Be sensitive to a companys culture
Be sensitive to a companys culture
You’re looking for a new job, one that can take you to the next level and then to the top. You’re all about action; you want to work for a company with aggressive goals, a company that wants someone with your energy and intelligence to get the job done.
You get the interviews, you meet the players — then you get cut, one win short of victory. Something’s wrong and you don’t know what it is. You keep at it and continue to miss the mark. Finally you get a call back from the CEO of a company you desperately want to join. What he says floors you.
"We’re not going to hire you. You’re smart and you have potential, but you’re insensitive and we can’t afford the mistakes you’re likely to make."
Insensitive? Why the concern about being nice when there’s so much work to do? You’re about to call the guy an idiot, but you stop yourself and instead ask him to explain.
"In your interview you came across as undisciplined, disrespectful, arrogant and immature. You didn’t ask questions; you just had answers. You had solutions to problems we didn’t have. You acted like you knew us and embarrassed yourself because you didn’t know anything about us. We have a global business. To be competitive and increase profitability we have to understand the needs of the people in our international subsidiaries and the customers they serve. We have to adapt our style to theirs so that they can learn to trust us. If we muscle our way in, throw our weight around and act like we know more than they, we’ll lose them. We’ve learned patience the hard way. We’ve learned that many cultures have beliefs, styles, sensitivities and competencies different than ours. We have to respect them if we want to do business with them. The way you came across in your interview tells us you don’t get it and we don’t have time to teach you how. That’s why we aren’t hiring you."
If you’re getting feedback that says you’re smart but argumentative, quick but impulsive, and analytical but insensitive, then you have a few problems — whether you want to work for a global corporation or for the folks around the corner. These problems will trip you up now or trip you up later. You can save yourself disappointment, misunderstanding and resentment if you work on resolving these contradictions as aggressively as you’ve worked on being a winner, being the best or being the smartest person in the room.
You don’t have all the answers because you don’t know all the problems. When you’re interviewing for a job, you’re the expert on you, not on them. You can describe your education, your experiences, your successes and your failures, what you’ve done and can do. It is the aggregate of that learning that defines your competencies.
You don’t know the company’s experience, successes and failures and what they’ve learned to do differently as a result. You don’t know their current challenges, internal and external, and they’re not about to tell you unless they perceive you as a serious candidate who’s able to make a difference for them. Serious candidates have the requisite skill sets, are self-aware and perceptive of others. They do their homework and ask questions and listen to answers. They demonstrate respect and trustworthiness. They probe for meaning without implying blame or judgment. They restate what they hear to affirm the intent and confirm the content of what is being said, and in so doing they avoid drawing erroneous conclusions or assumptions.
Until you understand the culture where you intend to work, learn how to approach problem-solving as a process instead of an outcome.
Joyce Richman is a speaker and career coach conducting seminars and workshops throughout the United States, and the author of "Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success." You can reach her at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com. Watch Joyce Richman's latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. during "The Good Morning Show" on WFMY News 2 or visit http://www.digtriad.com/business/columnists/career_minute/
