Category Archives: Finding jobs

Why women won’t apply for IT jobs

Posted on August 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Two themes to the article.  One idea is that there aren’t a lot of women in IT. I can accept that.

The first reason is hard to swallow, but may be true. Or is it only for Australian women?

Read more…

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Posted in Finding jobs, Perseverance

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What to ask a recruiter who is going to help you

Posted on August 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

“I’ll help you get a job. Trust me.  Give me two weeks.”

When a recruiter says something like that, ask him,

  • What exactly will you do?
  • Which companies will you be submitting me to?
  • When will you report to me on what you have done?
  • Which companies am I likely to get an interview with?

If the recruiter gives you a list of companies you will be submitted to, that’s perfect.  Also acceptable is a specific industry group he will be calling.  Not just “local companies.”  The recruiter also needs to give you dates you will get progress reports.  If a recruiter really is going to “make a hundred calls”, then he should be happy to tell you when the calls are done.

Don’t let your job search be like one of the old movies where the car driver, you, pulls the steering wheel off and hands it to a passenger.  You need to be the person driving in your job search.  No one else has your interest in your career.

You are building your career.  The recruiter is looking for his next sale or placement.  It is the difference between the commitment a cow and a chicken make when they volunteer to be part of a steak and eggs breakfast.  For the cow it is a life and death decision, but for the chicken it is just a day’s work. For you it is a multi-year commitment, but for the recruiter it is a few day’s commitment.  Who do YOU think should be in charge?

It’s your career.  Make sure you are driving the job search. Only trust recruiters who tell you who they are calling, and report back when they are done.

Something To Do Today

It is Friday.  Time to update your job journal with your accomplishments this week. Give a report to your boss in a format he can use.

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Next week:    The Zen of getting a job

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Posted in Finding jobs, Recruiters

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How to win the rigged game of getting a job

Posted on August 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

Of course the game is rigged.  Don’t let that stop you—if you don’t play, you can’t win. (Robert Heinlein)

Games can be deadly serious

Chess, poker, basketball and football are just games.  Some people study those games intently and never play themselves.  Others study the games and get into the competitions, contemplating victory and risking defeat. Those who watch from comfortable chairs and never participate, can never know the struggle and thrill of victory, nor the cleansing scourge of defeat.  The quiet careful critics will never grow a hundredth as much as the rankest loser grows.

Look at your job search like your favorite game or sport

That job or promotion you have applied for 5 or 10 times may really be out of reach for you.  That doesn’t mean you should stop trying.  At least you are in the game.  You will never win if you quit the field of battle.

Out of work?  Every job you apply for is a new game. Every time an employer calls you is a victory.  The next game is the interview.  Another game starts in the second interview.  Negotiating your salary is another game.  The day you start the job a new competition begins.

Look at it as a game. For a game you study techniques and practice them over and over. You also study the great winners and losers.  If you want to be great, you also study the mediocre masses because you have to find out why they are merely mediocre.  If you want to win, you have to know how to defeat each of your opponents.  A coach is also essential. Your coach will be called a mentor, recruiter or friend. Find the most successful person you can and ask for them to give you advice on what you should learn, study and practice next. Practice, prepare and then execute.  If you lose 20 times it won’t really kill you.  Look at it as a game.  The only thing that really kills you is giving up and leaving the game for good.

If there is a job or promotion you want but just can’t seem to win, make a game out of it. Play. Have some serious fun with it.

Something To Do Today

Make your job growth a game.  How can you learn to play it at a Super Bowl level?  Who can be your coach?  Get back in the game. Play.

Out of work?  Job hunting?  Make it a game. Study.  Keep trying.

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Tomorrow:     Before you know it

Later:              Who is driving?

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Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Focus, Perseverance

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3 ways to re-enter the workforce, 1 is reliable

Posted on August 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

America’s greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is our belief in second chances, our belief that we can always start over, that things can be made better. (Anthony Walton)

The most common scenario:

“I took 4 years off and started a business. It has been fun, but I want to get back into a real job. I programmed on the old mainframe computers.  I don’t want to spend my money getting training. What do I do?”

Two people called me with this basic question last week.  There are three things you can do:

  1. Keep looking for work until someone retires where they desperately need your skills and then hope you get lucky and get the job when 100 qualified people apply.
  2. Start a new career as a beginner at unskilled labor wages and learn on the job.
  3. Pay for your own training.

People are successful at all three every day. I help people do all three as a recruiter.

Financially, #3 is the best investment of your time and money.  You will earn much more over the next 10 years doing #3.

People do #2 all the time, but it takes a few years more to get to the earning level a person with training is at right away.  It really is a good option if you don’t mind taking the extra time to get there.

I know people who are still programming in computer languages that were abandoned 20 years ago.  Others are running mainframe computers that are 30 years old.  They have good reputations and keep in touch with 20 or 30 companies that occasionally need their skills.  #1 is definitely a viable option if you work at marketing yourself.

3 ways to re-enter the workforce.  You can do whichever makes the most sense to you.

Something To Do Today

Write a plan.  What would you do if you were struck down with an illness and completely recovered in 3 years?

It’s the end of the month.  Have you written and handed in your monthly list of accomplishments and projects?  Do you have a copy in your job journal?

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Tomorrow:           I don’t want to spend my money on training

Later:                    Make a game out of it

Before you know it

Who is driving?

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Posted in Finding jobs, Training

How to become CIO and some obstacles you’ll overcome

Posted on July 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

Do you want to become CIO?  There are things you can do whether you are tech savvy from operations or a tech guru from the IT team.  In either case, you have to overcome some pretty big obstacles.

This story has the obstacles and the solutions.  And it isn’t a long read.

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Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Focus, Networking, Perseverance, Promotions, talent, Training

How to get a friend a job

Posted on June 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

A friend is someone who will help you move.  A real friend is someone who will help you move a body. (unkn)

How to get a friend a job

This programmer didn’t have any experience using the language and tools the company software was developed in.  He hadn’t programmed in 2 years.  He was, however, one of the best programmers I have ever met. He got himself hired without an interview.

First he put together a great resume showing his experience and accomplishments. He had a friend working at the small company.  His friend took the resume into the company owner and put it on his desk.  He said, “This guy is better than me.  You should hire him.  You should also pay him more than me. He’s really good.”  The boss called the programmer up and said, “Come in at noon tomorrow and walk around the place.  If you like it, you can start work at 12:03.   We’ll give you a week to prove you know what you are doing and then adjust your pay accordingly.”

Just so you know, for backup he had a glowing letter of recommendation from his former employer.  He never got to use it.

If you absolutely believe in your friend that is how to get him a job where you work. Only do it this way if you absolutely believe the guy is the best person available, that he is extraordinary.  Your boss will appreciate the help.

Something To Do Today

If you want to be the guy getting the job, you have to be way above average and have a dynamite resume.  Work on both.  Just for luck, also get that glowing letter of recommendation.

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Tomorrow:     A fair non-compete

Later:              Sand in the gears

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Posted in Finding jobs, Networking, Resumes

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Please discriminate against me because I am old

Posted on May 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

“I have completed all objectives as an executive for 37 years and was just laid off due to an industry downturn.”

To some people that says you were just laid off because you are an old retirement aged clock watcher, and they wanted to bring in some young blood.  They wanted someone with energy who will work harder.  You have just said, “Please discriminate against me because of age.”

In my experience age discrimination is much more common than discrimination based on race, sex, religion or any other factor. That’s reality.  No one wants to hire someone who is marking time until retirement.  They want an energetic go-getter.  Whether you are old or young you need to prove on your resume that you are not just a place holder.  List in bullets what got done only because you were at your last job.  Show your energy and enthusiasm.

The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. (Lucille Ball)

Don’t lie about your age, disguise it

Your resume has one function, to get you an interview.  That’s all.  If you were 37 years in one job and don’t want it to show, break up that job into the positions you held. List each position or division you worked for as a separate job entry with its own dates of service.  That way you can get the older dates off the first page of your resume.

Age discrimination isn’t nice, but it is a factor to consider.  Make your resume an effective advertisement for what you can contribute.  Avoid showing how old you are unless you are sure it will help you get the interview.

Are there other things that you think are causing people to discriminate against you?  Then deal with them.  Is it race?  There is a lot of discrimination against Asian-Indians in the USA.  They overcome it most often by persistence and education.  Is your sex a problem?  A physical disability?  Your speech impediment? Your religion? Accept that fact and learn to deal with it.  Accept that you need to shine brighter, and work hard to be so good that you cannot be refused by the best companies.

Something To Do Today

Are you over 40?  Time to start considering age discrimination.  Over 60? Age discrimination is a fact.  Deal with it in your resume.

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Next week:     How to get a friend a job

Sand in the gears

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Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Resumes

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Finding the best company to work for

Posted on May 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

I made over 150 survey calls in one week. I wasn’t trying to find out which companies were the best companies, but I stumbled across it accidentally. What I found out applies to most industries.

  1. The best companies win the prize in multiple categories: revenue per employee, profit per employee, how long employees have worked there and how well employees are treated.
  2. The best companies already have a good reputation.  People know who they are. The same is true for the worst companies.  Most people know who to avoid after they have been in an industry for a year or two.
  3. The owners of the best companies trust others.  They are willing to share their secrets even with a stranger like me.  They understand that there is a magic in their company that cannot be reproduced simply by telling someone else how they did it.  The owners of the worst companies are constantly fearful that someone will steal their employees, customers and operational secrets. They have good reason to fear.  They lose employees and customers regularly and have to work much harder for every dollar they earn.

You can run your own survey without making 150 calls to company presidents.  Start asking people you work with, “What companies are the best in our industry?”  Ask any salespeople you meet, “Who is your toughest competitor?”  Look around.  There is no reason you should be employed with anyone but an industry leader.

Something To Do Today

Make a list of companies in your industry or geographic area in your job journal.  Start keeping notes about comments you hear about each company. Discount what you hear if someone is a jerk or a bad worker where they are now.  If they are a great person and worker, take a lot of notes.  You’ll soon know who’s who.

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Tomorrow:     Please discriminate against me

Later:              How to get a friend a job

A fair non-compete

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Only allow reality on your desk when you hunt for a job

Posted on May 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.  (Philip Dick)

Each week someone says, “Bryan, I have applied for hundreds of jobs and no one even acknowledges my application!”  That may mean it is time for a reality check.  If they have 10 very good candidates, is it a waste of time for those companies to talk to you? Are you betting that no one else sees the same online ad that you do?  Sometimes a reality check will tell you good things, sometimes bad things.

I only allow reality on my desk as a recruiter.  I don’t “hope” that a client will overlook my candidate’s surly disposition.  I don’t submit him.  If I have a programmer whose references say he can’t get projects done on time, I withdraw his candidacy even when the company has made a job offer.  A salesman who has 3 jobs in 3 years and no positive results won’t get a job through our agency.  Reality rules my desk. I can’t work any other way and feed my family.

Bow to reality in your job hunting.  Sure, apply for jobs you are only barely qualified for, but don’t be upset when your resume isn’t even acknowledged.  If a company is laying off people, still apply for a job, but don’t wait with quivering excitement for a call.

Too many people think that The Power Of Positive Thinking says that self delusion works.  It doesn’t.  In that book by Norman Vincent Peale, he spends a lot of time dealing with reality.  So should you.

If you really do deserve a 50% raise, hope for it, but acknowledge that raises that big are rare.   Most people can expect a 5% to 20% raise.  Most people get a job at the same level they are at and work their way up in their next job.  Some do find a new job at a higher management level.  They are exceptionally well qualified.

Become exceptional at your current job and reality is that you can get a big raise and a promotion into your next company. If you are very good, expect a raise and a chance to earn a promotion.  If you are average, or less, no one is going to be in a hurry to hire you.

That is reality.

Something To Do Today

Keep a list of every job you apply for.  Also list how well qualified you are for the job.  Take a reality check.  Are you over qualified, well qualified, barely qualified, or under qualified?  Keeping honest track of that answer will help you if your job hunt takes longer than you expect.

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Tomorrow:     Double your value, make more money

Later:              Surveys

Please discriminate against me

How to get a friend a job

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Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Perseverance, Recruiters, Resumes

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3 job disasters and who’s in charge of you

Posted on May 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

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)

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Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Time management

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