I attended an early Saturday morning job-seekers meeting recently and found myself interrupting people's stories to interject comments. Several seem to be obvious, but evidence that they need to be repeated keeps cropping up. Here are some of these comments, with more to follow in subsequent posts:
You are always on display
You are always on display, even in networking get-togethers. Others who attend may be unemployed, and the atmosphere may be informal, but please spend some time on grooming. Those of us who become employed may very well remember you not for your qualifications, but for the raggedy jeans you always wore, or the Saturday sweat shirt. Always dress the part of a conscientious job-seeker.
You are always on display
You are always on display, even in networking get-togethers. Others who attend may be unemployed, and the atmosphere may be informal, but please spend some time on grooming. Those of us who become employed may very well remember you not for your qualifications, but for the raggedy jeans you always wore, or the Saturday sweat shirt. Always dress the part of a conscientious job-seeker.
Your Elevator Speech
Your elevator speech has to be tempting. You only have 30 seconds, so say what you are passionate about. Sure, you are leaving a lot of great stuff out of the speech, but if that 30 seconds is packed with what you are passionate about, you will have captured your audience’s attention and – guess what – they will clamour to know more about you. Don’t forget to return the favour and listen to what they are passionate about.
Your elevator speech has to be tempting. You only have 30 seconds, so say what you are passionate about. Sure, you are leaving a lot of great stuff out of the speech, but if that 30 seconds is packed with what you are passionate about, you will have captured your audience’s attention and – guess what – they will clamour to know more about you. Don’t forget to return the favour and listen to what they are passionate about.
Functional résumés don't work
Functional résumés don't work. This is because they seem to hide a multitude of sins, like gaps in your résumé or how old your actual experience is. As an HR professional, I sometimes pass these résumés along if the experience or educational qualifications seem to fit, but hiring managers are usually just as frustrated as I am. It's too much effort to figure out if you are worth bringing in to interview or not. So make it really easy to be chosen.
If you don't know how, get help
If you don't know how to explain gaps or the age of your experience, get help. Your job-seeking network can point you to some excellent resources. Feel free to leave a comment below, and I will be more than happy to make recommendations. By the same token, if you are nervous about interviewing, get help. There is no shame in being smart in your job search. I’m an HR professional, and you’d think I had the interviewing thing down pat. I didn’t. I got help. Now I am a much stronger interviewee.
Résumés get you the interview
Speaking of résumés, they get you the interview. If you are experiencing a lot of activity, chances are your résumé works. If you are not experiencing activity, get help. See If you don't know how above.
Stay tuned for more Various and Miscellany Advice. In the meantime, I welcome your anecdotes and stories of what has worked for you in the land of Job-Seekers. Feel free to comment below.
Good thoughts Lynn Marie. I attended a job networking event put on by an HR Professional Association in Vancouver about 2 years ago. There were 3 high level recruiters speaking and several of the participants used that opportunity to complain rather to ask for helpful advice. One participant almost dominated the session with his rather long and sad tale of how no one will give him an interview and he has 'tried everything'. The surprising aspect of this is that everyone in that room self-identified as an HR Professional. I just happened to write a blog post recently on the topic of good advice when preparing for an interview:
ReplyDeletewww.leadershipchangeandlearning.blogspot.com based on the discussions I have had recently with job seekers. There is some not so great advice floating around the web but common sense must prevail.
Your blog on how to prepare for an interview is excellent. Again, these seem obvious, but given how often they are ignored or forgotten, these tips are definitely worth repeating.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your story.
Ah, my two favorite HR people – together on one blog!
ReplyDeleteLynn Marie, by "functional résumé" do you mean one without a dated job history, but just a list of positions and responsibilities? Hadn't heard that term before...
You've described the functional résumé correctly. It groups accomplishments by type, for example, and can be an excellent marketing tool. But for hiring purposes, especially when lots of résumés are received, it doesn't demonstrate progressive work experience or industry type or show gaps. These are all things that are often key to identifying the individuals with the kind of experience we may be looking for.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn,
ReplyDeleteCould you post some samples of your favourite resume's of all times? Also, along with the email you recently sent me perhaps something related to the best interview experience of all times. Thank you very much for your blog.
Thank you,
David MacKay