5

Information Interviews [How To]

Information InterviewsInformation interviews are the key when you're confused about...

...what job to pursue, at what companies...

...when you want to know what your target market is interested in concerning your offer...

...when you want to make sales but don't know your new niche.

If you can't say out loud and clearly:

> Why you want a specific job at a specific company

or

> Why decision makers in the niche you're entering want to buy from you

then you badly need to do some information interviews.

Why?

The fact is, this is your target market. And hearing what they want and value in their own words is critical. Nothing else is more important. Not what you believe their desires and values are. Not what you hope or think they will be.

When we talk about pain points, this is what we mean. These words. These phrases. This jargon. This terminology. When you repeat these pain points to members of your target market, they will listen. These terms will resonate with them and that will give you instant credibility.

When we talk about finding the work role you truly enjoy, you need to know several things. What people who do that job actually do all day. What they like. What they don't like. How different the same job is at different companies with different cultures. How those companies hire.

These critical knowledge points and more are readily available in information interviews.

People are cooperative and like to show off what they know (I'm doing it right now!). So let them.

This isn't hard. Nearly everyone you call will be open to at least talking with you on the phone for a few minutes. You may have to schedule a time to call back or meet in person later, and that's fine.

Information Interviews for Job Hunt Satisfaction

So say there's a job you want to do, you think, and you'd like to find out more about it. The funny thing is, the same job done at different companies can be totally different experiences because of cultures. So it's best to talk to three or four people doing that job at separate firms to get perspective.

To find these people is not difficult. You can use LinkedIn. Or you can use a simple method called the Little Unsure technique, where you ask the receptionist, "Hi, I'm not sure who I should speak with...I'm looking for the person who does [whatever role it is]. But again, I'm not sure who that would be there..." and trail off.

This method is very effective.

You may get voicemail. 3/4 times the person you're calling won't be available to take your call. Don't take it personally. Leave a quick message or call back later now that you have the name.

For messages or live answers, say you are doing some research, are interested in the role they have and are wondering if it's right for you. If they could speak with you for about 15 minutes, it would be very helpful. If now's not a good time, when would work?

Have your questions ready. They may want to go ahead right now.

I have had employees get time for such interviews in person approved by their boss...again, people want to be cooperative. Once in awhile you may find someone who is "too busy". Simply move on. No big deal. That person is probably not a fit anyway.

The higher you go in larger organizations, the nicer the people you'll find. How did the leaders in most organizations get there? The Sales career path. They know all about cold calling. They appreciate it.

Nearly all of the success factors here are getting past your fears. These fears are simply not valid. They don't hold true in the real world. Nearly everyone is flattered someone would ask their opinion. Go find out whether this job is really something you want. And you'll also find out what kind of different corporate cultures exist...which will play a big part in your job selection, if you're smart.

Don't be in "I'll Take Anything" mode. Start sorting.

Have an interview plan. What is the purpose of the interview? Don't be wishy-washy. Your two questions today could have used a lot more detail.

Here's an example of several information interviews with fellow sales professionals.

Write out your questions beforehand. Of course one or two new questions will occur to you while conducting the interview; ask them, too. But have your base set up.

Think about your request from their perspective: WHY would they want to participate? Yes, people want to be cooperative and helpful. But No, they do not want to create content for you (for example, I am asked to be interviewed all the time by people who are compiling such expert interviews to then SELL them...why on earth should I give them content so they can make money with it?!).

So be clear about your purpose.

You really must be looking for expertise, not digging for a job. Fake purpose will be seen through immediately and it will hurt your reputation.

Collecting a series of these interviews online around a specific topic is a great differentiating factor for job hunting, however. This is positioning.

Information Interviews for Pain Points

Information interviews to uncover pain points are very similar. Use the Little Unsure technique to reach the decision maker. Tell them you're doing some research. Then have a straightforward conversation about your topic.

Have they considered buying or have they bought what you offer?

How did they go about that?

On what criteria did they choose their provider? Why did that matter? (Hint: Price is not the real reason...and if it is, you don't want that buyer as a customer.)

For both job hunting and finding pain points, realize you must do several of these to get correlation. One or two is not enough. However, the activity level and payoff for booking and completing say a half-dozen information interviews is very powerful. You will feel incredibly confident because you finally understand your market.

>> Jason Kanigan is a business development expert who has had companies create custom roles for him on four occasions. Was this information helpful to you? Please Like or Share to let others know. And if you have a question about information interviews, Comment below! <<

3

Jason Kanigan Interview On Job Hunting

Jason Kanigan Interview On Job HuntingJason Kanigan Interview On Job Hunting? Yes! With the experience of having four companies create customized roles for Jason, this unorthodox approach has been systemized for anyone to use. If you have a core competency, and don't want to be fighting with dozens or even hundreds or thousands of other applicants for the same one boring job, this is for you.

With the focus on getting your unique value and skillset directly in front of people who have the power to hire you--NOT Human Resources--this process shows you how to:

  • Fight Fear
  • Stand Out
  • Don't Settle

and get the role you enjoy!

Details from the Jason Kanigan Interview On Job Hunting

The Kindle book by Jason Kanigan On Job Hunting outlines this method in detail.

In the interview I was asked if this process would only work with confident people. My response on air was "I don't want to rain on anyone's parade"...but you SHOULD be confident! If you aren't confident, what do you have to offer?! If you have skill, BE confident. Employers want what you have to bring to the table; they just don't know you exist. And trying to stand out in a sea of sameness in resumes and cover letters is not the way to get results.

Standing Out is the key to the fast resolution of a job search...and getting the role you truly excel at instead of "just a job". A templated rewritten resume won't do that. A cover letter you agonized about every word over isn't going to do that. Getting differentiating content in front of top officers is.

Listen to the Jason Kanigan Interview On Job Hunting

A critical change you almost certainly need to make is with your thinking about jobs. You probably think jobs are scarce. Well, advertised jobs are scarce. But jobs themselves are plentiful. You just have to know how to find them. Having a company create a role especially for you is easier than you think. In this interview, I tell you what the "Goldilocks" company looks like--which employers you ought to approach to have the best chance of getting the result you want. These companies have money, and for them to move $60K or more over to pay you is not a problem.

This is a perspective and an approach very few people can even conceive of, let alone execute...but it's not hard, and I've done it four times.

Listen to the Jason Kanigan Interview On Job Hunting right here:

>> Jason Kanigan helps executives discover the role they love with the organization that's a perfect fit. If you believe you qualify, contact Jason to discuss transforming your job search into an ultra-effective opportunity machine. Did this information help you? Please Like or Share to let others know. And if you have a question about the Jason Kanigan Interview on Job Hunting, comment below to let us know! <<

1

Jason Kanigan On Job Hunting

Jason Kanigan on Job Hunting

Why Jason Kanigan on Job Hunting?

Like most things, job hunting is a mental game.

You want to know the critical "secret" to getting a job? Refuse to continue being unemployed! Yes! Get mad! No longer accept being without work.

As long as you are sitting there, miserable, complaining, broken, you will remain powerless.

I've been helping people find work--and not just any work: work they enjoy--for two decades now. When September 11th happened, I was working with a non-profit organization that helped people figure out more about who they were, and return to the workforce. I conducted mock interviews on video camera. The candidate would be filmed, and I would play the role of the hiring interviewer. Then we'd review the tape to improve their performance.

These folks definitely had a leg up. And a step forward, because they were DOING SOMETHING by taking the program.

The problem with most job seekers is they are expecting someone else to do it for them. Their recruiter. Their network. Their next-door neighbor.

Just as in running your own business, I have to tell you: no one is ever going to care about your job search as much as you. No one.

You can see many articles I've written about successful job hunting methods on my old blog.

I've had employers create jobs that did not exist before I got there FOUR TIMES. No competition for those roles, either; they only wanted me.

The Modesto Bee even wrote an article about it.

Am I special?

Am I some kind of Superman?

Nope.

But I know more about successful job hunting than you.

Jason Kanigan on Job Hunting Success

Everything you've been told to do in your job search is wrong.

The idea that you should make a resume and cover letter, and blast it out to as many employers as you can in the hope that someone will notice it is just plain stupid.

A waste of energy.

A complete waste of time.

In fact, it makes you more depressed after you send that blizzard of resumes out and nobody responds, doesn't it.

A resume should be the last thing you give to an employer: the paperwork to seal the deal, confirmation to drop in the file.

You need a resume to get a job.

There's Job Search Lie #1. You don't.

Employers read cover letters.

There's Job Search Lie #2. They don't.

Okay, some do. All generalizations are false. But most--the vast majority--do not. All the agonizing you did over the precise wording of your cover letter is energy that could have been more effectively spent on another task. They drop the cover letter and go straight to a certain specific section of your resume...and if you don't tell them in that small space why they should talk to you, your resume goes into the trash.

Jason Kanigan on Job Hunting Effectiveness

I'll bet you're wondering what that small section is.

Getting this part right will at worst DOUBLE the effectiveness of your job search. If you want to keep using conventional methods to conduct your job hunt with, that is.

Other, better job search tactics do exist. Nobody has shared them with you because a) they don't know them, and b) if they did, they'd be afraid of you using them and taking their competitive advantage away.

I am not afraid of that. Since I own a business and am not at all interested in returning to being employed by someone else, I can share these unorthodox job hunting methods with you.

I have used them to get the attention of employers without depending on a resume many times. The fastest turnaround time for one of my job searches was four days. FOUR DAYS!

That story is detailed, along with these unorthodox methods, in my new Kindle book. You can click here to get it.

Inside, I share all the secrets of effective job hunting.

How it all starts, as I said above, in your mind.

How doing what the crowd is doing will get you nowhere fast.

How you can make use of modern methods to get on the radar of employers and get them to see you as an individual--

--an individual they have to meet.

That's the purpose of your resume, by the way.

Not to get you hired.

No resume can do that. People hire people, not resumes.

What the resume can do for you, if it's put together correctly, is entice the employer to meet you.

Remember, going forward, that this is the resume's goal.

Job searches are not about spending all your effort blasting out a blizzard of ineffective resumes hoping something will stick. They're about getting noticed by and having conversations with employers. Get enough of those, filter well enough, and you will quickly get the job of your dreams.

Details in my book, For Active Job Seekers Only: Get Hired FAST!

>> Jason Kanigan is a profit maximizer for $5-10 million firms who need help with Price, Power and Profit. Was this info helpful to you? Got a question about effective job hunting? Please Like, Share or Comment to let us know! <<