informational interviewing Archives

Marissa wants to go to a full time MBA program next year. Remember back to your experience applying to college and you can appreciate what she is going through. Grad school is the same drill. Study for the GMAT. Take the GMAT. Study some more and take it again to bring up that math score. Research schools to see which schools have the programs and teaching style she wants. Write essays conveying how her experience translates into business school material. Submit applications. Now it is time to visit the schools.

Marissa knows the drills about interviewing. She hears it from me often enough. But she insists these school visits are NOT interviews. All she will be doing is visiting some classes, taking a tour and talking to the Admissions Director. NOT AN INTERVIEW, she says repeatedly as she tries on clothes that walk a fine line between dressy business interview clothes and clothes she would wear to class. She wants to fit in with the students after all. And it is NOT AN INTERVIEW.

She finally selects a black blazer with a nice white blouse over brand new dark jeans and her pretty heels. And lipstick. Don’t forget the lipstick. She is charmingly dressy casual. Perfect she thinks.

On her drive home after visiting the school she calls and sheepishly admits that the meeting with the Admissions Director and several people on her team went well. But it was an interview, not just a casual meeting. The Admissions Director even called it an interview when Marissa arrived at the school.

Uh oh… “I wish I wore the black pants instead of the jeans.” You think?

Every interaction with someone in authority when you want something is an interview. Always be prepared to interview on the spot. That means knowing what you want to say, being nice to everyone you meet including the janitor and receptionist and dressing the part. Even if there is only a slight chance that the meet-up will turn into an interview.

When does this advice apply? On Friday morning when you go to that “casual” networking event, your local professional association, a church business meeting or a volunteer event. Dress to impress. Just because it is Friday does not make it “jeans day” for job seekers or career people who want to make an impression.

It doesn’t cost much. Put a little extra effort into your clothes and grooming whenever you go out of the house. You never know who you will meet. You never know when that casual meeting will turn into an interview when you least expect it. But if you look the part you will be more attentive to the opportunities.
Marissa is visiting another school this week. You can bet she will be dressed in “interview clothes” designed to impress. She might even wear make-up!

Did you ever make this mistake? I would love to hear your stories!! Promise I won’t say “I told you so”!!

I attended a Lisa Ryan talk about a year ago, and liked her message a lot. That night it was all about Gratitude: “write down five things that you are grateful for every day for 30 days. It will make a huge difference in your life.” I did, and it did. If you are searching for a new job, or want to make a job charge or career change, try it.

So when I received an e-mail announcing Lisa Ryan’s latest eBook, “Afraid to Speak to Paid to Speak,” I was disposed to want to read it, see what else she had to say. It’s a pretty quick read, 90-100 pages.

Now you are reading this blog, The Interview Doctor, because you want to make a career change or know someone who does, right? You or they want more from the current job, or want to land a new job, and what does a book about “paid public speaking” have to do with finding a better job, right?

Answer: it could have a LOT to do with landing a better position. The book is a lot about Lisa’s development from ‘afraid to paid’ through Toastmasters. I am frequently surprised by the impact that public speaking practice has on a person’s confidence level. In fact I witness it pretty regularly at Toastmasters meetings. Lisa Ryan’s book comes from the point of view of a Toastmaster who has gone from a panic-attacker to a nationally recognized author and speaker. And, as she tells in ‘Afraid to Speak’ her confidence grew with the regular “stage time” practice that she obtained in Toastmasters.

The how-to-get-to-a-point-of-money-for-public-speaking book is organized into ten easy-to-follow chapters. Lisa demonstrates through her own fairly funny stories (the wedding day memory is a classic) as well as the experiences of other “paid public speakers” that effective public delivery of a strong meaningful message can be learned, and used for personal gain.

This week I used her ideas again at a Toastmasters meeting, referencing “Afraid to Speak” and its outline of ten chapters for an impromptu speech; her ideas hit a home run. Here are just three: (chapter one) if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail; (chapter five) Pause longer, and your speech will prosper, and (chapter six) Act confident and you’ll be confident. (To get all ten, you’ll need to spend the $2.99 on Amazon.)

Do these ideas work for job seekers, and their need to tell crisp, concise and entertaining stories about their work history? Of course they do; check this eBook out, and check out the Toastmasters experience that she references in the book- both will prepare you for landing that next good job!

Be Prepared to Turn a Casual Meeting into a Job Interview on the Spot

Did you ever make this mistake? I would love to hear your stories!! Promise I won’t say “I told you so”!!

Book Review: “Afraid to Speak to Paid to Speak” by Lisa Ryan