3 Quick Job Search Reminders

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Three things that are often forgotten but very important.

1) Send a cover letter unless the requisition says not to.

2) Send a resume follow-up letter about a week after the position opening closes. If you don't know that date, send it about 10-14 days after you submit your resume.

3) Ensure that all of your job search documents present you as someone who accomplishes things (rather than someone who simply does things).

Following these three tips will put you ahead of most candidates.

More Career Satisfaction

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We're heading into the final stretch of the year. I can't believe it. It seems like I was just writing about my wish for my clients late in 2015: That they feel "on purpose" and fulfilled in life.

While we still have time left in 2016, I want to resurface some questions:

What changes do you want to make?

What will bring you more career satisfaction?

What necessary "next move" have you been delaying?

Ask yourself these questions, as tough as they might be. Give yourself some honest answers, and turn those answers into an action plan.

I just worked with a guy who turned what he intended to be a "temporary job" (as a manufacturing manager) into a 17 year mis-step. 

It's not too late. It's never to late. He and many of my clients are proof of that.

You can read that entire post here.

Move Your Career Forward

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Wishing a happy holiday to all of you celebrating Labor Day.

As summer comes to and end (for my Northern hemisphere readers), I want to quickly announce that I am extending my promotion on Tandem's Toolkit through Friday.

You can read all about it here.

Autumn is a time of rejuvenation for many people. Why not apply that mindset to your own career. I promise, you won't regret it.

Have a great day!

What Interviewers are Really Thinking

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I got a few questions like this after recently posting about nailing your resume and job interview.

Q: While I appreciate your thoughts on being mindful of how you present yourself, I don't know that I see the harm in coming off as extremely professional and qualified. Even if that means my personality is dimmed a bit. Isn't it the hiring team's job to extend an offer to the most qualified applicant?

A: Well, yes and no. Many would argue that the goal is to hire the most suitable candidate. But that's not what you're really asking.

Professionalism – even extreme professionalism – is never out of order in a job interview. Let me make that perfectly clear. If you're going to skew, that's definitely the way you want to skew.

However, what I was intending to do with that post is to give readers some insight into the reality behind the hiring process. Remember, much of my professional work is on that side of the table.

Injecting you – a polished yet personable you – is important for a couple of reasons:

1) Like it or not, the people who are interviewing with you are imagining having to work with you several days a week. People like to work with people they like. Period. 

2) Those same people interviewing you do not want to feel threatened by you. Remember, they have their own careers and professional trajectory to keep in mind. So, coming off as overly "buttoned up" can send a message that some interviewers don't want to hear.

This is behind-the-scenes sort of stuff. Not right or wrong. Just the reality. 

Top Advice When Negotiating a Job Offer

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My experience doing HR Consulting gives me a lot of valuable insight that I enjoy sharing with my Career Development clients. More and more, I am helping my clients navigate job offers – oftentimes many job offers – in an increasingly competitive climate for companies that are hiring. 

Tech companies, I'm looking at you.

Since I get asked (a lot) about how to maximize salary and benefits as part of the negotiating process, I want to provide one top tip that I share with clients during these consulting sessions.

Upon receiving the offer, say something like: "I can't wait to talk this over with my family." Or "husband" "wife" "professional circle" – you get the idea.

Doing this serves two key purposes:

1) It takes the pressure off. You won't feel "forced" to immediately declare "YES!" to the offer if you share this plan with the person making the offer.

2) It demonstrates that you are making a thoughtful, informed decision and that other stakeholders have a say. This makes you an even more attractive candidate.

Get in touch if you want my help. I am not able to offer many coaching sessions, and they fill up fast.

Reenergize Your Career

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Starting today, until the end of August, I am offering a discount on one of my most popular services: Tandem's Toolkit. This toolkit is a comprehensive suite of job-search documents and tools that sets clients up for success. The thing that clients like most about Tandem's Toolkit is YouFinder:

Introduced in 2015 after careful preparation and planning, YouFinder is raising the bar in terms of clients' preparedness to take their careers to the next level.

If there's anything I've learned in the last decade+ of doing this work, it's that 1) knowing your strengths and natural talents is key for a successful career (and life!) and that 2) most clients are not in touch with their strengths and natural talents.

The contradiction between #1 and #2 keeps many careers from flourishing.

To read more about Tandem's Toolkit, click here. To learn more about how it can help you (and about the discount!) get in touch.

Nailing The Resume And Job Interview

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Over the last several weeks, I have been on a search/hiring committee, helping one of my consulting client's secure a pool of top candidates for a key executive position.

During a few of the committee's meeting – reviewing resumes and talking about the applicants in general – we all found ourselves struck by how "unreal" people tend to make themselves on resumes and in person.

It's as if a majority of the applicants went into the process with the goal of "sounding important" on paper. What's sad is that a solid chunk of the candidates have backgrounds that stand on their own and would rise to the top by presenting those backgrounds in a powerful, thoughtful manner.

I have to say, this is a key reason why hiring a Career Strategist (like me!) is so beneficial. When we're writing about ourselves, it's tough to get out of our own way in bringing our best to the surface. It's disheartening to see competent, credentialed people come off as less than.

Some things to keep in mind.

1) Bring the best version of you to the surface. The key here is the "of you" part. Never let your essence disappear from how you present yourself.

2) Be articulate. Don't get too soundbite-y and definitely don't get too verbose. Practice packaging the best of you powerfully and succinctly.

3) Stay calm. It's feelings of desperation that often compel us to say and do things that aren't natural. Check your state of mind when you are working on your resume and preparing for an interview.

Want more? Check out this post I wrote several years ago.

Happy Birthday National Parks!

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This month – August 2016 – marks the 100th birthday of the US National Park System. As you click around this site, it will come as no surprise that I love the great outdoors and am very inspired by the beauty of my country's vast protected spaces. Many of the pictures that you see on the site are from different National Parks across the country. 

As summer starts to wind down, I want to encourage my readers – both in the US and abroad – to make it to a National Park during this centennial celebration. You can find inspiration here.

I am promoting our National Park network, as I believe it's important for each of us to give back in a way that feels appropriate. Via my Tandem Empowers program, I enjoy giving back to people in need and to charities that help to empower the world's most disadvantaged people. This year – for the first time – I am happy to throw my support behind something that's near and dear to my heart and the hearts of many of my fellow citizens: America's best idea – our National Park System.

Join me in heading outside this summer and rejuvenating ourselves for an amazing, productive Autumn.

Job Search Tips

You’re viewing an archived post. This post was originally published by The Change Laboratory, which is now part of No Vacation Required — our platform for Everyday Fulfillment. While this content is archived, it’s still full of solid advice and timeless insights.

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On the topic of bad job search advice (like "Don't send a cover letter!"), I want to resubmit this post from the archives:

Here is just a sampling of some of the purported “changes” to the job search and employment landscape that have been clogging up the Internet.

Companies no longer accept resumes – I read an article about a San Francisco creative firm that did not accept resumes. One firm. That article spawned several weeks of articles about how companies were eschewing resumes and instead only paying attention to “social” resumes – candidates’ presence on social media. Rest assured that this is not a trend. Companies are more and more likely to weigh your “social resume,” but that doesn’t mean the resume is going anywhere.

No one reads cover letters – This one comes up a lot and is a classic example of over-inflating the preferences of a few. There are definitely hiring managers and recruiters who will not read your cover letter. However, there are plenty of others that will see your cover letter as an opportunity to learn more about your qualifications and motivations. In fact, as companies are trying to maximize every dollar by hiring the best fit – the cover letter has taken on a new importance. And it's often a key tie-breaker when comparing final candidates.

You will be removed from the running if you send a thank you note – I wrote a post about this because it just seemed so counter to the prevailing wisdom. There are several arguments against sending a thank you note – none of which hold much weight. As I shared in that post, I maintain that a thank you letter is a key part of the job search process.

The job search process is nerve-racking enough without the addition of misinformation and disinformation. It’s no wonder that people feel overwhelmed.

Take some comfort in the fact that some basic tenets of the job search process still hold true.  Thank you notes are not bad, cover letters still make a difference and you will not have to create a diorama or original song to get your next job.

Have a great week!

Employers Weigh Cover Letters Heavily

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If you've read this blog for any period of time, you'll likely note that I often express my surprise over my clients' surprise when told that cover letters matter. This is not for all employers, of course, but for many. In my experience on the HR consulting side of the fence, decent employers care about cover letters.

Just this morning, a client sent me a job description with this blurb on the bottom. It's great advice to follow.

A cover letter that highlights three reasons you think you’d be great for the gig, focusing on how your past work experience has prepared you for this kind of position – or why you think you can rock the job even though you don’t have past work experience that’s perfectly aligned. Writing is key to all that we do, and we weigh cover letters heavily.

Need help with your cover letter and other top-notch job search documents. Get in touch.