How to get Hired

There seems to be this philosophy in certain groups of candidates: “Let’s make sure I annoy the living shit out of the guy doing the hiring.”

I have heard job coaches give advice that generally annoys anyone involved in the hiring process like it’s some sort of golden, untapped method that nobody has thought of. The only thing it accomplishes is pissing off and annoying the person doing the hiring.

And guess what? That’s the last thing you want to do. Crazy as it seems, it’s true.

There are decent, straight-forward ways of getting yourself noticed. Here are a few methods to help yourself get noticed for the right reasons:

• Ask for the interview: You should first consider that the recruiting process is really a sales process. If you must know one principle about sales, you have to make the ask. For example, a good way to ask for an interview over the phone or e-mail would be to ask the hiring manager, “I am available all of this week and early next week to tell you more about my experience. Is one week better than the other?” If that is too forward for your personality, ask for a time when you could go into more detail about your experience. Be prepared for it to be right then.
• Don’t call more than once a week: Period. End of story. Unless you’re called, don’t do it.
• Don’t e-mail more than once a week: Same rule as above. E-mail is a black hole so you might be tempted to try your luck. Don’t.
• Don’t show up to ask about it: Significantly worse than interupting my day with a phone call or e-mail is getting out of my chair, going to the front office, and chatting with you. What I’m going to tell you is, “I will be getting in touch with qualified candidates by telephone or e-mail.” Don’t come by my office unless you are dropping off a resume or coming in for a requested interview.
• Be on your best behavior: Be professional. Don’t throw a fit or give me a facial expression suggests you’re less than pleased with the answer. Everyone is busy.

If you do the above, you will have a decent shot at getting interviewed. If you break rules, you probably won’t get hired. Unless they are desperate.

Originally published at lancehaun.com on May 31, 2006.