HOW MICHELE HANSEN LANDED HER JOB

 

HOW MICHELE HANSEN LANDED HER JOB
Adam Grant elucidates in Think Again

In 2014, Michele Hansen came across a job opening for a product manager at an investment company. She was excited about the position. But she wasn't qualified for it. She had no background in finance and lacked the required number of years of experience.

Yet she applied for the the position. Rather than tryiing to hide her shortcomings, she began with them.

"I'm probably not the candidate you've been envisioning. I don't have a decade of experience as a Product Manager nor am I a Certified Financial Planner." 

Then she went on:

"But what I do have are skills that can't be taught. I take ownership of projects far beyond my pay grade and what is in my defined scope of responsibilities. I don't wait for people to tell me what to do and go seek for myself what needs to be done.  I invest myself deeply in my projects and it shows in everything I do, from my projects at work to my projects that I undertake on my own time at night. I'm entrpreneurial. I get things done. And I know I would make an excellent right hand for the co-founder leading this project. I love breaking new ground and starting witha blank slate.

(And any of my previous bosses would be able to attest to these traits.)"

Michele didn't preach her qualifications. She demonstrated she was self aware of her shortcomings and was secure enough to admit them.

A week later she had a phone interview that was followed by another. On the calls she asked about experiments they'd run recently that had surprised them.

Eventually, Michele got the job., thrived and was promoted to lead product development

This is not unique. 

People are more interested in hiring candidates who acknowledge weaknesses as opposed to bragging or humblebragging