Career Coach Office Hours: June 24 2022 | JobSearchTV.com
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
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: June 21, 2022
02:29
Is it too late to reply to a recruiter who messaged me one month ago on LinkedIn? I would try. I also wouldn’t guarantee that it would work. Like the reason they contacted you may be a position that’s further down the road on being filled at this point. And thus, it may come for naught. But if nothing else, you can say to she or he, ‘I’m so sorry, I hadn’t been on LinkedIn for a while. And I just got on, saw your message, got in touch. I hope it’s not too late for me to have a conversation.’ They’ll probably say yes, because if it’s not this job, there maybe another one. So give it a shot. Don’t sweat it if it’s too late, because it may be and just know that what you should do is log on more often, in order to ensure that you don’t miss opportunities.
03:31
What’s the worst mistake you can make in salary negotiations? I think it’s lowering your guard. And by that I mean, whoever it is you’re negotiating with has probably been talking to you multiple times over a long period of time. And now you’ve started to treat them like they’re your friend instead of a representative of a company you’re thinking of going to work for. As a result, to me, the mistake is being too trusting. Like you start to think of them as a friend because you’re talking to them all the time. And this doesn’t matter if they’re a corporate recruiter or a hiring manager, an agency recruiter or a headhunter. Whomever it is, they’ve got a job to do and they’ve got money to earn. They’re not your friend, although they may be acting friendly. So to me, that’s the big mistake that people make– they lower their guard, become too trusting, and as a result, cost themselves in the negotiationvbecause that person takes advantage of them. And I say takes advantage, you agree too readily and believe everything that they say much too easily.
05:02
Why do recruiters reach out to candidates who are unqualified for the position they are promoting. I’ll interpret that as trying to fill. And the reason is pretty simple. They’re not really looking at your profile; they’re not really looking at your resume. They’re looking at technology tools or identifying keywords, that will help them do a lot in bulk concurrently so that in this way, they can do more, accomplish more. It’s like mass mailing. If you think about what a mass mail is, there’s some characteristic in your background that makes you have appeal to send this mass mail letter to you. As a result, it may not be anything that you’re interested in. It may be that you use the term in passing in your resume. It’s in your LinkedIn profile, it’s not a dominant part of your background, it may have the wrong level of seniority. And as a result, I don’t want to say they’re spamming. There is some characteristic about you, that makes you superficially qualified, but not to the degree that they’re trying to find. So that’s how it really happens. They’re reaching out to folks in bulk and as a result, systems are not precise and the contacting you incorrectly.
06:44
What does it mean if you tell the recruiter you have no interest working for that hiring manager and he calls you five times? Why does he even care at this point? Because he or she is trying to sell you on this opportunity. And they want to argue with you a little bit. They want to try and be personally persuasive. They think they can convince you, because they’ve got magic words that are going to make it possible for you to change your mind and go, ‘you know, I think you’re right.’ And besides, they’ve got nothing left, nothing to lose. So they’re going to take a shot at it. So they’re calling you five times because you haven’t responded to their first four calls. Or they’re calling you twice because he didn’t respond to the first one. You are clear. They don’t care because they’re trying to make a commission. So that’s what it means. They’re trying to sell you on an opportunity.
Recruiters Are Not Your Friends
08:01
How do you respond to a failed salary negotiation? I’m going to assume that the failed negotiation translates into you are trying to get more money and they didn’t agree. So how do you respond? Well, maybe you go at a secondary issue. More vacation, an earlier salary review. Make sure you get these in writing, by the way, because being told orally or your manager going, you can take some extra time. I’ll just look the other way, isn’t good enough. Because if that manager leaves, well, there’s no proof that they ever agreed to it. So you got to get it in writing. So look for something secondary, to try to negotiate to improve the circumstances. Vacation. Benefits. Sign on bonus. Go for a sign on bonus. It only helps the first year but so what! You may not be there the second or third year. So get some cash out of it. With the economy going south, it seems to be doing that right now. You know, they may be laying you off and at least you’ve got the sign on bonus to help you look. So look at secondary things. And once those are completed, if they go nope, nope, nope. No interest in changing. This is the offer. This is the way it’s going to be. Then you have a choice. Leave it or take it. Either way is fine. You’re doing what’s right for you. And that’s the way to approach it. And in saying leave it or reject the offer. I just want to remind you, is the job worth your attention? Seriously, is the job worthwhile? If so, maybe that offer suddenly becomes okay, because the work makes sense for you. Whatever it is, start with a secondary issues first, like benefits, vacation time, sign on bonus, paid relocation, something along those lines, to see whether you can get them to increase it. And then after that you have a choice.
10:51
I just submitted an application. How long should I expect to wait for a response? Okay. Michael writes in work breeds work. You’re so right. You are so right. Anything I said in particular, that prompted you to message that? Tell me, I’m just curious. So how long should you expect to wait? Well, frankly, I wouldn’t contact them that day. But I might contact them the day after and say ‘I uploaded a copy of my resume to the applicant tracking system ( that’s when I suspect you did). I don’t know if anyone’s had a chance to look at it (Probably not). Normally, how long does it take for someone to get a response before they should assume that they were rejected?’ Yeah, just a very simple message like that to an HR, to the recruiter for it. If you know who the hiring manager is, the applicant tracking system goes to a screener that might then submit it to a hiring manager. Or they may start off the process of screening before it goes to the hiring manager. We have no way of knowing but I will follow up the next day as a matter of course, and just ask the question. ‘You know, I submitted a resume today or yesterday, I haven’t heard. How long does it normally take if there’s an interested response or an uninterested response? Either way, is fine. I just want to manage my own expectations.’ And that will give you the answer that will help you sort this out.
12:46
I’ve applied an interview for jobs for about eight months now. And I’ve made it to the last round for a couple of these positions. And for whatever the reason is, I didn’t get selected, hours upon hours preparing it even creating presentation material that just be sent a rejection email. I feel like my confidence has been completely (Michael, I’ll come to you in one second) like my confidence has been completely destroyed. And I’m finding it really hard to not just cry every day. Comparison really is the thief of joy. That’s exhilarating to see others around who had the same qualification. Let’s see what’s the rest of that? Same qualification. I’m not seeing the end of that sentence. Land soon. So I’m just going to say to you, I know it’s upsetting. And I know it’s frustrating. Your wife, husband, partner, parents, whomever it is, your friends are all going ‘how’s it going?’ You’re saying ‘I’m not there yet? Not there. I’ve come close on that there yet.’ And it hurts. Every time they ask the question. It’s like a dagger in the gut. But the focus has to be on, you can lick your wounds for 10 or 15 minutes. It’s okay. But you got to pull yourself together and focus on the next thing. Is there anything that you’ve learned from this last rejection that’s useful to you? You can’t go into the begging mode because they’re just gonna say, ‘Where am I coming short.’ ‘They’re just gonna say, ‘we found someone who was stronger than you and we chose them.’ O someone less expensive and stronger than you and we chose them. You’re never going to get a straight answer from them so don’t expect much. You can you can ask, ‘is there anything I can take away from this that might help me perform better?’ Now here’s one piece of advice I’m gonna offer you and that is when people are rejected at a final, the issue that caused them to be rejected usually showed up on an earlier round interview. It was a weak spot, as a deficiency, but they kept moving you along so you forgotten about it. Thus, for you, every time you get to a final, one thing you need to review is where are the weak spots that have surfaced about my background and how can I deal with them proactively on this interview? Don’t wait for them to raise the subject. When they talk with you about something that’s similar, you have to raise this topic with them proactively, so that you demonstrate that you’re aware enough to recognize that this was a problem, and that you can cure it for them. That’s the way it is, for a lot of folks, when they’re turned out.
How Do I Follow Up on an Application When I Haven’t Heard Back for 2 Weeks?
15:55
(Back to Michael, sit at home all day and night and stare at the ceiling, you’re often better off doing something like volunteering, or something than doing nothing all day. It’s better to be. I love love to work with you, but I don’t need you). I’m with you. And I have to tell you, people who remain mentally active during projects, doing volunteering. You’ve got a phone so you can always check messages, whether they’re email or text or phone calls. You can always respond quickly. You don’t want to interrupt the people around you if you’re volunteering somewhere. But you can set it on vibrate, keep it in your pocket, and respond to things and just simply apologizes and say ‘I just got a message from someone I want to take. It could be about a job.’ And you follow through with it. So I agree with you, Michael, being active mentally is important. And you don’t want to take a stupid job. I think a week or two ago, someone said ‘is it demeaning to tell people ‘Come on, there are plenty of jobs out there! You can get a job!’ I’m paraphrasing, but that was the theme to it. Of course it’s demeaning. This person could be an accountant. They could be an engineer, could be a technology professional. And you basically say ‘hey, there are jobs at Walmart you can get a job!’ That’s not helpful. People want to do what they’re trained to do and what they’re excellent at and what their interests are. They don’t want to do stupid work. So, Michael, I’m going to interpret your comment as being no one wants to sit at home and stare at the ceiling. You want to do something. One of the things that you can do is start something on the side that you can continue after you’re in the new job. I don’t know what it would be for you. I can’t go over and look at your profile right now. But you can do something like that and continue to look for work. You can also practice your interviewing, whether that’s by phone or otherwise. There’s lots of things people can be doing to keep them, to keep them focused, keep them ready, keep them being able to deliver once they’re in the new job, once they’re being interviewed. Stuff along those lines. Michael, if there’s more, I’m happy to acknowledge you and and comment about it as well. Okay. I have patience for you.
18:45
How do I use an offer in a salary negotiation or in salary negotiations? Easy. Number one is you can use it to accelerate the preferred firm’s behavior and thus be able to say, ‘look, I’m not trying to pressure you in any way. But I do have another offer. If there is a way you can accelerate your process to move this forward, that will be super, because I am frankly more interested in yours. But I’m also not independently wealthy. Like if you look at the Forbes or Fortune list of wealthiest people in the world or wealthiest Americans, you’ll probably notice that I’m not on that list or on those lists.’ So the idea is you can use it to accelerate. You can also use it from the standpoint of ‘it came in a touch low by comparison to another offer that I have. Could you at least match that offer?’ ‘What was the offer for?’ ‘It was for . . . ‘ ‘Yeah, we can do that.’ ‘Could you do a touch better. I’d really appreciate it.’ So, yes, you can use it as leverage to accelerate the process. Try and get them to increase the offer. Get some movement from . . . (Michael continues, I heard that last guy. Think of yourself as a brand. Go Google yourself, look at your social networks. Are you a good brand? So I’m gonna think of you referring back to this person. He’s been out at a variety of interviews. I think, Michael, his issues around her issues around interviewing, not about the brand name unless there’s something incongruent in how they’re packaging themselves online. And I say that because they’re getting the finals and not getting hired. Maybe it’s a reference. That’s certainly a possibility. Maybe it’s some other variable. But the long the short of it is, I don’t think it’s about their brand most of the time. I think, once we’re at the stage where they’re interviewing regularly, unless there’s something destructive about them that’s been found out through a reference check, credit check, background check, something along those lines. Most of the time, it’s a past issue that surfaced on an earlier interview with a firm that hasn’t been addressed yet. It’s lingering like the sword of Damocles over their head, and thus, boom. They choose the other person because it’s an unresolved issue. So that’s always my reminder for people. Before you go on a final, usually there’s some issue. If you think you to an earlier round, there was a rough edge that surfaced, but they moved it ahead because from their standpoint, they need to hire someone. Until they find someone that they’re willing to hire, you’re not bad enough to reject, but you’re not good enough to propose to. So they keep moving forward.
Answering Behavioral Interview Questions The Right Way
22:15
Why are hiring managers so cruelly selective in their hiring practices? Cruelly selective? Well, I wouldn’t call them cruel. They want what they want. They’ve got a job description; they have expectations of how someone’s going to conduct themselves on interviews. They want what they want because you’re a child, and they’re the parent, and your behavior and conduct are going to reflect poorly upon them if you’re a mishire. Thus, they just want what they want so that in this way, they can get the job done that they need to have you get done. So I wouldn’t call this ‘cruelly selective.’ Obviously, you’ve been turned down a bunch of times, but they’re not cruelly selective. You haven’t made yourself qualified, demonstrated your interest or shown your availability in the course of the interview. Thus, other people are beating you out. Figure out where the deficiencies are, and improve your knowledge, improve your skills, improve your interviewing, if you want to rent my course, The Ultimate Job Interview Framework, it’s available through my website, TheBigGameHunter.us, it’s less than 20 bucks, I think it’s like 15 bucks that I rent it for for 30 days or you can purchase the course. I think it’s $25 through the website. It will help you interview like an all star. No ifs, ands, buts about it. So improve your interviewing. That’s really how you’ll wind up getting hired.
24:12
Should you tell recruiter you’re interviewing at multiple companies? No Would you tell a woman or man that you’re dating that you’re dating other people? No! What’s in it for them for you to do that? How does that benefit you to tell them that you’re interviewing at multiple firms now? If you, for example, if they say ‘so where are you interviewing,’ the correct response is, ‘ I’m talking to a couple of firms. One firm, I’m almost at the offer stage with. I’m talking to a few firms at this point. I really liked your opportunity, your firm but I obviously, I need to know more and you need to know more.’ Where are you interviewing?’ ‘I don’t think that’s really important right now, but I’m talking to several firms and your opportunity is really appealing.’ Never tell them where you’re interviewing. Never tell them where you’re close to another offer unless it’s true, number one, and number two, that it’s a brand with tremendous recognition in your market. Because then you get a halo through that association with the other firm. So I normally never tell, never encourage people to tell them that you’re interviewing at multiple firms. Like I’ve mentioned earlier, if you’re close to an offer, then I believe you tell them, but you know, the long the short of it is, don’t mention it. It’s really of no benefit to you. And if there are too many firms that you’re interviewing with and you’re not getting offers, their reaction is . . . let me just tell you a story back when I was a beginning recruiter back in The Stone Ages when dinosaurs roamed the earth. And I remember there was a person I interviewed in my second or third week, who had been on 19 interviews up until that point, and I dutifully jotted down where they’d been on interviews. And my manager, because I was a beginner at that time, qnd knew next to nothing, told me this person is no good. He’s been turned down by 19 firms so far, what makes you think that you’re gonna have the lucky number 20.’ And he was right. Once they’re turned down by that many organizations, they’re probably not that good. Back to your question, having been on a lot of interviews, if you tell them that, they start thinking like my former manager did, and start thinking that this person is not really that good. All these other firms have turned them down. All these other firms have turned her down? Not gonna be good.
FEELING DEPRESSED About Your Search? Struggling? Feeling Fatigued?
27:56
This person is in week four of an interview process for a job that they really want. I have had a phone interview, and in person interview with the President, a design challenge, 2 additional in person interviews with department heads. Everything’s been going really well and even received great responses on my follow up thank you emails. I sent a follow up email to the President on the Friday after my Wednesday interviews and haven’t heard back. Should I follow up again today? So I’m not sure when today is for you. Now, I’m doing this on a Friday. Let’s assume it’s a week later. So you sent it last Friday. And now it’s a Friday a week later? Yeah, I’d follow up. I’d send a quick email saying, ‘I dropped a note to you last Friday, hadn’t heard back, not trying to be a pest. Could you give me a sense of where I stand right now with you and whether you expect I’ll be receiving an offer soon, whether there’s going to be additional interviews, give me a sense of what the process is going to look like so you can manage my expectations. That’s a very simple way to handle it. That allows you to get an idea of where they think of you and get an idea of when you might hear from them next. You’ll probably hear from that person. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so busy.’ They’ll make excuses to you. And then they’ll answer your question. If they don’t answer, prod one additional person who you interviewed with. If they don’t get back to you. It’s very likely they’re stalling for time or they’re not interested.
29:49
What is the best way to motivate your team at work? So I want to look in the eye when I answer this question. You shouldn’t need to motivate your team. Motivation is a failure in hiring on your part, or there’s an institutional friction that’s causing them to get turned off. That requires you to motivate them to make them do something that they seem reluctant to want to do. As a result, when you have to motivate there’s a problem. So you want to be able to inspire, not motivate. Motivation is lighting a fire underneath someone, inspiration is lighting a fire within someone, a quote from Coach Lance Secretan. So look at your hiring process, number one, that has caused you to hire people that need motivation. Number two is see where people are getting turned off and what you can do to resolve those issues. So if they start looking at you as a hero, and thus, you’re able to help them get results and make them want to do the work that they were brought on to do.
7 Things to Do When Your Job Search Calendar is Empty
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEz8YDGDOTw[/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.
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