The mind quickly turns to mush when not used regularly. Job seekers who have been on the shelf for a bit often struggle to pull thoughts together on the fly. I’ve been there. When I re-entered the business community after time away as a stay-at-home mom, my mind would blank and my words would dissolve on my tongue. Keeping up with challenging conversations and offering commentary in a concise and effective way is tough when your brain is out of practice. Considering job seekers need to be in top form, it is crucial to stoke your mental fires frequently so you aren’t left tripping over your lips during important conversations. Stuffing your brain full of all the world wide web has to offer isn’t enough. Frequent dialogue with other professionals is where it’s at.
What to do? Paula Burton, an unemployed Human Resources professional you will meet in a future blog, suggests staying plugged into the professional channels and organizations you would be involved with if you were employed. “Just because you don’t have a job doesn’t mean you can’t behave like you do!” Paula is right and she does an excellent job of this. She plays an active role in key community and professional associations. In addition to the visibility her activity gives her job search, she is well practiced at conveying ideas and up to speed on trends in her area of expertise.
Follow Paula’s lead and nurture your brain while unemployed.
Yesterday my 2 year old son came running to me. “Mommy! Mommy! I put my car away!” Exciting stuff considering he rarely puts anything away without a lot of prompting. He beamed with pride. I gave him a supportive hug as I looked around the playroom. His car was where it should be, but the rest of the playroom was a disaster. Because it was an improvement for him, we celebrated. Though David putting that one car away spoke to his potential, it was a far cry from what I will expect of him in the very near future. Soon he will have the job of putting away all of his toys, and perhaps even some of his sister’s, before any kudos are extended. He’s shown me he has the capacity. What’s left is buy in and recognition of the bigger picture.
I’m talking about David and his car because I frequently encounter job seekers patting themselves on the back for doing not so much. They are making the case they are right for the job because in a previous job they did a fraction of what was needed at the time. They were the top sales person, but everyone else stunk and their own numbers were dismal. They networked at professional events all over town, but had few business transactions and relationships with key decision makers to claim as a result. They redesigned the accounts payable process so invoices could be dealt with more efficiently, but aged receivables at 90+ days ballooned under their watch. Unlike David who is too young to fully grasp what is expected of him and understand celebrating one car in its place is a bit silly considering the other messes surrounding him, these individuals should be beyond that stage. When a candidate makes a big deal over things I consider ‘big whoop’ in the grand scheme of things, I’m left to wonder if they don’t recognize they weren’t pulling their weight, don’t care or think I’m easily impressed. Any interviewer worth is his salt is going to try to define the scope of accomplishments you reference.
I’ve been reading some articles on turning non-jobs into real jobs, non-jobs being temporary positions through staffing firms. Boy do I get prickly about statements like that. I’ve heard people refer to entry level and labor positions as “not real” also. Though the articles usually give great advice on how to turn a temporary opportunity into something more long term, the very suggestion the job, or any job for that matter, isn’t real is off the mark.
The harm in referring to any job that pays you in return for your actions as “not real” is twofold. First, if you are shrugging off a job as “not real” or a “non-job” in front of a business owner, you’re not going to impress him. It doesn’t matter if the job you are referencing has any connection to that business owner’s company. Anyone who has ever paid someone to do a job will tell you the job they were cutting checks for was real. It may have been running a cash register, cleaning bathrooms, filing paperwork and the like, but the functions were important to the business. Hearing anyone speak of non-jobs will likely remind that person of employees who treated a position as if was below them or a priority so long as nothing else important was going on. That’s not the impression you want to make when rubbing elbows in the business community or sitting across the desk selling yourself to a “real job” in an interview.
The second problem is it invites the potential for taking the job less seriously. For those of you who aren’t aware, I started my career in recruiting working with a temporary staffing agency. It was common practice for people to call off of work last minute, quit with no notice, dink around on the job and then justify their actions with “well, it’s not a real job.” Pardon me? Tell that to my corporate client paying a hefty mark-up on a service because the company couldn’t do without having someone in the role. Whether or not the employees viewed the job as real, my eventual low opinion of their work ethic was far from imaginary. It was always tempting to pay those individuals in Monopoly money. If the job wasn’t real, why should the paycheck be?
Take care with how you refer to and view jobs that may be temporary in nature or out of your professional norm. It’s fine indicate a job is/was temporary or more for cash flow than enhancing your resume, but do so with the understanding anything you are being paid to do is very real to the person handing over the George Washington’s and anyone who has been in the position to do the same. The job may not be relevant, but it is real.
I joked the other day about not wanting to blog and then changing my mind after taking in the compliments of a reader. Well, today I’m really not going to blog. I’ve been trying all morning and the words aren’t coming right. They are muddled and overdone. The problem isn’t a lack of things to talk about, but too much. I have so much to say today and my mind isn’t functioning well enough to pull it off effectively. Plastering up substandard work on the internet, whose memory is better than an elephant’s, just isn’t a good idea. Coincidentally, this morning a friend of mine tweeted the quote “Breathe. Know that the internet has no eraser. ~unknown” It’s true.
Because I can’t let the moment pass without sharing some nugget of wisdom, I encourage job seekers to be honest with themselves when they are having an off day. Know when you need to say “tomorrow.” You’ll have better results submitting a stellar application tomorrow than submitting something not up to snuff today. It is important to make an effort before throwing in the towel though. The last time I was going to skip a blog post I simply didn’t want to write that day. I hadn’t even tried. Not good. Today it’s not that I don’t want to, I just can’t. Tomorrow I can though. And I will.
My normally light brown hair is nearly black today. What happened? My stylist went a little nuts with the color last Friday. When she turned me to face the mirror, after all was said and done, my eyes about fell out of my head. “You’ll get used to it,” she said. Well, I’m on day 5 and the disconnect between my view of myself and what I see in the mirror remains. It’s possible strangers who meet me for the first time would consider it a good look for me. Those who know me well, including myself, know the truth. It’s just not Lisa.
I’m sharing my hair crisis with you for a reason. The feeling I had when I looked in the mirror wasn’t unlike what some feel when a professional resume writer shows them their finished resume. “That’s me?!” Is it though? Did the professional you trusted to make you look good pull off a successful result and capture your identity in the process? A sensational looking resume that fails to capture the real you is a flop. It may fool those who don’t take the time to get to know you, but anyone who digs deeper will notice.
Please don’t think I’m dissing professional resume writers. They can do wonders for your job search. Just because my stylist blew my color doesn’t mean I could have done a great job on my own. What I’m saying is the results you get from the professional are only as good as the understanding that person has of what you are looking to do and who you are as a person. Had my stylist and I talked through things a bit more she’d of known the color wouldn’t go over well with me. If I’d been more adamant with her when I suspected she was going off course the outcome would have been different. It’s easy to surrender our involvement and trust the professional to do his or her thing. That’s not in either party’s best interest, however.
As for my hair, I don’t have time to fix it this week. People who cross paths with me for the near future are going to be greeted by the raven haired Lisa. There is nothing I can do about it. I will get it corrected as soon as possible. What’s worse than presenting myself to people looking like this is the thought this Lisa, who isn’t the real me, may somehow replace the genuine version in some minds. That will never do.
Landing a job is far from the end of the interview process. More people are realizing employment is a continuous effort of proving relevance, selling yourself to greater responsibilities, gaining credibility and building on an already positive impression. Sadly, I’ve met several laid-off professionals who may have been spared the pink slip had they taken the time to periodically explore all of the ways they could contribute to their employer’s bottom line.
Job seekers are well aware of the importance of selling prospective employers on their value now and over time. We can’t get a job without showing how we can benefit a company, what makes us think we can keep a job without doing so? Many times it’s not that individuals fail to do their job well, they simply do their job without bothering to figure out how they fit the company’s vision for the future. It’s a shame to see companies lay-off staff and replace them with fresh blood when the existing employees could have adjusted and thrived.
I can imagine some thinking companies should do more to figure out new ways employees can contribute to the organization. True, but why put the onus exclusively on them? Individuals who hold a portion of the reins have much more control of the outcome. Proactively seeking out ways you can help your employer be more efficient, profitable, visible and relevant increases the odds you will have a job tomorrow. Why rely on someone else, who may only view you as the (insert function) guy, to come up with new ways for you to be worthy of a paycheck? The company doesn’t have nearly as much incentive to reinvent you as you do. Sure, they do benefit from low turnover, but you are the one without a paycheck if they decide there are better options to spend money on.
This morning I was running late. Normally I leave the house at 8:00 to get my daughter to preschool on time. It wasn’t to be today. At 8:20 my daughter was half dressed, arguing the need to wear black patent leather shoes with running pants and demanding she have time to finish drawing her snowman so he wouldn’t be heartbroken over the lack of balloons in his picture. 4 year old logic escapes me. Needless to say, we were significantly behind schedule.
Running late brings out certain qualities in people, yes? I’m not proud to say I joined the ranks of those cursing red lights, raging at indecisive drivers, looking for short cuts and entertaining risks I normally wouldn’t consider. It was a dramatically different experience from the days I’ve been on time. When on or ahead of schedule traffic lights, fellow drivers, obstacles and slow downs barely register.
Once I got my daughter to school and was able to take a breath, it occurred to me how similar my behavior today was to those who are behind the eight ball with their job search efforts. Those who are behind in the process of looking for a job have a frantic sense of urgency, limited patience with hiring managers, a tendency to make hasty decisions rooted in desperation versus strategy and a willingness to assign blame to those they encounter along the way instead of realizing their own contribution to the stressful situation.
So, what’s a person to do? First, accept what you are late for today cannot be undone. Racing like a fool and raging at the world won’t change a thing. You might as well accept your fate and do your best not to make an already unfortunate situation worse with poor decisions and behavior. Second, make a commitment to get an earlier start moving forward. Being late today doesn’t mean you have to be late tomorrow. Unlike a commute, job searches may take more than a day to get back on schedule. You can do it if you stay focused on closing the gap between where you are and where you should be.
That’s it for today. Now I’m off to hunt down blogs offering stellar advice on dealing with stubborn 4 year olds.
Let me give you a taste of a conversation I had today with someone looking for advice on an upcoming interview. His name isn’t really Tony, by the way.
Me: “Tell me about the job you are interviewing for.”
Tony: “From what I can tell (insert some guesses). It seems reasonable they would want (insert some more guesses). What’s likely happening is (yes, more guesses).”
Let me start by saying Tony is a great candidate with a lot to offer an organization. He is making a common mistake, however. Instead of nailing down the exact job description with the company, he is doing his best to guess what the job is from an internet job posting, word of mouth and intuition. Guessing isn’t good enough. To adequately prepare for the interview Tony needs a clear understanding of the job. That can only be accomplished by asking the company to provide whatever information it has on the job’s scope.
Through the years I’ve met many individuals with a sketchy idea, at best, of jobs they were preparing to interview for. Some only knew the title. Others had a few lines from a newspaper ad or internet posting to work from. When I’ve challenged how much they’ve left to guesswork, they’ve pushed back that they’d get more information during the interview. Guess what? That’s too late! Your chances of pulling relevant information out of your brain on the fly, while under pressure, aren’t good. Nope, the ideal situation is to know what you are attempting to sell yourself to ahead of time so you can have a plan to cover key aspects of your background.
Back to Tony. When I suggested he contact the hiring manager and request a job description, his response was that he’d thought to do that, but didn’t want to rock the boat with the employer. I understand not wanting to be a pest, but candidates having the job description actually benefits the employer. It helps ensure the candidate is actually interested in the job, allows the candidate to come prepared with all relevant information and spares the interviewer the task of outlining the job during the interview. Never mind it helps cement the impression the candidate is the type to look before leaping. Businesses lose so much in time and productivity because employees don’t bother identifying the true scope of a project or problem. Showing you recognize the importance of proper preparation is a plus.
So, what did Tony do with my suggestion? He acted on it. He immediately saw the benefit to both parties in him having the information. He contacted the person coordinating the interview, made the request and is now in possession of a detailed description. His odds of selling himself appropriately in the interview have gone up substantially. Good for Tony! I’ll still cross my fingers for him next week, I just won’t have to cross them so hard since he won’t be relying as heavily on luck.
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it gives life to a job search! Those who invite curiosity into their efforts are much more likely to experience a positive outcome. The curious job seeker wonders:
- What is going on in my community and how does it affect my profession?
- What does that new piece of legislation mean for business?
- Who are the movers and shakers and how do I reach them?
- What does the person sitting across from me care about?
- How can I help a networking contact or potential hiring manager?
- What are other job seekers doing that works?
- What am I lacking that is compromising my marketability?
- What about my efforts could be hindering results?
- What are my former colleagues doing these days?
- Who do I know who may be connected to corporate decision makers?
- What are companies trying to accomplish? What are they stressing about?
The list goes on. Job seekers with the capacity to be curious automatically open themselves up to valuable information and ideas. Those who never ask questions of themselves or others end up simply going through the motions without rhyme or reason. I’m not saying questions must always be posed aloud to others. Sometimes just having the question in your mind is enough to open your eyes to answers that have been right in front of you all along.
Time to talk specifically to older candidates again. I’m still hearing complaints about companies not wanting to hire older workers. It’s hard to put a number on what age qualifies a person to be “old.” I’ve heard it from 40 and beyond.
Is age discrimination really about your age? Age could very well be the true issue in some instances. I saw true age discrimination most often when smaller companies were fretting over how to reduce benefit costs. Smaller firms top heavy with older partners struggle with the temptation to hire a younger candidate to keep premiums from becoming prohibitive. Can you blame them? Of course, it’s not legal to go that route. Let’s be honest and admit they’d be stupid not to give it some thought. They have a business to run. Businesses live and die based on the ability to reduce expenses.
The example above aside, age discrimination, in my experience, is rarely about the number of years the person has spent on the planet. More significant than actual age is how equipped the candidate is with modern amenities. Modern amenities are what make the sale happen. Too often older candidates haven’t updated what they have to offer. Just like older homes are less likely to sell if they haven’t been outfitted with cable and air conditioning, older candidates who aren’t strong on the computer and staying on top of current trends will soon find themselves undesirable. It makes sense. It’s not about being unfair. If employers have options that won’t require upgrading or doing without, they will take them. The only thing likely to sway them is if the option lacking in amenities comes at a low enough price to make it worth while. As tacky as it sounds, if your skills are out of date you are a fixer-upper and can’t command top market price.
Many of the individuals I meet who are in this situation dig in their heels. They are quick to talk about age discrimination, but slow to accept what they could do to change their circumstances. There are more resources than ever available to people interested in upgrading their skills. When I talk to them about social media, Excel, PowerPoint and the like, they wave their hands at me. “I shouldn’t have to learn that at this point in my life,” is a common response. Really? Why ever not? If you truly wish to continue working, where is the logic in not learning the modern way of doing things?
It really is a tricky situation. I know it’s frustrating. Keep in mind we all have similar criteria when it comes to buying things. We want modern amenities. I don’t see older candidates driving cars without radios and power steering. Are they discriminating against 40+ year old cars? No. Age isn’t the true factor. We all expect those who want our business to provide the comforts of today. Be fair to employers and realize they share the same expectations.
