Job Seeking? Leave Humility and Modesty at the Door, Please ...

Whew ... it's been a long time since I blogged. I had one topic in mind; but it's a little more pop-culture than business-focused; and I didn't want to return from such a hiatus with something as meaningless as pop culture.


This morning, I was thinking about the irony of job-seeking versus being a great employee. Those very traits that make someone an exceptional employee are not the ones that convince an organization to hire them in the first place.

What do I mean? Well, simply stated, most companies seek out employees that will always put the company's needs first. Even salespeople (who need to exude more confidence than the average worker) still should never lose sight of the company's mission and goals (although, again, with sales, many of those goals are achieved through sales goals).

And, I like to think I fit into that category. I've been fortunate to have the ear of several executives during my professional life, and none of them would ever say I ever recommended anything that benefited me, exclusively (or, more to the point, *didn't* benefit the company).

Yet, when it comes to interviewing and job-seeking, humility and modesty is not a welcomed trait. If you cannot speak effusively about yourself, your skills and your accomplishments, you're perceived as not being a strong candidate.

And, for someone like me (true story: I was asked in an interview what one word best described me and -- without hesitation -- I said "modest"), that can be a challenge.

Part of the difficulty stems from the fact that most of my "accomplishments," I simply considered to be "my job." To me, even if I do my job exceptionally well, it's still my job (and should be done to the best of my capabilities). So, to go into an interview and spew out all these great things I did, just feels insincere to me.

I'm not without confidence ... but, being confident doesn't necessarily mean talking yourself up. I leave most interviews convinced I can help the company achieve its goals and that I can handle the responsibilities of the position (and deliver exceptional results). Anecdotally, I can point to my previous positions: Look at where the company was before I got there; look where it got *while* I was there; and look at where it is now that I'm no longer there. I can assure you, the differences are stark.

The other difficulty comes from the fact that -- rightfully so -- interviewers want to learn what led to your accomplishments. And, again, I consider it just my job. I go into a company; learn the product/service or the culture (depending on my role and focus); and then I ensure messages reach the target audience in the way intended. Whether I'm creating the messaging or editing it or advising someone else; the important piece of the puzzle is making sure the audience *hears* the message the way it was intended. If they don't, the failure lies with the message and message sender  (*not* the audience).

But, ask me to describe the minutiae of how I do that, and I'm probably going to be a little flustered. It's not something I've ever analyzed (despite the fact that I pride myself on being meticulous and methodical). In some ways (and I'm not comparing myself to him, necessarily), it's similar to the plight of Ted Williams.

Ted Williams is arguably the greatest baseball hitter of all time (I can make a case for Ty Cobb; but that's another blog!). After his playing career, teams wanted to hire Williams to teach *their* players how to hit; which was a great idea on paper. Problem is -- Ted couldn't explain how he hit, and he certainly couldn't teach anyone. To him, it was as simple as: see the ball; hit the ball; and it worked. Ask for more details than that, and you'd be sorely disappointed.

One of the reasons I've built up my network so much (and that I've tried to actually *meet* as many of the people in my network as I can), is because there are few things in the job search as powerful as having someone talk you up to the company to which you've applied. Sure, I can apply for a job online; but if I know someone who knows someone at that company, and my contact is able (and willing!) to tell the person what a fantastic addition I'd be; and how I can help transform their company ... well, that accomplishes two things: First, it's an incredibly meaningful recommendation (and, honestly, you can't have too many of those!); and second, it takes the pressure off of me.

Then, I can focus on simply being a modest and exceptional employee.