8 Signals to Look During Your Job Search

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Coaching executive job hunters is a great way to be reminded of seemingly small things that become magnified in the course of interviews. I thought I would point out a few of the signals to look out for subtle signals that occur in the course of your search, whether you are an executive or staff.

1. Your calls are not returned (quickly). Do you remember dating and feeling good feelings for someone? They called or texted and you responded quickly, right? I don’t care where you are in the interview cycle, if a firm is in love with a job hunter, they communicate, even if it is to say, “We need a few more days.” At best, it is stalling for time while they “date” other people.
2. The language of the interviewer sends a signal of concern. Have you ever been asked a question about something that is nowhere in your resume? Perhaps HR or a contingency recruiter asks something like, “By any chance, do you have experience with . . . ” Usually, the signal they are sending is that our thinking has changed (or is evolving) and this item is now important. Instead of an immediate direct response, consider asking, “Is this an important criterion for selecting someone? I don’t recall it being part of the position description you forwarded to me. Did I miss it?” Asking clarifies the intention of the question.
3. The job offer is lower than you were led to believe it would be. The signal can hold a particularly painful message. Again, using the dating metaphor, “You’re OK but we’re just not that into you.” It may also mean, “As an employer, we like to get discounts for everything, even you. Even if it means losing someone, our values say that we like a bargain.”
4. They start talking about wanting to hire “team players.” I loathe this phrase. They are not trying to hire “Miss Congeniality” or a “really nice guy.” The firm’s bureaucratic communication style is telling you to shut up and do what you are told to do in the way we tell you to do it. You are not expected to think (other than what you want in your coffee).
5. We offer lunch and dinner at your desk.” We expect you to work like an animal. Don’t expect to see your wife/husband/partner/kids except on the weekends and while they sleep. If we could install a colostomy bag to remove waste products we would. We own your ass even though we smile at you regularly.
6. We are going for 10X growth. This one has multiple meanings. The first one is that instead of using percentages to describe the impact of your work (My sales were 400% of quota), you use their preferred communications (I increased the group’s performance by 4X.”) They are also telling you, “My butt is on the line. I need to hire someone to join me on this mission. Are you willing to fight windmills and go down with the ship with me if necessary?”
7. “We want people to look at the total compensation of the offer, not just simply the base salary.” “We know you are earning $450,000 per year plus bonus but our maximum base is ($250,000/$325,000 . . . some lesser number). Our bonus can bring you back up to $650 or 7. You’re OK with that, right?” Caveat emptor! When you’re fired because of some reorg or economic setback that has nothing to do with you, you will not get that bonus. In addition, your next employer will be looking at your base salary with this firm and creating it’s compensation offer based on that salary, not the $450,000 you earned before. Your powers of persuasion are unlikely to convince the next firm to go back to that level.
8. They tell you you were referred to them but won’t tell you by whom. Several possibilities are occurring. The first one is completelyy legitimate–the person who referred you doesn’t want to risk getting into trouble because they still work with your firm. Another possibility is that they still work for your firm or consult to your firm and they are trying to get you out of the picture. They are referring you to eliminate a possible competitor (or, in the case of a consultant, cause your firm to create the possibility that their contract be extended). The third possibility as that you are just being lied to. Whichever it is, proceed with caution.

Hiring has a lot of theater associated to it and is very much like dating. Everyone is on good behavior and trying to present themselves in the best possible light . . . You are, they are, heck, even search firms and recruiters are!

However, you must pay attention, not just to what is said but what is not said, and notice signals that the other sides are sending.

© The Big Game Hunter, Inc. Asheville, NC 2017, 2024       

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