Enthusiasm wins

If you want something, let people know

On the Best of Both Worlds podcast not long ago, my co-host Sarah and I shared a question from a woman who was applying for a high-profile leadership position. She did not look like all the past leaders of this organization — both in terms of not being a middle-aged man, and also not having the exact same past career experience. However she was definitely qualified enough to be in the running.

So she asked what she could do to make her case. We talked about storytelling, and presenting a narrative for the organization where you are the logical next choice. Then Sarah, who has interviewed a lot of people for a lot of things, mentioned that enthusiasm always stands out. When someone comes across as incredibly excited about working with you, well, who wouldn’t want to reciprocate that?

In many cases, there is no real objective criteria for making a choice one way or another. So showing that you really want something can go a long way.

Asking for the business

I know what she means. When I was getting bids from movers I talked with one company that was far more enthusiastic about winning my business than others. They answered calls and emails promptly. They sounded happy to find a place for me on the schedule. Since I believe that any reputable moving company could have handled my local move, I was inclined to go with the company that acted like they wanted the job.

So it goes with many things in life. That interviewer has talked to two dozen applicants already today. You’re calling around trying to find a good landscaping company. Who gets remembered? Who leaves the person making the decision feeling warm and fuzzy? Most likely the person who seems excited about working together in the future.

Now, you might think that everyone applying for a job, or giving a bid for work, would be enthusiastic but if you’ve spent any time on the other side of such decisions you know that isn’t true. Sometimes people just aren’t excited about things. Sometimes companies have a process for giving bids but the incentives or personalities are such that no one seems to care. Maybe they don’t need the business. And maybe there is something else going on. Everyone has bad days now and then.

What you can control

In any case, there are many things about selections that you can’t control. The woman applying for that leadership position could not control if the organization would be open to a non-traditional candidate. What she could control is how excited she sounded about the job — conveying a genuine belief that wonderful things would happen if they got to work together.

Given that this Vanderhack is running close to Valentine’s Day, I’d say that enthusiasm wins in romance as well! Not desperation, of course. But if you are genuinely interested in someone, there’s no point in keeping that to yourself. Perhaps the enthusiasm won’t be reciprocated, but at least you’ve done what you can do, and it just might make a difference.