Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Halloween Job Search Horror Stories

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halloween 1In honor of Halloween, I thought I would re-post some job search horror stories I’ve collected over the years. The goal is to share tales from job seekers (so you know you’re not alone) AND from hiring managers, so job seekers can learn what things might NOT work.

I guess that I wasn’t too surprised to learn that some of these horror stories may have had different endings had the job seeker taken a different approach. NOT that this excused rude behavior on the part of the hiring manager, but it is important to learn something from these stories…

Todd shared this story:

So, this so-called executive recruiter sends me a questionnaire (10 pages BTW) and says complete it and schedule an “interview.” Well, in full disclosure, I only completed half, but went ahead and scheduled the meeting. After all, I was an executive and my resume was what I wanted to talk about. So, while waiting in the lobby of this firm, some guy walks out to greet me. He’s wearing some ridiculous looking suit with tennis shoes and showing off a shiny keychain that says “Hyundai” and acts like he’s doing me a favor by taking the time to meet with me.

The guy walks me to some conference room, throws the half-complete questionnaire on the table and begins to yell at me–literally. He proceeds to tell me that I’m a loser and have no future. I couldn’t believe it!

So, I stood up and said I made a mistake. Then–THEN–he calls me an “a-hole” as I walked out. All I said was, ” Back at ya!”

Following this, eh em…episode, I landed a job as an executive for an online brokerage firm in Texas. I always wanted to call the guy and rub it in, but why stoop to that level?

So, what can we learn here? Clearly, Todd wasn’t very interested in this job! The fact is, if he was not willing to fill out the application (no matter how long), he should not have bothered to apply! As a job seeker, it is your responsibility to follow directions regarding the application if you want the job!

On the other hand, if you see what seems like a ridiculous application process, consider it a red flag. Maybe this company has policies and proceedures that are not likely to mesh with your preferred way of doing things. Evaluate it and decide NOT to apply! Even if you are desperate for a job, you know, deep down, you are unlikely to be happy working for a place that sets up what you consider to be an absurd hiring process.

In this case, obviously, the hiring manager was a bit “off.” It’s never appropriate to yell and swear at an applicant, and you have to assume an employee would receive the same treatment. So, it was lucky for Todd that things worked out the way they did!

What do you think? Share your comments below.

How to decide between two job offers

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Keppie CareersWhen it rains, it pours. Sometimes, it seems as if you’ve been looking for a job forever with no results, then, all of a sudden, you’re being offered an interview with another company when you are in the midst of negotiating an offer. Lucky you! However, even if it’s an enviable position, it can be stressful to navigate this challenging, new terrain. How can you decide between two job offers?

This is a tricky situation, as you don’t want to put your existing invitation in jeopardy. There’s no perfect solution to this. No general advice can address every possible situation or circumstance, so consider your options carefully.

What should you do if you have an offer in hand and have a chance to interview for another job? Consider the following, and make the choice that is right for you.

Your options.

Assuming you haven’t signed a non-compete and have no legal reason why you cannot work for another organization, nothing stops you from interviewing for a new job at any time – even if you’ve already accepted an offer. If you’re still negotiating and have not signed an acceptance, you can still consider other offers.

Inform the second company.

You may want to let the second company know that you are already considering one offer and ask about the timing for their hiring process. If you believe it is worth interviewing for the new opportunity, you can try to request the organization that has made you an offer to give you more time to consider joining them.

Beware of repercussions.

Be aware, companies can rescind their offers at any time, so if you stretch things out too much with the first company before knowing if you’ll have a chance at the second company, the hiring authorities at the first company may decide to cut you loose. This is a “the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” scenario. In other words, if you have one offer, you don’t want to risk everything for the possibility of another unless the reward is big enough to be worth that risk.

Assess your standing.

You’ll want to assess your standing in being offered this role. Do you have the sense that you are a perfect fit, and they’ve been searching for someone with your skills for a long time? Or, are you more likely one of many people who are well suited to the job?

If you must make a decision before you have a chance to know your standing for the second potential opportunity, decide how much of a risk you are willing to take in hopes of landing the second job. If it’s worth the risk, you can let company #1 know you are interviewing for company #2 and see if that may inspire them to provide a more competitive offer if you are a highly competitive candidate.

If company #1 improves its offer once it knows you are being considered for company #2, your best bet is to continue and finalize negotiations with that company or assume you may lose the offer altogether unless you are the perfect candidate they’ve been waiting to meet. Only you can decide if it is a risk worth taking.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

How a Digital Detox Can Help Your Career

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How interconnected do you need to be? Have you thought about how being tethered to mobile devices may impact your career and wellbeing? This is a guest post by Lindsey Pollak, a bestselling author, Millennial workplace expert and spokesperson for The Hartford’s My Tomorrow campaign.

Last year, 2013, marked the first year that Americans spent more time online on our mobile devices than on our computers. Millennials, not surprisingly, lead the pack in mobile—spending the most time shopping, texting and reading the news through their smartphones and other devices. This past February, Facebook announced that it would be acquiring the private text messaging service, WhatsApp, for a whopping $19 billion, demonstrating the tremendous value of owning mobile eyeballs.

Naturally, the mobile mania has made its way into the workplace, enabling employees to work anytime, anywhere. This has created a need for companies to incorporate flexibility around typical workplace hours and environments as well, making company policy on mobility and flexibility a necessity. Flexibility around the use of mobile has become an expectation for young workers in particular when evaluating potential employers.

Despite this mobile mania, Millennials are recognizing that unplugging from time to time is just as important as maintaining their social savviness, particularly as they rise in their careers. They believe it’s important for leaders to be tech-savvy, but not tech-reliant. Eighty-six percent of Millennials in The Hartford’s 2013 Leadership Survey said the use of social media holds some importance to being an effective leader, but they clearly do not view it as a major contributor. Just 22 percent said it is very important or absolutely critical.

As we all know, the lure of social media is hard to ignore at work or at home. Mobile is all around us – literally – so it’s important to take time away from our screens. A digital detox can keep your health up, stress down and refresh you so you can improve your productivity. And, believe it or not, taking a break from electronics can actually increase productivity and keep you on track with tasks. In a recent survey conducted by meQuilibrium, 50 percent of the respondents checked their work email outside the office, while at the same time 73 percent felt that using electronic devices contributed to stress in their lives.

What does a digital detox entail? Take a day off or a week off, whichever you believe will be most beneficial, and remove your work email from your phone. Check your email only at designated times during the day. Take a break from social media sites, e-newsletters, Candy Crush and even the habit of checking your weather app multiple times a day. You’ll likely find, when you are finished with your detox, you’ll feel renewed and will be able to approach tasks with a newfound energy or sense of clarity. If you cut out the use of digital tools, you also might be surprised at how much you can get done without them.

If you’re nervous about completely unplugging, start with a mini-detox during your first couple of hours after work. Try to use the time to relax and unwind from your day – not as a continuation of the last task you were working on, or to finish up the one last deliverable. Sometimes in order to objectively view a problem or business strategy you need to take a step back and view it from the outside. Removing yourself from the office, physically and digitally, is a great way to do that.

Learn more about Lindsey Pollak and read about her upcoming book, Becoming the Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of Leaders, by visiting her website.

Things that drive you crazy about corporate life

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file0001344010980What drives you crazy about the corporate world? In an environment where conformity seems to be the rule, you may have even caught yourself participating in some of these hated rituals – even as you mock them to friends in happy hour after work. In the new, third edition of her book, They Don’t Teach Corporate in College, Alexandra Levit points out these conventions and traditions we love to hate.

1. Corporate Déjà Vu. It seems as though it’s a requirement in business that you spend huge amounts of time reporting the same information in a dozen different formats, attending status meetings where conversation from the week before is repeated word for word and where you put out the same fires, because your department doesn’t learn from its mistakes.

2. Name dropping. Also known as “invoking syndrome,” this occurs when colleagues try to persuade you to do what they want by name-dropping someone higher up. Whether the executive manager was actually involved or not, invoking him is a manipulative tactic used to get you to bend to your colleagues’ wishes. For example: “Really? Well, I spoke to the CEO last night, and he told me we have to do the event this way.”

3. Ego-mania. When certain people reach a high level in a company, they think that they are better than everyone else and that they are entitled to be treated like a god. Regardless of the issue, they believe they are always right and that they can’t possibly learn anything from someone lower on the chain.

4. Corporate jargon. If you think everyone in the business world speaks your language, think again. The business world’s language is one of subtlety, filled with euphemisms and pet phrases to cleverly disguise what people actually mean.

5. Bureaucracy. How many departments does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Corporate business has a lengthy approval process for everything, and companies delight in changing those processes constantly so that you’re never sure which 10 departments you need to consult before a decision can be made.

6. Hypocrisy. Don’t you just love the way some companies tout values such as quality, entrepreneurship, innovation and integrity, when they would be perfectly happy if their employees just kept quiet and never suggested a disruptive change?

7. Uncommon Sense. Is common sense dead in the business world? People might make a joke of it, but this dearth of logical thought is kind of sad. It’s also frustrating when the obviously correct way to do something is staring everyone right in the face, and no one sees it.

8. Nonsensical Change. Every now and then, companies will decide to throw their departments up in the air and see where all the pieces land. Yes, it’s the reorganization (otherwise known as the dreaded re-org). Despite the fact that it results in mass confusion, greatly decreased productivity and low employee morale, companies continue to do it year after year.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

How to be appreciated at work

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file3831269347533Many people feel underappreciated at work. Why? Perhaps the organization does not have a culture that promotes appreciation. Maybe everyone constantly feels under the gun and no one has time to stop and say thank you. You may ask, “How long does it take to say thank you?”

The reality is, in many workplaces, “thank you” is not automatic, and cannot be expected. In the cut-throat environment where many people toil away every day, it takes a lot more than a job well done to attain the acknowledgement or reward you’d like to see.

Here are tips to get the recognition you deserve when you feel underappreciated at work. (Tweet this thought.)

Identify the stars at your organization and follow their leads. 

Once you figure out who’s doing a great job getting recognition at your workplace, you can leverage that knowledge for your own benefit. Did someone get a huge shout out at the last staff meeting?

Why?

Identify key factors that often lead to recognition. For example, what accomplishment led to the appreciation? Perhaps the organization has more of a tendency to appreciate extra effort; is going above and beyond the call of duty needed to attract appreciation? Is someone appreciated in your office because he or she is a really helpful person to have around in a crisis?

Different organizations value different characteristics at work. Once you see where the bar is set in your organization for recognition, you know what you need to strive to achieve.

Offer insights instead of complaining. 

No one likes a complainer. Like it or not, if you have a reputation for always being a downer at work, it’s going to be difficult to achieve much in the way of recognition. That’s not to say you necessarily have to be a “yes man or woman,” either. Be aware of your attitude and keep it in check if you have a tendency to spout off about every single thing that annoys you. That includes comments on social media, especially if you are connected in any way to anyone connected to your workplace.

Keep in mind: your privacy settings are only as good as your least loose-lipped friend.

Be a problem solver. 

What’s the biggest problem your organization or team faces right now? If you can help take major steps to help solve the problem, or come up with a way to solve it altogether, you will earn recognition. If you still don’t feel appreciated, you may be in the wrong job.

Network in and outside of the office. 

Sometimes, appreciation comes hand-in-hand with relationships. If you’ve been skipping team nights out or prefer to lunch alone, maybe it’s time to make a change and to try to get to know some of the people at work. If you’re not a social person, consider it research instead of socializing. Make it your business to determine what’s most important (in and outside of the office) to your colleagues – and your boss, if possible. You may be surprised to find that a few well-placed lunch appointments can yield interesting information that may help you attract the appreciation you deserve.

Join professional or volunteer organizations. 

While it may not specifically land you appreciation AT work, when you volunteer for your professional association, it’s very likely you’ll have an opportunity to receive some kudos and the “thank you’s” you want at work. A side benefit, you’ll have the opportunity to network with people who can get to know you and your work ethic. Those contacts are key when it’s time to find a new job.

Ask for it. 

While it’s not ideal, perhaps you need to ask for recognition in your workplace. That includes requesting a promotion, a raise or other benefits when appropriate. (Such as after a huge win.) If you don’t get any feedback at all from your boss, request a review. Create a list of your accomplishments and ask for what you want.

It’s possible that you work in a place where the culture is to believe providing a paycheck is thank you enough. If that’s not a good fit for you, after you’ve taken these steps and still aren’t satisfied, it’s time to find a new job where you’ll feel more appreciated.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.