Ever have what feels like a pretty good interview, but you arrive just in time and come out of the rain looking like a wet dog?
I don’t think it was a strike against me, and the HR manager offered to show me the bathroom so I could at least try and dry off. I agreed that I needed to “mop off” my forehead. Thankfully I looked at more than just my hair. My skirt was turned sideways where the side seam was suddenly in front. Wow. I couldn’t even tell it was maladjusted, I was so wet and cold from walking the 12 or so blocks in the downpour.
During the interview I couldn’t help but stop in mid-conversation and say to the company owner, “wow, your hair really is amazing”. Yes, I did. Because it was perfectly held together by hairspray. It’s one of his signature looks, so he likes to call attention to it.
Anyway, overall I feel like it went well. And although I was pretty excited about it, I am less so now that I’ve had a day to digest the interview and the possibility that life is really Russian Roulette. Who knows?
Here’s how I handled the top two questions:
1. Why do you want to leave? My response: After having been at Company X for five years, and I reinforced how amazing it is to work at my current employer, it might be a good time to move on. I cracked a smile and added that, given the climate for how rapidly information is changing, it might also be good for our company to replace me. (The company owner started laughing and said, how generous of you to think about your company’s needs). We both laughed. I was being a little sarcastic, but I reinforced the real reason, which is that our company has a narrower set of core competencies with less of a tech focus, whereas this new potential employer has much more tech – and I’d really like the opportunity to be exposed to new lines of business and to be able to create and grow a team at this new place. All of it was true.
Lesson: NEVER badmouth your existing or former employer. Bad form. Always find something truthful and positive to focus on when you need to give a reason. One of the easiest ways to get around the negative banter is to talk about the positive things this new employer can offer which are not currently available at your current place of employment. If you are not currently employed, you can still use this tactic by focusing on the opportunities. Employers LIKE to hear about the passion for wanting to work there and they can also glean what you care about.
2. What has attracted you to our company? My response (not exact words but this is the gist): I’ve read a lot about you and have been following the work that you’ve been doing through media and your web site. I was excited to see that we have similar backgrounds (worked in the same industry previously) and that our companies have very synergistic philosophies. I’ve heard amazing things about the leadership and culture at this new company and wanted to meet the teams. (I also referred to the types of projects and the entrepreneurial culture). Now after hearing about the position and the opportunity to define it myself and to grow it organically, I’m really thrilled about the potential.
Lesson: Always do your homework before your interview and try to reflect back their company style for communicating. Talk about something you read, and hopefully connect back to the leader, manager or even leadership style and what values you are drawn to. I think corporate culture is a must-have discussion even if it’s a quick reference point and you mention how much you’ve heard about it (and don’t be afraid to ask some of the interview party about why they like working there). Remember to focus on what you know about the open position, specifying why these are roles or responsibilities that you are excited about.
And the last part of it? Send THANK YOU’s. I tend to IMMEDIATELY email my direct contact (presumably in operations or HR) to show my enthusiasm and state my appreciation, and then follow up with personal thank you notes or cards to the entire team! (Warning: If you plan to use linkedin to connect to any of the interview party, your current employer might sense or guess what you are doing. So try to hold off on accepting linkedin invitations until the word is out or at least until the process is over).
Stay tuned for what happens next!
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