Jerry Maguire is a 1996 film starring Tom Cruise as a sports agent at a top notch firm. The character, Jerry Maguire, has a breakdown due to a guilty conscience and shares his opinions about the dishonesty in the sports management business, which ultimately gets him fired. He puts his new ethical approach to the test as an independent sports agent with the only athlete who stays with him.
At one point he states to his client, "I am out here for you. You don't know what it is like to be ME out here for YOU. It is an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege that I will never fully tell you about, ok? Help me... Help you. Help me, help you."
This is the number one thing you need to find out before and during an interview. Most job seekers go into the interview process thinking it's all about the employer determining if the job seeker is qualified. You need to go into an interview to determine if this employer is good enough for you, is this where you want to work, and how can you help this employer? Help Me, Help You Employer. What exactly are you looking for? What problems are you trying to solve with this position?
Get the employer to tell you what they need so you can then communicate how your past experience, education and skills can help them in these areas. I don't recommend using the exact words in the Jerry Maguire script, but be sure you understand what they need and how you can help them.
After the interview is over remember to send the interviewer a thank you email and reiterate what you heard where the main areas of need for the employer and how you can fullfill those needs.
If you need a tune up before an interview, we can help you brush up on your interview skills. We have a new live web-based service that helps job seekers improve their interviewing skills and gain confidence to secure that new job. The 300+ skilled HR coaches that we work with know from firsthand experience what recruiters are looking for to help you move your job search to the next level. To help you get started, we'd like to offer you a 50% discount on the interview services
Help yourself, find out what the employer wants and ace the interview.
Best Wishes,
Doug Smith
Director of Product Management, Talent Exchange
The Taleo Talent Exchange is a candidate talent community from around the world connected through the Taleo talent network. Millions of candidates can easily share their Universal Profiles (UP) with prospective employers. Thousands of employers can invite millions of candidates to join Talent Exchange and can publish and promote millions of new jobs posted on Taleo.
