“We do not describe the world we see, we see the world we describe.” 

Joseph Jaworski

 

I have spoken with a number of colleagues regarding a position he/she was applying for based on their initial interviews.  The conversation might go like this - He was very excited about the connection he had made with the hiring manager and was getting teed up to talk to a couple of the key players that would be reporting to him.  He felt really good about the connection he had made in the previous interview with the hiring manager citing his qualifications in the IT industry and how they both were emphatic about their shared vision of the culture they wanted to create.  Then he said he had a reservation about the next couple of discussions.  His concern was he wasn’t sure he could identify himself as a CIO (or COO or VP or supply your own title.)

My response was that you cannot let a few letters get in the way. For this particular example, I would cite the various job ads I had reviewed for CIO .  Some described an expert Windows System Admin with the capability to communicate with others.  Some described a leader of 1000+ technologists in 10 cities globally.  The title CIO or VP or Director, etc. does not define a job or the success factors that make you the right fit.  What determines your success is your skills, your capabilities, and your belief that you are the right person to do the job.

A true example - My most expansive and challenging job was as a Director responsible for 1% of the mainframes in the world and 1000 Unix servers in four locations with 250 people reporting to me.  I went on to hold titles of VP of Hosting Infrastructure, as well as, CEO and owner of a business - neither of these jobs required the skills and expertise I had to have in my Director assignment.  I led that team to vastly improve their service while adding 50% more equipment and reducing the budget by 10% per year.  I had the biggest budget, the biggest customer base, the biggest team, and the most locations of my life in that Director role; although I didn’t have the biggest salary in that role.
Are you letting C-I-O or C-O-O or V-P or some others letters keep you from going after a job you know you could do?  Are you diminishing your value to the company you are in or a company you want to work for because you don’t match every qualification on the job ad?  The person that gets that job won’t let that stop them even though they may not have done near as much as you have or are as good as you are.  Just remember you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.  People also have a sense in whether you believe in yourself for the role.   So go for it!  If you would like to discuss what you might be doing to sabotage your career, contact Beth@TbyWWC.com.

 

“We do not describe the world we see, we see the world we describe.”

  Joseph Jaworski

Intellectual Property of WWC Ltd