People really do that?? Letter from an Employer

A friend of mine is currently looking for someone to help with his pool and spa business. Summer is coming up and that's the busy season. He sent me a message the other day and I got his permission to reprint our conversation.

Hi. I am searching through resumes of prospective employees and I have a few suggestions, as an employer, to pass on for your consideration. I haven't kept up with all of your recommendations but a few things I am seeing in the 'real world' are standing out to me.

I am a busy fellow. If you are applying for a helper position, I don't need five pages of your jobs that you held for four months. Nor do I need to know every little thing you've done at each job, just the basic stuff. And why, why would anyone think that they should send me their entire transcript from college?

Second, and I can't emphasize this one too much I think, don't link your facebook to the resume, especially if your security is off. Do you think I am going to hire you if I see posts about you and your 'niggaz' and 'hitting the eight ball tonite'? No, I am not. Leave that off of any resume that you want to submit.

Also, the text only format that reads like a 1980's computer program, not really easy on the eyes.
Also, just to be clear, if the applicant answers the phone and does the phone interview as if they could care less, guess who isn't getting invited to work?

[ME: Did one of your applicants really make comments about 8-ball?]
Oh his facebook? yep. What would anyone be thinking positing that even if you WEREN'T looking for a job.

Oh,another little hint. Remember that cute little ringback tone? the one that has offensive lyrics or content. Not such a good Idea to keep that. I haven't run into anything too bad yet, but that 'greeting' is going to be heard by all prospective employers so make it professional.

What Not To Wear

http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Short-skirts-and-power-don-t-mix-1192080.php

When I’ve been out to lunch during the work week, I have noticed what professionals are wearing.  I am rather surprised at what is considered acceptable.  The article which is linked to this post makes a very true statement: What you wear matters to your position in the workforce. 

Gentleman, I’ll start with you.  This is an extreme example, but once I had a young man come into the agency in jeans and a T-shirt.  In this case, all of his family members had already been hired at the client company for this position and he thought it was already in the bag.  During our session, I told him how to dress for his interview. At the very least, dress pants, belt, dress shoes (no sneakers), and a tie if he had one.  He looked at me incredulously and said, “Really, my whole family works there.  I’m going to get hired.”  I informed him that there was no way he could be overdressed for an interview unless he wore a ruffly shirted tuxedo!  

Well (you can hear this one coming…) he did not get hired.  Not only was he not hired, but this was the one time I was ever asked by any client company to have a post-interview debriefing.  I was first asked to address his attitude and then his dress.  He wore jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt to the interview.  What an insult to the hiring manager.  After you land the job, blend in to the corporate dress code. (Google is very relaxed, other companies are not.) For the interview, please dress to show respect for the other person if not yourself.   

Okay, ladies, it’s your turn.  The link above says it all.  The pictures in it are extreme examples-so I thought.  I was in Target during lunch and saw a number of professional women who were dressed a lot more like Fran Fine of “The Nanny”.  There is a great line in the article which states that if your outfit is one you would wear out to a club, then don’t wear it to work.   

The trends I see currently are indiscreet shoes, tight blouses, and very short skirts.  The skirt needs to be at least knee length, ladies.  When you sit down it will automatically rise above your knee anyway.  Truthfully, long skirts are very attractive on most women.  They are very elegant, can be fun, feminine, conservative and more while still garnering respect.   

Shoes: I know the trend is one of several things: the giant wedge, large platform, strappy open toed, and the spiky heel.  None of these are acceptable.  I have observed that not only are these shoes distracting to the outfit, too sexual, or overtly casual (ie..rattan heels), but often, the women wearing them have difficulty walking in them gracefully.  Have fun with your shoes.  You don’t have to wear “grandma” shoes (ugh!) but stick with what makes you feel strong and confident.  Your feminine confidence is what draws admiration.                 

Blouses, please make sure they fit.  Do the buttons pull?  Put it back in the closet.  Does it show “muffin-top”?  Put it back in the closet.  A properly tailored or loose blouse belted or tucked in to an attractive skirt or trousers is very professional.  (And, to tell you the truth, more provocative in an elegant way.)  A woman who dresses like a lady is, actually, far more attractive AND respected in her field.  At this point, she gets to look like a million dollars and show her intellectual prowess.   

None of these comments mean that you have to go out and spend a lot of money you don’t have.  I’m gonna say it- GoodWill.  I have found high end brand names new with tags at our local goodwill;  Jessica McClintock and Banana Republic! (Plus an endless source of amusement, I might add.)

But, at the end of the day, dress like you respect yourself.   

A Temp Agency? Really? Yup.

While speaking with a recent college grad, she was telling me about the need for her to find reliable work during graduate school.  She said, “I definitely don’t want to work at the department store again for the summer.  That was awful and the hours were worse.”  Meaning no offense to the retail industry, but that was not what this young lady wanted.

Of course, I asked if she had a resume yet and offered to look it over.  Then I said, go to the temp offices.  The what?  Yes, the temporary offices.  The temporary offices are not just for the typing pool anymore.  There are agencies out there for all disciplines.  This is the one time in this age of technology where I strongly recommend pulling out the phone book itself.  Look up “Employment” in the yellow pages and the listing is absolutely astonishing!  Pick up the phone and start calling.  If they ask you to submit through their website, go ahead, but then follow up and make sure you get to speak with a recruiter.  Note: you may/will have to go through several.  Whatever you do, be honest about your search and let them know what you’re doing.  Some will be much better than others.  Only by calling can you really know. 

There are two times in the economy when agencies like this provide a crucial service to small and large businesses alike.  The first is when there are more jobs and applicants and the other is when there are more applicants than positions to be filled.  In both instances, HR and Hiring Managers are swamped with the amount of work involved.  Using agencies allows them to outsource and save time plus great expense.  When these companies are used, the hiring company can either short term projects done or can use the company to find personnel in a trial period.  This allows everyone to know if the company and employee are a good fit for each other.  Then a contract can be extended or not, an offer can be made, or a contract may be terminated by either party at any time.  The company also doesn’t have to carry workman’s comp insurance on the employee, pay employment taxes or offer benefits until things are secure. 

Word of Warning: NEVER pay for a job.  I mean never.  Employment agencies should be charging the client company for their services, not the employee.  In situations where the employee is asked to give up a percentage of their income, run-don’t walk-to the next place.  There are things worth paying for which are services specifically for the employee to find work.  Hiring a resume writer or buying a book on resume.  Job or image coaching.  There are times to invest, but not at the employment agency. 

Wanted: Someone to Fail - Apply Within

WHAT? Who would put up an ad requesting someone who could fail? You might be surprised. While reading the want ads I came across an ad as follows:
Wanted: Individual to run sales and production of small company.
My first question is: So, which position is it? Is it sales, or is it production? How is this organized? What is this person’s actual focus? If this person is both running the sales AND the production, the business owner can expect to be disappointed and receive a resignation within 6 months.

The revolutionary idea of the assembly line comes to mind. A cohesive division of labor is one of the basics of business economics. Giving employees a focus enables them to excel at their jobs, feel satisfied, and produce a better bottom line.

At one time, I worked for a web-company who had their engineers doubling as sales people. This was ridiculous for several reasons. First, sales itself, is a skill. It’s a people skill, and the average engineer-though he/she may be personable- usually enjoys engineering, not selling. These poor fellows could neither take the time to be engineers, nor excel at the sales aspect. It was a waste of their time and the company’s money. Finally, this company caught on and hired actual technical sales people, but by this time it was too late. Six months later, that portion of the company shut down and ran out of funds.

In another company, I was asked to both make phone calls AND answer the phone-for sales. How ridiculous! “Hello, Mr. Customer, I was hoping to have the opportunity to ask you about, oh, wait, I have to take this call, would you mind holding?” I lasted 3 weeks at this job. With this kind of poor organization (and an unwillingness of the owners to listen) there were many more similar gaffes. I couldn’t do my primary job: make the company money.

For those looking for work, examine what you read.  Is the idea in front of you one that is reasonable?  Are you being overtasked before you begin?  Don't forget that you need to interview the potential employer about the expectations given to you as much as they need to interview you. 

For businesses, times are tight and taxes are high, but it grieves me to see companies set themselves up for what will ultimately be a frustrating and costly experience.  Two 1099 employees might be better than one full time who will quit.  There are many organizations out there who will help brainstorm these ideas for free.  Asking for help would not also be an obligation to take the advice, but it might inspire the best idea for the situation.

What do you bring? Speaking on your resume...

What to write, what to write, what to say…  Argh, right?  Here’s the question: what have you done with your time in the past?  What do you do now?  How can that be properly explained?  In a word: Exposition.  That’s right, expository writing. 

In a resume, words are your ally – they are your only true representation and there’s one shot, usually, to get someone’s attention.  Are your words succinct?  Are they properly descriptive? They need to explain:

Who you are.

Where you’ve been.

How did you lead, follow, work on a team?

In what ways (very specifically) did you benefit the company?

What tools did you use or skills did you demonstrate to accomplish these things?

What is your education? Any college at all?  Put it down.  Certifications-even in other fields-yes. Show you are willing to learn throughout your life.

In other words, what do you bring to the table?  What makes this company interested in speaking to you?  The purpose of your resume is to start the conversation.  Sometimes, it is easy for the company to also realize that you are just not the right fit for them.  This doesn’t mean you aren’t a qualified candidate, but remember that this is about finding the right fit for both of you.  If you do your best to represent yourself in an interesting, engaging, accurate way, that piece of paper can do a lot of talking for you. 

Why Even Have a Resume?

-So, why a resume? There are many reasons to keep a valid and updated resume. Naturally, the first reason is to look for work. Unemployment is very high and don’t let the numbers fool. The perception of its dropping is only because folks have run out of benefits and are no longer in the system to be counted.
-A second reason is to find new work. Maybe you just need to move on from where you are. While your progression could be from one company to another, it could also easily be within the same organization. Large companies and small often prefer to hire from within. However, even if the folks down the hall know you, they must have documentation of your skills and qualities. Each state’s laws have variation and your resume may be needed to follow those laws to protect you and the company.
-A third and simple reason is also to keep your pulse on your industry and demand for skills. As a former recruiter, I had the resumes of many highly skilled individuals who had no need for another position, but I would call them anyway to let them know what was going on in their field, see if they were interested in investigating my position, and for referrals. More times than I can count, the potential candidates to whom I was speaking knew someone who was recently out of work or looking for a new situation.
-Believe it or not, networking is a fourth and very good reason to have an up-to-date resume. I have personally brought my resume with me on different kinds of meetings: introductions, brainstorming sessions, conversation in my home and so on. It quickly provides a background for the other person. They can know my professional history quickly and have the tools they need for us to move forward in whatever project we are pursuing.
-I have a resume in hardcopy and I have a LinkedIn account (more on that in another post). I work for myself so it would be supposed that I don’t need one. But I keep it at the ready because I work for myself. I need to make sure others know my own employment history and experience so I can gain clients.