Brag Book vs. Action Plan
I’m often asked if it is a good idea to bring a brag book to an interview. My typical answer is yes, but make sure that you incorporate the brag book at an opportune time. If the interview is sailing along, and there is good synergy, the worst thing you can do is whip out your brag book and start showing pictures of awards, trophies and rankings. Ninety- five percent of interview success is predicated on personal chemistry, and you do not want to disrupt things by clumsily forcing the issue and disrupting the flow of an interview. Talk about a momentum killer!
Many managers do not want to see a brag book. They won’t have time to read it during the interview, and they most certainly are not going to lug a big book on a plane back to headquarters. I would recommend putting together a nice, tidy action plan which will summarize your successes and how you plan to strategically attack the territory.
The first page of the action plan would be your resume. Pages 2, 3, 4 would be your 30-60-90 day plan on your strategy for success. Page 5 would be a five point summary as to why that company should hire you, and page six should be references.
Do it in a Power Point presentation with the company logo, colors, etc. Take it to Kinkos or wherever, get it bound and bring it to the interview. Let the manager keep it.
When you go on a sales call do you bring a brag book? Of course not. But you do bring literature for the customer to read after you’ve left, don’t you? Well, this is no different because the interview is a sale- and you want that manager reading your Action Plan on the flight home or wherever that manager chooses to read it. It is a smart and effective strategy- one that can make the difference!
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