Anti-Establishment Career Advice

This year has kicked far too many people in the pants.

Whether it’s unemployment or a fear of medical bankruptcy, my inbox is full of email messages asking for help, guidance, and a little kindness.

Looking back on 2009, the most unfortunate trend in the job market seems to be the growing fear of doing it wrong.

• Fear of never recovering from a job loss.
• Fear of taking a job for less money and impacting future earnings.
• Fear of accepting a role that leads them down the wrong career path.

I know this feels like a risky time for job seekers, but there is no template for the kind of economic upheaval we are facing in this country. My wish for 2010 is that job seekers would pause, take a breath, and realize that the only thing they can do wrong is to take this recession lying down.

Companies don’t think twice about shutting down inefficient product lines, sloughing off unproductive workers, and filing bankruptcy to start fresh. If 2009 has taught us anything, it’s that an employer brand is deeply tied to the consumer brand. Laid off from a company that makes stupid financial decisions? Use Twitter to warn other job seekers about the organization. Unemployed and admire a leader in your industry? Find that leader on LinkedIn and show her why she should hire you. Face tough financial choices? Make those decisions like Gordon Gekko. Be tough, be bold, and don’t apologize.

There is no right way or wrong way to navigate through this recession, and the only thing you can do wrong in this economy is to be a victim, wait for fate to intervene, and rely solely upon an internet job board to improve your life. Change your expectations and change your life. Get out from behind the computer, earn some money without apology, and stop asking for permission to make mistakes.

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Here’s a question from Mister Overqualified.

What exactly does it mean when an interviewer asks, “Do you think you might be overqualified for this position?”

I am currently on the job search and have been on several interviews where I’ve had this question asked. I am a marketing professional, graphic designer, and entrepreneur. I began my career in the corporate world of marketing and ventured out on my own after a few years. I left the company because there really wasn’t much room for growth and they were consumed with corporate bullshit. I went out on my own doing freelance graphic design, marketing consulting, etc. I’ve been doing this type of work both full and part time for almost 4 years now and have loved every minute of it, but I am ready to get back into the full time working world. I know there are positions out there that I would really enjoy with companies that would be a good fit for me, but nothing seems to be panning out. So here’s what I’ve concluded on the above question and you can tell me if I’m right or way, way wrong.

I think a lot of companies are afraid to hire someone they feel might be overqualified because they fear that person will leave if/when something better (higher pay, better title, etc.) comes along. I was asked this question by a hiring manager who was close to my age on one job interview and they hired someone else. I got the feeling from her that she felt I could take her job and to be perfectly honest with you, I was qualified to do so. I think this is a no win question and one that I am getting really sick of hearing.

So in your opinion, what is the best way to answer this question if it’s a position you really want?

Dude, companies are afraid of making bad hiring decisions because it costs money. Since you don’t have a traditional career path, you look risky on paper. Two things.

1. Recruiters aren’t asking you if you are overqualified. They are asking you to make a case for yourself. So make the best case possible, yo. Be likable, don’t be too needy, and give concise examples of why the job should be yours. Wow them.
2. Since this question keeps coming up, why don’t you answer it before it’s asked? Take the opportunity to frame your answers in such a way to address concerns about salary, motivation, and your career trajectory. Own your answers. Tell your story. Then move on.

I hope that helps. Now let me shift gears and offer a piece of advice for recruiters. Don’t ask your candidates if they are overqualifed. That’s weaksauce. Asking someone if he’s overqualified for a job is an amateurish way of asking, “Are you desperate and needy for money? Are you taking this job because you can’t find anything else? Would you quit if you found something better?”

I really want one candidate — just one — to answer HELL YEAH I’M OVERQUALIFIED. HELL YEAH I NEED SOME MONEY. HIRE ME, ANYWAY. YOU CAN’T LOSE. I’M AWESOME.

I would hire that guy in a heartbeat. I want an employee with courage, balls, and a taste for danger.

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My job is awesome. I get on a plane, travel across the country, and speak to employees, executive leaders, and job seekers. I talk about technology, social media, and how HR really sucks when it comes to hiring and retaining smart people.

HR won’t stop sucking any time soon, so my job is very secure.

Unfortunately, the holiday season is almost here. Airports will be chocked full of dysfunctional families, crabby senior citizens who don’t like escalators, and over-stimulated toddlers with ear infections. I normally tweet about the universal travel rules. Basic stuff. On a moving walkway, you walk on the left and stand on the right and keep your head out of your ass.

Here are a few more tips to help you travel like the super-platinum, ultra privileged, frequent flier champ that you are.

1. Please don’t try to bring everything you own onto the plane in a single, carry on bag. I know we are in a recession and some airlines charge fees when you check luggage. Unfortunately, it looks tres gauche when you pack your entire wardrobe and holiday gifts into one simple bag. If you are attempting to avoid fees and surcharges, choose wisely when you book a flight. If we don’t fly on airlines that charge us to check our luggage, those airlines will go out of business. That’s the power of the marketplace. Here is another piece of advice: we have this thing called The Post Office. They will ship stuff for you, and it’s a nice alternative to hauling cookies and presents to Gramma’s house for Thanksgiving. When in doubt, ship it.
2. Wear the most comfortable clothing you own on the flight. Can we get some perspective? This isn’t fashion week in New York City. It’s a flight from Ohio to Florida. You can wear yoga pants, track pants, or anything soft and forgiving. Just remember that the airline seats are hard, the planes are never properly heated or cooled, and you will be delayed. Dress for comfort because tight jeans, clunky shoes, and ill-fitting underwear will make you cranky.
3. Use your inside voice in the airport and on planes. I am always amazed when I sit on a plane and hear conversations about jobs, husbands, and children but I never actually see the women who are talking. I know you are excited about traveling. It’s fun. You very rarely get time away from the kids and you can’t wait to talk to your friends. Enjoy yourself, of course, but remember that you will never be able to talk over the roar of an airplane engine. Don’t compete with it—you’ll just give yourself a headache. Use the time on the plane to rest, catch up on a book, or read the newspaper. Please stop talking about your never-ending pile of laundry, your stupid boss, or your lazy-ass husband. No one wants to hear it.
4. Don’t even think about hassling TSA. They will ask you to do the usual, which includes removing your shoes, your belt, and your jacket. Unfortunately, they might make up new rules on the spot. For example, a TSA agent at LaGuardia told me that I had to take off my sweater before entering the security screening area because it had a hood. When I asked him if Al Qaeda used hoodies as a weapon, he rolled his eyes and handed me a comment card. Believe me when I tell you that arguing with TSA is like pissing into the wind. Just go with the flow and reserve your complaints for the politicians who enacted the PATRIOT ACT. The guy making $12 hour at the security checkpoint didn’t bestow this nonsense upon this country and he doesn’t care. You can’t fight that kind of mediocrity. You will never win. Don’t even try.

Have your own #utrPRHR? Tweet about it and I’ll retweet it. What’s your best travel advice? What’s one thing you recommend for everyone at the airport? Leave it in the comments and we’ll keep a list of the Universal Travel Rules for the suckers who just can’t get holidays right.

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Hello, savages. Here is a blanket covered in smallpox.

I’m pretty sure there’s an HR/diversity lesson in there — somewhere.

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Mama likes her bacon chocolate.

I wanted to give a major shout-out to my good pal, Eric Winegardner.

For those of us in HR and Recruiting, Eric is the face of Monster.com and one of the Top 100 Influencers in our community. Thankfully, he is also an advocate of mo’ better HR and hiring practices. He is committed to living in a world where great people can get great jobs.

Eric works hard to connect HR bloggers (like me) with awesome information on the economy. He works with Monster to sponsor off the chain tweet-ups so recruiting professionals can get to know one another and expand our networks. One more thing: Eric evangelizes Monster and its products and services. If I were back in Corporate HR and leading a staffing function, I would work with Monster just because of Eric Winegardner.

Say what you will about the efficacy and future of job boards — they aren’t going away in 2010. If anything, they are evolving. I always advise job seekers to look at job boards as measurements of which companies are hiring. Then I advise ‘em to find the hiring managers directly through LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Job boards are a tool, not just a destination or a solution.

What I specifically like about Monster is that they are striving to meet the needs of savvier job seekers. They just implemented community-based resources for specific career fields. They’ve recently announced two developments for HR & recruiting professionals, too.

• The Power Resume Search so that recruiters can find you faster & better.
• The Career Ad Network so that HR bloggers can continue to write — and make a little coin.

So why does this shout-out go to Eric? He is supportive of my writing, he encourages me to think about the future of work, and he keeps me satisfied with bacon chocolate. I respect him as a professional and adore him as a friend.

I don’t know much about the recruiting and job board industry — but if other job boards had an advocate like Eric, they’d be blessed with better results in this market.

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From a sincere woman who is fed up.

I work in a car dealership, a very male dominated industry, where women historically hold the jobs in accounting, reception and internet. I am a woman and a manager in the finance department, and work with all men in the finance and sales departments. It’s a position I work well in, not only because I do my job well, but because I don’t subscribe to the typical girly behavior and we all get along and have a fun time working together.

So the problem lies with my interactions with the woman-only accounting department and the women in reception and internet departments. They all seem to hate me and take every opportunity to “throw me under the bus,” talk behind my back, and give me unnecessary attitude whenever they can. I really try to maintain my composure and a clear head and not react to this negativity, but the pressure is mounting. It seems pretty clear to me that the negativity is coming from jealousy and/or envy from these other women. From their viewpoint, I’m sure it seems like I do a whole lot of nothing except hang out with the boys and joke around, and get paid well for it, while they hold hourly-wage positions that don’t leave a lot of room for fun. The truth is that they rarely, if ever, see the true contribution I make to the company. The sales department is either on or off, busy or bored, and we have to be available at all times for the customer whenever they may show up. We may not be constantly inputting data, counting receipts, or filing, but our presence at work is constantly required. And that’s what we get paid for too. If we’re working (selling cars) we’re getting paid, if not, we’re not. And we are paid well (respective to the current economic climate) for the risk of up or down sales that we take in our jobs.

Anyway, I’m in a situation where I am targeted, by people who are irrationally upset with me, for complaints and accusations that are unwarranted. Although I’d like to just ignore this behavior, I’m afraid that the growing resentment and rumors will spread to people who are just as irrational (our General Manager) and who react without ever attempting to get the whole story. It’s more of a guilty until proven innocent environment, if you’re even around long enough to defend yourself. I’d like to confront them, but I don’t want to start a war. Without reducing myself to the level of this kind of catty behavior, how should I deal with this kind of negativity around me?

Thank you for your continuing contribution to women in business.

Wow.

• Typical girly behavior?
• Innocent until proven guilty?
• Unwarranted accusations and complaints?

Your work environment sucks. Hardcore.

It’s safe to say that there’s a lack of leadership at your car dealership. Someone needs to be clear and call for an end to this catty behavior. Unfortunately, you’re not the one to provide that message. The people who need to deliver this message are the owners of the dealership and the general manager. This means that you have to get these men to see your point of view.

How do you do this? You appeal to the financial side of the business.

I’m reminded of the statement, “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” If women are being catty, they have too much time on their hands and they think it’s okay to behave like this. They may also be aggrieved and taking out their frustrations on you because you’re a much easier target than the boss. Talk to the leadership team at your dealership and let them know that this catty behavior reflects an opportunity to do things differently. You can challenge these women to work harder and put them on more important projects; you can ask these women to form a task force to address morale and issues in the workforce; or you can simply start to eliminate headcount.

I’m a big fan of giving women (and men) meaningful work so they don’t have time to be bitchy.

What do you guys think?

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I had a friend ask, “Simple question, Laurie. Are you happy?”

I responded, “I’m not a simple girl.”

That’s such a stupid answer and I immediately regretted it. Those are the kinds of answers that make me want to puke in my mouth. So let me try answering this again.

• Of course I am happy.
• I have an awesome life.
• I don’t want for anything.

Am I always happy? Pffffft, no way. I have flaws. I am hypercritical. Aways on edge, dissatisfied, looking for meaning where meaning doesn’t exist. I am kind of melancholic when it’s unnecessary. Let me clarify: I am moody.

But yeah, I am happy. I’m just not stupid happy. I anticipate sorrow in life. I am ready for it. Always.

So let me ask you a simple question: are you happy?

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Fatty HR writes,

I work for a private company that is going to start penalizing employers through a premium increase if said employers don’t provide vital statistics to the insurance co.’s website.  Plus, you have to gain so many points through exercise to avoid the raise in payment.  There is concern over this amongst everyone, and personally I think it is a violation of personal liberties.  I came across your site by doing a random search on this subject and saw at least one of your articles on this issue.  Do you have any recommendations on where to start research to show that Wellness Plans do not work and that they are more or less a scam? PS — I’ve been doing some research and noticed that some of this nonsense complies with HIPAA — as far as I understand it.  Still does not make it right in my book.

Fatty, I feel for you.

Look around and tell me if you think wellness plans are working. Are people getting healthier? Thinner? Better looking? No way. If anything, we’re all fatter and sweatier. I’m including myself in the bunch. I almost had a heart attack putting away my groceries, the other night, which included two bags of Utz Chips.

Wellness plans are a temporary, short-term solution. They may lower insurance rates; however, most statistics in medical journals and business magazines are provided by the healthcare industry. We will never know the truth because there’s too much money invested in keeping you on statins, creating a national food policy that revolves around empty carbohydrates & high-fructose corn syrup, and making you feel bad about being fat.

If I were in your shoes, I would consider contacting the ACLU to see if there are existing lawsuits in this space. I would also find a better benefits broker who can offer your company a decent insurance plan without this garbage.

Want another short-term solution to fight the insanity? Tell your employees to lie.

People exercise, eat right, and still drop dead from all kinds of ailments. Why can’t your workforce just say they’re exercising and eating right without actually doing it?

• When a nurse practitioner from the wellness program calls and asks you if you’ve been getting 45 minutes of cardio more than 3x/week, you say yes.
• When you are asked if there is enough fiber in your diet, you say yes.
• When the doctor prescribes Lipitor and wonders why your cholesterol isn’t lower, you shrug your shoulders. Who knows? Bodies are weird.

Personally, if I were an employee at your company, I would lie and pretend like I’m trying to get healthy. Then I would eat like a sumo wrestler and have all kinds of elective surgery covered under the terms and conditions of the insurance plan. I recommend that your employees have every mole removed on their bodies. Fix those hemorrhoids. See the the foot doctor and remove those ugly bunions.

If your employees are smart, they will do anything under the sun to make sure that their insurance costs increase in 2010 under this stupid and unsavory plan. It’s the only way to send a message.

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I spent a few days in New York, this weekend. Many stores in Herald Square will be open on Thanksgiving, and I was so dispirited by the news. I understand that people will flood that area for the parade, but it seems weird to me that anyone would want to shop for crap on Thanksgiving. Obviously I’m totally old school. It’s unfortunate that Americans must consume copious amounts of turkey and Banana Republic scarves on a national holiday.

Want my advice? Skip the damn scarves and eat more mashed potatoes. It’s better for America.

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I also feel sorry for the workers who are caught up in a cycle where they work for $8/hr, have no medical insurance, and feel compelled to work on a national holiday because it pays time-and-a-half. These employees are trying to make a buck; they are trying to improve their own financial situations; and they are participating in a cycle of consumption that ultimately works against their own best interests.

Oy. Capitalism.

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As much as it may suck to work on Thanksgiving, it seems worse to get up early and work on Black Friday. We’re in the midst of a recession, unemployment rates are high, and someone will probably die at a store fighting over the last unit of DJ Hero: Jay-Z versus Eminem Renegade Edition Bundle with a turntable.

So here’s what I want to know.

• Do you work in retail?
• Are you in HR retail?
• Have you worked on Thanksgiving or Black Friday?

Anything we should know about how crappy your job is? Can we do anything as consumers to make your job better? Should we just stay home, enjoy our families, and stop spending money over the Thanksgiving weekend?

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