A new client recently told me about a great interview she’d had. Great chemistry with the hiring manager.
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Good conversation that roamed the entire job territory. It was, she thought, all done but the offer.
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But alas, no offer was forthcoming. In fact, as we debriefed about it she told me one of her closing lines. It was one that I would have eliminated her from the competition for saying. I suspect it might have come into play for her as well.
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I worked for a major, successful organization in its prime. It had the workplace desirability factor that Facebook or Google has today. So it’s not surprising or unexpected that many job candidates targeted that organization as one of their most desired gigs.
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And the one simple thing they would say, that would get them eliminated from my potential candidate pool is this simple phrase:
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“It gives me a chance to get my foot in the door.”
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Now, I know there may be people out there that may disagree with me.
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So let’s look at the issues I have as a hiring manager with these 12 little words, and then decide.
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1. As a hiring manager, the only candidate I want to hire is a candidate who really, really, really, wants the job that I have to fill.
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Hiring someone who “wants to get a foot in the door” was the equivalent of me hearing, “I don’t really want this job, but it gets me into the organization – which I DO want – so I’ll take it.”
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Because I worked in a highly desirable organization, it was a flag to me. People wanted in anywhere. But I only wanted the ones who wanted to work on our team.
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Correction tip:
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If you want to compete as a job candidate – especially at an organization that’s hotly pursued – you’ve got to show that manager you really want that job. Not any job in said organization. But that job.
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2. Getting your foot in the door is about you, not me.
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Think of it this way. How does getting your foot in the door, help me as a hiring manager and businessperson? Frankly, in and of itself, it doesn’t.
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What I want to know is how you are going to make me successful as a manager and leader. I’m not really invested in your foot. I’m invested in the outcomes you can achieve.
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As well, when I called people out on that remark (and I did) they would say, “Oh, I’ve wanted to work for that company forever. Everyone knows what a great place it is to work.” Well, true. But again, more about you, than helping me succeed.
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Correction tip:
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Instead, talk with the hiring manager – and demonstrate – how you’ll be committed to their cause. Discuss what you will do to make them successful. Be a student of their business; what they do and how they do it, and then bring your ideas for success to light. That’s something I can get behind.
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3. It fosters a lack of confidence in you as a candidate.
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As a manager, it’s relatively easy to fire people. You always know you’re making the right decision.
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Hiring is far more difficult and fraught with risk. No manager wants to make a bad hire. It’s a hassle, a headache, and a pain in the butt for the rest of the team when the wrong person comes on board.
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So if you’re having a good conversation, focus on giving the hiring manager confidence in a decision to hire you.
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Correction tip:
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Use your phone screen and interview time to present yourself as a qualified, competent candidate the hiring manager can have confidence in. Provide evidence of what you’ve already achieved, and how it will help him or her. It’ll go a lot farther and mean a lot more than the “foot/door” interview cul de sac.
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There you have it. If you want to build rapport and confidence with a manager – or an extended team, you’re best off to leave this comment on the table.
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