My Favorite Mistake — 211: Ellen Poole Said the Wrong Thing, the Wrong Way, in a Job Interview

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

My guest for Episode #211 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Ellen Poole, author of the new book Network’ is Not a Verb.

Ellen teaches people at all levels of their careers effective strategies to build networks and nurture relationships for professional success. After graduating from the George Washington University Law School, she became the fourth woman in U.S. history to be chosen as CEO of a state bankers association and was named by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of its ten most influential people under 40. More recently, Poole spent almost 15 years as a multi-state government relations executive for Fortune 100 company USAA, where she built a professional network spanning the country.

In this episode, Ellen shares her favorite mistake story about the time she blew a job interview by giving a “smart-ass” answer. Was it a blessing in disguise because the organization might not have been a fit. Does the need to be authentic trump all else? What did she learn about being more customer focused, in interviewing and in general?

Questions and Topics:

  • Was this mistake a blessing in disguise in terms of fit?
  • What did you learn? “Don’t be a smartass in job interviews…”
  • Being more customer focused?
  • Did anyone ever bring up that interview again?
  • What are some common mistakes people make in the name of networking?
  • Tell us about the book — ‘Network’ is Not a Verb.
  • There’s an implied mistake… to think network is a verb… tell us about that…
  • LinkedIn as a networking tool?? Sales platform?
  • “How to solve the problems of everyone you come into contact with…”
  • Use discount code MARKGRABAN on her website

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