The Career Encouragement Blog

Good Advice for Job Seekers

The longer I engage in the work of running search committees and listening to hiring managers debrief candidates, the more I become convinced that most job seekers stand or fall on the basics.  It's painful to see potentially qualified candidates "blow it" because the make one of many classic errors in their cover letter (e.g., "I, me, I"), their resume (e.g., 3 pages riddled with typos), or the interview (e.g., dissing the receptionist in the lobby or failing to shake hands).

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share some of those basic errors in the job search in order to help job seekers be more successful in their quest.  Jason Monastra at Lambentpath has done the same thing.  A veteran recruiter, Jason blogs about job search tips and strategies to help seekers be successful. 

I like his recent posting on having a professional e-mail address.  I've had candidates with e-mail addresses like "supermodelwannabe" and "gottafish."  Monikers like that are fun for friends and family, but unfortunately can distract potential employers from more important things in your cover letter and resume.

I also like that his postings are instructive and encouraging rather than snarky.  If you are conducting a job search in these competitive times, take a look around Jason's blog and you'll find some good advice and encouragement!

The Purpose of a Resume

Recently I was talked to the HR Coordinator at one of my client companies.  Karen is a seasoned professional who has been in the workforce for sometime now.  We were reviewing resumes for an open position and commenting on how wordy one of the cover letters was when she made the following observation:

"Years ago, my boss told me that the purpose of a cover letter is to get them interested in looking at your resume.  The purpose of the resume is to get them interested enough to invite you in for an interview.  The interview is where you get the job."

How very basic - and yet how still true today.  For more on developing your resume, check out some of the great postings at Bullseye Resumes.

How NOT to Respond to Rejection

I recently filled a position for a company.  It came down to two finalists - let's call them Dierdre and Fred.  Both had strong backgrounds and references, but Dierdre consistently outshone Fred through out the interview process that included meetings with the Hiring Manager, a panel of peers, and the Owner of the company.  She was more prepared for the interviews, more articulate, more assertive about her ideas for how she could contribute, and generally more fun to interview.

As I conversed with the hiring manager about which candidate to make an offer to, we agreed that we would make the offer to Dierdre.  We also agreed that Fred was a strong player but just not right for this role.  We discussed another position that we expected to come open within the next couple of months that might be a good match for him.  I sent Fred a personalized letter thanking him for the time and interest he had invested in the company, acknowledging his considerable skills, and suggesting that we would save his resume and perhaps talk again in the future.  To my dismay I received this e-mail in response:

"Thank you for your response.  Obviously, I had wished that it had been a more positive message.  Personally, I thought my skill set and those required for the position were a reasonably good match."

Fred's passive-aggressive e-mail demonstrates both poor judgment and poor communication skills and confirms our choice of Deidre for the position.  It also ensures that we won't be contacting him if and when the other position opens up. 

The moral of the story is: whether you win the job or not, be gracious.  You never know what other opportunities may be available for you, and being petty will never get you anywhere worthwhile. 

Dressing for Success

Our friend Jason found out that he will have a second interview this week.  He e-mailed me the following question:

Question: What can/should I wear to my interview tomorrow?  I wore a navy suit last week. The hiring manager had a golf polo, khaki pants, and brown loafers. The  President stopped by for 10-15 minutes. He wore dress pants and a dress shirt with no tie.  Do I need to wear a suit again? Would it be acceptable to wear a shirt and tie without a jacket? Or do I need to skip the tie and dress like the President was dressed?

First, I love it that Jason is not afraid to ask any question, no matter how small, in order to prep for this interview.  I don't care whether he takes my advice or not - ultimately he has to decide what will work for him.  But I love that he's willing to check and see what other perspectives have to offer.  I also like that he is not taking for granted that he first heard of the opportunity through a family friend.

I was back-to-back with client stuff today so I fired off a quick reply:  

Slacks, sport coat, and open necked shirt (polo or collarless would be fine).  I'd keep the jacket because you don't know if they had one hanging in their office.  Ditch the tie so you don't look like a) you are trying to one-up them, and b) you can't read an environment. (Note - I also included info about Nordstrom half-yearly men's sale this week and their fabulous Smartcare shirts for men!)

What do you think?  What would you have told him?

A New Twist on References

Young and Frugal has an interesting posting on asking a potential employer for references - that's right, before you take a job with a company, ask if you can have some references on the boss and his leadership style.  I'm intrigued. I've advised people to do their background research before accepting a new job, but never specifically suggested that candidates ask for references on the boss. 

As someone who does staffing consulting and runs a lot of search committees, I can't say I'm opposed to the idea.  Like everything, I suppose it's all about how the idea is put into action.  I could see being impressed with a candidate who asked for references on the boss.  I could also envision being put off by it, depending on how it's done.  With that thought in mind, here are a few do's and don'ts to consider...

• DO keep in mind that the interview process is about finding a match between your skills and interests and the potential employers needs and opportunities.  Therefore, position your request for references as further exploration of this match and not as a background check.
• DON'T come across as self-focused.  See the point above - stay focused on the possibility of a match!
• DO explain what you are doing.  Since this is a novel approach to the career search, there is a possibility that people will be surprised when you ask.  Be prepared with a clear statement of what you are doing.  e.g., "Based on everything I have heard so far, I am really excited about the potential of working here.  As you go through your process of checking my references you'll have the chance to learn more about what I can bring to the table here. I would like to have a similar opportunity to learn about how joining this department at XYZ company can help me grow in my career. So I would also like to speak to 2 or 3 individuals who can tell me a little about what it's like to work with Ms. [hiring manager] as a colleague and a peer.  Would you be able to give me some people I can call."
• DON'T make your reference check process more formal than it needs to be.  One of my clients has all finalists for any position in the company meet every member of the leadership team and many of the staff before extending an offer.  If you go through several interview session like this, take advantage of those opportunities to ask your "reference checking" questions.  In a case like this company, if a candidate with through the full interview process and then asked for references on the hiring manager, I would wonder if he had been engaged in the interview process since he would have already had ample time to ask his questions.
• DO keep context in mind.  If you are applying for a job as a creative intern at Pixar and you are among the hundreds of art student hopefuls who are beating down their door every summer, and you luck into an interview think twice before asking to do a reference check on the boss.  It's possible they will refer you to their latest blockbuster dvd's as their references before gently showing you the door as they wave in the next candidate.

Growing a career requires that you constantly develop your skills and make a contribution - doing some reference checking to make sure the job you are about to accept will allow you to accomplish both of these activities well is a wise idea!

What if you are late for an interview? - Part 2

A few days ago I linked to a post by Lisa at HR Thoughts on what to do if you are late for an interview.  Turns out that across the Atlantic Ocean, Jackie Cameron was sharing her thoughts on the same posting.  Check out what Jackie said here.   

She makes a great point.  We who interview candidates would be wise to leave them an open door to redeem themselves when something "goes wrong" in the course of their interview process.  By observing how the candidate handles the obstacle, and the open door for redemption, we may just discover that we have a talented person sitting in front of us that we would be lucky to hire!

What if you are late for an interview?

Lisa at HR Thoughts answers a question from a candidate who is worried because she was late for an interview .  She gives great advice:

• Stay calm
• Focus on what you can do for the company
• Send a thank you

In other words, don't over focus on what you did wrong, or that will get the potential employer focused that direction too.  We all make mistakes.  How you handle your mistakes says a lot about what kind of employee you will be - and most HR folks and Hiring Managers are smart enough to get that!

Husband-Wife Job Search Teams

Thanks to Susan Heathfield for mentioning my posting about the candidate whose wife applied for jobs on his behalf.  She continues her posting with a hilarious story about another husband-wife job seeking team.  Check it out here. 

What if you are late for an interview? - Part 2

Earlier this week I linked to a post by Lisa at HR Thoughts on being late for an interview.  Turns out that across the Atlantic, Jackie Cameron was linking to the same post.   Check out her take on the topic here. 

She makes a great point for those of us who interview candidates to consider - it's important that we give candidates an open door to redeem themselves when bad things happen through no fault of their own.  It can be a great opportunity for us to discover that we have a talented individual sitting in front of us, that we may just get to be lucky enough to hire!

Friday Humor - Job Hunting

Looking for a way to spice up your job search?  Maybe one of these strange but true job search tactics will give you some ideas.  If you aren't into the out-of-the ordinary, read to the bottom of the article for some tried and true job search tactics such as:

• Know your value.
• Be yourself.

Happy Friday!