Instant Interviews_ 101 Ways to Get the Best Job of Your Life - Jeffrey G. Allen [16]
But he’d been appearing like a genie for almost a month, so he was experienced in wiggling his way through the world of work. With all the self-confidence of a super sleuth, he walked over to the directory in front of the security guard and saw that the legal department was on the 22nd floor.
He glanced down at the name of the bank’s vice president, general counsel on the directory, and signed in on the entry log book to see him. In response to the guard’s question “Do you have an appointment?” he honestly answered, “Yes.” (It was with another offeror the following day.)
The guard attempted calling up to the 22nd floor to verify the appointment, but doing so is a very time-consuming and virtually useless act in most large office buildings. It requires some receptionist somewhere (who isn’t at the water cooler) having prior knowledge of who some mucketymuck meeting-master has invited for a visit. The guard was predictably far more concerned that the lawyer’s signature on the log matched the one on his driver’s license. (He can feel he’s doing his job.)
Our friend then was given a visitor’s pass and courteously directed to the bank of elevators for the 22nd floor. Since he was in genie mode, he was dressed casually and didn’t have a resume. The receptionist asked who he was there to see, and he used the general counsel’s name. When asked if he had an appointment, he simply again stated, “Yes.”
After watching several people scurry past him for a few minutes, he finally said, “I’m sorry, but I have another appointment. I’d like to speak to any staff attorney who’s available.” A junior associate came out immediately, and he laid the Magic Four Hello on her. She then invited him back into the inner sanctum, gave him an instant interview (around five minutes) along with an application form. He gave her his business card, asked her for hers, thanked her, and said he would mail back the application with his resume.
As he was waiting for the elevator, he dated and graded the visit on the front of the business card, and deposited it safely in his left back pocket. (The grade was a B since the attorney told him there were “no openings for this quarter” and to check with the bank’s HR department for other opportunities.)
He followed the e-mail, thank-you note, mail application, and resume routine to that staff attorney. Then two weeks later—Bam!—he pulled that card from the binder clip and lobbed that call right into the general counsel’s office. A gruff voice answered and said, “I’m sitting here with this stack of applications when I’m trying to run an understaffed department! What was your name again? Okay, here’s your app. How does $125K for the first year sound? Fine. That’s one less thing I have to do today. You’re hired. I’m sending your paperwork down to HR so they can check your references and set up a personnel file. Report for work there Monday morning.”
Our friend was completely blown away because he thought the GC was going to only set up an appointment! When he called me afterward, I assured him that his secret was safe with me and that it was probably just because the GC hadn’t read Instant Interviews. My friend was satisfied with this reply but then called the GC’s office to inquire about where to park when he reported for work Monday morning. He knew—but thought he’d hallucinated about getting the job!
Being hooked on being himself, that afternoon he was back on the beat instant interviewing in some other office building.
That fellow has the best job of his life at the bank. He smiles a lot now. Not because he loves his job, but because he loves himself. He knows that he can always pull off something as good or better, anytime anywhere. He learned more about himself (and certainly had more fun) in one month of using the genie technique than