Blog entries February 2009
02/20/2009Buying Into the Message of No Jobs!
I hate the media right now and I'm very conflicted because I AM THE MEDIA! In the 1980's when we were in another recession I tried to call the NBC Nightly News after the perfectly coiffed news anchor featured a story about an executive riding on a New York subway train for eight hours each day, reading the classified ads. Every day that poor man aimlessly rode on that subway while here I was, in Ohio, putting folks to work. Pepsi was producing soft drinks; Wonder was baking bread and I was putting folks to work! Business was still functioning even in a tougher world unless you watched that broadcast. That news anchor didn't take my call.
If you're vulnerable, turn off the news! It is imperative that we take responsibility for our own destinies and not allow the external messages of challenging times distract us from our goal. Employers are hiring! Yes there are jobs and the better you hunt the sooner the catch. YOU ONLY NEED TO FIND ONE JOB! So tomorrow evening throw a Twinkie at Brian Williams, smile at that unemployed negative neighbor who seeks an ally with whom to be miserable, grab your mitt and get back in the game! Good Luck!
Janice Worthington
02/13/2009Damage Control
Let me make it perfectly clear (remember that line?) that in interviewing, damage control is not meant to be disingenuous. One of the most valuable offerings we job search coaches provide is teaching preventive damage control or response strategies to avoid bad impressions in wide variety of issues. Lying or misrepresenting is never an option.
Also be mindful of the fact that because of garden-variety negativity or what I call employment paranoia sometimes we perceive the need to go into damage control mode when there is none. That said, here are some common damage control scenarios:
Reference Issues - For reasons ranging from September 11 through all of the issues "good guys" have had with drugs and cooking the books, employer reference checks are more valued than ever. But ironically because of potential liability problems, most companies have been instructed to do nothing more in a phone reference check than verify the employment. If your employment has been eliminated for any reason, ask for a flattering letter of reference from someone in the company or even one of your customers who liked your work. Employers are not worried about the legal fallout from discussing the positive but keep in mind that this letter does not have to be from your direct superior. Have a sense of urgency (not desperation) in your request. People have short attention spans and if you wait too long, the glow of your performance cools and the chances of your receiving a really important letter decreases. If you present a strong letter of reference in advance of being confronted with what might be an indelicate issue you will have set the tone for acceptance and approval. When buffered by the positive the bad doesn't always seem so bad.
Short on Qualifications - Recently a strong sales candidate's cover letter applying for a commercial product sales job began "although I come from an agricultural product environment..." basically offering up the best reason why not to make the cut. With one strategic turn of the paragraph statistically proving that this guy could sell anything, he was granted an interview and sold himself into a job offer in the midst of folks who had more product experience! Unless painfully obvious, you should never be the one to determine that you don't qualify and you certainly should never telegraph that fact. I have yet to see the appropriate place for apology in interviewing. Most of my clients walk in to my office apologizing for something they are lacking and we immediately begin to eliminate this self-defeating behavior.
Out of Work / Spotty Job History? Before the energy crisis and aerospace implosion of the 1970's, the acquisitions and mergers of the 1980's and 1990's, and the bursting of the technology bubble around Y2K, folks only became and remained unemployed because they had somehow become unemployable. They had under performed, angered the boss or been caught performing some sort of unforgivable act. Today the stigma has been diluted by universal conditions and the very numbers of people who have been struggling to get back to work. Obviously with some executives having been out of work for over a year for no other reason than an extremely tight job market, employers know to look beyond the obvious. It's not uncommon to have seen candidates with three different employers in three years! Being prepared to explain what happened in each instance is critical. While unacceptable in resumes, I have been known to lightly bring up several short term jobs in the cover letter but only as an experience demonstrating the opportunity to gain versatility and never apologetically.
Janice Worthington
02/06/2009A Pink Slip Party?
Why not? That's exactly what our ancestors did during the Great Depression! At first glance we wonder what we who are laid off have to party about. Well in the 1930's neighbors had rent parties. Some brought food because others were hungry; all brought small amounts of money because the host needed assistance with the rent and thus the name.
Recently I heard of a church that, when calling for those unemployed folks to come to the front to receive prayer, others began to spontaneously walk to a table and submit a check or small amounts of cash. When the music stopped $50,000 had been donated.
I also witnessed a family forced to sell its furniture and clothes on EBay to feed their children. A woman in Texas purchased all apparel and household goods for $20,000. They got paid but once delivered, she sent everything all back to them as her gift. She begged them to allow her blessing and they did.
So what is a Pink Slip Party? Well central Ohio will host one and Worthington Career Services will be there to help candidates improve their resumes and interviewing. Our gift to the community. But the main event will be the job seekers, recruiters and employers who will be there to make a difference. There is an admission fee. See ya there!
When:March 4, 2009
Where: Confluence Park (formerly The River Club),
679 W. Spring St.,
Columbus, OH 43203
For details go to:
https://lahrgriffethevents.ticketleap.com/
Janice Worthington