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It was in my mother’s garage. A trumpet. We have no clue where it came from. We took it to the band teacher who said, “That’s a nice old German trumpet. It should be cleaned and fixed.” We still don’t know where it came from.
The trumpet may play beautiful music again. It only takes up space and makes noise until its value is accurately assessed. Then a master appears and music dances in the air.
Two things about jobs to learn from this.
- You have skills that still are waiting to be discovered. I don’t know what they are. If something comes easily to you, if you see things others don’t, then you need to explore those skills and where they lead. Unexpected gifts should be tested and developed.
- Other people have great potential to fix the very problems you can’t get your arms around. The person who can help may already work in your office. They only need some training and an opportunity. Give them that opportunity and you have changed their lives. Plus, they’ll work cheap for a while. Look around you for talents others are not using. You don’t have to be a manager to help people develop skills.
Are you the trumpet or the band teacher who can spot a great trumpet?
Something To Do Today
Take a fresh look at your personal skills. What do you pick up most quickly? What do you see or hear that others can’t fathom?
Also take a fresh look at the people around you.
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Nest week: Brass knuckles and the law (and resumes and interviews)
I only allow reality on my desk
Double your value, make more money
Surveys
Please discriminate against me
It is worth our time to honestly evaluate the person and situation before stamping them with the mark of the negativity beast.
However, if they’ve shown their horns… when we have given a fair and diligent look at both positions and they are obviously being negative for negative’s sake… we need a plan for how to make the most of the situation.
See the whole article here.
What is the connection between these 3 job disasters and you?
A director of accounting went to the SEC with evidence of fraud. Several executives were put in jail. He was told by the new managers, “Trust us. We’ll take care of you.” Exactly a year later he was on the streets looking for a job.
An industry downturn was coming. A merger happened. The worker trusted that his 20 years of service would save him. He was laid off. It was too late to get a new job. The people who were laid off first got them all.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. FEMA came in to help a few days later. It was too late.
You are in charge of your life. You are in charge of your career. If you hear yourself saying that someone or something will keep you from getting fired, stop and think. If you die tomorrow, you will be replaced. You can always be replaced or eliminated.
If your performance is outstanding you can find another job. If you have been growing your credentials, learning, getting certifications and networking, then you’ll get that new job very quickly.
It’s your career. It’s your life. You need to be in control. You have to be the first person to respond to an emergency involving your job. Don’t be paranoid. Be prepared.
If you don’t accept responsibility for your own actions, then you are forever chained to a position of defense. (Holly Lisle)
The battle for our minds usually isn’t a struggle against brainwashing (although most of us are mildly brainwashed). The battle for our minds isn’t usually about politics, consumer culture, and mass media. Nope. The battle for our minds is fought out every day in the workplace, and due largely to…
The Paradox of Intelligence
More intelligent people tend to have jobs that require very high levels of mental engagement (not to mention, longer work weeks). If you’re a doctor, lawyer, accountant, consultant, teacher, etc., then chances are your thoughts are consumed by work-related activities (and that you have less-than-average amounts of free time).
Highly intelligent people are more likely to exchange their brainpower for… (click here for the rest of the article)
A cop turned on his flashing red lights. He pulled me over and told me they just put up new “No Left Turn” signs. I got a ticket for $105. It wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet and he ticketed me for turning left during a prohibited time. I got upset. It wasn’t fair. I complained to my daughter. She mentioned she had seen the signs. My wife said she had noticed them too. So I went back and checked. There were actually three signs including the one 100 feet before the intersection. And I found out the signs had been up for 3 months. I guess maybe it wasn’t “sneaky no good cops” setting a trap. It was me. I didn’t see the warning signs.
I am amazed at how many people don’t see the warning signs at work. Hiring authorities and Human Resources (HR) departments often tell outside recruiters months before they fire someone so we can keep our eyes open for replacements. We always ask them, “What are you doing to let the person know they are in trouble?” The most common warning signs are:
- A raise below the inflation rate
- Lower annual review scores
- Closer supervision and more reviews by their boss
- Being told EXACTLY how to do something they commonly do
- Passed over for promotions
- Passed over for requested lateral transfers
- Taking away people or geography they oversee
- Giving major parts of their project to someone else
- Sometimes written probation
Formal written probation is last on the list on purpose. People are often fired without formal written probation. One reason is that it is easier for them to find a new job if they are not on probation. Another is that they are expected to be sensitive enough to pick up on other signs and fix the problem.
“I never saw it coming”, is a moan we often hear. When we go over the last 6 months of their job, the signs are always there. Lots of them. When we check references their coworkers usually saw the signs.
Don’t let those sneaky no goods set a trap for you. Watch for warning signs.
Something To Do Today
A little paranoia can be healthy. What signs do you see that your performance is below expectations?
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Next week: Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you
Later: A surprisingly great trumpet appeared
Brass knuckles and the law
I only allow reality on my desk
Double your value, make more money
It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous. (Robert Benchley)
In Winning Through Intimidation, Robert Ringer describes his Realtor’s business card. It is a hardcover book with a picture of the earth on it. He sends a copy of his book to the biggest real estate investors in the United States before he calls them. It intimidates them into accepting him as an expert.
A candidate here in Harrisburg, PA started an internet radio station. Financially, it could barely pay for the rent and electricity. Mentally it took over the city. Computer geeks and their managers were intimidated by his technical strength and business abilities.
You can buy your own ½ hour radio show every week on our area’s biggest talk radio station. For $300 you become a Saturday morning guru. Lesser stations will let you talk for a fraction of that amount or even for free because they need to fill the air time.
I write a blog and a daily email newsletter about finding a job. Potential customers now accept my credentials much more readily. They know it is impossible for me to hide my morals and methods after 500 newsletters.
Danny Sarch is the master of working newspaper reporters on Wall Street. He spends one day every week trying to figure out what news tips, quotes from his own lips, and stories he can help reporters with. He helps reporters and they gladly put his name down as a source. Every big shot and aspiring talent on Wall Street takes Danny’s calls.
Volunteering to be the “big business hit man” for a major local charity will get you in front of CEO’s. They want to help their community. If you do a good job for your charity, you’ll also be networking yourself into a high level job.
Stop and think about the experts in your field of work. Figure out what makes you think they are experts. If you go and do the same things they do, you may become famous much more quickly than you think. It will absolutely help you get a great job.
Easy networking call. Call CEO’s, VP’s, and managers and ask them who the leaders in their field are. Then investigate those famous people. You may find a way you can become famous too. Just asking the question may find you a job.
Something To Do Today
In your job journal write down all the things that experts you respect have done to get famous. Think about it. Can you do the same things?
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Tomorrow: Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me
Later: Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you
A surprisingly great trumpet appeared
Brass knuckles and the law
I only allow reality on my desk
Scarier than the undertaker, we are meeting our matchmaker. (“Mulan”)
Recruiters are slightly neurotic, money driven, and a little paranoid. To get a recruiter to do the most possible for you, work with them within their limitations.
- Never pledge your undying love unless they are willing to give you weekly progress reports. A recruiter should be willing to tell you all the places your credentials are presented if he asks you to stop looking for a job yourself.
- Only use recruiters you trust. If you feel good talking to a recruiter, you can probably trust them. If you get an uneasy feeling, if you think they are hiding something from you, run away. More than half of recruiters are honest. Find one who has ethics.
- Only tell a recruiter the names of companies you are already applying at if you really trust them. Then get them to promise not to submit other candidates unless they are already working on that job. You don’t want them to flood that opening with candidates and make it harder for you to get a job.
- Use a recruiter who has a history of placing people in the job you want. Ask the recruiter how many people he has placed in your job in the last year. If the answer is “None, but I’m trying hard.”, then let him try. However, you need to keep looking as if he will never do anything for you.
- Be honest about the other jobs you are applying for. Don’t try to figure out if going on other interviews will help your candidacy or not. If the recruiter asks, tell the truth. One whiff of a lie and the paranoid recruiter stops being open with you. Honesty begets honesty.
- Every week or two call the recruiters you respect and who regularly place people in the job you want. Many recruiters forget you after talking to 200 people in a week. Remind the ones who can really help you that you still need a job.
- Don’t use a recruiter where you have a better contact, unless the recruiter told you about the job first. If you already know about an opening in a company and know the hiring manager yourself, don’t use a recruiter. Submit yourself. If the recruiter first told you about the job, let him submit you or he will stop telling you about new jobs.
- Reread number one. Don’t give your whole job search over to one recruiter unless he proves he is doing great things to find you a job.
Recruiters combine a love of helping people and making money.If they can help you and make money doing it, they will. They talk to at least 100 new people every week. You have to be sure you know how high you stand in their priority list, and how hard they will work for you. Use recruiters wisely.
Something To Do Today
Make a list of all the recruiters you talk to. Make notes about whether you trust them and how often they have placed people in the job you are looking for. That list will help you to know who to concentrate on working with.
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Tomorrow: Get famous, get a job
Later: Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me
Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you
A surprisingly great trumpet appeared
Brass knuckles and the law
I believe the purpose of life is to live as high on the food chain as possible. I refuse to eat vegetarians, and prefer to live on creatures that prey on sentient beings. (Magic the Gathering)
How high up the food chain do you call for a job?
We had a guy we placed in a very difficult job a few years ago. There were a bunch of reasons it was tough. One contributing factor was that his boss’s boss, Mr. Big, really might hire the guy over the objections of the candidates direct boss, Mr. Manager. That could put some strain on the relationship with Mr. Manager from the start. Can I make it more complicated? Mr. Manager also hated the Human Resources (HR) person assigned to find his new lackey. If the person came from HR, they were dead meat. They would only survive if they come from that Mr. Manager’s direct contacts or from Mr. Big. And if they were recommended by Mr. Big, Mr. Manager had to really like them.
This kind of dynamic goes on a lot in companies. It sounds horrible, and it is. But there are very good jobs filled this way. So, you need to be in contact with people outside of the HR department.
Here are some guidelines about who to call in a company to get a job:
- If you are NOT able or qualified, don’t try to get yourself forced into a job. You will fail. You know better.
- A recommendation by Mr. Big is good news if you really can do that job well. No doubt you have been told to get a mentor, someone who can help guide you up the career ladder. Mr. Big is perfect, even if you are not in the company yet. Someone even higher is great. Your mentor is someone who can show YOU how to open doors and help guide you into high visibility projects. Mentors can give you a big boost.
- Sometimes, luckily rarely, your boss hates his boss or even the HR department. No matter how you are hired, you have to prove yourself. It is rare that someone tries to sabotage a new hire. It does happen. Don’t worry about it. There is nothing you can do. Go in at whatever level you can get in.
Here are some thoughts on whom you won’t offend:
- You will never offend the Human Resources (HR) department by calling about a job. Their job is to stay in contact with you.
- If you know someone personally, talk to them. The higher the better. The higher they are, the more likely they like to help people.
- If a friend or acquaintance gives someone your resume, call the person they give it to. Consider it a personal introduction.
- If you are in the same club, church, kid’s soccer team or booster club with someone at the company, call them. Mention at a soccer practice that you are going to call, then call them at work.
- If someone says, “Tell Mr. Big I said to call”, then call Mr. Big and use that name no matter how high up or low they are. The person who told you to call may get a bonus if you call and use their name.
- If Mr. Big is looking for help, you won’t offend him by calling. He may tell you to talk to someone else. No problem. Tell that person Mr. Big said to call.
- If Mr. Big is NOT looking for help, he’ll probably tell you to call HR and forget you. There is little chance you will offend him. Call again in 3 months.
- Mr. Big’s secretary won’t mind being called as long as you tell her the truth. Often she knows more about what is going on than Mr. Big. Get her to help you.
That is a big list of people you will not offend when you call into a company. Do it. Call in. Call Mr. Big. It can get you one of those jobs that is not yet advertised.
Something To Do Today
Take the list of companies you want into, and see who you can contact in those companies. Use the list above as a starter. Who do you know?
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Tomorrow: Get famous, get a job
Later: Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me
Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you
A surprisingly great trumpet appeared
Brass knuckles and the law
…fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day…and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. (Esther)
Calls to companies – what to say
Calling a company when there is no job advertised is the scarier than visiting an undertaker to get measured for your coffin. Get over it.
If you really really want to work for that company, you need to call. You also need to be qualified. Now, be positive, and be honest: Would you hire yourself for the job you want? Really? Okay, then. They might really hire you.
First write down the jobs you really want in that company. Who would be your boss’s boss? Not your direct supervisor, who is HIS boss. Write it down. His title is sufficient. He’s the key to success.
Who do you know who knows that person, that Mr. Big? Do you know anyone in the company? Start by asking for their help to contact Mr. Big. If someone you know can recommend you or get your resume directly to Mr. Big, you’ve got it made. Give them your resume. Then call after Mr. Big should have it, and introduce yourself. There is a script for that call below.
If you don’t know anyone in the company, call the receptionist and get Mr. Big’s name and extension, or at least the department secretary. Call Mr. Big AFTER you have written down some notes about how:
- You have saved a lot of money.
- You speeded up processes to save time.
- You saved customers or brought in new ones.
Not notes about your responsibilities, but notes about what you actually accomplished. What got done because of your unique push. What did YOU excel at?
Here is the easiest set of scripts.
When you give Mr. Big a call, you have a 1 in 10 chance of talking to him. If you get voice mail, the first time leave a message asking him to call you. Don’t say what it is about. Just say, “Please call me.”
Two days later leave a voice mail telling him briefly about 1, 2 and 3 above, ask for his help in getting a job, and leave your phone number.
Do the same thing 3 days after that. If you still have no response, then call the person who would be your direct boss, Mr. Manager, in the same 3 day attempt.
Finally, after this 2 week attempt, call HR (Human Resources).
If you are asked to call someone else, do so. Tell them Mr. Big told you to call. But, before Mr. Big hangs up ask him, “What are your plans for the next few months for hiring a (my job)?” Also send a resume to Mr. Big and the person he told you to call. Mail or email works. Ask the company receptionist for his address.
Now, put a reminder on your calendar and call Mr. Big, other person, and HR again in 3 months. Leave one message reminding them you talked before. Tell them you talked to the other person like they suggested and are just calling to follow up and see if their strategic plans have changed and they will need your help in the next few months. Then send a note thanking them for their time. The follow up note is as important as the call. It gives them something to file away to contact you later. Make this single call to each of the 3 people you contacted at the company every 3 months. You are establishing yourself as a candidate who needs to be called.
Scary? For many people it is. If you really want to work for a company at a particular job, it is the best way to be considered for that job that I know of.
Something To Do Today
If you really are qualified for a job at those companies, write down your accomplishments so that you have crib notes. Now introduce yourself to the big boss who can give you a job.
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Tomorrow: Intelligent use of recruiters
Later: Get famous, get a job
Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me
Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you
A surprisingly great trumpet appeared
Brass knuckles and the law
…fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day…and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. (Esther)
Do you dare call managers and CEO’s in a company?
No ad is in the papers or on the internet. You want a job there. So you look up their website and just send a resume. Right? Err, okay, but there is a better way.
Calling into the company can get you an interview and a job much more quickly.
Here is what often happens if you just send in your resume without calling:
HR gets the resume and automatically enters it in the database. No job is available. Two months later the job opens up. They do a quick database search. You might be able to do the job, but it has been 2 months and they have 187 fresh resumes to process. They know they can just send those resumes to the manager without having to make any calls. It is so much easier not to call you, why bother?
You see the opening and send your resume again. The data entry clerk sees it is already in the database. A flag is already set on your database entry saying you were checked out in this job search. There is no significant change in your resume. You are not considered for the job.
Think about it from the manager’s perspective. The ugly normal way is that he knows an opening is coming up. He’s going to fire or promote someone. Maybe they have a new project coming up and he’s budgeted for 3 more employees in 2 months. As soon as he tells the Human Resources (HR) department, they will ask him to write job descriptions (2 hours of work). Then HR will advertise the positions and send him 187 resumes. He will have his secretary wade through them. He will then ask HR to call the 7 people he is most interested in. HR will tell him only 5 can interview with him. It is only going to get more time consuming from here on out. He hates the process.
One alternative. He keeps in touch with likely candidates. He offers those candidates a job and tells HR about his choice. Which do you think he would rather do?
You need to be that likely candidate. There is very little competition before a job opening is announced. The time to contact the hiring manager, CFO, controller, COO, or other person involved is BEFORE they need you.
Next week I’ll tell you two things you can do to be a candidate before the ad runs.
Something To Do Today
Write down the names of 3 companies you would really really like to work for. Read this blog next week for what to do next.
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Next week: What to say to companies
Intelligent use of recruiters
Get famous, get a job
Sneaky no good cops set a trap for me
Katrina, FEMA and who’s in charge of you
A surprisingly great trumpet appeared
Brass knuckles and the law
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