Today, companies want to hire the person who is willing to do anything, anytime and anywhere. Since most managers won't ever directly ask about your flexibility, you need to show them how limber you are!
Here are a few topics that will come up and a few sure-fire ways to display your "flexibility"
Providing Resume Objectives: While you certainly want to be clear with employers about the functionality and focus you are interested in, you want to do this in a way that communicates your open-mindedness to the specifics. For instance, never place specific titles or
timeframes in your resume objective. .. "to be a CTO in 2yrs"...or "to
be a Senior Team Lead Developer." It's very limiting and could turn off a manager who may think they can't meet these demands. Although it sounds cliche, you really should try using a more general statements "looking for a challenging opportunity in (your industry vertical) where I can utilize my skills and experiences as a (your job role)."
Managing the Scheduling Process: Believe it or not, some candidates end up turning companies off based solely on how they conduct themselves when setting up an interview. Don't be a diva. Make yourself available to the company for interviews at whatever time will work best for them and never get bothered if they are running late or need to cancel. By doing this, you demonstrate your willingness to make things work and support the company's agenda. And with all the competition for certain jobs, some companies just don't want to put up with candidates that are "high maintenance".
Communicating Your Ability to Work Through Change: During the interview, look for stories to share about how the direction of a project changed and how you dealt with that situation. Doing this will demonstrate your ability to think on your feet and move quickly towards a solution. Employers need problem solvers! Always have an example of this to share. And of course, never communicate frustration or lay blame on others for why a setback occurred.
Communicating Your Desired Role : At some point, they will ask you in person what you want to do. First of all don't start this list by communicating any elitist opinions about not wanting to do certain secondary aspects of the job. In fact leave this out entirely until you get an offer on the table and you can negotiate these secondary job duties at that point. You should absolutely be honest about what interests you in terms of the ideal role. However, be careful not to limit yourself by what you say. And if the manager asks about your willingness to perform any undesirable tasks/ duties (aka grunt work), tell the employer you are more than willing to do this providing it doesn't consisted a large part of the job. This shows your flexibility and ability to put the needs of the project/ company come first.
Communicating Your Desired Salary : There will plenty of time to negotiate salary towards the end. If you get too specific about your salary demands early on in the process, your perceived inflexibility could kill you. So if you're asked about Salary, simple state your current income and tell them you are open to hearing about what "they" might think you are worth; the old "throw the ball back in their court" approach. Not only will this safeguard your chances of a more successful salary negotiation by not giving them a specific number, but you have also just labeled yourself as an open-minded, reasonable individual who is up for being flexible.
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