Career Planning:

Interviews
  

 compliments of FutureVisions^SM

How do you do the job before you have the job? First prepare in advance by identifying and understanding the problems the company is facing. Don't spend the time before your interview sending out resumes to other companies. Spend it identifying problems that you can solve during the interview itself.

Your challenge is to do the necessary research and to encourage the employer to talk with you about his problems, so that you can present solutions. You will jump-start this new job by creating an opportunity to do the job in the interview.

Let's take a look at two ways that you can do the job in your meeting. Both methods require that you have a solid understanding of both the company and the industry it is in. Both approaches might seem a little scary. It takes a confident person to take the risk of controlling the interview. It's risky because if you're not prepared, you'll blow it. If you are prepared, your confidence will pave the way for success with either approach.

Much of this section is directed at helping you understand how to enter an interview powerfully and confidently-you can't just try to "do the job" without studying the rest of this book. If you have done your preparation, if you are truly good at your work, and if you have selected the right job opportunity, everything we talk about next will come to you comfortably.

WARNING: The two methods of doing the job in the interview that follow are intended to be used when you interview with the hiring manager. They are not intended for use with a personnel representa­tive or any other go-between.You do the job during the interview by solving some of the problems that led the employer to create the job in the first place.

You do the job during the interview by solving some of the problems that led the employer to create the job in the first place.

Interactive Method

Through your interaction with the hiring manager during the interview, you decide what problem you are going to solve for him. You do it "on the fly" because you were not able to get a lot of information from him prior to your meeting. Use the interactive method to take complete control of an interview when the employer isn't giving you enough room to demonstrate your abilities.

In the example that follows, you are a salesperson interviewing for a job at a computer company. Underlined text indicates the important points that can be generalized to apply to almost any job and any problem an employer is facing. Follow these points to help an employer solve a real problem.

1. First, you must decide what problem you are going to solve or what job you are going to do, for the manager. The best way to do this is to ask, point-blank, what problem the man­ager hopes to solve by hiring you. or how you can help make his business more profitable. The problem may be as general as "I need to increase sales," or it may be more spe­cific. It may take a little discussion to identify what the man­ager really needs; he's not accustomed to people making such an offer.

Let's say that during the meeting you learn that the employer's problem is the inability to break into a new group of accounts in the pharmaceutical industry. The employer should describe this problem in his own words. Usually, all it takes is asking some simple questions relating to challenges and desired accomplishments: What's your toughest challenge (or problem) in your market today? What above all else would you like a new employee to accomplish?

2. You already have some idea about the challenges a computer company is facing, because you have read up on the current state of the industry. Your challenge is to use every­thing you know to solve the specific problem the manager has posed. You don't have to be very detailed, and your solution doesn't have to be the best one. It just needs to be a good, thoughtful one. Your goal is to show the manager how you think and how you work. Most important. you want him to see your enthusiasm and your commitment to your work. Tell the manager. "Let me show you in a little detail how I would tackle this problem. Is it okay if I draw some things out on paper [or on a whiteboard]?

3. Make sure you understand the problem clearly. Write the problem down. Ask for more detail if you need it. Does the manager agree that this is the problem? If not, restate it together.

Make sure you also understand what goal the manager is working toward: higher sales? more profit? penetration of an account at any cost? Write down the goal. Your task is to show how it can be achieved. Make sure the manager can see what you're writing.

4. Use graphics. Sketch the problem out diagrammatically, listing the factors that affect the company's ability to solve it_ List the obstacles the computer company faces (ask the employer to add to the list). Review the resources the com­pany can use to overcome these obstacles.

Draw boxes and arrows, indicating the relationships among the problem. the goal. and the resources that will be available to you. Include a list of special skills that you will bring to the company.

5. List what you believe to be the needs of the particular cus­tomer (the pharmaceutical company, in this example). Highlight the measures you would take to solve the problem and reach the goal using the resources and your, skills. If you need special tools, draw them in. too.

Encourage the manager to comment during this task. Ask him to add details where he sees fit. Get the manager's input on your analysis. Summon up everything you have learned about this com­pany's business and every ounce of your knowledge and skill about selling computers into new accounts. Present a simple strategy that will get you in the door to meet with important people in these "problem" accounts.

List the specific things you would do. For example, cold-call fifty people at each account, meet with key department heads, solicit leads from other pharmaceutical companies, and so on. Use ideas that worked for you on similar challenges in the past. Use ideas for which you have been rewarded. Encourage the manager to comment and add his ideas.

Notice that you're not talking about your experience or recounting marvelous stories about past successes here-you are showing the manager how you are going to actually do the job he needs to have done.

Explain exactly what you would do tomorrow if you were on the job to put your strategy and tactics to work immedi­ately. Remember to tackle the issue of profitability: how is your way of doing this work going to help reduce costs and/or increase revenues? Put a number on it. The number may not be right. but you should be ready to defend it intelligently.

7. Now show how you would use other resources in the com­pany. including people and processes. -For example, how can the service manager help crack these accounts? Does he have any special programs in place that you could leverage to win the account? How can the marketing /department participate? Are they running any special promotions? How could the interviewer's own skills be applied to the project? What's his greatest skill? How could you put him to best use in a sales presentation?

Suggest that other relevant managers and staff members participate in your discussion. In this example, that might include the service manager and the marketing manager. Your particular situation might require the participation of other team members or support staff. Offer to come back for a live meeting with them, with a more specific plan of attack. Your goal here is to show that you work well with others.

8. The key is to show your grasp of the problem, and to con­vince the manager that it matters to you. Act like you are on the job. and like the interviewer is your boss. He expects you to do your job and solve this problem. You will earn a handsome bonus (a new job) if you succeed. Let your excitement build up, and let it out! Solve the problem the best way you know how!

9. Finally, ask him to grade you. Tell him you want to know what he thinks are the strengths and weaknesses of your approach. What would he want you to change in your approach? Does he agree that your strategy will work? What does he think of your profit estimate?

Presentation Method

If you can obtain enough of the right information prior to your interview, you can prepare a structured presentation. This method involves as much background research as the interactive method, but it requires extra preparation because you must define a problem the manager needs solved before you go into the interview.

You may have learned about such a problem by talking to the manager on the phone, or by talking with other employees of the company. Good industry publications are rife with articles about issues that are currently critical. Preferably, the problem should be one faced by the industry as a whole-one that can be adequately analyzed by you without requiring too much specific information. If the problem is too specific, you will run the unnecessary risk of misinterpreting it.

In any case, you need to get the manager's cooperation to do this. Don't go into the interview planning to do a presentation without getting his approval beforehand. Here are a couple of ways to get his cooperation on the phone before your meeting.

I'd like to make this interview a little different for you. I'm not out interviewing because I need to "get a job. " I'm looking for the right job, where I can do what I'm expert at, in a way that will be profitable for your company. If you'll let me take a few minutes at the beginning of our meeting, I would like to demonstrate to you how I would do this job. I think that will make it easier for you to decide if I'm the person you want to hire, and for me to decide if this is the right job for me.

Or, you might take this approach:

May I make your task of evaluating me easier? Let me show you how much I know about your business, and how I think I can help you. I don't just want to talk theoretically, I want to show you. I want to demonstrate to you how I would do this job. I know I'm taking a risk, but if I can't prove to you that I can do this job, there is no reason for you to hire me. Will you give me a few minutes in our meeting to do this?

If he agrees, you're in a good position to prepare a presentation. You just need to decide on which problem or challenge you will focus. Remember that you will have already done some research, and you should have a good idea about what kind of work the man­ager's team is tackling. Let him know you've done your homework, and that you want him to confirm that you're on the right track.

Here's how to find out, while you're still on the phone with the manager.

From what I understand about your team, you're looking for someone to [describe the work as you understand it]. I want to make sure I know what's important to you before we meet. How would you characterize the main problem, or challenge, you want a new employee to handle? In our meeting, I'll show you how I would tackle it.

This approach should get you the information you will need to build your presentation. If you need more details than the manager gave you, ask him more questions about it. A good manager will recognize a motivated job candidate and he'll talk with you. (Don't get discouraged if the manager won't cooperate. Instead, think about whether you would really want to work for him.) If you need to, rely on your research to help you define the challenge more clearly.

Remember, you're going to do a presentation. Therefore, you are responsible for directing it. Make sure the manager under­stands this. He's probably so accustomed to the standard Q&A interview format that he might forget what's going on. Remind him. Explain that your presentation will take about twenty minutes, so that he can ask questions and discuss other issues during the rest of the meeting.

You will use the  Four Vital Questions to guide you. Keep each of the four parts of the presentation brief and to the point. The man­ager can get into more detail after your presentation is complete. In the following example, underlined text indicates the key points.          '

1. Prove that you understand the job that needs to be done.

Start by describing the problem or challenge the man­ager seems to be facing. Have him confirm it. Write it down. Restate the problem as a goal, to make clear what you're trying to achieve in your demonstration. Again, have the manager confirm it. Write the goal down so the manager can see it. Make sure the problem and the goal correspond. Describe the job that needs to be done, as you understand

it. Describe two or three examples of tasks that are involved in doing the job. Ask the manager if he would like to supply better examples. Create simple diagrams or sketches while you are talking. If possible, do these on a whiteboard, or on a piece of paper on the manager's desk. If you can manage it, sit to the side of the manager's desk rather than in front of it, so both of you can read the diagrams. Welcome the manager to make corrections and comments. Spend about five minutes on this part.

2. Show that you can do the job.

Use the diagrams to show what strategies you would use and what steps you would follow to perform the tasks, solve the problem. and achieve the goal you wrote down earlier. Talk about the tools you would use (conceptual tools like market studies, physical tools like computers, or other people on the team). List these tools beside your diagrams. Refer to the interactive method (see above) for more ideas about how to lay out this part of your presentation. Five minutes is not a lot of time to do this part, but you should try to limit it to that amount.

3. Show that you can do the job the way the manager wants it done.

Ask the manager what is most important to him about how to do the job right. Now "redo" the tasks if necessary, taking the manager's requirements into account. Ask the manager to confirm his satisfaction with your approach. If he's not satisfied, find out why and explain how you would reshape your approach. If you're going to go beyond five minutes on a section, this is the one. The manager's approval of your approach is critical If you don't get it right here, you will not get it right on the job.

4. Show that you can do the job profitably for the company.

Explain how your work would affect the company's profitability. Show on your diagrams where and how profitability could be improved, and how you would improve it. Ask the manager to make his own suggestions. Your twenty minutes are up. When you're finished, ask the manager to grade you, as in the interactive method (see above).

Obviously, this presentation may take longer than twenty minutes, especially if the manager gets involved. Go with the flow. If he follows your lead and uses your presentation as the heart of the interview, you have succeeded in controlling the interview and in taking him with you. No other candidate will be able to touch you.

Tackling a Live Problem

By using the interactive or presentation method, you set the stage to enable the manager to evaluate you in a way far more powerful than any offered by a traditional interview. Don't be surprised if he wants to spend more time with you, exploring your capabilities and his problems. One client, Gerry, brought his interview to this level, and before the manager knew what was happening, the two had rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on working meeting. Once the work started, the traditional interrogation was left behind.

Whether the interviewer continues on the stage you have set or switches back to a question-and-answer format, you can take the do the job approach another step forward later in the interview. At a comfortable point, ask the manager to "put the toughest problem you're dealing with on the table. Let's deal with a live one. I'd like to show you how I can help you solve it. We probably won't solve it right here and now, but both of us will learn how well we can work together."

This is more than a demonstration. You will be working with the manager on a live project as a member of his team. Invite the manager to draw some pictures and state the goal. Create more drawings, lists, or diagrams to help simplify the definition of the

problem. Act like the project manager on this task. Take the lead. Don't wait for him to do the work while you watch. Give the manager the opportunity to view you as a valuable employee rather than a job candidate. Act like a consultant. Act like you have the 'ob and the company’s success depends on your doing it right. Together, create a strategy to tackle the problem, and go over the tasks that need to be accomplished to solve it.

During this work session, refer to profitability issues. How will each idea discussed affect the profitability of the company? Are there more cost-effective ways to do the job? Will an idea cost less now, but ultimately cost more later?

In the midst of this process, ask if there are other members of the manager's team that he might want to have participate in the meeting. Tell him you would like to at least meet them. Ask to see the tools his department uses on this kind of project. Ask to tour the facility to see where and how the work actually gets done. Ask to meet the people who support the job you would be doing. If there's no time to do this, suggest a follow-up visit to meet these people. Explain that it is important to you to know how you will fit in with the people you would be working with if you take the job.

Each of these requests reflects your attention to the details of doing the job. A good employer will immediately recognize that your concern is with the work itself, not with getting a job.

We have covered a lot of ideas about what you can say and do to communicate your ability to do a job. Because the requirements of jobs vary, and each interview is different, you must use your judgment about which ideas to use and how to apply them. Be careful not to overdo it. Don't overwhelm the interviewer, or overtax yourself.

For each opportunity you pursue, ask and answer the  Four Vital Questions  and review the interactive and presentation methods for doing the job in the interview. Consider how you would apply these methods to the specific opportunity.

Back to Control

An employer will quite naturally share control with you in an interview when he sees that your goal is not to "get" the job, but to do the job. He has already met with too many candidates whose first interest is a paycheck.

The tone of the interview will change; you will be able to feel it. Both you and the manager will become aware that you are working with him like a member of his team to solve his problems and get a job done, rather than being interviewed.

The distinction between getting and doing is critical. It is the dif­ference between taking and giving. When you give something of true value, like your expertise, you make yourself bigger. You add to your worth and make yourself more desirable.

The concept of taking control in an interview should be very clear to you now. By focusing on doing the job, you take responsi­bility for-and control over-an interview. By giving an employer compelling proof that you can do the job, you solve his problem and the power in the relationship tips in your direction. Now he needs you.

If the employer indicates that he'd like you to join his team, tell him you'd like nothing better than to have a specific offer to con­sider. But don't accept his offer on the spot. When you go on an interview, you always take the risk of being rejected. When an employer makes an offer, he takes the same risk.

Take your time; the employer did. It's okay to make a commitment to the job by saying you want it, but don't make a commitment to the offer until you've had time to consider it, and possibly to negotiate it.

Keys to Doing the Job in the Interview

Preliminary research        Gather all necessary information about the com­pany, manager, and job prior to the interview.

Manager defines the problem      Get the manager to state the problem in his words. Write it down. State it in your own words. Have him confirm your understanding.

Manager defines his goal     Get the manager to state the goal in his words. The goal must be related to the problem. Write it down. Have him confirm it.

Show your enthusiasm     Be focused, be serious, and be enthusiastic.

Factor in your industry knowledge      Make sure you understand the problem and goal in light of the state of the industry. Use everything you know. This is not a drill.

Draw a picture       Include the problem, the goal, and the resources available (these will include people, especially others employed by the company).

Draw relationships       Use lines and arrows to show how the resources will be applied to solve the problem and achieve the goal. Indicate factors that will affect the quality, cost, and profitability of the solution. Show what obstacles will appear, how you would overcome them, and how long it will take. Note any special tools or resources you will need and show how they will be used.

Show your special skills       Fill in and describe the special skills you pos­sess that will enable you to achieve the goal, including skills using special tools.

Define a simple strategy     At the bottom of your drawings, briefly write out a simple strategy you will use to achieve the goal. Show how you will do the job!

Describe the specific tasks         List the specific things you would do to implement your strategy if you were on the job today. The list should be in the form of steps that anyone at the company would understand. Use proven ideas that you believe in. Highlight your special abilities.

Apply company resources     Demonstrate your knowledge of the company's resources, including people and depart­ments. How would you utilize them?

Apply the manager's skills          Show how you would make best use of the interviewer's (your future boss's) skills and abilities. Get him involved.

Get the manager's input       Are you doing the work the way the manager wants it done? Ask him for comments, suggestions, and guidance. Ask where in this project he would want to be involved, and how.

Review profitability         Explain why you think your approach will be profitable to the company. Ask the manager if he agrees. Find out what "profitability" means to him as far as this job is concerned.

Close the loop        Restate the goal, summarize your approach and the reasons it will work, and explain how the company will profit from it.

Ask for a grade       Ask the manager to give you a grade for your work. Ask him to comment on the strengths/ weaknesses of your approach. What changes would he make? Does he agree your strategy will work?