For example, at one time my dream job was that of playing rock and roll professionally. I have absolutely no interest in that career path now, but my pursuit of that goal in my young adulthood taught me valuable lessons about stage presence, how to sell services, and how to build a team that can play well together. Each of those skills has stood me in good stead at some point in my career.
SHORTCUT
DREAM JOBS
KNOW what would constitute your dream job.
FIND role models and incorporate their way of thinking.
HAVE the courage to sacrifice your security.
ESSENTIAL: learn to sell.
CREATE a plan and start executing it today.
ADJUST your plan as you learn more about yourself.
SECRET 25
How to Land a Job Interview
Getting a job interview is a classic sales situation. Your goal is to match what you’ve got to offer to the needs of the customer (the hiring firm). Here’s how:
1. IF POSSIBLE, CREATE YOUR OWN JOB DESCRIPTION.
The best job interviews always result from your figuring out, on your own, how you can help a company get new customers, break into new markets, or reduce costs.
To do this, use the Internet to research your target company, its customers, and its competitors. If possible, contact individuals in the target company in order to better understand what they might be seeking.
However, let’s suppose that you’re applying for a preexisting job opening that’s described on a website. The subsequent steps will increase the likelihood that you’ll get an interview.
2. IF POSSIBLE, GET A REFERRAL.
Your goal is to land an interview with the real decision-maker, the person for whom you’ll eventually be working. You’re more likely to achieve that goal if you can bypass the gatekeepers (usually Human Resources).
Therefore, if you’ve got contacts inside a company, and those contacts know you and trust you, ask them to reach out to the decision-maker and recommend you personally.
In other words, resort to a résumé only when it’s the only way to get an interview. In all other cases you’re better off crafting a specific letter, or e-mail, to a specific person and otherwise pursuing him or her directly.
3. REWRITE YOUR RÉSUMÉ FOR EACH JOB.
The purpose of a résumé is to present the history of your education and employment so potential employers can assess whether to hire you, right? Wrong! A résumé is a sales document that helps an employer understand whether interviewing you makes sense.
A potential employer doesn’t really care what you did or where you did it. All a prospective employer cares about is what you can do for his or her company now and in the future. Therefore, like all sales documents, your résumé is about the customer, not about you. I can’t emphasize this point strongly enough.
Some people think that the way to get a hiring company interested is to attach a customized cover letter to a general-purpose résumé. There’s a word for these people: unemployed.
How many times have you heard somebody say, “I’ve sent out hundreds of résumés and haven’t gotten a single interview”? This complaint is common because general-purpose résumés are highly unlikely to match what a potential employer is looking for.
Your résumé is far more likely to make it through first-pass screening and cause a hiring manager to read it and call you if it’s customized specifically for the hiring company and the job that it’s seeking to fill.
4. MODEL YOUR “WHO I AM” ON THE JOB DESCRIPTION.
HR groups (and the résumé-screening programs they use) automatically bypass résumés that don’t match the job description. Therefore, in order to pass the first screening, your résumé must echo the terminology that’s in the ad.
For example, suppose an ad reads as follows:
ABC Software would like to invite ambitious, hard-working individuals to apply for the position of full-time outside sales. Applicants should be able to bring new ideas and improvements to business practices; remain fair, respectful, and moral in all situations; and work well both independently and as part of a team.
In this case, the first line of your résumé (right after your name) should read something like this:
An ambitious, hard-working, moral individual, looking for a full-time job in outside sales, with the opportunity to work both independently and as part of a team.
This isn’t pandering. Many companies routinely use résumé search software that filters out those that don’t contain the right “magic words.”
5. STATE BENEFITS RATHER THAN HISTORY.
What’s important in a résumé isn’t the jobs you’ve held, but how the value you’ve provided your other employers in the past (or your educational experience) will translate into value to the hiring firm. Example:
WRONG:
2002–2007. Line manager at Acme. Supervised ten employees on a widget manufacturing line. Won “best quality” award.
RIGHT:
Increased widget production by 25 percent at Acme by instituting an award-winning quality control program.
6. HIT ALL THE HOT BUTTONS.
Go through the job description and isolate the elements that the hiring firm thinks are important. Then write benefits statements, based on your experience and education, that match as many of these elements as possible.
If you are plainly and obviously unqualified for the job (e.g., it asks for five years of experience and you’re just out of school), don’t waste your time sending a résumé. You won’t get the job unless you already know somebody at the hiring firm or develop contacts that can provide you an introduction to the hiring manager.
SHORTCUT
LANDING AN INTERVIEW
IF possible, create and sell your own job description.
IF possible, get a current employee to recommend you.
CUSTOMIZE your résumé to match the job description.
EXPLAIN “who I am” in terms of the specific job.
DESCRIBE specifically how you helped former employers.
INCLUDE benefits that echo phrases from the job description.
SECRET 26
How to Ace a Job Interview
Most people get flustered at even the idea of a job interview. On the one hand they’re trying to get hired, and on the other hand they’re often struggling with emotions: preparing for disappointment or wondering whether they’ll really be happy if they get the job.
The following method gets you out of that state and into a state where the job interview can actually be enjoyable:
1. HAVE OTHER OPTIONS.
When you’re up for a job interview, the natural impulse is to focus entirely on that interview, rather than on your ongoing job search. This is a huge mistake, because the last thing you want is the desperate feeling that you must get this job.
The moment you get a job interview, you should step up your job search so you have additional options. Rather than limit yourself to this one interview, use the fact that you’ve gotten it to create the confidence that will win you more interviews.
2. RESEARCH THE HIRING FIRM.
Unless this interview dropped into your lap by accident (rarely the case), chances are that you’ve already done some research into the hiring firm to get yourself on the interview list. It’s now time to step up your research efforts.
Search out and memorize the names of the key executives in the area where you’re likely to be interviewing, as well as some facts about their careers. If possible, use your social networking contacts to interview people who can give you an insider’s perspective.
Acquire a working knowledge of the hiring firm’s industry and the firm’s largest customers. If the firm is publicly held, review the firm’s latest 10-Q report on SEC.gov. Search for recent business news stories. LinkedIn is also useful because the more you learn about the “players” in the hiring firm, the better you’ll be able to position your services.
3. PREPARE INSIGHTFUL QUEST
IONS.
It’s a common mistake to assume that a job interview means you’re just being interviewed for the job. That’s only half of the truth. You’re also interviewing the firm, and the people in it, to decide whether that firm is a good match for you.
Based on your research, craft three questions that will help you clarify how you can best contribute to the success of the hiring firm. For example, if you’re a programmer with Unix experience, you might ask about the company’s specific usage of Unix.
Such questions are also intended to start conversations that can help the hiring manager see why you’d be valuable. Needless to say, these should not be questions about what the hiring firm can do for you but lead toward a discussion of how you can help the company.
WRONG:
“What kind of vacation plan do you have?”
“Does the health plan include dental coverage?”
RIGHT:
“I understand that you’re thinking of expanding sales into the automotive industry. From your perspective, how could my experience in consumer electronic marketing help you succeed in that industry?”
“Beyond what’s obvious from the job description, what are the most important attributes needed to be successful in this environment?”
4. REHEARSE THE OBVIOUS ANSWERS.
Many job interviewers feel obligated to ask entirely predictable job interview questions (such as “What’s your greatest strength?”). There are dozens of websites that can help you prepare for these questions. Read them and rehearse your answers.
A word of warning here: companies with interviewers who ask these pat questions tend to be old-fashioned and bureaucratic. Such questions are therefore a warning that, unless you can tolerate unimaginativeness, you might be better off working elsewhere.
In general, all of these questions are opportunities for you to present whatever experience you have in the context of how you can apply that experience to help the hiring firm satisfy a need, avoid a risk, or take advantage of an opportunity.
Two quick words of warning:
1. Never say anything negative about a former employer, even if your bosses were a collection of prime jerks. I once saw a résumé that was a list of complaints about the “idiots” the job seeker had worked for. Needless to say, he never got a job offer.
2. If you’re forced to state your salary requirements, give a wide range and make it clear that you understand the range is dependent on the actual responsibilities of the job. Ideally you want them to make the first offer.
5. DRESS APPROPRIATELY AND ARRIVE EARLY.
Dress the same as the managers where you’re interviewing. For example, if you’re a man interviewing at a high-tech firm in California, wear a clean pair of Dockers, a high-quality golf shirt, and expensive running shoes. Wear a suit and you’ll look like a dork.
Conversely, if you’re interviewing at a financial services firm in New York City, you’re more likely to land the job if you’re wearing a suit that looks as if it cost a thousand dollars, even if you’re applying for an entry-level position.
If you don’t know what’s appropriate, ask somebody who works there. If that’s not practical, try to scout the place out beforehand. Find an inconspicuous place around the entrance or the parking lot and notice how people dress.
The trick to arriving early (but not too early) is to leave for your appointment with at least an hour to spare. Once you’re in the general geographical area, find somewhere comfortable to wait and relax, then show up ten minutes early.
All of the steps above are designed to increase your comfort level with the interview process so you don’t come off as desperate (which is the kiss of death).
As you enter the interview, think of yourself as being in a position to learn something: about the company, about the people in it, and even about yourself. Curiosity is the “power emotion” in all sales situations, but especially when you’re selling yourself.
6. FOLLOW THROUGH, THEN DECIDE.
After the interview, send an e-mail thanking the people who interviewed you. Be positive about the experience, but don’t gush. You want the hiring firm to think you’re doing it a favor by accepting a job, not that it’s doing you a favor by offering you one.
After you’ve interviewed, you might not feel entirely certain that you actually want that job. Ignore that feeling, because it may be your emotions setting you up to not feel disappointed if you don’t get it.
Instead, play out the hand and worry about whether you want the job after you’ve gotten the offer. Meanwhile, continue your job search, secure in the fact that, at the very least, you’ve honed your interview skills.
SHORTCUT
JOB INTERVIEWS
DON’T have all your eggs in this one basket.
FIND out all you can about the hiring firm.
DEVISE questions that show you’ve done your research.
REHEARSE answers to the standard questions.
WEAR what you’d wear if you worked there; don’t be late.
GET the offer, then decide whether you really want the job.
SECRET 27
How to Make Failure Impossible
In my opinion too much has been written about how to be successful, so instead I’m going to show you how to set things up in your brain so it’s impossible for you to fail. Here’s how:
1. SET ACHIEVABLE YET INSPIRATIONAL GOALS.
If you don’t believe your goal is achievable, you won’t take action to achieve it. Therefore, any goal that you set must be within the realm of possibility and tied to actions that you can actually take.
A goal must also be inspirational enough to motivate you to take action. For example, “Lose some weight” is achievable but not particularly inspirational. “Reach and maintain my ideal weight of 170 pounds” is both achievable and motivating.
As a general rule, big goals are more inspirational than small ones, provided they’re not so big that (in your heart of hearts) you don’t believe you can achieve them. That being said, most people are far more capable of success than they suspect.
2. WRITE THEM DOWN SO THEY MOTIVATE.
Talk is cheap and goals aren’t real unless they’re written down. And by “written down,” I don’t mean typed on a computer or tablet. I mean written by you using your hand to move a pen (not a pencil) around on a piece of paper.
Taking time to actually form the letters (rather than just tapping a piece of plastic) subliminally tells your mind that these goals are important and different and not a text e-mail that you’re sending to yourself, soon composed and soon forgotten.
Also, write your goals down more than once. In fact, write them down as many times as you can manage.
To give extra oomph to your efforts, make a formal public commitment to your goals. For example, you might want to sign up for a charity race that you couldn’t possibly run without first getting yourself in tip-top shape.
3. DECIDE THAT YOU MUST ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS.
Once you’ve gotten your goals set in your mind, it’s time to take action. The important thing here is to approach each action with confidence that you’ll eventually succeed. To do this you must harness your internal dialogue.
When you approach a task that leads toward your goal, never start out by saying, “I’ll try…” When you use that phrase, you’re giving yourself permission to fail. Instead, phrase your action in terms of “I will…!” or “I must…!” No wiggle room allowed.
It’s only through being 100 percent committed to taking action that you’ll achieve an ambitious goal. So if you truly want to succeed, banish all thoughts of giving up. You will get there eventually because you must.
4. SET MEASURABLE MILESTONES.
Big goals are easier to achieve if you break them up into smaller chunks or milestones. Achieving milestones gives you more confidence, strengthens your motivation, and helps you build momentum.
The word milestone comes from a marker that measures distance on a road. The term has
stood the test of time because the concept—measuring something quantifiable—is essential.
A milestone should always be something specific so you know, without any doubt, whether you’ve achieved it.
WRONG:
“Develop contacts in my field of expertise.”
RIGHT:
“Have conversations with ten different experts in my field.”
5. MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS.
Revisit your goals every day to remind yourself what’s important to you. Post them on your bathroom mirror, on the background of your computer screen, and on the dashboard of your car.
Set reminders in your e-mail and calendar programs to keep you focused on achieving your goals rather than just performing activities that pop up throughout your daily life. Harness technology to focus your efforts rather than distract you.
Keep a record of what you’ve already accomplished. Review this when you’re feeling discouraged or unsure—it’s an instant confidence builder and helps you focus on the positive.
6. TREAT SETBACKS AS SIGNALS.
Business Without the Bullsh*t Page 11