Job Search Rule #17 - Don't Fight a Battle You've Already Won

Looking for a new job is a process that has some predictable phases to it.  The wise, and emotionally competent candidate navigates these phases with a combination of patience and aplomb.  The unwise candidate treats a job search as if he is waging war.  He views getting his resume in front of the right people, passing a phone screen, and securing an interview as mini-battles to win on the way to victory.  If you've read even a little of The Career Encouragement Blog, you'll know that I do not endorse the latter approach.  However, since there are many job-seekers out there who persist in treating the job search as a war, I feel compelled to at least encourage them to do it well.

If you are going to insist on approaching each phase of the job search as a battle in a larger war, you would do well to remember this sage piece of advice: 

Don't fight a battle you have already won.

Fighting a battle you have already won is counter-productive for 2 reasons:

1. It takes time and energy away from strategizing for the next battle.
2. It annoys the people who are running the search effort.

Grant is a perfect example of someone who created chaos and stress in his job search because he kept fighting a battle he had already won.   A few years ago I was filling a Regional Sales Director position for a client.  Grant had been unemployed for nearly 5 months and had a large family.  He was getting desperate.  Although his edge of desperation came through in the interview (which I've said before is not a good idea), he did possess the skills and experiences we needed, and he demonstrated a creative flair and articulate nature that we all (myself, HR Director, VP of Sales, and VP of Marketing) liked. 

After all candidates had been through the interviews with the VP's, I called Grant to let him know that we were interested in pursuing his candidacy.  I told him that my assistant Connie would be calling him to set up a final interview with the SVP of Operations, a man named Charles.  Grant had not yet won the war, but he had definitely won a big battle here!  He was one of two finalists selected to move forward. 

Grant did not do the logical thing which would have been to breathe a sigh of relief and then start to prep for the SVP interview.  Instead he continued fighting a battle he had already won - the battle to get to the final round of interviews with the SVP.  Not 15 minutes after I called Grant informing him that we wanted him to meet with the SVP, he called Connie and told her that I had said she would call him, and that he wanted to know when he would meet with Charles.  Connie is a pro, so she politely said she hadn't spoken to me yet, but she would be in touch.

Connie called me to relate what had happened.  Frankly I was a little irritated to hear that Grant had called her within minutes of speaking to me.  I hadn't had a chance to talk to her about setting up this interview.  I chalked it up to nerves and/or a misunderstanding on his part and we moved forward.  Connie called Charles' secretary Betty to set up the interview.  She found out Betty would be out for the rest of the day and made a note to call her the next day.

Connie was shocked to get a phone call from Betty at 8:30 the following morning asking why a candidate was calling her directly (if you've ever worked in a large corporation where the Executives have personal assistants, you can appreciate just how Betty was throwing her weight around here). Connie learned from Betty that Grant had called and said, "The Recruiter wants me to meet with Charles but Connie hasn't set it up yet."

I was furious with Grant.  He had insulted Connie's professionalism by jumping in to do her job, he had spoken negatively of her to Betty, and he had my capable and overworked assistant all in a lather.  All this chaos about a battle he had already won!  He had been invited to the final round of interviews, but instead of preparing for them he was continuing to fight the battle to get to the next interview.  In doing so, he was creating chaos in our process and insulting possible future co-workers along the way.

I don't like dis-inviting candidates from interviews, so I allowed Connie to go ahead and set up the interview for Grant.  Then I let Charles, the VP's, and HR Director know that I had learned more about Grant that had given me some concerns about his candidacy.  What Grant will never know is that we sent 2 gentlemen with equal skills and experiences to the final round.  If he had spent his time strategizing about how to succeed in that interview instead of fighting the battle to schedule it, he had a fair shot at coming out on top.  Instead his fate was sealed before he ever met Charles.

Bottom line: whatever phase of the job search you are in, focus on performing well and then prepare for the next phase.  Don't keep focusing on a phase once you've completed it - don't fight a battle you have already won.  Obviously this rule is as applicable to performing well and advancing in your current role as it is to the job search - I will try to write more on how you can use this approach to develop your career in a future posting.

Comments

[Lisa]

What a great way to frame up a very annoying behavior that I see too often - internaly as well as externally.

[MMG]

Ouch! Quite the example of burning a bridge before it has been crossed. This example also hints that patience is a skill or trait in high demand, and there are several ways to demonstrate one's level (or abscence) of this important trait at various stages of the job search.