Job Search Blog

I first wrote these thoughts three or four years ago when immigration, especially illegal immigration wasn’t on the minds of Americans like it is today. There is no doubt, that we need to fix our immigration system. We need to make it easier for good folks to be able to make it into this country more quickly and easily and we do now. However, if all of us worked with the same tenacity and diligence that I see most immigrants to the United States do, our economy would even be stronger. This is my own observation from having worked in the trenches, finding people jobs since 1973.

For the most part, and there are exceptions, immigrants work harder, longer and more diligently that most of the working folks in this country. They have an attitude that “I have to work harder, longer and more enduring, because I have overcome prejudice, language issues and cultural issues.” Diligent and hard work is one way to get ahead in America. And we are all blessed with the same opportunity.

You will rarely hear an immigrant, needing a job, say that they are going to pass up an interview because they can make more money on unemployment (which we hear often from lots of born here Americans). I remember my grandfather talking about what it was like as an immigrant in 1900. I’m sure the stories got better over the years, but it was clear that he and his peers worked harder than most everybody else and his work ethic has been passed down.

I realized that there’s a big difference between the immigrants of today and the ones of my grandfather’s generation. His generation and their families went out of their way to become more “American.” They changed their names to be more “American,” encouraged their children to speak only English instead of their mother tongue (oh, I wish my father had taught us to speak Arabic, but he grew up encouraged to only speak English). They wanted to be American. They all came here legally and did whatever they had to do to be “legal.”

It is probably true that many immigrants today do not want to blend into the American culture as much as previous generations did. And there are some, even though they live here, who have contempt for the American ways. Some, especially the ones that are here illegally, are taking advantage of our schools, healthcare and government systems. I’m not saying that’s right. But these problems are not caused by the vast majority of immigrants. Even the ones that are here illegally want to respect the laws and provide for their family. They do what they have to do. I understand.

But if Raul wants to mow my yard and do a better job at a better price than Billie…let him. If Hector wants to takes care of my building as though he owned it…let him. Eric (Chinese) is the hardest working network systems guy I have ever met. He has been doing our systems work for 28 years, at a very reasonable rate…and he is available 24/7. If Patel is willing to go to school, graduate with an IT degree ( stuff most Americans just don’t want to do) and wants to write code In the wee hours of the morning…let him. Ali, the Pakistani cab driver in New York didn’t smell good and neither did his cab. I won’t use him again. But Nasser, the Egyptian Uber driver in San Francisco, had an impeccably clean smelling, wonderful Prius. He was great company as well as a good driver. We had just been to a Muslim wedding and he was helpful explaining it. I’ve got his card and number if I need it. He shared that he loved his job because he could work as much as he needed or wanted to. He had a very high rating.

Just look at all of the companies that have been started by immigrants. The people who complain about Immigrants should give thanks that they are here. I will grant you that our immigration policies are a mess. So, okay, fix ’em. We should let as many immigrants in this country who want to come.  The free market will determine how well they do. Don’t let them or anyone else freeload with entitlements or take advantage of the system. But if they want to try to outwork me or anybody else….let them. Bring it on! I’ll just have to work a little harder. It’s good for me.

To show you how screwed up things are, the love of Hector’s life was in Mexico. It took the better part of a year to get Savina here legally so that Hector could marry her. Chrissy and I went to the wedding and it was wonderful. I don’t appreciate people coming to this country illegally and taking advantage of all of our rights. But, then again, it took Hector almost a year to get Savina here the legal way. That’s crazy. You can’t blame people for simply crossing the border. We may not like the idea, but you can certainly understand why people do it. It’s almost too hard to do legally.

If even half of us worked as hard as Hector does to keep our building running and looking as good as it does, our country would be better off. He has the mentality of an immigrant. God bless him! …wish more folks did.

I always try to stay in my own “swim lane,” and only write about things that I know and practice, i.e. hiring, searching for a job, successful interviewing and successful. I do a lot of reading, listening to podcasts, CDs etc. outside the “lanes” because many, seemingly distant or external issues effect that subjects that I practice daily.

As most of you now, Charles Krauthammer died Wednesday and the world has lost a heartfelt thinker, philosopher, commentator and author. It wasn’t so much that he was a “great” human being, although he might have been, what struck me about him more than anything was how hard a worker he was, what he overcame and how simple and clear he made what he wrote and said.

He never made any big deal out of the wheelchair because of the accident. Even though he sustained it when he was young, he completed medical school and went on to a tremendous career as a writer and commentator hardly ever mentioning it. You never used it as an excuse or impediment to doing what he needed to do. I can’t tell you the number of folks I’ve interviewed over the years who blamed their poor judgement and lack of success on no where near as drastic as being a parapalegic. (I had a candidate tell me just this week that her whole year was a disater and her carreer was totally off track because her dog died.)

Any of us that write, even poorly, try to read as much as we can other people’s writing so we can get better by learning from them. One of the few books I read more than once was Krauthammer’s   Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics. The topics of the book were not as important as the way with which he wrote. Most of what he wrote about, especially politics, went over my head because I’m not that much of a historian. What made his work especially good, was that you could tell that he worked at it really, really, really hard. There is a tendency to think that with good writers the words simply flow out of them. But, the truth is, that good writers make you think that’s how it happens. It is supposed to appear that way. Most of us who try our hand at the art of writing, know how hard it really is.

In order to get the beauty, simplicity and flow that Krauthammer had, he must have written, rewritten and rewritten many times. Editing your own writing is probably one of the hardest things  all of us do. You can simply tell that the guy worked his rear end off to make things concise and clear.

He did the same thing when he made comments about the world. Maybe I liked him so much because I also, believed in the 60’s that the Great Society was going the save country. And, like Charles, I came to understand that it probably did the opposite. He went from being a liberal to a conservative. But he did it never offending anyone even when he pointed out how misguided they might be. And that, in itself, takes a tremendous amount of thoughtful work.

I heard him say how lucky he was to be able to work so hard and how humbled he was to think that people actually payed attention to his work. He was subtle, understated and brilliant. It is a real joy to watch people like Charles, LeBron James, Clayton Kershaw and the few others on the top of their game. You do stand in awe.

Some just leave us too soon. Thank you, Charles. (I even appreciate baseball a little more because of you.)

The rest of the quote said, “you have been sending me stuff for 10 years. When I have needed you, you have only gotten me one interview and never found me a job. And I’m really good at what I do.”

I really have a lot of empathy for this fellow. Most folks don’t really understand how our business works. If we place 10% of the people who come to us or we recruit, we are lucky and our company is, as it turns out, one of the oldest and most established in the country.

I reminded the writer that we don’t place everyone…wish we did. I reminded the writer that, last week, I placed a guy who has been a candidate of mine for 25 years, since he was right out of school. He called me every three years or so when he needed me and I never had anything for him. I’d call him every once in a while, when I needed him and he would tell me he was happy where he was and wasn’t interested in what I had. Then, bingo! I get an opportunity, call him, timing is right, send him to the client, they hire him…all in one week (…actually 25 years).

Ours is, like many businesses, a crazy, unpredictable one. We never know what kind of opportunity or candidate we will find or need. I’d love to tell you it is ‘dazzling brilliance,’ but, as much as anything, it is ‘s–t house luck’ and timing. The ‘skill’ is in getting the timing just right! We have to collect lots of candidates, all of whom think they are well-qualified for just about any job in their field…and try to match them with as many job opportunities as we can. Our fees are high because what we do is really hard! (The average recruiter in the country only stays in this business 15 months, placing 1.5 people a month and the average recruiting firm only stays in business seven years with 3.5 employees.) [Our recruiters average 16 years in the business, and there are 20 of us and we average four placements a month each. And we have been here since 1952.]*

Every business is hard. No company makes “easy money.” It appears to most of our candidates that they can do just about any job opportunity we have in their field and all we have to do is to send them out and they’ll get hired. Well, there is a big difference between being able to do a job and getting it. For every one resume a company receives, there are 150 others applying for the same job. In spite of the 3.something% unemployment, companies can still afford to be very picky and have hordes of good candidates to choose from. And even when a good candidate gets the interview, most interview so poorly, they don’t get hired. Companies interview, on average, 14 candidates to hire ONE person and take an average of 120 days to do it. (I know those figures seem astounding but they are facts.)

All of this is to say that we can certainly ‘take you off the email list.’ But neither we nor you may never know when you might need us or we might need you. We will sincerely do the best we can at finding you a job or fill your position. We don’t write the rules of what our clients demand nor can we miraculously change the quality of candidates available for the money your firm wants to pay.

We are ‘information brokers.’ We can’t always control the information. Our experience and sheer volume of candidates and companies we have in our database (over 100,000/over 90,000) gives us a great advantage. But even with all this information, we may not be successful with every candidate or every opportunity.

*BTW …we are searching for two new recruiters. Our IT and Accounting departments both are so overwhelmed with business, they need help! Call me 214-515-7613

Listening to a really great book by Ray Dalio, Principles: Life and Work. One of the many, many principles that he advises is for all of us to beware of our ego and our blind spots. His advice is to be so aware of your own ego and your blind spots that you counterbalance whatever tendencies that are a result of these two factors by, first of all, recognizing them, and then seeking the opinions of others, especially those who do not have the same blind spots. Most of us, (98% of all drivers), for instance, feel like we are more competent than 50% of all the drivers on the road. Our ego and the blind spots we have in our ability to be a competent driver override our true and realistic ability. The vast majority of us are rather poor drivers. Ask our insurance companies.

Ego and blind spots are particular hindrances when it comes to seeking a job as well as hiring. This session is devoted to the job seeker.

Since 1973, next to discovering great career and job opportunities and  recruiting quality candidates, much of my time is devoted to helping most of those candidates overcome their egotistical “I can do anything…just get me in front of them” …”I don’t need any coaching”..  attitude. Along with this attitude comes a healthy ignoring of the “blind spots” they have about their experience, mistakes in their career and interviewing faux pas.

Just this past week, I interviewed a pretty solid VP who, egotiscally, thought that his following a previous manager to three places was a high compliment to his management ability. His blind spot was that he followed this guy three times in three years. While he was bragging about his being ‘sought after’ because he was so good, it simply didn’t dawn on him that anyone who might think of hiring him was going to wonder, “So, if I hire this guy, how long will it be before his ex-boss calls him to hire him away….can’t run that risk.”

There is a difference between a “big” ego and a “healthy” ego. A big ego ignores or overlooks their blind spots. A healthy ego recognizes they have blind spots and even asks others to help them out in recognizing their blind spots. And, after acknowledging them, figures out how to address them, no matter how uncomfortable it is.

Dealing with being uncomfortable in interviews takes lots of practice. Most egos won’t readily admit that and, therefore, screw up lots of interviews until they learn to address their blind spots.

Most ego mistakes are defensive mechanisms, especially in interviewing situations. We instruct candidates to ‘sell themselves,’ but that doesn’t mean to lead with the ego. Most candidates aren’t anywhere near as aware as theny should be of how tough their competition is. Most see their attributes through their own eyes, or believe their spouses, peers, and rsometimes bosses who tell them how wonderful they are. But hiring authorities have lots of ‘wonderful’ candidates to choose from. Simply gracing a company with your willingness to interview won’t cut it. A candidate needs to be able to clearly and concisely articulate the four or five features, advantages and benefits complete with numerous performance examples as to why they should be hired over other candidates. Remember, stories sell, numbers tell.

Ego and blind spots can kill your job search.

since 1973, I have never met a candidate that thought they were a risk… Every candidate that I ever interviewed thought that they would be a glowing employee and that hiring them would never be any kind of risk for a hiring authority…

But the truth is, every candidate is a risk in some way … and every hiring authority, whether you like it or not is looking at what kind of a “risk” you pose to them…

The hiring authority is asking himself or herself, “if I hire this candidate what is in his or her background that is going to cause me to regret hiring them … are they going to be here a short period of time … are they going to fail on the job … am I going to have to fire them? ”

“risk factors”come with every one … a number of years ago,  I placed a candidate with a company who had a heart attack and died about a month into the job … the hiring authority, when he called me, implied that I should have known that the candidate had a bad heart… Go figure?! … now I realize that he was simply venting his frustration, but how could I know the candidate was going to die?

30% of the hiring authority’s consideration of  you as a candidate is going to be based on what kind of “risk” you are … in other words how is it not going to work out with you as a candidate when you become an employee?

Some “risk factors” are obvious … if you have had three jobs in three years, the hiring authority is going to be concerned that if he or she hires you you’ll only be there one year… If you have made significantly more money than the job pays, the hiring authority is going to be concerned that even if you take the job, you will keep looking for a higher paying job… If you’ve been the president of the company or the owner of a company, the hiring authority is going to be concerned that you’re going to come into the organization and “tell them” how they ought to run it… If you have been a bit of work for an extended period of time, the hiring authority is going to wander why you haven’t been able to find a job … never mind that unemployment is high and good jobs are difficult to find, you’re still going to get this question…

So, as you prepare to interview, think about what kind of “risk factors” you pose to a potential employer … don’t give me that business of “I’m not a risk”… because every one poses some kind of risk to a perspective employer…

Be sure, in your presentation of yourself to perspective employers that you offset the risks that you pose … and you know what those risks are … if you’ve had three jobs in three years be ready to offset that concern … if you’ve been out of work for an extended period of time be ready to offset that concern…

But offset these risks in the presentation of yourself BEFORE they come up or you have to be asked, … you can even make them a positive … something along the line of, “I realize that I’ve had three jobs in three years so, whoever I go to work for is going to get a five year to seven year commitment from me and as long as they’re around, I’ll be there… I can’t afford another short stint on my resume. ”  Do  this before you are asked, “why have you had so many jobs in the last few years? ”

Think about your risk factors … deal with them!

I’m continually annoyed with people who put “fillers” in their speech patterns, especially in the interviewing situation. I know they’re not conscious of their using these “lip loads,” but they are still annoying.  Here are the ones I hear most often:

“You know… you know… you know”… it makes you sound so stupid

“Honestly”… as though you haven’t been honest with me and the other things you’ve said?

“Let me be honest with you”… which means you haven’t been honest with me up until now?

“Trust me”… and you say it so many times that I have to really wonder if I can or should.

“Let me be transparent”… as though you’ve been hiding stuff from me throughout the whole conversation.

“The truth is”… as though everything else you said hasn’t been the truth.

If you are in the habit of using these kinds of “fillers,” you need to practice getting them OUT Of your vocabulary, especially when you are interviewing. Interviewing and hiring authorities are making very quick judgments about you and everything about you based on very little information. Most of that information is communicated in what you say and the manner in which you say it.

These kinds of lip loads are used because people are very nervous. And worst of all they are uncomfortable with silence so they fill the void with these kinds of sayings. None of them amount to much, but in a 35 or 40 minute interview if you say them fairly often, that’s what people will remember you by. It takes about 10 to 14 days of practice but you can be rid of these things and quit embarrassing yourself.

It sure crept up on you awfully fast, didn’t it? You have absolutely no idea that much time could pass since you were working. It just kind of crept up on you. After you lost your job, you took a little time off because you “hadn’t had a vacation in a while.” Then you started casually looking around thinking, “last time I looked for a job, it didn’t take me that long.” It took six or seven months for you to all of a sudden get serious about finding a job and then, all of a sudden, you found out how darned difficult it was to do.

So, now you’re beginning to get interviews because the economy is getting a little better and you have to try to explain why it’s taken so long for you to find a job or why you have been out of work so long. After the first couple of interviews like this, you really understand that an employer is very cautious, even dubious about the fact that you’ve been out of work so long and will normally discount all of your excuses. You will have caught on that a hiring authority is much more likely to want to hire someone who is either presently employed or, if unemployed, for only a short period of time. Every time you go to explain you become more and more self-conscious and you can literally see the doubt on the hiring authority’s face. Since most of them have not been out of work that long or even experienced that kind of thing, they have absolutely no idea the challenge you have had. In fact, their attitude is, “What’s wrong with this person?” They think, “There’s got to be something wrong with somebody who can’t find a job in a whole year.” And then they move on to the next candidate.

There isn’t much you can do about this attitude, except when you get the chance to get in front of them for an interview you cannot try to make excuses for being out of work for a year, blame the economy, etc. You must take full responsibility for it by saying something along the line of, “I really had no idea it would be this difficult to find a job. In years past when I’ve looked for positions, I’ve always been able to find one relatively rapidly. I have been actively getting as many interviews as I possibly can. (It is not a bad idea to have on hand the names of the companies that you have interviewed with or the kinds of positions you have interviewed for.) I have come close on a couple of opportunities and decided to pass on a couple of others because I didn’t think it was a good opportunity for the company I was interviewing with or for myself. I want to be very careful to be sure that the next opportunity is a long-term one.” Then, shut up about why you’ve been looking for a job for so long and ask questions of the employer about the present position you are interviewing for. It’s that simple.

If you do anything other than this, it is going to dig a deeper hole of doubt, uncertainty and fear on the part of the hiring authority regarding you as a candidate. If you make excuses, you’ll sound like a whiner. If you go on and on about why you started so late to look for a job and express the bad luck in getting interviews, you simply won’t look like a wise business person. Most every way you try to explain this problem will be very treacherous. The “mea culpa”, simple quick statement above is the best way to do it.

If anyone has come up with some great “lip loads” to deal with this issue, please share them with us.

Perseveration. It occurs when candidates who are having a particularly difficult time finding a job play their issues and failures over and over in their mind.

“Why can’t I find an interview?…What’s wrong with me? … Why didn’t I do better on that interview?…They told me they were going to call me back and they didn’t.… I thought I was perfect for the job.… They told me they were going to hire me and then they didn’t.…I’ve never had a problem in getting a job before, what’s wrong with me?… I must be doing something drastically wrong.… Don’t these people understand how hard it is?… This just isn’t fair.… I was making that kind of money 10 years ago.… The gal I interviewed with, I should be her boss.… Those people couldn’t even tell a good candidate if they saw one.… I know I didn’t do very well in the interview but that shouldn’t make any difference.… Those people that interviewed me don’t know what they’re doing.”

Pick any one of these statements and read it over and over and over and over again. That’s perseveration. It’s depressing and it is not the way to look for a job.

Everyone who reads this is going to agree that they shouldn’t do it. But they do. And it further depresses them. So, when this kind of conversation in the head begins, a well-grounded candidate will stop themselves and begin this kind of self-talk:

“I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn’t know it was going to be this hard. I have to work harder at getting interviews. I have to do the right things in order to get interviews.”

“I can’t do anything about the past and I can’t do much about the future. All I can do is control what I do right now. Right now, I’m going to take massive action.”

“Let’s see, what did I do wrong in that interview? I need to figure it out so I can correct it.”

“I did the best I could, but I do have to get better. That was a learning opportunity and I’ve grown from it. Now I know things are difficult, but I’ll get better.”

Well, I think you get the point. Negative perseveration leads to nothing but disaster.