Why should I hire you?

Reader Tim writes in with good news:

"Well, I used Marc's advice from his Feb. 22 letter, speaking about "How to Ace an Interview". Marc advised to pick three points and stick with them.

I had an interview for an IT Consultant position (Project Manager) at a major Pharmaceutical firm on Feb. 24, and the interviewer asked at the end of the meeting , "And now the $64,000 dollar question. 'Why should I hire you?'

And guess what, I had Marc's words from his e-mail/letter dated Feb. 22 in my head and I replied with MY THREE POINTS. ...

WELL TO SAY THE LEAST I NAILED THE QUESTION and was receiving an offer almost before I got off campus Feb. 24.. I left the campus at 4:15 in the afternoon and received a call by 5 o'clock with an offer.

Simply put, it was EXCELLENT advice that Marc provided and it made sense and worked.
Forever grateful,
Tim"

Well, congratulations Tim, and thank you for sharing so enthusiastically!

You know, getting great news like Tim's is why I write this e-mail each week.

I've been in this industry ten years now, and I find it immensely enjoyable and rewarding to pass along "things that work" to you. Especially when I hear that you've put some of the little ideas I share into practice, like Tim, it makes writing this newsletter every weekend so very, very worth it. (And, yes, for those of you who have asked, I do personally write it myself each and every week.)

What's more, I do read all of your replies each week. Your responses to this Monday e-mail are the best way for me to hear how you're doing in your job hunt and find out directly from you what TheLadders is doing right and where we can get better.

And while I can't personally respond to the seven or eight hundred emails I read from you each week, one of the professionals in our Job Search Support Center right here in Manhattan will write you back. And I do really appreciate all the great thoughts, suggestions, comments, and questions you send my way, so please keep them coming!

Finally, there was a lot of chatter in the reader mailbag this week on my 27 lifetime jobs. As I mentioned on Twitter yesterday, and I should've mentioned in my email, that number includes summer and school jobs:

@cenedella: I've had 27 jobs in my life so far, including high school and college years: from day-care center janitor in '86 to CEO today. How about you?

Let's see if any other readers surpass my total — reply to me on Twitter and let us all know!

Here's wishing you an effective week!

Warmest regards,

Marc Cenedella, Founder & CEO, TheLadders.com

Follow me on Twitter here.