Career

When a fancy resume, slick cover letter or mind-blowing credentials are not enough..

by balki on April 10, 2015 Comments Off on When a fancy resume, slick cover letter or mind-blowing credentials are not enough..

While going through my back-runs of my magazines, I came across this very insightful article in Inc magainze by Jason Fried (37signals and baseCamp fame).

In a nutshell, effort makes a big difference for Jason.

People who really want it don’t toss their whole portfolio at me; they pick relevant examples and explain the thinking behind them. They don’t speak in generalities about what makes them great; they speak specifically about how they would be a great addition to Basecamp

I really love how Jason thinks holistic and in a no-nonsense fashion when it comes to hiring. Finding great talent is hard. It is even harder for small companies like Basecamp.

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balkiWhen a fancy resume, slick cover letter or mind-blowing credentials are not enough..

How excited are you about my company?

by balki on April 10, 2015 Comments Off on How excited are you about my company?

jumpingwithUSflag

When I met Kara Johnson (name changed for privacy*) at a job fair, I was immediately impressed with her confidence and social skills.  She ran an independent investment advice office for Edward Jones and was looking to hire salespeople/advisers.

She was upfront about the need to do a lot of sales even though the job title was “investment adviser”.  She invited me in for a dinner and company introduction at a fancy restaurant if I was interested.  Now, don’t jump to conclusions yet… this did not feel like a bait-and-switch at all.

However, when I reached out and got on the phone (mostly to score my free fancy dinner), she didn’t cave in right away.  I was super-impressed at how she spent very little time (about 15 minutes) on the phone.  First, explaining quickly what was expected of the role (mostly sales, during the first 6-9 months).  Then she asked me to do research on the company itself and call her back if I was still interested:

  • What did Edwards Jones do?
  • How was it originally founded?
  • What were their values?
  • What was a typical role of an investment office?
  • Who was their competition etc..

It would have taken me 1-2 hours to prepare with all those answers and a fair bit of back-of-the-head thinking before I would be prepared to face her again.  Long story short, I self-selected out of that role (and a shot at a free dinner) because of the time involved.

But my biggest takeaway is:

If you are a career-seeker, you should definitely research the company quite thoroughly before meeting anyone at that company formally or informally.  I am proud that Edward Jones has figured that out from the employer side but you will not get that lucky from most of your prospective employers.

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balkiHow excited are you about my company?