Anatomy of a job search
How Renee Mona got her new job
Candidates often ask how my coaching services can help them land a job. Here’s one woman’s story, and a perfect example.
Renee Mona starts her newest career adventure as the Executive Director of Rise ‘n Shine on December 1. Her job search took about two months and a lot of help from friends and strangers. In these tough economic/employment times, it is always useful to know how others land a great job.
Renee knows people. She is fearless, articulate and respected. When she picked up the phone or sent an email asking for support, support came.
Here’s why. She knew what she needed, the job she wanted and why she was a good fit. In short, she let her connections know what help looked like. She understood that job search is not a shell game and that people want to help and employers want to hire. All she needed to do was make that easy for them.
She began by revitalizing her LinkedIn profile because she knew that would be the first stop for any interested party. She drove their attention to her success and what she could do for a new organization.
Renee’s elevator pitch was refined to include what she would do for a future organization and how she had done so in the past. Her message was a brief sound-bite anyone could repeat when they introduced her. Renee’s passion was expressed and people listened. She got leads, interviews and lots of support.
The resume was so spot-on to the job description she was actually complimented during her first interview. It was seen as well organized and she was commended for speaking to the exact issues the organization had targeted. How did she do that?
She had the job description at hand when she revamped her resume for this job. She included examples with deliverables. Her objective mirrored their needs and her summary enforced her credentials as a best fit. She didn’t just tell them she could do the job, she demonstrated it with outcomes.
Her cover letter also reflected the job description language. That’s why she was sent one, so she could tell the employer how her credentials mapped to their needs. Certainly she was advantaged by her decades-long experience with non-profit organizations and their agenda, but so were the other candidates. She rose to the top because she spoke to the organization’s needs precisely.
Renee’s interviews were infused with questions to the staff and board that reflected her understanding of their mission. Her answers to their questions about fund raising and other challenges were answered with examples and metrics that proved her success. And she was extremely careful to talk TO the interviewers not AT them as so many people do.
Her answer to the dreaded ‘tell me about yourself’ question focused on why she was interested in the job and how she first became involved with non-profit organizations. She was brief and passionate.
The board interviews would have been daunting for most people, but Renee genuinely liked the people with whom she had already met. She was convinced this was the right job for her and upon closing the interviews made certain they knew how much she wanted this job from the point of view of what she could accomplish on their behalf. She was made an offer four hours after the board interviews.
To Renee, all of Seattle says, “Mazel Tov.”
Lessons to be learned:
- People hire people they like.
- They like people who understand the mission.
- They hire people who want the job.
