#ifyourehappy

As soon as I saw the Heinz Ketchup Super Bowl commercial last night, I knew I had to blog about happiness in a job search this morning.  One of my very first blogs was titled "Good things come to those who wait" and I referenced ketchup.  Hard to believe I am incorporating this condiment into another blog here in the new year.

Yet I thought it was entirely appropriate as I talk with candidates all the time that claim to be happy in their current job, and they are still searching for the next big thing in their career.  Today I would like to explore the idea of what NOT to do in a job search if you are indeed happy in your job.

1)  Do NOT enter into a job search with money as your main motivation.  If that is your goal, you could get exactly what you hoped for monetarily and absolutely hate your job.  You will look back at your former employer and wish you had never left.  It also creates a new threshold for the next job's salary range.  You will chase even more dollars to validate your decision to move yet again.  You will find yourself making even more money and possibly become even more unhappy with your daily existence.  Eventually you will fall back down to earth, take less money to re-gain some happiness, and wonder why you ever left the first job.

2)  Do NOT focus only on the negative aspects of your current job during an interview.  I hear feedback from my clients sometimes that blows my mind.  They ask the candidate what their motivation is for looking for a new job and they word vomit all kinds of issues at their current workplace.  Of which they have told me nothing about.  It is fear that a new employer would not understand why they would leave an employer where they are actually happy for the most part.  Instead they believe that it is better to disparage their current employer so that a new employer would have compassion and want to help "get them out" of their bad situation.  What really happens is that an employer hears that you are running away from a bad situation instead of running toward something better.  It is usually a huge turn-off.

3)  Do NOT be afraid to admit that the conclusion of a search could end with you staying put.  I tell candidates all the time that I am happy to assist in a job search, set up several interviews, and at the end of the day congratulate them that they found out their current job is the best one on the market for them.  The grass is NOT always greener on the other side of the fence.  You may need to jump the fence and take a peek sometimes to be convinced of it.  There is nothing wrong with recognizing this before you take another job and become miserable for a few months.

Bottom line is that if you are happy and you know it, don't just clap your hands.  Sit on them, don't go looking for another job for a while, and live in the moment.  If every candidate who had a bad day threw their resume on CareerBuilder and ran for the door, the employee retention rates at most major companies would be awful.

What have you done in the past when frustrated with an employer or boss, but you ended up feeling fine after a day or two to reflect?  How did you get through that situation?

How to get the attention of a candidate

Last week I spoke about how to get the attention of an employer.  So today I would like to explore the other side of the coin - as an employer how do you get the attention of a candidate?  Especially the ones that you hope to hire some day.

In this day and age of social media, multiple posting outlets, and word of mouth, it is fairly easy to attract attention in the job market.  But I added the caveat above to talk specifically about attracting the attention of the candidates you actually want to hire.  In the battle of quality over quantity, here are some tips we have seen work successfully:

1)  Be transparent.  I can understand that it is a slippery slope to share too much information with a candidate.  Especially if they are currently working for a competitor.  But I have seen many passive candidates in the past 6-8 months get turned off when employers seem to only tell them part of the story.  Whether it is something about the culture, the process, the infrastructure, or a recent departure of an employee, being too guarded can work against you.  Being honest and sharing some valuable information can show a candidate that you mean business and are not afraid to talk openly to make sure they know the full story of current working conditions and strategy going forward.

2)  Talk about recent hires.  I have actually used this one myself.  When we have a good client where we place multiple candidates, I am sure to tell a potential candidate about this fact.  It is amazing how much it puts someone at ease to know more about individuals that have recently joined the team.  It can help a candidate see how much they have in common with new hires.  In some instances they may even be a part of the interview process.  Even if a recent hire has not worked out, don't shy away from that necessarily.  It could show what doesn't work as much as what does.  And possibly prevent you from making another bad hire if the candidate you are interviewing turns out to have similar characteristics or traits.

3)  Outline benefits, both direct and indirect.  Far too often salary and job description are the only two things discussed in a first or second meeting.  Why not outline some of the perks your company provides?  Especially if you have a lot.  I have clients that have refrigerators stocked with free drinks and snacks for employees, jeans every day, shortened work weeks, ability to work remotely, ability to keep travel perks like hotel points and frequent flier miles, and much more.  Why not brag on these areas when first talking with a candidate to help pique their interest?

4)  Have a company Facebook page.  I know this one is debatable for some, but it has worked well for us as a company, and I have a number of clients that are beginning to embrace it more and more.  Your best bet is to have one company administrator that oversees content frequently so that employees aren't posting inappropriate behavior from a Friday night excursion.  But if you have having parties at work for a colleague who recently received an award, or having a baby shower, or a holiday party, this could really show the human side of your workplace.  This could factor into a candidate's interest in talking to you.

Bottom line is that more and more companies are pro-active in their approach to recruitment, and it is paying big dividends.  What else have you seen in the market that is successful?  Anything unusual or unique you have seen in the recent past?

How to get the attention of a recruiter

A common problem I hear from candidates is lack of response from recruiters.  It does not matter if it is a corporate recruiter or a third party firm like Capstone.  Candidates tend to send out a lot of resumes and communication after the new year, and oftentimes it is ignored, missed, or discarded.  So how can you be sure your information gets to the top of the pile?

1)  Do your homework and customize your communication.  Instead of simply sending your resume, but sure something in your email or phone call shows that you did more than click on a link to send your information.  Find out something about the hiring manager if you can and mention that in your initial message.  Research the company and see if you might have a common connection there.  Perhaps a friend, former colleague, or college classmate works at the organization and could provide a reference for you.  This takes a little more effort, but can really pay off.

2)  Always follow up an email with a phone call if possible.  On average I receive somewhere between 100-300 emails a day.  It is nearly impossible to reply to all of them, but I typically reply more quickly to candidates that also leave a voicemail.  Especially if it is a professional message and with a purpose.  Be sure when leaving the voicemail to reference exactly what you are calling about and what you emailed about before the call.  The more specific you can get, the better the response.

3)  Be persistent, but not pesky.  I try as best I can to reply to all messages in a timely manner, but sometimes it isn't possible with other priorities that pop up during the day.  If you don't get a reply, but follow up after a few days to check back in, that increases your chances of getting a reply.  I am also quick to apologize if more than a day or two has transpired.  Keep in mind, however, with the advent of caller ID that calling 10-12 times in a short period of time without leaving a message is not the definition of persistence.  That is called stalking, my friends.  

4)  Do NOT apply to multiple positions at one time.  Especially if you are not uniquely qualified for all of them.  It baffles me when a candidate applies for two customer service positions, one management position, and then three sales-related positions.  Quantity does not trump quality when applying for a job.  If I see multiple applications like that it tempts me to delete all of them without even reviewing the resume(s) of the applicants.  Pick the one that most closely resembles your professional background and then use some of the other techniques I have outlined above.

5)  Be courteous.  This may seem like common sense, but I could share story after story of candidates who are rude not only in their initial communication, but also with follow up.  I understand that as a candidate you may get frustrated with the process occasionally.  You need to learn to compartmentalize the bad experiences and stay positive going forward.  Don't take it out on the next person you talk with and expect them to be motivated to help with your job search.

There is no magic pill to get the attention of a recruiter, but hopefully these are some ideas that can be put into use as you continue your job search in the new year.  As always, I would love to hear from you if you have additional comments.  Have you had to do something unique in the past to get the attention of a recruiter?

Re-defining resolutions in the new year

I am on a three-year streak of keeping 100% of my New Year's resolutions.  Want to know my secret?  Each of the last three years I have set out to have NO New Year's resolutions.  I am three-fer-three on my goal and plan on keeping up this pattern for the foreseeable future.  I am two weeks into 2014 and have done a great job of still eating junk food leftover from the holidays, retaining my bad attitude about Iowa winters, and committing myself to be who I am and not try to change for the sake of a 30-day workout regimen.

Out of curiosity I Google the word "resolution" and the first definition that appeared was simply "a firm decision to do or not do something".  Then I wondered out loud if by NOT having a resolution was I really having a resolution by this definition?

Another definition was "the quality of being determined or resolute".  This one resonates with me.  Instead of doing something you probably should have been doing all year (like exercising) or NOT doing all year (like eating nothing but fried food washed down by light beer), this definition simply suggests that being determined is the path for a better journey.  Here are a few ideas to be resolute in your job search in 2014:

1) Be better at your current job, even if you don't want to remain there for the long term.  I read a quote recently that said if you really want to be noticed do what it takes to be noticed when no one is watching.  You might be surprised what is revealed about your character in this process.  It will also help your attitude tremendously when going into potential job interviews.  When asked about your job you can be more focused on accomplishments and daily execution of your job description instead of grumbling about what you don't like about your role or organization in general.

2) Always show progress.  Similar to point #1, always be improving your job skills, looking for continuing education opportunities, finding ways to participate more outside of the purview of your department, and make daily goals that can be achieved easily instead of monster goals that are unattainable.  Even if you have done the same job for the past ten years, there are always ways to get better as an individual contributor.

3) Don't change who you are.  Have you ever heard the phrase one body, many parts?  If you are really good at client service, don't try and be a salesperson.  If you do not have the skills to be a manager, but you aspire to that position for control, find other ways to manage that stress.  You can have control without having a management title on your business card.  Bottom line is to find your strengths, embrace them, and never stop getting better.

Instead of resolutions in the predictable sense of the word this time of year, how can you be more determined in 2014?

It is okay to be predictable during an interview

In the season of New Year's resolutions, fresh starts, clean slates, and new beginnings I have decided to talk about being boring and predictable in the new year.  After ten years of recruiting I can tell some mind-boggling stories about how candidates tried so hard to be "different" or "unique" that they ended up bombing the interview.

I understand that predictability can come with downsides, but let's explore some of the upsides for a minute:

1)  It can show consistency.  If you come into an interview wildly over-dressed or under-dressed or with bizarre answer to questions or trying too hard to make a good first impression it can backfire.  I had a number of clients last year call me to de-brief after a first interview only to tell me that the candidate was immediately taken out of consideration.  It was usually because of inconsistent answers to basic questions.  Don't try to spin a wild tale, but simply try to Keep It Simple, Sam.

2)  What you see is what you get.  If the person interviewing you is an avid hunter and you have never hunted a day in your life, don't talk about anything related to hunting.  Sounds like common sense, right?  Yet candidates fall into a trap when asked a question about hobbies or extracurricular activities, tell a little white lie, and find themselves in over their head.  That is incredibly easy to sniff out.  Instead stick to your guns and only talk about things that truly are important to you.  If you do that in your personal life, it will transfer more naturally to your professional life.

3)  It shows you are dependable.  This again may seem like a "no duh" type of comment, but it is so important to exhibit qualities early in an interview that you can be depended upon for the simplest of tasks.  If you are the last one out of the office at your current employer every night, why not tell the interviewer that you feel like that is a small yet important responsibility.  Big accomplishments that can be shown on a resume are usually preceded by taking care of the little things.

Don't hear what I am not saying here - you still need to work hard to convince an employer that you are the top choice for a job if you really want it.  But especially early in an interview it is much easier to turn off an employer by trying too hard with gimmicks and an unpredictable style as opposed to showing all of the qualities of an employee that will be consistent, transparent, and dependable for a long time to come.

There are many more that I could list, but as always I like to hear from my readers.  What are some examples you can provide of why it could be a good thing to be predictable in an interview?

Never take yourself too seriously

One of the last things I always try to tell a candidate before an interview is to just be yourself.  Sure you want to research the company.  It is absolutely a good idea to consider answers to basic interview questions.  Even trying to learn about who you will be interviewing with is a swell idea.  But at the end of the day they are hiring you, so why try to be someone you aren't??

Take this picture for example.  This is from last Friday's ugly sweater party we had at our office.  Right after we took this picture we went out for lunch as a group.  Was it silly?  Absolutely.  Did we have a tremendous amount of fun?  You bet.  Did we get a few looks as we walked into the local restaurant?  Uh huh.  We also came back to the office and posted an update to our Facebook page.

Please don't hear what I'm not saying - I am not suggesting you head to the thrift store before your next interview to buy a leisure suit for the interview just to express yourself in a funny manner.  Instead think of what your best qualities are and how you can exhibit those during an interview.  Admit what your weaknesses are and consider how you are trying to improve on those.  Be honest with yourself in what you want in your next job and if the interview isn't heading in that direction that is okay.

As you consider reflecting over the holidays about the year that has passed and then move on to the possibility of New Year's resolutions or big changes in the year to come, remember to be yourself.  Even if it involves some silliness or unique characteristics.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous 2014!!

What to do when you get the offer you don't want

I am currently working with a candidate who is in an active job search.  This individual has interviewed with several companies and really likes two of them.  In the midst of that another company is moving quickly and heading toward an offer.  The fork in the road could come any day where this individual will have to make a decision on one in the hand versus two in the bush.  So what to do if confronted with that decision?

I think this picture says it all - do you go with thumbs up or thumbs down on the first money on the table?  Especially when first money on the table is not your first choice?  I usually recommend one of three options, which are outlined below:

1)  It is okay to say no.  Most active candidates feel some apprehension with this advice.  They are actively seeking a new role and may feel like ANYTHING is better than their current situation.  The problem with this mentality is two-fold.  First of all, if you are running away from a bad situation and not toward a good situation, your job move is bound to fail.  Secondly, you still don't know yet if something better is out there but simply not at offer stage.  Patience is a virtue for passive candidates, not active candidates in most situations.  But as I blogged about a long time ago, good things do come to those that wait, and I'm not just talking about a classic ketchup commercial.

2)  It is okay to be honest with the employer and ask for some time to make a decision.  Although most times I recommend an answer within 24-48 hours, this could be the exception.  This does not come without risk as an employer upon finding out that you are waiting for some other options to pan out may pull the offer.  But if it is really what you are hoping for, then honesty is the best policy.  You might be surprised how an employer may be willing to wait.  It is not likely to be an open-ended timeframe, but they might give a week's extension or something along those lines.

3)  It is okay to tell the other employers you are interviewing with that you received an offer and it is not your top choice.  This may not necessarily prompt them to act, but it at least provides that opportunity.  Upon finding out this news they could ramp up their timing and perhaps conclude their interview process with you more quickly.  It may not eventually lead to an offer, but you could complete the process.  Then you would not have to look back and question "what if" had you not communicated this update.

The bottom line is to not panic.  Any time you get an offer that is fantastic news.  That means an employer saw that you could add value to their organization and should be taken as a huge compliment.  Have you ever received an offer you didn't want?  If so, how did you handle it?