Work Smarts: What CEOs Say You Need To Know to Get Ahead

Chapter 2

Why the Q Factor Is So Important

How many times has this happened? You hear about a friend who fits a job opening perfectly. She’s smart, graduated from all the right schools, attractive, friendly—basically, she has the right pedigree for the position. And yet you find out that surprisingly, she was rejected. It just doesn’t seem to make sense.

What if that person were you? How many times have you ­wondered what happened?

You might, if you understand the Q factor.

In television, the Q score is a term to describe what a general audience thinks of a personality, a show, a brand. Does this news anchor have a strong connection with the audience? Is this television show well liked? Do viewers feel good when they see a certain character pop up on the screen? Companies use the Q score to determine where they want to advertise and what brands they want to advertise. Sometimes, a show with a lot of viewers doesn’t make a good platform to an advertiser if many viewers actually don’t like the content. They’re watching because the show is controversial or disturbing and has an addictive quality to it but it doesn’t generate a good feeling. In other words, it’s not very likable.

Mitt Romney was the perfect president. He had all the right qualifications.

Good education: check.

Prior public office experience: check.

Smart: check.

Strong ideas and business experience: check.

No drugs, affairs, seedy skeletons in the closet: check, check, check (for God’s sake, he drank chocolate milk ...