Guest Post: Rahul Pandey

Rahul is one of Chris' Summer 2010 Professional Speaking students. Here he writes about getting the job you want.

I would like to work for Apple some day.

The relative ease with which I was able to jot down the above statement continues to amaze me but what amazes me further is that almost everyone I talk to or ask the question “Where would you like to be working?” has an articulate and well-reasoned answer. So, why do so few of us ever get to be where we want to be? Why does our ‘dream job’ end up remaining our ‘dream job?’ I believe it doesn’t have to be that way. I believe with concentrated effort and the right mix of skill sets, one can really end up where he or she wants to be - just like I am sure I will, one day, be working for Apple.

It begins with knowing what you want to do and what you are capable of. Then comes knowing the market, understanding what kind of playing field you are competing against and which specific companies are out there doing the kind of work you would like to be doing. This involves many different aspects of social networking including building and maintaining acquaintances in your current workplace, school or society, networking effectively with people from the domain you are interested in and staying in touch with the most recent activities and advances in your field of interest. With the Internet and the social networking revolution as it is today, all these are just a few keystrokes away. An increasingly large number of news aggregator sites (like reddit or digg, to name a few of the most popular ones) actually provide very concise and up-to-date collections of news and information from all realms of technology, politics, industry, and other walks of life. People get to participate in debates and discussion of high intellectual value. All these go a long way in making you well informed and broadens your perspective on everything, making you a well-rounded individual. This also helps in discovering your passion for a particular job and/or company.

Researching the company (or companies) comes next. The best way to convince an interviewer that you are going to be an asset to their organization is by touting your research on the company. It indicates you have done your homework and are serious about the job. Finding out facts about an organization in today’s digital age is really no work at all. Go one step further and try to get in touch with current employees of the organization. Interact with them about the company’s culture; ask if you can see yourself in their shoes and be happy with the picture. If the answer is yes, you can be sure you are on the right path! Also, infer the ‘story’ of the company. Every company has one. What is their current business model? What is their strategy? What are they planning for the short-term and long-term vision of the company’s future? Being well equipped with all this information is a very giant step towards that dream job.

Then comes the resume. There are really no hard and fast rules out there that you should adhere to when it comes to writing a resume. Of course, the standard limitations apply by default: Do not lie and avoid spelling or grammatical errors! Resumes should be strategic and pertain to the job you are interviewing for. Different people have different opinions on how big the resume should be, but the generally acceptable ideal length would be whatever is enough to put forward your achievements, strengths and your story to the interviewer in a brief but complete manner. Many say that your resume gets anywhere between 2 and 10 seconds of attention from an interviewer before it is thrown onto a pile of hundreds of other applicant resumes. While this is disputable, a strong resume is always one that is able to catch the attention of anyone who reads it almost immediately. Having said that, the resume is not the be-all and end-all of seeking a job...the actual job interview is probably the most important aspect of it all. It is, in a manner of speaking, the culmination of all your efforts to get your ‘dream job.’

So, here we are. All you’ve worked for, all the research, the information-gathering and the knowledge-sharing and the networking, all comes down to the interview tomorrow morning. What do you do now? You start with getting a good night’s sleep! On the day of the interview, you arrive early, you dress smart and you look fresh. You have to have interesting stories that are relevant to why the company must hire you. You have to convince the interviewer that you are a good fit for their corporate culture and that you will provide value to the organization and the team. Convince them that you know why you are here. Sell your asset points. Be interesting, and more importantly, be interested. Ask relevant questions. At the end of the interview, tackle sensitive questions, like compensation, gently. Ask what is to be expected next. Be courteous, provide a good closing, greet the interviewer(s) individually and take leave. After the interview, follow up with additional remarks about your asset points or points that you could elaborate better. Go over the interview in your head and ask yourself what would you have done differently or improved upon so that if it does come down to it, your next interview will go better! At the end of it all, we have to stay positive. After all, with a good interview you already have one foot in. All that matters is sealing the deal!

So, there it is - that is what I intend to do to get my dream job...eventually. In my tenure as a business analyst in my previous organization, I had the opportunity to receive hands-on training on how to interview candidates and I shadowed a fair share of interview situations with real-world examples and real interviewers. I also got to interview a good bunch of people looking to join my organization. It always used to surprise me that extremely talented people with rich and strong technical profiles would put no significant effort into their presentation or their research on the company. Many would not even have a proper answer as to why they want this job. And on the flip-side, there would be others who, while having a better than average profile, would show such enthusiasm and willingness to learn, to grow and a desire to be a part of a growing organization and to contribute to a common cause, that it would be the most natural decision to approve them for hire! I have been fortunate enough to have been able to learn so much from all the candidates sitting on the other side of the interview desk - and if it has taught me one thing it would be this - that it never comes down to just one thing for you to get that job; it is the sum of all the little things that you do...right from the point that you dream the dream of that job!