Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Success Stories from Tougher Times
(The following is a reproduction of my post on JobBoard.com in May 2002. Deanna, Amanda and Paul, their real names, were heroes for their fortitude. The media never interviewed these average folks. But their perseverance during one of the greatest crises in our nation's history was awesome. They were not to be distracted. Their successes continue today.)
The recession is long over! Well not totally and not that quickly, but the vast job market is looking much better! Candidates are finally securing more openings, more interviews, and quicker hires. As a career coach I am asked daily what candidates can do to capitalize on the upturn. What worked during turmoil is certain to work in upturn.
Paul's new employer called him with a job offer for a Controllership on December 23, 2001. Deanna, a Vice President, secured a job interview for a Director and they reclassified the position upward to Vice President after she dazzled them on the interview in November 2001. Amanda, having heard that the prospective employer "works its employees to death" went on the interview anyway and loves her new job, which she began on September 15, 2001.
These clients all received job offers following the September 11 tragedy in what is normally the slowest hiring period of any given year even in uneventful years. They didn't even have to wait until the New Year. Our nation collided into September 11 already in the depths of layoffs, unemployment, lower earnings expectations, and investor shock. Nearly 2 million workers had been laid off before September 11 in 2001. So how did Paul, Deanna and Amanda do it?
Here are some tips:
Deanna sent out 200 print resumes, registered with / worked the job boards and conducted an on-line resume distribution. She networked with Women in Communications, joined Forty-Plus and began an employment bulletin board at her church, offering to serve as the "go-to" person for both candidates and employers. She accepted interviews from anyone who would speak to her. She received her job offer in 60 days; no relocation required.
Amanda did not listen to the negatives presented each time she became interested in a company. Despite her youth, Amanda knew that out of fear and lack of confidence candidates tend be negative thus, not only avoiding the unknown, but eliminating potential job offers. She would not allow excuses such as "the managers are really demanding," "you work long hours" or "they don't pay well" to deter her investigation. What the others deemed as hard work she saw as valuable opportunity and she genuinely liked a company that others had panned.
Paul, like so many of us, lost his equilibrium on September 11 but like Amanda, his job search was not to be discouraged. Paul lost two friends in the World Trade Center but decided he would not lose his search momentum, close his mind or buy into the media's gloomy economic tones even while Wall Street closed for a week. I was inspired by Paul's determination. So was the employer that hired him on December 23.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Shallow men believe in luck...Strong men believe in cause and effect." Perhaps he was conducting a job search.
The recession is long over! Well not totally and not that quickly, but the vast job market is looking much better! Candidates are finally securing more openings, more interviews, and quicker hires. As a career coach I am asked daily what candidates can do to capitalize on the upturn. What worked during turmoil is certain to work in upturn.
Paul's new employer called him with a job offer for a Controllership on December 23, 2001. Deanna, a Vice President, secured a job interview for a Director and they reclassified the position upward to Vice President after she dazzled them on the interview in November 2001. Amanda, having heard that the prospective employer "works its employees to death" went on the interview anyway and loves her new job, which she began on September 15, 2001.
These clients all received job offers following the September 11 tragedy in what is normally the slowest hiring period of any given year even in uneventful years. They didn't even have to wait until the New Year. Our nation collided into September 11 already in the depths of layoffs, unemployment, lower earnings expectations, and investor shock. Nearly 2 million workers had been laid off before September 11 in 2001. So how did Paul, Deanna and Amanda do it?
Here are some tips:
Deanna sent out 200 print resumes, registered with / worked the job boards and conducted an on-line resume distribution. She networked with Women in Communications, joined Forty-Plus and began an employment bulletin board at her church, offering to serve as the "go-to" person for both candidates and employers. She accepted interviews from anyone who would speak to her. She received her job offer in 60 days; no relocation required.
Amanda did not listen to the negatives presented each time she became interested in a company. Despite her youth, Amanda knew that out of fear and lack of confidence candidates tend be negative thus, not only avoiding the unknown, but eliminating potential job offers. She would not allow excuses such as "the managers are really demanding," "you work long hours" or "they don't pay well" to deter her investigation. What the others deemed as hard work she saw as valuable opportunity and she genuinely liked a company that others had panned.
Paul, like so many of us, lost his equilibrium on September 11 but like Amanda, his job search was not to be discouraged. Paul lost two friends in the World Trade Center but decided he would not lose his search momentum, close his mind or buy into the media's gloomy economic tones even while Wall Street closed for a week. I was inspired by Paul's determination. So was the employer that hired him on December 23.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Shallow men believe in luck...Strong men believe in cause and effect." Perhaps he was conducting a job search.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Second Place.. Not Second Best...
I just finished the final episode of Nashville Star, a kinder, gentler version of American Idol focused on country music. This year, after allowing thousands of folks to audition, and after weeks of looking at the final 10 performers, we were left to observe two finalists, who amazingly enough, were brother and sister.
I'm a real critic but I couldn't pick a winner. America picked Angela Hacker, an Alabama working-class, single mother with a tattoo on the back of her neck who, by her own admission, had led a rough life. Her brother, Zach, with a rich voice chillingly like Joe Cocker's, didn't have a compelling story. He also didn't walk away with a record contract.
America loved these two. Each song they performed brought tears to the eyes of their blue-collar Alabama parents and this hard-core coach almost lost it when Zach announced that if he won his Mom would have to work no more. But by then the votes had been counted.
My point? As a job search coach charged with the job of developing winners, I am intrigued by competitions, especially since I know that winning normally has little to do with being the best. Fortunately there is no television viewing audience to impress when you compete for a job offer but there's a lesson in almost all competitive events. First, the best candidate doesn't always win, simply the candidate that performs best that day. Second, all things being equal, much of the time, the heart weighs more heavily in a decision than the brain. We cheer for those who endear us in reality talent shows and we hire those we like.
Unfortunately in hiring, there is no offer for the job seeker who comes in second place. But traditionally, the second best, with a strong dose of perseverance, ultimately prevails.
I'm a real critic but I couldn't pick a winner. America picked Angela Hacker, an Alabama working-class, single mother with a tattoo on the back of her neck who, by her own admission, had led a rough life. Her brother, Zach, with a rich voice chillingly like Joe Cocker's, didn't have a compelling story. He also didn't walk away with a record contract.
America loved these two. Each song they performed brought tears to the eyes of their blue-collar Alabama parents and this hard-core coach almost lost it when Zach announced that if he won his Mom would have to work no more. But by then the votes had been counted.
My point? As a job search coach charged with the job of developing winners, I am intrigued by competitions, especially since I know that winning normally has little to do with being the best. Fortunately there is no television viewing audience to impress when you compete for a job offer but there's a lesson in almost all competitive events. First, the best candidate doesn't always win, simply the candidate that performs best that day. Second, all things being equal, much of the time, the heart weighs more heavily in a decision than the brain. We cheer for those who endear us in reality talent shows and we hire those we like.
Unfortunately in hiring, there is no offer for the job seeker who comes in second place. But traditionally, the second best, with a strong dose of perseverance, ultimately prevails.
