Do you have a clear, written objective for your job search? Most of you who find yourself in the job market would have to admit that you don’t have a clearly defined professional objective. Unless I count “finding a job” as a clear objective for each and every candidate in the job search. Unfortuantely finding a job may answer the immediate pain you face in this economy, however, with a little probing, I would venture to say that more than 65% of people employed are unhappy with their job. They met the objective of “finding a job”, however the job they find themself in, is not quite the job they were hoping for when they took the job. This youTube video is short and sweet. Take a moment and listen again. Then throw away the paper that says your objective is to get a job. Yes it is, but a clear specific, well written professional objective will ensure that you get relatively close to the mark. Rather than taking the first job opportunity presented to you.
Here is the video! Enjoy! And don’t forget to leave a comment!
Let me beg for forgiveness up front. I am going to write about what you should not do if you have been fired for cause. In other words, you did it, you know you did it and they fired you because you did it. What you did doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The bottom line is you are guilty as charged and now you are unemployed. Feeling bad and you are trying to figure out what to do. There are a lot excellent post written about what you need to do. Check this one out: So, you’ve been fired. Lots of great comments from some of my readers. But this post is for those of you willing to admit you really did it. Here are a few things you should not do when sitting in your next interview.
When they ask you, so why were you fired at you last job -
Don’t make up a story and hope they won’t find out.
Don’t give the impression that you are hiding something.
Don’t lie.
Don’t say naughty things about your previous employer or boss.
Don’t tell the interview there were personality conflicts.
Don’t tell share all the gory details.
Don’t give negative commentary about yourself. “I was so stupid” Don’t say it.
Don’t give create additional questions by using “hot words”.
Don’t make up excuses for poor performance, dishonesty or any other reason you were let go.
Don’t threaten to take your previous employer to court.
Over the last year or so, I have spoken to many people who have found themselves unemployed due to poor decisions on their part. I am not talking about poor performance. I am talking about dishonesty. Things like: lying on time sheets, taking extended lunches, stealing, etc. These kinds of things are completely inappropriate and in my humble opinion, should be the last thing people are losing their jobs for. But it is rampant. Dishonesty is probably the number one thing I hear from those honest enough to tell me why they were let go. My bottom line tonight - If you did it, and you got fired for doing it, than you need to do some serious soul searching before you attempt to find another job. If you don’t identify the root issue of why you did what you did, you will do it again.
Some times you have to take a job doing something other than what is in your heart. The economy stinks. That is true. But it won’t last forever. In fact, I believe that you will see a shift sooner than later. I was thinking today about all of the jobs I have done in my life. There have been many. Maybe one day I will share them all with you, but not today. My thought is to help some of you who need employment. There are jobs available. The job may not be the one you want. It may not pay all the bills. But here is a fact: It is easier to get a job when you have a job, than it is when you don’t. That is a fact. If you are degreed and you can’t get a job doing what you have a passion for, but you need a job. Go get a job doing something you don’t have a passion for and continue in your job search. It may sound crazy, and you may even have some resistance to what I am saying. But I know that what I am saying is TRUE! That’s it. I will say no more at this point. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts!
Depending on the type of position you are applying for and the span of control of the hiring manager, it is very likely that they may have other open positions or they may know of other hiring managers with open positions that you’d be perfect for. So, be prepared to answer the question “should you not be selected for this position, would you be open to considering other vacancies in the department?” I do this frequently myself when I interview candidates. It is usually because I have found the perfect person for the job but then another great candidate comes along that I don’t want to slip away.
From the candidate’s perspective, this can be a difficult question to answer because you don’t want to give the hiring manager the impression that you are interested in any ole job, however you want to maximize your chance of getting a job. This happened to me in my recent job interview.
I knew I was applying for a job I was minimally qualified for (they preferred more management experience etc…). Towards the end of the interview, the hiring manager told me that she knew of another vacancy in the organization that I’d be perfect for given my skills and experience and wanted to know if I’d be open to interviewing with the other hiring manager. How did I handle that? I informed the hiring manager that I was not opposed to discussing the other opening however, my primary interest was the position in which I was interviewing for. In the end she informed me that she was bringing back the top two candidates for the second round of interviews and that I was the third ranked candidate (bummer!). At that time I consented to her forwarding my resume to the other hiring manager and when she did so, she even included the email trail where she had described how she “believed in my talent and ability”, so it was basically a bonus reference to the other hiring manager.
So, be sure to prepare to discuss other openings at the interview keeping these things in mind.
Emphasize your interest in the position you are applying for taking the time to reiterate why you’d be perfect for it.
Always be open to discussing the other position. Even if it turns out not to be what you are looking for, it could lead to something that is.
Make a great impression with the hiring manager, even if it’s clear they don’t want you for the job because that manager may end up being the best reference you’ve ever had.
To make sure that we are delivering the kind of information that you need in your job search, it’s always a good idea to check in with the readers once in a while to see how we’re doing.
Darlene and I do our best to come up with fresh, timely content all week every week but we also realize that our readers are in all different places in their career and job searches.
Today we turn to you, readers. What topics or areas would you like to see more information on here at Interview Chatter?
Leave us a comment to tell us what you’d like us pay more attention to and leave the rest to us. If you don’t have a suggestion then leave us a comment to tell us what you enjoy most about Interview Chatter and will make sure to keep writing more about that.
These days there are very few companies who hire employees without doing a basic criminal background check. Spending a few dollars up front to filter out candidates who could potentially cause big problems later just makes sense.
So what if you’ve been convicted of a crime?
As Darlene said in her recent post about the “have you been fired” question, it’s always best to be honest. If you’ve been convicted of a crime, it’s best to answer that question honestly on the application. Here are a few reasons why:
Most companies have a no-tolerance rule against falsifying applications. It’s better to never accept the job than to be fired from it after you’re all settled in.
Just because you answer “yes” to the crime question does not mean an automatic exclusion from the candidate pool. Usually an employer will want to know more about the circumstances before making a decision. For example, they’ll likely ask if there were weapons involved or if the crime was of a violent nature.
There are certain jobs where any felony excludes the applicant. Some direct patient care jobs in hospitals are like this. So, depending on the career you are in, it may be worth really fighting to get the conviction expunged. Be sure you have proof if the conviction has been expunged.
Just because they offered the job does not mean they did not discover the conviction. Background checks can take a while and many companies will extend an offer before they get the final report.
What do I do if I’ve been fired has become the most frequently asked question I get asked weekly here at Interview Chatter. The question is usually written in a comment on my most popular post, So You’ve Been Fired. I thought I would take a moment a restate some of my recommendations to people who have been fired.
My Recommendations:
1. BE Honest, Don’t Lie - I can not stress this first point. If you have been terminated from your employer for cause or without cause, you are facing a rather large hurdle. Dishonesty on your resume or application, will only make scaling the hurdle more difficult.
2. If they ask you directly, “Have you ever been fired?”, the answer is “YES” in a word. My point here is, don’t try to skirt the issue. If they ask you directly, answer directly and then follow-up.
3. If you have been fired, and you admit you have been fired, you may be screened out. Be prepared. There is nothing you can do about it. What you can do is continue to move forward in your job search. Every hiring manager gets to decide who they will interview and offer a position. You can not control them. Don’t let it frustrate you. Move on to the next potential opportunity.
4. Choose out of “Shame and Blame”. No matter whose fault it is. Choose your ATTITUDE. How you respond to a termination, just or unjust will be one factor that will determine how long you spend in your job search. Savvy hiring managers can smell a bad attitude. They can sense when you are carrying baggage into the interview. Get your emotions in check. Choose out of frustration and choose to see your great potential.
More to come on this topic. In the meantime, please feel free to scroll down and leave a comment. How can I help you navigate the turbulent waters around terminations?
Yesterday, July 14th was my birthday. Bastille Day in France!! In honor of my very special day, I took a personal day and did exactly what I wanted to do. I ate Maryland blue crabs with friends and family. It was excellent! I had lunch with my mom, which included birthday cake. Overall, I had a great day. I will be back later today with a regular post from me to you regarding the hiring process and interviewing. You have a great day!
Even though I’m sort of an interview geek, I still learn new stuff about interviewing every day. For example, I never thought too much about finding a common thread with an interviewer until I heard the story of my friend’s med school interview then published a guest post about it. I was so impressed while he described how his interviewer perked up when they realized they knew some of the same people. After that, I knew I needed to make sure to incorporate this technique the next chance I got.
Remember, during an interview you are trying to set yourself apart from the other candidates. One great way to do that is to find something in common with the interviewer. This can be knowing the same people, or even sharing the same hobby, which I learned in my own job interview this week.
Towards the end of my very intense interview on Tuesday, the hiring manager asked me about hobbies. When I told her that I loved to garden and was even starting a community garden in my area, her face lit up. “My son is starting a community garden, too!” she said. The remainder of the interview was a breeze because we were both much more relaxed after discussing this common interest that is not at all related to the job.
Even though job interviews are primarily about demonstrating that you have the appropriate skills for the job, it is also about demonstrating that you’d be a good fit for the organization. Sometimes this is as simple as finding a common thread with the hiring manager. We are all human and we all like to talk to people who we share interests with. So don’t be afraid to talk about your hobbies because you may be surprised to learn that the hiring manager like to spend their spare time doing the same things that you do.
Here is another installment of our my series Around the Business Channel here at b5media. Tonight I am featuring Contract Worker, written by Rico Mossesgeld. Contract Worker will show you why Freelancing isn’t just another “F-word”. In this challenging economy if you are looking for an opportunity to make money while you are in the midst of a job search, Freelancing my be an option to consider.
Take a moment to visit Contract Worker and leave a comment. Here are a few posts for you to review:
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