In circumstances like this, I try not to overload someone; in his case, he had an advantage because as a long term consultant, he was used to selling his abilities.
I asked him about a few details.
What time is your flight?
Who’s going to pick you up?
What’s your schedule that night?
In his case, he had an afternoon flight. After he landed, he was going to rent a car and drive to a restaurant to meet the person who is sponsoring his candidacy for dinner; the next day would be when the heavy interviewing would occur.
For one of my clients, they fly people out the day before, have a driver take them to a hotel to stay overnight, then interviews start in earnest the next morning (they bring people in the day before so that if flights are delayed or even cancelled, the interview schedule isn’t impacted).
Given that he was meeting someone from the employer for dinner (I thought of how rumpled I can be after a flight), he planned to change at the airport into appropriate attire for dinner, rather than travel in his suit.
I have had companies treat the driver like a surveillance member and report back any rude or obnoxious behavior. I have had job seekers abuse the ability to charge by expensing expensive liquor to their room.
Be smart about lies ahead of you.
Try to get a sense of your schedule. I have a client that will interview for five or 6 hours. Can your blood sugar hold that long?
I remember Muhammad Ali would always start and finish each round strong to create an impression with the judges. Do the same. Start and finish each meeting at peak.
And, remember, you are not a rock star who will expense a limo and numerous expensive bottles of champagne!
Jeff Altman
