That was where I found myself last night, although I was there, along with a fellow entrepreneur, to meet with an advertising agency that works with both of our companies. Despite sounding professional, I felt like I was the third wheel on a pseudo-date. To keep myself from being anything other than a wallflower, I struck up a conversation with the folks around us. Enter Jim and John. Jim and John met at the Air Force Academy in 1979 and, thanks to LinkedIn, reconnected a few years ago after Jim hunted John down.
A short while later, and a few mistaken conversations about boating and golf, we had begun an enjoyable banter about business, books and hiring. Jim is a Senior Vice President at a large retirement planning firm who, despite enlisting a talented recruiter to source quality candidates, prefers to hire from within his network of colleagues or from a trusted word-of-mouth recommendation.
Then there's John who shared with me the secret to landed a job with him, and apparently John and I as we quickly realized. Warm apple pie. You read correctly.
John is a human resources executive with one of the Top 5 audit, consulting, accounting firms in the country. This guy has seen his fill of CPA's, MBA's, MAAA's, CFA's and every other initial under the sun. What he had never seen before was someone bring a warm, homemade apple pie to an interview - topped with a helping of honesty.
The candidate was a woman who was recently widowed, needed a new job - as do many people in today's market - and she appealed to John's human side. Whoa!
I was blown away. Wine glass down. Smile from ear to ear. This was no gimmick. It wasn't some crazy idea a marketing person thought of for her. It was the essence of personal branding done right.
- Did she go out on a limb? Oh yeah.
- Was it risky? Definitely.
- Could it have gone poorly? Maybe.
- Did she get the job? You bet.
If you really want to land a job, find a way to brand yourself and make sure the interviewer remembers you when you walk in - and out - of the door.
I would like to add that this is also the case while you are employed - especially when you are a contract-to-hire. Bringing in home-baked cookies and breads is cheap enough if you get your materials at Aldi's - and lately I have found the Aldi's brands in baking to be superior to what I find elsewhere (extra bonus).
ReplyDeleteThe impact you make is immediate and lasting. Take a moment to understand the favorite flavor/type that your boss and coworkers may have - and make special mention that you plan to make some... You can gauge their interest based on their reaction.
Additionally, I would like to point out the most important ingredient to her pie: " ... topped with a helping of honesty." Honesty is worth at LEAST 10 lies, if not more. The credibility you will gain by telling the truth about everything far outweighs any short term gains through telling a lie. If you cause an issue, immediately own up to it - explain how the issue was created and ask for an opinion on a proposed resolution. They will appreciate not being blind-sided by hearing about the issue through channels which require a certain reaction - and your ability to allow them to facilitate you in cleaning up the mess!