the position, express that fact and the reasons for your interest in a follow-up letter or email to all the people you met. State in a pleasant, yet confident fashion that you would like to stay in touch and hope they will reach out to you should other opportunities arise in the near future.
2 Specifically follow-up in a phone call with executives you met in the process with whom you really “hit it off”. Express your pleasure at having met them, remind them of your on-going interest, and ask that they keep you in mind for future opportunities at the company or elsewhere. Add them to your Linked In contacts. Linked In will advise you when they have changed positions or companies, another reason for contacting them again.
3 Review the entire interviewing process in your mind (and with trusted advisors or your career coach), and endeavor to refine your interviewing skills and improve your professional presentation based upon any insights you can identify or glean from the people you met.
4 Add these people to your network and periodically update them on your progress (especially when you land a new job).
5 Consider offering to work in a consulting capacity if you are aware that the winning candidate may have more on their hands in the new position than they can handle.
6 Consider contacting the hiring executive or Human Resources in five months or so. Often the winning candidate will have succeeded or failed by this point, so your follow-up could be well-timed.
7 Look for other ways to stay on their radar. But, don’t just let them “go away” if you were strongly interested in the company.
8 Look for other ways to stay on their radar. But, don’t just let them “go away” if you were strongly interested in the company.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
America's Cup as a Career Template
The “America’s Cup” as a Career Template
In just over two years, the US will host the 34th America's Cup on San Francisco Bay. This world-class event brings the fierce competition for the oldest trophy in international sport back to the United States for the first time in 18 years. The rivalry between the top-notch crews has already begun with extensive preparations among the contenders in full swing. Every aspect of each crew’s preparedness will be thoroughly examined, improved, refined and finely-honed into an unmatched contender for the Cup.
Your career deserves the same preparedness to sail the best race. This requires an excellent Assessment of your “team” and a winning Action Plan to achieve your goal of career success.
The America’s Cup teams are already hard at work assessing their team vision, sharpening their training and professional education programs, refining their financial plans to support their bid, applying the best of technology and design to yacht and rigging design, and racing tactics, building their team’s physical fitness levels and belief in themselves, and creating their marketing and communications programs to tell their exciting story to build support among their country’s fans. The teams are also ensuring that they are including their families in these plans as it is a long twenty-eight months before the starting gun fires and the America’s Cup is off and cruising in the lee of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Take a cue from these teams and take the same action with your “caree team”.
First, assess yourself and your vision. Do you know yourself and your talents in detail? Do you have a clear idea of who you are, what you are best at, and where you are going? The answers to these and other critical questions must be clear in your mind before you try to take action with your career. Sailors chart courses to win races by knowing a great deal about the tides, winds, competition and other key factors. You have to do the same.
Consider your educational and professional preparation for the future. Do you need to get an MBA or a professional qualification in your field to move ahead? Does your “career team” need key courses that you could obtain at a nearby college or university to improve your professional knowledge and candidacy?
Are you in good financial condition? If you were to lose your current job or decide to change careers, how long could you support yourself on savings and investments?
Are you well-equipped with the right technology support? Are you as hip as your peers in social media, personal computer skills and other pre-requisites for life in the digital age?
Are you healthy and fit, or do you need to take immediate action to lose fifteen pounds or get a physical to ensure your health can support your career activities?
How is your spiritual life? Do you have faith in yourself? Do you have a good group of friends and peers to provide the energy and support you will need to forge ahead?
Do you have a solid and persuasive personal marketing program? Have you created communications including a powerful bio and 60-second elevator speech that separates you from the pack and causes people to want to meet and help you? Does your resume summary paragraph explain who you are and what professional situations you are seeking in concise and memorable terms? When asked to “tell me about yourself”, can you do so in a confident, precise and impressive fashion that causes the interviewer to realize how clear you are regarding your talents, interests and fit with their company?
Last, but not least, like the America’s Cup team-members, are you including and involving your family in your preparations as well as your action steps? Keeping them in the loop will provide you with more energy and give them a sense of true team-work, a nice thing!
So, look hard at yourself, your “career team” elements and assess them and address them with improvements, refinements, additions and deletions.
Then, plot those next career steps, sail hard to each mark, round them with style and finesse, and drive to the finish line with a new job or industry role as the trophy for all your hard work and deliberate preparations.
In just over two years, the US will host the 34th America's Cup on San Francisco Bay. This world-class event brings the fierce competition for the oldest trophy in international sport back to the United States for the first time in 18 years. The rivalry between the top-notch crews has already begun with extensive preparations among the contenders in full swing. Every aspect of each crew’s preparedness will be thoroughly examined, improved, refined and finely-honed into an unmatched contender for the Cup.
Your career deserves the same preparedness to sail the best race. This requires an excellent Assessment of your “team” and a winning Action Plan to achieve your goal of career success.
The America’s Cup teams are already hard at work assessing their team vision, sharpening their training and professional education programs, refining their financial plans to support their bid, applying the best of technology and design to yacht and rigging design, and racing tactics, building their team’s physical fitness levels and belief in themselves, and creating their marketing and communications programs to tell their exciting story to build support among their country’s fans. The teams are also ensuring that they are including their families in these plans as it is a long twenty-eight months before the starting gun fires and the America’s Cup is off and cruising in the lee of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Take a cue from these teams and take the same action with your “caree team”.
First, assess yourself and your vision. Do you know yourself and your talents in detail? Do you have a clear idea of who you are, what you are best at, and where you are going? The answers to these and other critical questions must be clear in your mind before you try to take action with your career. Sailors chart courses to win races by knowing a great deal about the tides, winds, competition and other key factors. You have to do the same.
Consider your educational and professional preparation for the future. Do you need to get an MBA or a professional qualification in your field to move ahead? Does your “career team” need key courses that you could obtain at a nearby college or university to improve your professional knowledge and candidacy?
Are you in good financial condition? If you were to lose your current job or decide to change careers, how long could you support yourself on savings and investments?
Are you well-equipped with the right technology support? Are you as hip as your peers in social media, personal computer skills and other pre-requisites for life in the digital age?
Are you healthy and fit, or do you need to take immediate action to lose fifteen pounds or get a physical to ensure your health can support your career activities?
How is your spiritual life? Do you have faith in yourself? Do you have a good group of friends and peers to provide the energy and support you will need to forge ahead?
Do you have a solid and persuasive personal marketing program? Have you created communications including a powerful bio and 60-second elevator speech that separates you from the pack and causes people to want to meet and help you? Does your resume summary paragraph explain who you are and what professional situations you are seeking in concise and memorable terms? When asked to “tell me about yourself”, can you do so in a confident, precise and impressive fashion that causes the interviewer to realize how clear you are regarding your talents, interests and fit with their company?
Last, but not least, like the America’s Cup team-members, are you including and involving your family in your preparations as well as your action steps? Keeping them in the loop will provide you with more energy and give them a sense of true team-work, a nice thing!
So, look hard at yourself, your “career team” elements and assess them and address them with improvements, refinements, additions and deletions.
Then, plot those next career steps, sail hard to each mark, round them with style and finesse, and drive to the finish line with a new job or industry role as the trophy for all your hard work and deliberate preparations.
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