A few days after leaving the CEO's office, I got a call from an internal recruiter asking me when I wanted to start my new job. I had no remote clue who this was or what she was talking about. That's the nature of how things work when you deal with people at the top of the food chain. The question that perpetually lingers within people motivated to get to the top is how do you get there? There are a myriad of ways and many of them prove to be elusive but one thing that I have had success with is the art of Informational Interviewing. This is the process of contacting someone who sits in a position that you'd like be in but you know very little if anything about them. It is a technique that I learned at The Citadel under Career Services Director Brent Stewart during my senior year in 1995.
Stewart was a fierce, professional, no nonsense executive dressed instructor who drove from Columbia to Charleston, SC (100 miles each way) to work every day. Our first day of class, he opened by saying, "Gentlemen! If you're not here to illustrate all that you've learned at The Citadel and prove that the rigorous environment you go though isn't worth the extra effort, I'm going to ask you to leave. In fact, I want you to get out! My feelings won't be hurt and I won't be offended but leave. Get out! In fact, get the hell out.....please. Please get the hell out, please!" I was stunned thinking what the heck have I gotten myself into.
Make Power Moves
Conducting three informational interviews was just one of the game changing assignments that I treasure from him. Our task was to pick any company within the industry that we wanted to work in and execute a cold call with the goal of setting up a meeting with one of the company's managers. Once we got someone on the line we were to identify ourselves as Citadel cadets and ask for a 30 minute meeting to discuss the industry and how to get in. It worked like a charm during my Business Management class so I saw no reason not to keep it going after I graduated. That's how as a contractor of the spinoff company, I was able to set up a meeting with the parent company's worldwide CEO.
One of the CEO's I met with I asked on three different occasions what he thought the keys to climbing the corporate ladder were and he rapidly responded, " 1. Who you know 2. Timing 3. Dumb luck 4. Your ability to do the job and not one more important than the other and not particularly in that order." However, look at the order of those keys but specifically look at number one and number four. This is likely a good reason why there is someone a few rungs further up the corporate ladder than you who seemingly knows nothing. They've met someone somewhere.
Over the years, the success of this skill has placed me in front of presidents, CEO's, billionaires, celebrity billionaires, etc. After taking this skill set around the world, I knew I had enough experience to talk confidently and instruct others on how to do it. From that I created a seminar entitled High Impact Presentations to help others achieve their success. The most recent achievement has come through Clemson University's Minority Student Success Initiative.
This is a group of brilliant young civil, electrical and mechanical engineering graduate and doctoral students who helped create a "Who You Know Matters" tee-shirt based off my concepts as I kicked off their inaugural successful speaker series. I came across Clemson's radar as a result of informational interviewing Florida real estate mogul and D.C. native Donahue Peebles who is sometimes referred to as the Black Donald Trump although I'm not sure he's too fond of the title. He's a big fan of politics and have sent me invites to meet former U.S. Presidents. Over the last few years, I've become quite chummy with the Peebles family and the benefactor of their high powered network. Clemson University was just one example.
Tips of the Trade
Before you go out there and tackle the world, ensure that you adhere to a few key items that were absolute mandates from Professor Stewart:
Dress the part - Don't go into a CEO's office or anyone's office for that matter unless you look like a CEO yourself. That doesn't mean go out a buy a suit of clothes you can't afford. Dress like a business professional if you want to be treated like one.
No Bic Pens - Leave the cheap pens that you picked up at a bank or job fair at home. That doesn't mean purchase a Montblanc either. A decent $15-20 pen that looks professional works.
Write out your questions and make two copies - High powered individuals are perpetually short on time. Don't waste a second of a thirty minute meeting trying to think about what you were going to ask.
Research everything you can about the company - In 1995 I had to use Moody's Manuals and multiple trips to the library to study a company. Today, an entire company history is on your phone.
Bring your resume - The one document I prepared but left at my desk during oen meeting was my resume. He asked for it so I had to dig and fudge knowing it wasn't there until he said don't worry about it. Don't make my mistake.
**Get a point man and increase your short term savings account**
- Ensure that you have a close friend/associate who will help pull the arrows out of your back because you are instantly perceived as a threat to other people's growth and thusly a moving target. Your rapid fire success can bring out the worst people, especially if they feel you're about to take their job.
