St.Louis Business Journal
WHEN AND HOW TO FOCUS ON YOUR NEEDS DURING HIRING

By Anna Navarro

August 2008  

Author's note: Client stories in this column are based on actual situations fictionalized to protect privacy and told with permission.



It’s critical when changing jobs to determine whether a position you are interviewing for meets your needs. Otherwise you could end up no better off than in your existing job.

The challenge, however, is figuring out how to do that without turning employers off. Smart candidates know the more you focus on the needs of employers (versus your own) during hiring interviews, the more appealing you are as a candidate. Employers see that as a sign you care about contributing to the organization.

But how do you focus on the needs of employers during interviews while at the same time getting the information you need to determine whether a job is a good fit for you?

It’s partly a matter of timing, and partly about how you frame questions

Betty’s job search was going well. We had developed a resume and a self-presentation that focussed on the aspects of her background that employers would find most appealing. We’d also rehearsed how to answer questions in a way that addressed what employer's were most likely to want. Her entire approach was oriented to showing she could deliver what they needed.

She had a second interview for a job that really interested her. At this stage, I suggested it was important to start gathering information that would help her determine whether the job would meet her needs.

Her three top priorities were to avoid a micromanager boss, not to travel more than 3 days a month and to be paid market rate or above for her work.

I advised her to postpone raising any questions about compensation or benefits because the timing was not yet right for that discussion. There is a small window of time when candidates have an advantage in negotiating compensation, and that’s after an employer has indicated an interest in hiring them but before they have agreed to accept. She wasn’t at that point yet.

We could, however, devise questions to gather information about micromanagement and travel. The trick is to pose open ended questions that don’t make demands.

Here is the question we came up with to assess micromanagment: “From everything you’ve said, I know high quality performance is really important to you. How do you go about insuring the person in this position does a good job?”

About travel: “How do you generally deliver services to clients -- personally, via email, teleconferencing or videoconferencing?” “ Are you finding your travel much affected by the increase in travel costs?”

I suggested Betty slip these questions in during convenient times in the interview.

When she asked these questions, she learned the man who would be her boss was likely a worse micromanager than her current boss. He told Betty that he went to great lengths to insure quality. He outlined exactly how he wanted his subordinates to do something, and then checked with them frequently to make sure they did it the right way. If they deviated from his plan, he was apt to take it back and do it himself. (That probably also explained why he had several times mentioned he was overwhelmed with work.)

She also learned the company relied heavily on personal travel, and was reluctant to use teleconferencing or videoconferencing, even though the cost of travel was an increasing problem.

Betty was called for a third interview, this one to include her prospective boss’s boss. But by that time, she was sure she did not want to report to the man who would be her boss, and she declined the opportunity.

Though this particular job didn’t fit Betty's needs, she had mastered the subtle art of gathering information about what was important to her in a way that was empathetic to the needs of the employer, and didn’t diminish her appeal as a candidate. It was a valuable skill that served her well as she continued her job hunt.

Several weeks later a networking interview led her to another position that was of interest to her. She made a great case for why she’d be the best candidate. In the later stages of the interviewing, she started asking gentle open-ended questions about the issues that concerned her. The answers she got convinced her this would be an excellent position. The employer extended an offer and she successfully negotiated the terms. The job fit her needs beautifully.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.