“If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there.” – Martin Blank, Grosse Pointe Blank.
“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make — bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake — if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.” – Lemony Snicket
There is nothing worse for us than hearing something went sideways between a job seeker and an employer that we’ve introduced to each other.
And I’m not even talking about the easy ones here – during the course of even our casual networking events, there are always at least five to ten conversations that we get started between people looking for work and someone looking to hire. Or even the dozens that happen during one of our Pink Slip Party events. Those are just introductions, and other than the few moments of conversation necessary to find out where the connections should be made, there’s really not that much investment.
No, I’m talking about the ones that we take a particular interest in, for one reason or another. Where we’ve spent time outside of our events with people. When we’ve gone out of our way to make sure face to face meetings happen. And then to have someone go and be an idiot…sigh.
But they’re not alone, and so here are the five assumptions you can make that will virtually ensure you’re not going to get the job…
1. I know [person], and so this interview is totally just a formality.
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, WRONG. It’s awesome that you’ve listened to us hammer on the power and necessity of networking and the core message we keep putting out there reinforcing that “it’s not what you know, but who you know”…but you can’t stop listening at that point just because that’s the part you want to hear. The rest of that talk is all about how knowing someone can help get you through the hurdles of automated searches and faceless algorithms to actually get you in front of someone for the interview.
So when we call you after hearing from the recruiter we set you up with that you were perfect for the job…but your arrogance during the interview absolutely killed any chance you ever had of working there, just know that you’ve become Entitlement Guy and slipped down the Priority List.
2. My resume is perfect.
Your resume might be fine from your perspective, but there’s a reason why we have not one but two different entries out here about writing a resume – most suck. And even if your resume was great for landing your last job three years ago, that doesn’t mean that it’s right for the current market. Or that it fits the position that you want. Or that it accurately reflects what you do in a manner that will make it clear to the person reading it.
3. I don’t need to work with a recruiter.
Unless you have the relationships in place with the people who are hiring for the job you want (and *cough* first assumption *cough*), then you probably want to work with someone who does. Like a recruiter. Who typically has a person within twenty feet of them most days called an account manager. An account manager who takes people who hire people out to lunch and golfing as a part of doing their job. Who has those relationships, usually for contract, contract to hire and permanent positions at any given time. Recruiters get paid when you get a job…so don’t you think it might make sense to deal with someone who has a vested interest in getting you hired?
4. That interview went great, I can stop looking now.
You don’t have the job until you have the job…and even then, things can still go wrong. They might not have run your background check yet. A random chat between your new prospective boss and their old friend who just happens to work where you just quit and pissed every one off might happen. Or a re-organization that nobody knew was coming hits and everybody you interviewed with is also now looking for a job. Or a better candidate came along in their next interview right after you left. There are a hundred reasons why you never assume you have the job, and this is one of the most dangerous ones to make.
5. Networking is for losers with no skills.
Yeah, I used to think this too. Back when I was in my 20s, I had no need for anyone’s help. After all, I had the skills, I had the background, and I had the track record, so that’s all I needed, right? Wrong. It doesn’t always work out so well that way. It’s always easier when you have other people helping you, and so start paying attention to the ten commandments of networking and stop shooting yourself in the foot repeatedly.
Need some more? Here are The 10 Commandments of Networking: https://itinthed.com/2697/the-new-and-improved-10-commandments-of-networking/ and The 10 Commandments of Job Search: https://itinthed.com/7256/the-10-commandments-of-job-search/