Career Strategies

Here's a mistake I've seen some people make in the interview process. It pertains mostly to freelancers and those working in the film industry. I was once interviewing a young woman for a spot on my production. Right away she started talking about the connections she had which could be of benefit to me. She went further by saying she would like to bring them aboard. In fact she said she would prefer to work with them because they were so-called inexpensive and fast. Now, what could be wrong with that? Well a lot might I say. If you are being interviewed for a job keep in mind that it is YOU that they are interested in and not your friends. Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to hook your friends up but keep in mind that you don't have the job yet. In fact, your goal in the interview is to sell yourself. Plain and simple. Also, telling them that you want to work with your friends sends the wrong message. In the example I gave, the woman ended up not getting the job. See, on a subconscious level if a hiring manager needs to control costs and head counts, your offer of bringing aboard a team seems like he or she is getting more than what they asked for. They want you, not your entourage. Later when you get the job and have established trust and rapport then and only then may you suggest bringing aboard your friends. But again, the interview process is about you and only you. Take care.