The Working World

Gigonomics: Hired in Thirty Seconds

If you haven’t been on a job interview in awhile, here’s a tip: don’t assume you’ll nail it. You may be a kick-butt pro with creds up the ying-yang, but when it’s one-on-one, mano a mano, eyeball to eyeball, you’d better have your talking points together. This is especially true for those with solid experience who mistakenly think that their resumé speaks for itself. Your resumé may open a door, but it is those golden pipes, those dulcet tones, that earnest, and confident voice—and how you use it—that gets invited inside. You need what I call a “Thirty Second Commercial.”

Before I detail the TSC, I’ll add that in a speaking role, with the pressure on, I get a mouth drier than molted rattlesnake skin on a flat rock at high noon on a summer afternoon in Tucson. In the past I’ve tried stuffing a piece of Wrigley’s discreetly inside my cheek to facilitate the salivating process, but then I sound unfortunately moist, like Daffy Duck. So when my career management class discussion turned to the vital importance of a well-spoken self-promotional “commercial,”  I was all ears.

The principle of the commercial is simple. When asked, “So tell me about yourself,” either in a casual networking scenario or a formal interview, you launch into your well-prepared and oft-rehearsed sound bite that assertively explains who you are, your strengths, and your immediate goals. The whole reply should take no more than half a minute.

Mine goes like this:

I’m a media and communications specialist with comprehensive experience in print and online publishing. I have a passion for writing, new product development, sustainable design, mentoring and helping to achieve a more peaceful planet.

That last bit is optional. If I was interviewing for the job of media director at Kraft, for example, I might substitute, “…and helping to make the world a better place for macaroni and cheese.” Know your audience.

Your commercial should go on to include a few successes at your last position (I helped make the transition from print to mutli-media and formulated our video-production unit), a ready and plausible answer for why you were let go (I was part of a restructuring that eliminated 250 jobs), and your future focus (I’m looking for an opportunity to build imaginative media and to sharpen the focus of existing properties).

The importance of this prepared patter is emphasized by Michael F. Melcher, author of The Creative Lawyer: A Practical Guide to Authentic Professional Satisfaction, and the blog, TheCreativeLawyer.com.

Writing on The New York Times website, Melcher, a partner in the executive search firm Next Step Partners, stressed that, “job-seekers spend too much time on the Internet and not enough time networking with real people, and when they do reach out they tend to communicate ineffectively and in some cases counterproductively.” In other words, the next cocktail party you attend may turn out to be a job interview. Be prepared.

When I invited Melcher to elaborate, he was quick to respond with great interviewing advice and his own version of the personal commercial, which he extends to a generous 45 seconds. Notes Melcher, “If you are just thinking out loud or making it up as you go along, you aren’t really respecting the time of the other person.”

Melcher agrees that job searching and online networking go hand-in-hand, and that each encounter is an opportunity to make that connection that leads to a paying gig. For most, however, the online job search network is a relatively new environment, and some basic rules of common sense prevail.

Manners matter. Be conscious of your approach, be polite, be direct. Make sure your emails are to the point, concise, and have the proper contact information. Even if your previous boss was a viper and your dismissal has your marriage teetering on the edge, keep it professional. “Don’t unload your emotional stuff on them,” advises Melcher, “and don’t ask for things that are going to be hard for them to give, such as a job.”

Be honest. When you’re making contact, put your request directly on the table. Don’t pretend your interest is simply social by asking your contact to lunch or a drink after they get off work. Melcher suggests saying, “I’m going through a transition in my career and would love to brainstorm with you about possibilities.” That way, if they agree to meet or discuss via email, the agenda is clear.

Know thyself. Having clear goals is a subset of the Thirty (or Forty-Five) Second Commercial. When networking, let folks know exactly why you want to talk to them. This helps them organize their thoughts, and everybody gets right to the point. General discussions of the sorry state of your industry or the injustices of Wall Street money-grubbers is all well and good, but tend to obscure the primary objective, which is a job. For you. Soon. Melcher identifies three specific points: “Here’s who I am, here’s what I’m looking for, and here’s why I thought it would be useful to speak with you.”

Fortuitously, when I was unexpectedly called about a contract writing position, I had just finished composing my own Thirty Second Commercial and had it right in front of me. With Shakespearian resonance, I read my commercial transcript. Let’s just say that there’s nothing like a first impression, and I got the work.

John Riha spent more than 20 years in magazine publishing including stints as managing editor of Traditional Home and executive editor of Better Homes and Gardens before being laid off in January. He now produces multi-media content, video, and, yup, is thinking about cranking out that novel. You know the one.

You can read all of John Riha’s columns here.

Tags: Gigonomics, job-hunting