Career Coach Office Hours October 14 2022
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 Long Should You Stay in a Job You Hate?
04:00
if you put in your two weeks notice in but never turned in a resignation letter, can you still rescind your notice? And the answer is, well, if they’re thrilled to be getting rid of you, it doesn’t matter. They’re going to say ‘nope, done, over. We got someone who’s gonna be joining and you’re done.’ If they haven’t hired anyone, you’ve got a shot. If they’ve gone out and interviewed and selected someone to replace you, you can’t save your job. They’ve moved on. So the answer very simple it is a big resounding maybe! If you’ve got a shot, act quickly, because you may lose this opportunity because they already reacted based upon giving them notice. So, once you put in the letter of resignation, they took it at face value. Once you gave them two weeks notice, they accepted that and they are going to assume that you’re quitting because that’s what the intention was, right? So that you never put in a resignation letter. This is being hopeful and optimistic that this is a technicality that you can use that just doesn’t exist.
05:35
What is the hardest part of working in the staffing industry? People. People’s the hardest part of any workplace and the staffing industry is no different. So I’m going to interpret the staffing industry as working with a temp agency that’s filling roles. So, the joke in the recruiting business was always how can you tell an applicant is lying to you. Their lips are moving. How can you tell one of your corporate clients is lying to you? Their lips are moving. And how can you tell that a recruiter is lying to you? Yes, their lips are moving. The hardest part of being in the staffing industry is that you’re working with people. Your income is predicated on your ability to fill jobs and find the right person for your client at the right price point. It’s a sales role. And working as a salesperson, or recruiter in the staffing industry, before you earn an income, you’ve got to persuade two parties to accept the deal. You have to find someone that the client wants to hire at a particular price that they’re willing to pay. And you’ve got to persuade an individual to join your client at that particular price and work for them. This is not as easy as it sounds. “oh, I do this all the time.” You don’t. No, you don’t. So I’ll just simply say the hardest part is working with people who are always posturing for advantage. Companies are trying to get the best deal. Candidates are trying to get the best deal and so are you because you’re in a situation where how much you make comes out of the margin between the other two parties. So it’s a hard business, you’ve got to sell two sides in order to be successful. And I’ll just simply say, it’s not as easy as people think when they’re sitting back and going ‘Why are they making so much money! All they’re doing is putting two people together, I’m actually doing the work!’ Well that putting the two people together is not so easy. I know you think it is. But it isn’t.
08:13
What should software developers do next, when they are put on a performance improvement plan? There was a great answer on Quora. ‘Basically, a performance improvement plan is a detailed description of the expectations of your employer and manager, what they have for you and your current role, as well as areas in which you’re not meeting those expectations. It should include concrete steps for you to take to improve performance and should outline a clear timeline for completion, usually within 30 or 60 or 90 days after you’ve been put on the plan.’ That’s a simple description of what a PIP is– a performance improvement plan. But what should you do is follow their instructions, follow their directions, and make sure that you’re over-communicating during that period of time, so that people know what you’re doing and there are no surprises. After all, they’ve put a gun to your head and in putting that gun to your head, they want to know that you’re doing the work. And if you aren’t, or you wait until the last moment to suddenly tell them ‘surprise! I did what you wanted me to do. Woohoo.!’ Well, they’d like to know it along the way so they feel like you’re making an effort. That effort may save your job. Like if you’re in sales, and you’re still not doing sales even though you’re following all their guidance. Well, you may save your butt by having communicated what you’ve been doing along the way so that in this way they can try helping you during that period of time. But I’ll just say, people need to understand that when you’re put on a performance improvement plan is like getting ready for divorce. Really very simple. They’re throwing down the gauntlet to you with expectations.’
10:41
Now, do some tech recruiters have access to your background or credit records, before even reaching out or calling, or emailing? That depends on what you’re talking about– your background? If your background is your employment history, yes, it’s called LinkedIn. The reason they’re reaching out to you is maybe they found you on LinkedIn. Now with credit records, yes, they can have access, too. But the likelihood is because there is some vendor who is going to charge them for accessing or checking your background for credit issues, they’re not going to do that until the time of hire. However, I’ll say to you, if you’ve got an issue that will be problematic for a certain type of employer (and do a Google search to find out what kind of employer your credit issues might be an issue with, I know, clearly, banking firms have historically had issues hiring people that have poor credit), again, do a Google search, maybe a search of something like ‘companies that won’t hire people with bad credit,’ and see what you’re told. And if you fit that criteria, you might as well disclose it in an early conversation, because you would hate to go multiple rounds of interviews, and then you get a turn down because of bad credit. So you know, again, if that’s your story, then tell them early. Once you find out that a firm will ultimately look at your credit history (and again, background. If this is like dates of employment and stuff like that), often you’re being found through LinkedIn. If you’ve met misrepresented your dates of employment, the one thing I would tell you is to not lie on an employment application. I had two instances when I did recruiting, where, by the end of the first week, it was found out that a person has lied on their application. An application is a legal document. A resume is not. At a minimum, when you fill out an application, always be accurate about dates and wages. If you’re not sure about a particular date, or a particular salary some years ago, in the field where you’re putting in what could be inaccurate data or wages, in parenthesis, put the expression ‘approx’ for approximately this way they know you’re not sure and not trying to lie to them. Okay?
Tough Interview Questions: What Is Your Greatest Success?
13:47
Is it a good idea to say, ‘good question,’ during a job interview to get more response time? I think if every employer told you how much they hate that expression because everyone tries to buy themselves some time with it, Yeah, there’s certain pat things that people think work that really are kind of goofy. I would just simply say, if you can tolerate silence for a moment, so can they. So if you can tolerate sitting there going. <silent> and then speaking. In my mind, I gave enough pause in there to say ‘good question’ But they’ll see you thinking about and thus, you bought yourself the time with the silence. The silence always also gives them the idea that you think, to me, it’s better than going ‘good question’ like everyone else does. And putting people off. He’s thinking about it. Okay. He’s trying to stall for time. Don’t do that. Better just sit in silence for a moment and think it through than to go, ‘good question.’
15:17
What does it mean, if a hiring manager asked me to forward a copy of my resume, after I already interviewed with him? This one has a couple of possibilities to it. Now, you interviewed with him, and he may need to give that to HR before they can extend an offer. That is great news. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as you were referred by someone internally, they took the interview, they want to make sure that they’ve recorded this into the applicant tracking system. And they need the resume to be able to do that. So it could be that possibility, too. As a result, I can’t tell because that’s the missing component. Yes, you interviewed with them before? Did you meet with HR before? Yes? How did that interview get arranged? Was it through the applicant tracking system that you applied for something? Were you recommended by someone you met with HR, and you met with the hiring manager, and perhaps a team, in which case, I would view it very favorable, like, they need this to extend the offer. But again, you may have applied. They’ve got the resume. And then there’s some interesting peculiarity where they couldn’t print it out, or forwarded in order to do this. Hard to really say, quite obviously. So comply. Give them what they want, and sit back and wait. And as a matter of fact, give them what they want. And when you send it to them. You might just simply ask, ‘I’m curious. Why do you need a copy of my resume? We’ve already interviewed.’ Their answer will tell you why they needed it.
17:19
If your boss doesn’t respect you as a team leader, what should you do? I loved this question. I don’t know how you know this. Is this in the reviews that you’ve received? Did they use that specific language? Respect– that specific word, respect? If so, I would sit with him and say, ‘hey, look, I want to get better. What can I do to get better, and earn your trust?’ And start listening to them and acting on the advice, and learning from them how to be a better team leader, because this is going to impact your performance, the way, you’re seeing your raises, and much more for years to come. I wouldn’t immediately quit. I’d try and learn from them because they may have a good handle on what makes a good team leader and you may not know. You may repeat this same issue in another organization. Hunker down, follow their advice, do the work. But what you should do is meet with your manager, understand what the issue is, what you can do to be better, and get better. Follow their advice, because the probability is they’ve observed you in this some situations where they think you can do better.
18:52
How do you think people could develop better negotiation skills when it comes to job offers? Well, let’s start off with people think a job offer–that negotiation starts at the time of the offer. It actually starts at the time of the screening call, where you are asked, ‘so how much you’re looking for.’ They’re negotiating, and you think this is a recitation of data. So you need to start negotiating there. And then just start by saying, ‘you know, let me just simply say, I’ve just seen a job description, which may or may not be accurate. I haven’t met my future boss. I haven’t met the team, haven’t heard what’s going to be expected of me, what the real job is. Can we talk about that after I’ve gotten through that round? I need some kind of information from them. I just want you to understand, I may find that having spoken with my future manager, that the job is more difficult or has more demands, in which case my price would go up, I may find that it’s easier. My price could come down. I could find it’s a great opportunity with a lot of learning. It may stay at this point or drop a little bit. So can we talk about that after my interview?’ That’s really when you’re starting your negotiation because it buys you time to learn more. How do you get better at the negotiation after the offer’s made? You practice with someone who’s capable. Hire a coach. I’m a coach. I can help you with salary negotiation. After all, I negotiated more than 1000 hires when I did recruiting. I did it as a third party recruiter, working between an employer and an individual to affect a negotiation. You don’t always win at getting the number’s up. But I can help you practice and get better at the negotiation. And even if you quoted a price, and you think you quoted the wrong price, I can help you negotiate that, too. So, again, reach out to me through my website, TheBigGameHunter.us. you’ll see places where you can schedule a session with me, I’d be very happy to help.
21:32
Can I refuse to do an exit interview with my boss? Is it mandated in your employee handbook? If it’s mandated, you can be out sick that day. You can do that. I think if you do an exit interview, if you choose to do it, say nothing critical of them or the people. Just talk about, you know, a better opportunity arrived in my lap. And when I heard about it, I acted on it. And it’s terrific. Looking forward to joining.’ ‘What can we do to keep you?’ ‘I’ve already made a commitment to someone else I’m going to be joining and I’m not going to leave this firm in the lurch based upon a counteroffer.’ But your question was about an exit interview. Can you decline. I don’t want to go to the point of ‘refuse,’ because that sounds more harsh than it needs to be. Just simply politely decline and say, ‘you know, I made a decision that there was a better opportunity elsewhere.’
22:59
Why do you think people are afraid to negotiate a better job during an interview process or better offer during an interview process? Well, they’re afraid of losing it. That’s the simplest thing. ‘I don’t want to blow this opportunity. I think it’s terrific. I’m afraid. And when people are afraid, they get stuck in place. That’s the behavior of being afraid. They freeze. They don’t want to screw things up. So they’re afraid because of this interest though. And the truth is, statistically, if you act like you don’t care, you’re more likely to get it than if you act fearfully or tentatively, or — my language is dishonest about your interest, and what you’re going to need to join. I think it’s better to get to the point where you’re treating the interviewer as though they’re normal. And you’re having a conversation with them while they’re evaluating you, instead of just springing in the last minute that the money isn’t quite right. So they’re afraid to blow an opportunity that they want is really what it comes down to and they’re afraid if they speak up, they’ll get squashed like a bug. That’s why it happens.
25:18
What should you do if your boss is too busy to give feedback? Let me just say what’s normal? I need more context because normal to me as a simple definition is average. What do most people do? What should you do if your boss is too busy to give you. . . to talk to you or give you a feedback? I think the simplest thing to do is to take a minute with them and say. “hey, look, I want to get better at what I do and that requires feedback. I know you’re busy. You’ve got a lot on your plate. Can we book a half hour, like next Tuesday, to just squeeze out some time on your calendar to meet with me, maybe at the back end of the day, or if that doesn’t work, maybe we could sit down over lunch or a cup of coffee at some point. And I’d love to get some feedback from you on my performance and the things I’m doing well, and the things I can do better. So could you make some time on your calendar?’ ‘No, I have no time whatsoever.’ ‘Really? No time, zero time between now and four months from now, you’ve got no time for me? Not a moment?’ Well, they’ll probably come back with something. But I think the thing is, don’t just take it at face value. Approach them again and get yourself in the door to sit down for a half hour of a targeted conversation where the goal is to hear ‘what am I doing well, what do you think I can do better?’
27:33
How do certifications help you get hired? Certifications represent, you have taken the time to receive a certain baseline of knowledge in a specific field, technology, something that allow you to say, ‘I know this stuff. I’m good at this. I took the time to get certified. I have certain expectations. You can have certain expectations of me that I can fulfill because I got certified. So the way it helps you get hired is it helps you get in the door because most people never get in the door. So an employer will see a cert, a certification, and have an expectation of you for having received that certification. So simply, it helps get you in the door for the interview based upon the expertise that a firm is looking for and the fact that you took the time, the effort to get certified.
28:51
What tips or advice can you offer on how to get hired when you’re very overqualified for the job? The overqualified question! I haven’t had this one in a long time. So why do you want to take a step down? Now, it’s hard to get in the door when you’re overqualified because you’re probably making more money than what the job is prepared to pay. So I’ll give an example. There’s the classic VP who wants to apply for a manager’s position and thinks that she or he can make the same money even though they’ve taken a significant step down. They can do the job. They think there are certain things that they are going to be rusty in, but getting in the door is going to be a problem. So the first thing is to tailor your resume to demonstrate your fit for the role. Don’t have your existing title, because, like I said, if you’re an SVP looking at a manager’s job, why would they want to talk to you. You also want to maintain currency with the qualifications of the job. The fact that you’ve managed people who do it when they want someone who can manage and do doesn’t make you qualified. So, if you’re very overqualified for a job, they’re not going to pay you what you’re used to making. So you have to convince them that you’re qualified, which you’re overqualified, they think you’re going to get bored. So being introduced to someone, by someone, I should say, will help them overcome their concerns about you, get you in the door, and then you have to deliver once you’ve interviewed. If you don’t deliver, they’re not going to hire you. You can claim to be overqualified, but you’re mis-qualified for them. It’s kind of like the person who knows one thing plus another and another, and they want an expert in one thing. And you’d have some glossy knowledge of it. You’ve used it in the past, but not in five years, doesn’t make you qualified. So I’ll just simply say, make sure you demonstrate currency. See if you can be introduced by someone to the decision maker for the job. Be clear that you’re willing to be flexible about compensation, because that’s often where it breaks down. I’m making 180. What do you want to pay? 150. I’ll only go for 180. And there, it breaks down right there. So be clear about the money on the way in, because surprises are never good for them or for you. You’ll have wasted your time and theirs. And that’s never a good thing. You don’t like when people waste your time, do you?
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5OM_IYv7yk[/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. 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 2400 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.
Website: www.TheBigGameHunter.us
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