What Married Men Have To Do With Job Seeking Advice

Original Post: What Married Men Have To Do With Job Seeking Advice

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The other day we celebrated my wife’s birthday and we had a great time. You see, we’ve been married almost four years and I know the kinds of things she likes. I made her dinner (instead of going out) because she enjoys when I put together dinner. I got her clothes instead of jewelry because she seems to have a glut of jewelry but has wanted some more clothing. We chilled out and watched Sunday Night Football and the original Pink Panther movie because she loves football and old movies.

I’m only telling you this now because I used to stress out about my wife’s birthday. Of course, this was when we were dating so it always seemed more precarious. If you asked me what I stressed about, I couldn’t answer you right now. I just don’t know. I can’t remember. I just know that now I enjoy it and before, it seemed more stressful than enjoyable.

People ask me dating advice sometimes. These people are idiots. I have no idea what advice to give a person dating someone right now. A woman I know asked me how she should entice her man to give her a call once in a while. My answer (”Tell him to call you more”) was met with groans. Of course, this is why after you get married, you start just hanging around other married people.

Here’s where I’m going: everyone feels qualified to give dating advice because almost everyone has been on dates. The same thing happens with job seeking. Everyone has looked for a job so they all think they can give you advice. That’s great but the longer you’ve been out of the market, the more your advice is going to suck.

The nice thing about the perspective HR professionals bring to the table is that they see many of the techniques that simply don’t work. What I’ve found though is that many people in HR can’t tell you what works. Their advice is often risk adverse and safe.

And that’s really the advice that sells. It is boring but it also won’t disqualify you from many positions. So it is like me telling a person dating to not pick their nose during their date. If the person didn’t already know that, it will probably help them a bit. Of course, if it were as simple as not picking your nose and making sure to have good hygiene, many more people would be married than there are right now.

Most job seeking advice is the same as dating advice from a married man. It has more to do with what not to do than specific actions that can actually help you win a job (or a date).

That advice is a lot more difficult though. That’s why you will rarely get it from a married man or a person who has already established their career.

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by Lance Haun

 

7 Signs That You’re Not (Yet) Cut Out for Teleworking

7 Signs That You’re Not (Yet) Cut Out for Teleworking

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It’s become almost commonplace to consider teleworking as a career move. From companies wanting to reduce costs to individuals looking for alternative income streams, there’s no shortage of people interested in this option. But no matter how easy it looks on paper, successful teleworking takes time and effort to establish. This is especially true if you have personal characteristics that might make it harder for you to telework.

What traits should you watch out for and how do you overcome them?

1. You are dependent on face-to-face interaction when acquiring information. A common problem I see with people who are new to teleworking is that they don’t know how to acquire information independently. This is a difficult problem to have, especially in the age of search engines. Not all information can be found online, but taking the initiative to look up solutions on your own can get you very far.


2. You are afraid of technology. While you don’t have to spend hours each day reading tech blogs and you don’t need to know the latest Gmail hacks, you need to be comfortable with technology. After all, you’ll be using it to perform your most important work tasks including collaboration and research. Don’t worry, though. There are both written and video tutorials for practically every application out there.


3. You need supervision to get things done. Whether you’re a freelancer or an employee doing remote work for a company, you need to get your major tasks done even when there’s no one to look over your shoulder. When it comes to your day-to-day accomplishments, your only supervisor is yourself.


4. You equate busy-ness with productivity. Ernest Hemingway once said “Never confuse movement with action.” To measure whether you’re accomplishing tasks throughout your workday, note your output rather than the hours you spend in front of the computer.


5. You are not organized. Being organized has nothing to do with how clean or neat your home office is. It’s about finding office supplies in a couple of seconds, knowing where you stashed each client file and scheduling your workday well. For some useful tips, refer to Leo Babauta’s WWD article on how to get organized.


6. Your work ethic is largely dependent on moods. If you keep waiting to work when you’re “inspired” or you “feel like it”, you’re likely to spend 80 percent of your time waiting around for the right mood to get started. Make the effort to develop sound working habits, especially while you’re just starting to telework. Of course, there will always be those moments where you can’t seem to focus. During these times, you can always take a break or perform other tasks that are indirectly related to your work. This allows you to come back to your work with a fresh perspective.


7. You can’t say no. Teleworking requires the ability to prioritize ruthlessly, to say “no” to requests that are neither important nor urgent. These requests can range from professional to personal. Since I work from home and have a flexible schedule, some of my relatives seem to think that it’s okay to ask me to run errands for them. Other teleworkers have told me that they also experience this problem. But if we agreed to do everything that was requested of us by our families or clients, we would have no time for the actual work.

Having these traits doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t attempt teleworking. I had at least a couple of these myself before I started out. We just need to be aware of the weaknesses that may be detrimental to our teleworking, and work towards overcoming them.

What traits or personality types prevent successful teleworking? Any suggestions on how to get over them?

Image by Viktor from sxc.hu

CeeVee opens up to offer a mega-simple CV page builder

Original Post: CeeVee opens up to offer a mega-simple CV page builder

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Coming along to give VisualCV and JobSpice a run for its money is new online CV builder CeeVee. It’s now opened up after being in private beta and aside from the cute sounding name, it’s aim is simple – to be the simplest CV builder out there.

But what is the point of CV sites like this when we have LinkedIn? Well, not everyone is into LinkedIn’s sparse, rather corporate presentation and so CeeVee – as it’s competors do – aims at the wide consumer marketplace with a simpler interface. Apparently Human Resources people aren’t keen on busy CVs (or maybe can’t cope with them?), hence this design approach.


In addition LinkedIn doesn’t allow you to export or share your resume in a widgety, social way (as yet). The aim, as founder Lee Wilkins tells me, is to work with HR departments and companies to make a more standardized format.



It’s certainly simpler and better looking than some of the CV designs on VisualCV, or maybe that’s just me.

The site also has a cool vanity URL feature. Thus if your name is Mike you can nab CeeVee.com/mike, although this may rather limit the site’s appeal to other Mike’s on the planet.

Plans for the future include company profiles, a jobs board and search amongst other things. The site features FaceBook Connect, and Share twitter buttons, with more coming.

Started by Romania-based Wilkins as a pet project in Sept 2008 the bootstrapped venture is looking to expand into localised version for key markets in Europe like Spain, Russia and Italy and further abroad such as India and also into Asia.

Social Media And Job Hunting: Friend Or Foe?

Social Media And Job Hunting: Friend Or Foe?

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A new study by Harris Interactive shows that 45% of US human resources pros occasionally use social networks to research job candidates:

This must be a good thing, right? Your prospective employer can find out just how sharp of a candidate they’re getting, based upon your digital footprint.

Not so much. According to the study:

The findings were more likely to get candidates rejected than hired: 35% of HR professionals said social networking content had caused them to eliminate a candidate, while only 18% reported deciding to employ someone based on a profile.

The top reasons for rejection were, unsurprisingly, “provocative or inappropriate photographs or information” (53%) and information about drinking or using drugs (44%). But job candidates were also hurt by negative postings about their previous employers, poor communication skills, discriminatory remarks and other faux pas.

The findings underscore just how important reputation management has become in the digital era. While the question of whether a prospective employer should base its decision to hire you based upon your social media footprint remains a hotly-disputed one, it is likely that HR professionals will become more adept in their use of these tools over time, not less. Users of social networks should take basic precautions to ensure that any content which may be deemed embarrassing should either be removed from online networks, or at least safeguarded behind privacy filters.

via Job Candidates Both Hurt and Helped by Social Networks – eMarketer .

Organizing your job search

Original Post: Organizing your job search

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My sister-in-law recently finished a graduate program in documentary film making and has spent the past three weeks looking for her next project. I know very little about the movie industry and job hunting in it, but I know that my sister-in-law is extremely organized and so I wanted to learn more about her search.

I asked her how she has navigated the process, and she gave me a detailed response that I wanted to share with anyone who may also be looking for a new gig:

Dedication. Searching for a job is my full-time job. I have set hours for when I’m at my desk researching, corresponding, interviewing, and pursuing leads. This week I’m on target to work 40 hours at it. A job isn’t going to fall in my lap — I have to go after it.

I have to be organized with my search. I keep a spreadsheet of all of my job leads. It includes: date applied, company, position, contact name, contact information, status of lead, notes, and a correspondence log that links to my e-mail. I also have a group of bookmarks with job sites that I frequently search in my web browser and a folder with targeted lists in my address book of job-related contacts. I have set up alerts for follow-up actions I need to take in my calendar and automatic searches that run on sites like Craigslist based on keywords.

In addition to her searching, she also has spent a significant amount of time preparing her targeted cover letters, resume, and building her website and IMDB page showcasing her work. She attends as many networking and professional events that her schedule will allow and talks to any and everyone about her search.

Have you recently been searching for a job or work in hiring? If so, leave your tips for an organized job search in the comments section.

Doing The Interview Dance And Leaving A Lasting Impression

Original Post: Doing The Interview Dance And Leaving A Lasting Impression

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photo by jeff medaugh

23:52:37 reyhan: For me interviews are me interviewing them
23:52:51 Boon: totally
23:53:06 Boon: i so need to write a blog post about that
23:57:58 reyhan: Yes
23:58:06 reyhan: You totally should

Why do you attend interviews? Do you do it just because it’s what you need to do to get a job? Or do you see it as an opportunity to see if this company is really a right match? There’s a difference here.

Companies are Human, Yes They Are

I feel that we’ve become so accustomed to dealing with cashiers, customer service representatives, helpdesk assistants, nurses, telephone operators, salespeople, waiters – so much that we’ve lost the appreciation for understanding how businesses run and make money, and more importantly, how inherently human organizations and companies actually are.

If you strip away the branding, the corporate logos, the job descriptions, the products, and the impressions people have about companies, it’s not difficult to appreciate that managers and recruiters have lives just like anyone else. The people who get paid to hire people represent companies as much as they represent themselves – much like how you discuss with your flatmates about accepting the new guy who’s interested to come on board.

Interviews are like Dates (not the Edible Kind)

This is why Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the famous career book, “What Color is Your Parachute?“, compares interviews to dating.

Sometimes I feel that job seekers prepare for interviews with a series of answers to interview questions like “tell me about your strengths and weaknesses”, “how would you move mount Fuji” – in some kind of formulaic fashion. I think that companies who do hire people who succeed in formulaic interviews, are companies that are formulaic themselves. That’s not a bad thing, unless you’re not interested in working for a formulaic company.

Not all companies hire the same way. Some have fine-tuned the art of finding the fakes from the gems. And this process really isn’t about selecting who’s the better person – it’s just about finding the better match.

If you’re approaching an interview in the same way you did the previous interview – ask yourself, are you doing it because you’re perfecting the art of interviewing (which isn’t a bad thing), or are you really interested to find out what this company about, and take advantage of the interview time to really get to know them as real people. Maybe it’s worth tweaking your interview strategy a little, if you know you’re going to meet someone who was quite different than the last guy.

The Interview Dance

Sometimes, even though I’ve done all the research about the company and I know about the products that they sell, who their customers are, and what their company values are and all that – I still ask them the same questions to find out about the company, just to see if these people really are what they say they are on their company blog and website and stuff. I do it to satisfy my curiosity, and to probe deeper about what makes this person who is interviewing me excited about the job that they do.

I try to come up with questions that, when asked, catches them by surprise and causes them to pause in a way that I can see tiny sparkles in their eyes. And this is one of those things that doesn’t have a formula. When you’re on a date with someone, and you’re genuinely interested to know them better – do you verbalize rehearsed one-liners that you studied from a how-to book, or do you wait for a certain opportunistic moment in the conversation, when you pop interesting questions that make them smile and laugh?

There’s something magical about interviewing someone who really seems like they can understand the heartbeat of the people that work there. Researching companies will get you to a point, but taking a chance to initiate that ‘interview dance’ is really what creates the whole encounter a lot more memorable.

What Job Seekers Can Learn From Chicago's Failed Bid For The Olympics

What Job Seekers Can Learn From Chicago's Failed Bid For The Olympics

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It looked promising for Chicago—we had tremendous clout with President Obama, Michelle Obama, and Oprah campaigning for Chicago to get the Olympics in 2016. Michelle Obama spoke impassionedly about growing up in Chicago, and President Obama said powerful statements like “One of the legacies I want to see coming out of the Chicago 2016 hosting of the Games is a reminder that America at its best is open to the world." Chicago also showed videos of the beauty of its lakefront location and mesmerizing Millennium Park to the Olympic committee. So what went wrong? What can job seekers learn from Chicago’s failed “Olympic interview”?



(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)

Don’t go for the personal plea in the interview; describe the technical reasons why you would be a good fit for the organization.

There were so many powerful, personal sentiments behind the Obamas plea for the Olympics. Statements including “with hard work and discipline and dedication, [Chicago] can make it if we try” and “That's not just the American dream, that is the Olympic spirit. That's why we see so much of ourselves in these Games. And that's why we want them in Chicago. That's why we want them in America.”

As beautifully said as these statements are, they don’t give any indication as to what Chicago can offer the Olympics. In an interview, describe what you can offer the organization,. It seems as if the Obamas were asking what the Olympics could do for Chicago and not what Chicago could do for the Olympics. In fact, Michelle Obama specifically said: “Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralympic movement is about so much more than what we can offer the Games. It's about what the Games can offer all of us. It's about inspiring this generation and building a lasting legacy for the next.” In an interview, however, you should explain what you can an offer an organization.

It had been reported that Chicago avoided reporting “stodgy technical details”…but maybe the Committee wanted to hear technical details. Maybe the Olympic Committe wanted to hear discussions of finances. Chicago instead showed videos of blues legened Buddy Guy and snapshots of the pretty city. Mayor Daley emphatically noted “It’s not about the words. It’s about the heart and soul.” But “some of its speakers looked nervous and parts of the presentation came off as stilted. It also was surprisingly low-key…” If you are relying on an image mainly to sell your point (which you shouldn’t), it should at least come across as professional as possible.

Chicago had the passion, the skills, and the right “references” to sell the city to the Olympic Committee. But it didn’t focus on what the Olympic Committee wanted to hear of what Chicago could offer the orgnanization. Job seekers may have the passion, the skills, and the right references, but that won’t mean much in an interview unless a job seeker can display how those qualities will benefit the organization.