Career Coach Office Hours: June 10, 2022 | JobSearchTV.com
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
I answered questions about #jobsearch #hiringstaff #management #leadership #workplace issues. Join me on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 PM Eastern to put your questions into chat. You can also message me on Linkedin before the show and I will answer them, too. #careercoachofficehours #careercoaching #careercoach #jobsearchtips #jobsearchadvice #interviews #hiring #managingpeople #leadershipskills #linkedinlive #linkedinlivestreams
Recruiters Are Not Your Friends
03:16
How do you get a good job? It feels impossible to even get an interview, even with an impressive resume. And I’m not sure what makes you think your resume is impressive. And I’m not trying to be disrespectful. But, you know, a lot of people claim to have an impressive resume and they don’t. But no matter. How do you get an interview? Well, networking is the number one way that people get hired. People who you know introduce you to people who you don’t know. And with that recommendation, you get your foot in the door and have an opportunity to present your capabilities. Statistics from years ago used to say that 70% of positions were filled as a result of networking. Of those 70% of the 70% or 49% came as a result of introductions to people that your network knew who you didn’t. These days, it can be as high as 80, 85% get filled as a result of networking. And if you use the same 70% logic, that it’s 56% are filled as a result of introductions to people that your network knows who you don’t. Don’t just simply apply for jobs. And if you do, you have to customize your resume so that a six year old could understand that your background fits the role. And I say that because you’re dealing with busy people. They’ve got a lot to do, a lot on their plate that they are contending with. They’re not just sitting there reading resumes. If anything, there is software that’s interposed between you and them, that’s evaluating your resume. And you want your resume to be ATS (applicant tracking system) likable, I have another video on that topic that you ought to go to YouTube for and I’ll see if I can put that into chat as well in just a moment (the link is https://youtu.be/CYwd6k6oGnI). But the idea is, think like a system that has been trained to determine whether or not you’re a fit for a role. And that’s the best way to do it so I’m gonna put this in the chat. But this is a video interview that I did with someone’s whose firm develops the underlying software that’s used to evaluate people in an ATS. So it’s a great video to watch, to learn how these systems work (https://youtu.be/CYwd6k6oGnI). However, if you can avoid applying for a job and use your network, or your ability to network to people, in order to get that job, get that interview, it serves you very well.
06:39
Is it bad to apply for the same job at the same company on multiple websites, like indeed, and then the company site? You know, I’m torn on this one. And I’m torn, because we don’t know which one that the interviewer has the habit of looking at. So the ideal thing is, if you gave them just a little bit of time to respond to the first resume submission, without leaping into the second resume submission on a different site. But we just don’t know. I would actually start with the indeed website, before going to the company site, because often the company sites are not well maintained. So, I’d start with Indeed then go to the company site a day or so later, to see if I got a response from them. And I just think you’re better served in such a manner.
07:52
Why did the hiring manager arrange for my final interview, but still extend the application date? The original application deadline is one day prior to my interview. So the answer is pretty simple. And that is number one, it may have been automated. That this automatically extends itself until such time as the job is pulled off. Follow that one. There’s an automatic feature built in, that extends the application deadline until the job is pulled off. And let’s assume for a second that it isn’t. Just because you’re going back doesn’t mean that they’re going to make you the offer or that you’re going to accept the offer. They have to keep looking until such time as they have someone who joins the firm, not that you’ve accepted the offer because, Lord knows, people don’t always start who accept offers, right? But they want to make sure that the position is filled. And, as a result, they’re looking for someone who joins. So they’re continuing to extend this until such time as a person joins the firm.
How Do I Follow Up on an Application When I Haven’t Heard Back for 2 Weeks?
09:21
This person works in cybersecurity. How can I get the team responsible to implement critical updates? There’s no consequences for them if they don’t and leadership leadership seems to not care too much. So, it’s unclear to me if you’re whether you manage them or not. If you’re managing them and they’re not doing what you’re telling them to do. You march them into your office, or you get them on a call and ask ‘Do I have to write you up in order to get you to do what I’m telling you to do? I don’t want to do that. But I’ve asked you more than once to do these updates. There’s a reason why we do updates. And the fact of the matter is, you’re not doing what I’m asking you to do. So what’s the problem?’ As a result, that forces a degree of accountability on them, because ultimately you’re responsible for reviewing their work and eventually, you get to the point where it comes time to give them their salary view and when you offer them that 1% raise, and they go, ‘Huh?’ This is the only way I know of to get it through your head that I expect you to do these updates. We work in cyber. Have you noticed how many attacks there are in a given day, and you’re not doing updates, which is the simplest thing in the world to do. So if you’re managing or leading the group, it’s pretty easy. If you’re not, if you’re just another staff individual who’s working as part of the group, then you’ve got a different set of circumstances. Maybe you ask your manager, ‘I’m a little confused here. And I’m trying to understand why implementing critical updates is not a priority.’ And then you shut up. Don’t push it. Listen. And then from that, you might learn something useful. Or maybe you need to escalate it beyond your manager, and try and get results that way. So that’s the way I would approach it. And good luck with this.
11:59
What do you do if human resources offer you a salary as a proposal, and during the day, they tell you they were wrong, they apologize, a. And they now offer you a lower amount, but you need the job. Horrible circumstances, horrible. And what I would say to you is, you start putting on tears, or you look hurt. And you say, ‘look, I turned down another offer for the salary that we were originally discussing. I prefer this job. That’s why I did it. And it was also based upon the salary that you proposed. I like this job better. And you probably have noticed, I’m not independently wealthy. My name is not on the list of Fortune, or Forbes wealthiest people in America, let alone the world. Salary is important to me. And I took action based upon the salary that you’ve proposed. I’m hoping that you’d reconsider and do the original offer, not this offer. And then you stay quiet and you listen. And if they say, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t do it,’ then very simply, you accept the offer and go to work, and do a great job. Because they’ll watch you to see if you’re interviewing elsewhere. And you should, and try and get the correct amount of money. But that’s what you need to do since you’re looking for a job and need a job. So it’s an awful set of circumstances, that a firm pulls back on the money that they offer, claiming a mistake, and then trying to make it up and make up the best by going, ‘SORRY! We made a mistake.’ Eat the mistake, frankly, but you can’t say it that way. You have to do it sounding pained. Good luck with that.
14:18
I’m just gonna remind you if you have question about job search, hiring management leadership, or want advice around that particular workplace related issue, put your questions in the chat, and I’ll try and get to it today. Also, my website is the big game hunter.us You can schedule time for a free discovery call a coaching session, visit my blog, which has more than 12,000 searchable posts, find out about my courses, books and guides. There’s just a lot there to help you. Also, subscribe to job search tv.com on YouTube. There’s An app by the same name that’s available on Amazon. So if you’ve got a fire TV, or a fire stick, you can wind up. You can download the job search tv.com app, and watch me on your screen set and enjoy me that way. And also mentioned no BS, job search advice radio, which today hit episode 2400 is the number one podcast and Apple podcasts for job search. No Show has delivered as many episodes as I have over all these years. So again, that’s a couple of ways that you can find out more from me. Because, again, people hire me for no BS career advice, and I want to help you with your career. Okay.
15:51
I won’t tell you what the original question was, because there was a racist undertone that came in the second sentence. But let me address this part of it. Why are there so many recruiters from India? And the answer is because they’re capable, because they know how to screen people. They’re working at a different hour set than the, US recruiters. And thus, they, from a cost perspective, are inexpensive, can cover different time zones than the US recruiters can. It just serves the organization that much more. They have a global recruiting footprint in order to fill positions. So why are they from India? Well, they could be from China, but India is an English speaking nation. So it’s good to have native English speakers available to an organization when they’re off recruiting. And I have to also say, many of them are quite competent. And before some of you make that about, ‘Oh, yeah, oh, yeah” well, in your profession, not everyone’s competent, either, right? So you’re picking on people, individual people who you don’t think are capable for whatever the reason is. Well, the same thing happens in your field as well. So don’t be so opinionated. The reason is, there’s so many from India, that they’re English speaking, capable, work hard doing the job, just like in any profession.
Answering Behavioral Interview Questions The Right Way
17:46
The property management firm I work for is paying much less for more work compared to other companies. Should I leave for a better offer? It will be the third property management company I tried this year, the third time moving. So in one year to have three job changes, I’m gonna start by saying you’re doing something wrong. When you’re interviewing, yes, you’re getting offers, that’s great. But what’s also happening is you’re not picking good firms to join, and wind up being underpaid. So learn how to interview better. And I’m gonna start there. Learn how to interview better, so that you don’t want to wind up accepting jobs with firms that have toxic environments, underpay you, all those other things. Why didn’t you know that this salary was less than market value going in? That’s on you. That’s not on them. You’ve discovered after joining that this is the case. They’re trying to get value, and they are. But before leaving, I might have a conversation with my manager, saying, ‘Look, how am I doing?’ I’m just starting that way under the premise that you haven’t been there very long. ‘How am I doing? I hope you’re pleased.’ ‘Oh, yeah, you’re doing a great job.’ ‘Terrific. I’m kind of disappointed. And that is I realized after accepting the offer, that I’m doing a lot more work and being paid less than comparable people with other organizations.’ And then you shut up. Let them start getting defensive. If they go. ‘and?’ ‘I’d like to be paid fairly.’ ‘Well, this is what you accepted.’ ‘Yes, I know. This is what I accepted. And I want to say to you politely, I’d feel better if I was being paid what the market really pays.’ If they say no, you have a choice. And the choice is you stay or go. Period. Figure it out for yourself going into this conversation. Because you don’t want to be blindsided by your manager saying, ‘Okay, you can go now, have a great day. I don’t need someone who doesn’t want to be around here.’ Keep it that simple.
20:42
Will wearing a mask to an interview affect my chances of getting the job if the company doesn’t require them? Hey, I’ve been I worked in recruiting for 100 years, a long time. And no one has ever needed to ask me this question. But these days we do. So will it affect your your chances? The answer is if it’s unaddressed. You need to bring up the topic. As soon as you meet someone there, when they come out of reception, or they you’re escorted to their office and you’re wearing a mask, you know that no one else wears them and you come in you elbow shake. You do the little elbow bump as a way of of making contact with them instead of the handshake and say, ‘Look, I’m sorry. I need to wear a mask. I have someone at home, who is ill, or they’re prone to get this kind of an illness, they fit that demographic. I can’t afford to get sick for fear that I get them sick. So, I apologize. I’m wearing a mask today, and would probably wear one after I’m on board. But this is the reality that I live with. I’m living with someone much older, I’ve got a parent at home, or an older wife, husband, partner, whatever the story is, explain why you’re wearing the mask so that in this way, they’re not left to their own devices. Tell themselves a story about why you’re doing it. So will it affect your chances? If you don’t address it up front, yes, it will affect your chances. But if you explain it, there probably won’t be a problem.
22:48
When the hiring manager said that I’m shortlisted as one of three top candidates, and they will let me know the final decision within a few days, does that mean I have a good chance? Okay, if my math is wrong, please correct me in comments. But it would seem like you have a one in three chance versus a one in 300 chance, which is probably where you started when you sent in your application and resume. As a result, they haven’t made a decision yet. They may be planning to convene and make their decision. But they have said that they will make their choice obvious in the next few days. That is great. So do you have a good chance? Yes, you do one in three. Those are great odds. And hopefully you wind up getting this.
23:52
How true is it that those who can follow a leader more efficiently are usually those who develop into leadership most rapidly? You know, we can’t extrapolate that. Because not every leader has the ability to inspire others. Not every leader has the ability to inspire others. And the fact that you’re a good follower, that you work hard to do a good job doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to be a good leader. You can be a tyrannical leader, because your fear gets the best of you. You may have had a great model of a leader, but you may not have picked up the right cues from them. As a result. I interpret the question …It reflects the hopes of an individual who doesn’t have experience in leadership that you would asked this question. Once you have experience in leadership, you know the burdens that you carry, and how hard it is to carry them. I remember being part of a nonprofit group and we had someone who is referred to use the full leader, there were co- leaders, there were senior members of staff wrunning a retreat weekend for the organization. And the perspective each of us had was different based upon our level of seniority. And thus, the person who was called the full leader had ultimate responsibility for the weekend. And they could see things that the co-leaders generally couldn’t. They had more experience that allowed them greater perspective. They had worked their way up to that top job. I was one of those people, and thus was able to see things that others didn’t see. So there’s no guarantee. And thus, I don’t think it’s a valid hypothesis for people to follow.
26:16
What is the best way to tell recruiter why I am applying after starting a job less than a month ago? Well, the job isn’t what was represented to me on the interviews. I was told such and such, that isn’t the case, I don’t want to get into a blame game thing. I’ve been working real hard. I could stay there for as long as I wanted. But I don’t want to stay there. I want to join an organization that can deliver such and such. That isn’t the case there. As a result, I think I’d rather leave sooner rather than stay with an organization where I’m going to be unhappy for a long time. So that’s the way I would approach it.
FEELING DEPRESSED About Your Search? Struggling? Feeling Fatigued?
27:12
Would you go to a job interview where your previous position was? I’m gonna assume that it’s not at the same company, but it might be in the same building, or location. So yes, I would do that. I know when I worked in New York, there were buildings where people could interview for jobs by taking a different elevator bank. So would you not interview with another great organization because they were in the same building? No, of course not. And I think that should be true of you as well. I think the location’s really irrelevant here. What is important is if you were evaluating a company that wasn’t in this location, what would you look for? What would be important to you in the next job or organization? What would you need to see or hear to believe it was a great choice for you. And those become the questions that should be your benchmark for evaluating a firm, whether it’s in the same building, the same office park, or anything else.
28:42
About a month and a half ago, I was interviewed for a job and never called back for it. Today, the recruiter messaged me again, and wanted me to apply, which I did. I’m still definitely interested but what do I do about it? I think you’d follow up with the recruiter saying, ‘Okay, I filled out the application online. I’ve submitted it, What’s next?’ ‘Well, we’re gonna get your resume to the hiring manager,’ because it’s not probably the same group that you previously interviewed with. As a result, what they’re trying to do is to get you in front of a different group. That’s what I would expect happens here. So I would say, call them, text them, message them in some way and again, you say to them, ‘Hey, I did what you asked me to do. I applied for the job. What’s the next steps? When do you think you can get me back in?
29:50
In an interview, the hiring manager asked me a question. I gave an answer for 45 seconds, and it seemed like he blanked out and just gave me the, ‘what did you say?’ Is that a big red flag? No, it means they got distracted, something came to mind that distracted them. And as a result, they lost their attention span. Thus what I would say is, ‘I’m gonna give you the answer again,’ because you don’t want them to wonder what your answer was, and use that as an excuse for saying, ‘No.’ You just smile and say, ‘It seems like you got distracted. So let me give you the answer again.’ And you go through your answer one more time, so that in this way, they can hear it, be receptive to it, and not use that as an excuse for rejecting you. Because that is what probably will happen. Otherwise, they use it as an excuse for rejecting you.
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6O-IczQaI8[/svp]
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.
I do a livestream on LinkedIn, YouTube (on the JobSearchTV.com account) and on Facebook (on the Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter page) Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 PM Eastern. You can send your questions about job search, hiring better, management, leadership or to get advice about a workplace issue to me via messaging on LinkedIn or in chat during the approximately 30 minute show.
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