What are five of my strengths?
This one could be a bit tough. But grab your sheet from yesterday and add this to the list. Again, don’t stop at five if you can help it.
Author Archives: RecruitingShingle
Like Fire In Your Bones
A friend of mine sent me the daily scripture just below and I found it powerful. It reminded me of what I was going through the past several years. I shared that experience in this post: http://wp.me/p3nLpj-hf. I want to share both with you.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“…But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” (Jeremiah 20:9, NKJV)
TODAY’S WORD
In scripture, God gave a promise to Jeremiah that he would become a great prophet and speak to the nations. But Jeremiah was young and afraid. He didn’t see how it could happen. He started telling God all the reasons why it wouldn’t work out. He said, “God, when I get up to speak, people mock me and make fun of me. I’m young. I’m tired. I’m intimidated.” Just when you think he is going to talk himself out of it, he says in Jeremiah 20:9, “Your Word in my heart is like a fire shut up in my bones.” He was saying, “God, I may not see how it can happen. All the odds are against me, but this promise You put in me will not go away. It’s like a fire. It’s alive. I can’t get away from it.”
You may be at a place right not where you could easily give up on what God has placed in your heart. But like Jeremiah, there is a fire shut up in your bones. What God promised you will not die. You can try to ignore it. You can try to talk yourself out of it. Your mind may tell you that it’s never going to happen, but deep down you feel a stirring, a burning, a restlessness. That’s the promise God put in you. He loves you too much to let you be average. He is going to push you into greatness. Get ready because the gifts, the talents, the skills, the ideas, the untapped potential is about to come forth!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, Your truth is like a fire shut up in my bones. Help me to see Your plan for me. Help me to stand strong and trust You. Help me to boldly embrace everything You have in store for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thought for the day: Day 1
What are five recent victories in my life?
The first few days of this exercise are meant to get you thinking in a new way. Too many of us tend to focus on the negative things. I am quite certain most of us could rattle off several bad things that have happened to us the past few weeks or months. To begin to change our mind-set we have to think differently. So grab a pen and paper (and a chair) and write out your recent victories. And know you don’t have to stop at five.
Thought for the day . . .
Years ago I started the practice of writing motivational quotes on a note card and carrying the card with me. Several times throughout the day I would take out the card and read it. That practice kept me focused. When I started to feel down or was getting knocked off track I would pull out the card and reflect on it. The topics of the cards ranged widely. That’s what made it so fun and easy to do.
I want to share this daily practice with you. Over the next sixty days I will be posting a motivation. While they won’t be listed in a specific order, they will fall roughly into the following categories:
1) Taking Stock 2) Facing Your Fears 3) Being Courageous/Taking Risks 4) Taking Action.
My desire with this daily exercise is that you will reflect on the words and what they mean to you. If a particular quote strikes you and you want to comment, please do. I would love to hear your thoughts. If the quote makes you think about something new or about something in a different way, that’s great.
The quotes come from a variety of places. Many are from books I’ve read, some are from famous people, some are from speakers at conferences I have attended through the years. When I know the source, I will cite it.
See you tomorrow.
Confront the obstacles
“Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don’t do that by sitting around.” – Katherine Hepburn
Conducting a job search is hard. Candidates face a multitude of issues and obstacles that make it more difficult. There are gaps in employment, age bias (whether real or perceived), too much experience, too little experience, not the right kind of experience, you live too far away, salary disparity. All of these issues (and many more) are significant obstacles to finding your next opportunity.
I believe the first step in beginning to confront, then overcome, these issues is to control the things you can control. No sense wasting your precious resources (time, energy, mental outlook and attitude) on things you have no hope of impacting. Instead, put your valuable resources to work for you.
Did you have an in-person interview with a company and you have not received feedback?
Did you get the feeling you are being ignored or ruled out because of your age?
Did they tell you that you don’t have the right industry experience?
Did they tell you anything at all?
Don’t wait around. Follow up professionally once a week for three or four weeks and move on.
The best way to overcome all of these obstacles is to take Katherine’s advice and not sit around. Action. It’s the cure you’re looking for.
Focus your energy and talents on the next opportunity. Focus your energy on making new contacts each week no matter where they are located or what industry they are in. Focus your energy on sharpening your interviewing skills. Focus your energy on learning new skills. Focus your energy on how you will overcome the interviewer’s objection of your lack of or too much experience. Focus your energy on uncovering new and better opportunities. Focus your energy on what it is going to feel like when you get the offer of your dreams. Focus your energy on all the blessings in your life. There are infinitely more than you are aware. Focus your energy in thoughtful, deliberate, daily prayer because you know everything begins and ends with Him. Focus on those things and your attitude will take care of itself.
Happy hunting!
A heart filled with gratitude….
I have had a remarkable year. As it winds down I can’t help but continue to feel incredibly blessed and humbled for all that I have. And today, as I prepare to spend the day with my extended family and eat an incredible meal, I want to share a few thoughts with you. Thank you so much for being a part of my life and helping me on my journey.
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” – Marianne Williamson
“Be on the lookout for mercies. The more we look for them, the more of them we will see…Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.” – Maltbie D. Babcock
“Every dog has its day, but it’s not every dog that knows when he’s having it.” – Winifred Gordon
“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.” – Elizabeth Aquith Bibesco
“Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not.” – Charles Kingsley
“When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world I thank God I am alive.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Most of my major disappointments have turned out to be blessings in disguise. So whenever anything bad does happen to me I kind of sit back and feel, well, if I give this enough time it will turn out that this was good, so I shan’t worry about it too much.” – William Gaines
“You will never be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.” – Dr. James G. Bilkey
“God brings men into deep waters not to drown them but to cleanse them.” – Aughey
“Failure changes for the better, success for the worse.” – Marcus Annaeus Seneca
“Too many people miss the silver lining because they are expecting gold.” – Maurice Setter
“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.” – Henry Van Dyke
“Thank God for dirty dishes; they have a tale to tell. While other folks go hungry, we’re eating pretty well. With home and health and happiness, we shouldn’t want to fuss; For by this stack of evidence, God’s very good to us.” – Anonymous
Plant your flag
“A straight path never leads anywhere except to the objective.” – Andre Gide
If you want results in your job search get specific. I know, I know. You believe if you cast a wide net you think you will be more likely to land an interview and a new position. This thinking is wrong and takes you down many paths that lead to nowhere.
The more focused you are the more people will be able to help you. They can either send you potential opportunities or send you to people with similar backgrounds that can help you network. If you spread yourself too thin; trying to be a jack-of-all-trades that places you in a position where people feel they can’t help you because you have no concrete target.
Have a concrete target. It does a couple of things. First, it gives you focus in your job search. You know what you want and can articulate it to others. Secondly, it saves you time and trouble. Knowing what you are after will save you the headache of chasing opportunities that don’t fit. You can save time by not responding to job postings that fall outside your scope.
Take a look at the following two examples of objective statements taken directly off of candidates’ resumes. What do they say? What do they tell you?
Example #1
To obtain a growth oriented leadership position where I can bring my 12 years of experience managing projects and offering solutions to companies for a reputable company that has a good product.
Example #2
To obtain a challenging position within an organization that will allow me to utilize my management and customer service skills and provide an opportunity for advancement.
After reading those statements do you have a clear idea of what those candidates do? What industry are they in? What position are they after? It would be helpful if they let the reader know. Why are they using precious real estate on their resume for wasted words that do not get to the heart of things?
If you are going to have an objective statement on your resume make it count. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m from the school that advises not to use an objective statement at all. I’ll explain why in a future post.
If you feel compelled to use an objective statement use something like this: To apply for the Java Developer position #2013-51674. At the very least, that objective lets the reader know your background and what you are after. It also references a specific position.
Imagine taking your objective statement off your resume and instead using it as your elevator speech. Does that thought scare you? Does it bring to a clear, sharp focus the purpose of using either the objective statement or the elevator pitch? I hope so. In a million years you would never dream of telling someone “I hope to find a challenging position with an organization that will allow me to utilize my management and customer service skills and provide an opportunity for advancement.” It says nothing and wastes everyone’s time.
If given the opportunity you need to be prepared with something like:
“I design and build web sites for small businesses that don’t have the ability to hire their own staff full-time to do it.” Or
“I’m a CPA focusing on working for companies in the oil and gas industry.” Or
“I’m an executive assistant with 10 years of experience supporting senior staff: directors/VP’s/CIO’s in the telecom industry.”
Use those kinds of initial statements and then build on them so you can fill 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds of time explaining what you do and what you are after. If you are unable to do that, your search will last much longer than it should.
Happy hunting!
A new day
Self Employment Tax Form – Schedule SE (Photo credit: Philip Taylor PT)
“Not to dream boldly may turn out to be simply irresponsible.” – George Leonard
Changing the wallpaper. That’s how I used to describe the job changes I’ve had over my career. I would start a new position being very excited about the possibilities and before too long, the old way of thinking would creep in. Just like changing the wallpaper in your home, at the beginning of a new job, it’s exciting and different. But over time, you begin to realize it’s still the same room in the same house in the same neighborhood in the same town. Before I knew it I was out looking at samples again. I was changing the wallpaper hoping for a different outcome but I was neglecting the structure I was living in. The very foundation of my career is what needed to change. I thought another new position would be enough. But it was never enough. It was only enough to quiet the yearning in my heart for a year or two or three. No matter how long it took, that little voice in the back of my head would start whispering again.
And in moments when I was truly honest with myself, it wasn’t merely a little voice whispering in the back of my head. It was what God had written on my heart that was speaking. How long did I want to continue to go through life ignoring what God has written for my life? Not much longer than I already have.
So I took a few small steps that have changed everything.
When I was unemployed earlier this year (fortunately only the months of March and April) I attended several networking groups regularly. During one meeting, one of the facilitators was speaking and he said something to the effect of “You are all here looking for a job. Many of you have gifts that can be used in other ways. Maybe it’s time you stopped looking for a job and you BECAME the job.” For those of us in attendance with a certain mind-set or inclination, we knew he was talking to the aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners; those wanting to step out on our own.
The seed that had been planted in my heart long ago had just been fertilized. And that seed sprouted. Over the next several months that sprout continued to grow almost to the point it became a weed. I couldn’t stop it from growing and sprawling. I knew well enough I wasn’t going to pull it or cut it back. I was going to let it grow. And before too long I had created a LLC for my own company. I was talking to attorneys and accountants and health insurance brokers and I was out looking for clients, building a web site and creating marketing materials. Most importantly, I submitted my resignation. That small act was actually huge and incredibly significant. I am no longer an employee. What I am now is a free agent and business owner.
All the fears I had carried through the years about being my own boss held me down. They prevented me from acting. They prevented me from liberating my gifts and sharing them with the world. Taxes? Healthcare? Insurance? Company-formation documents? In a previous life all those factors tied me down. All it took was a few phone calls and asking a few questions of people I already had in my life and trusted. You would be surprised what it takes to start a company. The short answer is not that much.
My 7-year old son asked me several weeks ago as I was tucking him into bed “is your company going to be a big building?” I love the perspective kids can provide. His question brought me into his world and how he sees it. I value that perspective. I told him a company isn’t necessarily a big building. A company is simply a few signed pieces of paper sitting in a file folder in some office somewhere. The reason there are big buildings is that some companies have lots of employees and they all need somewhere to work. I won’t have lots of employees so I won’t need a big building.
The person I am today is not the same person I was even 4 weeks ago. The switch that gets flipped in your brain when you make the decision and change from employee to business owner creates a whole new paradigm. The changes I have gone through have been profound. The way I view and think about things are what have changed the most. How I view myself has changed. I’ve had to get comfortable and re-acquainted with who I am in my new role.
Up until several weeks ago my wife and I were talking about how difficult Christmas was going to be. Money has been very tight and two of our kids have December birthdays. We were wondering where the money was going to come from.
What a difference a few weeks and a little preparation make. Now, we’re having discussions on how we’re going to get Gustafson Power Recruiting, LLC to be a $500,000 company. When we get that figured out and reach that goal, the next step is a $1,000,000 company. With a company like that I can bless many people in many ways I could never dream of in my previous life.
Being an employee with an employee mindset was restrictive. Now, the possibilities are limitless. Now, I get to spend time thinking about the person I must become to create a million dollar business. I like that thought. I like the idea of the person I will be when that day arrives. Clearly, the person I am today is not the same person I will be years from now.
I walked through my fear. I let it fool me almost my entire life up to this point. Shame on me. Now I know better. Fear is a vapor.
I’m under no illusions there won’t be storms and rough water in the days and years ahead. But I’m prepared. Louisa May Alcott said it best: “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
Be abundantly blessed!
And please let me know how I can help you on your journey.
Always Assume Positive Intent
You’ve been there. You know what it’s like to interview for a position several times over the course of a few weeks. The interviews seem to be going well. Why else would they have you back time and again to talk to yet other person if the interviews weren’t going well? At each stage of the interview process you find yourself inching up the food chain; first it was the recruiter you spoke to. Then it was the hiring manager, then their boss, then their boss. And just for good measure they have you talk to another high-level individual in the company for another perspective.
During the process you’re minding your P’s and Q’s, sending thank-you notes and asking questions about next steps. You are doing what you should to stay on their radar. But after that last interview, much to your dismay, the lines of communication have been cut off and you don’t know why. You are not getting any feedback or responses of any kind. That’s odd because all through the process they had been fairly quick to respond. The fact you are not getting communication from them is uncharacteristic of the process to date.
So, it’s been several days since the last time they communicated with you. Everything had been going very well. You have every reason to believe you are (or were) a top candidate. What do you do? The short answer is: keep communicating with them. You have no idea why you haven’t heard from them and you have no way of knowing what is going on on their side. So until you hear otherwise, assume things are still on track and move forward accordingly.
People get sick. Their kids get sick. Decision makers go on vacation. Offer-letter approvers are out for a few days. Maybe the position hasn’t even been approved yet and they are frantically working to get the position approved in order to move forward. I know it would be nice if they let you know that but they haven’t.
Until they tell you “no”, you are still in contention. So send them a professional, polite note once a week. And let them know that’s what you are going to do. Let them know they will continue to hear from you until you hear from them.
I don’t know why we are wired the way we are. Humans too easily gravitate to the negative. “They didn’t like me after all. I haven’t heard from them in so long. I know I didn’t get that job.” We start to assume the worst, second guess and start spiraling. I’m as guilty of that as the next person.
A great piece of advice I received from a former boss told me “always assume positive intent.” Until you have reason to believe otherwise, believe in the positive. Maybe they did go ahead and hire somebody and didn’t have the decency to let you know. It happens. Keep communicating with them and make them tell you no.
I once interviewed for a position where I was communicating with the hiring manager several times a week. It was a position I really wanted. Then all of a sudden, there was nothing. It got to the point I put a note on my calendar a couple of weeks out to remind me to send one final email. Three days before that reminder was to pop up and remind me I received a message from the hiring manager. She asked if I was still interested.
I was certain the position went to another candidate and they didn’t have the decency to let me know after all the time I invested in the process. But it only proves my point you never know what’s going on on their end. There are all kinds of stumbling blocks that can get in the way. When I finally connected with the hiring manager she offered me the position. Her reasoning for the delay made sense but it would have been nice if she sent a quick email at any point along the way to let me know. It wouldn’t take much. But if I hadn’t stayed positive in the emails I kept sending her, if my weekly emails had grown more testy and snarky, I have no doubt they would have moved on to another candidate. That’s why you should always remain positive.
And I might add this; as a recruiter, I don’t do this and never have, but I am convinced some companies go silent on purpose. They are gauging your interest level and evaluating how you handle it. So handle it professionally and always assume positive intent.
Happy hunting
Setting appointments
In an earlier blog post I compared the job search process to the sales process. One of the steps in the sales process is setting appointments. I would like to follow-up on that step with some additional information.
I mentioned in the post that there is no direct correlation between setting appointments for a sales executive and a candidate calling into companies and trying to set interviews. While true, there are some things you can do to help set other types of appointments; namely, informational interviews.
Get your target list of companies together. Start researching who in the organization would be a good person to talk to. With a little bit of time and effort you can easily get a good idea of how the organization is laid out and who reports to whom. Once you have a good list, start calling into that company and ask for the people you have identified. You can also follow-up by sending them an invitation to connect on Linked In (LI).
I suggest making the call first. More often than not, you will get voice mail. Leave a concise, professional message leaving your name and call-back number twice. Be sure to speak slowly and clearly. We so often give out our own phone number that we say it very quickly. If someone is listening to your message and they are trying to write your number down as you say it, if you say it quickly they may miss it. So say it slowly and repeat it. I have also written previously on how to leave a message. You can read that post here: http://wp.me/p3nLpj-2r
After you leave your message, you can then personalize a note in your LI message. Something like: “Hi Chris, I left you a message but wanted to follow-up this way as well. I have a couple of questions for you and would appreciate a bit of your time.”
I am a strong proponent of leaving your phone number in every communication: phone, email, LI messages, etc. You want to be easy to contact. If someone has to search for your number or listen to a message several times to get your number chances are they will give up trying. I have long used the practice of giving my phone number in every message I send through LI. My typical closing in LI looks like this:
Thank you,
Chris
817.300.3081
For every email account I have, I have created a default signature that provides my number, Twitter and blog information. You want to be easy to contact.
Happy hunting!
RecruitingShingle 