Page 34 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

finished and approached me directly. They were the few who
had the confidence and the initiative to make a di≠erence.
One of them was a young woman called Abby, who said,
‘I would really like to come and see you. This is what I’ve done.’
She gave me what we call the ‘elevator pitch’, those few minutes

travelling up in the lift when you can make an impression. And
what did I do? I bought the determination she showed in her
eyes, the passion, the drive.

Abby came into the Hamilton Bradshaw o≤ces and I intro-
duced her to three or four of the managers. And now she looks
after our Dragons’ Den investments. Every time I invest in
somebody from the Den she takes care of that entrepreneur,
provides them with any support they need, makes sure that

they have got a viable business plan. But the fact she had gone
to Cambridge would not have swung the job for her, because if
she had not performed well at the interview, having a degree

from Cambridge would not have saved it for her.
Employment is far too competitive to assume that just
because you went to a certain university you are going to get a
job. I don’t believe that any more. Being hired as a graduate is
no di≠erent from being hired later in your career. You still have

to perform, you still have to deliver. You still have to show a
positive enthusiasm for the job you want.

22 get the job you really want