Unlock your Professional Future

Have you ever had a job interview and been left wondering what went wrong when there was negative feedback—or possibly no feedback at all?  

Dan Resendes, our chief consulting office emeritus, explains why this happens very simply. 

“Most people don’t actually understand the purpose of a job interview. They think they are there to show off their knowledge, skills, experience, and, of course, their winning personality,” he says. “But that’s not the point of a job interview at all.”

Perhaps a metaphor might help you visualize why he says this.

Think for a moment about a key—the kind you might use to unlock your front door.  The key has a number of indentations and projections on its blade.  Each of these lifts a pin to the point where the key pin clears the shear line so that the plug of the lock can turn inside the case and allow you to open your door.  If you insert the wrong key, the pins do not clear the shear line so the plug cannot turn.

That is a perfect analogy for what happens in a job interview.

According to Dan (who has been guiding executives for over 20 years), your objective in a job interview is, like the key, to discover the exact contours of the role and the expectations of the company.  Once you know exactly what is needed, you can then tailor how you explain your experience and skills to demonstrate how precisely applicable they are to the requirements of the role and the needs of the company.  Just like the metaphoric key, you need to clear the shear line perfectly during the interview process. Doing so will allow the lock to turn and open the career path.

Be a Solution, Not a Jobseeker

In fact, you should approach the interview as a solution rather than a job seeker. And the only way to do that is to actively explore the contours of the issues, challenges, or opportunities—the real reasons the company is recruiting.  This is equally true whether you are interviewing through any of the principal markets The Barrett Group addresses (the recruiter market, the published market, and the unpublished market). The difference is that you will probably have more latitude to design the position yourself in the unpublished market than in the other two cases. The Barrett Group helps clients enter all three markets and then, once interviews arise, trains clients to anticipate questions and practice responses, including the kind of active exploration discussed above.

Asking questions in an interview may seem more naturally the province of the hiring manager, but it is a highly valuable tactic that we recommend to candidates as well.  Utilize the first part of the interview to collect relevant information about challenges and opportunities the company or hiring manager faces. Then use the second half to demonstrate the applicability of your skills and experience to those challenges. Be highly selective. Do not regurgitate your entire history—only what is truly relevant and applicable. And always focus on results: What specific, quantified benefits can you point to as a result of your work?

Be the Key that Fits the Lock

If that sounds like a tall order, well, without the help of The Barrett Group, it probably is. Our clients are successively prepared for this, first with a resume that is perfectly suited to the target(s) the client has defined—like the key that fits the lock. Next, we help clients discover opportunities that fit that target.  Then we teach clients to interview successfully, role-playing with them to prepare them for the real thing.  Lastly, we are there when clients need help to negotiate the offer(s), bringing our 35 years of experience and more than 100 compensation elements to bear so that we can essentially always add $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 or more to the first offer.  Our proven methodology works across industries and hierarchies, from Directors up to the C-Level and beyond.  

How can we say that?  Well, in the last week, alone, we celebrated six client landings – and two dozen more clients obtained interviews.

No wonder Forbes magazine has cited us as one of the best in the business for the last five years.

The Preparation Advantage

Here’s what one recently landed client, who wanted to shift into a new industry, had to say about our process:

“There were so many valuable pieces to The Barrett Group Program. If I hadn’t gone through it, I would still be stuck in the advertising industry. Ad agencies were still trying to recruit me and if I had been unsuccessful in transitioning into marketing, I would have succumbed and gone back to it. I needed The Barrett Group’s help to break out of that cycle,” Steven said, adding, “I am rejuvenated! I wake up every morning and think, ‘I get to go to work!’” [Steven Levy, Director of Marketing.  Read More.]

Executives often tell us about frustrating interview experiences because they aren’t prepared properly for the interview, like an athlete who has not trained for an event. So, failure is highly likely. Barrett Group clients, however, are well prepared. 

Steven would heartily agree. Not only did he land the job he wanted, he convinced the president of the company to elevate the role to a director-level position.

“My interview preparation sessions were so useful! I absolutely loved working with my consultant! He started with a mock interview. Then he explained how I could have improved my responses because time is limited, and you have to be targeted in what you talk about.”

Perhaps it is time to improve your chances and really unlock your professional future.  Let the Barrett Group be your key.  Give us a call.