Readers recently had a great discussion sharing tips for women interviewing at high level jobs… so we thought we'd round up some of the advice!

We've previously shared midlevel job application tips, as well as the best resources for new managers — and of course we've discussed how to step up your working wardrobe. But we haven't directly discussed this!

First, here's the reader question:

I have hit a ceiling professionally with my current company and have been aggressively applying for Director/VP level positions in my field. I’ve been with my current company a long time, so the idea of a switch is unnerving — but I am looking forward to career advancement. I’m currently interviewing at various stages for new positions. Wish me luck!

Does anyone have advice on interviewing at this level?

(It's been a few years now, but we do have “advice from the VP/Hiring Manager Level” — although not specifically on interviewing.)

The Best Tips for Women Interviewing at Director-Level Jobs

Prove You Can Do the Job on Day One

The jump from manager/sr. manager to director/VP is one of the “big filters” in most organizations. It’s the second hardest jump to make after the individual contributor to manager one. In my experience, there are very few VPs that want to move someone from manager to director unless they have big wins in their resume or a clear history of over performance at their level.

Likewise, C-suites don’t like to move directors to VP until the directors can point to their achievements but now with big dollar signs attached (how many millions did you make or save the business last year versus your peers?). Point to your achievements and not your potential at this level — you need to demonstrate that you will be a perfect fit and cause your superiors minimal headaches. They won’t train or support you much at this level so you have to prove you can do the job on day one.

One reader noted that you have to show very specific examples of moving from tactical to more strategic functions, as well as how you've helped teams achieve department-specific outcomes. She also noted that you should show that you clearly understand the difference in time frames:

As a manager, you are generally more of a 6-12 month timeframe executor. Director level is more of a 12-18 month time horizon and your VP (assuming this is the department head) is present –> 24 months.

Consider The Other Personalities and Teams Involved

Several readers noted that you have to appreciate how your job and department will interact with other teams and departments. One said:

Depending on your role/industry, you may also be expected to show a broad knowledge of your industry as opposed to your daily function. For example, if you are an operational manager, how does what your team does play into the larger issues that the client has? How does your team tie into other depts like sales, marketing, IT, whatever, strategically?

Another noted that relationships can make the job an enjoyable one — or a really bad one. For example:

If you are interviewing for a VP role, make sure you meet your counterparts in other departments and make sure they are not going to be a complete headache to work with (sometimes you can tell after one conversation). If it’s a new role being created, see if you can suss out who may feel that their toes are being stepped on. If it’s a backfill, what has been piling up for this role while the rec sat empty? What expectations are already set for the new hire’s function (did the exiting person create a product roadmap you’ll be stuck executing on?)?

Seek to Understand Why the Role Is Open (And How Much Work You'll Have)

As one reader noted above, the position may have sat open for a while by the time you're interviewing for it, so you'll want to know how much work has been piling up for the role while it hasn't been filled.

One reader noted that she's asked in interviews, “Why is this role currently open? Will I be working with the person who previously held it or have they moved on?”

Make Sure the Job is a Fit For You

A reader noted that while there usually is no “average” day at this level, you can ask your interviewer what a specific day looked like — last Thursday, for example.

This kind of gets back to our discussion about how to find out if your job is right for you, and the advice from the book  The Right — and Wrong — Stuff: How Brilliant Careers Are Made and Unmade) (affiliate link) to focus on the day-to-day aspects of the job. (The book was written by the former CEO of Walmart.com, who discovered he … didn't like being a CEO because of the daily tasks involved.)

Understand that the Higher You Go, the More the Bonus Matters

A number of readers noted that compensation can be completely role/industry specific, but that as you progress, the base level compensation may change a lot less than it did when you were lower in the organization, so increased compensation depends much more on your bonus.

One noted, “Making an all-in comp of ~200k is about right for the sort of role that is director/VP (as opposed to VP with a bunch of directors under). $250 is closer for a VP, can be higher.”

Readers, what are your best tips for interviewing for high-level jobs?

Stock photo via Deposit Photo / Syda Productions.

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Everyone who takes a new job finds there are unwritten rules in the office or workplace — let's discuss them today!

I recently heard the phrase “invisible furniture” used to describe the unwritten rules in your office or workplace, in that you may be “bumping into a lot of it in your first few months on your job.”

It's a great phrase, and it's so true — every workplace definitely has its own unwritten rules! What are the unwritten rules in YOUR office — and in what ways do you see people bump into those rules when they're new?

To back up a bit: There was a great Twitter thread recently with advice for new appointees in the Biden administration from Dr. Tamara Cofman Wittes, current senior fellow for the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and the founder of The Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Her thread included some great advice, such as:

• Take your ethics undertakings seriously.
• “Your job is to help your team succeed. That means help your boss, help your peers, and help your employees. If they rise, you rise. If they fail, you have failed. So start by figuring out who they are, what they need, and what you can offer.”
• If you're dealing with someone who is a bit “world-weary in the face of your enthusiasm… connect them to your mission & help them see how their work matters to policy & real-world outcomes.”

Such great advice! I was particularly interested in this tweet, where she noted:

Every workplace has unwritten rules, too: what I call “invisible furniture.” You will be bumping into a lot of it in your first months on the job. Make a point of learning it, & remember that it’s never dumb to admit what you don’t know—it’s the quickest way to learn.

So let's discuss — what are some of the unwritten rules in the office that you've learned in your workplace?

For my $.02, some of these unwritten rules in my previous offices come to mind:

• access to colleagues and bosses — Several of my previous workplaces (especially in the magazine world, but the legal world also) have had a lot of unwritten rules around access to bosses. It was often considered an honor even to be CC:ed on an email involving the Big Boss, and certainly to be invited to a meeting, and there were a lot of unwritten rules about how to conduct yourself when you were invited.

• support staff priorities — In my law firm (where generally four lawyers shared one administrative assistant), there were absolutely unwritten rules about what order the assistant was expected to do things in. There were also unwritten etiquette rules around what work should be given to your administrative assistant versus work that should/could be given to another department (such as Steno).

• face time — This is a huge one that varies widely from office to office. At my law firm, they didn't care if you showed up at noon and worked until midnight; as long as you had checked your email and voice mail in the morning, there was generally no requirement that you be in the office. Another boss took it as a grave sign of disrespect if I came in at 9:10.

• Similarly, lunch — one of my old offices had a culture of everyone eating lunch at around the same time, at the same conference table.
  
• the closed office door — Every office I've been in had unwritten rules about when your office door was allowed to be closed, or when you were allowed to or expected to or pushing it to take a conference room to work in by yourself.

Readers, how about you — what are the unwritten rules in your office? What did you learn the hard way, and in what way do you think new hires “bump into” that invisible furniture?

Stock photo (empty conference room) via Stencil.

The post “Invisible Furniture”: What Are the Unwritten Rules In Your Office? appeared first on Corporette.com.

Hunting for the best resources for new managers? Whether you’ve been recently promoted to management status or are hoping to get to a supervisor level in the near future, there are many good resources for new managers that are worth checking out, including blogs, videos, books, and podcasts. 

We’ve rounded up some of our favorites (as well as reader suggestions) for first-time managers below, but we'd love to hear from you! What do you think are the best resources for new managers? If you've recently been promoted to manager level, what resources have been the most helpful? What would you recommend to younger women looking to make it to management? 

(Of course, don't forget to check out our previous posts with advice for new managers, including how to become a better manager, online women’s management training, how to become a better communicator, must-read business books, and how to become a leader. We've also talked about executive presence for women leaders, and you may want to check out our tips on how to step up your working wardrobe to get that promotion.)

1. Ask a Manager: Alison Green has been sharing wisdom with managers (and the rest of us!) on her blog since 2007. She has also written a book, she hosts a weekly podcast, and her advice has been published by national publications. A search for “first-time manager” on her site resulted in several results, including her article in U.S. News and World Report with advice for new managers, and a list of the five most important things she says a first-time manager should know, but a Corporette reader suggested putting time aside every week or so to catch up on her posts. As a bonus, the reader comments on Ask a Manager can be helpful as well. Green's list of her favorite posts of all time will get you started.

2. Harvard Business Review: While HBR is known in the business world for providing results of studies about leadership, their online articles, as well as videos (both on the site and on their YouTube channel), are also valuable to new managers. HBR also offers books about management skills, plus advice for new managers, including a two-book offer for a “New Manager's Collection” that includes 10 Must Reads for New Managers and Harvard Business Review Manager’s Handbook. In 2018, they launched the Women at Work podcast — the third episode is focused on leading with authenticity.

3. The First 90 Days:Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, by Michael Watkins (2013) (affiliate link): A reader suggested this book, and the title says it all. It also has a ranking of 4.4 stars on Amazon and is no. 7 in the Kindle Store for “management skills.” The Economist has called it “the on-boarding bible.” Genesis Advisors, which Watkins co-founded with Shawna Slack, also has training programs, including a complementary online program for all management levels.

4. First Round Review’s Management Magazine: Another reader suggested the “Management” tab on First Round Review's website. While the site provides resources aimed at new businesses, the information can be applied to various industries. Recent posts have included their six must-reads for first-time managers to hit the ground running, how to build and maintain employee motivation, and creating and accelerating trust on teams.

5. Manager Tools: This reader-recommended podcast was started by two former managers and West Point graduates in 2005. The company also offers online trainings, conferences for managers, downloadable forms that complement the podcasts, and other manager resources. First-time managers may want to start with Manager Tools “Basics,” which includes podcasts about how to be effective at one-on-one meetings, feedback, coaching, and delegation.

6. The Balance Careers: Management and Leadership: This site offers helpful advice to managers at all levels. This post for new managers offers 15 tips, including why you should be prepared even before you are promoted, and how to be an effective leader in your new role in the office.

7. Forbes: Forbes‘ Leadership tab shares several helpful resources for managers, including a recent article, “4 Ways to Master Your First-Time Manager Role.” Forbes also offers podcasts, including interviews with leaders; “Mentoring Moments,” which features advice from successful women; and business news to help you stay on top of your game when it comes to your industry.

Are there any blogs, videos, books, or podcasts we missed? Any other resources you'd add to this list that you would recommend to first-time managers or those looking to take on management positions at some point? Any general advice that goes beyond these resources? Let us know!

Some must-read business books for women — update coming soon!

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