Julie Maloy
VP, Agency Recruiting
State Farm
Interview Dos
As Vice President—Agency Recruiting at State Farm, Julie has witnessed a variety of interviewing mistakes. Follow her two favorite tips to avoid making a blunder of your own.
- Keep Examples Current
“Most interviewers want examples that relate to what you’re doing today or what you’ve done recently. They don’t expect to hear about your career from 10 or 20 years ago. I’ve been in interviews where candidates in their 30s, 40s, and 50s revert back to high school. It makes me think they haven’t grown or achieved anything since that time, so it’s important to connect most of your examples to recent experiences.”
- Ask for the Job
“It’s amazing to me how many people act uninterested during an interview or comment that they aren’t sure about the position being right for them. As soon as that happens, it’s already a done deal in my mind. If the candidate isn’t sure, how can I be sure? Be strong and assertive. At the end of the interview, assure the interviewer that you want the opportunity to work for them and that you will be an asset to their company.”
Julie’s Strategies
- Don’t allow others to limit you.
“I learned a long time ago in my career that I’m the only one who can limit myself. If you’re working for someone that’s stifling you or holding you back, you need to consider other options—and you always have options. Sometimes, we box ourselves into a corner and think, ‘I have no way out. This is my lot in life.’ But it’s important to remember that you are in control, and the only people that can limit you are those that you allow to limit you.”
- Space out time to recuperate.
“A few years ago State Farm brought Jack Groppel, author of The Corporate Athlete, to speak with a group of leaders. He mentioned the concept of spacing out time to recuperate, which has been an incredible asset for me. Since then I try to block appointments on a fifty minute time scale instead of an hour. That way I give myself those ten extra minutes to regroup and get my head around the next meeting or project I’m going to tackle.”
- Capitalize on your soft skills.
“I think for women to advance, we can’t afford to give up our soft skills—traits like caring for others and working well with teams. The feminine qualities we bring to the table are a huge and valuable benefit, especially in male-dominated industries. Another great skill we can use to our advantage is our ability to multi-task. But we need hard skills as well. We have to mesh the soft skills with business acumen. It’s about building both skill sets in order to succeed.”
- Seek out professional advice.
“After eight years as a State Farm agent, I was ready to take things to the next level. It was time to do something different but I wasn’t sure what. So I took it upon myself to hire a personal coach. After some coaching, I learned how to help others excel without trying to do things for them, which I tended to do. The advice completely energized me and pushed me to a higher level, which then gave me the confidence to explore management opportunities.”
Adapt to Change
Julie Maloy is no stranger to the sound of the moving truck backing into her driveway. During the course of her successful career she’s relocated five times. When she first started on the path to leadership, one of the hardest things for her to deal with was uprooting her family. But moving has not only allowed her to grow in her career, it’s allowed her relationship with her children and husband to grow as well. “When you first arrive in a new community you don’t know anyone else for a while, so each time you move your family really bonds together.”
Julie chooses to find the positive in all areas of her life. And she’s instilled her survivor’s attitude in her children. “Thanks to all the moves, my kids have learned to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. They don’t feel like they have to continuously live in one place. The world’s the limit for them and that’s exciting to see,’ says Julie. Experiencing new cities and different people has widened her family’s perspective and has made them all better equipped to handle change.
Julie believes women, in particular, must be able to adapt to change. “There are many things in work and life that just happen. Situations change, your children age, you go through different stages, and you need to change with each of them.”