Corporate gatekeepers: how they help and hurt & five sure fire ways to get past them

College students! Working professionals! Looking for access to some of the best jobs of the future? How about a key point of contact to promote your product(s) or service(s)? Well good luck in trying to gain access to corporate America. Ever notice how, when you call, visit or write-"they" are either in: "meetings, traveling, on vacation, on the other line, gone for the afternoon, in training, booked for the rest of the day, week, month or year, or are simply not responding to the page." Of is it just for me? Depending on who and what your purpose is for the contact-they can be artful dodgers in terms of avoiding contact. And when and if you finally do make contact, "they" will immediately refer you on to someone more appropriately positioned to "handle" you. Well, it's not bad manners and, mostly it's not personal. It's business. By design most executives simply don't have the time it would take to meet and greet, or, at minimum, correspond with all those who seek contact. For this reason they depend on intermediaries. Go-betweens. I call them "gatekeepers" of Gks, for short. They take the referral and, for the lack of a better term, intercept and deal with it?

The dependable, efficient and always available "gatekeeper" can occupy a range of positions. They can be receptionists, secretaries, executives, human resources administrators, employment managers of senior recruiters. When I recently approached Texaco to suggest my availability and interest in assisting with their human resources debacle, the gatekeeper who sprung forward was their public relations director (by letter). However, I suspect his secretary is actually working off a signed form letter and sending out bundles in response to all of us who want to help. So depending on what your purpose is, a variety of corporate representatives are on the ready to snag you and dispatch you post haste. And dispatch you they will. In moments a GK can convert you into: toast, history, dust, a file to bury, an after thought or what typically remain s of Wile E. Coyote after an ACME product disaster. They're good as slice and dicers. They take special pride in their job of making short work of the unwanted, uninvited and the undeserving. Sometimes you and sometimes me.

Understanding this dynamic helps you appreciate that gatekeepers have a basic mission. That is to: block, stop, defer, screen, reject, prevent, halt or approve your access. If you meet, match, fit, resemble or have the personal chemistry or contacts, service, product or hook they seek-you're in. If not-you're out. If you are uninvited-you're pretty much DOA (dead on arrival). GKs pride themselves on protecting their respective companies from the non-fitting "traffic" that seeks entrance and therefore access to: jobs, service contracts, partnerships, key people, etc. And don't even think about corresponding with the powers that beCEOs, Presidents and even Vice Presidents. They're busy. Too busy for the likes of you and I. Unless you're invited or can pass the gauntlet of gatekeeper levels-forget about it. You are not getting in.

So what can you do? Do you have options? Well, once again, you have come to the right place, Hispanic Times magazine, and an access strategist with both scar tissue and accomplishments to speak of. Having been there and done that to some degree, I am happy to share a few of my insights based on real-life tales of successful access by me and others. In this presentation I will also highlight five concepts for your consideration. Having knowledge of them may be helpful in your next trek out into corporate America. My intent is to give you five ways of gaining better access regardless of the corporate GK capability. Ready?

Five Ways to Get Past the Gatekeeper Way #1). Take Rejection Personal--categorize and learn from its instructional lessons.

Take it personal in the sense that "rejection" is always instructional. Learn from it and categorize what you have learned about yourself, your approach, your presentation, your interface and your retreat. Rejection and failure are rich with motivatots and benchmarkers from which to improve on. Don't get mad, get smart. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is a "crash and burn" here and there. It's a reminder not to take yourself, your luck of your circumstances for granted. Life can be fickle, but it's always fluid. Often, what works today is canceled. Whether you are attempting to get a date, apply for a job of make a sale. Rejection suggests that something is out of sync and it may be wholly on your side of the equation. Bad breath? Lousy sales presentation? Weak resume? It can happen, but it also suggests that it can be repaired. Brush regularly, practice, practice and practice some more that genuinely embraced sales pitch. Benchmark other resume styles and ways of projecting your experience on paper. Also, keep an eye out for the deeper mesage. Maybe the chemistry is not there. This job, company or customer may not be for you. Get over it and beyond it. Stay hungry and ready to learn from your stumbles, for your next step forward.

Way #2). Drop Your Hook and Change the Bait-Sharpen your senses and adapt.

When your approach brings nothing back. Ask why. Always press for constructive criticism. Enlist a "professional". Ask for pointers on how to approach such a task. This plea works particularly well for college students who typically do not have a lot of experience. Listen when advice is given. Sometimes rejection is mostly due to timing. There may be no need for your skill set at this time. Look and listen for signs of that. Re-send your resume every six months with a fresh, upbeat cover letter. Remind people you're still out there and interested. Follow-up with a call to see if the same players (managers, HR reps, etc.) are still present. Corporate shuffling may have changed some of your contacts. Reintroducing yourself reinforces your interests and updates your file. Your opportunity is just around the corner-if you are patient and persistent. Wear them down in a nice, respectful, enthusiastic way.

Way #3). Get Help-networks are the best way to get past gatekeepers.

Swallow your pride if you have trouble asking for help. In getting past gatekeepers the good old reliable friend of a friend of a friend can be your ticket inside. Get help from your old networks and establish new ones. Network contacts get over and around gatekeepers because they have members on the inside of the company. Companies will hire 60% of all hires through referrals via internal and external networks. At this moment you occupy a number of networks through friends and acquaintances. Knowing this, always be helpful to those trying to leverage their network relationships. Helping others most often motivates them to help you later on.

Way #4). Earn Respect-Don't assume that knowing people is enough. Do they respect you?

Often I check references on people for employment consideration. Surprisingly the very people offered as references hardly know the person I'm checking on. Oh, they typically say nice things about the person, but when probed, many don't know much about work habits, ambitions, goals and accomplishments. Make it a point to leave a positive impression with whomever you meet. On the job be an outstanding performer. People (peers, subordinates, managers, customers, etc.) notice. They also notice if you're a deadbeat. Earn that respect. So when that network contact brings your name forward-it comes with glowing knowledge and respect.

Way #5). Start and Keep Positive Momentum-Get moving in a positive direction.

Without movement or flow you have stagnation. In a career, in relationships--movement or positive interaction is critical. It suggests you are actively involved. Participating. Inactivity and non-participation tell their own story. When it comes to gatekeepers the concept is to bring them what they are looking for in terms of qualifications (education and experience) on top of which you pour enthusiasm. Even if you lack certain requirements-your enthusiasm may sway them to let you in for more extensive consideration.

Getting past, by, over and through the gatekeeper is always a challenge. When you do it on a positive note the gatekeepers themselves will become your biggest advocate. They will suddenly transform from gatekeeper to promoter or champion-of, You. When that happens isn't it special? So please take note:

Help the Gatekeeper Help You

1. Take Rejection Personal 2. Drop Your Hook and Change the Bait 3. Get Help 4. Earn Respect 5. Start and Keep Positive Momentum

Lessons for Gatekeepers

I know one CEO who would have preferred to hear complaints early on from employees or whomever. That's Peter I. Bijur, Texaco's CEO, who is in the midst of $540 million dollar class--action lawsuit brought forward by Black employees at Texaco. Mr. Bijur intimated in a recent interview (as quoted in Emerge magazine, Feb. 1997) that, "You don't know what's going on around you until some crises occurs." I contend that much of his and Texaco's problems stem from some bad managers and some poor management practices, but also from the "gatekeeper effect". That is, the fortress mentality many companies and corporations practice, on both internal and external attempts to gain an audience with key decision makers on important matters. It is highly likely that Mr. Bijur is reexamining his gatekeeper cadre and their agendas. His and Texaco's high profile and pain are only just beginning and it is in large part due to the effectiveness of well positioned and powerful gatekeepers. I, more than most, understand Mr. Bijur's lame sounding contention that he was simply unaware of his people problems at Texaco. "It's never been reported to me, if one person had reported it to me, I certainly would have taken action" Bijur observed. He went on to say that Texaco's experience was only the tip of the iceberg. I agree. The lesson here is for those gatekeepers who make snap decisions that impact peoples lives--reconsider. You may be overlooking very high potential talent, products and services. You may also be deflecting an employee compliant that has merit. Your decisions can have repercussions. Ask Mr. Bijur. Ask top management at Denny's, Avis and Mitsubishi. They all wish they could apply what they know now to a time before their troubles started. Waiting for a crisis to tell you if something is wrong can be very costly. Listen to those trying to tell you something now. It can be an employee, a job applicant, even an unhappy camper. Listen to them, it may save you in the long run.

Also, please know that the new gatekeeper on the horizon is a machine. Scanners with artificial intelligence are popping up all over corporate America. they can turn piles of resumes, personnel evaluations, etc., into instant data on people. Some machines can even rack and stack and make recommendations-based on data collected. My caution is the same for the human gatekeepers-efficiency does NOT diminish your responsibility to act ethically and fairly and to practice and promote an equal opportunity for all participants.

COPYRIGHT 1997 Hispanic Times Enterprises
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