Courtship of “X” Company
What is courtship? A simple definition, the act of wooing a woman. In your job search, it becomes the act of wooing a company to make you a job offer. In your job search, the job offer is the ultimate reward. Back in the day when men courted women, courtship was considered more a career move than a romantic interlude for young men. Why? Because the woman’s property became his when they got married. Therefore courting was taken very seriously - by both sides.
Here are Four Ingredients to Courting Your Next Organization:
1. Action - How much time do you invest in knowing the organization you are targeting for employment? Do your homework. Network your way into the organization, submit a resume to a specific position. Make yourself available for the interviews. Write thank you notes.
2. Time Frame - Set time specific goals to ensure that don’t procrastinate and miss an opportunity.
3. The Pursuit - This is where the interview comes in. This is where you have the opportunity to make an impression. If you want a positive outcome, the pursuit is the most important ingredient in your courting efforts.
Keys to Successful Pursuit
By definition pursuit means to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish. In this case, that translates into a job offer. Everything you do in the hiring process will either move you closer to your ultimate goal or it will move you out of the process and you will have to begin the pursuit with another organization.
Keys to Consider:
* Preparation! "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." This ingredient can not be overemphasized. Prepare answers to potential questions. Practice until you can comfortably discuss who you are and what you bring to the table.
* Rapport is critical. Can you build rapport with the interviewer(s)? You have one opportunity to create a first impression. How you speak, act and look will determine their first impression.
* Can you communicate/articulate your skills and abilities? Knowledge is good, expertise is better. You must be able to articulate your areas of expertise. Examples should be prepared ahead of time.
* Confidence
* Candor - By definition you should appear unreserved, honest and sincere as you answer questions and discuss your qualifications.
4. Response of the Organization - Either they will call you back for additional interviews, make an offer or you will get a "thanks, but no thanks". Here’s my question: What response are you looking for from your efforts in the job search? Do you really want an offer? If so, what are you willing to do about it? When you answer that question, the pursuit is on!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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POSTED IN: Post Interview, Preparation & Planning, The Interview
3 opinions for Courtship of “X” Company
Jenn
Feb 13, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Very good job. I like how your able to connect Courtship with a job search. It reminds me of something I learned in Economics. People who fall under the category of STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT. People who are looking for a job to match their skills instead of just looking for a job that’s available and not really caring whether they have the skills or not. I could definetly see the connection. :)
startupspark.com - Get Passionate About Business And Fall In Love All Over Again
Feb 14, 2007 at 1:56 pm
[…] Darlene McDaniel has 5 ingredients to courting your next job . She says that finding the right company is like wooing women back in the olden days (I’d say women woo men these days right?) It’s clear you need to bring effort and passion to the game if you want to get a great job with a great company. […]
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Jun 18, 2007 at 6:07 pm
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