The most common job hunting mistake...and ways to correct it!

I have been mulling what the "most common mistake on the job search," is, and I keep coming back to the idea that people (spectrum and non) often treat looking for a job as a bunch of individual efforts rather than a synthesized, related process that really benefits from even a little bit of pre-planning and organization in advance. Of course, this can be a challenge to people of all ages, skills, and experience, not to mention those on the Spectrum who often are really challenged by a process that is both possibly new to them and also very involved and detailed even in the best of circumstances. Fortunately, there are ways for all people to set themselves up for success and make their efforts count, building on previous experiences in order to keep refining their process and thus be working both smart and hard! It is doable!

Basically, in my work, I have found that breaking down the job search into granular parts is the best approach, with the first break-down level being the parts of 1. where to apply, 2. outreach needs, and 3. follow up. Of course, all these parts have processes that work together to an extent, but they can also be separated and looked at as unique work, and maybe for some or all of these parts getting some outside help/feedback on the more challenging elements is worthwhile. 

Executive Function skills will be developed and/or bolstered with this approach, and when the time comes to do the job search again it won't be a novel situation, and doing it right will also teach work skills as far as "managing it like a project." 

I apologize in advance that this reply is long, but I hope it contains advice that is useful...I love this kind of work and could go on in deeper detail about anything I mention below, please just ask! Helping others helps me sharpen my skills! 

WHERE TO APPLY: Keep it simple...unless you are ready and willing to move or commute a goodly distance, what are some places where you'd like to work that are close to where you live? "Close" is pretty subjective, but getting to and from work with ease will make the other parts of a life a bit easier to navigate and lessen stress and anxiety, giving a person the best chance to perform the new job with greater confidence and not miss work due to commute hassles. Perhaps as you apply at more places your distance increases, but keep it as simple and close as possible, to start. 

Networking with people you know about your job hunt is also very valuable...if you mention you are looking for a job (be it entry level or all the way to executive level) and in what general type of work, even if someone has no ideas when you mention it, they will become a kind of ambassador for you and have your search in mind as they go about their day and see notices in windows, read online posts, or hear things from their contacts that might benefit you! It's a compliment to appropriately network with someone, not a hassle for them...check online for examples on how to do this or ask someone more experienced for advice, it's a "soft skill" that is scary if you have not done it before but it gets much easier with some practice!

Check the education and/or experiences of people who have the kind of job you are shooting for to see how you realistically compare to them, and adjust depending on what you find. It's KEY to make a list or spread sheet of places you think you could apply...please do not tap your forehead and say "It's all up here!" PROCESS and ORGANIZATION start here!

OUTREACH NEEDS: Here is where a person can REALLY be efficient and help themselves! Outreach email messages or cover letters, resumes, writing samples, references, Power Points that show your work, and various sorts of other materials may all come into play. Rather than "reinventing the wheel" each and every time (not time efficient, very discouraging, and not where you want to devote your focus), have a resume that you carefully tweak to promote strengths and experiences and abilities that relate to the job you are applying for, and cover letters/email messages that have some spots for personalization and again thoughtfully highlighting what you've done that prepares you for the gig. 

Keep copies of these letters/messages and resume drafts so that when the job calls you about your application, you can pull up what you sent them and be ready for the informal/formal interview...print them out before a phone call or before heading into an office, and have them with you for easy reference when you sit down with people. 

Remember that list or spread sheet of places to apply? Now add columns that list what you sent them and when, along with any comments on personalization that you did or info on the company...this step especially helpful for developing executive function skills for uniquely-abled folks, and for general organization understanding for anyone.

Keep the work on where to apply and outreach work going until the right job is accepted...NEVER say something like "Okay, I've applied at five places, I'll just wait and see what they say." New places and new outreach all the time, even if you have interviews scheduled and things look promising...until they offer the job and you accept, you don't have a job and you have to keep this process going. It's something of a volume game...better things tend to happen with more chances for them TO happen. "Keep the pipeline full!"

FOLLOW UP: Sometimes overlooked, this last part really closes the loop and develops the executive function piece: each job opportunity is not just discovered and applied for and then...nothing?! If you get no response on your application, after about two weeks, a brief email or pre-scripted call reminding the place of your candidacy and refreshing your interest and hoping to continue the contact is warranted. Same thing after about another two weeks if the silence continues. After that, this opportunity may "go on the back burner," but you'll have other things going all the time to occupy you until the right job is accepted...that "full pipeline" also pays benefits in staying optimistic and knowing you have other options out there, and were not just counting on a few applications to come through. 

Keep track of this with your list, so you don't have to guess if you did, in fact, check with Acme Corp about your application. If a place turns you down, you might consider a polite follow up to find out what you were lacking in their evaluation of your candidacy. This info might be hard to hear, but it'll help you SO MUCH in future work or in deciding what jobs to later realistically go after. You are not arguing with them, you are asking for feedback on your application and to benefit from the HR person's point of view. Maybe in five years of working elsewhere you'll have what they said they were interested in hiring, and perhaps come back for another opening (they likely won't remember or care about the previous application, and if they do, spin it as "I told you I wanted to work there, and I never have forgotten your company!").

If you get a phone or in-person interview, NEVER ignore a hand-written (or typed out and glued into a card) thank-you note, thanking them for their time and consideration, mentioning something about the interview that you liked or that really mattered to you (not just a generic "thanks"), and reiterating why you are right for the job and enthusiastic about the opportunity. Send this promptly (same day ideal!) after the interview, with the name of the person who was the primary interviewer CORRECTLY SPELLED and right mailing address..find this off the web or get a business card, please don't ask them during the interview. An email to them is okay, I guess, and a bit better than nothing, but a mailed note really cuts through the chatter...always has, always will. Don't send flowers or edible arrangements or anything like that to thank them :-) 

Whew! That's a lot, but I hope it helps and, as always, I am eager to expand on any of the above or any related topics. Thank you for reading!

For your abilities, "NAME IT, CLAIM IT, AIM IT!"

NAME IT, CLAIM IT, AIM IT!

I heard this approach to one's personal skills and abilities described as the title reads, and was immediately impressed by this approach.  To give credit where credit is due, I heard it from Dr. Jennifer Selke www.jennselke.com , who adapted it from a webinar by David Rock that can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeJSXfXep4M .

It all starts with a talent, and finishes with a strength!  

In general, this approach encourages people to do three things in order to know themselves and their talents and to be able to use these talents most effectively.  First, you have to recognize your talent or approach yourself, and this recognition could come from strength trainings, observations of others, your own realizations, student/colleague feedback, etc.  Giving your talents a specific identity and name will help you with the next step, and also lets you start thinking in a concrete way about yourself by separating this talent from the many things that make you up that are all stirred together in our minds and sometimes a bit murky because we have not strained out these talents separately and acknowledged them on their own.

Next, "claiming it," and seeing where this talent is used/applied and helpful to you is worthwhile, and always keep it positive.  For example, does this talent really show up when stressed, or when you plan on using it, or when you set up the needed conditions for it to emerge?  When are condition optimum for the talent to emerge and be best applied?  Once you know this, you can try and set up things for the talent to be deployed in a measured and logical way, and perhaps move yourself towards using it even at times when you might not have in the past.  If it is a strength, why not try and have it deployed as often as possible, even in new or unfamiliar circumstances?

Finally, "aiming" it, which I gave examples of at the end of the previous paragraph, which I define as dealing with getting the talent targeted and fully assimilated as part of your arsenal of talents to use at the right time.  This could be recognizing a time when using the talent makes the most sense, and maybe even trying to stretch the talent to meet a new use, which is where things really start to be multiply-useful and have sustained yield (recall the "MUSY" theory from a few blog entries back on here?). 

Your talents can become strengths, which are personally useful and highly marketable, and potential employers will LOVE that you know yourself well and can discuss the things you do well and when you do them...that'll make it easier for them to slot you in the right spot and in a position you can excel in! 

Know yourself, for fun and profit!

Improved communication through ending statements with questions to others

Sometimes in conversation with clients, I notice that the bridges to great communication are not being built by them because they often end statements by just ending them, as if they have run out of information to convey.  If the conversation was a quick one that doesn't need to go further, that's one thing...but what if it's not?  What if there is more to say, or if the other person has not been allowed to speak their mind? At that point, it's up to me to figure a way to continue the conversation.  What would be helpful is for clients to develop the sense of ending their statement with a related question to me, such as "What do you think about (conversation topic)?" or "Has something similar ever happened to you, and how did you handle it?" or something along those lines.  Placing all the responsibility for continuing the conversation on the other person is tough for them, it's got to something that's shared in order for everyone to feel like they are "equally vested" in the communication.

Developing the ability to come up with these sentence bridges is key, and in a related way, knowing how to end a conversation with the implied mutual understanding that "if there is more, we can talk again" is also worthwhile.  After everyone has been able to give their viewpoint, being able to say "Okay for now, let's continue this later" is a nice way to sort of cap that part of the conversation, but allow for the chance of deeper talk later.  Just ending by finishing what YOU have to say and standing there quietly might be misinterpreted by the conversation partner, and in any case puts a new responsibility on them to bridge the gap or else just be done with the talk, perhaps before they are really ready to do so.

Asking for other people's input is normally welcome, and having some "soft" ways of ending the conversation on your part that allows other input right then or in the future gives the people also in the dynamic the chance to have some appropriate closure to the communication.  Envision it as not slamming a door, but rather putting your hand on the doorknob, which non-verbally clues someone else that perhaps the conversation is winding down...but the gentle had allows a few more moments of conversation and will enable them to come back later via speaking or email or text to revisit the conversation and continue things.  Listen to how others do it, or ask people for their ideas on how to perform this skill, and you'll have better conversations and more satisfied co-workers and friends as you develop a tough skill that really elevates you verbally and inter-personally!

Easy to uncover TREASURE TROVES of helpful information are right there for you!

For cover letters, inquiry emails, informational interviews, or preparing for interviews (in person or over the phone), few things can provide as much pertinent information as reading a company's "news," "press releases," or "information"website sections, or doing an internet search with the company's name or name of some of the company leaders.  This kind of "intel" can really open up great lines of communication and conversation, and show that you are putting in the kind of effort and thought that would be worthwhile having as part of the company.

That said, just tossing out facts and figures with no context is a pretty unsubtle move.  What you want to do is connect your talents, experience, and interests with things that are current and happening with the company.  Working this into a cover letter or conversation by communicating something like "I noticed that your company is starting to expand into new markets via an online club membership effort, and I have three years of experience setting up and maintaining loyalty club outreach work, as you may have seen on my resume."  Or, "I read that (the company) is trying to expand the territory that salespeople will cover, and that reminds of the work that I did introducing (your old company) to new potential clients via cold-calling and targeted outreach to individuals and companies that I researched and put into a detailed data base."  Linking what's coming up or important to the company that you would like to be hired by with your own experience and demonstrated talents slowing edges you away from "unknown commodity" status toward the "worth hiring" category.  Enough of these nudges and you'll be talking to HR and filling out new hire paperwork...isn't that a nice moment to imagine?

Read the press releases the company puts out, search what newspapers or bloggers might have to say, know industry trends that might affect the company and bring these details out when the moment presents itself.  If nothing else, in an interview, using this info during the "So, do you have any questions for me?" time is worthwhile.  Better still is doing that linking of you and their needs when they start with the reliable "Tell me a little bit about yourself" interview gambit, and doing it then will give you momentum and confidence as the interview picks up speed. 

Knowing the history of the company, some information about the person you might be speaking to in an interview, and the most up to date news on the company is information that you can process and think about and deploy when the time is right...and the right time is always sooner than later!

Interview specifics...GET THE JOB BY BEING READY FOR THE INTERVIEW!

Interviews by telephone and those in person are both chances for you to shine, and with a bit of preparation and anticipation they can be things that add a sense of urgency to the mind of a potential employer about the need to hire you/keep the interview process going.  Many parts of the interview are things you can successfully anticipate and practice for, and devoting some time to the predictable ingredients is well worth the time and effort!  This post imagines a scenario when it is a one on one interview, but I'll post a blog about panel interview dynamics in the near future.

For telephone interviews, I ALWAYS encourage clients to have a page with as many possible comfortable answers to the predictable questions on it, answers that address the exact question and play up your candidacy with action words and experience examples that will help.  Why NOT do this?  You should practice delivering these answers so they don't wind on too long, or just give clipped, non-interesting responses when more is called for.  Ideally, have someone who has had some interview experience listen to your answers and give you some feedback on both content and length.  Of course, it shouldn't sound as if you are reading from a sheet, so that's something to practice, as well.  What clients have often found is that by practicing and having the sheet with them, they didn't refer to it much, but having it there gave them a sense of comfort and if they got flustered or nervous, there it was for easy reference. Info about the company that you have located through your own research is also a super idea to have on this sheet, you are ready with gentle "arrows in the quiver" to expand the conversation with related information YOU bring up. 

First off, getting the greeting and introductory phase of the interview set is the way to set a launch pad for the rest of it being successful.  Make sure you are clear on the person's name and use the name every so often, but not every sentence! The interviewer will ask how you are, and having a planned, pleasant and easy response to this basic query is important, to give you a chance to settle in to the interview and to mentally clue the interviewer in that you understand what's expected of you.  Asking them in a similar fashion how they are (and waiting for them to answer and then responding briefly) is also a type of social convention that the more you engage in, the interviewer continues to think "Yes on hiring this person." 

Moving into the heart of the interview, there will probably be early questions about why you think you should work for the company.  Being prepared to show you know your own strengths is critical, and weaving some information about the company needs that shows you have looked at their website and their upcoming events and press releases or news stories about them and can give this information back in a concise fashion will continue to burnish your image with the person you are speaking to.  Here is where you are not boastful but confident and secure in your abilities and past work, and can speak about it without embarrassment or reluctance.  If you can't give them reasons to hire you, who can?

Working in bits and pieces of the research you did about the company is also a key move.  Don't just talk about what they bring up about the company, show that you went out on your own to find out more and that you can bring up items that relate to what's being talked about at the pertinent times.  I'm not saying you should ignore their questions and control the conversation, I'm saying that having command of a wide range of topics that relate to the company and their past, present, and future is a characteristic that will separate you from other people who are not as resourceful and forward-thinking.  These things fit well on the prep page I mentioned earlier, by the way.

You will be asked "Do you have any questions for me?"  HAVE SOME!  If the interview has gone on a long time, maybe one or two are enough.  If it's been short-ish, here is where you control the extension of time and your exposure.  Questions about the extra information you found out through research before the interview can be used here, and also a variation on "Well, in your experience at COMPANY, what are some personal qualities (or work style characteristics, or personal values, or habits, etc) that successful people at COMPANY have had?"  Then, when they answer, follow up by connecting your qualities/characteristics/values/habits with the ones they mentioned, with examples of you exhibiting them if possible.  By doing this, you get some personal insights from the person, and then align yourself with things that mattered to them...more "Yes on hiring this person."

When they signal that the interview is winding down, be clear on what the next steps might be, whether they need anything else from you, and if you have mentioned something about your past and sending some sort of report copy or work product to them be sure to get the right email or mailing address so you can do this promptly.  Be clear on when you can expect to hear from them, or if they are waiting for something from you. Thank them for the time and attention, and sign off.  IT'S NOT OVER, HOWEVER!  Sending a thank you note (ideally handwritten, but emailed is better than nothing) right away is crucial!  Don't start with "Thank you for ...," start with something like "I was happy to speak with you earlier today about the POSITION NAME..." and then go on, with a thank you somewhere later.  Mention something that was helpful about the conversation, or something that impressed you about the talk, or a factoid that came up, so that it is clear that the note was written after the interview and that you were paying attention.  Get it sent, then wait for the next communication that the interview indicated, and give it "some time to breathe."

Congratulate yourself on a job well done, and then get to work applying for another gig and setting up another interview with another company rather than resting on your achievement...you are HOT and in a groove...stay that way with continued effort until a job offer than you accept comes to you!  DON'T LET UP!