Blog entries April 2009
04/27/2009Do You Suffer from Job Search Paranoia?
If you thought you were a "sure thing" and nothing happened, do not fall victim to Job Search Paranoia (JSP) because the following scenarios might explain what really happened:
The hiring authority may have assumed a different position or left the company completely and thus created a communication gap in the hiring process. I have always compared this phenomenon to a breakdown of a company's "hiring nervous system" because the left hand can no longer transmit a message to the right hand. What is unfortunate is that any sensitivity to the fact that you made such a great impression and toward a job offer has gone numb.
The company implemented a corporate-wide or position-specific hiring freeze. When companies such as Disney announce a hiring freeze headlines are made. But when smaller corporations or privately-held companies suddenly "freeze," their own employees may never be told, much less the candidate whose interview truly impressed toward an aborted job offer, a mere 24 hours before the announcement.
The CEO's nephew finally decided he wanted the job. This really does happen. While some companies have policies against hiring family members and relatives, just as many have open-door policies and are very likely to be faced with the potential inheritance of these folks due to their new availability from layoffs. There is nothing a good candidate can do to outperform that nephew.
The current employee decided not to leave. This is another interesting phenomenon that happens without our knowledge, and while this revelation places that particular employee's future on the list of what bosses call "diminishing returns," the brakes have been applied to all candidates previously under consideration.
Provided you are not a JSP casualty, like so many whose despair has totally paralyzed their job searches, you eventually will secure a job offer...maybe just not within your preferred time parameters. There is a whole litany of unrelated reasons that can slow down a hire. Perhaps the timeframe to hire actually complied with that particular company's norm all along...just not yours. When our priority is not the hiring authority's we lose patience, assume blame for the rejection and our immunity becomes compromised.
Janice Worthington
04/20/2009Things I Couldn't Tell You for 14 Years
ExecJobCoach on Twitter! (Come follow me!)For 14 years I was an executive recruiter and I was good! Well maybe not good for you but my mind's eye could select a preferred candidate from a mile away. But alas, there were all the other hopefuls interviewing their little hearts out attempting to impress me. Corporate executives, Directors, Managers and those in the trenches all attempted to become the chosen and alas, though they performed their jobs with genius, most performed miserably when attempting to secure an offer.
As an individual representing corporations I was bound to protect them from liability so my true thoughts and what I communicated to you could have been two different things. Today I am a job search coach and prepared to tell you what I couldn't for so long. So here's why I didn't hire you!
- You were so busy trying to impress me that you neglected to refer to the company or the job! It was all about you!
- You were arrogant and tried to make me believe that you made no mistakes. No super humans work here!
- You lacked focus. You rambled when you responded to my inquiries and lost me somewhere between R&D and your college days.
- You acted defensive when I questioned you. Hey I didn't downsize you; of course I won't hire you either. You're too angry.
- You were too quiet and withdrawn. I shouldn't have to work so hard to get to know you. My customers wouldn't.
- You looked awful! Too much jewelry, tight-fitting clothes, worn-out shoes, bad perfume and un-kept hair. You don't need to be beautiful for me to hire you...just job search beautiful.
- You were fun! Told me jokes, shared pictures of your kids and went on about March Madness. Want a friend? Get a dog!
- You asked what I would pay you but gave me no reason to hire you. So I didn't.
What's the lesson here? If you wish me to pay you give me a reason. There are many job seekers who "get it" and now you do too!
Janice Worthington
04/13/2009Contemporary Image-Building Leads to Job Offers
What's all this talk about branding, value propositions, unique selling propositions, gap analysis and signature statements? If you're a job seeker are these the magic words that make the difference between who garners offers? Where did this business jargon originate and how do you keep informed? What ever happened to just getting educated, gaining experience and qualifying for a job and just plain getting hired?
Has hiring really become more complicated than before or have we just configured fancy terminology to define standard rules of engagement? Let there be no doubt about the increased competition to stay afloat in business, government and not-for profit these days, consequently Boards and senior-decision makers are far more selective. No one can afford to gamble with their executive decisions.
Nevertheless I maintain that while adorned with fancy verbiage, the demands of executive image have always required clarity in definition to predict future performance. And with three decades as a job search coach I stand witness to the difficulty executives, managers and professionals experience defining who they are, discerning what they've done and discussing what they have to offer.
How do you want to be categorized and identified by employers? What do you want to be known as? Are you the acquisition king, the deal-maker, the turnaround solution? Despite stellar careers, few executives can define who they are when required to package their careers. All who work are defined by the functions they perform, i.e. financial, operational, administrative, technology and the environments in which they are performed, i.e. manufacturing, financial service, retail, distribution and education. If you have graduated to leadership and you now run the company the definition still applies, but now under the identity of senior management.
However when asking an executive who he is, he is more than likely to tell you what he's like. An exercise that will help initiate self-branding is to imagine a perspective Board willing to listen to only one illustration of your success. Your only chance to impress will be to tell a story of your biggest achievement. Your best approach will be to define what you are and then, by example, how well you've done!
Janice Worthington