“What gets me up in the morning? Knowing that there are people who are coming to me for assistance. Whoever walks through the door suddenly becomes my responsibility.”
It’s clear that Daniel Gordon’s objectives differ from that of a typical headhunter or job placement agency. As the new Director for the Chicago-based Job Link, he makes it his business to connect with his clients on a personal level. Moreover, he makes it known that his commitment to the community is fueled by a motives far more meaningful than just a sense of professional obligation.
It’s not Daniel’s style to treat job placement like a business, which is not to say he doesn’t place many people–on the contrary, his twenty-plus years in career counseling suggest otherwise.
He is just not interested in arbitrarily filling positions. A common scenario: a new client comes to the Job Link office in search of a job, but has no clue as to what line of work he is most suited for.
“Find me a job,” the new client tells Daniel. “Any job.”
But rather than scrambling to place this new client into the first position that comes along, Daniel instead does something more personal: he sits down and gets to know him.
Daniel wants the client to feel that he is in good hands. In fact, this simple gesture of good faith goes a long way. For not only does it makes the newcomer feel more at ease but, more so, sets a warm and inviting tone for the rest the meeting. Practically, this makes the client more receptive to Daniel’s unique methods of teaching.
Daniel’s philosophy: be a human being before anything else. Lend a sympathetic ear, show compassion, be supportive—in short, let the client know that you have his best interests. Then, once you’ve established a good rapport, help him out.
He starts by guiding the client through a series of mental exercises that are intended to stimulate critical thinking and, in turn, reveal specific qualities. Upon completing these drills, it is not uncommon for a client to discover that his knowledge and skillset range over a much broader area of work. This in itself can be very encouraging.
These exercises may include simple prompts such as “Tell me five adjectives you would use to describe yourself” or “Prepare a three minute lecture that demonstrates your fluency in such-and-such a topic,” as well as mock interview questions like “What are the differences between someone who is mediocre at such-and-such a job and one who is excellent at it?”
While these basic exercises are not as comprehensive as the Daniel’s interview prep routines, they are still beneficial in that they serve to challenge the client, motivating him to become more proactively involved in his own job search.
Throughout the exercises, Daniel listens carefully, analyzing the client’s responses while offering up constructive criticism: “When listing just five personal adjectives, take a moment to think. And try your best to avoid synonyms,” instructs Daniel. “Otherwise you run the risk of sounding dull at the interview.”
He also pays special attention to subtleties and subconscious behavior that may be overlooked by the interviewee–e.g. eye contact, pace of speech, level of enthusiasm–pointing out strengths as well as areas in need of improvement.
“What makes you stand out?” Daniel will ask the client. “And what makes you more of a viable candidate for a given company than the other ten people applying?”
For Daniel, it is very important to get a good sense of whom he is helping. He has a talent for this. Only once he gathers enough information, he’s able to make educated decisions regarding the client’s capabilities. This way he can also offer advice that is more tailored to a client’s personality and, by extension, begin the process of matching his client to a job that is most suitable for him.
