September is a month where everyone starts either working or looking for a job if they do not have one yet. Once you discover your Passion, it is time to monetize it! And since most of you will probably go for a Corporate job, here I am with some tips and tricks.
If you want a Corporate job, you have to go through a Selection process. Even if you graduated from Harvard, you will still need to go through a few selection steps! It might be easier, but you still have to make a minimal effort.
Typical interview steps:
Phone assessment with HR
Role-related knowledge with Senior Associate – You will be evaluated on your SKILLS
Culture check with Manager – You will be evaluated on your VALUES
Important: Do you remember that a Passion is where Skills & Interests intercept?
Well, when you interview, your employer will assess your Skills & Values, but not your Interests! Why is that? The important thing for an employer is that you are a decent human being that can do his job well. The fact that you love doing it is not a priority. It is therefore up to you to find a job you love!
Whenever you are presented with an opportunity...
Match your Passions {Skills [both Strengths (Hard/Soft) and Weaknesses (Hard/Soft)] + Interests} with the requirements in the Job Description.
Match your Values with the Core Values of the Company! If you need to get clear on your values, take an online test so that you have a baseline for reference.
Example:
Strengths
If you do not know what you are good at, ask your friends! “Hey what do you think I do well?”
Hard skills
Stakeholder Management
Negotiation
Soft Skills
Communication with a portfolio of Clients
Love for challenges
Weaknesses
Take your failures and instead of beating yourself hard for it, look at them constructively to understand what you are good at. Defining what you are not good at is the first step in defining who you really are.
Hard skills
Financial Analysis
Analytical thinking
Soft Skills
Problem finding (Sales)
Managing emotions when client is angry
Interests
Like
Frequent travelling and working closely with my clients
Dislike
Data analysis (inspecting data with the goal of discovering useful information and supporting decision-making).
Values
Customer obsessed: We aim at becoming the most customer-centric company in the World
Diversity: We believe that differences makes us stronger rather than bringing us apart
High-performance culture: We empower top employees to thrive and we acknowledge their results
Anytime you look at an opportunity, you simply ask yourself 2 questions:
Are my Passions aligned with the requirements listed in the Job Description?
Are my Values in line with the Core Values of the Company?
If the answer to both questions above is yes, you apply!
Before applying...
Look for Referrals and look up current employees online. Check their LinkedIn, social profiles, portfolios, etc. Do these people seem like "your people?". Remember that asking for a Referral is super important because your application will stand out; if a company has enough referrals, they will not even look at the other applications. And the person who refers you gets between €1000 and €1500 of referral bonus!
Google yourself and ask: “Would I hire myself?”. The traditional Resume & LinkedIn are less significant in an AI-powered, digital talent recruitment economy. The Web is your Resume. Take down the video where you jump on the table at the University party 😊
A trick to make sure your resume gets looked at: Since software look at the job description keywords from the resume, you copy and paste the JD keywords in your resume. You hide them so small that no one can see them! You make the font white. But actually the system will see them and pass your resume
Something I used to do very often and that benefited me big time is going to the company fair and asking the first question!
There is always a moment, typically at the end, when the host asks "Are there any questions from the audience?".
This is a fantastic opportunity for you to ask a smart question and stand out from the crowd!
Unfortunately, most people ask a question which is:
poorly phrased / unclear --> "What's your point?"
closed ended --> The speaker can only answer Yes or No.
too long --> The speaker will be obliged to say "I will start answering the first part of your question.."
rhetorical --> Is water wet?
self-promoting --> Never start a question with "I think..", it's not about you.
So, how do you ask a great question?
Thank them for the presentation (even if you did not like it 100%).
Ask a question which empowers them to elaborate more on the company. Shine through them and give a hint about your experience.
“As someone who studied in multiple countries and values diversity I was wondering how many nationalities you have in your office and what activities you organize to engage with this diverse workforce”. Interviews: Doing them right
Very rarely you sell a Degree. If you arrive on the job market thinking that you are so much better just because you completed a MSc, you are mistaken because Skills are relative. Interviewers often hire for aptitude, not for degrees.
In an interview, you sell your story and your skills. More precisely, people will fall in love with your story and will hire you because of your skills.
How to tell a compelling story? -> Do not read your Resume!
Pitch yourself using the rule of Thirds: Past, Present, Future.
Tell them something which is 1. Unique 2. Emotional 3. Memorable
Launch some hooks people can connect with (Londoner who plays the piano -> 2 connection points)
Ex. Applying for Finance job:
I was a computer geek growing up. My favourite website was Google. So when Google went public in 2005 my mom bought me a few shares for my birthday. The idea of owning a small piece of my favourite website was fascinating to me and my first frame into finance. I have kept investing for myself and I would be happy to do it as a full-time job. Ex. Applying to an engineering position at Ferrari:
I have never been passioned about engines, not until my father bought me my first motorbike; it was often malfunctioning and I did not have money to pay a mechanic so I started fixing it on my own. After a few months, I started liking it so much that I decided to start a degree in mechanic engineering that I accomplished with Honour and I know this engineering position at Ferrari is the most logical step for me going forward. Understand the aim behind the questions you are asked!
When people ask for your weaknesses, they do not really want to know your weaknesses. They are analysing your Fixed VS Growth Mindset.
When replying, never mention a Key requirement as a Weakness! e.g. I cannot crunch data in a data analyst job interview.
Show Growth mindset through your story:
When I started College, I realised I was not comfortable with speaking in front of people. I asked for my friends’ help and I worked on presenting to small teams of 5 individuals. By the end of the year, I could effectively present in front of the entire class. I then run for Student Representative and I successfully delivered Talks in front of large audiences (500+)Finally, always send a thank you email:
Do not send a thank you email to people you contact that sounds like this:
Dear X, Thank you for your time speaking about Google. I greatly appreciate and hope to keep in touch. It’s too generic! 1000 people sent this email.
Instead, send a 1. Thoughtful, unique and specific thank you 2. Call to action
Dear X, thank you for your time today. I enjoyed your take on the markets and how you think Google’s culture differentiates the firm! If you’d be open to it, I would greatly appreciate getting to know more about Google from other university Alumni. Would you be able to connect us? Thanks!Celebrate micro-wins, but keep being focused. Do not lose yourself on the process because the process ends when you get your first salary! In the interview process, stay focused. At my ex company we got 134 applications in 2 days.
Make sure you are laser-focused, rather than applying to 1000 companies, apply to 3 and know everything about them, what they do, how they do it, why they do it, and I can assure you that they will see you are exactly the employee they are looking for.
I hope you found value, best of luck with this process, if you liked this Article please share it with someone you know and love!
Make your life a masterpiece, see you next week, I appreciate you and I hope you have an amazing day.
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