Ambivalence/Interviewing

I was talking to a friend yesterday who had a job interview for a job she wasn't sure she wanted. In the course of our conversation, she asked me whether I thought that she should act excited about the job during the interview despite her ambivalence. My strong feeling on this is: Yes, if there is any part of the job that you can feel excited about (pay, stability, environment, etc.) If there's nothing you can get excited about, then you may want to examine whether it is worth going to the interview at all.

Why is it important to appear excited about a position?

First, a few words on ambivalence. Ambivalence is defined as "the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing him or her in opposite directions."

Ambivalence is okay. Everyone is a little ambivalent about most things in life (responsibilities, exercise, going to the grocery store, etc.). So there is no reason to feel upset if you're ambivalent about a particular job - there's nothing wrong with it. Ideally it would be great to be 100% sure about a job, but this is rarely the case and, even though you may not be 100% sure about a job in the beginning doesn't mean that you won't grow to love the job over time or that the job won't help you meet other important needs (i.e., income, stability, better hours, or a skill set or introduction to a business that you need in order to obtain your dream job).

So, it is okay to internally feel ambivalent about a job you are applying for, but if you actually want to get an offer (and therefore be the one to decide whether you actually take the job), it is crucial in an interview to access and express the parts of yourself that are feeling positive about/pulling you towards the job.

Why is this? There are a few reasons.

1. The first has to do with my theory on interviewing and the two things you can bring to the table that will increase your chances of getting an offer (A) Enthusiasm and (B) Specificity

(A) Enthusiasm - There are a lot of people out there who want your job. Why shouldn't they give it to someone who is actually excited to be there? Enthusiasm is contagious - it makes people feel happy - when people are happy, they tend to want to maintain that state and have people around them who contribute to it.

(B) Specificity - Specificity in this context means very specific with the employer about why this particular job is a good match for your skill set and experiences. Highlighting aspects of the job you think you will enjoy also reminds people why they chose the field themselves and also gives them confidence that you have been thoughtful about the demands of the job and will be able to get the job done.

2. If you think about and talk about all of the parts of the job that excite you, you might end up realizing that it really is the perfect job for you.

So how do you play up the part of you that is pulling you towards the job? Pick all of the parts of the job you like and talk about those in an excited fashion. If there are parts of the job that are less than thrilling to you, it is possible and even useful to address those aspects, but to the extent possible, I would try to spin any potential concerns in a positive light, and ask questions that will give you the information you need in order to help you to make a decision about whether to take the position in the event you get an offer.

Remember: Even if you are not 100% sure about a job, it is better to pick the parts of the job you can get excited about and focus on those, rather than come across as half-hearted. Otherwise, why go to the interview in the first place?

My Resume - An Excerpt

Jennifer L. Bird
201 East 28th St., Apt. 3L ● New York, NY 10016 ● jennifer.bird@gmail.com ● (203) 464-9551

Education

Yale Law School, J.D., 2004

Brown University, B.S., Psychology, magna cum laude, 1997
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa; Kling Award for Outstanding Service as a Teaching Assistant; Muriel Fain Sher Award for Outstanding Female Student in Psychology


Professional Experience

Associate, Private Clients Group, 2004-2007
White & Case LLP, New York, NY

· Client Relations/Marketing: Developed and maintained relationships with firm’s high net-worth clients. Corresponded regularly with clients on relevant legal issues. Worked with marketing department to raise profile of Private Clients Group. Proposed and drafted articles for publication in law journals and magazines. Created PowerPoint presentations for client pitches.

· Recruiting: Coordinated outing to WNBA game attended by summer associates, associates and partners. Served as greeter at on-campus interviews. Attended follow up events with prospective associates and addressed their questions and concerns.

· Project Management: Managed litigation regarding IRS challenge to client’s estate tax return. Researched legal issues, interviewed witnesses, and wrote legal brief. Coordinated team of attorneys in negotiations with IRS and reached settlement with IRS in which client received full amount of claim.

· Legal Research/Writing: Designed and implemented estate plans for partners. Interviewed partners concerning sensitive financial information. Drafted all relevant documents including Wills and specialized Trusts.

Resume Writing

When I was searching for a job, I went through many, many versions of my resume. I started off with a version that listed the various jobs and schools I'd attended, with a line or two of description, but didn't really tell a story about who I was or what I had to offer for a particular position. As a result, I didn't get many job interviews. What I later discovered, was that if I wanted to make my resume stand out, I needed to make it clear why a particular employer should hire me. I needed to tell a story, one that was easy to understand and attractive to employers. It wasn't enough to say that I had gone to good schools and worked at other jobs.

Since I was making the transition from lawyer (a position requiring a set of hard skills) to legal recruiter (a position requiring "softer" skills) I learned that I needed to highlight the soft skills I had gained in every legal and non-legal position I'd held. Thanks to some advice from "Resumes For Dummies" (which I highly recommend) I divided each job into skill sets such as "Client Relations"; "Recruiting"; "Marketing"; and "Project Management" in order to show potential employers exactly what it was I had to offer them. The story I wanted to tell was that, although I worked as lawyer and in several other law-related positions, throughout my career I also developed and nurtured skill sets that were a better fit for a position involving the management of human relationships.

For anyone making a career change, I highly recommend the skill-set method of resume writing. There are many, many books that give examples of this method - Resume For Dummies is one that I liked, but if you go to the Career section of any major bookstore, you will find others as well.

A few of my friends have also had success with professional resume writers which is also a great way to go. One service in particular that my friends have had success with is Aspirations Resume Service (http://www.aspirationsresume.com/) My understanding is that they give you a free evaluation of your current resume and then for a fee of $200 revamp your resume and also provide you with a cover letter. I've heard that they get back to you promptly as well.

Remember, when you write your resume, you want to tell an enticing story about yourself, one that shows not only your accomplishments, but how those accomplishments and all of your other skills make you the perfect fit for a job.

Introduction

Hi, I'm Jen. I worked as a lawyer for a few years (2 years and 4 months to be exact) after graduating from law school in 2004 and started working as a legal recruiter/headhunter (i.e., helping other lawyers find jobs) about 5 months ago.

In the course of working in this job and also in making my own transition from lawyer to legal recruiter (I took a year off in between), I've learned a lot about the job hunting process and have lots to say about it for anyone who is interested, so I thought it might be helpful to post some of my thoughts here about how to go about your job search and also lend a bit of inspiration to anyone who's on the path to find a job they love - I'm a huge fan of inspirational quotes .... My favorite one on this topic:

“Don’t ask yourself
what the world needs -
ask yourself
what makes you come alive,
and then go do that.
Because what the world needs
is people who have come alive.”

- Howard Thurman

More coming soon!