Woo Us
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 8:03AM 
FrogDog put out another job listing recently, which made me think about past hires. And about the many people who ask my advice on finding a job.
When people tell me they're looking for new jobs, I always ask where they'd love to work, if they could work anywhere. And I encourage them to do whatever it takes to get on those companies' radar screens.
As an entrepreneur, it's flattering to know that someone thinks enough of what you've built to want to spend part of their career with you. In fact, it's one of the highest compliments I could receive.
As a hiring manager--the person who makes the decision about whom to hire--it's comforting to know that a candidate isn't just looking for work. There's nothing wrong with plumb needing a job--we've all been there--but it's encouraging for the person hiring to know that a candidate has passion for the company. He's not just quickly studying the Web site before his interview.
In cases where I'm the hiring manager, being the candidate's "goal employer" is huge bonus points. When I'm not the hiring manager, I ensure that he gets the resume of the person who really wants to work with us--and I encourage him to bring the candidate in for an interview.
How do we know? Over fifteen years in business at FrogDog, we've gotten good at sensing it--and candidates who are truly passionate about the company aren’t shy about staying in front of us. It pays off.
One candidate applied but wasn’t a fit for open positions. She stayed in touch via social media (interacting with us on Facebook and Twitter garners extra credit) and reached out when we posted a near-fit position a year later. Although she didn't quite meet the qualifications, we did a phone screen. Impressed with her knowledge of our niche and her passion for what we do, we scheduled her in for an in-person interview. For the interview, she brought cupcakes; she'd noticed via our Facebook page that our company parties often feature Crave. (She's been an amazing employee--one we're super lucky to have. And I'm not just saying that because of the cupcakes.)
That doesn't mean the passionate candidate is always the best fit for what's open at the moment. But we definitely keep him in mind for the future. Always. Talk about making an impression!
Employers, how do you know you're the goal employer? What's worked for you? Employees, how have you shown your target company your interest?
employees, hiring, networking
Reader Comments (3)
I think it is good advice to wear your passion on your sleeve. It is what drove you to find the job in the first place, it is why (hopefully) you are having that conversation. When I was a senior in college I had a (sort of) interview with and ad agency in Portland. I had so prepared myself with relevant theory and my work up to that point that I had somewhat compartmentalized the passion that inspired me to go on a big, scary grown-up interview.
The first thing the CD asked me was "What out there do you like right now? Not our work necessarily, but anybody's work. What has impressed you?" I was completely unprepared for a question about what excited me rather than what I could do or what I had done.
Of course I sounded like an idiot as I stammered and avoided eye contact. I promised myself that I would never go on an interview again without bringing my passion with me.
"woo...
...woooooo!!"
Ok, I had to get that stupid joke out of my system.
Grant Teaff, the former football coach of Baylor University, once related a story about his father. He said that during the depression his father walked into a factory and just started working. At the end of the day the factory foreman was so impressed with this action that he hired his father on the spot.
In a sense a job applicant needs to have this type of mental attitude towards their dream job. They need to know the company inside and out as if they have been there for years. They need to have the mental attitude of already having won the job and already planning how they will work there.
Most importantly, they need to relate this to their potential employer and create the possibility in the hiring manager's mind that this applicant is the one they want.
On the flip side, if you are looking to attract that top tier of talent you also need to make an impression. The job market is heavily tilted in favor of the larger firms with name recognition. Just like big league or college athletic teams that can attract talent just by reputation alone.
Yet, there are individuals out there that do not want to work in huge corporations. These folks are modern day craft workers; they take pride in turning out high quality and unique contributions to projects.They look for companies or situations that allow them to express those qualities.
If you want to attract this type of person you need to look within and ask what is this company about? What makes it unique and what does it do better than anyone else? How have we expressed this in our work and have we done enough to put that public image out there in the industry?
The end result will be that you will get to pick and choose among those people that most closely match what you are looking for in ideal work mates.
I might borrow those stories when I'm talking to job seekers, Jordan and William--they're fantastic, poignant examples of why having a real drive and passion (a vocation!) for the work and for the company make all the difference. (I promise I'll give you both credit!)
And agreed, William, companies need to do what they can to BE the goal company as well.