The Career Change Blues (and Other Colors): So, Tell Me A Little About Yourself

I did a quick scan and realized I haven’t wrote about my career change process in a while. The good news is that I’m starting to generate requests for interviews. What’s the learning? The hiring process takes time and patience. Wouldn’t we all like to snap our fingers and the whole process could be boiled down to days (or even hours) rather than weeks?

When it comes to the interviews I’ve experienced recently, they’ve been an interesting mix. I had one where the hiring manager’s first question was, "So, why do you want to work here?" No chitchat or no organizational background, just right down to the meat of the matter. While the East German judges awarded me a 9.4 (with a 3.2 level of difficulty) on my interview responses, I think by the time the interview was complete we both knew that it was not a right fit for either side.

Then I had a couple of solid interviews – one in person and one by phone. Both started by telling me a little about the organization and the position. From an interviewee standpoint, that makes a world of difference in helping us candidates best tailor our responses to the interview questions.

Here are some of my interview strategies:

Preparation is key. Most of the hard work for an interview doesn’t happen in the interview itself but beforehand. The more I know about an organization, the position offered, and myself, the more relaxed and natural I am during the interview. I don’t think this point can be overemphasized.

Research and do the homework. With the wealth of data available through the web, there is no excuse for not knowing at least the basics about the organization. I approach it like I’m an entrepreneur preparing to make a pitch (because essentially, I am). Guy Kawasaki, in The Art of the Start, offers a couple of things that we should do to know our audience.

1. Learn what’s important to the hiring manager and organization. This can be difficult, but not impossible. Reach out and tap your network. Google the organization and its executive leadership.
2. Brainstorm to find connections, hooks, and angles that will make your pitch powerful and meaningful. Look for ways to weave these important values and principles into each of your responses.

What do I need to know? The interview is just as much about me figuring out if the organization is the right fit for me as it is the hiring manager determining whether I fit the organization. From this perspective, it becomes a conversation rather than an inquisition. Early in my professional life, I felt like a contestant on a game show with the hiring manager playing the role of Wink Martindale. My answers were either correct ("circle gets the square") or wrong ("oh, too bad but there’s some nice parting gifts waiting for you"). The problem is that many of the resources on interviewing offer tips on how to game the system. They’ll tell you if you’re given this question, here’s how to answer. That’s crap and a surefire way to not find the job that you’re truly passionate about.

So, consider what questions you need answered in order to understand whether the job is a fit. Lisa Haneberg at Management Craft has a terrific post on some of the questions interviewees should be prepared to ask. From my experience some surefire questions that always yield interesting and useful information are:

• In the past, how have people in this position struggled/succeeded?
• Tell me about the passion you have for your job and your organization.
• How do you tend to manage people?
• What would you say are the most important values at your organization?

No matter what questions you choose to ask, make sure you ask questions. I always come with far more questions than I’ll be able to ask. Trust me, hiring managers expect candidates to be engaged in the process and interested in them and the organization. Well constructed and thoughtful questions demonstrate a passion for my work and my professional life.

Get to the meeting site early. I try to arrive at least 15 minutes early; it’s what I lovingly call "buffer time." I spend 5 minutes in the parking lot reviewing my notes and getting myself into a powerful place. This is a time to visualize how I want the interview to go and tap into my passion. I take another five minutes and visit the restroom. Focus on my breathing; acknowledge that I’m nervous, it’s okay and expected. I use that energy to keep me alert, a lot like how theater actors use their nervousness of being on stage. With 5 minutes left, I enter the office. Usually, I’m asked to wait and I look and see if there are any magazines or informational materials lying around. These can offer some last minute glimpses into the organization that can be helpful for the interview.

It’s show time. When it’s interview time, I’m on stage and everything is being evaluated. Remember the smile, a nice firm handshake, and eye contact. And be all of who I am. I’m prepared to be flexible and take everything in stride. I also remember that the organization should be selling itself to me.

The follow-through. I always make the effort to send an email to the people I meet (I’ll usually ask for their business cards) as a way of thanking them for the interview. I make it a practice to include a couple of new ideas or extended thoughts on something we discussed.

I glossed over a lot of the process, but hope that if you’re interviewing (or plan to be interviewing soon) these ideas make your task easier. Feel free to comment with any additional ideas or strategies. Good luck.