Posted by Ashley Ryall on Mon, Jul 25, 2011 @ 03:27 PM
How Sticky Situations at Work Can Relate to Your Job Search
What makes someone great at their job? Are they effective communicators?... Do they stand too close to the water cooler?... or Do they have impressive end-of-quarter numbers?
Depending on your answer, you might say that what makes a person good at what they do directly relates to how someone portrays themselves in front of a potential employer. How one acts on a daily basis at work demonstrates who they are, their character, and the type of employee they will be. My colleague and Staffing Consultant Direct-Hire Division, Barbara Demore, sent me an article the other day. Jodi Glickman, former Goldman Sachs investment banker and founder of Great on the job LLC gives us great advice about how to navigate around sticky and often uncomfortable workplace situations.
As I read, I realized that several of the take-away points meshed well with effective interviewing, mainly because it centered on one main idea: communicating.
When you’re on the job and starting a conversation with your boss or a client, Jodi says ask for their time. “Do you have a minute to speak?” By not asking for a few minutes to talk, “it indicates that you don’t value their time as much as you value your own.” The same is true for cold calling a potential employer. It’s in your best interest to ask a similar question. By asking, you illustrate that you understand their time is important to them. See how I’ve matched up other key pieces of work advice and how they directly correlate with the job hunt.
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On the Job
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Relevant To Your Job Search
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When providing an update, know your audience. “Find out how your boss wants to be communicated with, and then do it.” It’s in your best interest to know how your boss likes to manage you.
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While on an interview, ask about how your potential manager(s) and colleagues like to operate. Knowing if your potential boss likes to know when you’ve completed a project will show your interviewer how you’ll communicate on a daily basis.
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When explaining a complicated matter, “lead with the punch line;” explain the details later. Most people want to know the bottom line first.
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In your elevator pitch, your destination is your punch line: “It’s all about where you’re going and what you’re excited about now.”
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When raising an issue, highlight it, don’t hide behind it.
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If you do not meet one of the job requirements, be forthright and honest. “What are your thoughts on not having a marketing degree?” To follow, highlight your experience and skills that make you a valuable marketer. It’s a bold move but trust me, it works.
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“Enthusiasm goes a long way in the face of an ‘I don’t know.’ ” When you don’t know the answer, exert your enthusiasm to find it. “This sounds like a great assignment, I’d love to help.”
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If you don’t know the answer to an interview question, communicate your excitement to jump on board and learn quickly.
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If you don’t go home with any other advice…take this one. The author of this article ends with, “If you want to come out on top, you need to not only be good at doing your job, you need to be good at telling people about it.” The same is true for your job search. To solidify the right opportunity, you need to be good at pursuing it, but just as importantly, you need to be well-rehearsed in communicating who you are and what you want.
I guess Calvin wasn’t specific enough.