Archive for the Q&A Category

Question

In a comment you posted on last week’s column, you said we should not automatically give an employer our resume, even if that’s what they ask for. You said the resume script is the wrong “cognitive script.” I’m mystified. A resume is how the process of getting hired starts, right? Are we supposed to play coy? Make them beg? Please explain further. I get the feeling you’re somehow right, but resumes are like the ante in a poker game. If you don’t ante up, you’re not in the game!

Nick’s Reply

It’s difficult for people to understand why, even when they’re asked for it, it’s usually best to decline to provide a resume.

What we do with resumes — our resume behavior — is guided by a cognitive script. A cognitive script is a well-worn sequence of behaviors that job seekers follow almost automatically. We don’t question it. We just do it because it’s a kind of play we’ve performed every time we want a new job. Everyone knows their role and doesn’t question or deviate from the sequence of actions.

The resume script

The eager job seeker really, really wants to hand over that resume. Doing so is almost a relief! “Just let me send my resume! I’m looking for a job, right? It starts with my resume, right?” But like any script, the next parts of the action are already written, and with a little reflection you’ll see the outcome is not good.

The recipient of your resume does their part of the resume script and automatically “passes it on” to someone else, usually HR. (You expected them to take it to the correct manager and pitch your candidacy? When is that ever a part of this script?) Your document goes into Resume Hell where it’s lost, or thoughtlessly deemed a “reject” by some unsophisticated clerk whose role in this script is to find reasons to reject as many resumes as possible. (Just following the script!)

This is the part of the resume drama you don’t see, while you fret over when to call to find out “Is there any interest?” Your resume is going round and round in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), and that marks the end of this story. Meanwhile, you keep repeating the final line of the script: “Why is no one returning my calls?”

Drop the resume script and slow down

The problem with the resume script isn’t the use of a resume. It’s using it too soon. Slow down!

What’s hard for eager job seekers to understand is that handing over a resume too soon is the quickest way to a self-fulfilling prophesy: A resume almost never results in an interview or hire.

You know your odds of success are tiny, but you’re falling for one of the gambler’s fallacies: I can’t win if I don’t play, even if the odds suck.

So you toss your ante in the ATS pot  – even though what works best is for you to get directly involved. That is, you must represent yourself personally. Don’t gamble. You have to meet and talk to those that have a role in hiring, not in resume processing.

Don’t play any part in the resume cognitive script. Most job opportunities go south because the job seeker takes no initiative. They let the resume speak for them, and ATSes are not good at listening!

A resume test

So what should you do? Here’s my test for whether it’s time to hand over your resume.

Ask yourself, does the hiring manager already know enough about you (say, from a trusted source that recommended you) that the manager could quickly write a brief outline of your resume?

If the answer is no, then the manager really has no basis for wanting to read your resume — much less to meet you. You haven’t done the proper prep work yet, which is to make sure the manager already knows you or about you. Most job opportunities go south because the your resume cannot defend you while HR (or the hiring manager) is scanning resume after resume for the average of six seconds.

If you haven’t invested the time to talk with people in the hiring manager’s circle (or with the manager directly) so that they will introduce you to the manager, then you’re using the wrong cognitive script. In the resume script, the hiring manager is gathering hundreds or thousands of resumes just to reject virtually all of them.

But if you do this right, the manager drops the resume script and thinks about just one candidate — you. The manager sees you, not the resume. At that point, the hiring manager already has a mental resume about you and needs your resume only in order to “fill in the gaps” — after already learning what’s most important about you from trusted sources.

That’s when it’s time to hand over your resume. That’s when the hiring manager will devote more than six seconds to read it, eager to learn more about you.

Be the wired candidate

No doubt you’ve encountered job applicants who seem to steal every job opportunity from you. They seem to have a special edge. They seem not to follow the normal rules or the resume script. You know them. When you get rejected, here’s what you say about them:

“I didn’t get the job because some other candidate was wired for it!”

And you’re right. The next time you pursue a really good opportunity, it’s entirely up to you to be the wired candidate. Don’t use the resume script that ends with the main character asking, “Why aren’t they returning my calls?”

Reference: Get Hired: 3 steps to become the wired insider for the job

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Does job hunting feel like every time you send out your resume, you’re doing little more than gambling under lousy odds? Have you ever lost a good job opportunity to someone who  was “wired for the job?” Have you ever “wired” yourself to win?

Question

I’m enjoying reading How Can I Change Careers? and I have a question. How do I know what jobs I want? A big part of your book is finding someone who already is doing the job you aspire to. But my knowledge is imperfect and I know I don’t know all the jobs people are already doing. How do I grow my awareness? Wishing you all the best for 2024!

Nick’s Reply

Happy New Year to you, too! Thanks for purchasing How Can I Change Careers? I’m sure you’ve already read the section titled “The Library Vacation.” That’s a good plan for doing some blue-sky exploration to quickly identify a group of jobs you’re motivated to learn more about. But improving your awareness of jobs will always require talking to people!

How to explore jobs you want

Stated simply, my advice about how to learn about jobs you may be interested in is to go hang out with people who do the work you might want to do. Since you’re exploring, draw a circle big enough to encompass whatever range of work you’re considering. These questions should get you started.

1. What industry are we talking about?
2. Product type (or service type) you’d like to be involved with?
3. Or is it some kind of technology you’re most interested in?
4. A geographical preference?
5. A bunch of specific companies that excite you? (Don’t worry whether they’re advertising open jobs. There are other ways for Getting in The Door.)
6. A particular discipline? (Manufacturing, software development, finance, operations…)

Go where those workers hang out

Your answers to any of those questions can point you to places where people congregate to talk shop – that is, about their work, This may include bricks-and-mortar conferences, online gatherings, education programs, professional journals that include virtual or actual discussion forums, or even local hangouts (bars, restaurants, sports clubs) where such people get together. Start with one. Go there. Hang out. Participate. Figure out who the movers and shakers and opinion makers are – ask them well-thought-out questions about their work.

Talk shop

Here are some suggested questions, but take time to formulate some good ones of your own.

• What led you to work at your company?
• What are the biggest challenges you/your company/your industry face?
• What are you reading lately that influences your work?
• Can you recommend someone I should I talk to, to learn more?
• What advice or insight could you share with someone like me who’s interested in this industry/company/line of work?

Why am I suggesting this approach? Because I use similar questions to start conversations with people I need to get to know. And because people love to talk about their work and they love to talk about themselves. Make it easy for them — ask good (but not presumptuous or prying!) questions about their work. Then keep silent and listen.

Make new friends and more friends

The point is not to get an interview or to give them your resume. (That comes later.) It’s to make friends and to learn about their experience and views on their field of work, their specific jobs, their employer and their professional community.

The actual objective is to get referred to others in the field who can tell you more. As your web of new contacts grows, you will find your discussions start to narrow down to specific jobs and opportunities. This takes time, but there’s no magic dust to make it all happen quickly. The upside is, you can make a lot of new friends!

Friends refer friends for jobs

This article might give you some more ideas:

You can’t CLICK to change careers

And here’s a brief lesson you can listen to about changing careers:

How can I change careers? (audio)

In a nutshell, to meet people who do the jobs you aspire to, learn where they hang out with their peers to discuss their work. Then go there. At first, listen, then participate. Never, ever, ever lead with “I’m looking for a job!”  Just start by making some new friends and talking shop. (Please refer to “A Good Network Is A Circle of Friends” in your copy of How Can I Change Careers?)

How do you find people who can educate you about jobs you’re interested in?

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Question

I see you’ve been doing this — headhunting and advising people — a long time. Your methods about how to land a good job seem to make sense, but can you share details of any job-search success stories from job seekers who use what you teach? It would make me more comfortable about trying some of this!

Nick’s Reply

Thanks for asking! I’ve been saving your question for this first edition of 2024.

I used to publish job-search success stories from people who have used Ask The Headhunter methods from the website, the free newsletter, my books, and my Talk to Nick service. Perhaps I should start sharing them again.

Readers’ job-search success stories

I hope someone’s tips or story inspires you to try the job search methods we discuss on Ask The Headhunter!

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“I used Ask the Headhunter to guide me to a carefully targeted company nine years ago where they created a position to solve problems I helped them identify. Thank you. I am a big fan and have given the book to my own kids. One of my regrets is that I did not read it earlier in my career.

“What really helped me the most was the idea that getting hired is not about me but it is completely about the work. I turned the interview into a work session where I asked permission to use a whiteboard and mapped out solutions their problems. I remember that you recommended to pretend you were already on payroll.” – Carlos A. Santayana, Global Head of Training & Director of International HR

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“Hello Nick, I got fired in 2014 after new management took over the company. I had been there for 28 years, half my life. I felt terrible and embarrassed about it until I read your article. Now I don’t feel bad about it at all. Thank you for this article and helping me get out of the dumps.” – Jackie Larkins

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“Nick’s advice helped me get my last two projects even though I have grey hair. I’m now at a great company that values experience. Thanks Nick!” – William R. Husa

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“I’ve been following your blog and advice for years. (Who says 58-year-olds can’t get a job?) When I was laid off from a big pharma company, I panicked naturally from the pressure of needing to meet my financial responsibilities. However, I took a breath, adjusted my thinking and went to work on my next opportunity. Using your advice and methods, I did land my next and current position that I have been in for 2 years. During the search process, each company that I identified and researched and presented to offered me a position. The first one I accepted was my right now job. Then I found the “it” job that I have now. For those non-believers, your methods work. I even used your How to Work with Headhunters for one position. Keep up the good work. My next job will be joining you on the beach!

“PS: I’m celebrating the 31st anniversary of my 25th birthday! – Josie

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“I am a 63-year-old woman, nothing special, with an MA in Liberal Arts and 20 years of progressive experience in business. I was suddenly downsized from a job I loved and intended to retire from. After nine months of researching companies, training myself in The 4 Questions, learning The Basics, and working hard to do the job to win the job, I have — again, at age 63 — been hired into a Fortune 500 company.

“I say I am ‘nothing special’ because your readers should know anyone can do it. Often when I hear some phenomenal success story I look for the silver spoon or the uncle who was in on the ground floor, but I did this myself, with a little encouragement and a lot of help from your advice. Glad I discovered you. I will continue to read your e-mail newsletter and pass along your tips to my job-searching friends. There are plenty of them out there. Thanks.” – Stephanie Hunter

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“I am an American who has been living in Belgium for the last 27 years. I normally never write to any of the websites I trawl for nuggets of wisdom.  But your thoughts in the article Everything You Know About Job Hunting Is Wrong was the most important, eye-opening, and mind-expanding piece I have ever read on the subject of job hunting. Please keep up the excellent work. You are a natural resource of extreme value to job hunters everywhere. Thanks again.” – Arthur Rubinstein

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“The hiring manager more or less offered me the position on the spot and indicated a salary range that is roughly 40-50% more than I make now. Your two biggest lessons (at least for me) at work in the flesh: (1) Never divulge my current salary, and (2) Talk about what I will do, not what I’ve done. They oughta make you a Cornell professor! I can already see that the one hour you spent with us will have as much impact on my MBA ROI as any class that I have taken in the program, if not more so.” – Rich Mok, Cornell Executive MBA Program

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“I was in a toxic company, but I left when I couldn’t stand it anymore. Your website has been an absolute godsend (yes, I even bought a copy of your book) and I’m happy to report that I’ve already drawn up a list of companies I want to work for (bless you for The Library Vacation™). I did an information interview (and an e-mail interview as well — I live in Canada, the interviewee lived in Florida) with a person who had the job I wanted to do. Now I’m researching the problems each company faces and finding the “wow” factor (and having fun doing this as well).

“Thanks again for a wonderful website and for inspiring everyone to seek out their perfect job. I’ve already told everyone about your website and book. I hope you enjoy the royalties! (Your article about the Liberal Arts was an eye opener. I never knew we could do so much in the business world!)” – Nick Tang

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“I went to five interviews after poring over The Basics for a week. I got four offers. I think you are some sort of modern prophet. Thank you very much for your insights.” – Travis Clark

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“I would like to say thank you for your book regarding keeping your salary private. I recently won a job that paid 58% more than my current salary without having to reveal it. I followed your instructions to the letter saying that, ‘I want my salary based on my merits, abilities and skills. My current salary is something that is personal and confidential…’

“It worked perfectly. Best advice I’ve read in years.” – Tom Stevens

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“I started what I thought would be 30 minutes of reading on asktheheadhunter.com, and four hours and 17 pages of notes later I just finished. It is very insightful reading.

“I am 60 and basically think I am unemployable at this point. While I am working on fixing that mindset, I have found that I have many skills that are of value. I retired from executive management too early and have regretted too much time on my hands. There are some things I can do with the insight I have learned from you — namely get out and use my skill in ways that most others won’t. Thanks for the articles. I am buying up the book after dinner tonight. Thanks for your help.” – Jim Pike

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“I didn’t buy the book. I used what I read on your web site and I got a great job… I tried your $30,000 strategy approach in an interview on Monday. The person I was speaking with told me that ‘the company expects to lose money in the first year of this project.” I replied, “I refuse to lose money on any project. We either make a profit or we cut the costs.’

“I didn’t tell them what I did last year. I told them what I could do for them today. I asked for the top of the salary range and I got the job. I went in with a winning attitude and I got the job! You the MAN! YOU THE MAN!!!! I OWE you!” – J. Gardner

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“If you recall I am an MD who was in touch with you during my job search efforts in finding a position as an Investment Banker. Irv Pfeiffer at Kellogg had put me on to your book.

“My interview preparation was focused on “Doing the Job During the Interview” as per the advice in your book. This was probably the best advice anyone gave me. My focus was on practically demonstrating the value I would bring to my new employer from Day 1. For me to do this required a different and more rigorous time of preparation for weeks ahead of time. I shudder to think what the results would have been in this very competitive environment had I not gotten or followed your advice.

“After a very active six month process, I was successful in landing a position as Vice President in Healthcare Investment Banking with a major regional bank. This was particularly rewarding considering this is my first job in this particular industry because I was able to leverage my expertise as a physician and healthcare executive. I have now been in this position for nearly a year and am loving it. Thanks for your kindness and help.” – Artaj Singh

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Many thanks to all for their kind permission to publish their job-search success stories and tips above. Needless to say, I’m tickled by every one. I hope you enjoyed them!

Do you have job-search success stories of your own to share?

Maybe your success was based on something you learned on Ask The Headhunter, but it doesn’t have to be — it may be something you learned somewhere else or something you invented yourself! The point here is to share what worked and helped you land a job!

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Question

Normally there’s a question from a reader here, but this week’s column was stimulated by a news reporter who’s doing an article about hot jobs in 2024. She asked me what will be the hot jobs in 2024. That is, what jobs will need to be filled the most, and which will be most secure? I think it’s a worthy topic as we get ready to enter the New Year (and who knows what kind of economy). She posed her query as a series of more detailed questions which I’ll try to answer, if I don’t transgress and go off on a tangent. (Who, me?)

Nick’s Reply

Let’s take the reporter’s questions one at a time.

What will be the hot jobs of 2024?

1. What jobs do you predict will be in highest demand next year?

I never think in terms of highest demand or “what’s hot.” I want to know who are the very best people in their field and business. They will always be successful and hire-able even if they suffer a job loss. Being great at what you do gets you the attention you need to be successful, no matter what’s “hot.” Jobs aren’t hot; people are. People should select work that drives them, rather than jobs that drive them away.

A classic example is COBOL programming. COBOL has been a dying computer language — but it will take forever to expire. Computer Science students have long avoided it, assuming their colleges even offer it. But I could place every expert COBOL programmer I could find — for top salaries. Companies have huge legacy systems written in COBOL that must be maintained. It isn’t a hot job at all. But the best COBOL programmers have jobs for life if they want them. They are hot people.

What jobs will always be hot?

2. What jobs do you think will be most needed in the future?

Sorry, I don’t make predictions about the needs of business. If I could do that, I’d be rich. Anyone who pretends to know the future — well, I advise against paying them a fee to help you pick a job! The same goes for stock pickers. No one can fathom the myriad factors that determine the future.

Which jobs will see layoffs?

3. Is there a sector at the moment that has a falling job market that will result in people losing their jobs?

Look around — it’s happening everywhere. People are getting laid off for many reasons, and not always because they are not performing well. Industries and companies go up and down, but it’s silly to try and predict which ones will be up and when. All we can really control is ourselves.

Few industries (or companies) totally disappear in a downturn. The best still seek out — and keep — the best workers. They’re the people who are employed to help companies pull out of the doldrums. Are you of that caliber? If not, find a type of work where you are motivated to be that good. Or, don’t waste my time — or any company’s.

I’m not saying you can avoid losing your job or being unemployed, but if you’re very good at what you do, your career expectancy is much longer than that of the worker who jumps from one hot job to another. In down times, corporate failures are opportunities for great workers who can fix things.

Hot jobs and job security

4. What industries will offer the most job security?

There is only one piece of advice I’ll offer. If you like your work, get better at it. Be one of the very best. Work for companies and with people that are best-of-class, whether they work in hot jobs or not. (Life is short! Throw your lot in only with the best!) Be known as the kind of worker companies need even when business is off and you’ll be least likely out of a job.

Retention is not always related to which industries (or jobs) are “safe.” If a person wants safe, they should go crawl into a hole. The world changes every day. There is no security anywhere except the security you make for yourself. That’s why many people quit regular jobs to start their own businesses. While entrepreneurship is always risky, your own business may be the safest place because you can make choices quickly and change direction as necessary.

Don’t be a dope. Don’t take a job because someone tells you it’s safe. If you take work that you love and really want to excel at, no matter what happens in the future, you will have developed skills and confidence (and a reputation) that will enable you to move on successfully. I think that’s the only kind of security you will find.

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Which hot jobs will make you happiest?

5. Out of all the jobs that people may want to secure now for the future, in your HR experience what’s the job where people have been the happiest?

I don’t work in HR, nor have I ever, so please don’t call me HR. I’m a headhunter. I find people are happiest in jobs to which they are driven by their own interests, because those are the jobs that are self-motivating and thus most rewarding. The more you like your work, the more likely you will invest in your skills and abilities, and that will build your motivation and confidence. When you have smarts, motivation, and confidence, you will also be persistent. You will excel and you will survive most any catastrophe. There are no bromides; there are only the personal choices you make. Listen to what others tell you, and you’re doomed because you may “arrive” at a hot job, but you’ll have no idea what you’re doing there.

I believe professional happiness comes from being among the very best at the work you’re doing.

I sent these responses to the reporter, but I have no idea whether they will be published. Though I digressed from her questions, I hope the folks who read this column will find my observations useful, or at least entertaining! If you’re going to search for a new job in 2024, please check this oldie but goody: Job Hunting With The Headhunter: Go around the system!

What‘s hot about you? Do you have a hot job? What jobs do you think will be the hottest in 2024? How do you plan to stay employed in 2024?

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and whatever you celebrate this winter, I hope your holidays are merry and bright!

Please note: I’m taking a couple of weeks off to round up reindeer, so the next edition will be January 9, 2024!

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Question

I’ve read your Fearless Job Hunting books and I think you make a lot of good points that I believe will help the majority of people — but I’m not so sure about top execs. I’m not convinced that the same tactics would work for someone like me who is looking for a position on a board of directors. In this particular case, a direct approach would presuppose that you knew the company was missing the particular board position that you wanted to fill. This is rarely going to be the case.

Such a company would almost always use a headhunter and/or the personal networks of the other board members in order to fill the vacancy, but in your book you acknowledge that marketing oneself to headhunters is a very “hit and miss” approach. Do you have any specific ideas for people hunting such “one per company” positions?

Nick’s Reply

Common sense tells us that very few subscribers to this newsletter sit on boards of directors, simply because there are relatively few board-level executives in the world. So why am I writing a column about this rarefied level of management jobs? Because I think it’s an object lesson for everyone.

Time and again, I take a poke at top execs to make the point that everyone — everyone — has terribly misconceived notions about job hunting and hiring. Even the most successful top-level executives are clueless about how to land the right job.

Top execs make the same mistakes

It’s not an exaggeration, and this executive’s question proves it. It’s very difficult for anyone — even at the highest levels — to think clearly about job hunting simply because it’s stressful and even painful. The prospect worries people, so they don’t think straight. At the higher levels, job hunting is even more challenging, not only because there are fewer jobs, but because top execs incorrectly assume there’s something fundamentally  different about the executive-level job search process. No matter what level you work on, the process is basically the same.

It’s interesting how you describe the job you want. To me, every job is a “one per company” position. In other words, there are precious few “right jobs” for an individual, and precious few “right people” for any job. The shotgun approach, which promises to cover as much territory as possible so as to increase the chances of success, is just a fallacy. Matching a person and a job is just not a numbers game (even if you do get lucky). The best way to find a good match is through good relationships with people who work in the industry you want to work in, whether it’s for a technician’s job or a board seat.

The inside track is personal

I’m not missing what you’re saying: If the job isn’t there, why make contacts at the company? The reason is that the people you talk with (board members and other executives) have knowledge, insight, and contacts no one else has — including headhunters. You’re absolutely right: Companies will use their personal contacts to fill such vacancies. It’s important for you to focus on contacts because getting on the inside track is personal. Consider them a growing resource that you develop throughout your career. You never know how or when you’ll benefit from them. However, you will benefit.

When a board member taps an old friend for a board seat, that executive is not likely waiting around for a tap. The offer stems from a relationship that has developed over a period of years. So you see, you’re right about one thing. Employers do indeed use their network of personal contacts to make hires. What you’re wrong about is that “the direct approach” won’t work at your level. It will. (As an exec, you might be surprised to hear that garden-variety workers tell me you have to be a manager or executive for this to work!) But the direct approach is a long-term investment. It may not yield an instant payoff. It’s just one step toward your goal, and without taking that step, you will forever lose to people who introduced themselves long before any position came open.

Top execs (and you!) can do it

As you note, headhunters do fill such positions. But they do the very thing you are suggesting won’t work. They contact board-level executives who are not themselves currently looking to fill or find jobs. These top execs are conduits to others who are looking. So, pick up the phone. Make the calls now — and make them regularly throughout your career. If you don’t, you will always be floundering in the wakes of people who have strong, long-term connections to one another.

You see, top execs don’t have it easier or harder than anyone else. Everyone has the same challenge: to make new friends in your field (or target field) all the time. When you’re actively looking for a job, don’t just look where the jobs are. Go to the right people, and they will lead you where you need to go. (For more on this, please read I don’t know anybody.)

For more information about board-level management, I suggest you check my friend Larry Stybel’s web site. It’s a resource for board-level executives, but it’s also an illuminating experience for everyone else who wonders what the atmosphere is like way up there.

Thanks for your kind words about Fearless Job Hunting I think you’ll find it useful when you get into the interview. For the next two weeks, all Ask The Headhunter PDF books are 50% off for the holidays. Just use discount code=WINTER50 at checkout. ORDER NOW!

Just how important is it to make your job search personal? If you have an experience that shows how crucial this can be, please share it to motivate others. Naysayers are welcome to post their stories, too.

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Question

Let me cut you off at the pass. I know you’re not a fan of resumes and you tell us not to rely on a resume to get a job. I get that. But if I’m going to use a resume anyway, what’s your advice about how to make it pay off? What good is a resume really? (Sorry for the affront but I’d really like some commando-style advice out in the job jungle.)

Nick’s Reply

Your question is no affront — not any more than the in-your-face interview questions the best managers ask. And I welcome in-your-face questions. It’s the hard questions that are most important and that force us to countenance the challenges in our job search that no one else wants to deal with.

What good is a resume?

You’re right: I advocate against relying on a resume to introduce yourself, to get in the door, to show your stuff or to provide good reasons why someone should hire you. A resume is a dumb piece of paper (or string of digital “key words”) that cannot defend you. Think about it: The more resumes (or profiles, thank you LinkedIn) there are in the world, the more rejections occur and the harder it is for you to get matched to the right job.

There’s a line from comedian Steven Wright that I’ve bent a little bit to help make my point: Suppose you could have… everything in the world! Where would you put it?

Today employers have access to every resume in the world and job seekers can look up and apply to every job posting on the planet. What does it get anyone? More failures at matching. More rejection. And more is not better.

But you know all this already. You’d just rather ignore it and play along because resumes (and their sad brethren, job descriptions) are the coin of the failed realm of HR. (“Why can’t we find good workers?!”)

6 ways to make your resume pay off

So I’ll consider your “affront” with gusto! If you’re going to use a resume anyway, here are six answers about how to make your resume pay off:

1. Write it yourself

I don’t care how talented a professional resume writer is. You know your skills and history best. If you don’t accept the challenge to write your own resume, you will never recognize the kernel of qualities that will get you hired. You’ll know you did a good job if you can use the best sections of your resume as convincing statements in your job interviews. That’s why writing your resume has to hurt. It’s not a recitation. It’s a well-thought out plan for how you’re going to do a job that makes an employer want to hire you. Unless that resume writer is going to carefully research every job you’re going to apply to and customize each resume you submit, do it on your own.

2. Make your resume the cure

Make it vanilla. Skip the fancy flavoring. Leave lots of white space. Don’t tell all. Nobody wants to know everything about you. Include only what will help a specific employer. Yup, that means one resume per job you apply for. That means you must know what kind of pain an employer suffers from, and your resume must be the specific remedy.

3. The 6 second rule

Tell the manager exactly how you are the remedy on the top half of the first page. Eye-tracking studies suggest employers spend about six seconds scanning a resume. If you don’t show why you’re the best hire in six seconds, you instantly become a NO or a MAYBE.

4. Make contact first

Never, ever send a resume to an employer or hiring manager until after you have had substantive contact with that person. Don’t be someone the manager doesn’t know who clearly doesn’t know the manager. That’s the definition of junk mail. Managers are more likely to read your resume, interview or hire you, if you’re someone they know. The manager doesn’t know you? Do the work required to become known to the manager.

5. What good is a resume? It fills in the blanks

Once that manager already knows who you are, use your resume for one purpose. What good is your resume? It fills in the blanks about your history, experience and skills. Your resume is best used as follow-up information, not to introduce yourself cold. Do you want to be one of the very few applicants with an inside edge, or do you want your resume to be one of thousands?

6. Explain it to the manager

Try this test as you hand your resume to a manager: “Here’s my resume, Manager. When I give it to you, what am I really saying to you?” Are you saying, “Here’s my plan for doing the job you want done,” or are you saying, “Here’s all there is to know about me. Now you go figure out what to do with me.”

Managers stink at figuring out what to do with you. That’s why you (and everyone else) get rejected again and again. Your resume must quickly show the manager what to do with you.

Hope that helps.

How do you use your resume? Is it effective? Or do you use your resume like you buy a lottery ticket — so you can “be in the game”? What do you put in your resume that pays off?

NOTE FROM NICK: There will be no newsletter next week (Dec. 5). I’m going to visit Santa. See you Dec. 12!

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When you accepted that job offer, did you agree to stay or pay?

SPECIAL EDITION

Can your employer trap you into paying thousands of dollars when you quit your job?

Stay or pay: quitting is gonna cost you

It’s already happening. Employees sign agreements to reimburse their company for training expenses if they don’t stick around for a year, two years, or even more. Employers say they need to use these “stay or pay” clauses in employment contracts because jobs are difficult to fill when newly trained hires quit and take their training with them.

The New York Times Magazine (paywall protected) reports that the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are now taking measures to end this widespread indentured-servitude trend. Meanwhile, the costs of training are trapping workers across industries and jobs.

“A typical stay-or-pay clause [in an employment contract] is called a training-repayment-agreement provision (TRAP), which stipulates that the cost of on-the-job training will be borne by the employee.”

Who pays for overhead?

It kinda brings to mind restaurants that now charge their overhead costs to their customers — in the form of surcharges to cover credit card fees. That would have been unheard of 30 years ago. In fact, credit card accounts for merchants once prohibited merchants from passing credit card fees on to users. The use of a credit card was marketed as a benefit, not a cost.

Likewise, training was once held out as a benefit and as a reason to join a company. Today, employers argue they need to impose TRAPs to recover the overhead of employee training. But making workers pay is nothing new. Some employers also try to recover hiring and recruiting costs from departing workers.

Pay to work

Critics contend that training is a business overhead cost and that making employees agree to repay training expenses is similar to requiring restrictive non-compete agreements (NCAs). But NCAs are now illegal in some states and will likely be forbidden everywhere because they interfere with the right to work.

Stay-or-pay clauses used to be limited to just a few industries and high-paying jobs, like airline pilots and software engineers, but are now applied to dog groomers, bank workers, nurses, roofers and truckers. Experts estimate that up to a third of all American workers are now subjected to TRAPs — and, in fact, TRAPs may have become a racket:

“Workers’ rights advocates say that, in many cases, stay-or-pay clauses no longer accurately reflect the company’s costs but instead appear to be inflated financial penalties designed to discourage quitting.”

Ending the stay or pay TRAP

Help may be on the way. It’s no accident that the insidious nature of “stay or pay” leads to comparisons to other questionable methods employers use to control workers.

“Regulators, governmental officials and politicians are starting to take notice of stay-or-pay clauses. The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed ban would include TRAPs that operate like de facto NCAs…Last June, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced an investigation into ‘practices that leave workers indebted to employers,’ indicating that it may use its power as a consumer-debt watchdog to intervene in such cases.”

But the wheels of government turn so slowly that workers subjected to TRAPs continue to be hurt when employers penalize workers for quitting. For now, it’s up to you to avoid funding an employer’s overhead when you quit. Read all job offers, employee policy handbooks, and all associated documents carefully before accepting a new job.

How widespread are TRAPs? Have you ever reimbursed your employer for training because you quit too soon? Would you sign a job offer or contract that included a stay-or-pay clause?

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Question

I’ve made lateral moves to align my interests and strengths with the emerging needs of my employer. It requires concerted effort in an environment that lacks any real professional development structure, but has been worth it so far. However, I have a fairly new co-worker who has been riding my coattails hard since he started, with subtle undermining, and one overt backstabbing, and who even knows what else. Having a toxic competitor rather than a trusted collaborator on our team has led to a lot of anger, lost sleep, and too many days when I just didn’t want to get out of bed and go to work.

Too often lately, I’m torn between not giving this person the satisfaction of pushing me out the door given all that I’ve worked for, and the liberation of handing in a resignation letter (drafted when the backstabbing incident came to a head) with a two week effective date. What do you think?

Nick’s Reply

I admire that, despite the lack of professional development opportunities, you have invested a lot in making a challenging work situation acceptable if not satisfactory – you say it’s worth it. But now that someone is trying to undermine you, I think you have to decide whether your job is worth fighting for. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.

Look the backstabbing co-worker in the eye

If you feel it is, before you resign because of that toxic dolt, please ask yourself, do you have anything to lose by confronting him in the company of your boss? The philosopher king Marcus Aurelius counseled, “The second rule is to look a thing in the face, and know it for what it is.” (We’ll get to his first rule shortly!)

You know what this backstabbing co-worker is. Is it okay to let him push you out the door?

I’d say no, but that’s because I like to face things head-on, and because I know so few details about your situation that I can appear cavalier! Would it be worth looking this in the face by discussing it candidly in a meeting with the co-worker and with your boss? In other words, openly call out the backstabber’s behavior for what it is. Do it politely and professionally, but frankly and firmly.

Keep an untroubled spirit

This very direct approach assumes, of course, that you have already decided to resign and that you have carefully planned out your next steps if that meeting doesn’t yield a good outcome. Because maybe you won’t have to resign.

Perhaps you should not be so quick to be the one to move out of the way and let the dolt pass. As long as you have a good exit strategy, why not take this head-on and try to protect all you’ve worked for?

Toxic, backstabbing co-workers should not control our work lives.

Leaving may be your best option. I wanted to suggest an alternative that might not pose much risk, and that gives your employer a chance to do the right thing by you. Whatever you decide, remember what else Marcus Aurelius said: “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.”

I wish you the best!

Would you take the backstabbing co-worker head-on? What other options might this reader have? Have you ever been undermined or run out of your company by a toxic co-worker? How did you handle it?

(The question in this column was edited from a reader’s comment on another recent column.)

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Question

I’m feeling very “bleh” about my job but I can’t put my finger on the problem. I think I want to quit and move on. But I don’t want to make a rash decision. So I’ve been thinking, how do you know when it’s time to quit your job and go?

Nick’s Reply

This is a really good question, and it’s one of those that readers can answer better than I can — from their own experience. Everyone hits a kind of wall at work at some time or other. A lot of people tend to ignore the signals, sometimes for too long, and then they’re surprised when they get laid off or fired. It’s important to know where you stand — and what those “bleh” feelings really mean.

I’ll start us off with signs to look for that tell us it’s time to go — and I can’t wait to hear what signs you rely on!

How do you know it’s time to quit your job?

We all know that feeling in our gut: Something is wrong at work. It starts as soon as you wake up on work days. Here are some of the signals.

1. You’re the top dog.

Everyone comes to you for help and advice doing their job because you know more than anyone else. You’re the department’s chief mentor, but there’s no one who can teach you more. Being on a pedestal might be cool, but it can be lonely, boring, and demoralizing. Always work with people who are more expert than you are, even if you must find them elsewhere.

2. Your boss adds nothing to your future.

That is, your boss is no help to your career. Your future is to keep doing the job you have now because all your boss sees is a one-trick pony. Make sure you have a boss who leads you forward.

3. You’re ahead of your employer.

The company doesn’t embrace your ideas. It’s not interested in your suggestions. Business and product cycles come and go, and you feel your contributions are being ignored. Your company is content with the status quo and thinks you should be, too. But you’ve got ideas. You study and keep up with the state of the art — but your managers are content treading water. You’re always thinking ahead of your employer. Strive to work in a place where you can help create something new under the sun.

4. You keep running into walls.

You suddenly realize that your department or team is always isolated. For example, if you’re an engineer, you never get to work with Finance, or Marketing, or Manufacturing, or Sales. Organizational walls prevent you from being part of the bigger picture in your company. Your bosses like to keep you away from other departments. You’re stuck in your corner of the organization without any regular cross-pollination of experience or ideas. Don’t settle for living in a maze with limited range of movement.

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5. You’re stagnating.

The soundtrack at work is that Billy Joel song telling you to “stay just the way you are.” Training and professional development are lacking. You’re on your own when it comes to improving your skills and prospects. Your boss doesn’t seem to care about your professional improvement because you’re just a cog in the wheel. Your boss will not support you posting for a different or better job in the company. No promotions, no new work, no growth. Make sure there’s a steady flow of fresh air wherever you report to work every day.

6. You don’t want to get up in the morning to go to work.

This is the last straw, and it’s the sign to quit your job that I believe most people ignore the longest. You don’t want to get out of bed. You don’t want to go to your job. Change your work, change your employer, change your life.

How do you know it’s time to quit your job and move on? There are probably a million signs. Which ones have you seen? What signs have you ignored (or rationalized) the longest? Which signs were compelling enough to make you quit your job and move? Ever read a sign wrong — and make a mistake?

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Question

I work in legal compliance in a growing industry. My skills are in demand and up to date. But I’m struggling to get anyone’s attention and I remain unemployed after a start-up I worked for failed. After conversation with a former colleague, I suspect that I may have been blacklisted either by recruiters or by a past employer. I discussed this suspicion with two career coaches and received the same pat answer: “Get those suspicions out of your mind! Stop worrying about it!”

I know about typical recruiter conduct (ghosting, ignoring), and I know to be professionally patient myself because folks are simply so busy these days. And I know there may be very good and logical reasons for getting no response from two specific industry recruiters who have always been friendly, responsive and supportive in the past.

But what if something really has occurred to hurt me? How to discover it, how to deal with it, and how to clear it up? How to get any feedback if they never write or reply to my job search e-mails? Would calling them to inquire or attempt to resolve be received as too direct or confrontational?

Nick’s Reply

Sorry to hear about this. You’re right, it might be nothing – just busy recruiters. Or it might be something. I don’t want to be dismissive, so if you really believe you have evidence, I’d talk with an attorney for advice and legal help. Interfering with someone’s right to work can be a serious issue — if that’s what’s going on. A lawyer might put a private investigator on this, though that may be a stretch.

Blacklisted? Maybe, maybe not

I don’t think I’d call the recruiters or employers about this. If they have really blacklisted you, how would it help to call them? If they’re not, your call may set them to wondering about you – Is this person paranoid? Without hard evidence, you just may create a problem where there isn’t one.

One measure you can take on your own is to hire a good reference-checking service to find out what’s being said about you. But that won’t be conclusive. Negative judgments about people are usually traded via back channels, not out in the open.

Blacklisted by A.I.?

In a recent column (Is Artificial Intelligence Adopting Recruiting’s Worst Practices?) my good buddy Suzanne Lucas discusses how A.I. is infecting employers and recruiters with a more insidious form of ghosting behavior. She asks whether high-speed rejection of job applicants is a new thing, and suggests employers should beware:

“This should be a concern for talent acquisition professionals and hiring managers because they remain legally responsible for their decisions — except they don’t know precisely how A.I. decides.”

This just might be your real problem. In the end, you must follow your own judgment.

Don’t chase after recruiters

My best advice is to avoid getting stuck in just one job-search mode. Stop relying on recruiters. The best solution is to learn to go straight to the hiring managers yourself. That’s the only way to control your job search.

This requires creating referrals and recommendations that will trigger employers to meet you. That is, by talking with people that surround your target employer, and giving them reasons to refer and recommend you, you will “go around” any possible blacklist problem. You can create your own positive buzz. Please read Want the job? Go around HR. It works with going around recruiters, too!

If you feel you need to discuss the confidential details of this, please check my Talk to Nick service.

I wish you the best.

Have you ever been blacklisted in your job search, with hard evidence to support your conclusion? It’s rare, but it does happen. Whether or not that’s the case in this reader’s story, let’s discuss what real blacklisting really looks like — and how to deal with it. What’s your blacklist story?

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