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What is the connection of these 3 job disasters?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. FEMA came in to help a few days later. It was too late.
   

   You can see disaster coming. Get ready

You are in charge of your life. You are in charge of your career. If you think you won’t or can’t be replaced, think if you died. If you died tomorrow, you’d get replaced. It might be hard, but they could do it. If you think your reputation and history will save you, are the people who care about your reputation and history still around?

If you’re scared you might be fired, be proactive about scouting out other opportunities. If your performance is fantastic, you can find another job. If you’ve been getting certifications and networking, it helps a ton. No matter what, you have to go looking.

It’s your career, your life. Watch for warning signs and respond appropriately, even just to let a recruiter know you’re keeping your eyes open.

If you don’t accept responsibility for your own actions, then you are forever chained to a position of defense. (Holly Lisle)

Something To Do Today

Write in your job journal who would get to replace you if you die tonight.

Now write who YOU would get to replace if they died tonight.

Which of the two of you has more job security?

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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:

1. A raise below the inflation rate
2. Lower annual review scores
3. Closer supervision and more reviews by their boss
4. Being told EXACTLY how to do something they commonly do
5. Passed over for promotions
6. Passed over for requested lateral transfers
7. Taking away people or geography they oversee
8. Giving major parts of their project to someone else
9. 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?

Only allow reality on your desk.

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You don’t need to have amazing credentials to have your face carved on the side of a mountain

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 about finding a job (hey look, you’re reading it now!). Potential customers now accept my credentials much more readily. They know it is impossible for me to hide my morals and methods after hundreds of posts.

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.

Sound like you are THE expert, and everyone will assume you are

Volunteering to be the “big business hit man,” calling them 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.

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?

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.

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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.

1. A recruiter should be willing to tell you all the places your credentials are presented, especially if he asks you to stop looking for a job yourself.

Never pledge your undying love unless they are willing to give you weekly progress reports.

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2. Quality recruiters make you feel valued.

If they’re talking down to you or insulting you, get out. If you feel uneasy, or that they’re hiding something, get out. Most recruiters are honest. Find one that has ethics as well.

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3. Don’t tell recruiters about places that you’re already applying at.

Unless you really trust them, don’t do it. Some recruiters will decide to try and flood that position with other candidates, making it harder for you to get a job.

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4. Recruiters have niches. Find one in yours.

Use a recruiter who has a history of placing people in your field. Ask how many they’ve placed in the last year. If they say “None, but I’m trying hard” you can let them try. If they try to not answer the question, it’s a red flag.

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5. Call the recruiters you trust every week or two.

Many recruiters talk to 200+ people every week. Sometimes you will end up forgotten. Keep calling back to keep you in their mind. When the perfect job pops up, you want to be the first person they think of.

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6. Use in-company contacts before recruiters.

Most in-company contacts will be more helpful than recruiters when it comes to getting a job. A rider: use the recruiter if you found out about the job from the recruiter.

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7. Reread number one.

If they won’t tell you, you can’t trust them. Find recruiters you trust.

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Recruiters are trying to make money, like everyone is, but they’re also trying to help people. A lot of people. Stay in contact with them, over email and phone, to make sure you stay on top of their mind.

And a quick number 8: don’t lie. If you lie, you still won’t get the job, and the recruiter will refuse to deal with you.

Something To Do Today

Make a list of the recruiters you know that work well in your field. Send them an email (even if you’ve talked recently) about what you’re looking for.

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How high up the food chain do you call for a job?

High. But, make sure you get the people under them as well. A proper Troll’s diet is balanced.

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, wanted to hire the guy over the objections of the 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:

1. If you are NOT able or qualified, don’t try to get yourself forced into a job. You will fail.  You know better.
2. Get a mentor, someone who could help guide you up the corporate chain. Mr. Big is great for this, if you can get his recommendation.
3. Sometimes, your boss hates his boss or even the HR department. You have to prove you are good enough for the job. Just being good enough for an interview won’t cut it.

Here are some thoughts on whom you won’t offend:

1. You will never offend the Human Resources (HR) department by calling about a job. Their job is to stay in contact with you.
2. If you know someone personally, talk to them. The higher the better.  The higher they are, the more likely they like to help people.
3. If a friend or acquaintance gives someone your resume, call the person they give it to. Consider it a personal introduction.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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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Get on the phone. Recognize you’re not bothering anyone, you’re trying to help solve their problems.

Calling people is terrifying. It’s 10 times worse when you feel like you don’t have a serious reason to call them. Get over it.

If you really want to work for that company, you need to call. You also need to be qualified (sorry, even the most driven person fresh out of high school is never going to get a job as an IT Director). Now, be positive, and be honest: Would you hire yourself for the job you want? Really? Okay, then. They might want to 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 THEIR boss. Write it down. The title is fine. 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:

1. You have saved businesses a lot of money.
2. You speeded up processes to save time.
3. You saved customers or brought in new ones.

These are not notes about your responsibilities, but notes about what you actually accomplished. This is like a portfolio of your accomplishments. Instead of a real portfolio, you’re talking about what that portfolio got you. What amazing deals have you gotten? 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. For your last call, I suggest a very simple line: “As a professional courtesy, would you please call me back?” with nothing else. If you still have no response, then call the person who would be your direct boss, Mr. Manager, in the same 3 try 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 they hang up ask them, “What are your plans for the next few months for hiring a (my job)?”

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 to call Mr. Big, the 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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The company has no job ad you could find online. You haven’t heard that they’re looking for anyone, but you want a job there. So you look up their website and send your resume to them. Right? Uh. Yes, you can do that, but that’s not going to get their attention.

That’s what everyone does. Don’t do what everyone else does if you want to stand out. Be different. Calling the company can get you an interview and a job both more frequently and faster.

“But I don’t want to bother anyone…” so let me tell you what happens when you email your resume without a call.

HR receives your resume in an email. It automatically is put into their database. No job is available. Two months later, a job opens up and they search their database. You might be able to do the job, but your resume is two months old. You might not be open for a job by then.

The people in HR then send the newer candidate resumes (not yours) to the hiring manager without having to make any calls. It’s a lot faster and easier, so why bother calling?

You notice the opening on their website! You immediately resend your resume. A data entry clerk notices it and sees that you’re already in the database. There aren’t any major changes to your resume. Since you weren’t considered initially, you’re ignored and not considered for the job.

From the manager’s perspective – the slow process

The normal way for an opening to come up is someone is getting fired or promoted. Sometimes a new project is coming up, or their expanding the department. The department head knows this in advance, frequently before anyone at HR.

So, he tells HR he needs people. HR asks for a job description which he writes for two hours. HR helpfully sends him 187 resumes. His secretary wades through them and guesses which are the best, then requests HR to call those people.

Eventually, HR says only 5 are available for interviews. Then he gets to interview all of them, and 2 of them are nutcases. Another isn’t qualified for the job. It soaks up a lot of time to search like this.

An alternative: the manager already knows potential candidates.

Instead of contacting human resources, he makes a half dozen calls to a few people he knows who would fit the job that he’s talked to before. Half of them aren’t interested, but one of them is you!

You got put on a fast track for the job when you called in and talked to him. When he was looking for a new worker, you’re who he called. You never had to deal with competing with other resumes, or even trying to be seen.

The time to contact the hiring manager, the CFO, controller, COO, or another involved person is BEFORE you’re needed.

Last thing: if you do talk to the manager, make sure you ask for their email so you can send both your resume and your contact information for them to find later.

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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Networking isn’t as fancy as spaghetti

I had some far-fetched metaphor with a pot of cooked spaghetti I was going to use… yeah…

Plan your network strategy in advance

Who are you going to contact? How? Send an email to a large pile of people is a low effort way to do that. It’s not the most successful on an individual basis, but it’s a great place to start.

When will you contact them? Don’t wait long. “Later” becomes “never”.

Start contacting

Each contact can give you something new. Like with the Christmas lights in the last post, you can get new contacts from these. Don’t miss that opportunity.

Call people

People seem to have this idea that they will be rejected if they call someone up. I call people for a living, and people who get upset are one in a million. You’re calling people you know. They’re happy to help you, and you’re not wasting their time.

Call some of the people you’ve been emailing after 5 days. Talking on the phone can get you a lot more information, as well as contact people who didn’t respond.

Let the network WORK

Chances are, you won’t get a bite right that second. Give it a bit of time to cook (like the failed spaghetti metaphor). Send another email to check up on them. Wait a few days, see who responds and talk to them.

Follow up

Follow up with everyone who contacts you. Follow those leads to their end and see if they work out.

Plan your strategy again

Bites don’t always come on the first try. Take what you’ve learned from your first try and plan it out for a second go.

Don’t forget to continue to search for jobs in other ways. Job boards are always around. Check them periodically. Call businesses. Don’t forget the basics.

Something To Do Today

Make a networking plan. Write it down on a piece of paper. If you need more networking hints, look up “networking” at

http://www.howtoreallygetagreatjob.com/blog/archives.aspx .

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I plug in a string of Christmas tree lights and they shine. The next set of lights plugs into that string, and they shine. String by string I build the decorations for a tree, the outside of my home, or a wedding reception. If one string isn’t working, I replace it with another. I won’t hurt the feelings of the string of lights that is not working.

Three things are relevant to your job search:

1. You plug in strings of lights until you get the coverage you need.
2. Just because the lights worked last year doesn’t mean they work this year.
3. Replace the strings that aren’t working.

Your network needs to be big enough to get you a job. Your network starts with your friends. Ask each one, individually, for help. Next come your acquaintances.  Next are the people you work with or have worked with. Finally come all the people you meet while job hunting. For each one find out who they know at companies that might give you jobs. 

There’s a time and place for everything. Ask someone who is interviewing you! (well, after you get turned down for that job). They may tell you to apply for a different job in their company, or at a friend’s company. Build your network until you have the coverage you need.

Last time you looked for a job, it may have been someone from the synagogue or the Elks Club who helped you find it. Try that approach again! Keep asking people about who they know. Don’t rely solely on that single group of people this time. Be sure and expand your network. Use all your contacts.

People can’t always help. So what? Try someone new.

Plug in that network. Try another and another. Don’t let one person’s refusal stop you. For example: Our recruiting agency refuses to help half the people who contact us. That just means you contacted the wrong agency. We have a narrow focus on banking, accounting, computers and sales. We couldn’t help the two rocket scientists who applied for a job over the years.

You need to plug in enough networks to show a bunch of jobs to apply for. It is hard work for most people. It also pays great dividends. It helps you get into that huge pool of jobs that are never advertised anywhere.

Something To Do Today

Make a list of people you know well. Contact at least one of them, preferably over the phone or in person, and ask if they can help you. Find out who they know at companies that might give you jobs.

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You get paid waiting for a job ad or a “Help Wanted” sign – in unemployment checks.

Jobs are hiding. You have to go looking for them. Don’t wait for them to look for you.

My friend wanted a dishwashing job. A dishwashing job. Yet, he was terrified to go into any restaurant and ask for a job unless they had already put out a “Help Wanted” sign. Unless they publicly display that they want help right that second, he won’t ask.

Companies only put out “Help Wanted” ads when they’re desperate

Not every company is desperate. Most jobs are filled internally – either by recommendations or by promotions. These jobs aren’t put in front of you. They’re hidden, and you have to put in the work to find them.

My friend wanted a job as a dishwasher. He struggled to get a high school equivalency diploma. You’re far ahead of him in most ways.

Are you scared like he was? You can’t wait for a “Help Wanted” sign either.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply there. People do get hired from job ads. When you apply for a job from an ad online, you get put into a large pile of resumes. They might not even see yours.

If you go in and individually to somewhere that isn’t directly asking for help, you’re not only on top of the pile, you’re the only resume in the pile. Yes, they might not be looking for someone, but it’s also risky to be in a pile that’s getting sorted by a robot. Call businesses that are in your field, even if they’re not actively searching to fill a position.

I plan to start talking next week about ways to get a job at companies that aren’t publicly asking for help.

Something To Do Today

Right now, write down a list of companies that you would like to work at.

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Sorry again that it’s been a while! Hectic week up here, just getting back into the flow of things.

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