When someone hires someone they do so from a position of fear…
The fear of getting the wrong person for the job and the fear of what getting it wrong will mean for their own profits or career.
Sadly, the fear of getting the wrong person is always more powerful than the desire to get the right person.
This is why the list of tests keeps growing; Psychometric profiling, handwriting analysis, IQ tests, spatial awareness, even facial features analysis! Tests are only useful if they promise to remove some of this fear.
The thing is, if you’re a good worker then you will have achieved things in the various roles you have undertaken – this is your service history.
The power of your service history to remove this fear and secure your opportunity is underrated, if you have been shown how to use it at interview.
Like my next car, if you have been a good runner in the past you’re not always going to be a good runner for me in the future, but you are more likely to be.
You know that person who will be interviewing you? They are a scaredy cat!
Having your service history ready means you are a safer bet than the next guy. Most things being equal, that means that you just got hired.
Great post, thanks Steve. Finding out ‘service history’ is a key part of interviewing a candidate.
Too write. Had a phone interview on Monday, lasted 1 hr. Told it went well and that company wanted to see me @ 10.30 Wed. Prepared for intvw, only to be told at 9.24 on Wed that intvw was cancelled, company withdrew job.
I know this is not true, and is an excuse to avoid me. Companies are scared of someone showing authority, as company ethics and practice will be questioned, and is why they only want “yes” people.
Perhaps if companies sought the best person for each role, we wouldn’t have had banking scandals, and a police force which didn’t ignore child abuse.