Career Archives - Page 27 of 28 - The Voice of Job Seekers

The Audacious Follow Up Call After Your Interview

It’s bold, daring, ballsy, aggressive, and necessary to make the follow-up call after your interview count. Don’t be a wuss! Stand out by calling to see where you stand in the hiring process.

Perceived by people as being “pushy” as a result of following-up is not the worst thing that could happen.

People make a living by being pushy, assertive, aggressive, and even overbearing. There are other words that people like this are called, but you have to ask the questions.

Read: Are You An Aggressive Jobseeker?

Did I get the job?

Do you receive my résumé?

Can I get 10 minutes of your time?

When you own the audacity to ask relevant questions regarding your future, you are being responsible, not “pushy.”

There are fine lines between assertive and aggressive, but being passive is bad. Very bad.

Passive people miss chances.

Passive people miss the bus. They miss the train. They miss chances of getting a seat on the train. Ok, if he or she is courteous or chivalrous, but passive? A wimp? A chump?

Passive people are tactful and respectful, and we like them. I am one of them. I’m assertive. I just have this way of persuading people. Some call it charm. Others call it sweet. But I will make the call, and I will ask the question. It doesn’t take a special person to follow up after your interview.

Don’t overcompensate. People will see you as fake. Although I will admit, overcompensation is on the road to being audacious. Which is better than being a suck-a!

A lioness will devour anything that messes with her babies. A woman scorned will imbibe your head the same way with her babies. Your job opportunity must become your baby, and the baby shouldn’t be hungry.

If you’re a chump, slacker, pushover, scared, ‘fraidy cat, scarry cat, or lazy, don’t bother to call back. Don’t just send a thank-you letter, call. Leave a good impression, not a bad taste in someone’s mouth. Don’t email, text, or use telepathy! Call. Take the letter, drop it by the office. Talk to someone that matters.

Employers want to see how badly someone wants an opportunity. It shows enthusiasm. It shows desire. When you place that follow-up call after your interview you can call to say:

“Thank-you for the interview.”

“What are the names of each person who interviewed me?”

“Let me tell you what I learned.”

“The water was tasty, what brand was that?”

Even “Do you have Grey Poupon?” would be better than not calling! Have the audacity to follow-up. You might be leaving money on the table. You could be throwing career fulfillment in the trash if you don’t call.

Audacity alone will not get you a job, but if you were alone in following-up…well, what do you think? C’mon, place that follow-up call after your interview. I promise it won’t hurt.

Image: Steam Punk

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Make Career Defining Choices Like a 17-Year-Old

Adults make career defining decisions often think about benefits, and salary, but rarely happiness. Everyone does things that they don’t want to do in their career. Would you do something that was considered horrible?

My son, “Boy Wonder” is 17 years old, is pretty level-headed for his age. We have lots of conversations about college, his future, and women (although mostly theory at this point). He works at the world’s most famous food chain, and has sustained employment for a year.

To digress momentarily, working teens stimulate the economy, and the household. He has to work because it builds character and responsibility. Most of all, working for “Boy Wonder” provides training opportunities for him that my wife and I offer.

The one lesson that we did not teach him is to make assessments in understanding the breadth of his current job.

He is 17 years old. He still plays jokes on friends and coworkers, wants to spend his money frivolously, and would rather eat candy and oatmeal raisin cookies. The eyes are on the prize, and he understands that the 2016 Escalade will not be paid by his parents.

However, he thinks the way beyond his dream car. He wants to be a nurse.

He understands the sacrifice, and the intensity of the work that is ahead to get into nursing school. However, he is trying to understand how this experience will compare to his experience as a nurse.

Last week, a homeless man vomited in the bathroom, and left a rainbow (use your imagination here). He had to clean it all up. It was awful for him. It was good for him, as it is hard for him to put trash in the garbage can at home.

Character. Responsibility. The irony.

He has to remain temperate no matter how unstable the social culture changes. Customers his age want to challenge authority and be served appropriately.
His bosses rarely gave him the schedule he desired. He had to learn to approach one time to see if it could be change with respect and tact. After that, successful or not, let it go.
Although he has impressed the owner repeatedly, he is still just an employee. No benefits, vacation time, or sick days to reward him for missing one day of work out of a year.
A nurse will make much more money, will always have a job, and retain benefits. However, the transferable issues remain the same. Undesired responsibility is painful no matter how old, or professional you have become.
Jobseekers wait too long to as the question, “What is the worse that could happen to me?” In some way, “Boy Wonder” understands that he will do nasty and dirty tasks, be hot and sweaty, maintain self-control, be patient, and be content with undesirable circumstances. All in the name of saving people’s lives.

As adults, we can ask those questions in interviews, networking situations, or find online information. The average job seeker can research jobs before pressing the apply button.

You can find out, without prior notice, that you are cleaning a rainbow in the bathroom.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Social Media Breeds Career Competition

Social media works with patience and due diligence. It evolved with intelligence that each user possesses and curates.

The more training you receive, the larger the repertoire.

The more you read to perfect your skills, the better you can explain the results.

The more you perform and perfect your skills, the more you can teach them to others.

When you listen and act on sound advice, does that motivate you to listen more? An idea takes a second to birth, and a minute to decide to implement. Listening is great, isn’t it?

Grow your integrity. Increase your social media use.

Click To Tweet

Grow your network. Grow your career by unleashing the potential of learning from everyone.

If this is the time when you are embracing social media, blogs, tweets, statuses, and pluses (What are we calling Google Plus updates?), then good for you. Today’s information is more relevant than yesterday…most of the time. Pay attention to this stream of real-time flow of info, because relevance is a surprising fulfillment your curiosity.

Spur growth in your skills. It’s so easy, that someone else will take your job. Because, that is what your competition, and winner of that job did. He wrote a blog. His or her blog morphed into a résumé.

So what should you do? Pay more attention.

The more you give for free, and at least one person will freely give. To you. Without the caution. Because, that is how they were noticed.

Now is the time, working or not, seeking, job seeking, or freaking to learn. Absorb, and implement. Add it to your résumé, talk about it with your crew, find ways to share your expertise, and add value for you and your listeners.

Your eyes should dilate when you hear the word “FREE!” Education that costs nothing is more priceless than paid education. Knowledge can happen staring at a Twitter stream. At least it’s a start.

Value for your career is not cash, it’s priceless. That’s what someone understood.