Tag Archives:

After being in the recruiting industry and having met many people through my career, I can sincerely attest that it is a small world, people talk and word travels fast.  When that word is about you,  you want it to be a positive one.  You want people to respond to your name positively and hopefully send business and referrals your way.  Having a poor reputation will surely ruin your chances of success.  When it comes to building your reputation, the one rule of thumb is “Don’t burn any bridges”.   In all situations, especially in business, be respectful of people and their time.  But most importantly, be honest.

Let me share a story with you:
A candidate, that I will refer to as Johnny, called me to help him in his job search.  After running a particular job by him, Johnny asked that I try to get him an interview.  After submitting his resume, my client responded by saying that she thought his name sounded familiar but would like to meet with him.  I scheduled him in to meet with my client and on the day of the interview, Johnny was a no-show.  I promptly called Johnny and he made an excuse as to why he didn’t make it and wanted to reschedule.  Not only does blowing off an interview soil the reputation of a candidate, but it also turns out that Johnny had met with my client for several interviews 8 months ago.  They made him an offer and then Johnny went missing – he never called them back to accept or deny the offer.  Therefore my client passed on his candidacy on the spot and red flagged his name for future consideration. 

In this case, Johnny burnt the bridge between a potential job and also stained his reputation with me.  Since this incident my client has moved on to a new company as their hiring manager. Therefore, what Johnny did not realize that because he has burned that bridge he not only shot himself in the foot with not one company, but two.

The moral of the story is be honest and do not play games.  Treat everyone with the respect that you would want to be treated with.  It’s a small world and karma exists.

Recently, I have been assisting my youngest brother on launching his career search now that he is a college graduate and I have found the experience to be very interesting and eye opening.  College courses can educate you on the business world and give you the tools to have a successful career, but one thing that those classes do not teach you is how to find a job.  My brother attempted to launch his career search on his own and quickly found himself lost and running in circles.  He went to my parents for advice, which was not the smartest move considering my parents haven’t looked for a new job in literally decades.  My mother is a school teacher who has been in the same school system since Ronald Reagan’s first term.  Before mid-term elections first term. 

 Needless to say my brother was lost.  So I asked him what he was doing and he said he posted his resume on Monster and made a profile on LinkedIn.  I quickly realized I had a serious challenge on my hands.  For any career search, especially your very first job search, you tend to start with the conventional methods of searching, such as job boards.  After several hours of applying for positions, you have the false sense that you’ve started to accomplish something.  Unfortunately, submitting your resume to the big portal in the sky will get you no where.  

So how exactly do you start?  First, take a look at your resume.  What are you trying to accomplish?  What is the direction that you are trying to take in your career?  If your resume is vague or is written to cast the widest net, you may feel that you’re maximizing your potential, but in reality you’re only hurting your search.  Hiring managers want to see skills that are transferable.  If you had a sales internship, put down your numbers and accomplishments.  Start networking in LinkedIn by joining groups that are aligned with your background.  What school did you graduate from?  There is probably an alumni group that you can join.  You may be able to network with recent graduates who can give you pointers.

Next, narrowly define the types of roles that you will consider.  If you have a direction to want to take your career in, start thinking long term:  what steps will get you to your goal?  Concentrate on networking within those industries and look for job boards that specialize in the type of career you’re looking for.  Consider talking to a recruiter that specializes in the industry you want.  Go on every interview you’re offered.  Get some practice under your belt and look at every interview as a networking opportunity. 

Finally, while conducting your entry level job search, you may find yourself taking time out of your career search to find a job that will provide you with a quick paycheck.  Be aware that your first priority is to find a career, not a job.  Give yourself a limited amount of time to find a job that will give you a quick paycheck but continue a heavy search for your career.  Job searches take time and in this economy it won’t be easy.  You are an entry level candidate competing against candidates who have experience.  You have to sell yourself as a valuable asset to any team and you may get several rejections.  No matter what happens, keep your head up and continue to drive activity to find success.  The right opportunity is out there for you, it’s your job to go get it. Good luck!

We have all been in an interview and things are going reasonably well.  You can’t get the best read on what the interviewer is thinking but you know that s/he does not completely hate you.  Just when you’re feeling confident, they throw out that question that you have heard a thousand times before and you never know how to answer it the right way.  You spew out a bunch of sentences that you hope will form an audible answer but it’s a crap shoot.

I am going to take up a few blogs and explore some of these questions, how to approach them, how to prepare for them and, more importantly, why the hell do they ask these questions in the first place .
First Question:
“Where do you want to be in 5 years?” 
It is one of those questions that a hiring manager will ask and wants a direct answer but what the answer is does not matter as much as how you answer it.  I recently wrote a blog about ‘the message’ that you are trying to deliver.  My point in that blog was that it is not always about what you say, but how you say it.  That is what this cookie cutter question is all about.

There are many different ways to successfully answer this question but only one way to blow it – not have an answer.  If the first word out of your mouth is “err” or “ahh” – you’re all done.  Just pack it up and walk out.  If your answer is, “Jeeze, I never thought about it,” give them a fist bump and move on.  Let’s be honest, no one has a crystal ball and knows where they will be in 5 years – but you have an idea of what you’d like to be in the future.  That’s where you answer should start.

First, let’s talk about why they are asking this question.  They simply want to find out if you have direction.  That’s it.  Do you know where you are going in life?  Are you steering the ship or are you along for the ride?  Employers are looking for drivers, not riders.  Put yourself in their shoes – do you want someone who is going to sit around and wait to be told what to do OR do you want someone who will always be busy and taking initiative?  They simply want to know if you are proactive or reactive.

Now, let’s figure out how to answer this, here is the secret:  answer the question honestly.  Tell them who you want to be and it does not have to be professionally.  Remember, it’s not about what you say, it’s how you say it.  If you are confident and you have a plan – they will accept it. The answer can be, “I want to be a good husband to my wife and father to my kids.  I want to be in a home with a yard and continuing to advance myself professionally.”  Simple and general and most importantly, honest.  Here’s another, “I want to be a top producer in this company and I plan on doing that by following the training and looking to you (interviewer) as my mentor.”  This is a little intense but it is very direct and ambitious.  The interviewer will not question your dedication to advancement and will probably move onto HOW you plan to accomplish that.

So the next time you are in an interview just remember that there is no cookie cutter answer to this cookie cutter question.  However you decide to answer, you have to own it and make it your answer…it is your future after all.  Take a few moments and write down a few things that you would like to accomplish in the next few years and how you plan to accomplish them.  Make them simple and attainable goals and make sure that they are important to you.  Do not do it because you want to be ready for an interview but do it because you want to set real goals.  Without goals, you are just along for the ride and who knows where that will lead you?!  It is more fun to steer the ship than it is to be strapped in the passenger seat.