The Book Kahuna and his Corgi, Derek!
Everybody Dance Now
You’re career was going great. You built a department from scratch, you were flexible and dealt with continuous curve-balls thrown by upper management, and you continually upgraded your skills by going to classes and in some respects getting that advanced degree to hang on the wall. You’re a world beater and ready to get out and be the guy who calls the shots in an ever changing world of digital and fiscal collaboration and incorporation.
You start the hunt for the next big opportunity. It’s a slow go because high-level jobs at executive levels are few and far between. Finally, you get that call/email/tweet/Facebook post on your profile, and you are a lean, mean interviewing machine. Then the waiting game starts…
You follow-up by sending the hiring manager more pertinent information that should put you over the top and get you into that corner office with the picturesque view (mountains, skyline, ocean, recycling plant…). You hear crickets chirping. Panic mode sets in to attack your psyche. Could I have said something better, could I have detailed how I was an instrumental facet of the Manhattan Project that ended the war? Could I have told the story of how I made time go backwards by flying around the world to save Lois Lane?
Everyone, Let’s Dance…
Remember: interviewing is a dance. Sometimes you go to the dance and all of the attendees would like to have the next dance with you. Life is good, and there is no break in the dancing and merriment that coincides with your popularity in the social setting. And then, there is the alternative to the great dance. ..
Garth Knows Dances…
You arrive at the dance, and no one notices you because the dance hall is filled with people who have the same credentials and claim to fame that you have. How can that be? Easy, there is a big wide world of corporate structure out there that has many experienced and gifted people in the batting order ready and willing to step into the line-up. You ask a stranger to dance, but their dance card is filled. You ask another stranger to dance, but this time the person has been dancing non-stop and declines until sometime at a future date. The persistent seeker will continue the relationship because dances are a fickle social medium. Sometimes the dance will work out and the couple will continue to dance for years and years. Other times, the dance will be short, especially if the song is Elvis: “Love me Tender”, but will not engender a long-term commitment by the participants; this would be the “Beginning of a beautiful work arrangement!” to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart at the end of the movie Casablanca.
The Rules of Ferris
Here are the rules of engagement if things do not appear to go your way at the dance:
- Stay positive with the hiring manager and stay in touch. You never know when another opportunity could present itself.
- Take time to reflect on any and all areas that may have put you out of the running during the course of the conversation: Turn a knowledge deficit into a strength for the next interview.
- Take steps to keep your mental focus on the ongoing search for “The Corner Office”. You know the goal; now build the bridge to get to the goal even if you have to build your own corporate corner office and entity to get where you need to go as a professional.
- Your own Corner Office may be in the corner of your house overlooking your driveway!
- Never, and I cannot stress this enough, never start to question your own drive and abilities to meet the challenges presented to you in any corporate situation. The positive attitude you keep today, will land you in that office tomorrow.
- Walk your dog. The two of you will both benefit from the experience.
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