Don’t spit the dummy.
None of that is important for your job search.
It’s easy to get angry. The media feeds us fodder for frustration. The statistics are horrible. Over 10% unemployment with no end in sight. We hear of bankruptcies, foreclosures and all manner of frightening financial predictions.
There are jobs and technology companies are hiring. The statistics don’t reflect the unfilled positions. Technology hiring is strong and many companies are resorting to temp to hire and contractors just because they can’t find qualified permanent employees. One VP Products told me he may be forced to go offshore simply because he can’t compete with the biggies to hire excellent local talent.
A CEO client has been searching for a CFO and VP Development for two months and has come up with scarce few qualified candidates. So what is going on?
Get a referral to get a job. The hiring authority only interviews referred candidates. He needs the security that checking back-channel, as he calls informal reference checking, will render a truthful evaluation of a candidate. Any hiring authority gives preferential treatment to referred candidates; the more respected the referrer, the faster the response.
What does this mean to you? Amp up your networking and learn to ask for what you need.
Revitalize your job search. Stop doing what isn’t working. I see executives uncovering great leads but shooting themselves in the foot with poor process or blind belief in job search myths.
One sad fellow called me because he had been on five interviews with five different companies and never made it to the second round. After talking to him for just a few minutes, I knew why. He couldn’t stop talking.
His desperation was palpable. He wanted to make sure I knew every possible thing about him in case some one thing would trigger my response to hire him. I couldn’t get in a word to tell him I don’t hire people. He needed a good elevator pitch and an objective.
Random resume submission seldom results in an invitation to interview. He sent me a resume and asked if my clients were hiring. Bad. Very bad. He didn’t do research to know what I do. He just sent out blind and random emails with his resume with no regard for the recipient. His was not the first inquiry that assumed I am a recruiter or hiring manager. This scatter gun technique is a red flag to hiring authorities that the executive does not do the requisite homework.
A recent client was frustrated because he had had three interviews for jobs that were a good fit. He didn’t get a call back and had no idea why. We used a check list and mock interview to discover he answered questions with his opinions about his work (highly successful, great team builder) without backing his claims with examples. He used words like, responsible for, led and managed and helped, without saying what he actually did and what he had accomplished.
One bloke, at the end of an interview with a 200 person company, proposed he would take the job for $50,000/year less than their range. He was surprised and even a bit angry when they didn’t take him up on his offer to buy the job. He overlooked that employers want the very best fit for any job opening because companies are fragile. Clearly, he conveyed he didn’t think he was worth very much.
Is it age or is it attitude? A 55 year old executive with a solid background in marketing complained he got interviews but once they saw his grey hair, employers passed on him because, as he said, “I was too old.” He failed to see employers knew his approximate age when they invited him to interview and if age was an issue, they wouldn’t have wasted time interviewing him. A review of his interview style revealed his delivery was condescending and patronizing. He learned to rephrase and use examples to convey his experience rather than theory or ‘explanations’ of how and what needed to be done. After a fair bit of practice and a few false starts, he received two excellent offers.
Employers look for very specific skill sets. How you convey your experience is critical. Use the job description to tailor your remarks with outcomes specific to the employer needs and you will get their attention. You can’t make any mistakes and you must create the most compelling job search you can. That requires an assessment of your current method and a review of what others do that works.
- Conduct mock interviews that you can record and review.
- Practice your elevator pitch.
- Rework your resume to reflect the priorities of the job description.
- Spend hours each day in research and networking.
- Use the internet wisely to learn what you can about the company, the job and the opening.
- Reach out to others to see if you can help them.
- Ask for help with specific parameters such as the name of a company, person or domain.
Job search is not easy, but it is simple. Don’t succumb to the bogus claim you are overqualified or too old. Your experience is valuable to employers, they just have to see how what you have accomplished is spot on to their current needs.
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If you would like support creating your own compelling and expeditious job search, contact me. We can focus on your specific challenges and define a custom program. My clients get hired; not brag-fact.
