Getting your player ready...
Dear J.T. & Dale: I met the CEO of a huge corporation in my town recently at a charity event. We only spoke briefly, but I admire her and I’d really like to set up a meeting with her. However, I can’t see why she’d bother to meet with me. Suggestions? – Janie
DALE: Ah, no, Janie, you do have something to offer. Successful people know that they have been lucky, including having been helped by many others. The best feel an obligation to repay fortune’s debt. All day long, executives hear from industry hustlers and glad-handers claiming to offer better/cheaper/faster. Not you – you offer the CEO the opportunity to share wisdom and make a difference in someone’s life.
J.T.: The key is properly presenting yourself. To start, do your homework on her, researching her professional history and looking for specific areas where you’d like to learn more. Then contact her company and ask to speak to her assistant. Never, ever underestimate the power of an executive assistant – she’s the one you’ll need to persuade. Don’t just ask for an appointment, ask for advice on how to get an appointment. Explain why you admire the CEO and what you want to talk about. If you show enthusiasm, I guarantee the assistant will tell you the best way to get on her calendar.
DALE: If nothing else, send an email or letter. Early in my career I happened to sit next to the president of the biggest company in my city at a luncheon. I sent him a letter telling him that I respected his company and hoped one day to work there. The next week I got a call from an HR guy, who invited me in. The HR guy insisted that they didn’t hire people like me, but because the president had sent down my resumé, he felt obligated to set up an appointment. I got the job.
J.T.: Which means you must have made a great impression. So, Janie, if you get on the CEO’s calendar, the next question is how to make a killer first impression. There’s a video tutorial on that subject at CareerHMO.com, which is a project I’m heading. (Part of the site offers coaching via paid membership, but you can sign up for the free section, where you’ll find more than 100 hours of tutorials, including one on informational interviews.) You’ll learn how to walk into the CEO’s office prepared to impress by being prepared to learn. Even if the CEO isn’t available to meet with you, you’ll be developing the confidence to meet C-level people and seek their guidance.
BEST OF THE MONTH
J.T.: It’s time again to report on career resources. This time we want to pass along new data from the staffing company Accountemps. This survey asked senior managers, “How long should a job seeker wait to follow up with the hiring manager after submitting a resumé?” Only 1 percent said, “Don’t follow up.” More than 80 percent were divided between following up in the first week and the second week.
DALE: How is it, then, so many job-hunters tremble at the idea of following up, believing that employers hate it and will instantly toss from contention the foolhardy ones who attempt to follow up? That’s because many job postings specify not to contact the company. However, the numbers we’re reporting are from senior managers, asking about following up with the hiring manager. If the poll had been of HR people, the results would differ.
J.T.: One more reason why we are always urging applicants to network into the person doing the hiring. You have to try to guide it to the right person, the one who’ll be impressed if you care enough to follow up.
