How an Informational Interview Can Lead to a Job

The real danger hovering over the heads of some people in transition is the fact that they’re headed toward a cul-de-sac and don’t even know it. More and more articles point out that the business world is changing rapidly; new jobs are being created; and some old jobs are fading away. Regrettably, the jobs being eliminated do not appear on major publications’ front pages to announce that fact. The elimination of jobs does not happen universally everywhere at the same time. The symptoms that such a thing is happening get validated via an endless job search. And that’s where the danger comes in.

For people who experience long job searches, it’s good practice to (1) keep their eyes open for opportunities for related careers that would use their transferable skills or (2) look in a new direction all together. To facilitate that, they can consider searching for new venues via informational interviews. They shouldn’t make the mistake of asking for an informational interview only as an excuse to get in while in reality looking for a position that may be open. While the objective of a candidate in a job interview is to sell himself, the primary objective of an informational interview is to explore opportunities for a change in career. Via an informational interview, one can learn about the pros and the cons of that job, find out what skills are mandatory in order to be successful, what kind of training is required, what is the typical career path and what kind of compensation ranges are customary for a debutant.

If you’re interested in having an informational interview, you should try to schedule it during the day at a mutually convenient time. Most often, you’ll be invited to the organization’s office. Make sure you’re attired properly for the occasion. And remember that this is not a job interview. Forget the suit with the white shirt and tie. Make sure from the get-go that you’re not sending the wrong message. It would look very professional if you come prepared with questions and, possibly, an agenda that you prepared ahead of time. Feel free to take notes to the extent that that’s helpful to you. It is expected that you’ll of course be courteous toward your host, so to begin with, turn off your mobile phone!

You should set a time frame for this informational interview, and when the time is up, you should prepare to leave. An informational interview should be a dialogue wherein you’re mainly listening and the other party is talking. After all, that’s the whole purpose. And of course, a nice thank-you letter following the meeting is more than appropriate: it’s a must.

An informational interview can provide a wealth of knowledge for someone who wants to migrate to a different field. And oftentimes, a host can become so impressed with the candidate that eventually such a meeting could evolve into a full-time position. Go for it. Don’t expect that someone will drop a wonderful position in your lap.

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The Anatomy of the Job Interview

There are a few basics that every person who’s preparing for or facing a job interview should know. A job interview is not an interrogation or an investigation. You are not guilty and you are not on trial. In fact, you have a great opportunity to get an exciting job. But before that, let’s understand the job of the interviewer. The interviewer’s objective is to make a selection. You’ve already been screened and preselected from many candidates because your résumé appears to document the skills necessary for success if you were hired. That’s the reason you were called in for a face-to-face interview. At this point, the interviewer determines whether you’d fit into the culture of his organization. To do that, he’s going to ask a variety of questions and will then make a decision based on a number of things. Some are objective; others are subjective. So, what are the types of questions the interviewer might ask? Here are a few examples.

• The common interview questions. There are probably 20 or 30 common questions typically asked in interviews. They’re easily found because most books or articles about job interviewing list many of them.
• The behavioral or situational questions. These questions start with “Tell me about a time when . . . ” or “What’s been your experience with such and such a situation?” Most of these questions pigeonhole you into a situation from your past, and the interviewer wants to hear how you handled it. The intent is to predict your future based on past behavior.
• The creativity questions. Yes, some interviewers get pleasure from asking such questions. For example, “What would you do if one morning you woke up and found out you’re a frog?” Here they’re checking on your creativity, on the ways you deal with ambiguity, how well you communicate ideas, and so on.
• The high-tech questions. These types of questions are industry specific. For example, “How many jelly beans can fit into a one-gallon jar?” These types of questions are checking on your logic, your ability to estimate, your intuition, your mathematical ability, and your ability to make assumptions. These questions are common at Microsoft, Apple, Google, and the like.

From the outset, the interviewer is approaching the interview with an open mind. He wants to find out your particular strengths that the company can use as well as your weaknesses. If he finds the weaknesses critical, you’ll lose the competition.

The best way to prepare for an interview is to make a list of, say, 20 potential questions and then answer them in a simple format by starting with a brief description of the background and situation, followed by what your contribution was and ending with the results and benefit to the company. The caveat here is to make the telling succinct and eloquent. Most people ramble on and on instead of giving a brief and pertinent answer. And that’s a sign that you’re not fully prepared. To be able to recite your answers in the best form possible, it’s wise to sound them out with a professional career coach or someone else who’s well experienced in this area. Good luck! You’ll need it!

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Ways to Get Help While in Transition

The first question is, Why do you need help to start with? After all, in the past, you were always able to find jobs. Well, today things are different. There aren’t many open jobs to begin with, and the competition for those few is fierce. So, let’s think about good reasons to get assistance.

• Your efforts for the past several months have not produced job offers.
• You’re confused as to what step-by-step approach you should take.
• You’re ready to create a specific plan that incorporates your skills and interests.
• You want to maintain a reasonable level of self-accountability.
• You may want to speed up the process by consulting some experts.
• You could learn how to negotiate a job offer, which in most cases would cover your expenses severalfold.

The foregoing might be good reasons, but they don’t represent all of the reasons. Yet each job seeker is unique and has unique needs and circumstances. Some people are by nature do-it-yourselfers who believe they can get the results they want; others believe in getting expertise from professionals. No one approach is right or wrong.

In principle, job seekers can get assistance in four different ways.

1.    Group help via a state unemployment office or volunteer-based job-search networking groups

2.    Books, e-books, seminars, Webinars, Webcasts, video courses

3.    Career coaching one-on-one

4.    Career marketing firms

The first option is free most of the time. The second—if there are fees at all—is most often inexpensive. The third one could be a bit pricey, especially if the job seeker has no money coming in. And the last one typically costs many thousands of dollars. So, which one is for you? In general, select the plan that is the most personalized for your own circumstance and is the least costly. That doesn’t mean you should refrain from the other opportunities.

Another dimension clearly evident but rarely written about is the time element. Every week without income is a lost week, and only under miraculous circumstances could income be recovered—even partially. To recover one week’s lost income, the following week needs to generate double, which is a 100% increase. Sorry, not in this job market!

Access to information about how to find a job is available and ample. In fact, there’s so much of it and it’s so easily accessible that it’s simply overwhelming job seekers. This is where a (hopefully, recommended) career coach can be very valuable. The reason is that such a coach can guide you to the essential information, since the coach has already sifted through it and eliminated the fluff. If you decide to get assistance from a career coach or career marketing firm, here are a few caveats.

• Do your due diligence to check up on the prospect. LinkedIn is a good source. Also look at the content and not the looks of the coach’s or firm’s Web site.
• Be clear on what you’ll get for your money. Stay away from high-pressure sales gimmicks.
• Work only with people or firms that have been highly recommended by a number of sources—not just one.
• Beware of signing contracts and especially of paying fees up front. Does your doctor, lawyer, or plumber charge you for future services?
• Be wary about testimonials that sound too good to be real. They may not be genuine.
• Your gut should be the final judge. Once you’ve done an examination and you’ve learned the implications of your decision and you feel good about it, go for it.

Wishing you all the best luck with your job search.

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It's Counterintuitive for Job Seekers

It would be interesting to review a few perceptions that job seekers have on issues stemming from feelings rather than from thinking. Such perceptions are based more on gut feelings rather than logic. Examples follow.

The interview is about me.

People feel good when asked to come in and interview, because they think the interview is about them. In fact, it is not. The interview is about the interviewer’s needs and the interviewer’s competitive evaluation process that considers the candidate’s ability to provide what the interviewer needs.

Accept LinkedIn invitations only from people you know.

When in transition, it’s not about whom you know so much as it is who knows you. After all, it’s you who is looking for a job. And the more connections you have, the more opportunities you’ll have. If you’re hiding in a box, no one will find you.

Create your own résumé.

People in transition need to preserve their savings, and so many compose their own résumés, which eventually get changed or edited or rewritten by others equally unqualified yet willing to help. The typical outcome is a less than competitive résumé that generates very few or no bites. The best advice, therefore, is to hire a trusted and recommended professional, certified, and experienced résumé writer. A less expensive solution—provided you’re absolutely certain your résumé is a good one—is to have it edited by a professional editor. Such an editor or resume writer knows what sells and would put that knowledge and expertise to work for you. And yes, the good ones are not inexpensive.

No need to tell family about being in transition.

Many people feel uneasy or embarrassed about revealing too many details of their transition. That’s a big mistake, because family and friends really are the people who will go out of their way to be of help.

No need to pay for career coaching.

Again, like with the résumé, people want to preserve their savings and do not want to spend on professional help such as experienced career coaches. This too is a huge mistake. A career coach will not only shorten the in-transition period but also teach you pertinent interviewing skills as well as how to negotiate a job offer. In most cases, fees spent on career coaching are dwarfed by the benefits gained from knowing how to negotiate a better compensation package.

Focus only on your past career path and ignore other possibilities.

In today’s fast-changing business environment, new jobs are being invented every day, and many of the past’s traditional jobs are morphing into new ones or becoming totally eliminated. Job seekers who do not consider job opportunities in fields unrelated to their past ones make a mistake. Some reach a point—possibly because of age discrimination or the elimination of their traditional jobs—at which a change in career might be a wonderful solution. It worked for me extremely well.

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Professionally Edited Résumé Adds Huge Value

There are two steps to take before you’ll get that job offer. The first is to create a résumé. An attractive and intriguing résumé will generate an invitation for an interview. The second step is to convince the interviewer you’re the ideal candidate. Unfortunately, though, most people fail in the first step. The reason is that in today’s supercompetitive job market, only candidates whose résumés are truly outstanding will generate further interest.

Most—if not all—of those who prepare their own résumé find it deficient based on the fact that they get no calls. Therefore, ultimately, many turn to a professional résumé writer. But there’s a viable alternative that may be the better choice—and significantly less costly. And that is a professional résumé editor. To make my point, I asked Paula of EditAmerica.com to provide me with brief before-and-after portions of a résumé she recently edited. The readability, editorial integrity, and clarity of thought and expression are markedly improved in the edited version. I recommend such an editorial service for job seekers who cannot afford a professional résumé writer. Take a look at the example.

RÉSUMÉ’S ORIGINAL SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

Idea generator, communicator and problem solver. A business analyst experienced in bringing together the user community and the Information Technology teams to focus on establishing or identifying common goals and implementing satisfactory solutions. Have achievements in circulation, advertising, transportation, dealer contracts and cost containment arenas. Ability to translate user needs into requirements, and requirements into actionable projects.

RÉSUMÉ’S REVISED, EDITED SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

Seasoned idea generator, communicator, and problem solver. A business analyst offering expertise in skillfully uniting user communities with information technology teams so the two can focus on the determination and establishment of common goals and then on implementation of satisfactory solutions. Verifiable achievements in circulation, advertising, transportation, dealer contracts, and cost containment arenas. Additional proficiency in translating user needs into requirements, and requirements into actionable projects.

Remember that a person whose job is to read résumés—and make decisions about candidacy and whether or not to call in applicants for interviews—has only limited time. In 10 to 30 seconds, the screener decides. And if your résumé is not appealing, clear, and communicative regarding how your skills, accomplishments, and strengths can help the prospective employer’s organization, then the next candidate’s perhaps is.

DIY, or do-it-yourself, projects sometimes make sense and save money. But this one, involving résumé refinement, requires both in-depth editorial expertise and years of editorial experience. Why are famous artists’ works so much more attractive than those of most others in the same field? You know the answer!

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How to Prepare for a Job Interview

A job interview is the final step before getting the job. It’s the most critical step because if the candidate does not convince the decision maker of being the ideal candidate, the job goes to someone else. Preparing for the interview is not to be taken lightly. To win this tough competition, one needs to invest time and effort, must feel commitment, and must persevere. Following are a few practical steps.

1. The single most important thing to do during interview preparation is to hold live mock interviews with someone experienced and competent in this area.

°         Practice the 20 most common interview questions again and again until you feel confident.

°         Focus on learning about the prospective employer’s problems and immediate needs.

°         Prepare for reciting fact-based success stories from your past that are relevant to what you’ve learned about the hirer’s needs.

°         Practice, practice, and practice some more. You’ll be happy you did!

1. Learn as much as you can about the company.

°         Begin with the company’s Web site, and look at every page. Drill down into details to mine specifics you could talk about with the interviewer.

°         Find out who are the people you’ll interview with, and evaluate their LinkedIn profiles.

°         Check out who they’re connected with on LinkedIn.

°         Attempt sleuthing into the company via these connections to find out about the company’s culture and, possibly, specifics about the position.

°         Find out what your interviewers are tweeting about. This might be challenging because people sometimes use pseudonyms. Use topsy.com for your research.

°         Do searches on YouTube and Vimeo. Don’t underestimate what you can find out in these hidden places.

°         Look for and review blogs posted by your contacts at the company.

°         Use free tools to gain additional knowledge—for example, klout.com and blog.linkedin.com.

°         Do Google searches on both the interviewers and the firm. Go through several pages of the results.

1. Answer the following questions.

°         Do you fit into the organization?

°         Do you have the skills, education, and experience required?

°         Do you possess experiences and skills to offer in support of the company’s mission statement?

°         Can you recite via a vignette or two some past experiences that would serve as a natural evolution into company growth?

1. Engage with the interviewer via questions that prove your value.

°         Ask questions you already know the answers to.

°         Show the interviewer that you’re very familiar with the industry and the company’s competition.

Preparing for a winning interview is hard work and takes many hours, if not days. By doing such preparation, one gains not only specific knowledge but also a lot of confidence.

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Why Are Interviewers So Selective?

Unlike past scenarios, job interviews have become harder and harder. Employers have an abundance of very qualified applicants, many of them working with interview coaches to elevate their interviewing skills. The outcome is that it raises the bar for everyone. There are many books available to job seekers to read and brush up on interviewing skills, but the problem associated with that is that many of those books are old and reflect the thinking of the era in which they were written.

Employers have become sophisticated in the area of interviewing candidates. In the past, after snail mailing a cover letter and résumé to a target company, a job applicant would receive a phone call invitation for an interview with the hiring manager. Nowadays there’s very little personal interaction at the front end of the process. The résumé submittal is electronic and goes directly into a database. The résumé gets buried there until its resurrection via the appropriate keywords a recruiter is interested in. Then comes the initial screening-out phone interview, and only if that goes well is a candidate invited to a series of interviews with often large numbers of people. There are a number of reasons for these changes.

Today’s employers react to the current economic condition by focusing on higher productivity through the application of various technologies, new and better software, and outsourcing in order to reduce staff and associated staff costs such as office space, pensions, and health care.

The hiring process today is also significantly more selective than in the past. Companies need people who can quickly learn constantly new technologies, can adapt to continuous changes, can reinvent their own jobs, and can function while changes occur at faster and faster rates.

When employers select new employees, they’re looking for those types who can provide solutions resulting in increased efficiency and, at the same time, reduced costs. Otherwise, jobs will move offshore.

Nobody’s job is safe anymore. The past paradigm of building a solid career is no longer valid. People out of work need information and intelligence about growth opportunities and must adapt their skills to meet employers’ requirements. This is a challenging proposition for job seekers—and especially for those who are more advanced in age than other job seekers. Waiting for things to happen is often futile and certainly demoralizing. Career counselors can be of great assistance, but the majority of the burden is on the job seeker.

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