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The Reality of Pitching Yourself

Think of it this way: when you are pitching yourself, you are pitching your own reality show, with you as the central character!

You have to tell your story: the one that shows you are one-of-a-kind. You have to help your potential employer understand how your chapter one will be and how your chapter six will be. You have to show appropriate heart and emotion. You have to show how you can hit the ground running and how you can sustain. Just as you would if you were pitching a reality tv show.

But somehow we see pitching ourselves as different from the work we do every day. We know how to pitch a show or a product. We know we have to pitch it to someone who we believe should be receptive, and that if we have misjudged it they may never take another call from us. So we do our homework and we find out what they like and we go in with a quick clear presentation – led by a sizzle reel

that knocks them off their feet – of why this is the idea they should buy and why we are the person to make it happen for them.

All this makes sense to us – whether we are a production company pitching an idea to a network, a film-maker to a financier, or an executive pitching a marketing plan or program schedule to the boss.

But for some reason, all too often, when it comes to trying to get a job we check all this smart behavior and insight at the door. We don’t like to talk about ourselves. We don’t understand what they want or why they called us in. We don’t know how to describe our value to them and we don’t …we don’t sizzle. (Ask a recruiter if I’m right or wrong!)

So to prep for your own pitch, be clear as to who you are and why anyone should care. Be clear as to what they are looking for so that you can fit the bill. If you realize you don’t fit the bill, don’t force it, move on – leaving them with respect for your ability to think on your feet, saying: you know maybe this won’t be right for us at this moment. So they will remember you positively when their need, their mandate, changes and you are just what they need.

So think of yourself as a show. If you are a creative with work to present – start with a sizzle reel that gets them excited and begging to see more. Don’t make them sweat through everything you’ve ever done – present them with the highlights that hit the main points of your pitch. Really – it is all show business and anyhow attention spans are tiny. Quickly tell them the highlights of your successes – and the great shows and brands that have been entrusted to you. And talk with excitement about how your time with them will unfold. Sizzle for them. How could they resist?

Posted on April 8, 2013 in Career Q+A, career transition, interview, job search

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Salary negotiations – tips and tricks

“How the prospect behaves in courtship can be indicative of how they will behave in the job,” said the head of a global PR firm. “Do be reasonable and respectful,” “Don’t be super-needy. Unless you are bringing in a huge portfolio of business – in which case exceptions can be made!”

“Ask for what you want before you get hired. You get more when you’re dating than when you’re married.” “If there are any intricacies at all regarding your deal, don’t be afraid to ask for it in writing. The job description is really fundamental and important. When you get your deal in writing you should also get a clear statement of whom you will be reporting to. And not a name, a job title.“

Many firms are looking for an entrepreneurial spirit; your willingness to accept variable compensation is one indicator of that attitude. What this is based on will depend on specifics – but revenues and profits fluctuate, so there should be a way to craft something that can provide a variable upside for you.

There are other ways to boost your compensation beyond the base salary. One firm offers all staffers a 10% commission on all new business they introduce. This does make employees feel there is something extra they can aim for. In that company 10% of staff are getting these commissions on top of their salaries.

Staff referrals can be an important source of hires for many firms. For employees this is another good way to boost your income. Existing staffers can get significant cash bonuses for introducing people who are hired – $3000 is not unusual. (And so, job seekers, don’t underestimate the potential of making friends who work at a company you’d like to work at.)

As to the big question – how much should I ask for, there was a strong sense at a recent panel discussion on this topic that you should let the employer speak first. Then come back with the highest package total you think is possible. Remember there will likely be no raises. And don’t fall for the old “we’ll review your salary in 6 months.” That line is less than worthless!

Do your research into what people at your level are actually earning – there is a lot of information to be found on the internet. Find people at the company you are looking at, or its competitors, and see if you can get some actual salary ranges out of them.

The panel also suggested getting advice from a lawyer or an agent. They know what is happening in the compensation field and can be a powerful objective guide and spine stiffener – even if you do the negotiation yourself. There are up and coming lawyers who are less expensive than the big boys, so use your network to find one. I can say from personal experience that on the occasions I had a lawyer help me with my own deals they were so effective that I recouped their fees in just a couple of months. My initial outlay paid off in orders of magnitude.

One final technique that is recommended by some is what is called the “Last Ask.” When you have gone through the negotiation process and just before you get to the handshake, the Last Ask has you say: “I am all set to do this, I just need this one more thing…” Employers of course hate the Last Ask, but it is a ploy worth considering.

Finally, however you proceed with your negotiation, bear in mind that this cannot be a confrontation: at all times you must remember to be reasonable and respectful. If you can’t manage this at this stage of the relationship, then maybe that particular position is not for you.

Posted on April 2, 2013 in Career Q+A, interview, job search

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The state of the hiring market – what it means for you

“Salaries, perks, benefits, severance…are all down”

This according to the head of the Executive Compensation practice at a leading NY media business law firm. Compounding the pain, he shared a graph showing that employment in what the US Government calls the information industry rose dramatically from 1990 to 2000 and then fell all the way back by 2011. Not an attractivepicture.

“But,” he says, “it looks as if 2013 is starting up from 2012.” So things are getting slightly better than awful.

This is very much a buyers’ market for talent – but be aware that when you do eventually get to discuss an offer, it means that they really want you. The employer will have been through all sorts of hoops and to come to a decision and now they will want to get it over with. The New York Times reports for example that the average Google interview process, always..ahem..thorough, has expanded in the last two years, to 30 days from 21.

Digital businesses are often looking for thought leaders. “I can’t interview fossils.” “Creatives have to live in the now, they can’t live in the past.” “I am looking for people who can enlighten our clients and these people are hard to find.”

So blog about your field and what is going on and where you see it headed. When hirers look online to check out prospects, you’d better be there with an effective and relevant digital presence – don’t be one of the “disappeared.”

As to that old “middle manager” level: be aware that in this economy you are expected to go back and utilize your core skills yourself, no-one is likely to hire you to just be a manager, however good you are.

And then there is the elusive Purple Squirrel. This is the candidate that all employers are dreaming of: the next to impossible find who has, according to Wikipedia: “precisely the right education, experience, and qualifications that perfectly fits a job’s multifaceted requirement. In theory, this prized “purple squirrel” could immediately handle all the expansive variety of responsibilities of a job description with no training and would allow businesses to function with fewer workers.”

It is the lure of the Purple Squirrel that makes hirers take so long. When you are going back for the fifth interview – know that they have been picturing this rarest of creatures – and it is your job to convince them that you are as purple as they are going to find!

Posted on April 2, 2013 in career path, Career Q+A, career transition, interview, job search, Uncategorized

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8 tips for acing a video interview (or a video date!)

(this article is a version of the one that first appeared in Cynopsis Classified Advantage)

If your vid-call experience is limited to talking to your BFF at 2 am then you might need some new polish before you face a video job interview.

A video interview is just your normal pulse-quickening, career-defining, potentially-life-changing event – but this time with added levels of difficulty. It is a production, and its success is dependent, as with all successful productions, on careful pre-production.

You may not have to fly across country, or get stuck on the subway or get lost on the highway – but the way you are perceived on the little screen is just as important as when you show up in the flesh.

1. Test the system and your equipment.

Some interviewers use Skype, some use browser-based systems like MegaMeeting, they could use GoToMeeting; are there any interviews yet on Google Hangouts? Be sure you know which set up they will be using. Do this at least a day in advance so you can get signed up if necessary and solve any tech issues. Is your Internet connection up? Is your display name professional (eg not fratboy18)? Is your camera working? (If you are using a Mac you can open PhotoBooth to see what your camera sees.) Does a separate mike sound better than the built-in? Are your speakers working? Be sure – test it all – because on the day you don’t want to be fretting about technical nonsense.

2. Dress the set
Recruiters say they like to see you in front of an uncluttered white wall, but taken too literally that can result in you looking as if you are sitting weirdly in a vacuum. According to Deirdre Mars, a partner in Idealicity, a start up consulting & business processing outsourcing partnership, you are working a delicate balance: you can use some props to set the tone, but they should not be a distraction and draw attention to themselves. So no team flags, Bieber posters, coffee cups or half eaten donuts. You can have a glass of water nearby for before the call, but don’t drink while you’re on the call. Now see how the whole things looks to your camera and tweak as necessary.

3. Light the scene.
Check the natural light 24 hours in advance. Window light from the side or three quarters front should give your best look. Avoid heavy shadows that will make you look old and tired. Strong light behind you will cast your face into darkness like an anonymous witness, front light will flatten your features and overhead light is ugly. If it’s dark, bounce light from a desk lamp or two.

4. Close apps and noisemakers
In advance of your call, make sure that other applications and phones are shut off, and that your spouse, baby and dog know not to disturb you.

5. Get dressed up
Don’t just dress your top half – a smart interviewer will sense those bunny slippers! Some collars can look messy, patterns or bright colors can distract. Deirdre Mars suggests that if you normally wear make-up, you might try a little extra to strengthen your features as the camera will tend to soften them; apply it in a mirror, but then check it out on camera.

6. Practice looking into the camera.
The big trick here according to Tim McDonald (who is Community Manager at HuffPost Live – so he knows what is what), is to look straight into the camera and not down at the image on your screen, this way you’ll be addressing the interviewer and not your desk. If you’re using a laptop, try placing it on a pile of books so the camera is at eye level. And move the application image up to the top of the screen so when you’re listening to the questions you are still not looking too far down. You could even print a picture of the interviewer and tape it so their eyes are very close to the camera – then talk to the picture. This is hard – practice it.

7. Do a full dress rehearsal
A day ahead, do a full run-through. Have a friend call you and record it. Sit back a little for a wider shot, don’t slump on the desk. Be very aware of whose turn it is to speak as voice overlaps are problematic. Review how you come across and if necessary do another rehearsal.

8. Going live on air
On the day, with production well under control, you still have to do all the things you’d do in an in-person interview: know what they are looking for and tell your success stories with enthusiasm. You’ll have to be a little more animated than usual to come across well on a video call. Be passionate and curious, listen well and don’t ramble.

Thorough preparation will have you looking good and let your strengths shine through. And what is more, Deirdre tells me that these techniques are not only good for job interviews, but she uses them when Skyping with her overseas boyfriend.

So now, are you ready for your close-up?

Posted on March 27, 2013 in interview, job search

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What is your Hirability Quotient (HiQ)?

Everyone on both sides of the hiring equation today is super-connected and hyper-resourced. So, as Thomas Friedman points out in the NY Times, “every boss now has

What is your Hirability Quotient?

cheaper, easier, faster access to more above average software, automation, robotics, cheap labor and cheap genius than ever before.”

In order to stand out as a dream hire in this cacaphonic cornucopia, like the kids in Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon we each need to be able to demonstrate that we are well above the average hirability in our sector or niche.

But wait I hear you cry – it is statistically impossible for us all to be above average. Well, you are talking to someone whose first statistics lesson was themed on Disraeli’s (or was it Mark Twain’s?) observation that there are “lies damn lies and statistics.” So be it. I am not condoning lies here – so dig out the nuggets in your work history that’ll make your case where it counts. And bear in mind if everyone is doing this, then that average above which we need to place ourselves is necessarily a moving target – and it’s probably not moving down. So keep your hirability story constantly refreshed.

Critical to your hirability, and I have been banging on about this for years, are your passion and your curiosity. It is your passion and your excitement about your work and where your field is headed that helps make you special – these are critical to maintaining your above average status. Caring a lot about what you do (passion) and constantly exploring what is new (curiosity)– well how could you want to be any other way?

So Friedman – and here’s why he gets the big bucks – has put a catchy riff on this. He’s named what he calls the Passion Quotient (PQ) and the Curiosity Quotient (CQ) and says they are becoming more important than the Intelligence Quotient (IQ). I wonder whether he read in Inc Magazine how John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO, came up with SyQ, which measures how different parts of a system interconnect.

Herewith my own (frivolous) attempt to increase my QQ (Quotient Quotient). Maybe as you demonstrate that you are above average you could find a way to quantify that. Just as LinkedIn is asking us to broadcast that we appear in the top 5% or 2% or 1% of their searches. Let’s call it our HiQ. Your HiQ of course is your Hirability Quotient. We could put it at the top of our resume – finally a metric that can save people from having to think for themselves.

But seriously. Whether it has a Q number on it or not – our hirability is something which requires eternal vigilance.

Posted on February 20, 2013 in Career Q+A, career transition, interview, job search, resumes

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Career Q+A: Interviewers, age differentials

As seen in Cynopsis Classified Advantage

~ASK THE EXPERTS~
Questions from our Readers
Answered by Michael Pollock

Q: Typically, how long into the interview does the interviewer decided my fate? Is it within the first few moments and the rest of the interview is just for show?

A: Interviewers are just people – so the range is vast. You should treat every moment as the critical moment. Certainly the first impression is super-important. It is possible that the interviewer could be spinning out the time out of politeness – but you should act as if it is all totally serious. It may just be that their affect is low – you don’t want to misinterpret the signals. It is possible that the job is yours to lose so keep on delivering. Yes, you want to be responsive to their cues – but stay on the upside just in case.

Q: I am 46 years old and just interviewed with a company by a man in his mid twenties. Instead of a hand shake he “fist bumped” me and continuously referred to me as “Dude.” I didn’t say anything to him about this, but should I have, and should I speak to his superior about this or is it okay?

A: No you don’t speak to his superior about this. He can talk to you any way he chooses as long as he doesn’t break any employment laws. It may be that he is testing you with this. What is the right way to respond? I can’t answer that without knowing you – but try not to be thrown off.

It does not mean you have to call him dude. You should stay yourself. But if you are being interviewed by a twenty-something, that means that should you get the gig you are going to have to be comfortable around that generation and its behavioral norms. If you are already feeling awkward, then perhaps you should consider that this environment is not a good fit for you.

Posted on August 28, 2012 in Career Q+A, interview, job search

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Can office gossip be beneficial to your career?

Michael Pollock discusses the issue of office gossip with hosts Rebecca Jarvis and Anthony Mason on CBS This Morning.

Posted on August 17, 2012 in career path, Career Q+A, interview, success

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“So why are you here?”

“So why are you here?” is too often the opening salvo from someone you are having an exploratory interview or pitch meeting with. If this is just their need to assert seniority, then smile and award them the round. But if in fact you have gone into a meeting and:

1. They don’t know why you are there
2. You don’t have some idea of why they’ve agreed to meet you and what they might need…

…then you should probably not be having that meeting yet.

So here are three rules:
1. Know what they want from the meeting.
2. Know what you want from the meeting.
3. Work at making it a dialog and not a monologue.

This last is the most important rule. Don’t launch into a one-way pitch; be curious about their needs and be ready to respond to them constructively. You can get better traction if you’ve thought through in advance what might be their motivation for seeing you: are they doing it as a favor to your referrer? Do they hope that you can fix a particular problem? Or perhaps they think you have potential and they might want a piece of it in the future?

Have in mind a list of the questions you want answered. Asking smart questions will gain you respect and garner you valuable information. So why not start out by asking the direct question you want answered and taking it from there? Ideally you’ve teed that question up in the exchange that led to the meet, so the fact that you now have face-time indicates a reasonable chance you’ll come away with something of value.

Here, to get you thinking, are some examples of things you might want:

You should never have to wonder how to move one of these conversations forwards because you should have always prepared yourself to get the dialog going and to keep it moving the way you want it to go. Good luck.

Posted on January 23, 2012 in interview, job search

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See yourself as others see you

What you think really doesn’t matter when you’re pitching yourself for a job. What matters is what the recipient of the pitch thinks: the hirer. What you need to be doing is intuiting what they are looking for and what they are worrying about, so that when they meet you they feel better, they feel that their problems will be taken care of.

So what should they feel when they look at you? Think about it, she is just a person with a job to do and problems to solve, whether she’s in HR or the manager you’d be working for; though in each case their problems will be slightly different. Do this exercise before you write to them or go into the interview: ask yourself “what do they hope they will see in me? What problem or worry do they have that I can help them with?”

Put yourself in their shoes. Forget for a moment about your qualifications and think about her needs. Your predictions might include: I can trust her, I want someone who has worked on projects like mine, I want someone who understands the category, I want someone who will fit in with the team, I want someone who has proven results. This kind of thing. So which of these are the likely triggers for your particular hirer? Which can you support best? Ask yourself these questions and then look at your resume and cover letter and decide whether they are framed to give the right impression.

To do this you need to have a good sense of what you have to offer. You need to understand which of your experiences and skills are relevant to their needs – which ones are important. There is often a difference between important and interesting. Focus on the “important” – and then color it with a little “interesting.” But don’t put so much interesting in that your reader loses sight of the important parts – she is not going to give it that much time before she moves on. And don’t make them work to discover the important parts. Put them up front – tell them what you bring them and then prove it in your chronology or the cases you cite. Don’t make them search for it. Why should they? Surely there is no job in the creative business where effective, powerful presentation of ideas is not important. So show them with your own pitch for yourself that you have that mastered.

So what will they see when they see your resume – or meet you at interview? Will they see a list of qualifications and clients and dates and advancements? Or will they see the answer to their problem? Which would you prefer they see?

Posted on October 19, 2011 in career transition, interview, job search

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Career Q+A: Salary negotiation

Q: I read you on Cynopsis and find your comments very insightful. I have a quick question that hopefully you can answer. I have a final interview in a few days. The HR Director has asked me what my salary history and requirements are prior to the interview. It is a director level sales management position. The company states on their web site they offer very competitive salaries.I do not know their salary range. Do I ask for a higher amount and then negotiate or do I risk alienating them and prior to the final interview?

A: Tough question. One of the toughest. If you have a sense of what the job should pay – what others make at similar level – then this is the place to be. Perhaps inflate it by 5-10% to give some wiggle room. Put yourself in the mindset that you are worth that. Be able to tell them what you will be doing to make it worth their while. Remind them of the good reasons they have for asking you back. If you are talking sales and can justify your compensation with sales projections then so much the better.

Don’t just think of it as an arbitrary number to be negotiated – try and internalize it as a number that you think is reasonable and fair (even if it’s a little higher so you can give them some back). Then practice saying it so that it feels comfortable and right in your mouth as well as on paper. Be able to justify it from their point of view as well as your own.

Try not to make it look like a take-it-or-leave-it number. You should expect to be negotiated down – leave some room for them to play with fringes and commissions. Be open to shifting the balance between base and commissions – say something like – if we both really want this to happen then I am sure we can find a package that works for both of us.

Don’t undersell yourself – be confident that you are worth it – you will not be happy in the long run.

Questioner’s response: Great feedback. Thank you. I’m taking an analytical approach to this. I have a pretty good sense of what others make at a similar level so I can justify my value. I received some data on the company’s current sales and projections. I’m taking your suggestion of balancing salary versus commission and basing this on a spreadsheet of scenarios that include revenue assumptions and commissions based on my direct sales and commission on what my team generates.

Since I will be hiring and developing comp plans this will demonstrate that I was thoughtful about the salary requirements and how I would think about this for new hires.

Posted on July 14, 2011 in Career Q+A, interview

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