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Is the job interview The Moment of Truth? Nah. The Land of Bunk
is more like it. Never have more stupid questions been answered
with the same repetitive drivel as in the job interview. You can
sit down and easily list ten questions everyone is asked in an
interview. Human resources jockeys will tell you that's the
point: there are certain things we just must know about
everyone.
Bunk. Every job is different. Every manager is different. Every
candidate is different. When you enforce rules that encourage
candidates to sound and act the same, it becomes impossible to
separate the right candidate from all the droning wannabe's.
I cannot find one book about job hunting -- except mine -- that
suggests you carefully think about the work you do and how you
would do it for a prospective employer prior to approaching that
employer. That's what makes The New Interview?work. A good
headhunter will not let a candidate meet with a client unless
the candidate is ready and able to control the interview by
making it a hands-on, at-work meeting that focuses on the work
that needs to be done. If you spend an interview doing anything
else, your effort is wasted.
Control The Interview.
Don't let an interview turn into a rote question and answer
session about your greatest accomplishments and your biggest
weaknesses. That's not what will win you a job offer. Focus on
what you can do for an employer. It's up to you to take control
of an interview, and turn it into the solution to an employer's
problems.
The Agenda Is The Work.
Prepare an interviewer before your meeting. Let him or her know
that you want to clearly demonstrate, in the interview, how you
will do the work they need to have done. If all you do in an
interview is talk about your history, you will leave the
employer unconvinced that you can do the work he needs to have
done. A headhunter will never jeopardize his fee by letting a
candidate treat an interview like a tea social.
Be Ready To Do The Job.
You must take responsibility for being able to solve the
employer's problem in the interview. Do the job. Sound
intimidating? Well, if you can't do it, why bother interviewing
for this particular work? You have to be able to do it. You
might as well get ready to do the work you'll have to do daily
if you win the job.
Introduce Yourself.
Introduce yourself to the interviewer before you meet, in a
phone call, or through a referral made by someone who knows you
both. Leverage. Such an intermediary can be another employee,
another manager (from this or another company), a vendor of the
company, or a customer. If you have to, spend some serious time
finding someone who will do this for you. Don't consider this a
minor option. Don't go on a blind date. Companies retain
headhunters because they hate blind dates.
Join The Team -- Enlist!
Be tentative and you'll die. Don't wait to be asked to
participate in the manager's work. You'll never be asked. Be
proactive -- enlist! Be on the job when you walk into your
meeting. Arrive to face the manager's challenges with him. Your
goal is to perform like an employee who wants a promotion. Act
like you're on the team. If you don't, you never will be.
Offer Profit to The Manager.
Be ready to discuss or do something in your meeting that will
help the manager with a problem she's facing now. Ask the
manager to put a live problem on the table, so you can show how
you'd go about solving it. This single technique -- which
focuses totally on your work skills -- does more to impress an
employer than anything I've ever seen a candidate do in an
interview. Roll up your sleeves! When you're done, ask to be
reviewed like an employee.
Want The Job.
Every day, job candidates fail to win offers for one reason: the
employer isn't convinced the candidate wants the job. If you
would accept a position given the right offer, don't leave the
interview without telling the manager. Do you wonder why it
sometimes takes an employer forever to give you a decision? It's
partly because you probably never gave the employer a decision
at the end of the interview. Look the manager in the eye,
without a smile on your face, and say "I can do this job for you
profitably -- I want the job." Afraid you might ultimately end
up turning the job down if it were offered? That's another
issue. You can want a job but legitimately reject an offer that
can't be negotiated to your satisfaction.
Here's the point: would you hire someone to work on your team if
they didn't make it clear they wanted to work with you? I
wouldn't.
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