Mark Hirschfeld

I worked with a gentleman recently who had targeted a specific employer. He was a good fit for the job, and had an additional benefit to help his search—he knew someone who already worked there in the same job who was willing to be an informal coach.

His coach provided him a lot of insight about the company, leadership and opportunities. He also provided one additional important bit of information—the salary range.

Thankfully, the range was within his expectations. When the recruiter called for the first interview she inquired about his salary expectations, and he was able to give her a number that was within the range.

She forwarded him on for another interview.

This is one example of where a networking contact can be extremely helpful. If you’re not networking you’re losing out on chances to advance your search.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

It is never, ever, in your best interest to misrepresent yourself on your application, resume or interviews with a prospective employer.

Don’t. Ever. Lie.

Having said that, I’ve seen far too many job seekers not tell the full story of what they’ve done in their work and the contributions they’ve made.

Tell the facts, and tell ALL the facts.

When employers are asking you about your prior experiences, they want you tell them a story:

~ What was the PROBLEM or CHALLENGE you were facing,

~ What did YOU DO to solve the problem or address the challenge, and

~ What were the RESULTS, where the problem was solved or the challenge was addressed.

Tell your story. Tell it with clarity. Tell in a way where all the relevant facts are offered. And tell it honestly.

You have a story. Tell it, and tell it proudly.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

My grandfather, Ed Moss, was a letter carrier. His route used to include my house, so I often tagged along and, occasionally, he let me put the letters in the mailbox… hoping the statute of limitations has expired.

Fifty-plus years later it turns out that sending a letter in an envelope with a stamp on it to someone you are communicating with in your job search might actually be a differentiator. Hardly anyone uses “snail mail”, so if you have an address to a person you’ve been networking with or a recruiter or hiring manager your letter will stand out because hardly anyone makes the effort.

Sending a simple thank you card can stand out. You might also go a step further if, for example, you see an article you think might be of interest to your contact—print it off and send it along.

It’s often difficult to stand out in a crowd—give my grandfather’s successors some business and you just might land that next opportunity.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

Within a year, Jay lost three jobs as a result of downsizings or mergers. In all cases his performance wasn’t at issue—he was a hard worker.

You would think that after the third layoff Jay would become upset or dejected, perhaps even giving up.

If he did, he didn’t show it.

Jay had a plan and he continued to work his plan. Whenever we met he was positive and had ideas about what he could be doing for the coming week.

I’m sure Jay had bad days, but he didn’t let them get him down. He didn’t need to seek professional help, but if you need help please consider doing so. When prospective employers asked him about his changes, he was honest. He also had secured references from each of his employers.

Jay did land another, and has been doing well ever since. Throughout his challenges he kept his focus on what he could control and kept focused on making progress every day.

To the degree you can, take some inspiration from Jay. Keep working. Keep networking. Keep up a positive attitude.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free. Please pass along: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

For a time I had a “hitch” in my speech. I said “you know” waaaay too much.

I didn’t realize it, but my frequently saying “you know” was distracting to others. The “you know” thing tended to get worse when I was nervous… like in a job interview.

Do you have a “hitch”?

You’ll never be able to replicate this perfectly, but practicing a job interview with someone may reveal a problem that could be distracting to an interviewer. Ideally, you would push “video” on your phone so could review the interview.

By the way, this advice is NOT directed to folks who have a disability that affects their speech which, sadly, will frequently be a bias they will have to overcome in securing a job.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout the videos reference. This content is free. Please consider passing along: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

Practicing for an interview can be painful, but rather you get feedback from a friend who cares for you that your answers don’t make any sense than in front of a recruiter or hiring manager.

Give your coach a list of questions. There are a set of common questions on the web site listed below you can start with, but also write some questions you believe will be asked for a specific job interview. In particular, write questions that ask you to explain how your past experiences and successes can be applied to the position for which you are interviewing.

To make it more spontaneous, have your coach throw in a surprise or two. They could do that by mixing up the order of the questions, or dropping in a question you didn’t expect.

You’ll need to get good at this, so practice, and then practice again. Heck, practice some more.

As it is said: “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” When it comes to your job interviews, don’t let that be your epitaph.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout the videos reference. This content is free. Please consider passing along: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

People who offer to give references have your best interests in mind, but it’s often helpful to provide them information about your job search and the company that is asking for your reference.

You can do that by sending your reference information about the job for which you are applying. It’s also helpful to send the reference a copy of your resume and highlight the experiences or successes you think might be particularly valuable for the reference to discuss with a potential employer.

This communication can be particularly helpful for someone who hasn’t worked with you for a time and isn’t as familiar with your recent activities.

As a person who has given references, it is always a relief if I receive this kind of information. I’m in a much better position to provide truthful and helpful information to the potential employer.

There is often a feeling that as job seekers we don’t have a lot of control, and that’s true. This is something you can have some control over—help your references to best tell your story.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout the videos reference. This content is free. Please consider passing along: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

I once worked with a gentleman named Will. He had been in one industry for a long time as an engineer with experiences very unique to that industry. He was looking for opportunities outside the industry, in part so he didn’t have to relocate.

Will put together a functional resume, a format which helped prospective employers easily see his skills and experiences that could be used in the other industry. As an engineer he did a lot of project management and was very skilled with computers.

He got a job with a company in that new industry. I happened to know the hiring manager, and I asked him why he hired Will.

He said: “The job he will be taking is one where the products are new to all of us, so he’s not at a disadvantage. And as an engineer I like how Will thinks.”

He’s continued to do well in that new industry.

Can you jump to another industry? It’s quite possible, particularly if you tell your story—understand what skills you can bring to that new industry and make your case.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout the videos reference. This content is free. Please consider passing along: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

I conducted a very non-scientific survey of ten experts on job search. I asked them: what were the three biggest mistakes they saw job seekers make? I received eleven replies with 22 ideas, but the following five were by far the most frequently cited:

1. Not knowing what you want in a job that would fit your skills, interests and values,
2. Relying only on applying for jobs and ignoring the value and power of networking,
3. Not researching companies, using information in the public domain and also what you can learn from personal networking,
4. Being unprepared for networking and job interviews, and
5. Using “one-size-fits-all” communications, such as cover letters and resumes.

The consensus makes great sense to me, and I’ll continue to comment on each of these in future posts.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout the videos reference. This content is free. Please consider passing along: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

#career #careercoach #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch