J.T. O’Donnell explains why everyone should have an Interview Bucket List. Watch this video to learn how to create your own.
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8 Comments
Hi Thom,
Sorry for the late reply! I think GlassDoor.com does a great job of giving you an inside look at a company's culture. And of course, you have to do a Google search on their name and then add words like 'bad,' 'stinks' and other derogatory terms. This will show you who is talking negatively about them. The goal is to do the homework – which is clear you are doing by your knowledge of places to look. That alone gets you more realistic about the company and will help you pick up on the fact if they are a good place to work.
I hope that helps!
Is there a way to research the culture of a company without actually stepping a foot in their offices? I have been using Hoovers.com, LinkedIn.com, D&B Million dollar database and Reference USA to narrow down some companies quantitatively, but numbers cannot provide the much needed qualitative information about a company and what it's like to work there.
For a short 4-minute video it has a ton of great information I have never even thought about. Who would of thought to make an interview bucket list? I sure wouldn’t have.
By asking yourself “what impresses you about the company,” and “what about their business practice is vital to success,” are two great questions. I think these questions will make you really sit down and think about the company you want to apply at and if you could see yourself doing the job or not. As you mentioned, I think the interview bucket list is a great way to have people start networking for you. In addition, it never hurts to do some research on the companies you are applying at so you can compare and contrast them and see where your ideal job could potentially be.
Funny how you mentioned about being the “Go To” person. Considering that I am in the computer field, I have a couple of techs (co-workers) come to me for assistance. I also have some customers who only want to talk to me to assist them.
In that light, there was another tech who I thought was great as well. She was my ‘go-to’ person as well as my being hers. I have heard customers rave about the two fo us – about how great we were compared to the other techs!
She was a contractor and I an employee. After a while the customers were continually asking for her (I was on assignment elsewhere). Management was recieving positive feedback about her as well am me. Sounds great right?
Here’s the kicker. Management didn’t like us recieving all the praise. Considering they couldn’t do much with me (haven’t done anything wrong) they instead found a way to fire my co-worker/friend. To this day I still hear customers complain that our management fired a great tech that they depended on. Now that she is gone, management’s focus is on me.
I know I’m not the only one in this situation. Several other employees now have lawyers to defend themselves from our employer. One lawyer told me that I could have as many as three cases against my employer if I decide to persue.
Yes, I can appreciate your situation. The reality is that climbing the career ladder is more like scaling a pyramid. The higher you go, the fewer the opportunities that match or are better than what you are doing (financially speaking). That’s why so many people often need to ‘course correct’ by taking a bit of a pay cut. It’s like driving down a road and realizing you are going the wrong way, you usually have to back up a bit to turn in the right direction.
Here’s the thing: if you want to stay in your area, then stay. Location is so important. At the end of the day, we must love where we live. Otherwise the best job in the world won’t sustain us. I once spent a year living in San Jose – 3K+ miles from my home in NH. It paid well (extremely well) but I was unhappy. I left it as soon as I could.
Now, to find a job in the location requires two important, strategic steps. First, you must determine what you are the ‘go-to person’ for and create a career identity that represents it. Everyone you network with should be able to determine quickly and easily what makes you unique. This is hard because people are always fearful of missing out on opportunities if they brand themselves as one thing. But this is just like any other selling of a service, you will find and land more opportunities if you create a niche brand for yourself. Just make sure it’s something they want!
Next, you need to do things that validate you as the ‘go-to person.’ I have some of my clients write articles or blog posts for their association or local business journal. I have others put together short trainings or talks and offer to do them at business events. By doing this, you prove to people that you are the expert you claim to be. Honestly, in my experience, this is one of THE BEST ways to get unsolicited requests for job interviews. A person reads/hears you and then contacts you to learn more about how that would work for their organization. From there, a networking relationship is built and job opportunities present themselves.
And of course, if you decide you want your own career strategist to work with you on this – be sure to check out our Private Career Network. We are helping job seekers complete the above on a regular basis.
Good luck!
You ask a good question! That is something I will have to think deeply about. Plus considering most of the employers where I reside are in the “service” industry, there are very few that I would even consider! Relocation appears the be a better option but most companies prefer local residents.
I am in a stage in my career where change is not only desired and long over due (graduated with my MBA two years ago). The position that I am currently hold does not (and will not) provide the experience that I want, thus placing me in a situation to seek employment elsewhere. I could go into more detail of my situation but rather not in this format.
The questions I have are how to seek applicable companies that would be of interest to you as well as a good fit for the company? Considering that the likelihood that such companies are not going to be local and out of state, who would one approach a situation?
To give aa example, a friend was let go over two years ago by our employer. After two years of unemployment, she ended up moving out of state with no job in order to find a job. After three weeks in the new state, she was able to find employment.
Any input would be appriciated! I also noticed that you are my third level connection in LinkedIn.
Super idea CK. I think the hardest part is for people to even get into the practice of having an Interview Bucket List, but honestly, once you do, it gets so much easier to add to it. You wouldn’t even have to list a second string – the bigger the better. This is more about getting the right mindset where you proactively explore companies as a way to develop yourself professionally. It just so happens that the upside is that most people end up getting jobs by doing this.
FACT: Over 80% of jobs today are gotten through networking referral.
Besides, you just never know when a company you think is pretty good turns out to be amazing. This happened to me early in my career and that’s when I realized the power of an Interview Bucket List. I went to interview with a company completely thinking I was doing it just for interview practice. I left there convinced it was my dream company. I got the job and it was a turning point in my career.
So CK, who’s on your list. Perhaps all of us readers can help you connect with them!
Thanks for the information. You presented the informational interviewing style a little different light. I am taking for granted that the Informational Interview would be for a company that you would like to work with. However, what about creating a seperate “list” for the some thing for the “second sting” employers? In this way you can practice your style and delivery before you get to the first-string employers you want to impress.