Why would someone I don’t even know help me in my job search?

Good question.  Let me ask you something.  If you had the opportunity to help someone, would you?  Of course you would.  Guess what?  So would just about everyone else.  Just because someone doesn’t know you doesn’t mean they won’t help you.  How many people have you opened a door for – without ever introducing yourself?  How many times have you done something nice for someone without ever expecting them to return the favor?  I’d like to go on record right now and thank everyone on the airplane who has ever helped me put my luggage in the overhead compartment.  What do I pack?  Rocks?

We live in a helpful society.  Sometimes it’s more helpful than we want it to be.  But when it comes to job search, if someone who’s out of work has the ability to help a fellow job seeker, it makes them feel good.  It brings them joy.  Please don’t deny a person the opportunity to have joy!  It might be the only joy they have all day!

Often times at our Executives Network meetings, people will end their request for help by telling everyone what companies they can help with.  One person in particular comes to mind.  Kevin would always end his spiel with “And I can help you with the following companies….” What a waste of our time.  Did someone previously ask for help at those companies?  Then speak up when they ask.  Maybe you weren’t listening.  Quit zoning out and start paying attention.  It’s only through really listening to others that you’ll figure out how to help them.  And if you can, speak up right then.  Don’t wait.  If you wait, it appears as though you weren’t listening. 

While Kevin thinks he’s doing us all a favor, we’re left with the perception that Kevin doesn’t listen.  Plus, while Kevin is listing all of the companies he can help with, everyone else has forgotten the companies Kevin needs help with (because sometimes we all have a little ADD!).  So…Kevin leaves the room not only being perceived as a bad listener…but he doesn’t get any help from the group.

In the world of job search, be a little bit selfish.  Give others the opportunity to help you. Don’t worry if you can’t help them yet.  Eventually you will find a way.

Being out of work during the holidays may be the greatest gift of all.

Merry Christmas.  Happy Hanukkah.  Bah Humbug.  When you’re out of work, it’s sometimes difficult to get into the holiday spirit while you’re mind is focused on finding a job.

Years ago, I remember attending a job search meeting where the facilitator told us “everything closes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.  Trying to find a job is a waste of time.”  I might add that she also said the entire business community shuts down in the summer, and you should forget trying to land anything between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Quite a vision of optimism, wasn’t she?!

But you know what?  Debbie Downer was wrong.  Completely wrong.  I had four interviews the week prior to Christmas.  Somehow these businesses didn’t get her memo.

When it comes to job search, the holidays are some of the BEST times to get out there.  Here’s what happens during the holidays.  People are nicer.  They’re more likely to make time for you.  They’re trying to get things handled this year, to get ready for next year.  They try not to travel.  What are they going to do?  Sit at their desk all day.  No, they’d rather be meeting with people like you and having interesting conversations.  Give them that opportunity.

But, if you decide to take some time off yourself, it’s okay.  The holidays can be very hectic when you’re working, but they take on a much calmer pace when you have the gift of time.  Take advantage of that.  Be appreciative that for once, you can get your shopping done early.  You can take your time, peruse the stores, find the best sales.  Here are seven other ideas of things to do with your magical gift of time:

1.  Send out handwritten greeting cards – and put in a personal note.
2. Go ice skating in the middle of the day.
3. Catch up on the latest movies during the weekly matinee – no crowds.  Cheaper prices. 
4. Hang out at the mall – and take in the music and decorations.  Watch the kids line up to take a picture with Santa (It will bring you sheer joy!).
5. Volunteer at a food bank, Toys for Tots, the gift wrap at the mall, or your local church/place of worship.
6. Meet other job seekers for coffee.
7. Go to a museum or art exhibit – or browse around a bookstore or library (my personal definition of art!).  Maybe plan your next vacation (for when you land the perfect job).

So, go ahead.  Give yourself a vacation.  Sit back and appreciate the spirit of the holidays.  Take some moments to reflect and appreciate the gift of time you’ve been given.  Maybe in not thinking about your job search, you can actually gain greater insight as to the path you need to follow.  Maybe that’s why you were given the gift of time in the first place.

Networking Tip: How to get better conversations by asking smart questions.

Don’t ruin a networking opportunity by focusing so much on your job search, you forget the person you’re meeting with might actually know other people in the world.  The idea of networking (whether you’re in the search or not) is to open the door to their network.  Not close it!

Here’s a great example of how it can get slammed shut pretty quickly.  A couple months ago, I gave a contact to my friend Bill.  Bill is in the job search and was targeting grocery stores.  I told him “go meet with Sharon.  It’ll be great!”  About a week later, I was talking with Bill and asked him if he had an opportunity to meet with Sharon.  He said yes, but it didn’t go very well.  Sharon said she wasn’t hiring.  I could’ve clobbered Bill right then and there.  When I gave Bill the contact to go network with Sharon, it wasn’t to try to get a job from her.  It was to network.  Find out who she knows.  Learn what’s going on in the industry.  Instead, Bill tried to turn it into a one-way hiring discussion and Sharon wasn’t interested.  What a waste of a great networking contact. 

Here’s what I would have done if Bill had given me the referral.  Instead of telling Sharon I needed a job (which is completely beside the point), I would start off the conversation like this:
Sharon, thanks so much for taking the time to meet with me.  I really appreciate it.  Bill said if anyone knows about the food industry, it’s you!

And then I would have continued with questions like this:

• How long have you worked at [company]?
• And where were you before that?  How long were you there? (Here, you’re looking for other possible connections)
• What do you see are the biggest changes in the industry?
• Out of all of the players, who do you think is doing some really interesting things?
• What’s changing in the way people shop for food?
• How does that differ within demographic circles?
• What’s the next wave or trend that everyone is trying to implement?
• Which area of the store is most profitable?  What trends are going on in this area – and others to increase their profitability? 
• Grocery stores are now banks, flower shops, DVD/Video Rentals, Starbuck’s.  What’s next?
• Who do you think is going to lead the pack?  Who’s going to fall behind?  What do you think are their options?
• How big of a threat is consolidation?  Or do you think those companies will grow more by opening new formats?  What about co-location and joint marketing opportunities?
• How much do the food manufacturers play a role in the future of the store?  How is category management affecting profits?  Which manufacturers are more progressive and innovative?  What kind of things are they doing?  Are coupons still big?  Does anyone ever redeem those things?
• Where do you think you’ll take the Loyalty Card program?  What industries (hotel, airline?) are you taking lessons from, and applying to yours?
• How is Wal-Mart’s foray into grocery (Super Wal-Mart and Marketside) affecting your business?  How about Tesco’s Fresh and Easy?
• Who do you think will be your competition in the future – not currently competing with you today?

Throughout this discussion, if Sharon mentioned a name of a company doing innovative, interesting things, I’d ask right then and there if she knew someone at that company.  And then I’d say “Great!  I’d love to give them a call. Do you mind if I use your name?”  Assuming she gives me the okay, then I already have one contact to follow up with.  I do this throughout the discussion so I don’t have to end the conversation with “Is there anyone else you think I should speak with about the industry?”  Getting the names along with way takes all of the pressure of trying to secure contacts at the end.

Now keep in mind, I haven’t really spent any time in the grocery industry…unless you count the three weeks in college where I worked for Lawry’s & Lipton – merchandising the shelves, refilling the taco seasoning tray (what’s with our country’s obsession with taco seasoning?), and dusting off the bottles of barbeque sauce.  I quit after three weeks.  It gave me headaches.  It’s giving me one right now just thinking about it.

I just came up with these questions because I’ve been to a grocery store.  I’ve purchased food.  I pass by the Starbucks on my way into the store.  I pass by the bank and rental place on my way out.  I shop at more than one chain (or at least run in to see what they’re doing).  I met some guy on a plane who sold cookies to store bakeries (the trend there is inexpensive multi-packs – 10 cookies for a $1.  They fly off the shelves!).  I read an article about Tesco.  And one about Wal-Mart.  I’m no expert when it comes to the industry, but I do know how to get people talking.  About this industry or any industry.  It’s all about asking smart questions. 

Smart questions lead to interesting conversations, which lead to others opening up their network to you.  And the more people you talk to and learn from, the better your questions are, the more likely you’ll be able to turn simple networking meetings into job offers (or really great relationships).

Many of those questions can apply to other industries (just substitute a word or two).  If you’d like some ideas of questions on a specific industry, just let me know.  I’ll come up with some.  And maybe you can contribute with your favorite questions to ask as well.

The Interview: How to secure a call back…and possibly the job!

In the interview, is it appropriate to ask for the job right then and there?  Sometimes.  Think about it from a sales perspective.  A great salesperson will look for the right moment to ask for the order.  Sometimes this is in the first meeting.  Other times it’s after a few meetings.  Gauging when the right time to ask is crucial.

But really, it’s more like the concept of dating.  When you first meet someone, you’re not necessarily trying to get married.  You’re simply trying to get to know each other to determine if this is someone with which you want to spend more time.  The object of the first date, then, is not to determine your future for the next umpteen years.  It’s to see if you can (and want to) secure another date (which really takes the pressure off both of you!).  The only way to determine this is to ask questions.  Listen to the responses and see if you’re interested in taking it further.  Give too much information, share your entire life story, and risk not being asked out again.  Talk too much about your past relationships…and I guarantee you won’t get a call back!  Give just enough to whet the appetite, and say hello to a second date!

The same goes for you in the job search.  When you first go to an interview, don’t be so focused on trying to land the job.  You should be more concerned with getting to the next round (or determining if you’re even interested in getting to the next round).  You need to learn more about the company, the hiring manager, the leadership.  Are you on board with where they’re going as a company? Do you fit with the company culture?  Does it seem like an interesting place to work?  Are the people fascinating?  Will you be challenged?

Before you do that, however, why don’t you start with a better understanding of the hiring process, so you know where you stand.  Get this out of the way right away, so you’re not rushing to ask at the end (or worse, forget to ask!).  And be sure to take great notes the entire time!  Take notes even if you think you’ll remember.  Taking notes makes it look like you’re listening. 

I remember interviewing with a company.  I met with the hiring manager.  My first question out of the gate was this:  “Tell me about the hiring process.”  He told me in the first round he was talking to about 25 people.  “And how many people have you already spoken with?” I asked.  “Eight,” he said.  Then he was going to talk further to the top five candidates.  Out of that, the top two would meet the President of the division.  Good.  My goal out of that meeting was not to land the job.  It was to be one of the top five.

I wanted to get a handle on my competition.  So I asked lots of questions relative to the type of person that would be a perfect fit.  What are you looking for in a candidate? What do the other candidates have that I don’t?  What do I bring to the table that others don’t?  Which of those attributes (what others bring to the table or what I bring?) are more important?  You never want to walk out of an interview and not know where you stand relative to your competition.

Satisfied that I understood the process, I started asking questions about the type of responsibilities this role would be given.  What are the key initiatives that need to be tackled immediately?  Beyond that, what would you like to see this person accomplish.  In a perfect world, where would this person take this role?  What responsibilities would you like to hand off so you can free yourself up for other things?  And what would those other things be?  (Think about the preferred attributes…and try to tie them together with responsibilities.  Based on this, are you moving up or down on the scale?)

Do you think he’s asked me a question yet?  No, I haven’t given him a chance.  Do you think he cares?  If he does, he’s not showing it.  He just keeps on talking.

By the end of our discussion, I knew that the role would be a fit.  I was certainly well-qualified (by my assessment) and was pretty sure he thought so as well.  Of course, how would he know?  He never got a chance to ask me a question!  Was I in the top five?  I decided to find out.  I dropped what’s known in sales as a “trial balloon”.  I asked him “When would you like me to meet the president?”  He said “Let me set that up for next week.”  Here’s what’s great about that.  I walked out of that first meeting knowing that I was one of the top two candidates.  I also knew that for the right candidate, he was willing to bypass the process (and in case you’re wondering, this is not uncommon).

A week later, I met with the President.  The meeting with the President was similar.  I asked all of the questions.  He gave all of the answers.  They offered me the job.  I turned it down.  I wasn’t satisfied with their answers to my questions.

Another time I was meeting with a CEO for a VP of Marketing role.  This CEO was obviously brilliant but just about the worst interviewer I’d ever met.  He was distracted by everything.  His answers were uninspiring.  Even his tone of voice was blasé.  I was so unimpressed with him that midway through the interview I told him “You know, I’m interviewing you just as much as you’re interviewing.  You might want to step it up.”  He did, and we had an interesting conversation.  But, at the end of the day, is this someone I want to work for?  Is this someone I’ll learn something from?  Is this someone who will inspire me?  Probably not.  I thanked him for his time.  I didn’t care if I heard from him again.  There was no way I’d work in an organization with him at the helm.

You’re probably wondering how I was able to turn these jobs down.  I must have had another job lined up.  Well, I didn’t.  It was more important to me to find the right fit, than just take something that I knew I wouldn’t be extremely happy with.  When you do that, those jobs don’t last, and you’ll just be looking again in a couple months (and possibly miss out on the right fit because you were busy working in the wrong job).  So don’t do it to yourself, or to them!

So back to the question.  Do you ask for the job at the interview?  I’d say quit trying to get married, and focus more on trying to get that second date.  Ask a question like “Where do we take it from here?”  And then let them respond (even if it takes them a while).  If they still feel like they have to talk to a million more people, maybe you’re not the one.  In which case, it’s better to move on.  If they want to get back to you, be sure to ask when you can expect them to get back to you.  Nail them down to a date and time.  Make sure they see you write that date down.  Ask them if they’d like you to follow up or will they?  And then as you’re leaving, thank them for their time and let them know you look forward to speaking with them on that date.

It’s less threatening but still gives you an idea of where you stand.  If you are a good fit, and you’ve had an interesting discussion, it should be pretty easy to secure that second date.  If not, don’t worry about it.  Go find another company where the interest is mutual!

Networking Pitfall: Making assumptions why someone hasn’t responded

Let’s say you contacted someone on Monday.  It’s now Wednesday and you’re trying to figure out why that person is avoiding you!  Here’s a thought:  It has nothing to do with you.  That person is busy!

One of the worst things you can do is make assumptions for why someone hasn’t responded to your influx of calls and emails. 

I  had a situation where someone contacted me to get a referral.  He left a message.  I was out of town.  Three days later, he left another message.  I was still out of town.  Two days after that, he sent me an email saying “I thought you were going to help me but I guess I was mistaken.”  Actually, I was going to help him, but I’m not now!  If he gets uptight about me not calling back when I’m busy, what’s he going to do to someone I refer him to?  This was a year ago.  And you know what.  My life is no less fulfilled with him not being in it.  But I can tell you that he missed out on a really great referral!

Another person I know, we’ll call him Tad, was trying to get in touch with a guy named Mike.  A couple weeks passed by and I asked Tad if he’d been able to connect with Mike.  Tad replied “Oh, he finally called me back.”  Sensing there was more to the story, I asked Tad what he did to get the magical response.  He said he left Mike yet another message and said it was “improper not to respond.”

Well, congratulations Tad, you won the battle and lost the war.  Mike may have gotten back to you, but with that attitude, there’s no way he’s going to help you today, tomorrow or ever.  He simply returned your call, checked the box off, and never has to talk to you again.  However, your conversation just may have some really fascinating lingering effects.  In fact, if there’s ever an interaction between Mike and someone who brings up your name, I’m guessing Mike might suggest that you might be more than a tad annoying.

If you’re so focused on people responding then be a good reason for them to respond.  But don’t forget.  People can be busy.  They can have great intentions (I usually do), but sometimes other priorities in life take precedence.  So have some patience.  Cut people some slack.  And to pass the time, why don’t you get busy contacting other people?  If you’re really networking with vengeance, you’ll never even notice that someone hasn’t responded!

What makes you different…I mean really different?

If I sit in one more executive job search/networking meeting and listen to some CIO tell me what makes him different is that “I work with people, process and technology” I think I’ll scream.  Here’s what I’ll scream:  Who doesn’t?  In this day and age, who doesn’t work with people, process and technology?  That doesn’t make you different.  It makes you exactly like every other person in the room.  It doesn’t matter what functional area you’re from.  Virtually everyone works with people, process and technology.

The same goes for the VP of Sales.  “I build and mentor sales team to reach their highest potential.”  And that makes you different?  Isn’t that the entry point for every person in sales management?  Give us a little help here.  Are you best at working with highly technical sales teams with long sales cycles and average orders in the multi-millions?  Maybe you excel with managing channel partners in consumer products – where you’re trying to penetrate big-box stores?  Give us those details…and maybe we can help.

What about VP of HR?  “I’m an HR generalist – working with all aspects of HR.”  Guess what?  Most of us non-HR types don’t really know what that means.  Tell us specifically, are you best when companies are in the early stages – ramping up from 30 people to 300?  Do you work well with part-time and/or unionized labor?  Maybe your specialty is full-time, technical workforces.  Do you know how to decrease attrition to all-time record lows in a call-center environment?  If so, we may have some ideas for you.

Oh, VP of Marketing – don’t think you’re going to get off easy:  “I build brands.”  What are you, Coca-Cola?  Companies that are hurting in revenue aren’t worried about building their brand (and devising the best company newsletter ever), they’re worried about driving sales.  How are you going to affect that?  Let us know.  We’d love to hear it.

Finance, Ops, R&D, Engineering, General Management.  The same goes for all of you.  Tell us how you’re repositioning and repackaging yourself in today’s competitive marketplace.  Tell us what makes you different…really different.

As I sit and listen to people’s backgrounds, I attempt to reposition people by looking for what I call combinable skills.  What skills can you combine that make you very valuable?  My brother-in-law worked as a chef in a fine-dining restaurant.  He’s now a sales rep for Shamrock Foods (and you guessed it…he too works with people, process and technology!).  He sells food to chefs.  They respect him because they know he was a great chef and he understands their issues.  He doesn’t focus on what food they want to purchase.  He talks to them about the menu (thereby determining the ingredients required).  He makes recommendations as to things that will work well together.  He gets it.  They like that he gets it.  They buy from him.  He likes that they buy from him.

So think about your background.  What in your background can you combine that enables you to reposition and differentiate yourself?  Maybe you run marketing and have worked with both consumer and business-to-business products.  Try looking for a company that sells in the B2B world…but is trying to penetrate the B2C space. 

Maybe you’re in Operations and you’ve worked in high tech plant manufacturing, plus spent some years in the lighting industry.  Combine that with your stint in construction when you were working part time in college, and you just might be the perfect Ops exec in the solar industry.  Were you a CIO for a retailer that had multi-unit locations?  Why not take that multi-location concept and check out opportunities in the consumer banking industry (it may be tough times right now…but great companies are always looking for great talent).  Did you run sales for a radio station that focuses on the Hispanic market?  Find a consumer-based company that is targeting the Hispanic market where mass media is a critical component and make your pitch.

Can’t figure out which industries might be good fits for your combined skills?  Try playing this game with others from different backgrounds.  I call it “Guess the Industry.”  Describe the attributes of the industries you’ve worked in and see what that means to other people.  You’ll be amazed at the answers they come up with.  And it might lead you to some new and exciting companies to target…companies where you can take your combined set of skills, and reposition yourself as someone who really is different!