Some years ago I worked for a period of time as a corporate recruiter. My job there was to interview applicants, screen candidates, and do background and reference checks. While working in this capacity, I had the opportunity to observe firsthand the various types of workers in a large corporate environment. I came to the conclusion that there are three main types of workers there. The first type gets their satisfaction away from the job. The job is simply a necessary evil. They put in the time then go home and do what they really want to do. The second type enjoys being there pretty much. The problem is, however, that the job is really more of a social outlet.
This type jumps at every opportunity to get involved in corporate events that take them away from their more mundane functional tasks. Their body was there but their mind was working on the next corporate blood drive or the jogging for the homeless event. Not that there is anything wrong with these types of events, it's just that this second type of worker had an insatiable appetite for these activities. Of course, this type would always be chatting with co-workers about these activities, spreading their disruption to corporate productivity.
But then there was the third type: a very rare type indeed. This type gained immense satisfaction from performing their job with excellence. They were productive, that is their work resulted in increased profits for their corporation. It was my job to identify these types in the course of initial interview. I had a simple technique to perform this weeding out process that I will share with you now. If you are in the midst of a job search, I believe that it will not only help your interview performance but might cause you to consider updating your resume also.
My interview style was structured but I tried to make it feel spontaneous and free form to the candidate. I did this by memorizing a bunch of questions that I would ask at the appropriate time. But my key question, the big question, I held back until the exact moment when the candidate was lulled into a sense of ease and complacency. At that precise moment, I would then ask the following:
Tell me, at your last position can you cite one idea that you came up with and implemented that:
* saved your employer money by reducing costs
* increased their profits,
* improved the flow of work through the organization
If the candidate could not come up with one way they have saved money, increased profits or saved time in a process I would not recommend them for the second round of interviews.
How about you? Could you answer the question satisfactorily? If not, you might want to do some deep thinking about what your real job is and then make adjustments to your resume that reflect this bottom line type of thinking about your job.