You won’t hire me because I’m unemployed? REALLY???

CNN.com posted an article titled “In the job hunt, the stigma of being laid off is hard to erase”. In it, Stephanie Chen, writes:

“As if securing work in a jobless recovery isn't tricky enough, being labeled unemployed brings additional obstacles.”

I was privileged to be interviewed by Stephanie for this article and quoted briefly:

“Many companies will consider hiring jobless applicants, said Harry Urschel, an independent recruiter at e-Executives for more than two decades. He thinks many employers have become more understanding because job cuts are so widespread.”

While I can attest to the fact that there are some companies that do look more critically at candidates that are unemployed, I can also say…

That there are many others that view this time in the market as an opportunity to pick talent that might otherwise be hard to attract.

Can being unemployed be an obstacle? Certainly. Just as being “too old” can be an obstacle, being “too young”, having had too many jobs, having worked at one job too long, being a minority, not being a minority, being over-qualified, being under-qualified, being under-educated, being over-educated… and on and on. Depending on the organization, and the individual looking at your background, any of those factors may be an issue… or none of them might be. Regardless of professional background, or personal circumstances, anyone can find external reasons they are not getting the calls and job offers they are hoping for. My experience tells me that people are usually not selected for jobs for different reasons than they think. It’s usually easier to believe a bias than the reality of the situation.

Your objective in pursuing any opportunity is to show you are the best person for the job… despite any perceived shortcomings. As I’ve written about before… “For every person that says they can’t get a job because of a particular challenge, there is someone else with the same situation that did get a job.” It may take some additional thought, persistence, or creative approach, however, virtually any objection can be overcome when handled appropriately. Everyone can find some reason that is hindering their job hunt if they look hard enough. Don’t focus on why you may not be considered, focus on the unique value you bring to the potential employer!

In this market, when employers are receiving dozens, or hundreds of applicants for every opening, it’s not good enough to submit an application online, or send an email, and wait for a call. That’s all the vast majority of applicants do, and it does nothing to distinguish you from all the others. Even if you’re a “perfect” fit, it’s difficult for your resume to be noticed among the sea of others. Taking extra initiative to find a contact at the organization, proactively call and reach out in additional ways is the only way to stand out from the crowd.

If you’re not getting calls from your applications, it’s likely that it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re unemployed, or “too old”, or under-qualified, or anything else. It’s more likely that you are just getting lost in the crowd.

Apply some more effort to get noticed and you will make far greater progress in your job hunt!

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Are You a Resistor???

Over the past 5 years, having taught over 20 – 8 week classes on job transition skills, I’ve consistently seen many people resist applying the ideas and techniques I talk about.

Although they nod in agreement in class, they rarely, if ever, change any of their activities throughout the week. They continue doing the same things they’ve always done and expect different results (isn’t that a definition of insanity?).

Why do they do that? And how do you change if that’s been you? Do you know if you have been resisting? How can you tell and what can you do?

Here are some points that can help…

In one of my recent classes, one of the participants came had an epiphany about half way through. She said she realized that she had been resisting anything new so strongly that it was certainly hindering her from getting a new job she so desperately needed. For her, it was simply a matter of coming to the realization of how much she was fighting it that finally caused her to decide to apply some of the ideas we had been discussing.

Ask yourself some questions! Examine your attitude and your activities. When you hear or read an idea that might be helpful in your job search, how do you respond? Do you…

• …immediately think it wouldn’t work in your situation?
• …think it’s a good idea, but you don’t do anything with it?
• …immediately judge it to be a dumb, or impractical idea?
• …think it’s interesting but doesn’t fit your “style”?

If those are your responses, you may be resisting. If so, ask yourself “Why?” If you are getting exposed to potentially helpful techniques, why wouldn’t you try them? Examine whether you have fears, anger, bitterness, or stubbornness that are keeping you from stepping outside your box!

Seek out and learn effective techniques! You can’t apply any new ideas if you don’t know what they are. The internet, your local library, state job service office, and local networking groups are full of good ideas, advice, and help. Check them out. Find things that have worked for others. Learn how to apply them in your situation, and practice. The first step in breaking out of your rut, is to learn new ways to do it.

Give it a try! Particularly if you’ve been in a job search for a while, what have you got to lose by trying something new? What you have been doing so far hasn’t worked, so what is likely to be worse by applying a different approach? Don’t try something once and assume it’s not effective because it didn’t produce immediate results. Virtually nothing does. But take a new approach or technique and try it over and over again for a period of time. If it then still doesn’t produce improved results, try something else. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying something new.

Don’t sit still! One of the biggest obstacles to gaining positive results in your job search is inaction! Often, when people don’t make progress in their search it’s because they have mentally or emotionally frozen up. They are frustrated with the lack of progress, and unconsciously decide that nothing works for them so they won’t even try. The best way to overcome the problem is motion! Regardless of your emotions, keep doing things necessary to keep the job search process going. Often, one of the best ways to keep hope alive is to try something new. Keep moving and don’t allow yourself to become stagnant in your daily activities.

A job search, especially in this economy, can be a frustrating and draining activity. The more deliberate you are about keeping it fresh, being flexible and open to new ideas, the more likely you will land in your new job faster.

Don’t be a resistor! Find and apply new ideas throughout your search!

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Dealing With Inappropriate Interview Questions

In your job search, if you are interviewing regularly, it’s highly likely that sooner or later you will be asked a question that may seem inappropriate or legally dubious.  How you view that question, and how you respond will very likely have a great impact on your success.

I recently had someone in my job search class tell me about an interview he had at a small company. The hiring manager asked what year he graduated from college, as it wasn’t on the resume. The candidate told him it was an inappropriate question to ask.

The interviewer said he was curious, and really wanted to know. And for a couple of very uncomfortable minutes the two of them argued back-and-forth about the legitimacy of the question.

The candidate assumed it was an effort to determine his age, and make a judgment on his suitability for the job accordingly. I have no idea if that was the intent or not, however, questions like that do occur often. So how should you react? Here are some ideas that may help:

Most hiring managers are not HR and Legal experts! Although direct questions about age, race, family, and other topics are not supposed to be asked or considered in an interview process, they often get asked innocently. Certainly someone in HR ought to be very aware and conscious of inappropriate questions, however, a direct hiring manager may not be. Often they are simply getting to know someone and are not looking for ways to discriminate. It may not be possible to know if the question was asked out of ignorance or not, but the way you react may determine your fate anyway.

Getting to know you and small talk are not necessarily forms of discrimination. If the question was asked simply as a means to get to know you better, or as a form of small talk during the interview, an over-reaction can create a very negative impression if no discrimination was intended. Yes, an interviewer should know better than to ask inappropriate questions, however, when they come about from casual conversation, they often had no ill intent behind them. Your reaction generally has more to do with whether they move forward or not than the actual answer to the question.

You’re never obligated to take a job offer! While others may have differing opinions, my perspective is that candidates are generally best off not making large waves during the process and reserving their judgment and response for afterward. If an inappropriate question was asked. Answering directly, respectfully, and minimizing the negative response enables the process to continue.

If you ultimately receive an offer, it’s likely no discrimination was ever intended or took place. An offer will generally be the proof. If you still aren’t convinced though, you certainly don’t have to take the position and you can decide whether to pursue the matter with them further then.

If you do not receive an offer. It still may have had nothing to do with discriminatory practices, but rather that they had another, better qualified candidate. If you have doubts, you can decide at that point whether to pursue the matter or not.

Getting into a verbal battle with them during the interview process, however, virtually guarantees they will not want to consider you further for the role… not because of discrimination, but because they are not interested in hiring a combative employee.

An appropriate response to a potentially inappropriate question might be:

“I’m very interested in this position and would gladly answer all appropriate questions you may have for me in order to determine if I’m the right fit. However, an answer to that question doesn’t necessarily shed any light on my relevant qualifications, so if you don’t mind, I’d prefer not to answer it. Can we move on to other more relevant topics?”

Many interviewers are likely to get the hint and move on. Some, however, may not. If they continue to press for an answer, in my opinion, it is often best to give them a quick, straight-forward answer rather than continue to challenge them on the appropriateness of the question. You can certainly determine later in the hiring process whether a further response on your part is warranted.

 

In the case of the person from my job search class… he actually did receive a follow-up interview. The hiring manager simply knew someone that went to the same college and was interested whether they might have graduated at the same time. He shouldn’t have pressed the matter, and he should have been more upfront with his reason for asking. However, no discrimination was intended in any way. The candidate was fortunate that the process continued on, however, certainly may not have in most cases.

Don’t assume every inappropriate question has dark motives behind it. It may have been asked innocently, or because of a lack of knowledge. How you react, however, can determine if a good opportunity progresses for you or not.

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Resume vs. Online Profile: What’s the Difference???

I was recently asked about the difference between a resume and an online career profile. Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? Are they considered in different ways? What should be included or avoided?

Good question… short answer… YES! They are different.

There are a number of things to consider when creating a professional profile online vs. creating a resume to email or present to a company, or when applying for a specific role.

Here are some thoughts that can help…

When creating a resume for a specific company or position you are pursuing, it’s critical that you tailor it for the specific recipient. Emphasize the experience you’ve had that would be most important to that particular company or position. Although your experience may be very broad, if they don’t very quickly see the direct related experience for the role, it’s unlikely you will be considered further. Using words from their job description, their terminology, and giving special attention to the skills you have that are directly applicable to their requirements is key. The extra effort involved in customizing your resume for each individual application will pay off in a greater chance at a response.

When creating an online profile, whether it be a LinkedIn profile, your personal professional website, a Visual CV, a job board, or any number of other venues online to post your information… it has to appeal to a broader audience. You won’t know who will see it, or what kind of role they have in mind when they’re looking.

Although you may be interested in a variety of opportunities when you are applying, the viewer generally only has one role they are looking to fill. Your online profile should help them understand all your experience and see the fit for multiple roles. 

~ An online profile isn’t limited to two printed pages! While it’s usually not a good idea to create a submitted resume that’s more than 2 pages long, you don’t have that kind of restriction with an online profile. You can include much more information, more detail, more accomplishments, more strengths, and more keywords. Keywords are important, as that’s the most likely way they will find you. Include as many keywords as you can think of that someone might use to find someone with your background. With more detail, the likelihood of being found in a search rises, and it gives the viewer a greater chance of finding what they are looking for.

In an online profile, just as in a resume, it’s important that your information is written in short, substantive, sentences and/or bullet points. When someone is scanning your information, short lines will get read, paragraphs will not. It’s important that they grasp your experience quickly and easily, in order to gain their further interest.

~ An online profile can include testimonials! A submitted resume doesn’t generally have the space, and it’s not the best venue to include third party comments. However, an online profile can be a great place to include reference information and comments to “back up” the assertions you make about yourself in your profile. It’s great to express your strengths and accomplishments, it’s even better when someone else confirms them as well.

~ Consistency is key! It’s critically important that a resume you submit to a company, and your online profile agree with each other! Nothing will torpedo your chances for an opportunity faster than the appearance of an attempt to deceive. Although the resume you present may not give the entire picture of your full responsibilities in a particular position, it should never contradict the more detailed description. If your role was as an Office Manager of a small business, and your responsibilities included accounting, your resume should never make it appear as if your entire role was as an Accountant.

In today’s job market, and with easy access to search engines, it’s HIGHLY likely that somewhere in the hiring process someone at the organization you are pursuing will Google you and find your profile online. If the information you have posted there contradicts what they received from you directly, it’s unlikely they will proceed with you further. The resume and online profile can complement each other, but be consistent.

~ Links! When presenting a resume, it’s not usually easy, or necessarily appropriate to include links to websites online. An online profile is ideal for this though and can often enhance your presentation and credibility. You can include links to other professional sites where you have information posted. Link all of your relevant online presence together… LinkedIn, personal professional website, Visual CV, etc.  You might also link to a professional blog you write, articles you’ve been published in, online recognition you’ve received, etc.

Be very conscious, and careful of your overall online presence. A racy Facebook or MySpace page can be harmful to your online reputation. Comments or less than professional pictures or articles attributed to you can damage your chances of being considered for a position further. Be sure everything you link to only shows you in the best and most professional light possible, and try to clean up anything else that may be found by Google that might hurt.

Working together, a resume and a professional online presence can be a powerful combination. However, manage them carefully!

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