How to Get Hired and Paid Three Times More

Today's post is from guest contributor Ken Revenaugh...

On a hot summer day, looking through some holiday photos of festive occasions that included eggnog reminded me of a story that demonstrated the importance of paying a premium for a perfect hire. It all started when my wife, Katrina, came down with a cold. We are from the mid west, where part of every cold remedy includes food. During December, it was no surprise she was craving the Santa shake, which we first found in Omaha at the Goodrich Dairy. They mix eggnog and peppermint ice cream together for the sweetest taste of the holidays. So, it was 10pm when the request came up, and we’re not in Nebraska any more; we’re in LA.

I headed to the grocery store. In the dairy department, I had three choices for the eggnog. Two options were in paper milk cartons that were $1.79 each. Then, I spotted Broguiere’s Eggnog. It came in the old-fashioned, glass milk bottle and I could see that it was the perfect color, consistency and had the customary specs of nutmeg. It was $6.39, more than three times the cost of the others.

It was a simple choice, Broguiere’s was the exact profile I was looking for. It met a critical need and time was of the essence. How can you make sure you are a perfect match on your next interview?

1. Fit the profile: Learn what the company is looking for. Do your research; check all the online possibilities to learn why the company is hiring and what they look for. Find a current employee to talk to. If you are interviewing for a management role in a retail store, walk into a location and talk to one of the managers. Learn why that person is successful. When you first get to talk to HR, question them on what’s most important to the hiring manager.
2. Meet a critical need: When researching jobs, find roles that are tied to strategic initiatives. For example, any company that sells to government agencies right now is expanding their public sector sales team to get a piece of the stimulus. This is more critical than, for example, a sales role focused on the home builder segment.
3. Find time banded roles: Often the hiring team has a targeted hire date. Ask early about the time line for hiring. Find out what is driving the time line. Is it a product release? A new store? End of quarter goal? If it’s time banded, you could negotiate a premium as the date approaches.

I found the ice cream without incident and the Santa shake was in the blender. It was the exact eggnog Katrina wanted, critical to curing the cold, and delivered before she went to bed. I paid a premium to meet all three objectives, just like I would for the right talent.

Ken Revenaugh is founder of Fast Track Tools, a company based on the concept that good ideas, conveyed well, are the key to business success. On his site, he describes tested and proven techniques that help professionals develop good ideas, structure their thoughts and articulate their views via compelling presentations. He also has extensive experience in executive sales and enjoys serving in a coaching and mentoring role by sharing his expertise and ideas. Keep in touch with Ken by following him on Twitter @FastTrackTools or by visiting his blog: www.fasttracktools.com.