Your American Idol “moment” in your job interview!

My family and I have been ‘American Idol’ fans the last couple of years, watching the contestants try to give their best performances week after week. It’s been fun to watch, but enlightening as well to see the work and effort they have to put in to try to become the winner.

Often, the judges will talk about the importance of having a “moment”. They are referring to having a performance that rises above the others by connecting with the listeners, or being unique in a way that transcends all of the other performances.

In a singing competition, as in a job interview, it can be difficult to make yourself stand out as something special when compared to several other very capable “contestants”. However, if you don’t set yourself apart somehow… if you don’t have your ”moment”, you will be easily forgotten.

Especially in today’s intensely competitive job market, if you can’t show an employer something that makes you unique or special for the open position, you are not likely to be the one that gets the job. You have to have your “moment”.

How do you do that? Here are some ideas:

~ Know yourself! Before you can explain to someone else what it is that makes you uniquely qualified, you have to know the answer yourself! You have to be self-aware of your strengths, weaknesses, and accomplishments. You can get some help by reading: Know Yourself! Take the time to figure out what makes you, you, and what makes you unique.

~ Know them! Their primary objective is to find someone that fits the requirements of the position, the culture of the organization, and has a drive to succeed in the role. If you don’t know specifics of what the requirements of the role are, or what their culture is like, it will be impossible for you to demonstrate how you fit. Do your research. Read their website, talk to people in the organization before your interview, ask others at networking groups or professional association meetings or anywhere else what they know about the company and what it’s like to work there. The more you know what they are looking for, the better you will be able to articulate the fit.

~ Connect the dots! If, by the time you are done with the interview, they don’t clearly see how you fit the role and their culture, you will not get a job. It’s that simple. It’s your responsibility in the interview, not theirs, to make sure they got the key information to connect those dots. If you think they aren’t asking questions that give you the chance to express that to them, find a way to interject it in the discussion yourself.

You might say something like: “If I understand the role correctly, key experience that would help the person be productive quickly would be having worked with ______. Can I tell you a little of my background in that area?”

~ Be prepared! On American Idol as in a job interview, the “contestant” that is well prepared comes across so much better than someone that is winging it. And the person most prepared will do the best. An old saying goes: “An amateur practices till they get it right. A professional practices until they can’t get it wrong!” Determine that you will be THE professional that they will interview. Write out answers to potential questions, hone them, and practice them until you feel like you will nail it when you’re asked. Thorough preparation sets you apart.

~ Put a cherry on top! A great ice cream sundae looks even better with a cherry on top! It’s that little extra something that sets it apart from most. It’s the one thing that might make someone choose this sundae over all the others. In American Idol it’s the “moment”. In your job interview, it’s something that makes you unique and memorable. It might be a strong accomplishment, or award. It might be a personality trait that’s rare to find. It might be relating to them in a way no one else does. It might be a level of professionalism that’s a cut above the norm. Or it can be something else that’s unique to you. You’re the one that has to figure it out and then convey it to them in the interview process.

In any hiring process, it’s not always the most technically qualified person that gets the job. Rather, it’s the one that they see as bringing something extra or special to the organization. Know yourself. Know them. Connect the dots. Be prepared. And put a cherry on top! Have your “moment” when it’s your turn to take the stage!

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“I got a contact name… How do I reach them???”

People often tell me they were on LinkedIn, or went to a networking group, or met someone when they were out-and-about and got a name of a potential contact for their job search, but don’t know how to reach them.

“What good is the name without their phone number or email address? It doesn’t do me much good if I can’t connect with them!”

It’s great if you are given a phone number and/or email address with a name, however, with a little creativity and initiative you can certainly find other ways to get in touch. Here are some ideas and techniques to make those connections:

 

~ Call the main number! Often people forget the simplest and most obvious solution to getting in touch with a new contact… call the company and ask for them! It’s ideal to have a direct-line phone number to the person you’re trying to reach. However, if you don’t, it’s generally pretty easy to find the main company phone number (either from their website online, a phone book, or calling 411), call and ask for the person by name. Generally a phone receptionist won’t put you through to anyone if you ask a general question like “May I speak to the Accounting Manager, please?” However, if you ask for someone by name, they will always put you through. Even if the person works at another company facility than the one you are calling, they generally have the overall company directory and can put you directly through to that person. Call and ask for them by name.

Additionally, if you call after business hours, many companies have an automated answering system with a company directory that will often tell you the extension of the person you are trying to connect to. That’s often a great way to gain the direct-line number of someone.

 

~ Google! As with so many things… Google is a tremendous resource to find contact information. More than half of the time I'm trying to find contact information, I’m able to do it by searching their name and company name through Google. If, for example, I’m trying to find John Mansky at XYZ Company… I simply search:

"John Mansky” “XYZ Company”

I make sure to put his name in quotes to avoid unwanted results like:
John Smith and Bill Mansky

Scanning down the list of results, I often find some document or site that has their phone number and/or email address. If there are too many results, I may try to narrow the search by trying his name with their web domain. For example:

“John Mansky” “xyzco.com”

Their email address is likely to include their web domain, so if the address is “john.mansky@xyzco.com” the search is likely to find it.

If that doesn’t work, I may do a search to find ANY email address at that company to discover what their standard email format is. For example, I may simply search:

email “xyzco.com”

If someone else’s email address pops up that is in a format of 'firstname.lastname@xyzco.com’, for example, I know it’s a very high likelihood that my contact’s address is in the same format. If it’s wrong, their email server will simply bounce the email back to me and no one is the wiser. If it does bounce back, I simply try other common formats like:

firstinitiallastname@xyzco.com
firstname_lastname@xyzco.com
firstinitial_lastname@xyzco.com
…or other combinations.

 

~ Check emails4corporations! Another great resource to help you find the standard email format for the company where your contact is employed is emails4corporations. Someone has compiled a tremendous list of standard email formats for companies all over the country.

You can find them at: http://sites.google.com/site/emails4corporations

Enter the company name in the search box at the top right corner of the homepage and it will show you the company, email format, address, and phone number. It doesn’t cover every company, however, is a great help if yours is included.

 

~ Try JigSaw.com! JigSaw.com is probably the worlds largest ‘Rolodex’. It includes the business card information of millions of people. It rarely lets me down and is the last resort resource for me when trying to find someone’s contact information. You can either use it by paying for the service, or for free on a give & take point system. So it takes a little money or some effort on your part. However, for me as a recruiter, or you as a job seeker, I believe it’s a very worthwhile resource when you need contact information you can’t seem to find anywhere else.

 

~ Paid Services. Certainly there are a number of additional paid services (Spoke, ZoomInfo, and others) available online that can provide the information for you as well, however, I’m generally a big fan of “FREE”.  It’s pretty rare that I can’t find someone’s contact information through one of the means listed above. Try those and then depending on how badly you need it, a paid service may be worth it.

 

Generally, I don’t recommend contacting someone directly through LinkedIn’s system. Many people receive a lot of communications through there and have become conditioned to treat them like Spam. It’s generally best to reach them by phone, a professional voicemail, or email first. However, if none of those works, as a last resort, you have nothing to lose by trying the LinkedIn contact system as well.

As always, make sure your communication is professional, well prepared, and succinct! You can gain more help with that by reading:

I’ve got a contact name! Now What???
Keys to a great email in your job search!
or What to do in an effective networking call!

Be creative, take the initiative, and find the way to connect with those job search contacts!

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Where do job leads come from?

That’s what most job seekers want to know!

“What is the most likely source for finding the right job?” …and “Where should I focus my time?”

Questions that make sense to ask… however, are very difficult to answer! MANY times, the best job leads come from the most unlikely sources! The best job lead may come out of the blue!

Over the last four years, I’ve helped lead a job networking group and teach an 8-week class on job transition skills. For the past 23 years, I’ve also been a recruiter who talks to people looking for new jobs every day. I’ve spoken to thousands of people in a job search. Yet I’m always amazed at the stories of how people have found their jobs. I regularly hear people tell me something like:

“I’ve been searching online postings and going to networking groups for months, but ended up finding the right job through…”

…a referral from an 85 year old woman at my church one Sunday morning.

…the stay-at-home mom next door that knew someone.

…an old co-worker I hadn’t talked to in 15 years but ran into at the supermarket.

…a previous boss that called me out of the blue.

…a recruiter that found my information on LinkedIn.

…a company I blindly called into, not knowing if they had an open position or not.

…a conversation I had with someone I met at a coffee shop.

…an email I got back from someone I had sent a monthly update to about my job search.

…an introduction I sent someone based on an article I read about their company.

…a referral of a referral of a referral!

…and on, and on, and on

 

There is no single best source of leads. The obvious ones (job boards, online and newspaper ads), are generally the least fruitful because nearly every other job seeker out there is checking out and pursuing those same ones.

The reality and the challenge for the job seeker, is that you need to consistently pursue dozens of avenues, all the time!

Don’t neglect any contact, lead, or idea you hear of. Use your time wisely, however, the best opportunity often comes from the least likely sources. Often the name you’re given that sounds like a dead-end lead (the 85 year old grandmother), may be the one that has the best contact, specific job lead, or idea for you.

Will that always be the case? Of course not! However, don’t miss out on an opportunity by not chasing down every lead and contact you hear of. That means putting in enough time each day and managing your time effectively is key to being able to make each of those connections.

If your days are primarily characterized by searching and responding to ads online, you are spending most of your time on the same resources as the vast majority of other job seekers out there. To effectively find and connect to someone that is not getting overwhelmed by candidates, you must go where others don’t. Make personal connections to people whether they have a job opening or not. Getting to opportunities before anything is posted is critical in beating the crowds.

Don’t neglect the obvious avenues. You still need to check and follow up on job postings. You still need to attend networking groups. You still need to search out contacts through LinkedIn and connect to potential hiring managers and recruiters. However, don’t dismiss the stay-at-home mom next door when she says… “You ought to talk to my cousin Frank who works at XYZ Company. He’s not in your field, but his company seems to be doing well!” You have no idea… cousin Frank may know of a particular job, have a better networking contact for you, or know of resources that may be worthwhile for you.

Effective networking is building relationships, one at a time, building a chain of referrals from one person, to the next, to the next, and to the next until you end up talking to the one that has the right lead for you!

Does pursuing all contacts and leads make your job harder than just searching for jobs online? Absolutely! Is it likely to help you find a job faster? YES!

You never know where your best job leads will come from. Check everything out and you may be surprised!

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Follow up, Follow up, Follow up!!!

“It’s been a week since my interview and I haven’t heard anything...”

“I had a great informational interview but that was the last I heard…”

“I had a phone conversation with a good contact in the company…”

“I have almost 100 people I’ve networked with in my job search so far…”

“I met someone, at (an event) that said they knew someone, but haven’t heard back…”

“…should I follow up?”

I teach an 8 week class on job hunting skills, and these are the most common questions I’m asked regularly. And my response is always the same: YES!!!

“But I don’t want to annoy them, or come across as a stalker.” …is a common reply.

In my experience, I’ve found that candidates think they are being annoying long before the recipient of their follow ups ever do. Professional, timely, pleasant follow up is key to setting yourself apart from other candidates they are pursuing.

Why should you follow up, and how do you do it effectively? Here are some ideas…

Most people don’t follow up, it’s a chance to set yourself apart. Even after a formal job interview, generally less than 25% of people send a Thank You note of any kind. Other meetings, phone calls, email contacts generally get little to no follow up from most people. Doing something different from the norm, in a professional and upbeat way, will virtually always create a positive impression. You have far more to lose by not doing it, than the infinitesimal risk of losing an opportunity by doing it. Especially if someone else does follow up, and you don’t, you will lose by comparison.

It’s another chance to cement a relationship. Whether it’s a casual networking contact, or a formal interview, the chances of gaining more consideration from them is very much dependent on building a relationship. If you only make an initial contact and they never hear from you again, it creates no reason on their part to invest any more thinking in helping or working with you. Building a relationship requires contact and effort in following up.

It’s another chance to mention something you may have forgotten before. Although you don’t want to launch into an in-depth explanation of something else in your background in a follow up… a succinctly worded phrase or sentence adding value to your earlier discussion can help in improving their impression of you. It’s another chance to provide additional or new relevant information.

Keep it brief! Too often, if someone does follow up, they either ramble on too long on the phone, or write too long in an email or letter. After the first minute of engaging in some way, patience begins to run out and there is either no chance of making a positive impact after that, or you are actually increasing the risk of annoying them. Even an extremely short “Just wanted to thank you again for your time” will have a more positive impact than 5 or 10 minutes of going further into in-depth information. That’s true in a phone call or written communication. It’s best to carefully plan exactly what you want to convey and say it as briefly as possible to make the best impression.

Be professional! Regardless of how friendly your meeting or prior discussion may have gone, never assume too casual a relationship. Even though a hiring manager wants to like you to hire you, or a professional networking contact enjoys talking to you, in order to take additional steps with you they need to feel confident that you will always be professional with others they introduce you to as well. The referral process, and the hiring process is still essentially a business transaction. Don’t take it too lightly.

Switch it up! Effective, and consistent follow up doesn’t mean a steady stream of phone calls every other day. That does become annoying. However, you can have some form of contact with them regularly to keep you fresh in their mind and build a further relationship with them in the process. Within a day of any of the scenarios listed at the top of this piece… Thank them. You might send them a Thank You card in the mail, or email a brief note, leave them a voicemail, or call and thank them for their time. Then, in a week or two, connect again, but in another form, and in two to 4 weeks again in yet another form. Keep the process going, but you end up actually talking to them directly only every couple of months.

If they are hearing from you regularly, but in various and unobtrusive forms, you are building a relationship, not haranguing them. Building that professional relationship has everything to do with their perception of your persistence, your follow through, your professionalism, and their interest in you.

Should you follow up??? Yes! Definitely! Absolutely!

…but do it right!

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Keys To A Great Email In Your Job Search!

Most opportunities you have to present yourself to a hiring decision maker will involve sending an email.

The form and substance of that email will have a great deal to do with whether you get a response or not.

As a recruiter, I receive a lot of emails from job seekers looking for leads, looking for help in their search, or pursuing specific job opportunities I’m working on. On average, I receive between 1000 and 1500 emails per month. In those emails, I’ve seen the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

What gets my attention? What gets a response? And what really gets my interest? Three different questions, with three different answers. Here are some observations, opinions, and ideas about how you can improve your chances of getting a response to your emails.

What gets attention? – Often an extraordinarily bad email gets as much attention as a great one. It often amazes me how poorly or cryptic people write. Generally, it’s not a good idea to send a cover letter as an attachment since it rarely will get opened at all. The greatest cover letter in the world has no impact if it doesn’t get read. The body of your email is effectively your cover letter. Considering how important it can be, I’m stunned how casually people treat it. I’ve received emails that have only said: “I am sending u my resume” and have their resume attached. I’ve had worse ones that are full of texting abbreviations. In my opinion, it would be better to not write anything at all, and only attach a resume than to write overly casual, overly cryptic, or non-sensical notes. First impressions DO matter.

What gets a response? – If someone sends a professionally written, clearly customized introduction for help or in response to a position I’m recruiting for, I will invariably respond to them even if they are not a fit for the role or the profiles I generally seek. If they made the effort to present themselves in the best way they can to me, I believe they deserve a respectable response. If they send what is clearly a standard form letter that does not necessarily apply to me directly, or if they carelessly sent something with no effort at professionalism, I will often not bother responding to them.

What gains real interest? – Brevity is a virtue, and connecting dots is key. When I’m processing the many emails I receive each day, I only have a very brief time to decide what to do with each one. If I open an email that has several long paragraphs, I will rarely read past the first line. If there’s a resume attached, I will open it and quickly decide if this is someone I want to examine further, but because the email message was too long, the note has no impact on my decision to go further or not.

If someone writes a couple very brief paragraphs and has written something that very quickly and easily helps me see why I may be interested in pursuing this person further based on specifics related to the position I’m trying to fill, or generally as the types of people I target, it has a tremendous impact on my decision.

Whether you send an email to a recruiter, an HR representative, or to a hiring manager, connecting the dots for them as quickly as possible has everything to do with gaining their interest. Help them see the connections by directly linking their requirements with your specific experience. Some people make it even visually easier on me by creating a short table with my requirements on one side, and their related experience on the other.

Secondly, give one brief reason you stand out from everyone else. Give an accomplishment, brief success story, or a unique qualification that emphasizes why you should be considered.

Clearly showing your related experience and what makes you stand out from the crowd will cause me to follow up with you every time.

Relevance and Impact!

A good email can make a tremendous difference in your response rate. Take the time and put in the effort to make it work for you!

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