Five signs your career is undergoing the zombie apocalypse…

I had a fantastic conversation with my boss this week joking about how shows like “The Walking Dead” are kind of a funny analogy for work.  Well, we were laughing but it’s probably not that funny if you are in a dystopic professional state...but hey, no one said this blog is for SERIOUS advice.

Anyway, it got me thinking about how when you sense the zombie virus is invading your career….it’s time to run.  So, to help you out...a few signs your career may be going zombie:

You wander around aimlessly - It’s probably time to find a new job is you find yourself wondering around from task to task and not really engaging your brain.  What are you doing?  What are you looking for?  Work is a chance for you to use your brain and exercise your smarts.  You’re probably in a culture or company that doesn’t value thought if you find yourself aimlessly staggering through your day.

You eat brains - This one is important.  You are no longer to accept good ideas or engage in real conversations...basically, you eat brains.  You laugh, but it’s true.  We’ve all meet with someone who just says no to everything, never adds what we should do...and just destroys the conversation.  Zombie Brain Eating Coworkers...get a new job.

You take weapons everywhere - Well, not literally but you get the point.  If you find yourself always getting ready for battle or an ambush at work...not good, beware.  You really want to work in a place where you can debate issues on their merit and have a robust conversation...not have to bring your weapons to keep you safe from the brain eaters.

You’re constantly overwhelmed - Ok, so did you see World War Z?  The scene where the zombies totally overwhelm Israel freaks me out….crazy.  Anyway, a lot of companies with bad cultures have this kind of crazy non-sensical hoard mentality where one person gets infected with an idea….and boom, everyone goes nuts for it.  Bad corporate cultures are like cults or zombie infections…..bad ideas dominate and overwhelm anyone who gets in the way.

You’re friends keep disappearing - This one is kind of obvious.  In all of these shows/movies people die.  Friends just kind of go away or get left behind.  It’s time for a job change when all of your friends are quitting or leaving.  Attrition is the dirty secret companies don’t like to talk about...some attrition is healthy and good for the organization but bad companies have unhealthy attrition rates because people realize it’s not a great company.  If you notice friends disappearing….start looking around.

Ok, that’s it this week.  Obviously just a funny blog but the point is really serious.  Bad companies or bad cultures are just not cool and rather that fight the zombies...run and find a place you can settle down a bit and really grow your career.

Final note, if people at your company ever dance like the zombies in the Thriller video…..you should stay there because that dance is just amazing.

Avoiding the awkward "Thank You" letter

I’ve been blasted this week hence the lack of tweets and blogs…...but here I am!  This weeks topic is kind of a funny one but really if you’re looking for a job it’s not funny at all.  It’s about the awkward interview or meeting follow up.

Now, before I get into this….NONE of these examples are from people who’ve interviewed w/ me recently.  Been talking to a lot of people and it’s not cool to talk out of school.  Ok?  Ok.

We all know that the post interview follow up is really important.  To me, it doesn’t really matter if it’s email or a written letter...you’ve gotta follow up and say thank you for the interview.  No brainer right?  Well...unless you send a really uncomfortable follow up.  What does that mean?  Here are a few examples:

Spelling the persons name wrong - Do I need to even say anything else here?  Right

Using the wrong pronoun - Um yeah.  Referring to a he as a she, she as a he….whatever, not the kind of thing you want to screw up.  I’ve seen it.  #fail

Emailing the wrong address - Nothing takes the wow factor away than having someone else forward you the “thank you” note.  If you’re going to email, make sure it’s to the correct address

Assuming you’ll get the offer - Confidence is great, arrogance is annoying.  Your thank you note is just a thank you….that’s it, nothing more.  Don’t assume anything just be nice.

There are a million other things you can do wrong here so just play it safe.  Send a polite and timely follow up….nothing more, nothing less and wait to hear about next steps.

More soon, I’ll try to pick up the pace.  And, as always good luck out there...

Why recruiting is harder than you think...

I write a lot about recruiting tips and tricks and little nuggets I’ve learned over the years.  Here is one I don’t usually share...recruiting is a REALLY hard career.  It’s amazing if you’re into it, even better if you’re good at it.....but it’s hard.  No joke, it’s harder than it sounds and here are a few reasons why:

Sell the candidate, sell the company - Recruiting has a lot in common with Sales, tons of grinding and prospecting to find business (or candidates if you’re a corporate recruiter) so you spend a ton of time of time on the phone.  No big deal, the phone is fun.  The challenge is this....you are ALWAYS selling.  Sell the candidate on the role.  Sell your client on the candidate.  Sell the compensation.  Sell the benefits.  Negotiate the agreement. Sell, sell, sell. You’ve got to have that mindset from the start.

Most recruiters don’t last - Little know fact, most people who start a career in recruiting are out of recruiting within 3 months.  If they make it past that...maybe two years but most people get worn down over time because all they do is hammer the phone when the get started.  What they don’t realize, great recruiting is more than just hammering the phone...but when you first get started you usually can’t see the forest from the tree.

The numbers don’t lie - My first boss in recruiting taught me many lessons, this one has really stuck.  “If you play baseball and hit .300 you’re an All-Star, in recruiting if you hit .200 you’ll do really well...but what that means is 80% of the time you’ll fail.  Hiring metrics, pass thru rates, submittal numbers etc etc don’t lie......recruiting is a game of failure and how well you can keep your eye on the wins....and the wins will come.

Most of the tools suck - Yeah, I said it.  Most of the tools you'll use suck so when you pull a report...that data sucks too.  Recruiters are many things, great tool builders....meh

You’re always on the chopping block - Look, hard truth here.  Recruiting is always the first function to feel a slow down.  We are the ultimate cost center.  Not only are we expensive...but we hire people who are at least as expensive as we are and add to the bottom line.  So, when revenues are down or the market crashes who gets laid off first?  Recruiters go.....sad but true.

It’s always a hiring problem - Final hard truth but it’s something you’ll find at most companies.  Companies always blame recruiting.  Attrition high?  Hire more people.  Miss revenue?  Recruiting didn’t hire enough sales people.  Expenses too high?  Recruiting over hired and drove up expenses.  Can’t hire enough engineers?  The candidate pipeline is too small.    Honestly, I’ve seen all of these examples in real life.  What’s funny, is it’s almost never JUST a recruiting problem.  Sometimes it is sure but usually it’s a bigger issue about the culture or the way the company operates it’s just easier for everyone to point at us recruiters than it is to say there is a culture or management problem.

There are a million other things that make recruiting hard but this is just a quick short list...for those of you getting started or considering a career in recruiting I hope it helps.  My blog can be a lot of puppy dogs and ice cream and I wanted to make sure I keep it real.  I love recruiting and will probably spend my entire career doing it but don’t think it will be easy.  Chances are you’ll work longer hours and have more ups/downs than most of your friends......but that’s ok, we can handle it.

Fun. Recruiting! Recruiting advice from the album "Some Nights"

Another one of my musical themed blogs.  Now, some of my loyal readers are probably thinking...”Wow, Jeff listens to pop music” instead of my normal hard rock or metal....well yeah, I like a little pop every now and again :)

I won’t get into too much of an overview of the band, because by now Fun. is one of the biggest new bands around and their album “Some Nights” is REALLY popular.  Anyway...I love it and honestly find it to be really inspiring.  It’s a great, album and if you give it a listen...I think you’ll find some job search/career inspiration too.  With that...Fun. Recruiting Advice:

Give me a second I need to get my story straight - We Are Young

Ok, simple lesson here...before you go on an interview make sure you are prepared. You’d be shocked at how many candidates don’t prep and bomb the interview.  Don’t be that guy.

Ten years of this, I’m not sure anyone understands - Some Nights

I love this line, and think it’s pretty relevant to a lot of people.  Sometimes you feel like no one really understands the work you do.  That sucks.  Don’t fall into this trap.  Take time to celebrate your work and make sure that you’re not the only one who appreciates your work.

Why don’t we break the rules already?  Some Nights

Ahhhhh.....one of my favorite topics. Rules are in place for a reason, gotta follow them.  However, sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.  So, every now and again break a rule.  Get shit done and clean up the broken glass later. Got it?

If you’re lost and alone or you’re sinking like a stone...carry on - Carry On

Yeah, so if you ever find yourself feeling like this at work?  Carry on out to a new job.  Seriously, life is too short to be miserable and getting depressed at work.  If you’re feeling lost and alone...get a new job.

We are shining stars, we are invincible, we are who we are - Carry On

No real recruiting lesson here but this makes me think of some of the teams I’ve managed, especially the one I manage now.  Superstars think they can do anything and get any task accomplished....so, if you’re as good as you think you are.....you’re invincible.

For once I feel like I belong - Why Am I The One

This is really about workplace culture.  When you find a place that really truly fits your personality.....stick with it.  Great cultures are hard to find and you should cherish your time working somewhere with a great culture.

Why can’t you see that no one is going to save us - Stars

Probably my favorite lyric for this blog.  Lets face it, for your career...you are the only person that has responsibility for your path.  You’ve got to always be thinking about #1 and making sure that you’re happy and enjoying what you do.

That’s it this week...I’ve been out in California getting to learn my new role so it’s been a little busy.  Lots of more content soon.  Good luck out there!

Thoughts on relocating for a job...

Alright a few weeks back I asked for some recommendations on blog topics, so this weeks is the first in the series.  It comes from my buddy Greg Schwan, so Greg...this one’s for you.

Ok, so you’re considering a job and that job will require you to relocate.  Relocating where you live is a big deal, one of the biggest decisions you can make frankly.  In order to honestly consider a job that will require relocation you’ve got to, and I mean GOT TO consider a few things.

1) Can you actual work in the location - There are visa issues you need to consider as well as potential language issues.  Consider this stuff before you even apply.  I once applied for a job in Zurich...first question of the interview was “Do you speak German?”..um nope, interview over.  

2) Can you afford it? - Don’t expect your new company to buy you out of an underwater mortgage or give you a 50% bump in pay.  Understand your target location and know if you can actually afford to move there.  Additionally, if you are moving from say New York City to Pittsburgh...don’t expect MORE money than you make now.  Typically moving from an expensive city to a less expensive location you should expect a CUT in your compensation. When taking a role that requires relocation, be realistic about compensation before you start interviewing.

3) Have a timeline - Companies want to hire people yesterday, you know something about business needs.  As such, they really don’t like it when you get a job offer and tell them “Great, I’ll start in four months”.  When you looking to relocate, people realize it takes time...just be upfront and communicate it to your future employer.

4) Ask your spouse - You’d be surprised how many people I talk to about taking a job and they call back saying “My spouse doesn’t want to move right now”....um, thanks for that.  Like I said up top...this is a huge decision and you HAVE to talk to your spouse before you get started.  If the whole family isn’t onboard...you’re not going anywhere.

5) Have a target location - You’d be surprised how many people I talk to and they say things like “I’m looking at opportunities in Boston, NY, Austin Tx and the Bay Area”...um what?  Seriously, moving a HUGE life decision don’t be all willy nilly with it.  Find a location you like, and target it.  You’ll waste a ton of time if you “think” you’d like to work in Texas but you find out that you really only wanted to work in Boston.

Ok, that’s it.  Would love to hear from you guys what you think.  Hopefully more soon, trying to crank out a second post this week!

Jeff

Does your resume matter anymore?

Earlier this week I spoke a little bit about social media and your job search...and someone asked me “Does your resume matter anymore?”  Which seemed like a great follow up to my earlier post.

So....with all the stuff in the world now between profile pages, LinkedIn profiles and other social networks...does your resume matter?  In a word, yes....but not as much as you’d think.

The Ladders recently did a study that talked about how most recruiters can review a resume in about 6 seconds.  Crazy right?  I mean, I can’t believe it takes that long.....kidding!  But the point is, your resume matters and you HAVE to get to the point.  Long, rambling resumes just aren’t read anymore.  Take some time and look at the study above, pretty cool stuff.  A few other quick take aways from this data:

- Recruiters focus what they think is important....education, current experience and location.  Not rocket science if you think about it. Recruiters are basically asking 1) Does this person meet my educational requirements 2) Does their current experience map to the role I’m looking to fill and 3) How realistic is it for them to work in my office from a location perspective.

- You’ve got 6 seconds...........when people are writing resumes or doing “elevator pitches” the golden rule should be “Short and Sweet”

- Employee Referrals are REALLY the way to get hired now....recruiters are swamped and screening people in seconds.  Your best way into a great new gig.....finding a friend or former colleague who can get your resume to a hiring manager.

That’s it for now....hope you are all having a great week!