What do a job interview, a sales pitch, and a speech all have in common? They all require, at the absolute least, good communication skills. All too often, people who specialize in a particular skillset that does NOT typically place a heavy, heavy demand on having great to exceptional communication skills end up having, at best, decent communication skills. As a result, potential companies and/or clients fail to see what the expert's guidance, skills, and opinion are truly worth, and it's because the expert in question couldn't communicate that they were, indeed, worth the investment, time, and/or additional training. Recent experiences where I've either pitched things in the most horribly bass-ackwards way possible or where I've SEEN people pitch in the most bass-ackwards way possible led me to reflect on what went wrong, what mistakes were made, and just how absurdly important it is to be able to communicate and lead with value, in accordance to my mentor Dan Lok's teachings. There's probably more reasons than anyone could ever hope to list, but I like to keep it to the point, so I'll stick with three:
- Providing Value Up-Front: You Might be Doing It Wrong.
You've been there before: you apply for a job, you craft together what you think is the most awesome resume in the world, and after some thumb-twiddling and maybe a prayer and sacrifice to your god(s), you get that interview. Awesome! You're getting in there! But what happens at that interview? You go in, do your thing, and... "We'll call you next week." Not "When can you start?" It's "We'll call you next week." What happened? How'd this get screwed up? Was it your fault? Did the interviewer just not like you? Maybe it was a combination of both in that it is and isn't your fault. You, the expert, were taught these awesome skills, but the job market's competitive and no one really gave you the know-how on properly developing communication skills without sounding like a robot that exists to perform one function only. It's a similar case if you go into doing business providing a product or service and your client rejects your offer. What if no one taught you to stand out looking like gold in a sea of brass?
How do you fix this? Where's this all headed to? The first thing to think back on is how you answer the interviewer or client. Are you trying to rattle off answers like a textbook or an encyclopedia to a human being? People don't necessarily get drawn to that, since they want to talk to another human being. Engage with the interviewer. Ask questions and have a conversation like you're almost friends or drinking buddies. They have a reason for letting you get that far; find out what it is and find out how you can help with that. The next problem is:
- You Let Your Resume and/or Credentials Talk For You.
There's always some reason that people do this, myself included. Maybe it's arrogance, maybe it's shyness, maybe it's arrogance masking shyness, or some other left-field factor. It doesn't change the fact that it leads back into making you look less human and more like a robot with some very specific programming to do what it is you're good at. And when interviewers or clients finally start grilling you, the only thing you're defaulting to is essentially hiding behind credentials and/or your resume to try to, again, provide value to the human being talking to you. There is, surprisingly, a good reason for that.
There is no substitute for good communication skills. What and how you say something can speak volumes to the person hearing it, and hiding behind credentials and justifying yourself with what you're capable of doesn't make you look good to the person hearing it. It's almost like dating ("You don't like me? BUT I CAN DO BACKFLIPS!" or some such nonsense), it's not about you at that point. It's about what they see in you that makes you a good fit for what they need fixed. No one ever walked into an auto-body shop with a busted up car waiting for the mechanic to say where they went to school, or where they got their credentials, THEY JUST WANT THEIR CAR FIXED, and because the mechanic has the skills, it's a matter of providing that value up front to their customer by giving them something to work with, like a walk-through diagnostic. I hope this example illustrates my point, because then it can help you figure out what you're doing wrong as I did back when I ended up making this mistake.
How do you fix THIS?! How can you, the expert, communicate what you're worth without listing off who or what trained you, how long you've been in this, blah, blah, blah? The first step is to connect with the person sitting across the table. The next step is to SHOW them, not TELL them, what you can do for them. But in order to do that, you first have to find out what's wrong that they'd be coming to you for help or to find out what they're looking for in their ideal candidate. Is it easy or comfortable? NOPE! Nothing worthwhile ever is easy. What's low-hanging fruit worth to anyone who wants to aim high other than as a stepping stone?
- Human? Robot? Human robot? What Exactly is Your Engagement Like?
Contrary to what television might show us, interviewers and/or clients like to know that the person they're doing business with or hoping to hire has a ghost underneath that shell. Anyone can get some random stranger with the same skills that you have and probably even give them the Standard Worker's Personality(TM). Make no mistake here. Whatever you do, whether you're a worker or a full-on entrepreneur starting their own business, it's ALL THE SAME CONCEPT WHEN YOU'RE THROWING YOUR PITCH TO THE OTHER GUY! And the most important thing to remember when you're throwing your pitch for why they should take you up on what you bring to the table is that, more than your skills, more than your expertise, YOU ARE A PERSONAL BRAND AND A BUSINESS! You've probably noticed that I repeat myself quite a few times. Why do you think I do it?