Hi, and welcome back to another episode of the awfully quiet podcast. Thank you for tuning in today. If you follow me on Instagram, you know, it's a special day because doors are open to my brand new program, three day interview prep to celebrate the launch. I'm going to give you my awfully quiet, also adorable podcast listeners, an exclusive sneak peek into the program.

What I have for you today is an exclusive reading. of one of the chapters in the program, and I have selected one for you that is really spicy and always heavily discussed whenever I post about it on Instagram. It's about reaching out to the hiring manager before the interview, which is something I am a big advocate for, but no, it gets a lot of criticism from people who think that hiring managers have better things to do than coffee chat to potential candidates.

If you're not so sure either, this is a must listen for you. Before we dive into the chapter, I want to give you a bit of the behind the scenes into three day interview prep and how the program came about. Because truth be told, I never really wanted to go down the road of teaching job interview prep. I thought my expertise was in personal branding, standing out as an introvert, subtle strategies to gain visibility.

Those were the topics that I covered for a solid two years on the platform and also what I worked on with my one to one coaching clients. And don't get me wrong, those are still topics that I'm going to be talking about. And there are a few other course ideas in the pipeline that I will build onto three day interview prep.

But at the beginning of the year, I allowed myself a little experiment. There was one topic that I had sort of always been avoiding when it comes to career growth. In hindsight, I don't really know why. I guess I thought there were already so many resources and so much content out there that covered interview prep.

But ever since I started to dabble with content in this area, the posts about job interview prep Became my highest performing posts in ever in my three years on the platform, my posts had never hit the explore page and now does every single one, there is one post about questions to ask at the end of the interview.

that has about 12, 000 saves. I mean, I can't even picture what that many people look like. That must be at least an eighth of an ERA's tour stadium. And I realized I was onto something with this topic about interview prep. It started to sink in. My interview prep advice was different. Unconventional.

Introvert friendly. And it suddenly hit me that I can play a role in transforming this process from something that you dread to something that you nail every single time. See, introverts don't run the risk of not prepping enough. You run the risk of over preparing, over thinking, and then showing up so nervous and out of character that it's really difficult for the hiring team to see the real you. I've been there and you can hear all about it in episode three of this podcast, which is an extremely vulnerable share about an interview that I horribly tanked.

Why? Because I kept taking the wrong advice. If you can call googling every possible interview question and the perfect answer to them, as well as dressing up in bold colors to cue confidence on the day of the interview, advice. But jokes aside, I didn't know back then what I know now. I didn't know obsessing over the perfect answers.

would set me up for failure. I didn't know how to articulate my strength without it sounding salesy and icky. I didn't know how to really be myself in an interview setting. And I certainly didn't know I should have leaned into my introversion rather than trying to hide it. And what I have learned in the past few weeks of publishing content on the topic is that Many of you out there face the same struggles.

You are not lazy. You're not unwilling to go the extra mile and give it your best shot. Quite the opposite. You just feel like you're spending all your energy on the wrong thing and end up showing up, not feeling like yourself, not bringing your full personality and therefore continuously not getting the job.

That's why I developed this program to take the guesswork out of interview prep, a resource that tells you exactly what you need to prepare and what you need to let go off. And that is three day interview prep. This program is like the perfect getaway to elevate your job interview game. It's designed to help introverts like you systematically prepare for the next job interview without obsessing over details that aren't going to make a difference.

Just picture this, a weekend cocooned in solitude is caving the daily stresses only to emerge fully prepared for your next job interview. I want this program to create an experience, to guide you through explorations and reflections that are almost going to feel like you're on a personal growth retreat.

Honestly, if you'll end up completing the self learning modules alfresco from a sun chair with a drink in hand, I'm not mad. I'd consider that a job well done on my part. That's what it's there for. I really do want to stop the overwhelm, but even more so, I want you to rock onto that next interview like God sent you.

I know you, I believe in you. I have met so many of you in my one to one coaching courses. I know you're brilliant, talented. You're a hundred percent my tribe and people. And I want the interviewers to see that too. I truly want introverts to feel and look like they're best in job interviews, period. Now, let's take a look at the sneak peek I have for you today.

To orientate you, the program consists of four modules. It starts with a bit of pre work to uncover the dream candidate profile for the position you're applying to. Think of this as the part where you pack for your trip, for your getaway. This is you gathering the essentials and then some additional secret items that most people tend to forget on their trip.

Can you tell I'm loving this metaphor? In any case, this is where you'll gain an understanding for what they really look for in a candidate. Not just what's on the job description, but way beyond. Part of this is the chapter I'm going to candidly share with you today. The Pre Interview Outreach. This is where I'm going to equip you to reach out to the hiring team before the actual job interview.

Now, before we dive into the chapter, I want to tell you again, that doors are now officially open to three day interview prep. A program I've been working on since the beginning of the year and pouring all my knowledge, insights, HR, Intel, and introvert perspective into. I rarely say this, but I am proud of this work.

I am really excited for introverts like you to get their hand on this resource and start cracking the interview code. Now to celebrate this launch, I will be offering the program with a significant early bird bonus of the original price, but only For three days early bird bonus for a three day interview prep, but only in the next three days sounds marketing.

Well, I am a marketer after all access the page via the show notes and the Lincoln bio at subtle careers, and now enter the exclusive chapter of three day interview prep.

Hello and welcome back to module one of three day interview prep. As a reminder, the goal behind the pre work section is to gain an understanding for what the hiring team is really looking for in a person to join their team. Now that you assemble your interview squad. So, we'll start dipping our toe into pre interview outreach.

I am not gonna lie. Out of all the different steps on this journey, this is likely the one that is going to make you most uncomfortable. But hear me out. It's also the one that is going to make the actual job interview so much easier for you. This will make a difference to the way you prep, show up, and interview.

And are being perceived on the day of the interview and very few people do this. So it's your chance to go the extra mile and stand out. What do I mean by pre interview outreach? It's 20 to 30 minute connects with your hiring team roughly two to four weeks before the interview. As a reminder, your hiring team.

Are the interviewer, our HR person, the hiring manager, the team, and adjourning functions to the team. Now, this is not my first rodeo. I know you have a number of objections in mind when it comes to me telling you

So I've come prepared and brought you the top three objections I hear on this, and we'll try and put things into perspective for you. Objection number one to do pre interview connects with the hiring team prior to the interview is they don't have the time. Now, what you're envisioning when you say this is Hundreds of candidates making a run at the hiring manager and the team to quote unquote, steal 30 minutes of their time.

I've been a recruiter. I have worked closely together with hiring managers. That is just not the case. Very few people do this. Another aspect that you may not be privy to if you've HR or hired a new team member is. Hiring processes are exhausting, expensive, ambiguous. Just put yourself into a hiring manager's shoes.

Hiring is not their job. It comes on top of everything else they're doing. It comes with a lot of pressure because you never know you're going to find the right person for the job and the team. So somebody reaching out to you proactively, you have already identified as a suitable candidate and invited to a job interview is solid gold.

Highly appreciated. A good hiring manager makes the time and appreciates the hell out of the effort.

Objection number two I often hear when it comes to pre interview outreach to the hiring team is they'll just refer me to the job description. Now you just wait because there is a whole other section on all the pitfalls and misconceptions when it comes to job descriptions. But let me tell you this.

Don't trust the job description, seriously. The good stuff is not on the job description. Even if they were to say that, you can always say you'd love to ask a few questions beyond the job description. That way, they'll acknowledge you've read it and understand you're looking to connect. We'll get to that too.

In any case, These conversations are not nonsense connects to confirm what you've read on the job description. They are to read between the lines, find out additional information, build connection, set yourself up to leave a lasting impression. That leads me into objection number three that comes with regards to pre interview outreach to the hiring team.

It looks desperate. Now, isn't this interesting? If we ground ourselves in what you're doing here, it's you're getting ready to have a conversation with a room full of people, strangers really, that may or may not result in you getting a new job. Changing jobs can affect your entire career trajectory, your life, how you feel, the Sunday scaries you experience two to three years down the line.

Your career, your job is eight hours a day at best, 40 hours a week, 40 years of your life. Let's just say there is a lot at stake at a job interview. And you purchasing this program and putting effort in the preparation for your next job interview shows me you don't take it lightly. You don't just do this for fun.

You go into a job interview process when you really want the job. These people that I am asking you to connect with, if you end up getting the job, are the people you're going to be spending most of your time with in the next two to three years. That's right. You'll spend more time with them than your partner, your friends, your family.

Now, you're saying that reaching out to them prior to an interview to build a first connection and ask a few questions looks desperate? Well, in my view, only if you make it look desperate, and I know you won't because you're going to be prepped by me. So I say, we'll leave all these objections behind us and we'll get into how you're actually going to be reaching out, what you're going to say.

And how are you going to go about structuring the conversation? Sounds good? Let's do it.

We'll take the example of what it can look like to reach out to a hiring manager prior to the interview. Now, this is an example of what an invite to a Zoom or Teams call could look like. Let me read this out to you. Dear hiring manager, my name is Hannah and I am about to interview for your position as brand manager.

I have read the job description and have a couple of questions that I'd love to ask you before the interview about the team dynamic and your specific expectations for this role. These 20 to 30 minutes go a long way towards my interview prep and help me show up feeling a little more comfortable. Happy to adjust this invite according to what works for you.

Look forward to connecting. Honestly, does this sound desperate to you? If you were a hiring manager, would you be annoyed or impressed? Me personally. I'd be impressed. I'd be pumped to meet this person. I'd also feel a sense of appreciation for someone caring enough to go the extra mile to get a job on my team.

Now you can adapt this to your liking, to your personal style, to your language, and you should. There are a few crucial elements though that I'd really like you to cover. When you reach out to the hiring manager, one, the intention for why you want to spend some time, you can say you got some follow up questions on the job description or would like to find out more about the team.

Do make sure, though, your voice a clear intent to make it tangible what this conversation is going to be about. Two, you also want to make a clear time commitment. Let them know exactly how much time you're asking for and whether this will be in person or virtually. And then three, you want to make it easy for them to say yes.

Be mindful and respectful of their time. If the hiring manager is internal and you may have already crossed their path in the past, you could even offer to meet them for a coffee or a lunch at the canteen. Honestly, as long as you follow these simple elements, you're good. When it comes to the actual conversation, what I recommend is that you prep a little in advance and put together a few questions you want to cover. You don't want to make it feel like you're interviewing them, but you do want to come prepared and make the best of their time.

Three aspects that absolutely do belong in any conversation with a hiring manager are asking about the team dynamics about non negotiable capabilities. The candidate they hire must bring and their preferred ways of working with the role on offer. Now, I will always go a little bit of an extra mile here and research their profile on LinkedIn or ask other people in the organization to see if there's any common ground in this person's background to mine so that I can use that for small talk, for making conversation and tailoring my questions.

What I have prepared for you in the download section is a few email templates to choose from for each of the different types of stakeholders on the hiring team. And then you'll find conversation structures to help you prep for these connects and ask the right questions to make it a win win experience.

And with that, I'll leave you to it. And see you in the next chapter.

Well, that was exciting. Seeing it's launch day, I'm sure you have now been one of the very first to tune into the program. What follows this chapter are three modules that are geared to Tap into your personal career story and what makes it stand out. Help you craft compelling answers to why should we hire you and tell me about a time and all the other questions you dread.

Practice telling your signature selling story. In a way that underpins your experience, expertise, and confidence. And you're going to learn to leave a great first impression with the hiring team and show up feeling confident and like your true self. I am so excited for it to be out there now. I just know this is going to change the interview game for you.

Head on over to the show notes or the link in bio at subtle careers to access the program applying a significant early bird bonus on the next three days only. Thank you for tuning in today. Thank you for helping me celebrate this launch for being excited with me. You are awesome. And I'll hear you next week.