Month: October 2015

Focus on the positive in your jobsearch

Much of what I read about the employment market is negative. Here are some not-so positive quotes from the web:

More Americans than ever before are not working with 92 MILLION people out of the workforce.
Job-seekers are taught to grovel and beg for a job.
How to deal with job search pain points.

Let’s face it, looking for a job can really suck. Interviewing CAN be fun but the job search, I don’t think so. So you need to stay positive and not have a bunch of pity-parties. There are several ways to do this during your job search.

Do at least one fun thing a day, but have a time limit. When I say something fun, I mean something positive. Yes, drinking 6-12 beers may be fun but there is a heavy price to pay for that. Maybe sit outside and drink a cup of coffee or meet a friend for lunch.
Surround yourself with positive people, online and in person. You may need to block some people’s news feeds for a while.
Work on some professional development. I find that if I am learning something new I am in a much better mood.
Laugh. If you look at YouTube videos or The Chive be sure to laugh.

Yes, you need to plan your fun when you are in a job search. Set time aside for yourself but limit it.

I am being positive… I am positive that you are an idiot.
Al’s wife

Follow up

I am amazed at how few people follow-up after an interview. Call me old-fashioned but it is nice for someone to take the time (it doesn’t take much) to write a quick email.

For some hiring managers or recruiters this may just be feeding their ego but there is a very real sense that if you do not follow-up, you are not very interested in the job. You may not believe me but it is true. This may come as a shock but many candidates just apply because they want “A” job, not “this” job. I really do have people say “oh, I am open to anything” when I ask them what they are looking for in a job or position. This would be like going on a date and asking the other person “what do you look for in a significant other?” and they reply “oh, I am not picky… I will go out with anyone.” Boy, wouldn’t you feel special.

Guess what, companies want you to want to work there! So act like it!

Let me encourage you to get up every day and focus on what you do have in life. Be thankful for the blessings of the little things, even when you don’t get what you expect.
Victoria Osteen

What do we owe others?

I just listened to the latest episode of the Freakanomics podcast which asks “Should kids payback their parents for raising them?” This is an interesting question in an of its self but what about the people who have helped shape you professionally? Don’t we owe them something?

What about the company that took a chance on us when others wouldn’t? Or that Manager that stuck with us when other managers had written us off?

You do owe them something… respect. That means if you decide to pursue another opportunity then you should tell them, face to face if possible, and definitely give them at least a two-week notice.

People can forgive a lot if you “own” your decision and handle things professionally. If you just stop calling or returning calls…. well, that is what H. S. students do.

Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don’t feel like doing them.
Julius Irving

Think like a recruiter

One of the tips I give people in their job search is that if they want a recruiter to find them, they need to think like a recruiter. One of the easiest ways to do this is to participate in some of the free webinars that are offered online. Many companies including LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Electronic Recruiting Exchange and Social-Hire.com offer periodic webinars to help recruiters source candidates.

You can also go on Twitter and other social media sites to follow these companies and learn from the tips they give recruiters. Google searches are also helpful with things like “How to recruit Java programmers.” Think to yourself “if I were a recruiter and I wanted to find candidates for the position I want to have, where and how would I look? Also look up recruiter events and organizations. Follow them on Twitter and other social media to see what people learned at these events.

All of this is also a great way to find out who the recruiters are in specific industries and companies.

Just remember, you just need one job and the next one you apply for might be the one.

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.
John C. Maxwell

Interview type: Over a meal

One of the most dreaded interviews are the ones that happen over a meal. I like these interviews because I want to see how people REALLY act and meals give lots of opportunities for problems. As I say “Any idiot can handle it when things go right, you see what people are made of when things go wrong.” Things always go wrong, sooner or later.

Where to go: If they give you the choice, give them two options to choose from. No matter where you go I would go by before the interview to scope the place out. Just like in other face to face interviews you want to know how to get there, where to park and how long it will take to get there with traffic. If you have any dietary issues, definitely plan ahead. Let’s say you have Celiac Disease, Crohn’s or some other intestinal related medical problem. Look at the menu ahead of time and if you need to ask detailed questions, do it before your interview.

What to eat: There are two schools of thought on this. One, eat something easy. It is a smart and safe move. Two, go bold and stand out… spaghetti with meatballs. Whichever route you take, don’t plan on eating a lot, you are there to talk so don’t go when you are very hungry.

Etiquette: If you are not familiar with etiquette be sure to brush up. Let’s say you go to lunch and you are at a tight round table with six people. Which water glass is yours? Do you eat European style or American? Figure this stuff out before you need it.

Tricky Situations: During an etiquette dinner I was hosting, a student asked “what do I do with my sugar packets from my coffee?” My answer, “drink it black and you don’t have to worry about it.” Remember, this is not about you getting what you want to eat and drink, it is about the interview.

Drinks: It is best to stay away from alcohol but if it is dinner and the host orders a bottle of wine they might take offense if you do not have some. If you do, just have ONE glass and make it last. I like to order an Arnold Palmer. I like the taste of it and it is a little unique, which can make a lasting impression.

Small bites: The rule of thumb is to only take a bite that you can get down in three chews. That way when they ask you a question right after you take a bite you don’t have to stare at them while you look like a cow chewing on your cud.

Remember, this is more about the interview than the meal. Lastly, the general rule is no to-go boxes, sorry.

A smiling face is half the meal.
Proverb

Interview type: Panel

A panel interview is where there is one candidate but two or more interviewers. Many people do not like panel interviews but I believe they are a very useful tool in the selection process. It prevents just one person’s bias from derailing the entire interview. But the panel interview does present a few challenges for the candidate.

Set up: Hopefully there is a good set up for you, as the candidate. Usually panel interviews are done in conference rooms. If you are at the end of a rectangular table or on the other side from the interviewers then you are in luck from a logistics point of view. If you are at a round table it may seem less formal but it is more difficult to make eye contact with everyone.

Introductions: Introduce yourself to each person with a handshake. Do your best to remember each person’s name. It is also a good idea to ask them for a business card or write down their name to reference later. Always ask if they have a copy of your resume and offer them one.

Eye contact: Ideally you will make most of your eye contact with the person who asked the question but be sure to look at the other interviewers as well. Don’t leave anyone out.

Questions: Frequently the questions come more quickly in panel interviews and the interviewers may play off each others questions. Hopefully you don’t run into a situation where they try to outdo each other with touch questions but it does happen.

Use their names: Everyone likes you using their name. If the answer to one question overlaps with another answer you gave previously you could say something like “Similar to the situation Mangesh gave me, I would….”

Your Questions: If you know ahead of time who you will be interviewing with, it is a good idea to prepare questions for each interviewer based on your research. For instance, if you are interviewing for a position in sales and the operations manager is there you could ask “tell me a little about how operations and sales interact.” ALWAYS ask what the next step in the process is.

Follow up: Be sure to follow-up with a thank you email to each person you interview with and include specific information relevant to them. Do not just send out a generic thank you.

Like all interviews, try to stay calm. Most of the time the people you are interviewing with really do want to find out if it is a good two-way match for you and them.

Stressed spelled backwards is DESSERTS!
Loretta Laroche

Interview type: Skype, online or video

One of the up and coming types of interviews is the Skype, online or video interview. These interviews are great and terrible, all at the same time.

The Good

These interviews offer a chance to “meet” each other face to face and avoid the necessity of travel or taking time off to interview. They also allow for panel interviews with people from various locations.

The Bad

Many of the same issues in face to face interviews come into play, but they are made more difficult. That shirt you love to wear with that unique pattern gives people a headache over video.

The Ugly

Think of the worst YouTube video or podcast imaginable and then imagine it determining your fate as a candidate.

Here are some things to keep in mind and pay attention to.

Bandwidth: Speed test your upload and download speeds. Generally speaking you want at least 6mb down and 1mb up. Be sure to test your connection with a friend before a real interview. You may need to use your mobile device or tablet if you have a strong LTE signal or go to a friend’s if they have faster internet speeds. Whatever option you go with, test it! Be sure to close other programs on your computer as they can also slow things down.

Backup Plan: What is your backup plan if things go wrong? Let’s say you tested everything yesterday but today, when you logon five minutes before your interview, the computer’s virus software decides to run a full system scan. What is your plan when the power goes out?

Stay Calm: No matter what happens do not start to lose your cool. One of the reasons that I like doing online interviews is that it requires candidates to follow directions, plan ahead and stay calm when things go wrong. Something almost always goes wrong.

Location, location, location: DO NOT interview in a public place and do your best not to do it in your car. Maybe this is a personal issue but I am tired of seeing head shots of people in their car. What is in the background? It it distracting? Is it appropriate? What other sounds can you hear? Will you be interrupted?

How do you look? Most of us look like we are the walking dead when lit up by a monitor, so check it ahead of time. You may want to change the lighting in the room. You also want to be sure you are not back-lit and all they get is your silhouette.

Wardrobe: Dress as if this was a face to face interview. Check your look on camera. Some outfits do not work well for video interviews.

Notes: Just like in a face to face interview, have your resume and questions with you. The upside is that you can write notes to yourself that they cannot see, like ones reminding you to smile, look at the camera and to ask what the next step is.

Body Language: Eye contact is with the camera, not their image on the screen. Do not look at other things in the room or leave the viewing area. Also, watch how you use your hands, they can be distracting. Lastly, don’t forget to smile.

Video: Pay attention to how you are framed in the shot. You might want to place the camera a little farther away so your image is not distorted. No sudden moves. If the bandwith is low the movement will look choppy.

Audio: Practice ahead of time and see if a friend with switch places with you. That way you can hear the audio quality for yourself.

Again, one of the biggest things to keep in mind is DON’T PANIC if things don’t go as planned.

Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.
Alfred A. Montapert

Interview FAIL

There are a lot of resources on the web about why interviews go bad. Here are a few things to keep in mind before, during and after the interview.

Before the interview: A lot of people fail before the interview ever starts.

Follow instructions: If they tell you to bring 3 copies of your resume, bring three. If they tell you to dress professionally, do it. I have some friends that were Army Rangers. When you are sent to Ranger school they tell you EXACTLY what to and what NOT to bring. Guess what? If you bring Gortex socks.. you’re out! No really, they send you packing.

Plan who, what, when, where: Who are you meeting with? Look them up on LinkedIn. What do you need to bring and wear? Don’t wait till the day of or before you print off your resume, shine your shoes (yes, it does matter), press your clothes, etc… When do you need to be there? Reconfirm the date and time with the company. If it is a phone interview watch out for time zones. Where are you going? Plan for traffic, parking, and other issues. Remember your P’s: prior planning prevents poor performance.

Research: We already mentioned researching the people. It is VERY impressive if you introduce yourself before they do. How can you do that? Look them up on LinkedIn, most people have a head shot. Also research the industry, competitors, company, and position. Glassdoor is a great resource for this. I have said this a lot but it continues to be true, just ready a company’s website seems to be rare these days.

Write down your questions: It does not matter whether you write them in your phone, tablet or put pen to paper but write down your questions and bring them with you. That way you don’t have to worry about remembering them. It also gives you the ability to take some notes.

During the interview: The interview starts the moment you walk out your door.

Driving: Take your time since you left early. Don’t get stressed out and be gracious to other drivers. That person you just told were number one? That might be the hiring manager. It has happened! I usually arrive 20 – 30 minutes early and scout out the place. Then wait somewhere close by and come back 15 minutes before your interview time. No rush.

Arriving: Assume that someone (everyone) is watching you as you get out of your car. The visitor spots are often times in top-management’s view. Get your smile on. Remember, we usually ask everyone what they thought about you, including the receptionist.

Body language: This is sometimes a cultural issue but you want to make good eye contact but don’t stare. Have a good firm but not painful handshake. Sit on not in the chair and lean forward a little. Don’t cross your arms or play with your hair. Watch out for nervous habits that can be distracting. Good posture.

Dress for Success: This use to always mean wearing a suit but these days it can have different meanings. The basics are to be sure your clothes are clean and fit well. You do not want to be uncomfortable in the interview. You want to match the culture of the company and dress just a little better than the management.

Q & A: There are too many issues and options to discuss here. I will blog about interview questions soon.

Questions to ask: Here is a blog post I did on questions to ask in an interview. They are very important for you and the company.

After the interview: Do your best to get everyone’s contact information during the interview.

Thank you: Be sure to write each person a thank you email. Thank them for their time, tell them again why you want the position, why you are a good match for them, and you look forward to the next step in the process. You did ask that, right?

Follow up: If you have not heard from them in the time frame they gave you I would follow up. When you have not heard from them always assume the best. Maybe their email went in your spam filter. Maybe your roommate forgot to give you the message. Maybe they dialed the wrong number.

Aside from being a bad match for the position or the position a bad match for you most people mess up in the one of the areas above. Remember, just because you did not get a job it does not mean that “messed” up. Sometimes there was a better match in the process or maybe they saw something that leads them to believe you would not be happy or successful in the position.

What’s in a name?

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” does not apply to your job search. Unfortunately your name does matter. I have said this before and I will say it again; do not lie on your resume. That being said, you get to choose the name on your resume. When I first graduated from college I put my FULL name on my resume. Never mind that it in no way resembles the name I go by.

There have been studies done that show your name actually does matter when looking for a job. This may be a conscious decision or an unconscious bias on the part of the recruiter but as a candidate you need to keep this in mind.

I encourage people to use the name they go by in everyday professional settings. But if you go by “Dog” do not put that on your resume. Yes, I have seen it. Remember, the resume is not some legal document. So if your name is Elanor April Downing but you go by Eady (for the initials E.A.D.) then I would say put Eady Downing on your resume. It is also less confusing when I call and get your voicemail when the outgoing message says “Eady” and I was calling Elanor.

This also goes for email addresses, Twitter handles, etc… Fartboy420 might be funny when you are a freshman but when you apply to a company the laughing stops. Up to 93% of recruiters use social media in their search for candidates and guess what, yep, it matters. Companies are more conscious of their corporate brand than ever! Just ask Carly McKinney, the people involved in the PyCon public shaming or Mike Bacsik. All of them lost their jobs because of social media. Sometimes it was just one Tweet! That sucks!

All I am saying is that branding is VERY important and you need to worry about your personal brand, starting with your name.

A professional headshot in front of a bookshelf says you’re an intellectual. A professional headshot peeking though a bookshelf says you’re probably under a restraining order.
Ryan Lilly

What is your job search kryptonite?

You have probably heard it before: “The job search is a marathon, not a sprint race” but that saying sucks and lands flat with me. I was in the middle of an eight month job search a couple of years ago. I won’t go into details but is sucked. Most people who spout off about how you should do this or do that in your job search probably have little to no idea what it is like.

I was listening to the @Gimletmedia show @podcaststartup when they mentioned the “trough of sorrow” that start-up founders go through. It is also easy to also fall into the trough of sorrow in your job search. I blame it on your job search kryptonite.

Everyone has job search kryptonite but it can be different for each person. For most people it is a rejection email. For others it can be hearing about a friend got that promotion they wanted. Or for many it is the “encouragement” from others that sounded more like platitudes:

You’ll find something at the right time.
The right job is out there for you.
If they would just interview you they would see how great you are.

I know they mean well but you know what they say… “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

So if you get hit with job search kryptonite you need to have some “power-ups” ready to counteract them and get you back on track. Game designer Jane McGonigal developed a real life game called SuperBetter. You need to see the job search for what it is… a game. A very serious game with very serious consequences, but a game none the less.

So take stock in you job search. Figure out what your kryptonite is and what your power-ups are and get back in the game!

The best people are always terrified they’re about to be fired while the mediocre ones are always shocked when they are.
Unknown