HRCleanUp

Out of Work--Try Something Different!

Today I went to my neighborhood dry cleaning shop.  As the clerk was writing up my ticket he got a phone call.  I heard him say "so I'm getting a paycheck tomorrow?, Good!".  I then said "Pay is always good, isn't it?" and he let me know that he was a victim of a layoff and this job at the dry cleaning shops was all he could find.  He then went on to tell me that he was spending every minute of his free time applying for jobs, any job, via the web.  I then asked him "How's that working for you?" and he let me know "It isn't." 

Then it is time to change tactics.

In a down economy, all of a sudden, you are competing with people that you never thought you would compete with.  The jobs are few but the jobs are there.  It is all about how you go about tackling the project.  Applying on line is safe, quick, and it give you the feeling of accomplishment.  However, for most people, it doesn't lead to employment. It leads to cyber-nothingness.

Why?  Because people hire people.  Machines don't hire people.

Networking is still your best avenue towards finding employment.  Having lots of conversations with interesting people about their jobs gets the ball rolling in the right direction.  So here is the advice I gave my new friend at the dry cleaning shop:

1. Connect with everyone you know.  Find out what they are up to.
2. Create a kick-ass Linked In profile.  One that you are proud of.
3. Get on Facebook.  Go to a MeetUp group.  Join a gym near a group of office buildings.
4. Ask everyone you know for the names of two people that you don't know but who have interesting jobs at interesting companies.
5. Take them to coffee (they will probably pay), learn about them and their jobs,  and get two more names.
6. Don't ever ask for a job or expect them so find you one.
7. Send a thank you note.  Follow up on every single lead--even if it sounds boring
8. Repeat steps 1-7 over and over and over again

Somewhere out there in the friends of friends of friends lies your next opportunity. 

HRCleanUp Author Quoted in Friday's Boston Business Journal

I had a great interview with Lisa Van Der Pool at the Boston Business Journal.  She was writing an article about how to do a layoff the right way.  And there firmly is a right way and a wrong way.  Download BBJ Dec 5 2008 Tact Timing Critical When Layoffs Loom and read the article!

Workplace Stress

I just saw on the news that an employee showed up at his former company's San Jose headquarters with a gun and shot several people including the CEO.  He was laid off the day before.  If you want to read the story, click here.

Most of you who read my blog regularly  know that I've done some work in the Outplacement world.  I've been a part of a notifier team and also on the service delivery side of the action.  The notifier part is always hard but the service delivery can be very rewarding.  It is interesting to think that there is a whole industry associated with helping companies lay people off.  How an organization manages layoff's is critical--if it is done right, with the right support, both the survivors and the impacted will be ok. 

In my opinion, the Outplacement component is critical.  Having people in place to "catch" the impacted is critical.  I'm guessing that person in San Jose had no support.  He left work, after being laid off, and felt that he had nothing.  Having Outplacment in place helps both the impacted and the workpiece survivors.  Most survivors are clearly worried about their former co-workers and knowing that they are going to be well taken care of can go a long way in getting the workplace back to "normal". 

So what should you do with this information?

If you are planning a workplace "action" keep in mind:

• Both the impacted and the survivors are going to need support.  Support both groups through outplacement. 
• Communicate to survivors that their former colleagues will be well taken care of--let them know about Outplacement and that it has been provided for all of them.
• Don't pretend that it didn't happen--denial never helped anyone.
• Never allow layoff's be become routine.  Layoffs should be hard on everyone.  You are playing with people's livelihoods.
• Don't expect either group to recover in 24 hours.  It takes time for both group to recover.

Our down economy isn't much fun.  Let's mitigate the stress and pain of RIFs as much as we can by supporting both of our impacted groups.

How Does the Housing Slump Impact Your Employees?

A recent pole in the Boston Business Journal discussed "commuter marriages" as a byproduct of the slumping housing market.  In fact, most companies are reporting an increase in the number of couples that live in separate cities due to work and housing market realities.

This has a huge impact on recruiting top talent.  The cost both personally and professionally on a couple who has this type of arrangement, on a long term basis, can be grueling.  It is bad enough that most Americans have a tumultuous commute.  But, to have that commute in a strange city with no one to come home to at the end of the day can put tremendous strain on a relationship

What can companies do about it?

1. If the "commuter marriage" is a reality, make it easier to work remotely for a bigger percentage of the time or, even better, re-think the job and determine that with the right tools and support, could the work be done remotely?
2. Make sure the employee and the employee's partner know about the EAP!  Having a third party to talk to when times are tough can be a lifesaver.
3. Consider additional financial assistance above and beyond your standard relocation package.  A few thousand dollars to get a top-producing employee on the ground may be well worth the investment.
4. Think about hiring the spouse, too.  Or, help them find a job at another nearby company.  At a minimum, offer Outplacement Counseling to the trailing spouse.
5. Finally, give the person time.  Houses sit on the market longer these days.  Give the employee plenty of slack in the "be here by" date.

Relocating for a job, when you make a profit on your house, is hard.  Relocating for a job when the housing market is stale or declining increases the difficulty--for everybody!

Find Me That Job

Yahoo! Hot Jobs recently had a posting titled "Fast Growing Careers with High Salaries".  I stopped to read it--after all, who wouldn't want a fast growing career and a high salary?  As I recall, I was a business major because I wanted to be employable and have a great salary.

Well, as it turns out, here is the list of careers with high salaries:

1. Commercial Loan Officer
2. Financial Analyst
3. Senior Database Administrator
4. Network Security Administrator
5. Registered Nurse
6. Web Interface Design Director
7. Restaurant General Manager
8. Paralegal

What the article doesn't talk about is how you get there.  As with most jobs it takes perseverance and a true desire to do a job well--just as it always has.  There is no magic bullet. One of the best predictors of future success lies in Job Fit.  Making sure your learning style, behaviors, and interests are all in alignment with the job can make a huge difference!

The Power of Networking

Sometime I sound like a broken record.  Over and over again I tell the job seekers that I work with "networking is your key to finding a new job" and over and over again they go home and search Monster or Career Builder for job postings.

I tell them over and over again "75% of jobs are never posted...they are found through networking" and over and over again they go home and search Monster or Career Builder for job postings.

I tell them over and over again "you need to ask people you know you introduce you to people they know who have interesting jobs at interesting companies" and over and over again they go home and search Monster or Career Builder for job postings.

Why is this?  Since I think about it often, I'm starting to come up with a hypothesis.  I think they turn to Monster and Career Builder because the computer won't reject them.  It never says no in any real way.  The closest that it comes is "no results match your search".  Networking is a bit risky--someone might actually say "no".  And to that I say, "move on! and find people with interesting jobs at interesting companies and talk to them"

If, as a job seeker, you are not out there in the world talking to people, you severely limit yourself.  Since 30% of the jobs make it to posting, you are ignoring 70% of possible jobs.  Maybe even a job that is created specifically for you!

Remember, PEOPLE HIRE PEOPLE.  MACHINES DON'T HIRE PEOPLE.  Period.

Thank You Notes

I am often asked whether not an interviewee should send a thank you note after a job interview and since I am my mother's son, I always say "yes".  Why not?  As our world becomes ever more on-line and on-the-go, it seems that basic etiquette is often ignored.  The same interviewer who notices that you didn't write a thank you note is probably the same interviewer who will never contact you again about the outcome of the interview. 

It seems like communication should be a two-way street and at a few Relationship Employers, it is.  Unfortunately, at most, it isn't.  When I work with job seekers, I have to constantly remind them that the world isn't kind and the world of job hunting is probably the most unkind.

Most recruiters/hiring managers are "too busy" to bother getting back to the applicant who, perhaps, took a vacation day to come in and interview or juggled child care, back-to-back meetings, and an inquisitive boss just so they could come in and chat about another job.  Really, why should we bother with a thank you note?

We should bother because it is the right thing to do.  You mother was correct.

...and...it is a two way street.

Shame on you recruiters who never bother to get back to people who have interviewed.  If you are going to be an "employer of choice" and have a great reputation on the street, you need to start getting back to people.  I know it isn't fun to tell people "I"m sorry, we went with someone else" or "I'm sorry, we're so lame we can't make up our minds on what the person in this position is going to do so we are not going to hire anybody right now".  Instead, we just ignore it and hope the unselected applicant will just go away.

But, let's check off the box that he/she bothered to send a thank you note.

 

Layoff Day

We arrive in the lobby and give our organization's initials to the security guard who then gives us a knowing look.  We then stand in a corner...waiting for HR to arrive.  When they do, business like exchanges take place and we are all hustled into a nearby elevator and whisked to a conference room.

This is the morning that 75 people are going to lose their jobs.  And I am an Outplacement Representative.

It is our job to "catch" the employees former employees after they have heard the news that they are going to lose their jobs.  It is interesting work...people display a wide range of emotions from deep grief to gleeful elation and everything in between.  This is the challenge of the outplacement counselor...to convince them, regardless of emotion, that that they will benefit from the service and they should take advantage of it.

After I see my 12 people, I catch up with HR and let them know that no one I saw appears to be completely freaked out or seeking revenge. 

I leave feeling exhausted but hopeful that the folks I saw take advantage of what we do to pick them up, dust them off, and help them find a new job.

Resume Tune-Up?

The Boston Globe posed the following question:

Have you ever paid someone to help spruce up your resume?

11%  Yes.  It didn't help

20% Yes.  It worked great

34% No.  My resume is solid

35% No.  But I am interested in doing it

Here is my question...why do people spend more more time, energy, and money planning a vacation than they do on planning a career?  It constantly amazes me that people cheap out over spending a couple of hundred dollars on a professional resume writer or, gulp, a couple of thousand on a real career coach.  So many people stay in jobs they hate only  to walk in and get laid off one day. Why not invest in yourself?

If you are struggling to write a resume, check out Career Waymark's resume writing tool.  Take your best stab at it and then hire a professional to take it to the next level.

Mine is a 9mm

As I was walking into the office tower where I work as an Outplacement Counselor, I overheard two of the building security guards discussing their personal hand guns.

Security lady #1:  I got me a 9mm

Security lady #2:  Do you like it?  I've been wantin' one of them, too

Security lady #1:  Love mine.  It is so small and cute

Security lady #2:  I'm gettin' one

I feel so safe...

Who are you hiring and what are they saying out loud?  At my company, we help companies hire the right people for the right job.