Career Coach Office Hours: July 8 2029 | JobSearchTV.com
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
Career Coach Office Hours: July 5 2022
02:43
Do I think it’s okay to take time away from job search and interviewing to recharge? If you can’t perform on your interviews, take a little bit of time. However, notice the key part of this is a little bit of time. We’re not talking about taking a month off. We’re not talking about going on a three month cruise or time off. Because unless you have the means to do so. But the idea is, for your career, overall, taking a little time off is not bad. But you can’t take a lot of time off, especially as we go into recessionary times as I think we are now and thus you want to be able to land that next role. Now. Question for you is are you currently working? If you’re not working, if you’re unemployed, take a little time off after you get the offer. Now, if emotionally, if you can’t perform, then take a couple of days, a long weekend, something like that, that gives you a little bit of a break so that you can get your your juices back. But maybe what you need is some advice about how to perform better in your search and on your interviews. And maybe the issue is you’re not performing well enough. And having hit your head against the wall too many times, you just feel like you need to get away. Get away for a couple of days but then come back and learn what you need to know in order to deliver on your interviews, to get more interviews, to enhance your networking skills to connect with . . . you know all the usual stuff that people do in their job search. So don’t take a lot of time. And if you’re financially not able to do much of anything, you’re better off taking the break after you get a job that you’re willing to take than extending it putting more financial pressure on yourself, as so many people do. So I’m sorry, it’s a vague answer. But I don’t have more information to work with. I don’t know your seniority or lack thereof. I don’t know your financial situation, nor should I. But, you know, maybe what you need is help performing well on interviews. So I’ll encourage you to visit my website, again, TheBigGameHunter.us. And there’s just a ton there that will help you. And I’m sorry, I missed that message from you.
06:02
Should software engineering companies hire for cultural fit or culture add? Okay. So the answer is yes. Yes, on both counts. So the issue comes down to what’s really needed. Now, the problem with culture, fit and culture add is most peoplewho are evaluating for culture, you think you know how to do it, and really don’t. And I say that because job hunters are on good behavior. But so are employers. I know that because each of you is trying to put on a good performance for one another. And I won’t repeat the story that I tell time and again, about how I quickly learned that Job hunters wrong good behavior. It took a long time for me to figure out employers were too. So I’ll just say, the most important thing that you can do is, as an employer, start off with someone being qualified, interested and available– qualified first–and then from the cultural standpoint, define your environment as you see it– the good, the bad, the ugly about it, so that there are few surprises. And I’m going to politely say most of you are going to sanitize it anyway. But you’ve got to tell them about some of your problems. And you can start this part of the conversation by saying, ‘You know, if I told you this was a perfect environment, I’d be lying to you. And I refuse to do that. Every organization has its problems. Sometimes we work harder than others. Other times, you know, one or two of my people, I have to say, I didn’t hire well. I hoped he would be different.’ ‘What didn’t make them a good hire?’ Well, there’s a couple of factors a. And one is, you know, I thought they had this.’ You’ve just go through some of the things that are problematic in the environment so this way, they know what they’re stepping into. Good and bad. Don’t just sell the positives, because you’re going to exaggerate those. Don’t just talk about the negatives; you’re going to exaggerate those. Give them a balanced answer. Okay?
Recruiters Are Not Your Friends
08:41
If you’re extended an offer and you want to ensure that you have time before you start, how do you handle that with the employer? Easy, easy. So if you’re working, you tell them I’m going to give three weeks notice where I am. I’m committed to joining. I’m going to take two weeks off to give my employer notice. I’m gonna take a week’s vacation, and then come join you. That’s simple. If you’re not working, you just simply say this job search has been exhausted. And I’m gonna take a week off in order to charge my battery so I can walk in on Monday morning ofmy start, and be ready to roll. So I look forward to joining and if you need me to sign any documents in advance, I’m happy to do it. But I’ll be seeing you in a week’s time. Looking forward to joining. And it’s not just what you say but how you say it. If you’re not comfortable being as casual as me right now, practice what you’re going to say so that in this way you can be as casual as I’m being. If they say ‘Oh no, we need you on Monday.’ ‘I’ve got tickets already booked My (wife, husband or partner) had them been booked for this period of time, as it turned out, I would have taken a week off here, regardless of my search. But thank goodness, you’re hiring me. I’ll be coming back and joining a week from Monday.’ And you smile; you’re the friendly person. And if they start talking about rescinding the offer, which they won’t do, but they start talking that way, consider that you dodged a bullet, about join. Seriously, consider that you dodged a bullet. Because when else are they going to pull this kind of crap on you? And I’m saying ‘pull this kind of crap on you’ because it is crap. But don’t fear. Seriously. Don’t fear, that sort of thing from happening? It’s such a statistical aberration, as to not really be worthwhile mentioning. So I hope that was helpful to you.
11:02
What are some insidious ways employers hide the fact they’ve let you go, because you’re viewed as too old within their leadership? Well, insidious to me means subtle. So the most subtle way they can do it is not tell you. That’s normally the way that it’s done. So since most organizations will do some version of performance review during the time that you’re working there, if there’s a problem, then what will happen is. They’ll start signaling you that they have a problem with your performance. No performance issues, and they let you go, because you’re too old. Well, normally, they’ll couch it as ‘Things are slowing down, and we have to look at our headcount. And, frankly, we have a lot of people we’re going to be cutting. It’s not just you. It’s probably 8% of the workforce here. So I’m sorry, we’re going to be letting you go.’ Now, insidious, again, goes into subtle, sneaky, nefarious. You know, when it’s ageism, and you can feel it, you’re delivering, and there’s no problem. Someone I know, lost their job in education. And she was set up for a fall. Every year, apparently, the district head picks on one employee and pushes them out the door. And it tends to be older professionals, often well, let’s just stick with older professionals, because they want to replace them with someone younger. Read that as less expensive as well. So I’ll just simply say the most insidious way is to not tell you anything, because that’s the definition of insidious assault. And I am going to put the negative spin on it. Sneaky. Next question is, if you don’t,
13:25
If you don’t show up for work on your first day, should your boss fire you? Well, I think the first thing I’m going to talk to you is, is if you were working for me. Number one is my first response would be, these days, ‘I can’t believe they ghosted me; let me try reaching out, calling them and making sure that they’re okay. If you are okay, and you didn’t call me to tell me you weren’t going to start, I would fire you. If you didn’t answer the phone when I called or respond to my texts, I would give you the benefit of the doubt for a little while. But I’d expect to hear from you. Because the reality is if you’re a new hire you’re an adult. You’re supposed to contact your employer if you’re not going to be in at work on any day, not just the first one but the 401st one, as well. You don’t just not show up for work. So if I didn’t reach you, I would be concerned. And if you walked in the next day, the first thing I would do is bring you into my office and have a chat with you. ‘Where were you yesterday? Why didn’t I hear from you? Is your phone working? Because, again, it’s not like the old days where phones were stationary and there were lots of problems with them. Mobile phones! Come on! Phone’s with you every place. It’s not like you couldn’t call. If you didn’t want to talk to me, you could have contacted HR saying ‘I know I’m supposed to start today, but (fill in the blank) happened and I have to be with (whoever it is). I’ll be there tomorrow. Should I come in to see you to fill out paperwork?’ They’ll say Yes. ‘Great. Please let my manager know. I’m not a bad person. Grovel. They deserve your groveling performance. So I’ll just simply say, I would fire you. If I could, if I reached you. And if I couldn’t reach you, I’d listen first, and then make a decision as to why I should keep you or let you go.
How Do I Follow Up on an Application When I Haven’t Heard Back for 2 Weeks?
15:56
Can non alphas make good leaders? Yes, leadership takes many different forms. Apparently, you have the idea that alphas are supposed to be the leadership reflects an aggressive style and that’s not always the case. Some organizations want that in like that. However, most organizations want emotional intelligence from people. They don’t want an alpha who’s going to be diving down people’s lungs. Non-alphas can make very good leaders. Because what they have the capacity to do is to listen carefully, and deal with situations effectively working through people, not by being bossy, not by being a tyrant, but by being effective.
17:10
How do you reject a job offer that’s not the original job position you applied for? The job position they’re offering isn’t what you’d like to do? Easy. ‘Thank you for the offer. But this is neither the job I applied for or one that I’m interested in. I’d love to work in your organization and the fact is, I’d like to be doing work along the lines of what I recently applied for.’ ‘But we aren’t seen as being qualified for that.’ ‘Okay, and I don’t see myself doing this job. Please don’t take that as being disrespectful. But, you know, we haven’t talked about this role in a way where I see that it makes sense for me. It’s work that historically I haven’t liked doing. I don’t know why you switched me over this. The idea that you don’t see me as being suitable for this role is the conclusion. I don’t see anything along the way that tells me why. So do you have an explanation?’ And they’ll try and come up with some generic excuse. ‘I’m not interested. Thank you. I really appreciate the offer.’
19:57
When an executive at the company where you’ve been doing contract work is keeping you in the dark about the status of an offer to hire you full time, does it do any harm to look for a job in the meantime? No, you should look for a job. You know, they’re stringing you along. And I’m assuming that you’re asking on a regular basis. ‘You know, the contracts up in another six weeks. Do you plan on extending me?’ ‘I’m not sure yet. I’ll get back to you.’ Another week goes by. ‘Hi. Any news on that extension or converting me full time?’ ‘No, nothing yet.’ I start looking for a job immediately. You know, they’re ducking the answer. That’s my opinion. They’re ducking the answer and they don’t want to tell you they’re not going to extend you or convert you. So you have a responsibility to yourself. And they have a responsibility to themselves and their organization. And as such, I start looking for a job no later than a month out and probably sooner is the truth of it. So that this in this way, if I liked working for this firm, minimally, I have to protect myself financially, so that I’m not harmed in all of this. So, no, go out there and look for a job. Hope you find something. And I hope there’s no gap in your finances that occurs.
22:09
How should I ask a candidate about their citizenship status in an interview? Well, you can’t ask whether they’re a US citizen. What you can ask is, ‘what’s your legal right to work in the United States?’ What is your legal right to work in the United States? Thus, they’ll tell you, I’m a US citizen. I have permanent residence or they’ll use the slang of a green card because they used to be green. I have an H1b visa. ‘How much time remains on it?’ ‘Great, have you had an extension yet?’ Or an f1 visa. They’ll tell you what their visa status is. You just ask clarifying questions if you need to, and thus understand what’s involved with converting them. The truth is, you should know what your firm’s policies are about that in order to make sure that you can address this individual properly about your ability to hire. So, don’t bring them in for the interview. You can do this during the screening call. Have HR do that for you. If you’re the hiring manager, this should be screened in advance of you actually meeting them.
Answering Behavioral Interview Questions The Right Way
23:38
Will wearing a mask to an interview affect my chances of getting the job if the company does not require them? So, I’m recording this in July 2022. And the answer to that is maybe. Probably, if you don’t address why you’re wearing it. So, if you say to someone, I’ll speak from the perspective, I’m 71. So if I were interviewing for a job, which I’m not, by the way, if I’m interviewing for a job, and I wore masks in an interview, I would walk in, I would of course, notice that people are not wearing masks, I would sit down and say, ‘Before we start I just want to simply say I’m wearing a mask because I’m at risk. I have an health concern. I fit a demographic that’s most at risk. So, I apologize for wearing the mask. But I have to be protective since I don’t know your circumstances.’ They’ll say ‘Hey, no problem.’ Or another example is, ‘ I appreciate you talking to me. Let me just speak to the mask that I’m wearing. My parents are visiting. And they’re here from (whatever country it is). And I don’t want to spread this thing in case I’ve picked it up from them. So excuse me for wearing the mask. I’m trying to be respectful of you, and your organization, not spreading anything I’ve picked up during a stage where I may not have symptoms yet. I’m just trying to be cautious.’ Another thing to say, there’s another thing to say, you know, let’s just keep it at those. One more thing you can say is my (wife, husband or partner) has an illness right now. We’re concerned about her picking up something for me. So excuse me. Like, for example, my wife had open heart surgery during the first year of the pandemic. There were times that were pretty scary, like, not long after we had locked down, she started to not feel well. And that was a concern that she had COVID. And she’s a heart patient. And we’re wearing masks in the house. You know, anytime I’m going upstairs, I’m calling up to make sure she’s not in a place where I’m going to be, because we didn’t want to pass to me. We didn’t want to pass back and forth. Remember, at that time, we didn’t really know anything about COVID. So the idea very simply is you have to address it in order to make sure that they understand you’re not just a crackpot weirdo. You’ve thought he may be one. That’s okay. But I’m sure if you got to work there, you’d be in a situation where, with time, you might feel more comfortable taking the mask off. Your choice. I’m not going to judge. I’m just going to simply say address it during the course of the interview.
27:16
I had a job interview and the hiring manager had me wait for an hour without acknowledging me, I went to the receptionist and declined the job. The boss called me and was angry for leaving. I told him that my time is just as valuable. Was I wrong? I think I would have said it differently. So somewhere around the 15 minute mark, I would have walked to reception and said, ‘I have an appointment at one o’clock. And it’s 1:15. Could you give me a sense of how long she or he is going to be? So by doing that, she or he can respond and go, ‘en gotwe’ve got a situation here. Why don’t you come back in an hour and I’ll be ready. So I don’t want to be rude to you. I don’t want to be disrespectful. But there’s a crisis that just hit I have to deal with. Would that be okay? If not, we can reschedule? I apologize.’ But instead you ended it without seeking that clarification. Now, they were angry for leaving. That wasn’t right, either. Your time is as valuable as theirs. But you were wrong in that you didn’t handle it as well as you might have. That’s my opinion. It’s okay. If you have a different opinion. I just think this is the way to do it, and do it like a pro.
28:50
As a CEO, would you prefer employees at any level to speak to you as a normal person or do you demand respect and want them to treat you like a king or queen? Why? The question bothers me. It bothers me because you think respect reflects a king or queen, where it should reflect any individual that you interact with. That is the way you should be dealing with a normal person. How were you talking? Or how do you think is appropriate to speak to someone? Like one of the girls or one of the guys? You’re gonna mess around with them in some way? No, of course not. So I would say give respect. Seriously, give everyone respect, not just the CEO of that firm. Any person. It’s not about treating them like a king or queen. It is treating them like a normal person with respect. Are you supposed to be rude? Of course not. But that you separate normal person, and king or queen as being the only people who demand respect or deserve respect, I should say. It’s immature on your part. Apparently something happened, where you were rude to them. And they called you out. So I’ll just say you were rude. Don’t be rude.
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKx3clVshBw[/svp]
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
My courses are available on my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us/courses The courses include ones about Informational Interviews, Interviewing, final interview preparation, salary negotiation mistakes to avoid, the top 10 questions to prepare for on any job interview, and starting a new job.
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