To become a CMO or CEO of a big public company, we can have all the degrees, the pedigree, ten years of experience, etc., but we need something more. We must ace the interview and communicate like Angelina Jolie or some other incredible leader. We also need a plan. But more than all that, we need to learn the science behind acquiring a top role, which I’ve recently discovered and am about to share.
But first, I interviewed for two companies, so three interviews total, and one interview was like talking with a long-lost best friend. But I didn’t get the one job and likely won’t get the next. I’m often called “overqualified,” and my leadership answers don’t quite hit the mark. So, instead of feeling deflated, I took it to a scientific level, and it’s the fast track to a CMO leadership role that’ll shave years off trying to “figure it out as we go.” I searched for a service specifically designed to train me to do better interviews, and the one I tried was BigInterview.com. This online resource of video lessons reveals the science of interviewing to help us secure even executive positions for Fortune 500 global public companies.
As I keep hearing from potential employers that I’m too senior for the management roles but a better fit for a director role, I’ve been wondering about the Doctor of Business Administration, which will knock me out of the box as I will be overqualified for many roles. But wait! Remember? We set goals, and my goal is to fast-track to a big public company CMO role and then a CEO role. So, the Doctor of Business Administration still works. I should be happy that I am overqualified for management roles, as being too qualified might mean I’m qualified for a CMO role sooner than anticipated. However, to take the leap, we’d need to fast-track the required skills through continuous learning. One skill we’d need is accounting; another is project management, leadership, or management.
As a humorous side story, to land a career that pays well, I devised an initial strategy that I wanted us to all try. Namely, to go above and beyond the line of duty, I offered interviewers a gift that helps advance their company’s bottom line: complimentary marketing videos. Grant Cardone tells his daughter to try out for every audition, if only for the experience. So, I aimed to hone my video design skills quickly by giving each interviewer a video ad that would otherwise cost $800 if done by an agency or Fiverr professional. There is nothing wrong with sweetening the deal and leaving an impression. Then, I aimed to offer more videos for a fee on a contractual basis, if need be, so that I don’t get super rocked by EI.
I just tried this video strategy out, and it bombed. Not only did I seem overqualified, but I also felt like a show-off. However, I think the CMO role might be more realistic than I thought. We often undersell ourselves. We could be on the verge of dying with little work experience for most of our lives and turn our health and opportunities around to where we suddenly are at the top of our field, still baffled about how we got there. Nothing is impossible!
But with that online service, we can access video lessons on how to succeed at interviewing, resumes, job applications, securing executive roles, and so much more. Interviewing is a science, especially when interviewing for the top role. (Does the Chief Technology Officer role sound enticing?) So, biginterview.com may be my ticket to becoming a CEO. And, if mine, why not ours—all of ours?
One thing holding me back from job interviews is my voice sounds too sweet. I previously researched where to acquire vocal training for CEO roles, and I emailed a lady voice coach, but she never got back. So, I hit a dead end. But dead ends are temporary, as nothing is truly impossible. So, yesterday, I located this neat app for vocal coaching. It’s called Vocal Coach. It promises to make me sound more like a leader by December. So, I chose Angelina Jolie as the voice option I most want to emulate. Then, it did a voice assessment on me, and I currently sound like Selena Gomez, age 30 to 40 range, with a lover voice archetype. That’s a far cry from Angelina Jolie in a CEO role.
The BigInterview.com service said I speak too slowly for a professional voice, too, so the voice coach app will teach me how to increase my speaking speed. The speed of the voice is relevant for us executive role seekers because CEOs deliver annual reports to the media, and it’s critical that the CEO speak well to secure shareholder value. Speaking below the minimum speed of professionalism (or well above) makes listeners feel we are unprepared or, worse, a bit slow. A solution is to write out and practice verbalizing answers to questions to speed up (or slow down) the pace.
I also learned from these services how to overcome the issues of being perceived as overqualified. People might think something is wrong with us if we’re applying for a role for which we’re overqualified. Or they might think we’d get bored or leave as soon as something better crops up. And people may feel threatened if they think we’re after their more senior roles. So, to prevent this, I’ve got to stop saying I had a perfect final grade in multivariate calculus, especially if it has little to do with the job description or if it’s for a role below the director level. So, this means we need to sell our strengths but be cautious not to put anyone on the defensive.
So, whatever weakness any of us have with interviewing, from having a gap in our resume to having a disability or being LGBTQ, there is training available. BigInterview.com worked for me because it has video course lessons on what we should say. With the right interviewing skills, a CEO role or whatever position we desire is within our reach. As knowledge is power, and we are students acquiring knowledge at AU, we’re on the fast track to unbelievable success. So, let’s get them titles, tigers, and make everyone at AU a global executive!
