James Caan - Get The Job You Really Want

PORTFOLIO PENGUIN

Published by the Penguin Group

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First published 2011

Copyright James Caan, Philip Dodd, 2011

All rights reserved

The moral right of the authors has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

ISBN : 978-0-14-196529-1

Its your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude.

A couple of years ago, I ran an advertisement for an investment manager at my private equity company, Hamilton Bradshaw. In the advert we said the successful candidate had to have three years chartered accounting experience, must have worked for one of the top five accounting firms, and should be Oxbridge educated or the equivalent. It was the standard specification for the job.

Early one afternoon I got a call from reception. Ive got somebody downstairs who wants to see you.

I took a quick look at my diary and saw I didnt have any appointments listed in my schedule. Im sorry, I said, I cant see anybody. Im too busy right now, and put the phone down.

Forty-five minutes later, there was another call. James, hes still sitting in reception.

Whats it about?

Oh, he said he just wants to see James Caan.

No, forget it. Nevertheless I did ask one of my team to pop downstairs and explain that we never do random appointments, and to say sorry, but there were no free slots available. While he went off to convey the message, I got on with the work I was doing.

Unknown to me, even after having been given the bad news, the guy in reception had simply asked what time the office closed, and carried on sitting there, waiting patiently. It happened that I had a meeting in the City later that afternoon, and at four oclock I came out through reception and left the building.

Suddenly I sensed somebody behind me. I turned round to hear, Hi, James. My names Greg. I saw your advert for an investment manager, and although I dont have any of the qualifications youre asking for, I know I can do the job.

I looked at this guy and couldnt help smiling, because even while I was thinking to myself, What a cheek! I had to admire the fact he had worked out that, since he didnt have either the right degree or the relevant experience, this was the only way he was ever going to get hold of me.

So I said, My cars parked round the corner. You have exactly one minute until I get to my car to tell me why you think I should give you an interview. Sixty seconds, starting from now.

Greg gave me the pitch of his life essentially telling me that although he lacked the specific academic qualifications, and hadnt worked for a top accounting firm, in practical terms he had done the job. Im determined, he insisted. Im hard-working. Ive read your website. I know the business youre in. I know exactly what you do, and I understand the concept of how you manage portfolios.

Because of all the research he had done, Greg knew so much about the company and our business that at the end of his one-minute spiel, I had to say, OK, heres my investment directors phone number. Give him a call. Were all out at a meeting until eight oclock this evening, but if you call him then, Ill make sure you get an appointment.

Bang on the dot of 8 p.m. he phoned the investment director. We invited him in for an interview. Normally I would never attend a first interview but this time I did, along with our investment director and our chief investment officer. Beforehand I had decided I was going to give Greg an extremely hard time. He had pushed himself into contention by showing plenty of nerve. I felt that if he was that self-confident about his own abilities, he had better be seriously good. We gave him a really tough interview, and asked some very searching, probing questions. I was amazed. He came back with a great answer to every question. Talk about resilient!

At the end of the interview, I asked Greg to wait outside while I had a chat with my colleagues. The three of us agreed we should give him the job there and then. We all realized that we could have interviewed somebody who had all the qualifications, but what value could we put on sheer determination, drive and hunger for the job?

We brought him back in and said, To our astonishment, we are delighted to offer you the position. Greg joined us, and performed really well in the company. By thinking outside the box, and turning the usual conventions upside down, he had landed his ideal job.

This book is about precisely that: how to get the job you really want and transform your career. At a time when the only thing in business that seems certain is uncertainty, and the job market is as challenging as its ever been, I am going to give you the best advice I can, based on thirty years of experience working in, setting up and running recruitment companies.

Its a battle royal out there in the job market, so you need all the ammunition you can get to give you an extra edge and to make a real difference.

I will take you through the whole process step by step. How to remain positive in a difficult economic climate. How to be proactive in finding the right job opportunities. How to go about packaging yourself to make sure you secure an interview. The vital importance of preparation, so that you are relaxed and confident in the interview, and can give a great performance. How to close the deal on a job offer to your best advantage. And at every stage I will try to shed a different light on the traditional, formulaic ways of approaching the whole process.

This is a time for flexibility and imagination. But you also need to put in the hard work just as Greg had done in researching Hamilton Bradshaw so thoroughly (although, just in case youre thinking of pitching up in reception to try and ambush me in the way he did, that was definitely a one-off!). Unbelievably, ninety-five per cent of candidates never bother to go that extra mile. Nobody has ever told them how to go about getting a job. They just do whats instinctive. They see a job ad and, almost without thinking, send out their old CV and keep their fingers crossed.

I can only say this because I have been working in recruitment all my life. I didnt just stumble across this knowledge. I have learned the ins and outs and the details of the business from personal, hands-on experience. Together we are going to set about improving the odds of you getting that perfect job.