Career Coach Office Hours: November 18 2022 | JobSearchTV.com
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
I answered questions about job search, hiring staff, management, career transition, as well as workplace issues. Join me at 1 PM Eastern on Tuesdays and Fridays on LinkedIn or YouTube (JobSearchTV.com channel). You can also message me on Linkedin before the show and I will answer it, too.
How do you tweak your resume for each job application? Well, I’m gonna first be a little snarky and say by tweaking your resume for each job application, or for each position that you’re applying for. Now, how do you do that? You look at the requirements that are specified in the job description. You look at the functionality of that. You make sure that you’re using their language in your resume. So each one has to be different. It’s called tailoring just like people do with a suit. You pretend a six-year-old is reading your resume and compare it with the job description. Does your resume make a case for that? On the last show I
did, someone said to me, ‘you know, my resume matches up well, but I’m not getting an interview from this firm. Is there something wrong with my resume? And my answer was, yes, it doesn’t make the case that you’re actually qualified to do this job. So that’s what you have to think in terms of. If someone were reading your resume, particularly the first half of the first page, or the first two-thirds of the first page of your resume, if it doesn’t make a case for why you’re qualified for this position, you’ve got to fix that because they’re only going to go one more page down, which will take them probably one paragraph onto page two. And there, it’s a little late. Because since you’re applying for a position, because you mentioned the application, you’re applying for a position through systems. They’re looking for this information earlier in the resume rather than later. When they see it later, they think it’s older. So if it’s not on page one, they’re less interested in it. They score it lower. So you’ve got to do this for each position otherwise, you lose. It really is that simple. Unless you do this, no one, no human will ever see it. And that’s what you really want to get to.
I recently started working with some hiring managers that are based in another country. How do I make sure they feel I’m there for them and that they can rely upon me other than having weekly catch-up calls, I believe was the phrase there. I copied it from the list of questions for today. I missed the latter part of that weekly catch-up calls? And the answer is, number one, you’re there for them. So how do you do this? Well, I think the most important thing is to ask them how they like to be communicated with. And you simply want to say, ‘I want to make sure you know what I’m up to, and that you feel comfortable reaching out to me if you need my help with something. How would you best recommend I do this with you? Because I certainly don’t want to be a pain in your rear. And I know you’re busy. So what works for you? Is it a weekly MEMO TO YOU summarizing what I’ve accomplished during this week? Is it a messaging through slack or whatever other messaging platform we use. What works for you given the fact we’re in different time zones? So I’ll simply say, ask them to start off with, and that’s going to make it a lot easier for you. And then once they start connecting with you, you’ll wind up in a situation where you’ll develop the relationship that’s going to foster trust, which is really what you want to be doing.
I think I’m being silently fired. Also, there are communication issues with my manager. I get along great with my team. Annual reviews are great. My manager seems to get grumpy when I get an award. What can I do to make it stop? Anything? Great question. And it’s unfortunate that your manager is one who acts grumpy and isn’t pleased with your success. One thing I don’t know is if you’ve spoken about this. And I’m just curious, I get along great with my team. So you’re a staff level individual, rather than a manager and to your director. So I’m just making sure I have the pecking order correct. Assuming that you’re at a staff level, someone is obviously choosing you and giving you great reviews. And that’s great. And your manager may be frustrated, because someone’s going above them. Someone above them is going is making decisions. And reviewing you this way, and giving you awards. And thus, I don’t know 
when your next review is, and I frankly wouldn’t wait that long. ‘I notice whenever I receive an award or acknowledgement, it seems like they’re almost grumpy about it.’ And notice how my voice is. You can’t say it, you know, with a flat effect. (He or she is at a staff level. I just want to affirm that). ‘So it almost seems like you’re annoyed or grumpy, that I’m getting an award. Am I misreading something here?’ Now, this puts them in the position of either being truthful and saying what the problem is, or going ‘oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,’ because they don’t want to be called out on this kind of stuff. But you’ve noticed that that is a problem, because it may affect you going forward. So the idea of confronting this, I think, makes sense, but not in a confrontational way. Notice how my voice was when I spoke. ‘I’ve noticed, and maybe I’m wrong about this, but each time I get an award, it almost seems like you’re annoyed or grumpy about my receiving an award. Have I done something to offend you.’ And notice, again, my tone of voice is a big part of this. So you have to raise the subject, which is a mature thing to do because it can be a communication issue. Perhaps in the course of your work, you have frustrated them in some way. I don’t presume to now. It doesn’t seem like you’re a difficult person, you seem to be cordial. But you have to put it on them to explain to you what’s going on for them so that you understand. And then you say, ‘I’m not sure what you’re seeing, but I certainly don’t feel that way. Maybe I’m carrying something from someplace else in these situations. But no, I’m not upset about it at all.’ And they really shouldn’t be because your success, as I mentioned to Tyler in the previous question, can yield their promotion opportunity, where you have the potential to step into their role. I also would raise the subject of because I’d hate to feel as though you’re upset with me because I want to be able to come to you for guidance and mentorship. But when you’re seemingly annoyed, I don’t know what to do with that.’ So that’s the way I would approach it. And after you form the question, excuse my language, shut up and listen. And after they’ve had a chance to speak, you may ask a clarifying question. And they may say, ‘what gives you the idea I’m grumpy or I’m annoyed?’ And then you explain it by their facial expression, tone of voice, whatever it is that’s causing them to look annoyed or grumpy to you. And then “oh, I’m not feeling that way.’ And then you have to really for the time being let it go. And if it appears again, in another situation, you have to teach them what you spotted more quickly, and say, ‘You know, this morning in the meeting, I said something that seemed to tick you off. Just so I learn from you, this is what I said, and what was going on for you when I said that? Because I certainly don’t want to annoy you, upset you, tick you off, what have you. And there’s an old book called The One Minute Manager that talks about catching people doing something right. Conversely, in this particular case, your manager’s doing something wrong in my opinion, and in doing it wrong, they’re upsetting you and driving away someone who’s getting great reviews, which I suspect they really don’t want to do. Silently fired. I don’t know whether this is affecting your work assignments or not. If it is that’s also something to raise in the meetings. But it starts off with pointing out to them what they say or do that makes them seem grumpy or upset with you, or annoyed with you, in the course of you receiving positive attention. I hope that helps.
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As a manager, how should you motivate your employees if they have high targets, but low results? There’s so many different ways I can address this. So often organizations do things that are demotivating. So the classic example is the salesperson who is given a territory one year, they hit their numbers, exceed their numbers, and then the territory is cut, and the numbers are raised. That way, they’re motivated to work harder to make the same living. How do you motivate your employees if they have high targets, but low results? The first question is, is this based upon a change in policy? As in the example I just gave about salespeople, where they’ve cut the territory and raised the quotas? Is this as a result of there being poor performers? They were hired. These were the targets and you’re not getting results? First question is, is it a training issue? Is it a skills issue? What’s the problem? So for you, you talk to your people. ‘I see you’re running behind on your targets? What can I do to help? What’s going on for you?’ ‘I don’t know. This is really hard.’ ‘Yes, it’s hard. If it was easy, you know, we could have a machine do it. We could have software do it. But we want you to do it. What do you need in order to hit your targets? What’s the problem here? If it’s a skills issue, I’d get you out for training to support you with that. If it’s something else I need to know about that, too.’ I always think of the movie and the play Glengarry Glen Ross. ‘They’re bad leads;, I want the good leads.’ And maybe they’re getting bad leads. And there’s an issue with what the firm is doing to support these people who have high targets which I assume are sales targets, but they’re not giving them any resources to work with. I know when I worked in recruiting, there was a point where my firm cut back on tools and resources that we had available to us. And the choice was do without in which case, we’re not making a living or reach into our own pockets, which is cutting into our margins, our compensation. So you have to talk to them. And basically, ask them for what they think they need, which sounds like a conversation you haven’t had yet. I’ll also say, if these are people who are just not performing, that’s on you, because you have to learn how to interview better. You have to learn how to evaluate and assess people, I coach people along these lines. So if you’d like to approach me about coaching, visit TheBigGameHunter.us. Schedule a paid coaching session with me. And I’ll go through a couple of ideas after I listen to you about what your more detailed issues are. So that’s my best advice for how to deal with sales professionals in particular, who just aren’t performing. Because I mentioned another coach earlier. What Lance Secretan says is motivation is lighting a fire underneath someone. You don’t want to be doing that. Inspiration is lighting a fire within someone. What can you do to inspire them to be great? What can you do to inspire them to be world-class so that they perform at a higher level and can deliver? If you can’t do that, has your firm created so much institutional friction, they can’t succeed? And thus, what can you do to eliminate that friction? After you’ve spoken to them, you can listen and take action, going to more senior management to see if you can resolve their issues. But think in terms of lighting the fire within them, not underneath. The fire underneath them often involves threats. And that really isn’t good either. Again, going back to The Castle Principles from earlier, courage, authenticity, service, truthfulness, love, and effectiveness.
When is good enough, good enough? Under circumstances, under some circumstances, people roll out minimally viable products and they do it to test what
customers think. They charge full price for them, and thus, you can say, ‘you purchased the product. Now we’ll have multiple releases. No one will charge you for any upgrades for the next few years. You’re never going to pay anything more than this price. That’s that.’ So one thing is letting people know you’re releasing something minimally viable. Number two is under normal working conditions, I don’t believe that’s appropriate. Good enough, is never good enough because to me, good enough is not about world-class. And I want you thinking in terms of doing world-class work. If you do the lazy way and cut corners, then what happens is, is that you disappoint people, and you’d become average and mediocre. And then you expect to get paid like a world-class performer, and you’re not deserving of that. What can you do to be best in class, the best person in your organization doing this type of work and be recognized for it? Good enough means you’re like everyone else. I don’t think that’s what to aspire to. Do you.
What does it mean, if a company does not have a recruiter listed on their website? It means that they’re smart. I’ll speak from the experience of I used to advertise and put my email address and get assaulted with resumes, of people who in no way, shape or form, were qualified to do a job. By keeping their recruiters hidden . . . remember, recruiters fill jobs but they also interview, they write reports, they interact with hiring managers. Often they schedule interviews. It’s a lot of work. And thus, if they’re fielding calls, or emails of people who in no way, shape or form, are qualified to do the job because people feel compelled to spam their resume to them thinking to themselves, ‘I could do that job,’ well, I used to get resumes from Purdue chicken pluckers, who thought they were qualified to do Java development, but they’ve never taken a technology course, let alone a Java course. So what I think of it, it means that they’re protecting their people from time wasting, so that in this way they can deliver on what their job is, and be more effective.
Are you usually the person who asks questions during an interview, or do you prefer to let the interviewer take the lead? So, when I coach people, I want people to start by asking this question, whether you’re on Zoom, taking a phone call, or in person, as soon as you connect with that person, let’s say if it’s in person, you’re escorted into their office. As you lower your butt into the chair, you ask this question, on Zoom after the initial pleasantries, you ask this question. If it’s a phone call, they’ll introduce themselves. And you’ll go ‘hi, how are you? Before we get started? Would you mind if I asked a quick question?’ ‘Sure.’ You know, I recall the position description’ or ‘I recall what Ronnie the recruiter or Rhona the recruiter said, but I want to get your take on the role. Could you tell me about the job as you see it, and what I can do to help?’ Now the reason for this is job descriptions are 80% accurate. And as one HR executive said, ‘if we’re lucky! So most of you are aiming at the wrong target when you’re answering interview questions. By asking this question at the beginning, ‘hey, thanks so much for making time to meet with me.’ I really appreciate it. You know, I recall the position description, but I wanted to get your take on the role. Could you tell me about the job as you see it and what I can do to help?’ Three sentences. That’s what we’re talking about. And if you’re on camera, it’s easy, because you can take a post it note, write this out, and then tape it to the left or the right of the aperture of your camera and this way, be able to just read off of it in order to ensure you hear about the job at the beginning of the interview so you can talk about what you’ve done that matters to them, and not just talk about what you’ve done. Remember what they care about are the results that you’ve gotten and the skills that you have related to what they need you to do, and what skills they need you to possess. Everything else is extraneous. Thus, in doing this, what you’re doing is connecting the dots for them when you answer questions, and it’s so important because you’re on the clock. They’re not going to sit around forever, waiting for you to have the great reveal and tell them what it is you’ve done that relates. Offer it up to them proactively. Because if they have to drag it out of you, their thinking is that you’re less qualified because if it were a primary skill or a primary experience, you would have offered it up to them. So to me, you have to start off by asking a question of them. And then from there, make it easy for them to see the fit between what your background is, what your accomplishments have been, what they need you to do, and what skills you have.
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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. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2500 episodes.
I do a livestream on LinkedIn, and YouTube (on the JobSearchTV.com account) 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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https://youtu.be/sxqmnnEaCYY
