The Five Myths of Holiday Job Searching

YOU'RE HIRED!!

When people consider the “holiday job search” many will use “The Holiday” as a reason NOT to look for employment, for they believe no one gets hired during the Holidays. The same thinking may apply during “tax season” or “the summer” etc. My experience tells me they are dangerously misinformed.

The Five Myths of Holiday Job Searching

I once heard it described as a scene out of Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” where a job seeker is trudging through the snow, pausing now and then to press his face to a window where inside he sees happy employed people celebrating their jobs. Sadly, he ends up a sidewalk vendor standing knee-deep in snow selling apples.

It is my experience that the image he might see would be job seekers celebrating the jobs they landed between Christmas and New Year’s Eve or some other time when no one else bothered to look!

I have found December to be a very stressful month. Not because “nobody hires in December”, but because there was a short window of VERY GOOD opportunity and you need to be prepared when it opens, and act quickly and sound. One company executive from a prominent Boston financial firm said this: “If I want to get great talent I’ll wait till right after Christmas and entice them with signing on before the 1st when I can grandfather them in before the new budgets are enacted thus making it more attractive to the candidate and creating the urgency I need to get him/her on board. It’s not easy finding good people and getting them on board isn’t so easy either. It’s great when you have a hook.”

You see, while the job seeker is whining “where are all the jobs” the employer may too be whining “where are the good people” and when the two meet it’s a great chemistry. It’s no exaggeration to say that execs often make job offers on Christmas Eve and come in the day after Christmas to do the paperwork so that an employee could start Jan. 2! Furthermore, since most job seekers do not believe they can succeed during the holidays there are much fewer people are looking, so it stands to reason that a higher percentage of job seekers find positions during that time than during other times of the year. If someone advises you to take the month off, don’t listen. Let them take it off and there will be one less person competing.

Along with the misconception or fallacy that “nobody hires in December” … or during Tax season, or the summer months, or not till after Labor Day or… I’ve listed for you some other misconceptions that can be troublesome IF you take them for real. They are the Five Myths of Holiday Job Searching (or anytime searching):

Myth 1: “Nobody hires in December”

December can be more hectic for the job seeker for the window shuts quickly, but it’s still a month employees are being paid to work. There is also a sense of urgency among companies to meet budget deadlines, fill recruitment needs, and spend money before the year ends and it’s gone… all very good for the job seeker. Plus, executive recruiters are paid a higher percentage of commission towards the end of the year which helps job seekers too. Finally, there are always those strong companies that want to start off the New Year with a bang! That could mean “juicing up” their sales forces or other teams; and once more, good for the job seekers. Now, as you know, not all companies begin their fiscal year with the new calendar year. Some begin in April, July, September and October, and you can expect a lot of the same distinctiveness that applies to job seekers in December applying as well.

Myth 2: “You won’t find good jobs in December” (or January or March or August … blah, blah, blah)

You’re just as likely to find the job you really want in December as in any other month. One reason is that there is much less competition, since so many people believe there are no jobs or no good jobs anyway. Contrary to popular belief, it’s a perfect time for you to be out there. Consider too, that the Holidays, being filled with fun and parties and cheer, have a tendency to put people in good moods and even relaxed to some extent, on the job. It’s all part of feeling the good cheer of the season; and given that employed people are still on the job during the Holiday, you are likely to find networking with them easier. Also, they tend to be more open and likewise, inclined to be more generous. What’s more, networking opportunities abound during this time. You can network at parties, your children’s school, among your community, while volunteering, and with your church, synagogue or other congregations.

Myth 3: Nothing ever happens between Thanksgiving and the third week of January.

WRONG! If true, why do most recruiters advise job candidates to be flexible in scheduling interviews and meetings around the holidays and to avoid taking weeklong trips during the holidays? Remember my Exec from the prominent Boston Firm? Right after Christmas, she’d give candidates incentives to be on board by Jan. 2. She would ask for them to meet (anywhere of their choosing) on New Year’s Eve day and the next day, her finalist was on board. She would find an hour sometime on New Year’s Day to get into her office and have all the paperwork ready for the next day.

Myth 4: Use December to plan your search and be ready to hit the Market after the first of the year

Take advantage of those individual months that precede the start of companies’ new fiscal years. Companies’ needs may be cyclical or seasonal but if there is a need they address it nonetheless. If a company has a need the hiring manager doesn’t care whether it’s January or December; the focus isn’t on the month, it’s on the need. You can sure that the anticipated needs for after the New Year are addressed before simply because of budgetary preferences – interview in December in order to hire early in January.

Myth 5: Even if an employer may have an opening, many hiring managers are tied up with budgets, deadlines and family, and therefore are hard to find.

Although the interviewing process can be slower during the Holidays because of the number of days people are out of the office, it doesn’t come to a halt. “The early bird catches the worm.” Companies will be aggressive in any event – Winners are always competing. Departments are always covered and teams are continually moving forward. Despite Holiday vacations and days off, like winning persons, winning companies do not quit. Still, you do need to remain flexible. Given that hiring managers are in and out of town, going to company parties, taking some personal time or participating in other holiday activities, you may have to visit a company three or four times and possible meet at odd times and at different places. In order to meet key players, job candidates need to make sure they will be available.

So, in short, my advice is to keep on keeping on! Despite what you may hear people say about the time of year, it’s been my experience that with all the deadlines, partiers, budgets, family… hiring managers are still reachable and what’s more, in a better-than-usual mood when you find them. Just another reason to keep on keeping on!

Hope this helps!

YT,

Rob Taub of Job Search Corner and Job Searching with Rob

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Objectives: Yea or Nay?

I recently had an opportunity to think about and answer questions regarding Resume Objectives.  I thought I’d share them with you.  The five questions asked were,

1. Why should (or shouldn’t) people include an objective on their resume?
2. Are there any circumstances or situations where a resume doesn’t need one (part time job with a simple job description or perhaps certain industries don’t like to see them )?
3. What is a good example of a great objective?
4. How should they be structured and/or what should they convey that is different from the rest of a resume?
5. What do bad objectives look like?

Here are my  answers and some general observations:

1. Why should (or shouldn’t) people include an objective on their resume?

Let me say at the outset that I support the principle that every resume, from the bull-pen to the boardroom, could benefit from having an objective.  Here is why: 

A.  People will see the top of your resume before they look at the body and thus see your opening sentence – your objective.  This is your first and best opportunity to create the “tone” you want and consequently, the “mood” for the reader.  The writer sets the tone for the reader. This is a standard in the frameworks for writing and speaking.

B.  The objective is like a title of a book.  It sets, again, the tone for the prospective reader.  “Prospective” reader, because it’s not certain the reader will read.  If the title is “Indy 500” and the prospective reader is looking for a story about Canadian marathon runners, h/she will put the book back on the shelf.  Also to that point, if the reader reads the title that says “Indy 500”,  h/she has an idea of what the book may be about.  This may get the reader to open the book and read the preface or forward.  That is the goal here too: To have the reader want to read.

To summarize, the objective will influence the reader, sets the tone and mood, and thus provides perspective, or “flavors” everything that follows in the body. You are in control!

2. Are there any circumstances or situations where a resume doesn’t need an objective (i.e. part-time job with a simple job description or certain industries that may not like to see them)? 

Not in my opinion, but it certainly is possible.  I contend that even in response to a part-time opportunity such as a waiter/waitress, bartender or store clerk, a candidate can, too, benefit by setting the tone and controlling the mood of the reader.  Keep in mind that there may be dozens or hundreds or even thousands with whom you may find yourself competing. 

Here are 2 objectives that can add some zing to the resume and set the tone:

OBJECTIVE: To be part of an experienced upbeat wait-staff team
or…
OBJECTIVE:  Experienced Catering Sales Rep and Assistant Manager looking to contribute to a fast-paced dining and function establishment

Let us suppose that “Education” is one of those industries where pundits may suggest an objective is unnecessary or even frowned upon – that a teacher in public education would not need an objective on a CV therefore skeptical about a candidate who submits one.  I would argue a simple objective that does not “sell” a candidate, such as “Middle School Teacher” or “Science Teacher” is better than none at all; and for the same reasons outlined in my answer to question 1 above. That is … it is an opportunity to set the tone.  Here is an example that may be more appropriate for a private or public Charter school setting:

Educator and former Business Professional with Master’s degree
seeks position in an educational setting rich in diversity 

Here, not only are you setting the tone you are “leading” the reader.

3. What is a good example of a great objective? 

 There is no single example of a ’great objective’. The variations are many from (1) a simple bold-faced job title to (2) a title with specified skills or functions or industries and (3) a combination of all; or it can be (4) a simple statement of a candidate’s intent such as our waiter/waitress and the businessperson above.  It does not stop there.  Objectives will also vary from entry-level to young on-the-rise professionals; to mid-level management and to senior and executive levels. 

4. How should an objective look on a resume or CV and what should it convey that is different from the rest of a resume?

Here are some examples of what objectives may look like using the 4 examples from my answer to the previous question. 

(1)  SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

 (2)  BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEADER
Sales Training & Development … Communications … Opening New Markets

(3)  ACCOUNTING & FINANCE
Corporate Banking – Private Placement – Startups

(4)  OBJECTIVE
Marketing Specialist, Writer & Editor in Advertising with deep-level experience in  Client Relations Management looking for CRM position in Industry 

As long as you keep in mind that the objective is akin to the title of a book, you will find that there are no limits to how varied it can be. This is in part the answer to the second half of the question: What does it say that the resume does not?  As a title, you do not necessarily get additional or different information but a mind-set that flavors all the information that follows.  If the chapter of a book is titled BLUE, and you begin reading about an alien attach, you will no doubt envision blue aliens. Make sense?

5. What do bad objectives look like?

What a great question! Any objective that is self-serving is a bad objective.  Here is my all-time favorite ‘bad’ objective:

 Objective: Looking for a growth opportunity in a growth organization that will utilize my skills and experience

 I mean … come on … who isn’t?  Moreover, Who the heck cares?  People want to know want you can do for THEM, not what you want from them! ‘nough said.

Hope this Helps!

Yours truly,
 Rob Taub

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How Do I Pick My Major If I don’t Know What I Want To Be (When I Grow up)?

Start with the end in mind.  As with writing a speech, you determine what your objective is and what it is you hope to instill in your audience and only THEN do you begin to write your speech, make sense?   Same with the job search and too, picking a major, internships, related clubs and activities, and more:  You begin with the end in mind. 

Every step you take, even in the moment, is another step on a path that will lead to one place or some other.  Once you define you want to go north, south or anywhere in between, you can take out a compass and start down the path. I tell people just starting college that “job satisfaction years from now will be affected by the decisions you make today.”  That being the case, why not try to define “job satisfaction” now?  For many young people, the reason they don’t is that they don’t yet know what job they want. Nonetheless, without a sense of what “job satisfaction” may be to you, it will be very difficult to use a compass; so let’s start with that – defining job satisfaction; and I have a 5-step method you can use.

Your 5-Step Method for Defining Job Satisfaction

At the core of Job Satisfaction is an understanding of what you enjoy most.  To understand what it is you enjoy most, you have to define ALL that you enjoy, and subsequently, what it is you enjoy most to least.  This is an exercise that will help lead to a decision regarding not only a major, but internships and future job development. Sound tempting? That’s why we approach this not as an exercise to pick a major, but to define job satisfaction, beginning with the end in mind.  Afterward, we will see how it can lead you back to defining your starting point, in your case perhaps your major.  Let’s begin!

 1.     Where or from what might job satisfaction come?  

Job satisfaction for some stems from the challenges in the job or a sense of purpose while for others it’s more extrinsic and may be measured by the money they make; for some it may come from the learning that takes place or from knowing that their work matters; and still for others, simply having a job to go to everyday in order to have other things in life is fine, and it’s from accepting that they derive their satisfaction.

2.     Defining factors for YOUR job satisfaction: 

Defining the factors for your own job satisfaction requires you jumping all the way back to the beginning which could be your first job as, for example, a life guard when you were 16 years old, or a paper route at 12, and walking through your life right up to the present. However, instead of identifying duties, responsibilities, job descriptions, etcetera, as you might for a resume, look at your successes and the underpinnings of those successes.  Underpinnings such as,

• Instinctive skills – the automatic, the intuitive, creative skills that you drew upon at that time
• Learned skills – that might be fielding phone calls, equipment inventory, basic accounting or program management

 3.     Other successes outside the workplace:

 When you take this “walk-through”, don’t limit yourself to jobs either. You have successes from other experiences outside a workplace that may be relevant and transferable. Maybe you led a youth group or did charitable work or went door-to-door promoting some cause; perhaps you edited a newsletter for your bowling league or helped a parent or friend put together a website for a small business.

Consider, too, alumni associations, community and civic organizations, councils with which you may have been involved (i.e. Habitat for Humanity, Scouts or a Theatre Arts Society), teams on which you played (sports; debate; moot court competitions) or Boards on which you served (Student Council or Yearbook or Save the World).

4.     Success Attributes:

Once you have all these successes out on the table (achievements, accomplishments, contributions), you can identify (a) actual skills, (b) personal characteristics, (c) professional characteristics and (d) inherent or learned knowledge areas, all that you drew upon to succeed.  These are the “underpinnings” I referred to, your success attributes, many of which may be derived from your innate or core competencies … your intrinsic know-how.  Don’t stop here!

5.     Motivated versus Unmotivated successes:

One a piece a paper, set up a “T-Chart” with Motivated and Unmotivated Successes written across the top of your sheet as your left and right headings respectively. Next, divide and list your “success attributes” defined in No. 4 above, into your two groups under the headings.

• Motivated Successes – Those successes and their underpinnings that you are interested in perpetuating
• Unmotivated Successes – Though they are successes, they are those which you have little or no interest in perpetuating

 The motivated successes describe those skills, competencies, attributes… you not only work with and perform well, but enjoy – they motivate you. The other skills or competencies, with which you perform well, maybe even very well, just may not hold your interest; thus they do not motivate you.  For example, maybe you’re terrific at editing research reports but don’t enjoy it.  If you’re caught on the job being good at it and consequently it becomes 20% of what you do, well…there goes 20% of your job satisfaction out the window, follow me? It also, perchance, may determine the level of angst you feel on the job, the most sever level requiring you to pull yourself out of bed in the morning and drag yourself to work.  How many people like that have you met in your life?  They live for Fridays and Sundays are the worst day of the week.  Hey … Life’s too short!  

 Rob’s Maxim: If you don’t think you’ll enjoy it, don’t get caught doing it!  

 Once you have defined and thus classified your success attributes, you have laid the groundwork and are well on your way to defining the “best fit” for what might be your first career position after you’re graduated.  With that done, you may be able to back up to the moment, the present time, and with some guidance from people you know and trust (i.e. family, peers, your school’s career development office, a career coach…) you can begin to lay a path moving forward.

 A friend once said to me, “If I knew that job satisfaction was so elusive, I wouldn’t have spent half my life looking for it.”  I asked him to define what job satisfaction for him would be.  He said: “I’ll know when I find it”; hence the reason it’s been so elusive.

 When you know what it is you can do, and moreover, want to do because you enjoy it most, you are in the best position to capitalize on the opportunities that await you in school, outside and beyond; and why? We are at our best when doing that which we enjoy most. 

Is My Personality Killing My Chances? … I Mean, Really

If you feel that your enthusiasm and focus on being the best you can be, either in an interview or on the job, may be working against you, you may want to rein in your enthusiasm and moderate your intensity to some degree. Nevertheless, and more often than not, it is a matter of developing good communication sense.

Is my Personality Killing My Chances?

 

“Communication skills” and “communication sense” are not the same. Good communication skills is the foundation, underpinnings, for developing communication sense, just like knowing the functions of the pieces on the Chess board is ultimately necessary for executing strategy. Pieces don’t win the match, how you manage them does; and perhaps that’s all you need – a better strategy for managing your communications or Sound Communication Sense.

Here are some tips to help: 

Truism: (You read this before) You create a more meaningful connection by becoming interested in others before trying to interest others in you.

 

1. Set up “informational interviews” with knowledgeable and/or influential people with the specific intention of gaining job information. Informational interviews are also great low-risk practice grounds for developing your communication sense.
2. Don’t oversell yourself: Talking to much is perceived as over-selling. Focus and listen and show the interviewer that h/she matters.
3. “Two ears, one mouth blah, blah, blah…”
4. Seek out “referrals” which results in less stressful interviews for all parties. When you are referred you enter the interview “pre-sold” to some degree and thus less burdened.
5. Don’t bury your listener with incidentals and unnecessary details of a situation. When showcasing your value, if it’s not relevant to a result, drop it!
6. Use simple language when talking with others. Don’t make your listeners plow through too much jargon, since “too much” can be a turn-off.
7. Use brief anecdotes to communicate your value and strengths; keep each under 30-50 seconds and invite interviewer questions. (People will remember your anecdotal stories more than a litany of duties and responsibilities).
8. Don’t rush. Stop and wait to see if there are any follow-up questions after responding to a question.
9. Finally, target “spot opportunities“. Spot opportunities are typically unadvertised, unpublicized opportunities that are triggered by some activity or event in the business community: Plant openings; new business developments, diversification or product introductions; mergers, acquisitions, divestitures; IPO’s, LBO’s, etc.
10. Use your Informational interviews, referrals & spot opportunities gain other networking opportunities; leads to jobs or actual openings that you can get to before of the crowd.

 

Effective communication continues to grow more and more important in our information-intensive world. How you manage your verbal communication in networking meetings and interviews will directly impact not only the quality of the meeting, but the number of meetings that arise as a result (networking), and consequently, the outcome of your job change or career search. These 10 tips are helpful, but general. You may want to consider looking at some online “communication-style” and or “personality-style” quizzes to learn if your communication/personality style is helping relationships or causing problems. Entering meetings forearmed with that information plus the 10 tips herein will be a winning combination – and it makes good communication sense.
 

Hope this helps!!

 

YT,

 

Rob

 

10 Rules For Beginning Your New Job On The Right Foot

Securing a new job is akin to a successful product launch! After all the time spent running a well-organized marketing campaign, you product has landed in the market. Similarly, you’ve landed your new job: The Product is in the Market! … And just as with the product launch, you want to continually work on positioning and posturing for long-term success … YOUR long-term career success. 

  10 Rules for Beginning Your New Job on the Right Foot …  (click n’ learn)

10 Steps to Preparing Top-Notch References

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It Pays to Groom Your References

Grooming your references is essential; knowing exactly where you stand and avoiding surprises can be the make-it or break-it in a search. A little time with a reference can result in great returns.

10 Steps for Preparing Your References to Work for You (Yes, another ’10-Stepper’)

1. First, phone or visit your references. Demonstrate the importance of your request my investing your time.

2. Ask for their permission even if you feel it goes without saying that they will help. Get a commitment for an enthusiastic endorsement; but make sure they understand it is okay to decline and it can still be business as usual (if not now, perhaps another time).

3. Compliment your reference. Communicate a sincere recognition of their accomplishments or their importance…that you think a lot of their success. You could say something like, “I’ve always admired your professionalism in business and hold the highest regard for your contributions to the industry.”

4. Most people know only a part of your background, so consider different references to speak to different areas of your background, experience, skill sets and accomplishments. Be sure you know who’s who and what before you meet, so you can be sure to give each the appropriate overview.

5. Provide a copy of your resume and go over the area of experience you feel they could endorse most enthusiastically. Prepare ahead to talk to them about the specific area and ask for their suggestions and advice. It’s flattering, even elevating, to be asked for advice.

6. Share. Together, shape the key selling points you want your reference to discuss. This will increase their retention and combine nicely with your resume. It’s also helpful to discuss types of roles and companies that are of interest to you and show them how your resume can be a script when they “perform”.

7. It will be helpful to develop a list of likely questions potential employers may ask. One (scary) question could be, “Can you explain to me the circumstances around h/her leaving your company?” You better be in sync! Another question may be, “Can you give me a general idea of the direction you see h/her career heading?” … or … “Would you rehire h/her?” Prepare careful answers and discuss them. After all, this will make helping you a lot easier for them.

8. Your references are likely to be busy people. Assure them you will respect their time and might only use them a few times, now and then…and mean it! They will not be very enthusiastic on the tenth call.

9. Avoid giving references to employment/personnel agencies. Personnel people may see them as potential targets for their own business and you could find yourself with “burned bridges”. Remember, you need to protect your references. At the Executive level it is different, and you should expect to provide references to Executive search companies; but then, only if mutual interest has been established.

10. Finally, after you call or visit, send a follow-up letter expressing your appreciation and highlighting a few of the key (positive) points that can be said about you. After that, remember to keep your references updated during the interview process with a call or visit, if and when you submit their name so they aren’t taken by surprise. You may even suggest they keep your resume by their phones to make it easier for them to respond quickly and too, save them time. They will appreciate that.

The easier you make this for your references the happier they will be. Everyone likes to help others, they just don’t always know how. Although they will do their best, it isn’t always best for you. The 10 points herein will help them help you and create good chemistry along the way. When the chemistry is good between you and your references, odds are they will be much better references. Again, grooming your references is essential. You must know exactly where you stand and they should too, so that surprises are avoided.

Hope this helps!

YT,

Rob Taub

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