#YourCareer : Companies Don’t Care About You: The Days Of Corporate Loyalty Are Over And It’s Time To Take Control Of Your Career. A MUst REad for All!

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We all understand that corporations solely care about revenue, profits and their shareholders. CEOs and top brass hyperfocus on their own financial interests. It’s hard to blame them, as this is how the game is played.

Lately, it seems that the chasm between the uber-wealthy and the average American family is the greatest we’ve seen since the bygone era of robber barons. The top 1% are thriving during the pandemic, while the rest of us are desperately trying to survive and eke out a meager living. More than ever before, a small group of powerful CEOs and executives have usurped the lion’s share of their company’s money by awarding themselves lavish salaries, stock options and bonuses.

The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have enhanced the chasm between the average worker and the upper echelon. This marks the beginning of the end of corporate loyalty. It’s obvious that we’ve been forced into a new era of free agency. The companies clearly don’t care about the workers and now the workers need to care about themselves.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Here’s a great example exemplifying the callous, nonchalant behavior of corporate executives toward employees. In late March, Covid-19 hit the United States hard. A then record-setting 3.28 million people filed for unemployment benefits for the week ending March 21. At the time, it was the highest level of claims in reported history. Those numbers seem quaint now, as more than 60 million Americans have filed for benefits since then. Due to the drastic health, economic and job-loss crisis, prominent CEOs—many from financial services and Wall Street—promised that they would not lay off workers through 2020. Six-plus months later, a number of these companies are now laying off employees.

Here are just some of the large corporations that have changed their minds about their pledge to hold onto workers:

  • Citigroup: “Citigroup will continue laying off roughly 1% of its global workforce, the company announced on Sept. 14. The cuts end a previous commitment to pause layoffs amid the pandemic.” A cursory search of Citi’s online job postings shows that around two-thirds of the listings are outside of the U.S. This reflects an ongoing trend of Wall Street banks relocating jobs to lower-cost cities within America and to other countries.
  • Goldman Sachs: “Goldman Sachs is cutting 400 jobs, or 1% of its workforce, after briefly pausing job cuts amid the pandemic, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 30.”
  • Wells Fargo: “On July 9, Bloomberg Law reported that Wells Fargo is preparing to cut thousands of jobs,” and has plans to start chopping “more than 700 commercial banking jobs.”
  • Deutsche Bank: “The bank announced it was restarting job cuts—part of an 18,000-position cull it launched last July but paused…as the coronavirus crisis bred uncertainty.”
  • HSBC: “HSBC resumes 35,000 job-cut plan, ending [Covid-19] ‘pause.’”
  • Salesforce: “Salesforce started to lay off 1,000 of 54,000 employees on Aug. 26, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news comes one day after the company posted record sales. In March, CEO Marc Benioff pledged a 90-day freeze on layoffs.”
  • LinkedIn: “LinkedIn said it would cut 960 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce, on July 21. The cuts will impact hiring and sales positions.”

Some of the companies focused on a 90-day commitment; although, the spirit of the intent was for the year. To be fair, at the onslaught of the outbreak, it wasn’t conceivable that the pandemic would still be in place seven months later nor did they foresee the rampant damage caused to the economy.

Since then, companies across all industry sectors executed massive layoffs. For instance, Disney recently let go of about 28,000 workers and the airlines plan to terminate about 35,000—if the government (U.S. taxpayers) doesn’t give them another $25 billion after the initial $25 billion bailout.

Without any empathy, corporations ruthlessly cut out middle managers to save money and hire younger, less-expensive workers. To squeeze even more money out, they’ve relocated jobs from big cities, such as New York City, to lower-cost states and foreign countries to pay people a fraction of what their predecessors earned. When companies run into trouble and file for bankruptcy, they lay off thousands of workers without any hesitation. The executives and CEOs who mismanaged the business remain and continue to collect fat paychecks.

Large sums of money have been allocated toward technology, robotics and artificial intelligence. The goal is to eventually replace real-life human workers with sophisticated technology. Robots don’t take coffee breaks, vacations, eat lunch, gossip or argue over sports and politics. They dont require health insurance nor do they talk back or call in sick.

Predictions of AI taking over jobs are so great that former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang called for Universal Basic Income to be paid to Americans. Yang’s thesis is that once tech takes over, millions of Americans won’t have the skills to hold a decent job. Their only answer is for the government to provide a living income to help them get by. While on a podcast with Yang, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that—fairly soon—AI will write better code than his current software engineers. His dire forecast is that tech will eat the lunch of everyone and no one is safe.

A large number of iconic American companies filed for bankruptcy protection during the course of the pandemic. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, but somehow, the top brass paid themselves millions in bonuses. It rises to a level of incredulity when a CEO gets to cash in for driving their company into the ground.

It looks like conditions will worsen. With millions of Americans out of work, companies can aggressively dictate the terms. They’d think, “Why shouldn’t we lowball salaries and increase the demands of employees? Where else would they go? With less opportunities available, people won’t have a choice but to accept whatever they can get.”

As the job-loss crisis continues to grow and millions of people look for work, corporate management will feel free to summarily dispatch employees at will. Managers will realize that they don’t have to deal with a difficult worker, as there will be a line of people forming to take the person’s place—if fired. There won’t be a need to offer larger wages and better benefits, as there will be someone else who would gladly take the job to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s head.

It used to be that you could graduate from high school, find a decent job, afford a nice home, two cars and raise your kids in a quiet, bucolic suburban neighborhood. You would work at the same company for most of your adult life and receive a pension when you retire. If your children wanted to go to college, it was affordable and cheap—by today’s standards. If you didn’t desire the higher-education route, it was deemed perfectly respectable to pursue a trade or become a blue-collar worker instead of going to college.

The reality is that this new post-Covid economy could be harsh, cold and unforgiving. To battle back against this, you need to view yourself as a free agent. You can make your own destiny and shouldn’t solely rely upon your employer.

The key is to become thick-skinned, resilient and self-reliant. You will have to be mentally and emotionally tough to deal with all of the new challenges. You will have to constantly learn, reinvent yourself, pivot, acquire new jobs, start side hustles and find new ways to create value.

It might seem scary at first, but there is the sweet taste of freedom when you accept that you can control your own fate and don’t have to depend upon the whims of a large, faceless and uncaring corporation.

The bottom line is, due to these scary emerging trends, you need to look out for yourself. Even if you’re gainfully employed, it’s imperative to keep your eyes open for new opportunities. Prepare a just-in-case Plan B, C and D. Start networking right now and don’t wait for the dreaded call from human resources asking for a quick meeting. Update your LinkedIn profile and résumé. Learn new skills and technologies required for our changing economy. Find secondary tertiary ways to get an income stream, so that you’re not entirely dependent upon a salary. Get active on social media, reach out to recruiters, research new types of potential careers, attend online career-oriented events and do whatever it takes to hold onto your job for the time being.

 

Forbes.com | October 12, 2020 | Jack Kelly 

#JobSearch : How to Stand Out from the Crowd on LinkedIn? With over 700 Million LinkedIn Users, you Need Every Advantage.

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I recently had a client say to me, “There are so many other executives on LinkedIn who do what I do. How do I stand out from all the others?”


It can feel daunting trying to determine how to stand out from others with your skill set or background. Your personal brand is one of the main factors that will separate you from other candidates throughout your career. You never know when a job change may occur, so you need to be ready.

What are some things you can do to differentiate yourself from your peers?

➊ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞. Fill in all sections. Leaving sections blank leaves questions unanswered. Be as thorough as possible. You can add PowerPoints, photos, samples of work, coursework, and things you’ve done in your career. Make use of the Featured section to highlight your achievements.

➋ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. Write an article about your area of focus and add it to your profile. Articles remain on your profile for others to view. No one will know you’re an expert in a certain area unless you let them know, and writing and posting articles are a great way to do so. You never know who will find your expertise valuable and it could lead to opportunities you didn’t even know existed.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

➌ 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Adding your .02 to a conversation shows your knowledge, experience, and boosts your credibility. People who actively comment in groups demonstrate their brand and what they represent as a person and a professional. The biggest challenge with LinkedIn groups can be finding ones relevant to you and your job search. You never know whom you may encounter in these groups, but active communication can open up many doors.

➍ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭. Connect with people in your industry. Connect with second and third connections as well. You never know the opportunities that may come with the relationships you build. When your connections post significant updates, don’t hesitate to comment and congratulate them on an achievement or start a discussion with them.

➎ 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞! Comment on posts and offer support and expertise. The more you engage the more you stand out as an expert in your field. It only needs to be a few short sentences about the article stating what you like most, what you agreed with, what you found, or anything else you deem appropriate. The author will appreciate the time you took to comment on it and will likely return the favor at some point.

➏ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞. Take a course or certification? Add it. Look for opportunities to learn a new skill, one that is sought after in your industry. A potential employer will see the value in hiring someone they don’t have to spend the time and money to train.

➐ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭. Make a plan to use LinkedIn three times a week, ten minutes a day. The more you use the platform, the more it will work for you. Building and maintaining your brand never ends. If you want to maintain a strong reputation, you can never stop working on your personal brand.

With over 700 million LinkedIn users, you need every advantage to showcase your personal brand and unique skill set. You may have the experience. Use LinkedIn to communicate to others your expertise.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog | October 12, 2020

#JobSearch : When it Comes to Resumes – The Good vs. The Bad. Hiring Managers Look at Hundreds of Resumes every Week. Does your Resume Stand Out?

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Resumes mean so much to hiring managers. It’s your first introduction to a prospective employer and it’s how you differentiate yourself. But what separates the bad resumes from the good ones?

The best resumes avoid abbreviations. Abbreviations are not professional nor are they accepted. Nothing makes HR managers cringe more than seeing sentences like the following: “Answered the phone and went 2 C clients” (yes, I truly have seen this). It may be the information age but this is not a text message so don’t treat it as such.

Giving up too much personal information is a no-no. You should leave off anything related to hobbies or interests that are not related to the job. Do not include your weight and height unless you’re applying for a position as a gym trainer. If it’s not related to the job in any way, do not include it on your resume. Leave out your illnesses or why you took off 2 years to care for a dying parent. As hard as that may have been, it will count against you.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

The best resumes are the best because they’re not being used as an art canvas. If you try to stand out by having large graphics on your resume, it’s a bad move, because this will give you an unprofessional and amateurish looking resume. Your prospective employer only wants to see your skills, your duties, and achievements. You’re not going to get anywhere by having a Word Art picture of a snail on your resume.

Keep the negativity to yourself. The best resumes are neutral in tone or highlight the best attributes of the applicant. But, if you have information on your resume that is negative, such as, leaving your previous employer because you did not like the boss, just keep that part to yourself. Do not try to explain the situation on your resume. That’s an impossible battle that you should not fight. Your resume’s job is to sell and promote you. So, don’t eliminate yourself because you were negative.

Good resumes include dates. Do not make an HR manager have to guess. This kills your resume on the spot. You have to include dates. What years were you in college, did you attend graduate school, or did you graduate from a trade school? How long have you been working at your current position? Do not make the hiring manager have to ask questions about your resume. The second they have to guess, your resume is going straight to the trash. Make sure your resume flows easily and there are no date gaps. If you took a year off to go travel or to go back to school, include this on your resume.

Bad resumes do not highlight achievements. Many people will fill their resumes with irrelevant information, but they leave off the most important part of the resume – focusing on their achievements. You want to stand out from other applicants, so how can you do that if you do not showcase what you’ve done. Explaining your past accomplishments means that the HR manager can see what you’ve done and know how you can fill their need. If you have the abilities, you need to showcase them on your resume.

Hiring managers look at hundreds of resumes every week, and you want your resume to stand out for all the right reasons.

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog |  October 8, 2020

 

 

 

#JobSearch : Want to Get Noticed? Make a Compelling Approach! Part of Six(6) Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards.

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If you are familiar with my Top Down coaching methodology, you know I eschew conventional approaches toward securing interviews in favor of a direct approach. You also know that I advocate a personal yet respectful style in doing so in efforts to avoid coming across as a pesky mass mailer or just another junk message. To illustrate, I’d like to share an actual example that perfectly exemplifies this style of approach

                 Question: How do you stand out?

A couple of years back, I had a coaching client who was intent on scoring a general manager position with a major premier international fighting organization. Prior to our meeting, he had applied to the organization through their corporate website and never received a response, despite having what would have appeared to be amazing credentials and a standout resume. It could have been owing to ATS’(Applicant Tracking Systems) exclusionary algorithms, or it could have been the result of the corporate office never having passed down the inquiry to the local franchise – we had no idea. So, we elected to employ the Top Down Method strategy.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

First, we did some research to discover the name of the franchisee. A bit more sleuthing revealed that he was from Brazil and owned a company there. Since no email address for him was available that was connected to the franchise, we decided the best course of action was to contact him through his Brazilian company’s website. Now, my client spoke the most rudimentary of Portuguese. Reasoning our target most certainly also spoke Portuguese, I suggested we start off the letter addressing this individual in Portuguese to grab his attention. Not an approach you’ll ever see advocated in any book (besides mine, of course), but why not???

The balance of the letter was composed in English. What follows is the actual correspondence (names & locations changed)

Bom Dia Sr. Silva,

I understand that you are the franchise owner of the UFC Gym in Wellington, and I wanted to express my sincere desire to serve as your General Manager. I am currently Business Manager/General Manager of Hard Corps Gym in Miami and am looking for a new opportunity – one that would offer a greater possibility for growth and advancement. After having read the job description detailed on the career page of the UFC Gym website, I can confidently say that I am both experienced and highly skilled on all requisite levels.

I have included my resume for your review and would be grateful if you could tell me what next step I might take to interview for this position. Thanks so much for your consideration.

Respectfully… 

It took all but 2 hours to receive a response from our target. He directed my client to contact the regional manager for an interview, who was alerted to the incoming inquiry. Two weeks later, he was hired as club General Manager-In-Training. So, to place things in perspective, he went from being just another lost resume submission in what was likely an ocean of other resumes to getting to the front of the line. My client got the job, not necessarily because he had the best resume, but because he showed bold initiative and assertiveness – two traits highly sought after by any employer!

This example of approach and others are detailed in my game-changing book, Top Down Method: A 6 Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards, along with everything else you need to know to succeed in your pursuit of securing interviews.

Fortune favors the bold, so be proactive, forge your own path and make it happen!

FSC Blog Author:  Derek Unnasch. Author of Book above: Top Down Method: A 6 Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards, elitextraining.com

 

FSC Career Blog |  October 7, 2020 |  Derek Unnasch

 

 

#JobSearch : How To Tell If The Company You’re Interviewing With Is Not Interested In You. Interviewing is a Lot Like Dating.

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Job seekers always wonder what happened in their interviews. After six to 10 Zoom meetings over the course of five months, communications from the company have abruptly stopped. You’re left wondering, “Did I do something wrong? Do they not like me?”

In the past, companies would freely share feedback and constructive criticism. The firm would divulge what the candidate did right and where they may need some help. The human resources person would also share some insider tips, such as, “Tell Bob when he meets with Karen, the hiring manager’s manager, he should give the same elevator pitch he gave to the manager. It was very strong and Bob’s background was right on point. Also, Karen is a big Giants fan and alumna of New York University. I know Bob went there too. So, tell him to talk about football and NYU.”

Over the years, things have changed dramatically. Companies are now reluctant to share feedback. It’s due to several factors, including concerns over saying something that could be misconstrued as racist, sexist, ageist or some other form of discrimination; human resources hiding behind technology; the discomfort people have with telling people bad news; the recent rise in rudeness and the lack of civility.

Since you can’t rely upon feedback from the company, here are some ways you can interpret and infer from the actions of the company and interviewers what they really think.

If you hear, “It was a pleasure meeting with you. You’ll hear from someone,” that is not a good sign. What you want to hear is something specific. “It was a pleasure meeting with you. Jane Doe from human resources will contact you Monday or Tuesday with the next step and who you’ll meet with.” There’s bonus points if they reference a specific day and time and the names of the folks with whom you’ll be meeting with. It’s even better if they offer the entire agenda, how many interviews will take place and a time frame in which they hope to conclude the process and extend an offer.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

“Thanks for coming! It was nice to meet you. We are at the very early stages of the interview process and have a number of people that we plan on speaking with. The job advertisements garnered a large amount of résumés and we still need to go through them all.” Interviewers tend to hide behind these types of clichés. If they’re into you, the wrap-up statement would have been more positive with a call to action. Their vague statement can be interpreted as, “We don’t hate you. You’re okay, but we’re going to keep looking to see if we could find someone better.” They are also hedging their bets by not outright rejecting you, since they may not find a more appropriate applicant.

If you ask a lot of relevant, smart questions and don’t receive complete, well-fleshed-out answers, it’s an ominous sign. When the interviewer doesn’t offer in-depth commentary on the responsibilities of the job, the people with whom you’ll work with, the possibility for advancement and a feel for the corporate culture, it’s not a buy signal.

If an interviewer really likes you, they will go to great lengths to answer any and all questions. They’ll gladly provide color and robustly describe the role. They do this to sell you on the job. That’s a very good sign. When you feel that the hiring manager is in selling mode, as opposed to interrogating you, that’s a big tell that they want you to come aboard and join the company.

The absence of an effusive discussion of the responsibilities and job requirements denotes that they’re not that interested in you. To be fair, it could be that they’re not a good interviewer. This is a commonplace occurrence. It’s a weird quirk in the interview process that companies generally don’t train managers on the basics of hiring. They naively feel that a hiring manager can figure it out on their own. Some are natural at interviewing. Many are not that gifted and a lot are really bad at it.

When you’ve received consistent communications and they abruptly break off, it’s a warning sign. If your recruiter ignores your calls or leaves messages for you at super early or late times (knowing that you won’t be  around), it’s troubling—especially because they only get paid if they place you. They may have moved on to find more candidates for the role, since they are concerned that you may not be selected. If you try to follow up with the company by making  phone calls, sending texts and emails and don’t hear anything back, it’s not looking good. There are some caveats, such as unexpected business matters that need attending to, a family emergency, illness or other short-term distractions.

“We may have some new roles opening up and will keep you in mind.” It’s true that sometimes they really mean what they say and are interested in hiring you in the right role. Most likely, it’s a polite way to say that they’re not going to extend an offer, but they at least like you.

Other things to watch out for include your LinkedIn invitations to connect went unanswered, you receive calls from other recruiters about the job you just interviewed for and the position was reposted on job boards. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you are completely out of the running, but it’s not a good sign.

Hiring managers are just as uncomfortable as you are with regards to the interviewing process. Arguably, they have more to lose. If the manager hires a person who turns out to be a dud, senior executives will question their judgement. This makes the hiring manager cautious about hiring and tries to find out any reasons why the applicant could end up becoming a problematic employee.

The vast majority of interviewers don’t take pleasure in rejecting people. They find turning down people uncomfortable and unpleasant. This is one of the main reasons why you hear vague, perfunctory statements. As decent people, they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Secretly, they hope that they don’t have to give the bad news to applicants and hope that they eventually get the message and move on.

Interviewing is a lot like dating. It’s not easy to guess what the other person is thinking. I hope this offers you some valuable insights into what’s happening behind the scenes and translates corporate speak to real-life meanings.

 

Forbes.com | October 6, 2020 | Jack Kelly

#JobSearch : Reasons Job Seekers Don’t Get a Job (That No Employer Will Admit To). Let’s Face It – Legal or Not, Discrimination is Still Alive and Well in the Job Market.

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Let’s face it – legal or not, discrimination is still alive and well in the job market. While most forms of discrimination are illegal, when there are many qualified applicants for a job, certain things may knock you out as a candidate even before you have a chance to prove yourself.

Here are some of the types of discrimination job seekers face, and how you can combat them.

1- Family – To put it bluntly, married applicants with children are something of a liability. They take more time off work, expect to earn more, need more insurance, and often place their priority on family rather than career. While there’s nothing wrong with that, if an employer is forced to choose between a married and unmarried applicant, it’s an easy choice as far as money is concerned.

Make sure that you keep all family information as private as possible in an interview. Employers can’t legally ask your marital status, so don’t volunteer anything you don’t have to. Force them to choose based on merit, rather than on convenience.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2- Gender – There is a lot of gender discrimination going on in the workplace, but not in the way many would assume. Sometimes an employer will bring their own preconceptions into an interview. For example, some employers prefer female employees because they’re viewed as more personable, dependable, and statistically, women are less likely to ask for raises. Some employers prefer male employees, because they think they will be more aggressive and more willing to take charge of projects.

If possible, show up to the interview early, and try to meet a few people in the office if anyone is accessible. Get a feel for the gender mix and the personality type of the employees that already work there, and do your best to project that personality in the interview.

3- Age – Young or old, there are a lot of hang-ups employers have in regard to age. Every employer wants someone who’s there to work long-term, because training a new employee is an expensive investment. If you’re very young, you may not have much experience, but what the interviewer will really be looking for is your potential anyway.

They may not be keen on hearing that you intend to return to college, or that you are planning on getting married soon – these are all things that could make you leave. Never volunteer more information about your personal life than absolutely necessary. Also, if you are reaching social security age, make it clear that this *is* your retirement, and that you have no plans to stop working any time soon.

4- Education – Often, a college degree means absolutely nothing in terms of how prepared you are for a job, but it does show that you are educated, not to mention able to make it through four years of disciplined study. Those without a degree will have to work twice as hard to seem more educated than their degreed peers, and that means going the extra mile.

If you don’t have a degree, make sure your resume includes plenty of relevant educational experience, like managerial training, classes you’ve taken, and specific work training courses. It may also help to work with a public speaking coach for a few sessions, in order to help you articulate yourself well, and maybe even quash a strong dialect, if you have one. Dress is also important. Having an off-the-rack suit tailored for you is a cheap and good way to look well put together. If you look affluent and successful, it will help remove the stigma that those without a college degree are doomed to be stuck in blue collar jobs.

Regardless of the job you’re looking for, do your research. Get a feel for the company, and try to look at as many current employees as you can. Try to find any common threads between them, and use that to your advantage. If nothing else, the more you look like you already belong in the office, the easier it will be for the employer to imagine you as part of the team.

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog | October 5, 2020

#JobSearch : Your Networking Conversation Script In 5 Steps. Follow These 5 Steps and you’ll Be a Networking Call Pro in No Time.

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Most of my clients cringe at the word “networking.” Networking can feel like an impersonal exchange of pleasantries at best, and an uncomfortable ask for a favor at worst.

But, remember:

1) Most people love talking about themselves. Never feel guilty asking for a conversation. Your job will be to ask a lot of thoughtful questions and listen. The receiver will most likely be pleased to oblige.

2) In general, people enjoy providing value to others. People like helping others. You’re not going to force someone to jump on a Zoom call with you unless they want to.

Even knowing these two powerful facts, having a step-by-step process for the actual networking conversation itself can be helpful.

Here’s your go-to 5-step script for your next networking conversation:

1. If you asked for the conversation, take control up front.

Uncertainty at the beginning of a call can be awkward. After an initial exchange of pleasantries simply say: “Thank you so much for jumping on the phone to talk with me today. Perhaps first it would be helpful to give you a brief background on myself and the context for this call. Then, I’d love to hear a little bit more about your background and how you ended up at [X company] and then, time permitting, it would be great to ask you some questions at the end. How does that sound?”

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2. Have your spiel down pat, and no more than 45 seconds.

Write down and prepare your 30-45 second narrative (or as I like to call it, your “spiel.”) Do not leave this part of the conversation up to chance, because you may talk for longer than is appropriate. Your spiel should briefly explain your professional past, (where you’ve been) current state (where you are), and future goals (where you want to go).

3. Ask specific and thoughtful questions you can’t get from the website.

Don’t ask basic questions that you simply could have googled. Make your questions personal. Going Places, a female-founded company that helps individuals navigate the job search says to use the following question structure, time permitting:

  • Two questions about the person. (How was your experience in sales different from [Company X] to [Company Y]? I saw you published a book 5 years ago. That’s awesome. How is that doing? What was the process like getting it published?)
  • One question about the company. (What’s the company culture like on your team?)
  • One question about the industry. (I saw that you’re blocking political ads on the platform. Was that something everyone feels positively about internally?)

4. Make an ask… tactfully.

At the end of the call, a person may ask what they can do for you. Even if the person doesn’t ask that question, though, don’t let that deter you. According to Going Places, “Ask your ask! And make sure it does not require extra work for [the person you’re asking]. Whether it’s a referral or advice, you need to understand the follow-up steps required and plan ahead of time. (Example: if you want an e-introduction to another person within the company, draft the email for them! Then, the most the person should have to do is forward that email.)” I tell my clients: Make your ask SEA: Simple and Easily Accomplished.

5. You should walk away with 3 nouns: people, places, or things.

Your goal should be to leave the conversation with three takeaways. Keep in mind, these can be resources like books or articles to read, other individuals to speak to, other companies to look into, or a new phrase, idea or technology you hadn’t heard of. I’m a believer in the “tree-branch effect” of networking: if each conversation leads you to three nouns, and then each of those nouns leads you to three more nouns, you’ll amplify your effect.

Follow these 5 steps and you’ll be a networking call pro in no time. And, don’t forget your thank you note!

Forbes.com | October 1, 2020 | Julia Wuench

#YourCareer : Ageism Is Forcing Older Workers Out Of The Job Market. “Older Workers are Losing their Jobs at a Faster Rate, Relative to Younger People.”

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In our youth-obsessed culture, the devastating plight of older workers is glaringly overlooked. We are all having challenges dealing with the virus outbreak. Over the last six months, over 60 million Americans lost their jobs. The weekly jobless report from the U.S. Department of Labor released Thursday indicated that another 870,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits.

As bad as these numbers are, it’s even worse. There’s a dirty little secret that no one likes to talk about because it’s very uncomfortable. According to research from the University of Chicago, “the pandemic has derailed the finances and careers of individuals of all ages” and  wreaked havoc on older people—particularly those who are 50 years of age and older.

Many seasoned workers have found themselves between jobs. I’ve spoken and communicated with several dozen people who are 40 years of age and older and they’ve said that it’s getting nearly impossible to find a new role at the level and compensation that they previously earned. Many of them, as months go by, realize that searching for a new job is futile and throw in the towel.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

An uncomfortable amount of the 45-and-over crowd have been forced to take jobs at the Home Depot or take on gig-economy-type roles, just to pay the bills and get health insurance. A large percentage have just given up on the job hunt and called it a day. Sadly, the experienced people were unceremoniously pushed out of the job market and did not leave on their own volition.

Let’s be brutally honest—New York and other states sent Covid-infected patients to nursing homes without conducting appropriate testing, which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. This is a clear sign of how we devalue the worth of this group of people. The entire mantra of the medical community and politicians at the offset of the outbreak was to “protect the old, sick and infirmed.” The reality is that we didn’t pay that much attention to them and warehoused our parents and grandparents in nursing homes—two or three to a room—and allowed them to baste in coronavirus until they took sick and died. Requests from families and friends to visit their loved ones was denied. They were also prohibited from having traditional religious services or funerals.

These actions highlight our treatment of older people. It’s not surprising that workers 40 years or older face tough difficulties in the job market. They fall victim to the “juniorization of jobs,” erosion of middle management, relocation of jobs to lower-cost locations and an unconscious bias in the hiring process.

If you casually check out the career sites of major corporations, you’ll be greeted with fresh, shiny and happy faces of 23 to 33 year olds. When you go to tech, startup and “cool” companies, the young staffers are wearing beanies, jeans, T-shirts and hoodies. Once in a while, there will be a token, grey-haired person. The message is clear. ”This is the type of person who works here. If you look like them, we want you to join us.”

Corporations are in cost-cutting mode due to the virus outbreak and need to save money. A big way to save funds is to get rid of middle management. These are the 40-and-up group of folks. Roles are juniorized and middle managers are squeezed out. This means that mid-to-senior level jobs are eliminated and replaced with roles that only require three-to-five years of experience. You’ll notice the proliferation of job descriptions that only ask for candidates with three-to-seven years of experience and the titles are at associate or analyst levels.

To further save money, the companies relocate jobs to lower-cost states and locations outside of the United States. The businesses can pay considerably less money to the workers in less expensive places and demand more of them. The older, more costly employees are not invited to move, as they now possess too much experience and are asking for a salary that is greater than the band allows. Management believes that younger workers are only too happy to have a job and will do whatever is asked of them, as they desperately need to pay off their college tuition payments.

If you are 45 years or older and looking for a new job, you’ll soon see that there are not many jobs left for you. Either they’re in other states and countries or only call for lightly experienced people. Sensing the dramatic turn of events, older workers say that they’ll take less money and a lower title. Instead of being open minded, hiring managers think and sometimes say things like, “Sorry, we feel that you’ll be a flight risk and leave for the next best offer,” and they’ll pass on hiring the person.

There is also an unconscious bias and sometimes not-so-hidden view that experienced workers will come aboard and want to immediately take charge. They’ll claim that they have all of the answers, as they’ve been working in the field for 30-plus years and boss the younger workers around. It is said that people want to work with people who look like them. Young managers are uncomfortable with older workers, as they feel they don’t speak the same language, dress similarly, share the same sensibilities and believe that they are out of touch with current trends.

After searching in vain, getting no traction or attention, it’s understandable that the older workers give up and “retire” unwillingly. The University of Chicago asserts that the unemployment numbers would be significantly higher if they included the seasoned workers who left the job market. Once they’ve finished collecting their unemployment benefits, they fall off the radar of the government data. It’s a neat little trick to make the employment figures look better—just ignore a large swath of the older population.

Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and retirement security expert, said in an interview with MarketWatch, “Older workers are losing their jobs at a faster rate, relative to younger people.” Ghilarducci expresses her concern, “A total of four million people [are] potentially pushed into retirement before they are ready. Half of Americans aged 55 and up will retire in poverty or near poverty.”

According to the study, “Early retirement [is] a major force in accounting for the decline in the labor-force participation. With the high sensitivity of seniors to the Covid-19 virus, this may reflect, in part, a decision to either leave employment earlier than planned due to higher risks of working or a choice to not look for new employment and retire after losing their work in the crisis.”

If the older workers that have been callously cast out of the job market were included in the unemployment data, we’d be at an extremely higher rate. Clearly, our politicians don’t want that number to come out, so they conveniently pretend that this is not happening.

 

Forbes.com | October 2, 2020 | Jack Kelly 

#JobSearch : Are You Sabotaging Your Job Search Efforts? Common Lies People Tell Themselves & How to Avoid Them.

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Unless you are independently wealthy, you’ll be on the job hunt at some point in your life. If you’re lucky, you won’t find yourself looking for a job very often. With that said, when you are seeking a job, you might be out of practice. It’s also possible that you may be inadvertently doing things to sabotage yourself while job hunting.

 

Take a look at some of the common lies people tell themselves about their job search, and how you can avoid them.

1- I can wait a few weeks to look for a job. I have money saved up.
This is a very dangerous job-hunting mistake, mostly because it’s a slippery slope. It starts off as a few days of rest, and then a week. One week of sitting at home turns into two, and before you know it, you find that you’ve lost the motivation to look for a good job. Maybe you’ve gotten accustomed to sleeping in, or perhaps you’ve moved in with a relative who is allowing you to mooch without demanding payment.

Whatever the reason, this can quickly lead to depression, and worse, the longer the amount of time that lapses from one job to another, the more potential employers want to know why you weren’t working. Do yourself a favor, and start looking immediately.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

My Resume is just fine – I don’t need to re-do it.

If you’ve sent in your resume to multiple places, and you haven’t gotten a response, it’s probably time to tweak it. Add new experiences, play with the format, or have a professional resume written for you. Ideally, you really should be tweaking your resume every single time you send it out. It should always reflect the job you’re applying for, and it should also use the keywords that were in the job posting.

I don’t need to look for a job every day.
Yes, you do! You should be treating your job hunt as a 9-5 job. There are several reasons for this. First, by waking up early every day, networking, visiting businesses, dropping off and printing resumes, and scanning the job listings, you’re setting up a good schedule and work ethic so that you never get out of the habit of working hard. It’s also important, because if a month later you still haven’t found something, you know it won’t be because you aren’t trying. That can help stave off joblessness depression.

I can do all my job hunting online.
While the internet is a huge resource for finding a job, it’s certainly not the only one. If fact, the best way to find a job is to get a face-to-face meeting with someone. Dress in your best every day, and while you’re not scanning online job listings, you should be on the road. Visit every company you think you’d like to work in, and have a chat with whoever is at the front desk. Explain that you’re a skilled person at doing whatever it is you do, and ask politely to see the HR manager or hiring director. If you’re not allowed to meet with them, leave your resume, along with a handwritten note saying that you dropped by, and you’d love to have a chat with them about filling any needs the company has.

Finding a job is a full-time job. If you aren’t putting forth the effort to find one, don’t be surprised when you don’t.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog | October 2, 2020

 

#JobSearch : Want Recruiter Attention? Use These Proven LinkedIn Messages. Do Know How a Recruiter Work? A MUst REad!

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I got another email from a Baby Boomer who asked me for a list of good headhunters he could approach to find him a job. I had to shake my head because this is not how recruiting works. I spoke to Biron Clark, a former Recruiter and the Founder of CareerSidekick.com, a popular job search advice website. He worked for two agencies and recruited for small tech organizations, midsize, and Fortune 500 companies looking to hire new employees.

“Many job hunters make fatal mistakes when they approach recruiters on LinkedIn,“ Clark stated. “Job seekers, especially Baby Boomers, have no clear understanding of the real role a recruiter does.”

Biron shared his personal experience and insight. He said, “Before you ever send a recruiter one word, you need to realize how recruiters work and how they get paid. A recruiter is compensated by the hiring company to find appropriate people to fill the specific job openings. They are not paid to find jobs for people.” That means a headhunter or recruiter is NOT going to shop your resume around and find a job for you.

“Recruiters get a job opening assignment. Then, the Recruiter looks for individuals with certain types of skills to fill that specific job,” Clark continued. “Research the recruiter before you email them. Find the appropriate recruiters who do searches in your field,” he recommended. “You will be more successful if you target five appropriate recruiters than if you randomly blast 50 recruiters that don’t have any job openings for people in your industry or with your skills.”

For example, if you are in healthcare sales, seek out 4-5 healthcare sales recruiters, and research them. Look at their LinkedIn profile and google the company they work for. Recruiters do not want you to waste their time. “Be targeted now when we have so many people job hunting,” he cautioned.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Clark has received hundreds of messages from job hunters on LinkedIn trying to get his attention. Most got ignored. He talked to colleagues, including fellow recruiters, coaches, and other experts. He found that they follow a similar pattern when deciding which messages to respond to. Here are his guidelines on what LinkedIn messages are effective and which ones won’t work.

Making Initial Contact

Any time you are messaging an HR person or recruiter for the first time, follow these rules, and you will get more responses.

Ask for something small to start.

·   Show you have done some research into the topic and into the person you’re contacting.

·   Personalize the message for this individual. Always have at least one spot that you have personalized, so they know the communication is not a cut & paste message sent to multiple people.

·   Avoid attachments, which can overwhelm the reader or make your message appear like a sales pitch

·   Make your message concise.

Send something like this:

 “Hi Michael, saw you mention working with biotech companies here in Seattle. I am a Research Scientist in biotech, and I’m thinking of testing the waters. Can I send you a resume and maybe we can work together?”

Don’t Send these Messages

Messages with an attachment. When you receive a message on LinkedIn and open it to begin reading, LinkedIn first shows you the bottom of the message. Then, you scroll up to start reading at the top. Recruiters really dislike this assertive approach. Also, salespeople often attach things to a first message, so that’s one more reason the reader will have their guard up when they see it, and one additional reason this approach does not work.

Can you take a look at my profile and see which jobs I’m a fit for?  This is a standard message received by anyone with “Recruiter” in their LinkedIn headline. Recruiters receive many messages like this each week, and most people who send them are not qualified for any of the roles that the recruiter is working on at the moment. Some people sending this type of message are not even in the same field or industry as the recruiter.

Instead, try this:

“Hi (RECRUITER FIRST NAME). I saw you recruit in sales and marketing here in Boston. I am a Sales Manager at XYZ Company, and I’m considering a change. Do you know of any Sales Manager positions here in the city? Would love to talk if you do. Thank you for your time!”

Recruiters typically specialize in an industry or niche, which is vital to consider before clicking “send.” Being specific rather than generic increases the likelihood that the message will be read and responded to.

Please look at my resume /LinkedIn and let me know what to improve. This won’t get a response. You are asking the recruiter to do your work. They can’t answer quickly if they are to offer constructive feedback, so they don’t spend any time answering at all.

Can you forward my resume on to the hiring manager for position X? You won’t get a response. If the recruiter sends your resume to the hiring team, the recruiter is recommending the candidate. A recruiter is highly unlikely to do this for a stranger unless you are a perfect match for the opening.

One conversation-starter that works

Explain to the recruiter you were doing some research and considering applying for the job but wondered how they would describe the work environment and whether they have enjoyed the company since joining. This is a simple, non-threatening question where you ask for one person’s genuine opinion (so they will immediately understand why you thought to message them).

Example of a successful Message:

“Hi, Tim. I saw a Microsoft job posting recently for an Enterprise Project Manager role. Is that the group you’re in? I was curious about how you have enjoyed the work environment there since coming over from Amazon 2 years ago. I have read some great Glassdoor reviews on Microsoft online, but I always like to ask someone first-hand, too.”

Why is this message likely to succeed? It is a small request, so the recipient is more likely to reply. You are also confirming that they work in the relevant department/group. You also show you have done some research and checked out their profile.

The Bottom Line

Sending direct messages on LinkedIn is a great way to expand your network, get help and advice, and get introduced to hiring managers. And while not every message will get a reply, you can improve your chances of hearing back from recruiters by asking one specific question, personalizing your message, and showing them that you have done your research before contacting them.

 

Forbes.com | October 1, 2020 | Robin Ryan