If you are the average job hunter, you should screen interviews coming in from friends. Some interviews will obviously be due to courtesy. Your contact will say something like, "Joe Doaks, an acquaint once of mine, who is manager of proposal preparation with Lite Steamrollers, Inc. doesn't have any openings now, but he would be happy to meet you when you have the time in case something should develop." Or your contact could say, "I really don't have anything right now, but why don't you drop by the office when you get in my area and we'll have lunch together and talk." Both these invitations are probably for courtesy interviews. Don't turn them down, and certainly don't let on that you think that only a courtesy interview is being offered. Just thank your contact and say that you will call for an appointment when you are able. Take time for these interviews only when you have nothing better to do in your campaign.
Other invitations for interviews coming from friends will not be as clear cut: "My friend Mary Anne is president of Advance Enterprises. I really don't know if she has anything for you, but she would definitely like you to call for an appointment." Or "Can you get downtown to my office tomorrow? I don't know if it means anything, but I told my boss about you and he wants to meet you." Both these invitations should be accepted, even though they could turn out to be for courtesy interviews. Sometimes a little probing with TTP techniques will help you classify the kind of interview you are being invited to.
Once you meet with your friend's contact, he may say something like, "Well, I really don't have anything right now, but I thought it worthwhile that we get together in case something should come up." As soon as you have established beyond doubt that you are in a courtesy interview and that nothing is in the offing, ask your interviewer if he knows of an opening elsewhere or knows someone you can contact who might. Many interviews that you develop through this "pyramiding" technique will also be courtesy interviews, so you must continue to screen. However, others can lead to solid interviews and job offers, especially when you make good use of TTP techniques.
Pick Up the Challenge of Every Interview
Your ratio of job offers to interviews will probably be lower with friends than with other methods of getting interviews. This is normal, so don't be discouraged. You should continue to interview. If you work at every interview, you will find yourself getting better. Pick up the challenge and try to get the PE to make you an offer. View every interview as a training situation for improving your interviewing techniques. Even an interview that does not result in an offer can bring you closer to your goal.
If a friend suggests that you call someone for an interview, use your friend's name as an opener, but be certain to follow TTP techniques. Never say that you are calling because your friend suggested that the PE might have an opening. Do not say that you are looking for a job. Open with something like this: "Hello, Bob Douglas? This is Jim Jones. Dick Wood asked me to call."
There is a difference between a job applicant and a job candidate. An applicant applies for a job; a candidate is a contender for a job. You are ill advised to view yourself as an applicant for a job. Until you have had the interview, you can't possibly know enough about the job to tell if you are interested in applying for it. In fact, if you follow the instructions in this book, you will never be an applicant, because the job will be offered to you before you can apply for it.
You may think this is splitting hairs, but viewing yourself as a "candidate" rather than an "applicant" will make a difference in your job campaign. When you use friends to assist in job hunting and talk to strangers who have been recommended to you, a positive mental attitude is essential. You should not forget what you are or where you fit into the scheme of things.
How Al P. Found a Superior Job with Help from His Friends
Al P. of Los Angeles used friends in his job campaign to great advantage. Al was an aerospace engineer who found himself laid off during the recession. A friend got Al an interview with the manager of his specialty in another aerospace company. As Al said later: "It was more or less a courtesy interview. He barely had the budget to hire someone, and there really wasn't an opening". Al followed the techniques for good interviewing and made such an impression that he got an immediate offer at roughly his old salary level. But Al went all the way. Never revealing his previous salary, Al succeeded in negotiating a salary 10 percent higher than the original offer.
If you get no response, call the PE on the telephone. Your letter will assist you in getting through the PE's secretary. Once you get the PE, tell him the problem interests you since it is in your area and you have handled such situations before. You'd be happy to meet with him to discuss the situation.
There are many ways of generating interviews. Don't overlook any of them if they can be profitably integrated into your campaign plan. If you utilize your friends' assistance in the ways described in this chapter, you can certainly find a great job with their help.