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When I first started interviewing for my current job, I was scared that 1) my employer at the time would find out, and 2) that I would ruin my reputation if the people interviewing me didn’t hire me. I’m going to focus on #2 for this post (yes, it is out of order), just because a recent contact highlighted its importance.
In short, although my #2 concern was valid, it ended up being a non-issue. The people I met who DIDN’T hire me ended up being huge advocates for me for other jobs. They recognized my strengths, but knew I wasn’t a good fit for their particular opening. I had previous interviewers send me job posts and even give personal recommendations – even though they’d never directly worked with me.
My network grew exponentially when I was interviewing. It was kind of neat because I had an opportunity to have one-on-one time with some of the best in my field – with the sole purpose of showing them how awesome I am (head. swelling. ouch ). Eventually, I grew to see every interview as a chance to make a new contact and, in some cases, a friend. It helped ease my nerves when I knew that I was benefitting from this meeting no matter what the outcome.
I think the interviewing process is daunting in the beginning, especially for someone breaking into the field. I recently heard about an old college buddy who has a degree in my field, but hasn’t worked in it yet. To go to an interview as an unknown can be difficult – both for interviewer and interviewee. The interviewer has no prior knowledge of you, nor you of them. They have to go strictly by who you are on paper – a pretty big risk. And you have to go by what they tell you the company and job are like – another big leap of faith.
So what do you do?
Well, here is what my advice for her will be:
- Apply for as many jobs as you can and go on a ton of interviews. Doesn’t matter what level the job is. Get your name out there and get that one-on-one face time.
- Get. On. Twitter. Want to make some contacts in your field? Get on the bandwagon! This is a no-brainer.
- Start a blog. She has had the quintessential unemployed GenY experience – great degree from a great school, but no job and currently living with her parents. I would love to read a blog on how she is dealing with everything.
- Go to FPRA. Sometimes getting involved with an industry association can be tough if you are unemployed. It’s a “you have to spend money to make money” situation. Luckily, there are some free events, at least in FPRA, so that will help her get her foot in the door.
- Find a mentor. Me? You’ve gotta have an “in.”
- Get some experience. My friend doesn’t have any experience in her field. Zip. Nadda. Zilch. It would be hard to give up a paying job to intern somewhere, but I think at least job shadowing for a few days would help. Even volunteering on weekends would do it.
- Follow through. I really, really hope my friend is serious about getting into the field. It is going to take some work, but it is doable. Fingers crossed that she has the effort to follow through with it all.
I really hope that I can help my friend get through all of this. You know what? By helping her, I am building my network even more!
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Comments
06.30.10
Great tips. It's like training for a sport, you need practice. If you get practice every week, then you'll be ready to perform when the "race" is on. And using a network that didn't work out at first is so important. For example: When I was interviewing for MBA programs, I made sure I was always polite, prepared, gracious, and of course, everyone got a hand-written thank you. When I later made my decision and had to decline some programs, I kept things polite and gracious again. It turned out, one program called me back a few weeks later to offer me another full scholarship. The woman who called had been my interviewer, and she specifically had put my name on top of the list because of remembering my interview.
You want to always be positive, be remembered for the right things, and always be polite. You never know where things will go. Good post!
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