How to get a job!

Earlier today I had the pleasure of being invited to lunch with 3 school kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are part of group of 250 kids being taught some basic life skills. One of the lessons was about how to use soap - yes soap!

Of the 250 kids, amazingly, only 3 eat regular meals at a dining table. The kids don’t even know how to handle cutlery because they mostly eat takeaway with their hands.

Back to finding jobs. So how can they find a job?

It’s not that difficult!

The 15 year olds I sat with gave me the usual boring answers to questions.

“I like hanging out with my friends: [Boring]

“I like watching movies” [Who doesn't?]

“I love sport” [so do most 15 year olds]

And on it went until I asked them about their passions. Still the boring responses but they opened up ever so slowly.

It turns out one loves Music and writes songs, the other hates rain, lies and writes short stories, and the third leads Scout groups into the bush for days at a time.

So I had a creative person, one with ethics, and a leader sitting there in front of me and I would never have known. An interview would have been an injustice.

Unfortunately, people being interviewed might be perfect for the job but they don’t turn up with their whole self.

Although hundreds of people may apply for a job, it is easy to stand out.

I have interviewed thousands of people, and my tips are:

1. Get your application right perfect because only 5 seconds is spent on the first pass.
2. Don’t get internet resume templates, because they are easily spotted.
3. Research the company on the web before the interview.
4. Be on time - so many are not
5. Don’t smell of smoke.
6. Don’t chew gum.
7. Hold a pen above the table. It will stop you stooping with your hands under the table.
8. Straighten your back because it gets you out of your shell.
9. Immediately try to ask them questions about their company and department. It gets you settled and gives you first mover advantage. It also gives you a chance to understand how to answer future questions.
10. Talk about yourself and your passions.
11. Straighten your back again.
12. Be well presented.
13. Have a prepared answer for your strengths and weaknesses.
14. If you don’t know what you want to be doing in 5 years, the say so.
15. If you need thinking time, tell them. Otherwise ask if you can answer the question later. If you are really stuck, relate back to a personal situation. eg Question: “How do you deal with a customer who is wrong?” Answer (example): “Gee, I can’t think of an example in a work environment, but at home if my dad is wrong but I don’t want to embarrass him, I’ll ……..”
16. Answer truthfully. If you are artistic and they are looking for a mathematician, don’t fake it. You won’t last (or want to stay) in the job.
17. Speak c l e a r l y.
18. Leave the interview with a question, so have a reserve question to end with (but not a question about money). Foe example, “could you give examples of how some people have progressed in the company?”, or “How quickly would I be expected to learn the job?”

The trick is not to be wallpaper. Talk about your passions, your strengths. My lunch guests were starting to look like bland forgettable wallpaper. After I dug into who they are they became memorable. Unfortunately in an interview I cannot afford to spend that much time with a prospect.

Back to the hundred or so applications I receive. After all the filtering, usually the hiring decision is simple because there is usually only one stand out, if any.

It’s not the smartest because the smartest people are often the smartest - it’s all opening your whole self to this perfect stranger.

It is easy to stand out.