Do Research; Don't Become Mr. Know-it-all

Remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons? They were a wonderful part of my growing up. There was a part of the show where Bullwinkle took on the persona of “Mr. Know-it-all,” and Rocky watched in dismay as Mr. Know-it-all tried to demonstrate something and always made a mess of it. Every time Mr. Know-it-all demonstrated how to do something he ended up learning a much harder lesson.

This is true for job seekers and people interviewing for a new job. There is a point where you need to research a company and learn what you can about the products, the market, competitors and get a feel for the company. The goal here is to become familiar with the company and its external persona or presence. This will help the job seeker or interviewee to be more confident and comfortable during the interview.

Some folks take it a little too far, however. The feel anxious about the interview and the lack of control one has in the whole process and they attempt to exert some “wisdom” into the interview. The take the opportunity to show the interviewer all they know about the company, to show off a little. And like Mr. Know-it-all they end up on their backside, stars twirling around their head, wondering what happened.

I remember one candidate who chose the end of the interview to ask me questions about the company, demonstrating to me his knowledge and insight into our company. He started off by quoting the current stock price and pointing out the fact that the price had dropped 14%. Then he asked what I personally was doing to change that trend. I was the company’s head of Quality at the time, therefore, everything I personally did was focused on the betterment of the company, and I said that and ended the interview with, “Well we’re out of time. Someone will be in touch with you regarding next steps.” 
I’m still not sure how pointing out that my personal wealth was down 14% was going to make me see him as a good fit. We didn’t hire him. But, I believed that he had done his homework about the company.

I’m not a big fan of candidates asking questions in the first interview anyway, but being familiar with our product and understanding what I was referring to when I went over the company and our products would have been a better approach. Nobody likes a show-off or a Mr. Know-it-all and this is very much the case in an interview. Do research and be prepared to respond to the interviewer’s questions. That will show them just what they need to know about you and how you may fit into their company. Next time we’ll go over the two phases of a job search: getting the offer first and then analyzing the offer second.

Football, Turkey & Networking "Time for a SALE"

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and people are travelling all around America to celebrate the holiday with friends and family. This year the Thanksgiving NFL game with the Lions promises to be enjoyable even for Detroit fans. But for job seekers, large get-togethers are often dreaded. “What do I say to people when they ask me, ‘What’s up, or how’s work?’” runs through many job seekers’ minds.

Yet the coach says, “What a great opportunity to network with people on your list. What a great time to add people to your contact list.” Let’s face it, to career coaches, Thanksgiving (in fact all holidays) are a fantastic opportunity to network. Just remember to 

S-A-L-E (Smile, Ask, Listen, & Eat).

Smile, be warm, welcoming and friendly. Even if you’re visiting and not the host take on the attitude of a gracious host. Greet people upon arrival, the host and hostess are probably busy with everyone so help them out. Smiling will help you to feel good and makes those around you want to smile too.

Ask questions upon your arrival and the arrival of the other guests; engage with everyone at the gathering. Trust in the fact that people like to talk about themselves and will tell you more than you want to know. But they will also tell you things that could help your job search. Remember to ask them about work and things in their community. Trust that they will appreciate someone actually asking about them. When you’re asked about yourself, everything is great!!! The job search is running smoothly and you have some great opportunities... only now isn’t the best time to talk about it, Detroit just scored.

Listen to what everyone says. Listen to responses and look for things that are of interest to your job search. But!!! don’t jump in with a pitch for why you’d be a great candidate to solve the problems they have at work. Mostly they’re trying to forget about work for a couple days. Be supportive and make mental notes. Then ask more questions looking for common interests and listen some more.

Eat your dinner in small bites so that when someone asks you questions about your situation, you don’t choke. Or you don’t have to chew for another 30 seconds and swallow and miss the opportunity to share an interesting insight, story or anecdote. Relax over dinner, you’re not there to give your elevator speech or hand out your resume or handbill. You’re there to celebrate and express thanks for all your blessings.

Then after Thanksgiving, follow up and call the friends and family you saw; use LinkedIn to connect or reconnect. Ask the local folks for some time to meet and discuss what’s going on in your job search; ask for some help and advice. You can utilize the three networking questions then... not over Thanksgiving dinner.

Hopefully during and after dinner you’ll realize all the blessings you have in your life. Maybe things aren’t 100% wonderful... but you’re alive, you’re loved and you probably had some good food, drink and conversation. And who knows maybe the Lions will win a Thanksgiving game this year.

What to do about the numbers?

We have a good-natured competition going on at Harper's Career Stimulus Program. Our Director--or I should say our Dean -- Nancy Wajler has decided to up the number of her contacts in LinkedIn. One of Nancy’s strengths is competition and this is a perfect area to compete in. Very easy to measure and compare the number of our connections.

Whether you have 150 LinkedIn connections or 250 or 500 or over 600 like Nancy, the next questions is, what do you do with them once you get them? Nancy is a LION a “LinkedIn Open Networker.” She sees value in networking or connecting with everyone knowing that at sometime those connections can be utilized to help someone or to connect to someone else who can help her or someone she is connected to.

While I’m not truly a LION, I have many connections, and I will connect with most everyone as long as I know how I may help them and they know how I they can be of assistance to me. If I’ve never met a person asking to connect to me,  I’ll invite them to a 15 to 30 minute meeting or a phone conversation if they are not local. There I find out about them and they learn about me. After all, networking is about relationships.

Sales professionals have an old adage that goes something like this, “Sales is a numbers game.” When I meet a new client, one of the first things I ask them to do is develop a list of contacts. I suggest they start with a list of 150 names. Often I receive a groan of protest, “I don’t know that many people!” they tell me. Some of my clients are on LinkedIn and they say, “Can I start with my LinkedIn contacts?” What’s the difference? LinkedIn has demonstrated to people the power of connecting. Being connected to people gives you a means to finding a solution to a problem.

Lets say you need to talk to (network with) 15 people in order to meet with one hiring manager or decision maker. Now let’s say you need to talk to at least 10 decision makers in order to get one job offer.  The more people you’re connected to the better your chances of landing the next job. But wait!!!! It’s not just about being connected: you need to talk to these folks. Call them up and ask for a meeting so that you can describe what you have to offer them.  So you can ask them who else they know who you can talk to.

It’s an interesting statistic that if you have less than 100 connections on LinkedIn that less than 3% of LinkedIn can find you on LinkedIn. However, if you have over 500 connections more than 90% of LinkedIn members can find you. Like the old saying, there are strength in numbers. Whether you’re a LION or an Alley Cat, the number of people you’re connected with will aid your success in job search or in business. Professional and Social Networking is about helping people find what they need. Connect, Ask, Talk, Succeed!

Transition: Basic Elements of a System

    Whether you are in a life transition or a job transition there are basically three basic steps to being successful in the transition: Discovery, Action and Achievement.

Discovery

    This is really simple but can be time consuming. First you must take stock of what you have to offer. In business this is a “product analysis” and you are the product. What are your strengths? What do you love? These and similar questions need to be enumerated and addressed. Then you need to ask the question, "What does the world need of me? What can I do that will enrich me?" These are really practical questions that are seldom asked past junior high school. Many people end up in careers not by following a path but falling into a job. Discover what you need to do next.

Action

    The next step begins in preparation and planning. What do you say to friends or family members when you are asked questions about what you want to do? Answering this takes a lot of prep work and this is very important work. For example, if you are taking a driving vacation you need to know where you want to go before you start driving. In a life transition or looking for your next job you need to plan the transition which includes setting goals and targets. Write this down, like a new business needs to write a business plan, write it down.

    The second part of this step is doing the work of transitioning. Namely, networking, following up and staying positive. We’re going to spend time on the specifics of networking in later blog entries, but for now: Networking makes the world go ‘round!

    Once you’ve talked to people it is essential that you follow up. I once heard that only 30% of people follow up after an interview by sending a “Thank You.” Really, can you believe that?

We’ve already discussed the importance of being positive in other blog entries but it is essential that you stay positive and maintain a can do attitude. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Achievement

    The final piece in the transition process is achieving the goal. However, this is not always crossing the finish line. Sometimes it happens in smaller milestones. For people in Job Search it may be getting past the fear of talking to people and asking for their help. Then getting the first interview and then a second is an achievement. Maybe a smaller achievement will be receiving a NO and getting on the phone to make another call and scheduling a new networking meeting. In time doing the little ones will result in the big one. When you’ve transitioned into your new role, position or job you’re then beginning the whole process again. Discovering the new job or role’s needs. Planning and taking action. Then the next achievement.