Harvard says Eloquence better than Accuracy in Interviews

If you’re stumped by a question in an interview, fake it. That’s the advice coming out of a new study from Harvard.

You’ll have a better chance of making a good impression if you respond eloquently and slightly irrelevantly than if you answer truthfully but with a dozen “uhs” and “ums” thrown in, according to the study.

Two Harvard researchers found that a person’s likeability increases the more articulate they are. In the study, they showed subjects videos from a political debate. In the first video, a candidate answers the posed question directly and well. In the second, he answers a similar question, and in the third, he answers it directly but inarticulately.

Subjects didn’t notice when the candidate answered a similar question — his likeability only went down a tenth of a point. But when he answered directly and inarticulately, subjects liked him less. The audience also didn’t remember if the candidate fudged a similar question.

The take-home message for job candidates is that interviewers may not remember if you avoid a question, as long as you do it eloquently. As many high-school debate champions know well, people treasure style over substance, and will be inclined to trust you more if you come off looking like you know what you’re talking about, even if you don’t.

As long as you keep your cool, the client won’t notice and you can always make them feel as if you’ve addressed their concerns (while promising to follow-up with written materials of course).

HR people are looking for that sense of collectedness, and being able to gracefully answer any question that’s put to you, even if you are not completely sure of the answer, will help convince them of your poise.

To help you improve your sense of calm when speaking, count to 3 before answering any question, and practice your interviews while looking in the mirror. Even better, tape yourself and review how fast you talk and how you respond to unexpected questions. You never know when you’ll get thrown a random policy or behavioral question you weren’t expecting.

How to get a job at a startup if you’re a “business person”

Recently, I’ve received an increasing number of emails from “business people” looking for advice on how to get a job at a startup. Most have the same story, “I could go work at a big company, but want to join a startup. One problem: I don’t know where to start the process.” Everyone knows how to get their foot in the door at an investment bank – just apply online. Less clear is the path to joining a startup, especially for those lacking technical skills.

What I usually tell people is that it’s not as scary as it sounds, and it is not as difficult provided you are passionate about your goal. A few pieces of advice on how to get a job at a startup if you aren’t a developer:

1. Know the tech landscape better than anybody else – Pick a few verticals and drill down. Know the names and histories of companies in that space and be up to date on what they do and why they do it. A good place to start ishere. Separate yourself by also learning tech history – macro trends are more clear in retrospect. There are a bunch of good tech history books in this list. For me, twitter is the best source of news and information. Follow people who are respected in the startup world, and read what they are reading. I’ve found that Twitter is a bit like Wikipedia in the way it  pulls you in. If you follow an interesting person you are bound to find 50 more solely by seeing who they interact with.

2. Form an opinion and start a blog – Knowing the facts is a requisite to forming an opinion. Just memorizing the details and not being able to articulate an opinion is pretty worthless. So, make sure you know not only that a prominent startup recently released a new feature, but be able to comment on whether, given the market, this release was a good strategic move. Product-wise, what did you like about the new feature? What did you hate? How will the new feature affect the direction of the company? Write these thoughts down on twitter and on your blog (even if nobody is listening now, it will give you something to point to when you do reach out to a company).

3. Be familiar with the startup culture – Each sport, industry, or college has a unique culture, with its own lingo, success stories, and taboos. Startup culture is no different. Be familiar with all of these elements. A nice place to start is Paul Graham’s Hackers and Painters. Aside from being a thought-provoking book, it offers deep insights into the startup / hacker culture.  I’d also recommend hanging out on tech-heavy communities like Hacker News orReddit. Observe how people interact. Pay close attention to which articles and comments get voted up or down. It will go a long way in figuring out what the startup culture sees as valuable. Decide if these values mesh with what you see as important.

4. Offer a concrete skill – If you were to interview at a startup would you describe yourself as someone who is “willing to do anything?”   That probably isn’t the best way to pitch yourself.  Though flexibility is a great quality, it is assumed of all good candidates. Ditto for an “eagerness to learn.” To set yourself apart, do some research into the position and talk about the specifics of why you’d be good for that role. If it is an analytics role, read some books on online analytics. If it’s more of a product role, build something! If it’s a business development role, come in with a list of the top 10 companies you think would be promising partners for company. I learned to be proficient in photoshop so that I could create quick mockups that would inspire potential partners. Whatever that skill is, go learn it (hint: you’ll likely have to teach it to yourself). My point is to put some thought into how you can prove passion and commitment.

5. Take an internship – Startups will often bring on someone as a consultant or intern before hiring them. It’s kind of like a test drive. I’d say the hardest part is getting your foot in the door. Once you do that, it’s up to you to prove your value. Check your ego at the door and don’t worry about how all your friends are full-time employees and you are a lowly intern.

6. Send cold emails – Contrary to popular belief, they work. (Of course, try to make these emails meaningful, not just templates). The best piece of advice I can give is to get the conversation started early.

I’d start by emailing a few entry-level employees at some of the companies you find most interesting. Find their email addresses online and send them a quick note along with your resume – you’d be surprised how few people looking for jobs in startups even take the time to do this. If you can’t find their email then send them a note on twitter or comment on their blog.

The reason most startups will be respond to your inquiry is that although they aren’t always hiring, startups are always looking to meet exceptional people. In a fast-growing company, hiring needs pop up quickly and the faster they can fill the job, the less time they spend away from product-building. Getting to know potential employees before the need arises is key to finding the best people and filling roles fast.

I’ve heard of this referred to as a “bench” of potential hires (hat tip to Brian Chesky of Airbnb who is the first person I heard this term from). It describes people the company knows and would love to hire given the need. When the need arises, the company calls on its “bench.” Your goal should be to get on the “bench” of several startups, so that when an opportunity opens, they will think of you. This is particularly true for college seniors.

7. Understand that most people get non-technical jobs at startups through their network, not job postings – I once heard a great piece of advice: “Any startup job you find on a job board will be one you don’t want.” Many startups won’t post business development roles because they generate overwhelming inbound interest, often from unqualified candidates. Rather, they’ll let people in their professional network know they are looking for someone, and rely on referrals to drive high quality candidates. Again, get to know people by reaching out via email, twitter, or by commenting on their blog. If someone you contact tells you they aren’t hiring, ask if they’d mind referring you to a startup they know that is.

Final thought: I don’t aim to convince people to choose a startup over Wall Street – only to let those interested know that the option is there and it is not as daunting as it may appear. Hopefully the above pointers will help demystify the process for those eager to get into the startup world.

 

Google still #1 desired place to work

An annual study by Universum ranks Google the top place for young working professionals to work at.

Google Is No. 1 on List Of Desired Employersfrom the Wall Street Journal reports the study claimed about one in four of new job applicants would prefer to work at Google over any other company. About 25% of the 10,306 surveyed said the ideal work-place for them would be Google.

Apple was followed by Google, with about 14% of the respondents, then Walt Disney with about 9%, U.S. Department o State with about 9%, then Amazon, the FBI, Microsoft, CIA, NASA and the Teach fo America. Here is the chart from the Wall Street Journal.

I believe this is the fifth year in a row that Google topped this Universum survey.

So if you want to work at Google, how do you land a job? Check out the Google Jobs page, follow @googlejobs, review the LinkedIn page and Facebook page.

Want a Job at Google? Yeah, You and 74,999 Others

Google Inc., the world’s biggest Internet-search service, received more than 75,000 job applications worldwide last week, setting a record for the company as it embarks on a hiring spree.

The flood of resumes topped a previous high set in May 2007 by 15 percent, said Aaron Zamost, a spokesman for the Mountain View, California-based company. Google, which had 24,400 workers at the end of 2010, announced last week that it would add more than 6,000 employees this year.

The company is stepping up hiring as it pushes deeper into mobile services, display advertising and Internet applications. Google also faces steeper competition from Silicon Valley rivals Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc. for users and engineering talent. The company aims to hire more workers in 2011 than any year in its history, exceeding its 2007 record.

“We’re looking for top talent,” Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering and research,” said last week in a blog posting. “We’ll hire as many smart, creative people as we can to tackle some of the toughest challenges in computer science: like building a Web-based operating system from scratch, instantly searching an index of more than 100 million gigabytes and even developing cars that drive themselves.”

While Google remains one of the most desirable places to work in Silicon Valley, it lost some luster in the past three years. It was ranked as the best workplace by Fortune magazine in 2007 and 2008. Google now ranks fourth.

Google’s Newest Project: Manhattan Landlord?

A few weeks ago we wrote about Google poking around the New York City real estate market looking to purchase office space.  It looks like it has become official as they have posted an announcement that they have finalized a nearly $2 Billion deal to purchase the building at 111 Eighth Ave in Chelsea.

The search giant currently occupies 50,000 square feet of the nearly 3 million square foot building and plans to expand its current New York operations as well as lease out the building to current and new tenants.  With over 2,000 current Googlers in the building, they will have to do a lot of hiring to make a dent in the massive space.

The building stands 15 stories high and at 2.9 million square feet is the fourth largest office building in New York City!

“Today, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve closed a deal with the partnership of Taconic Investment Partners, Jamestown Properties and the New York State Common Retirement Fund to purchase 111 Eighth Avenue (also known as 76 Ninth Avenue).

As part of the deal, we’ve retained Taconic Management Company to continue the leasing oversight services and management of the building on our behalf, providing the same level of customer service the building’s tenants have come to expect. We believe that this is a great real estate investment in a thriving neighborhood and a fantastic city.”

Google Takes Another Big Step to Retain Employees: Autonomous Business Units

There’s a lie that companies and entrepreneurs tell themselves in order to commit to an acquisition.

Oh, we’re not going to change anything! We’re just going to give you more resources to do what you’ve been doing even better!

Yeah! They bought us for a reason, why would they ruin things?

It usually works for a little while, but big company bureaucracy– whether it’s HR, politics or just endless meetings– almost always creeps in. It’s a law of nature: Big companies just need certain processes to run and entrepreneurs hate those processes because they stifle nimble innovation.

read more @ TechCrunch

Never Get a Real Job

For decades it seemed commonplace to ask an entrepreneur, “When are you going to get a ‘real job’?” These days, though, youth unemployment is an epidemic. Over 81 million young people worldwide are unemployed according to the International Labour Organization. And according to Pew Research Center, nearly 40% of young people in the United States have been unemployed or underemployed since 2008.

read more @ Huffington Post

Think You’re “Innovative?” LinkedIn Begs to Differ: Top 10 Overused Buzz Words by Job Seekers

Going for an interview soon?  Putting together an updated resume?  Think your potential employer is going to go crazy for you when they see that you are “fast paced” and “dynamic?”

LinkedIn has done the hard work of digging through all of our resumes and profiles to find that most of us like to describe ourselves as “motivated” “team players” with “extensive experience.”

The LinkedIn team decided to take a crack at finding the most clichéd and overused phrases for the past year using over 85 million LinkedIn profiles.

Ironically, “innovative” is the second-most clichéd word found in LinkedIn profiles. You’d think we’d be able to be more innovative with our vocabularies, no?