Focus in your Job Search

"I noticed on your resume you have experience in a bunch of different fields, you ran your own business, been in real estate, product marketing, and have spent time in sales. What makes you want to go into this position we have open?”

"To be honest, I am flexible. If you have a position in a different area like Finance, Marketing, Sales Operations, or Customer Service, I would be interested in that too."

STOP RIGHT THERE.

Guess what... your future employer doesn't care.

When a company has an open position (especially in sales), they are looking for the best candidate for that role. Many of the interview questions are generally focused around figuring out if this is the position you really want, you will be happy with, and will stick with it when things don’t go exactly according to plan. If you can't convey the focus in your job search, you will have a long road ahead of you.

It is perfectly OK and normal to want to do other things. You should have confidence in your ability, be incredibly optimistic, and dream big. However, if you want this position, you need to convey that this is the job you want and you want it now. Focus.

A typical interview question that usually makes people feel uneasy is, “where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?” You are probably thinking I want to get my MBA, start my own business, take the job of the person interviewing you, or maybe even if I’m still working here I will be absolutely miserable.

The decision maker and stakeholders in an interview process have social, political, personal, and career liability on the decision of hiring you. If you leave the company, that affects them. How are you going to mitigate their concern?

The best answer is to frame your response in their terms. The employer is looking for confidence that you want this position and see potential to grow organically with the company.

I’m not telling you to lie in an interview, just to be more prepared and focused then your competition (understand you aren’t the only candidate interviewing either). The last thing you want is to leave an interviewer with any uncertainty that you really want this job.

Two quick tips…

1. Never go on a job interview you don’t plan to nail
2. If you think the open position is a stretch for you; imagine what the interviewer is thinking before you walk into the room (I hope you are prepared to prove them wrong)

A great book to help you with preparation and focus is Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. This book outlines how to build a career and personal brand; which is a large part of building focus in your job search.