Career Coach Office Hours: July 1 2022 | JobSearchTV.com
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
On Career Coach Office Hours, I answered questions about #jobsearch #hiringstaff #management #leadership #workplace issues. Join me at 1 PM Eastern on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can also message me on Linkedin before the show and I will answer it, too. #careercoachofficehours #careercoaching #careercoach #jobsearchtips #jobsearchadvice #interviews #hiring #managingpeople #leadershipskills #linkedinlive #linkedinlivestreams
[02:28] CNBC says that recruiters decide if you’ll be a good hire within seconds. Is it true?
[03:50] When applying for a job, do you need a cover letter, resume, and letter of recommendation?
[06:13] A career expert said a job seeker should never say “that’s a good question” in an interview. Do you agree? Why or why not?
[08:18] What does it mean when a recruiter mentions to you that the panel has decided to discontinue your candidacy, but he wants to have a follow-up call with you next week to discuss and also mentions you impressed them with your career achievements?
[09:59] What should I remember the most during an interview?
[12:22] Does a job interview mean you got the job?
[12:40] Is it advisable to visit a company’s office after interviews without an invitation? [16:15] I’m currently a FTE, I’ve been approached by a recruiter for a 12 month contract position. I will be a W2 employee with benefits high possibility of extension and FTE with that company. What should I consider?
[19:03] When applying for a job, why do employers/recruiters ask what you would like to be paid, and how do I answer this?
[22:15] If I applied for a position and my recruiter also applied for the same position on my behalf, does it look bad? Should I withdraw or ask my recruiter to withdraw?
[23:44] What are the possible outcomes if my current employer knows about my job interview and offer letter received?
[25:15] Does working through a recruiter have a better chance at an interview than applying directly?
Career Coach Office Hours: June 21, 2022
Someone on CNBC said that recruiters decide if you’ll be a good hire within seconds. Is this true? No, it’s not true. They decide if you’ll be a bad hire within seconds. The famous statement is most recruiters will take six seconds to review a resume to see whether or not they’ll want to talk with you. If they don’t see the fit, you’re rejected within six seconds. The idea next is deciding to hire. Now recruiters don’t hire anyone. They screen people; they filter people. Thus what they’re able to do is reject people that they think would waste the time of the hiring manager. So I’ll just say, no, they don’t hire people within seconds. They don’t make that decision. In seconds, they make the decision to reject. They make the decision to let the hiring manager see the resume and come to their decision about whether or not they’re interested in interviewing you. So the answer is no.
When applying for a job, do you need a cover letter resume and letter of recommendation? Skip the letter of recommendation. No one believes the letters of recommendation. Your mother could be writing those. You need a resume most of the time. Now again, you’re applying for a job. So most systems want a resume. If you don’t have them, some systems will accept the LinkedIn profile. But then you’re applying through LinkedIn. That’s not ideal. You want to be able to submit a resume. Cover letters are optional. Now, I think cover letters are useful. I know there are recruiters who don’t care for them. I’m aware that so many people are too busy to really read the resume and what the cover letter is like an appetizer, demonstrating your fit for the role. I don’t believe they should be sent as a separate attachment. I believe they should be in the body of an email if you’re applying in that manner. If you’re uploading your resume, I like them as page one of the resume because I keyword stuff the cover letter with all the search terms and all the functionality that seems relevant for the job that I have, I would have experience with. Thus the system sees it on page one, the cover letter, it sees it on page two, the resume, and thus it thinks you have that background. Remember, they’re not particularly smart. They’re there to filter out much the same way as the recruiters are. So they’ve got algorithms that help them figure out whether you might be qualified, and whether they should show your resume to the first line or the second line of defense, meaning the recruiter or the hiring manager, if they’re the ones who are screening. So you do need a cover letter? No. To me, it’s preferable. I know other people disagree. That’s okay. You need a resume and the letter of recommendation, forget about it.
A career experts said a job seeker should never say ‘that’s a good question’ in an interview. Do you agree? Why or why not? When people do that, usually they’re buying a little bit of time, because they have to think of what they’re going to say. So, that’s a good question is of course, it’s obvious. It’s their question. It’s a good question. Because they’re asking if they want to know the answer. Of course, it’s a good question. But what you could do? Well, let me let me give you another alternative. You could sit there in silence. But most people don’t like silence. They get uncomfortable when there’s silence. And if you’re one of the people who gets uncomfortable, that’s not a good thing for you. So I’ll just simply say, No, I would disagree. And what the way I do it is go, ‘Ah, that buys about three seconds. Good question.’ And say it that way. I wouldn’t do it for every question, obviously. But for the question that leaves me stumped, I will go– break eye contact for a moment, and then come back to the eyes, and then start to answer the question slowly, until thoughts came to mind that were relevant for answering the question.
Recruiters Are Not Your Friends
What does it mean when a recruiter mentions to you that the panelists decided to discontinue your candidacy, but he, one of the members of the panel wants to have a follow up call with you next week to discuss and also mentions, you impress them with your career achievements. Let’s break this down into multiple parts. The first part is discontinuing your candidacy. You were rejected. I can’t be more clear than that. You were rejected. However, someone on the panel is taking pity on you and thus they want to talk with you about why and what you might have been able to do better in the course of the interview because they think he got something but you just didn’t show it. That’s usually the reason why they do that. They think you’ve got something but you didn’t show up on the interview. You didn’t demonstrate that you knew what you claim to know. And they’re showing a little bit of pity and want to talk with you about what you could have done better. I think it shows well for that person and is a terrific reflection upon you even though they’re not hiring you, that they want to be able to talk with you and convey information to you. So the panel members have decided to reject you, but one of them wants to talk with you to give you some help and encouragement.
What should I Remember the most during an interview. So, I encourage people before an interview, to do some homework to get ready. And thus getting ready translates into being able to tell multiple stories that connect the dots between your background and what they’re looking for. I also encourage you to ask a couple of questions before they start interviewing you. I have those in the ultimate job interview framework that’s available on my website, which is the big game hunter.us forward slash courses, it is probably about $25. To purchase, probably about 15 to rent for 30 days. No matter what you do, you have to learn how to interview like an all star and win interviews and perform at a higher level. You need to know how to interview well. And my methodology from The Ultimate Job Interview Framework helps a lot of people interview extremely well. It’s also available as a paperback or Kindle book. You can order it from Amazon. Again, the philosophy that I have is terrific. It’s not complicated. People who learn it from me perform extremely well on interviews. So learn how to interview and remember those techniques. Be able to talk about what you’ve done that relates to what they’re looking for. Be able to tell at least three stories, and have great questions to ask at the end of an interview. These are among the things you need to remember going into an interview that will allow you to perform well and help you stand out to interviewers.
Does a job interview mean you got the job now? No. It means you got a job interview. That’s it. Nothing more is worth saying.
Is it advisable to visit the company’s office after interviews without an invitation? Now, let me explain why. I’m going to give a US centric answer, but I think it applies elsewhere as well. You’re being rude to just show up. And thus, if you show up uninvited, what are you hoping to accomplish? You’re going to interrupt at least one person (the person that you asked for), more likely two (someone at security and sometimes three, a receptionist), just because you showed up and wanted attention. I say wanted attention because what’s the purpose? You haven’t offered up a reason to do that. And even if you said, ‘I kind of want to look around and see what it’s like therem’ why do you want to do that? So don’t do it. You’re being a child. And children do stuff like that. Babies do stuff like that. And what you want to act like is a professional. If you want to get a sense of what the office is like, ask them if you can get a tour. Ask them if you can just sit in the office and observe during an hour or two during the day. No one has to pay attention to you. No one has to even talk to you. But I know there was a time where I was interviewing with another recruiting firm. I didn’t know anyone there and I was interested. And I just asked ‘would you mind if I observed for part of the morning?’ And they said ‘why is that?’ ‘Because I want to get a feel for the office and what it’s like working there and no one needs to give me any attention. I’m just going to sit in the corner. Just point me to a desk. I have my phone with me. Let’s see what happens.’ And now they tried to put me to work at one point. And I made two phone calls. I said ‘were you concerned I didn’t know how to get on the phone and contact people?’ No and they laughed because that was the game But I just wanted to see what it was like there and I observed. So without an invitation, no. I did with their permission. If you want to observe, do it the way I did. Just a message to the person who’s been your point of contact, say, ‘I’d like to sit in for part of the day, and just observe what the office is like energetically, and get a feel for what it’s like to work there. No one needs to pay attention to me.’ That’s it. And in your case, you want to get a feel for the office environment. That’s fine. But don’t, don’t just show up uninvited, and disrupt people.
How Do I Follow Up on an Application When I Haven’t Heard Back for 2 Weeks?
I’m currently a full time employee. And I’ve been approached by a recruiter for a 12 month contract position, I’ll be a W2 employee with benefits and high possibility of extension, and full time employment with that company. What should I consider? So you’ve got a contract, and you’ve been a full time employee of a company. You’ll be W-2 with benefits. That’s great. But here’s the kicker to me–high possibility of extension. How do you know that? How do you know? Because the recruiter told you that? But they don’t know. They don’t know what the company will think of your work but that’s the least of it. There are factors outside of their control that may determine whether or not you’re converted on to staff, including, are they putting a conversion fee into the contract, in which case, they’d have, after all, this period of time, this 12 month contract, where the company is paying a significant amount of money for you, on top of what your salary is. They then have to pay a placement fee, an agency fee to convert you onto their staff. It’s very expensive. Also, we don’t know what the economy will be like at that time– whether or not they’ll still need you at that time, even if it’s for a different group. So I think you’re being lied to with regard to the high possibility of extension. You know, if you’ve interviewed with the company, you might just speak with the client and say, ‘Before I say yes, I just want to understand one thing. I’ve been told that this assignment has a high possibility of extension to full time employment with your firm. Is that true?’ And they may kind of look at you and say, ‘Did they tell you that?’ And then they start hedging the statement in different ways and that should be a signal to you that other things might not be truthful that you’ve been told. And that’s not a good thing. You’ve been lied to. You’ve been manipulated. They’re trying to finesse you into this assignment. And they have no way of knowing whether that statement is true. So don’t fall for it.
When applying for a job, why do employers and recruiters ask what you would like to be paid and how do I answer this? Okay. So why do they ask that? They want to know if they can afford you. They also want to know whether you slot into the position that they have open. So by slot in, let me explain. Let’s say you work in technology, and you’re a developer or a senior developer, and they have a similar position but a different title. And they want to make sure that you fit that title and fit that comp level. They want to know what you’re looking for to be able to see if you fit that slot. So they’re asking what you’re looking to be paid in order to be able to do this. Now, let me move on to the how do you answer this? Now, if the recruiter is asking you– this usually is pretty early in the interview, right? There the first line conversation that you have with the company. So the way you respond is by saying is, ‘Could you give me a sense of what the salary range is for the role?’ ‘I asked you first.’ ‘Yes. i asked you second. So could you give me a sense of what the range is? I know, it’s dependent upon how you perceive my experience. But give me an idea of what the range is. After all, I would think that transparency is important to you. You want me to be transparent. I would like you to be transparent.’ They’ll give you something close to the range. I say something close, because some firms will try a little bit less. ‘Is that okay?’ ‘For now, I’ll say yes. However, I want you to understand, I haven’t met with my future manager, I haven’t met with the team. I’ve just seen a job description or job ad as the case might be. And I need to know a lot more. I may find that that’s way too low for the amount of work that’s going to be demanded of me. So for now, let’s move this forward. Let’s circle back and have a conversation later once I know a lot more, because I have no idea what my future manager’s expectations will be. But for now, let’s move ahead.’ And then from there, let’s assume it’s a big range. ‘We’re looking for somewhere between 80 and 150.’ They don’t want to get narrowed down and they’re trying to be cute with you. ‘Let’s settle on the number later on. Okay? And what that allows you to do is buy some time to learn more, and then circle back to them when they start approaching you about moving forward in the interviews. So, the idea is defer and deflect. That’s my term for it–defer and deflect.
If I applied for a position, and my recruiter also applied for the same position on my behalf, does it look bad? Shall I withdraw or ask my recruiter to withdraw? So I’m going to start off by saying they are not your recruiter. They are the company’s recruiter, they recruit on behalf of that firm to identify people. Now usually the company’s going to decide who they’re going to respond to. You don’t have to do anything. If the if the recruiter comes back to you and goes, ‘Why did you apply for it’ and they want you to withdraw. ‘Why do you want me to withdraw?’ Make them justify it. ‘Well, the company said you’d submitted a resume,’ which means my resume is probably the one that they’re going to respond to. And if you withdraw, I’m going to tell you something. The company probably isn’t going to interview you. And that may be a little surprising, because you’re trying to be compliant with the agency recruiter. But they’re probably not going to do it because they’re going to resent having to pay this agent a fee. So don’t do anything. Let the company come to a decision about who they want to honor the referral from, and just move forward that way.
Answering Behavioral Interview Questions The Right Way
What are the possible outcomes? If my current employer knows about my job interview and offer letter received? Your current employer knows you interviewed and you got an offer. And you’re gonna say yes to that offer and go elsewhere. That’s one possible outcome. You’re going to turn that offer down and go to your employer and say, ‘Yeah, I was unhappy and I was approached about an opportunity. But having checked it out, I decided to stay here and continue working for you.’ ‘Why were you unhappy? And you start talking with them about some of the issues that you’ve had. You have a frank and open conversation with him about some of your problems at the organization. And thus, what you’re able to do very simply is iron out some of your issues. But the probability is you’re gonna take this other job and they’re just trying to confront you and scare you. So if you’re planning on staying, stay. I mean that. Stay. Talk with them honestly about what happened that prompted you to take that interview. That may clear up a lot of the crap that you’ve been experiencing up until this point that caused you to take the interview.
Does working through a recruiter have a better chance at an interview than applying directly? I did recruiting for a long time and the correct answer is it depends. It depends upon the relationship that that recruiter has with the company. So sometimes that recruiter, well-meaning that they are, isn’t really well known by the firm, so they don’t know whether or not to trust that person and their capabilities, in which case a direct application might better serve you. On the other hand, they might be very well known. In which case, it’s like walking in with an endorsement that you have to back it up. It doesn’t guarantee that you’re being hired any more than if your friend says, ‘I have someone I really want you to meet. I think they’d be a great wife, husband or partner. Just talk to them. Okay. And suddenly, you’re excited because you believe that this person has your interests at heart. So I’ll just say, it depends. It depends. And that’s the only way to think of it.
FEELING DEPRESSED About Your Search? Struggling? Feeling Fatigued?
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2400 episodes.
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? People hire me to provide No BS career advice whether that is about a job search, hiring better, leadership, management or support with a workplace issue. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
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