Keystone XL: The Art & Science of getting your job back!
Chances are good you or someone you know has lost a job working in the Oil Sector of the North American Market. I’m one of those people, countless numbers of my friends, my parents, aunts, uncles, not to mention countless family members have been effected by the huge downturn in the Global Oil Economy.
As a Professional Sales Person, I’m unemployed EVERY SINGLE DAY. I willingly choose to survive, and thrive, on nothing more than what I can accomplish in a given day, week, and month! On nothing but the skin of my back and the success of my contracts. If that doesn’t make me qualified to teach you how to find work, then you don’t need to read any further.
I’m writing this article to answer a question I get all of the time… “How do I find a job?” With the advent of Keystone XL becoming a soon to be reality, many of you are getting ready to “Gear-up and get back to work.” Getting a job requires the Art & Science of Selling! I’ve created a 5 step process for you to follow to firmly plant your soon to be employed butt back on the Employment line —
Prospecting:
Prospecting literally translates to “Looking out for…” according to the Oxford English Dictionary; in Sales it’s the Science behind Looking for Business! In Sales, our job is a constant and never ending process of looking for new contracts, new deals, new people who are willing to take us on for work, or buy our products from us!
This is a process I dedicate an average of 2–4 hours a day to getting finished!
In the case of finding work in the oilfield, finding out who owns what projects is usually a pretty good place to start! It’s almost the reverse when you’re hunting for a job, you’re looking for the people who have the contracts, the people who are willing to give you work, the people with the contract to keep you employed!
In the case of Keystone XL, even though the contract hasn’t come to fruition without the Canadian Government moving ahead and some long term strategic planning from both American and Canadian Governments, it’s always good to keep an eye out on what is going on in the Marketplace, who has work and who doesn’t!
Taking initiative to call in and ask about who you need to be in touch with in order to find work, who you are, what you do, and MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW YOU’RE GOING TO HELP THEIR COMPANY are all going to have a tremendous impact on your success in terms of getting into more projects like Keystone XL or the many soon to be sub-projects created because of it!
TransCanada aside, getting to know the inner workings of any company and contacting the people in charge of hiring BY PHONE CALL that have work coming up is going to help you out tremendously in the steps I’ve listed at the end of this article!
Don’t be afraid to step out, do some homework, there’s no excuse with the advent of the internet, you should be able to find a few phone numbers, names, and inevitably, people to get in touch with in order to begin earning yourself a few interviews!
Qualifying & Demonstrating:
Once you’ve earned the interview, you’re going to need to learn how to qualify! Qualifying is truly the most important skill of any great Salesperson, I can write an entire book on the topic, but for the sake of you getting back to work, I’m going to give you brief rundown. Qualifying is the art of finding out what an employer needs. Now, many think that an interview is a simple process of sitting down and answering questions, that’s only one half of the real equation! How you answer those questions is the science! There remains the Art!
What most people miss is the one who is asking the questions is the person who is most in control of the conversation during an interview. I love having my interviews hijacked by experienced Sales People, by having them ask follow up questions to my questions. This is all about control and it’s often driven by genuine interest in the potential job, someone who doesn’t ask questions, often doesn’t show any interest! That’s the perception MANY employers unfortunately receive and it’s something we’re here to work with you on!
The one who is asking the questions is the person who is most in control of the conversation.
Demonstrating is how you answer those questions, again, something I can write an entire book on! So I’m going to cut right to the chase, your work ethic, determination, drive, experience, previous successes and what you’ve learned from previous failures is ultimately, what is going to shine through during your interview!
So, how do you combine the two successfully?
Employer: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
Applicant: “With your company, out of curiosity, a dedicated team member who shows excellence and pride in their work, what is the progression like within the company?”
OR
Employer: “What are some of your areas in terms of growth opportunities?”
Applicant: “I need to learn how to lead a better work life balance. I tend to dedicate myself too much to my job and forget it’s important to go on vacation every once in a while. That being said, what kind of schedule are you looking for to best suite your organisation?”
OR
Employer: “What kind of experience do you bring to the table?”
Applicant: “I’m a CWB certified, Journeyman, Pressure licenced Welder that’s been in the industry for 15 years. That’s just what I’m most relevant at in my skillset, however, I have a wide array of experiences. What in particular are you looking for?”
There’s an art and a science to crushing a job interview, but finding out what your potential future employer needs most is not only going to help you demonstrate what you’re more than capable of doing for them, it’s also going to help you get to the heart of what they really need!
Asking for the Job:
If you feel like the interview went exceptionally well, don’t be afraid to simply ask them a question like: “Based on the interview, do you think I’m suited for the role? (Don’t be afraid to throw a little humour in there and say something like “I promise you’re not going to hurt my feelings if you don’t think I am, I don’t have many feelings left!”)
A question like this will elicit a response in a few different directions:
The first: “We do! We just have to give everyone a fair chance as well and see if there isn’t someone potentially better suited for the role.”
This is miserable to overcome because it’s oftentimes a genuine condition of employers with a long line of resumes on their desk. Many companies have this as a Human Resources standard and it’s VERY COMMON practice, respect it, thank them for their time, and begin the follow-up process!
The second response is: “Absolutely! This was the best interview we’ve ever had!”
In this case I would simply be bold and ask them “When they would like you to start?”
In this case, chances are really good that you’ve already earned the job!
The Third is simply: “We think there are a few shortcomings… (or some other answer like this)”
In which case you CAN ask what they believe YOU need in order to be a better fit for the future. This is yet another opportunity to demonstrate your abilities and overcome any remaining objections to the job interview process!
Follow-up:
Finally, the most important thing you can do is follow-up with you employer! During the interview process, don’t be afraid to collect their contact information and follow-up with them directly!
An often underused skill is a follow-up thank you letter! These are tremendously uncommon in today’s employer/ employee climate and they go a LONG WAY to getting you noticed from the list of HUNDREDS of other applicants that may apply!
Address it directly to the person that interviewed you, in a LARGE manilla envelope, so that it appears incredibly important, and I promise you, it will be something they will have to address at some point, something that does not go unnoticed!
Don’t be afraid to call or email either, but keep in mind that there are probably MANY OTHER applicants doing the very same thing! Do something wild! Don’t be afraid to send a gift, a piece of lumpy mail, something that is going to help you stand out in the eyes of your potential future employer!
It will get you noticed. That’s what this entire article is about. Standing out.
This process is bold, but with a little forethought about who you’re going to reach out to, the kind of questions they’re going to ask and how you can answer them effectively and follow-up with another question, and finally asking for the job with outstanding follow-up, I’m sure you’re going to be able to do it!
Summary:
- Find your employers, their contact information, their projects, and who makes the hiring decision by making phone calls. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with the people you have to in order to get into the job you want.
- Qualifying and demonstrating your skills is tremendous during the interview! Don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions when you’ve finished answering a question.
- Ask for the job, it’s going to give you an opportunity to find out how many other applicants there are — if any, find out if you’re a perfect fit for the company, or allow your potential future employer to give you an opportunity to demonstrate yourself further if they need clarity on what you represent!
- Follow-up in clever ways. A manilla envelope with a Thank you note is going to go further than anything 99% of the other applicants are going to be able to bring to the table. Don’t be afraid of email or phone call, but keep in mind that there is more than 1 or 2 of you following up this way!
Stay Hungry.
Matthew Gourley is the CEO and Founder of Salestraininc.com — A company that specialize in making you Salespeople money, growing your Business, and helping you achieve the freedom you deserve!
