The Morning Blend: Finish the Race!
Brad Raney | Jun 06, 2011 | Comments 0
A Memorial Day Weekend tradition in my house is watching the Indianapolis 500. This year’s race was outstanding, and the last lap of the race was one of the best in recent memory! Before I tell you the story, keep in mind that this 500 mile race takes place over several hours, 200 laps, and with each driver averaging 200+ mph on every lap!
Rookie Indy 500 driver J.R. Hildebrand found himself leading the race with only a few laps to go. Other drivers had been trying to conserve fuel for a frantic run at the end, but Hildebrand had pitted earlier in the race and was able to run max speed during the last few laps. During laps 198 and 199, he was going full out to try and put as much distance as he could between his car and the field.
The 23-year-old was leading by almost 4 seconds (a lifetime in an Indy race!) heading into the final lap. He zipped through turns 1, 2, and 3 with no problem. He seemed to be on a perfect path to a dream finish – to become only the 9th rookie driver in the history of the Indy 500 to win the race! The announcers were animated and glowing about the rookie’s achievement. His crew chief and pit crew were jumping up and down as he headed for the final turn. Hildebrand could even see the finish line ahead – the Indianapolis 500 was his!
Then, Hildebrand came up on a slower car going into tricky turn 4. He kept his speed, and decided to swerved to avoid the slower car. The move took him high on the track, and he lost control of his car. The front right wheel slammed into the wall – less than 1/4 mile from the finish line. Hildebrand’s car was now plastered to the wall at over 200 mph, and on 3 wheels, he was still catapulting toward the finish line.
The impact slowed him enough that veteran driver Dan Wheldon passed Hildebrand less than a 1/10 of a mile from the finish. Wheldon crossed the bricks first and Hildebrand scraped along the wall across the line to finish second. Hildebrand was not physically injured but no doubt his psyche was damaged in the mishap.
“I caught him (the slower car) in the wrong piece of track. I got up in the marbles (high on the track) and that was it,” Hildebrand said afterwards. “I guess that’s why rookies don’t win the Indianapolis 500 a whole lot.” Indeed, the rookie had made the ultimate mistake with the very last turn of his steering wheel and it cost him the biggest victory of his life.
What in the sporting world does this have to do with your job search? Plenty! Make sure that when you think that all is well - you think that you are going to get the offer any day now – you hope you’ve done everything you can to land the job – make sure that you finish the race!
Here are some quick Do’s and Don’ts for finishing your job search strong to make sure you get the offer you want:
* Do The Following:
1- Follow Up, Don’t Haunt! You may remember this line from my blog on networking, but keep it top of mind as you “keep in touch” with the hiring manager. It’s great to email or call a hiring manager to show your continued interest in a position – just don’t do it every day and certainly not multiple times in a day! Too much follow up looks like “haunting” or worse “hunting” and it can turn off a decision maker right in the middle of the decision! Sometimes the wheel of corporations move slowly right before a hiring choice is made – have patience and professionalism during this time.
2- Ask Another Question! One good way to stay top of mind with a hiring manager without seeming desperate is to email or call them with one more question that you have thought about. If you have done your meticulous research and developed your 10-20 great questions (see previous blogs!), you should have at least one unanswered query to use in this situation. By asking the right question, you show great attitude, energy, effort, intensity, outlook, uniqueness – in fact almost all of the VOWELS - at a time where the hiring manager is trying to decide whom to hire. It might just put you in the driver’s seat!
3- Send a Hand-written Note! I know this is a lost art for many of you, but go buy some decent stationery and send the hiring manager a hand-written note. More than likely this is a thank you note, but also use anything from your discussions that pulls the two of you closer – from the same state, have kids in same sports league, both love to water ski – whatever bridge you found during the interview. Use it here to reinforce the connection that was started previously.
4- Use Your Network to Communicate Your Interest! Contact folks who helped you get in front of the hiring manager and have them reach out the that person and express your interest in the company: how much you like the folks you met there, how impressed you are with the company’s reputation, etc. This one takes some practice and delicate touch, but a third voice in the room to promote you might be just what it takes to get to the winner’s circle!
5- Keep Working on Other Opportunities! There’s a caveat to this one below in the Don’ts but just because you think you have this offer in the bag, don’t stop working on other possible jobs. As mentioned in #1 above, the gears grind slower toward the end of a decision, so keep other job opportunities going until you get a resolution on the one you really want!
* Do NOT Do the Following:
1- Don’t Send Gifts! I have seen this back-fire more times than it works – don’t send wine, candy, champagne, etc to a hiring manager who is in the middle of making a decision. It doesn’t look good and it’s bad karma – avoid it!
2- Don’t Call/Email Too Much! We mentioned this above but it bears repeating – don’t drive a hiring manager crazy with phone calls and emails. Give them some space to make a rational decision about the job!
3- Don’t Ignore It Completely! This is the flip side of the coin to #2 above – if you think you’ve just had the best interview of your life and the job’s in the bag (aka, you’re on turn 4 of the Indy 500 and everything is fine!), don’t just sit back and wait for the phone to ring! Hope is not a strategy – follow up in a professional manner – always!
4- Don’t Pitch Another Job in the Company or in a Sister Company! While you are waiting on a decision, do not send your resume in or interview for another job in the company – or their sister-companies! Recently, I was hiring a new assistant and one my finalists applied for another job in our building. The hiring manager in the other department called me and asked about someone whom she’d just interviewed and who just mentioned my name as a reference! Guess what – the candidate didn’t get either job! Stay focused on one opportunity per company until it plays out – once you get a “no” from one department, it’s fine to ask if it’s okay if you pursue another opening in the company.
Stay focused, work hard, work smart, and pay attention to every detail on the track as you get closer the hiring manager’s decision. Just because you can see the finish line, doesn’t mean the race is over – don’t be a rookie and crash into the wall just before you’ve landed your perfect job!
If I can help you navigate the track to your finish line, don’t hesitate to ask – it’s why I’m here!
Sincerely,
Brad Raney
Brad Raney is a motivational speaker, life coach, author and sales trainer. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and sales management within the broadcast industry. Brad developed the VOWELS program in 2009 and the success it brought his sales team has spurred keynote speeches, workshops, seminars, a website, and his first book “Improve Your VOWELS, Improve Your Career!” which was released in July 2010.
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