I literally cringe when I hear a job seeker say, “well, I’m kind of a jack of all trades” when describing what type of work they are looking for. I cringe because unfortunately the market for jacks of all trades isn’t very strong.  Having someone say, “well I could do this, or this, or maybe this” and have all those things be completely different from one another is not the good thing people seem to think it is.

The prospect of having someone who could fit in a variety of different areas may sound good on the surface, but when they start to peel back the layers, they realize that most jacks of all trades have dabbled a little here and a little there and really do not have the experience to fit in anywhere.  Ouch!

Companies are being pretty specific these days.  I know this because the clients that I’m recruiting for want very specific skill sets.  I also know this because my job search clients who are getting interviews are getting them around and being questioned on pretty specific skill sets.  So what is a job seeker to do?

FOCUS

When you are not focused on the specifics of what you want to and can do you are actually hurting your chances of getting hired.  I know this sounds crazy but it’s true.  The idea that the more resumes you send, the more likely your chances are of getting an interview is false.  Spraying your resume all over the planet and praying that something happens is not a job search strategy.

There are three specific areas to focus on:

1. What skill set you want to market.  What is it that you can really do well?  What specific experience do you want to draw on in your next job?
2. What job do you want?  What specific job title  (or range of titles since companies all call positions different things) do you want?  This isn’t about the title that is going to make you feel good or the title you think you deserve.  What are companies calling the position that fits your answers to the first question?
3. What companies do you want to work for?  There could be a month’s worth of post on networking and targeting companies, but knowing the type of company you want to work for will help you be even more specific in your job search.

 photo credit: Jamiesrabbits

I know many people post 30 days of things they are thankful for on Facebook so I thought I would hijack that idea a little and do a weekly post of things I’m thankful for on the blog.  Once a week, little snippets of career related thanks – ok with you?

The first one is something that has definitely highlighted itself to me during the past two months over and over.

I am so thankful for a job that  I thought was going to drive me insane, but taught me everything I needed to know to do what I’m doing now.

I was on the road all the time, dealing with stuff I did not want to deal with, talking to people who just did not get it, battling a “we’ll let HR think they are involved” vortex and putting out fires that should have never been started. All the while learning effective communication, relationship building and facilitating skills. Not to mention, how to build teams from the ground up, tear them down and then build them again. Oh and dealing with executives whose ego has sent them into the 4th dimension of “WTF are you thinking?” – yeah, I can do that now too.

By the end of my time at this job I was ready to go, but will openly admit now that through all the craziness, I learned more there than I have anywhere else in my career and for that, I’m thankful.

I talked to a job seeker last week who told me that a recruiter from a well established company that he would really like to learn more about called him about an open position.  After talking through the details he was definitely interested and asked about next steps.  She told him about the interviewing process and ended with this sentence. “The hiring manager refuses to make a final decision until they have had at least 3 or 4 people go through SEVEN interviews.”  SEVEN.  I love what the job seeker did next.  He said no thanks!  His time is valuable and he knows that his personality is not going to fit with an organization that takes that long and needs that much input to make a hiring decision.  With the recruiters jaw probably hitting the floor he hung up.  Love it.

There are so many points to make here.  I could go on an absolute rant about broken hiring processes and how the candidate experience can drive fabulous candidates away.  I won’t.  You can do a Google search and comes up with lots of articles on that.  I like an older Laurie Ruettimann article on the now defunct, Punk Rock HR.  You should check it out.

I’d rather talk to the job seekers.  Daily I consult with people muddling through the job search process and am overwhelmed by their feelings of hopelessness.  They feel trapped and like they have no control.  They feel they are at the mercy of recruiters, hiring managers and circus like hiring processes.  Jump through this hoop, swing on this trapeze, balance on this chair 50 feet in the air and then we will hire you.  Sound familiar?  It’s overwhelming for sure.

The reality is though that job seekers do have some control.  Just like this individual they have the right to say, no thanks.  I will not jump through your hoops – the reward does not justify the sacrifice.  Did he pass over a potential job offer, maybe, but he knew he wouldn’t be happy at a job that required all that process to make a decision anyway.  Further, there is always the chance that his resume really was the best they had and the company will appreciate his ability to stand firm in his beliefs and reconsider their process.  It could happen.

My point is this.  The hiring process is the dating stage of any working relationship.  Just like that guy or girl you dated who you thought would change after marriage, what you see in the hiring process is pretty indicative of what you are going to get when you sign on.  If the process is inundated, so are most of their processes.  If the people you meet are not passionate and lacking true skill, so are most of the other workers in the company.  You have the right and the ability at any time to put the breaks on the process and say, “I can already tell this is not for me.”

It is ok to take back some of that control.  Maybe if more job seekers do that, hiring processes will get fixed.

This weeks question has to do with preparing for virtual interviews.  Don’t mind the location – it’s all for visual effect!  Back to a better location next week.  Subscribers may have to click through…

I spoke with a job seeker this week who stated he was “always the bridesmaid.”  He is getting interviews and usually makes it into the top two or three, but is never chosen.  This has happened on several occasions.  I did not know him well enough yet to dig into his personal attributes, like how he was presenting himself, but this is definitely where I would go had it been that type of conversation.  The reality is, if you are always second, there is something that is happening in the interview process to make hiring managers chose someone else.  It is not possible that there is someone just more qualified each and every time.  More often than not in the final stages, most candidates have very close qualifications and the choice comes down to fit with the company.

I am a big fan of not creating work for myself so rather than coming up with my own list of ways to identify what it is you could be doing that makes you the bridesmaid each and every time, I went scouring the web and found a pretty good list already written.  From the Six Figure Start site, Caroline Ceniza-Levine offers these questions to ask yourself when you find yourself in the always-the-bridesmaid syndrome.

• Do you sell yourself appropriately and compellingly in interviews?
• Do you represent yourself in the marketing before interviews (think resume, networking) in a consistent way throughout the interviews? Or do employers see a bait and switch?
• Do you present yourself as the best solution for the employer’s needs?
• Do you engender rapport with the people you meet? People hire people they like.
• Do you build trust with the people you meet? People hire people with integrity.
• Do you ask for the sale? Do employers know you are interested and eager to work with them?

As I type there is leftover apple pie calling my name from upstairs.  I have been thinking about it for over an hour now all the while trying to get some work done.  I have accomplished nothing.  My mind is absolutely fixated on that pie.  Here is the problem though, I’ve convinced myself that bad things are going to happen if I eat another (had a piece last night for hubby’s bday) piece.  Waistline expands. Cholesterol goes up.  Breakout on my face from all the sugar.  Crash in energy later after the sugar high.  Bad stuff.

Irrational? Maybe a little.  But that’s what we do isn’t it?  Leave something that we want sitting because of all the bad things that might happen.  Instead of focusing on all the goodness that a piece of warm, gooey apple pie will bring, I am fixated on the bad. We do it every day.

Job seekers do not pick up the phone and ask for help for fear of rejection.

Leaders do not suggest that new way of doing business because of all the things that could go wrong.

HR managers forget offering up their opinion on how to move the business forward for fear that no one will take them seriously.

We fixate on the bad, forget the good and leave amazing stuff sitting on the table.  That’s really enough said for me, I’m going to get another piece of pie.  How about you?

 photo credit: vitamindave

I saw a discussion on Linkedin last week about the “Like” button and why people find it useful or why someone would need another person to “like” what they had to say or share.  The original poster questioned whether someone needed that “like” for some personal validation, as though being “liked” on Facebook meant being “liked” in real life.

As a blogger, social media user and introvert, I love the “like” button.  I often feel compelled to participate in conversations, but do not always have content to add that someone hasn’t already said or that I feel adds value.  The “like” button is a way for me to join the conversation and agree with what is being shared without having to say something.  It’s my virtual head nod.

If a person “liked” my post on Facebook, Linkedin or this blog it does not give me any satisfaction about me as a person.  To me, it just means that they appreciated and agree’d with what I had to say on that particular day, in that particular post.  I do not run my business like high school so I do not try to conjure up as many votes as I can to land myself on the front of the yearbook. I am completely aware that just because someone “likes” something that I have to say does not mean they “like” me as a person or that they will “like” the next thing I have to say.  It is an individual conversation.

From time to time do I ask for “likes” on my Facebook page or a particular post.  Sure, we all do.  Even then it is not to fulfill some personal quota of friends.  It is about trying to drive engagement and ensuring that what I am doing is affecting people enough for them to take action – even a small action such as “liking” my page.  If my posts on any of the social media networks is not driving engagement then what am I doing?  The “like” button is just a way to ensure people are engaged and feel that what I have to say is valuable.  I “like” posts or pages that I find valuable and want to keep up to date on new content and hope that people do the same with me.

So there’s my answer to the question – what do you think?  If you agree you could “like” this post:)

This week’s question is all about cover letters and whether they are necessary.  See what you think of my answer.  Subscribers may have to click through to see the video.


Have a Job Search Question? Get it answered here!

I believe motivation is like joy, if you always depend on others for it, you will be greatly disappointed.  Yet, just like joy, we look for it every where else.  One of the most common struggles I hear from clients regardless of whether they are career coaching, leadership development or recruiting clients is that they have no motivation.

“I just can’t get motivated to spend time daily on my job search.”
“I just can’t get motivated to talk to my people.”
“I just can’t get motivated to review those resumes and schedule interviews.”

My responses are always the same.  What will motivate you?  Getting passed over for your dream job?  Getting passed over for that promotion?  Having your dream candidate accept a job with your competitor?  All of those things may be motivational, but at that point it’s really too late right?

As a coach, I can offer some motivation, but if it isn’t in you to motivate yourself when I’m not around, then nothing is going to work.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a pep rally in our honor to usher us out of bed each morning.  There is no parade route with people shouting and cheering our name to greet us on our way to our duties for the day.  The best motivational speaker you have ever heard, only talks for an hour or two and then it’s up to you.

You have to figure out what your motivation is.  As a job seeker, is it finding that dream job?  As a leader, is it getting that next big promotion that is going to catapult your career?  Whatever it is, figure it out and fix your eyes on that prize.

Now, I’m not naive enough to think that just setting your mind on the goal is always enough.  For some it is, others need more.  For example, I am motivated to get up early so that I can get some work done, sip my coffee and ease into my morning before my little monster wakes up.  I know that days that I do this I get more done and am less stressed.  However, when that alarm goes off at 5am, I struggle to get out of bed.  So I set a second alarm – my phone – DOWNSTAIRS.  I am a whisper light sleeper so I hear the alarm and know that I won’t be going back to sleep until I go turn it off.  By the time I walk downstairs and turn it off, I’m up enough not to be able to go back to sleep.  The motivation of a more productive day is strong, but not strong enough to get me out of bed on it’s own, so I find other ways to make it happen.

Job seekers may have to leave their house so they aren’t tempted to take a nap.  Leaders may have to lock themselves out of their office and give the key to someone else so they are forced to get out and talk to people.  Hiring managers may have to do the job of the person who is taking on the duties of the open position to realize how critical it is to be filled.  If setting your mind isn’t enough, take extra steps to make it happen.

The point is this.  It is no one’s job to motivate you on a regular basis.  It is your job and your job alone.  Make it happen!

Regrettably I had to cancel my local HR round table that is held monthly.  I was so looking forward to today’s topic, but it just couldn’t happen.  Rather than just scrap it all together, I thought I would just make it an open discussion and let anyone who wanted join in.  I’ll compile everyone’s thoughts and write a follow up blog post in the upcoming weeks.  Just leave your notes in the comments or email them to sabrina at acaciahrsolutions dot com.

I’m amazed at the number of times I have turned on the tv over the last couple of months to hear that Congress is unable to reach an agreement on the debt ceiling, the budget, disaster aide, what to order for lunch and the list goes on.  Now I don’t want to get in any political debate, but I did think it would be fun to discuss how the continuous inability to come to some sort of compromise might be different if HR were in charge.  So to help us think through that, here are a few questions.

Lets assume that we are well past the issue of healthy discussion and into antagonistic debate.  Lets assume that all the cards are on the table, each side knows what the other wants and are at the point of staunchly holding on to their perspective and desired outcomes.

1. What approach would an HR leader take when sitting in the room talking with the group overall?  Would their be team building*?  Would their be a lesson in communication and “playing nice in the playground*”?  Assuming the HR leader is the leader of both sides, what would the first conversation look like?
2. Would the HR leader take a neutral position or clearly state which side he/she was on?  How might either approach affect their leadership?
3. What tactics might HR use to gain compromise?  One off meetings*?  Brow-beatings*?  Performance Management*?