Do Research; Don't Become Mr. Know-it-all

Remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons? They were a wonderful part of my growing up. There was a part of the show where Bullwinkle took on the persona of “Mr. Know-it-all,” and Rocky watched in dismay as Mr. Know-it-all tried to demonstrate something and always made a mess of it. Every time Mr. Know-it-all demonstrated how to do something he ended up learning a much harder lesson.

This is true for job seekers and people interviewing for a new job. There is a point where you need to research a company and learn what you can about the products, the market, competitors and get a feel for the company. The goal here is to become familiar with the company and its external persona or presence. This will help the job seeker or interviewee to be more confident and comfortable during the interview.

Some folks take it a little too far, however. The feel anxious about the interview and the lack of control one has in the whole process and they attempt to exert some “wisdom” into the interview. The take the opportunity to show the interviewer all they know about the company, to show off a little. And like Mr. Know-it-all they end up on their backside, stars twirling around their head, wondering what happened.

I remember one candidate who chose the end of the interview to ask me questions about the company, demonstrating to me his knowledge and insight into our company. He started off by quoting the current stock price and pointing out the fact that the price had dropped 14%. Then he asked what I personally was doing to change that trend. I was the company’s head of Quality at the time, therefore, everything I personally did was focused on the betterment of the company, and I said that and ended the interview with, “Well we’re out of time. Someone will be in touch with you regarding next steps.” 
I’m still not sure how pointing out that my personal wealth was down 14% was going to make me see him as a good fit. We didn’t hire him. But, I believed that he had done his homework about the company.

I’m not a big fan of candidates asking questions in the first interview anyway, but being familiar with our product and understanding what I was referring to when I went over the company and our products would have been a better approach. Nobody likes a show-off or a Mr. Know-it-all and this is very much the case in an interview. Do research and be prepared to respond to the interviewer’s questions. That will show them just what they need to know about you and how you may fit into their company. Next time we’ll go over the two phases of a job search: getting the offer first and then analyzing the offer second.

Enjoy the Meaning of the Season

Lot’s of folks have taken temp jobs with retailers who have added staff for the Holiday shopping season. It’s much like the saying, “Strike while the fire is hot.” Or, “Make hay while the sun shines.”  A few of my clients tell me that they are really happy for the opportunity to work and get a paycheck. But... they expect that after Christmas their jobs will probably go away.

Yet, I have one client that knows the score and how these jobs come and go, however, she is working as though she is on a 6 to 8 week long interview. She’s “working her butt off” and doing everything she can to do to ingratiate herself on the managers. She looking for this to turn into a full-time gig. She knows that her chances are slim, but she also knows that stores often invite the best of the “Holiday Temps” to stay on.

She reminded me that it’s more than just working hard. I point out to job seekers that a hiring manager will often choose one candidate over the other folks because they like that person better and see them fitting better into their team. This is really true, so if you have a “temp job” this year, think of it as a very long interview where you can prove you value.

Still, just having a job, even a temp job, is like getting a Christmas present. Christmas presents under the tree will be a common site in most households. But the holidays aren’t only about the gifts. The holidays give us an opportunity to stop and think about our blessings.

It doesn’t matter if it is Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa that you’re celebrating, we need to step out of our everyday lives and experience the meaning of the Season. This is a gift that you can give yourself, regardless of the balance of your check book.

For this year, may you have a blessed holiday. May you wake up in the morning and find that you’ve received a special present under the tree. May you have a fire in your hearth that warms you and your heart. And may you know that you are special, loved and important to our community and the whole world.

Football, Turkey & Networking "Time for a SALE"

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and people are travelling all around America to celebrate the holiday with friends and family. This year the Thanksgiving NFL game with the Lions promises to be enjoyable even for Detroit fans. But for job seekers, large get-togethers are often dreaded. “What do I say to people when they ask me, ‘What’s up, or how’s work?’” runs through many job seekers’ minds.

Yet the coach says, “What a great opportunity to network with people on your list. What a great time to add people to your contact list.” Let’s face it, to career coaches, Thanksgiving (in fact all holidays) are a fantastic opportunity to network. Just remember to 

S-A-L-E (Smile, Ask, Listen, & Eat).

Smile, be warm, welcoming and friendly. Even if you’re visiting and not the host take on the attitude of a gracious host. Greet people upon arrival, the host and hostess are probably busy with everyone so help them out. Smiling will help you to feel good and makes those around you want to smile too.

Ask questions upon your arrival and the arrival of the other guests; engage with everyone at the gathering. Trust in the fact that people like to talk about themselves and will tell you more than you want to know. But they will also tell you things that could help your job search. Remember to ask them about work and things in their community. Trust that they will appreciate someone actually asking about them. When you’re asked about yourself, everything is great!!! The job search is running smoothly and you have some great opportunities... only now isn’t the best time to talk about it, Detroit just scored.

Listen to what everyone says. Listen to responses and look for things that are of interest to your job search. But!!! don’t jump in with a pitch for why you’d be a great candidate to solve the problems they have at work. Mostly they’re trying to forget about work for a couple days. Be supportive and make mental notes. Then ask more questions looking for common interests and listen some more.

Eat your dinner in small bites so that when someone asks you questions about your situation, you don’t choke. Or you don’t have to chew for another 30 seconds and swallow and miss the opportunity to share an interesting insight, story or anecdote. Relax over dinner, you’re not there to give your elevator speech or hand out your resume or handbill. You’re there to celebrate and express thanks for all your blessings.

Then after Thanksgiving, follow up and call the friends and family you saw; use LinkedIn to connect or reconnect. Ask the local folks for some time to meet and discuss what’s going on in your job search; ask for some help and advice. You can utilize the three networking questions then... not over Thanksgiving dinner.

Hopefully during and after dinner you’ll realize all the blessings you have in your life. Maybe things aren’t 100% wonderful... but you’re alive, you’re loved and you probably had some good food, drink and conversation. And who knows maybe the Lions will win a Thanksgiving game this year.

Invitations and Social Media

Social Media Etiquette: When sending invitations in social networking add a personal message. Someone wise once said that if you were at a conference you wouldn’t go around handing out your business card without talking to the people. Sending a personal note with the invitation is like talking to people when you pass out your card. 

I get all kinds of invitations to connect with folks. Mostly, I’m an open networker, so I accept most everyone’s invitation. However, I know many open networkers who will ignore an invitation to connect if there isn’t a personalized note attached with the invitation. Just the default message is often considered bad form. 

For me, I like to know how I can help the person I am networking with. So if we’ve not met face to face, or even when we have, I’ll ask for a meeting to get to know them better. Networking is all about relationships and relationships commonly occur through utility. What I mean is this; going back in history to ancient Greece and Aristotle it was understood that friendships often began as two people worked together on a project of some kind. 

Getting to know one another is in part getting to know what the other person is good at and what they are not and how you can be of service to each other. When I “network” with people it’s often about how I can help them and/or can I introduce them to someone who can assist or help them. 

Social Media is a bonanza for helping people connect and keep track of their connections. It helps networkers network better. I appreciate the updates I see about my connections through LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.  I can drop a quick note to say hi, congratulations or ask what’s up. Easy and quick, and it reminds folks that I’m out in the world especially when I’m not just next door.

I read an article recently that argued against the comment many people make that they aren’t any good at networking. Social networking and networking share this in common, people say they aren’t any good at it. In fact, most people would be fine with social networking if they just applied simple etiquette. Saying “Hi” and “Thank you” and taking a second to acknowledge someone with a smile or status update. Smiles work great in face to face networking and a smiley can makes a person’s day as well. 

Another great tip is to give before you receive. Social networking utilizes the trust economy. Asking for help via a social network like LinkedIn or Facebook, but if you’re always taking and never giving people will see that and identify you as a user and not a giver. Answering people’s questions on LinkedIn is a great way to increase your presence in your network. (Remember these are the people you’re connected to and the groups you are part of.)  And if your answers are good, you’ll rise in people’s esteem and they’ll remember you. 

One last tip is if you want recommendations, give recommendations. In LinkedIn you need three recommendations to have a 100% complete profile. And the easiest way I know to get a recommendation is to write one for someone in your network. When you do that, LinkedIn then points out that it would be nice if they returned the favor by writing you a recommendation. Or you could just ask a person in your network if they would be kind enough to write you a recommendation. Remember someone wise once said, “... ask and you will receive.”

Connecting with folks is as easy as saying hi! Growing your network is as easy as saying, would you like to connect with me? Facebook makes it even easier, there we can be friends. :-)