Feeling trapped in your current job?

Let's see if I can pull off this comparison - feeling trapped in your current job vs. feeling trapped in the incredibly small cars/trams that take you up into the famous St. Louis Arch.  I don't know if you can tell that the picture above is that tiny compartment, but it is.  My family traveled to this legendary landmark a few weeks ago and it had been almost twenty years since I had taken the ride to the top.  My kids are not very big, but squeezing our family of five into that space was pretty interesting to say the least.

There were many thoughts that ran through my head, but one was overwhelming - I don't want to be in here, even if they say it is only four minutes to the top and three minutes back down.  That was seven minutes too long in my book!  So the question is, have you recently had this thought at your desk?  The thought of working even one more day in your current job almost unbearable?

In my opinion there are three very clear cut ways to handle this dilemma:

1)  Run for your life.  Life is short and you could quit on the spot to save any additional pain and suffering.  If things are really that bad at work, then you have to take this option into consideration.  The problem with this is that you immediately become unemployed without a job if you quit without something else lined up.  I can also tell you from experience that it will appear as a red flag to prospective employers.  Even if your reasoning is solid, this will create some unnecessary tension when someone asks in an interview why you left your former employer.  So this is not an option I hardly ever recommend even though many candidates consider it.  Usually it is based off of emotion, and you have to think with your head, not your heart, in these tough situations.

2)  Talk with your boss.  This option also comes with some risk, but I have also seen it come with reward.  Perhaps there is a change coming that you didn't know about that could resolve some issues.  Or your boss could see some mutually beneficial ways to solve any existing problems.  When I first meet new candidates, I always ask how they would feel if the end result of a search is that staying put is the best option?  Most people can't fathom considering that, but it happens more often than you would think.  Timing is everything in this business and sometimes the timing simply isn't right.  You may need to work extra hard to make your current employer the place to be instead of pushing a square peg through a round hole and change just for the sake of change.

3)  Grin and bear it.  Prospective employers are looking first and foremost for candidates that are not unhappy with their current jobs.  So even if deep down inside you are miserable, you have to remember that no one wants to hire someone that is running AWAY from a problem.  They would much prefer to hire someone running TOWARD a better solution.  This will start with your attitude at your current job.  I can tell you right now that it will also help you get through your daily grind.  I know it sounds like a bad fortune cookie prediction, but sometimes putting a positive vibe into your work will create a positive result.  You sure have nothing to lose as you're likely not going to be with the employer for much longer.  It is always better to end on a good note as well, if possible.

Any other suggestions on how to handle the feeling of being trapped in your current job?  Or comparisons other than the St. Louis Arch elevators?  As always, I welcome and covet your thoughts!

How do you build your brand? (Part Two)

This is part two of a three-part series I began a few months ago regarding branding.  If you recall I was hoping to explore three facets of branding your company.  This could help to create awareness about your culture, working environment, and much more.  Those three items regarding branding are:

1)  What do your current employees say?

2)  What does the market say?

3)  What does your competition say?

Today we will be exploring #2 – what does the market say about your brand?  At an organic level there are only two general responses.  The market either has a positive perception of your brand or a negative perception.  The truth could lie in the middle, but for the purposes of this conversation I only want to focus on these two.

Let’s first talk about the positive end of the spectrum.  I will break this into two categories as well – intentional and unintentional.  Intentional branding is an effort to communicate a clear message regarding what you are doing surrounding employee recruitment, retention, employee benefits, and overall working culture.  Your current employees can then take this message into the market when talking with friends and family, vendors, former colleagues, future colleagues, and any one in general.  This provides an invaluable positive image in the community.  That seems easy, so what do I mean by unintentional branding?  These are the little ways that you take care of employees that end up being communicated at home around the dinner table and in personal and professional circles.  You allow some flexibility with working schedules around holidays.  You remember employee’s birthdays and surprise them with cupcakes.  You provide some tokens of appreciation throughout the year with gift cards to a local restaurant.  It may seem small, but I have spoken with many placed candidates over the years that get so excited about the little things that it turns them into longtime and loyal employees.

Now the negative end of the spectrum.  No company in their right mind is going to intentionally brand themselves as a “bad” place to work, but it happens in everyday communications and interactions with employees.  I recently had a candidate who switched jobs about six months ago.  She thought she was going to a better situation.  You know the old saying – the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  Well, in this case it clearly wasn’t.  So as this individual begins another job search after such a short period of time, the market will quickly learn that this particular employer is not stable, does not have a good working culture, has very few actual resources to support client service, and in general is not a good place to work.

These may seem like small things, but perception is everything in today’s ever-increasing competitive marketplace for good talent.  We have been helping clients for the past several months create a completely new idea of branding so that the message is concise, clear, and consistent.  The more positive things the market is saying about working at your company is going to lead to more productivity from current employees, the desire for more good talent to join the team, and an overall good public perception of your company.

What are you doing to create this positive branding in the market?

When to hit the gas vs. the brakes during an interview

One of the most difficult parts of my job as a recruiter is balancing the expectations of candidates regarding timing with what the client's expectations are during an interview process.  I happened to think about this over the weekend as I attended the Good Guys' Autocross at our State Fairgrounds.  There is nothing like seeing and hearing these machines race around the track on a hot summer day.  What struck me was how they all approached the course differently.

The cars that clearly had the most happening under the hood oftentimes struggled the most with the tight corners.  As shown in the picture above, if the driver gave it too much gas, the brakes may not slow things down quickly enough before taking out a few cones.  In stark contrast there were also some cars that were clearly not out there to set any records, like a pink 1971 VW Bug convertible.  Amazingly though, it was one of the few cars that did NOT knock over a cone at some point or get loose on a corner turn.  So which is better when approaching an interview - slow and steady wins the race, or go all out and hope for the best?

My answer may surprise you - it is both.  You have to create a strategy going into an interview, yet also be willing and able to adjust mid-way through as the circumstances may change.  We were standing close enough to the pits to hear some of the drivers and crew discussing the best approach to getting around the track and what they may tweak on the car.  If you can adjust on the fly with your interview, especially in regards to timing, that will greatly benefit you.  There are many ideas/tips that I could share, but below is one example of when to hit the gas and one example of when to hit the brakes.

It is always a good idea to hit the gas if you have multiple interviews going on at the same time and one of them picks up steam.  Don't hear what I'm not saying - it is never a good idea to back anyone into a corner if one interview moves along more quickly than another.  But what is always fair and something I recommend is open and honest communication.  Let your recruiter (and employers you are interviewing with) know a reasonable expectation of your timing in regards to other interviews.  You may not always see if coming, but if you can give more than a 24-48 hour heads up, that is ideal and shows your cards without overplaying them.  This is particularly critical if the interview picking up steam is not your #1 choice.

Now, when to hit the brakes.  Believe it or not the best time to hit the brakes is when you're moving too fast and the employer is not keeping pace.  Similar to the autocross drivers not wanting to hit the cones by flying through a corner or hairpin turn, you don't want to press too hard with a company you are interviewing with even if in a perfect world you want things to move more quickly.  There are only a few conclusions an employer can come to if a candidate presses too hard on timing.  First of all, the candidate could appear desperate to get out of a bad situation and needs to land a job quickly.  Secondly, the candidate could be perceived as attempting to get two offers at the same time in order to leverage one over another.  Lastly, they could simply be seen as impatient and that is not always a good quality to have as a new employee.  So as much as hitting the brakes could seem counter-intuitive, it could be the best thing to do at the time.

Bottom line is that there is no one answer on the perfect time to hit the gas or the brakes.  The best thing to do is feel your way along the track so to speak and listen to those around you in your "crew" as they might have a different perspective than you behind the wheel just doing everything you can to keep the car on the track.  Or in this case the interview process.

Do you have any examples of recent interviews where you have either had to hit the gas or the brakes?  I would love to hear about them!