Scot Herrick, writing for Dice.com, discusses three ways to turn off a hiring manager during an interview. Scott currently has a consulting gig that requires him to hold
Scot Herrick wants you to interview well
interviews as a hiring manager. What he is finding is that individuals have the job skills he is seeking, but he is “[...]not convinced they can use their job skills to achieve [the] goals for the work [he has] for them.
“Herrick goes on…
I want to know what YOU did, not what WE did
The “we” thing translates in my head as “you” made no decisions, you were following the directions of someone else and you couldn’t figure out how to do it yourself or no one trusted your input to do it your way.
In an interview, it’s all about you. Not we. You lose big points when I can’t tell what you are doing versus what others are deciding for you.
I want to hear your approach to doing the work
Methodology is methodology. If all you spout is methodology about how you go about doing everything, or even most things, you lose points. Lots of them. Following methodology is a job skill, not how you get stuff done.
Just to extend this point a bit more, all I want to hear is that you have enough brains to explain how you would go about getting stuff done, not that it has to match my method of getting something done. I want to know you’ve thought about your approach to the work.
Tell me a story. Please.
Stories help tell the context of what you do. Stories help tell the actions you did to achieve a goal. After all, you are the hero of this story, right? You came in, battled long odds, overcame setbacks and still delivered what you promised to fulfill your mission.
But what I’m getting is, “It depends.” What I’m getting is cloaked in methodology. What I hear is all Corporate Speak. Just so you know, I can watch myself self-actualize with the best of them and you won’t win that point.
Hiring managers want to learn about what you do and how you do it
Have you thought about how you do your work? Have you thought of how to create stories from your accomplishments? Do you know what YOU contributed to the work? Hiring managers — if they are good ones (and I’m biased in my case) — want to see a position taken, want to see obstacles overcome, want to hear the difficulties experienced, and, honestly, would love to hire you.
If you only showed them what you do and how you do it; not that it has to match how I do it. Because that’s a conversation — not some Corporate Speak, methodology dancing with the stars explanation of what you think I want to hear.
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