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Are you making these mistakes in your job search?

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 by Judi

This is a great article by Charles Purdy of Monster. I’ve added some additional thoughts to each of his points.
Stupid Job Search Mistakes (The link opens in a new window.)

1. RESTING ON YOUR PAST ACHIEVEMENTS: One of the things I teach my clients how to do in their cover letter, their resume, and on the interview is show how their past will benefit the company interviewing them. In order of interview mistakes, here are the greatest to the least. The first two are the most common; number 4 is what you need to do.

2. GOING OVERBOARD WITH INFORMATION: I’ve done a few columns on variations of this.

One version is the person who constantly interrupts, saying “Oh, I know what you mean. When I was….” or “Oh I can do that. When I was….” and launching into some long story about what they did with a previous employer that they think ties in to the topic and is relevant, but isn’t.
Another is the person who provides endlessly inane details, thinking they’re relevant to the story, but aren’t. And the lack of awareness not only impacts their story, but their inability to register that the interviewer is getting bored, is restless, and is looking for a place to break into your monologue.

3. TRYING TO OUTSMART THE RECRUITER: These include:

sending your resume everywhere, then working with a recruiter to get you in somewhere you couldn’t get in on your own
trying to find out the company so you can go behind the recruiter’s back, figuring the company would rather hire you if you don’t have a fee attached
agreeing to work with one recruiter and their client, then agreeing to work with a second recruiter hoping they’ll do better for you with the same client company
not telling them your salary because you think you’ll get undercut
play an offer you got on your own off against an offer you got through a recruiter

As a recruiter for 22 years before I became a career coach, the best way to work with your recruiter is to be honest. About everything. They’re a partner, not a foe. Yes, not all of them are good, and many of them don’t “get it.” But that’s no reason for any of the above – or similar – behaviors. Here’s what happens when you do that kind of thing: your file gets marked and no one in the firm will work you for any reason on any search even if you’re perfect for the position.

4. THINKING YOU’RE TOO IMPRESSIVE TO NEED A DIGITAL PROFILE: Before there was the internet, companies who were in the news had to manage their reputation. When there was a problem or something damaging that came out, they had to take steps to control it. It’s called spin and it means managing your public image, and expressly stated is that you need one. At the very least, LinkedIn. These days, no digital image screams OLD more than a degree date that is 1978.

5. NOT ASKING YOUR NETWORK FOR HELP: Here’s the best way to do that:

Remember it’s not always about you. Pay attention to people and think of ways you can help them by providing information or articles that might be of interest
Develop a relationship. That means take an interest in them. Take a few notes on things they mention like kids or vacation. Ask about those things. One of my friends, who also has a sales background, once asked me, “Did you ever notice how many people don’t know how to hold a conversation?” Yes, I have. Don’t be one of those.
Ask for help. And make a concerted effort to provide some in return.

Tags: bad interview, career help, cover letter, hiring companies, interview, job advice, job seeker advice, resume
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Stop interviewing and get hired! Here’s how.

Monday, June 11th, 2012 by Judi

Teleseminar Tuesday, June 12

Successful interviews aren’t built on hope. Nor are they built on researching the company online.

Mock interviews help some, but what if you’re asked a question not in the mock interview? Then what?

A successful interview is built on 2 secrets you haven’t heard about. And those 2 secrets are why my clients typically get an offer immediately, or very soon after, they’ve learned them.

Kelly, in WA, had been on……50+ interviews? About 2 weeks ago I helped her prep, and last week she got 2 offers. Sunday we dicussed which to accept and how to turn the other down. Two interviews, two buyer positions, two offers.

This is what I did for 22 years. Set up 15,000 +/- interviews. Make sure both company and candidate met each other’s needs so an offer was extended and accepted. I had repeat clients and sometimes the first person I sent was the person hired. And they stayed. That’s why I had repeat client companies who used me exclusively.

Now you can be just like Kelly. But you have to attend – or at least register and get the recording – to learn how. Tuesday, June 10, one full hour plus Q & A.

If you want to stop worrying if this time, maybe this time, you’ll get lucky… and want to be one of the select few that interview 1 – 3 times and then are hired, go here for more information and the link to reserve your spot on the call.
http://bit.ly/O3KgVN

questions? email me at judi@findtheperfectjob.com

Tags: bad interview, behavioral interview, career help, get interviews, interview, interviewing, job advice, job seeker advice
Posted in behavior/psychology, interviewing, job hunt tips, job hunting advice, job offers | No Comments »

How to get an offer and stop interviewing

Friday, June 8th, 2012 by Judi

You didn’t get the offer again?

I just did some quick research via Google. I queried
“average number of interviews before getting a job 2011.”

The answer? 17 – 20.

Here’s what the answer should be: 2 – 3 and mostly dependent on
if you want them, not vice versa.

I scheduled a phone consultation with Judi to go over my interviewing
skills… To say Judi knew her stuff regarding conducting oneself during
an interview would be an understatement… The interviewer actually
commented on my preparedness…. The job offer and my acceptance
came shortly after. One resume, one interview, one job offer.
I know I would not have been as successful had I not had Judi’s help.
~~Bruce K., Las Vegas, NV

How many interviews do you want before you get the offer? If you’d like to be in the second group, I’ll show you how next week

===========> Tuesday, June 12 <==========

To learn more: join my community (your info is 100% private!) - right over there at the top –>

and stay on top of what’s happening, including Tuesday’s presentation. You’ll also get great advice articles, specials, and other fun things that only my community receives.

Or…..if you want to make sure you at least get info about this class, email me here, right now judi@findtheperfectjob.com and put “I saw it on your blog!” in the subject line and I promise to make sure you get the info.

Tags: bad interview, behavioral interview, career help, get interviews, interview, interview styles, interviewing, job advice, job change, job offer, job offers, job seeker advice
Posted in interviewing | No Comments »

Are you sabotaging your job search? part 1

Friday, May 18th, 2012 by Judi

Frank Lloyd Wright, world-famous architect, said, “The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it.”

In other words, we create our own reality by what we think. For a huge number of people, this is a tough concept to accept, because it means acknowledging responsibility for their circumstances. Too many people would rather play the victim, preferring to believe they have no control over the events in their lives – like what’s happening in their job search. And that’s a fallacy.

We’re all familiar with the Golden Rule, Karma (which is both bad and good), and the saying, “You reap what you sow.” These are simpler and more familiar versions of The Law of Attraction and ones we quote so often we’ve lost the impact of their full meaning.

Thoughts, intents and verbalizations are energy, and energies tend to group together. They attract each other. It’s the same concept as social clubs, country clubs, school cliques, and friendships. Like types attract like types.

Everything is energy, but let’s focus just on humans and the thought process. Your thoughts project energy, your words create it, and your moods are suffused with it.

Do you recognize yourself in any of these automatic statements? “Pretty good for a Monday.” “It’s going all right…so far.” “Why do I always lose things!” “Watch me mess this up.” “I’ll never find a parking place!” “I managed to do it – for a change!” “I hate finding a new job!” “Interviewing is so difficult!”

Negative statements of intent float around and find other negative energies, and they attach. Eventually they come back to you, resulting in parts of your life always seeming to be a mess. You lose your wallet. You botch a job interview. You drive around the parking lot increasingly frustrated. You receive no invitations to interview. Lots of interviews, but no offers. You find yourself saying (frequently) “Why does this always happen to me?”

So when it comes to thoughts and intent, instead of GIGO (garbage in, garbage out), it’s the reverse: GOGI.

But you don’t have to accept what you’re getting back. You have the power of choice and you can choose to change what you’re putting out there. As Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

Recently I received an email from a Project Manager with 20 years of experience who’s working full time and finishing his Bachelor’s. He has to find a new job. He wondered if not having a degree would be held against him and would he get any interviews? He won’t if he continues to focus on a perceived defect.

On the other hand, he’s been successful with several companies, is finishing his degree and holding down a job while going to school. That’s three positives instead of one negative.

And while he’s at it, he should look for a company that measures results by experience instead of a piece of paper. Change your viewpoint, change your thinking, change your plan. Your belief in yourself changes, thus your reality changes. The domino effect. Suddenly you’re interviewing with companies who believe success is determined by experience, not a degree, and they’re interested in learning more about you.

The energy of intent gives you the ability to create your perfect job. Because then your subconscious looks for ways to create what you know is there. You generate ideas with optimism that before wouldn’t have made it to the surface – or if they had, they’d have been dismissed. You think, “Why not?” instead of “That will never work.”

And you look for ways to make your perfect job happen. You do your homework so you know what it is and what it looks like. You search is pro-active with a laser-like focus. You know that you’ll find it, because you won’t accept anything less.

Next time: how you can learn to change the way you think.

Tags: career help, get an offer, get interviews, job advice, job seeker advice
Posted in behavior/psychology, job hunting advice | 2 Comments »

how do you define “employment?”

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 by Judi

life force energy From Abraham & Hicks:
Is employment an opportunity or bondage? Because what you really want is freedom, many of you equate working for other people as bondage. But if you would realize that the corporation, as an entity, is not so different from the individual, it might be easier to understand the employer’s decisions.

Long before the building or the workers, the visionary of the corporation had an idea for something that began summoning Energy. So years later may you are hired as part of that team and, without realizing it, you are now the beneficiary of that continuing flowing Energy.

When you step into one of those employment positions, Life Force is summoned through you because of the vision of the founder – unless you’re bucking the current. Most get into that fast moving stream and paddle against the current – and then complain about it being a hard ride – where they could get into their canoe and easily paddle with the fast moving current.

You can soar and thrive in any environment as long as you are not seeing things that you are using as your reason to paddle against the current. And so it doesn’t really matter what others are deciding.

The question is: “As I am choosing to stand here, it’s a way for dollars to f low through me in exchange for the effort I am offering. Am I predominatley letting the energy flow through me or not? Am I letting it in?”

What does this mean to you?

Tags: career help, get interviews, interview, job advice, job seeker advice, rude interviewer
Posted in behavior/psychology, job hunt tips, job hunting advice | 1 Comment »

Is a job ever worth handing over your social media log-in info?

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 by Judi

“Oh brave new world! That has such people in’t!” In context, this line by Miranda in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Act V, scene 1), was ironic. Huxley’s title Brave New World, also ironic. Let’s visit another literary work: A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. A little less facetious and considerably closer to Orwell’s 1984.

AP recentlyreported that Justin Basset was asked for his FaceBook log in info during an interview so that the company could examine his page because his profile was set to private. Basset withdrew his application. (Job seekers getting asked for Facebook passwords)

This egregious request – and expectation that it will be met – isn’t a stand-alone act. It just happens to be blatant enough that there’s action moving against it. But the principle is condoned within the parameters of other invasive acts, some of which we willingly participate in. So allow me to digress a bit and follow along outside of the job search world for a minute.

Want gas or electricity? A phone? Cable service? Hand over your ss#.
Get savings and gifts! Just swipe this little tag you carry on your keychain…. (how many of those do you have?)
Prevent terrorism! Millions support the Patriot Act, which allows the FBI to freely search emails, phone records, and financial records without a court order.
Been “frisked” or searched when you went through the metal detector prior to flying?
How much of the world knows who you are, what you’re doing, who and what you like and don’t like, where you live and went to school, when your birthday is…..because you’re all over social media?

This is not an exhaustive list by any means.

Hiring companies have always conducted references. Government related entities have always done their checking a little more arduously, and in some cases, rightly so. But then private companies started with the background checks and fingerprinting. Then drug tests – even if you weren’t operating machinery. In the last few years credit checks were added to the mix.

As a career coach, I teach job seekers how to take back control of their career by not doing everything they’re told, showing them why they don’t have to follow rules such as submitting their resume online and teaching them more productive and effective ways. I’ve long maintained the reason the companies take all the power is because job seekers give it to them.

But this Facebook thing is different. There’s not a way around it. You either give it up or go home. Obviously not everyone is going to be able to go home, like Basset was. So what do you do if that’s you? You still go home.

Don’t be cowed into submission or rationalize it by telling yourself you’ve nothing to hide. A company who will ask you to hand over that information has no respect for boundaries and that will show up elsewhere after they’ve employed you. Signing yourself in so they can nose around isn’t any more acceptable.

Acquiescing is the same as condoning. Letting a company blur your boundaries is no different than being in a relationship where your partner has no respect for your boundaries. They’re both invasive and abusive.

Nothing is black and white, especially to a private company who wants to rationalize their screening process for hiring, because unacceptable behavior is tough to define. What is one company’s harmless behavior can be another company’s cause for dismissal. It’s the principle we’re talking about here, and the principle is controlling others. It’s coercion.

For the record, note the article says the Dept of Justice regards it as a federal crime to enter a social networking site in violation of the TOS (although they’re not prosecuting for it), and that both MD and IL have proposed legislation making this illegal.

Have enough respect for yourself to leave, just as Bassett did. Because if too many people don’t, then bit by bit, it becomes acceptable, simply because there are too many complying.

Tags: bad interview, behavioral interview, career help, employer credit check, hiring companies, job advice, reference check
Posted in case studies, heinous, interviewing, job hunting advice | 2 Comments »

Is it important to learn different interview styles? part 2

Thursday, March 15th, 2012 by Judi

In part 1 I shared why learning the different interviewing styles is a waste of time. Better to make sure you’ve thoroughly done your interview preparation. Recognizing a particular style won’t alter how you feel about the interaction between yourself and the interviewer. In fact, because you’re focusing on the style, it may cause you to rationalize personality traits you should pay attention to.

For instance, you run into an interviewer who uses a behavioral style and throws a little “stress technique” in there. He wants to make you sweat. You feel as if you’re under a bright light – he’s grilling you, and you might as well have been fingerprinted. There’s no need to get all worked up (besides, he wants you to). If that’s his interview style, what do you think it will be like reporting to him?

The answer to that should calm you down. You won’t care what he thinks, because you probably won’t want to return. Good money? Eventually you’ll hate your boss, then you’ll hate your job, then your life will be hell, because the salary won’t be worth it. Short drive? Eventually you’ll hate your boss, then you’ll hate your job then your life will be hell, because the drive will still be too long – you won’t want to go where you’re driving. Great advancement promised? After how long? How many people have quit because their boss was a jerk?

If you want to work for a control freak or someone who needs to appear tough and all-knowing, you’ve found the place. If he’s rapid firing questions at you, hoping to trip you up, let him feel important. Finish the interview and cross the company off your list.

If your first interview is with human resources, sometimes they’re crisply detailed, lofty, and attempt to intimidate you. Don’t let it throw you. If you know yourself, what you’re looking for, and have done your research on the company, you’re less likely to get flustered.

Others are adept at giving you enough rope to hang yourself, but don’t be lulled into a warm, cozy camaraderie. Watch their visual cues – which can be subtle. Follow your instinct, but follow their lead. They’re screeners, but in that sense, they’re also decision makers.

There are different interview styles, just as there are different types of people. The hiring authority’s interviewing style is usually reflective of his personality. Stay aware of what’s happening at the moment, what you’re saying, what you’re learning, and how you’re feeling about what’s taking place.

The more you’ve done your homework in accordance with what I’ve suggested, the more relaxed you’ll feel. The more relaxed you feel, the more confident and in control of your answers you’ll be, and the less likely you’ll be to get flustered by trying to conform to a specific style.

Put effort into making sure you know what your skills are, what gets you excited about going to work, and under what type of management style you flourish. Know your accomplishments and how they relate to what the company is looking for. Be aware of what motivates you and what turns you off. Spend time learning about the company with whom you’ll be interviewing instead of trying to prepare for an interview style you can’t possibly anticipate.

Finding your perfect job is about you being real about who you are, not trying to respond in a favorable manner to some style in hopes that this will endear you to them and give you a better shot at the job.

Because when you’re real about who you are and know what you’re looking for, it doesn’t matter what style you encounter. You’ll be comfortable with any style you meet. And when they want you to come back for another interview, you can decide if you want to….or not.

Like this article? Share it with your job search networks through the icons on top of my blog!

Tags: bad interview, behavioral interview, career help, change jobs, human resources, interview styles, interviewing, job advice, job seeker advice, rude interviewer, types of interviews
Posted in behavior/psychology, interviewing, job hunt tips, job hunting advice | No Comments »

how honest should you be in an interview?

Thursday, February 16th, 2012 by Judi

How honest should you be when you’re interviewing? Unequivocally one hundred percent honest. But don’t confuse honesty with showing all your cards or not utilizing the power of presentation. Nor does honesty mean volunteering your dark secrets – perceived or otherwise – from the moment you walk through the hiring company’s door.

For far too many jop search candidates, honestly is one extreme or the other. Either the job seeker throws everything out there too early and unnecessarily or hides it because he’s defensive about whatever it is he doesn’t want to be honest about. Either way, it only causes trouble. Finding your perfect job does not mean giving all your power to the interviewing company.

This isn’t a process where you everything you say and do screams “Hire me, hire me, hire me!” When you confess to your interviewer, or conversely, hide as much as you can, that’s what you’re thinking and that’s the message you’re conveying. Consequently, the interview never goes as smoothly as it otherwise might.

If there’s something in your employment history that’s caused you problems in the past, there’s no reason to blurt it out. You’ll get no recognition or appreciation for that. In fact, the only thing you’ll get in return is…..dropped from consideration. Instead, examine the circumstances under which those problems took place and ask questions to make sure those conditions aren’t present in the job for which you’re interviewing. If they are, gracefully decline to continue the process.

Being fired, returning to the corporate world after self employment, and being unemployed for several months are just three instances that put candidates unnecessarily on the defensive. Flip it. Find the positive. What did you learn from being fired? What are your positive characteristics aside from what happened to cause the termination? And by the way, are you absolutely sure the termination was your fault? If it wasn’t, don’t say that outright! The phrasing of your presentation can convey the same meaning.

Recently a client asked me to critique his resume and cover letter. They’d just been done by a professional resume-writing firm, and he wasn’t comfortable with the result. He lives in one state and is planning on moving to another. They advised him to omit the locations of his previous jobs saying “the job is about you, not the location.”

They also advised him to get both a P.O. box and a phone number in his targeted city, then to enlist forwarding services. My question was, what happens when a prospective employer wants him to come in for an interview tomorrow…..because they think he lives only a few miles away? There’s a very easy way not to have the distance work against you so that you can search within an honest framework, but that’s another column.

Then, as if those two instances of duplicity weren’t enough, they tucked his self-employment time under a previous job.

Why walk into an interview crossing your fingers that they don’t find something out? How relaxed can you possibly be under those circumstances? And if they hire you and then discover the truth, you’re tainted, and everything else you do or say from that point on is suspect.

There’s one hard and fast rule that overrides any instance where you haven’t had to – or felt a reason to – provide what could be considered extraneous information. When you are asked a direct question, one usually designed to clarify, answer it directly, honestly and with a smile. Don’t lose your composure or get defensive. Handle it gracefully. Most situations aren’t the big deal so many candidates perceive them to be.

Keep the power within yourself. To find your perfect job, you need to know what you’re looking for. Your questions are designed to elicit that information, while your answers are designed to sell yourself, even as you’re processing what you’re learning. Remember, you have the power to make a choice too.

Tags: bad interview, career help, change jobs, interview advice, job advice, job seeker, job seeker advice, professional written resume
Posted in behavior/psychology, job hunting advice, resumes | No Comments »

free Q & A tuesday – Jan 24

Monday, January 23rd, 2012 by Judi

Register to listen in, even if you don’t have a question to ask! Handout and recording provided. 3 pm eastern – go to www.AskFindthePerfectJob.com

Next one is February 14!

Tags: career advice, career help, job advice, job hunt advice, job hunting tips
Posted in job hunt tips, job hunting advice | No Comments »

11 ways to sabotage your job search

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 by Judi

If your job search isn’t yielding the results you’d like, chances are you’re sabotaging your own efforts. Over the course of 22 years as a recruiter and 3 years as a coach, I have repeatedly seen people get in their own way and not realize it. Here are 11 ways in which you might be compromising yourself.

Not knowing what you want – Are you answering any and all ads that address your function, with little thought to title, the job description, your background, the size of the company, and how they interrelate? Are you saying “I can learn it,” or “Piece of cake; I can do that in my sleep,” and applying little to no discernment? Take an hour and plot, based on your entire career, what size company you prefer, how much creativity you need, if you get bored easily and need the stimulus of fixing or growing something, and what kind of environment you excel in. Then focus on the job descriptions that meet that and ignore the rest of them.
Being too picky – Some people time researching companies, trying to ascertain if they’d want to work there or not. Often they’re looking for ways to screen it out so they don’t have deal with possible rejection. Either way, you can’t possibly gauge the answer to that until you interview and find out about the job and the company, first hand, on a face-to-face basis.
Carelessness – in your spelling and grammar. Carelessness, coupled with poor English skills, seems to be increasing at an alarming rate.
Failing to communicate your uniqueness through the results of your actions – 99.9% of all resumes list job descriptions for the bullets. Job descriptions don’t differentiate your resume from everyone else’s. If there are ten people with the same job title, and the same job description, there will be ten different results. Make sure you communicate yours, because that’s what shows a hiring company what you can do.
Using a generic cover letter – All companies are not created equally. That’s because they’re run by people and people differ, which means each company, and each job, are going to be slightly different, even if the titles are the same. Ads tell you what the company wants, and they want to know how your experience fits with their needs. Sending a generic cover letter is the same as telling a car dealer you want a sun roof, and he talks about how great the radio is.
Having too much fun with Facebook – Every time you make a post or add a picture, ask yourself, “Is there anyone I wouldn’t want to see this?” Don’t rely on your Facebook privacy settings. Contrary to what some might think, this tip isn’t only for those in their 20s and 30s.
Not following directions – “No calls please” means don’t call. “Please provide salary requirements in your cover letter” means – to me – at least address the question rather than ignore it (there are ways around giving them numbers). “Only online applications will be considered.” Yes, snail mail is better. Unless they say don’t do it.
Not writing a thank you letter – Incredible that so many don’t do this. It’s extremely bad etiquette. No excuses.
Not researching the company – Yes, people wing it. What were you thinking when you assumed you could fake your way through it? You can’t. Next time don’t bother to show up, because you wasted everyone’s time, including yours.
Lack of enthusiasm – if you aren’t excited to learn more about the job, why are you there? Some job seekers think that smiling, showing interest, and exhibiting vitality is unprofessional. No, it just looks like you don’t care if you get the job or not.
Having a lousy resume – What’s a lousy resume? Any or a combination of the following: teeny font, bad layout, difficulty determining one job from another, too many sections for each job, having a section called “selected accomplishments,” having an objective, having no summary/profile at the top, and most of all – which almost every resume has even if the rest of the problems aren’t present: having boring bullets that don’t communicate your uniqueness.

Finding a job is a skill. If you’re not satisfied with how your search is going, you can change that.

Tags: career help, job advice, job help, job search, job search job advice, job seeker advice, job seekers advice
Posted in behavior/psychology | No Comments »

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