If we could choose our relatives at the same time we were looking for a job (how’s that for a sweet-and-sour combination?), we’d all like an uncle in the headhunting business.
Since reality rarely comes to our rescue quite so fortuitously, maybe Alan Schonberg can help. Schonberg is the founder and chairman of Management Recruiters International, a giant Cleveland, Ohio-based recruiting firm. He’s been in the recruiting business for decades and has the avuncular ability to offer good, practical advice without coming off like a bossy or disapproving father. He is also the author of “Headhunters Confidential – 125 Insider Secrets to Landing Your Dream Job,” published by McGraw-Hill.
Since 125 secrets are too many to cram into this space – and since Schonberg’s wisdom extends to book publicity – he offered to share a few of his job-hunting secrets with us. Here are five:
When you’re a candidate, Schonberg says, you shouldn’t bring up your current salary; it puts you at a disadvantage in negotiations. Let the interviewer ask first. Since most of the interview is essentially an exercise in determining whether you’re a good fit, the interviewer may already have decided you are a viable candidate before the money issue even comes up. If you’re someone the interviewer believes can do the job, has a suitable personality and will be a good addition overall, “you can never ask for too much,” Schonberg said, because money is only one part of the equation in hiring.
He says it’s essential to tell the truth, but when asked how much you make, frame your response so that the dollar figure represents total remuneration: salary, 401(k) contribution, bonus, dollar value of perks, etc. Schonberg says it’s better, for example, to say “My total annual compensation package comes to about $65,000” than it is to say, “My salary is $52,000 a year.”
Second, learn everything you can about the employer. Schonberg says this is easier than ever because of the Internet, and he advises candidates to read annual reports, magazine articles, analyst recommendations and everything else you can find about the company and its products and services. “Immerse yourself in the data,” he says, so you can talk intelligently about the company and how you can help it achieve its objectives.
That touches on a third secret: companies really only care about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. Schonberg advises that for whatever job you’re being considered, show that you add value – that you know more, will contribute more and are worth more than anyone else.
Fourth, when you’re job hunting, forget casual Friday or casual any day. “You dress in business attire for an interview,” Schonberg says, “no matter what everyone else is wearing.” First impressions are lasting, so he reminds candidates to make eye contact, shake hands firmly and take care of personal matters (dandruff, nails, breath).
Finally, Schonberg advises candidates not to become discouraged. He knows being interviewed, judged and rejected can be hard on the ego. “But don’t allow rejection to defeat you. The process isn’t about you as a person. It’s about human beings trying to match jobs with candidates, and human beings make mistakes.”
Article – Copyright 2000 Evan Cooper. Syndicated by ParadigmTSA
