Andrew Lacivita [Lacivita - Interview Intervention: Communication That Gets You Hired: A Milewalk Business Book

INTERVIEW
INTERVENTION

Communication That Gets You Hired

Andrew LaCivita

A milewalk Business Book

Copyright 2012 by Andrew LaCivita

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ISBN: 978-1-4525-4702-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-4704-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-4703-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012902199

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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Balboa Press rev. date: 03/12/2012

Contents

To Mom and Dad,
for nurturing my undying will to succeed
and teaching me that failure doesnt exist.

A few days before I submitted the manuscript of this book to Balboa Press, my father and I were sitting at his kitchen table. He asked, Why did you decide to write the book? The question was simple enough. Even so, I immediately felt the wave of reasons hit me at a speed that would make your hair stand up. I responded to him in the shortest, most encapsulated way I could: Because I cannot possibly reach the number of people that could benefit from what Ive learned without putting it on paper. Helping a few people each day simply isnt good enough for me.

An idea for any book rarely surfaces in an instant. This one evolved over a few years. It took time and energy. As you can imagine, there was also significant trial and error in building these methods. Along the way, I learned many things, but there was one constant that kept driving meI genuinely feel people deserve great things in life, especially when it comes to their career. I wanted to help them secure that, which is a large part of why I became an executive recruiter. Its the feeling I put into every preparation call or meeting I conduct with candidates prior to their job interview. This book is my attempt at providing you an inside look so that it might benefit you as well.

The book itself was much easier to write than I thought it would be. Not because it required little effort, but because Ive spoken these words to thousands of candidates Ive prepared for interviews over the years. Each time, I was unconcerned about them saying something silly or how it would reflect upon on our organization. My fear was more analogous to a criminal defense lawyer with an innocent client (without the consequences, of course). I was far more concerned that a candidate we had spent several hours evaluating, who was qualified and was a great fit for an organization we were representing, would not secure a job because of something the candidate or interviewer misrepresented or misinterpreted.

As I wrote the book, I often thought of this funny story my good friend Laura told me one day while we were having lunch. She said, Andy, I went to my hairstylist the other day. I said to him, John, I can never get my hair as good as you do. His response was, I certainly hope not. She has a great relationship with him, so he obviously meant this tongue-in-cheek, that he hopes she continues to see him because of his professional expertise. This is how he earns his living. I tried to keep that same central theme by remembering you, the readers, whether a job candidate or interviewer, do these activities very infrequently throughout your work lives. I do this, or at least monitor it, every day of mine. I wanted to highlight the key concepts you could call upon during your career change or interviews and also develop them in a manner that you could apply to any form of communicationwhether it is with your spouse, friend, coworker, or the public.

Speaking of the public, shortly before I completed the manuscript, I discovered this quote by Winston Churchill: Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public. The first thing I thought was, This? From Mr. I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat? Well, after I got over my initial shock, I reflected on my daily journey of preparing this book. Churchill was pretty much dead on with one exception. I did experience most of those things. It was an adventure that provided me with a great deal of fun and enjoyment. Some days this book felt like my only friend, and other days it felt like a coliseum full of people yelling. But instead of trying to kill it, I wanted to give it life and set it free.

I hope you will respond to me in some way, so that I know it helped you. For me, that is the only thing that will ultimately assure me that my journey was worth it.

I am never at a loss for people to thank for my good fortune. Whether you are someone I speak with every day, a business colleague or friend I connect with a few times each year, or a reader who has sent me an occasional e-mail, I cherish you all and greatly appreciate the experiences you have shared with me.

To my parents, Michael and Emilia, thank you so much for all the love and support throughout my life. I truly won the parents lottery. Dad, remember, Robert Henri said, Do whatever you do intensely. To my siblings, Danielle, Michele, and Rocco, thanks for keeping our family unit tight and naming a few of your children after me.

To the entire milewalk team, thanks for being the most wonderful group of individuals anyone could ever ask to work with. A special thanks to Kara Dziedzic for being my rock and always keeping me steady. You are the definition of a true teammate and friend. To Carrie Oser, I could not manage without you. Thank you for helping me with all facets of my work and personal life.

To the many milewalk clients weve worked with over the years, Im grateful to you all for allowing us to support you and providing us with experiences I was able to channel into this book. Although there are too many to name individually, I would like to send a special thank you to some that have treated us as genuine partners (named alphabetically): Liz Anderson, Sam Biardo, Karen Bolton, Linda Bracken, Beth Cabrera, Jackie Fairleigh, Mark Federman, Vito Fiore, John Fix, Jay Fought, Mary Lynn Godee, Kris Hackney, Aaron Howell, Suzzette Jaskowiak, Kevan Jedlowski, Troy Johnson, Alex Kormushoff, Patrick Payne, Jennifer Paraskos, R. J. Reimers, Dave Rosevelt, Tom Snapp, Paul Stillmank, Drew Shields, John Schmidt, Bob Schmitt, Adam Weyeneth, Steve Winchester, and Dave Zaret. I would also like to single out Ted Goodman, who has helped me and milewalk in countless capacities. I am eternally thankful for your support and friendship.