How To Get A Job In A Dream Company: Training Interviews From "A" To "Z"

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

A middle-level manager approached me for consultation with a request to help pass an interview with a Western manufacturer of the TOP-10 level of the pharmaceutical industry for a position equivalent to his current position. Previously, we worked on several chilling beliefs, which significantly influenced his standard of living and the desire to move on, now coaching sessions were needed to develop skills in interviewing with the HR department and understanding why the previous experience of interacting with HR in large companies was negative. The client, let's call him Dmitry (the client's name, the names of companies and products have been changed, the session is published with the kind permission of my interlocutor), had several ambiguous transitions and an unpleasant reduction in his career, he would like to learn how to smooth these sharp corners, and also after the next interview the client received feedback from an "aggressive manager" without any decryption. I requested a job description and analyzed the employer's needs, focusing on people management, performance focus, personal maturity, strategic vision, analytical skills, and leadership qualities. It was decided to adapt the client's trump cards to the needs of the employer, smooth out the rough edges during the transition and, where possible, tighten up the weak points by learning to anticipate uncomfortable questions and bypass them in advance.

Thinking over the format of this article, I decided to give as much useful information as possible, reducing practically nothing, only making it as clear and readable as possible. The text is presented in the form of a dialogue with a client, in which the very process of thinking of the personnel department is revealed to the smallest details, in fact, a whole manual for passing an interview has turned out, which has no analogues, which can be used by everyone, regardless of position. I am sure that this material will help many people understand the logic of career development, demonstrate their strengths and trump cards, as well as anticipate uncomfortable questions from their opponent, which will allow them to get more attractive conditions and work in dream companies. Bon voyage, pleasant reading!

Client: Good afternoon, Ivan. This time I am applying to prepare for an interview for a managerial vacancy of a regional manager in a company of the TOP-10 level, at the moment I occupy an equivalent position in an eastern pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Coach: Good afternoon, Dmitry, got a job description, let's get started. What product line and region of responsibility are you talking about?

Client: Southern half of Moscow and the Moscow region, HR (HR specialist) spoke about the line of men's / women's health.

Coach: Got it. We discussed over the phone that interviews with HR are the most challenging, so in today's session I will take the position of HR Director.

Client: Good. I have no problems with my direct supervisor, and the personnel department asks many incomprehensible and not very pleasant questions.

Coach: We can go in two ways. Either play the entire interview first, and then sort out all the feedback, or we can do it sequentially right along the way, interrupting, giving some microfeedbacks. How will you be more comfortable?

Client: Let's go along so we don't miss anything.

Coach: Agreed. Good. Then, Dmitry, thank you very much for coming to our meeting. Please tell us about yourself.

Client: Thank you. I am also very pleased to be with you for an interview. My name is Dmitry XXX. I am a doctor by education, I graduated from the university in 2007. After that, for a short time he studied the topic of male health. In his activities, he visited many scientific centers, where he got acquainted with the profession of a medical representative. So I posted my resume on HeadHunter and ended up at XXX Alpha. How did I choose it? Yes, in fact, not at all. This is the first company that invited me, I passed the interview and I was immediately accepted.

After recruiting and winning the loyalty of the client base, the launch of a new product started, for the sales of which from 50 to 100 packs per month the company representatives were paid an individual bonus. I was able to meet this norm through well-built customer relationships in the first two months, ahead of more experienced colleagues. I and five other employees across Russia received a small cash bonus (which I was very proud of). In the same place, in the company "XXX Alpha", my first training on sales took place.

Coach: Dmitry, I'm stopping you. Look. What is a short story about yourself? This is three minutes without references to education, about who I am as a professional, what my general background is. Where I developed, where I developed a corporate school. You see, all resumes, frankly, are studied obliquely on the way to a meeting with a candidate. Therefore, it is rather naive to expect that your entire biography will be listened to for 20 minutes. People lose focus after three minutes. And to think that they also carefully studied everything is also wrong.

Therefore, I propose to do a short story about myself according to a certain three-step formula, conditionally divide by a minute for each step.

Step number 1. You give a short summary of all professional experience, highlighting the accents. For example: good afternoon, I have so many years of experience in such and such industries, in such and such functions, in such and such geographies, responsibility for such and such drugs, respectively, both generic and original. In such and such groups, such and such portfolios, such and such regions I have built a team, I have managerial experience since such and such a year.

People manager skills are important here. You can also emphasize that I worked, conditionally, in Russian, and in multinational, European, in eastern pharmaceutical manufacturers, I have a very diverse background in terms of portfolio, in terms of types of companies and corporate environment.

Here it is important to make it clear that this is where I developed as a professional. This is the first thing. All this needs to be put, by and large, in two sentences. List very briefly.

Step number 2. Next, you talk about the role you are in now. At the moment you are working, so you say that: "In my current role, I am responsible for sales and marketing promotion in such and such a portfolio of products in such and such territory, subordinate to …". At this point, you add, report to the head of the representative office, and not to the national manager, this should also be emphasized.

Here, in the second step, it is appropriate to very, very briefly mention one or two projects that you have implemented, ideally in a leadership position, and this experience is relevant to the vacancy that you came to discuss. In this case, we are talking about how, as I understand it, to grow the team. The employer in the job description says a lot about management, training and personal maturity, and this needs to be emphasized. Therefore, if there are any cases that you managed to grow your employee, ideally to the level of a successor, then this will be a huge "plus", you told me a similar example over the phone. Either highlight the successful launch of a new product, or overfulfillment of the sales target, something related to immediate responsibilities, which can further emphasize your competence in this role, and raise additional questions. Your goal is not to give all the details at once, but to outline some interesting landmark projects in very large strokes in order to draw the attention of the interviewer to them. Make sure that after you finish a short story about yourself, they want to return to this, and you are only happy about this, since you have prepared the wording of the stories in advance.

Step number 3. You further, barely just mentioning about these projects, move on to the third step, where you throw a bridge between where you are now and where you want to move on. From the point of view of the logic of your career development. And designate the reason that prompted you to consider new vacancies.

It is imperative to say what you are interested in specifically in this company, why it is she, and not another. And why exactly this role, why you are interested in the new portfolio of products. We can say that, on the one hand, this is an opportunity for you to some kind of horizontal growth, to return to the TOP-10. And, on the other hand, this is an opportunity to expand your expertise, because it is with this category of products that they have not worked before. It is important to emphasize in motivation that: “After graduating from medical university, for the first year I was engaged in the scientific field and the study of the topic of male health. Initially it was very close to me."

Thus, there will be no price if you can manage these key milestones and your motivation to move in three minutes. Because, in any case, the next question of our interlocutor will be: “Why do you want to leave? And why do you want to join us? But these questions can be asked at inconvenient moments for you, and you, running ahead, present them in the key in which it is convenient for you to speak. By and large, you are passing a possible uncomfortable transition topic. Thus, in the first five minutes, you discuss this topic in a scenario that is comfortable for you, then exhale and discuss your work experience. If there are no questions, can we practice?

Client: Come on, yes. So, I wrote a little here. Generalization of professional experience. I'm ready.

Coach: Hello. Thank you for coming. Please tell us about yourself.

Client: Good afternoon. My name is Dmitry. Total experience of 13 years, of which more than five years in leadership positions in various medical niches, both in original and generic companies. In my current position, I promote a wide portfolio of pharmaceutical products in the fields of gastroenterology, antibiotics, pediatrics, traumatology, and neurology.

At the moment I am in charge of the Moscow region and the Central Federal District.

Coach: Do you want to give more information? You only mentioned the portfolio, but you did not say that you worked in Russian, European and Eastern companies. And both on the side of the manufacturer and on the side of the marketing agency for promotion. That you have a unique perspective from both sides, which most likely does not have most of the other candidates who came to interviews. It is a wide and unique experience. Also add what year you have been managing the team.

Client: Got it. Good. My name is Dmitry, experience of more than 13 years in the pharmaceutical industry, of which more than five years in a leadership position. I have worked in Russian, Indian, American, Western European companies, both in the TOP-10 and in small, family-type companies. Formed a broad view, both from the side of the manufacturer and from the side of the marketing agency for promotion. He worked in medical fields: gastroenterology, antibiotics, pediatrics, traumatology, neurology, ENT.

Second: now I am working in the managerial position of the regional manager of the promotion department for the Moscow and Central Federal District regions. In my direct subordination there are twelve employees, of which 8 are in Moscow and 4 in the Central Federal District.

At the moment, I want to move on, return to the original company and look for horizontal growth, I have not worked in the field of male and female health. But I indirectly touched on this topic, when I was engaged in scientific activities after the institute, it is close to me.

I will briefly touch on successful projects. I can emphasize that now in my immediate subordination there is a key account manager whom I hired and raised. He is considered further horizontally for more serious cancer projects, if successful, he can quickly find himself in a leading position.

I have repeatedly successfully launched new products on the market, I will dwell in more detail on the launches of two new products released about a year ago. At the moment, my team, starting from scratch, reached the productivity of sales of 100 packages per medical representative at the cost of the first product 700 rubles per package, and the second - 1000. At the same time, we have practically no support from the pharmacy chains and the hospital department, all of this is us did it yourself. Well, and one of my main achievements: I can create a team from scratch, I can recruit and grow employees. In the current company, when I first got a job, I had to fire several people from the old team and, in fact, form a new one and grow it. Should we talk about it? From this experience, I received many unpleasant questions. Maybe because of this, I was given feedback on an "aggressive manager"?

Coach: Yes, yes, yes, I will come back to this. And the third part of the short story?

Client: Third part. And I like it said the second. Where do I want to move next? I want to move on to the original company.

Coach: Great.

Client: I mixed up the points a little.

Coach: Nothing. It sounded great. Heaven and earth compared to how they originally started. Sounds much clearer and more structured. The only comment: when you have designated the area of responsibility, everything is fine, everything is clear. And then they went into the mention of projects. By and large, your first and third projects are about the same thing, it's about building a team. So there is no point in repeating.

Client: The third meant that I recruited people from scratch, and in the first I not only recruited, but also raised an employee.

Coach: I think that in relation to this role, it is more important to emphasize that you have raised a strong person, that you, in principle, are able not only to fire, but also to raise people from the team that you got. So I think the first example is more relevant. Just emphasize that in three years my team has grown a strong employee to become a key account manager, whom you are now considering for promotion on oncology projects. At least, let not a successor, as I understand it, but it turned out to be someone to raise, this is a good "plus". You need to emphasize such examples from management experience and your desire to raise people. The task of a competent manager is to leave not a scorched field, but, on the contrary, a strong team.

And the second project with a launch … You said everything perfectly, but started to go into details. Why do I need to know how much does a drug pack cost? I was interested to hear that you raised the sales of a new product from scratch to such and such a volume in pieces or in money, what was the share in the total revenue of your portfolio and the revenue of the company as a whole, what was the market share and for what period? You did not give the exact figure to make it clear. And you didn't say how long. That is, I did not have a picture in my head, what was the achievement, in fact. One gets the impression that when you have nothing, and you have done at least something, it always looks like a beautiful achievement. But still, what was it? Maybe these results were achieved in a falling market, or something else. You need to think about how you will formulate it.

And, indeed, the facts of layoffs at the beginning of joining the company sounded somehow categorical. As for HR, I would definitely have a question: “What caused the decision? What motivated the decision to fire several people at once and recruit new ones?"

Client: Got it. This was due to a drop in sales, people did not really work and did not want to. And, frankly, it was necessary to do this already, but in my place there was no one. My supervisor and I discussed this and made a joint decision.

Coach: Unconvincing.

Client: How to convince? Maybe we shouldn't talk about it at all then?

Coach: In a short story about yourself, you definitely don't need to talk about it. It's just that if this pops up and they begin to ask you in more detail about management skills (and these examples need to be told), then it is important to think about how you will present it. It is important to start here not with the fact that “I came, the team was not like that, I fired people right away,” but first of all, to speak out the business tasks. That they came to such and such tasks in order to bring the product from minus to plus, to increase the market share. Conducted an audit of the team, we saw that so many of so many were not pulling. We discussed the issue with our immediate supervisor and got the go-ahead to replace the weak links, which was successfully done. And then you say the sales results for the past period of time. Then we figured out a short story, are we moving on or are there any more questions?

Client: Everything is clear, thank you.

Trainer: The second part of the question that candidates stumble upon is demonstrating the required competencies. There was feedback on you as an aggressive manager, let's dig in there. Please tell us about the most difficult task that you had to face when working with a team.

Client: The hardest part? The issue of employee motivation. In the company where I work, the maximum salary for a medical representative is XX thousand before taxes, and it is impossible to increase it. And, unfortunately, the company has practically no normal vehicle fleet. The cars are broken, have not been repaired for a long time, and it is not safe to drive on them. Some of the staff either run on foot with a bunch of promotional materials, or at their own expense, in their cars without compensation. Waves of indignation are constantly going on, many people are in a passive search. And the question of their motivation sounds quite serious to me.

Coach: And how did you cope with this in the face of launching new product promotions?

Client: When we divided the sales plan, I put a higher load on strong employees, on those who are weaker, I agreed on a smaller plan. Well, plus it is all kinds of support from my side. That is, if something does not work out for a representative during a visit, I bit into the client with my teeth and tried to get him.

Coach: Can you give a specific example?

Client: A specific example? Well, look, a certain pool of pharmacies was selected, it was necessary to put at least one package of new items there. Many medical representatives at that time were weak, their work experience was anywhere from 4 to 6 months. Therefore, during joint meetings with clients, I conducted a lot of demonstration visits, after which we discussed and trained a lot. People went to the fields and constantly called me that they could not order anything, and that they do not feel like a successful medical representative, maybe they need to change something and this profession is not for them. I have always reassured, in fact, I was mom and dad. And the first, probably three months, all sales were the results of our joint visits, when I conducted demonstrations, received orders and statements. Then, gradually, all this began to sway, the employees formed loyal relationships. For me, this was the most difficult moment, the team had not yet gained experience, but the launch of two drugs started simultaneously.

We had problems with pharmacy chains, they still persist, problems with distributors, fortunately, they have already been resolved. That is, the product was presented only at one small distributor, probably for the first four months. Not all pharmacies in Moscow cooperate with him. I independently searched the database of pharmacies with which this distributor works, my colleagues from other companies helped, we studied these pharmacies, divided by representatives. The distances between the pharmacy points were quite large, and in the absence of a vehicle fleet, the logistics turned out to be extremely difficult. It was hard enough, having my own car helped a lot.

Coach: Well, that is, by and large, this is an example about the fact that you pulled all sales on yourself while the employees were gaining experience?

Client: You're right. It was almost impossible to take competent people with experience to such a fork. Some vacancies had to be filled by people without medical education. I learned to translate the medical language into human in order to explain the entire medical part to an employee without medical education in simple words. And that was another big problem. It's like teaching a lawyer to be a good auto mechanic in a short time.

Coach: I see. And how do you assess your team today?

Client: Today my team knows and understands the medical part very well. Employees perfectly convey the material to the client, work according to the structure, according to the marketing strategy. Individuals can boast of consistently receiving cash bonuses for individual sales.

Coach: I see. In terms of sales, what methods do you use? What kind of marketing tools? How aggressive are they?

Client: As for marketing tools, all we have are presentations from the head office, which the manager adapts to his team and clients, as well as promotional materials. The headquarters writes the presentations in English and sends them to the dealerships. Project managers translate them into Russian and send them to regional leaders, who give presentations to teams, tell the strategy as seen from above. Further, feedback is collected from managers, whether they agree with this or disagree. If you do not agree, it is discussed what needs to be changed or added, what comments. Unfortunately, the market is different everywhere, and the feedback takes a long time, if there are gaps in the strategy, then it is very difficult to adjust it to the reality.

When the strategy for launching the XXX series was sent, we were broadcast to go to neurologists. And XXX among neurologists is far from the greatest potential and not the first line of prescriptions. And we tried to adjust the marketing strategy and go to other specialists, these are traumatologists. For a long time, it was not possible to get the green light for this. But then we achieved our goal, and the management allowed us to work with this audience according to the XXX line, traumatologists in Russia turned out to be the most lucrative audience. Therefore, we can say that many marketing actions are also carried out by the forces of managers.

Coach: I heard that the head office prepares presentations and brings them down, the strategies were not adapted to the reality of the Russian market and had to be revised by joint efforts, proving their case to the management. And who is "we"?

Client: Me and other managers.

Coach: But whose initiative was it in this case?

Client: General initiative. Because we still went to traumatologists with other products, we began to see points of sale. During the visits, the interest and potential for the new product was clarified, and trial appointments appeared. And when there were more points of sale, they began to listen to us.

Coach: How did the division take place, according to the product principle? Was the territory simply divided and all the managers were selling everything?

Client: Each manager with his team sells the entire product line. There are certain divisions. Moscow representatives and some regional ones are divided into two lines. Employees of different lines may go to the same customers, but with different products.

Coach: I didn't quite get it. That is, the same medical representative can report to both you and another manager?

Client: No, just me. They can simply intersect in the fields, go to the same clients.

Coach: Oh, I get it. What share of sales in the total revenue of the company did you occupy among colleagues?

Client: It is difficult for me to answer this question now. I can say in terms of productivity and productivity growth. Our results, let's say, did not show. Each manager is isolated, and only the head knows what their results are.

Coach: Oh, like that.

Client: Yes, the principle of "divide and conquer" is strictly observed. If we take my productivity in Moscow for one employee in the X region with a little million. In the Central Federal District, productivity per employee in line 1 is in the region of X million, in line 2 - XXX thousand, it has fewer products.

Coach: Unfortunately, this does not mean anything to me, these figures cannot be compared with anything. But maybe then you can tell how successfully you fulfilled the sales plan?

Client: As for the city of IKS, there is a large increase there, the plan is now in the region of 106%. If we take IGREK in the city, there are 102%. The total for the Moscow region, for my territory, is 97%. In total in Moscow - 103%.

Coach: Can I have a general figure, please?

Client: General, well, if we summarize the general, and even in terms of productivity, then this is around 100%.

Coach: Or rather?

Client: I can't fold that quickly. We analyze and report by city and county of field personnel.

Coach: I think this is important to do. We want to hear the results of your sales over the period. And here no one wants to hear a breakdown, show the general figures for specific periods, whether they are met, overfulfilled or not met in relation to the sales plan and specify how much.

Client: I get it.

Coach: Around 100% over the past year. And for the previous one?

Client: Growth at the moment compared to last year for IKS is 9%, for IGREK 7%. Moscow and the Moscow region also have a positive growth compared to last year - 6%.

Coach: Did you fulfill your sales target last year?

Client: Last year the plan was not completed.

Coach: What explains this? In addition to the fact that the team had just been recruited and was young.

Client: Only this.

Coach: I see. And in this connection, in fact, did you decide to move on? Are there any triggers within that motivate you to consider new offers?

Client: Well, if I now start talking about the vehicle fleet, high workload and high travel activity, how will it be perceived?

Coach: Well, depending on how you present this information. If you talk about it emotionally, then yes. If you say what facts and apply the logic of your career development to this, that you deliberately went to an eastern company to increase your area of responsibility and gain experience in remote management of employees. And everyone understands that the word "eastern company" does not mean "dream company".

Client: Got it.

Coach: We can honestly say that: “I deliberately went to an eastern company for the sake of expanding my areas of responsibility and gaining experience from the leadership of the Central Federal District. I believe that everything worked out both in terms of financial results and in terms of the team that I raised and which I am proud of. The tasks for which I came have been completed. And, of course, I would love to move to the original company. And additional triggers that guide the search are the lack of a car fleet in the company, which leads to constant difficulties in motivating the team. But at the same time I learned to live with it and cope with it. We can say that: “I became a hardened manager, I learned how to motivate the team even in such conditions. So with cars it will be much easier. But, in general, my decision was due to the fact that I completed the tasks that I came to: I grew the team, fulfilled the sales plans and now I feel that I am ready and want to move on. My goal is to grow horizontally into a TOP-10 company”.

Client: Yes, I am now looking for tools in my work that I do not have.

Coach: No. This is not about tools, but about the logic of career development. That I went to an eastern company for the wide management experience, which I got. My conscience is clear, because I have completed the set business objectives, received the necessary experience and am ready to take the next step to the TOP.

Client: I get it, thank you.

Coach: Yes. That is, we are not saying anything bad about the company here. On the contrary, we demonstrate a state of respect and gratitude for the experience gained, which the company has given to acquire and grow, you would not have interviewed for a manager in the TOP without him.

Client: I see. At the moment, I have completed the tasks that I came to. I built a team and raised it. Together we achieved the fulfillment of the sales target. And now I want to consistently move towards the goal to which I was going - this is a return to the big farm to a managerial position. Many thanks to my current employer for the experience gained. It turned out to be very versatile and varied. It seems to me that after that I will be able to work in any conditions.

Coach: Yes. It really sounds sincere. And from the perspective of an adult, not from the perspective of a victim, that everything is so bad. That it really sounds like motivation from, not to. Okay. What haven't we discussed yet? I remembered. What management decisions do you regret?

Client: Difficult to answer.

Coach: We need to think about examples. Because one of the competencies that they will show is personal maturity, here it is necessary to demonstrate the ability to take responsibility. This competence is shown by asking a question about some epic fail, or about errors. Most often these are errors that are associated with personnel management, relations with contractors or with clients, perhaps with some kind of internal communications. And when a person says that “I have never made mistakes, I do not regret anything,” then immediately such a bell that the person is not very mature and does not reflect on his mistakes, does not bear lessons. Therefore, here we must try to remember.

Client: I have examples that I regret. But I don't know how correct it will be to say them. The first one wanted to warm up the employee, because he completely relaxed and stopped working. But it turned out that, probably, he went too far, the guy wrote a statement after that. This was very unexpected for my leadership, among other things, because at the meeting I gave positive feedback on it. And the second: I could not go to a meeting with a client, everyone was abruptly gathered in the office for a meeting. I decided to send my employee to the client, although I could postpone the meeting. I thought that he would cope, but after the client stopped communicating. How correct is it to voice it?

Coach: I think the latter is probably not. And the first one can be told. But be sure to use the STAR formula, write down: this is a situation, target, actions, result. And necessarily with the conclusions and lessons that you took from this situation for yourself, showing how you would act today in a similar situation. We all make mistakes, but not all of us take responsibility, and here they want to reveal this competence. If you say that: “I am so wonderful and everything I only had beautiful things in my life,” this does not inspire confidence. And when you honestly say “messed up, but learned a lesson from this, now I will act differently in this situation”, it inspires confidence.

Can you use the STAR formula to describe that very situation? What is a situation? What was the context, what was the general situation in the company then. Target - what task was set and what time frame was given. Actions - what steps were taken and actions, one, two, three. And result, for some reason almost everyone forgets to say about this, to what result it led. Well, it is clear that when you demonstrate some successful launches, projects, there is the result of revenue in market share, money, packaging, and so on. And here the result will be that the employee has left. It is imperative not to end there, but to say that: "From this situation I have drawn useful conclusions."And it is imperative to say directly that now, if today you are faced with the same situation, then do it differently.

Client: Good. An unpleasant situation has arisen. One employee did not respond to my emails all the time. Only after the calls did I give some kind of feedback. Not only did he miss all possible deadlines, he also provided incorrect information. We discussed these problems with him, he promised to improve. Unfortunately, after a short period of time, his behavior resumed. I talked more directively, and, perhaps, went too far, immediately after the conversation he wrote a statement and left the company. In this case, I learned a lesson: to discuss such moments in a milder format and about such violations, you should notify your immediate supervisor, and, perhaps, some moments should be discussed by the three of us.

Coach: Good. What would you actually do now, faced with this situation?

Client: I would have done it. When talking to his boss, he said: “Your employee left for some reason, and you did not give feedback about his mistakes and repeated violations of discipline. Therefore, the question is for you. " I replied: “I understand my mistake. You are just very busy, and I considered the situation trivial, there are always cases when someone is delaying something and does not send, did not want to pull."

Trainer: There are executives who want constant feedback and escalation, and there are those who don't. All different. Therefore, this moment will be perceived exclusively subjectively.

Client: That's why I have little idea how to answer these questions. Everyone takes it as he wants.

Coach: I would add some context to the situation. Because you just said that he does not send any information. What kind of information does he not send? What then was the task for you and for him? Now I will give an example of my answer.

“We were in the midst of new product launches. I gave the team such and such a task. He was the only person who did not consistently give results and missed all deadlines. And, as I later found out, I provided incorrect information. I gave the employee feedback, which did not lead to the expected result, and decided to talk to him in a more rigid, prescriptive format, and demanded the result. To which he reacted by bringing a letter of resignation, he left the company without any readiness for further work, obviously without being motivated.

At that moment, when the employee left, I received a question from my immediate supervisor why I didn’t escalate the situation upstairs, why the three of us didn’t discuss it. From which I learned a lesson for myself that in such a situation it is worth discussing problems and giving feedback in a more coaching rather than directive format, asking more open, clarifying questions, on the one hand. On the other hand, one should find out the possible reasons for such behavior in humans. Perhaps he had a difficult period in the family, or, perhaps, at that moment he was already actively looking for work. That is, I gave feedback, but did not find out what did not suit him at that time. And, perhaps, we could find out the true reasons for this behavior in a different way, digging deeper, and fix this situation. I would do that now.

And if my immediate supervisor is ready to get involved in such issues, then I would escalate the situation to the top. If my deeper conversation with the employee did not help, then as a second measure I would take this conversation for three together with my supervisor in order to understand the situation. You can answer like this. Without removing the guilt from oneself, but pronouncing and admitting the thought that in that situation it was possible to act differently. And then it could become more productive for the business. It is important to emphasize that you always put business goals at the forefront, and not just meeting some personal indicators and demonstrating loyalty to management. That for the business, perhaps, it would be better and would not lead to the need to re-search for an employee, to grow him, especially in conditions of limited financial resources. Here is a more detailed version. With more reflection and more context to make it clear.

Client: Sounds clear and logical, thank you.

Coach: And remember the STAR formula. Follow it across all competencies. Now we have analyzed only, in fact, two: people management and personal maturity. And you have listed in the job description such competencies as knowledge of the regional pharmaceutical market. It is very important to demonstrate yourself, without waiting for this information to be extracted from you with ticks. Motivation for the result, achievement of the result, internal self-motivation. And it is important to demonstrate this, not just saying that I am always ready, but in some working situations and examples. Two or three situations should be ready for you here.

Client: I don't quite understand this point, what exactly is the answer here. I mean, what motivates me to achieve the result, do I understand correctly?

Coach: It means that even when no one is standing over me, I always remember about the final result, where we are going, what our business goals are. And if something doesn't work out, I can include the role of a playing coach, which you described when launching new products, in order to give the result and inspire people, and the role of a leader, a mentor. It is important to be able to tune yourself and the team and constantly move towards the goal. And this needs to be told not just unfounded, as I am saying now, but with some examples. For example, project launches or the same staff motivation that you initially, remember, mentioned in a short story about yourself. That they were able to grow a team in a situation of limited financial resources and a lack of a car park. This can also be emphasized here. That is, it is important to show how you were able to motivate employees for results in the context of the launch of new products, despite the fact that you had limited opportunities and did not have a car park, people were on the verge of leaving. Show how you were able then to build motivation, focus on results and convey it to your subordinates.

Client: I made a lot of concessions, periodically people were released from work early. He was a psychologist, was a coach, sometimes a parent, often closed his eyes. When I am asked “How did you motivate the staff?” What is the best answer?

Coach: You say that: “I also used non-material methods of encouraging and motivating staff, somewhere I met halfway if the employee had to leave an hour or two earlier. Emotionally supported the team so that they feel a certain shoulder of my support and support in me as a leader. That is, I used all possible incentives and rewards that were meaningful to people. This helped us go through a difficult period of adaptation in the face of new product launches, fulfill sales plans and the management paid bonuses. It is clear that those who are moved primarily by commercial purposes are difficult to keep. But those who work with a sense of belonging to great products, a strong team, and the opportunity to learn from a leader are ready to move after a strong leader.

Client: I get it.

Coach: And then we talk about business trips, you can honestly say that lately my business trips make up such and such a percentage of the total working time. Therefore, I am no stranger to them, while the comfortable level is not more than so many percent of the working time. Responsibility. Through what example can you demonstrate that you took responsibility, did not shift it onto someone else? Maybe this is the same example from the previous ones, through one example you can demonstrate several competencies at once.

Client: Can you say that I have demonstrated responsibility without involving my employees in meetings with senior management? I have always defended them and said that I am responsible for the entire region, resolve all issues with me. In order not to create unnecessary stress for the team.

Coach: Was that the desire of the team?

Client: Our common.

Coach: Wasn't it a demotivating factor for them that they do not participate in meetings with senior management?

Client: On the contrary, motivating. Because the higher leaders behaved very aggressively and people left such meetings as white as a leaf.

Coach: In such a situation, you can. But it must be emphasized that we have made a general decision that you are speaking on behalf of the team at such meetings. And here it is necessary to emphasize that they took the whole blow for each employee themselves, say the word "responsibility" that they took it upon themselves.

You have a strategic vision in your job description. The ability to see the picture well and at the same time dive into the details where it is needed. Analytic skills. Well, actually, as far as I understand, you have been collecting information on the trends of competitors' markets, it will be needed. You can cite some interesting fact to once again demonstrate the mastery of information.

And, in theory, you should not wait for all this to be specifically asked. It is necessary, as trump cards, to prepare all these examples, your task is to demonstrate them yourself. HR, without even asking questions, wants to understand how you match the vacancy in all these areas. You don't need to go into very deep details until you ask.

Client: I get it. In terms of strategic vision, what examples do you have in mind? I don't quite understand here. The way they broadcast in my company is most likely not the same.

Coach: This means understanding the market, trends, what is in demand. The example when you talked about the initiative to sell XXX lines not through neurologists, but through trauma, in principle, can also be attributed to a strategic vision. What you saw that the demand for this drug will be higher from other specialists, taking into account the peculiarities of the Russian market, broadcast upward, defended it by initiating a discussion between your colleagues, and thus managed to move the company's interests forward.

Client: I also had an initiative to optimize sales analytics. Once a month, a general archive came from all distributors, which took a very long time to filter them by district in order to understand individual sales. I suggested each VLOOKUP address to the county. It was a laborious project, but after its implementation, we save a lot of time, the results are completely transparent.

Trainer: A great example, it's more about analytical skills. What has been discussed above will evaluate how convincing you are using the STAR formula in telling the details, placing the right accents and looking presentable.

Client: Got it. Do I need to offer them a list of referrals?

Trainer: You can indicate that you have one, that you are ready to provide a list of referrals from their previous jobs, as a standard: from former managers, colleagues and subordinates. You can offer it yourself, but not impose. If they say “yes, send it”, it will be great if you have such a list at the ready.

Client: He is. But what is the correct suggestion? Himself at the end of the conversation or wait for the question?

Trainer: I think you can tell yourself that, if necessary, we are ready to provide a list of referrals from all previous jobs. If necessary, ask to let them know. And be sure to ask an open question: “What are your next steps? And do I need to pass any tests? TOPs love to do it. And clarify when to expect feedback on the meeting. Who will contact whom when.

I think that another prejudice that may be related to you is that after all, the east promotes products in its own way, and they have such a unique reputation in the market. Therefore, I think you once again need to highlight some standards, ethical qualities of approaches, compliance measures that you always strictly follow. It will be important for them, they will pay attention to it.

Client: Got it, thank you. Another question. I am constantly poked by the fact that you worked here for two years, here you worked for two. Why so little?

Coach: This is a classic HR story. Here you need to be ready to explain your transition logic. That each time moved you to some next step. For example, that you were offered to expand your portfolio or area of responsibility, in your case the second option is suitable. Or there was a change of team, as a result of which you were forced to go to the search, as is the case with the top manufacturer. There was an interesting opportunity to look at the market from the side of a marketing agency, while promoting the same projects with two manufacturers. After that, we consciously decided that it is more interesting to work on the side of the manufacturer, which is why we returned and want to develop further on this side. That is, not to go into excuses, but from the standpoint of an adult to explain what was then dictated by this or that career step and why your choice fell on him.

Client: Understood. Well, from the GAMMA company I moved to DELTA, because a familiar manager got a job there, they gave me more money there. Almost the entire team at GAMMA flowed over to him at DELTA. And then he left "DELTA", I continued to work, we did not have a manager, I felt cramped. I mastered everything I could and wanted to go to a larger manufacturer. I entered the market and I was immediately accepted by the TOP-company, where, unfortunately, there was a staff reduction. I’m talking about reduction, what would be more correct?

Coach: And what was cut? Some kind of product line or what?

Client: We decided to combine the two directions. And for this case, 50% of the team was laid off, including my leader. And I got laid off because I had health problems, ended up on the operating table, and then on a long sick leave.

Coach: I wouldn't talk about a story about a long sick leave. I would tell you that in this company, unfortunately, I got into a period of active internal reorganizations. And the division in which I worked was merged with another, and the staff was cut in half, including, unfortunately, this also affected me. That is, to emphasize the fact that they did not say goodbye to you, but to the whole department. This is how the circumstances developed. But on the other hand, you have gained experience of working in a TOP-10 company. What company do you consider your corporate school, do you have one?

Client: This she was, once every three months I underwent serious training there.

Coach: In that case, if I were you, I would say directly honestly that: “I was sorry to leave this company due to the reorganization that happened. I consider her to be my corporate school, where I passed the largest number of trainings, trainings and grew very much in my professional skills. And the period, albeit not so long, a little less than three years, but still. Unfortunately, this was the case. I had to feed my family and quickly go to work, there was no opportunity for half a year to calmly look for a position in a big farm, in which I wanted, of course, to stay. In this regard, I accepted an invitation from a marketing agency, deciding that it would be interesting to work on the side of the provider. But de facto, I did the same projects for two manufacturers. And I decided that I still want to continue working on the side of the manufacturer, so I returned and went to the eastern company. Yes, not in the TOP-10, but I made this decision for the sake of growing the area of responsibility and expanding the managerial experience, which, in fact, I acquired. At the moment, all tasks have been completed and I am ready to move on."

You see, I have now, in fact, told you the logic of career development, and everything fell into place. Because if you don't say it, then you really get the feeling that you are the kind of person who jumps from place to place, all the time unhappy with something. Perhaps the fear on the part of the HR department is that as soon as you are unhappy with something, you immediately jump off. And in this way you need to debunk him.

Client: I get it. Thanks

Coach: We talked with you about how to demonstrate managerial competence, how to explain your possible mistakes and show personal maturity. How to talk about results and promotion. And you asked to discuss how you can smooth out the rough edges on motivation, on the transition. To what extent have we now answered those questions that were significant to you?

Client: Yes, we sorted them out. The only thing is that all this must be put in my head somehow. Before the interview, of course, it is quite difficult.

Coach: I'll help you now. You wrote down the structure of a short story about yourself, these three points, right? I would recommend that you sit down now and write this self-presentation on paper so that it settles in your head. And do not hesitate to take your notes with you to the meeting. And besides, I would take the time to write out my questions to the hiring manager.

Client: What questions would they be interested in hearing? Which questions are correct, which are incorrect?

Coach: Well, I think you can ask the question: "What caused the opening of this position?" It is with these words. Not, that is, "what happened to the person there?", Assuming that something happened to him. Namely: “What caused the opening of this position? What difficulties do you need to be prepared for when entering the role that we are discussing with you? What are the top 3 tasks for the next quarter and year? What criteria will you use to make a decision on the success of this particular candidate”? We can say that: “In your job description, I noticed that a lot has been written about the team, its training, management. Are there any prerequisites and difficulties associated with this?"

This will show that you prepared carefully. It is imperative to study the product portfolio in question, what specific products are in question. What are the difficulties in promotion? Some questions about the product itself should be asked, if possible, get to know the competitors. What marketing approaches are they currently using and how well they work. Go deep. Show through the questions how well you approach problem solving. Ask deep questions about the case, watch their reactions. Find out the information that you need to make a decision to enter this role.

Client: Understood.

Coach: What kind of money are you really ready to switch to?

Client: Well, I would like XXX on hand.

Coach: So it's about XXX gross (before taxes), right?

Client: Yes, that's right.

Coach: In my opinion, this is their salary in the TOP-10 of an employee at a lower level. They may be alarmed by such a figure in terms of how qualified it will be. A person is evaluated in proportion to how much he is worth. Only then you make a decision about which numbers to voice. But, probably, I would mention the numbers a little higher, so as not to scare them away.

Client: I get it.

Trainer: As a recommendation, state the desired figure as current income. According to international standards, + 10-20% to the salary in case of transition is the norm. You can say that in the transition I would like to have plus 10-15% to the current salary, and plus the bonuses that are provided by your motivation system.

Client: Got it.

Coach: It's important to say it confidently, without stuttering, without blinking. Calmly, with dignity. How would you answer my question now if I asked: “Dmitry, what are your expectations for money? How much are you making now?"

Client: At the moment I am getting XXX in my hands. But during the transition, I would like to increase this amount of interest by 10-15.

Coach: I see. Only I would recommend to say numbers in the TOP-10 before taxes, and not after deduction. Otherwise, they may think that you are getting paid in black. Calculate the amount by adding 13% to it, and announce the result at the meeting.

Client: Got it, thank you.

Coach: If I were you, I would also ask a clarifying question after answering about money: "What kind of fork do you have for this position and what does the motivation system consist of?" We need to try to bring them into dialogue.

Client: This is after my answer, do I understand correctly?

Coach: Yes, yes. Naturally, they will not tell you the numbers, even if they are higher. But, in any case, they will be able to answer: “Yes, it's in our fork” or “No”. Accordingly, if they say that: "Yes, it's ok," then you are definitely in the fork. If they say that you are somewhere higher or are walking along the upper border, you can take a more flexible position. But by doing so, at least, you call for some kind of dialogue, for some kind of communication, and not just: "I answered and I do not know what the reaction is on the other side."

Client: I get it.

Coach: Well, I think we discussed all the main points. A short story about yourself, demonstration of competencies according to the STAR formula and disclosure of your motivation. We discussed sharp corners in the transitions, talked about the feedback of the "aggressive manager". Is there something else?

Client: Yes, how believable are my transitions? Because when I tell it as it is, I see that people sometimes tense up. How logical is this?

Coach: Your mistake was the lack of meaningfulness in the steps you took. It's as if someone is passing you on to someone else. It was perceived that you were some kind of forced comrade, and that I myself did not decide anything in my life. That is, it doesn’t sound like a leader, it doesn’t draw on managerial competencies. This will raise a lot of questions if you tell the story like you did before. And, again, the issue of moving from a TOP company after a downsizing to a Russian one is not whether they went with an increase or not, but that you decided that it would be interesting to work on the side of the provider, see and gain experience from another sides. And it was a deliberate step, and not something that went, so as not to be left without money. And, having received this experience, having evaluated it, having worked with two manufacturers as a contractor, you made a decision for yourself. You, as the leader of your career, realized that you want to develop further on the side of the manufacturer, to grow to managerial positions, which you did, moving with an increase in your area of responsibility to an eastern company. And now you are going to meaningfully return to the big farm. This is exactly what a person who is responsible for his career sounds like and decides where he wants to go, such a leader is able to lead people.

Client: Okay, thanks. And the last question. Can you please tell me, do I need to improve on my resume?

Coach: You need to reduce the number of responsibilities, ideally to five points. And add achievements or results at all places of work over the past 10 years. If less than a year, then you can call them results; if more than a year, then achievements. Describe in numbers, preferably at least two or three points.

Client: I get it. Thank you very much.

Coach: What we have is not enough. Considering that your role is focused on digitized results, then at least you need to add that you have fulfilled the sales plan by so many percent, so many years in a row, this naturally suggests itself in the resume and will make it more convincing.

Client: Thank you, now everything is on the shelves! I will write based on the results of the interview.

Coach: I'll wait, good luck!

After our session, Dmitry was invited to interview two more large companies and he successfully passed the competition, choosing the most attractive option. The next task before us was to adapt comfortably and reduce the general degree of stress, turning into excessive irritation and anxiety. Summarizing the material described, I want to say that understanding the thinking processes of personnel in the personnel department and the needs of the employer opens the door to any company. Another obstacle is limiting beliefs and devaluation of one's own experience, which increases the level of tension and uncertainty, up to the use of sedatives before negotiations, which significantly limits the ability. By solving psychological problems and acquiring a resource in the form of this coaching session, you will always be on top.

Develop and never stop there!

Best wishes, Ivan Ryabtsev, psychologist, hypnologist, coach.