What Can You do for Me - The Harsh Reality of Hiring Decisions
Right now there are 32 NFL training camps in session across the country and they all have something in common. Head coaches and General Managers will soon begin cutting players to bring their team rosters to the league mandated maximums. Who stays and who goes is based mostly upon one thing – management’s perception regarding, “Will this player help our team win games?”
Coaches use the training camps and pre-season games to determine which players put their team in the best position to win. Frankly, there is little difference – conceptually – between this process and that which is used by most hiring managers.
If you believe that hiring decisions are made based mainly upon what is reflected in your cover letter and resume – you are mistaken. Hiring managers are ultimately concerned about themselves. Much of what a leader is judged upon has to do with the people they bring into the organization and how effectively they are able to develop that talent. Bottom line – will that “player” help the “team” win.
You’ve all heard that good leaders seem to have a knack for surrounding themselves with people better/smarter than they are. Thus, when a position becomes open or is created, a hiring manager looks to fill it with the “best player available”.
In the world of job searching the real question then becomes, “Can I present myself as the best candidate for this position?”
Here are some ideas to consider as you put together your strategy to become the “best player available”:
• Find some way to clearly differentiate yourself early in the process. Most often this will come as the result of the candidate doing a lot of research about the targeted employer and incorporating the results into their cover letter, resume and interview answers along with coming up with something unique. For example, a candidate for a district leadership position within a large banking company visited all of the branch locations over which he would have control. For his visits, he posed as a small business person seeking to open new accounts. Using the results of his visitations, he put together a report that described his methodology, recapped his experiences, identified weaknesses/opportunities for improvement and included a detailed six-month action plan for resolving the identified problem areas. He presented the report at his first interview and was told that no one they had ever interviewed for any position had ever done something of that nature. He had an offer three days later.
• Demonstrate how you will be able to apply your talents, skills, expertise and experience to help the company grow, become more profitable, increase its operational efficiencies or resolve outstanding issues. During a recent presentation at a local job seekers group, one of the members made a comment to me that exemplified this concept. He stated his approach is always to demonstrate to hiring managers that he “is the aspirin for their headache”.
• Ensure that the content of your cover letter, resume and interview answers delivers a consistent message commensurate with a value proposition that clearly conveys how hiring you will benefit the prospective employer.
• Fully commit to the effort. In the current buyer’s (job) market, hiring managers have taken “being selective” to a whole new level. Not only do they now normally receive hundreds of resumes per open position, but many of the candidates have experience levels that may far exceed the manager's expectations. Understand that not every candidate is a good candidate for each position…and, that might include you. Get over it…! Don’t waste your time on opportunities that are not realistic for you. Focus your time, your energies and your “A” game on the positions for which you can be the best player available.
If you have some time in the next few days…tune in to one of the local sports talk shows on the radio. Listen to how the hosts and their guest analysts break down different NFL players’ talents, skills and performance and the chances of their making it onto the final roster. You’ll find, especially if you have been a hiring manager in the past, these conversations are not dissimilar from discussions that take place every day within the walls of “corporate America” when deciding which candidates to hire.
That said, don’t allow the reality of how hiring decisions are made to take away from the momentum of your job search…to the contrary – use this knowledge as motivation to make yourself the most desirable candidate for your dream job!
Coaches use the training camps and pre-season games to determine which players put their team in the best position to win. Frankly, there is little difference – conceptually – between this process and that which is used by most hiring managers.
If you believe that hiring decisions are made based mainly upon what is reflected in your cover letter and resume – you are mistaken. Hiring managers are ultimately concerned about themselves. Much of what a leader is judged upon has to do with the people they bring into the organization and how effectively they are able to develop that talent. Bottom line – will that “player” help the “team” win.
You’ve all heard that good leaders seem to have a knack for surrounding themselves with people better/smarter than they are. Thus, when a position becomes open or is created, a hiring manager looks to fill it with the “best player available”.
In the world of job searching the real question then becomes, “Can I present myself as the best candidate for this position?”
Here are some ideas to consider as you put together your strategy to become the “best player available”:
• Find some way to clearly differentiate yourself early in the process. Most often this will come as the result of the candidate doing a lot of research about the targeted employer and incorporating the results into their cover letter, resume and interview answers along with coming up with something unique. For example, a candidate for a district leadership position within a large banking company visited all of the branch locations over which he would have control. For his visits, he posed as a small business person seeking to open new accounts. Using the results of his visitations, he put together a report that described his methodology, recapped his experiences, identified weaknesses/opportunities for improvement and included a detailed six-month action plan for resolving the identified problem areas. He presented the report at his first interview and was told that no one they had ever interviewed for any position had ever done something of that nature. He had an offer three days later.
• Demonstrate how you will be able to apply your talents, skills, expertise and experience to help the company grow, become more profitable, increase its operational efficiencies or resolve outstanding issues. During a recent presentation at a local job seekers group, one of the members made a comment to me that exemplified this concept. He stated his approach is always to demonstrate to hiring managers that he “is the aspirin for their headache”.
• Ensure that the content of your cover letter, resume and interview answers delivers a consistent message commensurate with a value proposition that clearly conveys how hiring you will benefit the prospective employer.
• Fully commit to the effort. In the current buyer’s (job) market, hiring managers have taken “being selective” to a whole new level. Not only do they now normally receive hundreds of resumes per open position, but many of the candidates have experience levels that may far exceed the manager's expectations. Understand that not every candidate is a good candidate for each position…and, that might include you. Get over it…! Don’t waste your time on opportunities that are not realistic for you. Focus your time, your energies and your “A” game on the positions for which you can be the best player available.
If you have some time in the next few days…tune in to one of the local sports talk shows on the radio. Listen to how the hosts and their guest analysts break down different NFL players’ talents, skills and performance and the chances of their making it onto the final roster. You’ll find, especially if you have been a hiring manager in the past, these conversations are not dissimilar from discussions that take place every day within the walls of “corporate America” when deciding which candidates to hire.
That said, don’t allow the reality of how hiring decisions are made to take away from the momentum of your job search…to the contrary – use this knowledge as motivation to make yourself the most desirable candidate for your dream job!
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