Life is too short to do a job you hate.

April 14, 2014 | Author: Arleen Bradley
Most people hate their job. If you do, it's time to do something about it.

Most people hate their job. If you do, it’s time to do something about it.

Is Friday the longest day of the week and Sunday the shortest?  If are one the many Americans who hate their job, you answered yes.  Do you know anyone who actually loves their work?  I know just a few.  Most people I know hate their jobs. 

Why do people hate their jobs?  Well I can tell it isn’t always about the money because a raise will only make them happy for a short while.  Soon they will be back to hating their job.

If you hate your job, you might relate to one or more of the reasons below:

The environment is toxic:  the physical space has safety issues, needs a facelift, has technical issues, poor lighting, temperatures are inappropriate for the season, is too small or has noise issues.  However, making corrections in this area will not solve the problem.

Relationships are toxic:  The relations among leaders and with employees are broken down to the point where no one trusts anyone.  Bullies exist in the workplace.  Overbearing bosses and impossible deadlines contribute to bad feelings in the office. Financial issues resulting in cutbacks, layoffs, no advancement or raises are other causes.  Employees do not feel appreciated; instead they feel like they are cogs in the wheel propelling the company forward. 

The work itself:  The work may require heavy physical labor, repetitive motions, no opportunity for creativity, it is unpleasant to do, someone else wants you to do it, or you just don’t like that type of work. 

People want to feel engaged, part of the greater good, they are making a difference, and enjoy the work they do.  Money and perks won’t change these things or create job satisfaction.   They want a team atmosphere where communicating with leaders who listen and are concerned about their employees.  Also, doing the work they love to do instead of fulfilling someone else’s dream. 

If you aren’t happy in your work, it’s time to change it.  Life is too short to spend 1/3 of it hating what you do.  Start thinking about what you really enjoy doing and look for a job doing it.  It will make a difference in how you enjoy the other areas of your life.

 How can I help you in your job search?

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The Job Search and You

April 4, 2014 | Author: Arleen Bradley

 

You never know whom you are going to meet.

You never know whom you are going to meet.

In most instances in life you assume a certain level of quality in service, goods, etc.  Unless the quality is above or below your expectations, you won’t notice it.  But when you are looking for a job, how you communicate, dress and act will speak volumes about you. People won’t notice much about you unless you have issues with you communications, attire and actions. 

One of the best ways to get hired is to be professional in all that you do.  You never know when you will meet someone who wills open doors for you.  Be at your best at all times.   Whether it’s waiting in line at the bank or cheering for your favorite ball team, it’s beneficial to be seen as professional.

Here are my suggestions that will present you as a professional.

Appearance—you don’t need to dress in your interview suit every time you go out of the house.  But I do think that you should be showered, hair clean and neat, clean shaven, and your fingernails manicured—no broken nails or dirt underneath the nails, polish not chipped.  Pajama pants and ripped jeans don’t say hire me.  Be appropriately dressed for the occasion but not sloppy.  Shoes should be appropriate for your outfit and in good shape.

Act—like a professional, watch the alcohol intake, use your manners, be polite to everyone, refrain from offensive hand signals when driving.  Treat everyone with kindness and respect.

Talk—avoid gossiping, swearing, being loud and obnoxious, and saying negative things about your former employer or company.  Remember the magic words, please and thank you.

Outgoing Messages—set up these messages saying your full name and ask the caller’s name and the number where they can be reached.

Social Media—employers will Google you at some point in your candidacy with their company.
LinkedIn Profile Picture-should be a professional headshot, a close up, and you should be alone and look like you do when you work.  Nothing suggestive, sloppy, or

Facebook—set the privacy settings as tight as you can.  Even so, others can repost your posts.  Keep them proper for your job search.  Photos of you with drinks in your hand and tipsy don’t appeal to hiring managers.

Digital dirt—do a Google search on you.  See what comes up.  If there is something questionable, do what you can to get rid of it.  Are there people with your same name?  Make sure you give future employers the correct spelling of your name and some other information that will identify you as you.

Today job searching is no longer limited to reading the want ads in the newspaper.  Networking is the key, and it happens everywhere and anywhere.  You may strike up a conversation with the person next you and it will serve you to be well groomed and dressed neatly.  Always be ready to meet your next employer or the person who knows him/her.

How can I help you in your job search?

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From Skunk to Job Search Success

April 2, 2014 | Author: Arleen Bradley
Success!!

Success!!

In my last post, I talked about purple squirrels and skunks.  If you are purple squirrel, you are very fortunate and don’t need much help.  However, if you are a skunk, I’m sure you want some help to lose the stigma.  In this post, I will tell you how to remove it.

I explained that a skunk is someone who reeks of desperation.  Like a skunk, no one wants to have dealings with desperate people.  It is bad for the reputation of friends and relatives to recommend the desperate job searcher.  Their attitude prevents people from enjoying their company.  The constant pestering for updates gets annoying.  And when by willing take any job at any pay rate, no one what they are looking for, so they can’t help.

If you are a skunk, I hope you aren’t, here are a few things you can do to get back into a successful job search.

  • Realize you have value.  You have skills and experience that you can offer an employer.  Know your unique selling proposition and look for positions that require it.
  • Only apply for positions you are qualified for and would enjoy doing.  Settling for a job, any job is counterproductive.  You are wasting your time to apply for positions you are overqualified for. 
  • Read the job description and requirements.  Are you what they are looking for? Or do you think you are?  If you aren’t sure, call them ask about the job and what exactly they are looking for.
  • You deserve to make a living wage based on your skills and experience.  Yes, you may have to take a cut in pay for some positions.  But accepting any entry level position with the corresponding pay rate won’t do your self-esteem or career any good.  You will get frustrated and eventually regret the company and the job.
  • During the interview, hold your dignity.  Arrive confident and capable.  Be able to answer the questions completely and without begging for the job.  Show them how you are the best person for the job because of your skills and experience.  Highlight your unique selling proposition.
  • Follow-up in a professional way.  Don’t harass the hiring manager or your contact at the company.  People don’t like that.  In fact, your candidacy will end. 
  • And finally, change your attitude.  Do whatever it takes to improve your mood.  Exercise, eat healthy foods, get enough rest for you, meditate, and connect with your higher power.  Associate with positive people and have some fun.  Be easy on yourself; beating yourself up isn’t good for your job search.  Believe in yourself because I believe in you.  I know you can get a good job that is worthy of you.  Just believe it and act like it. 

How do I know these works?  I know it works because I coached a desperate person.  After making the suggested changes, this person is now working.  The person had every right to be desperate.  Already homeless twice before, this person was facing it a third time and didn’t want to go there ever again.  It took a while, but I was able to coach this person to success and in a job the person loves. 

 How can I help you in your job search?

Image:  freedigitalphotos.net    stockimages

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Are You Treated like a Purple Squirrel or a Skunk?

March 31, 2014 | Author: Arleen Bradley

Are recruiters avoiding you?

As a job search can be either a purple squirrel or a skunk.  Recruiters look for purple squirrels and avoid skunks.  What are purple squirrels and skunks?

First of all, you must understand purple squirrels don’t exist.  They exist only in the minds of company recruiters.  A purple squirrel is a candidate that has all the requirements in the job description with the exactly the right amount of experience and education.  And they can be hired for just the right price.

A skunk is a person who reeks of desperation.  You can find them by their scent.  The same is true for a person desperate for a job, any job.  Recruiters can smell a desperate job searcher a mile away, hence the term skunk.  I don’t think recruiters call desperate job searchers skunks, but it serves the purpose of this post. 

This post is not about the purple squirrel, rather it is about skunks.  The people who are desperate and do things that annoy recruiters so much they are avoided instead of considered.   

People who are desperate have some similar characteristics:

  • They apply for everything and anything that they think fits their skills and requirements.  They are thinking I could do that.
  • They apply for positions they are over-qualified for because it’s an open position.  Someone with an advanced degree applies for an entry-level job.
  • They think their qualifications are similar to the requests of the company.   My husband is a math professor at a nearby college.  When the math department wants to hire a math professor, they advertise for a person with a Ph.D. in Math.  They receive resumes of people who are engineers, physicists, and high school math teachers.  If they wanted an engineer, physicist or high school math teacher, they would advertise for one.  The non-Ph.D. in Math isn’t considered at all.
  • They don’t care about the money as long as they get paid something.  It doesn’t matter if they like the job; they figure it’s a paycheck. 
  • They follow-up aggressively.  There is a fine line between follow-up and stalking.  They cross the line. 
  • They just about beg for the job at an interview.  Instead of showing how they are qualified for position, they use phrases such as, “I need this job”, or “I can do this job, just give me a chance.”

You may be desperate for a job, but as the Gillette Company Dry Idea commercial says, “Never let them see you sweat.”  In my next post, I will give you ways to go beyond your desperation to get the job. 

How can I help you in your job search?

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Questions Beyond the Interview Questions

March 28, 2014 | Author: Arleen Bradley
Answers to questions result in good hires.

Answers to questions result in good hires.

Recruiters and hiring managers have many questions.  It’s their job to ask questions to hire the best person for the job.  They don’t want to make a costly mistake.  It will cost the company money and cost the recruiters or hiring managers their reputation. 

The place where the recruiters and hiring managers ask most of their questions is in the interview.  However, they have other question, in addition to the standard interview, questions.  Some of them are unspoken, but the answers are observed not heard. 

Here are some of the questions the recruiters and hiring managers are asking about job candidates.

Can You:

prove it?  Instead of saying that you are an award willing (job title) or have excellent interpersonal skills, give examples that prove it.  Show in dollars or percentages what you can do.  Not everyone has the type of job that has numbers to show.  Rather, tell them how you did things better than anyone.   Maybe you created systems to streamline your tasks. 

say that concisely?  People get annoyed when some goes on and on and on instead of giving a clear and concise answer to a simple question.  It’s a time waster, and it signals either insecurity or bragging.

prepare all documents like résumés and cover letters?  Resumes and cover letters are perfect because just about everyone has insisted that is the only way a résumé and cover letter should be.  But what do follow-up documents look like?   People send thank you notes, writing samples and emails to the company with errors and show their true writing skills.

follow directions? Give them everything they want and nothing they don’t.  By not following the directions when applying for the job, they wonder what you will be like when you work for them.

fit in with the current employees?  The most qualified candidate isn’t always the one hired.  The fact that a candidate got an interview indicates the qualifications and requirements are met.  But during the interview they are looking to see if they work with the candidate.  Is the person a diva?  Do they feel entitled?  Do they have idiosyncrasies that could drive others crazy?   Or can they handle the quirky personalities of the team?

tell me about the company?  Doing research on the company and learning as much as possible can show the interviewer that the candidate is serious about working at the company.  They want to see that the skills, experience and goals of the candidate are consistent with the mission of the company.

Are You

telling me the truth?  Job searchers may think they are fooling the interviewer, but chances are they’re not.  Honesty in the job search is important.  There are ways to find out if someone is telling the truth.  They can contact people not on the reference list, check out social media, or they may know someone who knows the candidate.  The world is small, and it gets smaller. 

reliable?  How promptly requested information is provided or how quickly phone calls are returned, indicates your reliability.  If the candidate’s word is good and honors promises made.

interested in working here?  Some job seachers will use the same template for their cover letters.  However, when a company receives a cover letter for another position, in another company or to someone who doesn’t work at the company, the candidacy ends immediately.   

desperate and/or depressed?  The company doesn’t want to hire people who are desperate and depressed about their job search because these people will take anything.  They want people who are enthused and engaged. 

Recruiters and hiring managers are watching and observing all the signs–verbal and nonverbal signs.  They are looking at the whole person not just the skills and experience.  Knowledge is power.  When the job searcher understands this, they are empowered to do the right thing.

How can I help you in your job search?

Image:  freedigitalphotos.net  ponsulak

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