Entry by Nicole Goble, Director of Recruiting and Development in the financial services industry in Zionsville, IN
Each month I have the opportunity to take someone from within our office (staff or financial representative)
for breakfast and interview them for the monthly newsletter I write. It is a neat deal; I ask them 5 pretty simple questions for the newsletter and spend the rest of the time focusing on them, how their business is going and what is new personally. This week I sat down with a representative that has been with our company for 10 years and has really been a huge benefit to me as a recruiter; therefore, we talked recruiting for a good portion of the breakfast. He told me a story about a former representative that found his dream job using our sales cycle. It was so simple but so astounding, how had I never thought of this? So how does it work for you?
First and foremost is to put together a market plan of the industries that excite you. Brainstorm about fields you are interested in, jobs you have always wanted to do and/or organizations you are passionate about. After listing, begin prioritizing them and researching them. This exercise led him to determine he really wanted to work in Pharmaceutical sales.
Second, who do you know in those fields and in those organizations? If the answer is no one, who can you know? Being in a prospecting and promotion business, the former representative who did this used all of the contacts he created while building his financial services practice; understandably, you may not have that large of a network base, at this time. Think about your parents, their friends, their coworkers, your high school teachers, coaches and counselors, your professors, mentors and current employers at college, and think about your friends that have already completed an internship. If all of that fails you, we are in 2010, go to the WWW! Anyways, the point is, sit down with each of them. Ask them many questions and most importantly ask them “Who do you know that works ______?” He networked with anyone that worked within the pharma sales field and was eventually led to the Managing Partner of the largest company in Chicago, IL (where he had always wanted to live). It not only led him to the MP, his contact scheduled a lunch for him to meet the top executive of the company; who really ever gets that opportunity? Well, let me tell you, I did not meet our MP until 3 months after working here, so for some it’s a slim chance. Now, 7 years later, he is still with that company and doing very well!
From my experience, the most successful individuals are those that think outside the box and are not afraid to put themselves out there. How nerve racking and uncomfortable it must have been to be sitting in front of such a prominent individual only two years out of college, but had he not shined, he wouldn’t be where he is today. Taking the extra step and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations can ultimately lead you to be exactly where you want to be.
