The Career Capitalist

Wellness Program - Super Size Me...

We are currently ramping up a Wellness program at SourceMedical - in addition to Fitness Club/Gym reimbursement, health screenings, etc., we are screening Super Size Me, a documentary which features Morgan Spurlock trying to exist for 30 days on nothing but super size meals from McDonald's. 

To get a flavor for what our employees are witnessing, take a look at the following experiment from the movie.  Is there any doubt we look back 50 years from now and rank McD's french fries up there with smoking and asbestos as qualified health risks?   Eat like an athlete, even if you are a desk jockey....

Your Brand - How To Be Your Own Product Manager....

A while back, Tom Peters published the concept of the personal brand.  In this book, he offers what he calls a "PBE" or Personal Brand Equity Test.  It's good stuff for the progressive, career-oriented professional in you.  The main thought - just like the great brands like Apple, you are a brand that has to be actively managed, developed and protected. 

To work on your Personal Brand Equity, take some time to answer the following questions. Figure out what you are known for, and whether you are satisfied with that brand statement or not, create a mini plan on how you’re going to improve your brand over the next six months to a year. (your brand equity should always be improving and worth more as you gain more work experience.) 

The playbook for staying on top of your Personal Brand Equity:

To get started, begin with the initial positioning statement - I am known for (2-4 items); by next year at this time, I plan also to be known for (1-2 items). If you are just starting out, make a list of what you would like to be known for.

Then work the improvement and ongoing development plan:

1. My current project(s) is provocative and challenging to me in the following (1-3 ways). If you don’t feel that your work has any challenges, then you need to identify some new projects or areas that you can experience. Are the new projects you want to work on not part of your job responsibilities?  Then volunteer for the new project.
2. New learnings in the last 90 days include (1-3 items).
3. My public (local/regional/national/global) “visibility program” consists of (2-4 items). You can improve your visibility program by participating in outside organizations, volunteering, working with mentors, and more.
4. Important new additions to my Rolodex in the last 90 days are (2-5 names). You never know where your next big break will come from so it’s important to meet as may people as you can (networking).
5. Important relationships nurtured in the last 90 days include (1-3 names).
6. My principal “resume enhancement activity” for the next 60-90 days is (1 item). For example, if you sign up for a committee , this not only gives you a new experience outside of your current work responsibilities, but will help you develop Rolodex additions.
7. My resume is specifically different than last year’s at this time in the following (1-3 ways).

Regardless of where you are in your career, it is important to review your PBE status on an ongoing basis. If you stop meeting new people and trying new things, then you’re limiting yourself and your career.

"I've Been at My Job a Real Long Time: Six Months"

"I've Been at My Job a Real Long Time: Six Months" - that was the call from a conversation recounted at Fast Company late last week, begging the question - Is loyalty and staying at the same company for a long period of time (note - I'll set the definition at more than three years for your consideration) valued anymore?  The normal workplace seems to follow college sports, where coaches with longtime tenure at one school like Jim Calhoun (pictured at right) are the exception rather than the rule....

From the conversation at FC....

"The other day I was in a meeting and everyone went around the table introducing themselves and giving some background information. One person (who shall remain nameless) announced that he had been with his company for eight years. He said it a bit apologetically, and a few people made some comments about his lack of mobility that were both half-joking and dead-serious.

Even so, when this poor guy started to visibly shrink in his seat after announcing his tenure, it made me wonder if the proverbial pendulum had proverbially swung too far. There is a lot of value that resides in perspective and historical memory. Companies need people who are actually capable of institutional loyalty, and are able to strike a nuanced perspective in the delicate calculus of what's-good-for-the-company and what's-good-for-me.

I doubt if we will ever return to the era where staying in your job is a reason for pride. But it would be much healthier for all, if it wasn't seen as a reason for disdain."

No question the "one job for life" model is long gone.  In terms of what I see in the marketplace, whether your long term experience at a single company is valued or not really depends on what you do while you are there.  Stay static and have one flavor for 10 years, and you'll probably struggle in the transition... Work on your skills, develop new ones and have a track record of such you can recount when you enter the job market, and your experience will be valued.

We recently hired three indviduals with long term experience at a single company, and we were thrilled they decided to join our company.  Each one of them had a track record of not standing still - so their 10+ years or experience at the same company actually had more variety and development that the many candidates we see that switch jobs every two years. 

Keep working on your game and it doesn't matter where you are - it's up to you....

Lunch Interviews - Don't Go To Eat...

Interview Flavor -  Ah yes, the lunch interview... You've been invited to eat lunch and interview at the same time... Often categorized by those inviting you to lunch as "simply lunch", the lunch interview is no such thing - it's a full fledged interview (although it may be more casual than a formal interview), but you'll be expected to answer questions and carry on conversations that will dictate whether you get the job or not with a full mouth of food.. Sounds great, huh?   You think when Tony Soprano asks someone to dinner he is there to eat?

When It Happens - The lunch (or breakfast or dinner) interview can happen at any point in the face-to-face portion of the interview process.  It could be the first interview for an ice-breaker, or be the final interview to make sure the folks getting ready to tender you an offer are comfortable with you.  The most common form of the lunch interview is the group format, where hiring managers may bring future peers of yours to lunch to expose you to them and get their acceptance or comfort level with you...   

What It Means - 1) The interviewer setting up the lunch appointment prefers a more casual environment with you at this stage of the process, 2) the interviewer may be uncomfortable with the formality of the formal, office-based interview, or 3) the interviewer is hungry....

What to Be Prepared For - For the one-on-one lunch, you can expect a process and questions similar to the normal interview.  For a group session, it's usually a mix of some questions from the group and a "getting to know you/us" session.  Either way, you have to perform while trying to eat - not an easy task...

How Long It Lasts - However long lunch usually lasts for the person doing the interviewing.  60 minutes from ordering to walking out is a good rule of thumb, just because it's hard to order, talk and eat in less than that time.  That's one reason why lunch generally won't come before at least a phone screen if not one face-to-face session - they would prefer to ensure they like you a little bit before being forced to spend 60 minutes with you.

Keys to Success - There are two big rules with the lunch interview - don't order a lot of food and order something you can look graceful eating.  If you leave the interview feeling stuffed, you have blown it - you have spent more time eating than you have speaking or truly listening.  Stay away from long pasta and things you are going to slurp - a lunch salad, etc. is a safe choice - you can graze and look graceful and leave food on the table without looking wasteful.   Keep your mouth closed when chewing and again - leave food on the table.... Take bites when the interviewer is explaining something to you and it looks like you are going to have 30 seconds...   

The Bottom Line -  You are there to interview - so do that.  Order and eat enough to look like you are participating, but interview first and last... 

Little Known Fact -  You can go to Taco Bell after the interview and pound down some tacos.  Also, treat your server in a respectful way, saying please/thank you... It may not get you the job, but the lack of politeness towards the help could easily eliminate you from consideration....

The Non-Verbal Game - Get Judged Without Saying a Word...

As I write summaries of the most common types of interviews, I can't help but think about the non-verbal cues that automatically make me question the viability of a candidate.  Here's a list of my pet peeve non-verbal interview cues, that once encountered to a large degree (meaning the candidate displays them consistently in the first 15 minutes of an interview) make me want to end the interview as soon as possible:

1. No eye contact - Look at me man!!  What are you going to do when you get in front of a customer or my boss??  Can suggest dishonesty, conflict avoidance, etc.  ...Or you are wanted in seven states and the Dominican Republic...

2.  You are one fidgety type person - Aside from displaying your nervousness, fidgeting is annoying and distracting to those you are interviewing with.  Plus, makes me wonder if you will pass the drug screen.. Not the thought you want going through the interviewer's mind...

3. The Kurt Cobain factor - Bad posture while standing and sitting - Good if you are getting the band back together, bad if you are interviewing.  I don't need you to be upright like a puppet, but c'mon - that chair is not a sofa and you look about 13 years old when your eye level is 6 inches above the surface of the desk...  Sit up and lean a little forward....

4.  Closed Body Language - Body language such as crossed arms and clenched fists show defensiveness and a general lack of awareness of how it impacts others.  Are you believing a word I am saying?  Doesn't feel that way when your arms are crossed and you purse those lips...

Those are my big ones.... What are yours?

Know Your Role - The One-on-One Interview

Interview Flavor - The One-on-One Interview...Think the Larry King Show without the crazy tie and poofed up hair (note - most interviewers don't ask candidates to bring artificial limbs like the picture of Larry to the right) - plus, lucky for you, it's not televised... Although the interviewer will be just as critical of your performance....

When It Happens - After you have survived the resume screening and phone screen process...

What It Means - Companies that do a single interview after a phone screen are using this as the initial stage in the interview process.  Make it through this and you'll likely be in the final round... You also finally get to impress someone with your appearance and non-verbal communication skills. 

What to Be Prepared For - You are face to face at this point, so your appearance, demeanor and non-verbal skills come into play.  More in-depth questions than you fielded during the phone screen are the rule of the day.   The generic "Why are you looking?" and "What are you looking for?" you saw in the phone screen give way to a deeper dive into your knowledge, skills, abilities, technical expertise, etc.  Expect either behavioral ("tell me about a time when"...) or hypothetical ("how do you usually handle"...) questions that focus on areas of experience important to the job in question.  Also, be prepared time again to give the 5-minute resume via the question "Tell me about your career" or "Walk me through your background..", and answer the always popular "What type of compensation are you looking for?"

Who is doing the Interview? - Either a Recruiter, a HR pro, or the Hiring Manager. Either way, you have to connect with the individual and develop a connection face to face...

How Long It Lasts - 30-60 minutes, longer if things are going very well, shorter if they are going very poorly....

How You Can Eliminate Yourself - Poor appearance, don't show any energy or communication skills, fail to achieve synergy with the person doing the phone screen (you have to adjust, not them), failure to turn targeted questions about your experience into focused summaries of how your experience fits their needs, poor grammar, no personality, too much personality, etc.  Quoting targeted compensation more than 20% above the ceiling for the position....

The Bottom Line - The One-on-One interview is usually the first step in the live interview process.  If you make the cut, you'll likely be called back for a second/final round of interviews with a person who signs off on the hire in the organization (we'll talk more about that later).  As always, survive and advance is the mantra....

Little Known Fact - Treat the receptionist right - many times the recruiter or hiring manager doing the interview will ask the receptionist what they thought of you.  Be aloof to the receptionist and you usually will be a neutral or negative review from the gatekeeper - make some small talk and be generally pleasant and you will generally fare better....

Reference Requests - Networking or Stealing?

Job Search Guy has a rant up at his site called "Are There Thieves at Your Job Interview?" - his take is that if people ask you for references before they can move forward with the selection process, they are simply stealing additionally candidates from you and likely don't have an interest in you.  Is everyone who asks you for references and referrals a Dirty Rotten Scoundrel?  From his notes:

"Here's the way it works: You're looking for a job and apply for an advertised position. You're given some initial good vibes about what a "good fit" you are. Then when you're softened up, they hit you with something like this:

"Oh, before we can proceed with this, I'll need at least three references from you today".

This is totally absurd! Why? Because they're stealing from you, plain and simple. This is what's really happening: They interviewed you because you had the basic qualifications but you don't really fit the job requirements, so they're not interested in you. They ARE interested in who you know. Once they have your references, they've just widened their candidate network and you unwittingly helped them. They're now going to recruit your references. Talk about creating your own competition!"

What Job Search Guy doesn't tell you is there a lot of factors that play into what this type of request means.  First up, who are you talking to?  Is it a recruiter positioning themselves as working for a company or the actual company with the opening?  You are much more likely to run into this with recruiters trying to build databases than you are with the actual employer.  Also, if it is the employer, many employers will ask you for references as part of the application process during your initial visit with them, or as part of an online process before you ever see someone face to face.

The moral of the story - don't be alarmed by this type of concern.  After all, what are you going to do?  Walk away from everyone in your job search that ask you for references?  Good luck with that.  Additionally, what about treating every contact as a networking opportunity?  Even if you aren't a fit for the initial position that drew your interest, playing the game and sharing contacts with a recruiter will make you part of their Rolodex moving forward - increasing the probability that they call you when they do have a match.

It's a global, networked world my friend.  Don't buy into the calls to build walls around yourself.  Network and prosper...

"Oh, before we can proceed with this, I'll need at least three references from you today".

This is totally absurd! Why? Because they're stealing from you, plain and simple. This is what's really happening: They interviewed you because you had the basic qualifications but you don't really fit the job requirements, so they're not interested in you. They ARE interested in who you know. Once they have your references, they've just widened their candidate network and you unwittingly helped them. They're now going to recruit your references. Talk about creating your own competition!"

Over 40 - Should You Remove Dates From Your Resume?

Would I hire a guy like Warren Buffett (without the billions)?  The answer is yes.  Would I expect him to hide the dates on the education portion of his resume?  No.

Earlier this week, I profiled a review of Jeannette Woodward's Finding A Job After 50 (Career Press), recently featured in Business Week's Personal Finance column.  In her book, Woodward promotes the need for older candidates to remove dates from the education section of their resume and remove jobs that are more than 15 years old.  After I posted the entry, I started thinking more about that advice - do I actually agree with that advice?  I don't...

After pondering, I can give you a couple of realities as a recruiter and an interviewer/hiring manager.  First up, if you remove dates from your education, you automatically get tagged an older candidate, because candidates over 50 are the only ones doing this (doesn't really impact those between the ages of 40 and 50).  Secondly, you obviously don't want to focus on the jobs that are 15+ years old, but the progression of your career tells me a lot about who you are as a professional.  Additionally, we always like to know that you didn't randomly change identities in the early stages of your career.  Finally, if you somehow manipulated someone into thinking you were younger than you are (once again, very unlikely as soon as you remove dates from your education), as soon as you came in for the interview the trust would be broken as that individual would be surprised by your age.  So, even if you got to the interview stage, it's not likely you would get much further.

For some alternative advice, go to Job Tips For Grown Ups in Forbes magazine from Steven J. Greenberg.  Greenberg's advice is much closer to what I would recommend for older candidates seeking to overcome the barriers they feel.   Get tech savvy and make your resume and interview skills behavioral in nature - meaning that you position your past experience as results-oriented, which in turn shows what you can do for your future employer, rather than making your resume look like a museum artifact...

Interview Train Wreck - Pete Rose

From the category of "In Case You Missed It" and horrific interviews, I offer up Pete Rose, baseball legend and suspect banned for life from baseball. Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Rose attempted to justify and rationalize the fact he bet on baseball by saying he bet on his own team every night. From the interview transcript:

"I bet on my team every night," Rose said. "I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. So I wasn't sending a signal out to the people that I'm not going to use my closer on Friday night or Saturday night."

So Rose continues the attempts to rationalize the fact he bet on baseball, proving he really doesn't get it. The issue is not for which team he placed his bets, but the fact that he made the bets in the first place. True, it would be worse if he bet against the Reds and made managerial moves to enhance the probability that his team would lose. Still, that he bet only for the Reds to win does not eliminate the lack of integrity that Rose exhibited.

How does this link to the interview process in your job search? The lesson is that rationalizing any misstep or bad decision in your career is dangerous. Don't rationalize a bad decision by saying the activity or decision was culture-driven or that it was OK because you consistently showed poor judgement. Take accountability for the decision in question, then share what you learned and how you have used that knowledge to make better decisions moving forward. The ability to learn from mistakes is a dimension any good behavioral interviewer will pursue and can actually add value to your results in any interview.

Selling Your Wisdom As An Older Candidate...

If you are over 50 and find it hard to get interviews or feel you aren't being taken seriously in your job  search, you may want to pick up Jeannette Woodward's Finding A Job After 50 (Career Press) for thought-starters, recently featured in Business Week's Personal Finance column.

Among the advice in the FAQ:

Does how old you look matter?
Yes. As you hit your 50s, one day you can look 40, the next day you can look 70. During your interview you want that to be the day you're looking as close to 40 as possible. Get a good night's sleep. Make sure your outfit and hair are up to date. Try not to lumber around when you walk or look arthritic when you sit in a chair. You need a quick, energetic step.

How else can you deemphasize age?
Make your résumé as neutral as possible. Don't put down dates for your education or go back more than 15 years on jobs. You don't want to call attention to the fact that you were in the work world in 1966. Once you establish a relationship with the interviewer, you'll have less difficulty with age prejudice.

Is there an upside to job hunting when you're over 50?
What's happening in most industries is, as baby boomers retire, they're leaving a hole in the workforce. If managers can't fill the jobs because they can't find the type of people they're looking for, they might be open to older people. Even if salaries aren't great, you may be able to negotiate things that are more important to you: flextime, more vacation time. If you're looking for the job of your dreams, sometimes you can help structure it.

For more fun and debate, check out the comments as readers sound off on her advice, especially the counsel not to list dates on the resume.  My take agrees with some of the commenters - don't lie or omit, find a better way to focus readers on your skills via some projects or initiatives they wouldn't expect from a candidate over 50 - maybe a functional area blog, etc...