“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.

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“What are your strengths?”

How many times have you heard that question in an interview? There are few things that are more predictable in an employment interview than questions about your strengths and weaknesses, so I’m sure you’ve spent considerable time examining your answer to these questions….right?

OK, I know you have, but you would be surprised at how many candidates “wing it” when it comes to answering these (and other) common questions. Think about this for just a minute: if you consistently answer the same questions the same way, and have not yet been hired, should you rethink your answers….? (I’m just sayin’.)

Savvy interviewers ask these questions for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, they want to see how you respond. Do you spit out a standard answer that shows little or no thought? Are you confident or shy? Do you stumble over your response? Are you contemplative? Are you genuine or putting on a show? Consider that how you answer is often just as important as what you say.

Second, a good interviewer doesn’t stop with the initial question, but continues to explore your answers with additional questions that probe a little deeper. This allows the interviewer to discover how genuine your answers are, and how you deal with the stress of being pushed a bit. If you chose to regurgitate one of the canned responses available in those interview self-help books, the follow-up questions could pose a bit of a problem.

The best way to deal with the standard “What are your strengths?” question is to find out the true answer. My suggestion is to get a DiSC® profile (available online for $25 to $30) and read carefully through the analysis of your behavioral style. This assessment will provide a number of clues to the work environment you prefer, and will highlight your potential strengths and weaknesses. This exercise will allow you to answer the question and provide objective confirmation.

A second online test that I highly recommend you complete is the Clifton StrengthsFinder®. You can buy the book and take the online assessment for about $14. This assessment will provide tremendous insight into your workplace strengths and give you additional ideas about what occupations or positions will best capitalize on those strengths. This information will not only provide excellent material for answering the “strengths” question, but it will also help you understand exactly what jobs fit you best.

Avoid the trap of preparing for interviews by studying the “pat” answers to interview questions. Instead, spend that time learning about yourself and improving the skills you need to get the job you’re looking for.

The benefits of failure??

Sure. In fact, my question is why would you look at failure in any way other than from the positive side? The alternative is to wallow in self-pity. Blame the economy. Descend into depression. Sit on the couch, watch bad reality TV shows, and put on forty pounds.

The truth is failure is a necessary part of life. Failure can be a tremendous teacher. It is, as they say, all in the way you look at it. Failure can be viewed as a commentary on your personal value, or it can become a building block in your character. Failure can be viewed as a reason why you don’t deserve to succeed, or it can become a stepping stone in your path to success. Failure can cause you to give up, or it can be an indicator of what didn’t work this time.

This short video is a classic – an accounting of several famous people who overcame potentially crippling setbacks:

“If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived.” As an active job searcher, you need to understand that savvy employers look for failure in your background. They don’t ask those classic interview questions, “What was your biggest failure?” or “What is your biggest weakness?” just so you can spout some glib, prepackaged, seminar-influenced answer. They ask because they are often looking for employees with courage and initiative, and they realize that those people fail. The question is not whether or not you have failed, the question is how do you deal with it and did you learn anything valuable?

If you have interviewed twenty times and still don’t have a job offer, don’t blame anyone. Companies are not looking for employees who point fingers; they are looking for employees who solve problems. Sit down and figure out where you need to improve. Get professional help (you can find a career coach here at 360jobinterview.com). Make changes.

The main thing is to get moving. The late, great Chicago Bear’s running back, Walter Payton, rushed for over nine miles of yardage in his NFL career. When he retired, he was the game’s career rushing leader, having carried the ball 3,838 times and averaged 4.6 yards every time his number was called. This may sound simplistic, but it is nonetheless true – Payton was knocked down 3,838 times, usually by more than one 300-pound behemoth, meaning that he also got back up 3,838 times. In fact, it is fair to say that Walter Payton is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame today, not because he carried the ball 3,838 times, but because he got back up 3,838 times.

Choose to see failure or adversity as a teacher, not as an event. Get back up, and get back in the game.

I knew a guy that was always complaining about his (current) wife. “Women,” he would say. “Can’t live with ‘em. Can’t shoot ‘em.” A bit harsh. Can’t imagine why his marriage(s) resembled a train wreck. I understand he is currently out looking for his next future ex-wife.

The funny thing is that you probably never would’ve known that he had marriage issues. Nice guy. Fun to hang out with. Behind the scenes, however, there were things going on – I don’t know what kind of things, but they were enough to keep his personal life in shambles.

The truth is you are much the same way. No, not from the negative standpoint; in fact, just the opposite. What I’m really concerned here about are the GREAT things about you that employers can’t divine from your resume. For example, how will your resume communicate that you are a positive person rather than a negative one? Or enthusiastic rather than pessimistic? Mature rather than a drama queen (or king)? How can we tell if you are a peacemaker or a polarizer? A “git-er-done” kinda guy or a “find-something-else-to-do-while-others-carry-the-load” kinda guy? See my point?

The answer is the employer has no idea. Which means your resume has serious limitations. Everybody knows that a resume is designed to put your best foot forward, but there are still many things that cannot be communicated by a sterile piece of paper. That is exactly why proactive job candidates make it a point to get in front of prospective employers. They take the initiative to make face-to-face contact with prospective employers, because sitting back, waiting on the phone to ring, is a very bad plan when there are too many applicants for too few jobs. If you are sitting at home, plugging career websites and answering newspaper ads, then you are already down in the count (hey, it’s baseball season).

Make no mistake, getting a job is exactly like making sales calls. You have to overcome call reluctance. You have to overcome the fear of rejection. You have to be willing to get back up 801 times if you get knocked down 800 times. So, if you hate salespeople, you probably need to get over it – at least for the time being. How would you like to earn your living that way?!?

I hear you screaming. “SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?” Here is a great start: Make a list of the top forty or fifty local companies you would like to work for. Do your homework – websites, Google, LinkIn, the whole nine yards. Get contact names, look for connections, learn everything you can – including who your potential boss would be. Then make a personal call – resume and personalized cover letter in hand. If you don’t know who your boss might be, identify the H.R. Manager and call on him/her instead.

Did I say do your homework? That bears repeating. It’s a big deal because you need to know about the company’s culture, philosophy, mission, vision, and so forth. You want to be able to have an intelligent conversation after you introduce yourself. Here is your opening: “I wanted to introduce myself and find out more about [the company] because I think it would be an excellent place to go to work.”

No matter what the outcome, you will have communicated some key traits: initiative, courage, and resourcefulness. Trust me, if you are any good at all, you won’t make it through your list before you get hired.

In our last post we were introduced to the classic job hunting guide, What Color is Your Parachute, and discussed how it can be an invaluable tool in your search for new employment when utilized in conjunction with other job search methods. Now, let’s continue our exploration of this handy title.

The Job Search

The methods discussed in Parachute resemble a multi-front attack on the specter of unemployment, involving more than just updating your old resume and posting on a job site such as Monster or Careerbuilder. Bolles cautions that your resume’s primary purpose is to land you that interview, but it can’t do that job by itself. Your resume may be flawless but it can also give you a false sense of security — a feeling that you’re doing all you can do to find a job at the moment — and all that’s required is to sit back and wait. ¹

By all means, make sure you have a great resume; there are many online resources that can help you with polishing your present resume, or writing a shiny new one. But while you have your resume out there doing its small bit, you can help your cause along by hitting the streets, resume in hand, talking to businesses and leaving a copy of your shiny one-pager behind. Do your research! Something many job hunters fail to do enough of. Find out as much as you can about the company you’re looking at — sound advice in anybody’s book — and, if possible, find out who has the power to hire you. Then find a way to talk to that very person.²

Networking, networking, networking. It seems to be the watchword of the day. Expanding your pool of contacts not only has the potential to expand your base of friends but can most certainly lead to potential job opportunities. Bolles praises the virtues of exploring and expanding your network of contacts and using them, which is another tactic even experienced job hunters under-utilize.³ Talk to people you know, then talk to the people they know; find out if anyone can help you get your foot in the door.

Parachute not only covers the basics of job hunting, it also takes those hard, fast rules and concepts we’ve all heard time and time again — some of which we’ve discussed here, and in our first post on this subject — then expands upon them, adding twists and fresh new ways of looking at the job hunting process and how to go about it. If you still doubt this book is a must have for every savvy job seeker, keep an eye out for our next post in this series, where we’ll be discussing how Parachute really shines: in helping you figure out what kind of work you really want to do, work you may even love.

Notes

1.  Bolles, Richard N., What Color is Your Parachute (Berkeley, New York: Ten Speed Press, 2010), 52-53.

2.  Ibid., 53.

3.  Ibid., 63-62.

If you’re job hunting, chances are you have been scouring every reputable publication, in print as well as online, for valuable, potentially employment-earning tips, tricks, and tactics to put to good use if you’re one of the lucky few to score an interview. In this economy and given the widespread job loss across the country, if you’re given the chance to knock the socks off of a potential employer, you know very well that you may not have many other chances. So with a ‘time is of the essence’ attitude, you’ve most likely been searching for any and all information you can get your hands on in order to convince your interviewer that you’re just the person they’ve been looking for.

While business experts have been forth-coming with their abundant resources and lessons from the trade, it is very easy to take all of the information being supplied to you and apply it a little too vigorously. Being prepared for an interview is certainly a step in the direction of employment; it’s very important to know what kind of questions you will be asked and how you will be expected to answer. However, being prepared is something very different from being an automaton, which could happen if you are focusing too much on the grocery list of tips you picked up the night before on your latest Google search for ‘how to get the job.’

Through the time I have spent filling out job applications and sending out resumes I have come to know one thing about my self in the workforce—If I get the chance to be interviewed for a position I am seeking, I know I will land that job. That is the way it has been since I was asked in for my first job interview that led me to my first job right out of high school and the outcome has never been anything different. I don’t have any in-depth analysis of why this is or any knowledge of the underbelly of the business world; the only thing that I kept in mind during an interview is the fact that this company is interviewing me, not quizzing me on what I had learned while preparing for this moment.

The fondest interview memory I have is from the second job I have ever had; when I was interviewing for a position at a book store. I have been a constant reader all of my life. I have always seen books as a reward; either they were pumping me full of knowledge and intellect or they were providing new and exciting lives for me to live in for a little while, so naturally one of my first jobs was working at a book store. While I knew a great deal about the company, as well as what that company expected of me as an employee, and what that interviewer was expecting from me during the interview, I never lost who I was during the interview process. I was courteous, respectful, answered the questions I was asked exactly as I was supposed to, and was do my best to wow the pants off of the person who was conducting the interview by asking follow-up questions to the duties and responsibilities that were being outlined for me..and then I was asked about who my favorite authors were, and that is when I shined through and through. I never tucked who I was away for the event and as I listed the authors I so frequently read, admire, and cherish, that is the moment I knew I landed the job since right after we finished talking about our favorite authors, my second interview was conducted right there on the spot and the next day I received a call letting me know that the job was mine.

The key to any person-to-person exchange, whether a job interview, business contact, or acquaintance is to unapologetically be yourself. You can read as many interview preparation articles you can absorb in one sitting but the part of the interviewer that is going to stand out for the person conducting the interview is when you show them what kind of person you are and how valuable you would be to their company.

So you were let go from a job you gave years of your life to and more energy than you’d like to admit due to your company cutting corners and needing to let valuable, hardworking employees go. While you’ve been searching high and low for a job to replace your last, no prospects are turning up and as more and more companies politely tell you that they have no available jobs to offer you, your mood continuously plummets.

While it is not only understandable, but expected to lose your drive and take on a defeated attitude when searching for a job that you believe will never come, it is important to recover from your poor spirits quickly. As cliché as it may sound, you never know when the perfect opportunity is going to come your way, but if you’re not there to take it, it’s going to become someone else’s perfect opportunity and with the way the job market is now, there is hardly time to waste before the opportunity slips from your grasp.

When you conduct your life, especially your job hunt, with a defeated attitude, you will unconsciously go about looking for a job without applying the effort needed to sealing the position. When you go in for an interview with a prospected employer, the moment you begin to think that there is no way you will be hired for the position you’re interviewing for, you will immediately stop trying as hard as you would if you thought there was no way that you could be turned down for the position. Attitude is everything and if you walk into an interview confident and sure of yourself and your ability to perform the job you are applying for, chances are that the person interviewing you for the job will pick up on that self-confidence and will at the very least, ask you back for a second interview and at the most, land you a job that you will excel in.