CareerCurve™

You’re the PERFECT candidate for a job. You follow the directions to the letter in order to submit your application and resume for the role. You get a ding letter 15 minutes after you complete it. Why?

Applicant Tracking Systems are set up to centralize all responses to an opening and narrow the candidate pool into something more manageable for HR. If you believe you are a great fit for the job, don’t let an automatically generated rejection letter stop you. Here are some things to know about what you’re dealing with.

-  Most of these are set up to sort by keywords. Candidates are usually lumped into categories such as eligible, ineligible, or decisional. The category tends to be determined by the percentage of words or phrases your resume hits that the company has entered as criteria.

ADVICE: Read the job posting carefully, look on the company website and do your research. Use as many of the exact same words or phrases that they use on the listing and within their site.

-  Many times the posting is set up for a particular applicant. When a company has a great candidate that they know they want to hire, they still have to put up a posting for that applicant to complete in order to be compliant with corporate procedure. But doing this means it is seen by others (like you). What does this mean to you? There is a very high likelihood in this case that no one is even seeing your resume. You will automatically receive a rejection letter because the system is set up to reject everyone else but the person the posting was created for.

ADVICE: If you really want to work there and believe you are a good fit, Fed Ex your resume to a hiring manager in your area or a top person at the company. HR is only following the instructions of the hiring manager on that particular position, but it doesn’t mean you won’t catch the eye for that job or a different opening you haven’t seen if you try a different route. Start with the top down. If the President wants you in for an interview it really doesn’t matter what the ATS or HR group thinks, you are going to get an interview.

-Although this is technology and technology is limited in what it can do (the old garbage in, garbage out scenario) you still need to use it. If a listing or posting tells you to complete an application online, do it. The company has a protocol they follow and you have to play along.

ADVICE: Don’t get too creative in an effort to bypass the system. You may feel you’re getting further in the short term but ultimately, you’re going to end up there. You might as well cooperate right out of the gate. That being said, don’t let it end with your online submission. Use all the creativity you can to get in the door after you’ve complied with their wishes.

- Applicant Tracking Systems are a necessary tool for HR but the bottom line is it is still more who you know than what you know that’s going to get you a job.

THE BEST ADVICE:  Network. Try to know people in the organization, try to get introduced to the right people, call the hiring managers or decision makers in your department, be personal, and stand out! It is far easier to get a blessing and then deal with the ATS, than it is to get dinged by the ATS and then try to point out how perfect you are for the job to a stranger who hears the same from many other candidates.

In the comments of a number of different blog posts, I’ve been discussing the pros and cons of social media and HR in terms of googling candidates or employees, the ethics of using any of this info for decision making, and whether a policy is necessary.  As I’ve said, the subject of social media and human resources is creating far more questions than answers and I typically comment with opinions on specific examples.

Yesterday I was asked pointblank on Twitter (thank you, Chris!) what I think of using social media monitoring services such as this one. 

Now I am a pretty opinionated person and typically have no issue  communicating exactly what I think.  I’m not a waffler.  I do not find decision making difficult or stressful.  I don’t hem and haw.  I am annoyingly over analytical, logical, and I love when people ask my opinion.  Just ask my friends.  But when it comes to this topic, I am in a foreign land. 

I provided some kind of non-committal answer about waiting to see what happened in the next couple years before I would endorse the use of this type of product. 

My own answer annoyed me and then I drove myself crazy thinking about it and trying to take a stand.  (I like concrete answers.)  But the more I thought about it the more I flip-flopped back and forth.  Yes.  Wait…no.

Why am I so indecisive about this? And am I the only one who is struggling with this topic?  Is this another example of cognitive dissonance?

The only conclusion I can draw is that from a business perspective I think it makes sense to use these tools.  People should be responsible for the information they choose to distribute in cyberspace.  If you put something crazy out there, you have GOT to know someone’s going to read it.  If it affects your career in some way, well, you really should have thought about that and used better judgment.   It doesn’t seem like some complex, mathematical equation is necessary to determine what might be offensive to a current or future employer.  And each individual is responsible (for the most part) for their own online reputation.  It reminds me of a question I answered a while back about whether I share 100% of my real self  at work.  My reply was that I may not share 100% of myself, but what I do share is 100% genuine.  

That being said, from a humanistic perspective, I have an issue with it.  The idea of Big Brother watching every move we make and then using this information to decide what kind of character we have, what liability we pose to an organization, and to predict decisions we will make in the future really bothers me.  If we do our job well right now, everything else should be irrelevant.  And how can anyone guarantee the information is in the proper context?  For example, am I going to lose out on future opportunities because of this post?  If a company were to data mine my info will they report that I’m against data mining, I must have something to hide and then classify me as an employment risk? 

In addition, the thought that Human Resources can be held accountable for employees’ future actions does not sit well with me.  This is HR’s crystal ball???  If you could use this info to predict behavior that accurately, shouldn’t this monitoring sometimes result in an employee being promoted to President 3 weeks into a new job? Or being given a $20,000 raise because Human Resources now knows that this employee is going to end up earning that in the future?  I haven’t participated in any discussions about that. 

So I still find myself unable to answer the question of whether to use these types of services or not.

Can you?

Outplacement is tricky business. Solid organizations recognize the need but may not be sure how valuable it really is. Candidates (our term for those who are laid off) may be hesitant to engage and may not understand the impact having a personal coach will have on their job search.

I have a story I just had to share to help those that may not be using their coach and those in HR who may not understand the genuine value that offering these services can bring. I’m also hoping this advice can help those who may not be fortunate enough to have access to outplacement services. This is an example of how a coach’s expertise really helps the job search.

I received a call from one of our coaches who wanted to tell me about an experience she had with a somewhat resistant candidate. Initially, he wasn’t convinced that she could do anything to help him. (This is very common and why it is important to work with a company that has good coaches.)

Photo credit www.freedigitalphotos.com

As they got to know one another he realized that she provided sound advice and could be useful. One area where he remained unconvinced was in using LinkedIn. This particular candidate has a pretty technical background and his profile was solid, based on his experience. Our coach kept trying to encourage him to modify his profile in a few ways so that he could be “found” more easily. As he remained unemployed and was not getting any calls, interviews, or opportunities he became more and more frustrated and discouraged. He decided he had nothing to lose, so he implemented her suggestions. Here is the advice she gave him about what to do and how he modified his profile:

• Re-wrote his summary and added several specialties (keywords)
• Wrote his experience and achievements in conversational tone (rather than simply copying and pasting from his resume)
• Requested recommendations
• Added a current reading list
• Pumped up his education and research area (explained his research in a way that is more understandable and less technical)
• Began adding contacts (he started with 11 – is up to 100 now) and sharing his knowledge and expertise with his contacts
• Added his professional groups and joined various LinkedIn groups

The results were amazing! After weeks of basically no activity, he received 3 calls within 2 hours of making these changes! He could not believe it and called her with a whole new mindset.

This coach, by using her skills, changed everything about his job search.

Photo credit www.freedigitalphotos.net

• Rather than being depressed and frustrated he is excited, positive, and motivated. Anyone who has ever lost a job knows how hard it is to achieve this while unemployed and how important it is to portray that attitude to potential managers. Attitude is probably the biggest driver in how successful the search is.
• He is now interacting with professionals in his field on a regular basis, which will help him keep his skills sharp while he continues his search. It also provides an opportunity to learn and discuss trends in his industry, as well as helping him feel less like he is searching in a vacuum.
• He is now embracing his coach’s advice and looking for more.
• He is well on his way to his new role.

I LOVE stories like this and hope that this is inspirational for others.

Do any of you have a success story to share?

YouTube is a platform that is fast becoming a huge tool for recruiters, hiring managers and job seekers.  There are many different ways this tool is being utilized.  The days of YouTube just being a collection of Funniest Home Videos are over.  Here are a couple examples of how video is being used in the job market.

Video Resumes – Yes, people are making video resumes and spreading the link all over social media.  While I wouldn’t recommend simply posting a video resume to YouTube because no recruiter is going to take the time to search for a candidate there, it can be effective if included as an additional link like an email address on ALL correspondence with your organization of choice – emails, cover letters, paper resumes. 

A video resume should be short, a minute or two, and should be explain your background in a story-like fashion.  It should also specify why you are the best person for this job and what value you would bring to this organization with the skills you possess.  In other words, the most effective video resume is one that is tailored to a specific job and organization just like a hard copy resume.  You should only do this if you have a lively and outgoing personality.  If you don’t think you could be comfortable enough to be engaging, don’t do it.  Remember the goal is for this to help you, not hurt you.  It is simple to upload and because you are in control of when it is uploaded, you can try it many times until you are happy with results before you choose to post it.  This should be one piece of an overall marketing plan, but if you can create a good one it will really set you apart in the job market.

Recruiting Videos – Many companies are using YouTube to create recruiting videos.  As you are targeting organizations you may like to work for, do some searching.  Search YouTube using the name of the company and other keywords such as recruiting, employment, or careers.  You will find videos on job opportunities, interviewing, working at a company, company culture, and benefits.

Video Interviews – Many companies are beginning to use video interviews.  Here is an example of the process:

• The company selects candidates for video interviews.
• Arrangements for an interview are scheduled – either at a company office, an off-site location with a webcam setup, or via a webcam sent to the applicant.
• A tutorial will provide instructions on the webcam and the interview.
• There will be 10 – 15 questions related to the job the company is hiring for.
• The applicant will have 30 seconds to read the question and two minutes to respond.

Here are suggestions for how to prepare for a video interview:

• Review all the instructions. Ask for help (which is typically available online or by telephone) if you’re not sure how the webcam works or if you have questions.
• Follow the directions.
• Dress appropriately in professional interview attire, just like you would for an in-person interview.
• Practice – if you have a webcam, record yourself to see how you appear on camera.
• Be aware of your surroundings and the lighting.
• Look at the camera, not down at the desk or table.

In short, treat this exactly the same way you would an in person interview.

Video in the job search allows you to be creative.  It also allows you an inside peek at what it might be like to work for a particular organization. 

Have you had an opportunity to use video in your search?  As an HR professional, has your organization invested in creating corporate videos to show your culture?  Has it been an effective interviewing tool?

Recently I had the unfortunate experience of watching this video, which will apparently be aired over and over again on PBS.  (Time for some humility here – I’m fortunate I only watched it and don’t have to live it, so I am NOT complaining.)  This made me question a lot of things.   I’m sure you’ll see this video recurring in future posts as I write about the different topics that crossed my mind.  I’m going to begin with the very first thing I wondered as I watched.

The subject matter is the 99ers, a term for those who have exhausted their 99 weeks of unemployment.  Being in the outplacement industry and having worked in operations where I have first-hand knowledge of our candidates’ experiences, the first question I had was to wonder how these laid off employees would have fared if they had access to our services?  (I do not intend for this to turn into a commercial, but I believe very passionately in what we do and it may sound like one at times.)

Losing a job is ranked only behind death of a spouse or a child or divorce in terms of life stressors.  When something stressful happens, what do you do?  You look for support.  If possible you seek support from knowledgeable sources.  I watched the interviewees work on trying to develop their own support system, but how would they have benefited from a personal coach?  This is someone who initially helps the candidate to manage their emotions – absorbing the shock, coping with the anger, fear and grief, and basically helping the displaced employee to accept the situation.  But then, the coach provides assistance in not only developing a strategy, but executing the strategy.  Our coaches arm them with tools and suggestions, and then stay with them to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.  Our coaches also recommend alternative efforts when what they are doing is not working.

I have seen the results and the mindset of those who choose to use our services.  Yes, we still help with resumes and interviewing skills, but more importantly, we are there for them emotionally and that is proving to be the defining feature of effective outplacement.  In fact, resume assistance used to be ranked highest as the most valued service by our job seekers.  Coaching as the most valued service has increased from 24% in 2008, to 46% in 2009, to 55% today.  And this trend will continue as long as there are just under 5 unemployed workers for each job opening.

People who are laid off need emotional support.  The majority of them suffer from situational depression.  But if this type of depression is not managed, it becomes clinical depression which is a serious and lifelong problem.  The best treatment is support and assistance in coping.  Recognizing this, we stopped offering coaching support for only one year and made this service available for the duration of the search, no matter how long it takes. 

Unfortunately, this will not help everyone.   Because the desire to do just that is what I’m left with, I am going to offer some resources I’ve put together to try to reach those that we don’t.  If you know of anyone in this situation that could use them, please pass them on.  If you have any you could add, please do so in the comments.

 Advice for Managing Emotions

 Another with information on Managing Emotions

10 Effective Job Search Strategies 

TONS of resources that deal with emotions, strategies, suggestions and search advice.

Coping with long term unemployment.

A great document with suggestions for using and maximizing coupons.  Be sure to check out near the end where there is a great library of additional long term unemployment resources.

There are a lot of challenges and different points of view around a previous post I wrote regarding regulating the use of social media in your company.   Since then I have also read a lot of articles about using social media internally as a way to increase engagement. 

I see a number of ways an internal network could make work more productive, such as instantaneous communication (like Twitter), problem solving, (like Groups on LinkedIn), and a consistent documentation of all conversations, which would help keep things on track because you can always refer back to it.  (This is different than meetings where communication is verbal and each person documents their own interpretation in notes.)  Forums would also be helpful, particularly to improve communication for multi-location organizations.  But does any of this truly help engage your employees? 

This article says yes because it inverts the pyramid of communication from top-down to bottom-up. 

What do you think?  Is that giving employees too much control?  Can using social media internally help engage your employee?  How?  Is there too much risk and what are those risk factors?  Could it help you support the company brand, as I discussed here?

For those of you who aren’t familiar, TweetDeck is a platform that helps you manage your Twitter account.  It is very user friendly and has become one of my most valued resources.  For newbies, it may seem to tough to understand what’s going on at first.   I recommend you use Google to find tools that can help, like this Twictionary. 

Here are the reasons I love TweetDeck and why you should too:

Research– TweetDeck allows you to build numerous columns that revolve around keywords.  For example, I search for words like management and leadership.  Any Tweet by anyone that contains those words or is hash-tagged (if you add a # before a word it creates a group and you can search by these as well) appears in this column.  Typically Tweets mention a subject and have a link to an article, post, or video about this topic.  Do you need to research performance reviews or are you looking for ideas to retain your top talent?  Do you need help developing a social media handbook?  Do you want to advance your career by knowing more about your industry than anyone else?  Do you want to know what people are saying about your company? Do you want to see what your competition is up to?  Do you know how your company will be impacted by Healthcare Reform?  Create a column and read, read, read. 

Job Search– This is another area where TweetDeck is invaluable.  Are you looking for a job?  I built a column called human resources and realized quickly that it wasn’t going to serve my purpose very well because it is non-stop Tweets announcing job openings.  We’re talking 100’s of them a day!  I’m not looking for a job, but if I were, I would create columns for every opening I would ever consider and see what pops up.  I haven’t tried it, but I believe you can narrow the search by city, too.  Even without that, I have seen openings right down the street from me.

It Runs All The Time – When you minimize it, you will get a little black box that flashes whenever a new Tweet appears relevant to any of your columns.  It takes a second to skim it and see if it’s worth clicking on a link to check out an article but you don’t have to go to a website every hour to see what you’ve missed.  You can ignore it if you’re busy with something else or take little breaks from your current project to read some valuable info. It also makes a really cool, zingy sound when a Tweet comes in, but that’s beside the point.

It Has Not Screwed Up My Computer (Yet) – I’m always nervous to install and download new things, but this was a piece of cake and so far I haven’t seen any ill effects from using it. 

It’s Really Just Fun! – You can learn about whatever you want but I will tell you, there are some seriously witty people on Twitter!  One of my columns is Severance.  Can you imagine the Tweets I was reading when Tony Hayward’s package was announced?  Hilarious.  And even though you feel stupid laughing out loud at your desk, you don’t feel stupid enough to stop.  Tweets are only 140 characters so it’s kind of like hearing a one-liner multiple times throughout the day.  I actually think it improves my mood.

It’s Great If You’re Not Into Social Media- TweetDeck is a perfect social media tool for people who want nothing to do with social media.  If you aren’t ready to join a bunch of networks and start gathering friends, followers, or connections, you can just watch.  It’s entirely up to you whether you jump in and play or sit on the sidelines.  But while you’re watching, you’re reaping the rewards that are out there simply because a bazillion people want to provide value for each other.

LinkedIn is a definite must when breaking into the world of Social Media in a professional sense.   It has become my most used resource for finding information about companies, information about trends in certain industries, and information about people. There have been some changes to LinkedIn recently and I want to offer some resources for learning how to use it more effectively. 

Initially you want to create a profile.  It is very easy and LinkedIn is very good about pointing out the different ways you can provide a more comprehensive and complete profile.  Once you have that created I recommend you visit http://learn.linkedin.com to scroll through all the different areas, ideas, and technical information to get a feel for how to use this tool to your advantage, whatever your purpose.

One of the best ways to build a presence is to use groups.  This is a tremendous tool that can really help you stand out as an expert in your field.  You can share information, gather information, and create all kinds of opportunities for yourself.  This can help you find a new job or perform more effectively at your current position.  It also gives you an opportunity to follow, connect and interact with the top influencers in your field.  Here is a great resource for learning to use groups. Remember the culture of social media is to give.  Give information, share experiences and give advice.  By doing this you will build a network and provide yourself with improved career opportunities.

With the advent of social media a new truth has emerged.  Companies no longer own their brand.  Back in the good old days (the 90’s, ha ha), a company was responsible for the message and image it displayed for the public.  This came in many forms such as attending conferences, controlling mentions in news and editorial pieces, creating press releases, and by working to earn awards.  These attempts at controlling employer brand are not obsolete but they now hold a lot less weight than they used to.  The people who now control your brand are people out there that you cannot control. 

The most common groups that have control over your brand include past and present employees, vendors, and current clients.  The world of social media has ensured that any experience, positive or negative, can be shared instantaneously and widely. 

Think about your options if you have something you want people to know:  You can send out a Tweet (from your phone, no less), post a status update on Facebook or LinkedIn, comment on an article (including articles on credible sources like newspapers or TV stations), post a picture – the options are practically limitless.  And accessibility to these platforms via handheld devices means the person posting doesn’t mull it over until they get in front of a computer and potentially edit what he or she was going to say.  We’ve always had gut reactions but these are instincts that many times we didn’t act on.  Now the odds are higher that this will become THE reaction.

In addition, a sad fact is that these types of comments are considered more reliable than any good PR your company puts out.  So what if you’ve won an award as one of the greatest places to work?  A few disgruntled employees who are verbal on social media platforms can make this award almost meaningless.  There is skepticism that messages sent by a corporation are true and a desire to embrace the messages of people who have actually “been there”.

This is where Human Resources is so important.  It has long been known that productivity is directly related to happy employees and HR’s job is to make sure their people are happy.  But have you considered the effect of a strong HR department when it comes to company brand?  What if everyone who worked for you, with you, sold to you, or bought from you only had good things to say about you? 

This starts with HR and moves outward.  If the employees are happy and well-treated, they will support you to other employees, both past and present, spread the good word to your vendors and prospects, and reiterate it to current clients.  Now you are taking all the worrisome effects of social media and using them to your advantage. 

Realize that how you treat your employees will be shared instantaneously and often and encourage this.  Spend time on these platforms and learn what people say about you.  Humbly view this material and use it to make improvements when the comments are valid.  Get technologically savvy enough to follow alerts, bring the positive to the forefront, and bury the bad.  But know what is being said.

HR is about supporting people and people are controlling employer brands now.  Start a movement in your organization where you commit to treating your employees right, watch it grow and then show the company owners the effect this will have on your brand.  Soon HR may be the most valuable department in your company.

As I’m driving home from practice with my nine year old she started complaining that one of her coaches was “mean” to her.   He is always telling her things she is doing wrong.  I told her that is a coach’s job and they are supposed to be mean.   I was kind of flippant about it.  But then I realized that this really required a little more conversation because this can be a valuable life lesson for her; one I see plenty of “grown ups” struggling to learn.

I explained that I wanted her to do something that was going to be very hard for her.  I wanted her to go to practice for the next week and pay very close attention to this coach.  I know she feels she is being singled out, but I wanted her to focus on whether she truly IS being singled out.  I told her this would be difficult because she already feels she is, and she may have to be very honest with herself about whether this is really true; and possibly admit that it is not. 

The next week we discussed it again and she admitted that he treated everyone the same.  I was pretty impressed by this admission as I see experienced adults who can’t admit things like this.  I then explained to her that in the majority of cases if someone she respects who is in a position of authority is delivering a consistent message to multiple people, he or she is actually handing her a gift.  The goal is to help her grow and improve and this coach has invested himself in her future. 

I emphasized that a good first reaction is to view it that way, as if someone is handing her a present.  This will help her deal with the emotional piece and really assess the situation from a more objective point of view.  Obviously she is nine and must learn that this will not always be the case (which is why I mentioned this criticism coming from a position of respect and authority and not her friends.)  Eventually, it should be true of everyone who is close to her.

So, what does this have to do with anything?  How does this relate to business? 

Well, managing people is very difficult and many times criticism is not well received.  I am suggesting, without being condescending, that the idea of criticism as a gift should be discussed with your staff.  Have a conversation similar to the one I had with my daughter and set expectations.  If it is explained from the outset that if a criticism is brought up, it will be for the purpose of improving productivity, the employee is a lot more likely to view it in that light. Point out that as a manager, you are investing in the employee’s personal growth and professional career.  Commit to providing feedback both good and bad, fairly and frequently, for the purpose of individual improvement.  But address the role of constructive criticism as a part of this process.

Professor P. M. Forni, co-founder of the Johns Hopkins University Civility Project, advocates powerfully for people to communicate both honestly and humanely. He believes constructive criticism is “a welcome opportunity to learn.” But he also recommends a cautious and careful examination of motives before diving in. “Make sure that your intention is to help with a problem and not to humiliate, manipulate or exact revenge.”

In the workplace, Forni and other researchers emphasize that establishing an environment of positive reinforcement helps create a feedback-friendly climate.  Work done well deserves praise and recognition, but employers, managers and co-workers often overlook the simple step of consistently acknowledging good performance. The desire for approval is a basic human need going back to infancy that we never outgrow. Appreciation and recognition correlate strongly to employee motivation and morale. On the other hand, Forni cites U. S. Department of Labor statistics that show “Feeling unappreciated at work is a leading cause of leaving a job.”

What better way to show appreciation than by investing in an employee’s career and making sure they KNOW this prior to providing feedback?