Teamwork: Co-Worker Care

It’s at the core of what teamwork is all about; first and foremost. Caring for others on your team with whom you work from the time you greet each other until you part for home.

Teamwork is so essential to working productively and successfully that it’s almost a given in every job posting you’ll read these days. Oddly enough however, when it comes to providing an interviewer with concrete, specific examples of teamwork, many people I speak with struggle. Many tell me that they don’t really have experiences working on major projects, taking the lead on initiatives where they delegated responsibilities etc. While those are examples of working on teams, they are but two ways to demonstrate teamwork. However, there are other, and I will argue much more significant ways to demonstrate your effectiveness as a valued team member.

Just yesterday, one of my colleagues was off work unexpectedly. In addition to her absence, our team had two people on vacation, one working at a second location and we’re currently short one person on our team until a replacement is hired. With our supervisor off for the day, it fell to those of us working to shore things up. As it happened, another colleague and I had a scheduled meeting in the morning on-site, which meant for us both to attend, we’d need a co-worker to staff our Resource Centre for an hour or two with our placement student alongside.

So up stepped one of my valued colleagues; happily and willingly able to set aside the time she’d counted on to do some planning. After our meeting was over, I returned to take my place. While the meeting had kept me away for an hour and half, all had gone smoothly for my colleague. Except, honestly…we’re all stretched a little thin these days, and we’ve been over-extending ourselves for quite some time. As it turned out, that time she gave up to cover was really needed to regain a measure of control and feel prepared for what she had going on later in the afternoon.

As it happened, my colleague started sharing with me just how stretched to the limit she feels. Not only was she stretched thin at work, but a prolonged home renovation is also going on, and I immediately knew that this meant there was no place for her to relax and recharge; what home should be. As she talked, I could see the visible signs of stress; talking rapidly, nervous laughter mixed with big gestures and just venting. This is good; this is healthy, this is sharing a burden and reality with a listener that cares.

Aside from listening, I could really empathize with her because as I say, we’re all feeling stretched and I’ve been through reno’s at home. Throw in the emergence of the Christmas season, decorating a home, taking on a responsibility at work I’m aware of, and I could immediately get a feel for what she was feeling. By allowing her to share, she actually started to feel better. Then she did something I found intelligent and kind. She asked if I wouldn’t mind allowing her to go to lunch when I’d planned to, meaning my own lunch would be set back an hour. How is this kind? It gave me a chance to do something tangible to help.

While gone, I spoke with our placement student; a smart, aspiring young woman who has her own sights set on working in the field and with whom I can see myself working alongside. Here was a teachable moment. Having seen and overheard much of this interaction, I pointed out that this is exactly how to demonstrate care for one another as teammates. It’s funny how many of us are comfortable saying we love our jobs, we love our work, but the thought of saying we love our co-workers sounds odd if not just plain wrong. Well, it’s little things we do like letting each other vent, putting the needs of another ahead of our own etc. that demonstrate care and love for one another. It was important to put a label on this. “Loving” your co-workers isn’t likely on the University curriculum.

While sitting there awaiting her return so I myself could go for lunch, I got a text from my colleague. It was a picture of her lunch, with the words, “Feeling relaxed. Thank you”. I grinned and felt a measure of happiness for her. That’s all it took to bring control back. When she returned, she brought a tea for me, a coffee for our student and I even got a hug of thanks. That too is love and care reciprocated.

Now this isn’t monumental teamwork that saved the company thousands of dollars or brought some new client onboard. This is an example of everyday, small but significant interactions where you can either step up and support one another with genuine care for your coworkers, or you can say, “Not my problem – I’ve got my own problems. I’m going for my lunch now. See you in an hour.”

It’s the little things we do – you and I – throughout a day that over time become our reputation. When you pitch in, cover, listen, empathize, extend help, support each other, encourage each other – these I argue are the testaments of your teamwork.

On every team, some will get it and some won’t. Be one who does.

Awkward Or Weak First Impression? Relax!

Are you an Employment or Job Coach? At some point you’ve likely said to those you’re supporting, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” If you’re in the regular practice of saying this to those you help, please stop. You’re unknowingly doing more harm than good; much more harm. I grant your intentions are nothing but well-intended, but your words have the potential to have dire consequences; you’re setting those you work with up to fail.

I used to buy in to the extreme importance of making an excellent first impression myself, whether it was at a job interview or starting a new job with a lot of people to meet and get to know. Like you, my intentions were always good. So I’d pass along the typical advice for making a good impression. Have a firm but not overpowering handshake, make direct eye contact, smile, be aware of your body language, etc. Like I’ve said, all well-intended and pretty standard advice.

Those I work with confess to being nervous when I’m coaching them for some upcoming meeting. Typically it’s a job interview or meeting someone who they believe might be in a position to advance their employment possibilities. They may be quite comfortable and self-assured in many situations, but as the butterflies in their stomachs begin to take flight seconds before and into a first meeting, so too in many cases does their growing anxiety. And in 2019, a LOT of people have anxiety, so it’s incumbent on us to respond to this.

All it takes is a slight stumble in that first meeting; a pregnant pause in replying to a question they’ve been asked, sweating excessively, arriving 2 minutes later than planned for, incorrectly pronouncing the name of the interviewer and feeling an overcoming urge to apologize; it’s then that it hits them. They suddenly remember the wise advice you gave them as you sent them off brimming with confidence; “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So what are they now thinking? “Ah great! What’s the point of even continuing then? I’ve already blown it! I might as well just apologize for wasting their time and try better somewhere else.”

The thing is, you aren’t there to help ground them, tell them they can re-group and still save the interview. If you were a fly on the wall and you had the power to freeze time, you could stop the moment you picked up on their facial expression that they are in distress and you could coach them through this momentary attack of low self-confidence, then unfreeze time and they’d perform better. But you lack these special powers and you’re not there. You can’t see what those you help actually look like, you can’t observe first-hand their performance, and so all you have to go on when you assess how things went and how to improve is their own recollection of events. And, surprisingly, this person you’re helping who was actually there, may be not all that aware of how things went wrong and how they looked, because their mind was on performing well.

Take heart though. I’m offering up something I feel is a better message to send that they may find far more helpful. It’s the last impression rather than the first, that is the most significant. The way I see and understand things now is that the first impression covers the first 30 seconds or so of an encounter. A face-to-face meeting or interview may go anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, and so there’s all that time beyond the first 30 seconds to either confirm or change that first impression.

Now I’m not suggesting we dismiss the value of first impressions. No, I still extol the importance of making as good a first impression as possible. However, it’s the last impression people remember more. You know the saying, “What have you done for me lately”? It means that although you may have performed well in the past (possibly an early or first impression), it’s recent performance that matters more at this moment, (the lasting impression).

This advice gives a person reason to hope when things don’t get off to a perfect start. There’s lots of time to ‘save’ a first meeting. In fact, actually saying, “Gee I’m sorry, let me start again” may be the reboot someone needs to launch an answer with confidence instead of bumbling along and fretting over a miscue. If the whole point of a job interview is to market oneself to the needs of an employer, you unknowingly put a massive amount of pressure on those you support when you send the message that those first 30 seconds will make or break the opportunity.

So instead of rehearsing some elevator pitch to the extreme, what will they say to leave a lasting, positive impression? Based on what they heard as they listened, what opportunity can they pick up on and what will they say that shows enthusiasm for wanting to be a part of the solution?

First impressions are important but the last impression is more important as the final impression is entire summation of the time together. If it started well, excellent; keep it going. However if it started awkwardly, relax, breathe deeply and concentrate on the remaining time together rather than worrying about how things started, which is beyond your control.

 

Understanding Teamwork

“Must be a team player.”

“Must be able to work independently and in teams.”

Some version of the above appears consistently in job posts these days. So much so in fact, that I’m getting kind of numb to reading over and over again in the resumes I start with a line that reads, “Can work independently or in teams.” I shudder just writing it there myself. Oh my goodness please don’t put this on your own resume and look exactly like 95% of all the other applicants you’re up against. B O R I N G !

Like any job requirement listed by an employer, it is imperative that you understand what the employer is asking for and why the position requires that particular skill set. When you understand the, ‘why’, you’ll find you suddenly have a much better grasp of their need, and so, when you include that skill or ability on your resume, you’ll do a much better job of presenting it, rather than just looking like you used copy and paste to get it on your page. How unimaginative!

I mean just think of the people on the receiving end, going over all those resumes they received. Imagine yourself in their shoes, and objectively ask yourself whether your own resume would stand out when yours, like most of them have the exact same words in that one line; “Work well independently or in teams”.

So what does it MEAN to work a team? Depending on the job, it could mean you listen to others, cooperate, share ideas, show flexibility, cover when co-workers are off, pitch in, collaborate, cooperate, support, encourage, engage, initiate, share resources, accommodate, etc. For a job involving teamwork you have to have excellent communication skills and sound interpersonal skills. Your team might be made up of people at your same level of seniority, but your team could also include interns, junior partners, senior management, front-line workers, administrative support staff. The folks on your team will not necessarily work in the same physical location if you think about it too. Could be they work in another department in the same building, on another floor, or across the city, in another province or state, or even on another continent.

Depending on the above, your teamwork might happen when you work face-to-face, over the phone, teleconferencing, face-timing over the internet, via email or fax, maybe even working collaboratively in a team with people you’ll only ever communicate with using a keyboard. Of course, for many of you reading this, your team will be comprised of your closest co-workers; the ones you physically engage with every day.

So first off, understand what the team looks like in the job you’re applying for. And there’s something not everyone thinks of when they do envision the type of team they’ll work with. Every team has a set of values, and it’s these values that they demonstrate as they go about their work. If you don’t know what the values are a team holds in high regard, it’s going to be hit and miss when you’re in an interview and trying to demonstrate what a great fit you are. If on the other hand you’ve done some advance work finding out what the team you’ll potential join holds dear, you can align yourself with that same set of values and you’ll then talk and act in such a way that it makes it easier for the employer to see you fitting in.

On the team I’m on for example, flexibility, creativity, and collaboration are values we hold. Anyone joining our team might show up at work and suddenly find that due to the absence of a co-worker on the team, their assigned role for the day is changing. That means in turn you’d have to be or learn quickly to be, flexible, adaptable to change. All the workshops we do involve working either alone or with a co-facilitator. Hence, collaboration and accepting the ideas of others is a job requirement. Positive interpersonal skills are essential because you’re not always in agreement with how a day will pan out, and when you’re making adjustments on the fly before an audience, they will be watching to see how you both interact with each other, consult and amend everything from switching the order of your lessons, shortening or lengthening a topic, adjusting break or lunch periods etc. And when the day is done and you’re tidying up, you need to work together to make adjustments, evaluate how things are progressing and turn to preparing for the next day.

Armed with all of that, it feels so inadequate to just say on my own resume, “Work well in teams.” How badly I would be marketing my abilities!

I might however say,

•  Collaborate and work productively in team environments where flexibility, creativity, leadership and strong interpersonal skills are highly valued

Now I’m packing a lot more into the teamwork angle. I’ve included 4 traits that fit with what I’ve read or learned the employer values. Now imagine my every bullet was enhanced and strengthened in a similar way. Or rather, imagine YOUR resume was strengthened in a similar way.

What’s important to is to prove through your accomplishments which you document on the resume that you’ve actually had these collaborative team experiences. Just making an idle claim that you work well in teams isn’t good enough; it might not be true.

Why Would I Want A Mock Interview?

I can just imagine many of you reading today’s blog about the benefits of a mock interview. You of whom I envision are thinking to yourselves, “I don’t like interviews, they’re so stressful! So why, when I don’t like them in the first place, would I voluntarily want to do more interviews? Especially when they aren’t even real! No thanks; interviews are painful, nerve-wracking and overall a negative experience to be avoided as much a possible. So a mock interview? No thank you!”

That’s a pretty strong reaction, but for many I’ve met over the years, it accurately sums up their feelings. They see choosing to ask for a mock interview like asking to have a root canal when there’s no need for one – just to be ready for the real thing if/when needed. Yep, a big NO.

The unfortunate reality of those who avoid the mock or practice interview is this: without practice, there’s no opportunity to get feedback and improve on their performance, so the outcome is performing poorly in the real thing. Poor interview performance of course leads to one thing; an unsuccessful outcome and having therefore to apply for more jobs and go to more interviews. Yet somehow, it seems preferable to some people to avoid all the research, practice, feedback, adjustments to delivery and just wing it. Not to sound trite but I ask you, “How’s that working out?”

Now there’s three possible outcomes you can arrive at when you typically go about interviewing by just winging it.

• You succeed and get a job offer
• You fail and keep on going about things the same way
• You fail and decide to get help and improve your odds of success

It’s that first one; that belief that despite the odds, you could succeed without ever having to go through practice interviews, that keeps people from seeking out help. It’s very much like a lottery; the odds are heavily stacked against you succeeding if you interview poorly, but there is that slim chance of success and you’ll hang on to that if it means avoiding practice interviewing. The irony is that the people who avoid mock interviews are typically the ones who could benefit the most.

So what goes on in a mock interview? Let me just say to be clear here, I’m not talking about a couple of questions you give your partner or close friend to ask here. The problem with these willing and well-intentioned people taking you through the mock interview is their reluctance to point out areas to improve because of your potential negative and volatile reaction to their feedback. And if we’re honest, you’re likely to dismiss what you don’t want to hear anyhow and tell them they don’t know what they are talking about because they aren’t an expert!

If the mock interview with friends or family works for you however, great. It’s a start and who knows, they might just observe and hit on some things that turn the experience around, helping you land that job offer. If so, well done everyone!

However, if you really want to maximize your odds of success, it’s good advice to seek out the support and feedback from a professional. Employment Coaches, Employment Counsellors and others who provide job search coaching are the people you’re after here. Many of these people can be contracted with at no charge through community social service organizations. If you’ve got the desire and the funds, you can also contract with a professional privately too.

Now, some of you I’m sure are raising the argument that if you’re out of work already and funds are tight, why on earth would you lay out your money and pay someone to put you through the mock interview? The answer of course is one you instinctively know already; if it increases your odds of success and getting offered a job, that’s money well spent. But I don’t want to appear to be just writing an ad for buying services people like me provide.

So what would a mock interview look like? Well, depending on the person you’re getting help from, it could look like this:

You meet and discuss how you’ve prepared in the past. Maybe a couple of questions get tossed out just to determine what you’ve been saying to date. From these, a baseline is established. An Employment Counsellor / Job Coach will provide feedback on:

•  First Impressions (Clothing, Body Language, Handshake, Hygiene, Posture, Tone of   Voice, Eye Contact)
•  Answers (Quality, Length, Sticking To A Format Or Winging It, Are You Answering The Questions? Using Examples?)
•  Suggestions For Improvement (Some Quick Improvements and Some Longer To Master)
•  Final Impressions (Ideas On How To Wrap Up The Interview On A Positive)

Now of course this doesn’t include how to prepare for and follow up on your interviews; both of which are extremely important and both of which you’d get a lot of help with from a professional.

Interviewing methods evolve over time and how you may have succeeded in the past could no longer be working. I suppose the real question here is whether or not you are performing well enough in your job interviews to land job offers. If you’re getting a high percentage of interviews for those you apply to, and if those same interviews are resulting in job offers, you don’t need help.

If on the other hand, you seldom get interviews at all, and the ones you do get don’t result in job offers, do yourself a favour and think seriously about getting help – and that includes mock interviews and feedback.

 

 

 

 

The Benefits Of Having Had Many Jobs

I see a lot of resumes; it comes with the job as have as an Employment Counsellor. In addition to the resumes I’m privileged to see, I listen to more people as they talk about their work history. Some have long careers working for a single employer while others have an abundance of shorter term jobs, seemingly changing from one to another every couple of years.

It’s of interest to me that most of the time, those who have spent much of their life in a job, two at the most – tend to be proud of their long tenures. I can hear it in their voice when they talk about their work, and that pride increases if the reason they are no longer working for a company was beyond both their control and the control of people around them such as their boss. If they lost their employment because of a decision far up the chain of command to down-size or relocate, the now unemployed person still feels good about their longevity and all it implies about their work ethic.

On the other hand, those who have worked in many jobs where each was for a relatively short duration don’t come across as confident and proud. Most often, when they talk about their work history, they apologize flat-out for having such a seemingly bad-looking resume. Their resume they fear looks like they can’t hold down a job as they move quickly from one to another. In short, they get defensive.

If your own resume has quite a few jobs on it and they are for only a few years at most and many much less than that, let me give you some positive ways to look at it. Why? Simple really. How you perceive your work history will be communicated to those you talk with it about, and if some of those you talk to are potential employers, you want to come across in a positive way, not presenting yourself as a short-term liability, hired only to be replaced in short order.

The most obvious benefit of having held many jobs is that numerous employers have had the confidence to hire you. Never forget this. This fact should confirm in your mind that you perform well enough in those interviews to sell your abilities and potential value to more than just a few employers. Where some job seekers would love for just a single employer to hire them, you’ve got the evidence that several employer’s see benefits in bringing you onboard.

The best thing about having worked in many jobs, especially when those jobs have been in different lines of work altogether, is the fact that you have diversified experience. In other words, it is exactly because your work history crosses many fields that you’ve got both the experience and an appreciation for what it’s like to work in those various employment sectors. This isn’t a liability but rather a strength. Of course, if you believe it to be a bad thing, you’ll send this message to everyone you talk to and they’ll be inclined to see it the way you see it. Ah but the opposite is also true! See this history of various jobs in different sectors as your strength and those you tell will consider this perspective and believe it the more you sell it.

Suppose you’ve worked in the fast-food industry as a Cook for a couple of years. From there, you moved to being a Sales Associate in a mall, then after chatting over time with the Security Guard, you went and got your licence and did that job for two years. To increase your earnings, you quit and took on a job in a food warehouse and just shy of a year you left the job to work as a Landscaper with a friend.  So you’ve held 5 positions over 6 or 7 years. How do you view that? Can’t keep a job? Lack of direction? Not likely to stay in any job? Drifting and a poor bet to hang around long if/when hired again? See it that way, you’ll sell it that way.

But what if as I say we spun that around? You’ve worked as a Cook in the Hospitality Sector, Sales Representative in Retail, a Guard in Security, Labourer in a Warehouse and Landscaper in the Property Beautification sector. Suppose you pitched this summary as having gone out with the goal of gaining experiences; intentionally working in various sectors to gain an appreciation for various lines of work; discovering not only what the jobs entailed, but discovering more about yourself as you determined your preferences and things you wished to avoid. This accumulated work history has provided you with a way to connect with people in various lines of work, and having acquired this skill, now you’re focused on making a commitment to a longer-term position. One where your well-developed people skills and accumulated experiences working in teams, and of course your resiliency and ability to reinvent yourself will contribute to your success.

Read that paragraph again; maybe twice more. When you turn how you see your work history into a strength, you suddenly feel a confidence in defending your career journey. It can then translate into a benefit for a potential employer as they size you up.

Many jobs have one thing in common; interacting with people. Your diverse experience is suddenly an asset.

Interviewing When You Know The Interviewer

Which is easier, interviewing for a job when you’re unemployed, or interviewing for a job when you’re being interviewed by people who already know and/or supervise you?

Just to clarify things before you answer, you might be wondering how you could possibly be interviewed by your current boss for a promotion. Well, it could be that you’re a temporary hire and you actually have to re-interview for a permanent position and compete for it with employees from other departments or even external applicants. Or, you might be applying for a promotion to another position altogether and your long-time boss just recently advanced to a position where – surprise! – if/when selected, they’d become your boss again. So it happens.

Many believe that being interviewed by someone who already knows you would be infinitely easier. After all, they know what you’re capable of, they know the successes you’ve had, how you go about your job everyday, your great attendance and punctuality; the interview will be more of a formality than anything. Making these kinds of assumptions is extremely dangerous and ill-advised.

Why you ask? After all, they KNOW you. Well, the answer is simply that you’re in danger because you may fall into the trap of not fully answering questions with the details and examples you’d give to someone you didn’t know. Instead of providing these concrete examples of things you’ve accomplished you might say things like, “Well, you know what I’m capable of”, or “You’ve seen how I handle problems, and I’ll continue to work the same way.”

On the other side of the table, this person who knows you intimately is struggling. You see they want you to interview to your best, and they may even really want to hire you. The problem? They may be bound to record only what you actually say in response to the questions asked, and you may be scored solely based on what comes out of your mouth; not what they know you to be capable of but you leave unsaid.

I’ve heard from employers who have told me they have passed over people they knew well and who were very qualified, because in the interview itself they scored exceptionally low. Their interview scores were weak because they took for granted that the interviewer would score them high based on their relationship and telling the interviewer what they already knew wasn’t necessary.

This boss who knows you well may be rooting for you to perform highly in the interview, but they may be one of two or three people conducting the interview, and they can hardly act unprofessional and at some point in the interview start coaching you on how to best respond if you’re oblivious to the fact you’re failing to demonstrate and prove you’ve done what you claim.

The best advice I can give you is to prepare for all interviews the same; whether you know someone doing the interviewing or not. Be prepared to compete for the job and if you have to make some assumptions, assume you’ll get no favours on the other side; that you have to give specific examples from your past that prove you’ve got the experience, education and skills demanded of the position you’re competing for. Sure, you might start talking in detail about an experience the interviewer knows just as well, but you’ll be scored highly on referencing that example and for using skill-based language that interviewers are listening for.

I myself went for just such an interview many years ago now. I was a temporary employee in a position and just weeks after starting the job, the permanent posting came out. I literally had to interview a second time with the person who had interviewed me the first time. I was competing with others, and my advantage was that I was currently in the role. I treated the interview the only way I knew how at the time, by making no assumptions of favouritism, giving examples of my work which yes, I knew the one interviewer already was aware of. As I answered, I saw smiles of recognition throughout the interview, as I talked about things I’d accomplished and outcomes I’d achieved in the past; just as I did in the original interview. Only later did I learn that I’d taken the right approach. Another employee in the same situation had also interviewed for the role, (there were three jobs available) and was not successful because they gave short answers and heavily relied on the boss to fill in the details.

You might lose out on a job when you’re an external applicant and the job goes to someone already employed in the company. When this happens, you might assume they had the job already sewn up and the interview was a sham; just a necessary formality where you weren’t given an honest shot at the job. This does happen of course. However, sometimes, you lose out because the internal employee really does outperform you in the scoring system the interviews use.

To improve your chances of success when interviewing, make no assumptions if/when you know the interviewer and they in turn know you. Treat the interview as if you were meeting them for the first time and they know nothing about you. It’s up to you to demonstrate and prove you’re the best person for the job. Use all your experiences to your advantage by citing them and make no assumptions.

 

How Long Should I Wait After Applying?

One question I often get asked by job seekers I work with is how long should I wait to follow up with an employer after applying for a job.  So today, let’s look at this question from both your point of view as the applicant, and the employers point of view.

First however, let me ask you to honestly think about your own comfort level in general with picking up the phone and making the follow up call. Are you comfortable doing this and just want to know when, or are you uncomfortable making the call no matter when the time is right? You see, there are many applicants I’ve worked with who don’t really want to make that call and would put it off indefinitely unless I sat right next to them and gently pushed them to make the call. Okay, so you know deep down whether you’re likely to make the call in the end. Good.

As to when is the right time to make the call, I’m sorry to disappoint you but the answer is a very unclear, “it depends”.  Oh keep reading though, I’ll give you more guidance than that!

Looking at the job ad, are there any indicators of a deadline date? When you know the closing date to apply to a job, you have to assess how close it is coming up or indeed if it’s past. Knowing where you stand on the calendar with respect to this date guides you as to what to say when you make the call. If the deadline date is another two weeks in the future, you can still call to confirm they received your application and you can go further and ask if you might be able to pick up a more detailed job description, additional information on the organization or perhaps an annual report. The smart thing of course would be to inquire about the more detailed job description prior to submitting your application so you can include more relevant information on your resume that others will not. Just a hint.

Should the deadline have passed just recently, you should definitely make the call now. You may not have ever been someone who hires for a company, but I have and I talk with others who do. Many employers receive resumes up to the deadline date and then wait a couple of days or more. Why are they waiting when there’s a position to fill you ask? While they sift through the applicants to determine possible candidates, they also heed who calls and who doesn’t. Their assumption is that the go-getters, the ones who are really hungry and want the job the most are the ones who will call. Not desperate you understand, but they are viewed as determined, professional, show initiative and the employers are then also able to hear the applicant’s voice, their ability to express themselves and now they have additional information which they don’t on those who just sit home and hope for a call.

I bet you’re argument however is that today many job postings clearly state no calls; that only certain applicants will be contacted. This is one frustrating thing for those who are good at following up and it’s the best argument possible for those who hate picking up the phone and talking to an employer. It levels the playing field for those who are glad not to have to call. Well, guess what? Do an experiment and call some employer’s anyhow. What!? Seriously? Fly in the face of the employer’s wishes and call when they ask you not to?

Here’s a strategy to try. (And after all, if your current way of going about things isn’t working, continuing to go about things the way you are up to now just might continue to end in no positive results.)

Determine that you’re going to call. When you do, don’t just say, “Did I make the cut?” and then hang up. That’s what the employer asked you not to do. Try this:

Hello, my name is ______ and I’m competing for the position of _____. I understand and respect your wishes not to be contacted for an interview, so I’m calling just to introduce myself so I stand out from the competition, and want to expressing how grateful I’d be for the opportunity to demonstrate my strong interest in person. If there’s any additional information you’d like, I’m only too happy to deliver that to you.

So, you haven’t actually called with the lame, “So, are you going to interview me?”, and you acknowledge you’re aware of their instructions not to bother them. Is it a gamble? Sure it is. So is applying for a job in the first place. You might like it and you might not; the whole application is a gamble. You will succeed with some employers in showing them how polite and professional you are – determined to succeed where others are not. Or you will turn off an employer who doesn’t want anyone to show initiative, tenacity, determination or resolve.

Keep track of the jobs you apply to and which ones you follow up with a phone call and which you don’t. Look for patterns and what works over what doesn’t. Do more of what works.

When you do call, be in a quiet place, resume in front of you, pen and paper ready, know your calendar. Good luck!

A Mock Job Interview Exercise

I know! I know! Yes, you and just about everyone else dreads job interviews, so why on earth would you find a mock interview helpful? The answer of course is that you and just about everyone else dreads job interviews so it’s likely the case you’re not doing any mock interviews to improve your actual performance when the real thing comes up.

If you’re an Employment Coach/Counsellor and you prepare people for job interviews as part of your role, you know the value in taking all the information you’ve provided to those you’re helping and giving them an interview to show those same skills. This practice interview if it goes well can boost the confidence one has that they can replicate this in future situations, and if it doesn’t go perfectly, you can both find what needs improving and feel good about what aspects did go as planned. In other words, reinforce the good and work on improving areas that need it.

Now for three weeks I’ve been working with a dozen people in a classroom setting. We’ve been specifically addressing issues related to job searching, and both yesterday and today, it all culminates with the big mock interview. This much they knew on day one. What they didn’t know until yesterday was how that mock interview would be conducted. They believed it was going to be a one on one experience; just them and me, isolated in some office away from the other 11 participants.

As it happens, I had a different method in mind. I set up a table in the classroom with three chairs on one side and a single chair on the other. When it was someone’s turn, I had them get up and leave the room, then selected two of their classmates to sit on either side of me one the one side. We three would act as a panel; something many find a little more intimidating. This intimidation wasn’t what I was going for mind, in fact neither person on either side of me was to ask any questions, take notes or even give feedback. They were simply there to create the panel effect. Given that we’ve all been together for three weeks and it’s a supportive group, that intimidation factor was not what you’d otherwise expect with strangers.

I then had a fourth classmate act as the Receptionist, who would go out, welcome the person and bring them in to the panel. After greeting the panel, they’d sit down, set up their material in front of them and away we’d go!

Now had I told the group on day one that it would be a panel interview, that anxiety would have built up over time – even if I’d told them the day before, it would have increased unnecessarily. Why would I want to create extra stress and anxiety over something I want to go well? And go well they have so far.

The other advantage of doing this mock interview in front of their classmates is that those outside the panel and sitting around the room found that by listening to the feedback I was giving each person at the end of their mock interview, they corrected things themselves when it was their turn. I heard people changing, “If you hire me” to “when you hire me.” I also heard them change, “I like what you guys do here” to ” I’m impressed with your organization.” Polishing…

Now the mock interview is a positive experience which works because we’ve had three weeks together to go over expected behaviour, structuring the answers, anticipating the right questions likely to be asked and how to present yourself to your best advantage.

Some of my classmates are Canadian-born and have gone through Canadian interviews all their lives. Others are relatively newcomers, and while they’ve all had job interviews in the past, these people have yet to experience what a Canadian job interview might look like. This mock interview for them, is extremely useful and comforting. After all, get through a mock interview and you’ll feel more confident if you have one in the future.

Today the other six participants have their shot at the mock interview. It’s not a long drawn out affair; a minimum number of questions. What’s significant is to have the experience. All are expected to come ready to answer the questions using the format shared, and all are expected to have a question or two ready to pose as the interview wraps up.

Now, while many were still nervous; and some have stated they are nervous about todays interviews, all of them pushed through the nerves and get on with it. There’s trust you see that I wouldn’t put them in a position to fail – and fail miserably – when I’ve demonstrated for three weeks that I’ve got their success foremost in our mutual best interest. That trust is essential for them and while they don’t know it, that’s the entire key to succeeding. They trust in me and what I’m sharing with them as being in their best interests, and I trust in them to take that same information and use it as best they can. Couldn’t be prouder of them as a group for how they’ve done. No one dropped out of class, attendance has been great, but even greater than the attendance has been the investment they’ve made while present.

 

“Fake It ‘Til You Make It” = Lying?

One of my colleagues at work is often heard advising those who attend her workshops to, ‘Fake it ’til you make it’. This advice when taken out of context can sound like she’s giving people the green light to outright lie – lie about their experience, education, skills etc. Wow, such advice could really land someone in hot water, not to mention put a company in jeopardy if what the person is faking is serious enough.

Now me personally, I don’t like this phrase at all, and for the very point I just made above. The message intended may be quite different from the message received by listeners and unless clarified, they could walk away telling others that Kelly says it’s okay to lie on the résumé, at the interview or on the job.

As an Employment Counsellor imparting knowledge, opinions and suggesting actions, it’s not always clear that the information we pass on is understood by those receiving the messages although we often assume exactly that.

Last evening I was talking with a friend and she suddenly said she’d had a tough day at work but, “I’ll fake it ’til I make it’. What she was referring to was that she hadn’t had the time she’d planned on to prepare for the evenings play practice. We are both involved in a production of, ‘The Little Mermaid’ and were scheduled for choreography of a musical number.

We had a chat – albeit brief – conversation about this phrase, and she used a great example. As an experienced Nurse, she often mentors some new to the profession, and every so often one will say they are afraid of injecting a needle and taking blood from a patient for the first time. “Fake it ’til you make it” is her advice. In other words, she’s advising that the Nurse act like she’s done this many times and that it’s not a big deal. By faking her own comfort level when in fact she might be squeamish or unsure of herself, she’ll make things easier by comforting the patient and eventually she will find the process routine. Were she to say that this was her first time taking blood and let her nervousness show, that lack of confidence might stress the patient and the combination of a nervous Nurse with a needle and a worried patient could go badly.

In this scenario, it is clear that the, ‘fake it ’til you make it’ advice is appropriate.

However, with some people, faking something is often synonymous with lying. Faking that you’re of legal drinking age by producing a modified birth certificate isn’t acceptable. Neither is telling a Police Officer that you left your driver’s licence at home by mistake when you don’t have one, but are going for the test in a month or two. Faking and lying aren’t the same in this context.

So here’s the essential flaw in the imparting of any advice quite frankly; we don’t always have a shared understanding with those we are speaking with. We may all speak the same language and understand how words are pronounced, but the context of how we use our words and our own past experiences will often dictate how we interpret the things we hear.

Now if we were to check each time we said something to those within earshot to make sure they understood things the way we intended, our conversations would be very long and drawn out and we’d communicate much less than we do now. It would be a huge outlay of energy to constantly ask people to paraphrase what we’ve just said each and every time to ensure complete understanding.

As for job searching, faking that we have a diploma, degree or specific certification required by an employer is never okay under any circumstance. If you don’t have a certificate but you’re planning on taking the course within a few days, your advised to state that clearly and upfront. Sure you expect to pass that First Aid or Health and Safety course, but what if your plans are derailed with a family emergency and you can’t even attend? Then what? You didn’t attend, you don’t have the certificate and the next opportunity to take it isn’t for some time but you told the employer you’d be happy to present your certificate to them the next day. You’re off to a bad start in this new relationship if  you’ve misled them on your credentials. Suddenly everything you’ve said comes under suspicion.

As for employer’s themselves, they’ve been burned too many times to just take the good word of applicants and extend them the full trust they’d like to. They ask for proof of credentials like hard copies of education and call up your references solely because they need to verify the claims you make. Past candidates have been, ‘faking’ credentials and exposed companies to risk and unfortunately this practice seems still in vogue by some job seekers.

Don’t fake that you know how to run some dangerous machinery and count on learning on the job to figure it out. You might injure someone, possibly kill someone (no exaggeration), shut down a plant and throw people out of work, all because you tried to ‘fake it ’til you made it’.

In the right context I get it; however, use clearer ways of expressing the idea behind the phrase for a mutual and therefore better understanding of your intended message.

 

Employment And The Age Paradox

One’s age is an interesting factor when it comes to finding employment. It can help you or hurt you; disqualify you or land you in the running.  Ironically, it’s something that’s never supposed to be revealed or inquired about in an interview – unless of course age is a legal requirement such as a position serving alcohol.

While age isn’t supposed to be raised verbally, it sure is taken into consideration by the person or people conducting interviews. I mean, it has to be doesn’t it? As soon as you come into visual contact with a representative of the company you are about to interview with, you’re being assessed. That brief look as you move towards each other is taking in all kinds of information; hair colour, skin tone, muscle/fat proportions, walking gait, how hard or easy it seems for you to stand, the speed of your walk, the purity or blotches of your skin, your smile, the health of your teeth, bags or lack thereof under your eyes, thickness or thinning hair, stooping or straight up posture. Whew! That’s a lot to take in over the course of 10 seconds!

Notice how all the above are observations made based completely on non-verbal signals you’ve put out there to the interviewer. Once you open your mouth and speak, more information is available such as the tone, power and volume of your voice, the clarity or not of your words, your vocabulary; your overall energy.

In another 10 seconds, all this information – and more – is sent by you and picked up on by the interviewer. At this point, you’ve now given them enough information – and it’s been about 20 seconds mind – that they’ve formed an opinion of you and compared that to what they’ve settled on as the kind of person they are after. That opening impression if good is something for you to build upon. If that opening impression is a miss, you’ve got the rest of your time together to alter it, and believe me, altering someone’s first impression of you when you only have one meeting with them is much harder than you’d like it to be.

There are many people both young and old who lament the age discrimination. Some who are young feel their age suggests a total lack of work experience, immaturity, little life experience, and a future full of mistakes, errors, poor judgement, lack of responsibility and commitment to a solid work ethic. Older workers worry they are discriminated against because they are judged as set in their ways, slowing down, drawing on health benefits to the extreme, out of date with developments and not interested in any personal development. Oh and let’s not even talk about technology.

The paradox re. age is that younger people sometimes wish they came across as more mature while older workers wish they presented as 10 or 15 years younger. Both groups recognize the advantages of the other. Younger people if we buy in to the stereotypes, are healthier, more energetic, technologically tuned in, are open vessels to teach and they look more vibrant and enthusiastic. Older workers have experience the young lack; both life and work. Older workers also have the benefit of having learned from their mistakes and they make less of them.

Here’s the thing though…we are who we are. If you’re 22, you’re 22. If you’re 56, you’re 56; it’s a given. However, as we all know, there are some 22 year olds who act like their 17 and some who act like they are 28. There are some 56 year olds with the energy and vitality of those in their mid-forties and some 56 year olds who move as if they are picking out their coffins on the weekend. Age alone then, isn’t the definitive factor that we might at first believe it to be. What is essential to recognize what we can control which will in turn help create the first impression we want others to formulate when meeting us.

The clothes we choose to wear send signals. Do the clothes fit properly and are they right for the conversation we are about to have. While it might not be flattering to think about, we have to also take a good look at our bodies because others will. Are you willing to lose or gain weight if you’d appear healthier or your clothes would fit better? Or would maintaining your weight but shifting some fat to muscles create a more vibrant you? If you’re an older fellow with a scruffy beard maybe shaving everyday would immediately take off 5 years? Maybe, maybe not.

This isn’t about pretending to be someone you’re not. This is about projecting a desirable image so that you become attractive to the interviewer – professionally attractive; so they can visualize you as a positive addition to the organization. Lest you think you are somehow selling out to change-up who you are just to impress someone, think again. You’d likely put some effort into your appearance if you knew you were having a date with someone, and if it was at the end of the month, you might do all you could between now and then to come across in the best possible way.

Of course you can ignore all of this advice and just say, “I am who I am and if they don’t like me that’s their problem.” But then again, you’re not investing yourself in this potential relationship now are you?