Wanted to share with you this great article from THE LADDERS’ newsletter about the power of interview prep coaching, and my work with one particular client…
Readers, what would make you more nervous: working in a war zone, or the dreaded job interview? This week, our team of reporters at TheLadders.com unearthed a great story about one of your fellow TheLadders.com subscribers who faced just that dilemma, so I am going to turn the microphone… er, keyboard… over to them…
When you’re looking for work in a war zone, it helps to do some research to prepare you for what to expect. Peter Vasquez did his research, and it led him to a new work front in Afghanistan.
“The CEO was surprised that I knew as much about the company as I did,” the UpLadder member said about his interview with the head of Technologists Inc., a construction firm based in Rosslyn, Va., that was looking to hire people for a new construction project in Afghanistan. Vasquez, who had recently returned from a 15-month stint doing construction as a civilian contractor on a military base in Iraq, had a good sense of what this new job would entail.
With that hurdle vanquished, Vasquez faced another: a job interview, something he hadn’t had to do in a very long time.
Vasquez, who had owned his own business for several years before working in Iraq, was a little nervous about selling himself. During his searching of TheLadders site, he recalled seeing a feature called Interview Prep. “It intrigued me,” Vasquez said. “I wrote to them: ‘I’m not an interview guru. Do you have any suggestions for me?’ Someone got right back to me.”
That someone was Alan Cohen, a certified executive coach who works with members of TheLadders. “With Peter, it was a matter of smoothing out the rough edges,” Cohen said. “What I saw was someone who was incredibly strong on values, on ethics. He was very hard working; he had worked his way up in the construction industry. All of these things set him apart and made him attractive to an eventual employer.”
Cohen worked with Vasquez over the course of three days, preparing him for how to answer questions such as “What are your strengths?” and the dreaded “What are your weaknesses?” steering him to answer in a way that put his skills in the best light.
“The raw material was all there,” said Cohen. “Peter knew the business, but he hadn’t interviewed for a job in a long time. I often tell people, it’s not so much about selling yourself as having an exchange of information and trying to see if this job is the right fit. He needed to be prepared to answer questions but also to ask questions to find out if this organization was where he wanted to work. If he did, then he needed to go into sales mode.”
Armed with a new approach and a lot of confidence, Vasquez flew to Virginia to meet with several people from Technologists. When he got there, the first person he met was the CEO, and he worked his knowledge of the industry into the conversation.
“Without a doubt, I felt more confident going into that interview,” Vasquez said. “When you don’t do this every day, it can be mind-boggling. Put me in a room with architects, engineers, a PowerPoint, no problem. I’m not nervous. I could do that all day long. But an interview – that’s something a little bit new.”
Vasquez returned home from his interview on a Friday; by that Sunday evening, he had a job offer via e-mail. Vasquez left for Afghanistan this week to take the construction foreman position with Technologists Inc. He leaves his wife and 10-year-old son in Chicago but hopes he can come back every six months for a few weeks at a time.
“My wife at first wasn’t too keen on my going overseas again. But she sees now that times are hard, and I can get better-paying work in Afghanistan. My son said, ‘You do what you gotta do.’ I think he understands.”
Read Peter’s full story here.
Readers, if Peter’s trepidation about the job interview sounds familiar to you, we’ve got help. Go to our Career Advice section for articles on interviewing, or sign up for Interview Preparation with one of our counselors.
Happy hunting, Readers! I know it’s difficult out there, but we are doing our darn best to get more great $100K+ jobs for you – over 7,000 new ones on TheLadders.com this week!
Warmest Regards,
Marc Cenedella
Founder & CEO
TheLadders.com, Inc.
Related posts:
