Careerbuilder Survey Suggests Social Media Might NOT Be Getting You the Job

Right or wrong. Good or bad. Social media has changed our lives in many ways. It has become a headache and challenge for parents. It has created more opportunity for kids to make mistakes. And unfortunately these mistakes are not like the mistakes people my age made that were largely simply forgotten and never seen again. The mistakes made within the internet & social media world live on forever, only to potentially come back and haunt our kids later in life. The challenge: getting them to understand this.

A similar challenge exists in today's job market with job seekers. We talk about it frequently. At our recruiting firm it has become standard procedure to discuss no different than discussing proper interview attire, non-verbal communication during the interviewing, being prepared, etc, etc. Social media has crept into the hiring decision making process everywhere. According to a recent Careerbuilder survey more than two in five (43 percent) hiring managers who currently research candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate, up 9 percentage points from last year. Given the recent release of this survey it seems a good time to again hit this point home. You simply have to be careful about what you put out into social media because it will be seen. Oh yes, it will be seen. Which could prevent you from landing your dream job. Or any job. This cannot be stressed enough. Adults and kids alike. Think, think, think before you post for the world to see.

Here is the article regarding the Careerbuilder survey: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100844354

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

What Is the One Thing You Should Do in Every Job Interview?

An online article by Dave Kerpen, CEO of Likeable Local and NY Times Best-Selling Author, was brought to my attention the other day. The article is titled, “1 Thing You Must Do in Every Job Interview,” and I found it to be  interesting and definitely worth reading for anyone in a job hunt. Here is a link to the full article:

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130606153931-15077789-the-1-thing-you-must-do-in-every-job-interview?trk=tod-home-art-large_0

In a nutshell, this article discusses the importance of having questions prepared for the interviewer. As stated in the article, well thought out questions demonstrate the person’s interest in the job and company. I completely agree that a candidate that is prepared with well thought out questions will come across more interested in the position they are interviewing for verse someone that simply states that they have no questions when asked. When preparing a candidate for an interview I always talk to them about this very topic.

What I found even more interesting than the article was the comments from readers. For example:

Comment: Why would I wait until after the interview to ask "who is the ideal candidate for this position?" Good point. I believe this is something the candidate needs to work into the beginning of the interview. Hence allowing them to highlight their experiences that are obviously most important to the interviewer.

Comment: I disagree with this article. The one thing you must do in a job interview is sell yourself and convince the interviewers that you are the best person for the job. Period. True, however I often hear from interviewers about a candidate not showing passion and enthusiasm.  Asking well thought out questions is just one more way to demonstrate this interest. A great candidate will take the interview past their applicable skills and why they are the best candidate, they will also show the company that they are ready to do the job.

Overall, there are some very good comments that are just as useful as the article itself. There are some negative comments as well, and some are valid. Others are just people being negative. Right or wrong, interviewers are often looking for ways to determine a candidate's passion for what they do and about the job they have available. And whether you agree or disagree with the author’s decision not to hire the candidate, being prepared is always a good idea. And for me, that is the bottom line.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

Career advice from radio personalities?

As I was headed from the gym this morning I was listening to a local radio station. Every weekday morning they have what they call the Morning Mind Messer. This morning’s question was, "What is the number one thing people lie about on resume?"  The answer….Salary.

I actually found that surprising as I don’t know of anyone that actually puts their salary on their resume. That went away along with the days of putting your DoB, hobbies, pets and favorite flavor of ice cream. Perhaps it was actually regarding an employment application. So my first recommendation is to never include salary on a resume. Okay the next thing that struck me was that the radio personalities suggested lying to be a good idea. Their justification for actually padding the numbers was to try and get a better offer. No, no, no, no. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Many times employers require salary verification. How would it look getting caught in a lie. You can rest assured any thought of giving you an offer is gone.

Bottom line, any company you’d want to work for should be giving you a fair and equitable offer based on your experience and skills right? And if a company is going to low ball you and pay you below market for what you bring to the table, do you really want to go to work for them anyway? Things rarely work out if you enter into a new relationship on the wrong foot. Feeling you were low balled breeds feelings of distrust and certainly doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.

There is no competitive disadvantage to putting down your current salary. The real key is your salary expectations anyway. You can dream big numbers but your expectations need to be realistic, too.

So what do you take away from all this?  Don't take career advice from a radio personality.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone

Lunch interviews and spaghetti.

My kids took my wife out for Mother’s Day for supper. They traditionally do the Mother’s Day brunch but due to an out of state basketball tournament my daughter competed in, we broke tradition and went out for supper instead. Naturally I tagged along to play chauffeur and pay the bill. My daughter orders spaghetti and my son gets pizza. In the middle of eating a roaming magician stops by our table (on Sunday night this particular restaurant has a magician). So here is my daughter and son trying to eat and interact with the magician. It wasn't before too long that my daughter was wearing spaghetti sauce on her sweatshirt and my son was wearing pizza sauce on his face & shirt.

This reminded me of a conversation I would typically have with candidates that were scheduled to participate in a lunch interview or a dinner the night before a day of interviews with a company representative. This is what I’d tell them, and please keep the visual in your head of my kids.  If you are scheduled for a dinner or a lunch interview be certain to order a food item off the menu that can be eaten in small bites so that you may comfortably converse. Also, order a food item that has no sauce. And without a doubt, absolutely never ever order spaghetti.

So let’s say you do have a dinner scheduled with a company representative prior to your actual day of interviews. Let’s say you accidently get a food stain on your nice, white shirt. Now what? Do you go to the interviews the next day with a stained shirt? Of course not, you plan ahead. You bring an extra shirt because it is always best to be prepared for the unexpected. Nothing kills an interview like a food stain on your shirt or tie from dinner meeting the night before. 

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search

Tell Us Everything! Everything!

Remember Chunk from the movie The Goonies?  Here’s the scene... The Fratellis are interrogating Chunk. They say, “Tell us everything! Everything!"

Chunk responds, "Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other."

This is funny stuff, and for me, the most memorable part of the movie. And it reminds me of how an interview can go. The interviewer is one of the Fratellis. Chunk is the person interviewing for the job. The interviewer asks the question, “Tell me about yourself.” The person being interviewed, Chunk, responds, “In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee….”

Where do you start? What is the best way to handle a question such as this during an interview to avoid being like Chunk??

Here is what I suggest. When asked an open ended question such as, “Tell me about yourself”, respond in such a way as to draw from the interviewer what it is they really want to know. So you can hone in on what is relevant and important. Surely they really don’t want to know about how you cheated on your history exam in third grade. So respond to the interviewer by saying, "I’d be happy to tell you about myself. What is it that you would like to know?" 

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

50 Ways to leave your employer

Just slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. You don't need to be coy, Roy. Hop on the bus, Gus. You don't need to discuss much. Just drop off the key, Lee

And get yourself free.

Paul Simon could have easily been talking about the resignation process with these song lyrics. When you’ve accepted an offer of employment and are preparing for your resignation with your current employer you experience all sorts of emotions. While it should be an exciting time often it creates a bit of anxiety.

What will the reaction be of your boss? Well, typically you can expect three different potential responses.

The quilt trip: “How could you do this to me?”

The angry boss: “Get your things and get out of here.”

The good boss reaction: “Hey congratulations. I’m very happy for you. I wish you the very best.”

Just like anything if you know what could be coming you can best prepare yourself. So just knowing these are the likely possible reactions you can be prepared on how to handle. But experience has shown over these years that  there is a certain way to approach the resignation that will help the process go smoothly for you.

First, prepare a resignation letter. For example, I suggest this wording:

“Mr. or Ms. (Name):

I respectfully submit my resignation to be effective (Day and Date).

The reason for my resignation has nothing to do with you as my supervisor or with (ABC Company) as an organization, but rather it is due to an exceptional opportunity, which I have accepted, that is more in keeping with both my personal and professional goals.

I have enjoyed my association with (ABC Company) and wish all those employed by the organization much future success.”

You hand the letter to your boss. They may ask, “What is this?” You simply say, “please read the letter.” The letter diffuses the situation by not making it personal regardless of whether it is. The reason for my resignation has nothing to do with you…. These are powerful words. Telling your boss that they nor the company have anything to do with your decision. Instead, it is all about… an exceptional opportunity.  In addition, an exceptional opportunity that “I have accepted”. You've committed to this new opportunity. That often helps defuse the opportunity for your boss to propose a counter offer. Not always but it can give them the message that you are committed to this new opportunity.

So remember, you called the meeting. You don't need to discuss much. Just drop off the key, Lee and get yourself free. It will feel as though a heavy weight has been lifted off your shoulders once you’ve resigned.

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Do People Plan Their Vacations Better Than Their Careers?

Well spring is in the air here in Iowa. Temperatures in the low 60s. Nice gentle rain has turned the grass green overnight. When I arrived to the office this morning the parking lot was covered with earth worms. Wait….is that spring I smell? Or the literally hundreds of earth worms! Well, here in Iowa I guess it is one in the same. I don’t mean to dwell on these earth worms, but it was a like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie, except worms instead of birds. Should we be fearful?  Will they attack?  Our parking lot was a fisherman’s dream come true. Or some entrepreneurial kid with a dream of setting up a bait stand.

Spring is also a time when I’m printing off local community summer recreational program offerings to fill in my two teenagers’ days with activities to keep them busy during their summer break. I create a calendar for each child with their respective activities clearly documented for each day of the week. Coordinating & planning.

Someone once said that people plan their vacations better than their careers. While not true of everyone, naturally there is certainly truth to that. In fact I was just speaking with a candidate the other day and we were discussing why they were exploring the market. They had recognized that previously they had not put a lot of thought into their career. And now they wanted to do a better job with that going forward.

So as you make your plans for your summer, whether it be what your kids will be doing or your family vacation, take some time to do some planning for yourself. Set short and long range goals. Make them realistic but goals that will keep you on track. Some of what happens to us in our careers is no doubt about timing and circumstances. However, there is something to be said about having an active involvement in how you plan things out as well. Maybe it’s about positioning yourself. Perhaps take a course or two that would be relevant to where you want your career to head. But the key is to carving out the time to make the plan. And then follow through with it.

Scot Dickerson, CPC Capstone Search Group