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I read a post on LinkedIn two days ago, which covered why people get hired, and it had well over 200,000 views. I thought to myself,
"Okay this must be a very good post, with some great content, otherwise people wouldn't read it. Right?". WRONG!
Then I looked at the picture associated with the post, which was seductive, and I looked at a picture of the woman who authored the post and then I thought, "She kind of looks like a hooker or a high priced call girl. Men are such pigs!"
And then I had an epiphany, "I can do that too!"
Well, I can't actually be a call girl, I don't have the skill set, but living in Los Angeles I do know people, who know people, who know people...you get the point. A few well placed texts and phone calls and I had a former call girl on the phone for an "interview"? She was now a therapist which totally blew my mind, but I guess the professions are similar? She kept reminding me she wasn't cheap and she didn't have sex with just anyone, but that she needed money when she first got to Los Angeles, and this profession helped to supplement her income.
As I was speaking to her, I had all kinds of crazy thoughts running through my head, like "Couldn't she recycle cans or something or work at Starbucks for extra money?" But I wasn't going to judge so I asked her one simple question:
"How did you get hired?"
She gave me a whole litany of things that she did to get hired. How she dressed, where she went, her conversations, etc. Below is a simple list and advice that applies not only to her but really everybody. Judge if you must, but these tips are pretty good. Enjoy!
Use A Recruiter - You can't get a job if you don't have someone promoting your skills. In her case it was a madam, but in your case it's a recruiter. When people tell me they can't find a job my first question is, "Do you have a recruiter?". If you don't have one, then find one, because they are invaluable to your job search and there is one out there for you. She told me she would have never done this if she didn't have someone setting up her "interviews".
Plan For Your Interview - She advised me that before she even went to meet a person, she solicited feedback from her "recruiter" on what they person was looking for because she wanted to be sure she was hired. Which was odd to me because I thought call girls were always "hired". She said that being turned down was very rare, but she advised me that "people with a lot of money are discreet and if they get a bad feeling about you, the interview is over, and you don't get the job."
Sound familiar?
Dress Appropriately - This was some of her best advice, citing that if you're calling on businessmen with a lot of money, they don't want to be seen with someone who looks like a hooker. So be well dressed and classy, and absolutely no spray tan. "It makes you look fake and cheap". Often these type of men just want to be seen with someone who looks good and conducts themselves well. If you're going to an interview don't dress like your spending a night on the town in Vegas, or you just came from a strip club. Dress professional.
Be Prepared - Again, great advice, and again I was amazed by her response. She really put a lot of thought into meeting her clients, and perhaps this is why she charged so much. She recommended that you plan well ahead to make sure that the interview goes well and doesn't take a bad turn. Also research your client or company and get some feedback from people on how it is working with them. For her it meant calling other girls in the business, or her recruiter, and for you it's the same. Contact employees, check on job boards, message boards, or anything that will give you feedback on the company or hiring manager. Recruiters again, will do all this for you.
Relax; Be Yourself - She admitted that this is the hardest thing to do, because no matter how well prepared you are, if a client senses you're nervous and jumbling your words, then you're not going to be hired. How appropriate, because this applies to job interviews as well. If you don't relax then the person interviewing you can't relax, and the entire process can go badly. You can lose your train of thought, answer questions incorrectly or not at all, and then not be hired. Try to relax and like the movie "Frozen", just let it flow.
Make Eye Contact - I'm not certain about other cultures, but in the United States, eye contact is key in an interview. She mentioned that the eyes are one of the most seductive parts of the body and that in order to be hired you must have good eye contact with your client. If you are nervous and looking away, or staring off in a corner, this might turn a client off or make them fidgety. It's no different in the business world where if you can't maintain good eye contact, you may not get the job.
Tell Me About Yourself - The thing about being a call girl is they can make up anything they want about their history and none of it has to be true. In fact this woman needed to create a false history to protect her identity but also to create a fantasy for the client. As an interview candidate you also must create a fantasy and identity for the job interviewer. You want to be their ideal candidate, the one they want above all the rest, so you need to weave a good story about yourself and why you're the best person for the job. You can do all this with the truth, as long as you share a compelling story.
Close For The Job - This was something she rarely had to do, but on occasion she would "push the clock", and remind clients that time was wasting and they might need to get the evening started. She only did this if they were at a bar and the client was wasting her time and his, which I thought was a bit amusing. I guess it's a business like any other, and keep in mind that she did have to close on occasion but if you're interviewing for a job you should always close for either a job offer or the next step in the process. Often times the interviewer is waiting for you to do just that: be certain to close.
Follow Up - Okay she never sent any "Thank You" emails, flowers, or cards to her clients but she would follow up with her "recruiter" or madam to get some feedback on if they enjoyed her company. I don't recommend that you send emails or cards asking if the hiring manager enjoyed your company, but do make sure to send a thank you card or email and share something you remembered from the interview. This will seem more personal, and be sure to ask again for the position.
As I mentioned previously, it was absolutely remarkable to hear how similar her experience was to what potential candidates go through during the interview process. I certainly hope these tips will help you in your efforts to be hired, and I found it absolutely fascinating that a person working the world's "oldest profession", could offer sound advice to some of the newest members of the work force. Good luck!
-M
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