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Truths to Embrace About The Future of Work with Norma Davila, Keirsten Greggs, and Alexandra Levit

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Truths to Embrace About The Future of Work with Norma Davila, Keirsten Greggs, and Alexandra Levit by Mark Anthony Dyson

Thanks for listening to The Voice of Job Seekers (TVOJS) podcast. I hope you’ll enjoy the show and find it valuable for your job search.

Here’s what to expect in this episode:

Keirsten Greggs, aka the “Trap Recruiter,” will be a guest host for much of the fall. She is an experienced Talent Acquisition leader and Career Coach. We discuss hip-hop songs that offer great career (and business) advice.

Norma Davila is a Resume Writer and Career Management Expert. She shares a job search trend she sees and solutions to help her clients.

Alexandra Levit is a Workplace Futurist and a Wall Street Journal Columnist. We discussed “Four Truths of the Future Job Seekers and Employers Should Embrace,” based on her article on the Workforce Institute blog.

You are more than welcome to join the discussion. Here are three ways you can:

– Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number

– Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message

– Send email feedback to [email protected]

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter for more job search tidbits, news, and advice.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Changes, Challenges, and Chores of Relationships and Unemployed

Life can go awry when one partner is suddenly unemployed. Everything will be scrutinized, but will the relationship survive? There are times when life needs to be right before things change in unemployment land.

Whether a job seeker has chosen to be unemployed or is a victim of downsizing, no one is perfectly prepared for the imminence of mental, emotional, and spiritual warfare. There is no way to predict the outcome of how life will continue because of the fluctuation of today’s job market.

The ambitious people will want to do many things, but not the right things. Therefore, the universe and the stars should align if the objectives are clear, and the spouse does not harass you about fifty other household chores they like done upon arrival from work.

Changes

Now that time is in your hands. Things are left undone when you are a slave to the work rhythm. It is natural to feel loss, and mourning is a natural response to being unemployed. For many job seekers, the bulk of emotional support was from coworkers.

Since access to them will diminish (especially if you are married with kids), transitioning to exclude them from daily contact is a significant change. As the infrequency of contact becomes noticeable, the realization of detachment can be heartbreaking. There are some practical steps you can take to help you move forward:

Less contact is good unless the work hooks you up with contacts, networking opportunities, or valuable job-finding information.

2. Do not let yourself be trapped by office gossip. You have better things to do with your time.

3. Share positively, be informative, and support is reciprocated.

Challenges

There will be intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will cause conflict for job seekers with families while unemployed. It is even more complicated if both partners are out of work and looking for jobs. Good communication is a work-in-progress but is difficult to forge and formulate. It takes time and honesty to share and clarify goals, needs and wants. Marrieds with children have the most difficulty deciding who will sacrifice their career and whose schooling is the priority.

One mistake couples make in communicating is each person’s perception of one conversation. Since feelings and priorities change like the direction of the wind, discussing each step often is critical to protect each other’s feelings. The challenge again is, to be honest about how you feel:

How do you feel about your partner’s efforts to look for a job? Do you trust their approach to finding employment? Are they missing opportunities because of a lack of action?
Do you feel that your partner should take the first opportunity offered? Do you want your partner to hold out until the best chance comes? Do you trust your partner’s judgment?
What is each person willing to sacrifice? Salary? Time? What should each person’s role be?

Chores

People I have coached, mentored, or trained have problems with being late and lack organization. The job-related document, or an appointment, they have contracted the “late bug.” If a person looks like an episode of “Hoarders,” there is a problem.

Hearing the tone of, “…he’s unemployed for a reason…” is unfair, but unfiltered as unfair.

A life in disarray will result in a life enslaved by chaos. Not that anyone would get there on purpose, but some signs appear if it has not already:

I AM forgetful of everything, such as car and home keys, passwords, cell phones, and phone numbers.
I find house duties and job search responsibilities hard to prioritize on the same day.
I am not handling criticism well nor inviting input.

Does your partner have a problem with your disorganization? With time on your hands (if you are out of work), this would be the best time to organize everything. Finances, job-related information, clothes, personal identifying documents, credit, and living are best cleaned and managed to help relieve the stress of unemployment and for your peace of mind.

Unemployed. This, too, will pass.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Message of a Post Interview Thank-You Note

Nicely written thank-you notes can do wonders. These days, email is perfectly acceptable and expected, but it wasn’t long ago the sweet spot was the employer receiving a physical card or note.

Here is the story of two clients saying everything you need to know that occurred in my career practitioner days a few years ago. It’s relevant in how it stands out and speaks to the employer.

Marla was fortunate to receive a referral from another client of mine that ensured her a job interview. We tweaked her resume to fit the position, and within a couple of days of submission, she obtained an interview with an executive from the company. A week after the discussion, the company informed Marla that the background process was in progress. A month later, Marla called me and asked what she should do since it’s been a month since she had heard from the company. I asked her two questions:

Did you call back to find out the background check status?

Did you send a thank-you letter?

Her answer was “No” to both questions.

I suggested she immediately send letters to the people who interviewed her. Unfortunately, it was the end of the day Friday.

Another client Traci, similarly waited three weeks to follow up. She called me, as Marla did, and wondered what she should do. I asked the same two questions and recommended the same action. Traci wrote a thank-you letter and, with baby in tow, hand-delivered the letter in person.

Unfortunately, the position was filled; however, Traci was the ONLY candidate to send or follow up. As a result of her efforts, the employer awarded her a six-month contract just for her.

There are three reasons why a thank-you letter can be a powerful strategy to implement for every interview you obtain:

A thank-you letter is your advocate, and it speaks volumes.
It is the last opportunity to sell yourself. Reiterating how you can fit in the organization seals the deal.
You stand out positively. End of story.

Did you say it’s been two weeks since the interview, and you heard nothing from the interviewer or the company? Email a thoughtful thank you note today.

Send a thank-you letter to the referrer. Who says that the one interview is the end of the road for that company?

Are thank-you notes a part of your job search strategy?