Networking into the Hidden Job Market to Change Industries
This strategy can be extremely useful when you would like to change industries. You can’t assume that the person you’re talking to will automatically be able to see why your experience in industry A will be an asset to him in industry B. Don’t leave this quantum leap in thinking to your interviewer or person you’re networking with.
Most candidates say their skills are “transferrable” and then they stop. If they cannot explain in a compelling convincing way how that is true, it’s is unlikely that a recruiter or hiring manager won’t be able to see how that’s possible. So while it’s true, you must be able to explain HOW it’s true. What does the hiring company get if they hire you from a different industry that they don’t get if they just stick to people in their industry.
Essential Interview Skill — Sorry, Mom!
Probably your mom, like mine, told me to always answer when someone asked me a question.
But in certain situations when you’re interviewing, you may want to delay mom’s rule for just a moment.
Most of us launch off into an answer when we are asked a question in an interview. It’s the question-answer-question-answer mode. We want to appear knowledgeable, and besides it’s fun to talk about ourselves. Or we’re nervous and just start talking. Or it’s just that mom did a good job training us!
But those times when the question is a little different, you may want to stop and ask a clarifying question or two. I’ve always found that when I do that, I get critical information about the question that is REALLY being asked.
