When do Hiring Managers Know They Have Found a ’Leader’?
Hiring managers who search for leaders look for a very simple signal to decide if they have found the right candidate or not.
Can you remember or maybe even visualise your last interview? Do you remember how it all felt; maybe those sweaty palms and your elevated heartbeat? What was your strategy going in? Were you prepared? Did you open up and reply with solid answers or did you babble on forever when asked a difficult question?
IF YOU CAN CAST A VISION – THE HIRING MANAGER WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE RIGHT CANDIDATE
Casting a vision is the most appealing trait of any leader. We all want to work with and for managers who have a vision. We want to know where we are heading and how we are going to get there. Great managers and team leaders are all familiar with the idea of casting a simple vision: you have to rally the troops, articulate the path from point A to point B, and be passionate and clear. {Click to Tweet} You can apply the same technique to your application and your interviews if you want the hiring manager to select you as the right candidate.
GREAT MANAGERS AND TEAM LEADERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE IDEA OF CASTING A VISION: EXPLAINING WHERE YOU ARE, WHERE YOU ARE HEADED, AND HOW YOU WILL GET THERE
Whether you’re new to job hunting or have been between jobs for a bit, you’ve probably been given a lot of advice on the best practices. You’ve been informed to be honest, be yourself, do your homework and research the company and position a.s.o. All of this advice is spot on, but it is also incomplete unless you cast a vision which encompasses all of the tips below and more.
BRING OUT WHO AND WHERE YOU ARE
If you want to be ‘believed in’, you will need to be able to paint a clear picture and you must be honest and able to discuss past experiences and opportunities where you have been successful. This will better help the hiring manager and give them an idea of your abilities.
CLARIFY WHY YOU WANT THE JOB
Do your homework on the company, your interviewers and the position and during the process always clarify why the role interests you. By doing this, and by asking questions and relating your own past experience, you will be able to explain why the job is a good fit for you and why you are a good fit for the people you will eventually work with.
CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN YOURSELF… THE POSITION… AND THE FUTURE
If you’ve managed to get to this point in your job search, you’ve successfully described yourself and displayed passion for, and knowledge of, the position. Now it’s that moment when you get the one opportunity to ‘cast your vision’ and to close the deal. Where will you take the team / the project / the challenge in the short and long term? Why are you the perfect fit? {Click to Tweet} How will you reach new heights with this role?
If you can connect the dots, you can cast the vision. Any good application or interview from a good candidate is cast with a sense of personal branding and authenticity, but a ‘real leader’ casts a vision for the future; a vision that only that candidate can fill. Be that person in your next application and interview and the hiring manager will know that you are the right person for the job.
The difference between Being and Doing is the translation or the casting of a vision. When people discover this then they are in the zone. Focus on it when you are out there searching for that next leadership role and always remember to hunt wisely!
Uli
