Developing your pitch

(Photo credit @d_mccullough)

Almost all interviews start with you introducing yourself to your interviewer. The vast majority of candidates waste this golden opportunity to shape the interview conversation. Let me give you some tips here on how to develop a good intro (aka pitch) and why it’s so important. 

1. Why is it important to develop a good interview introduction?

   1. One of the required orientation workshops that I led for all incoming Cornell Johnson MBAs was “Developing your Pitch.” This is also known as your interview introduction. It is worth it to develop a really good pitch for a few reasons:

      1. Your intro helps you to set the stage for the overall conversation by framing you & your experiences for the interviewer(s). 

      2. This is your chance to provide context for your career story so the interviewer understands how you got here and where you are heading. 

2. What should your goals be when developing your pitch?

   1. You want someone to be excited about engaging with you further after hearing your intro and for them to be clear on where you are heading in your career.

   2. You need to balance giving the listener enough information to understand your story, but not so many details that they get distracted from the career goal you’re trying to communicate. 

3. What is included in a good intro/pitch?

   1. I’ve coached candidates in using these 3 pitch components for many years, but I like how Jodi Glickman has framed them. 

   2. The three main parts of a good pitch are:

      1. Destination: defining your future-focused career goal 

      2. Back Story: share specific details about your background + your skills/qualifications 

      3. Connecting the Dots: use one line to help the listener to understand why your goal makes sense

4. When to use different pitch lengths? 

   1. There are 3 different pitch lengths to consider developing: 

      1. 15-second pitch: this one is often the hardest as it’s the most concise version of your entire career history. You usually use this if you’re in a larger group networking situation and everyone is providing a quick intro. 

      2. 30-second pitch: while 30 seconds is a bit of an arbitrary amount of time, it gives you a good target for how much info another person can take in while listening to your intro, especially if they don’t have your resume in front of them. This is the standard pitch/intro length and the first one you should aim to develop. 

      3. 2-minute introduction: think of this as an expanded version of your 30-second pitch. You are basically keeping the same framework and adding more content to each of the 3 parts (Destination; Back Story; Connecting the Dots). This is used most often in the interview situation - so most candidates aim to deliver a 30-second to 2-minute introduction (depending on the type of interview). 

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Earlier this week, I was invited to participate in The Digital Workplace Tweetathon, where around 100 panelists interacted with thousands of attendees on Twitter over a 24-hour period. Here’s a link to my intro video from the Tweetathon - critique away!

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Want personalized interview tips and career guidance? Take a look at my Career Strategy Session options.

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Networking Advice for Tech

(Photo credit @brookecagle)

1. Work to build a network of contacts that are diverse in background, location, industry, and more. The wider and more diverse your network, the wider net you can cast in finding a new job. 

   • Studies show that many jobs and other opportunities come from ‘weak ties’ versus from direct connections. We all turn to those we trust in our social network (family, friends, and colleagues) for job help -- but we need to remember that weak ties are valuable too (acquaintances, or new people who share an affinity like a cultural or alumni background).

   • How to diversify your network? Join new groups on LinkedIn, try out LunchClub, and ask your friends/colleagues for introductions to new & interesting people.

2. Tech networking tip for students: try to work together with classmates to do small-group networking

   • MBA students hate when I give them this tip (as they have heard 1:1 is the ‘best’ engagement), but tech alumni *love* it. 

     • (1) it recognizes that tech people appreciate efficiency & that you are saving them time & repetition

     • (2) it highlights that there are multiple people who could benefit from a contact’s insights & advice, which is a nice confidence boost for them

   • Action: Send an email to a contact and mention that you have 3-4 other friends who would also love to hear from the contact about x topic, and that you will do all the work to coordinate the call. Make sure to set expectations with your friends that you’ll serve as point person for questions during the call (and that you can all rotate that role on other calls). Ensure that it's clear how to follow-up (so that thank-yous or future networking can happen).

   • Let me know if you try this one, and how it goes!

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Want personalized networking tips and career guidance? Take a look at my Career Strategy Session options.

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Q&A and Recommendations

(Photo credit @jontyson)

This week is a bit of a hodgepodge collection of Q&A advice & tool recommendations & job/intern/training links to help you navigate the current hiring landscape & remote work environment. Enjoy!

Q&A

• Should I be networking right now?

  • Yes, I think it's fine to be networking. Many employees have had at least two weeks to figure out their new working at home situation, and might be ready to accept networking emails/calls.

  • One thing to consider: how to balance being persistent and pestering. Right now, it's helpful for you to be diligent about following up as everyone is juggling many things. However, you don't wait to follow-up as quickly as you might normally - I'd wait at least a week in between follow-ups, maybe even two weeks.

  • Also, if you do end up on a call with a contact, it's ok to start the call with a general 'how are you handling remote work right now?" I find that most of my calls/meetings right now default to starting with a similar question. Phrasing it this way makes it easier to acknowledge the global situation & focus on the work-related aspects of it, vs veering too far into someone's personal details.

• Is anyone hiring right now?

  • Yes, there are multiple companies who are in need of help -- areas that come to mind include: ecommerce platforms/distribution channels; remote work/productivity software; CPGs producing household goods like toilet paper/cleaning supplies; tech companies powering the streaming services & the internet backbone itself

  • Scroll down for additional links to jobs

• If I have received an offer from Company A and I'm still interviewing with Company B, should I tell either of them about the other?

  • Yes! It's good practice to keep your recruiters informed as it gives them the best opportunity to be your advocate and help you get the best offer from their company. However, you don't need to share all the details with each of them, only the pertinent info they need to move things along.

  • First, I suggest you call company B and tell them you just received an offer from another company and they have given you a deadline of X date (that's all you need to share). Tell B that you remain interested/excited in interviewing with B, and would appreciate the chance to complete the interview process with them on an accelerated timeline. The recruiter will then be able to tell you if it's possible for them to accelerate your interview process to meet A's deadline, or not.

  • If B needs more time, you go back to A to ask for a short extension to their deadline (based on what time B told you they need), so that you are able to complete the interview process with one other company & thus fully evaluate both career options.

  • Most times, as long as recruiters see you are working with them in good faith, they will try to help you as best as they can.

4 Productivity "Survival" Tools/products I've been using & recommend

• Headspace

  • I became a Headspace devotee about 5.5 years ago when my father became ill and I moved home to help take care of him in the months before he passed away. One of the best gifts from Google was the Search Inside Yourself class. I'm proud to say I'm on day 473 of a daily 20-minute meditation streak. Great quote from the MindfulMBA: "Mindfulness is leadership training because it teaches you how to continue through discomfort, uncertainty, and even chaos. It trains you to be the calm in the middle of the storm."

• Focus@Will

  • Founded by neuroscientists & musicologists, the Focus@Will app alters subtle music characteristics to help you focus longer. Using the Focus@Will app is like flipping a switch on in my brain that sends me into super focus mode. I've been using it for at least 4 years and find it amazingly helpful to put on headphones and just focus. My preference is the Ambient channel. I just saw that they are offering 50% off memberships too!

• Stand Steady X-Elite Pro

  • I bought a desktop standing desk a week ago as I have gotten so tired of sitting at my desk all day. Brilliant choice. This one is very easy to use & relatively inexpensive for the quality of life it provides! Not sure yet about buying other items (like an anti-fatigue mat) - will keep you posted!

• Clickup

  • I think I found the holy grail of project management tools. I love how highly structured and infinitely flexible Clickup is for managing projects. I especially love the ability to have a list, board, calendar AND gantt chart view of a project, without having to pick one like many other tools force you to do (I'm looking at you Asana and Trello). Still working on the best practices but thus far, it's been amazing (is it too much to say my heart pitter-patters when I think of Clickup? Maybe that's the cabin fever talking...)

(Note: I am an affiliate for these tools -- tho I only recommend products I *actually* use often!)

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Want personalized career guidance? Take a look at my Career Strategy Session options.