Question: I’m unhappy at work but I’ve been with the same company for many years and I’m afraid I’ll be giving up my job security if I leave now. What should I do? Should I prioritize my happiness or my job security?
All in Job Seekers
Question: I’m getting interviews but afterwards the companies almost always seem to ghost me. They don’t return my calls and never reach out to share a final hiring decision. What’s going on? How do I get feedback?
If you’ve been submitting lots of resumes and haven’t been getting responses, I have some bad news. It’s probably your fault. You’ve likely committed one or more of the 7 Deadly Sins of Resume Writing. The good news is that you can turn it all around without too much drama and I’m going to show you how.
Many new clients report finding it difficult to push past the negativity of rejection as they look for employment. Job hunting was hard enough in the “before times.” Now, in the face of a global pandemic, a recession, massive political upheaval, a historic moment in the struggle for civil rights, and a childcare/educational crisis? Well, these days it takes a lot more mental energy to push through failures and maintain the resiliency necessary to succeed. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
Question: What’s the best way to proceed with internal mobility! Do I network? Do I tell my manager first? Will they block my ability to move!
I’ve had several of my more experienced clients come to me with concerns about lacking a Bachelor’s degree. They want to know whether they should be applying to positions that require a Bachelor’s, even if they aren’t able to meet that requirement. My answer is, “It depends.”
My very first client, a senior engineer who had experienced unemployment for over a year, contacted me earlier today with some amazing news. Within just 37 days of his resume revision he’d landed 6 interviews and 3 offers. Yes, 3 offers! He’s already decided which job he’s going to accept and his success has brought me so much joy. So, for all of the readers out there wondering if it’s really worth $350 to have your resume rewritten by a professional, I want to share a little bit about the Dark Horse process and why I think this client was able to achieve such striking results.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked to work without pay over the past several months. With one exception, my answer has consistently been some variation of “no.” Why? It’s because I don’t work for free and you shouldn’t either. Let’s discuss.
Over the past few weeks I’ve seen an abundance of advice being published with regard to video interviews. Despite the tremendous volume of suggestions, the topics covered tend to be similar. Most articles focus on mundane preparations and ignore the more nuanced aspects of a successful video interview. Most notably, I’ve seen a serious lack of information with regard to nonverbal communication.
If you’re landing interviews but aren’t receiving offers, it may be a sign that you need to focus on interview preparation. Yes, of course it’s important to wear the right clothes, arrive on time, have copies of your resume printed in your portfolio and so on, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about gathering intel on your company of choice and using that information to study up in advance of a formal interview.
You should always go into an interview prepared with a short list of questions for your interviewers. Ideally, these questions should show that you’ve done research in advance, and they should always focus on the company, the position, and the team, rather than on pay or benefits. Remember, first you need to convince the decision makers that you’re the right person for the job, then you’ll be in a much better position to negotiate your compensation package on the back end. Don’t put the cart before the horse.
Last week’s blog post addressed the need for job seekers to tap into social networks and also discussed some aspects of social psychology that make the COVID19 epidemic such an opportune time to ask for help. This week’s post will take it one step further. We’ll discuss a very simple, science-based technique that you can use to make your contacts feel good about themselves while also improving the likelihood that they will offer assistance. Everyone wins!