Latest Hot Career Article

If you want to find work soon, pay careful attention to your words.    Your behavior can swiftly sway the interview the wrong way.

1) I don’t want to move.

What you should say:

Although I would prefer to stay in (Dallas), I’d like to hear more about the job.

2) I don’t want to drive that far.

What you should say:

I’d really like to work for your company, but the distance might be a problem.  Let’s see what develops.

If the job is fantastic, you might be able to work from home when they see your work ethics and productivity.  Do not ask to work remote until you know whether the opportunity excites you, as you might be able negotiate flex time during less traffic or work remote several days a week.  Why mention this at all until you discern whether this is your dream job?

3) I can’t start for another six months.

What you should say:

I’m on a project which I truly enjoy, but it won’t end for six months.  Please tell me more about your opening as it would be difficult to leave in the middle of this commitment.

Sometimes loyalty interferes with good judgment.  Is your company stable?  Companies base their layoffs on business situations, not personalities.  If the opportunity tantalizes you, take the time to explore it.  You’ll learn about the company and its culture in the process.  Companies ordinarily won’t wait more than six weeks for any candidate, unless they are looking for a new grad in the next semester.

4)  I’m not sure I have the background for this job.

What you should say:

Let’s talk more about the job requirements and duties before we move forward.

Don’t squelch the opportunity before you hear the details.  Time is money.  Take adequate time to explore the requirements.  Perhaps another job opening in the company would fit you better.  Or maybe they see your potential better than you do!

5)  I never share my last/current salary on the first contact.

Many, many recruiters will move quickly to the next candidate, if you won’t share your salary.   Not sharing your salary is irresponsible.  Outplacement consultants teach you to provide a salary range but recruiters need the specifics.  I could write an entire article about this topic.

6)  I can’t talk right now; my child needs to go to soccer practice.

What you should say:

I need to contact you at a better time.  May I call you in about an hour or tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.?

Be specific.  Better yet, take the call and be late to soccer.  Do you want a new job or not?  Perhaps the screaming child could wait in the next room with the door closed briefly.  Reaching a recruiter is often very challenging.

7) I can only work 20 hours per week.

What you should say:

Let’s talk about the job duties and responsibilities.  My experience would be an excellent match.  I was really looking for part time but maybe this is an opportunity which could work for us.

8)  I don’t have my references ready.

What you should say:

I haven’t reached one of my critical references yet, as he’s out of town.  I’ll send you the two confirmed references.

Complete your reference list at the very beginning of your search.  Notify your references each time they will be called.  Be sure your references know what the job is so they can concentrate on relevant information about you.

9) I can only work from home.

What you should say:

I’d like to hear more about the job.  Since we live in an electronic age, I’m hoping to find work, where I can affect the bottom line, while working from my home office after we become better acquainted.

Not many companies hire virtual employees before on site training.  Be flexible.

10)  I can’t talk right now; I’m watching the Cowboys play.

What you should say:

I’m very sorry I can’t talk at the moment.  I’d like to return your call at 4:00 p.m.

Maybe you need to see if the Cowboys have any job openings.  They seem to need a bit of new talent.  You are not a serious job seeker unless it’s the World Series in the last of the 9^th inning, in which case the recruiter should not have called.

Other show stoppers:

• Talking too much, rambling, giving too much detail.
• Talking too much about dress code, time off, stock option, sports, etc.
• Not being specific enough or not providing enough detail.
• Hygiene and attire: you’d think everyone would look good and smell clean.
• Answering your cell phone during an interview; turn it OFF!  Or leave it in the car.
• Trying to negotiate higher salary too soon, if at all; the economy is not robust yet.
• Responding without enough research.
• Criticizing former managers and co-workers.
• Overly friendly; too much personal information.
• Late to the interview.

Summary

Be prepared.  Do your research about the company and its people.  Show enthusiasm.  Be sure to know what the next step is in the process.  Ask good questions (but not too many).  It’s a little like playing ball or getting married.  You just never know what curve ball may be thrown at you but adequate preparation and awareness of each of these items will help you score a touchdown or find a new business family.

Ruth Glover owns Career Consultations, an engineering recruiting agency in the Dallas area.  She is the author of MORE than a Paycheck: Inspiration and Tools for Career Change. She can be reached at careers@hotcareers.com.

I’ve been thinking about my exceptional vacation in relationship to my work, which includes recruiting for companies and dealing with candidates, both employed and unemployed.  Based on my experience, it’s the exceptional companies and people that win.  And how does this fit with my recent travels?

My definition?  Companies, including those in the all industries,  must differentiate themselves.  People, too, must understand how they are not average, but exceptional.

I’ll focus on two bed & breakfasts where we stayed, as examples of “exceptional,” two candidates and two companies to emphasize the need to understand that exceptional is the rule, not a rarity in this market.  Your company, your processes, your interview must be exceptional for success.

The first bed and breakfast where we stayed was very different from the next one, but we loved them both and would return to either, should our journeys lead in their directions again.

The Morning Glory Inn

The Morning Glory B&B is located near Cass, West Virginia.  We visited the area for its beauty and to ride an old steam train up and down a mountain.  Finding the place to stay on the Internet was easy as their website enticed us and was one of the few in the area.

Upon arrival, the impressive location and huge porch appealed to us.  The place was more like a small hotel. Our huge room contained a sitting area and desk with immediate Internet connections.  Internet and phone connections in the area are practically non-existent due to a “dead zone” near the train station and National Radio Astronomy Observatory, so we appreciated the attention to WiFi.  The owners understood the hospitality industry, requiring appeal to travelers.

I loved walking up the gravel road beside the Morning Glory as the scenery was spectacular.  The chill in the air, compared to the 100+ degree temperatures in Dallas, was wonderful.

Alas, we left to visit Asheville, North Carolina where we stayed at Louisa’s Porch, one of the many, many places to stay.  I think what caught our online attention is the word “convenient” as we would have only one full day to play in Asheville.  With only two rooms, we knew it would be small.

Lousia’s Porch

Located within three blocks of downtown Asheville in a funky neighborhood of restored homes, we enjoyed the area.  The owner is an IT guy with exceptional business acumen.  He’s hired two people to care for his place when he’s absent who actually are passionate about their work.  The owner joined us for the most wonderful breakfast we’ve had since our trip to Switzerland a number of years ago.  He took the time to show us places we wanted to see on the map.  He suggested a restaurant visited by the locals where we could walk.  Without him our visit would not have been exceptional.  Without the cooks our food would not have been exceptional.  How about blueberry waffles with a nutmeg cream sauce?

Both places proved in different ways their value by being exceptional.  Both demonstrated excellence through their owner’s knowledge and experience by setting themselves apart from the masses.

What does this mean for employed and unemployed people?  Let’s look at some examples of people in transition.

Lennie the Loser (not his real name, of course but a compilation of observed  issues)

Lennie had great skills but he wanted more money than the market suggests.  He was working close to home and the job opening I had available would be farther than he wanted to drive.  His question about telecommuting struck a sour note too soon in the process.  He was friendly and probably qualified but our conversation alerted me that he probably wasn’t a “fit.”  He might have been ok, but not great.

Evelyn, the Exceptional (not her real name and also a compilation of qualities)

Evelyn sent a message expressing interest, asking for details.  Next she sent her resume which explained her accomplishments and focused on the skills listed in the job description.  She mentioned how relevant her recent past would be and why she would be interested in the job.  She exuded confidence in her skills, citing her strengths and enthusiasm for working for another start up.  She was the crème de la crème of the many applicants for the job. She may have been somewhat “overqualified” but she convinced us she could do the mundane tasks as well as establishing the necessary accounting  processes.

Now let’s look at what  company culture says about an organization.  The two examples quickly demonstrate how process can help or hurt.

B. Slowwe Communications Corp (I hope there really isn’t one by this name)

The company was a start up but a well established, well respected company.  Unfortunately as I became acquainted with the team, I found they had no training in interviewing and the hiring manager kept changing the requirements.  They interviewed my candidates and if I got feedback at all, I was told, “not a fit.”  How could I find the right person with no specific feedback?  I dropped them after a few months as I felt my reputation for exceptional recruiting would become tainted if I placed anyone there.

B. Action Communications Corp (same)

When I talked with the CEO about working for this start up, he was able to articulate plans through the end of the year.  He knew what he wanted, emphasizing his desire for the best qualified candidates, AKA “super stars.”  He was open to people with and without degrees with varying numbers of years of experience for specific jobs, as long as they had the right skills and motivation.  He wanted exceptional people to work for his exceptional company with exceptional products.  I jumped at the chance to work for him as his direct reports on the team echoed the same attributes.

Summary

Are you exceptional?  Do you know how to portray your company as exceptional?  Do you know what makes you different (but not odd)?

Today is Labor Day, as I write, with 14 Million people out of work and an unemployment rate of 9.2% nationwide.  Let’s see what we can do to be exceptional people and companies to put these people back to work.  I loved the comment in the NY Times today:

“Perhaps Labor Day should be a day to consider the struggles of so many Americans eager to work but unable to find jobs. Perhaps it should be a day for parades of the unemployed, to remind us of the dignity of work and the indignity of being out of it.”

Being exceptional is a way to help our country and our people.  Being exceptional is the way to success.

You can subscribe to be notified when Ruth posts new jobs and articles.  She is the owner of Career Consultations and the author of MORE than a Paycheck: Inspiration and Tools for Success.

The minister’s sermon was titled “When Being Safe Becomes Risky.” We all need to heed those words. The economy is improving. More ads show hiring is increasing. Or is it? How do the words in his sermon apply to hiring and unemployment today?

Hiring

According to an article in USA Today, the unemployment in Texas, which suffered less than many other states, indicated that, “Texas strong economy made it a magnet for job-hunters and the population growth itself is creating more jobs. Strong exports, popularity among relocating companies, stellar credit quality and elevated oil prices all position Texas for above-average growth.”

The tech sector (my recruiting sector) requires very specific skills. Managers often seem unwilling to find time to hire as they are “too busy” to talk with recruiters. They might throw a job description on an email with a huge gap in communicating details to the recruiter. The job description may change rapidly from the time it’s written to actual job offer.

What is the problem? Hiring is like buying a new computer. It must be loaded to work correctly. The same situation arises when a hiring manager wants to fill a vacancy. Two or three years ago, a department manager had to cut three people. Now he or she can hire one person and may pour all the requirements the three departed individuals demonstrated into one opening. “I want A, B, C, D and Q, X, R, Z skills. The individual must have 10 years experience and I won’t take any less. The candidates must have a degree from Stanford, be able to leap tall buildings and put up with my ”management by volume” and never, ever want to leave early or work from home.” No, not everyone is like this but the point, is they are looking for security. The hiring manager may fear making a mistake with this one, precious opening. If the recruiter can find this ethereal individual, the hiring manager may feel secure. But the recruiter will probably fail to find that “walk-on-water” candidate. The position will stay vacant a long time, especially, if the hiring manager or HR professional is too busy for communication.

Hope and Luck Are not a Process, an article by Brad Remillard, is an interesting article which reinforces my thoughts and background. Check the process I use which is on the Employer tab of www.hotcareers.com. It works with a conscientious, communicative team effort.

If the economy is to recover, hiring managers and HR professionals must be realistic in the requirements and communicate effectively. “We’ve always hired this way” is a false sense of security. Do you have security issues?

Part 2 will be posted next week for job and career changers.

Perhaps your employees are overburdened and you plan to add headcount this quarter. We have a saying in Texas. “Let’s git ‘er done!” Let’s lower the unemployment rate and increase the hiring! The statistics demonstrate the need to move forward.

November 2010 Labor Market for Texas
Presented by TWC Chairman Tom Pauken

Texas employers have added jobs in eight of the last 12 months, setting the pace for the rest of the nation. More than 19,000 jobs were added in Texas for the month of November. That’s a total of 192,100 positions over the past year.

Professional and Business Services increased by 5,600 jobs in November. Leisure and Hospitality employment increased by 4,700 in November in the state of Texas.

Employment in Education and Health Services increased by 4,300 jobs in Texas in November. That’s a total of 47,900 jobs that have been added in this industry in our state since November of 2009. In addition, Financial Activities employment increased by 2,000 jobs in November.

In November, Information employment in Texas increased by 1,700 jobs; Construction added 1,000 jobs; and Mining and Logging grew by 300 positions.

The Texas unemployment rate for November was 8.2 percent. That’s up from 8.1 percent in October. The unemployment rate in our state has ranged from between 8.1 percent and 8.3 percent throughout the year. The slight increase in the unemployment rate for November can be attributed, in part, to the growing Texas labor force which continued to expand for the third consecutive month. It currently is at 12.2 million individuals.

Texas Workforce Commission • (512) 463-8942 • http://www.texasworkforce.org • Equal Opportunity Employer Relay Texas • 1-800-735-2989 (TDD) • 711 (Voice)