Meet to Compete: Author Jeffrey G. Allen On How to Get the Best Job

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (0)

FOR PLACEMENT LAWYER AND and author Jeffrey G. Allen, landing a job interview starts with "The Magic Four Hello." Making direct eye contact, smiling, introducing yourself and offering a firm handshake can go a long way toward ensuring that you get a sit-down with the manager or business owner who has a job to fill. In his new book, "Instant Interviews: 101 Ways to Get the Best Job of Your Life" ($16.95, Wiley), Allen details the networking strategies that have helped him and others make connections and get hired. We spoke with the job search guru about how everyday encounters can lead to career-changing meetings.

» EXPRESS: Why shouldn't people just rely on traditional "help wanted" listings when looking for a job?
» ALLEN: Traditionally, people chase after what they think are job openings, but those are really just a construct of, in many cases, what a group thinks that they want. Anybody who's ever worked in the HR field knows that a job order is really nothing but a wish list that goes through a committee and gets signed off on. As all successful people know, you really create your own job. Instant interviews work from a very human, one-on-one interaction. It's a disciplined, systematic, focused, step-by-step approach that anyone can do and that works simply because it's based upon human interaction.

» EXPRESS: Why are instant interviews so important in today's job market?
» ALLEN: So much of what we have in our society is based upon what other people tell us, based upon what the media tells us, based upon what the job description says, based upon what some employer thinks they want when honestly they don't have a clue. The only way that anybody ever gets a job is by self-help. Even the government doesn't knock on your door and give you a job without you doing anything. So, you must initiate action, but it has to be a very specific action or you don't get hired.

» EXPRESS: Some of your tips and techniques, like "appearing magically like a genie" at places of business, might seem a bit aggressive. Do employers really respond to them?
» ALLEN: There's a difference between being aggressive and being annoying. Employers want aggressive people; they want people who show initiative and show some creativity. People do all kinds of things to try to attract employers, but what employers really want is someone who's there now to do what they want done, and they'll pay someone to do it. We have completely lost sight of that in our society.

» EXPRESS: Why are places like airplanes and the gym good spots for instant interviews?
» ALLEN: They're places where people typically are just hanging out, and there are virtually no barriers. It's just a matter of the approach. People are extraordinarily human in these situations; they're very receptive.

» EXPRESS: Why shouldn't a lack of experience stand in a job seeker's way?
» ALLEN: Any two people who are the same age have the identical amount of experience. The question is not, "How do I get experience if I don't have experience?"; the question is, "How do I use my life experience as a way of getting an interview or a job?"

» EXPRESS: Can someone who's shy or introverted succeed at instant interviews?
» ALLEN: It's something that virtually any walking, talking, breathing, smiling, handshaking, look-you-in-the-eye human being can accomplish. In fact, it's so primordial that I have taught people who do not speak English to do exactly the same thing. I've taught people who've been unemployed for, in some cases, years to do the same thing. It's just applying some basic self-marketing techniques.

Photos courtesy Wiley
Written by Express Contributor Beth Lubrecki