Author Archives: bryandilts

What to say about the horrible people you worked with

Posted on December 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Our office was small, 5 desks.  We always wear office casual.  Our interview style is casual.  We ask a lot of tough questions, but we try our best to put candidates at ease.

A candidate was making some rather crude remarks about former coworkers.  He shoveled up some really inappropriate dirt on some characters he knew.  Finally he was told, “Saying things like that in an interview is going to keep everyone from wanting to have anything to do with you.”

He replied, “But this isn’t an interview.”

His mistake

You are in an interview anytime you talk with someone who can help you get a job. Use your interview manners when you talk to friends, acquaintances, recruiters, people in Human Resources and when you talk to a company President.  Your friend who knows a manager in another company is interviewing you when you ask him to submit your resume.  A recruiter is always interviewing people.

Some interviewers, like recruiters, require more in-depth information than others.  Give it to them, but don’t show hatred.  Don’t viciously gossip.

That doesn’t mean you should hide things, it means you should get over them.  Let them go.  Forgive. Forget.  At the very least stop bringing horrible things up.

A way to measure what to say

The measure of what you should say now, is what you imagine yourself saying about the situation in 5 or 10 years.

When you are looking for a job in 5 or 10 years you will not say much about the SOB’s at your last job.  They won’t be worth the time.  You may have to say why you left, but it will only take 20 seconds.

When you paint someone with a hateful brush, you expose your hate.  Your hatred, loathing or disgust is never pretty.  Those who see it will always wonder when you will say the same things about them.  A rabid vicious dog is never welcome in any neighborhood.  So, why would someone want you, a vengeful, spiteful, nasty mouthed person, working on their team?

Get on with your life.  Forgive, forget.  Concentrate on the good things you do.  Remember, you are always in an interview.

Something to do today

Think about the negatives that come out of your mouth in an interview. Figure out a way to clinically describe bad things that happened without emotion.  Figure out how to do it in 20 seconds.

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Later:              Whistle while you work

Hustle while you wait

The $5 call girl

Where to fish

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Posted in Attitude, Interviews, Networking

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The quickest, surest way to become a superstar

Posted on November 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

An ex-NFL football player told me how he got to the big league.  He chose a player he wanted to be just like.  Then he learned to hold his hands just like him.  He placed his feet just like his hero.  He ran like his hero.  He exercised like his hero.  He did everything he could to play football just like his hero.  He started in 9th grade football and continued through college.  He made it into the NFL.

When I met him in Denver, he was a couple of years into a new career selling real estate.  He was doing the same thing.  He picked one of the best real estate salesmen in Denver and was doing exactly what the new hero did.  Once again he was becoming a superstar.

There’s a hint there.  Find someone who is successful at what you want to do.  Become like them.  If they do something, you do it.

One more thing.  Watch very carefully what your hero does NOT do.  What does he avoid?  What does he refuse to do?  Too many people try to become a success doing the things that a successful person refuses to do.

If you want to be a millionaire, I suggest you read one or two books by Thomas Stanley.  The Millionaire Next Door is a bunch of stories about how millionaires became millionaires.  The Millionaire Mind has some stories, but also takes a statistical approach.  It tells what first generation millionaires do, as a group, to get their money.

Better yet, find a millionaire to personally learn from.

Do you want to be a Partner, CEO, CFO, CIO, or Project Manager?  Find the best example you can, and do everything the way they do.  Invite them to lunch. Ask them what they would do in your shoes.  Become just like them at work.

Hero, mentor, example.  Find one so you can become one.

Something to do today

Find your mentor and example.  Learn to work just like they do.

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Later:              But this isn’t an interview

Whistle while you work

Hustle while you wait

The $5 call girl

Where to fish

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Posted in Promotions, Raises, talent, Time management, Training

The stupidest thing answer to, “What are your weaknesses?”

Posted on November 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

What is one of your weaknesses?

The candidate gave one weakness.  He was prepared for that question.

The interviewer paused and frowned. He couldn’t remember what he had planned for the next question.

The candidate got nervous.  Why did the interviewer pause?  He blurted out another weakness. This one was a little more serious.  He hadn’t prepared to offer more than one weakness.

This so caught the interviewer off guard that he blinked a couple of times and furrowed his brow.

The candidate couldn’t hold back.  There was another weakness.

The candidate fell apart.  He added three more weaknesses.  He talked himself out of a job.

Be prepared to talk about one weakness.  For good measure, make it something that could be a strength, but that you take too far.  It could be working late or being a perfectionist.  Tell how you correct the weakness.

Then shut up.

We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have not larger ones.  (Francois de La Rochefoucauld)

Never give more than one weakness.  Staple your lips shut if you have to.

Something to do today

Prepare for the question, “What is one of your weaknesses.”  Make sure you also include in your answer how you compensate for that weakness..

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Later:              The millionaire mind

But this isn’t an interview

Whistle while you work

Hustle while you wait

The $5 call girl

Where to fish

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Posted in Interviews

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3 good pieces of career advice

Posted on November 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Good advice about careers, making stuff, and being happy.  Here it is.

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Posted in Attitude

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Top 4 reasons people quit

Posted on November 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

From actual surveys, not from the top of some recruiters brain.  Here are the top reasons people quit.

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Posted in Quitting or Fired

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Thrive in a terrible company – row away slowly when you have to

Posted on November 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tim tells me why he has to leave his current company every couple of months.  Then he says he has to stay.  Leadership is lacking.  The work ethic stinks.  His office only stays alive because it is propped up by corporate headquarters.  He and his boss both know what is wrong.  Tim can’t fix it and the boss won’t fix it.

Tim does have a good reason to stay.  He had five jobs in four years before he took this job.  He wants to make it to the two or even three year mark here to clear up his resume.  If the office lasts that long without being closed, he will stay.

More important than collecting years of service, he is collecting accomplishments.  Tim can prove he produces 2/3 of the output at his office of 6 people.  He has proof that his occasional training of coworkers has had a deep impact.  Tim has numbers.  Tim has projects and accomplishments.  Those numbers look even better because of his unproductive coworkers.

Call on God, but row away from the rocks. (Indian proverb)

This is not a race away from his old job.  Tim is slowly rowing away from the rocks in his career.  He may need a new job tomorrow or in two years.  There is no telling how long corporate will suffer losses cheerfully.  So he is preparing to leave.

If you are in a dead end job, use it as a lifeboat to your next job.  Be the most important person in your office.  Keep track of exactly how good you are.  Slowly row away from the rocks in your lifeboat job.

Something to do today

Whether you plan on it or not, your current job is the boat you are in until your next job.  Collect accomplishments, projects and cheerful statistics.

It is almost the end of the year.  Write your accomplishments in your job journal.  Give a list of them to your manager.  That is the only way to be sure he notices what you do.

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Later:              Useful little faults

The millionaire mind

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Posted in Accomplishments, Perseverance, Quitting or Fired, References

A bad and a good way to keep from getting promoted

Posted on November 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

Up or out.  That’s the Army way.  That’s the GE way.  That’s the CPA Big-4 way. Get passed up for a few promotions and you are pushed out.

So how do you get respect and a chance to keep a job that people usually get promoted out of?

The wrong way to keep from getting promoted

Keep dice in your drawer.  Whenever your boss asks for a decision, roll the dice.  Open up a Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master Guide and run your finger down a chart.  Then give your answer, the correct answer, not the one from the book.  That will keep you from getting promoted.  Of course you may lose credibility with your boss, but not all plans are perfect.

The comment about the dice is a joke.  Don’t do it.

The right way to keep from getting promoted and yet be too valuable to be pushed out

You can keep from getting pushed out if you don’t want a promotion.  First of all, let your boss know you love your job and don’t want a promotion.

Next, to keep from being the ball of hair and grease in your company’s sink trap, help others.  You should become the company’s greatest mentor. You can be a mentor as a technician, manager, HR specialist or assembly line worker. Just help others with their careers.

Keep an eye out for complainers and whiners.  Avoid them.  There is usually very little you can do for them.  Look for people who sincerely want to advance.  Find the diamonds in the rough.  These are people who put in extra work, take night classes and are always helping others.  Find the one or two shining examples in the workforce and help them advance.

Often the biggest thing you can do is to recommend one of your diamonds for a project.  Then help them to see the critical path for the project and follow it.  Give them encouragement along the way.   Make sure they know where the levers of power are.  They need to know who really makes things happen in the company.

As a person who doesn’t want a promotion, you need to help the people blocked by your permanence.  Help them move up beside you or to hop over you.  If you get a reputation for developing leaders, you will never be laid off.  Good companies covet good leaders.

Something to do today

You should be developing leaders whether you want to stay where you are or not.  In your job journal write down the names of the top one or two candidates for promotion in your group.  Help them out.  Be a mentor even if you aren’t above them.

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Later:              Row away

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Posted in Promotions

How to get promoted past that roadblock

Posted on November 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

It isn’t the incompetent who destroy an organization.  It is those who have achieved something and want to rest upon their achievements who are forever clogging things up. (Charles Sorenson)

You have to kill your boss, or the senior technician to get a promotion.  They have the job you want and are not leaving.  They don’t want a promotion.  They are fat and happy.  They are like a big wad of hair and grease in the sink trap.  They clog up the career track for everyone else.  So, where is the Drano?  How do you get them out of your way?

First be sure they are the biggest problem.  It is embarrassing when you have complained for 5 years about your boss being in your way, only to have him leave and a coworker is promoted in his place.

You need to have a list of standout accomplishments that prove you are perfect for the job you want.  That way you can get the job in your current company OR the next one.

Become the obvious candidate.  Ask your boss to help you get promoted.  Also ask HR (Human Resources) and your boss’s boss.  Find someone who will champion your cause and be your mentor.  A mentor helps you prepare to advance and gives you visibility outside your team.  Your mentor will help you to find high visibility assignments where you can prove your worth.

In a job journal write a weekly list of your accomplishments and projects.  Use that list in your annual reviews.  Also submit a weekly, monthly and quarterly list of accomplishments to your boss.  Make sure he knows how much you contribute.

You can also look for a new job.  If you have a list of undeniable accomplishments you will be a good hire for another company.

The same things that prepare you for a promotion in your company will make you a better job candidate.

Something to do today

Write down your career goals.  It doesn’t matter if they change tomorrow.  Know where you want to go today.

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Later:              Clogging things up yourself

Row away

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Posted in Accomplishments, Promotions

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Sample resignation letter and comments

Posted on November 16, 2012 | 1 comment

Date

Name of Person Resigning To

Company

Address

City, State  ZIP

 

Dear Boss,

Please accept this letter as my official notice of resignation. I appreciate the work we have been able to accomplish together at [company name], but I have now made a commitment to another organization and will begin with them in two weeks.

It is my intention to work diligently with you to wrap up as much as possible in the next two weeks to make my resignation as smooth as possible. If you have any suggestions on how we can best accomplish that goal, I hope you will share your thoughts with me, as I am eager to leave on the most positive note possible.

 

Sincerely,

Sign your name here

Type your name here

This sample resignation letter has been used by hundreds of candidates that we have placed.  It is a very professional way of telling your employer that you are leaving, that you resign.  This letter informs them of your decision to leave, thanks them for your learning experiences, tells them why you are leaving, and states to them your last day of work.  It also informs them that your decision is unchangeable and that you will assist them after you leave should they need to call on you.

Your employer can react to your resignation in a number of different ways.  I caution you on this because we have helped all of our candidates through the resignation process.  One reaction can be “You picked a fine time to leave” or “What did I do to you?”  Another reaction is “What company are you going to?” or “What are they offering you?  Perhaps we can match their offer.”

When the “guilt laying” occurs or if they try to flatter you by offering more money to stay, you must understand that your company doesn’t want to lose you.  It means they’ll have to spend time and money to find your replacement.  And that can be a real pain.  But the truth is they can live without you.  The reasons you are leaving are not going to change because you accept a counteroffer.  The other two reactions may be no reaction at all, or you may be terminated on the spot.  If the latter should happen (and it does happen), call your recruiter or new employer immediately and arrange a different start date.

Please call your recruiter after you have given notice.  This call can relieve any stress you may have felt prior to resigning.

Remember, people give notice every day, and employers expect it.  Many employers handle it as professionally as you do. The ones that don’t?  That just means you were right to leave.

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Posted in Counteroffers, Quitting or Fired

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Internet resume filters, why? And how to get past them

Posted on November 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

You must change how you apply for jobs on the internet. Federal contracting jobs are already out of your reach unless you are a perfect fit.  Half the jobs available on the internet are no longer available to you.  And that is a conservative estimate.

A regulation is in effect.  It says that companies have to keep track of the minority status of all internet job applicants.  Last year it was for Federal contractors.  Now it is for all companies over 50 employees and their recruiters.

It is hard to keep track of race without being accused of violating the Equal Employment laws.  In the old days you could look through the resumes that came in and choose people who were close to your requirements to interview.  Then you could start tracking race.

Unintended consequences

The new regulation says you have to start tracking race immediately, but you only have to do it for applicants that are completely qualified for the position.  That means that the applicant filters that big companies use are becoming essential for all companies.  They are not going to track anyone they don’t have to.  They don’t want to phone screen anyone unless they already perfectly meet the requirements.

That means many jobs you were close enough to get a phone screen for a few years ago, will be absolutely unavailable for you this year. You will have to get through the computer filter to even be considered for a job.  And the filters will be tighter than ever.

From here on out you need to make sure that your resume has every qualifying skill asked for on a job ad.  Consider putting every acronym in the job ad at the bottom of your resume in a skills section.  I might even cut and paste the skills section of the job ad to the bottom of my resume in a “Job Applied For” section.

The results of the regulations are ominous.  Companies are swinging wildly from filters that are impossibly tight, to no filters at all.  We are in a period of amazing resume filtering swings.

Be prepared.

Something to do today

Start today.  Make sure your resume has every job skill asked for in every job you apply for online.

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Later:              Clogging things up

Row away

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Posted in Job Boards, Resumes

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