Posts Tagged ‘job seeker’

A recent post on a career industry association e-list sparked quite a discussion about job seeker appearance and hiring standards. An association member came across a job board that caters to “beautiful, skilled and talented people looking for employment” and “employers who are looking to hire beautiful, skilled and talented people.” To access job leads, candidates must first register and upload their photo, which is then rated by visitors and members to determine if the account should be activated or rejected.

Is there no end to the limits some individuals will go to in exploiting the tight job market while making candidates feel less than worthy?

Okay, I will admit that appearance has always been a factor in how candidates are evaluated during the interview. After all, don’t we advise candidates to “look their best” when approaching an employer? We coach clients on what to wear, how to fix their hair and make-up, and what subtle things such as facial hair and fingernail length communicate to an employer. And we talk to clients about how they need “to look the part” to “get the part” – which is what makes some job titles, such as librarian or construction worker,  immediately conjure up images that even the most diplomatic employer has to shake.

Set aside the audaciousness of BeautifulJobSeekers.com and we are still faced with reconciling the impact one’s photo has on their success in landing a job. With the widespread use of social media to match candidates to jobs, are employers - who are trying to comply with EEO regulations - feeling like they need to cover their eyes when reviewing candidate credentials on Facebook, LinkedIn and other online networking sites? Are hungry lawyers lining up to pursue action against employers on behalf of candidates who feel they have been rejected because of their apparent age, race, ethnic background – or heaven forbid, height, weight and eye color!?

I don’t know the answer, but it all makes me a little nervous. As a professional résumé writer, I have always scoffed at competitors who advised clients to include a photo on their résumé, but now I am wondering if I should rethink my position. In a country that seems to have lost its senses to reality TV, entertainment magazines, and viewer-cast ballots for who should be the next “American Idol,” maybe it’s time that employers and career services professionals have some serious conversations about how these trends are impacting the job market – and come up with some realistic solutions.

What we have here is an example of a “loaded question.”  Are you asking because you think it does, and you need someone to confirm it? Or perhaps you love the dress and are fishing for a compliment. Another possibility is that you really do not know how it looks and you need someone to tell you. How one answers that question varies from individual to individual and has as much to do with personal preferences as it does with good fashion sense. Ask 10 people, and you may get 10 different answers.

A similar scenario holds true when a job seeker solicits feedback on their résumé. Here’s a recent example of how this plays out: Last week I completed the first draft of a résumé and sent it to the client. She was extremely pleased and with some minor adjustments, we were ready to finalize it. Then she showed it to a “headhunter” who recommended some additional changes. After incorporating those changes, she met with another headhunter, who also recommended changes. I would be willing to bet that if she were to show it to two or three other headhunters, colleagues, friends or family members, she would hear two or three additional recommendations of what she should change.

For most people, looking for work is not something they enjoy doing. No one likes to put themselves out there and risk being rejected. Often job seekers will avoid putting them selves out there by repeatedly “massaging” their résumé until it is “perfect.” And as long as they keep soliciting feedback that will lead to more changes, the résumé will never be perfect – thus they can avoid the stress of putting themselves out there.

When a job seeker asks me to give them feedback on their résumé, I always begin by asking three questions:

•  Is the content accurate?
• When you read it, do you feel proud – does it show off your best features and make you “look fabulous?”
• Is it getting you interviews for the types of positions you are seeking that pay you the salary you deserve?

If he or she answers “yes” to every question, than it really does not matter what I - or anyone else - has to say about the document. As with dresses, there are many styles of resumes and many opinions about what is good and what needs fixing. Find what works for you – then use it!

Join The Career Clinicians as they interview one of the top healthcare industry recruiters, Cindy Keefer of Keefer Healthcare Recruiting on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 7 pm ET.

Cindy will share “insider information” on:

• What it takes to get and stay on recruiters’ “radar screens”
• What type of candidates are / are not a perfect match for recruiters
• What the role of the recruiter is when filling positions
• Common mistakes job seekers make when connecting with recruiters
• The technology many recruiters use to “categorize and search” for candidates who match position requirements
• The importance of having a great resume before contacting a recruiter

Listeners can hear the show live through their computer on Blog Talk Radio at http://bit.ly/dfsW1N

The Career Clinicians will be taking calls at (917) 889-9043.

I admit it - I watch The Bachelor® on ABC. But, not for the same reasons that other people watch it. You know, the "let's see if he really finds his true love" deal. No, I watch it for another reason.

By nature, I am a strategist and I like to observe how other people make decisions and try to figure out the psychology behind WHY they make the choices they do. To me, this show is fascinating because the audience is never really given a reason why The Bachelor sends people home. So, I like to put my own reasoning to the test.

Now, if you aren't familiar with how the show works, basically ABC chooses a Bachelor and then finds him 25 women (to start) from which he is supposedly going to find his true love. In the first episode, he meets with them at a cocktail party and gets to know something about each one by sitting down with her for a few minutes.

At the end of every show, there is a "Rose Ceremony" where he hands out roses to the women he wants to stay and continue in the process. Then, as the season progresses, he keeps choosing until he is down to the final two women. From 1 of these 2 women, he selects the person he will propose to, and then (supposedly) will end up marrying.

On this season of The Bachelor®, Jake Pavelka, a 31-year-old commercial airline pilot from Denton, Texas is looking for his true love. This season intrigued me more because I worked in the airline industry for 16 years. So, I decided I had to watch it.

Even though we are only three episodes into the season, there have been some interesting twists AND some great (and not so great) decisions made by Jake based upon limited information he gathers from the women.

Based upon some of his decisions, I began to think about his process from a job search perspective because there are some definite parallels between finding a job and spouse.

Here are the parallels I see and how they can be applied to searching for a job:

1. Start with a list of 25 employers (or find 25 positions) that fit your criteria. Unlike the show finding the women for Jake, no one chooses 25 companies for you. You have to do that on your own. However, Jake must have given ABC some criteria of what he was looking for in a potential spouse. So, think about what you want in your next employer and identify those companies that fit the bill.
2. Do your research on those companies. On the show, Jake gets to read the bios of the women before he meets them. While he probably doesn't have a lot of information to work with in the beginning, as a job seeker, you have the Internet, the library, company annual reports (if they are publicly held), and possibly "insiders" at the companies from your network. However, one of the best informational websites on companies is www.glassdoor.com, which provides "dirt" and "positive" information about companies anonymously supplied by employees.
3. Conduct "informational interviews." Jake gets to conduct "information gathering" sessions with each woman on every episode. This happens through "group" or "one-on-one" dates. His time is limited to make the right decision about the women. However, as a job seeker, you can conduct multiple, longer informational interviews with individuals who work for ypur targeted companies. However, do not approach these sessions as a way to "trick" employers into a real interview. Your sole mission is to gather "intelligence."
4. Take input from other people. On this season's first show, Jake had the opportunity to receive input from last season's couple, Ed and Jillian. He also got the "low-down" on one of the women he gave a rose to from the other ladies in the 3rd episode. They basically told him that she was a "different person" with him then she was with the other women. As a job search candidate, it is important to listen to what other people say, which leads us to my next point.
5. Evaluate the information you have received. On the first show, Jillian and Ed told Jake to eliminate a woman named Michelle. In my opinion, they gave him correct information. However, it was up to him to evaluate whether their opinion was accurate. In the job search, you will receive many opinions about companies and positions. My advice is to listen to what is being said, and if the same comments (good or bad) keep surfacing regarding a certain company, pay attention.
6. Decide which companies are a "true match" for you against your established criteria. Just as Jake needs to decide which woman is his "ultimate soulmate," as a job seeker you need to stay true to your values and find a job that fits at least 90% of your established criteria. If not, you will settle for any job, end up unhappy, and start job-hopping.
7. Eliminate those companies who aren't a good fit for you. In the 3rd episode, Jake eliminated two women BEFORE the Rose Ceremony. He realized that one of the women was just playing "games" with him and the other (Michelle, the one he was told to eliminate on the 1st show) was just not right for him. He wanted to focus on the women he was really interested in and give them a chance to stay on the show.  This same premise is true when you are evaluating companies. If there's a company that isn't a good match, walk away and focus on the companies that are right for you.

While Jake may or may not find the love of his life in six weeks with limited information, I believe that in the same amount of time, you can find a great job by utilizing the methods I have detailed above during your job search.