Fa La La La - Layoffs??

2008 – What a year! We have a historic President-Elect who we are hoping will inspire the American public. It has been officially declared that the United States has been in a recession for the past 12 months. Companies are laying off ten’s of thousands of workers while others are closing completely. And finally to top it off – a Journalist in Iraq attempted to hit George W. Bush with not one, but both of his shoes and almost succeeded. This one is definitely headed for the record books.

Of these moments, my guess is that most Americans are going into the Holiday season bracing for what 2009 will bring – more layoffs? Who will be next? The longest recessions on record since WWII have been 16 months total – are we nearing an end?

For those of you out there affected by the layoffs, I offer some tips on putting yourself back out on the market.
1. Sit down and spend part of an entire day on your resume. Whatever you do, don’t throw together your most recent job history out of anger and spite – because let’s be honest, it won’t serve to hurt the company – just YOUR job prospects.

2. Be very detailed with regard to how you can help the company with whom you are applying by utilizing cover letters, well thought out emails, etc. Be your own best marketer. (BYOBM) If you’re applying for a Project Management role, your resume should talk about Project Management skills and your cover letter should indicate your strengths with regard to – Project Management.

3. Send your resume to a friend to have them proof it for errors – you would be surprised at the amount of errors despite your best effort to read it dozens of times.

4. Take your suits to the dry cleaner – yes I know that the world is more casual, however, hiring managers want to see you in a suit. This goes for both men and women.

5. Sell, sell, sell – Post your resume, consult with Recruiters that you trust (like me), and apply to roles on-line. Don’t expect the job to come to you. (Sidenote: Keep a detailed list of jobs that you have applied to and be very clear with Recruiters regarding roles that you have applied to directly).

6. Carry copies of your resume with you. Do not assume that they have one printed out – take the burden off of them. They will notice. You can print at Kinkos.

7. If you have non-competes, have a copy with you so you can speak to the restrictions.

8. Have your references ready to go – already contacted, primed, and excited to talk about you. A big red flag goes up when a company asks for references, and the candidate answers “ummmm. Let me check on that.”

9. Be very clear about your salary needs but be realistic. You may have been making $150,000 last year, but have you done the research recently to see what folks are now making? I bet you’ll be surprised to see it has dropped somewhat. You must let them know your flexibility.

10. Eye contact, firm handshake, and enthusiasm – they go a long way.

Just some friendly advice to those job hunters unexpectedly tossed back on the market.

Where is MY tall, dark, and handsome???

The executive team meets – an agreement is reached. The job description is written, then passed on and edited, and revised, and reviewed, and edited to include the typical “works well with others” sections – and TADA. You have your typical job description.

I often liken job descriptions to personal ads just as I have likened recruiting to matchmaking. My consultants usually chuckle when I give them the following analogy:

“Job descriptions are like personal adds. If you’re looking for a wife or husband or soul mate, you put EVERYTHING down that would make someone perfect for you. For the ladies – tall, dark, handsome, successful, a great cook, loves kids, athletic, protective, great sense of humor, loves the theater and opera. However, when push comes to shove, we’ll relinquish a few once we meet our next-to-perfect. Maybe he’s shorter than we had hoped or not a world renowned chef and maybe.. just maybe.. he’s balding. It’s the same with companies and job descriptions – they will often relinquish a few must haves to get their next-to-perfect. Because lets face it – it’s very few and far between that Goldilocks strikes our lives and gives us that – just right.”

They giggle, and think back to a personal ad they’ve read or potentially written. And the lightbulb goes off – maybe I have a shot.

Putting this down makes me wonder – how often are we discounting candidates because they’re not “just right” instead helping them understand they could be “next-to-perfect?” Are we working with our candidates to help them sell themselves or simply doing those key word searches hoping with our fingers crossed to find our elusive Goldilocks?

Please Remove the Pirate Hat.......

In this generation of Millienials, fashion forward companies, and casual days extending far beyond Friday – I’ve found these past few years a surge toward a new interview attire spotted with individualism, artistic expression, and an emphasis on reflecting personal style. We’ve all had the candidate who showed up wearing something completely inappropriate – flips flops, Technicolor t-shirts, jeans, short skirts, torn pants, etc…. The list goes on and on.

However, the more I think about it, I can’t help but wonder. As Recruiters, how far should we be going to impress upon our candidates the importance of the first impression? Even after they have been told Business Attire (suit and tie), should we be delving deeper? Should our prep questions include extensive lists of “What not to wear?”

Here are a couple of my stories – Please share…..

Do you get HBO with those earrings?? – Candidate arrived at a very conservative client to interview and could not get through the metal detectors. In his ears were earrings that went through the earlobe and had been stretched to the width of a quarter. I begged him to remove the earrings; he refused and continued to refuse all the way to the client’s office. When I later told him that he did not get the job despite being their first choice because of his jewelry choice – the candidate said “Well I wish someone would have told me!!”

I didn’t catch that – Did you say you took cold medicine?? – Candidate arrived to interview for a position at the client company wearing a clip on pony-tail, short-skirt, and repeatedly fell asleep while interviewing because she had consumed cold medicine before walking into the building to avoid speaking with a stuffy nose during the interview. She also asked the manager for a “do over” when she sensed things going badly.

Hats need not apply!
Captain Jack Sparrow – the candidate wore a pirate hat – and despite my urging refused to remove it prior to the interview. I will never forget saying to him “But you really should remove the pirate hat….” And thinking to myself – this cannot end well.

Moral of the story:
To the candidates out there looking for a new job – please leave wild jewelry, mind-altering pharmaceuticals, and head accessories at home. Leave those for the company holiday party.

For my fellow Recruiters – sometimes no matter how much we fear upsetting a candidate, we have to get them to take off the pirate hat…….Even if it’s their lucky pirate hat.