Part 1 of 2
So many of you ask how to crack the code to get hired at employers of choice. How close does your background really need to be to stated position requirements? How much initiatitive is admirable and how much is a turn-off? We posed some questions directly to communication hiring managers at organizations with established infrastructure and regular hiring activity in this area.
In this piece, we speak with Tracy McKee (TM), Head of Internal Communications at Aetna Inc. and Alison Davis (AD), President of Davis & Company, a national employee communication consultancy founded in 1984.
Communitelligence: Is there really such a thing as a “created hire,” when the perfect person walks in the door and you somehow find or shift funding to make a hire happen?
AD: Yes, at least for a small firm like ours. There have been several occasions in our 20-year plus history when we met someone we thought would add value to our firm and created a position just for them. We’ve also had a couple of occasions when two finalists for a position were so good that we didn’t want to choose – so we hired them both.
TM: Yes, some of the best jobs evolve this way. The beauty is that these kinds of roles often work out very well for the individual and the hiring company. It takes imagination and courage on both sides – I’m impressed with a candidate who really understands her strengths and career goals and isn’t afraid to describe a “perfect fit” role that looks different from the one on the table.
Communitelligence: How do you feel about candidates who take the initiative and call you directly? Is this an annoyance or a point of differentiation?
AD: If we have posted a job, with a clear process for applying, and someone calls me directly, I do find that annoying – it means the candidate is not respecting our process and is trying to make an end run to reach me. I’m less annoyed is someone sends me an e-mail because it’s less intrusive: I just reply quickly and forward the info to our HR manager.
TM: Perseverance is a funny thing; you want to see it in a person once they have the job but too much of it before an offer feels like pressure and if anything, can have a negative impact. Do your homework before the interview and you’ll set yourself apart from everyone else. Trying too hard to close the sale after the interview but before an offer is too late.
Communitelligence: What do you believe is the right balance between probing and selling the candidate during the interview process?
TM: If it’s a bench strength role, I do a lot more probing and listening than selling in the initial conversation. I would never sell someone on a role that isn’t a fit and I don’t know that unless I really listen to what they say. On the flip side, if they’ve done their homework and they are clear on their own goals, they’ll be probing to see if I have an opportunity that could add to their personal portfolio of skills and experience. If they aren’t asking equally insightful questions, then that tells me a lot about their confidence level and personal clarity.
AD: My role in interviewing is 50 percent sales (“you should work here”) and 50 percent probing (“what would you bring to the party?”) Other people in our interview process are focused almost completely on probing, so I rely on them to judge the candidate more than to sell him or her on the merits of the company.
Communitelligence: If you could give candidates just one piece of advice to present or interview smarter, what would it be:
AD: Be prepared to convey specific stories/examples as case studies: the challenge you faced, the approach you took to meet that challenge, and the results you achieved. That brings your experience to life and gives your potential employer a sense of how you think.
TM: Do your homework…I once had a candidate ask me before his interview to send him all kinds of information that was available on our public website. I canceled the appointment.
Also, know what you are good at and what you want to do. When you are asked about these things, don’t give a long list of accomplishments – try talking about what you learned and what you got out of it and how that relates to the kind of work you want to do. It sounds soft, but it proves two very important points: 1) you actually did the work and 2) you have a passion for it. Otherwise, how do I know it was really your accomplishment?
By Janet Long, founder and president of Integrity Search, Inc
In our next installment, Commuitelligence will speak to: Christopher Mykrantz at Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Lisa Jarmoszka at Buck Consultants and Thomas Hill, who is currently engaged by Chevron.
