Whether you call it mojo, swagger, or attitude, make sure you show it on your next interview.
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This is a show about Mojo… Swagger… Attitude… Whatever you want to call it.. Whether you are a leader, executive or a staff person, firms buy into it. Often when you’re out looking for work, and on your turf and don’t feel completely confident, you feel like you want to feel about the other person… Mistake.
What you need to do is deal with the other person as you presuppose them today. After all, 95 times out of 100 when you meet people in the social situation your instincts about them right. Don’t waste time feeling out of the people; just go right into trusting your instincts about the other person.
As you walk into the interview, shake hands assertively with someone. I’m not talking about one of those ridiculous handshakes that almost seem like someone is pumping water from a well.
I’m talking about a firm confident handshake. An assertive manner about yourself (Being assertive is not rude or obnoxious. It’s just confident, certain and decisive).
We think about certain actors or actresses and how they carry themselves in front of the , a have “IT.” You want to have “IT” and show it. You want to have that great handshake, a great smile in your face, as you talk you don’t want to seem concerned or worried or like you are wondering. What you want to be doing is speaking confidently and with certainty about the subject.
At the end of the day if they choose someone else, it makes no difference because someone is going to hire you. You have to conduct yourself with that belief. Someone is going to hire you. It’s just a question the right firm finding you and you demonstrating your skills in a way that makes sense to them.
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Do you think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.
The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.
JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.
I am asking a lot of questions by the members of JobSearchCoachingHQ.com, my side with curated information that you can watch listen to or read to help you find work more quickly.
This is a question I was asked recently that I thought would be helpful to you. How do you spot a bad recruiter?
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The question for today is, “How do you spot a bad recruiter?” I think it’s a wonderful question, but, I’m not going to give you the answer that you expect.
Here’s what my thinking is. Most of you think that a bad recruiter is someone who doesn’t get a job for you. You think a bad recruiter is someone who doesn’t find you work. As a matter of fact, they may never arrange for an interview for you.
The problem with that is you are confused about what a recruiter is supposed to do. You make the mistake of thinking that recruiters work for you when, in fact, recruiters are paid by employers, not paid to find positions for someone.
I read an answer on Quora. I want to acknowledge it and poke holes in it. It starts off, “From the beginning when you get a first email message from a recruiter, skim to the bottom. Was it written to you. If you could change the name of the top and so the 200s of people… That’s the sign of a bad recruiter!”
No. That’s an indication that they are casting a wide net. They don’t know if you’re going to be interested. As a matter of fact, most people will never respond. It’s not that they send out bulk email (because in some way, shape or form, you pay contact with them in the past). They have a database that lets them know that one time, when you are in touch with them in the past, you did similar work to what was being sought by the client.
They are presenting an opportunity. You have to accept that opportunity. That’s fine.
“They use buzzwords and pick up lines. Bad recruiters have conversations where they use buzzwords and weak pickup lines.”
I have no idea what this person means by, “weak pickup lines.” They are obviously being sarcastic. However, buzzwords may reflect technology and functionality within a particular profession that a client may require. You have to find out whether the person has those skills pretty quickly in order to see if you are wasting your time and theirs.
“They don’t understand its structure of an interview. They ask questions out of left field that seem like they are out of order.”
No. Something may have popped into their mind that they forgot to cover. I’m a human being. I do make mistakes. I do forget they ask certain things. If you think, bad recruiter, having filled more than 1200 positions plus consulting assignments, having gone 1500+ YouTube videos on job search, having done three podcasts and a whole host of things because I have something that didn’t seem like was in the right sequence for you, how do you feel if someone criticize you for that in your work?
I’m imperfect being. So are you. Give me a break. Don’t expect perfection.
“Hard sell.” That might be the side of a bad recruiter. I’m going to conceive that point. Some people sell hard. If the reason that they are selling hard is because you changed your story will beg, well, excuse me!
There is an inconsistency that you have not communicated, you’ve changed your mind, we’ve gone to bat (as you must realize, contingency recruiters are only paid it if you are hired and remain in the employ of the client for certain period of time).
As a result, your change, on communicated, is a surprise. When we are surprised, often, we are looking at a substantial portion of our income going away. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you, but you have to expect that there will be a human reaction to that.
“The questions that they ask are dumb.” An employer often requires us to ask and take questions to ensure that a person is qualified.
“We don’t follow up do they do all the talking? Are they listening to what you are saying? Do they do the things they say they will when they well?” Do you?
I will simply say, recruiters are imperfect beings. We are sometimes held up by our clients who change their mind and have their circumstances change.
At the end of the day, we don’t work for you. We work for an employer who is paying us just like you work for an employer who is paying you. When push has to come to shove, you can do whatever you wish, however, what you interpret as being a bad recruiter often isn’t.
I will give you one thing. One of the best indicators of a good recruiter is longevity. They have had success in their field. Worked for their organization (organizations in general) for lengthy periods of time.
I’m not saying this to blow my own horn, but I have survived many recessions and thrived for more than 40 years. That should send a message to you. Will it be perfect for everyone? Absolutely not. A lot of people will judge me as a bad recruiter because I haven’t help them.
Okay. Your background doesn’t fit what my clients want to hire. Do you think I’m going to get on the phone and call thousand companies for FREE (because you’re not paying me anything) to find a job for you? NO!!! I paid by organizations to find talent for them, not to find you a job.
So, remember, who does a recruiter work for? That’s the basis of the question. The answer is an employer. They make the judgment by hiring the firm the recruiter works for, doing it time and again, hiring that individual recruiter time and again to fill positions
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Do you think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.
The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.
JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.= http://www.JobSa
[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7qB0kRcacc[/svp]
What do I do? Try another field?
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The question for today is, “it’s been over a year since I graduated college and I can’t find a job in my field. What should I do?
The original question was from a graphic designer who has been on 20 interviews so far and is nothing to show for. They are thinking of taking a job as a sheriff or a car salesman (I think you’re being sarcastic here). They are wondering what to do.
Your resume is obviously good enough because you’ve gotten 20 interviews. The problem breaks down to you don’t interview well and need to learn how to answer interview questions effectively.
If you want to give up, that’s your prerogative but you will be learning the habit of giving up, instead of trying to fix the problem.
How do you learn how to interview well? There are lots of ways. I will do a quick commercial for myself and JobSearchCoachingHQ.com where I have curated information from around the web that I and others have created, where you can watch, listen to or read great information that will help you find work.
But, if you want to give up, go ahead!
You can also do Google searches, YouTube searches, look on job boards sites for information and, from they are, practice it. Practice how to answer these questions more effectively.
Have people observe you so that you get their input on how to interview because, at the end of the day when you’re going for a graphic design job or any job, you will have to interview… And you’ve already demonstrated that you don’t know how to do it well.
By the way, let me back up for second. I believe a person can dissect their own job search and where it is breaking down very easily.
If you are not getting interviews, focus on the resume. If you are getting interviews in not being invited back for second interviews, focus on your first interviewing skills. If you are being invited for second interviews but not getting offers are invited back for thirds, focus on your skills for second interviews and where it is breaking down. If the offers are coming in low you are not making them, “fall in love.”
If you are getting job offers but they are coming in low, there are things that you are doing where you’re leaving them with doubts and causing them to say to themselves, “Screw it. If he takes it great. If she accepts, fine.” They’re not in love with you.
That’s the way you dissect your job search.
For you, you are getting interviews so the resume is okay. Get better at it; you will get better results.
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Do you think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.
The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.
JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.
