The MAN

Networking in your job search

Networking sounds salesy to a lot of people. Many people think of some dude name Biff going around handing out business cards for some multi-level marketing deal. But it should not and does not have to be like that. BusinessDictionary.com defines networking this way:

Creating a group of acquaintances and associates and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit. Networking is based on the question “How can I help?” and not with “What can I get?”

Help other people… what a novel idea. For many people this is not a very easy thing to do. You may be panicking a little right now, thinking that you don’t know that many people very well. That is OK. On the podcast Question of the Day they mention a study that showed loose acquaintances are actually better at helping you find a job than close friends! So let’s start there.

What is a great place to have lots of friends that you don’t know very well? Social Media! You can use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to build and maintain a network. If you do not already do this, you need to start and once you start, don’t stop. Ideally you will keep your network and expand it as your career grows. If you already have a social network and it is not geared towards professional development then you might need to start fresh or at the very least start heading in a different direction.

Keep in mind that networking is a marathon, not a sprint race.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
Dale Carnegie

What is your pitch?

Second only to a resume in your job search is your pitch or what is called your elevator speech. It should last about as long as an elevator ride, 20-30 seconds. You need a few of them handy but the two biggest one is the answer to “Tell me about yourself.”

What it is NOT is your biography. I hear people a lot start wandering down the “what makes me, me” path:

“I am an only child”
“I have been married for 20 years”
“I have five years of experience with…”
or my favorite of the Ricky Bobby responses… “What do you want to know.”

This is where your research can shine. You want to tell them why they want to hire you. How about these responses:

“I am a recruiter that believes in attracting and connecting with candidates through honest and refreshing dialogue. “
“I enjoy being part of a team that challenges me and allows me to find creative solutions to problems. “
“I do not like the answer ‘because we have always done it that way’ to the question of why do we do it that way. I am always looking for a better way to do things.”

I may be biased, but those sure do sound a lot more interesting to a recruiter. One thing that your elevator speech MUST be is true to you. You need to believe what you are saying. Not sure? Act like you believe it. We all question ourselves or have self-doubt but you don’t want to lead with that.

So be sure to practice your pitch. Record it, listen to it, ask others to listen to it, work on it and repeat the process. You should be able to own it, not just know it.

The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.
Vince Lombardi

Making a hit list for your job search

Another quote that rings true in your job search is from Jim Key: “You’ll only hit the targets at which you aim.” If you are applying for EVERYTHING you will probably end up with NOTHING. This is why a lot of people get frustrated in their job search. They apply for hundreds of jobs and never hear anything or they get a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” email.

At the beginning of any job search you need to start a list of industries, companies and positions you are targeting. You will add to this list as you go through your job search. I recommend using a spreadsheet but it is up to you. If you use a spreadsheet you can cut, paste, insert, sort and filter your data. This can also turn into your tracking spreadsheet, which I will discuss in a later post.

Your first four columns should be Industry, Profession, Company and Position.

Now start listing them. Each row does not have to have all three columns filled yet but you want to list out what you think are good matches for your background AND what you want to do. You may find that somethings you CAN do you don’t WANT to do and some things you WANT to do you CAN’T, at least not yet. To find more information on bridging the gap between what you want to do and what you can do look up Informational Interviews, they are awesome!

For instance, for me, my list would start like this:

If you want to look for more ideas on occupations check out O*NET Online. You can look up occupations by name or look up occupations by abilities, interests, knowledge, skills and much more. This step is important because what if you want to get into recruiting but you don’t look up “talent acquisition?” You could miss a lot.

This step should not stop you from applying for positions or looking for work but it will assist you in focusing your efforts. In my opinion there is only one thing you should do before applying for any job, have a good resume. I did not say great or perfect, a good one will do to start.

As you go through your job search you will add to this list and I encourage you to change it into your tracking spread sheet. Call it a very basic JSM (Job Search Management) tool.

Be sure you positively identify your target before you pull the trigger.
Tom Flynn

How to work a job fair – game day

In this Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, photo, job seekers line up to meet prospective employers during a career fair at a hotel in Dallas. The government issues the January jobs report on Friday, Feb. 7. 2014. (AP Photo/LM Otero) — In this Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, photo, job seekers line up to meet prospective employers during a career fair at a hotel in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

So, you have done all your research on the companies. You have your hit-list for the job fair. You are smiling and ready to be nice to everyone. Now what?

This might seem silly but few people do it. Usually you want to go to your hit-list companies that don’t have a line first. But be sure to pay attention to the companies around them. Is there a competitor there? As a recruiter at a job fair I would try to keep an eye on my competitors and I would want to talk to the people they seem interested in or that look like good candidates in their line. Keep that in mind when working the fair. You don’t want to play them off one another but it is OK to let one company know that their competitor is interested in you, just do it tactfully.

So you ask “what does a good candidate look like?” The short answer is “it depends.” Generally I would look for someone who seems to have their crap together. This is where body language really comes into play.

Wear clothes that look professional and fit you well. Fit is more important that the cost of the clothes. Don’t try to be too trendy, unless that fits with the company’s culture. You want to be comfortable in them.
Try to just have one binder or some type of pad-folio. You don’t want to have to fumble around for a resume. Also, try to just take in one car key. You do not need to take your janitor-worthy key chain with you.
Look professional, not like you are going out. Also, be sure to shave guys or at least trim up the facial hair. Ladies, keep the make-up minimalistic. No strong perfume or cologne and please for the love of everyone no patwoe oil. Yes, I know it is spelled patchouli but saying pa-two-E sounds more like the smell. 🙂
If you have dress shoes on, shine them. Yes, we notice these things.
Also, be sure to have a pen with you.

Be sure you have your elevator speech ready. What type of position are you interested in and why? What do you know about the company? What is your background? Be ready for some of the questions you get when talk to the company reps.

Try to get their contact information (business card) or at least their name. It is a great idea to write thank you emails after the job fair. I, personally, also like it when people stop back by as they are leaving to say thanks and they look forward to hearing from us.

ALWAYS ask what the next step is.

If you continuously compete with others you become BITTER. But if you continuously compete with yourself you become BETTER.
Unknown

How to work a job fair part deux

Once you know who you want to talk to at the job fair then the real work begins. You want to do more than just look at their website. Keep in mind that even looking at their website puts you ahead of most people in the job search. Many times when I ask people what they know about the company I am working with they barely know anything. That is not to say this is a time to slack. Remember, you only need one job and you might be up against several people for that one job. You want to put them under the table.

When you are researching the company be sure to take notes so you can remember things about the company and the position(s). Research to find out who the leaders are at the company. Look them up on LinkedIn. Do they tweet? If so, follow them. Try to find the HR and Talent Acquisition employees. Do the same for them. This may seem like a lot and if you are happy being un or underemployed then nah, you don’t have to do all this. Heck, you may even get the job you want without it. But would you rather over prepare or wish you had done more after getting the phone call letting you know they offered the job to someone else?

When you head to the job fair it’s game-time from the moment you leave your front door. Put your game-face on. Everyone is a potential hiring manager or recruiter. You do have a good handshake, don’t you? How about eye contact? Ask a few friends what are some of the nonverbals you do that are distracting. Oh wait, did that hurt your feelings? Suck it up buttercup, do you want a job or a handout?

Tomorrow we hit the field at the job fair.

Don’t worry about those who talk behind your back. They’re behind you for a reason.
Unknown

How to work a job fair

“Plan your work and work you plan” is a very common phrase in business, especially in sales, for one reason… it works! You should take the same approach to your job search. Do a lot of people find jobs at a job fair? No. But do some? Yes. Remember, you only need ONE job!

It is always a good idea to go to a job fair if you are looking for work or plan to be looking in the near future. Why? Because you get to actually talk to a live person from that company. Candidates are all the time saying “if you could just meet me you would see…” Well, at the job fair you get to meet them!

Most job fairs will publish a list of companies that will be in attendance. You want to create a hit list of the top companies you want to meet. Go online and look at what jobs they have posted and research the company. It is a really good idea to have a resume geared specifically towards each of the companies on your hit list. One thing to keep in mind… when the recruiter asks “what type of position are you interested in?” don’t say “anything.” What if someone asked “what are you looking for in a significant other?” and you answer “anything, I’m not that picky.”

Be sure to also take extra generic resumes. After you talk to everyone on your hit list it is always a good idea to talk to the other employers. You are building your network, right?

More to come on job fairs tomorrow.

How to handle the job offer

Usually, you will be offered the position over the phone. Hopefully you have had a compensation discussion before this point. I like to think that most recruiters / hiring managers want to give people a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. I have offered huge compensation increases to people and I have hired people who actually take a pay cut when they come on board. Sure, some companies may low-ball you but these days I think those companies are more and more rare.

Some people will tell you to always re-negotiate, I am not one of those people. If you have told me throughout the interview process that your number is $45k and I offer you $45k or better than I am expecting you to say yes. If you come back and say your really want $50k it is not a good harbinger of things to come.

Think of it this way… you and your significant other decide to move in. Before you do you two divide up the housework duties and you decide to split the bills. But the day before the move they say, you know, I have been thinking about it. I only want to pay 40% of the rent because I don’t think I will be there a lot. You be like:

Yep, that is how the employer feels. No bueno. So if you say a number, stick to it. If you negotiate then do so in good faith.

Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.
Carrie Fisher

The break up call

We have all gotten it, the break up call. When it comes from a recruiter it is more likely a Dear John letter/email. My rule of thumb is that if you make it to the final round of interviews I call. I try to call if you make it to the Manager but that does not always happen. Those calls suck to get and they suck to make.

When you receive the email or call many people’s first reaction is to lash out. DO NOT succumb to this. No good can come from lashing out at the person or the company but many people do through direct contact or social media. When I see someone go nuclear negative after being turned down my first thought usually is “thank you for confirming our decision.”

I have helped lots of people that we have turned down. Just the other day I told a candidate about some issues with their resume. I have referred others to other recruiters or other companies that they may be a better match for. But if you burn me, no bueno for you.

I would definitely follow-up with the recruiter after you calm down. Ask for feedback and see if there are any other positions at their company or if they can suggest other place to find similar positions. Most recruiters do feel bad for the majority of people they turn down. Handle it right and you might just add them to your network.

Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.
Donald Trump

Update calls from the recruiter

If you are interviewing with a company you want to be sure you know what the process is. Think of it as sales. No good sales person ends an appointment without scheduling the next one or a day and time to follow-up. The interview process should be the same. When you talk to a recruiter or hiring manager always find out what the next step is and when you should follow-up. If they say “you will hear from us by Monday” and it is Tuesday you need to follow-up. But be sure to follow-up the “right” way.

I encourage people to assume the best. Don’t call or write saying “You said you would follow-up with me by Monday. It is Tuesday and I still have not heard anything.” No bueno for you. Guess what? Recruiters are not perfect, they make mistakes. They also usually handle up to 30 open positions at one time so how about cutting a brother a break?

The better way to follow-up would sound something like this: “I hope you had a great weekend. I am very excited about the next step in the interview process. Please let me know if you need anything else from me. I will follow-up with you tomorrow at noon, if that works for you.” You could even say something like “I have missed emails in the past and I wanted to make sure I had not missed one from you.”

Remember that you are being evaluated throughout the entire process. I don’t tell you that to make you nervous, just to keep you aware that both what you say and how you say it makes a difference. You are the product and the sales person, the company is the customer. That is not to say that they shouldn’t also be selling you, they should. But you don’t want to be the weak link.

Al

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
Dalai Lama

I called because you contacted me

I talk on the phone A LOT! So much so that I do not like talking on the phone outside of work. I am also a bit judgmental of how others speak and act on the phone since I do it so often. OK, maybe I am a bit too picky, but when you are trying to get a job the little things can make a BIG difference! Remember, there is usually only one job available and there are usually several candidates in the running for that job. One wrong move and you may be out!

I have much less patience for poor phone etiquette when I am calling someone after they applied or reached out to me in some way to express interest in the position. Here is how some of my calls to candidate go:

The phone rings:

Candidate: Yeah
Me:Is Bob there?
Candidate: Who is this?
Me: My name is Al and I am a recruiter with the widget company.
Candidate: Yeah
Me: Are you Bob?
Candidate: Yeah
Me: I was calling because you applied for the Idiot in Training position.
Candidate: Yeah

SERIOUSLY! “Yeah” I am not even whelmed with this person. Underwhelmed is more like it. Imagine this… you meet someone at a coffee shop and they say “call me sometime.” The next day you call them and say “hey, this is Pat. We met at the coffee shop yesterday.” Their response? “Yeah.” No bueno!

If you have shown interest in a position you have NO EXCUSE for acting like a tool, unless you are a tool, in which case we don’t hire tools. Capeesh? When I call someone who has applied for a position the very least I expect is them to act interested, which I don’t always get.

On to my next issue with phone calls: “Now is not a good time for me.” I get it. I am calling people on their cell phones and I have no way of knowing what is going on where they are but I do know one thing… EVERYONE has caller ID. Guess what? When I call it shows you the name of the company. If you answer the call don’t just tell me now is not a good time and could I call back later. I could call back later, but I won’t. At a minimum you should take my info and YOU call me back later. Also, don’t just say later, set a specific day and time.

Lastly, be sure your voicemail is working and not full, also a big issue. Remember, the interview process is the BEST you we will get.

The cell phone has become the adult’s transitional object, replacing the toddler’s teddy bear for comfort and a sense of belonging.
Margaret Heffernan