Monthly Archives: January 2013

What to do about a totally unfair firing

Posted on January 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

My son was the best checkout clerk in the store.  His checkout speed was consistently the best.  Customers loved his happy personality.  He often had the most “add on” sales at the cash register.  Then one day he was put on probation.  Shortly thereafter he was fired.  It was because he had decided not to double check when the cash register said that a particular coupon had no corresponding product bought by the customer.  Most of the cashiers ignored the warning at least part of the time.  One of the baggers had noticed it and informed the managers.  They checked, asked him, and found out he was guilty.  Probation was a formality.  They fired him as soon as they could get it approved.

I’m proud my son accepted responsibility and never told anyone who the bagger was. When asked, he admitted what he was doing immediately.  He was fired as a warning to the other checkout clerks.  He didn’t have a chance to eat crow and change his ways.

The real question is: What about the other clerks?  The clerks had a chance to get upset at the baggers in general. They could moan and complain on breaks about how unfair it was.  They could become paranoid and follow each rule to complete stupidity. Or they could eat crow and humbly accept the truth, like my son did.  They knew they had been costing the store money by not checking coupons.  They had been breaking the rule all the time, not just when the checkout lanes were jammed.  They had talked about it.  They weren’t listening to the managers about it anymore when the firing occurred.  It was time to eat crow.  And crow is best served warm, when the offense is fresh.

How about you?  What do you do when someone is fired for doing something everyone does?  What about when you are passed over for a job you apply for?

If you blame another person, you are human.  If you blame society, you are human. You are not right.

If you got fired for poor performance, accept it.  If you were the best at a particular job but got passed over for a promotion, there was a reason.  Eat a little crow.  Find out why.  Don’t brag about how smart you are and how stupid the managers are.  There was a reason.

Back to job hunting.  If the job is evil and bad, drop out of the interviews or don’t apply.  If you found out the manager, company or division is full of idiots because they didn’t hire you, thank God you didn’t get that job. No need to ceaselessly murmur about the idiots.  However, you may want to eat crow and find out why you really were not hired. Getting the truth can be difficult.  Still, the time to eat crow is when it is still warm.  Ask what you did, said, or put on paper that disqualified you.  Then decide if you want to fix it.

Something to do today

Ask why you didn’t get the job.  Ask the recruiter.  Ask the company.  Ask the hiring manager.  Don’t worry about offending someone.  They already offended you by not hiring you, didn’t they?  Ask politely, but ask..

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Later:                           Catechism

Your interview questions

How to get more vacation

Moth traps

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Posted in Attitude, Interviews, Quitting or Fired

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I’ll do this today to get more done

Posted on January 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

As one of my Mastermind members said at our last meeting, “If I could get half as much done as you, I’d be happy.”

Well, it’s not that hard. It starts with doing the right things, right now. Too many people do the wrong things all day. Doing the right things starts by knowing what the right things are. And that all starts with your daily secret weapon revealed by Mark Ford in his guest essay below.

read more here.

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Posted in Time management

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Why worry about a degree? An advanced degree?

Posted on January 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

Dinosaur Jim was a professor of dinosaurs at BYU and he only earned a high school diploma.  He discovered more earth shattering fossils than any other man alive.  He published unbelievable finds.  Finally he was awarded an honorary PhD.  They built a large building just for his incredible fossil collection.

You can get ahead without a college degree.  To do it in the university or corporate world you have to be twice as good as the best guy with his university papers.

Let’s see, there is Michael Dell and Bill Gates.  They dropped out of college.  The guy who founded Wendy’s dropped out of high school.  Everyone knows those three.  You can probably name a few more very successful people who did not finish their education but became rich.  With luck you will name one person, who did not start the company himself, who rose to lead a major company without a college degree.  Many who started into their careers without a degree went back and got their degrees at night or dropped out for a few years to get an MBA.

Education is a foundation for people climbing the corporate ladder

I’m not saying you have to get a college degree.  However, you have to be twice as good as the college graduate in order to compete in upper management job hunting.  That is just a fact of life.  And a Bachelor’s 4 year degree is worth a whole lot more than an Associate’s 2 year degree.  Banks love MBA’s.  Technical companies love Masters Degrees and PhD’s.

It may be hard to get your college degree now.  Part time education for years is not appealing to many people.  And you don’t have to do it.  But building the foundation at this point in your career will be easier than building it 5 years from now.  Here’s why: you are being evaluated every day at work for a move up the career ladder.  Like it or not, you are the guy without a degree, MBA or engineering degree.  People say it and know it.  It can be positive if you are the best guy in the company and everyone knows it.  Otherwise, it is already killing your career. Every time managers compare you to another employee they mention it.

Think about it.  If you want to climb the corporate ladder, a degree will help.

Something to do today

Unless you have a PhD, check out how you can get another degree part-time. What can it hurt to just find out?

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Later:                           Crow is best served…

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Posted in Finding jobs, Training

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Do human “eagles” flock?

Posted on January 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

Eagles don’t flock, you have to find them one at a time. (EDS recruiting slogan)

I used to believe that eagles don’t flock.  I’d seen flocks of geese, starlings, and turkeys.  Never a flock of eagles.  For some reason, I believed the best people didn’t flock either.  After all, my employer used it as a recruiting slogan.  You have to find the great people one-by-one.

8 years into EDS, I worked with a dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist.  On her wall she had the Sierra club calendar.  There was a picture of a dozen eagles all sitting in the bare branches of an Alaskan tree.  I commented on the incongruity of all those eagles flocking together.  She said, “My husband and I were in Alaska when we took that picture.  It really isn’t that uncommon of a sight where there are a lot of eagles.”

Looking for flocks of eagles became a hobby of mine, particularly since my employer’s recruiting slogan denied that eagles flock.  I found that there really are a lot of lone eagles.  They are islands of expertise and productivity in an ocean of mediocrity.  My current profession is to find those eagles and move them into flocks.

There are a few flocks of eagles in every industry and city.  Places where eagles are naturally attracted.  Once you know where those places are, it is pretty easy to get an eagle to move to that flock.  Some choose to remain the lone eagle among sparrows.  I can’t blame them.  Besides, they can move to a flock anytime they want.

Just being around eagles makes you grow.  You can’t help but want to be like them even if you are just a sparrow.  Somehow, you absorb their attitude and habits.  Even if you don’t really want to become an eagle, being around them is exhilarating.

So keep your eyes open for flocks of eagles and individual eagles.  Find a way to work closely with them.  You’ll learn and grow.  You’ll find your career is enhanced and your outlook improves whether or not you ever want to become an eagle yourself.

Something to do today

Ask around.  Where is the flock of eagles you would like to work with?  Where are the lone eagles?

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Later:               Laying a foundation later

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Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs

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9 job wounds worth leaving your job over

Posted on January 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

A job wound is a reason, other than money, that a person has to leave a job. Okay, money can be a job wound, but it has to be a major problem, not just wanting to leave for 5% higher pay.

Common job wounds are

  1. being passed over for promotion,
  2. a boring job,
  3. a horrible boss,
  4. dishonesty around you,
  5. an abusive environment,
  6. the company is failing,
  7. long hours for months on end,
  8. too much travel,
  9. or lack of personal growth.

A job wound is a serious problem.  One that can’t be overcome by doing your work a little better.  I will always try to find your job wound before I try to place you.  That’s because you are likely to spend a lot of time job hunting, only to stay where you are if you don’t have a painful enough job wound.

Many people will live with a severe job wound for years.  A good spouse, friend, or recruiter won’t let you live with a bad job wound.  We poke our fingers into the wound to see how deep it is.  I use a little rubbing alcohol to help clean it out because it really stings.  Then after I know how deep the wound is, I’ll pour in a little salt occasionally.  I want someone who is thinking of changing jobs to hurt so bad that they don’t make the same mistake again.

Sometimes you need someone with a vested interest in change to get you to do something about your problems.  If you have a severe job wound, it is time for major surgery.  You need a job-ectomy.

Something to do today

Show this article to someone who is willing to do some surgery.  Ask them to help you probe the size of your job wound.  Write down all the details and emotions you bring to the surface.

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Later:               Eagles don’t flock?

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Posted in Quitting or Fired

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6 unusual ways to land a job interview

Posted on January 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

The most unusual way to land an interview that I have seen, was with a 1 foot long bronze cockroach.

Here is a great article about 5 more unusual ways to land a job interview.  They don’t include using a bronze cockroach.

The bronze cockroach was used as a resume by a friend of mine.  He was applying for a hardcore programming job that required excellent 3-D art and perception abilities.  He only sent the cockroach, his name, and phone number.

He got the interview and the job.

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Posted in Interviews

Job hunting on the job

Posted on January 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

“Hey, Jim, this is the fourth day this month you’ve worn a suit.  Are you going to see the dentist again?”

That was a running joke at one place I worked.  It was obvious when people were interviewing for a new job. None of us minded as long as the person didn’t slack off.

It is absolutely legal and a good idea to look for a new job while you are still employed.  It can also be theft, treason and absolutely illegal.  It depends on how you do it.

The principles are simple:

  1. Honestly keep earning your income
  2. Don’t give away any company secrets

Here are some things I have noticed about job hunters that I respect:

  1. They interview at lunch or during a normal job downtime.
  2. They use their own email address or know the company policy on using their work email for personal use.
  3. They are careful about who can hear them when talking on the phone.
  4. You can’t pry confidential company information out of them.
  5. Getting their work done despite job hunting is important to them.
  6. Sabotaging workplace morale is out of character.

It is pretty simple.  Treat your job, boss and coworkers how you would like to be treated.  Be worth every penny you have been paid and will be paid.  Switching jobs is not a crime unless you make it one.

Something to do today

Decide what ethical job hunting really is.  Write down some rules.  Live by them.

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Later:               Salt in the wound

Eagles don’t flock?

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Posted in Finding jobs, Quitting or Fired

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Why your spouse can save your career

Posted on January 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

For 9 years my wife told me, “You can get into that business, but don’t quit your day job.”  I was working at EDS.  I wanted to start my own company.

I matured over those years.  I learned a little about business and life.  I started and failed at a few small part-time businesses.  Then one day I said, “I want to leave EDS and start a company.”  My wife said, “I think that is the right thing to do.”

I was surprised, but she was right.  It was finally time to make a change.  I was finally ready.  My wife helped keep me in touch with reality.

Spouses motivated by love and in a spirit of honesty can be great counselors.  As a recruiter I have repeatedly seen spouses give counsel that I personally disagreed with.  Then later it turned out they were right.  I misread employment situations that they saw clearly.  The person closest to the candidate knew what my candidate wanted much better than I did.  Often a spouse “just knows” when something isn’t a fit.  On the other hand they also are pretty sharp about pressing people to leave a bad situation too.

Value the counsel, hunches and assertions of the person closest to you.  A lot of times it is the best advice you can get.

Something to do today

Have you talked with your spouse and family about your job situation lately?  Ask them about quitting, relocation, companies and career paths.  You may be surprised at what they really think.

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Later:               Job hunting on the job

Salt in the wound

Eagles don’t flock?

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Posted in Focus, Quitting or Fired

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Should relocation be an option?

Posted on January 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

It was a drop in total pay, but for a $125,000 dollar base salary, my candidate moved to another state.  Two years later the company was sold and he pocketed an additional half million in cash.  That was a financially successful relocation.  The opportunity had been even better than expected.

But they had to deal with finding a new house, moving the girls into a new school, finding a new church and new social group.  The first 3 months were very painful.  The financial reward was great, but they questioned the decision to move as they tried to settle in. .  They eventually found a school, neighborhood and social group that was even better than the one they left. At work and at home it was an improvement because there was opportunity for a positive change combined with strength and preparation.

Oh, yes.  Last year he made $500,000 in base salary and commissions.  This year he moved again, to another company….for less money. He moved for opportunity.

What if the money is NOT that good?

Opportunity is what is important in considering whether to move or not.  More money alone is not that great of a reason to uproot yourself.  The opportunity to live near family or to get away from a disruptive family member is a good reason.  It may be worth moving just to be where the economy is more vibrant or stable.  Getting into a company with a technical or managerial career ladder that suits you is a great reason to relocate to another state.  A lot of people move here to Harrisburg because it is a smaller town with shorter commutes, and there are a lot of outdoor activities 15 minutes away.

You need to figure out the opportunities that are most important for you and your family.  Talk about it.  For the right opportunity, those high school students may even want to move.

When to delay a move

Running from a problem may be necessary.  If possible, take a little while to fix the underlying cause first, then move.  Otherwise you merely take your problems to a new location and they reappear like weeds in a garden.

That may mean admitting you need more training, a better attitude at work, better work habits or to build a stronger family.  When you are on the road to fixing underlying problems, then a move can give you a clean slate to start over with.

Relocate for opportunity.  That means YOU need to be ready, really ready, to grow.

Something to do today

This is a good time to talk to your family or a good friend about what is holding you back.  Do you need to have more opportunities for work, your family, or both?

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Later:               What a spouse is good for

Job hunting on the job

Salt in the wound

Eagles don’t flock?

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Posted in Finding jobs

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The 2 biggest internet job site scams

Posted on January 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

A banking jobs website salesman called my partner one day.  They have the best, the greatest, the most useful banking jobs website ever.  They want us to have all of our candidates put their resumes up on their website.  Then any employer can pay a fee, find the resumes, and hire the candidates.  There are a whopping 175 resumes in the database. It is useless for anyone to go there.  Don’t waste your time putting your resume on that website.

1.

Wasting your time online is the biggest internet job site scam. Many sites sell hope, and not results, ever.

Natives who beat drums to drive off evil spirits are objects of scorn to smart Americans who blow horns to break up traffic jams.  (Mary Ellen Kelly)

You need to talk to people.  Your resume only has one job, to get you an interview.  If you can call up a company and talk to a real person who might tell you to come in for an interview, that’s the best use of your time.

2.

One other job site scam is the high fee “We’ll help you find a job” website.  I have nothing against legitimate resume preparation companies.  Someone who helps you prepare for interviews for a fee is fine.  Resume rabbit will post your resume on 75 websites for a small fee.  Companies that send your resume to 10,000 companies do a service, even if it is mostly useless.  The problem is with companies that will charge you $5,000 or $20,000 for those services.  Sorry, that’s where I draw the line.  So, let me give you some guidelines on top fees you should pay.  Paying a fraction of these fees for great service is common. This is the MOST you should pay, ever.

  • Resume preparation:   $800
  • Resume posting to jobsites $150
  • Interview coaching: $150 per hour
  • Mass resume blasts to employers: a few hundred dollars

Consider the internet a helper in your job search.  Your goal is to talk to people who can hire you.  You can’t do that on the internet yet.

Something to do today

Call a potential employer or recruiter today.  Talk to someone.

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Later:               Should relocation be an option?

What a spouse is good for

Job hunting on the job

Salt in the wound

Eagles don’t flock?

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Posted in Finding jobs, Focus, Resumes, Training

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