I blog on Proformative.com (on-line community for finance executives), this is one of the questions that I was recently asked.
Good question:
I have been in interview mode for about 8 months. How do I refresh from this process so that I don't start to sound like a "canned speech". I am networking and in interviews, phone and in person probably about 25 hours per week. Selling yourself starts to become tedious.
My answer:
Before I begin, if you are feeling burned out - take a break. Cancel your networking meetings. You only have one chance to impress and no matter how you try, if you feel burned out - it comes through to whomever you are meeting. Trust me, I've been on both sides of this equation. No one buys from a sales person who lacks confidence - and you are your number 1 sales person!
I found that burnout is a combination of three factors: low psyche (from not getting a role or being treated poorly in process), repetition of process (different people, same pitch) and too many similar meetings (all hat, no cattle).
1. For the low psyche - two ideas:
· Define 'success' as those actions that got you an interview or moved the hiring process ahead. If you only define success as getting a new role, then it's tough to feel like you accomplished anything. Keep a running list of accomplishments for each week - 2 or 3. It's these little accomplishments that will add up over time. (Also see my post on Redefining Success)
· Pick a project that you can accomplish in short-time. Whether as volunteer, contractor or at home - I had a list of projects I could knock out. Gave me the rhythm of being at work, where I had the sense of moving things ahead.
I know both of these two may sound like parlor tricks, but the first is about what to expect from yourself and the second reminds you that bring value to a firm. I've given this advice several times and had good feedback - I've also used it for myself.
2. Repetition:
What varied this for me was practicing the "80% Rule", where 80% of my networking was focused on the other person. This strategy is a long-term investment in building a relationship because you are focusing on what you can do for that person - but I can guarantee it never gets boring.
You will get your chance to pitch, but it's usually not the same - because most people return the favor and start to ask different questions and the networking becomes more collaborative. (See the resource "Networking Checklist" and blog post "Making Networking Effective - Your Timing is Everything".)
3. Too many meetings:
One of my mistakes in search was too much networking. I was taking too many of the same meetings or not making the most of my meetings.
For taking too many of the 'same meetings', try the "Daily Point System". This tool will help you allocate your time to those meetings which make a difference.
For not make the most of my meetings, see the blog post "Roadmap to the Hiring Manager", this was my discovery of aligning my request for help with the networking contact's level of relationship with the hiring manager. In short, asking for help that they can truly deliver.
This is just a starter and I hope this helps.
Good luck today.
Mark
www.candidateschair.com - Networking and job search advice from candidates for candidates. Please take a visit to get free tools and advice.
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