A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance and necessity to writing thank you notes to interviewers. But during this Thanksgiving week, it’s also a time of reflection to also send an expression of appreciation to those who have helped our careers.
Do you remember when you really got your first career break?
I sure do. And all the ones that followed, too.
What you learn from your various mentors is cause for thanksgiving, as what we learn from them makes an impact on our careers. We take the valuable gifts that they give us and use that to chart our path, rolling our experiences into our next steps.
I have been very fortunate to maintain good friendships with my previous supervisors, all of whom are also people I still consider teachers. From my first ‘baby steps’ in making the transition from sloppy college kid to crisp professionalism, to building a collaborative partnerships while finding the fierce independence that it takes to be a business owner, these people have inspired me. They’ve instilled their experiences (successes and mistakes) and helped me chart my course.
Before 2009 draws to a close, it is my goal to send a personal note to each one of these gems thanking them for their help, guidance, insight, honesty and faith in me.
You should do the same. Without them, we wouldn't be who we are today.
They made not just your day, but your life.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
TMI: When Too Much Personal Info Kills Your Job Prospects
While on the job hunt, employment seekers engage in a touchy balancing act of providing enough information about who they are to employer so the company can get to know them, while at the same time not crossing a line into the realm of TMI (otherwise known as “Too Much Information) where a few details lead down a road of questioning ends up being more personally revealing than originally intended.
You do NOT want to go there, trust me.
It’s a tough situation to manage and requires a certain knack to get comfortable and in the ‘zone.’ The most important thing is to be as up front as possible, while at the same time keeping your own counsel about not saying things that could potentially impact how an employer perceives you.
To that point, I was recently asked by a job seeker about how honest you need to be in your cover letter and in the interview itself.
First, let start out by saying: You should ALWAYS tell the truth, no matter what, in ALL aspects of the job search. If you don’t, it WILL catch up with you eventually.
Now how MUCH you tell, beyond the scope of the original question or job abilities, is what gets a lot of well-intentioned people in over their heads. Extraneous, irrelevant information can effectively sink them in the long run.
Here’s the truth: We all want to come across as likable in the interview or in our cover letter. Psychologically, when we meet people, we want them to like us, but like dating, you don’t want to dump your dirty laundry out there for everyone to see and pick through before we have a chance to sell our best attributes first.
Instead, use this general rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t walk up to a complete stranger on the train, airplane or bus and tell them about something really personal about yourself, then you probably want to apply the same concept in an interview with a prospective employer. Stay focused on what they specifically ask about, NOT what other things you’d like to add.
The trick, however, is that interview questions are notorious for being dangerous paths to walk down depending on how you answer them. Simply by what you say, a new line of questioning opens up new doors, and can quickly become very personal. Some of those doors you do want to keep closed. Not that you have anything to hide, mind you, but more because it isn’t OF CONCERN to the employer… that information has no bearing on your ability to do the job.
Keep in mind that you want to answer the question in a satisfactory manner while not divulging extraneous information that has no relevancy to either the job itself, your ability to do the job, the interview situation, or the prospective employer.
Sometimes, the questions you get tossed in an interview ask open-ended yet specific things, like, “Tell us of one of the biggest mistakes at work you’ve ever made, and what you learned from that mistake.”
Ouch!
Time to de-construct such a question and think about how you might answer it without sinking your chances by being too honest. Failure, no matter how we handled it, is not easy, and being asked to talk about it in an interview is uncomfortable and often painful. You want to be honest, but at the same time, you don’t want to end the response to the question in a down note, so the key is to take a negative and turn it into a positive. That’s actually what an employer is looking for: they want to know about your ability to overcome adversity, not just to get some guffaws over someone else’s mistakes.
If you get this type of question, you definitely don’t want to leave it ‘dangling’ by citing a failure and not having some kind of outcome that shows that this failure led to the advancement of your professional knowledge, skills, or development. You want to show that you learn from your mistakes.
People who can ‘nail’ interviews are adept at providing compelling stories that provide specific examples of both their successes and their failures (and how they overcame the failures). It’s always easy to talk about successes, but the negatives are much more difficult, and oftentimes, people feel compelled to try and ‘explain away’ what actually led up to the failure.
This is often where a lot of extraneous information gets disclosed, and if you feel obliged to try and provide additional background to set the stage… STOP. Focus on the outcome, not the precipitating factors. Once you’ve done that, you will be able to easily navigate around the TMI pitfalls that can happen during the interview process.
Know that the ‘mistake’ question mentioned above shouldn’t be a surprise to you… and neither should be a “weakness” query or anything else that might probe your failures. These might be direct attempts from the prospective employer to poke at you in hopes of seeing how you react.
Remember, if you feel the need to try and ‘explain away’ anything, you are starting to move onto thin ice and are at increased risk to flail around and start adding in information that isn’t pertinent to the end results to help diffuse blame.
Again, focus on outcomes, which will keep you on track to answering the question within the framework set up by the prospective employer. Try using a technique used in the television news business: sound bites. These are short, succinct, concise and complete responses, and that is how you need to think about your answers in an interview. Putting yourself in that mindset will help you avoid getting into personal territory and accidentally saying too much about yourself! Don’t sink yourself by providing too much TMI!
You do NOT want to go there, trust me.
It’s a tough situation to manage and requires a certain knack to get comfortable and in the ‘zone.’ The most important thing is to be as up front as possible, while at the same time keeping your own counsel about not saying things that could potentially impact how an employer perceives you.
To that point, I was recently asked by a job seeker about how honest you need to be in your cover letter and in the interview itself.
First, let start out by saying: You should ALWAYS tell the truth, no matter what, in ALL aspects of the job search. If you don’t, it WILL catch up with you eventually.
Now how MUCH you tell, beyond the scope of the original question or job abilities, is what gets a lot of well-intentioned people in over their heads. Extraneous, irrelevant information can effectively sink them in the long run.
Here’s the truth: We all want to come across as likable in the interview or in our cover letter. Psychologically, when we meet people, we want them to like us, but like dating, you don’t want to dump your dirty laundry out there for everyone to see and pick through before we have a chance to sell our best attributes first.
Instead, use this general rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t walk up to a complete stranger on the train, airplane or bus and tell them about something really personal about yourself, then you probably want to apply the same concept in an interview with a prospective employer. Stay focused on what they specifically ask about, NOT what other things you’d like to add.
The trick, however, is that interview questions are notorious for being dangerous paths to walk down depending on how you answer them. Simply by what you say, a new line of questioning opens up new doors, and can quickly become very personal. Some of those doors you do want to keep closed. Not that you have anything to hide, mind you, but more because it isn’t OF CONCERN to the employer… that information has no bearing on your ability to do the job.
Keep in mind that you want to answer the question in a satisfactory manner while not divulging extraneous information that has no relevancy to either the job itself, your ability to do the job, the interview situation, or the prospective employer.
Sometimes, the questions you get tossed in an interview ask open-ended yet specific things, like, “Tell us of one of the biggest mistakes at work you’ve ever made, and what you learned from that mistake.”
Ouch!
Time to de-construct such a question and think about how you might answer it without sinking your chances by being too honest. Failure, no matter how we handled it, is not easy, and being asked to talk about it in an interview is uncomfortable and often painful. You want to be honest, but at the same time, you don’t want to end the response to the question in a down note, so the key is to take a negative and turn it into a positive. That’s actually what an employer is looking for: they want to know about your ability to overcome adversity, not just to get some guffaws over someone else’s mistakes.
If you get this type of question, you definitely don’t want to leave it ‘dangling’ by citing a failure and not having some kind of outcome that shows that this failure led to the advancement of your professional knowledge, skills, or development. You want to show that you learn from your mistakes.
People who can ‘nail’ interviews are adept at providing compelling stories that provide specific examples of both their successes and their failures (and how they overcame the failures). It’s always easy to talk about successes, but the negatives are much more difficult, and oftentimes, people feel compelled to try and ‘explain away’ what actually led up to the failure.
This is often where a lot of extraneous information gets disclosed, and if you feel obliged to try and provide additional background to set the stage… STOP. Focus on the outcome, not the precipitating factors. Once you’ve done that, you will be able to easily navigate around the TMI pitfalls that can happen during the interview process.
Know that the ‘mistake’ question mentioned above shouldn’t be a surprise to you… and neither should be a “weakness” query or anything else that might probe your failures. These might be direct attempts from the prospective employer to poke at you in hopes of seeing how you react.
Remember, if you feel the need to try and ‘explain away’ anything, you are starting to move onto thin ice and are at increased risk to flail around and start adding in information that isn’t pertinent to the end results to help diffuse blame.
Again, focus on outcomes, which will keep you on track to answering the question within the framework set up by the prospective employer. Try using a technique used in the television news business: sound bites. These are short, succinct, concise and complete responses, and that is how you need to think about your answers in an interview. Putting yourself in that mindset will help you avoid getting into personal territory and accidentally saying too much about yourself! Don’t sink yourself by providing too much TMI!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Job References – Are You Firing Up Your Cheering Squad?
Many years ago, I received a phone call from a colleague which was rather startling.
The colleague’s company was in the final stages of the hiring process and conducting due diligence on one of the finalist's job references. No problem, I told the caller, but silently wondered who it was, because no one in my network had given me a heads up about any upcoming job interviews/reference checks.
Well, it got even better. I was stunned when the caller said the name of the person. Not only did this applicant put me down as a reference, I had not ever worked with them directly, nor had that person contacted me to ASK my permission to even be a reference. On top of that, the person in question was someone I knew vaguely, but personally regarded as pretty creepy. I had seen some of their business tactics in a larger arena which I also didn’t feel matched my own values and ethics.
Ew, I thought, and quickly added that job seeker to my very small “not-so-happy” list. There aren’t many people on there, but let me tell you, from my perspective, I had worked too hard to build my professional integrity to let someone use it for their own gain when they didn’t have any of their own. Grrr…..
Quickly trying to recover, and cognizant of the fact that one has to be ever careful about one says in a legal context, I replied to the colleague’s inquiry: “Gosh, I wish I could provide a job reference for this person, but I am a little surprised that this person had put me down in that capacity. I haven’t worked with them directly and therefore can honestly say that I can't provide any kind of insight from that perspective.”
Wow.
Fast-forward. A different situation where someone that I had interacted with as an industry colleague was applying for a job at the company where I worked. As application for this position, the person sent their resume and a cover letter to the hiring manager, who walked down the hall to chat with me to find out more. From the hiring manager’s comments, it sounded like the person had referred to me in an ‘ole buddy, ole pal’ kind of context, when in fact, this job seeker and I had never even gone to lunch socially. Our interactions were fairly limited and in fact, a lot of the projects I had worked on with that person came back to me full of errors, were constantly late, and never really followed the project direction, which required extensive re-working on my end.
Double-wow.
Some people sure a lot of guts, don’t they?
Of course, the truth is that the majority of us would never be this unethical about our job references.
But here’s the nugget: A job applicant can spend hours working on their resume and cover letter, preparing exhaustively in the interview, nail the interview, but if they FAIL TO PUT DOWN A STRONG JOB REFERENCE LIST or neglect to inform their job references about specific job openings / potential interviews, the whole thing can get blown out the window. Case closed. Game over.
The whole job interview process has many different layers, and your professional and personal references have a huge impact as the final ‘say’ about your reputation, skills, and viability as a candidate.
Many of us have a list of references that we’ve developed for just that purpose, but here are some questions that you need to ask yourself to find out if you are really firing up what should be your ultimate cheering squad:
1) Have you thought strategically about the types of references you have listed? What aspects of your background can each person speak to? Think education, skills, work ethic, character, initiative, accomplishments and performance. The last thing you want to have is a list of “buddies” that are basically only friends but have no first-hand knowledge of your job abilities.
2) Did you ask the references whether you could list them? (And mention specifically why you chose them?)
3) When was the last time you talked to any of your references? Have you ‘refreshed’ any of those contacts lately?
4) Are you still on good terms with each of the people listed?
5) Do the references know what you are up to, in terms of your career?
6) Did you contact them about any upcoming interviews that you are having?
7) If so, did you let them know some of the key points that you’d like them to speak to if they are called?
8) Do you have all of their current / updated contact information listed? Complete information is critical to helping the prospective employer reach the reference quickly.
9) Have you listed your references on a separate sheet of paper? (This should NOT be listed on your resume… ever!) And if you have, did you format the page so it has the same ‘brand’ as your resume and cover letter?
10) Have you THANKED the references for their help? A simple note is a great way to express your appreciation for them being in your corner. Better yet, treat them to lunch, and use this as an opportunity catch up / refresh that connection!
Remember, you need to view your job reference list as your A-team who is ready and willing to help you land your next job. These are the people who will be the ones putting the icing on the cake that you've just finished with your interview, resume and cover letter. Firing them up is essential to total follow through on all aspects of the interview process... with a simple quick phone call, you can give them the courtesy heads up so that they are prepared to put you in the best light possible to prospective employers! The important thing to think about is that these folks are your cheering squad members. Go team!
The colleague’s company was in the final stages of the hiring process and conducting due diligence on one of the finalist's job references. No problem, I told the caller, but silently wondered who it was, because no one in my network had given me a heads up about any upcoming job interviews/reference checks.
Well, it got even better. I was stunned when the caller said the name of the person. Not only did this applicant put me down as a reference, I had not ever worked with them directly, nor had that person contacted me to ASK my permission to even be a reference. On top of that, the person in question was someone I knew vaguely, but personally regarded as pretty creepy. I had seen some of their business tactics in a larger arena which I also didn’t feel matched my own values and ethics.
Ew, I thought, and quickly added that job seeker to my very small “not-so-happy” list. There aren’t many people on there, but let me tell you, from my perspective, I had worked too hard to build my professional integrity to let someone use it for their own gain when they didn’t have any of their own. Grrr…..
Quickly trying to recover, and cognizant of the fact that one has to be ever careful about one says in a legal context, I replied to the colleague’s inquiry: “Gosh, I wish I could provide a job reference for this person, but I am a little surprised that this person had put me down in that capacity. I haven’t worked with them directly and therefore can honestly say that I can't provide any kind of insight from that perspective.”
Wow.
Fast-forward. A different situation where someone that I had interacted with as an industry colleague was applying for a job at the company where I worked. As application for this position, the person sent their resume and a cover letter to the hiring manager, who walked down the hall to chat with me to find out more. From the hiring manager’s comments, it sounded like the person had referred to me in an ‘ole buddy, ole pal’ kind of context, when in fact, this job seeker and I had never even gone to lunch socially. Our interactions were fairly limited and in fact, a lot of the projects I had worked on with that person came back to me full of errors, were constantly late, and never really followed the project direction, which required extensive re-working on my end.
Double-wow.
Some people sure a lot of guts, don’t they?
Of course, the truth is that the majority of us would never be this unethical about our job references.
But here’s the nugget: A job applicant can spend hours working on their resume and cover letter, preparing exhaustively in the interview, nail the interview, but if they FAIL TO PUT DOWN A STRONG JOB REFERENCE LIST or neglect to inform their job references about specific job openings / potential interviews, the whole thing can get blown out the window. Case closed. Game over.
The whole job interview process has many different layers, and your professional and personal references have a huge impact as the final ‘say’ about your reputation, skills, and viability as a candidate.
Many of us have a list of references that we’ve developed for just that purpose, but here are some questions that you need to ask yourself to find out if you are really firing up what should be your ultimate cheering squad:
1) Have you thought strategically about the types of references you have listed? What aspects of your background can each person speak to? Think education, skills, work ethic, character, initiative, accomplishments and performance. The last thing you want to have is a list of “buddies” that are basically only friends but have no first-hand knowledge of your job abilities.
2) Did you ask the references whether you could list them? (And mention specifically why you chose them?)
3) When was the last time you talked to any of your references? Have you ‘refreshed’ any of those contacts lately?
4) Are you still on good terms with each of the people listed?
5) Do the references know what you are up to, in terms of your career?
6) Did you contact them about any upcoming interviews that you are having?
7) If so, did you let them know some of the key points that you’d like them to speak to if they are called?
8) Do you have all of their current / updated contact information listed? Complete information is critical to helping the prospective employer reach the reference quickly.
9) Have you listed your references on a separate sheet of paper? (This should NOT be listed on your resume… ever!) And if you have, did you format the page so it has the same ‘brand’ as your resume and cover letter?
10) Have you THANKED the references for their help? A simple note is a great way to express your appreciation for them being in your corner. Better yet, treat them to lunch, and use this as an opportunity catch up / refresh that connection!
Remember, you need to view your job reference list as your A-team who is ready and willing to help you land your next job. These are the people who will be the ones putting the icing on the cake that you've just finished with your interview, resume and cover letter. Firing them up is essential to total follow through on all aspects of the interview process... with a simple quick phone call, you can give them the courtesy heads up so that they are prepared to put you in the best light possible to prospective employers! The important thing to think about is that these folks are your cheering squad members. Go team!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What are Your Online Credentials Worth in a Job Search?
Have you felt it?
Believe it or not, there has been a radical shift on how we conduct transactions, both business transactions as well as transactions where personnel are being hired. The Internet, long held at arm’s length as far as not being a bastion of credibility, is starting to flex its power. What was once held with skepticism is now being viewed as weighted credentials.
Building your online profile adds to boosting your credibility with prospective employers. Put the shoe on the proverbial other foot: If you were looking to hire someone, and were doing some preliminary vetting of candidates by researching them on the Internet, and one candidate had a sterling profile that showed a dynamic career track whereas the other had none at all… which would you be more inclined to hire?
Keeping your brand consistent from your resume to your cover letter to your online credentials adds fuel to your power as a candidate. A well-written and complete LinkedIn.com profile including client, colleague, supervisor and co-worker testimonials can launch you light years ahead of other candidates. And believe me, employers in increasing numbers are using this Web site and others like it to winnow their candidate pools down to the top industry talent.
Another thing to be aware of is that many companies now are actually trolling sites like LinkedIn.com to proactively recruit as well. The people that have taken steps to embrace technology and integrate themselves into it are positioning themselves to be noticed. And if you don't have ready access to the Internet at home, try stopping by the public library, working off a friend's computer, or using one in a job resource center.
By staying on top of your accomplishments, involvement and professional development on your online profile, you are conveying that you have taken charge of your career destiny and are investing yourself to be the best in your field. And in this crowded marketplace, that’s what it is going to take to stand out among a sea of applicants.
Take the time to carefully and thoughtfully put together your online profiles, and remember that even the social media ones can pop up in background research for potential employers. Keep your information on those sites personal, yet always professional. And of course, always tell the truth, and be ready to back up any accomplishments you state with facts.
You never know who may be viewing your online credentials, and it could prove to be worth its weight in gold!
Believe it or not, there has been a radical shift on how we conduct transactions, both business transactions as well as transactions where personnel are being hired. The Internet, long held at arm’s length as far as not being a bastion of credibility, is starting to flex its power. What was once held with skepticism is now being viewed as weighted credentials.
Building your online profile adds to boosting your credibility with prospective employers. Put the shoe on the proverbial other foot: If you were looking to hire someone, and were doing some preliminary vetting of candidates by researching them on the Internet, and one candidate had a sterling profile that showed a dynamic career track whereas the other had none at all… which would you be more inclined to hire?
Keeping your brand consistent from your resume to your cover letter to your online credentials adds fuel to your power as a candidate. A well-written and complete LinkedIn.com profile including client, colleague, supervisor and co-worker testimonials can launch you light years ahead of other candidates. And believe me, employers in increasing numbers are using this Web site and others like it to winnow their candidate pools down to the top industry talent.
Another thing to be aware of is that many companies now are actually trolling sites like LinkedIn.com to proactively recruit as well. The people that have taken steps to embrace technology and integrate themselves into it are positioning themselves to be noticed. And if you don't have ready access to the Internet at home, try stopping by the public library, working off a friend's computer, or using one in a job resource center.
By staying on top of your accomplishments, involvement and professional development on your online profile, you are conveying that you have taken charge of your career destiny and are investing yourself to be the best in your field. And in this crowded marketplace, that’s what it is going to take to stand out among a sea of applicants.
Take the time to carefully and thoughtfully put together your online profiles, and remember that even the social media ones can pop up in background research for potential employers. Keep your information on those sites personal, yet always professional. And of course, always tell the truth, and be ready to back up any accomplishments you state with facts.
You never know who may be viewing your online credentials, and it could prove to be worth its weight in gold!
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