I Didn't Get Another Interview -- Why Don't They Like Me?

I want a 2nd Date – Why Won’t They Hire Me?

So, you’ve got a resume that’s stellar – at least according to the approvers at Ladders.com! – and, oh look! You got an interview request! You go donned in your “grown-up” clothes for your interview, portfolio in hand, to go through your interviews. And then you wait……..and wait……and wait…….and suddenly you start to feel like you went on a date that you thought was awesome, but your date isn’t returning your calls. Panic sets in, you start doing the dance “should I call? Should I email? Well, I don’t want to seem pushy….but maybe I should. Wait, no, I’ll wait. But I should at least call so they know I’m interested…or maybe I shouldn’t….” until you have successfully freaked yourself out. Finally you see an email in your inbox from HRLady@myinterviewcompany.com and heave a sigh of relief….until you read the “we really like you and wish you luck in your endeavors but we are not going forward with you”. More often than not, that’s the beginning of a state of confusion – I thought we were getting along so well! Why don’t they like me? I have the credentials, I have the skills, I can make them happy…..just a chance. What did I do wrong?

Recently, an interviewee asked me, point blank, “Why do they have to do an interview?” Now if this was said in whiny, stretched out, “I don’t wanna do this” way, I’d understand. But this was said with pure confusion. I was stunned. Hello, Cultural Difference! This did bring an important point to the forefront – unless you know the “why” behind the interviewing process, you won’t know which foot to put forward. He followed up with “I have the credentials, what difference does it make with these behavioral questions? They won’t know who I am in 45 minutes.”
Therein lies the rub – you only have those 45 minutes to show someone who you are: who you can be to the company, and who you are as a person. So when we have that moment of “what went wrong?” unfortunately, in some cases it comes down to not showing enough of the you that would fit the company holistically. A company can find credentials in black and white, it’s the person, the personality that serves as the differentiator, not whether you used Times New Roman or Helvetica on your resume. Said differently, and bluntly, if a company only cared about a resume, you’d have a lot more people… shall we say enhancing?...their resumes, and a lot more company’s having an automaton culture. In today’s market, corporate culture has a value to the company itself, and their employees represent that value. Your stories, anecdotes, random fun-facts help the interviewer determine if you fit the culture.

As we learnt in the last blog, once you’ve separated your resume figuratively (not literally! ) into chapters, you should have a sort of annotation for each chapter, a random fun-fact, like a buy-one-get-one-free deal! Each chapter should have an anecdote that would speak to the same point you’re trying to make. Here’s an example of what I mean:

BIG COMPANY DATE 1 – Date 2
Consultant
§ Led requirements gathering interviews and workshops with all levels of management for “As-Is” assessments

This could be a chapter titles “Analytical Skills”, “Communication Skills”, or “Client Relations”. But there’s a bonus (insert the infomercial voice here! Pomp and circumstance!!!) -- I know what happened during my time between Date 1 and Date 2 – I learnt presentation skills, I joined a local softball team with my colleagues, I worked on morale building within the company, I volunteered at a local school, I bungee jumped, I flew (okay, I’m making some of this up….). The point is that each section of resume not only represents a professional timeline, but a personal timeline as well. This time, taking a resume that you have already broken out into chapters, create a table for yourself about random anecdotes that occurred around the same time. It may look something like this:

Communication, Analytical, Client Relations Softball, Bungee Jumping
BIG COMPANY DATE 1 – Date 2
Consultant
§ Led requirements gathering interviews and workshops with all levels of management for “As-Is” assessments

The blue text represents the professional skill sets I want this experience on my resume to represent, and the green text serves as a reminder to me of the person who I was outside of the office at this time, so I have some fun stories to share. Who knows, maybe my interviewer has a daughter who played softball, or a brother who bungee jumped – both instances give me an opportunity to make a professional interview into a personal connection. And THAT is the sweet spot!

Unfortunately, we often overlook the importance these anecdotes have on representing who we are as a person and the impression they create for the interviewer. It tells the company “hey, look! I can create a financial model/project plan/whatever and am fun to work with too!” Most companies know that they can teach a skill, like Excel Modeling or Powerpoint, but they won’t necessarily invest in making a person dependable, a team player, fun to be working with at 11:00pm – that comes from your personality. And it’s up to you get that across. After all, you have to show them that the second date will be even better than the first ;-)

Um, How Do I Network When I'm Not Ready?

Let's take a step back -- up until now we've looked at networking in a job environment. That being said, I turn on the news and LOOK -- UNEMPLOYMENT IS UP! so, lets see where we can use communication, networking when we are LOOKING for the job.

We often hear people say to look for networking events, meet-and-greets, job fairs in the area when you're looking for a job. this is most definitely true, BUT -- there's always a "but"-- networking is not limited to organized events. Too often we miss out on potential connection opportunities because we don't recognize the interaction. You run into a person in the hallway, at Dunkin' Donuts -- we're not dressed up, with a resume in hand! So take this situation:

Friend: I'll have a large coffee with cream and sugar, thanks...Hey You!
You: Hey Friend! How are you?
Friend: Great! I was gonna call you -- I know this is random, but are you still looking for a job?
I may know someone looking in Pharma. Any interest?
You: *in your head* Man, I just came for a bagel.... *outloud* Yeah, definitely.
Friend: Cool! What your experience in process analysis again?
You: Umm....yeah, I've done it. At places.
Friend: Ok-aay. So this position, it would be a business analyst. Is that something you'd want?
You: I wanna bagel.

Don't be that guy/girl -- be prepared. The art of conversation is one that most of us have, but we don't always recognize when to apply it. Just because there are no name tags or mandatory booths set up, it doesn't mean that this is not a networking opportunity! Again, its a question of just being prepared.

Not everyone is gong to come up to you and say "Hi, I'm about to ask you a question about your experience that may lead me to want to offer you a chance to meet someone about a job." (Note: Actually, I don't think any one will come up to you and say that. If they do, and they're not coaching you, but are serious, umm....that's pretty unique.) That being said, you need to know your experience, your expectations in a true sense, in a non-resume-non-interviewing-not-because-you're-afraid-of-what-someone's-going-to-ask-you sense. It should be part of who you are, like telling someone your favorite flavor of ice cream or your dream car or about your first date ever or your most embarrassing moment. Notice the shift in topics -- you need to be comfortable with sharing those stories, whether its to a close friend or to the mirror. Get comfortable with the words, make the discomfort comfortable.

Take your resume and break it up into small pieces, sections -- categorize it. Think of your resume as a book, with each experience, each area representing a chapter. The title of the chapter is what can change. For example, if I have IT implementation experience, I can title that chapter IT experience, Teamwork, Testing, or Business Analysis. If I have been to Business School, I can title that chapter Knowledge Building, Teamwork, or Career Development. It takes practice to figure out what are the appropriate titles of your chapters' in your resume, so try it again with a mirror, with your friends and colleagues. This will keep you at the ready. Next time you're at Dunkin', you'll know which chapter to pull forward at nail it -- to make the connection.

Networking 101 -- Just say Thanks!

So it is ironic to write a posting about timely follow-up on networking when I’ve been lax for the last view weeks in posting an update! This is what NOT to do!
When you have finally been able to establish a level of relationship and communication with someone, it is imperative to not only keep that connection hot, but to also ensure that you follow the basic etiquette most people learnt as children: say please and thank you. Now we’ve all probably had an instance in our lives where we’ve helped someone out, maybe picked up the milk they forgot to buy, checked the flight time for someone just to be a good buddy – BUT haven’t you had that instant, albeit a short lived moment, where you think to yourself “Hey! Where’s the appreciation?? That bottle of milk didn’t walk home by itself! You coulda at least said ‘Thanks” so I could say ‘My pleasure’! You took my feigned modesty away from me!!!” Networking follows a similar set of rules.
When you have leveraged a connection, it is obvious that you want to send a note to thank the individual. What makes the relationship stronger and shows appreciation a little bit more than “um, yeah, thanks, bye” is when you are able to write something relatively personal about your interaction. This can range from “Hope your weekend getaway worked out!” to “Great hearing about your insight regarding xyz”, but it edifies to the recipient that you valued and, frankly, paid attention to your time together. This is different than a thank you note after a meeting in that you generally want to leave an open conversation. Many people believe that this school of thought is “stylistic”, i.e. I’m shy, I don’t get personal! Frankly, it isn’t a question of personality – that is more indicative of how easily the writing will come to you. Most people like to know that what they did was appreciated – so tell them!
Exercise Thank You
Find someone who you interact with often – a best friend, a significant other, a Starbucks Barista – and try to find significance in one or two actions they have done for you. Take that action, and think of a creative way of thanking them. (Please note: the Barista example was sarcastic – I can only imagine the delay it would cause if customers started singing them sonnets in praise of the foam they have received.) Try writing a short 4 sentence email. Give this email to the person for their review. Explain to them that this is an exercise. Now is where communication is key – listen to their response. Did your sentiment get across? Did they understand your appreciation?
Taking the same action and same individual, speak your appreciation. See how this is received vs. your written word. This gives you an indication of a) which form of communication may be more effective for you and b) whether or not you are effectively communicating what you mean to.
This is a short entry, short exercise – but with long term results. It is human nature to be more likely to help someone who has shown that they appreciates your time and effort than someone that sends a cookie-cutter-pre-written-I-sent-this-to-my-Barista-too email. Leave an impression that lasts!

Thanks for reading ;-)

Networking 101: Exercise 3

Exercise 3
Look at the diagram below. As blank as it is, it serves an edification of the evergreen statement “what do you want to do/be”. It’s simple to say write down your goals and go to it! Unfortunately, much like most ephemeral ideas, you can understand the concept but without seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, or some level of gratification, you can lose track of what you are doing or why.

First fill out the Checkpoint. The checkpoint should represent the goal you wish to reach at the end of a year. In this case, however, your checkpoint is not necessarily “Manager, Eastern Sales” – that would be a long term goal. Think in terms of networking – who should what impression of you by when. Look at your results from each of the previous exercises. You should create a map for each individual you’ve identified. A checkpoint would be the impression you wish for them to have of you. The Start should indicate where you are today with regard to a specific goal.

Next, fill out the Goal boxes. Each Goal should be aligned with your Checkpoint. You want each Goal to represent a step in creating your impression, which, in turn, will help with a larger career strategy. For now, however, focus on this finite level – take each individual impression you listed in Exercise 2.

The arrows represent the steps you are taking to get to the next Goal. Try to be as specific as possible – after all, you can only have a sense of accomplishment if your steps are achievable. Look at the anecdotes you listed in Exercise 2 and the places of interaction listed in Exercise 1. Use this as a starting point for your steps – “I will tell X story Y to create Z impression.”

Each flow represents one separate impression you want to make to a particular individual. Now each impression is well and good, but you want them to achieve a certain end. Given our commodity, our marketing, and customers, we want reach a goal. These maps taken together should represent tangible steps to reach your career goals – use networking effectively.

Networking 101: Second Exercise

Exercise 2

Using the same list of people as Excercise 1 (refer: last blog!!!), come up with 5 qualities/skills you want the person in the list to know about you. More often than not, we assume that people will find something memorable about us, but we don’t manage what exactly that something is. Be SPECIFIC!!!

Next to each person, right down three characteristics or souvenirs do you want each individual to have about you. It is important to think of this as an individual interaction with each person on the list. What you write for person A may not be the same souvenir you want to person B to walk away with. For example, if person A is a marketing executive, I may want them to know that I am creative. If person B is an HR expert, I would want to leave an impression that I have experience in interviewing. Try to think of a specific characteristic you want to be evoked when they think of you or hear your name mentioned. Try to answer the question of “I am the go to person for _________” or “I am known as a person who can ________”

Next to the characteristic, write down a “10-words-or-less” synopsis of an example you could give that would create the impression. What you want to focus on is having a story to tell instead of a bullet point – stories give you more to evoke a memory.

Now, think back to interactions you’ve had. Haven’t there been moments when you have walked away saying “I wish I had said…” or “I wish they knew I could…..” Frequently, its human nature to hesitate bringing up a point about ourselves because we don’t know how it will be received. You tell your friends a story and, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that half the time they are only listening because they are our friends. They want to know what dress we bought, what happened at the salon, what we did today because they, by definition of friend, care. And we can’t underestimate the fact sometimes we listen because, well, we want our turn too! For networking, you are creating the professional relationship – you have the luxury of creating the friend you want to be known as. In order to create that impression, we need to tell the anecdotes, show the image that we want others to have of us. By planning our anecdotes and adjusting them accordingly, we are prepared for opportunities to create the impression. To be present in the moment, to turn a moment of “Hey-how-are-you-I’m-fine” into something memorable. This exercise is built to give you the marketing materials for you to posture your product (which, again, is you) and turn an “I wish I had….” to “I was ready to”.

We now have the commodity, the marketing, and the customers. Seems like its logical, right? But what do you do with this plethora of knowledge? Therein lies the rub. Have you ever watched a cooking show, say 30-minute meals with Rachel Ray, and think, wow, that looks easy! Who knew I could make Chicken Kiev in 30 minutes? You look around your kitchen and suddenly all you see is opportunity of fantastic Michelin-star rated meals and you are armed with your Rachel Ray steps. Hurrah! No Hamburger Helper tonight! Now answer this: have you ever actually done it? Doing it in your head doesn’t count. This is the same concept. We all know the basic tenets to networking – meet people and stay in touch. We all know the fundamentals of CRM – know the customer, know their needs, and meet them. The difference between actual real-life-yup-I’m-networking-and-its-effective and yup-I-have-200-people-I-kinda-know-but-am-connected-to-on-linkedin is what we do with this knowledge. How do we use it for good rather than…well…nothing *insert Starwars theme music here*

Networking 101: Linked, Tagged, SMS-ed, Texted….So How’s It Work?

Introduction

When one says networking, its not simply that you link, tag, friend-accept, text, ping, IM – it is how you effectively leverage each one of those wired moments. One only has to look at the latest Dentyne advertisements to see how wired we are as a society today. Its all well and good when you are in high-school looking for the most popular award to say I have 250 connections on Linkedin.com, but once you reach the level of middle-management, the biggest decision you have is no longer the table you sit at in the cafeteria on taco day, but who is on your right and left at the boardroom table. More importantly, it is do those people think of me when they leave the boardroom? Alas, popularity still matters, but now it’s manageable – it is who you are connected with be it Gabby Reeces’s Honeyline or LinkedIn.

We have all heard that you should never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Makes sense, right? If you’re already hungry, you’re going to crave the bright yellow Twinkies and justify that it is probably more filling than some celery. God bless instant gratification! The basic principle is that the shopper (or future-eater, if you will) will be more pragmatic and objective in shopping, and less influenced by impulse and desperation when the growling of their stomach isn’t distracting him or her – when there isn’t a sense of desperation. So here’s a question – why do we suddenly remember those associates and colleagues that we pass in the hallway with an off-handed “hey” while we stroll in our Dilbert-esque worlds only when we need them?

To understand the importance of networking, or connecting, think back to the golden rule. Answer the following question for yourself: If someone you haven’t had a “real” conversation with in 4 months suddenly called and said I need your help immediately for something I’m working on, would you drop what you’re doing and help? As has been said in the past “An emergency for you does not necessitate an emergency for me”.

It is imperative to create the foundation of working relationships so when and if a time arises which does, in fact, necessitate a need, it is not perceived as the equivalent of a long lost cousin calling asking for money.

First Exercise:

Write a list of 5 people whom you work with who have a position or role that interests you. Interest, in this sense, implies they are in touch or connected to either a position or skill set with which you wish to be more exposed.

Write down what it is about the individual that interests you. This could be something such as “communication skills”, “technical knowledge”, or as simple as “well known in the company”. Try to be as specific as possible.

After writing the list, write down situations in which you interact with each individual. It’s important to think of situations beyond participating a standing meeting. Think of situations such as coffee rooms, shared commutes, and et al. if possible.

On a scale of 1-5, rate how memorable you feel these interactions would be to the other person, 1 being something you forgotten on the way back to their office and 5 being something that may enter their mind later in the day as an anecdote.

If you have a series of 1-3 ratings, think about it. What does that say to you?

The Austrian philosopher, Martin Buber, once said that if do not allow ourselves to be one hundred percent present at every instant of our existence, we will never fully understand a) ourselves and b) others. Yet humanity, as a whole, tends to lead a “Uh-huh, okay” existence, with head-nodding apathy in daily interactions. We fear, as we should, vulnerability, the idea of de-masking ourselves. Looking at this philosophy from a career lens, there is a different level of importance. Now, I do not mean to imply that you should spend every moment with those on your list and treat it like a Dr. Phil or Oprah episode, but each interaction with these people who represent something of importance to you should be managed – you should recognize each interaction as an opportunity to create impression.

Now that’s easy to say – anybody that has dropped water, had the squeaky chair during a meeting, stated the obvious during a brainstorming session knows that you have definitely left an impression. What I am venturing to say is that you can control the impression you leave. We often notice these interactions after the fact. What is interesting, however, is that your level, you know how to manage customers – be it internal, team members, other departments – but we don’t look at ourselves as a commodity or a product that needs to leverage each interaction with our proverbial customers, i.e. our network. Customer relationship management can be serving as a major differentiator for companies, so why don’t we use the same principles with ourselves?

In the first exercise we recognized customers who we deem as priority for the “future” they can provide. It’s easy to say leverage a relationship. From a theoretical perspective, most of us can intuitively say that yes, I can recognize people I think would be beneficial to know. Here’s a question most people gloss over: what do I want them to recognize in me?

Most people have heard the idea of having a 30 second elevator pitch. Some of us have even created them in our heads. Now, when you’ve actually been in the elevator, have you ever used your pitch? As is true with customer relationship management, you know the commodity, and you know the customer – what you do with the information that matters. Lists can be generated, but more often than not, we get stuck in a moment of “okay, so now what?” Think about an anecdote, a story that can speak to the characteristic you want to be known for. Write it down. Most people can’t be Drew Cary with the practiced ability of improvisation, so why put yourself in that situation? By writing it down now, you are arming yourself with the tools necessary if and when the opportunity presents itself.

Stayed tuned for Exercise 2!!!