[thelist] Re: headhunters, staffing agencies, etc.

Sean ethanol at mathlab.sunysb.edu
Wed Jan 15 23:06:01 CST 2003


Howdy,

Yeah, there is a little more getting face time in the job hunt than just
showing up.  It is preferred to a contact inside the company and set up a
meeting.

The important point is, make yourself known.  If you know someone who works
for the company you want to target, or know someone who knows someone,
great.  6 degrees and all that.  (Although the research that originally gave
us '6 degrees of separation' was hideously flawed.  But I digress.)  Of all
the people you know, and the people they know, and the people that they know
know...that's a lot of people.

When you get that meeting, state your intentions.  Then stick to them.  If
you get in the door saying, 'I'm interesting in learning more about what
someone with your experience thinks of new technology X and how new
technology X will change the industry,' then be prepared to talk about new
Technology X, not your job search.

If you get in the door saying, 'I'd just like 15 minutes of your time,' at
14:59 you're standing up and shaking hands.  Leave 'em wanting more.  Assume
the person you are meeting with is busy--15 to 20 minutes is plenty of time
to make a good impression and let that person know you know what you're
talking about.

How do you do that without seeming to check your watch constantly?  (BTW,
checking your watch constantly is a good way to leave the impression the
person who is taking time out of their busy day is not getting your full
attention.)  I usually carry a pocket watch; not the easiest thing to check
surreptitiously.  So I started taking my watch out and leaving it on my lap
as soon as I sat down.

The person I was meeting was usually sitting down and getting settled behind
a desk at the same time and never noticed.  So part of your practice
meetings is getting the feel for a 15~20 minute conversation and techniques
for keeping an eye on the time without appearing distracted or fidgety.

You are practicing your meetings, right?  With friends, in front of the
mirror, the video camera, all good.  Work on a couple different formats.

1) The elevator speech.  90 to 120 seconds.  "Hi, I'm the Flaming
Carrot--champion of justice.  Master of adventure.  Dreadnought of
chicanery.  I just read 5000 comics in a single sitting, but now I'm looking
to build on my experience taking arms against the wicked with a position in
systems administration.  What have you been up to?"

2) The informational meeting.  15 to 20 minutes.  Usually focused on one
aspect of your field--along the lines of the above mentioned new Technology
X, or how a particular position (perhaps the position of the person you're
meeting with? eh?) fits into the big picture and contributes to the goals of
the group.

3) The 'interview'.  These tend to run 45 to 60 minutes.  May include you
meeting several people.  Perhaps more than one at a time.  This one you must
have down cold.  You know all the questions, so you'll be expected you know
all the answers.  Everything on your resume is fair game.  Tell me about
your experience with this position.  Why did you leave that job.  Tell me
about a time you had a disagreement with management.  What do you want to do
with your life?

What are your weaknesses?  What about yourself would you change?  If you're
so smart, why are you here asking for a job?  What we have here is a failure
to communicate!!

Sorry, got carried away for a moment.

So, what is one of your weaknesses?  If you haven't done your homework, this
can be a toughie.  It is easy to talk yourself out of a job with this one.
If you aren't prepared.  If you are prepared, you love this question.

Key to this question, always be positive.  You are the right person for job.
You are here to do what this company needs to get done.  You are THE person
for the job.  Would you rather be the first or last person to interview for
a job?  Answer:  Doesn't matter.  You are the best person.

Every question is an opportunity to sell yourself with a little success
story.  This question is no different.  So you turn it around.  "I had
trouble with this thing, but then I recognized my weakness.  I worked on
this thing until I got better."  My story, "my first IT job was in a small
company so I learned to try to do everything myself and not take advantage
of wider resources when they became available.  I recognized this issue, and
in my next position I looked for opportunities to help with group projects
and learned how to delegate responsibilities."

Every question is an opportunity to sell yourself with a little success
story.  Write these stories down.  4 or 5 short sentences.  You're not
giving a speech, there is no soap box.  Just the facts.  "That reminds me of
the time I faced issue X.  I researched issue X, reached a conclusion, and
formed an action plan.  I implemented my plan with the help of others in my
group.  X was never an issue again."   About 2 minutes and on to the next
question.

And don't run from that word, I!  A lot of us learn to depersonalize our
speech, to focus on the technology or system we are talking about.  These
meetings are about you.  If I fixed the problem, say 'I fixed the problem.'
If the team worked together to fix the problem, say 'we fixed the problem.'

HTH  =)

Boss says it's bedtime so that'll be all for now.


To those on the job hunt, good luck! You'll need it.


Sean G. (13 months at camp R.I.F.  Worst part was the end of 2001, trying to
set up a meeting and knowing from the voice on the phone they had spent the
morning watching CNN.  Yeah, you really feel like listening to me hawk my
wares for an hour.  Not.)







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