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20 Ways to Annoy Your Job Interviewer
Tweet Share on Facebook July 15, 2009 Comment (15)At a job interview, it’s not just what you say. It’s what you do, too.
While wowing hiring managers with your knowledge and enthusiasm, keep in mind that they’re watching what you do as well as listening to what you say. So ask yourself: Do you have any annoying mannerisms? Hiring managers assume that if you are a little annoying at an interview, you’ll be much more so once you’re hired and, presumably, off your guard.
Lasting impressions are formed within 90 seconds of first meeting. So make an effort not to do any of the following at job interviews:
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Companies Need More of What Used to Be
Tweet Share on Facebook July 14, 2009 Comment (2)It used to be that when times were bad, and no one was hiring, you went down a paygrade or two and didn’t whine or complain about it.
Commission-only sales jobs were plentiful and top notch sales people actually wanted them: higher reward for higher risk.
You spent more time talking to the hiring manager than people in HR.
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Should You Give Away Your Ideas For Free?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2009 Comment (3)A reader writes:
I interviewed with a nonprofit two years ago and didn't get the job. I also donate a small amount of money every month to the organization--like $25 per month. The group had a phone-a-thon the other day and called me to get my opinion on a variety of their issues. I answered the questions so well that the executive director now wants to meet with me to discuss my ideas. All the topics they want to know about are what I would be doing for them if they hired me two years ago. There was no mention of possibly getting a job and I don't know of any available now that match my background. I obviously want to provide meaningful insight but I'm unemployed and want to be paid for my expertise as well. How should I handle this meeting?
It's natural for you to think, "If you thought I had something to offer, why didn't you hire me when I applied two years ago?" But there are many possible reasons for their decision at the time--a surplus of great candidates, a concern about how your style would mesh with the manager's, or limitless other ways in which you could be valuable but not exactly the right fit.
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17 Rules for Job Seekers
Tweet Share on Facebook July 10, 2009 Comment (11)1. The job that is a sure thing isn’t.
2. Most employers who ask for a college degree are less interested in your coursework than the fact that you got the degree. In other words, there is hope for English majors.
3. On the resume and in the interview, don’t talk about how hard you worked. Stress what was achieved.
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How to Respond to a Job Rejection E-mail
Tweet Share on Facebook July 9, 2009 Comment (8)Just about an hour or two ago, I received a rejection E-mail for a job I was very excited about. The entire process lasted a month (maybe a little longer) and I had felt I performed very strongly during my interview, test, and phone screen. I'm very disheartened right now and after a month of riding a high, the crash I'm experiencing now is difficult to deal with. Part of me is in shock (because I felt I had done very well in the interview), the other half is utterly depressed. What makes this all the more distressing is I'm chasing a dream -- in an industry (video games) that's extremely hard to break into. I have a Master's degree in English and had passed up a handful of good opportunities to chase this dream by taking a foot-in-the-door, one-year contract job at $12/hr and no benefits and it seems my sacrifice isn't paying dividends.
I'm feeling very frustrated and angry, and I have no idea how to respond to this E-mail. I know the decision to pass on me wasn't the HR person's call, but it's hard for me to write back a 'thank you' letter right now. How would you suggest I approach the task of responding to a rejection e-mail?
Ah, another person with an English Degree. Not to stomp on you even more, but in grad school I shared a house with three English PhD students. One, when she applied to a particular school, received a letter that said, essentially, "If you are applying because you want to enrich yourself, great. If you are applying because you want a job, you should know that you won't get one." Ha! Ha! Ha! OK, not so funny. But the reason I tell you this is because if you, with an MA in English, are passing up opportunities, you must be a strong candidate in many areas.
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Hey Job Seeker, Do You Feel Lucky?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 8, 2009 Comment (5)If you’re looking for a job and reading books and blogs about “How to Job Hunt,” you undoubtedly know about compelling cover letters, snazzy resumes, knock ‘em dead interviews, and the all-important thank-you note.
If you’ve been looking for a while now, you may be starting to suspect there’s another, less talked-about, element to the successful job search:
Luck
You would be right. Even in fat times, luck plays a major role in getting hired. In lean times, it’s correspondingly more important.
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Why Your Startup Needs a Lead Dog
Tweet Share on Facebook July 7, 2009 CommentI am told that in dog-sled racing circles, a lead dog is a very valuable commodity. A good lead dog spells success or failure.
It is the same in your business, particularly if it is a startup.
In your startup, you will hear all kinds of excuses from your new sales staff. Excuses like, “The prospects have never heard of us!” or “If we would only advertise on [insert the most expensive media here], we could sell more.”
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When a Coworker Gets Special Treatment
Tweet Share on Facebook July 6, 2009 Comment (21)A reader writes:
How do I deal with a manager who clearly gives special treatment to a coworker? She is very irresponsible, and yet my manager takes her lateness to work as almost cute behavior on her part. A couple of times, my coworker did not even show up to work but my manager never took appropriate action. They have a good relationship, and any other manager would have already fired my coworker for her behavior. How should I handle this situation? It makes me sick sometimes.
Well, you really don't know what's happening behind the scenes. Maybe your manager did take action--it's unlikely that you would know about it. Your manager wouldn't share that with you, and your coworker, if she's like most people, probably wouldn't confess to you that she's in trouble.
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Drawing Lines on Doing Favors
Tweet Share on Facebook July 3, 2009 Comment (1)At what point is it ethically proper to use connections and do favors?
This is an easier call when you are the favor seeker. If you are unemployed and have family and friends who can put in a good word for you, why not ask them to do so? Their recommendations may open a door, but in most cases it won’t guarantee a job. You’ll have to land that on your own.
The question gets harder when you are the person who’s been asked for the favor, particularly if you are inside an organization. It can be difficult to make a strong recommendation without having it interpreted as a form of coercion. On the other hand, if your recommendation is too weak, it may seem that you are damning the candidate with faint praise.
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Set Goals to Move Your Dream Along
Tweet Share on Facebook July 2, 2009 Comment (1)Dreams of how things could be are wonderful things. They give us something to aim for, and they serve as a blueprint for what our world could become. But for far too many people, those dreams will never see the light of day. Why? Because a vital piece of the equation is missing: action.
Dream-building sounds like exotic, airy stuff, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dream-building happens in the mundane, day-after-day steps you take. Some of those steps are energizing, and some of those steps are just things you need to get done. But they all have one thing in common – they must be taken.
When you take care of the steps, the dream will take care of itself. One way to make sure you keep taking the action you need to take is setting process goals.
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