Don’t be Dan
If I’m being honest with you, some of my blogs are pearls of wisdom harvested from years of experience, but others are just me taking an opportunity to air a pet peeve. To be honest, this is both a pet peeve and a pearl.
After reading the above two sentences, you might find yourself asking one question: When isn’t she being honest with me? BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Candidates are constantly answering my questions with numerous variations of the “honest” crutch. I’ve read that for some people, it has replaced “uh” and “um.” But, honestly (I couldn’t resist,) it’s far more self-destructive than a bit of stammering. The hidden message is that honesty is a choice for you, not a given. It places a seed of doubt in your interviewer’s mind about your integrity.
So, if you find yourself using some variation of this phrase, honestly, just stop!
In 25 years of recruiting, I’ve heard many stories that don’t have happy endings. Face it, when things are going wrong at work, that’s when people need me. Recently, I recognized one recurring theme. It goes like this: My boss got a new job and asked me to go with him.
That’s it in one sentence. However, it’s in the details where things often go very wrong. There are multiple variations of the same song. The three I most frequently hear go as follows:
- The boss got a promotion when he changed jobs and he wanted to bring me in right away. He knew I was already at a certain level but he didn’t have any openings at that level. He asked me to accept a lesser job with lesser pay and said he’d promote me as soon as there was an opening. It’s been too long and nothing has changed.
- The boss was being groomed for a promotion and when he got it, he wanted me to take his place. Didn’t happen!
- The boss saw great potential in me. He wanted to bring me in at my current level and groom me for the next step. I don’t like the area but it should advance my career. I haven’t been advanced and my family is miserable (or didn’t move at all!)
Let me say this: the boss is probably a very nice person and has good intentions. HOWEVER, he’s just starting with a new company and needs to prove himself there. His priority is to impress HIS new boss and prove HIS value to the new company. When things get tight, he won’t buck the system to fight for you. It’s human nature.
I’m not saying that you should never follow your boss. I’m sure it can work out very well. However, you should only follow him if the position he’s offering you is equal to or better than your current position in every way. Don’t be taken in by lavish compliments! Don’t accept a pay cut! Don’t accept a demotion! And, don’t move somewhere you don’t want to go! It won’t end well.
“Nobody puts baby in the corner.”
I realize that many of you have no idea what I’m talking about. The rest are just wondering where I’m going with it. “Dirty Dancing” was an iconic movie released in 1987. It was a romance story and although the backdrop was dancing, it wasn’t really about dancing. It was the timeless theme of good vs evil, of a young girl, Baby, being punished for not revealing what she knew about someone else who was enjoying pompous righteousness. In the end, good triumphs over evil. Johnny, played by Patrick Swayze, invites Baby out of the corner and they perform a dance that, to this day, is still reenacted at wedding receptions.
So, what does this dance down memory lane have to do with business and industry? There will be times in your career when someone puts you in the corner unjustifiably. Unfortunately, in business, right doesn’t always win. Furthermore, in the business world, rescuers are rare. There are times when you have to be your own champion, the one who gets you out of the mess you’re in – even though you didn’t create the mess and it’s not “fair” that it’s happening to you.
When it happens, don’t wait for someone else to make it right. Be your own Patrick Swayze! Come up with your own plan of action. Strategize ways to stay in the company and yet move away from the situation. Can you ask to be transferred to another department, another shift? Can you go to HR and ask to be trained in another area? That way, you can stay with the company you like and get out of the situation you don’t like. Most people don’t change jobs because they dislike their company, they change jobs because they dislike their boss.
When nothing works, or it just isn’t worth the struggle, we’re here for you. We’ll help you find your next career opportunity. It’s out there. Don’t stay in the corner – reach out to us!
I was recently asked, “Why should I use a recruiter when there are so many job boards available online.” “Glad you asked,” I thought to myself. If you’re only looking at the job search process from the candidate side, you might think that the plethora of boards available have replaced recruiters.
However, what you haven’t seen is the Human Resources’ side of the process. Companies receive literally hundreds of unqualified applicants a day from boards. It’s incredibly difficult for them to cull through all the unqualified resumes to find the one or two who are qualified. When you apply through the boards you become one of the hundreds and have to hope that the hiring manager’s eyes haven’t glazed over by the time they get to your resume. Statistics show that the average time spent on reviewing a resume is 5 seconds. When you’re in the pile with mostly unqualified applicants, they assume you will be the same. You need to catch their attention in 3 seconds. Often, you’re missed and passed over. Once that happens, you have no way of contacting the company to check on your application. Your resume has gone into a deep dark hole.
When you use a recruiter, you have a representative who has a rapport with the company. The company representative knows that the recruiter understands their needs and has prequalified the candidate. So, your resume is looked at differently. You’re already in an elite group because your resume came from another professional.
Lastly, I’ve had people tell me that I “only want to get paid.” Being a recruiter is about so much more than the paycheck. It’s about the challenge of matching the right person with the right job. It’s about the process of consoling someone who’s just been handed bad luck or counseling someone who just decided it’s time to take a big step. It’s about working with that person and helping them to make their career aspirations materialize. So, yes, recruiters get paid but job satisfaction is in helping real people make the right move and advance their careers at quality companies. That’s why you should use a recruiter!
Did you ever want something really really badly? Know it would be life changing if you got it? And then you got it.
Poof! Your life didn’t change.
But why? You got IT?
Answer: you’re still you.
This can apply to your perspective and ultimate success at a new job. Yes, your last boss was a bigot who micromanaged you. Yes, you had good reason to leave. Now, don’t take that history with you.
Evaluate your own habits. Honestly ask yourself if you did anything to perpetuate a bad situation. Did your reactions escalate an already tense situation? Are you the kind of person who throws fuel on an already out of control fire? Or, worse yet, are you the kind of person who quietly accepts things that can, and should, be changed. So, until you left, no one knew you were unhappy.
Making the move to a new job is the best way to get away from an untenable situation but, once you move, start with a clean slate. Don’t assume that everyone will act the way your old boss did. Give new people a chance. And, more importantly, act, and react like the person who will get the results you want. It’s important that you don’t just change your environment but also how you react to it. That’s the key to successfully changing your life!
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”–attributed to Confucius
Do you love your job? If not, why not? After you answer that question, then it gets harder. What can YOU do to fix it? If there’s something in your work environment that’s making you unhappy, chances are you can’t personally change the environment. But, you can choose to leave it.
The job market is booming right now – especially for professional positions. So, whether it’s because of your boss, your duties or your geographical location, NOW is a good time to consider moving into a job that you just might love!
Our website has over 2200 positions listed. You can search by keyword and/or geographic location. Apply online and your application will be handled by a professional recruiter who will personally guide your resume through the process and represent you to a client company. You can be assured that it won’t fall into the black hole of most major company career sites. The recruiter can follow up with the company to make sure they’ve evaluated your resume. And, you just might get a job you love!
No need to be afraid. Working with the right recruiter can make the process painless and the result divine.
Visit http://jobs.hastingsgr.com/jobseeker/Search.aspx to review and apply for over 2000 jobs represented by professional recruiters eager to help you make the right career move.
Think about it! The most successful people in the world are usually described as “self-made.” They didn’t wait for someone else to determine their fate. They chose their own direction and worked to get there. The principles apply to your career. Just because you’re not an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you aren’t the captain of your own ship. Your career is your ship and it’s up to you what direction you take it.
There are many reasons why your career can stall. If everyone in the organization with a higher position is comfortable, then no one is going to leave and create an opportunity for upward mobility. If you’re really good at your job, maybe they don’t want to lose the impact you’re making right now. Or, maybe, just maybe, you are underappreciated, underutilized and – yes – STUCK. Don’t become a victim of your circumstances. If any of these describe your situation at your current employer – make the decision to move on!
F is for food
…or facility
…or functionality
…or a variety of other professionally accepted words.
I’ve been recruiting for 24 years and yet I’m constantly having new experiences. Last fall I asked the same question I’ve asked thousands of times and got a quite shocking answer. “Why do you want to leave your current job?” For the first time, I heard the other “F word” come through my phone from a potential candidate.
As a recruiter, I want to help you portray yourself in the most positive light. I like to coach people on how to describe and explain difficult situations in their past employment. I truly enjoy the “candidate side” of my business.
However, I am paid by my clients. They are the ones who give me work. And, they judge me by the performance of the candidates I send to them. In essence, your first interview is with me. Admittedly, I’m usually a bit of a softie. But, I’m still a gatekeeper for my client. If your conversational skills stop with “my employer is all F-d up,” I don’t want you anywhere near my clients.
So, remember, sometimes even in what seems like a casual conversation, your professionalism is still being judged. Represent yourself well!