Articles - The Voice of Job Seekers

References Must Speak to Your Current Skills

Your job search should be a lifestyle. But, unfortunately, there are too many components to ignore in 2021 and beyond.

I bet your references and mentors are perpetually in motion.

References can be that landmine if you didn’t vet them, what they will speak to, and share the value you are adding to the inquiring company. Employers want to be assured you can solve their problem, and your reference needs to speak to how you effectively solved past ones.

Some of your references are mentors who will have progressed in their careers in similar ways you would like to. But I bet you call them to mentor, and you’re unaware of how they successfully navigate their career.

You can learn from them, so it’s a good idea to keep them engaged. But if it’s been more than 10 years since they worked with you, find five to seven references you’ve worked with more recently who can also vouch for you.

Simply, references if not vetted or relevant to the problem you’ll solve for the employer is hazardous to your job search.

Think about it:

How many of your references have worked with you in the last 5 years? The last 10 years?

Think of the technology, what you’ve learned, and the life changes in the last two years?

I’ll let that simmer with you. It’s time to get new references if you are convincing employers and recruiters of your value. Your references need to match your relevance no matter your age.

Remove the landmines

On #JobSeekerNation this past week, we talked about landmines in your job search and during the interview process. You can see the entire show here.

Here are other landmines that can entrap you and make your job search more difficult:

Background checks

I tell a story about a client who once lied to her potential employer. But, first, let’s say that a “white lie” is still a lie if it misrepresents you and your integrity.

Afraid of Potential Consequences of Being Fired

The most successful CEO has been let go due to performance. It’s not because they didn’t work hard. I offer some suggestions here that should help you overcome the antiquated narrative about being fired.

Sharing accomplishments that help your potential employer

What sells you sharing expected results and strategies used to get the job done. The more you offer showing how thoughtful you are, increasing the chances of continued conversations. Using words like “great” or “excellent” matters less if the stories you share demonstrate elements an employer needs.

Being unteachable and unflexible

Nobody wants to hire someone who stays stuck in their own mud. But, that’s how a good leader or manager will see someone who doesn’t absorb new information and doesn’t customize a current strategy to fit the situation.

You don’t listen

Most people try to listen for words that seem wrong. You have to listen for what people don’t say because there’s much intel to gather from silence or omission. You can actually listen for the intent of an omission through your silence and being present in the moment.

There are opportunities left on the table because job candidates are not as thoughtful and reflective of what an employer says. And it often shows through the lack of engagement and discernment from the application process to the reference checks. It is possible to defuse the mines before they go off by investing time into what the employer wants and needs.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Researching Jobs, Your Future Boss, and Work Culture

Koan.co published a study today of bosses, companies, and their relationship-building abilities to show the importance of feeling a part of a team may be the difference of who you would want to work with and who you would avoid. Well, maybe.

Please take a look at their study as I break down key takeaways I think benefit job seekers.

In researching culture, you would want to know the culture of your team and the leadership style because we all know it matters. No one in this new world of remote work desires to work on teams that don’t value communication and camaraderie, right? It means everything to show you’re able to contribute to the team with hiring managers. Intel that informs your interview conversations and questions will show you’re a fit or not.

Koan is a company that says they “…help teams to set goals, build positive habits, collaborate on progress, and deliver results.” They just released survey results of how people fared mentally and emotionally at this point of the pandemic.

Koan states that their survey methodology included “Koan surveyed 646 anonymous full-time office workers spread across the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada on 5/5/21 via SurveyMonkey.”

The critical leadership traits workers valued:

The leadership created psychological safety on their teams.

The team and leadership made camaraderie and a sense of belonging.

The leaders allowed created a bi-directional dialogue.

While researching a company, you want to understand the team dynamic and company culture as much as possible. Therefore, you’ll need to dig deeper than just checking the company website to glean and understand how to be a standout contributor.

By using Koan’s survey results, you can use their findings as a guide in seeking out the best place for optimal work performance:

Ask both employees and team leaders about how they created psychological safety on their teams.

According to a McKinsey & Company survey, teams shifted away from an authoritative leadership style to a more consultative style. Its implementation shows that leaders “consult their team members, solicit input, and consider the team’s views on issues that affect them.”

Workers are concerned about the differential treatment of those who work at home vs. the office. Yet, in the news, we hear the views of CEOs stating people should be comfortable with and not workers or teams seeing it as a viable option. If the CEO speaks into existence the mandate of how employees will work, doesn’t this create a more hostile environment than a safe one?

A job seeker looking into company culture should talk to employees about how employers provided psychological safety on their teams during the pandemic. Also, asking how much collaboration occurs between team leaders and employees will give you an idea of how much belonging people feel.

2. The leadership created psychological safety on their teams.

Most people will agree without hesitation work is not a social club, although bits of socialization make work more pleasurable. Yet, some prefer isolation and maintain sparse interaction outside of work (and that’s fine).

During the pandemic in the Koan survey results, the distance between coworkers showed, “During a time when we were physically isolated more than ever, 84% of people felt a sense of belonging on their teams.” Workers experiencing isolation during the pandemic swung between loving the independence and freedom in workflow and being home. Yet, employees embraced the growing camaraderie between coworkers because of the trials of the pandemic that brought them together.

After the twin towers attacks of 2001, the whole country felt a sense of concern and togetherness. It was a moment where people were concerned about each other’s well-being and state of mind. Of course, since pandemic, feelings vary, but the camaraderie buffers work pressures.

3. How did they create a bi-directional dialogue?

Koan states 53% of respondents got feedback from their boss regularly and were able also to give feedback upwards. Although this is not good if little more than half of the companies establish 360 feedback, some teams and companies are making progress while working remotely.

Merriam describes bi-directional as “involving, moving, or taking place in two usually opposite directions.

Koan also discovered:

Employees who are engaged with the company mission and have a sense of purpose related to their work are 5x more likely to make progress on goals.
Employees are satisfied with their direct manager, and they are 6x more likely to make progress on team goals.
When employees knew their work mattered to the company, they were nearly 7x more likely to produce work they were proud of.

Discerning job seekers should expect candor as they ask employees of the company how satisfied they are with their boss and the management personnel they engage. A lack of openness should be taken as a red flag if the company says bi-directional dialogue exists, but others say it doesn’t. If you’re usually an engaged contributor to a team and like the dynamic, this dialogue could disrupt what makes you happy about the group dynamic. Without bi-directional dialogue, could trust exist within the team or company?

Employees need a water cooler place, whether virtually or at the office. A safe and engaging work environment is having leaders understand and respect the team dynamic from the meetings to the small talk.

As a job seeker, asking the right questions about the company and team dynamics is vital to your role as a contributor. Very often, if feedback and questions aren’t a staple to establish good performance, it’s hard to perform at a rate that complements the team.

Be ready to dig a little deeper while researching a company. Talk to former employees and current ones to ensure you have the information you need to establish yourself as a fit on any team during job interviews. However, people will then need to ask what will be the usual office dynamic and if there needs to be a return to the way it used to be.

Other surveys on remote work dynamics and well-being:

It’s time to reimagine where and how work will get done

PWC, Jan. 2021

A new perspective on the modern workplace

Cisco, July 2020

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by Mark Anthony Dyson

How to Show Employers Your Resilience During Unemployment

No one won or lost during the recession. Some succeeded in losing and landing jobs. Others were able to hold on to their jobs and managed to get promoted. But it doesn’t matter because if you’re able to breathe while reading this, you’ve won.

Again, you’ve won. Not barely, but with flying colors. Even when many employers didn’t make layoffs any easier, yet, they had tools to help them, help employees.

If you’re unemployed now matter the reason, you will be employed. This is the mantra you must carry, internalize, and believe.

There’s one interview question I think employers got together and decided to ask: What did you do while unemployed? So the interviewing will weigh your response along with the other responses.

It’s like, what did you do while waiting to get in the barber’s chair? So I would say dismiss the question, but employers’ are valuing and evaluating candidates on that question. So when they put a lot of weight on a question, you can’t avoid it.

You can find many good answers in many articles right now. I would consider reading this one and that one. I will add my own in my own way.

Some employers have an unemployment bias where they see the candidate with more than six months of unemployment negatively. However, others are more empathetic since the pandemic and give the candidate a lengthy unemployment period.

Practice, but don’t overdo it.

Most job seekers don’t practice, which has proven to be a critical piece of interviewing for remote work positions. Rehearsing and recording talking into a webcam or phone give you objective feedback where your attention is placed. Job seekers must be comfortable giving answers to a bot or software that’s not interactive. Similarly, it’s also easy to overthink answering each question. The temptation is to script it or rely on mental muscle memory. But rehearse what you will say. I promise the small difference it will make to practice is significant.

Top 3 tips for how to answer an interviewer’s questions about being unemployed:

Be direct and brief about your experience.

Video viewers have short attention spans. The attention-getter has been how you have remained sharp and positive during your time of unemployment. In your brief answer, you can say, “This was a meaningful period for me as I added to my skill set during this time. I’ve had many great conversations with industry writers and experts through Live streaming the conversation on Facebook.” It shows you are learning and providing your community resources for them.

Do many informational interviews.

Informational interviews are a 180-degree conversation where you seek intel to power up your career journey in an industry or company. Although it’s not the time to expect or ask for a job, the information attained could inform your thoughts or add to potential skills you’ll need to get in the company/job/industry. In the first tip, I used an example of someone making the most of their advice from others while simultaneously increasing the interviewee’s value. Although some people don’t want to do that, interview them and, most importantly, ask questions about their career path, how they choose their career, and who else would provide helpful information from their network. You can also share and introduce people you met.

Strive to get referred.

Surveys show referrals increase the opportunities for interviews and longer tenures at companies. Informational interviews can provide those opportunities as I’ve seen my past clients/students/participants use these conversations to get feedback, follow-up after talks, and the next person referred by the interviewee ends up being the referrer for an interview. For example, asking them, “Do you know anyone else I can talk to who can provide useful information.” The key is to make it easy for them to give you feedback and constructive direction (instructions or an action to help you further).

Become the perpetual learner who anyone would find approachable. You want to be easily teachable, receive and act on feedback, and be grateful someone took the time to help. You may lack skill and experience, and the perpetual learner attitude makes you more viable than someone more experienced and unapproachable.

I think it’s crucial now more than ever that job search is incorporated into your lifestyle rather than deploying your efforts when you’re unemployed.

Your job search as a lifestyle looks like this:

1) Interviewing when you have a secure job or at least once a year. The way you deliver interviews will change as it did in 2020 because of tech.

2) Professional development is each individual’s responsibility. Companies will only train you what you need for that job, but not necessarily for the industry. Therefore, you must control your career narrative by investing in the training for your future.

3) Know your market value with or without a job. Most people wait until they get an offer to discerning if the salary is their actual market value. Know and research arduously before starting your job search.

4) Every industry has an association or industry. Join and participate in them as they present many unadvertised opportunities. The more you’re exposed to exclusive opportunities, the more you’ll stand out.