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Harvey Mackay
Column
For the week
of September 27, 2010
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Early Birds
May Get the Worm,
but Late Birds Get the Job
From the time we were kids,
we've been force-fed the idea that first is best. It doesn't
always work that way. Sometimes last is best.
The conventional wisdom is to
be first across the finish line, first in our class in grades,
first in line for chow, first for tickets to the Beyonce concert
and first to be interviewed by a prospective employer. A, B,
C, and D work just fine. E doesn't. You do not want to be the
first candidate to be interviewed.
Advertising genius Pat Fallon
taught me long ago that ad agencies which pitched new business
first or early in competitive reviews almost never won the account.
Those who were positioned sixth or seventh in a typical review
had far better chances. Give any savvy ad agency an opportunity
to select a time slot for a client pitch and they'll always take
the last one, the one closest to the moment when the choice of
agencies is made. These people make their living understanding
human nature. They know what makes people tick psychologically. |
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Clients tend to dismiss the
first pitches they hear as they would preliminary fights on a
boxing card. Not to be taken terribly seriously. They're on the
card to give them an opportunity to see what's out there, to
try out their questions, and sharpen their reactions in preparation
for the main event.
The same kind of buildup is
used in assembling a concert program. You start with the aptly
named "warm-up" acts. They're the appetizers. The headliner
is the main course.
A similar pattern emerges in
the selection of films and stars for Oscars. Those that win rarely
make their box office debut at the beginning of a given year.
The strongest contenders are those appearing at year-end. They
end up with far better recognition and recall value in the eyes
of Academy members.
Want to see true creative ingenuity
in action? Watch what happens when a prospective client tries
to schedule an agency pitch.
"We wish we could take
the Monday eight 8 a.m. slot, but all our account people will
be having open heart surgery that day. They should be up and
around by Wednesday afternoon, though."
With most openings, the company's
job specs are likely to be vague at first, becoming clearer only
after they have had the opportunity to interview (and argue about)
a couple of candidates. You don't want to be the test dummy,
smashed into a wall, so the company can design a better set of
wheels for someone else.
If you are going for a job interview,
try to learn how many candidates have already been seen. If you
ask, and the recruiter dodges the question, consider yourself
to be among the first or second entrants, and be prepared with
a good, believable reason why a later time would be better. Perhaps
a conflicting business trip or prior engagement prevents you
from doing an early interview. Particularly in this economy,
people are so anxious about getting a job that they are willing
to schedule anything at any time, often to their own great disadvantage.
If you can't avoid being first,
try to leave the interviewer with something to think about: "I
know you'll be talking with other candidates, and it might be
hard to remember the first person you talked to, but I'm committed
to doing everything I can to work for your company, and I'd like
to be asked back for a second interview. These are challenging
times, and I believe I can make an immediate impact in strengthening
this business. When you bring me back in, I will give you a detailed
plan."
I'm proud to have known the
late Norman Vincent Peale, who told the story about the eager
job applicant who sees a help-wanted ad and rushes down to apply.
By the time he arrives, there are at least two hundred people
lined up waiting to be interviewed. After waiting in line for
some time, he bolts out, runs to the front, where a woman is
ushering them in one at a time, and says, 'My name is Bruce Madison
and you tell the people who are doing the hiring in there that
I'm two-hundred-fifty-third in line and don't hire anyone until
they've talked to me.'" He got the job, of course.
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Mackay's Moral: |
The second mouse always gets the
cheese. |
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The Author  |
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Harvey Mackay is a nationally
syndicated columnist for United Feature Syndicate. His weekly
articles appear in 52 newspapers around the country, including
the Chicago Sun Times, Rocky Mountain News, Orange County Register,
Minneapolis Star Tribune and Arizona Republic.
http://www.mackay.com/
Copyright, Harvey Mackay. All rights reserved. |
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