Indecision on the part of a hiring manager, like Bias in a discussion at my job seeker group yesterday seems to fall under the general heading of 'Objections'. Indecision can often arise out of unspoken objections. Biases might be thought of as preconceived objections. Overcoming objections is a natural part of the selling process, so turn to what you've learned about salesmanship to find your answers.
Objections can fall along a dimension with Intrinsic characteristics on one end and Extrinsic factors on the other. Intrinsics are what you can't or won't change. Extrinsics are the opposite. Not having an MBA is an extrinsic and may be solved by going after an EMBA.
Intrinsics are generally the things left unstated: too old, too young, too white, too black. Of course having an MBA is something you can't really undo, so if being 'over-educated' is a beef for the hiring manager, it's an intrinsic.
Intrinsics can be minimized, maximized or reframed. If I'm 'over-educated' I can play it down or I can make my target market Higher Education, where it is valued.
Am I a 'diversity' candidate? I am Jewish and White and Male AND I grew up in multi-racial Cleveland Heights with children whose parents were everything from janitors to university professors. Cleveland itself is ethnically diverse and our family-owned grocery store introduced me to a number of cultures and the importance of customer service. Then I went to a university with many South American, Asian, and Middle Eastern students and started a career with General Electric, which was one of the more culturally diverse firms at that time.
My feeling is that an extrinsic is something you can act on or promise action on, even during that indecision period. And if I don't want to act on it, can I say I'm really going to be a good fit for the job? Will I have to change the organization's culture to what I feel is superior or am I going to synthesize from the best aspects of the organization and my own experiences?
Inexperience with the industry? "I've been reading the trade magazines, networking with ..., attended the ... seminar, and skimmed the classic .... Is it true that ...?".
Extrinsics can be turned back on the interviewer. "What do you recommend to strengthen my knowledge in the short term."
Of course there are only so many ways I can split my interests, and one reason I have so many technical books left unread at home is that I can't figure out whether to pursue Oracle, Java, and Banner or look further at Microsoft .Net, Business Objects, and some other major application.
My previous job search classes taught me to overcome each objection in turn and ask for the job each time the list of objections runs out. If the same objection keeps re-occurring, and I've exhausted my tactics for overcoming objections, it may simply be time to withdraw and move on. And withdrawing my candidacy is just one more tactic to overcoming an objection.
Copyright 2005 Harlan R. Cohen MBA,CPIM
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