March 17, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A method called the reverse interview is a powerful tool for professionals who want to identify a future career path, says an expert in entrepreneurial career building at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
"The method breaks people out of the traditional role of job seeker and turns them into job creators," saysDale Callahan, Ph.D., director of the Information Engineering and Management (IEM) program at UAB. "In researching and then executing this strategy myself, there is nothing fancy to the method, no big trick.
"It just works."
Callahan, who recently discussed the topic on the IEM program blog, says the reverse interview starts with professionals asking an unexpectedly difficult question: What do I really want to be doing three to five years from now?
"We mean it when we say 'what you really want to be doing,'" Callahan says. "Many of our student clients in the IEM program have a tremendously difficult time answering that question because they have never taken the time to really search their soul for what they are most passionate about in their professional life."
With the method's most crucial question answered, Callahan says the next step is to identify the successful entrepreneurs and executives from the community working in the field for which you have a burning passion.
"Find the people who already are doing what you want to be doing and reach out to them. Tell them that you'd like to interview them - this is the reverse interview - and talk to them about what it takes to get to where they are because you want to be there in the next few years," Callahan says.
The reverse interview method prohibits professionals from bringing a resume or other personal documents into the meeting and from talking about job openings or opportunities, Callahan says. Additionally, professionals should not talk about themselves, and they should follow up on the interview with a thank-you note or other acknowledgement.
"The experiences of our IEM faculty have shown us that by the time many reverse interviews are completed, the executives are taken with your interest in them," Callahan says. "This kind of interaction will help you quickly build a strong network of contacts in the industry that most interests you.
"Building your industry contacts will help you quickly gather enough information to determine if you really want to do what you thought you wanted to do," he says. "You will learn how to get from where you are to where you want to be - and be on your way to the job of your dreams."
Read more on the strategies involved in the reverse interview under the post titled "Guaranteed to Get a Job" at http://iemprogram.com/site/blog.
About the UAB Information Engineering and Management Program
A graduate degree program offered by the UAB School of Engineering, Information Engineering and Management was designed by industry leaders to meet the needs of working professionals who are looking for leadership and growth opportunities. The program provides its student clients the opportunity to enhance both the technical and business skills required in today's business world. The program reflects the needs of today's marketplace: demanding, flexible and integrated.