Blog entries October 2008
10/27/2008Questions From CareerBoard Job Seekers
I'm entering a difficult, overcrowded job market, and I'd like to avoid the worst mistakes job hunters make. What are they? Answer: Here are 8 mistakes that really stall a job search:
1.) Having a bad attitude. Interviewing while still angry at a former employer. Being, acting, or thinking negative. The problem with negative people is that they seldom realize how terribly negative they really are. They may have good business skills, but they stay unemployed a long time and can't figure out why.
2.) Thinking "something will come along." Waiting for something to happen. As a rule, good things don't "just happen." Successful people make them happen. Effort usually equals results (E=R). As a rule, the harder you work at a job search, the sooner it ends.
3.) Thinking someone else will find me a job: a recruiter, a counselor, my neighbor, my employer, my spouse, my pastor-anyone. Even with counseling and support, this is really a "do-it-yourself" project.
4.) Thinking they're more marketable than they are. Declining job offers that pay less than the last job or are somehow inferior. It's often best to accept a weaker offer and leverage up from there.
5.) Taking rejection personally. The best way to cope with rejection is to have so many balls in the air that one loss doesn't matter much. Having your entire future riding on one potential offer is clearly a red flag.
6.) Acting desperate. You may feel desperate. Just don't let them see you sweat.
7.) Not preparing for interviews Your competitors will be prepared. They will have rehearsed the answers to difficult interview questions—sometimes even on videotape. Why shouldn't you? Also, don't interview half-heartedly. Go for the job offer. You can always turn it down later.
8.) Hard-selling. Coming on too strong. Pushing people to give you names. Sometimes called NFL networking. Hard selling creates bad feelings about you and is actually counter-productive.
Janice Worthington
10/20/2008Shhhh - Don't tell Tom
This is a terrible time of year to get hired! Companies are winding down because budgets have been exhausted and the holidays are coming. Interviews are way down and no one makes a decision this late in the 4th quarter...But don't tell Tom.
The technology market is in pain and the technology job seeker pool is overflowing. Companies want exactly what they request and are unwilling to train! Consulting is a luxury because of budget restraints. Technology directors and managers need to look to another direction ... Just don't tell Tom!
There are no jobs! Our country is in crisis and companies are downsizing in droves! No one gets hired when others are losing their jobs. It's like swimming upstream! ... Don't tell Tom!
Age discrimination is rampant. Companies don't want folks over 50! Title VII of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act states that companies aren't allowed to discriminate but everyone knows that you can't get hired with 30 years' experience. Please' don't tell Tom!!
Tom must not know any of this! He's 61, landed a lucrative technology consulting position (with a bonus) on October 8, will be trained in several new technologies and starts Monday! Happy holidays, Tom!
Janice Worthington
10/13/2008Can You Really Get Hired in Tough Times?
OK so you watched a lot of TV last week. Once Monday night football ended, what did you watch more often...the Presidential campaigns or the economic crisis? How do all the new developments affect your job prospects?
Since 1973 I have been maneuvering through the career management industry. Believe me when I tell you that we have had an economic crisis affecting job search every decade since I began. And in spite of whatever was causing the turmoil, companies were always hiring and job seekers were consistently getting hired.
Soon I will begin with an executive who has been out of work for a year. I know not to look for a "loser" with nothing to offer because I know of his work. So what could be preventing his job search from success? And how do you avoid his mistakes? If you're serious about getting hired here are proven methodologies:
Hire a Pro to Prepare Your Resume - Don't wonder why you never get an interview especially if a not-as-qualified neighbor starts his dream job on Monday. If you're a professional, starting a job one week earlier will cover the investment. Life can be miserable with no interviews for months. Don't use resume templates or hire an online resume assembly line from a web site. Speak with a Certified Professional Resume Writer who will spend time getting to know you!
Be a Strong Hunter - It's called job hunt for a reason and it won't find you! Weak hunters catch nothing, especially since there are more on the hunt than ever! Cast your net far and wide throughout the community. Let the folks know at church, at the gym, at the soccer game and even at the club that you are on the market. Use that professional resume everywhere, including companies that hire folks like you but might not have advertised a job opening.
Reach for the Hero - Although you might not have felt so heroic lately, reach back to those qualities that have made you successful in the past. They are still within you and no one can take them away. If your tools are sharp and you hunt long and hard you will get your opportunity to interview. Know who you are, know what they need and save the day! More than ever companies need heros!
Janice Worthington
10/03/2008Learn the Ritual to Recognize the Job Offer
It is no surprise that so few candidates truly know the nuances of job search. It is also no surprise that most candidates are in denial regarding their lack of preparation in a ritual in which they so seldom participate. However it only takes one gut-wrenching disappointment for a normally-in-control executive to realize how much he lacks insight. Consider the following:
Hopeful Candidates Hang on Every Word - Candidates are selling and hoping. Even sales managers get nervous when left without a product or service and forced to sell themselves. Executives are the most uncomfortable group but all of us are tentative regarding the constant scrutiny required to pass inspection toward becoming the chosen. Other than trying to answer employer questions better than the next "suit," candidates are unaware of any performance agenda (what they must accomplish during the meeting) or interview structure. Because there is no order of events, candidates are continually trying to second guess everything. So when employers, using the most calculated of methodologies, begin to compliment candidates to the point of personally projecting them into the role of employees, candidates prematurely make dinner reservations.
Your Role in the Ritual - Before you condemn the corporate community for deception in flattering each candidate with their own interests in mind, please note your role in the ritual. Consider the fact that if you have learned rules of interview engagement you too will make statements that may in time become tentative. Savvy job seekers know that during the interview they need to ask for the job much like sales people ask for the sale. Most companies believe it to be a waste of time to consider an applicant who does not ask to join the team up front. So in essence if you interview with three companies in a week, you would face each interviewer asking for all three jobs!
The conclusion? Beware of the emotional roller coaster you will experience if you haven't studied the ritual. While appearing to be insensitive. once an offer is extended and accepted, everyone now plays on the same team. At least for now.
Janice Worthington