Jeffrey J. Fox spoke at West Chester on the evening of April 14 in the Philips Autograph Library on how students can land a job. Fox is a popular speaker and an acclaimed author of the best sellers, “How to Become a CEO” and “Don’t Send a Resume.” He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.
He offered many tips for success in attaining a job. He began his talk by posing a question about how much of the audience was comprised of seniors who are ready to enter the job market.
He gave his definition of a job-it is designed to get and keep customers, according to Fox. We are hired with the expectation that the employer will get money back by some economic credit to the organization.
He spoke about the significance of packaging. We have to sell ourselves. Prospective employees must be prepared, research the company, visit their Web site and formulate ques-tions.
Recommendations he gave were to target an area where we would like to work within a 30 to 40 mile radius. Identify and research five or six companies we feel we have chemistry with. Determine how we could create new products and cut costs for the company.
Fox encouraged writing a letter to the CEO summarizing five ideas to make the company better and improve the economics of the business. He called this an impact letter, which he feels is much better than a resume. “Resumes are used to line birdcages!” Mr. Fox stated. He feels that readers of resumes have negative bias, and that resumes are not customized.
After sending impact letters to companies, an interview will hopefully ensue. He recommends that a prospective employee ask many questions. Examples are: What does it take to succeed here? What does it take to fail? What does it take to get a job here?
He does not recommend asking questions about money or vacations. Another pointer The customer should do most of the talking. In order to make the best impression, Fox believes that we should listen 80 percent of the time and talk only 20 percent of the time. He says also that 90 percent of the people interviewed for jobs do not ask for the job, but it is very important to ask for the job. According to him companies want people who sell themselves. An interesting point he made was his formula for job seeking success – two percent of it is talent and 98 percent is marketing or selling yourself.
Some recommendations he made for the job interview are:
1. Be on time.
2. Be the best-dressed person.
3. Take notes with a pen and pad.
4. Ask the prepared questions you wrote.
5. Pronounce names correctly.
6. Do not chew gum.
7. If you are taken out to eat during the interview, select a simple meal and use good table manners.
Some recommendations he offers for when you get the job are:
1. Be aloof.
2. Do not attend office parties without spouses.
3. Work hard in the office; don’t take work home.
4. Don’t smoke.
5. Arrive early for work.
6. Don’t complain or gossip, or belittle.
7. Know everyone by his or her first name.
8. Don’t be jealous of your colleagues.
9. Avoid traveling with your superiors.
10. Be a credit maker; not a credit taker.
11. Treat your family as your No.1 client.
12. Don’t be a slave to your business.
Also, remember those thank you notes that you learned were proper etiquette as a child? Fox feels that a handwritten thank you note after an interview is an extremely important part of the process. “You will stand out in the eyes of the hiring company!”
Members of the audience were asked to jot down questions for Fox at the conclusion of his presentation. Some of the questions posed were very relevant. One member of the audience said he had never heard of an impact letter but it made sense. A few students felt the speaker was informative and extremely relevant since they would soon be job hunting.