Having Been to Harvard

It’s nice to be headhunted. It happens to me reasonably often and, despite loving what I do, I’m always happy to talk. You never know when a great opportunity will emerge, and I sometimes refer recruiters to those in my expanding network. It’s part of being a “link-man” (a role I relish).

But it’s funny how every conversation makes me think of @meritology. This morning I had a quick chat, with a very bright researcher, about a very big role. Two things struck me about the call:

1. They were finding out whether I could do the job. I was trying to find out about the job.  The written brief was heavy on content (targets and numbers mainly) and light on context. It told me very little about the company, in terms of its culture or why it is confidently adopting such a high-growth strategy. So I didn’t glean much from the call. Maybe the researcher was poorly briefed, but we certainly didn’t connect. It felt a much too one-sided call, and that switched me off.
2. There was little information about the CEO (the leader and the boss in this situation). All I gained was that he is “bright and went to Harvard’. Why would they mention that? It must be because having been to Harvard automatically makes him destined for success, a great guy, and someone with whom I’d really get along. Err, no actually. I’ve nothing against Harvard, or indeed any of the high-quality schools in the US. I just haven’t experienced any of them, so it’s hard to make any judgement either way.

So I find myself having only the following information (or assumptions) to work on – it’s a high-growth role, in an bluntly target-driven organisation I know little about, working for someone who has a completely different background to me.  On balance, it’s looking like a “no” – not something I’d ever like to pursue.

What’s my fundamental point? If you’re trying to get a person interested in something, think about what would appeal to them. Get off your standard script, and have a real conversation. Work out their drivers and motivators, and explain things in their terms. And be careful what you drop into conversation – having been to Harvard is laudable, but it doesn’t light rockets and fireworks in my mind. I don’t really care. There are brilliant people here, there and everywhere.