SOMEBODY’S Got to Tell Them!
by Pamelagrace Beatty
OK my friends, this is a wee bit of a rant, but it is an important rant. For any of you who have grandchildren looking for new jobs, or even for you if you are looking for jobs, here are 7 essential things to incorporate as you do your search. I am inspired to write this by what I see the young folks doing, or not doing, lately, when they apply for jobs where I am working. I can’t believe what they don’t seem to know! So, I am asking, pleading with grandparents to pull the coat-tail of your young’uns…please!
Just so you know:
I have been a recruiter off and on since I was 22, and I’m retirement age now. You would think what I have learned would be outdated by now, but it isn’t. Being pleasant and polite is never outdated. Being on time and presentable, also never outdated. Yes, fashions change but being appropriately dressed for the job situation, is always necessary. But I am tipping my hand so here is my list of 7 key things the young folks should consider as they look for jobs.
They are in no particular order because they are all important.
- Show up on time
That is a little easier, now that Zoom is the way most initial interviews are being done these days. However, there is a shift toward going back to work, and interviews are being held sometimes in offices. If you are in a major city, the traffic has probably increased and may be unpredictable. Allow extra time so that you get there on time. You always have the luxury of reading stuff on your phone if you are really early, or you can relax and go over what you know about the organization and how you will answer their questions. Read the job description they posted, and be prepared to tell them how what you have done fits the position, and why you are a match. And, read up on questions employers ask in interviews. There is a lots of information on the internet. Look it up and get a feel for what employers ask job applicants. Could make a big difference for you in your interview.
- Know your strengths
Great, you read the job description and you looked up questioning styles on the internet. Good job! Now, figure out how what you have done makes you qualified for that job. Be prepared to share that with the interviewers whether they ask you or not. Not all interviewers have been taught to use the best questions for getting to know what a job seeker can do or know. So, you have to help them get to know you. Be careful with this “help” though. You don’t want to appear obnoxiously confident, but it is important to make sure the interviewer knows what they should know about you. Write down your accomplishments and extract your strengths from that list. Be prepared to give an example of that accomplishment and your part in it. Pretend it is a school essay about “Why I am the right candidate for this job” by You.
- Know to whom you are speaking
Speaking of the internet, look up the company and read what they do, what their mission is and so on. Some job seekers have gone so far as to look up the people they know they will be talking to online. Check out LinkedIn to see who people are in the company, if they are not mentioned on the company website. Once you know whom you are talking to DO NOT (Yes, I want that in caps) discuss with the interviewer what you read about them on the ‘net. It sounds like you are kissing up and frankly, I find it creepy! If you must mention something, do it respectfully and subtly. For example, maybe you found out the interviewer does volunteer work for a good cause. Maybe mention your volunteer work for good causes, but not theirs.
It’s a match…or is it?
Sometimes a recruiter will call you out of the blue and want to interview you on the spot. If you have been responding to many job ads, you may not remember this job or this company. It does help to keep track of which jobs you applied to. Unemployment insists on it. A spreadsheet is a great help – especially for collecting unemployment. Dates, companies, job title, all in one place. You may not have information on the company there, so if you get an unexpected call from a recruiter who wants to talk to you now, just admit you are serious about your job search and have applied to several companies. If the recruiter is willing to set a future time to talk with you, then look up that company and the job description. See how you match it and be ready for that interview! Interviewers don’t like it when an applicant knows nothing about their company, and are even more unimpressed when an applicant doesn’t know anything about the job! So, darlings, do your homework.
So, what happened was…
Develop a decent story about why you left your last company (or companies). Do not, I repeat, DO NOT talk bad about past companies or supervisors! Phrases like, “I wanted more advancement, opportunities, independence…” Watch that last one; they may not be looking for independent people. Don’t tell interviewers you were fired. If they ask soften it with “We were not a match,” and try not to go into too much detail. Meanwhile, have a nice way of getting around your anger or disappointment about losing that job. As mentioned earlier, a good one is “We just weren’t a match.”
Johnnie who?
OK, ranting again. Regarding references: Every job will ask you for several. You don’t have to put them on your resume or application. Frankly, this is to protect you and your references. Usually, the employer will only ask for references when they are serious about you as a candidate. Otherwise, the references are none of their business. Plus, I have known unscrupulous hiring managers to call references before deciding if they want to hire the candidate, which is blatantly unfair! Where the “rant” comes in here is on job seekers who don’t:
1. Ask permission to use someone as a reference.
2. Let the reference know to expect a call.
This causes the person checking the references to make multiple attempts to reach the reference. That was hard enough before caller I.D. (See how long I have been doing this?), and near impossible with caller I.D. now, because pretty much no one answers unknown numbers. It helps to give both a phone number and an email, even though there is a possibility that the email will go to the junk file. Still, let the reference know you are using them. If, however, the hiring manager wants a past supervisor and especially if that supervisor didn’t like you or you were fired, have an alternate person for them to talk to, and good luck with that.
He’s just the secretary…
Be nice to EVERYBODY (again, caps worthy). There was a time when I would check with the receptionist to see how candidates treated them. If the candidate was rude to the receptionist, or anyone, I would take them out of the game. Many job seekers, and other folks, are nice to those in charge, but slip up with people they deem unimportant. That can be a deal breaker! Be polite and respectful to everyone. If you are not, hiring managers assume you will be rude to others in the organization behind their backs. Still be nice to everyone even after you are hired.
This might sound like common sense, but I’m telling ya, I’m not always seeing these behaviors in the people I am interviewing lately, or, for the last ten years! As I mentioned, some things somethings don’t change. Being polite, being knowledgeable, and being prepared are all important for today’s job seeker, regardless of age.
