“Great hiring isn’t an instant process, and many companies would benefit from developing more-structured internship programs, in which success and proof of a good fit are measured over time,” says Mary Ellen Slayter in her recent article entitled Bring Strategic Rigor to Your Internship Program.
In the current economy, companies can afford to take more time with, and put more effort into, the hiring process. In fact, smart companies should be doing exactly that. When the labor market is slow, more talent is available and companies should tighten up hiring procedures, improve job descriptions, and focus on hiring quality people instead of hiring a resume. Internships are a great way to take a look at job candidates and determine – in real time – if they have the skills and attitude to flourish in the company.
Over the last several posts, I have tried to make it clear that finding a good job is about much more than polishing up your resume and checking out a few websites. Candidates have to work diligently at improving their value to employers. They have to find ways to increase the ways in which they can contribute to the success of an organization. In a nutshell, you simply cannot rest on your laurels; you have to be improving, growing, and constantly learning.
Need more proof? Read this excerpt from Slayter’s article:
Scare B-list candidates away upfront. General, fluffy job listings create more work for your HR team in the long run than a sharply focused one would. First, too many random candidates respond. Second, HR must then sift through a mountain of lackluster or insincere applicants. Third, these are short-term applicants that need any job they can get, as opposed to A-list candidates interested in a long-term career path with you. There’s a much better way: Sit down with key managers to carefully draft the most challenging, rigorous, mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive job description write-ups as possible –– with zero fluff. Include a roster of advanced role requirements and high cover letter expectations that invite only the keenest and most accomplished to apply. In short, scare the heck out of flaky applicants. Shotgun-blast resume slingers and well-dressed slackers won’t bother applying.
At first glance, this might be pretty intimidating. As you look at your situation and your resume, you might worry that you have little chance to secure that “perfect job.” My suggestion is to change your perspective: to move out of the realm of “resume slinger” or “well-dressed slacker,” you have to make every single job interview a learning experience. Failure to get an offer is not FAILURE – it’s an opportunity to learn where you need to improve. If you don’t get the job, you need to get as much information as you can that will help you in the next opportunity.
Always thank your interviewer and ask if you might ask a couple of questions regarding your interview. Most HR professionals will give you the opportunity, so make the best of it:
“I want to learn from this experience, so…”
“If you were in my shoes, what one thing would you work on to improve my ability to get hired?”
“What is the weakest part of my resume?”
“As an HR professional, what advice would you give me regarding my interview with you?”
At the same time, if you are serious about working for a particular company, you should consider an internship. They may or may not pay, but you could gain valuable experience inside an organization and potentially work yourself into a nice opportunity. If you don’t get an offer, and you’re fairly certain you were a final candidate, don’t be afraid to ask your interviewer if an internship is an option.
Years ago, Robert Schuller wrote a book entitled “Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do.” Here is what Amazon says about the book:
Dr. Schuller shows you how to build a positive self-image, no matter what your problem. Whether it’s unemployment, poor health, loneliness, fear or anything else that blocks your success, you can turn your negative into a positive. No matter how tough times get, you have the potential to achieve the best of life.
I’m wondering if that particular book is enjoying a revival? I suspect there are more than just a few who are currently struggling with unemployment and success issues, and times are plenty tough. A more current equivalent of Schuller’s best-seller is Larry Winget’s 2005 book, “Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life.” If Shuller’s group-hug-style of envisioning a more successful future isn’t your cup of tea, maybe Winget (like Curly) can help you discover that “one thing” that will revive your success drive:
…this book will make you uncomfortable. Winget won’t let you escape to the excuses that we all find so comforting. The only place you are allowed to go to place the blame for everything that has ever happened to you is to the mirror. The last place most of us want to go.
You probably won’t agree with all Larry Winget says in this one-of-a-kind book. You may not like the concepts and ideas he believes will change your life. Winget doesn’t care. His ideas aren’t for everyone and he readily admits that.
Or maybe he could just kick the crap out of you. Whatever.
Two different thought processes, but one common idea – don’t allow circumstances to keep you from achieving what you capable of. No question, job hunting can damage your psyche and erode your self-confidence. The key is to stay focused and network like crazy. Talk to the local Chamber of Commerce to find out about job opportunities; attend Rotary or Civitan meetings and talk business with people; get active and join volunteer organizations; visit college campuses in your area to look for new connections and additional training opportunities; visit every recruiter you can find. You get the idea.
Among everything else, keep things in perspective – and try to keep your sense of humor. Like Schuller said, tough times never last.
Is it just me, or do most people have little sense of what is going on in the world beyond American Idol or Survivor or The Real Housewives of (Fill in Your Favorite)? The average “man (or woman) on the street” doesn’t seem to know much of anything beyond sports and reality television.
Yes, I know, that is a sweeping generalization and completely unfair. Actually, most people are well-educated (read this), well-read, and quite knowledgeable about current affairs.
Not.
The “average” adult in the United States reads at a 9th grade level, and, as referenced in this MSNBC article, adult math skills have gone into hiding:
According to the Department of Education’s National Assessment of Adult Literacy, U.S. adults are terrible at solving real-world math problems, like calculating tips or comparing prices in grocery stores. Some dismal results:
Only 42 percent were able to pick out two items on a menu, add them, and calculate a tip.
Only 1 in 5 could reliably calculate mortgage interest.
1 in 5 could not calculate weekly salary when told an hourly pay rate.
Only 13 percent were deemed “proficient.” Worse yet, only 1 in 10 women, 1 in 25 Hispanics and 1 in 50 African Americans made the grade.
More good news: according to the President’s National Mathematics Advisory Panel, “half of 17 year olds couldn’t do enough math to work in an auto plant.”
Hey, I’m not some kind of intellectual snob, nor do I value a person more or less because they don’t know who the Vice President is or can’t find Montpelier, VT on a map (for those of you keeping score at home, that would be the capital of Vermont). No, the problem is that employers are typically looking for employees who can think, solve problems, and develop ideas. If job seekers don’t do anything to develop those skills, they risk being permanently relegated to second-tier status as a job candidate.
The idea in job search is to give yourself the very best opportunity to land a good job. Every single advantage, no matter how small, helps. One certain way to elevate yourself above many competitive job seekers is to demonstrate your ability to think and solve problems. Sadly, many job seekers don’t read well, can’t write business correspondence, and can’t do basic math calculations.
The solution? Extend your interests. Read a newspaper regularly. Pick up Math for Dummies. Complete a Sudoku puzzle once in a while (a little practice at solving problems).
As if looking for employment didn’t pose enough of a challenge, here is an entirely new problem for those seeking employment – the effective use of social media. No, no, no…not how to use it for networking or job search, but how not to use it. It seems many job candidates torpedo their chances with some employers because of the inappropriate things they post on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.
Is that fair to job candidates? Apparently so, according to this article:
Four years ago, Stacy Snyder, then a 25-year-old teacher in training at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pa., posted a photo on her MySpace page that showed her at a party wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup, with the caption “Drunken Pirate.” After discovering the page, her supervisor at the high school told her the photo was “unprofessional,” and the dean of Millersville University School of Education, where Snyder was enrolled, said she was promoting drinking in virtual view of her under-age students. As a result, days before Snyder’s scheduled graduation, the university denied her a teaching degree. Snyder sued, arguing that the university had violated her First Amendment rights by penalizing her for her (perfectly legal) after-hours behavior. But in 2008, a federal district judge rejected the claim, saying that because Snyder was a public employee whose photo didn’t relate to matters of public concern, her “Drunken Pirate” post was not protected speech.
Since Facebook and other sites are public domain sites, it looks like they are fair game for assessing your common sense and discretion. So, next time you get in one of those “drunken pirate” moods, you might want to hold off on posting the pics. I’m just sayin’…
This article further points out that 75 percent of recruiters and HR professionals scrutinize online sites for information about job candidates, and 70 percent of those individuals have actually rejected a candidate based on information obtained from these sites. As companies seek to acquire the best talent they can find, they have been given the golden opportunity to not only assess that talent, but to assess the character of that talent as well.
Formerly, employers were limited to a credit check, a background check, and all those stellar references you put on your resume. Now, however, you have willingly opened up your entire world for them to examine – which, by the way, can be a good thing just as much as a potential risk. After all, your Facebook page could just as easily reveal a solid citizen as much as it could reveal a scalawag.
With recruiters and HR professionals on the prowl, consider this “Word to the Wise:” You might want to check out your Facebook page and analyze it from an employer’s point-of-view. Does your online persona reveal someone that might be considered a huge hiring risk?
A person who knows how to get things done is in possession of a highly marketable skill. The ability to complete complex tasks or projects is a skill that most every employer can, and will, use. The devil, as they say, is in the details. Because the real skill is not just the ability to “get things done,” but the ability to get things done right.
As in, completely. All the “I’s” dotted; all the “T’s” crossed. Soup to nuts – done. Correctly. According to specifications.
If “gitt’n ‘er done” is not among your strong suits, don’t despair – help is a simple “To-Do” list away. That’s right, the proverbial task list. Amazing how those little buggers work. Well, if you do them right (not like the one shown that I found here).
Legendary sales trainer Zig Ziglar tells a story about what he calls the “Day Before Vacation” attitude. He illustrates how much people can actually get done the day before they leave for vacation. Why? Because they have tons of stuff to accomplish and only a single day to get it all finished. The solution? Plan and Prioritize. Put it on a list. Lay out the most efficient way to get it all done.
First, the Post Office. Then, the bank. Drop the dogs at the kennel. Pick up the dry cleaning. You get the idea. The result is that someone who is mostly average at getting things done turns into Larry the Cable Guy on steroids. Git ‘r Done!!
To-Do lists can be fantastic tools. They can also create the illusion that you are actually doing something when you’re not (see picture above). I’ve know people who spend most of their time making lists, rearranging lists, collating lists – essentially, managing the lists. That, of course, is not so good. However, creating a prioritized To-Do list that outlines the critical details that must be addressed and completed can dramatically impact your daily performance.
Using a task list while you look for a job is a great place to practice (if you fail, you only have to explain it to your significant other). Start the week with a Priority List – things I must accomplish this week regardless of the obstacles I may encounter. Think through the details and include them on the list so you don’t overlook anything important. Then, each day, review your Priority List and add any additional items that you need to do that day. Just as you would on the day before your vacation, put them into a logical sequence that will make them easy to accomplish. Anything you don’t complete today goes on tomorrow’s list. Finally, keep all of your notes in a small notebook and you will not only keep a record of everything, but you’ll ensure that nothing slips through the cracks that you should have completed.
In your job search, be specific with your task list. Don’t put something general like “Look for job” on your list. Write down the details of the things you must do. 1) Complete resume revisions. 2) Make the following phone calls (list the people and their numbers – in order of priority). 3) See these companies (list by name and prioritize by geography to make them easy to get to). 4) Send follow-up notes to these people (list specifically).
Ultimately, you can get very good at using a To-Do List, and the side benefit is that it can become a huge asset for you in the workplace.
“Great hiring isn’t an instant process, and many companies would benefit from developing more-structured internship programs, in which success and proof of a good fit are measured over time,” says Mary Ellen Slayter in her recent article entitled Bring Strategic Rigor to Your Internship Program.
