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Closing the Deal - The Wrong Concept for Interviews

7/30/2014

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When I’m analyzing a client’s or student’s career transition, trying to create a diagnosis of what may be going wrong , I’ll take a look at several critical elements:

  • Are there two or three clearly defined targets?  How were these chosen?

  • Are there well-designed pitches for these targets that will establish the value and unique qualities of the job seeker?
  • Is his/her networking leading to contacts with decision makers?
  • Are networking meetings resulting in new information, a reinforced or new relationship, and new potential contacts?  
  • If interviews have taken place, is there a problem getting to the subsequent rounds? 

It is the last item on this checklist that is one of the most difficult to figure out. The job seeker is getting interviews, which is usually the most difficult part of the process. That means all the other components are working, indicating that what I consider to be the toughest aspects, especially relationship-building, have been successful. And she or he is getting past the first round of interviews, also a tough obstacle. 

Getting to the next round

I think the interview is generally the easiest part of the career transition process to fix. 

Learning how to answer the difficult questions, how to present well, how to actively listen and respond accordingly are more mechanical and direct than the somewhat amorphous nature of building networks. 

But something goes wrong when the applicant doesn’t get past that second round. Sometimes it’s pure chemistry, and sometimes it’s just not a good match. It can also be luck of the draw, perhaps even the timing of the interview. And, too often, it’s impossible to figure out what didn’t work; prospective employees end up trying to read tea leaves, endlessly.  

When the process ends after the second or third round (or later), I will ask a client or student to tell me details of all of the interviews. What I’m particularly interested in is – what was the difference in substance and tone between the second and third rounds or between subsequent ones? 

Where job seekers go wrong

In a majority of situations that haven’t worked, I have learned that the applicant’s tone has changed.

The problem, then, might be one of two issues that occur in the advanced stages of an interview process. First, there’s the sales notion of “closing the deal.” In other words, pitch and sell hard. Be more direct. Change tone and be more assertive.

Don’t. 

I usually advise job seekers to maintain the same tone that got them there in the first place. If an applicant gets past the initial screen, it means a representative of the organization feels it’s a good fit, stylistically and substantively. So why change in the next – or the one after that - round?

I think it’s important to stay the same throughout the process, continue being the person they thought was a good fit at the beginning. The only thing that should change, perhaps, is adding more “war stories,” more behavioral examples of accomplishments. 

The other potential problem in advanced rounds is an assumption that it’s “in the bag,” so acting like it’s a done deal, with confidence, will reinforce the interviewer’s positive perception.

Don’t.

Never assume anything. The selling nature of interviewing should be continued throughout the entire hiring process, including negotiations. It doesn’t stop. Not even when a decision-maker indicates that you’re the lead candidate. (How many times have job seekers heard that one, and then never heard from the person again?) The tone should stay the same, and the selling should continue.

What works

For as long as I can remember, I’ve advised people in career transition to always stick to my version of President Kennedy’s often-quoted inaugural speech, “Ask not what the organization can do for you; rather, ask what you can do for the organization.” That should be the focus of all interviews, and especially the later ones. With no change of tone. 

Ellis

For a quick course on networking, pick up my Ebook, Networking: How to Make the Connections You Need
If you're looking for more in-depth advice on your job search, In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work is available in paperback and Ebook. 

© Airdone | Dreamstime.com

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Why You Can't Avoid Self-Marketing Even if You Want To

7/23/2013

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I recently answered a question from a consultant who was having a tough time with self-marketing (Ask Ellis). The writer he asked if he could just skip it. My answer more or less was: Sure you can skip it . . . if you don’t care about being successful.

I understand his reluctance -- most of us aren’t born salesmen. Selling yourself makes an awful lot of people very uncomfortable. Social media was supposed to fix all that. You don’t have to sell yourself in person any more. Except now that we all find ourselves under a steady barrage of sales pitches from friends and strangers, using social media to promote yourself is starting to feel a little uncomfortable as well.

I know the feeling. Now that I’m faced with trying to let job seekers know about my book, In Search of the Fun-Forever Job, I’m trying to find the right balance between alerting readers and being obnoxious about it. But self-marketing -- whether you’re an author or in business for yourself -- is a fact of life these days. There are only so many people I can reach in person.

So, once again my publisher, Bacon Press Books, is going to offer the Kindle edition of In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work for free, July 24th - 26th.

I want to thank all of you who helped me get the word out last time. And, yes, ask if you’ll do it again. Tell anyone you know who’s looking for work or ready to change careers. At the moment, we don’t have any plans to do this again. So, in my humble opinion, it’s a great opportunity to get some good advice for free. And just in case you don’t know this already, you don’t need a Kindle device, there really is an app for that

© Bretwalda | Dreamstime.com

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Advance review for In Search of the Fun-Forever Job

3/31/2013

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“No matter what your career objective is, Ellis Chase has developed a process that can work for anyone. In Search of the Fun-Forever Job offers more than a mere set of job search strategies. It outlines a strategic mindset that enables you to be proactive and targeted in your approach to career management. Whether you are seeking that first opportunity out of college or moving up through senior levels in your organization or industry, Ellis’s framework rings true. This is an essential resource at any stage of your career development process.”
Mark Horney
Executive Director, Executive MBA Career Management
Columbia Business School

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Who needs another job search book?

3/2/2013

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That’s what we at Bacon Press Books asked ourselves before we decided to publish In Search of the Fun-Forever Job by Ellis Chase. After all, if you click on Google and ask for job search, you’ll get  “About 2,590,000,000″ results. Seriously. Do the same on Amazon and you’ll find “34,934 Results.” So another book on job search? Really?

Yes. Because it’s fresh and funny and not like anything else out there. No one-size-fits-all prescriptions for what you must do if you’re ever going to find a new job or make a career move. No exhortations to try to be someone other than yourself in order to network. No rosy-colored picture of how easy it will be if you only follow certain steps.

Ellis Chase knows what he’s talking about, from his own experience as a job seeker, and from the more the 25 years he’s spent helping clients and students find jobs that fit their personal style. So he’s able to cut through all the clueless clutter and write about what really works.

Will reading the book guarantee you can move into the job of your dreams? In this tough economic climate, can anyone or anything make that kind of guarantee? Probably not.  But his engaging, informal style and his common sense suggestions make ISO The Fun-Forever Job worth adding to that bulging bookshelf.

Plus it’s got a really great cover.

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    Ellis Chase

    Ellis Chase is one of Manhattan's top career management consultants and executive coaches.

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