Dear ShirleyJob Seeker Looks for Advice on How to Win Over Potential Coworkers
DEAR SHIRLEY: DEAR LIZ: The hiring authority obviously feels strongly that you are a worthy candidate or s/he would not be taking time from your future coworkers' busy day. Take that for the vote of confidence it is but take nothing for granted. First let’s get the issue of how to dress out of the way. This is an opportunity to show how well you will fit in. At the same time, you are still informing the hiring authority's perspective of you so you need to factor that in too. You probably had a chance to observe how your prospective coworkers were dressed when you went for your first interview. Dress a small notch up from that. In other words if the day-to-day dress is business casual, you might wear dress slacks and a more casual coordinating jacket as opposed to a matching jacket (which would read as a suit). The best way to win your future coworkers over is to show a genuine interest in them as individuals and as a team; the position in general; and the information they have to share. This meeting may be laying the ground work for future working relationships so project an air of relaxed confidence. To prepare mentally for the interview, start by putting yourself in your potential coworkers’ shoes. Think about them as prospective internal customers. The underlying message you want to send is this: I am easy to work with; I’ll fit in well with the group; and I’m able and willing to carry my share of the work load. To demonstrate your ability and willingness to do the job think about the specific outcomes you would be responsible for in this position. Prepare your short accomplishment stories accordingly. Tell about a time you went above and beyond to meet a deadline. Or talk about a time you facilitated a coworker's success. Weave these short stories into the conversation as appropriate. The advice given in how to ace a job interview applies to this upcoming meeting in spades. Substitute coworkers where you see hiring manager and you won’t go wrong. The only difference will be that you can and should use first names during the interview. Establish a personal connection with each individual. Do your best to remember names. One way to do that is to repeat the person’s name as you are shaking their hand and looking them in the eye. Don't forget to smile. Use pleasantries like, "It's a pleasure to meet you Sally." "Nice to meet you Bob." "Harry, it's a pleasure." etc. If this is a group interview ask for business cards at the beginning of the meeting and if possible spread them out in front of you in the same order people are seated. This will help you remember who is who and relieve you of the stress of trying to remember names. (Having the cards will also help with follow-up later.) If for some reason business cards aren’t available, write the names down as soon as you can after being introduced. (Just write down what you remember. You can fill in the blanks as you go along or later if need be.) Finally, take advantage of this opportunity to put the art of asking the right questions to work for you. Yes, you need to find out how well the job matches your needs. (E.g. “What’s a typical day like?”) But more importantly you need to show you 'get it' from their perspective. Ask questions like, "How do the responsibilities of this position impact your ability to get your job done?" or “What is the first thing I could do upon starting that would immediately relieve the collective work load?”. If that doesn’t win over coworkers and influence hiring decisions, I don’t know what will. Best wishes for a Job Won. I know you'll do great and hope you’ll let me know what happens. Blessings to you. If you would like to submit a question to "Dear Shirley",
contact me here.
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