Career Coach Office Hours: May 17 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 and put your question into chat. 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
When You’ve Been Made Redundant, Fired, Laid Off, RIF’d
02:52 Is getting laid off the same as getting fired?
03:49 So you apply for a position. Then recruiter contacts you to set up interview with hiring manager, but this recruiter doesn’t ask for salary expectation and other related recruiting questions. Is the interview legit or fake?
05:42 Should companies who are short staffed pay existing employees the difference of a fully staffed shift?
07:48 Is it a red flag if a job description says “commission only”?
11:08 Since programmers don’t earn more than managers in a company, does it mean managers are smarter than programmers? Why?
12:28 Now, they said the CEO was thinking about it, and my previous job was 1099, which is why I wanted more on W-2.
15:39 How do you respond to a job offer without accepting it?
17:01 When should you bring up the salary question in a job interview? 18:58 Wh
at is the best real life way to practice for job interviews?
21:59 When asked what are your salary expectations in an interview, should you always go straight in with a high amount?
23:53 How do leaders keep their cool under pressure?
25:17 How do I get back to a rejected job offer after 2 months?
28:17 Do you know it’s wrong for you to speak against your leaders even when they’re not leading right?
02:51
Is getting laid off the same as being fired? The answer is no, it is different. Laid off is normally for economic reasons. That is ‘we can’t afford to keep you any longer. I’m sorry, we have to lay you off.’ That’s one level. The other level is “You’re fired. You’re fired because you don’t do your job. And we can’t have that any longer. As a result, get out of here, you’re fired.” That’s another version of it. So I’ll just simply saying there is a distinct difference between the two. And I’m glad I can make it clear for you.
03:49
You apply for a job and the recruiter contacts you to set up an interview with the hiring manager. But this recruiter doesn’t ask for salary expectations and anything else? Is this a legit interview? Yeah, it’s, it’s probably legit. It probably not fake. The recruiter, I have no idea where you’re talking to a corporate or a third party recruiter, but doesn’t really matter. You have an interview scheduled with the hiring manager. This person is going to screen you and talk with you about an opportunity that they have on staff. I don’t know why you think it’s not legit except they haven’t talked to you about money. They may have an idea of what you’re earning based upon where you work, and what you do and what your grade level is at that organization. But the long and short of it is I’m sure it’s a legit interview. So go on it and impress the heck out of them. Make them fall in love. Focus on delivering for this interview so that, this way they want to hire you. And then from there, then you have a choice as to whether or not you want to go to work for them. But otherwise, you know, don’t hold back. If you hold back trying to figure out if this is legit or fake, you’re gonna blow the opportunity. You’ll blow the interview, if you hold back. So go for it; make them fall in love. No love, no money, no job opportunity for you.
05:42
Should companies who are short staffed pay existing employees the difference of a fully staffed shift? First time I’m seeing this question. I know this isn’t what you want me to say, but the answer is no. Let’s say you work in a restaurant and you’re understaffed at the restaurant. Should you be paid the difference? Well, you’re gonna get more in the way of tips, right? So tips are going to help you compensate for the extra work that you’re going to do. You are paid, I’ll use the example of a restaurant, you’re paying hourly, to show up and do what you’re assigned to do. And then you earn tips on top of it. That’s how the system works. We’re getting more tables. If there’s a tip pool, well, you’re gonna get a higher cut from the tip pool, if that’s the way it works. So I’ll just simply say, I don’t think that’s the case that you should be paid more. And if you’re in an office job, and they’re short staff, well, you’re going to take on some additional work and some is going to fall by the boards. And they’re trying to hire replacements. And there are going to be days where you don’t do your job particularly well. Are you gonna give them back money or is it only a one way street? I just want to make sure I understand this. So no, I don’t think it’s something that you should be paid more for, or paid a share of the additional money that they’re saving, by having you do additional work. I will also say that, if you don’t like that, you can get another job where you’ll be working more normal hours, or doing a more normal level of work. But no, I don’t think you should be get paid more.
07:48
is there a red flag of a job description says commission only? Well, I worked as a recruiter for many years, and I wasn’t paid a salary in sales. The question always comes down to is, do you have a saleable product? A saleable service? If you do, they’re spending money to put a market value to it. When I worked in recruiting, I had a draw against projected commission. But fundamentally, I was doing commission only work and drawing against my own bank account. A draw basically means you accumulate a pool of money that comes as a result of sales that I’ve done. I was working, in effect, straight condition drawing from my own bank account. So I would just say to you no, it’s not intrinsically bad. But when I coach people these days, and that are new to sales, I discouraged them from taking such positions, because I know they’re not used to the stress that I lived under all those years where I did recruiting. Thus, their performance would not be great. And they couldn’t afford to necessarily do it. So I steer them away from situations like that. Judging by the question, you probably shouldn’t be in a situation like that either. I would suspect you’re a new person to sales. Being on straight commission would freak you out if you weren’t writing business. So that’s my answer about ‘is there something intrinsically wrong with a straight commission job.’
11:08
Since programmers don’t earn more than managers at a company does it mean that managers are smarter than programmers and why? It doesn’t mean that at all. The jobs are different. And managers who control the efforts of a number of people are paid more than the people who do. And let’s go an extra step. Directors who have managers reporting to them are paid more than the managers are. Does that make them smarter than the manager? No, it’s a different job. And these people seem to be qualified to do these jobs in the eyes of the people that hire them. So this isn’t about intelligence. this isn’t about their smarts. What it’s about very simply, is that managers, directors, VPs are paid more than programmers because their work is valued to a higher level. It’s that simple.
Virtual Career Fairs When You Are Relocating
12:37
They said the CEO was thinking about it, and my previous job was 1099, which is why I wanted more on W-2. Okay. So if I’m understanding this scenario, correctly, they discussed an offer with you. Haven’t made it yet. Your previous job was 1099. And now you expect to be hired on a W-2 and asked for more than on the 1099. And they said they get back to you on Friday at the latest. And now it’s Tuesday. So of course, I’d contact them and based upon what I know of this situation, from what you put into chat, they’re stalling. Or they’re in the process of trying to figure out how to say no to you, or they’re going to try and renegotiate you to a lower level. So I would get on the phone with them, schedule a time to speak with whomever I’ve been interacting with in decision making mode. Maybe it’s the CEO, maybe it’s a director or manager and simply say, ‘I’m a little confused here. Like when you have a consultant on billing, do you pay them the same rate on a W-2 as you do on a 1099? No, of course not. Why? Why is there any question about this with me,’ and kind of put it back at them to explain why they’re going to try and finesse you into doing something less than they would for one of their consultants, you have the potential, I remember correctly, you’re looking at sourcing roles. And as a result, you’re going to generate revenue for them just like the consultants do. As a result, I don’t see a reason why you should be taking less and I also don’t know your financials. If your financials are such that you need the role, maybe play a little hard to get after they make the new offer. Tell them you’re going to think about it for a day or so. ‘What’s to think about?’ ‘You’ve taken four days so far or five days or a week, what’s the big deal about me thinking about it?’ You see where I’m going with this? Play a little hard to get. See if they’ll pay; they probably won’t. But I would simply say, try to get them on the phone to have a conversation with you. They said they’d be back to you the latest on Friday. Now, it’s Tuesday. And I know you want to say yes, because otherwise you’d just let this ride. So try and get them on the phone and have a conversation with them.
15:33
How do you respond to a job offer without accepting it? I kind of gave one example of that with Terry. And that’s to say, “Huh. Okay. I’d like to think about it for a little bit.’ ‘What’s to think about?’ ‘You know, I’ve found in the past, when I make hasty decisions, I’ve made mistakes. So what I’ve decided to do is spend a little time weighing the proposal that you made and I’ll circle back to you day after tomorrow, and let you know what my thoughts are. Okay? And then from there, what you can do is, go through a list of questions that start off with unimportant easy ones, like benefits clarifications, and then progress to the more important issues that you have. So, the idea is to stall to buy yourself a little bit of time, in order to stall for another situation. That’s probably the best way I could put it. Because I think that’s what’s really going on here.
17:01
When should you bring up the salary question in a job interview? Actually, they bring it up. They bring it up when they talk with you about what you’re looking for, and try and get a flavor for what you’ve been earning if that’s a legal question in your part of the world. You’re probably the United States. In the US, there are a number of places where it’s not legal to ask that question anymore what you’re currently earning, they can legally ask what you’re looking for. So they’ll normally bring that up as a subject and then follow up with, are you willing to be flexible? And the response to that is, ‘you know, it’s hard for me to say yes to whether I’d be flexible, because all I know is the job description, which may or may not be accurate. I haven’t met my future manager, haven’t met the team, don’t have an idea of the expectations for the role.’ ‘Well, it’s in the job description.’ ‘Well, maybe the job descriptions aren’t completely accurate. So I’ll just say, I haven’t met my boss, haven’t met the team, don’t have an idea of the expectations, the quality of the team. Could we circle back to that after I’ve had a chance to meet with everyone and go through the process?’ They’ll try and push you. Don’t allow yourself to be pushed. They bring up salary. Their job on their side is to get you to acquiesce at the earliest possible point to a lower salary to being flexible about salary, even though you don’t know enough to make a decision about what the real value is in the role for you. So don’t be compliant. Flip it back to them, like I just did with you.
18:58
What is the best real life way to practice for job interviews? So, the hard thing for me in answering this question is, I don’t know whether you’re competent or not. I teach a framework for interviewing called The Ultimate Job Interview Framework. It’s available through my website and a couple of other places. But if you go to TheBigGameHunter.us/courses, you’ll be able to purchase or rent any of my courses, including The Ultimate Job Interview Framework, which is my approach to interviewing. And it’s inexpensive, like, if you purchase. it’s under $25. If you rent it, it’s probably 15. So not particularly expensive. Learn the framework. And then from there, practice with someone. You see, one of the reasons I suggest you purchase or rent a course, is to learn how to interview is because most of you don’t know how to do it well. You think you do, particularly those of you who are managers and above. But you actually don’t. And the result winds up being that you wind up, well, practice giving the wrong answers to their questions. So I always encourage people to learn how to interview like an all star. That’s what the framework will do. And then you practice with someone who’s asking questions of you. And, obviously, I can’t help you be better at what you do for a living. There are people who know your field far better than I. So they can create a number of questions that you could practice with, related to your field. But in terms of how to interview as a totality, that’s really what my course does, and will help you a lot. So the best real life way is to work with someone, speak the words, don’t just simply recite them or think them, I should say. Put yourself in a position where it feels like a real job interview so this way, you can start practicing and ultimately winning.
Standing Out on an Interview
21:59
When asked, ‘What are your salary expectations’ in the interview, should you go straight with a high amount?’ Now it may be high for you. It may not be high for them. So here’s what I would do. When they ask you about salary, and you follow what I just told someone else about compensation question, the way I turn it around is then say, and what’s the range for the position?’ Got that? What’s the range for the position? And thus, what you’re able to do is hear from them what the number is. Every once in a while you get a jerk who plays a game with you. ‘I asked you first!’ ‘Yeah, so? But what’s the range for the position?’ And they’ll eventually cave in and tell you, and then respond by saying, ‘I’d be looking for the upper end of that range or a little bit higher? And what that does, is it avoids you committing to a number that makes them go, ‘Oh, no, no! I could not go, we cannot go to that level. That’s what you want. Goodbye. We’re done.’ Because some firms will do that. As a result, always defer and deflect off a question about compensation so that in this way, what you’re able to do is to learn the right number from them first, say that you’re looking for the high end of the range or above, and make decisions once you know.
23:50
How do new leaders keep their cool under pressure? Ooh. Part of tha,t is training. You know, part of it is they’ve been in situations many times before. And it’s no big woop to them. Sometimes they lose their cool, right? But fundamentally is the way they keep their cool is by keeping their cool. I know it’s a stupid way of answering it, but it’s what they do. They learn that if they lose it and don’t perform, they will be out on their keisters which is a different way of saying the word butts going forward. But what they’re able to do is to keep their balance mentally and focus on problem solving, rather than the fact that there is a problem. Normally, the reason people lose their cool is they’re scared and in being scared, they will lose their balance, that equilibrium. They lose it. Don’t do that. It doesn’t serve you. S
25:12
How do I get back to a rejected job offer after two months? G-d! You contact the firm that made the offer. You say to them, ‘I made a mistake. Is the position still open?’ I thought incorrectly, that this was not the right opportunity for me. And I’m just wrong. I’m really interested in this job if it’s still available. I’m really interested in this opportunity if it’s still available. Can we talk,’ and try and open the door with them again, so that in this way, you have an opportunity. You have a chance of getting the job. I wouldn’t say a major chance because I’m sure there’s someone else they’ve spoken with who’s qualified. But that’s really the best way is to sound humble, as though you made a mistake.
26:23
Do you know it’s wrong for you to speak against the leaders even when they’re not leading right? Ooooh! You know, criticizing someone doesn’t make you wrong. You have an opinion; they may be right. As a result, you’re not going to go public with your criticism. You’re not going to have a press conference. You’re not going to criticize people vociferously. What you’re going to do very simply is not be a public assassin. What’s in it for you? They’ve got the ear of management, their manager, their manager may have told them what to do. And they’re just executing on it. So you’re cutting behind their back to be critical, doesn’t serve you. So I would just say to you, it’s wrong. It’s not wrong to speak ill of a leader if you disagree with them, is not necessarily wrong. It’s how you deal with that becomes important. So you can go to this person directly and say, ‘I’m curious. You made this decision. Your prerogative. Teach me what your thought process is because when I look at it, as not at your level, I see it this way. Teach me how you thought it through.’ And that turns it into a learning opportunity that may cause you to say, ‘you know, I can see that’ and move from there.
What Is The Best Way to Get a Job When Unemployed And Over 50?
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W2eqtjrF-c[/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 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
My courses are available on my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us/courses
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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