Interview With A Finance Manager

I recently spent several weeks interviewing for a new Finance Manager position at my company. This is one of the few senior roles we hire for – senior being the operative word as this typically means someone over 40 years old and 10-15 years of solid work experience behind them.

I found these interviews to be enjoyable, if not pleasant. After doing something for that long, you really have to love the work or else you would be doing something else so I enjoyed hearing their passionate stories about how they got promoted, overcame a challenge, or took the next step in their lives.

In interviewing these finance manager candidates, I had a few takeaways:

- Don’t settle. I’ve literally been interviewing for this position for 3 months, on and off, and I haven’t settled on anyone who I wasn’t completely happy with. I think I’ve found that person now, but its taken about 40 interviews to get there. Don’t settle for someone you are not 100% happy with.

- With this position, I got creative with the potential compensation and strayed from pure salary based compensation and into offering amenities such as a company-paid condo. This essential necessity then becomes a tax-free benefit for the employee and as an added benefit for our organization, he or she now lives across the street from the office.

- Big money doesn’t mean big talent. I had this position open for a salary beyond what I eventually offered and the people in the very expensive range just didn’t seem worth it to me. I’ve found someone well within my budget with as many capabilities as these superstar big money financial managers.

I hope to make her a new addition to our company soon.

The Portfolio + Notepad

Here’s a quick tip – spend a little bit of money on a portfolio, leather-bound preferably. You need this portfolio to carry two things – a couple copies of your resume, a notepad and a pen.

A resume because sometimes your printed resume gets lost in the HR shuffle – its a lot quicker if you can just pull a new one out instead of us having to print a new one out.

A notepad and pen because if I ask you a question that you can’t answer, what you should do is right that question down and my email address and tell me that you’re going to find the answer and email it to me.

And a portfolio because it rains in the Philippines and the last thing you want is to hand me a wet, wrinkled resume.

What’s Your Brand?

Moving to the Philippines has been a welcome change from San Francisco. Other than the fact that it’s sunny and 90 degrees everyday – a big change from San Francisco’s perpetual fog layer – I’ve also become exposed to the fashion industry, something I’ve always followed and at times, have broken the bank for (Batman Yellow BAPEstas!). The fashion industry is also a lot more complicated than my industry, outsourcing. I sell a service, they sell a lifestyle. I need stability everyday while they are always looking for the next fresh thing on the block.

However, take away the glamour, the models, and the designers and the people running the fashion industry are the same ones in mine – hard working, driven, and ultimately, successful business people. In the Philippines, the @Divine Lees, @Rosario Herreras, @Bryanboys are the business and creative minds behind a slew of fashion endeavours that are not only making their names in the Philippines, but also around the world. More importantly, they are all beginning to achieve the pinnacle of fashion – building a brand.

I use them as examples because they possess the ethos that I try to preach in this blog – not only have they been prepared for every interview in their lives, they’ve been prepared for every opportunity presented to them as a result of those interviews. Divine, Rosario, and Bryanboy not only possess amazing creative talents but also the work ethic needed to turn mere opportunities into very successful businesses.

As a partner in my own company, many people I meet envy the fact that I never have to interview for a job. However, most people have it very wrong. The true story is I interview everyday – I’m selling not only myself, but my company, my partners, my staff and ultimately, my brand to people and companies all over the world that I want to work with.

So what do the writer of this blog and our 3 fashioneurs have in common other than our sartorialist tendancies? The fact that we never stop interviewing and neither should you. Every person you meet, whether in an interview, at a dinner, or even casually on the street is your chance to build your brand and reputation in life. I’m not saying that you approach every person you meet like you’re being interviewed or you are interviewing them – instead approach every person you meet as as an opportunity for you to build your brand.

The question then to ask yourself is, what do you want your brand to be known for?

I Interview in Sneakers and Why You Shouldn’t

Most people I interview are quite shocked that I am the person interviewing them? Why? Its because I’m typically in the office in jeans, a t-shirt, and some bright blue Onitsukas and not a suit. I choose to not wear a suit (or business casual clothing) because in my opinion, the quality of clothes I wear has no impact on how hard I work. In fact, I end up working LESS when I’m in a suit and tie just because I’m so uncomfortable. So casual wear in the office is my choice and I allow everyone else to dress casually in the office.

However, you don’t have that choice. In fact the choice has already been made for you if you follow one of the golden rules of interviewing – Always dress better than the person interviewing you.

I’ve had many awkward moments where I’ve walked in a suit and tie and everyone around me is wearing in t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. It didn’t matter – I hadn’t yet earned the privilege to come to the office dressed like that – I was still interviewing for the job and so my attire had to be the suit. I had no other choice.

So what message does that send to the person interviewing you (who is wearing jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers) when you’re wearing a suit and tie? That you’re dead serious about this job and you took the time to prepare not only your resume and answers, but your physical appearance, before coming into the interview. It doesn’t really matter if your suit is one size too big or your tie hangs below your belt line. What matters is the fact that you are simply wearing a suit and tie.

While that alone won’t get you a job, these are the little factors that come into play when I’m determining who to hire and when you’re one of the candidates on the fence, you want all of these little factors to go your way. With all candidates being equal, I’d be more inclined to hire the person who came in professionally dressed compared to the person who looks like they just came from a game of street basketball. If that person spends an extra 60 minutes getting dressed for their interview, I figure they’ll spend the extra time to make sure they get their job done right.

Take Time To Think

Often times during an interview, people are so nervous, they answer each question without really taking the time to think – they begin speaking almost as soon as I’m done speaking. But, this isn’t Jeopardy – it’s not about who buzzes in first but who buzzes in first with the right answer.

I asked an especially difficult question earlier today for a managerial candidate, a question that took me about 25 seconds to ask. I wanted to know what were the problems that her old HR department had and how those experiences can help prevent those same problems from appearing within my company. As she was beginning to talk, she seemed flustered and I cut her off and I told her to take a few seconds to think about the question.

She spent about 10 seconds thinking about her answer while I thumbed through her resume and profile. The silence was not awkward as she was clearly deep in thought about her answer.

She came back to me with a, “Okay, to answer your question….” and proceeded with a well-thought answer that nailed the question.

Don’t be afraid of a few seconds of silence during an interview to think about the question you just received. Even if you now the answer already, take a couple moments to gather your thoughts and deliver your answer as fluidly as possible. Not every moment spent in an interview has to be spent talking.

In fact, if you did a little bit more thinking and a little bit less talking, you’d go a long way towards nailing that next interview.

Tell Me About Yourself, Part 2

This is probably a post I wil repeat again in the future, but I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having a well thought-out and prepared answer to tell me about yourself. If, for some reason, you fail to have one ready for your interview, the next big thing is to avoid a common pitfall that interviewees get themselves into – talking, ranting, and going on and on (just like I am right now) about everyone in their family except themselves. After the end of your 100 second spiel, I know more about your mom, lola and 3 siblings you’re trying to put through school than I do about you.

You’ve got about 45 seconds to impress me before I start zoning out because I frankly, I don’t care about anyone in your family but you. In fact, don’t even mention them at all during the interview unless I ask.

Focus your answers on you – your last job and your core responsibilities there, the reason why you took that specific course in college, and why you’re sitting in front of me now.

Rehearse and memorize this. Make it sound natural. Practice in front of your friends, family and a mirror.

Then go for it on your next interview. Comment back and let me know the results!

Saying Much About Nothing

Most of the people I interview with are very short and direct with their answers. Few elaborate beyond the initial scope of the interview question – If I ask you what is your weakness, they will name the weakness (Good!) but never elaborate on when that weakness was tested in a professional environment or more importantly, what they are doing to correct that weakness (Bad!). The end result is a basic answer to the question that lacks any depth and breadth to show me more of who you are.

However, saying too much about nothing is just as harmful as not saying enough to answer an interview question.

Earlier today I conducted an interview and I posed this question to the interviewee: “So, you’ve come from very rigid corporate environments and you’ve even received your MBA from a very good institution. How will you handle the change from a corporate environment to a young, entrepreneurial environment where things work at a much faster pace and your job functions vary with the business needs?”

She spent about 8 minutes answering the question without really answering it. She rambled on and told elaborate stories about her previous work environment (Good!) but the stories were completely unrelated to the topic at hand (Bad!). The only thing I can remember from that question is the fact that wearing Crocs to her previous office constituted casual dress and because of that, she’s ready to work at a younger and more entrepreneurial company. I don’t know how valid that statement is but thats the only thing I remember. She did this for every question and this was probably the longest interview I’ve conducted this year.

I came to the conclusion that while she was a very bright and motivated individual, there wasn’t much substance behind her interview answers. It was all interview fluff – words, statements, phrases that don’t add any value to your answer and distracts me from the question you’re trying to answer. Fluff is like static – the more fluff you have, the more your potentially good answers gets hidden in the noise.

In the end, I want you to answer the question with as much depth and breadth as possible but I don’t want you to treat the interview like your own personal monologue.

The Psychic Who Answered 500,000 Ping Pong Balls

A question I ask during each interview, regardless of the position they are applying for, is a brain teaser: “How many ping pong balls can you fit in a jeepney?” I had an interviewee tell me “500,000″ without batting an eye. I asked him where he got that number and he said that’s what came to his head. I didn’t know I was hiring a psychic call center agent.

How many ping pong balls can you fit in a jeepney – You’re probably thinking, what kind of stupid irrelevant question is that?

Well, its a stupid and irrelevant question that exposes you, the interviewee, to unfamiliar territory – there is no defined answer to this question and the logistical challenges of answering the question, boggle the mind of most individuals. In short, it catches you off guard and forces you to think (or not) on your feet. Its a question you can’t prepare for and even if you’ve prepared for all the other interview questions – tell me about yourself, what is your greatest strength, what do you know about our company – this is a question you can’t prepare for and where your mental ability will be tested.

For most standard positions, if you can’t answer this question, it will not make or break your application. However, if you’re someone on the edge of passing an interview or someone who answers this with the depth and breadth I expect, then you automatically position yourself for an even more prominent position within the company. However, for positions which require analytical ability – legal, accounting, finance, logistics – I expect you to at least ask me some questions about the question to help yourself answer it.

The ping pong ball question requires you to face an unfamiliar situation and determine a plan of attack – how are you going to answer a question which you’ve never been asked and frankly, which boggles the mind. Who thinks of packing a jeepney full of ping pong tables and aren’t they going to all fall out?

So how many ping pong balls can you fit in a jeepney?

I Don’t Want To Hear I Don’t Know

The questions I ask during an interview include a few which I ask for each interview and questions which I create based on what I see on your resume. If I see that you had a B.S. in Biology, I’m going to ask you tell me what the Krebs Cycle is. If you attended a seminar which is listed on your resume on the 5 Ps of Marketing, I’m going to ask you what those 5 P’s are and to give an example for each one.

Unfortunately, for many of the questions I ask, the answer I get is I don’t know.

I don’t know is not a bad answer in itself. I understand if you don’t know – I don’t know sometimes myself. A bad answer is you saying I don’t know but not telling me what you plan to do about it. Do you want to know the answer? What am I talking about?

If I ask you what the 5 Ps of Marketing are and you don’t know, what I’d prefer you to do is tell me, you don’t know, but you’re going to write this question down, review this information and email me your answer.

I would be impressed if I saw somebody pull out their notebook and jot this question down. Okay, it could all be an act, but I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that this is the way you work. You pay attention to detail and you leave no stone unturned. I don’t know doesn’t stop you, it starts you.

Be prepared the next time you don’t know.

Do You Really Know Who You’re Interviewing For?

Of all the interview questions you can be prepared for, the one you should always know how to answer is: “So, what do we do?”

Its a simple question and if you can’t answer it during the interview, it means you weren’t really prepared. You didn’t research the company you were applying for and are sitting here clueless to what we do. Every company has a website and all it takes is a few minutes of browsing to at least understand what the company you’re applying to does. Even after reading the website, you still don’t know what we do, then at least you can ask me during the interview – “I read that you do this on your website – what exactly is that?”

To me, that is more impressive than “I don’t know” – which, whenever I hear someone say it – is probably the most embarassing set of words you can utter during an interview. The people who tell me “Sir, I don’t know” are ashamed and are caught red handed – and rightly so – because you just quickly showed me that I’m wasting my time interviewing you. If you don’t come into this interview prepared, how do I know you’re going to come into meetings with clients prepared? I’ve never hired anyone who couldn’t answer this question – no matter how well you interviewed or how good you looked on paper.

So save yourself from interview purgatory and research the company’s website you’re applying for. At a basic level, know what they do, the industry they are in, when they started, and some products they sell. Study for your interviews like a test and imagine this is the question where you already have the answers – only the monkeys get this one wrong. And I’m not hiring monkeys.