I’m an HR hater today

By Kimberly February 15, 2013 Career

I was having a quiet morning minding my own business when I stumbled across the SHRM Facebook page and saw the following question:

“HR Pros:  What’s the one thing a job applicant should NOT to do in a job interview? We will share your best answers in the SHRM Blog!”

After reading many of the comments, it was embarrassing to be included in a profession that had the word “HUMAN” in it.  While we all know that personal biases exist, isn’t it one of the primary roles of HR professionals to put aside biases and interview someone to determine their ability to do the job?

If HR is the first point of contact for job seekers, the poor schmucks interviewing with some of these folks don’t have a chance of ever seeing a hiring manager.

Here are some of the things these HR professionals listed that candidates should NOT do on an interview.

  • don’t mention interviewing at other places.
    Why not? You might have a stellar candidate on your hands.  
  • sit up straight.
    Thanks mom.
  • never ask about the salary.
    No it’s much better to waste everyone’s time instead.
  • don’t yawn.
    Maybe you’re boring.
  • don’t ask how long the interview will take.
    Forget the fact that maybe the candidate has to catch a train or bus to get home.
  • don’t be tense.
    Tell that to the job seeker who’s been out of work for months.
  • don’t roll your eyes at the interviewer’s questions.
    Right because you wouldn’t dream of asking uninteresting, canned questions.
  • don’t provide short answers.
    There’s this new thing out now — it’s called “follow up questions.”
  • don’t show up on time because being early is “on time” and being on time is “late”.
    I can’t say what I really want to say about this here.
  • don’t reschedule the interview for another time.
    Sorry that your kid was puking all night or you woke up to a flat tire — you are OUT! 
  • don’t touch your face.
    Just wiggle your nose if you have an itch, that’ll be less distracting.
  • don’t invade my personal space.
    And that is where? 
  • don’t talk negatively about a prior employer under any circumstances.
    Bad stuff happens and there is a difference between an emotional rant and providing honest facts about a prior negative experience.  It happens everyday and interviewers know that.

The list went on and on.  If these people were ruling out candidates because of these reasons, it’s no wonder career advisors always urge job seekers to bypass HR.  This is also a good example of why recruiters aren’t crazy about working with HR.

On the flip side, there were some excellent comments that job seekers should pay attention to.  Some were pretty funny so I included them too.

  • don’t answer or look at your cell phone.
    It’s rude. Don’t put it on vibrate, turn if off.
  • don’t bring your mother.
    Enough said.
  • don’t bring your children.
    Same as above.  If you’re stuck for child care, reschedule.
  • don’t answer the questions with a bag of puppets.
    While I find it creative and funny, I don’t think it will score points unless you’re interviewing for a puppeteer gig.
  • don’t wear flip flops.
    Well, unless you’re told to.
  • don’t list God as a reference.
    Um, right. 
  • don’t drop the F-bomb.
    Do that after you’re hired.
  • don’t wear fragrance.
    It’s distracting from the conversation.

Job seekers are people — human beings — not robots.  Good and bad life events happen around us every day.  Recognize that.

If you work in HR, please — I beg you — learn about empathy.  It just might be you sitting in that candidate seat one day.

Bring it.

Some college “Career Services” are a joke

By Kimberly January 7, 2013 Career

indexI have twins attending excellent universities in Philadelphia.  But it was disappointing to see their resumes that were approved by the schools’ Career Services area.

After talking more with my kids about what the Career Services are providing, I’ve come to realize that it’s not much of anything useful. Where are the real-life tools they need to land a job after graduation — or even an internship for that matter?

Initially I thought it was my experience with only these two schools but it’s not.  My kids have sent their friends to reach out to me and take a look at their resumes.  Different schools — top-notch schools — are falling short to prep our students in this area.  I asked one gal what her Career Services department did to help with her resume and she told me they handed her a hard copy of a resume template.  That’s it!  And it was garbage.

In my conversations with these students I’m finding that not only are they not spending enough time on how to craft a solid resume and treat it as a working document throughout their careers, but they’re not touching on many of the fundamentals of networking and interviewing.  All but one student I spoke with didn’t know to research a company before the interview.  How much more basic can you get?

We’ve been in a job rut since 2008.  Experienced professionals are taking lower paying jobs to stay afloat financially.  People who have planned to retire can’t and are working longer.  With so many graduates each year, how will these students be able to get an edge so they can create their own career opportunities?

The students — our future — need the academic world to allow career and business professionals into the classroom to put these antiquated ideas in the grave.

It’s time for the professors to move aside and allow business leaders, hiring managers, career coaches and resume writers in the classrooms.  They can lay the foundation of covering all the critical areas of the job search:

  • how to craft a resume
  • how to write a concise yet meaningful cover letter
  • interviewing skills and fundamentals
  • networking basics — do’s and don’ts

I know so many intelligent and overall great young people who are getting ready to launch in May and I’m worried for them.

I know there has to be schools who are doing it right — I just wish there was a way for it to be universal.

If you have experience with colleges who are doing this right — please let me hear about it so I can have a glimmer of hope for our future.

10 years in your current role? You’re stale.

By Kimberly December 5, 2012 Career

And stagnant.  Your resume probably reads like a job description.

When recruiters and hiring managers stop being human, they’ll stop having biases.  Biases are all over the place, legal and illegal — we just don’t know about them.

My biases are centered on wanting to see candidates who have gotten bored in their roles and made the choice to move on.  Not because they were laid off and had to move on.  I’m looking for the folks who are hungry to do more — striving to be that rock-star with an organization.  (I broke my own rule there — I hate the word “rock-star.”  Sorry ’bout that.)

Now if you’ve spent 10 years with the same organization but have progressed within the company and held different roles — that’s good to see!  Please read carefully:

When you don’t step out of your comfort zone, you don’t grow. Period, end of story.

When you get too comfy in a job, that’s all it is — a job.  You show up for work every day, do what’s expected of you, don’t make waves and your bills get paid.  It’s all good.

Or is it?

It just shows that you can do what many Americans are already doing every day.  But as a prospective hiring manager I’ll take the liberty of stealing Ms. Jackson’s lyrics and ask you, “What have you done for me lately?“   Or what have you done for your current organization that you can bring to mine?  Can you show what your accomplishments are?  If you can, you’re on track.

You’re only as good as your last gig and the accomplishments under your belt within that gig.

Am I condoning job hopping?  No.  And my definition of job hopping might be different from yours.  I view job hopping as folks who change jobs within a one-year period.  I think people who change jobs every 2 to 3 years is a good sign.

Here’s why different job experiences are good for you:

  • You’re exposed to different working styles and personalities of several managers and co-workers.  
    This comes in handy when navigating the waters of corporate politics — which you will encounter at some point.
  • It’s good for your self-esteem and will keep you sharp within your industry. 
    When you bring your awesome talent to a new organization, you bring fresh eyes and new ideas.  They’ll appreciate that and you’ll feel valued because you’ll be valued.
  • Varied workplace environments give you the best education — experience. 
    You can be in the same occupation and industry but it doesn’t mean that every company does the same thing in the same way.  They don’t.  Learning new ways of doing your work and being more productive is always something you can build on with a new organization.  Staying at one place too long puts you in a silo and you risk being viewed as not being flexible or easily adaptable to change.  It’s no secret in business that the only thing that stays the same is CHANGE.
  • You can decide what types of companies you like to work in.
    Do you like big corporate organizations or do you prefer smaller companies?  Being exposed to several organizations that have different protocols will allow you to continue learning.  And while some employees never catch a glimpse of their company’s CEO, others can mosey on in to their CEO’s office and chat about the weekend.  You decide which one fits you best.
  • This goes for CEOs too. 
    Just because you’re the head honcho doesn’t mean you don’t get stale.  You do.  You can ride on the coattails of a successful project for only so long before you’ll be looked upon to come up with the company’s next big thing.  My personal bias is that CEOs should be flushed out every 5 to 7 years just for the perspective of bringing fresh eyes to the table.

Bring it.

 

 

Hate to break it to you but…

By Kimberly June 18, 2012 Career, Humility, job search, Leadership, networking, Results, Success

You’re not a guru.  You’re not a god or goddess. You’re not a rainmaker.  And no, you’re not a rockstar either.  Not seeing many Steven Tyler-types traveling in the HR and career circles.

Be flattered and humbled if a colleague uses one of these words to describe you to others but when you use these descriptors in your LinkedIn, Twitter or other online profiles, ask yourself this: “How is my character being perceived by others? How am I being perceived by others?”

I wrote about the perception of recruiters and hiring managers on wearing diamond rings on a job interview to make the point of leaving only your skills, qualifications and character to be evaluated.  In other words, don’t let yourself be vulnerable to someone else’s (potentially false) judgment about you.  The same applies to your resume and online professional profiles.

Confidence vs. arrogance
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.  Be confident and proudly share your expertise using real words that quantify the accomplishments and results from your skills and experience — words that people can relate to.  You may not be arrogant but if you call yourself a guru or rainmaker, how do you expect to be perceived?  These words scream “arrogance!” and that’s not an attractive character trait.

The successful mix
Whether you’re in a job search or just great at what you do, be real!  People want to work with folks who are on top of their game professionally but people also want to work with folks who have upstanding character and integrity.  Nothing beats authenticity and confidence with a splash of humility.

So please, I’m begging you!  Lose the narcissistic jargon and let folks get to know you for who you are and what you bring to the table.  Always remember that perception is reality.  If your online persona is perceived to be brash and egotistical, then you are brash and egotistical.

What do you think?  Feel free to share your thoughts.

Photo credit Yuri Samoilov