Career Coach Office Hours: May 10 2022 | JobSearchTV.com
I answered questions about #jobsearch #hiringstaff #management #leadership #workplace issues. Join me at 1 PM Eastern on Tuesdays and Fridays and put your question into chat. You can also message me on Linkedin before the show and I will answer it, too.
6 Tips for Successful Job Search Networking
Does not put in references on a job application reflect poorly on you? No. Companies ask for references much too soon. They like to have the information in advance. And every once in a while, people have a bad experience where their references are contacted without warning, and are disturbed by the fact that they’re being contacted. So if you’re asked for your references at the time of the application, just simply say, just politely respond by saying ‘I’ll provide them at the time we’re discussing an offer. At this point, it’s much too soon for me to share that kind of information. So let’s get acquainted. Let’s figure out if this makes sense. I just don’t want you to have a lot of data about the people I know.’ And they’re gonna say, ‘Oh, no, we just want to. . . ‘ just politely deflect it without sounding stressed or irritable, and simply say, ‘It’s too soon for it. I’ll provide them later on once you’re ready to make an offer.’ That’s the way you respond. Does it reflect poorly on you? No, Frankly, it reflects poorly on them but not poorly on you.
So I received a fairly substantial message. I’m not going to put the whole thing into channel just simply read it and say, I’ve been searching for a job for a week now, applied to 10, had an interview yesterday, and I’ve gotten three rejections so far. I handle rejections well, because I know how competitive the labor market is. But I found one of the rejection emails I got today very annoying. The sentence that really annoyed me was, ‘we’re moving forward with other candidates at this point. They have a bit more relevant experience.’ That insinuate to this person that theirs wasn’t relevant. You could want a more experienced person but don’t talk down my job experience. Got it. So let me just start off by responding and saying, you know, for some firms, this is all a canned email and they’re pushing back and rejecting you. You got that part. But it’s not personal. Most of these things are pre- programmed macros, perhaps they could just be automatically generated at the time of rejection. As noted in the system, I’ll also say, at least they responded, they didn’t ghost you and ignore you. They told you they’re not interested. So don’t take it personal. It probably isn’t personal to you. It’s probably what they send to everyone. Let it go. Really let it go.
Why Should Branding Make a Difference to You?
I’ve been unemployed for two years from the medical field. I got a contingent job standby offer. Can I still negotiate the salary? You’ve been out of work for two years? Now, let me just get to the conclusion. Yes, you can do that. Yes, you can negotiate the salary offer. And if I were you, I’d shut up. Because you’ve been out of work for two years. Now, you haven’t provided me with any information as to why you’ve been out of work for two years or what role you’re in. You say, you’ve worked in the medical field. I don’t know if you were a nurse, a doctor, a clerk in the billing department. I have no idea what job. But all I know is you’ve been out of work for two years, and you’re trying to get back to work. Why are you pushing it? Like was the offer that low that you feel compelled to fight with them, and try and get more money from them, even though you’ve been out of work for two years. Two years! So respectfully. You might go to my video, ‘The Easiest Way to Negotiate a Higher Salary for Yourself.’ yYou can find that on YouTube; you can find that on my website, TheBigGameHunter.us. Search for it. You’ll find that it offers a relatively gentle way that you can try negotiating the salary to try and get it increased. But I really wouldn’t press it because you’ve been out of work for two years. 24 months. For 730 some odd days. Come on. How much have you forgotten in those two years? Oh, I haven’t forgotten anything. Yeah, sure. Sure, you haven’t forgotten anything. So I’ll just simply suggest to you don’t press your luck. The Easiest Way to Negotiate a Higher Salary for Yoursel is the video. It’s very gentle. And will give you a way of negotiating that is going to make it seem like you’re being a pig.
We have one from Darrell Miller. Thank you. Is it appropriate to discuss salary during the first interview? Absolutely. Because they’re going to start the negotiation right there. As soon as they ask you, ‘What are you making,’ in those parts of the country where that’s still legal, or they’re asking you ‘how much you’re looking for,’ they’re negotiating. So from the standpoint of you, you just have to be aware of it, your job is to defer and deflect wherever possible. So what do I mean by that? They’re asking you how much you’re earning? How much you’re looking for? That’s a question they ask all over the United States. And thus, the correct response is to say, ‘You know, it’s hard for me to really judge. All I’ve seen so far is a job description, or an ad, or spoken to a third party recruiter who’s told me about the job and sent me a job description. But the fact of the matter is, I haven’t met my future boss, I haven’t met the team, I don’t really have a sense of what the role, responsibilities, and expectations are going to be. So could we circle back to that later.’ And thus, your job is to deflect and if they push you about this, the correct response to that is to say, ‘look, I can give you a number, but I’m not going to be committed to that number until I know more. I just want to be clear about that. So if you hear me give you a salary range of between such and such and such and such, I don’t want you thinking that you can get me at the lowest number because I don’t know enough to commit anything. So for now, the honest answer I can give you is, you know, I’d like to find out more before I commit to a number. Or if you want to push to a number, I’m going to tell you I’m not committed to that number right now.’ And they’ll circle back and say, ‘oh, that that higher number maybe a little too much for us.’ ‘So let’s, let’s get acquainted for now. Because I don’t know if your bottom number is enough for me right now. So let’s get to know one another, maybe there’s circumstances wI’ll be flexible. Maybe I won’t be. But for now, let’s just figure this sounds later on. Okay. And that’s the way I would handle it, Darryl. And if you have a follow up, don’t hesitate asking.
Are recruiters a waste of time. Some are, most aren’t. Remember, what a recruiter is there to do? They’re not there to get you a job. They are there to fill a job with someone like you. . .Maybe! Why do I say it that way? Because you’re not paying them anything. They’re not there to work for free, so that you land a job. They are there because they are hired by an institution of some sort to find someone who can do a job for them within a salary range will work for them for at least generally 90 days. I’ve heard of two year guarantees for senior level professionals. But the goal is for them is to fill a job so that they are paid by a company. Their goal is not to find a job for you. So when they’re reaching out to you, let’s say they’re finding you on LinkedIn. It’s because they’re conducting a search for a client of theirs that has identified someone where they need someone with a background similar to yours. Your profile insinuates to them that perhaps your background might be suitable. But they can’t be sure, because I know this is a shock. People exaggerate what they’re capable of doing. What a surprise. So, the result winds up being that they’re talking with you with an eye toward evaluating and assessing you for your capabilities. And thus, they need to know more and from the way you present yourself and the way you list what you’re looking for, they may determine that you’re not really suitable for their client, or their client may figure out that you’re not really right for your background with what they’re looking for. And they’re trying. And no, they’re not a waste of time. They really now, you know this, there are statistics about how jobs are filled. And clearly the primary way jobs are filled is through networking. And job ads, and recruiters fill maybe 30 some odd percent of all jobs. And some recruiters use job ads to identify talent. So there’s an overlap in there. So I’d want the numbers together. As a result, just remember, they’re not a waste of time, they’re trying to find people with a particular background that will satisfy a client of theirs, that will make them want to hire you or hire someone, and then pay them a substantial fee for having found this person. And that person has to work there for a period of time. Okay.
Would you agree that the reason why so many businesses can’t hire top talent is because they don’t have the top talent to do the hiring? I don’t agree with that at all. Here’s what I would say. Most firms are very disorganized with their hiring. Very few hiring managers are trained how to evaluate and assess people. The result winds up being they’re trying to figure it out on the fly. And even though they may have interviewed lots and lots of people, and they’ve had some success and a lot of failures. The result winds up being that they don’t really know what they’re doing. So the reason they can’t hire top talent, or mediocre talent for that matter, is they’re amateurs and they act like amateurs, and they do seat of the pants
What do people that work in staffing look for when headhunting people for junior roles? Okay, so what do you think they look for? Answer: someone who’s qualified to do the job that they need to have done.Someone who is competent, self confident, has character, has chemistry with the team. Maybe they show a little bit of charisma because charismatic people always do better than non charismatics, they seem to care about doing a good job. They connect with the interviewers, all of which translates into they trust you. They trust this person that they’re going to be talking with, and thus become interested in hiring them. Competence, again, is not the only thing that they look for, even though that’s the way you folks conduct yourself. That isn’t the most important element. It’s one of many.
Is It a Good Idea To Tell Them You Already Have an Offer?
I worked on an as need basis on my last assignment. I haven’t told the firm I’m interviewing with that and now they want to check references. What do I do? Easy Just to be clear, you haven’t filled out an application yet. Good, you haven’t done that. Because applications are the legal document, resumes and such. So you know, when you turn over the references, or first time you contact the firm involved, and say you may be getting contact from such and such firm checking my references. Obviously, I haven’t done a lot of work for you. That’s why I’m looking. But you can tell them that you’ve brought me on board on an as needed basis. That’s true, right? Right. You haven’t needed me a lot true, right. And as a result, you know, I understand that so and so is looking for something else, they did a fine job for us. We would love that they still be available, but we understand that they need I’m not trying to identify gender here. They need to have a more steady income. You it’d be disappointing to us, maybe we could work out something where we could still and you go and have them say something along those lines. And then you turn it over to the firm that you’re interviewing with, and tell them specifically who to contact there who will verify that I was there on an as needed basis basis. And unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of work for you. So that’s the simplest way to handle it. So that you’re being forthright and open with them. Okay. Here’s a fun one. It loads a little longer. I am going to put this one in the chat.
I had a job interview today mostly went okay. I happened to say due to health reasons, and they asked me what was the health issue if it wasn’t too personal. I said that my dad has aphasia, if I’m pronouncing that correctly, but the minute I said it, my eyes filled with tears a little, I didn’t cry, but they definitely noticed that one of the interviewers was very professional and understanding, and asked the question that required them to explain academic stuff that they had mentioned before. And they got back to normal. I was wondering if watery eyes made me seem like I was unprofessional and immature. No, absolutely not. What it did was demonstrate that you are human. And more importantly, truthful. Truthfulness in holding back tears with a difficult thing. So they believed you. And that’s one of the most important things you could have done in this conversation. You were believable. You wre honest. They trusted you. That’s the beauty of this.
An interviewer asked if I was interviewing in other places, I panicked and said no, because I thought it would hurt my chances. If I was truthful and said, yes. Did I overthink? Or was that the right answer? Once you start worrying if it’s the right answer, I would prefer you answer in an honest way. And simply say, ‘I’ve been speaking to a few firms. I’m in the loop with some. I’ve been particularly interested in your organization.’ ‘Why is that? And then you praise the heck out of them. And finish up by saying, ‘and I just want to be clear, I’m looking for the right opportunity and yours was a firm that interested me but . . . ‘ and I’m gonna pause for a second say, remember, you’re talking to a screener? They don’t make the decision about whether you’re hired. They make the decision about whether they reject you, because they don’t believe you. It’s the hiring manager who makes that decision. So in answering the question, I prefer you say, ‘ I’m still talking to a few firms but I’m particularly interested in this one.’ ‘Why is that?’ And then you praise the heck out of them so this way, they have the idea that you are really interested. And thus, what you’re able to do is express your interest.
What leadership style is the most effective one? I love when people ask this because it is dumb. So the answer is the one that works. Most of you who would answer this are really managers. You’re not leaders. Thus, you want to connect with your people, hire well, because a person who doesn’t give a darn about their job is never going to perform for you. And that’s not a question that’s from management. That’s a question about your effectiveness with hiring. So, just remember, it all starts with who you hire. Noy yourleadership style, not your management style. You want to hire people who give a darn. If you remember my answer earlier, firms look for competence. You know how to evaluate for that. Self Confidence, character, chemistry, maybe a little bit of charisma, because charismatic people always do better than non charismatics, that they care, right? That they connect with you and that they trust you that they believe you. So, what you’re trying to do is demonstrate qualities that make people trust you and on your side, the management style, the leadership style that works best is the one that allows people to do their best, while at the same time following norms and conventions within the organization and within the group. That’s it. Everything else is BS.
There’s a woman in this person’s office that, shall we say, they’re difficult. When they email someone, they’re all sweet and nice, but then start trashing them behind their back. She BCCs the boss on everything, she’s just toxic. You can’t tell her anything, because she’ll use it against you down the line. I loved to work from home. And now I’m in the office five days a week. How do you deal with difficult people at work? There’s no simple answer to this. People are who they are, and this person is who they are. You might just flip it, and and say to them at some point, ‘you know, I’m not real comfortable with the way you present yourself as sweet and nice and then start being hypercritical of people, when you’re not communicating with them. Why don’t you take up your issues with them instead of doing this kind of stuff? I think you’ll be happier if you do.’ ‘I can’t do that.’ ‘Then why do you think we’re supposed to listen to you? Once you’re not gonna deal with it, I don’t want to deal with this for the next 20 years I’m here. So maybe you could solve the problem and not get us involved with it.’ And that’s really a mature thing to do.
How do I revamp my LinkedIn profile? Answer? How the heck would I know? I have no idea what your profile is like now. And the result winds up being for all I know, it’s a great profile. But how do you revamp it? It’s a long answer. That’s more than one show. I’m going to be working on a course on LinkedIn profiles. It’s going to be at least an hour. I’m not going to take that right now. So, go to my YouTube channel, at JobSearchTV.com. Look for the LinkedIn playlist there. You’ll find a lot of great material. When you say ‘it’s so much!’ Well, it is. You want it simplified hire me to coach you, then I’ll go through it with you. So bear with me. And I’ll just simply say, I’m not going to cover that today.
Why are the ‘C’ students that hire ‘A’ students still so insecure about not being an ‘A’ student? Man! I’ll just simply say it’s very arrogant to believe that you are an A student, and that they are C students. First of all in the workforce, they don’t really care about grades and neither should you. For all I know you are a student at a D school or community college, or worse. So stop with inflating yourself. You’re arrogant to do this. The result winds up being you create an air of superiority, that is unjustified; it’s immature. And what you should be doing is focusing on winning the interview and communicating with people in ways that they get you and understand how you can help them. Your unjustified superiority complex doesn’t serve you at all so stop it. Focus on winning the interview, rather than looking askance at these people that you know nothing about and you’ve decided that they are C students. Nonsense. This is about you, when you’re a failure. You’re trying to offload it on other people. Work at getting better.
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 2300 episodes.
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
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