Archive for the Q&A Category

Question

I bombed an interview for an engineering job I know I’m qualified for. I was well-prepared but after the first few minutes it all went south. The hiring manager was asking questions he must have gotten from HR or something and they had nothing to do with the job or engineering. Then he talked about problems he is having finding qualified candidates. He’s the boss. Is there anything I could have done without seeming rude?

Nick’s Reply

You know you have a problem when an interview isn’t about the work. Instead, you and the manager are talking too much about peripheral things and very broad topics. Or, your skills are being discussed only in very general terms, instead of how they will specifically apply to the job at hand.

Poor interviewers & bombed interviews

The naïve candidate is often relieved when this happens, because the questions are easier to answer and you can more or less “fake it.” The experienced engineer realizes that an unfocused interview will lead to trouble because the manager is not getting the detailed information they need to make a hiring judgment.

In my experience, managers are typically not very good interviewers. They will stray into areas that don’t really help them evaluate a candidate’s ability to do the job. This gaffe may not be yours, but the manager’s. Still, it’s up to you to correct it if you believe you may have bombed an interview.

Turn the interview toward the work

Guide the interview in a way that reveals how you will actually do the work. Even a poor interviewer will start to “get it,” and the interview will turn into a working meeting. If you can pull that off, the manager will never forget you — you will truly stand out.

No matter what the manager and the candidate think at the time, an interview that isn’t focused on the actual work isn’t going well. Once the candidate is gone, the manager will not have enough information to make a hiring decision — and that’s to the candidate’s disadvantage. So, watch out for interviews that don’t focus on the work itself.

If you don’t like that answer, try this question

To paraphrase a famous Carl Sandburg poem, “Beware your answers: you can’t call them back.”

You can’t go back and “fix” an answer. But, if you flub an answer, you can guide the interview in a more positive direction. The point is not to distract the interviewer (though you may be tempted), but to focus them on something more important than the answer you flubbed.

Sometimes, the best answer is a new question.

How to Say It

For example:

“At some point during our interview, I’d like to show you how I’d do this job. Can you lay out a live problem you’re facing — something you’d want your new hire to handle — so I can show you how I’d tackle it?”

Now, this is a risky approach, because it requires that you really know your stuff. But, it’s also the most powerful thing you can do in an interview, especially right after you’ve bombed a question. (If you aren’t ready to tackle a live problem, what are you doing in the interview to begin with?) It gives the manager something to sink their teeth into, and it gives you a chance to do what you’re good at — engineering (as opposed to interviewing).

Have you ever bombed an interview? Was it your fault or the interviewer’s? Did it end there or did you try to fix it? How?

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Question

I have heard some recruiters are pulling back on job boards usage because of the number of candidates they are getting, AND fake candidates. They would rather post solely on their career page.

Note from Nick: This week’s question is actually a insightful, cautionary comment posted on Hannah Morgan’s LinkedIn page by Shelley Piedmont. It drew this response from David Hannan:

Job boards have their place, but they rely on hope more than anything. “I’ve applied to 500 jobs and got nothing” is heartbreaking to read on here every week.

These two comments raise a big question.

Nick’s Reply

Do you still use the job boards to look for a job, or to recruit if you’re an employer?

For goodness sake, Why?

(You’ll get a chance to answer in a moment.)

The distressing observations on Hannah’s LinkedIn post should make every CEO, HR manager, U.S. legislator, the FTC commissioner, economist, journalist, job seeker and employer (I know I missed lots of others) break into a cold sweat.

Job boards: Have they changed since 2012?

Here’s how I responded to Shelley and David:

“You prompted me to go back and look at a 2012 news segment I did with Paul Solman on NewsHour… Note the particular problems people cite with job boards and automated job applications.”

That was 13 years ago — about 4 eons in technology time. Everything “tech” in the world has changed!

Has anything changed about your experiences today with job boards like LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter and Indeed, to cite just a few?

Are the job boards better or worse now?

I’m serious. Hating the job boards is easy because there’s so much to hate — fake job listings, misuse of your personal information, an over-abundance of AI and robo-assessments and interviews, ghosting applicants…

(If you haven’t taken a few minutes to watch the NewsHour segment I referred to above, please consider doing so. It’s an astonishing reality check that reveals why your job search is circling down the drain. Click here.)

I’m known to be merciless critic of the job boards. 13 years after what I said on that NewsHour segment about applying for jobs online, the toilet that was the job boards has become a steaming cesspool. But I’m not out there looking for a job in a down job market in a very precarious economy.

You are.

So let’s have it: Is your experience with job boards better or worse? Details, please. Feel free to name names.

1. What has improved in your experience with job boards?
2. What has made the job boards worse?
3. Is there a truly productive way to use the boards?
4. Which ones are best?
5. Which are the worst?
6. Why do you believe the job boards still dominate recruiting?
7. What should be done to improve your experience of job hunting and recruiting and who should do it?

If you’re a recruiter, are you “pulling back on job board usage?”

If you’re looking for a job, have you “applied to 500 jobs and got nothing?”

Is our jobs economy now a festering cesspool of job boards?

Why?

If you still use the job boards, Why?

I believe relying on job boards in any way is like buying a lottery ticket — fun if you win, but don’t play if you need to win to pay your mortgage. I suggest identifying specific managers and communicating with them directly.

Job boards: Comparing them from 2012 to today, what’s the reality?

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A discouraged college student

I have a soft spot for college students because no matter what school they attend they get precious little career advice that’s worth a hoot. Life is scary when you’re on the edge of jumping into the job market and your first career. It’s especially worrisome right now. Hiring is down, big layoffs are up, and entry-level jobs are especially hard to get. There are no easy answers and there’s not much useful advice for new grads except to start pounding the job boards.

And if you’re a regular reader here, you know what I think about job hunting via job postings!

The successful college student

About a year ago I met a junior at the University of Pennsylvania. We were each recruited to volunteer on a project by a mutual acquaintance. After working together a few months via Zoom, our part of the project ended. But we stayed in touch and I’ve done my best to offer some mentoring as she starts her job search.

She recently completed a demanding summer-long internship with a good company. She has worked hard all through school and found the internship very challenging. Long days, weekends and constant pressure. But she got through it successfully. She’s already gone through a couple of dozen online job interviews and this has left her discouraged and shaken her confidence.

A worried college student

I’ve watched her work, and I get a kick out of how smart, curious and focused she is. She’s a dual major in two demanding academic programs.

But I’ve also noticed how concerned she’s become as graduation nears. This confident, outgoing, successful student is questioning her ability to cope with the future. I think most students are.

She didn’t ask me for advice. But I realized I know something she doesn’t, and that it could make a difference. So I volunteered a bit of simple guidance. Later, her reply made me realize it’s probably the best advice I’ve ever given a student or new grad.

Here’s what I told her

Always remember, now that you have demonstrated you can do hard work and succeed at whatever you choose to do, you should never worry about anything. Even failure now and then is okay if you learn from it.

You will almost always be able to figure anything out simply because you’ve learned something crucial about yourself: You know how to figure things out. You know how to get things done.

You figured out how to get into a good school, you performed well in your courses, you met every challenge put to you, you just did a great job on a tough internship and you will soon have a dual degree that you earned.

You know what to do to be successful at almost anything you choose to do.

And that’s the point: Being able to learn so you can do what you want. I refer to this as being able to ride a fast learning curve without falling off. I think it’s the most important skill any of us has. Trouble is, it’s one of the hardest things to convey to an employer when applying for a job!

(You don’t need to attend an Ivy League school to learn how to be successful at whatever you do.)

The Student’s Reply

Hi Nick!

Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been reading your message over and over. It really had an impact on me. What you said about never needing to worry because I’ve already demonstrated I can do hard work and succeed at whatever I choose to do: that’s something I really needed to hear!

I’m going to remind myself of that when I start doubting myself.

Thank you for always being such a thoughtful sounding board and for all the great advice!

Have you mentored a student or any young person just starting their career? What‘s your best advice to young people about landing a first job? What’s the best advice anyone gave you as you launched your career? Do you think my advice is too simplistic?

Check these related Q&A articles

It’s a tough job market. How can new college grads get in the door?

Help this college kid get a job

Your First Job: 20 pointers for new graduates

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Question

While looking for a job, I started a consulting project for a company that wanted to launch a new European operation. The company had just one person in Europe, and that’s who I reported to. It’s no exaggeration that I set up the entire business for my client. I brought in key contacts, developed the business strategy and the public relations plan, and set up the brand.

The manager took credit for everything. He even took over the relationships with the contacts I brought in. While he regularly said he hoped I’d consider a full-time position at some point, he never offered it. Now that the business is up and running, the manager has hired lower-cost staff and has delegated my projects to them.

I know this is what consulting is about, but it’s put me in a tough spot. A headhunter explained to me that I never took ownership. Although I did all this good stuff, the product won’t launch until next year, so there’s no evidence of revenue gains and I can’t demonstrate achievements to prospective employers.

Where did I go wrong? How can I use what I achieved to find a job? I got so involved in this new venture that I feel almost as if I’ve been fired.

Nick’s Reply

Welcome to the world of consulting, where you get paid and the client gets all the credit. This is normal.

Consulting doesn’t mean leaving success behind

However, it doesn’t mean your resume is bare. It’s up to you to demonstrate your success in terms that are meaningful. It seems you’re more concerned that your client took credit than about your next job. Of course he took credit — he’s in charge. A consultant is brought in to do “work for hire,” not to take ownership of the outcome. (Consultants who have worked on doomed projects will quickly note that they get blamed when things don’t go well. They are relieved of their duties, too.)

But don’t let this deter you from using your success to get your next job. Consulting doesn’t mean leaving your successes behind. First of all, understand that your client did not “take” the contacts you brought to the company. Contacts don’t get used up. You still have access to them. All those contacts are potential referrals to new jobs. You must never disparage your client, but you can easily talk with those contacts about your success in launching this business. That can yield excellent references and even personal referrals to new opportunities.

The brag book: Use your client to get your next job

A very successful consultant I know makes a factual list of his accomplishments when he’s done with an assignment. He shows these “reminders” to his satisfied client and asks if he may add the client to his “brag book” — and shows  the client a portfolio of laudatory letters from other clients. “I’d love to add you to my brag book!” Because his work is truly exceptional, no client has ever declined. They use the other brags he shows them — and the “reminder” list he provides — to quickly create an endorsement letter.

Do not discount this path to a new job. Please read How to Say It: Asking for a personal referral. And, when you land your next gig, remember to protect yourself with a sound agreement. Employment Contracts: Everyone needs promise protection will give you some surprising pointers even if it’s not possible to get a contract at your level.

What you did and how you did it

Second, as you pursue new prospects, you can easily explain that, “I did A, B, and C to successfully launch this operation.” When revenues are established, that’s a measure of your success, too. Add it to your resume. It’s up to you to honestly, candidly and effectively describe the work you did. If there are no results from your efforts, enumerate the projected results. It’s all about starting a discussion. Nothing stops you from describing your role and success with a potential new employer. Usually, what matters most is not just what you did, but how you did it.

Please consider a discussion with your client. Ask whether he needs you to stay on in any capacity. “Otherwise, I will consider my task done — and I’ve loved every minute of it!” Ask if he will provide references. Don’t be afraid to ask what he will say about you. This should be helpful: Control what your professional references will say. Bringing out your portfolio of brags (if you have one) can make this very easy.

Your client’s success is your resume

Do not put your client in a position where you depart with any bad feelings between you. You did your job, but the credit goes to him. That’s how he will move ahead with the business. If he fails without you, that’s his problem. But don’t hold a grudge — that’s not what consulting is about. It’s about helping the client succeed and making him look good. Take that angle when describing what you did. Consulting companies around the world operate this way, and they promote their ability to make their clients successful. You ensured your client’s success. If a headhunter doesn’t understand that, don’t let it deter you.

I don’t think you went wrong at all, except that your ego is a bit bruised because you seem to expect that a consulting gig should turn into a full-time job. That’s not how it usually works. Congratulate yourself. You made your client successful! Move on to the next consulting project — or your next job — with confidence!

Is this reader’s experience the norm when consulting? Can you take your success on a consulting gig with you? Or does a consulting client “steal” it? If you’ve worked as a consultant, how do you parlay your good  work into your next assignment — or into a regular job? On the other hand, did you ever get really screwed on a consulting job? What happened? What did you do?

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Question – Part 1

Nick, can you direct your followers to good advice on networking, or consider writing about it? I find that many people in my network don’t seem to understand the basics and what’s required.

Examples: I’ve reached out to two moderately good links in my network. One I’ve worked for in the past who likes my work, and the other, a weaker connection, is someone in my city who works in the same industry, whom I’ve met a few times and connected with on LinkedIn.

I asked my first connection for the name and contact info of someone in her organization who was hiring for a job I was interested in and, if she felt comfortable, an e-mail introduction. Instead, she contacted the person, gave them my name, and then told me the person would flag my application for consideration. What I wanted was to be able to send a strong cover letter and resume to the hiring manager directly. Of course, I was automatically rejected by the ATS.

In the second case, I e-mailed my contact, mentioned that I’d seen several recent openings at his company, and suggested we chat about how I might be able to help. He replied that he didn’t run the day-to-day anymore, and left it at that. He’s not interested but also oblivious to the fact that I can connect him with others in our industry and, if I’m not a good candidate, refer others to apply.

Bottom line: What’s so damn hard about providing a name and contact info to someone you know? Is the hiring landscape so bad now that everyone assumes job hunters are just pesky supplicants begging for a favor, and that they should be grateful for whatever help they get? Or am I expecting too much?

Nick’s Reply

You’re surprised your contacts don’t want to get involved when you ask for a professional introduction. You’d think you were asking them for an introduction to their daughter for a date! I have no data to back it up, but I believe people are loathe to help if they think it might backfire on them in any way. I see this again and again. That’s why I think it’s critical to avoid networking for introductions and instead shift to talking shop.

What networking is and isn’t

What you’re doing doesn’t work because (1) “links” are not a network and, (2) when you ask someone to give you an internal lead on a job they subconsciously – but correctly – view it as what I refer to as “putting the monkey on their back.”

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How Can I Change Careers? includes a pivotal chapter titled “A Good Network is a Circle of Friends.” One section, “Seek advice, not help,” emphasizes the importance of having a specific objective you need advice about — whether you’re changing careers, or just jobs:

“No one wants the ‘Can you help me find a job?’ monkey on their back because the monkey requires feeding and lots of attention. That’s why most people you ask for help will quickly refer you to the personnel office. On the other hand, if you approach me for advice rather than help, that’s something I can provide…”

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Networking explained

The advice you’re looking for is already on this website:

1. The real value of a link is a function of the shared experiences you have with that person: Shared Experiences: The key to good networking.
2. They know that if they agree to “pass your info along” you will be calling, texting and e-mailing them to find out “Did the person get it? Are they gonna call me?” See Say NO to job leads.

It’s just human nature. Networking is not about contacting people on your list and asking for help. Please see DOGE’d Out of a Federal Job: How to transition to the private sector. (Read the comment from JustMe. That’s networking.)

Don’t be frustrated. Everybody’s brainwashed to make networking a rote task that puts the burden on somebody else’s back. Try this test: When you think you’re networking, ask yourself, “Am I hanging out with people who do the work I want to do and talking shop with them?”

If you’re doing something else, it’s not networking. (And I hope you wouldn’t expect your LinkedIn contacts to set you up on a date!)

Next week in Part 2…

…This reader reports back and delivers a surprise: Networking wasn’t the problem or the solution!

“Thanks for the great advice. It’s the most movement I’ve had in my job hunt in years!”

We’ll discuss what he did and how he got the meeting he wanted. [Go to Part 2.]

Is there a “hook” you can use that will almost guarantee a hiring manager’s attention? What magic do you use to get that interview? Join us next week to compare your methods to those of this reader!

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Question

The VP made me a same-day offer contingent on a background check, a physical and a drug test. He gave me a tour of the business, showed me where I’d be sitting, and then took me into his office to discuss pay. I signed permission for the background check and I did the drug test and physical within an hour of the offer. HR assigned me a hire date that was five days later.

On my first day, HR began my orientation online and pressed me to complete it within two days. I got it done in one and called HR to inform her. She told me there was a discrepancy with the pay that I was offered. The VP offered me an hourly wage plus overtime as needed. HR said the position was salary, no overtime included, and I would often be required to work 10 to 12 hour shifts.

When I asked what the salary was in comparison to the hourly offer, she said that she’d have to get back to me. Then she said that my request to compare the hourly rate to the salary raised a concern with her: if a better offer was made to me by another employer, would I take it?

I replied that I didn’t think it was a fair question because pay isn’t the only factor when considering an offer. I asked her, if she were offered an increase of $20,000 a year from an alternate employer, would she consider it? Her response was that she understood where I was coming from and thanked me for my transparency. The next day I received an e-mail stating that they decided to give the job to an alternate candidate.

I can’t help but feel violated by what transpired. Do you have any advice?

Nick’s Reply

HR people play some dangerous games that hurt job applicants (and new hires). I’m sorry you’re a victim, while the VP and HR person walked away unscathed.

When I followed up with you, you explained that this employer did not give you the job offer in writing signed by a manager, and that this happened in California, where employment is “at will.”

The “job offer” HR people play like a carrot on a stick

We’ve discussed this before: Never accept a job offer or quit your old job without a written job offer from the new employer. Without it, you have little to go on legally, while you reach for an offer that’s only a carrot on a stick. A verbal offer can be legally binding, but that’s up to a lawyer to argue – and I’m not a lawyer. (For more about how to avoid trouble when changing jobs, please see Parting Company: How to leave your job.)

The point about “employment at will” (which is the law in CA) is that if you don’t have an employment contract in place to protect you, they can fire you any time for any reason or no reason, including day #1. So you see where this is going. It truly is stacked against the new hire because you never know whether you’ve really got that carrot.

Explore the law

However, it’s not so cut and dry, even in “at will” states and even without a promise in writing. Please check employment attorney Larry Barty’s advice in Job offer rescinded after I quit my old job. It’s worth exploring the law. Here’s part of what Larry said:

“A person who reasonably acts in reliance upon a promise and then suffers detrimentally because the promise is broken has a cause of action called Promissory Estoppel. The Promiser is ‘estopped’ from rescinding the promise if the Promiser knew or had reason to know that the Promisee would rely upon the promise to the Promisee’s detriment… The Promisee in such a case, once the proof has been accepted, is entitled to be made whole. For example, if A quits his job and then is left without work for a period until he finds comparable employment, A is entitled to Reliance Damages in an amount equal to the lost wages and benefits.”

This article by another attorney is wishful thinking because employers won’t do contracts for anything but exec jobs, but it reveals the underlying problem: the law favors employers. (Nothing here is intended as legal advice nor should you rely on it for your specific situation. Consult a qualified employment lawyer.)

It’s not just about HR people

I’m really sorry to hear about your problem – the employer was wrong on many levels, including ethics. The VP made the offer and HR changed it unilaterally. When you asked reasonable questions apparently after you started the job, HR played a nasty game and essentially fired you because you dared to discuss pay.

It’s not just the HR people. I’d say this company stinks from top to bottom.

You could report them to your state’s labor and employment office. You’d be surprised how complaints add up, and sometimes they trigger investigations or new legislation. You might even contact your state legislator’s office: “Employers complain about the talent shortage – yet look what this one just did.”

They keep getting away with it

I’m not encouraging you to go legal, but it may be worth investing a few bucks in an initial consultation with a good employment lawyer so you can find out whether you have a case. Sometimes all it takes to get a settlement is a nasty-gram from the lawyer.

It drives me nuts when employers walk away unscathed after their HR people and other managers do things like this. It’s become disturbingly common — and dangerous. A woman wrote me that her husband accepted a job across the country. He moved out there to attend orientation — much the same way you started your new employment. She cancelled their lease, loaded the car, put her two young kids in it, and started the drive cross-country. Half-way, she gets a call – the offer was rescinded. She said said the stress was so great she had to see a doctor.

When will seemingly “administrative” or “legal” but clearly unethical actions by HR people that prove dangerous to employees be recognized for what they are: cavalier abuses of job applicants?

What’s the worst abuse HR people (and their bosses) have leveled at you and what was the outcome? What could this job seeker (or, actually, new employee) have done? Are there enough legal protections for job seekers? What would you propose?

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Question

A news article reports that in just one year the number of job applicants that say employers ghosted them jumped from 30% to 40%. The tariffs and economic uncertainty suggest that employers are very nervous about hiring, but then why do they post jobs and then ghost us when we apply? If one in every two or three jobs I apply for are going to ghost me, what’s the best way to avoid this? It wastes a lot of time! I’ve gone on two or three interviews for jobs that are a perfect fit. The interviews go very well and they tell me I’ll hear back in a week or two. But I hear nothing back ever. I wind up waiting sometimes weeks for a resolution so I can move on with my job search. What should I do?

Nick’s Reply

I really get fed up with “career experts,” personnel jockeys and news pundits that try to pin the failures of employers on job seekers — or that suggest job seekers need to improve their behavior. Ghosting is on employers.

We’ve discussed ghosting before more than once (Ghosting: Hard lessons about recruiters & employers). When the economy shows weakness, it seems to lead to more ghosting. In this column, I’d like to discuss why job seekers seem to make ghosting their problem and why news pundits suggest job seekers need to change their behavior to deal with ghosting.

This may sound harsh, but the best thing you can do when an employer that interviewed you ghosts you is to disappear! Move on immediately and don’t look back!

Let’s start at the baseline

The fact is — and has always been — that most interviews go south, no matter how well anyone thinks they went. That’s the baseline — what we expect from any randomly selected interview. (I think you know that, but wishful thinking tends to cloud a job seeker’s judgment. How often does a job seeker get a job after an interview?) When that happens it’s incumbent on the employer to notify the applicant what the outcome is. Ghosting, or ignoring the applicant and not following up, is unforgivable. It’s rude and irresponsible.

Ghosted and wasting time

Being ghosted means you’ve wasted your time interviewing and preparing for that interview. If you’re an Ask The Headhunter regular, you know how much preparation I recommend, and this means you have wasted a lot of time.

But here’s my bigger concern, which you already alluded to: “I wind up waiting sometimes weeks for a resolution so I can move on with my job search.”

I find that most ghosted job seekers are incorrigible optimists whether they admit it or not. They make excuses for the errant employer: “The interviews really went well and I think I’m getting an offer!” and “The employer’s delay is understandable! I just have to wait it out!”

BUT… “Waiting…for a resolution” keeps you from the crucial step of immediately moving on to the next opportunity and working immediately on that instead!

Ghosted? Don’t wait to be un-ghosted

When I confront employers about ghosting, their explanation is that the selection process takes longer than expected so they have nothing to tell the applicant “yet.” This unforgivable excuse infects the entire employment system with false hope and anticipation. Job applicants understandably hope for the best and expect an answer — so they wait.

Don’t wait to be un-ghosted.

If you believe you’re being ghosted, the most prudent next step is to… disappear. Get it out of your head that a “decision” is forthcoming from the employer. You saw what I said about most interviews: they go south. The baseline odds of getting an offer are already low! If we add the low probability that you’ll ever get an offer to the fact that they have chosen to ignore you, it’s easy to understand my advice: disappear. Don’t waste your valuable time.

Ghosted: What’s the protocol?

I read the article you referred to by Michelle Singletary in the Washington Post. She offers five tips if you’ve been ghosted:

1. Don’t stop communicating
2. Keep it professional
3. Ask for a timeline
4. Don’t take it personally
5. Move on

I think she’s got it backwards.

• Move on immediately! As soon as the employer breaks its promise to get back to you “in a week” (or whatever), move on immediately. Don’t “wait weeks for a resolution.”
• Don’t make a bad bet worse. When the employer started ghosting you, any further bet you made on their professionalism was a bad bet.
• If they failed to communicate when they said they would, stop signaling back, or you’re wasting time, energy, and emotion — which means you’re taking your eyes off the ball. The ball is your job search, not the employer that’s dissing you.
• All business is personal. If the specific people that interviewed you expressed an interest and gave you a timeline, but then ghosted you, take it personally. All business is personal. That’s why we follow certain rules of conduct when we do business. It’s why we show customers “a personal touch.” It’s why employers test you for “cultural fit.” It’s why they administer personality tests.

To quote my mentor, Gene Webb, this means “Never work with jerks.” Any employer that fails to take a personal interest in you and to treat you professionally is a jerk. Don’t rationalize jerks because, if you take a job with one, you’ll be looking for another job soon.

Move on quickly

I do agree with Singletary’s advice to move on. I just think you need to move as soon as the employer fails at (1.) and (2.). If they ghost you, disappear. And don’t worry — if they realize they blew it, they will come chasing you with apologies. That gives you an unexpected negotiating edge!

Worse case, you’ll be weeks ahead on an opportunity with another employer.

Are job seekers being ghosted more today? Why? How do you avoid getting ghosted? What should you do if you are ghosted? What advice do you want to give to employers?

[NOTE: The original version of this column misspelled Michelle Singletary’s name.]

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Question

Every day I read about frustrations of people looking for work. It’s usually some version of this: “I sent out X number of resumes (usually in the low 100s) and got nothing (or two interviews but no offers.)” That kind of effort might be worth it if it yielded even a 5% return — say, 20 interviews on 400 applications. Such results might make it worthwhile but nobody gets 5% on hundreds of resumes! Your short article “They’re not headhunters” got me to thinking. If it were possible — I know you think it’s not, but what if it were — to pay somebody to get you, for example, a $120,000 job, how much would that be worth?

Nick’s Reply

Ok, I’ll take the bait. I’m glad you agree that a huge blast of resumes is not likely to return anything but intense frustration! So let’s do that exercise. What should someone pay to get a $120,000 job?

People want “the secret” to job hunting. The secret is that you must work as hard as the good headhunter I refer to in that article you cited – and that’s a lot of hard work.

What’s a job worth?

The online jobs sites have convinced people to “sit back and let our intelligent agents” do the work!” But as you note, only a tiny fraction of job hunters actually find jobs through these databases. If they worked as well as claimed, why would companies spend huge fees on headhunters, but only $100 (a generous estimate!) for an online job posting?

The kind of placement you’re talking about (for a $120,000 job) will earn a headhunter around a $30,000 fee, and the headhunter will work for every nickel of it. So here’s the reality check I’ll suggest: Have you put $30,000 worth of effort into your job search? If you take the easy path and read job postings, mail out resumes, and wait for an employer to respond, you’re being lazy. At best, you will wind up with the wrong job working for the wrong people. More likely you’ll wind up with nothing but frustration.

How much work to get work?

$30,000 worth of work to land a job? Most people will see that as an incredibly daunting challenge, if not a silly idea. But, consider this. A company that can’t find good hires on its own will gladly spend that thirty grand on a headhunter. (That’s your competition!) You, on the other hand, will not find anyone to do that for you – headhunters don’t work for job hunters.

There’s only one thing left to do: $30,000 worth of work to land a good job yourself.

It doesn’t cost $30,000 to send out 400 resumes or applications, nor does waiting  for the rejections. But do you get the idea? Productive job hunting requires a lot of smart work not a lot of resumes and applications!

Do the job to win the job

Ask The Headhunter is here to teach you how to “do it like a headhunter.” The suggestions readers will find in this website require a lot of work. Still think it’s crazy to do even half the things we discuss here? Still think it’s an unnecessary and inordinate amount of work to do to land your next job?

Then, I’ll leave you with a final thought. To an employer, the right job candidate is worth about $30,000, or around a 25% free based on the new hire’s salary. Of course, if you’re the candidate, that new job is worth $120,000 – your salary. So, maybe that means you ought to be willing to work four times as hard as the headhunter. Right?

To understand what “do the job to win the job” means, please read Kevin Kane’s synopsis of how this can work for you. But please don’t walk away thinking you’re going to pay someone to get you a job, or even to help you get a job. The market is full of career scammers.

I’ll ask you again: Is that job you want worth thirty grand worth of effort? Or, how much are you willing to invest to get the right job?

Am I nuts? Do headhunters really do $30,000 worth of work to fill a job? Should you? What’s really my point here?

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Question

I read your books after I saw you do a presentation at Cornell University’s Executive MBA program. Some of your methods for career success have worked really well for me. (I’m thinking about “do the job in the interview to stand out.”) Now I’ve been in the corporate world a while. In my company every manager has to mentor a young employee, and I really enjoy this! My current “mentee” is very worried about the current economy and job market. She asked me a good question: If I could give her just one “big idea” that would get her through today’s rocky world and optimize her career prospects the rest of her life, what would it be? I told her I’d have to think about it. How would you answer that?

Nick’s Reply

I think I’d start by suggesting she learn how headhunters operate, simply because if our methods don’t work, we don’t eat. Most headhunters work on contingency: we get paid a fee only when we actually fill a job, and we get repeat assignments only if we make good placements – new hires that succeed.

My bailiwick is teaching people how to use a headhunter’s approach to find themselves a job. It’s incorrect to assume that the headhunter’s approach is complicated or mysterious. Good headhunters are actually very simple business people, and our practices are even simpler. But, learning to “do it like a headhunter” can be a significant challenge because it requires some fundamental changes in the way most people conduct business (that is, in how they search for a job or recruit top talent).

Career Success: What’s the big idea?

The easiest way to explain it is to tell you how I learned the “big idea.” I learned it from my mentor, Harry Hamlin, who first brought me into the business in Silicon Valley’s early days. Our specialty was electronics. We recruited design and development engineers up to the VP level. Since I was green, fresh out of graduate school, and hopeful that there was a trick to this business, I asked him what “the secret” was. In his inimitable style, Harry perched both hands on the arms of his swivel chair, pressed down hard, and leaned forward right into my face.

“Go be nice to people. Do favors for everyone you meet. For free.”

Savvy recent student of cognitive psychology that I was, I asked him to be more specific. “Give me an example.”

Career Success: Be the hub

“Spend every nickel you earn this month taking engineers to lunch. Then, without divulging anything you learn that’s personal or confidential, find ways to introduce these people to one another. That’s the best way you can help them out. After a while, you’ll find yourself at the hub of the movers and shakers in the Valley.”

No one had ever given me permission to spend all my money. I had nice lunches almost every day; dinners, too. Within four months I learned more about the electronics industry than I believed possible. Engineers were calling me and introducing themselves; referring other good engineers to me; bringing me in to meet their managers, who became my clients; and inviting me to company parties where I met venture capitalists, bankers, real estate moguls, lawyers, accountants – all the people who made Silicon Valley work. Oh, and my billings soon resulted in more commissions than I could possibly spend. (Well, I was pretty naïve about what I wanted to buy – but the money was great!)

Most jobs come from this

The headhunter’s approach to matching people with jobs is very straightforward because it’s about helping ensure career success. It requires knowing lots of the right people in your professional community, and being privy to opportunities in good companies. This headhunter’s “big idea” is a life-long plan and it can readily be applied by earnest job seekers to optimize their career prospects. The more high quality relationships you have in and around your professional community, the better your career will be.

Here’s proof that it works: Most jobs are found and filled through personal contacts. That was true in pre-Internet days and it’s still true today.

And here’s why it works: Meeting new people leads to meeting more new people as all involved are drawn into a growing circle of friends.

Anyone can do it, but you must start by spending time with lots of people in your industry. You don’t need to always take them out for lunch or dinner, but it helps! Just don’t be transactional about it. Enjoy yourself! Then learn to introduce these folks to one another. You will become a respected hub of professional people in the real world.

That’s where jobs come from. And that’s where my best job candidates have usually come from.

Career Success: Go be nice to people

To say this is difficult to do because you have a full-time job is no excuse. If you don’t make time to do this, you will not have time to do it when you need to change jobs.

I was 24 and clueless about business. Wisely, Harry didn’t try to teach me anything about business too soon. He taught me about human nature. So, when perplexed job hunters and hiring managers ask me to reduce “the headhunter’s approach” to a simple statement, that’s what I say: “Go be nice to people. Do favors. For free.” It’s simple, and it works — if you do it instead of applying for jobs via automated systems that send you rejection mails five minutes after you apply.

Oh. There’s one other important thing Harry told me that you need to know. “Don’t expect anything in return.” (That will take care of itself, because after a while, the good you do for others comes around to you.)

I didn’t place more than about 10% of the engineers I met this way. In fact, sometimes they got jobs via my introductions without me always earning a fee. What I did always earn was their respect and trust — and loads of excellent referrals to engineers and hiring managers. Go be nice to people is the best strategy for career success I know. (For more about this, see How Can I Change Careers?)

What’s the best advice you ever got about career success?

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