Happy Holidays from RightChanges! We will conclude the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job after the holidays. Here are the top job search articles from 2009 based on readership. Have a safe and happy holidays and a very prosperous new year to YOU.
Judi Adams
RightChanges
The Most Powerful Cover Letter (Two part series)
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/05/most-powerful-cover-letter.html
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/07/extra-tip-regarding-t-cover-letter.html
The Power of Your STAR Statements
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/power-of-your-star-statements.html
The Underutilized Job Search Tool: The Informational Interview (Two part series)
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/power-of-your-star-statements.html
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/underutilized-job-search-tool_18.html
What Document is as Valuable to a Job Seeker as a Great Resume? (The Marketing Plan)
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-document-is-as-valuable-to-job.html
How Will You Answer the Interviewer’s Question: What Else Have You Done Since You Left Your Last Job?
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-will-you-answer-interviewers.html
The 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Four part series)
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/4-ps-of-successful-interview-part-1-of.html
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/4-ps-of-successful-interview-part-2-of.html
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/4-ps-of-successful-interview-part-3-of.html
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/4-ps-of-successful-interview-part-4-of.html
And the article that received the widest range of responses:
There is no Shame in being Unemployed
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/there-is-no-shame-in-being-unemployed.html
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job: Part 3 of 4 – Accepting Change
A person can have all of the experience and technical skills the company is looking for yet may not get hired if he does not demonstrate strong soft skills. Soft skills are the skills, abilities, and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior rather than formal or technical knowledge. It is the combination of abilities and soft skills that will set you apart from the crowd.
Soft skills include the following:
Active Listening
Body Language
Accepting Change
Good Attitude
Judi Adams, the founder and senior job search coach at RightChanges, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, will address each of these in the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job.
In part one of the series we covered active listening and how important it is to all of us especially when we are in a job search.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/12/other-skills-that-will-help-you-get-job.html
In part two, we covered body language and how important it is to leverage the tool that comprises more than 75% of all face to face communications by monitoring your own body language and reading other’s.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/12/other-skills-that-will-help-you-get-job_11.html
In part three, we will discuss the importance of accepting change.
Change is inevitable and is happening faster than ever before in the history of man. You know this first hand if you purchased any new technology (computer, phone, PDA, etc.). By the time you get it home, the price has dropped and a new version with cooler features is on the shelf.
If you are in a job search, you have experienced a great change in your life; what you do with it is a choice.
First, you have to give yourself time to process the change. You may go through the stages similar to the stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Give yourself time to process the loss; don’t suppress it. If you try to shortchange yourself on processing the loss, it will come out at the most inopportune time – like during an interview. After giving yourself time though, you need to get to the acceptance phase to move on.
Required reading for my clients is the small but powerful book “Who Moved my Cheese” by Spencer Johnson M.D. If you have not read it or not read it in the last three months, get hold of a copy and read it. It is about four characters, two mice and two men the size of mice and how each of them reacts differently to change. Which character are you?
I purchased the “Cheese” book when I was on the job market back in 2002. I had heard a lot about the book and knew of several companies that bought copies for their staff before the company went through a major change. I like change (trying different restaurants, traveling to new places, wearing something different) so I didn’t think it would have much to teach me – boy was I wrong. The writing on the wall (you’ll understand that when you read it) that meant the most to me was “What would you do if you were not afraid?” I now “move my own cheese”; the latest example is when I left a lifelong career in Information Technology to start my own job search coaching business.
Do I easily accept all change? No. It is human nature to not easily accept change. Familiarity breeds comfort. This applies to an old pair of jeans as well as to old friends.
When examining a new way to do things, it is human nature to look for any excuse to dismiss the change. But if you think back, there were problems and flaws with the old way too, we have just gotten used to them or found workarounds. We just need an open mind to fairly judge the new way.
In some cases we do not have the option to judge and accept it or not – it just is. For many years to come I will refer to the tallest building in Chicago as the Sears Tower. I will refer to the store on State Street and in Water Tower on Michigan Avenue as Marshall Fields. Sadly, one day people will not know these institutions by their former names though and instead call them the Willis Tower and Macy’s. One day, I will have to refer to these Chicago landmarks by their new names too if I want the taxi driver to get me to where I want to go.
Do you realize the job market changed? No longer do we expect a gold watch retirement and pension after a lifelong career with one company. A fact about the new job market is that your next job (the one you are searching for now) will not be your last. Do we like that fact? Many of us do not. Do we have a choice? No. The Sears Tower was sold and the new owners have the right to name it what they want. The job market changed; we didn’t get a vote on that – we have to adapt to get where we want to go.
Not knowing the realities of the new job market is like walking into a dark, packed warehouse and being told to go to the other side of the room. The room is so dark you can’t even see your hand in front of your face so you surely can’t see where the other side of the room is and how to get there. Without knowing the room, you will bump into objects and although you are working as hard as you can, you are wasting time and not even sure if you are making progress.
Instead, you have to turn on the lights to the realities of the new job market (good and bad) before you can navigate in it. It is not a pretty place, it is not where we want to spend a lot of time, but we have to know what it is to get through it. If you want to use the old approach to job seeking, you can. It is like using a horse and buggy on the interstate though. You may get where you are going, it will just take you a lot longer.
Many family and individuals were not ready for the sudden job loss and the length of time it takes to find a new job. You need to keep the roof over the head, the car in the driveway, and food on the table. The job loss also has an impact on the family dynamics. I refer to all of these as pressure points. Since all of us will be on the job market again, there is no shame in being unemployed.
There are organizations out there whose sole purpose is to provide assistance to those who need it. In the United States, you would not hesitate to call 911 for first responders if you needed it because you realize that there are times you need assistance that you can’t handle by yourself. We know the number 411, phone number information. In many states 511 will get you information from the Department of Transportation. Dialing 211 will connect you with the United Way and its network of organizations (like the church I attend) to help with many of your needs and mine. Do not wait until the situation is dire because there are more options available the earlier you call.
Just dial 211 and let them know your zip code and the type of assistance you need and they will connect you with the organization that offers the type of assistance you desire. They also offer counseling for those family dynamics that can be strained by unemployment. I give to the United Way so they are there when you or I need them so please contact them as needed.
Learn today how to adapt to change and pursue “new cheese”. Turn on the lights to the reality of the new job market and learn how to navigate in it to get that job quicker. Remember there is no shame in being in a job transition, we all will be at one time or another, so get assistance for any pressure points while there are more options available to you.
Accepting this change is a good step. In the fourth and final part of this series, we will cover the importance of having and maintaining a good attitude in the job search.
Soft skills include the following:
Active Listening
Body Language
Accepting Change
Good Attitude
Judi Adams, the founder and senior job search coach at RightChanges, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, will address each of these in the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job.
In part one of the series we covered active listening and how important it is to all of us especially when we are in a job search.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/12/other-skills-that-will-help-you-get-job.html
In part two, we covered body language and how important it is to leverage the tool that comprises more than 75% of all face to face communications by monitoring your own body language and reading other’s.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/12/other-skills-that-will-help-you-get-job_11.html
In part three, we will discuss the importance of accepting change.
Change is inevitable and is happening faster than ever before in the history of man. You know this first hand if you purchased any new technology (computer, phone, PDA, etc.). By the time you get it home, the price has dropped and a new version with cooler features is on the shelf.
If you are in a job search, you have experienced a great change in your life; what you do with it is a choice.
First, you have to give yourself time to process the change. You may go through the stages similar to the stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Give yourself time to process the loss; don’t suppress it. If you try to shortchange yourself on processing the loss, it will come out at the most inopportune time – like during an interview. After giving yourself time though, you need to get to the acceptance phase to move on.
Required reading for my clients is the small but powerful book “Who Moved my Cheese” by Spencer Johnson M.D. If you have not read it or not read it in the last three months, get hold of a copy and read it. It is about four characters, two mice and two men the size of mice and how each of them reacts differently to change. Which character are you?
I purchased the “Cheese” book when I was on the job market back in 2002. I had heard a lot about the book and knew of several companies that bought copies for their staff before the company went through a major change. I like change (trying different restaurants, traveling to new places, wearing something different) so I didn’t think it would have much to teach me – boy was I wrong. The writing on the wall (you’ll understand that when you read it) that meant the most to me was “What would you do if you were not afraid?” I now “move my own cheese”; the latest example is when I left a lifelong career in Information Technology to start my own job search coaching business.
Do I easily accept all change? No. It is human nature to not easily accept change. Familiarity breeds comfort. This applies to an old pair of jeans as well as to old friends.
When examining a new way to do things, it is human nature to look for any excuse to dismiss the change. But if you think back, there were problems and flaws with the old way too, we have just gotten used to them or found workarounds. We just need an open mind to fairly judge the new way.
In some cases we do not have the option to judge and accept it or not – it just is. For many years to come I will refer to the tallest building in Chicago as the Sears Tower. I will refer to the store on State Street and in Water Tower on Michigan Avenue as Marshall Fields. Sadly, one day people will not know these institutions by their former names though and instead call them the Willis Tower and Macy’s. One day, I will have to refer to these Chicago landmarks by their new names too if I want the taxi driver to get me to where I want to go.
Do you realize the job market changed? No longer do we expect a gold watch retirement and pension after a lifelong career with one company. A fact about the new job market is that your next job (the one you are searching for now) will not be your last. Do we like that fact? Many of us do not. Do we have a choice? No. The Sears Tower was sold and the new owners have the right to name it what they want. The job market changed; we didn’t get a vote on that – we have to adapt to get where we want to go.
Not knowing the realities of the new job market is like walking into a dark, packed warehouse and being told to go to the other side of the room. The room is so dark you can’t even see your hand in front of your face so you surely can’t see where the other side of the room is and how to get there. Without knowing the room, you will bump into objects and although you are working as hard as you can, you are wasting time and not even sure if you are making progress.
Instead, you have to turn on the lights to the realities of the new job market (good and bad) before you can navigate in it. It is not a pretty place, it is not where we want to spend a lot of time, but we have to know what it is to get through it. If you want to use the old approach to job seeking, you can. It is like using a horse and buggy on the interstate though. You may get where you are going, it will just take you a lot longer.
Many family and individuals were not ready for the sudden job loss and the length of time it takes to find a new job. You need to keep the roof over the head, the car in the driveway, and food on the table. The job loss also has an impact on the family dynamics. I refer to all of these as pressure points. Since all of us will be on the job market again, there is no shame in being unemployed.
There are organizations out there whose sole purpose is to provide assistance to those who need it. In the United States, you would not hesitate to call 911 for first responders if you needed it because you realize that there are times you need assistance that you can’t handle by yourself. We know the number 411, phone number information. In many states 511 will get you information from the Department of Transportation. Dialing 211 will connect you with the United Way and its network of organizations (like the church I attend) to help with many of your needs and mine. Do not wait until the situation is dire because there are more options available the earlier you call.
Just dial 211 and let them know your zip code and the type of assistance you need and they will connect you with the organization that offers the type of assistance you desire. They also offer counseling for those family dynamics that can be strained by unemployment. I give to the United Way so they are there when you or I need them so please contact them as needed.
Learn today how to adapt to change and pursue “new cheese”. Turn on the lights to the reality of the new job market and learn how to navigate in it to get that job quicker. Remember there is no shame in being in a job transition, we all will be at one time or another, so get assistance for any pressure points while there are more options available to you.
Accepting this change is a good step. In the fourth and final part of this series, we will cover the importance of having and maintaining a good attitude in the job search.
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job: Part 2 of 4 - Body Language
A person can have all of the experience and technical skills the company is looking for but may not get hired if he does not demonstrate strong soft skills. Soft skills are the skills, abilities, and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior rather than formal or technical knowledge. It is the combination of abilities and soft skills that will set you apart from the crowd.
Soft skills include the following:
Active Listening
Body Language
Accepting Change
Good Attitude
Judi Adams, the founder and senior job search coach at RightChanges, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, will address each of these in the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job.
In part one of the series we covered active listening and how important it is to all of us especially when we are in a job search.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/12/other-skills-that-will-help-you-get-job.html
In part two, we are covering body language. To really understand the importance of body language, think back to a time when you asked someone you are close to what’s wrong and she said “nothing” but her body was saying you are in deep trouble. It may be the set jaw (like she is gritting her teeth). It may be the lack of eye contact. It may be the left hip thrown out to the side and the crossed arms. Many of us realize in this situation that the words and the body language do not match and we trust the body language more than the words spoken.
Body language is the most spontaneous, natural, and reliable form of communications. It makes up the majority of our communications (some say 75% or more). Many of our expressions come from the truth of body language. Here are a few common phrases.
I don’t trust him, he had beady eyes: pupils constrict when the person is being deceitful.
He was such an engaging speaker; he had them on the edge of their seats: When people are engaged with what someone is saying, they move forward, to the edge of their chairs.
She is stand offish: We expect people to stand within a certain space from us when they are engaged in a conversation (note: the definition of appropriate personal space differs by country). When a person stands outside of that space, further away than expected, it makes us uncomfortable.
He’s pushy: Conversely when a person stands too close to us, we feel they are pushy.
Get a grip on yourself: We find it calming to touch our upper arms during times of stress
Have you ever wondered why e-mail or text communications quickly escalate out of hand (out of hand - another phrased based on body language)? It is because the person is missing out on the majority of our message which is conveyed by inflection, tone, and body language.
Now that you see the importance and reliability of body language, imagine how important body language is to the job search.
Your Body Language: The message you are sending
The first step of the job search is Attitude for a reason. If you don’t have a positive attitude, it will show in your word choice, your energy, and your body language. Attitude is one of the three steps that must be addressed before you begin the job search or you will be sabotaging your own job effort.
When networking (which is where 90%+ of people will find their next job) and interviewing, your body language needs to convey confidence, a good attitude, and openness. It is natural to be somewhat nervous before networking and interviewing; your body language is important so you need to be aware of the message you are sending to others.
Realize you are valuable: review your accomplishment list before going out to a networking event to remind yourself that you are very accomplished. Your posture standing and seated should reflect your confidence. If you slouch, your body is basically saying “don’t hire me, I’m not worthy”.
Be prepared: review networking tips so that you are more prepared for how to make the most of the event.
Participate in mock interviews with a job networking volunteer or coach to get feedback on not only your responses and questions but also on your handshake and body language.
Breathe deeply before entering the room and smile.
Have a good handshake: The handshake should be the same for men and women. It should be web of hand to web of hand. The hands should be firm, not crunching or limp, and both people should be involved in the shaking (don’t leave it to the other person to shake your hand).
There is one handshake that I have titled (with all due respect) the “Queen Elizabeth handshake”, when the woman’s hand closes over the fingers of the other person (male or female). This form of handshake would be appropriate if we kissed the person’s hand like some people do with royalty. I had a female salesperson shake my hand this way once and I have to say it shocked me because good handshakes are a basic tool for salespeople. Years ago, I had the privilege to shake hands with Princess Sarah Ferguson (Fergie), Duchess of York on her visit to town and even though she is royalty, she shook hands like normal. We don’t kiss hands in business so the “Queen Elizabeth handshake” should never be used.
Leave your arms and legs uncrossed to reflect openness. Women, it is okay to cross your ankles. If you are cold, you can cross your arms to retain body heat but rub your arms (like you are generating heat) or mention that you are a bit cool so the other person doesn’t misinterpret your intention.
Lean forward as the other person is speaking to show interest (remember the phrase above “he had them on the edge of their seats”).
Mirror the speaker’s body language. I enjoy watching people while I am waiting for a flight or meeting. I noticed that men are better at mirroring each other’s body language than women. Look around the next time you are out. Men at a table will have similar body language; note especially their posture and arms. You do not want to take this to the level of mimicking the other person though.
Have direct eye contact with the other person to compliment the speaker and build trust in you. Have you ever been to a presentation and made eye contact with the speaker? You will notice that the speaker will continually return to face you while speaking.
In different parts of the US and in different countries, the amount of eye contact is different. I am from the south but lived in Chicago for many years. When I first moved to Chicago, I kept hearing “you aren’t from here, are you?” mostly in response to my southern accent. At times when I hadn’t spoken though it was because I made eye contact and smiled with people who passed me on the street or that I saw on the bus.
Keep your hands visible to indicate trustworthiness, i.e. that you aren’t hiding anything. This means do not hold your hands behind your back. Men, do not put your hands in your pockets.
Do not overly gesture while talking as it will detract from what you are saying.
In a group interview, make eye contact with the last person that spoke. Make sure though that during the meeting you make eye contact with everyone.
These are things that you should be aware about with your own body language; you need to be aware of other people’s body language as well.
Their Body Language: The message you should be receiving
If the person you are speaking to demonstrates any of the following body movements, it means they are responsive to you: leaning forward, open arms and legs, open hands (palms up).
When people tilt their head, nod, has a high blink rate, stroke their chin, smile, and look up and to the right, they are reflective (thinking).
If, instead, the people you are speaking to stare into space, cross their arms, slump in posture, doodle, tap their feet, aim their feet toward the door, look around, sit to the back of their chairs, have their heads down, or have clenched hands, then they are bored or have rejected you. Be aware if the person you are speaking to suddenly changes to one of these postures, you may have said something that is offensive or misunderstood and you may need to clarify the point.
People are not being truthful if they touch their face, put their hand over their mouth, pull an ear, turn their eyes down, or shift in the seat.
A few funny stories from the job search front
I like finding humor where I can.
I was asked what it means if the interviewer falls asleep in the midst of the interview.
My team and I were interviewing a person to fill an opening we had. After the interview and escorting her out, we reconvened to discuss everyone’s feedback. When I sat in the seat she had been sitting in I about fell out of it. The seat was broken and only with a great deal of effort could the person sitting in it stay upright. Here she was facing a team interview while at the same time developing her core muscles so she did not fall onto the floor. If she is reading this I want to say “no, that was not a test; we didn’t know the seat was broken until you left but to this day we think you are amazing”.
Do you have funny and real job search stories that relate to body language? Send them to Info@RightChanges.biz for possible inclusion in the book that we have coming out.
Understanding body language, monitoring your own body language, and interpreting the body language of others will come very naturally to you with practice, like driving while watching the rear and side view mirrors; you will not even realize you are doing it but are taking in all of the information that is being communicated. For a job seeker it can mean the difference between landing that next job and being on the job market a bit longer.
Soft skills include the following:
Active Listening
Body Language
Accepting Change
Good Attitude
Judi Adams, the founder and senior job search coach at RightChanges, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, will address each of these in the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job.
In part one of the series we covered active listening and how important it is to all of us especially when we are in a job search.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/12/other-skills-that-will-help-you-get-job.html
In part two, we are covering body language. To really understand the importance of body language, think back to a time when you asked someone you are close to what’s wrong and she said “nothing” but her body was saying you are in deep trouble. It may be the set jaw (like she is gritting her teeth). It may be the lack of eye contact. It may be the left hip thrown out to the side and the crossed arms. Many of us realize in this situation that the words and the body language do not match and we trust the body language more than the words spoken.
Body language is the most spontaneous, natural, and reliable form of communications. It makes up the majority of our communications (some say 75% or more). Many of our expressions come from the truth of body language. Here are a few common phrases.
I don’t trust him, he had beady eyes: pupils constrict when the person is being deceitful.
He was such an engaging speaker; he had them on the edge of their seats: When people are engaged with what someone is saying, they move forward, to the edge of their chairs.
She is stand offish: We expect people to stand within a certain space from us when they are engaged in a conversation (note: the definition of appropriate personal space differs by country). When a person stands outside of that space, further away than expected, it makes us uncomfortable.
He’s pushy: Conversely when a person stands too close to us, we feel they are pushy.
Get a grip on yourself: We find it calming to touch our upper arms during times of stress
Have you ever wondered why e-mail or text communications quickly escalate out of hand (out of hand - another phrased based on body language)? It is because the person is missing out on the majority of our message which is conveyed by inflection, tone, and body language.
Now that you see the importance and reliability of body language, imagine how important body language is to the job search.
Your Body Language: The message you are sending
The first step of the job search is Attitude for a reason. If you don’t have a positive attitude, it will show in your word choice, your energy, and your body language. Attitude is one of the three steps that must be addressed before you begin the job search or you will be sabotaging your own job effort.
When networking (which is where 90%+ of people will find their next job) and interviewing, your body language needs to convey confidence, a good attitude, and openness. It is natural to be somewhat nervous before networking and interviewing; your body language is important so you need to be aware of the message you are sending to others.
Realize you are valuable: review your accomplishment list before going out to a networking event to remind yourself that you are very accomplished. Your posture standing and seated should reflect your confidence. If you slouch, your body is basically saying “don’t hire me, I’m not worthy”.
Be prepared: review networking tips so that you are more prepared for how to make the most of the event.
Participate in mock interviews with a job networking volunteer or coach to get feedback on not only your responses and questions but also on your handshake and body language.
Breathe deeply before entering the room and smile.
Have a good handshake: The handshake should be the same for men and women. It should be web of hand to web of hand. The hands should be firm, not crunching or limp, and both people should be involved in the shaking (don’t leave it to the other person to shake your hand).
There is one handshake that I have titled (with all due respect) the “Queen Elizabeth handshake”, when the woman’s hand closes over the fingers of the other person (male or female). This form of handshake would be appropriate if we kissed the person’s hand like some people do with royalty. I had a female salesperson shake my hand this way once and I have to say it shocked me because good handshakes are a basic tool for salespeople. Years ago, I had the privilege to shake hands with Princess Sarah Ferguson (Fergie), Duchess of York on her visit to town and even though she is royalty, she shook hands like normal. We don’t kiss hands in business so the “Queen Elizabeth handshake” should never be used.
Leave your arms and legs uncrossed to reflect openness. Women, it is okay to cross your ankles. If you are cold, you can cross your arms to retain body heat but rub your arms (like you are generating heat) or mention that you are a bit cool so the other person doesn’t misinterpret your intention.
Lean forward as the other person is speaking to show interest (remember the phrase above “he had them on the edge of their seats”).
Mirror the speaker’s body language. I enjoy watching people while I am waiting for a flight or meeting. I noticed that men are better at mirroring each other’s body language than women. Look around the next time you are out. Men at a table will have similar body language; note especially their posture and arms. You do not want to take this to the level of mimicking the other person though.
Have direct eye contact with the other person to compliment the speaker and build trust in you. Have you ever been to a presentation and made eye contact with the speaker? You will notice that the speaker will continually return to face you while speaking.
In different parts of the US and in different countries, the amount of eye contact is different. I am from the south but lived in Chicago for many years. When I first moved to Chicago, I kept hearing “you aren’t from here, are you?” mostly in response to my southern accent. At times when I hadn’t spoken though it was because I made eye contact and smiled with people who passed me on the street or that I saw on the bus.
Keep your hands visible to indicate trustworthiness, i.e. that you aren’t hiding anything. This means do not hold your hands behind your back. Men, do not put your hands in your pockets.
Do not overly gesture while talking as it will detract from what you are saying.
In a group interview, make eye contact with the last person that spoke. Make sure though that during the meeting you make eye contact with everyone.
These are things that you should be aware about with your own body language; you need to be aware of other people’s body language as well.
Their Body Language: The message you should be receiving
If the person you are speaking to demonstrates any of the following body movements, it means they are responsive to you: leaning forward, open arms and legs, open hands (palms up).
When people tilt their head, nod, has a high blink rate, stroke their chin, smile, and look up and to the right, they are reflective (thinking).
If, instead, the people you are speaking to stare into space, cross their arms, slump in posture, doodle, tap their feet, aim their feet toward the door, look around, sit to the back of their chairs, have their heads down, or have clenched hands, then they are bored or have rejected you. Be aware if the person you are speaking to suddenly changes to one of these postures, you may have said something that is offensive or misunderstood and you may need to clarify the point.
People are not being truthful if they touch their face, put their hand over their mouth, pull an ear, turn their eyes down, or shift in the seat.
A few funny stories from the job search front
I like finding humor where I can.
I was asked what it means if the interviewer falls asleep in the midst of the interview.
My team and I were interviewing a person to fill an opening we had. After the interview and escorting her out, we reconvened to discuss everyone’s feedback. When I sat in the seat she had been sitting in I about fell out of it. The seat was broken and only with a great deal of effort could the person sitting in it stay upright. Here she was facing a team interview while at the same time developing her core muscles so she did not fall onto the floor. If she is reading this I want to say “no, that was not a test; we didn’t know the seat was broken until you left but to this day we think you are amazing”.
Do you have funny and real job search stories that relate to body language? Send them to Info@RightChanges.biz for possible inclusion in the book that we have coming out.
Understanding body language, monitoring your own body language, and interpreting the body language of others will come very naturally to you with practice, like driving while watching the rear and side view mirrors; you will not even realize you are doing it but are taking in all of the information that is being communicated. For a job seeker it can mean the difference between landing that next job and being on the job market a bit longer.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job: Part 1 of 4- Active Listening
A person can have all of the experience and technical skills the company is looking for but may not get hired if he does not demonstrate strong soft skills. Soft skills are the skills, abilities, and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior rather than formal or technical knowledge. It is the combination of abilities and soft skills that will set you apart from the crowd.
Soft skills include the following:
Active Listening
Body Language
Accepting Change
Good Attitude
Judi Adams, the founder and senior job search coach at RightChanges, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, will address each of these in the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job.
In part one of the series we will cover active listening. You probably have heard we were given one mouth and two ears for a reason – we are to listen twice as much as we talk. A wise man once said that there is nothing more dangerous than the illusion that communication has taken place. When asked who they consider a great communicator, people often indicate the person who in fact spent most of the conversation listening. Communication is important, listening is an important aspect of communication, and active listening is the best approach to listening.
In fact, humans spend 40% of our conscious time listening yet the average person only retains 25% of what they hear. Let’s look at the reasons we don’t retain more.
1) We treat listening as a passive activity. We multi-task while we are supposedly listening to a friend, a conference call, or the news.
2) We listen faster than people speak. The average person speaks at 130 words per minute yet the average person listens at 500 words per minute. Our mind either jumps ahead or takes a mental walk, thinking of other things.
3) We don’t clear our mind first. Think about a time someone suddenly approaches you speaking to you while you are in the middle of doing something. Most of us have to ask the person to repeat what she said because our mind was still on what we were doing.
4) We are concerned with our reply or our own agenda. This is a common mistake of job seekers. We are so intent on making sure we share certain information about our skills and accomplishments that we don’t listen to the hiring manager. She may be sharing essential information that could help us get the job yet we miss it because we’re busy playing our responses in our head.
5) The perception of the person talking is different from the person listening. Example: I am from the south. If you said “you are welcome to join us for dinner” I hear that I am welcome but not my husband. In the south “you all are welcome to join us for dinner” would mean that I can include my significant other.
So let’s review examples of what is not active listening.
The Lighthouse: Like a lighthouse that scans the horizon with its light, a Lighthouse listener is a person who scans the room while supposedly listening to the person in front of him. They are usually looking around to see who else is there and only half listening at best.
The Goldfish: When asked to do an imitation of a goldfish, most people push their lips out and open and close their mouth. The Goldfish listeners are so busy trying to speak (opening and closing their mouths) that they look like a goldfish.
The Duet: A duet is when two people are singing at the same time. The Duet listener, as you can imagine, is a person who talks at the same time as another person. No one is really listening.
The “Yes Dear”: Imagine a TV with a good sports game (or soap opera) playing and a spouse trying to communicate to the person watching TV. The typical response is “yes dear” without really having heard a word of what the other person said.
The Blind and Deaf: There was a commercial a few years ago that exemplified the Blind and Deaf listener. People were around a board table and one person made a suggestion on how the company could save money (using FedEx?). After making the suggestion, no one said a word until the boss at the head of the table made the same suggestion as if it was his idea. The Blind and Deaf listener is one who does not make any indication that anything was said. If you are the victim of a Deaf and Blind listener, you may even look down to be sure you are not invisible and then test your voice to make sure you actually make sound when you talk.
Now that we know what active listening is not, let’s understand what it is. It is the active process of getting both the sender and the receiver of the message involved to create a two way communication.
Steps in Active Listening
Person A sends a message (speaks)
Person B receives the message concentrating fully on what is being said (listens)
Person B states what Person B understood but makes no evaluations such as “are you nuts?” (using the summarizing or reflecting active listening technique)
Person A agrees with Person B’s interpretation or sends the message again. If the message is not understood, consider trying different words. Remember what they say about a person who tries the same thing 3 times exactly the same way and expects different results.
Techniques for Active Listening
Techniques you can use to listen actively are as follows:
Summarizing
Use a phrase similar to one of the following to repeat back in your own words what you understand the other person to have said.
“As I understand it, what you are saying is…”
“So your point is that…”
Reflecting
Reflect back phrases that you heard. Example: if the person said they need a person who knows C++, you can repeat back “C++” with an intonation at the end to indicate “and?” to encourage that person to continue.
Non-verbal Communications
In part two of the four part series we will cover body language. Body language is non verbal communications. To give non-vernal active listening cues, use eye contact, nodding, and mirroring the speaker’s body language (but not to the point of mimicking him).
Utilizing these active listening techniques will increase your retention of information others share with you and, you never know, you may find out information that will increase your success at securing your next job.
In part two we will discuss how important body language is to the job search.
Soft skills include the following:
Active Listening
Body Language
Accepting Change
Good Attitude
Judi Adams, the founder and senior job search coach at RightChanges, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, will address each of these in the four part series The Other Skills That Will Help You Get the Job.
In part one of the series we will cover active listening. You probably have heard we were given one mouth and two ears for a reason – we are to listen twice as much as we talk. A wise man once said that there is nothing more dangerous than the illusion that communication has taken place. When asked who they consider a great communicator, people often indicate the person who in fact spent most of the conversation listening. Communication is important, listening is an important aspect of communication, and active listening is the best approach to listening.
In fact, humans spend 40% of our conscious time listening yet the average person only retains 25% of what they hear. Let’s look at the reasons we don’t retain more.
1) We treat listening as a passive activity. We multi-task while we are supposedly listening to a friend, a conference call, or the news.
2) We listen faster than people speak. The average person speaks at 130 words per minute yet the average person listens at 500 words per minute. Our mind either jumps ahead or takes a mental walk, thinking of other things.
3) We don’t clear our mind first. Think about a time someone suddenly approaches you speaking to you while you are in the middle of doing something. Most of us have to ask the person to repeat what she said because our mind was still on what we were doing.
4) We are concerned with our reply or our own agenda. This is a common mistake of job seekers. We are so intent on making sure we share certain information about our skills and accomplishments that we don’t listen to the hiring manager. She may be sharing essential information that could help us get the job yet we miss it because we’re busy playing our responses in our head.
5) The perception of the person talking is different from the person listening. Example: I am from the south. If you said “you are welcome to join us for dinner” I hear that I am welcome but not my husband. In the south “you all are welcome to join us for dinner” would mean that I can include my significant other.
So let’s review examples of what is not active listening.
The Lighthouse: Like a lighthouse that scans the horizon with its light, a Lighthouse listener is a person who scans the room while supposedly listening to the person in front of him. They are usually looking around to see who else is there and only half listening at best.
The Goldfish: When asked to do an imitation of a goldfish, most people push their lips out and open and close their mouth. The Goldfish listeners are so busy trying to speak (opening and closing their mouths) that they look like a goldfish.
The Duet: A duet is when two people are singing at the same time. The Duet listener, as you can imagine, is a person who talks at the same time as another person. No one is really listening.
The “Yes Dear”: Imagine a TV with a good sports game (or soap opera) playing and a spouse trying to communicate to the person watching TV. The typical response is “yes dear” without really having heard a word of what the other person said.
The Blind and Deaf: There was a commercial a few years ago that exemplified the Blind and Deaf listener. People were around a board table and one person made a suggestion on how the company could save money (using FedEx?). After making the suggestion, no one said a word until the boss at the head of the table made the same suggestion as if it was his idea. The Blind and Deaf listener is one who does not make any indication that anything was said. If you are the victim of a Deaf and Blind listener, you may even look down to be sure you are not invisible and then test your voice to make sure you actually make sound when you talk.
Now that we know what active listening is not, let’s understand what it is. It is the active process of getting both the sender and the receiver of the message involved to create a two way communication.
Steps in Active Listening
Person A sends a message (speaks)
Person B receives the message concentrating fully on what is being said (listens)
Person B states what Person B understood but makes no evaluations such as “are you nuts?” (using the summarizing or reflecting active listening technique)
Person A agrees with Person B’s interpretation or sends the message again. If the message is not understood, consider trying different words. Remember what they say about a person who tries the same thing 3 times exactly the same way and expects different results.
Techniques for Active Listening
Techniques you can use to listen actively are as follows:
Summarizing
Use a phrase similar to one of the following to repeat back in your own words what you understand the other person to have said.
“As I understand it, what you are saying is…”
“So your point is that…”
Reflecting
Reflect back phrases that you heard. Example: if the person said they need a person who knows C++, you can repeat back “C++” with an intonation at the end to indicate “and?” to encourage that person to continue.
Non-verbal Communications
In part two of the four part series we will cover body language. Body language is non verbal communications. To give non-vernal active listening cues, use eye contact, nodding, and mirroring the speaker’s body language (but not to the point of mimicking him).
Utilizing these active listening techniques will increase your retention of information others share with you and, you never know, you may find out information that will increase your success at securing your next job.
In part two we will discuss how important body language is to the job search.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Handling the Salary Discussion
Job seekers are often uncomfortable with discussions about salary. The best position for you, as a job seeker, is to have the company share salary information before you ever reveal your expectations. The following are tips to defer salary questions under the various circumstances (applying on-line, working with a recruiter, in conversations with the company representative).
On-line
Job seekers often ask how to defer salary discussion when on-line applications require salary information. First and most importantly, only 15% of the available jobs are listed on-line. The majority of positions are found through networking. If you are filling out applications on-line it means you didn’t network into the opportunity.
For the positions you do apply to on-line (where you should spend less than 15% of your job search efforts) there is a trick some job seeker use and that is to fill out an apparently false number (ex. 1234567). This may work but there is as great of a chance it does not depending on how the company has the filters set for the position. Your application may get filtered out before even being reviewed by entering erroneous information.
Recruiter
Recruiters need to know your salary expectations so they can make sure it is in line with the company before they present you. Many recruiters will give you the company’s salary range. If your salary is anywhere near the range and the position is of interest to you, continue to investigate the opportunity. Realize that like home prices, many salaries are being reset to salaries from a few years back.
Company
On the application form you are asked to fill out when interviewing with a company, write in the word “negotiable”.
In conversations with company representatives there are statements that you can use to deflect or defer the question about salary. A friend referred to these as my Wonder Woman bracelet moves. For those who are not familiar with the comic Wonder Woman, she is a super hero member of an all-female tribe of Amazons who uses a pair of indestructible bracelets to deflect bullets and other forms of attack.
In the early stages of the interview, when asked about your salary expectations or previous salary, defer the conversation to a later point by saying something to the effect of “Although important, salary is only one part of the entire package. I want to find out more about the responsibilities of the position first since the work I will be doing impacts the compensation so I’d like to ask you…” then go straight into a question you still have about the responsibilities.
If you are asked about your previous salary, defer it by saying “I’m sure you will make me a fair offer based on what I will be doing versus what I have been doing”.
The third deflector is to ask the company representative “What is the position budgeted for?” This method gets the company to reveal the salary portion of the compensation. You then can reply that your salary is in line with the budgeted amount (if it is or if the budgeted salary is more).
Do you have other ideas?
If you have other methods you have used successfully to defer salary discussions, send them to Info@RightChanges.biz. Your ideas may be used in my upcoming book about the job search.
For other helpful job search tips, check out the blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com. These informative, full length articles have been published since April so be sure to check out the archives.
On-line
Job seekers often ask how to defer salary discussion when on-line applications require salary information. First and most importantly, only 15% of the available jobs are listed on-line. The majority of positions are found through networking. If you are filling out applications on-line it means you didn’t network into the opportunity.
For the positions you do apply to on-line (where you should spend less than 15% of your job search efforts) there is a trick some job seeker use and that is to fill out an apparently false number (ex. 1234567). This may work but there is as great of a chance it does not depending on how the company has the filters set for the position. Your application may get filtered out before even being reviewed by entering erroneous information.
Recruiter
Recruiters need to know your salary expectations so they can make sure it is in line with the company before they present you. Many recruiters will give you the company’s salary range. If your salary is anywhere near the range and the position is of interest to you, continue to investigate the opportunity. Realize that like home prices, many salaries are being reset to salaries from a few years back.
Company
On the application form you are asked to fill out when interviewing with a company, write in the word “negotiable”.
In conversations with company representatives there are statements that you can use to deflect or defer the question about salary. A friend referred to these as my Wonder Woman bracelet moves. For those who are not familiar with the comic Wonder Woman, she is a super hero member of an all-female tribe of Amazons who uses a pair of indestructible bracelets to deflect bullets and other forms of attack.
In the early stages of the interview, when asked about your salary expectations or previous salary, defer the conversation to a later point by saying something to the effect of “Although important, salary is only one part of the entire package. I want to find out more about the responsibilities of the position first since the work I will be doing impacts the compensation so I’d like to ask you…” then go straight into a question you still have about the responsibilities.
If you are asked about your previous salary, defer it by saying “I’m sure you will make me a fair offer based on what I will be doing versus what I have been doing”.
The third deflector is to ask the company representative “What is the position budgeted for?” This method gets the company to reveal the salary portion of the compensation. You then can reply that your salary is in line with the budgeted amount (if it is or if the budgeted salary is more).
Do you have other ideas?
If you have other methods you have used successfully to defer salary discussions, send them to Info@RightChanges.biz. Your ideas may be used in my upcoming book about the job search.
For other helpful job search tips, check out the blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com. These informative, full length articles have been published since April so be sure to check out the archives.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Identifying Your Competitive Advantages
In April (4/29), RightChanges published the article “You Have to Know You to Sell You”. As I work with clients, I see that some job seekers have a hard time identifying their own skills and accomplishments that distinguish them from their competitors. It is these skills and accomplishments that will help a candidate’s resume stand out, help the candidate ace the interview, and boost the candidate’s self confidence in this tough market.
Too many job seekers start the job search process by updating their resume. Updating the resume should actually be done at the end of the 3rd step. If you started your search by updating your resume, you may be sabotaging your own job search effort by missing the first three steps. These first three steps are like the legs of a three-legged stool. If you are missing one or more of the legs, the stool isn’t of much value. If you have not completed the first three steps, your jobs search may suffer.
Let’s look quickly at all three steps and in this article we’ll detail step 2. (The Six Steps are copyrighted by Crossroads Career Services.)
Step 1 is Attitude. Attitude is the most important step. If you do not have a good attitude it will show in your body language (80%+ of your communication), your word choice, and the energy you need to do the job search. You have to give yourself time to accept the loss. It is like grieving the loss of a family member. You want to get to the acceptance phase and start to look forward to the next opportunity.
You should though get help for pressure points. You need to keep a roof over the head, car in the driveway, and food on the table. Do you know the phone number 211? We have 911 for first responders, 411 for information, 511 in most states for traffic conditions; we have 211 for the United Way. Many of us give to the United Way so it is there for when you or I need it. I found out about the United Way phone number when I talked to my church’s benevolence leader who I often refer people to. Our church, like many others, is part of the United Way network. When people call 211, they are asked their zip code and specific need and the United Way refers them to the closest organization in that area that provides services that meet that need. One important thing to understand is that the sooner you call, the more options are available to you; do not wait until it is almost too late since the options then will be more limited.
Step 2 is Aptitude (the main content of this article). I use a lot of analogies to illustrate my points. The analogy I use for Aptitude is that you would not think about selling a product, we’ll use the example of a computer, without knowing how it works and what makes it better than the competition’s computer. You would never imagine going into a prospective client to sell the computer and when asked “why should I buy your computer?” responding “I don’t know”. Too many job seekers go into an interview hoping that the hiring manger sees the job seekers’ competitive advantages but the candidates would be hard pressed if asked what they are. You have to know YOU to sell you too. In this article we will discuss ways to identify those competitive advantages.
Step 3 is Altitude. Crossroads wanted to stick with alliteration so they used Altitude to represent the market (who is hiring and where do you want to work). Using the analogy of the computer, you would not sell your computer to a pharmacy chain because people do not go to the pharmacy to buy a computer and if they saw it there, they would feel it is not of value.
The same goes for you. Although at times you want a job, any job, your ultimate goal is to find the right job for you that utilizes and values your skills and continues to let you grow. You will need to know that most of the available jobs are in smaller companies and the majority of available jobs are NOT posted on the job boards; you find them through networking ( Step 4 – Search).
It is only after these three steps that you can properly create or update your marketing materials highlighting your competitive traits and addressing them to your target market.
Let’s Start Step 2
Successful job seekers, like those we at RightChanges have worked with, inventory the items that distinguish them. By inventory we mean actually uncovering them and writing them down. Here are the categories of inventories that must be done, the approach to uncover them, and the use for each.
Education and Certificates
When creating a resume, most job seekers remember to include their formal education and professional certificates. That may be all you record on your resume; don’t stop there though. Record in an Excel spreadsheet, or on a notepad that you can easily find, the self study you have done as well as tele-conferences and webinars you have participated in. In other words, record all of the ways you have grown in your skills.
These entries may not make it onto your resume. They may, however, help you answer an interview question. Example: the hiring manager asks if you have any experience with a particular technique. If you have at least participated in a webinar, you can mention that you are familiar with the topic and attended a webinar on it. That is so much better than saying “no” and it demonstrates that you take the initiative to stay on top of your game. Listing the training you have had over the years, written down, helps you remember everything you have studied. Review the list before your interview so it is all fresh in your mind.
Abilities & Ability STARs
In many interviews you are asked to list your top strengths. You may list a few off the top of your head although those may be the same strengths that everyone lists. You want to actually know our strengths and have examples (STARs – situation/ task you faced, actions you took, and the results you achieved) that illustrate a time where you utilized each one.
You can search the internet for lists of strengths / abilities and assess yourself on a scale of 1 – 10 against each. For your top strengths identify (document) a time you used that strength. While you are at it, identify your weaknesses (lowest ranking abilities) and for your STAR, say what you have put into place to not have that weakness affect your work. We all have weaknesses and the hiring manger is looking to see if you are self-aware and what you do to mitigate the weakness so it does not negatively impact the business.
Technical Skills
The listing of Technical skills is not just for Information Technicians or engineers. All of us have some technical skills. Include in your list software (Microsoft Word for instance) and hardware you use (receptionists are familiar with certain phone systems). Include technologies that are out of date or discontinued. If you are asked about a newer technology that you don’t have experience with, you can draw on your past experience and illustrate that you are familiar with a similar technology. Are you good with using your browser to find things on the internet? That counts. Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In are being leveraged by many companies these days so your skills in those areas count.
Company & Manager Lessons Learned
One of the most powerful inventories for our clients has been the company and manager lessons learned. All job seekers have a list of the companies and positions they have had over the years. Go one step further and assess every company, every manager, and every position you held for what you liked best and least about each. You may start to notice a pattern form. Leverage that pattern to know what is a good fit for you, to select target companies (where you want to work), and develop interview questions to affirm the company and the manager are the right fit. For instance, I noticed that I do not flourish with a micromanager. Micromanagers suck the creativity out of the air and when I am interviewing as a candidate, I want to understand the manager’s managerial style so I don’t end up with the wrong type manager.
Interest
No job will make us want to jump out of bed and look forward to going to work every day. It may be cold and raining outside and the traffic may be snarled. Wouldn’t it be nice though to have a job that you enjoy going to most days, maybe one that includes your outside interests?
One client was seeking a job as a property manager. When we reviewed her interests, she enjoys golf. She is now a property manager of vacation properties. Someone else I know worked with cars since he was of age to work, yet pursued a degree as a film producer. He is now the film producer for an auto racing company.
Not all interests can be leveraged in the job market. It is at least worth considering. Your passion will show in the interview.
Values
In selecting and interviewing companies, you want to know your values and affirm that the company does not violate your values. From the other perspective, you may decide to target a company that actively pursues business in the sector with the same values you hold. Have two columns that answer the questions “I don’t want to work for a company that …” (based on the product they sell, values they hold etc.) and in the other column answer the questions “I want to work for a company that…”.
Example: let’s say you are into the green (ecology) principles. You would not want to work for a company that doesn’t recycle its trash. If you are really into the green principles, you may want to work for one of the eco companies (ex wind farms).
Here is one of my (lighthearted) values: I strongly prefer a particular brand of carbonated beverage. Because of that I could not work for the competitor since consuming my favorite drink would not be permitted on the office campus. That is an example of how the product a company sells may impact your choice of target companies.
To identify the line where you hold values, look at extreme cases (illegal, immoral) and work your way in until there are no strong feelings either way. Identify and include your values in your job search process.
Other STARS
You have accomplished a lot in your life and in the business world. We are not talking about securing world peace or curing cancer type accomplishments. Accomplishments are the ways you have positively impacted your world / work environment; how it was before you got there and how it was better because of you.
Do an internet search of behavioral questions and identify your STAR statements to answer each of them. Develop your answer to the question about a time you failed and in the results section include what you put into place to never repeat the same mistake; that is all the hiring manager wants to know is that you learned from it.
Approaches to Discovery
In addition to self evaluation, there are other approaches to use to get an entire picture of your aptitudes.
• Solicit feedback from your friends, family, former co-workers
People minimize the skills that come easily to them. By asking friends, family members, and former co-workers what they see as your skills, abilities, and former accomplishments, you are reminded what makes you unique.
I recently was reminded of one of my aptitudes. In a group exercise we were asked to say what we are known for. The first few people mentioned something they were known for cooking. I am known for a particular pie so I had that example ready for when I was called upon. I even thought I’d fix one of the pies that night and bring it in the next day. When the facilitator called upon me he said he wanted a work example from me. When I took some time to think about it, a co-worker sitting next to me said “are you kidding me?” by which I took to mean she knew something right off hand. She cited how, upon taking over a department, I met with internal customers. When I met with them they trusted me instantly and invited me to their internal meetings that our department had never been invited to before. Earning people’s immediate trust comes easily to me so I minimized it in myself. It is something that an employer would value though and makes me unique. You have those unique abilities too and others can help you identify them.
• Refer back to past job reviews
For those who were fortunate enough to have a boss who provided written performance reviews, you have a great source of feedback on your accomplishment and skills. Locate and review all of your former performance reviews. Take excerpts from it and add them to your inventories.
• Take assessments
There are a number of assessments you can take that will help flesh out aspects of your personality, interest, skills, and values.
Myers Brigg assessment will assess your personality. Although people who hear me speak to large crowds do not usually believe it of me: I am an introvert. All that means is that I renew my energy by being alone. When making a career decision, I need to understand that about myself and factor it in. As a public speaker, I need to build in down time before and after the event so my internal batteries don’t run low. Factor your personality into your career and company selection.
The book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath offers a good assessment tool. Inside the book there is a sealed code that you use to access an on-line assessment of your strengths.
The Department of Labor offers assessments and there are others for free on the internet. The more assessments you take the fuller, more complete of a picture you get of you.
The information you gather as part of Step 2 – Attitude helps you target the right position and company, craft your marketing materials and brand to stand out from others, develop your interview questions for the employer and your responses to interview questions, and select the right job for you.
Check out other articles published by RightChanges at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com. The archives are overflowing with articles published weekly since April.
Too many job seekers start the job search process by updating their resume. Updating the resume should actually be done at the end of the 3rd step. If you started your search by updating your resume, you may be sabotaging your own job search effort by missing the first three steps. These first three steps are like the legs of a three-legged stool. If you are missing one or more of the legs, the stool isn’t of much value. If you have not completed the first three steps, your jobs search may suffer.
Let’s look quickly at all three steps and in this article we’ll detail step 2. (The Six Steps are copyrighted by Crossroads Career Services.)
Step 1 is Attitude. Attitude is the most important step. If you do not have a good attitude it will show in your body language (80%+ of your communication), your word choice, and the energy you need to do the job search. You have to give yourself time to accept the loss. It is like grieving the loss of a family member. You want to get to the acceptance phase and start to look forward to the next opportunity.
You should though get help for pressure points. You need to keep a roof over the head, car in the driveway, and food on the table. Do you know the phone number 211? We have 911 for first responders, 411 for information, 511 in most states for traffic conditions; we have 211 for the United Way. Many of us give to the United Way so it is there for when you or I need it. I found out about the United Way phone number when I talked to my church’s benevolence leader who I often refer people to. Our church, like many others, is part of the United Way network. When people call 211, they are asked their zip code and specific need and the United Way refers them to the closest organization in that area that provides services that meet that need. One important thing to understand is that the sooner you call, the more options are available to you; do not wait until it is almost too late since the options then will be more limited.
Step 2 is Aptitude (the main content of this article). I use a lot of analogies to illustrate my points. The analogy I use for Aptitude is that you would not think about selling a product, we’ll use the example of a computer, without knowing how it works and what makes it better than the competition’s computer. You would never imagine going into a prospective client to sell the computer and when asked “why should I buy your computer?” responding “I don’t know”. Too many job seekers go into an interview hoping that the hiring manger sees the job seekers’ competitive advantages but the candidates would be hard pressed if asked what they are. You have to know YOU to sell you too. In this article we will discuss ways to identify those competitive advantages.
Step 3 is Altitude. Crossroads wanted to stick with alliteration so they used Altitude to represent the market (who is hiring and where do you want to work). Using the analogy of the computer, you would not sell your computer to a pharmacy chain because people do not go to the pharmacy to buy a computer and if they saw it there, they would feel it is not of value.
The same goes for you. Although at times you want a job, any job, your ultimate goal is to find the right job for you that utilizes and values your skills and continues to let you grow. You will need to know that most of the available jobs are in smaller companies and the majority of available jobs are NOT posted on the job boards; you find them through networking ( Step 4 – Search).
It is only after these three steps that you can properly create or update your marketing materials highlighting your competitive traits and addressing them to your target market.
Let’s Start Step 2
Successful job seekers, like those we at RightChanges have worked with, inventory the items that distinguish them. By inventory we mean actually uncovering them and writing them down. Here are the categories of inventories that must be done, the approach to uncover them, and the use for each.
Education and Certificates
When creating a resume, most job seekers remember to include their formal education and professional certificates. That may be all you record on your resume; don’t stop there though. Record in an Excel spreadsheet, or on a notepad that you can easily find, the self study you have done as well as tele-conferences and webinars you have participated in. In other words, record all of the ways you have grown in your skills.
These entries may not make it onto your resume. They may, however, help you answer an interview question. Example: the hiring manager asks if you have any experience with a particular technique. If you have at least participated in a webinar, you can mention that you are familiar with the topic and attended a webinar on it. That is so much better than saying “no” and it demonstrates that you take the initiative to stay on top of your game. Listing the training you have had over the years, written down, helps you remember everything you have studied. Review the list before your interview so it is all fresh in your mind.
Abilities & Ability STARs
In many interviews you are asked to list your top strengths. You may list a few off the top of your head although those may be the same strengths that everyone lists. You want to actually know our strengths and have examples (STARs – situation/ task you faced, actions you took, and the results you achieved) that illustrate a time where you utilized each one.
You can search the internet for lists of strengths / abilities and assess yourself on a scale of 1 – 10 against each. For your top strengths identify (document) a time you used that strength. While you are at it, identify your weaknesses (lowest ranking abilities) and for your STAR, say what you have put into place to not have that weakness affect your work. We all have weaknesses and the hiring manger is looking to see if you are self-aware and what you do to mitigate the weakness so it does not negatively impact the business.
Technical Skills
The listing of Technical skills is not just for Information Technicians or engineers. All of us have some technical skills. Include in your list software (Microsoft Word for instance) and hardware you use (receptionists are familiar with certain phone systems). Include technologies that are out of date or discontinued. If you are asked about a newer technology that you don’t have experience with, you can draw on your past experience and illustrate that you are familiar with a similar technology. Are you good with using your browser to find things on the internet? That counts. Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In are being leveraged by many companies these days so your skills in those areas count.
Company & Manager Lessons Learned
One of the most powerful inventories for our clients has been the company and manager lessons learned. All job seekers have a list of the companies and positions they have had over the years. Go one step further and assess every company, every manager, and every position you held for what you liked best and least about each. You may start to notice a pattern form. Leverage that pattern to know what is a good fit for you, to select target companies (where you want to work), and develop interview questions to affirm the company and the manager are the right fit. For instance, I noticed that I do not flourish with a micromanager. Micromanagers suck the creativity out of the air and when I am interviewing as a candidate, I want to understand the manager’s managerial style so I don’t end up with the wrong type manager.
Interest
No job will make us want to jump out of bed and look forward to going to work every day. It may be cold and raining outside and the traffic may be snarled. Wouldn’t it be nice though to have a job that you enjoy going to most days, maybe one that includes your outside interests?
One client was seeking a job as a property manager. When we reviewed her interests, she enjoys golf. She is now a property manager of vacation properties. Someone else I know worked with cars since he was of age to work, yet pursued a degree as a film producer. He is now the film producer for an auto racing company.
Not all interests can be leveraged in the job market. It is at least worth considering. Your passion will show in the interview.
Values
In selecting and interviewing companies, you want to know your values and affirm that the company does not violate your values. From the other perspective, you may decide to target a company that actively pursues business in the sector with the same values you hold. Have two columns that answer the questions “I don’t want to work for a company that …” (based on the product they sell, values they hold etc.) and in the other column answer the questions “I want to work for a company that…”.
Example: let’s say you are into the green (ecology) principles. You would not want to work for a company that doesn’t recycle its trash. If you are really into the green principles, you may want to work for one of the eco companies (ex wind farms).
Here is one of my (lighthearted) values: I strongly prefer a particular brand of carbonated beverage. Because of that I could not work for the competitor since consuming my favorite drink would not be permitted on the office campus. That is an example of how the product a company sells may impact your choice of target companies.
To identify the line where you hold values, look at extreme cases (illegal, immoral) and work your way in until there are no strong feelings either way. Identify and include your values in your job search process.
Other STARS
You have accomplished a lot in your life and in the business world. We are not talking about securing world peace or curing cancer type accomplishments. Accomplishments are the ways you have positively impacted your world / work environment; how it was before you got there and how it was better because of you.
Do an internet search of behavioral questions and identify your STAR statements to answer each of them. Develop your answer to the question about a time you failed and in the results section include what you put into place to never repeat the same mistake; that is all the hiring manager wants to know is that you learned from it.
Approaches to Discovery
In addition to self evaluation, there are other approaches to use to get an entire picture of your aptitudes.
• Solicit feedback from your friends, family, former co-workers
People minimize the skills that come easily to them. By asking friends, family members, and former co-workers what they see as your skills, abilities, and former accomplishments, you are reminded what makes you unique.
I recently was reminded of one of my aptitudes. In a group exercise we were asked to say what we are known for. The first few people mentioned something they were known for cooking. I am known for a particular pie so I had that example ready for when I was called upon. I even thought I’d fix one of the pies that night and bring it in the next day. When the facilitator called upon me he said he wanted a work example from me. When I took some time to think about it, a co-worker sitting next to me said “are you kidding me?” by which I took to mean she knew something right off hand. She cited how, upon taking over a department, I met with internal customers. When I met with them they trusted me instantly and invited me to their internal meetings that our department had never been invited to before. Earning people’s immediate trust comes easily to me so I minimized it in myself. It is something that an employer would value though and makes me unique. You have those unique abilities too and others can help you identify them.
• Refer back to past job reviews
For those who were fortunate enough to have a boss who provided written performance reviews, you have a great source of feedback on your accomplishment and skills. Locate and review all of your former performance reviews. Take excerpts from it and add them to your inventories.
• Take assessments
There are a number of assessments you can take that will help flesh out aspects of your personality, interest, skills, and values.
Myers Brigg assessment will assess your personality. Although people who hear me speak to large crowds do not usually believe it of me: I am an introvert. All that means is that I renew my energy by being alone. When making a career decision, I need to understand that about myself and factor it in. As a public speaker, I need to build in down time before and after the event so my internal batteries don’t run low. Factor your personality into your career and company selection.
The book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath offers a good assessment tool. Inside the book there is a sealed code that you use to access an on-line assessment of your strengths.
The Department of Labor offers assessments and there are others for free on the internet. The more assessments you take the fuller, more complete of a picture you get of you.
The information you gather as part of Step 2 – Attitude helps you target the right position and company, craft your marketing materials and brand to stand out from others, develop your interview questions for the employer and your responses to interview questions, and select the right job for you.
Check out other articles published by RightChanges at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com. The archives are overflowing with articles published weekly since April.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
How to Handle the Holidays When you are in a Job Search
I heard recently that there are less than 45 days until Christmas and less than 55 days until the New Year. Where did the time go? For those in a job search, thinking about the holidays can be depressing. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be; you can use this time to take your job search to a whole new level.
Let’s start developing that plan:
1)Be reasonable with holiday spending. Being reasonable with holiday spending is great advice for everyone regardless of employment status; almost everyone wants sanity to return to the money we spend during this time of year, they just don’t want to be the first to say it. The holidays truly should be about being with family and friends and remembering the reason for the season.
This year, instead of giving multiple gifts to everyone, limit it to one gift per person and keep that gift reasonably priced. Another great approach to keep the spending down is to have all family members put their names into a bowl and have each person draw a name of the family member to get a gift for. That way each person is responsible for only buying one gift. If you draw your own name, you can either put it back and draw another or keep it and get exactly what you want.
2)Keep going. Employers may be slowing down their hiring process a bit during this time because of all of the holiday events and vacations. It does not mean they have halted hiring all together. Keeping your search active during this time may get you in the door when other job seekers have slowed down or stopped.
3)Make sure your attitude is good. The majority of people are out of work at no fault of their own. It feels personal – it’s not though. It is part of the new job market; all of us will be changing jobs more frequently than in years past. If you are still down emotionally or angry about being unemployed, read or re-read the book Who Moved My Cheese. It is a very thin book and a quick but powerful read. Realize the cheese has moved; the rules have changed. We may not like the new reality and we don’t have to like it; we just have to adapt.
Look at and appreciate the small things. Your child’s smile, sunshine, the first snowflake of the season, the ornaments on the tree, holiday lights at night, each of these can make your day if you let them.
4)Make the most of parties. At the various parties, you may be seeing people you haven’t seen in a while and meeting new people. Spend time asking them about them. Listen to what they have to say, they may say something that can help you.
When asked what you do or what you have been doing, it’s the perfect time to bring out your elevator pitch. Do not say you are unemployed. You have a full time job and it is looking for your next assignment. Reply: “I’m looking for a new opportunity as for . Do you know anyone who works or has worked at
Let’s start developing that plan:
1)Be reasonable with holiday spending. Being reasonable with holiday spending is great advice for everyone regardless of employment status; almost everyone wants sanity to return to the money we spend during this time of year, they just don’t want to be the first to say it. The holidays truly should be about being with family and friends and remembering the reason for the season.
This year, instead of giving multiple gifts to everyone, limit it to one gift per person and keep that gift reasonably priced. Another great approach to keep the spending down is to have all family members put their names into a bowl and have each person draw a name of the family member to get a gift for. That way each person is responsible for only buying one gift. If you draw your own name, you can either put it back and draw another or keep it and get exactly what you want.
2)Keep going. Employers may be slowing down their hiring process a bit during this time because of all of the holiday events and vacations. It does not mean they have halted hiring all together. Keeping your search active during this time may get you in the door when other job seekers have slowed down or stopped.
3)Make sure your attitude is good. The majority of people are out of work at no fault of their own. It feels personal – it’s not though. It is part of the new job market; all of us will be changing jobs more frequently than in years past. If you are still down emotionally or angry about being unemployed, read or re-read the book Who Moved My Cheese. It is a very thin book and a quick but powerful read. Realize the cheese has moved; the rules have changed. We may not like the new reality and we don’t have to like it; we just have to adapt.
Look at and appreciate the small things. Your child’s smile, sunshine, the first snowflake of the season, the ornaments on the tree, holiday lights at night, each of these can make your day if you let them.
4)Make the most of parties. At the various parties, you may be seeing people you haven’t seen in a while and meeting new people. Spend time asking them about them. Listen to what they have to say, they may say something that can help you.
When asked what you do or what you have been doing, it’s the perfect time to bring out your elevator pitch. Do not say you are unemployed. You have a full time job and it is looking for your next assignment. Reply: “I’m looking for a new opportunity as
- ?” If they have a contact or lead, make an agreement to meet up in a few days to talk and then get back to enjoying the party. In the next day or so, contact and meet them as agreed.
5)Continue to network. Hopefully you have already heard that only 15% of the available jobs are posted on the on-line job boards. Only 10% or less of all job seekers find a job by replying to ads. Use this time to expand your network by attending industry networking events.
When you are at a network event, use a tip from professional networkers: approach someone who is standing alone and ask about him / her. Invite someone else who is standing alone to join the two of you and introduce the person you just met. Get their business cards so you can invite them to Link In with you and meet up with them later to see how you can help each other. You may think you have nothing to offer them but people are always looking for leads and you may know someone who is a great lead for them.
6)A plan if things get slow. If activities start to slow, go back and inventory (write down) your skills, abilities, interests, values, and prior accomplishments. These are what will help you stand out from your competition.
Develop your answers to the various behavioral interview questions you may be asked. Remember those questions you hope you are not asked? Consult a professional or job networking volunteer to help you word and practice your responses so you are prepared.
7)Realize that this is temporary. No matter how bad it seems now, it is temporary. Think back to another time when you faced a major obstacle you thought you would not get passed. You did though, right?
8)There are people who really care about YOU. If you need help to stay positive, let people know or seek professional help. There are free resources available to help you if you need it.
9)Set goals. Make a list of goals for the next few months and work toward them and celebrate your successes.
Having a plan of what to do during this time to further your job search will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you survive or even enjoy the holidays even more.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Part 4 of 4)
You found the job lead, you secured an interview; you do not want to blow it now. It is important to thoroughly understand the interview process to be successful.
In Part 1, we reviewed the steps that must be completed before you are ready for an interview. We also reviewed the 1st P: Purpose and that in fact there are two distinct purposes for the interview – the employer’s purpose and yours. In Part 2, we covered the second P: Preparation and in Part 3, we discussed the actual interview; the 3rd P: Performance.
The interview is not over yet. In Part 4 – Post Interview we cover what needs to be done next. A list of interviewing tips (with do’s and don’ts) and resources for further reading on the topic of interviewing are also provided. At the end you will be given the chance to receive a checklist used to rate candidates.
Thank you. The moment you leave the interview, go back and write an electronic (e-mail) thank you. Thank each interviewer individually for his / her time and reiterate your interest in the position.
Thank you again. Do not stop with an electronic thank you though. Write a handwritten thank you note and get it out in the mail that same day. When I wrote a handwritten thank you note for one company, the managers were so impressed they ran down the hall to ask the others if they too received a note. It made me stand out as a candidate. Another company was so impressed upon receiving my note they asked HR to add the note to my personnel file.
When I write my handwritten thank you notes, I compose them on a computer first so I can develop the phrasing I want to use as well as to spell and grammar check the notes. Learn from a mistake I once made. At the company where the managers compared notes, I had not varied the message in the notes other than the names. Instead, personalize each one with something that he / she said that discovered common ground / rapport between you and / or affirms you as a great fit for the position.
Follow-up. Follow-up is the job seeker’s responsibility no matter what was said or who committed to doing it. (Note: This is also true when following up after networking.) By asking at the end of the actual interview, you know the next steps and approximate timelines for each. There are ways you can follow-up without sounding desperate or nagging. You can contact the hiring manager with a follow-up or clarifying question. Make it a good question though or she will immediately see through your ruse. Another contact can be made to just check in and see if they had any further questions.
There are other ways to stay in the minds of the decision makers. One approach is to send a copy of an article you think they would be interested in reading. Here is another approach I used. During one interview I had, the hiring manger wrote on the whiteboard while explaining information about the company and their products. I noticed that the dust created when she wiped the board off was bothering her eyes and nose. Looking closer I noticed she was using a regular whiteboard eraser. Being a gadget person (I love gadgets) I knew there was a type of eraser with peel-able strips so the dust residue can be tossed out. I immediately went out and purchased one of the new fangled erasers and mailed it with a note to her administrative assistant, whom I had not yet met. I mailed it to the admin instead of the hiring manager so the admin could be the hero by giving it to the manager; if she mentioned that I sent it, great. I stood out because I was providing a solution for a problem even before joining the company and building rapport at the same time.
Continue your job search. No matter how well the interview went and no matter what the hiring manager says about you getting the job, until you have a final offer in writing, continue your job search. Things happen sometimes. Since your next job will not be your last, you will want to continue some aspects even after you start your new job (see the articles on this blog "Job Seekers: Action Items Once You are Employed" 8/4/09 and "The Truth You Need to Know but May Not Want to Hear" 7/29/09).
While you wait to hear. While you wait to hear back, continue to pray for open and closed doors. If this is not the job for you, the one that will prosper you, and not harm you, the one that will give you a hope and a future, then you don’t really want it. Pray that the door closes on that one.
Now let’s look at the list of tips and do’s and don’ts of the interview.
Tips / Do’s and Don’ts
Cell Phones & other electronic devices. Do NOT leave your cell phone on, even on vibrate. The constant NNNN, NNNN, NNNN is just as annoying as a ring. You should turn it off before you walk into the company’s building so you do not forget. If you have a watch with an alert, turn off the alert or leave the watch in the car.
Be careful with your humor. Humor is good; just do not cross over a line that you don’t want to cross. It is better to be conservative with your humor until you know the other person better.
Know yourself. Only have things on your resume (especially technical skills) that you are familiar with enough to hold a conversation about it. I had two candidates back to back who could not explain a technical concept that was on their resumes.
Know your accomplishments and know why the company should hire you for the job. Prepare your answers ahead of time to all of the tough questions you may be asked.
Practice your handshake. Men and women should have the same handshake. If you are not used to shaking hands, you should practice and get feedback from a valued person. Even if you are used to shaking hands, you should confirm you are doing it right. I shook hands with a female salesperson once and I was shocked that she used the handshake I call the Queen Elizabeth handshake. Queen Elizabeth can use this handshake because people bow and give her hand an air kiss. No one is going to kiss your hand so do not close your hand over the fingers of the other person.
If you tend to have sweaty hands, consider running cool water over them before going into the interview. Another approach is to slyly wipe your right hand on the side of your outfit as you raise your hand up. One last suggestion is one I saw recently in response to sweaty feet and it may work for sweaty hands as well. The suggestion is to soak your hands in lukewarm tea. The tannin in the tea closes the sweat glands. Of course you will want to do this earlier in the day while you are preparing for the interview.
If you have a cold, you can excuse yourself from shaking other people’s hands by apologizing and saying you are getting over a cold and don’t want to give it to them. It will be appreciated.
Body Language. 85% of all communication is non-verbal. Body language is the most spontaneous and honest form of communication. I demonstrate this when I’m speaking to groups by saying something positive (“I’m thrilled to be here”) while using negative body language (slouchy posture, left hip out with hand on it, rolled eyes, and head tilted.) People trust what my body is saying over the words I’m using. The same goes for you. Read up on body language so you are aware of yours and so you can read the body language of others. This is a handy tool during networking as well.
Do not talk too much or too little. Many job seekers blow the interview by talking too much. This is usually not intentional; it is normally done out of nervousness but has the same results regardless. Practicing will give you a feel for where the fine line is between answering the question and giving a “brain dump”. In a recent practice interview one candidate talked so much I started counting the conjunctions (ex. “and”, “or”). She completely ignored my body language (looking at the clock, flipping my papers) and verbal queues (“okay then”) that I was ready to move on to the next question.
You don’t want to go too far the other way either. If you speak too little the interviewer may think you are hiding something.
Pay close attention to grooming. From head to toe, be sure you are giving your best impression. Some jobs are lost before the job seeker has uttered the first word. Again, a practice interview is a great place to get honest feedback about the image you are projecting.
Be sure your eyeglasses and accessories (ties, jewelry) don’t date you. Even if you are young in age, out of date accessories or eyeglasses may give the misimpression that you also let your skills get out of date.
If you do not have the right clothes for an interview and truly can’t afford them, there are organizations out there that will provide an outfit at a greatly reduced price or even for free. Don’t let an outfit stand in the way of your success.
Phone Interview tips. If you are on a phone interview, be sure to be in a quiet area without background noise. I was interviewing a candidate once who was obviously hand washing dishes while we talked. No need to say, she didn’t get the job.
Stand up while you talk so your diaphragm can expand to breathe. Standing in front of a mirror will echo your body language and you will remember to smile.
If you receive an unexpected call for a phone screening, regardless of what you are doing at the time, express your interest in talking with them, propose a couple of other times, and ask which time works for them. No company expects you to put your life on hold waiting for a call. You will not blow your chance at the job. Use the time to get your materials organized before talking; review the description of the position, the research you did on the company, take one more opportunity to review your accomplishments, and get to a quiet area.
Do not ask about salary or benefits. There is a common belief that the first person to talk about salary is at a disadvantage. There are tactics you can use to defer the salary discussion if you are asked what salary you were earning or want. The discussion about benefits should be saved for the final stages, closer to the job offer.
Do NOT lie on your resume or application. If the lessons learned by famous people are not enough to keep you from making this unforgiveable move, let me share an example from my business life. We interviewed several candidates and decided one had the experience we wanted. We extended an offer contingent on the background check and then we began the background check. All elements of the check came back except the one from the college she attended. We started to get the feeling something was wrong so we called her to see what she had to say; she said she had nothing to add and knew nothing that would explain the delay. When we finally heard back from the college we found out she had never even registered at that school. Had she told us anywhere along the line that she didn’t have a degree she would still have gotten the job; we were more impressed by her experience than her education. She didn’t get the job, though; we retracted the offer, because she lied.
Lunch interviews. Eating is not your main goal for the lunch interview. Know what not to order during a lunch interview. Use the rule of thumb that you should only order food that is easy to get on your fork and to your mouth and chew quickly. Forget spaghetti, corn on the cob, ribs, and fried chicken. Save those for your celebration dinner.
Do not talk negatively about a former company, boss, or co-worker. When you have a bad experience at a company, it is easy to talk negatively about it. Save that venting for a close friend. Talking negatively during an interview reflects negatively on you. Take this time to develop ways to word and practice talking about your bad experiences. Be sure to include what you have learned from that experience and put into place to not repeat it.
Tip to organize your information. When you go to an in-person interview, the company usually has you complete an employment application. Have your information organized by going on-line and downloading a typical employment application form. Fill it out and bring it with you, not to give them, but to use to fill out their form. Your information is all in one place and will make completing their application easier and quicker.
Resources for Further Study
101 Dynamite questions to Ask at Your Job Interview by Richard Fein
Interview Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan & Barbara Pease
For a copy of the RightChanges interview checklist, send an e-mail to Info@RightChanges.biz with the phrase Interview Checklist in the subject line.
If you are not making the progress you’d like in your job search, do what others did to get unstuck; they contacted Judi@RightChanges.biz and are now employed. You could be next. Make that next step to success now.
In Part 1, we reviewed the steps that must be completed before you are ready for an interview. We also reviewed the 1st P: Purpose and that in fact there are two distinct purposes for the interview – the employer’s purpose and yours. In Part 2, we covered the second P: Preparation and in Part 3, we discussed the actual interview; the 3rd P: Performance.
The interview is not over yet. In Part 4 – Post Interview we cover what needs to be done next. A list of interviewing tips (with do’s and don’ts) and resources for further reading on the topic of interviewing are also provided. At the end you will be given the chance to receive a checklist used to rate candidates.
Thank you. The moment you leave the interview, go back and write an electronic (e-mail) thank you. Thank each interviewer individually for his / her time and reiterate your interest in the position.
Thank you again. Do not stop with an electronic thank you though. Write a handwritten thank you note and get it out in the mail that same day. When I wrote a handwritten thank you note for one company, the managers were so impressed they ran down the hall to ask the others if they too received a note. It made me stand out as a candidate. Another company was so impressed upon receiving my note they asked HR to add the note to my personnel file.
When I write my handwritten thank you notes, I compose them on a computer first so I can develop the phrasing I want to use as well as to spell and grammar check the notes. Learn from a mistake I once made. At the company where the managers compared notes, I had not varied the message in the notes other than the names. Instead, personalize each one with something that he / she said that discovered common ground / rapport between you and / or affirms you as a great fit for the position.
Follow-up. Follow-up is the job seeker’s responsibility no matter what was said or who committed to doing it. (Note: This is also true when following up after networking.) By asking at the end of the actual interview, you know the next steps and approximate timelines for each. There are ways you can follow-up without sounding desperate or nagging. You can contact the hiring manager with a follow-up or clarifying question. Make it a good question though or she will immediately see through your ruse. Another contact can be made to just check in and see if they had any further questions.
There are other ways to stay in the minds of the decision makers. One approach is to send a copy of an article you think they would be interested in reading. Here is another approach I used. During one interview I had, the hiring manger wrote on the whiteboard while explaining information about the company and their products. I noticed that the dust created when she wiped the board off was bothering her eyes and nose. Looking closer I noticed she was using a regular whiteboard eraser. Being a gadget person (I love gadgets) I knew there was a type of eraser with peel-able strips so the dust residue can be tossed out. I immediately went out and purchased one of the new fangled erasers and mailed it with a note to her administrative assistant, whom I had not yet met. I mailed it to the admin instead of the hiring manager so the admin could be the hero by giving it to the manager; if she mentioned that I sent it, great. I stood out because I was providing a solution for a problem even before joining the company and building rapport at the same time.
Continue your job search. No matter how well the interview went and no matter what the hiring manager says about you getting the job, until you have a final offer in writing, continue your job search. Things happen sometimes. Since your next job will not be your last, you will want to continue some aspects even after you start your new job (see the articles on this blog "Job Seekers: Action Items Once You are Employed" 8/4/09 and "The Truth You Need to Know but May Not Want to Hear" 7/29/09).
While you wait to hear. While you wait to hear back, continue to pray for open and closed doors. If this is not the job for you, the one that will prosper you, and not harm you, the one that will give you a hope and a future, then you don’t really want it. Pray that the door closes on that one.
Now let’s look at the list of tips and do’s and don’ts of the interview.
Tips / Do’s and Don’ts
Cell Phones & other electronic devices. Do NOT leave your cell phone on, even on vibrate. The constant NNNN, NNNN, NNNN is just as annoying as a ring. You should turn it off before you walk into the company’s building so you do not forget. If you have a watch with an alert, turn off the alert or leave the watch in the car.
Be careful with your humor. Humor is good; just do not cross over a line that you don’t want to cross. It is better to be conservative with your humor until you know the other person better.
Know yourself. Only have things on your resume (especially technical skills) that you are familiar with enough to hold a conversation about it. I had two candidates back to back who could not explain a technical concept that was on their resumes.
Know your accomplishments and know why the company should hire you for the job. Prepare your answers ahead of time to all of the tough questions you may be asked.
Practice your handshake. Men and women should have the same handshake. If you are not used to shaking hands, you should practice and get feedback from a valued person. Even if you are used to shaking hands, you should confirm you are doing it right. I shook hands with a female salesperson once and I was shocked that she used the handshake I call the Queen Elizabeth handshake. Queen Elizabeth can use this handshake because people bow and give her hand an air kiss. No one is going to kiss your hand so do not close your hand over the fingers of the other person.
If you tend to have sweaty hands, consider running cool water over them before going into the interview. Another approach is to slyly wipe your right hand on the side of your outfit as you raise your hand up. One last suggestion is one I saw recently in response to sweaty feet and it may work for sweaty hands as well. The suggestion is to soak your hands in lukewarm tea. The tannin in the tea closes the sweat glands. Of course you will want to do this earlier in the day while you are preparing for the interview.
If you have a cold, you can excuse yourself from shaking other people’s hands by apologizing and saying you are getting over a cold and don’t want to give it to them. It will be appreciated.
Body Language. 85% of all communication is non-verbal. Body language is the most spontaneous and honest form of communication. I demonstrate this when I’m speaking to groups by saying something positive (“I’m thrilled to be here”) while using negative body language (slouchy posture, left hip out with hand on it, rolled eyes, and head tilted.) People trust what my body is saying over the words I’m using. The same goes for you. Read up on body language so you are aware of yours and so you can read the body language of others. This is a handy tool during networking as well.
Do not talk too much or too little. Many job seekers blow the interview by talking too much. This is usually not intentional; it is normally done out of nervousness but has the same results regardless. Practicing will give you a feel for where the fine line is between answering the question and giving a “brain dump”. In a recent practice interview one candidate talked so much I started counting the conjunctions (ex. “and”, “or”). She completely ignored my body language (looking at the clock, flipping my papers) and verbal queues (“okay then”) that I was ready to move on to the next question.
You don’t want to go too far the other way either. If you speak too little the interviewer may think you are hiding something.
Pay close attention to grooming. From head to toe, be sure you are giving your best impression. Some jobs are lost before the job seeker has uttered the first word. Again, a practice interview is a great place to get honest feedback about the image you are projecting.
Be sure your eyeglasses and accessories (ties, jewelry) don’t date you. Even if you are young in age, out of date accessories or eyeglasses may give the misimpression that you also let your skills get out of date.
If you do not have the right clothes for an interview and truly can’t afford them, there are organizations out there that will provide an outfit at a greatly reduced price or even for free. Don’t let an outfit stand in the way of your success.
Phone Interview tips. If you are on a phone interview, be sure to be in a quiet area without background noise. I was interviewing a candidate once who was obviously hand washing dishes while we talked. No need to say, she didn’t get the job.
Stand up while you talk so your diaphragm can expand to breathe. Standing in front of a mirror will echo your body language and you will remember to smile.
If you receive an unexpected call for a phone screening, regardless of what you are doing at the time, express your interest in talking with them, propose a couple of other times, and ask which time works for them. No company expects you to put your life on hold waiting for a call. You will not blow your chance at the job. Use the time to get your materials organized before talking; review the description of the position, the research you did on the company, take one more opportunity to review your accomplishments, and get to a quiet area.
Do not ask about salary or benefits. There is a common belief that the first person to talk about salary is at a disadvantage. There are tactics you can use to defer the salary discussion if you are asked what salary you were earning or want. The discussion about benefits should be saved for the final stages, closer to the job offer.
Do NOT lie on your resume or application. If the lessons learned by famous people are not enough to keep you from making this unforgiveable move, let me share an example from my business life. We interviewed several candidates and decided one had the experience we wanted. We extended an offer contingent on the background check and then we began the background check. All elements of the check came back except the one from the college she attended. We started to get the feeling something was wrong so we called her to see what she had to say; she said she had nothing to add and knew nothing that would explain the delay. When we finally heard back from the college we found out she had never even registered at that school. Had she told us anywhere along the line that she didn’t have a degree she would still have gotten the job; we were more impressed by her experience than her education. She didn’t get the job, though; we retracted the offer, because she lied.
Lunch interviews. Eating is not your main goal for the lunch interview. Know what not to order during a lunch interview. Use the rule of thumb that you should only order food that is easy to get on your fork and to your mouth and chew quickly. Forget spaghetti, corn on the cob, ribs, and fried chicken. Save those for your celebration dinner.
Do not talk negatively about a former company, boss, or co-worker. When you have a bad experience at a company, it is easy to talk negatively about it. Save that venting for a close friend. Talking negatively during an interview reflects negatively on you. Take this time to develop ways to word and practice talking about your bad experiences. Be sure to include what you have learned from that experience and put into place to not repeat it.
Tip to organize your information. When you go to an in-person interview, the company usually has you complete an employment application. Have your information organized by going on-line and downloading a typical employment application form. Fill it out and bring it with you, not to give them, but to use to fill out their form. Your information is all in one place and will make completing their application easier and quicker.
Resources for Further Study
101 Dynamite questions to Ask at Your Job Interview by Richard Fein
Interview Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan & Barbara Pease
For a copy of the RightChanges interview checklist, send an e-mail to Info@RightChanges.biz with the phrase Interview Checklist in the subject line.
If you are not making the progress you’d like in your job search, do what others did to get unstuck; they contacted Judi@RightChanges.biz and are now employed. You could be next. Make that next step to success now.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Part 3 of 4)
You found the job lead, you secured an interview; you do not want to blow it now. It is important to thoroughly understand the interview process to be successful.
In Part 1, we reviewed the steps that must be completed before you are ready for an interview. We also reviewed the 1st P: Purpose and that in fact there are two distinct purposes for the interview – the employer’s purpose and yours.
In Part 2, we covered the second P: Preparation.
In Part 3, we will discuss the actual interview; the 3rd P: Performance.
Pray: Praying for peace and wisdom is a great way to begin the day of the interview.
Arrival: You want to arrive at the reception area 5-10 minutes ahead of the appointed time. Do not arrive more than 10 minutes ahead though. When I go on an interview I plan to arrive in the area at least 30 minutes ahead of time to allow extra time in the event something unexpected happens on the drive. Because I familiarized myself with the area ahead of time, I already picked out a location to wait until it is time to drive to the company’s property and head into the reception area.
If you left for the destination with plenty of extra time and something catastrophic happens (an interstate is shut down due to an accident), call the interviewer at that moment (which should be well ahead of the appointed time) and explain the situation. Offer to contact him when more information about your status is known or to go ahead and reschedule at his convenience.
Be courteous to everyone you meet. Your interview begins before you set foot on the company property. The person who cuts you off in traffic may be the hiring manager rushing to get to the office before your appointment. Keep in mind that receptionists are valuable sources of information for the hiring manger. The hiring manger does not even have to specifically solicit their opinions. After the hiring manager walks the candidate out the front door, receptionists sometimes make a simple statement such as “she was so nice” or “he was so rude” and that could easily impact your chances. Even what you do while waiting in the reception area may be factored into the hiring decision.
Smile! Breathe! There are two things that many nervous interviewers forget to do: smile and breathe. If you are likely to forget to relax and smile and breathe, you may want to write yourself a note that you periodically see during the interview to remind you.
Meet their need. The company has a need that will be met by hiring the right person. Their need is not to give you a job. You want to determine what that need is and address your points to how you can help meet their needs.
Use your STARs. In the answers to the interview questions, you want to add weight to your answers (anchor them) by using your STAR statements. You could easily say “I have done that before and I can do it again” but really anyone can say that. It is not enough to state at which company you had that experience. You want to share the situation or task you faced, the actions you took, and the results you achieved to make your answer real for the interviewer.
Listen! Too many job seekers feel this is their only chance to share their skills and do what I refer to as a brain dump, sharing everything that is in their head. Using the cliché “we have two ears and one mouth for a reason” we should do twice as much listening as talking. The best conversationalist is one who does most of the listening. During the interview, many hiring managers will share valuable information in their side comments that could be missed if the job seeker is not listening intently. By listening you can understand what they are looking for and address what you say to those points.
Ask questions! Asking questions shows your interest in the interviewer and in what the interviewer is saying; it is one approach to active listening. You do not have to wait until the end of the interview to ask questions either. Throughout the interview, as needed, ask clarifying questions based on what the interviewer said. Ask the interviewer how long she has been with the company, what she likes best, what she thinks is the biggest challenge for the company, where she worked before joining the company, and what she feels are the traits in a successful candidate. Be sure to ask questions to determine if this is a good company and good position for you. Do not ask any questions that could easily be answered by searching on-line. You also do not want to ask something the interviewer already addressed so listen closely. One last question you can ask is what concerns they have about your ability to perform the job that you can address.
What to do before you leave. There are several steps you want to take before you leave the interviewer.
You want to thank them for their time.
You want to express your sincere interest in the position (if you are interested).
You want to ask her the next steps in the interview process and timeframes. If she answers with the next steps but not with the timeframe (or vice versa) you can repeat what they said (active listening) and ask the other question again. The hiring manager or company recruiter may not have exact timeframes but she should have an estimated timeframe for the hiring process.
Get the business card of every interviewer. If some of the interviewers don’t have business cards, get the spelling of their names and their e-mail addresses. Do not assume the spelling of their name (ex. my name is Judy but I spell it with an “i”). If you didn’t see their names on their name plates outside of their offices and you left without getting this information, you can call back to the person on the switchboard who can give you the correct spelling as long as you have the name.
You understood the dual purpose for the interview, you prepared, and you performed well because you practiced. The interview is not over yet. In the next installment of the 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Part 4 – Post Interview) we will cover what needs to be done next. We will also list tips, resources for further reading on the topic of interviewing, and a way to receive a checklist interviewers use to review candidates.
In Part 1, we reviewed the steps that must be completed before you are ready for an interview. We also reviewed the 1st P: Purpose and that in fact there are two distinct purposes for the interview – the employer’s purpose and yours.
In Part 2, we covered the second P: Preparation.
In Part 3, we will discuss the actual interview; the 3rd P: Performance.
Pray: Praying for peace and wisdom is a great way to begin the day of the interview.
Arrival: You want to arrive at the reception area 5-10 minutes ahead of the appointed time. Do not arrive more than 10 minutes ahead though. When I go on an interview I plan to arrive in the area at least 30 minutes ahead of time to allow extra time in the event something unexpected happens on the drive. Because I familiarized myself with the area ahead of time, I already picked out a location to wait until it is time to drive to the company’s property and head into the reception area.
If you left for the destination with plenty of extra time and something catastrophic happens (an interstate is shut down due to an accident), call the interviewer at that moment (which should be well ahead of the appointed time) and explain the situation. Offer to contact him when more information about your status is known or to go ahead and reschedule at his convenience.
Be courteous to everyone you meet. Your interview begins before you set foot on the company property. The person who cuts you off in traffic may be the hiring manager rushing to get to the office before your appointment. Keep in mind that receptionists are valuable sources of information for the hiring manger. The hiring manger does not even have to specifically solicit their opinions. After the hiring manager walks the candidate out the front door, receptionists sometimes make a simple statement such as “she was so nice” or “he was so rude” and that could easily impact your chances. Even what you do while waiting in the reception area may be factored into the hiring decision.
Smile! Breathe! There are two things that many nervous interviewers forget to do: smile and breathe. If you are likely to forget to relax and smile and breathe, you may want to write yourself a note that you periodically see during the interview to remind you.
Meet their need. The company has a need that will be met by hiring the right person. Their need is not to give you a job. You want to determine what that need is and address your points to how you can help meet their needs.
Use your STARs. In the answers to the interview questions, you want to add weight to your answers (anchor them) by using your STAR statements. You could easily say “I have done that before and I can do it again” but really anyone can say that. It is not enough to state at which company you had that experience. You want to share the situation or task you faced, the actions you took, and the results you achieved to make your answer real for the interviewer.
Listen! Too many job seekers feel this is their only chance to share their skills and do what I refer to as a brain dump, sharing everything that is in their head. Using the cliché “we have two ears and one mouth for a reason” we should do twice as much listening as talking. The best conversationalist is one who does most of the listening. During the interview, many hiring managers will share valuable information in their side comments that could be missed if the job seeker is not listening intently. By listening you can understand what they are looking for and address what you say to those points.
Ask questions! Asking questions shows your interest in the interviewer and in what the interviewer is saying; it is one approach to active listening. You do not have to wait until the end of the interview to ask questions either. Throughout the interview, as needed, ask clarifying questions based on what the interviewer said. Ask the interviewer how long she has been with the company, what she likes best, what she thinks is the biggest challenge for the company, where she worked before joining the company, and what she feels are the traits in a successful candidate. Be sure to ask questions to determine if this is a good company and good position for you. Do not ask any questions that could easily be answered by searching on-line. You also do not want to ask something the interviewer already addressed so listen closely. One last question you can ask is what concerns they have about your ability to perform the job that you can address.
What to do before you leave. There are several steps you want to take before you leave the interviewer.
You want to thank them for their time.
You want to express your sincere interest in the position (if you are interested).
You want to ask her the next steps in the interview process and timeframes. If she answers with the next steps but not with the timeframe (or vice versa) you can repeat what they said (active listening) and ask the other question again. The hiring manager or company recruiter may not have exact timeframes but she should have an estimated timeframe for the hiring process.
Get the business card of every interviewer. If some of the interviewers don’t have business cards, get the spelling of their names and their e-mail addresses. Do not assume the spelling of their name (ex. my name is Judy but I spell it with an “i”). If you didn’t see their names on their name plates outside of their offices and you left without getting this information, you can call back to the person on the switchboard who can give you the correct spelling as long as you have the name.
You understood the dual purpose for the interview, you prepared, and you performed well because you practiced. The interview is not over yet. In the next installment of the 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Part 4 – Post Interview) we will cover what needs to be done next. We will also list tips, resources for further reading on the topic of interviewing, and a way to receive a checklist interviewers use to review candidates.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Part 2 of 4)
You found the job lead, you secured an interview; you do not want to blow it now. It is important to thoroughly understand the interview process to be successful.
In Part 1, we reviewed the steps that must be completed before you are ready for an interview. We also reviewed the 1st P: Purpose and that in fact there are two distinct purposes for the interview – the employer’s purpose and yours.
In Part 2, we will cover the second P: Preparation.
Practice, practice, practice! An invaluable way to prepare for an interview is to practice interviewing and solicit feedback. Many job networking groups offer interview workshops. Having the practice interview filmed by a job search coach will allow you to see how you come off in the interview. How is your body language? Do you forget to smile out of nervousness? Do you move your hands about while talking to a point of distraction? Do you talk too much? It is better to find out when a job is not on the line.
Network into the company. Even though you have the interview scheduled, it is not too late to use your contacts and Linked In network to network into the company. It will help you stand out if people in the company approach the hiring manager and say they heard she is interviewing you and that they know and are impressed with you. That will help you stand out from the other candidates.
Get inside information. Conduct informational interviews with current and past employees to understand the best aspects and the not so great aspects of working for the company and the hiring manager.
Research the company. You need to know everything that is on the company’s web site and you need to know more than that. Check out the company’s financials. Check out the company’s competition and check out all of the news articles that have been published about the company. You may also want to check out the blogs to see what is being said about the company by disgruntled customers and former employees.
Your questions. Develop a list of questions you need answered. During your aptitude assessments and inventories you determined what environment you need to flourish. You determined what style of manager you work best with. Ask questions about the company, the department, the position, the manager, and how the current economy has impacted the company.
Study your STARs. You inventoried and documented your previous accomplishments. Review that list so they are embedded in your memory. You will want to have these stories at the ready for the behavioral interview questions (“Tell me about a time….”).
Drive there. Unless you are very familiar with the location, drive there ahead of time. Doing so will let you know if there is anything unexpected about the route like construction and give you the layout of the property and parking so that does not add to your stress the day of the interview.
Do’s and Don’ts. Another part of the preparation is to review the interview do’s and don’ts (included in part 4).
Pray. The best preparation you can do is to pray. Pray for peace and calm. Pray for wisdom and that if the job is not right for you, doors will be closed.
If you prepare well for the interview, you will be more confident during the actual interview.
Part 3 – Performance
In the next installment of the 4 P’s of a Successful Interview series, we will discuss performance - the actual interview itself.
In Part 1, we reviewed the steps that must be completed before you are ready for an interview. We also reviewed the 1st P: Purpose and that in fact there are two distinct purposes for the interview – the employer’s purpose and yours.
In Part 2, we will cover the second P: Preparation.
Practice, practice, practice! An invaluable way to prepare for an interview is to practice interviewing and solicit feedback. Many job networking groups offer interview workshops. Having the practice interview filmed by a job search coach will allow you to see how you come off in the interview. How is your body language? Do you forget to smile out of nervousness? Do you move your hands about while talking to a point of distraction? Do you talk too much? It is better to find out when a job is not on the line.
Network into the company. Even though you have the interview scheduled, it is not too late to use your contacts and Linked In network to network into the company. It will help you stand out if people in the company approach the hiring manager and say they heard she is interviewing you and that they know and are impressed with you. That will help you stand out from the other candidates.
Get inside information. Conduct informational interviews with current and past employees to understand the best aspects and the not so great aspects of working for the company and the hiring manager.
Research the company. You need to know everything that is on the company’s web site and you need to know more than that. Check out the company’s financials. Check out the company’s competition and check out all of the news articles that have been published about the company. You may also want to check out the blogs to see what is being said about the company by disgruntled customers and former employees.
Your questions. Develop a list of questions you need answered. During your aptitude assessments and inventories you determined what environment you need to flourish. You determined what style of manager you work best with. Ask questions about the company, the department, the position, the manager, and how the current economy has impacted the company.
Study your STARs. You inventoried and documented your previous accomplishments. Review that list so they are embedded in your memory. You will want to have these stories at the ready for the behavioral interview questions (“Tell me about a time….”).
Drive there. Unless you are very familiar with the location, drive there ahead of time. Doing so will let you know if there is anything unexpected about the route like construction and give you the layout of the property and parking so that does not add to your stress the day of the interview.
Do’s and Don’ts. Another part of the preparation is to review the interview do’s and don’ts (included in part 4).
Pray. The best preparation you can do is to pray. Pray for peace and calm. Pray for wisdom and that if the job is not right for you, doors will be closed.
If you prepare well for the interview, you will be more confident during the actual interview.
Part 3 – Performance
In the next installment of the 4 P’s of a Successful Interview series, we will discuss performance - the actual interview itself.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The 4 P’s of a Successful Interview (Part 1 of 4)
You found the job lead, you secured an interview; you do not want to blow it now. It is important to thoroughly understand the interview process to be successful.
According to the Crossroads Career Services ™ program, there are 6 steps (copyrighted by Crossroads Career Services) to the job search that build upon each other. Since Interview is Step 5, let us be sure we have completed the first 4 foundational steps.
Step 1- Attitude. You completed the first step if you have allowed yourself to go through the stages of grieving (anger, depression, among others) to the stage of accepting the loss. You need to have reached the point of looking for the opportunity that is ahead. If you do not address attitude, it will come out at the most inopportune times such as in the midst of an interview. You cannot fake a good attitude. A bad attitude will show in your body language, your word choice, or in the energy you need for the job search. If you are still struggling with your attitude, do not go on the interview.
Step 2 – Aptitude. You can’t sell a product (for instance a laptop computer) unless you know how it works and what makes it better than the competition’s. The same goes for selling your skills and abilities. You can check off the second step if you solicited feedback from your friends, family, and former co-workers and identified and documented your skills, abilities, values, interests, and prior accomplishments in STAR format. You must be able to articulate your skills and prior accomplishments and how a company will solve the problem they have by hiring you.
Step 3 – Altitude. Step 3 is considered complete if you identified target companies that are a fit for you. Go back to the analogy of selling a laptop. You would not want to sell a laptop at the neighborhood drug store for a couple of reasons. First, most people do not consider the neighborhood drug store as a main source for laptops. Second, if you saw a laptop for sale in the neighborhood drug store, you would probably consider it lower quality purely based on where it is being sold. You, as a job seeker, want to identify your right place: who is hiring and where you would like to work.
The first three steps are like the legs of a three-legged stool. If the stool is missing a leg, it does not function well and is not worth much. In the same way, if you have not completed the first three steps, do not go any further. Without addressing these steps you will be sabotaging your own job search efforts.
Step 4 – Search. Before you began step 4, you should have created all of your marketing material of which the resume is only 1 piece. Since the on-line job boards list only 15% of the available jobs and less than 15% of people find a job using the job boards, you spent at least 75% of your time networking to find the leads to your target market. This step continues until you land your job.
Once you complete these first steps and you secure an interview (Step 5 – Sort), you want to understand the 4 P’s of a successful interview. We will discuss each one in detail. The 4 P’s are as follows:
Purpose
Preparation
Performance
Post-Interview
Part 1 of this article will cover the first P: Purpose.
There are actually two different purposes for an interview. There is the employer’s purpose for the interview and there is your purpose for the interview.
The First Purpose – The Employer’s
The employer’s purpose for the interview is to sort out candidates through a series of questions and tests to identify the best candidate based on her skills and experience who will also be the best fit for the team and the company.
The Second Purpose – Yours
Your purpose for the interview is more complex.
You want to use this time to build rapport with the interviewers so that you stand out from your competition in their minds, leaving them with the distinct impression that they want to work with you and need you for their business.
From the interview process you want to affirm the problem the company is looking to solve by hiring the person they seek. With the current economic climate, companies are not hiring people without having a driving reason to do so. You need to find out that driving reason, the pain point they have and are trying to solve.
You need to understand what they believe makes a successful candidate. What traits do they value? What experience are they seeking? What abilities will make the candidate the right fit? What prior accomplishments will convince them you are can do the job?
You in turn want to share your previous accomplishments that support why the company will benefit by hiring you. Remember the inventory of accomplishments you inventories during Step 2? You want to use your STARs of prior performance as an indication of future performance.
You also want to understand the hiring process and the next steps.
Understanding the two different purposes for the interview, the employer’s and yours, you will be able to focus on the other P’s.
In Part 2, we’ll discuss the preparation required for an interview.
For more information on many of the topics mentioned in this article, read the previously published RightChanges articles at
RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com.
Attitude
How to Stay Positive in a Job Search (4/15/09)
There is No Shame in Being Unemployed (10/7/09)
The Truth You Need to Know But May Not Want to Hear (7/29/09)
Truths About the New Job Market (9/22/09)
Aptitude
You Have to Know You to Sell You (4/29/09)
The Power of Your STAR Statements (6/1/09)
Mandatory Requirements are NOT Always Mandatory (5/27/09)
Altitude
Helpful, Miscellaneous Job Seeker Tips (9/30/09)
What May be Keeping You Unemployed (8/18/09)
Marketing Materials
The Most Powerful Cover Letter (5/21/09)
The Underutilized Job Search Tool: The Informational Interview Parts 1 & 2 (6/8/09 & 6/18/09)
Resume Tune Up (7/14/09)
An Extra Tip Regarding the T Cover Letter (7/26/09)
What Document is as Valuable to a Job Seeker as a Great Resume? (8/11/09)
Another Item in a Successful Job Seeker’s Marketing Materials (8/26/09)
Search
Metro ATL area: As Powerful as the Book of Lists (7/6/09)
How to Network if You are Not Good at It (9/10/09)
When You Can’t Find Something – You Change Your Perspective: Try it With Your Job Search Too (9/16/09)
Job Seekers Should Take a Lesson from Successful Businesses (5/13/09)
According to the Crossroads Career Services ™ program, there are 6 steps (copyrighted by Crossroads Career Services) to the job search that build upon each other. Since Interview is Step 5, let us be sure we have completed the first 4 foundational steps.
Step 1- Attitude. You completed the first step if you have allowed yourself to go through the stages of grieving (anger, depression, among others) to the stage of accepting the loss. You need to have reached the point of looking for the opportunity that is ahead. If you do not address attitude, it will come out at the most inopportune times such as in the midst of an interview. You cannot fake a good attitude. A bad attitude will show in your body language, your word choice, or in the energy you need for the job search. If you are still struggling with your attitude, do not go on the interview.
Step 2 – Aptitude. You can’t sell a product (for instance a laptop computer) unless you know how it works and what makes it better than the competition’s. The same goes for selling your skills and abilities. You can check off the second step if you solicited feedback from your friends, family, and former co-workers and identified and documented your skills, abilities, values, interests, and prior accomplishments in STAR format. You must be able to articulate your skills and prior accomplishments and how a company will solve the problem they have by hiring you.
Step 3 – Altitude. Step 3 is considered complete if you identified target companies that are a fit for you. Go back to the analogy of selling a laptop. You would not want to sell a laptop at the neighborhood drug store for a couple of reasons. First, most people do not consider the neighborhood drug store as a main source for laptops. Second, if you saw a laptop for sale in the neighborhood drug store, you would probably consider it lower quality purely based on where it is being sold. You, as a job seeker, want to identify your right place: who is hiring and where you would like to work.
The first three steps are like the legs of a three-legged stool. If the stool is missing a leg, it does not function well and is not worth much. In the same way, if you have not completed the first three steps, do not go any further. Without addressing these steps you will be sabotaging your own job search efforts.
Step 4 – Search. Before you began step 4, you should have created all of your marketing material of which the resume is only 1 piece. Since the on-line job boards list only 15% of the available jobs and less than 15% of people find a job using the job boards, you spent at least 75% of your time networking to find the leads to your target market. This step continues until you land your job.
Once you complete these first steps and you secure an interview (Step 5 – Sort), you want to understand the 4 P’s of a successful interview. We will discuss each one in detail. The 4 P’s are as follows:
Purpose
Preparation
Performance
Post-Interview
Part 1 of this article will cover the first P: Purpose.
There are actually two different purposes for an interview. There is the employer’s purpose for the interview and there is your purpose for the interview.
The First Purpose – The Employer’s
The employer’s purpose for the interview is to sort out candidates through a series of questions and tests to identify the best candidate based on her skills and experience who will also be the best fit for the team and the company.
The Second Purpose – Yours
Your purpose for the interview is more complex.
You want to use this time to build rapport with the interviewers so that you stand out from your competition in their minds, leaving them with the distinct impression that they want to work with you and need you for their business.
From the interview process you want to affirm the problem the company is looking to solve by hiring the person they seek. With the current economic climate, companies are not hiring people without having a driving reason to do so. You need to find out that driving reason, the pain point they have and are trying to solve.
You need to understand what they believe makes a successful candidate. What traits do they value? What experience are they seeking? What abilities will make the candidate the right fit? What prior accomplishments will convince them you are can do the job?
You in turn want to share your previous accomplishments that support why the company will benefit by hiring you. Remember the inventory of accomplishments you inventories during Step 2? You want to use your STARs of prior performance as an indication of future performance.
You also want to understand the hiring process and the next steps.
Understanding the two different purposes for the interview, the employer’s and yours, you will be able to focus on the other P’s.
In Part 2, we’ll discuss the preparation required for an interview.
For more information on many of the topics mentioned in this article, read the previously published RightChanges articles at
RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com.
Attitude
How to Stay Positive in a Job Search (4/15/09)
There is No Shame in Being Unemployed (10/7/09)
The Truth You Need to Know But May Not Want to Hear (7/29/09)
Truths About the New Job Market (9/22/09)
Aptitude
You Have to Know You to Sell You (4/29/09)
The Power of Your STAR Statements (6/1/09)
Mandatory Requirements are NOT Always Mandatory (5/27/09)
Altitude
Helpful, Miscellaneous Job Seeker Tips (9/30/09)
What May be Keeping You Unemployed (8/18/09)
Marketing Materials
The Most Powerful Cover Letter (5/21/09)
The Underutilized Job Search Tool: The Informational Interview Parts 1 & 2 (6/8/09 & 6/18/09)
Resume Tune Up (7/14/09)
An Extra Tip Regarding the T Cover Letter (7/26/09)
What Document is as Valuable to a Job Seeker as a Great Resume? (8/11/09)
Another Item in a Successful Job Seeker’s Marketing Materials (8/26/09)
Search
Metro ATL area: As Powerful as the Book of Lists (7/6/09)
How to Network if You are Not Good at It (9/10/09)
When You Can’t Find Something – You Change Your Perspective: Try it With Your Job Search Too (9/16/09)
Job Seekers Should Take a Lesson from Successful Businesses (5/13/09)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
There is no Shame in being Unemployed
There is no shame in being unemployed. The people who feel shame do not understand that the job market changed and that the out-of-date belief they hold and resulting feeling of shame is negatively impacting their ability to get a job.
Entering the job market without an awareness of the changes is like walking into a dark room and being told to go to the other side. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face so you surely can’t see where the other side of the room is, less how to get there. Most job seekers stumble around in the dark and, although they are working as hard as they can, they are getting nowhere.
Understanding the new truths about the job market is like turning on a light in that room. Although it is not a place you want to spend a lot of time, you can see where you are going, avoid the obstacles along the way, and you can get where you are going faster.
How the Market Changed
There are some major changes that occurred resulting in the new job market.
In my grandfather’s day, if you didn’t have a job, you were a bum. There were many jobs available and anyone willing to work hard could easily find a job. Back then, companies rewarded loyal, good performers with assurances of a job and retirement benefits. The Baby Boomer and earlier generations expected to work for a single company their entire career and receive a pension and gold watch when they retired.
Fast forward to today: The day of the gold watch retirement is over. Most companies no longer reward longevity with pension plans; many are even discontinuing the company match for 401K plans. Industries that have never done so before are laying off people. Even good performers are being “right sized” or “downsized” purely for financial reasons.
That means many of the unemployed are unemployed at no fault of their own. You were most likely adding value to your company and performing beyond the call of duty. It does not matter. Companies are having to cut back because of the economy and are letting good people, like you, go. Go to the many job networking meetings in town. We could create a fabulous company with all of the talent in the room.
There was probably nothing you could have done to prevent being impacted. You will see articles and books on how to recession proof your job. Although there are actions you can take to minimize the chances, there is nothing you can do to guarantee you are not cut from the company. Even if you own the company, companies are going out of business every day and if your company is one of those, you too are without a job.
The other major change in the job market is that your next job will not be your last. In the past anyone who changed jobs every 2-3 years was considered a job hopper and not favored for employment. Today, anyone who has worked for one company for over 10 years is at a disadvantage. The belief today is that anyone with that type of longevity with a single company probably has limited skills and experiences, whether or not that is true.
When asked what one word of advice he has for recent graduates, a famous author replied ”Do not spend 5 years getting 2 years worth of experience”. The new statistic being quoted is that most people will have 4 careers and 18 different jobs in their lifetimes.
Consider the home phone as an analogy for the job market. Your grandparents or great grandparents probably had only one phone in the house and it was hard-wired in a central location such as the kitchen or at the bottom of the stairs. If the phone was ripped out of the wall, it would leave a hole in the wall and loose wires.
Today, if there is a home phone, it is modular and there is an outlet in every room. You plug the phone into the outlet and when needed, you can cleanly unplug it and plug it in elsewhere. In the new job market, you plug into your new job, you work well, and you unplug cleanly when the time is right, leaving nothing behind, and cleanly plug into another company and work well there.
The market changed and it was not put up for a vote. There is no shame at being unemployed and your next job will not be your last. The only shame is when job seekers do not take the time to understand the new market and do what it takes to be successful. Let go of any shame you feel, get to know the new job market, and once you get that next job, do what you need to in order to prepare for the next job transition.
Pass the Word
Please share this article and others at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com with your spouse, family, and friends so they too can better understand the new job market. If they haven’t been on the job market recently, they will be one day and this bit of information will help.
Entering the job market without an awareness of the changes is like walking into a dark room and being told to go to the other side. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face so you surely can’t see where the other side of the room is, less how to get there. Most job seekers stumble around in the dark and, although they are working as hard as they can, they are getting nowhere.
Understanding the new truths about the job market is like turning on a light in that room. Although it is not a place you want to spend a lot of time, you can see where you are going, avoid the obstacles along the way, and you can get where you are going faster.
How the Market Changed
There are some major changes that occurred resulting in the new job market.
In my grandfather’s day, if you didn’t have a job, you were a bum. There were many jobs available and anyone willing to work hard could easily find a job. Back then, companies rewarded loyal, good performers with assurances of a job and retirement benefits. The Baby Boomer and earlier generations expected to work for a single company their entire career and receive a pension and gold watch when they retired.
Fast forward to today: The day of the gold watch retirement is over. Most companies no longer reward longevity with pension plans; many are even discontinuing the company match for 401K plans. Industries that have never done so before are laying off people. Even good performers are being “right sized” or “downsized” purely for financial reasons.
That means many of the unemployed are unemployed at no fault of their own. You were most likely adding value to your company and performing beyond the call of duty. It does not matter. Companies are having to cut back because of the economy and are letting good people, like you, go. Go to the many job networking meetings in town. We could create a fabulous company with all of the talent in the room.
There was probably nothing you could have done to prevent being impacted. You will see articles and books on how to recession proof your job. Although there are actions you can take to minimize the chances, there is nothing you can do to guarantee you are not cut from the company. Even if you own the company, companies are going out of business every day and if your company is one of those, you too are without a job.
The other major change in the job market is that your next job will not be your last. In the past anyone who changed jobs every 2-3 years was considered a job hopper and not favored for employment. Today, anyone who has worked for one company for over 10 years is at a disadvantage. The belief today is that anyone with that type of longevity with a single company probably has limited skills and experiences, whether or not that is true.
When asked what one word of advice he has for recent graduates, a famous author replied ”Do not spend 5 years getting 2 years worth of experience”. The new statistic being quoted is that most people will have 4 careers and 18 different jobs in their lifetimes.
Consider the home phone as an analogy for the job market. Your grandparents or great grandparents probably had only one phone in the house and it was hard-wired in a central location such as the kitchen or at the bottom of the stairs. If the phone was ripped out of the wall, it would leave a hole in the wall and loose wires.
Today, if there is a home phone, it is modular and there is an outlet in every room. You plug the phone into the outlet and when needed, you can cleanly unplug it and plug it in elsewhere. In the new job market, you plug into your new job, you work well, and you unplug cleanly when the time is right, leaving nothing behind, and cleanly plug into another company and work well there.
The market changed and it was not put up for a vote. There is no shame at being unemployed and your next job will not be your last. The only shame is when job seekers do not take the time to understand the new market and do what it takes to be successful. Let go of any shame you feel, get to know the new job market, and once you get that next job, do what you need to in order to prepare for the next job transition.
Pass the Word
Please share this article and others at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com with your spouse, family, and friends so they too can better understand the new job market. If they haven’t been on the job market recently, they will be one day and this bit of information will help.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Helpful, Miscellaneous Job Search Tips
Since April, Judi Adams of RightChanges “The Affordable Job Search Coach” has been publishing lengthy articles on essential topics related to the new job market. There are miscellaneous tips, however, that do not rate an entire article by themselves so we have been accumulating them to publish together. Here you go:
How to handle an unexpected phone screen or phone interview
You worked hard to network into the company and when you least expect it you get a phone call from a company representative to ask you a few questions. Some job seekers make the mistake of taking the call unprepared because they are concerned if they don’t speak right then, they will not get the chance again. This can be a fatal
mistake.
Human Resource representatives and recruiters realize that if they call without an appointment, you may be in the middle of something. It is totally acceptable to say (without elaborating) that you welcome the chance to talk with them and propose alternate times asking which works best. Even if you are not in the middle of something, this will give you time to organize your materials and thoughts and get to a quiet room where you can talk without background noises. You will interview better with that moment of preparation.
Another use for your business cards
Personal / job search business cards are an essential job seeker’s marketing tool especially for networking. Even once you are employed you should have personal
business cards available as you continue to network.
If you want to change information on the card such as job title or brand statement, you may wonder what you can do with the old cards. If the contact information is still current consider using the extra cards this way: place a card in every pocket of your luggage and briefcase. Even if your luggage tag gets separated from your luggage during transit, the airline will have the information they need to reunite you with your valuables.
A great resource for identifying your target companies
If you live in one of the following metro areas, you have the great fortune to have a BizJournal as an invaluable source of information on what is happening in the businesses in your locale. Job seekers should subscribe or visit a local library and read cover to cover this weekly journal to find out what businesses are moving to town or starting a new project. If you are considering relocation to one of these cities, the BizJournal is a great source of information.
BizJournal publications:
Albany, NY
The Business Review (Albany)
Albuquerque
New Mexico Business Weekly
Atlanta
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Austin
Austin Business Journal
Baltimore
Baltimore Business Journal
Birmingham
Birmingham Business Journal
Boston
Boston Business Journal
Buffalo
Business First
Charlotte
Charlotte Business Journal
Cincinnati
Business Courier
Columbus
Business First
Dallas
Dallas Business Journal
Dayton
Dayton Business Journal
Denver
Denver Business Journal
Triad
The Business Journal
Houston
Houston Business Journal
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Business Journal
Kansas City
Kansas City Business Journal
Louisville
Business First
Memphis
Memphis Business Journal
Milwaukee
The Business Journal
Minneapolis
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Nashville
Nashville Business Journal
Orlando
Orlando Business Journal
Honolulu
Pacific Business News
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Business Journal
Phoenix
Phoenix Business Journal
Portland
Portland Business Journal
Raleigh / Triangle
Triangle Business Journal
Sacramento
Sacramento Business Journal
San Antonio
San Antonio Business Journal
San Francisco
San Francisco Business Times
San Jose
Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal
Seattle
Puget Sound Business Journal
South Fla
South Florida Business Journal
St. Louis
St. Louis Business Journal
Tampa
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Washington
Washington Business Journal
Wichita
Wichita Business Journal
Another resource that is invaluable for identifying your target companies is the Book of Lists. BizJournal and other business publications (like Crains in Chicago) compile and publish on an annual basis a list of all companies in a metro area grouped by various categories. Job seekers should read this book cover to cover and list companies that are of interest to research further as possible target companies.
The following is a list of the available Book of Lists:
Albany
Albuquerque
Allentown
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Birmingham
Boston
Buffalo
Charleston
Charlotte
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dallas
Dayton
Denver
Detroit
East Bay
El Paso
Grand Rapids
Greensboro/Winston-Salem
Greenville
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jackson
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Louisville
Memphis
Milwaukee
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Nashville
New Brunswick
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Orange County
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland
Providence
Raleigh/Durham
Sacramento
San Antonio
San Diego
San Fernando Valley
San Francisco
San Jose
Santa Barbara
Santa Rosa
Seattle
South Florida
St. Louis
Syracuse
Tampa Bay
Washington DC
Western Michigan
White Plains
Wichita
Make the most of these resources in your job search.
Naming your e-mail attachments
Too often job seekers name the resume and cover letter documents for their convenience without consideration for the person receiving the documents or what the name used may communicate.
Consider the following real file names: (note: MyName is the person’s name)
Resume1.doc – Hiring managers get thousands of documents with this exact name making it hard to store electronically
Resu.doc – Resu was not part of the person’s name. Were they too lazy to even spell out the word resume?
TheRightManager.doc – too cheesy
MyNameOct12007 – It may be handy to you to have the date you revised or posted the resume however, on the resume it indicates how long you have been looking. It will end up being your expiration date.
MyNameVersion99.doc –version 99 indicates the person has gone through a lot of revisions and is not confident with the resume.
Naming the file using your name, the job title, and the word “resume” in any order is a safe way to go. Be careful when abbreviating words such as assistant so you don’t spell something unintentionally.
A step toward corporate independence
One of the truths about the new job market is that your next job will not be your last; you will be on the job market again. The job market has gone the way of the home phone. In the past, the phone was hard wired in the house and there was usually only one phone that served the entire house. Today, if there is a home phone, it is modular and there is an outlet in every room. You plug the phone into the outlet, it works well and if needed you unplug it and plug it into another outlet where it works equally well. This is an analogy for the new job market. No longer do people have only one company or job. It is estimated that in today’s job market, people will have 4 careers and 18 different jobs in their life.
One of the aspects of corporate life that makes the transition harder and more complicated is benefits. If an employee or family member has a preexisting condition, the employee may feel handcuffed to the company. Since longevity at a company is now not as likely, and as companies are cutting back on benefits such as pension plans and 401K company match, employees have already started creating their own retirement plans. Everyone should consider going one step further and get independent life and health insurance. Do not let dependence on company benefits keep you from making a move that benefits you, your career, and family.
It can be the little things that make or break your job search or make you more productive. If you have other ideas and are willing to share them for possible publication by RightChanges, send them to Info@RightChanges.biz
How to handle an unexpected phone screen or phone interview
You worked hard to network into the company and when you least expect it you get a phone call from a company representative to ask you a few questions. Some job seekers make the mistake of taking the call unprepared because they are concerned if they don’t speak right then, they will not get the chance again. This can be a fatal
mistake.
Human Resource representatives and recruiters realize that if they call without an appointment, you may be in the middle of something. It is totally acceptable to say (without elaborating) that you welcome the chance to talk with them and propose alternate times asking which works best. Even if you are not in the middle of something, this will give you time to organize your materials and thoughts and get to a quiet room where you can talk without background noises. You will interview better with that moment of preparation.
Another use for your business cards
Personal / job search business cards are an essential job seeker’s marketing tool especially for networking. Even once you are employed you should have personal
business cards available as you continue to network.
If you want to change information on the card such as job title or brand statement, you may wonder what you can do with the old cards. If the contact information is still current consider using the extra cards this way: place a card in every pocket of your luggage and briefcase. Even if your luggage tag gets separated from your luggage during transit, the airline will have the information they need to reunite you with your valuables.
A great resource for identifying your target companies
If you live in one of the following metro areas, you have the great fortune to have a BizJournal as an invaluable source of information on what is happening in the businesses in your locale. Job seekers should subscribe or visit a local library and read cover to cover this weekly journal to find out what businesses are moving to town or starting a new project. If you are considering relocation to one of these cities, the BizJournal is a great source of information.
BizJournal publications:
Albany, NY
The Business Review (Albany)
Albuquerque
New Mexico Business Weekly
Atlanta
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Austin
Austin Business Journal
Baltimore
Baltimore Business Journal
Birmingham
Birmingham Business Journal
Boston
Boston Business Journal
Buffalo
Business First
Charlotte
Charlotte Business Journal
Cincinnati
Business Courier
Columbus
Business First
Dallas
Dallas Business Journal
Dayton
Dayton Business Journal
Denver
Denver Business Journal
Triad
The Business Journal
Houston
Houston Business Journal
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Business Journal
Kansas City
Kansas City Business Journal
Louisville
Business First
Memphis
Memphis Business Journal
Milwaukee
The Business Journal
Minneapolis
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Nashville
Nashville Business Journal
Orlando
Orlando Business Journal
Honolulu
Pacific Business News
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Business Journal
Phoenix
Phoenix Business Journal
Portland
Portland Business Journal
Raleigh / Triangle
Triangle Business Journal
Sacramento
Sacramento Business Journal
San Antonio
San Antonio Business Journal
San Francisco
San Francisco Business Times
San Jose
Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal
Seattle
Puget Sound Business Journal
South Fla
South Florida Business Journal
St. Louis
St. Louis Business Journal
Tampa
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Washington
Washington Business Journal
Wichita
Wichita Business Journal
Another resource that is invaluable for identifying your target companies is the Book of Lists. BizJournal and other business publications (like Crains in Chicago) compile and publish on an annual basis a list of all companies in a metro area grouped by various categories. Job seekers should read this book cover to cover and list companies that are of interest to research further as possible target companies.
The following is a list of the available Book of Lists:
Albany
Albuquerque
Allentown
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Birmingham
Boston
Buffalo
Charleston
Charlotte
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dallas
Dayton
Denver
Detroit
East Bay
El Paso
Grand Rapids
Greensboro/Winston-Salem
Greenville
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jackson
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Louisville
Memphis
Milwaukee
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Nashville
New Brunswick
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Orange County
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland
Providence
Raleigh/Durham
Sacramento
San Antonio
San Diego
San Fernando Valley
San Francisco
San Jose
Santa Barbara
Santa Rosa
Seattle
South Florida
St. Louis
Syracuse
Tampa Bay
Washington DC
Western Michigan
White Plains
Wichita
Make the most of these resources in your job search.
Naming your e-mail attachments
Too often job seekers name the resume and cover letter documents for their convenience without consideration for the person receiving the documents or what the name used may communicate.
Consider the following real file names: (note: MyName is the person’s name)
Resume1.doc – Hiring managers get thousands of documents with this exact name making it hard to store electronically
Resu.doc – Resu was not part of the person’s name. Were they too lazy to even spell out the word resume?
TheRightManager.doc – too cheesy
MyNameOct12007 – It may be handy to you to have the date you revised or posted the resume however, on the resume it indicates how long you have been looking. It will end up being your expiration date.
MyNameVersion99.doc –version 99 indicates the person has gone through a lot of revisions and is not confident with the resume.
Naming the file using your name, the job title, and the word “resume” in any order is a safe way to go. Be careful when abbreviating words such as assistant so you don’t spell something unintentionally.
A step toward corporate independence
One of the truths about the new job market is that your next job will not be your last; you will be on the job market again. The job market has gone the way of the home phone. In the past, the phone was hard wired in the house and there was usually only one phone that served the entire house. Today, if there is a home phone, it is modular and there is an outlet in every room. You plug the phone into the outlet, it works well and if needed you unplug it and plug it into another outlet where it works equally well. This is an analogy for the new job market. No longer do people have only one company or job. It is estimated that in today’s job market, people will have 4 careers and 18 different jobs in their life.
One of the aspects of corporate life that makes the transition harder and more complicated is benefits. If an employee or family member has a preexisting condition, the employee may feel handcuffed to the company. Since longevity at a company is now not as likely, and as companies are cutting back on benefits such as pension plans and 401K company match, employees have already started creating their own retirement plans. Everyone should consider going one step further and get independent life and health insurance. Do not let dependence on company benefits keep you from making a move that benefits you, your career, and family.
It can be the little things that make or break your job search or make you more productive. If you have other ideas and are willing to share them for possible publication by RightChanges, send them to Info@RightChanges.biz
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Truths About the New Job Market
One of the first things a job seeker must do in finding a new job is to understand how the job market has changed. Most job seekers quickly learn that the market is different; they just don’t take the time to understand the ways in which it has changed and what they must do to be successful in it.
Entering the job market without an awareness of the changes is like walking into a dark room and being told to go to the other side. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face so you surely can’t see where the other side of the room is, less how to get there. Most job seekers stumble around in the dark and, although they are working as hard as they can, they are getting nowhere.
Understanding the new truths about the job market is like turning on a light in that room. Although it is not a place you want to spend a lot of time, you can see where you are going, avoid the obstacles along the way, and you can get where you are going faster.
Here are some of the major changes that make up the new job market.
1) The day of the gold watch retirement is over
In the past, companies rewarded loyal employees who performed well with assurances of a job and retirement benefits.
Fast forward to today: Most companies are no longer rewarding longevity with pension plans; many are even discontinuing the company match for 401K plans. Industries that have never done so before are laying off people and even good performers are being “right sized” or “downsized” purely for financial reasons.
2) Your next job will not be your last
In the past anyone who changed jobs every 2-3 years was considered a job hopper and not favored for employment. Today, anyone who has worked for one company for over 10 years is at a disadvantage. The belief today is that the skills and experiences of anyone with that type of longevity with a single company are probably limited.
When asked what one word of advice he would have for recent graduates, a famous author recently said ”Do not spend 5 years getting 2 years worth of experience”. The new statistic being quoted is that most people will have 4 careers and 18 different jobs in their lifetimes.
Consider the home phone as an analogy for the job market. Your grandparents or great grandparents probably had only one phone in the house hard-wired in a central location such as the kitchen or at the bottom of the stairs. If the phone was ripped out of the wall, it would leave a hole in the wall and loose wires.
Today, if there is a home phone, it is modular and there is an outlet in every room. You plug the phone into the outlet and when needed, you can cleanly unplug it and plug it in elsewhere. In the new job market, you plug into your new job, you work well, and you unplug cleanly when the time is right, leaving nothing behind, and cleanly plug into another company and work well there.
3) Although not a new approach, networking is THE way to find and land a job.
Networking has always been a successful approach to finding a job. In the past though, responding to ads in the paper also worked.
Today it is rare to find a newspaper job advertisement since most companies have their own on-line job boards. There are also hundreds if not thousands of general and industry specific job boards. The job seeker needs to understand, though, that only 15% of the available jobs are listed. 85% of the available jobs make up the “hidden” job market and cannot be found on any of the job boards.
It is through networking that job seekers will find the hidden job market and it is through networking that a job seeker will be able to stand out from other job seekers who just mailed in their resumes.
4) Credentials are not sufficient, STARs are needed as well
In landing the next job, it is not only important what education and certificates you have, it is also important to be able to communicate your previous accomplishments and abilities using the details of actual stories (STARs). Find out the problem the company is looking to solve by hiring the right person and use your STARs to state what you bring to address that need.
We were not asked if we wanted the changes that have occurred to the job market; they just happened. To survive and thrive, job seekers must adapt and the first step to adapting is to understand how the market has changed.
Written by: Judi Adams, founder and senior job search coach of RightChanges, “The Affordable Job Search Coach”.
Entering the job market without an awareness of the changes is like walking into a dark room and being told to go to the other side. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face so you surely can’t see where the other side of the room is, less how to get there. Most job seekers stumble around in the dark and, although they are working as hard as they can, they are getting nowhere.
Understanding the new truths about the job market is like turning on a light in that room. Although it is not a place you want to spend a lot of time, you can see where you are going, avoid the obstacles along the way, and you can get where you are going faster.
Here are some of the major changes that make up the new job market.
1) The day of the gold watch retirement is over
In the past, companies rewarded loyal employees who performed well with assurances of a job and retirement benefits.
Fast forward to today: Most companies are no longer rewarding longevity with pension plans; many are even discontinuing the company match for 401K plans. Industries that have never done so before are laying off people and even good performers are being “right sized” or “downsized” purely for financial reasons.
2) Your next job will not be your last
In the past anyone who changed jobs every 2-3 years was considered a job hopper and not favored for employment. Today, anyone who has worked for one company for over 10 years is at a disadvantage. The belief today is that the skills and experiences of anyone with that type of longevity with a single company are probably limited.
When asked what one word of advice he would have for recent graduates, a famous author recently said ”Do not spend 5 years getting 2 years worth of experience”. The new statistic being quoted is that most people will have 4 careers and 18 different jobs in their lifetimes.
Consider the home phone as an analogy for the job market. Your grandparents or great grandparents probably had only one phone in the house hard-wired in a central location such as the kitchen or at the bottom of the stairs. If the phone was ripped out of the wall, it would leave a hole in the wall and loose wires.
Today, if there is a home phone, it is modular and there is an outlet in every room. You plug the phone into the outlet and when needed, you can cleanly unplug it and plug it in elsewhere. In the new job market, you plug into your new job, you work well, and you unplug cleanly when the time is right, leaving nothing behind, and cleanly plug into another company and work well there.
3) Although not a new approach, networking is THE way to find and land a job.
Networking has always been a successful approach to finding a job. In the past though, responding to ads in the paper also worked.
Today it is rare to find a newspaper job advertisement since most companies have their own on-line job boards. There are also hundreds if not thousands of general and industry specific job boards. The job seeker needs to understand, though, that only 15% of the available jobs are listed. 85% of the available jobs make up the “hidden” job market and cannot be found on any of the job boards.
It is through networking that job seekers will find the hidden job market and it is through networking that a job seeker will be able to stand out from other job seekers who just mailed in their resumes.
4) Credentials are not sufficient, STARs are needed as well
In landing the next job, it is not only important what education and certificates you have, it is also important to be able to communicate your previous accomplishments and abilities using the details of actual stories (STARs). Find out the problem the company is looking to solve by hiring the right person and use your STARs to state what you bring to address that need.
We were not asked if we wanted the changes that have occurred to the job market; they just happened. To survive and thrive, job seekers must adapt and the first step to adapting is to understand how the market has changed.
Written by: Judi Adams, founder and senior job search coach of RightChanges, “The Affordable Job Search Coach”.
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