Oft-Overlooked Rules When Looking For A Job-Like “Don’t Be Stupid”

Most people know about firm handshakes and eye contact, but did you know there is a veritable minefield of mistakes you can make when interviewing and networking?  I bet you didn’t.  I can’t possibly list them all here, but I will try to present a few good representations so that you will perhaps lose only one leg in the process and be able to hop to your next appointment.  One other thing–I’ve been stupid so many times in my career that I can’t count them–how else do you think I  know so much?  There was no blogging when I was growing up.  There were books, Ed Sullivan, Leave it to Beaver, Elvis, and Hula Hoops.  Do you know how much acquired stupidity a person has to slough off after hours of Hula Hooping?

Recently, a person who asked me for help made some egregious errors that, if she hadn’t been such a delightful individual, would have earned her the “Golden Whoopie.”  I don’t know what that is, but it sounds awful.  I had set up a meeting to assist this individual–we shall call her Angie–with some career coaching tips.  That’s what I do.   Frequently.   People actually pay me for this, which, by the way, I pointed out in our introductory phone call.  Angie seemed surprised by this.  Does one respond with equal confusion when learning that a chef, or policeman, or nurse practitioner are remunerated for their services?  I remember learning many years ago about how much the President earns in relation to baseball players and CEO’s.  There seems to be little logic in how we value jobs, but note, they do all get paid.

After agreeing to help gratis and feeling properly righteous about it, we agreed on a time and place.  Due to paid work demands (for which I am immensely grateful) and the necessity of paying bills, I needed to change the time, and tried to change the place to be a little more convenient for me, but I only had luck with the time.  Rule Breakage #1:  Do not negotiate help with the helper as if you are holding hostage a person’s grandmother. Be flexible.  Go the extra mile.  Show what a team player you are.

The whole point of networking is to enlist the help of friends and strangers who will like you or at least admire you for your skills or spunk, and pass on your resume when they hear of an opportunity.  Try not to piss them off.  Which brings me to Rule Breakage #2:  Don’t be late.  I know, I know, there’s traffic, there’s  a quick errand, there are your kids calling.  Going back because you forgot to let the dog out, or the cat in, or you left your donkey untethered is not an option.   Do not go back.  Tough for the dog.    The donkey will find a shady spot and eat your neighbors’ flowers.  They will not be amused, but you don’t care, because you are the only one with a donkey.  All of a sudden, I’m not sure where this is going.

The point is simply that you have to demonstrate your professionalism and courtesy by not only being on time, but by being early.  I happened to get to the restaurant quicker than I thought I would.  I was there ready to do my thing, and she was not only not early, but late.  Don’t worry, I really did get over it, and those who know me are laughing sarcastically becasue I have a habit of being late myself.  So I am also lecturing myself here.

Another client, one whose company was payng the outplacement bill, enjoyed jumping on the opportunity to point out an occasional fact (in his mind it was a fact) that I didn’t know.  Even worse, he followed the correction with a “I’m surprised you didn’t know that”  jab.  Ouch, guy.  In a minute I’m going to write something in your resume that exposes a fault so cleverly disguised that what you think is a compliment will make you look so bad that you won’t be able to get hired as the person who holds up the “ten dollars off special” sign outside the Quick Lube shops at 7 am.   Besides, I already have that job.  Rule Breakage#3:  Do not act like a know-it-all. Nobody, and I mean nobody likes a know it all.  It is great to appear confident and self-assured, especially when you have reason to be.  But don’t overdo it.  And don’t insult the person helping you (see Rule #3, below).

There are some other suggestions, such as not bringing any toxic waste to the meeting (that would be the “Don’t Be Stupid” rule) that you may not have thought about, but space (actually my testing your desire to continue to concentrate here, not space) has limits.  And so do the people who really do want to help you in your job search.  Good manners, thoughfulness, appreciation, and courtesy are never overrated in social interactions.  Just ask your mother.

Regarding Burning Bridges

An old saw we’ve all heard, repeated and advised, “don’t burn your bridges” applies particularly well after you’ve lost your job during an extensive economic downturn.  I was reminded of that yesterday when a 2009 client called to make sure I knew he had been recalled to work by the company that terminated him.  He is on the other side of sixty, technically savvy, sociable, and competent.  Image a company so racked with regret for having to pull the drain plug on the career of a really good employee that they hire him back.

It wasn’t guilt, of course, that drove their decision— but the same economic reason for letting him go in the first place.  Only now, instead of lowering their variable costs, they were utilizing his employment to generate a profit.

Tally one for leaving on good terms.  But what if leaving “on bad terms” seems unavoidable?  What if someone in your former company simply had it out for you or a project to which you were entrusted had no chance of succeeding?  There are ways to minimize or even reverse the bad mojo that may accompany or induce a termination.

The defensive move that is most within your control is also the most difficult:  keeping your chin up, accepting your fate, and letting management know that you are dedicated to moving on.  Let’s face it, once management has made a decision, you are gone, baby, gone. Having seen the view from both sides of the firing line, this decision is not going to be swayed by any possible argument or rationale.

One of the most common fears related to layoffs and other forms of termination leading to irrational management behavior is the fear of a reprisal or a negative event in public.  People making scenes get attention but rarely sympathy.  I’m not saying that management is always logical or fair in making layoffs—merely that reacting badly to them only reinforces management’s belief that they made a good decision in the first place. “See—they really were masking their hostility.  It was bound to come out sooner or later.” Some managers are actually relieved when a terminated employee acts out or lashes out at the company or supervisor.  When this occurs, managers breathe easier, their guilt assuaged.

Be nice, even if they aren’t so nice.  You will be remembered for your dignified demeanor and optimistic view and wished well by your former managers and colleagues.  When business picks up later and they are short handed, they just might have that classy image of you in mind.

Yet we are angry, we are hurt. So to whom do you complain and vent your righteous anger?  Your sense of losing a bit of your humanity by being discarded like last year’s fashions?  That’s where you need friends, family, and networking groups.  Some groups meet at churches.  Some meet at your local pub & grill.  I prefer the pub & grill, which despite their dearth of job leads has lots of social support and a bar. Perhaps even a sympathetic bartender with a coaching certificate.

Things You Wish You Hadn’t Said in the Interview

WE have all experienced at one time or another that painful stab of realization that what has just come out of our mouths was completely wrong, or could only have been said with such confidence by a buffoon.  Sometimes we can backtrack out of it, or switch into an “I was making a poor joke” mode.  We might salvage the situation, and even in rare cases advance our position.  However, this coach does not recommend blurting and then desperately receding as an interviewing strategy.  An overwhelmingly better method is to anticipate in advance, think through, and practice your responses, rather than wing it with questionable humor (the kind which pops up here with unnerving frequency).  Why is it, then, that the average job candidate is woefully unprepared to slam dunk that interview?  We shall take up that question in a later blog.  I promise–not too much later.

This blog is dedicated to those unbelievable blurts and moronic retorts and questions that one might emit if one were a member of, oh… say a couple of late vaudevillian and single-reel film characters, one of whom was known as “Curley.”  This is just for fun, folks, because people in Career Transition, which as we all know is unemployed in a tuxedo, need a little humor in their lives just to get through the day.  It is also a reminder that almost any mistake we make will have been topped by someone else’s.

I would be “embalmed” if people added their own ludicrous examples to the list via comments.

To wit(-less), here are some examples of statements and questions NOT to say during a job interview:

1. When is recess around here?

2. Can I bring my pet ferret to work?

3. I hope you hire me. There are some awesome babes working here.

4. I can do this job.   I did something like this in the pen.

5. You guys all seem really nice, like I would never have a reason to sue you.

6. As an affirmative answer to a question, “Nyuk nyuk, nyuk..Why soitanly!”

7. What a gas…people really buy this crap you sell?

8. Can I have an office close to the bathroom?

9. Of course there’s no smoking in the office.  Like I can’t wait until after work to get high!

10. Can I hang my Charles Manson poster on my cube wall?

11. You were joking about the starting salary, right?

12. Hasn’t anyone thought of starting a union around here?

If I receive enough great examples from you, dear readers, I’ll feature them in a future blog.

Why Should I Give My Time For Free if I Don’t Have a Job?

Many people in career transitions struggle with the advice that I give about volunteering, which is:

JUST DO IT!

When I am coaching I hear rationalizations such as:

“I don’t really have the time right now–all of my effort is focused on finding a job, not a volunteer gig.”

“It makes me depressed to think that the only job I can get is one that doesn’t even come with pay.”

“I don’t feel comfortable around people who are sick or are looking for handouts.  How is that going to help me?”

Get off of monster.com and Get Out of the House

Volunteering is an important piece of your networking agenda and should not be neglected.  But there are many other benefits to volunteering directly related to your career goals.  There are both practical reasons and emotional reasons for making the choice to volunteer your time.  First, if you are not networking enough in person, it gets you out of the house.  You may have noticed that no company has rung your doorbell recently inviting you to be their Vice President.  No slur to you.  I’m sure you would make a great Vice President.  But recent astudies show that up to and even more than 90% of  new hires are achieved through word-of-mouth (an interesting idiom–not word of “email” or “word of Tweet.”  And nameless, faceless “H.R.” department worker bees do not care about you or your career.  They are under orders to screen for specific qualifications.  Meeting a person in person–that sounds redundant, but haven’t you signed off on a phone call or email interchange, “nice meeting you?”–is to your advantage if you know how to behave in your best interest.  Sadly, many do not, which we will discuss in another blog.  You have to go out to meet people who may be interested in your career.

Connecting and Showing Your Expertise

Stop and think about who is on the board of volunteer organizations., and who else might be volunteering.   These are people who by the very nature of their involvement, are connectors.  They are connected to others who no doubt are board members or volunteers elsewhere; they often have high-level career positions; they may be married to the owner of a company you have targeted; they may be retired, and happy to mentor you.  Often while volunteering you get an opportunity to try new skills and show your leadership abilities.  When people ask about your profession–and they will–it gives you a great opportunity to ask the organization, “Are there any tasks I could do for the organization that are in my area of expertise?”  Some of the most important volunteering needs are in the areas of event creation, accounting and bookkeeping, administrative, scheduling, counseling, registration of guests and clients, public relations, grant writing and organizing fund-raising projects.  If you have not yet developed a comfort level with people with challenges, it may be time to give it a try.  There are, also, as mentioned above, volunteer positions which are not part of the direct service provision of the organization.  Volunteering provides excellent opportunities to keep up your creative processes, and your communication,  people and leadership skills.

Get Some Warm and Fuzzies

For the emotional reasons, let’s start with warm and fuzzies.  Executive Directors, teachers, and agency or religious leaders are grateful for your help.  You are assisting them in accomplishing their goals.  More often than not, they will tell you this in no uncertain terms.  Say “Thanks, I enjoy helping.”  It will make you feel good to help others.  It increases your feelings of self-worth.  Additionally, when you are down in the dumps, there’s nothing like exposure to people who have it worse than you do–and there is always someone who has it worse than you do–to give yourself a little perspective on your life.  To reframe who you are and what you have.  Developing perspective brings gratitude and humility, and helping others  develops self-esteem.  Healthy self-esteem is essential for improving your self-presentation to others while networking and interviewing.

If you want to discuss in more detail how volunteering can help you, or for suggestions on where to start, contact me through one of my sites listed here.

To read some stories about people who volunteered while looking for a job, read Meagan Pittsley’s blog at:

http://tinyurl.com/volunteeringworks

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Recently KMOV’s Vickie Newton’s blog mentioned the problem of job applicants being told that they are overqualified for the job for which they have applied.  We’ve heard this for years, but never have so few jobs been offered to so many, for so little–to paraphrase Churchill.  One must conclude that 1)the applicant actually would like to be seriously considered for the position, and 2)the company would be obtaining a more highly skilled employee for less.  So where’s the beef?

I talked to a large employer about this, and he spouted the typical conventional wisdom, which is, “if we hire an overqualified person, then they will be either bored or resentful, and they might leave in a year or two.”  I asked him what his current retention rate was, and he stated, “about 2.5 years.”

“So,” I smugly stated, “the idea of the long-term employee is just a myth.  People leave anyway. “  He shrugged and indicated that he guessed that there was some truth in that.  Not to mention points 1 and 2 above.

Just yesterday one of my clients expressed an interesting dilemma.  Her previous job title was Executive Producer (of large-scale corporate events).  She lives in southern California, where everybody knows somebody in the movie business, but nobody seems to know anybody who can actually help you to get in to the movie business.  A couple of recruiters saw her resume and one asked her what movies she had produced?

“No, I’m sorry, you have misunderstood.  I’m not a movie producer.  I’m an event producer.”

“Oh, now I see.  Did you produce  Michael Jackson’s memorial?  That was beautiful–you must be very talented,” exclaimed the enthusiastic recruiter.

“No, I’m afraid I’m still not being clear.  I produced new model automotive shows.”

“Car shows?”  questioned the recruiter.  “I’ve been to a car show.  But the cars just sit there.  They don’t have any lines, or sing, or even honk.  What is there to produce?”

My client is seeking help from another recruiter.

My advice was to alter the job title to something less idiosyncratic.   She asked if this was OK to do.  I explained that it would be doing both you and the target companies a favor by creating a title that was more representative of what you actually did, and more understandable to the hiring managers and HR people, who are the ones who invent titles.

Did you know that in very large companies there is usually a quiet division doing very secretive work in an isolated area of the building, whose sole job is to create position titles which are logically unrelated to the position they are supposed to describe?  This conscious obfuscation is yet another way for bureaucrats to deflect accountability that should be inherent in the position.  Which is why this division has so much inordinate power.  If a RIF occurs and any of the positions occupied by denizens of this secretive organization within an organization are slated for the chopping block, they simply decree themselves new job titles, thereby escaping the Grim Reaper of Employment.  Now there’s a group of  employees who have really good retention.

I suppose the moral of this story is that if you are not lucky enough to work in the Department of Titles, just act dumber than you are, and your chances of getting hired will improve.