First: what’s changed about the interview process now?

1. 1. Your competition is the decision to not hire even though for each position there are 2-3 times more the # of candidates.

2. 2. Time lines are stretched: In most companies now the CEO has the final approval on opening new requisitions or approve new hires. In normal circumstances it would take 2 weeks to get anything signed by the CEO (trust me, I’ve been there), but now it takes 4-6 weeks.

3. 3. You are meeting / interviewing with lot more people (3-4 before vs. 6-8 now). The dynamics of the interview change with the increasing number of opinions and stakeholders.

So how do you need to adapt to get hired?

1.  Network twice as much: Look for specific industries that are growing: Green Technology, Repossession firms, Property Management companies. Within industries look for companies that are doing well in a down sector: E.g. Data center consolidation (Virtualization).

Using LinkedIn you can see new hires and promotions within a company. Usually a promotion carries with it some head count or new responsibilities that might be best for a contractor or free lancer. Target those individuals first, so you can get a leg up before your interview.

2. 2. Research about the individual you are going to interview with before: Most recruiters will be able to tell you who’s going to interview you. Else hit Linkedin or Xing and get the list of all the employees in the position that you believe is relevant for you so you can better understand who’s going to interview you. With the exploding # of users on Facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc. you are bound to find more details about that person, their background, school, college. It’s a great way to break ice quickly and gives you more time to discuss what’s unique about you and how you fit the role.

3. 3. Come prepared with a point of view on the position (90 day plan): To put the person at ease that you can “hit the ground running”, spend some time to think about what are you going to do in the first 90 days. Put it in writing. A simple month by month with max of 3 bullets per month should suffice. It need not get too specific, but during your interview it gives you points to discuss.

4. 4. Provide an active leave behind which can be distributed easily via email: Your 90 day plan might be one. Some analysis on a competitormight be another. A list of relevant blogs they should be reading on the industry might be 3^rd. A landscape of the market or relevant news with your color commentary on how it affects that company might be 4^th. This makes it easy for you to be on their mind even after the interview and helps the discussion around candidates on a more tangible deliverable.

5/ 5. Be thoughtful in your follow up: The usual thank you for the email won’t suffice. That’s table stakes. Now you need to ensure that you ask questions during the interview that can lead to a more thoughtful follow up. You have more time to think about the questions, so leave an email to the individual with a more detailed response and ask 1-2 questions you missed during your interview.

The basic rules of the interview have not changed during the downturn; it’s just that changing dynamics means you need to change your strategy and correspondingly your tactics to respond better.

What do you think? How have you adapted your interview techniques during the downturn?

Lots of discussion on the economic crisis and social media. Here are the ones that generated the most reactions and engagement:

1. Todd asks if Social media will help PR weather the storm?

2. Chris talks about 25 ways social media prepares you for the downturn.

3. We covered where you should be spending marketing dollars during a downturn?

4. A good LinkedIn discussion on how to help PR avoid the dramatic cuts. ]]> http://news.buzzgain.com/buzzgain-recommends-discussions-on-the-economic-crisis/feed/ 0 http://news.buzzgain.com/the-best-case-for-investing-in-pr-during-the-downturn/ http://news.buzzgain.com/the-best-case-for-investing-in-pr-during-the-downturn/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:04:34 +0000 Mukund http://news.buzzgain.com/?p=15

I would highly recommend sending a link to this article to every one your PR clients. Summary:

27-year-old Sherwood Partners in Palo Alto, long known to industry insiders as “the undertaker” because its primary role is to efficiently shutter companies.

Sherwood’s gregarious cofounder Marty Pichinson on Friday afternoon, he was just wrapping up an hour-long conference call, juggling two new calls, and eager to escape the office after a very long week. Before he took off, Pichinson, who has an inimitable flair for drama, told me why startups should keep their PR people, how to negotiate with a landlord, and what most startup employees can expect in the way of a severance package.

The money paragraph:

What about public relations?

Do you listen to Warren Buffett and strike when there’s trouble? Is PR cheaper than advertising? The answer is yes. Are you better to have a third party tell reporters how great your product is? The key is to negotiate. I’m not a believer in cutting public relations if the machine is well-oiled and people are reading about you. It takes three to six months to get public relations up and running. Why throw it away?

Now, do you need an inside marketing person? Probably not at $150,000 a year. Also, outside PR probably has a wider net.