Want a successful job search? Then skip all the "expert" advice and do what the recent winners did – what did they do? What did they learn? What advice do they have for you? Oh, the new “stuff” we learn every week as our clients land their new roles. This interview is meant to both encourage and educate you in your job search.
Mark: Describe the role you landed.
Ryan: DME, potential for excellent growth. Rapidly growing company. Very entrepreneurial – uncapped potential.
Mark: Was the role advertised or not advertised?
Ryan: Not advertised.
Mark: How did you find this role?
Ryan: One of my former sales colleagues reached out to me. I used our approach in our NetOUT program that revealed this colleague was a potential resource for me.
Mark: During your job search, how many jobs did you apply to via an inside contact?
Ryan: Five.
Mark: That is funny – remember in our NetOUT training I told you how many jobs I predicted you’d need to apply to before your landed the role you wanted?
Ryan: Yes – it was five. That is funny. You were spot on.
Mark: During your job search, how many interviews – in total – did you go on?
Ryan: I think it was about 12.
Mark: Did you conduct any informational interviews? Results?
Ryan: Yes. I had six informational interviews. It was good to talk to people who have “been thru it” on their job search – very encouraging to know I was on the right path. They helped me polish up for my interviews. And I picked up good information from them regarding potential employers – I was skittish about DME, I thought I wouldn’t be interested long-run, but thru our training realized it was an excellent fit for me. But because of the informational interviews I discovered good companies to consider. It was a little shocking how many people are willing to help you. Last year I was trying to do things on my own and now I realize you often get better information from people who don’t know you – you don’t get the sugar-coated version of things.
Mark: One of our tactics was to have you talk to doctors who you have a good rapport with.
Ryan: Yes, they were great – they gave me insight to companies to talk to – these doctors were the “customers” of those companies! I got three referrals for job interviews thru doctors!
Mark: Biggest surprises in your job search?
Ryan: Being up front and honest and realizing a lot of folks were surprised by that honesty. A lot of the folks I interviewed with had ‘been there” themselves so gave me their empathy and support! I didn’t see that coming. People appreciate you being vulnerable. They love an underdog. It was inspiring!
Mark: We talked about the response you sometimes heard from an employer: “Not being a cultural fit”.
Ryan. Yes! I realized that was clearly a smokescreen. Brian walked me thru that in my interview skills training. He was right: walk away. Something going on behind the curtain. I realized if I don’t fit their mold, fine, I walk away. It’s a bit like dating – you get the wrong vibe, walk away. You have to be true to yourself.
Mark: We use Gallup – Clifton Strengths assessment. What was the response to your Clifton Top 5 Strengths?
Ryan: Most employers were familiar with that talent assessment tool. All employers were interested in the results and asked me to tie my Top 5 strengths into our interview. This was critical to me revealing my branding and my unique value in a plausible way.
Mark: You mention you tried to do your own job search last year – how has job searching changed since then?
Ryan: Several things. The unadvertised job market is just one; you were right – it’s about 50% of what’s out there. The job I landed was never advertised. Branding myself – that was a big deal – getting myself made into a “product” via a professional branded resume and LinkedIN profile. Once I saw that new “me” it was much easier to find the role that complemented the new me. I think anyone who doesn't brand themselves is missing out - you'd joked about having a branded resume - LinkedIn profile vs what others put together: an obituary. There's a big difference in results.
Mark: Some of our job search program is met with resistance because we use constantly changing “new” concepts based on our interviews with our clients as they land new roles. What would you say to folks leery of trying new things in their job search?
Ryan: Trust the process. It obviously works though it's not "traditional". I admit to being a little skeptical at first, then, voila, it was like, wow, this really does work. I think the flip side of that is I – before working with you guys – was sure of certain job search tactics and tools, but discovered these things don’t work anymore.
Mark: Examples?
Ryan: Job boards – mostly a waste of time. Recruiters – there are good ones, only work with the good ones. You guys knew who the good ones are. LinkedIn - thinking you can get by with only a basic understanding of LinkedIN – you can't; you end up knowing just enough to be dangerous and you get frustrated. You told me about Microsoft buying LinkedIn and how they constantly change the tool - there is no way a person can know all those changes unless they are experts on using LinkedIn to land a medical sales role - devils in the details and those details are changing all the time.
Mark: Did you see bad advice in your job search?
Ryan: All over the place. A lot of advice that either doesn’t work or it’s very dated or it works, but not very well.
Mark: Does your new employer have an employee referral program?
Ryan: Yes.
Mark: Would you like to be one of our new “Trust Agents” (Trust Agents are our previous customers who help us help new clients land roles with their new employer. We've built an army of over 250 trust agents over the last 22 years. These are "real" first-name based relationships. Think of our trust agents as your "Unfair Competitive Advantage" in your job search.)
Ryan: Glad to do it!
Frustrated in your job search? Facing issues with age bias or switching industries or getting doors open for you? We will help brand you and land the role you love at the salary you deserve. Check us out: www.MedicalSalesMentors.com