T-SQL Tuesday turns this month to the topic of job interviews. Kendra Little (@kendra_little) is our host, and I really hope her round-up post is in the style of an interview. I’m reminded of a T-SQL Tuesday about three years ago on a similar topic, but I’m sure there will be plenty of new information this time around – the world has moved on.
I’m not sure when my last successful job interview was. I know I went through phases when I guess I was fairly good in job interviews (because I was getting job offers), and phases when I was clearly not very good in job interviews (because I would get interviews but not be able to convert them into job offers), and at some point I reached a point where I stopped doing interviews completely. That’s the phase I’m still in.
I hit that point when I discovered my niche (which sounds like “neesh” in my language, not “nitch”). For me it was because I realised that I had a knack for databases and starting exploring that area more – writing, presenting, helping others – until people noticed and started approaching me. That’s when interviewing stops being a thing. It doesn’t necessarily mean going starting your own business, or even changing jobs – it just means that people know who you are and come to you. You no longer have to sit in front of a panel and prove your worth, because they’ve already decided they want you.
So now people approach me for work through LobsterPot Solutions, and although there is sometimes a bidding phase when we need to compete against other companies, there is no ‘interview’ process in the way that there was when I was an employee.
What’s your niche? And are you spending time developing that?
There’s career-advice that talks about the overlap between something you enjoy doing, something you’re good at, and something that people are prepared to pay for. The thing is that people won’t pay you for it unless they know that you’re the person they need, rather than someone else. So get yourself out there. Prove yourself. Three years ago I asked “When is your interview” and said that you need to realise that even before your interview they’ve researched you, considered your reputation, and all of that. Today I want to ask you how your niche is going. Have you identified that thing you enjoy, and that people will pay for? And are you developing your skills in that area?
Your career is up to you. You can respond to job ads and have interviews. Or you can carve your own space.
Good luck.
