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.

Fear and Trepidation and the Darkside

To quote Master Yoda from Star Wars, "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering...”

In a job search or any aspect of career growth, acting out of fear is a losing proposition. Acting out of confidence is strength. When human beings live in fear, they are not seeing the world in its true light. We make mistakes in judgement and appear to others as afraid and desperate. This just doesn’t help you when you’re going for a new job or a promotion.

For my job seekers we talk in terms of landing a job. If we make land into an acronym:

L: LEARN. Learn all you can.  

A: APPRECIATE. Appreciate what you HAVE.  

N: NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK.

D: DON'T DOUBT. Don't doubt yourself, your skills, your abilities.

The D in LAND is an important, an essential point for anyone looking to succeed: staying positive and getting rid of stinkin’ thinkin’ and the worst kind of stinkin’ thinkin’ I know is living in fear.

Fear of failure is a struggle for many. Fear of success is a struggle for others. Yes, fear of success. Being unsure of your abilities is one thing, but being fearful that you won’t live up to others’ expectations is a set up for failure. If interviewers are just getting to know you, you cannot entertain those doubts and fears. It’s poison.

So have faith, You will LAND, you will succeed. Surround yourself with people who build you up. Ask those who can help you, to help you. Be positive: when you’re asked, “How’s it going?’ say, “Outstanding! fantastic, life is good!” And smile, even when you don’t feel like it. Sing or hum a happy song and don’t let fear lead you to the darkside.