Mark Hirschfeld

You see an internal job post where you work. It looks like a job you would have a real chance of getting, and it fits your career plans. Since it’s an internal post you probably don’t need to do the things you would do for an external post, right?

Wrong.

You should put in as much effort into an internal posting. You’ll want to:

• validate that the job is a good fit,
• prepare a cover letter and resume that is customized to the opportunity,
• network with people who know about the job and can provide good coaching,
• do homework to determine salary, if that information isn’t available,
• practice for an interview so you can tell your story and connect to the job requirements, and
• prepare follow up correspondence after the interview.

All this work may seem unnecessary, but these tasks are all within your control and give you the best chance possible to be successful.

Do the work. Identify needs. Tell your story.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources  All the posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

 #jobsearchcoach #jobsearchhelp #jobsearchstrategies

In your job search you will meet many people. Some of those contacts will be helpful, some won’t be particularly helpful, and some may be downright annoying.

Thank them all.

Say thank you to each contact you make in your job search.

No exceptions.

If I have a mailing address I prefer go old school and write a note. It’s a nice touch and will differentiate you because most people won’t make the effort.

In absence of that you can also send something electronically. I’m posting below a free site created by my employer. I posted this yesterday, so forgive me if I’m sounding like a stuck record. It has several card options and is easy to use. You don’t have to use this site,  but do something.

There is so much in your job search you can’t control, but this is something that is within your control.

Aside from being a smart thing to do it also happens to be, in my view, a kind and considerate thing to do.

And I think the world can always use a bit more of those qualities, don’t you?

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

A former colleague, Dr. Kenneth Liggett, had a wonderful metaphor about healthy relationships:

“Mark, let’s say you want to eat healthier. You know apples are healthy, so you create a diet where you only eat apples. But that wouldn’t be healthy, would it? To have a healthy diet you need a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables and proteins.”

He continued: “The same thing is true with your network of relationships. If you only have “apples” you don’t have a healthy network. You need different, healthy relationships in order to have a truly healthy network.”

Think about your current network—do you have diversity, or do you only have “apples”?

As a job seeker, having a more diverse network can help you in so many ways. A more diverse network can “see” things about you that a more homogenous network can’t. They may have insights about job opportunities that you wouldn’t be aware of otherwise.

Over the last several months I’ve been intentional about expanding my network. I’ve met some wonderful folks and learned a lot.

To expand your opportunities, diversify your network.

#career #careercoach  #openforwork #jobsearch

The great basketball coach John Wooden had a unique approach—he didn’t spend much time telling players what they did wrong and how to fix what they did wrong. Instead, he showed employees the right way to do something and affirmed them when they performed accordingly.

“Like this,” he would say.

It turns out this approach works in other places. In a recent study we found that a large region of a retailer had better sales and customer satisfaction when employees were more frequently recognized for living out the corporate values with customers.

Like this.

This is but one example of where a gamification technique such as the badging of key behaviors in a recognition program can be an invaluable business tool. Employees will repeat those actions for which they are recognized, and in the case of this retailer that produced better sales and customer satisfaction.

“Like this” is a simple yet powerful approach to aligning employee behavior to generate results.

#ThankYouThursday #recognition  #appreciation #gratitude #grateful #inspiration

My employer has created a free site to recognize folks. Use it as often as you would like! Give some appreciation, right now: https://appreciate.biworldwide.com/

On Veteran’s Day in the United States, I would like to offer my thanks to those who currently serve and have served in our military.

I am reminded that veterans have a number of challenges transitioning to civilian life. One of those is finding employment.

If you are a veteran and are looking for a job, I am raising my hand today to offer my help. Connect with me, or if we’re already connected please send me a note.

To those of you in my network who may know a veteran who is looking for a job, can you also please consider reaching out?

#veteransday #veteranhiring #jobsearch #work #careers

A friend of mine was looking at a job posting that had a “preferred skill” of using a certain software application. She didn’t have experience with that application, but had used two others that she thought were similar.

She contacted a friend who had worked with both applications. He told my friend that if she knew the one application that she was 90% of the way to knowing the other. She also went online and found screen shots of the application, which gave her confidence that she was well prepared to learn the new solution.

She listed her experience with the other application, and when asked in the interview told the hiring manager she had reached to someone about how easy it would be for her to learn the new technology.

The hiring manager was impressed she had taken the time to learn about their preferred technology, and told her that “in your case I think you’ve shown you are a great candidate”.

None of us will meet every requirement for a job, but we can make the effort to show prospective employers that some of our gaps can be managed and, in doing so, showcase our candidacy.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources  All the posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

 #jobsearchcoach #jobsearchhelp #jobsearchstrategies

You’ve gotten yourself an interview for a job you’re excited about, but you get a sense you might not be their “ideal” candidate. You may have a skill gap, or perhaps you don’t have experience in the industry.

Here’s an idea—address their potential concern head on.

If you go through the interview and they haven’t asked about “the elephant”, you might want to say something like: “You may have concerns about me being a candidate for this job. What are your concerns about me as a candidate for this job?”

And, of course, you will have practiced the answer to the elephant question, acknowledging you may be a different candidate but have the skills and experience that can make you a great fit.

I’m not the kind of person who likes to let an elephant get too comfortable in the living room. Address the potential concern head on, tell your story, and put your best foot forward.

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch

There are free training videos on the web site of my faith community: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources  All posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

Opportunities will open and close based on a factor not always obvious to the job seeker…

The business cycle.

All organizations run on some kind of year, either a calendar or fiscal. Jobs can become available in a new budget cycle, and they can also go away if not filled within the budgeting year.

Knowing the cycle for a potential employer can be helpful to your search. One former client knew a job wasn’t going to open up for a couple of months, but proposed they hire him with a start date when the job became available. Another I know took a job with a company that was a temporary role while still staying in the running for another job at the same company that was coming open in a few weeks when a new fiscal year started.

Since we’re coming up on the end of the calendar year there may more of these opportunities out there.

Keep your head up. Keep telling your story. Keep showing how you add value.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources  You can find all the posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

Have you applied for a job at a company, had an interview, and then never heard back?

You’ve been “ghosted”.

Sadly, many employers don’t follow up with candidates who aren’t moving forward on a job. It is, in my view, lazy, disrespectful and unprofessional on the part of an employer. It can hurt their brand. Even if you don’t get this job, you are still a potential future employee, referrer and also a customer.

As a job seeker, what should you do?

~ If you had what you thought was a good interview that you think might lead to an offer, DON’T STOP SEARCHING. Keep looking. You are in control of your search.

~ Check your networking contacts to see if you know someone can help.

~ Finally, take the high road. Send one last note to the recruiter or hiring manager. Express your disappointment they have not followed up, and wish them well.

Stick to your plan. Do your homework. Tell your story.

It’s a new day. Let’s get going.

There are free training videos on the web site of my faith community: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources  All the posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

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  You can find all the posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

#jobsearch #jobseekers #careerchange