Tag Archives: Job Seekers

How to Introduce Yourself at Parties

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I momentarily thought about titling this article “Constructing Your Elevator Speech”, but I’ve heard that term so many times I could just scream.  What everyone really wants to know is what to say to people at parties when they’re asked what kinds of positions they’re looking for.

First and foremost, you want it to always be casual. It should never feel too rehearsed, and the person you’re talking to should never get that frightened look in their eye that you’re trying to sell them a used car.  You want to have an idea of how to talk about your experience in an interesting, and honestly, an entertaining way that will make you memorable to the listener and make them more open to helping you.  This should NEVER feel like a hard-sell-begging-for-a-lead situation.

Second, you want to take a look at the types of things that you enjoy doing in your current—or even some prior jobs.  What skills were you happiest doing?  Management?  Organization?  Working with People?  Working with Numbers?  Solving Complex Problems?  Think of it in some broad strokes rather than getting too narrow by mentioning specific positions.  Paint a picture for someone of what you’re like to work with so they can envision you at work.   All of us remember images better than words, so try to create an image in their mind of the things you do—even specifically. You can talk about some past accomplishments—maybe it’s a large project that you worked on, an account that you won, a difficult computer programming challenge that you figured out.  Tell people what you do, and what fields you’re shooting for.

Another way to think about this is to approach it from the “what kinds of problems do you solve?” angle to help you think about some good examples to talk about.

Third, think about the industries you’re interested in.  This should further paint a picture in the mind of your listener.  It’s appropriate to even do some namedropping of companies that you’re trying to get into with the thought that they may know someone there like a relative or close friend who could help you.

What you don’t want to do is mention everything that you can possibly do in a job.  You’re not reading your resume, you’re simply giving a brief—and I mean 30 seconds-brief—snapshot of the position you aspire to.  Just the highlights.

Here’s an example:

“I’ve decided it’s time for me to look for a new job.  I’ve gotten about as far as I can with this company and it’s time for me to move on.  I’m looking for the opportunity to do less direct customer contact, and the ability to use all of the customer information I’ve learned over the years to help companies design new products, or even go into market research.  My background is in Marketing, and I’ve got a head full of ideas about how people think and what kinds of questions they ask themselves before making a decision and why they decide on the product they do.  I’ve thought about working for Diagio—that liquor manufacturer, or even Neilsen media research in their market research field.  I’m known around the office as the “go to” person who can handle a variety of problems without getting ruffled—my current company will really miss me when I leave.”

Notice how I told a little story about why I was looking for the position I was looking for, what my background was in, and what companies I had thought about working for.  Also dropped the subtle hint that I’m known as a Jack-of-all-trades around the office to give them a bit of a unique picture that everyone could relate to.

Words to banish from your résumé

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Or how not to brand yourself a dinosaur

There’s just no substitute for plain old experience, I grant you that. It’s safe to say we are all experienced. It’s when you drop the number qualifier — 25-plus years, or what have you — as I advised in a previous blog post, that you start straining for other adjectives. And that’s where you can get yourself in real trouble.

Do you seriously want to risk sabotaging your job-search campaign and all-important sales pitch by making yourself sound old and tired, or leathery like a well-done steak? No, of course not.

You want to sell the sizzle. You want to appear ripe for the picking. Not too ripe, mind you, but fresh with pluck, promise and enthusiasm. You’re bristling with it. Not only are you up to the task, you know how to present yourself in as flattering a light as possible, as the solution to an employer’s prayers.

Now let me rhyme off a few choice descriptors that can send your résumé straight to the circular file:

  • Seasoned
  • Well-seasoned
  • Extensive track record
  • Veteran
  • Mature professional
  • Long tenured
  • A long and illustrious career
  • Long-standing
  • Long-time

Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative

What most job seekers of a certain age fail to understand, and I’ve certainly been guilty of this, is that your value to a prospective employer stems not from your years of experience but from your personality, attitude and the unique skill set you can bring to the job in the here and now. In a buyer’s market such as this, you can ill afford to misplace the emphasis.

Repeat after me: It’s your strengths, capabilities, qualifications, and achievements — not your previous job titles, duties and length of service — that you need to underscore.

What’s your wow factor?

As in, “Wow, we need to talk to this person!”

Choose language that is empowering, attention grabbing and persuasive. Good writers make it a point to use the active rather than the passive voice because it’s direct and in the moment. Think about applying that same rule when composing your cover letter and résumé.

To be able to articulate the many talents you can bring to an organization — to convince hiring managers that you’re a candidate worth meeting — consider using these or similar terms to better convey your can-do attitude and intrinsic worth:

  • Dynamic
  • Enthusiastic
  • Energetic
  • High energy
  • Prodigious energy
  • Excited
  • Self-motivated
  • Skilled
  • A quick study
  • Ready to hit the ground running
  • Thoroughly schooled in
  • Well-versed in

So start compiling a list of your positive attributes, business accomplishments and successes, all of which speak to your strong work ethic, and you can’t help but demonstrate your complete confidence in your own brand.

— Judy Margolis

Being Kind to Everyone Could Get You a Job

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We’ve all heard the phrase “It’s a small world”, and “What goes around, comes around”.  This week I heard three separate examples from three different people about how true that proved in a job interview setting.  Their examples are very interesting.

First example was from a college career counselor who was a manager of professional recruiting for a large corporation.  One morning at 7:50 AM she was running for the elevator (her office was on the 30th floor of a 40 floor building), and as the doors started to close, she caught the eye of a neatly dressed man in the elevator.  He made no move to hold the doors—and you guessed it—that was her 8 AM interview.  Did he get the position? Nope.   The candidate was interviewing for a marketing and sales position and one quality that every hiring manager wants in a candidate is to know that they are always friendly, courteous and helpful.  In that split second, this candidate did not demonstrate that they possessed those virtues.

Here’s another example, this time with a happier ending. A friend was interviewing for a position and stopped to help someone along the side of the road change a flat tire.  When the candidate got to the company he apologized to the receptionist for being late and even a little greasy.  When the receptionist brought him to meet the hiring manager, you guessed it—he’d change the tire of the hiring manager.  He got the job.

And the third example for the day.  A funny one.  A guy in my networking group was telling me that when he lived in an apartment in Manhattan, he would occasionally head up to the roof for a little sunbathing.  Occasionally he would see one of his female neighbors on the roof sunbathing as well—topless.  Did he sneak a peek—you don’t SERIOUSLY need me to answer that do you?  One day he went in for an interview at a company, and you guessed it—the HR manager was his topless neighbor.

And no, he didn’t get the job.  He’s pretty sure it was because he’d seen too much.

So there you have it.  You have no idea how the people you meet today will appear as characters later in your life.  Your best bet, always be on your best behavior.  Unless you’re in Vegas.

Ways to Know the Job is a “Danger Job”

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With the job market as tight as it is, it’s easy to be a lot less discriminating when evaluating bosses during your interview.  But, keep in mind that you spend WAY more time at a job than with your loved ones—so you really need to love the job to make it work (in a manner of speaking).

Studies have shown that the number one reason why people start to look for a job is because their boss is driving them crazy. But how can you tell if the person you’re supposed to be establishing this great rapport with in the interview is a potential disaster?  Here’s what I’ve learned in my career and from coaching others.

My biggest issue is avoiding the Micromanager!  I hate micromanagers.  I could not be paid enough to work for one, and I’m very honest with myself, and future employers, about it.  Truth be told, I have survived 2 of them in my career, and was able to successfully extract them from my backside while keeping my job.

With that being said, if I was to interview for a job today, I would make sure that I brought up the topic of managerial style with the hiring manager.  This can be a sticky subject, but I’d broach it during the interview (probably the 2nd interview) by asking them to describe their managerial style is, and no matter what they said, I’d tell them that I do not do my best work when I’m working for a micromanager.  If they didn’t describe themselves as a micromanager, then they’ll be happy that you’re on the same page, if they did—well as you read in my example above—they can be reformed, but still need to appreciate your style.  I’d then mention that I have more of an entrepreneurial mindset, and one of my former bosses (and a reference) described me as very resourceful.  I would go on to say that I completely understand that while I learned the job, we’d be working together closely, but once I’d been there from 3-6 months, I would expect that I’d be up to speed on a number of things and could work independently. Additionally, I’d say something like—I like to run the ball down the field, but am conscious of needing to provide you with status reports, and will always come back to you for advice when I need it so you won’t be left in the dark.  For the 2 bosses I had who were micromanagers, this would have worked well for them.  Over the course of my working there, they learned to trust me and my instincts, and left me alone, knowing that I’d approach them for help when needed.

However, there’s the more insipid micromanager who simply cannot be eluded—and that’s the kind you’re hoping to avoid by making the above declaration. By clearly articulating what helps you do your best work, you’re just being honest and fair with them.  No manager wants to hire someone who won’t do their best work for them, and whom they’ll end up firing or leaving, because you don’t get along.  Being honest with yourself and them (politely) will help to ensure that the job is a good fit for you.

Apply for What You’re Qualified For

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We all know that the job search is really, really tough, and you deserve every break you can get.  Don’t inadvertently make it tougher on yourself by applying for jobs that you’re not qualified for.

There are times when it’s perfectly fine to stretch and apply for the job that is at the next level in your career.  You can network to build up your personal connections, or outline your achievements in your cover letter when you apply for the job.  That’s how you advance your career and it’s the only way you’ll advance up the ladder of life.

What I’m talking about is applying to those jobs where you have absolutely none of the background they’re looking for in the job description.  I’ve seen people with MBA’s apply for Assistant Account Manager positions.  I’ve also seen people with more of an artistic, creative background apply for a position requiring analytical experience.

As a hiring manager, I’m willing to take some chances on people, but when there’s clearly a mismatch I feel bad for the applicant.  Are they sitting at home beating themselves up for not getting any interviews?  Or are they sitting at home randomly applying to jobs in the hopes that the numbers game will finally work in their favor?

The sad thing is that it’s a waste of their time and energy.

Their time would be much better spent either working on identifying jobs that they were qualified for or crafting their resume and cover letter to clearly make the case that they are the perfect applicant for the position.  As a side note–if you have any non-traditional hobbies like making lighthouses out of popsicle sticks—that might be better kept under wraps as well.  If it doesn’t strengthen your case as the perfect candidate, it’s best to leave it out.

Nobody’s going to ever believe that a person with an MBA and 10 years of experience will willingly take an assistant position.  However, if you’re looking to just send your resume to them in the hopes that there are other positions they could consider you for—then state that in your cover letter.  Not calling it out in the cover letter makes it look like you’re underestimating the intelligence of the interviewer and wasting their time by making them open your email.

Put some thought into the positions that you apply for.  I know that it’s tough out there, but sending out resumes to jobs that aren’t a good fit will just increase your frustration and will not result in any fruitful job interviews.