The 6 Reasons You'll Get the Job by Debra Angel MacDougall

Author:Debra Angel MacDougall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2010-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

We’ve given you all the techniques and rules for using less traditional proof. Now let’s put it all together. So how did Jason use his baseball coaching experience to prove he’d be a great assistant restaurant manager? First, he combined his previous restaurant experience with the leadership skills gained as a coach. Next, he made sure his transferable skills followed the rules—including using general business language instead of baseball terms. Here is an example of his proof using each of our four techniques.

1. Fact. As the leader of a team of 14 people, I increased success by 60% within 8 weeks. Rather than, The team won only 1 out of 5 games the first half of the season, but won 4 out of 5 in the second half when I was coach.

2. Demonstration. The clear and easy-to-follow connection Jason drew between being a successful coach and a great manager for the restaurant demonstrated his ability to take complicated or uncommon ideas and make them simple for staff to understand.

3. Credible References. A former employer vouched that he relied on Jason to run the kitchen when the lead cook didn’t show up. Another verified that within seven months, she began pairing new waiters with Jason so he could train them.

4. Story. To prove his skills in problem-solving and staff support, Jason shared this Story: One of my team members was ready to quit, so I took him aside for a chat. Turns out, he was unhappy about being transferred out of a position he felt he was good at. After evaluating the situation, I implemented a plan that allowed him to share the position, and sold him on using his strengths across two functions. This allowed me to retain his talent, and made him happy. In fact, he even recruited a strong new team member.

Using proof from his coaching experience on his résumé and cover letter got Jason interviews. Sharing his proof in the interview impressed the employer, but it also raised a question: “Where did you get all this management experience?” When you use unpaid or less traditional experience to prove you can do the job, you must also have a good answer to explain it. Jason’s good answer sounded something like this: I’ve been successfully managing projects and teams for years—it’s one of my natural skills and interests. To date, my management experience has been unpaid. The examples I’ve given you come from my work with a losing baseball team that I took to second in the league in the first year. I’ve been the manager for three years now. Sometimes, I think unpaid managers have an extra challenge, because the team they manage doesn’t have the incentive of a paycheck to work hard or give their best. I’m really looking forward to using my natural skills and experience to make us both money. Jason’s proof and good answer resulted in two assistant management offers!

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