Moving the needle or leaning heavily on the perception?

It's no secret that I've been actively interviewing for the last nine months. After tailoring hundreds (600+) applications landing me to various final rounds, I am met with 'we are moving forward with someone who is closely aligned with our needs or with more experience.'

It's likely your first question is, how did you get that far? You're not alone. I am too.

I find this response intriguing. In a culture of receipts to get you the job, where are the jobs creating the opportunity for receipt?

There is truth to having experience, but data tell us that the experience is often mostly homogenous and ranked in a particular order. There is this idea of doing things differently, yet, how is difference being exercised in real-time when progress is looking more and more like history books?

In these conversations, I focus on lived experience and skills directly related to the roles and responsibilities -- often familiarizing hiring teams across various industries and organizations on something related yet executed differently.

As I navigate the interview process and reflect, I'm left asking myself, 'how do I enroll buy out of the 'system' grooming hiring teams to focus on KPIs? I wonder what supporting decision makers to listen with the intent of understanding how various skills impact the result rather than focusing on the nuance of years.' Especially in marketing where a 4-year degree is nice but unnecessary. It's important to note that some of our most successful leaders in marketing majored in other subjects.  

There is a consensus that where there's a will, there's a way, but often will is not enough. There has to be an interest in giving a hand up and removing the idea that everyone is looking for a handout. This brings us back to the equality and equity conversations - which are currently trending downwards.

It takes a special person to exercise a WE mindset when we've been programmed to focus on ME. And while I am not suggesting we become martyrs to the cause, if we are leaving doors open for a select few, intentional or not… are we looking to move the needle or leaning heavily on the perception of the masses?

You can teach how to create a marketing brief. 

You can teach how to build a case for buy-in with stakeholders across various organizational levels. 

What can’t be taught is leadership, that is modeled in behaviors.

What can’t be taught is experience that is a direct results of opportunity.