Consider owner's needs in job interview

By Carol Kleiman
Chicago Tribune

What's the secret of doing well in your job interview in today's tight labor market?

Think like the owner.

That's the advice of Marilyn Moats Kennedy, veteran career counselor and owner of Career Strategies in Wilmette, Ill.

"It means you have to show that you understand the whole business, not just the role that you will play," Kennedy said. "Research the industry and company so that you can ask questions that will impress the interviewer."

The counselor adds that in addition to "studying the annual report, you also have to know the future of the firm's products and services, its ranking in the industry and its reputation."

Among the things owners care about are "how their product is received and what you think of it," Kennedy said. "It's their favorite kind of gossip. So be sure to talk about that, too."

By thinking like the owner, Kennedy said, "the person interviewing you will recognize that your worldview is closer to the owner's or to the board of directors' than that of your competitors for the job. It will put you on the short list."

Thinking like business owners means understanding that "they're in business to make a profit, and if you can show you can help them do that, by solving some problem or saving them time or money, you will have an advantage," said Marie T. Griffin, coordinator of career planning and placement at Morton College in Cicero, Ill.

"If owners don't make a profit, they go out of business, so tell them you can give them what they need and examples of what you've done in the past for owners in previous jobs."

Today, owners are trying to survive in "a very hard economy," Griffin said. "They're not confident about the economy and can't afford to hire the wrong people. What they want to know is, are you going to be the problem or the solution?"

In the eyes of business owners, job applicants are an investment, "so you have to convince them that you're worth the investment," said Denise Gallagher, career counselor at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill.

"You have to show what your qualifications are and that you understand their motives and goals," she said.

"The times are so turbulent, business owners want to keep their risks down. You have to assure them that hiring you is low risk, not high risk."

David P. Gomez, president and chief executive officer of David Gomez & Associates Inc., an executive search and diversity consultants firm based in Chicago, started his business in 1977.

"Owners are looking for stable-minded employees," said Gomez, who has a staff of 25.

"Let them know you understand what the word 'commitment' means. Show character, because they want to find out about you beyond the résumé, to learn what makes you tick."

Thinking like an owner, said Gomez, means understanding that "it's a buyer's market, and an owner has the luxury of looking for the best people: If I have the chance, I want to get my best value."