I’m going to throw up if I read another Top 5 Tips to Help You Get a Job article.
Most authors and pundits fail to concede that the job market is smaller, there are fewer opportunities out there, and you probably won’t get a job from following career tips on the internet.
That being said, here are my five tips that I’ve blogged about over the past two years.
- Have a skill and be good at it. This includes typing, answering phones, bussing tables, folding jeans, and stocking shelves. If you can produce a solution for a problem in the marketplace, you can get a job.
- Don’t be picky. You think you’re too good to work at Burger King? You’re wrong.
- Don’t be needy. Desperate people do desperate things, and I would never hire someone who needs the job more than I need to fill an opening. If you feel needy, address it. Talk to a counselor, volunteer your time, or get some perspective by spending time with needier people. Then apply for a job.
- Don’t be stupid. If you lack a high school diploma, get your GED. If you want your bachelor’s degree but wonder how you’ll find the time, go to school online. Do you dislike the idea of college? Go to trade school. The world will always need plumbers and electricians.
- Don’t be greedy. I know you used to make $100,000. Right now, you make no dollars. I’m not very good at math, but some money is better than no money. Don’t disqualify yourself from an opportunity just because it pays less than you’re used to earning.
Nearly everyone who reads this blog is either unemployed or underemployed. I wonder why you’re not on CNN or The Today Show talking about tips and tricks to get a job? What’s stopping you?
Here’s your chance. What tips and tricks would you add to my list? What’s the dumbest job advice you’ve heard? Are there career advisors out there who make you want to barf?
Now’s the time to cash in on fame & glory. Tell us how to get a job.
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Good advice, as usual. Made me think that job seekers just need to do #1, and not be one of “Laurie’s 4 other dwarves: Picky, Needy, Stupid, Greedy”. Maybe we could come up with more real life examples of how it’s not a fairytale out there. Sounds like a series to me : )
Sleep with the hiring mgr. (don’t do this, but it does work)
Or Take a temp or consulting position. Many companies want to try before they buy, same for the individual…seeing alot of this lately.
PS the only thing thats stopping me from the today show is jealousy and narciscm of others and shedding a few pounds before i step in front of the camera, for now its just radio and print…on occassion…I think you would be a natural for mainstream TV….YOU SHOULD GIVE IT SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT…
M
BRAVO!!! The longer we sit around contemplating how many jobs “won’t” be replaced and how much of a “bummer” that is…the longer it will take our economy as a whole to recover.
We’re a nation of REALLY creative thinkers, pioneers, “DOERS”. We have to suck it up and make changes immediately to begin our glorious journey to what’s NEXT in this Country’s history.
I can say this…cause I’ve moved through the “where did my job go” blues. It’s not easy walking through a reinvention. It’s a challenge and in our career paths today…we’ll most likely do it more than once. We may be called to do it repeatedly.
Once again thank you for the no-nonsense no BS assessment. Now I just have to get my teenager to read this. You know…”no you are not too good for Burger King”. LOL
Getting and keeping a job these days is like playing musical chairs. No matter how skilled and fast you are, you can easily be the one left standing when the music stops. Someone will be.
I say do what makes sense. Most of the “Top 5″ lists all say the same thing–Be presentable, act smart and curious, yada, yada, yada…Yeah–do all that stuff, but you should already know that.
More than anything, though, to increase your odds, you need to keep adding chairs to the game. Or extend the music. Keep at it. Extend your reach by extending your options. Apply for everything that you could possibly live with yourself for doing, and then keep applying for new stuff.
And then, if you are still left standing, look at building your own chair. It is not as expensive or difficult as you would think to start your own business. And there are lots of community programs out there to help you get started.
If there is just you, and there is only one chair, then you are guaranteed a seat when the music stops.
Those are all great tips! I would add:
Take what you can get. You can always keep looking for another job while earning a paycheck.
Find a way to stand out. Send a personal hand written note with your resume, or some small token that would make an employer take notice.
Its a hard world out there for job seekers, but there are jobs, you may just have to swallow your pride for a bit, but at least you can pay your bills!
1. Don’t tell me you can do the job, sell me on the fact. I hear the words that roll out of your mouth, but unless you can demonstrate how you are going to help the bottom line, they are useless.
2. Be open to relocation. Jobs aren’t coming back in a lot of places (Detroit, Cleveland, etc.) for a long long time. Yep, your probably going to loose money on your house, but that’s better than living on the street.
3. Be prepared. There is a lot of competition out there for each and every job. Don’t come at me unless you know what my company does and how we do it. The 18 seconds of time you invest on the internet in this valuable research will pay off.
4. Get over the past. Look you may feel betrayed by your last employer, but don’t let that show. Just like when your dating, that person doesn’t want to hear anything bad about your ex.
5. Smile. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, people will hire people they find likeable. People that don’t smile usually raise the douche bag red flag, people that do, don’t.
*gag* sick of how to get a job topics.
Have a skill that is in demand and you’ll have work. They aren’t turning people away from the medical profession and long haul truck driving (cause no one wants to be away from their family for a month at a time).
The only people we have been hiring lately have been temps. If you have been a temp with our company and proven to be a good employee—we hire you. So, I recommend going the temp route. It’s kind of like dating for a year instead of getting married after only knowing eachother for two days. It just seems to work out better.
So if you currently are a temp—make the company you are working for forget you are a temp and think of you as an employee.
Are CNN and The Today Show interested in talking to real people who are unemployed?
The majority of the people I’ve hired lately have put some sort of personal touch to their job seeking. They’ve either sought me out on Linkedin or done enough research to know my name isnt Dear Sir/Madam or they’ve sent thank you notes to the hiring manager and me. The most important thing they’ve done is being prepared. Its a tough market out there and if you are looking for a job unprepared you’re going to fail.
I suppose this may be obvious, but connections are key. I got my current job through my church choir. You never know where that next opportunity may lie.
@ HRPufnstuf October
2. Be open to relocation. Jobs aren’t coming back in a lot of places (Detroit, Cleveland, etc.) for a long long time. Yep, your probably going to loose money on your house, but that’s better than living on the street.
I can’t say it any better…
Here’s what I’ve learned in my life and from others.
1) Get a certification. Certifications can be almost as valuable as degrees, and in some cases moreso.
2) Start networking. If you hate networking, tough – do it until you find a way to do it until you enjoy it.
3) If you are unemployed, use any downtime not spent for a search to do something productive like education or training or community involvement.
4) Have a project. Any project. Something to teach you discipline and organization.
5) Get economically informed. It teaches you where to work, what to look for, and what to avoid.
Things NOT to do:
1) Stop whining. Venting is fine, but then get back at it.
2) Stop screwing around. Watching TV, playing games, etc. is great. But when your life, career, and future are on the line get off your backside and work at it – use these things to recover when you’ve totally exhausted yourself. THEN get back at it.
3) Stay. If you gotta move, move as HRPufinstuf said. Find some friends somewhere less crappy and sleep on their couch for a month. Our roommate moved where we were, with no job, and we put her up for two months – only we didn’t need to as she worked at it and got a job in one. In a recession. In California.
Yeah— I like those “How To” lists a much as I like a nail stuck in my foot. Every one of them reads as if they’re giving advice to an intellectually challenged alien who just crash landed and needs a job real quick.
Here’s some tips on getting a job from MattyMat/HRPR, CPR, AA-PR, PPPR, RR-Rah-Rah-HR:
1. Don’t walk into an interview with your hair uncombed and your pants around your knees. Shows unprofessionalism– unless your auditioning for a porn related project.
2. Don’t spit in interviewers face. Shows unprofessionalism– unless your auditioning for WWF.
3. Stop all profuse bleeding BEFORE the interview– not during. Most hiring managers are helpful, but terrible at field dressings– and it can interrupt your golden “I thought about embezzling, but didn’t.” story.
4. DON’T tell everyone you come across in your daily routine that you’ll do “anything” to get some work while winking at them. Shows unprofessionalism, unless you’re auditioning for…. naw… just shows unprofessionalism.
5. Singing “Sound of Music” while surprisingly/randomly riding in elevator with a CEO? Good. Cutting a “silent but deadly” hoping the CEO has had surgery recently removing all nasal cavity? NOT Good.
AND….. I could go on… and on…. and on.
1) Network. Stay in touch with everyone. You need them as much as they may need you someday, and extra references never killed anyone.
2) You nailed the salary portion on the head. Who cares what you used to make? You’re starting over – we all are. Suck it up and move on. My current goal in life? HEALTH INSURANCE. So there.
3) Smile. Smile. Smile. AKA: Fake it ’til you make it. My guess is that even if the hiring manager suspects you’re faking it a bit, they’ll understand and appreciate the effort. But again, don’t be needy. Jobs are like money: easy come, easy go.
4) Keep learning. Any effort to keep learning (no matter what) shows a desire to better yourself; managers like it and the people who do it.
5) Finally, allow yourself those days for when you know and feel that Everything Sucks because let’s face it, sometimes it does. And then? You guessed it: Suck it up and move on.
The biggest mistake I see is where people believe that just because they have 20+ years of seniority with their current company, they are gauranteed a job for life. NOT….Unfortunately, these folks have the hardest time adjusting to looking for a new job with a new employer. So my advice for them and all is to always keep up with your skills!!! just because you’ve done your job the same way for 20 years doesn’t mean that your skills are kept up to date. Check out what other folks are doing in your job market and make sure you are keeping up your skill levels!!!!
Regarding moving — at what point does it make sense for someone to walk away from a house (i.e. deliberately letting it go into foreclosure) in order to be able to move somewhere for a job? Is it worth the subsequent trashing of one’s credit? Would you hire someone who had done this?
I think a lot of people *are* willing to move, considering how dire the employment situation is, but there’s the issue of what to do about their homes. People may not necessarily have a place they can stay for free or be able to afford two residences.
Not that the overall advice isn’t good but about the Burger King thing; they WON’T hire you. Seriously. I used to be a shift leader at various restaurants until I finally got out of food service and into admin work. Now even fast food places aren’t hiring people unless they have relevant, recent experience or absolutely no experience of any kind at all. If you’re last restaurant job (or similar minimum wage job) was more than 5 years ago, don’t bother. You’ll likely be wasting your time.
Which reminds me, I love your blog and several other HR blogs I read but I sure do wish there was something out there that focused more on the issues that face people who are applying for the minimum wage type gigs. Some of the advices that you, EHRL, and AAM give translates but a lot of it doesn’t. 101 places you DON’T wear a suit to the interview for; when applying to be a fine dining waiter or bartender. You dress how you’d look on the job or risk not getting hired (varies from manager to manager obviously).
Thanks for this. My $.02 contribution…
For the love of all that is holy – Work. It.
We are hiring right now and I cannot tell you how many candidates approach the required writing and editing tests as if they are a teenager who doesn’t want to do their homework and are just turning in any crappy thing to get it out of the way. WHY would we hire you?????? Um, because we think you’ll bring the same ho-hum-that’s-good-enough attitude to your work…hmmm. No, that’s right, this is why we will NOT hire you and may possibly be why you are unemployed!
Also, on the greedy thing, another manager saw the salary history of the people we are interviewing – many of which are $30,000 to $50,000 MORE than our position – and said that our pay is undermarket. My perspective is that perhaps our pay is right on (though I wish I were making that much) because we still have jobs and these people with the inflated salaries are all unemployed…
@Tim – 2 part answer to your relocation question, one, there are many companies hiring that have excellent relocation policies that will help defray costs (We’re one and we’re hiring); two, most people wait to long, then get forclosed on and now don’t have a job either. Being homeless won’t help anyones credit either (see Detroit and Cleveland for numerous examples of this), and if you have some money coming in, you at least can work with creditors to seek some relief.
About homelessness and job searching; get a PO box. After a prospective employer quite literally stalked me a few years ago, I ONLY provide my PO Box as an address for employment applications unless I’m positive I’m applying for a legit company (and if you use Craigslist you know how unlikely that is). I reference the area of town I’m in in my cover letters so that managers know what my commute is likely to be.
@Trish Do it. I’d love to hear your take on this!
@Mark Thank you but I’m too short to be on TV.
@Christina Thank you. I know a corporate recruiter at Burger King and that’s a fun, interesting corporate culture. I say to my siblings, “You should be so lucky to work for BK.” Follow @bkrecruiter on Twitter!
@BZ Crap, why aren’t you writing a blog about jobs and careers? That’s a good analogy + you’re a strong writer.
@Randi Thank you, love it. Take what you can get is good.
@Puf I like #4. I can’t tell you how angry some people are — and it’s valid, yes, but anger doesn’t get you anywhere. Let it go. Living life well is the best revenge.
@TeresaHR I told my brother to be a plumber. Shoot, my mom is about to pay some plumber a million bucks to fix her shower. Why shouldn’t my brother be the one getting paid like that?
@InkedHR So many people agree with you. I just heard that advice at the social media club here in Raleigh!
@adowling That’s one thing I’ve learned about this blog: make it personal and it makes all the difference. Isn’t that always true? The personal touch always wins out!
@Jay That’s so true. You never know when an opportunity will present itself. Be open to making those connections.
@JohnC Puf is the man.
@StevenSavage Steven! We still need to connect. (My bad.) I love your idea of a project. When Ken (my husband) and I were mutually unemployed for a few months, we fostered kittens. Want to forget about your problems? Bottle-feed six, motherless kittens around the clock for 21+ days. Projects are important.
@MattyMat I’m still waiting for your blog. When are you gonna start one?
@Simone I love it. Sometimes you can be awesome and there are still no jobs available. That’s the shitty economy. Doesn’t make you less of a man/woman.
@LatinaHR My father-in-law had a lifetime job. He was the last of a generation. It’s so sad to see baby boomers being disappointed by their employers.
@Tim I’m going to put that question out there, tomorrow, because I have some thoughts on that.
@Low I’m with you. I remember hearing from IT Directors that $185K base + 22.5% bonus + stock options + relo in places like Michigan and St. Louis was below market. I’m like, “What market are you operating in?” Sheesh.
@Mouse Good point re: hourly workers but they generally don’t read my blog. Every single person in my family is an hourly worker except my husband and my sister-in-law, who is a teacher. That’s it. I only know hourly work on a personal level, but bartenders and waitresses aren’t reading my blog. Although maybe it’s an untapped market? PS – Love the idea re: PO Box.
@Laurie–Because I am the ultimate anti-HR, and someone else has a corner on that blog market.
My thoughts are just common sense. Comes from years of all the wrong schtuff happening in my own career, and trying to help folks in counseling who are dealing with the real world. Still am scratching my head as to why I find your blog so compelling, but I do!
I like #4. My boss gotten a degree from university online too. Nice tip man!.
I’d really prefer that people who HAVE lost their jobs and gotten new ones within their field in this current economic climate share their Top 5 Ways To Get A Job! I’m guessing they more constructive tips for the job seeker than “Go work at Burger King”.
1. Stop watching the news! It contaminates a positive outlook and is incredibly depressing. There is no recession when you don’t watch the news. Not one minute of news is allowed in my house and we are doing just fine. I also have a little device that I carry on my key chain that will shut off just about any TV. So when I am in the Doctor’s waiting room or in some environment where I am forced to watch the news…one click and it goes away. I love watching people try and figure it out too! It’s called “TV Be Gone” and looks like a car remote.
2. Differentiate yourself from the competition. At one time in my career, I copied about 300 resumes and literally passed them out in person at a major corporate business park. I got them as they went in to the parking deck. Had a job one week later. And a great one too!
3. Be bold! Go to website of companies you want to work for and figure out their email addresses. It’s pretty easy. Most companies use first initial, last name @ company.com or other variations. When the emails get kicked back you will know which one worked and which ones did not. Go top down. Be bold and send your resume to the CEO. CEO’s love this and his or her direct reports will scramble to call you once he or she requests a call to be made.
4. Relax…jobs will come back. In fact, many people predict a staffing shortage over the next 3 to 10 years as boomers exit the workforce.
That’s my advice….
Allison
I have always been a survivor. I grew up in a family of them. Nothing ever came easy for us. I’m an artist, and I’m well aware of the fact that becoming a rich and famous artist like my family thought I should be was a fantasy. Not that it couldn’t happen, but let’s get real. While I work on my artistic dreams, I conjure up everything and anything I am good at and enjoy and I make ends meet with it. I don’t indulge in self-pity, and I strive to be as good as I can be no matter what it is.
I’ve been a waitress, hairstylist, professional house-painter, muralist, designed and installed retail interior shelving plans, delivered papers (in my 20′s), worked at multiple home improvement centers lifting heavy product and working warehouse machinery better than my male counterparts, built retail displays, was a print graphic designer, and now, a web designer. I have a really good job now, I consider myself very fortunate, and I happen to love it. If something happens to it, I have so much to fall back on. And all during this time, I still work on my art!
I think the attitude missing in this country is an attitude of DIY and self-reliance. Never expect a hand-out. Don’t ever settle for staying in one place and hoping you’ll never get laid off or become obsolete. Because it will happen when you least expect it. The best thing to do is become hell-of useful and have a can-do attitude and learn all you can to make yourself even more valuable. If you’re an engineer and now you tend bar, be the best bartender ever. That attitude is more important to your future well-being and success than just pleasing the immediate bar patrons. Consider it your own individual karma – it will come back to you in a positive way.
No one can afford the sense of self-entitlement so many of us have had during the “easy” years.
OK, rant over. Stay strong, everyone.
Whoops, rant not entirely over.
For a while I had no job. I was an independent contractor losing work due to the economy just beginning to spiral down the toilet. I bit the bullet and starting house painting again for $10 an hour! Then I brushed up on my old graphics skills online and started temping. My present job was got due to temping, and the attitude I described before.
Temp work and freelance work is a good way to keep you in the game. Temp sites and sites like eLance.com are great job sources to check out.
So to be effective, in an executive job search, you have to determine what role you want to play, what industries and organizations would support that role and what you’re geographical preferences and limitations are. The task here is not to look for open positions, but to look for the decision makers in organizations that would have the role that you are seeking to fill. Remember 30% of organizations are going to need someone, so it’s your job to initiate the introduction and chemistry match
A recent grad has been working unpaid for six months to get experience, so he can start applying for paid positions. And he wonders if he’s being exploited.
The sad thing is that he’s not alone. In the UK, a degree might have got you through the door twenty years ago. But now there are so many grads, all chasing a handful of jobs and competing against more experienced workers. You need somethiing else to help you stand out.
If you’re in a similar position (the “no experience = no job = no way to get experience” conundrum), you’ve got to start thinking creatively. Make your projects, work on your own initiative, network like crazy, be visible. You might even find that working for yourself is a far better use of your creativity than working for an exploitative company.
@Laurie You’d be surprised how many hourly schomoes read blogs like this. Some of us are hourly admin, many made the transition from customer service (food and retail) to office work, many are seeking to do so. Almost all of the people I know in meatspace who look for blogs like this, are hourly schmoes.
@Laurie — My own blog??? I never thought of that— hmmm…. what shall I call it? Racingstrips of My Mind? The Intrepid Adventures of Dr. Ho-Ho? Pouty Face, Bungle Fart? The MILF Chronicles? (that the MattyMat’s I’d like to…. um, nevermind— I’m even nausious thinking of that one)— the possibilities are endless!!
I don’t know— I’d rather leave the blogging to the professionals such as yourself— you’re VERY good at it—
Really great post Laurie. I think this recession has definitely evened the playing field once again and clearly has put the power back in the hands of the employer. Gone are the days of candidates not willing to commute an extra few miles for a job or an interview. Everyone needs to be smart(er) about their job search and need to stay really open minded and flexible.
Even though I do agree with some of your points, the comment made “don’t be picky” I do not completely agree. As a recruitment agent I come across candidates that have just done what you are suggesting; either change industries or taken a step down in position.
It is a very hard and a long process for them to come back to the position or the industry where they were before.
I believe people that are willing to step to different industry or step down in position need to really thing twice before doing so and if doing so they need to reflect just that on their CV. Making their resume transparent so the hiring manager can see exactly what they have done and what is their ultimate career goal.
I have being reading these blogs with interest, as a friend on the other side of the water in the good old UK. All the issues, tips, thoughts and solutions are similar to what we face over here. As a resourcing professional working in financial services I can emphathise and sympathise with candidates and employers. As a candidate you are constantly up against more experienced and talented people, however trying to recruit in an industry that has suffered a lot of back lash due to a lack of management from some FS businesses it is hard to shake off the brush that constantly tries to tar us.
What I do always find bizarre though is how cavalier some candidates go about trying to gett a job and then when they don’t even get an interview blame the employer? A CV is a candidates lifeline and has to be at the top of its game, Clare mentioned about a grad doing some voluntary work. Great initiative some smaller businesses would really benefit from this and the grad in question gets experience. I would advocate it for the long term though, unless it is for a charity. A candidate though must never forget about hobbies and lifestyle. Playing football shows teamwork, running a college project shows leadership skills. Any amount of life experience is transferrable, as an employer I know this, maybe we need to make sure everyone else does too.
My suggestions are maybe a bit different than what you typically see out there – but they tend to work.
1. My first suggestion is an extension of your #1 Have a skill and be good at it. Just because I have many skills and I am good at what I do does not mean that the interviewer can recognize that. It has been a real long time since I have even had a proper interview. It is really sad that they either don’t ask the right questions, or they hardly ask any questions at all. In one interview I had recently I asked more questions than the Recruiter (Sr. Recruiter, I might add) and I only asked her 5 questions. I drove an hour and a half for that interview. Anyway, one thing that does work if you are really good at what you do is tell the hiring manager that you will work for free for 2 weeks and at the end of the 2 weeks if you have not proven your ability to do the job successfully then you leave no questions asked. I ended up working for that company for 2.5 years and even came back later (after I moved on to a better position) to do some contract work. I was on unemployment anyway, so I had nothing to lose. You have to be creative and think outside the box.
2. Also, I would suggest you clean up your online presence. Search yourself on google and see what comes up. Remove anything that tells too much personal stuff (I remove my age)
3. Get your own website to showcase your experience and skills. If you can type then you can build a website. I had business cards printed with my website on them. Business cards are much easier to hand out to people than resumes.
There is my 2 cents -