Sunday, June 25, 2006
Summer Interviewing
Summer Interviewing
Some of you have already been on interviews on days where the temperature is in the 90’s. Because it is hot, you may be willing to succumb to the “lazy gene” that goes off in your head on days like that. You know the one that says, “It’s too hot. No one wants to interview.”
It is hot AND a lot of people will believe that message and the one that says hiring stops during the summer and wait until September to interview. Your competition will diminish and there will be a clearer path to your next job.
During the summer, arrive at your destination a few minutes early to do a few things. The first is to cool off. Heat can be a huge distraction and waiting in the lobby to cool off can help you start focused, rather than wiping sweat from your brow. I will also tell you that it is not fun to shake hands with someone with sweaty palms!
Carry your suit jacket with you, rather than wear it. From experience, I am aware of some pretty funky smells that people can generate when they wear their jacket during the summer! Implied in this tip is to always have a professional appearance. As always, stick to classic styles unless you are interviewing in the fashion industry.
Check your hair and general appearance. That split second of first meeting will cause a reaction in someone. Make it a positive (first choice) or neutral one (second choice), rather than a negative one.
If you wear glasses that change appearance with the lighting, get them to be clear, rather than have them change tint during the interview.
Jeff Altman , The Big Game Hunter
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm,. He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you would like to subscribe to Headhunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman’s free job search ezine, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com. While you’re there, you can read other job hunting or hiring advice, search available technical and non-technical positions and sign up to receive a daily digest of positions we’re recruiting for.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff or obtaining consultants, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, please include your resume).
Resume Blasting! Should You????
These people, according to the blasting services, represent the job market and want to know about you. However, the real sentence is should read that they will want to know about you at just this magic moment when you decide to send your resume.
How likely do you think that is?
In my 35 years in the search business, I have never once received a resume at was useful to me through a blasting service.
Not once.
I have received resumes from refrigeration specialists, chicken feather pluckers and a host of other skills I have never once sought in the course of a search.
Why do people spend $50 to $375 for such a useless service?
I understand that people are afraid of not finding work; that they are sometimes pressured by friend and family directly (So, what did you do today to find work, you lazy oaf) to indirectly, “How’s the search coming). I understand that you may feel like you’re doing something . . . but you aren’t doing anything positive. What you are doing is annoying a bunch of people who you want to help you, who are hitting the delete key, instead of reading your resume because we recognize the spammer’s formatting (yes, you are a spammer when you use these services, and you are wasting many an innocent victim’s time who don’t deserve to have it wasted (Remember, many of us are sales people for whom time IS money).
So, please don’t use a service to blast your resume. All you are doing is helping to waste my time and keep me from helping people I can.
Jeff Altman , The Big Game Hunter
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm,. He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you would like to subscribe to Headhunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman’s free job search ezine, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com. While you’re there, you can read other job hunting or hiring advice, search available technical and non-technical positions and sign up to receive a daily digest of positions we’re recruiting for.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff or obtaining consultants, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, please include your resume).
YOU, The Product
I suspect I know which one you want it to be?
But I also know how little effort goes into doing something extraordinary.
Most resumes I receive are very flat looking documents that regurgitate a bunch of facts and assume that I know the impact of the work done.
They say things like, “Leaped tall buildings in a single bound,” instead of “leaped tall buildings in a single bound resulting in the apprehension of 475 career criminals as well as 275 crimes being deterred (based upon projections from the FBI laboratories).
Joking aside, how did your work affect corporate profitability? Did it help increase profits? Reduce costs? Did you aside a leader streamline operations with several proposals? Did your contributions do anything other than cause you to receive a pay check? For some of you, you may not be able to point to anything concrete.
But for those of you who can, why aren’t you pointing it out in your resume?
My friend, Matt Sislowitz, can help you improve your resume at a very modest cost. Go to www.radicalresumes.com and mention I referred you. I am sure you’ll be pleased.
Jeff Altman , The Big Game Hunter
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm,. He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you would like to subscribe to Headhunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman’s free job search ezine, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com. While you’re there, you can read other job hunting or hiring advice, search available technical and non-technical positions and sign up to receive a daily digest of positions we’re recruiting for.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff or obtaining consultants, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, please include your resume).
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Earn More Than $54000 More Than You Do Now
Earn More Than $54000 More Than You Do Now
Over The Next 5 Years!
Ladies and gentlemen.
If you are like most people, you are finding it more difficult to pay your bills as easily today as you did a few years ago. After all, gas prices are much hire. Commuting costs are higher. Food prices are increasing. Health, life and auto insurance costs are increasing. The cost of you morning coffee is higher. Lunch at your desk costs more. Your morning newspaper costs more.
Do you want to increase your earnings by more than $54000 over the next 5 years?
If you answered yes, the way to do this is to change jobs once for a $10000 raise and get a 4% raise each year.
That’s it.
Change jobs once for a $10000 raise and get a modest 4% raise.
Now if you change jobs for a $15000 raise and get a 4% raise, you will earn $76000 more.
The numbers are even more striking if you change jobs twice.
Change jobs once for $10000.
Year one: You earn $10000 more
Year two: You earn $10400
Year three: You earn $10816
Year four, you get a $10000 raise. You earn $20816 more
Year five, you earn $21648 more.
In other words, over 5 years, you’ll earn more than $73000 more than you do today.
If your two raises are for $15000 each
Year one, you’ll earn $15000 more than you do today
Year two, you’ll earn $15600 more than you do today
Year three, you’ll earn $16224 more than you do today
Year four, you’ll earn $31224 more than you do today
Year five, you’ll earn $32472 more than you do today.
By changing jobs twice and earning $15000 more each time, YOU WILL EARN $110520 MORE THAN YOU DO TODAY.
So, unless you are independently wealthy, you need to change jobs in order to move ahead financially in the current system.
Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
To subscribe to Jeff’s free job search ezine, Head Hunt Your Own Job, or receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, go to http://www.sayhi.to/JeffAltman
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
Perception and Interviewing
Perception and Interviewing
Perceptual experts tell us we have 6 seconds to make a first impression. Those 6 seconds contain powerful imprints that become difficult to challenge or overcome the longer the interview goes on.
It may seem unnecessary to mention this, but heavily creased clothes, ear and nose hair, sweaty hands (or extremely cold hands in winter), mussed hair, loud or out-dated clothing, dirty fingernails and/or hands, dirty shoes and, the list could go on for a page, send an unpleasant message to most interviewers (I say most because, in some industries, a grungy look can be seen as a desirable and stylish).
In addition, the smile (or lack thereof), the good handshake (or lack thereof), the nature of the eye contact (or lack thereof), can also perceived in this culture as being an indication of confidence or lack thereof. And, in this culture, self-confident people almost always do better on interviews and in their careers than those who are perceived as being tentative or shy.
I do understand that in other cultures, such behavior can be seen as being respectful. Yet, for most US employers, how you dress when you arrive at the interview sends a signal as to your personality as does your handshake, eye contact, smile, etc..
My encouragement to you is to always conduct yourself in ways that are culturally appropriate. US-based behavior would not be successful for interviews in Japan, The Peoples Republic or areas of India and Pakistan. An American interview for a position there would need to adapt for that cultural milieu.
The reverse is also true.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm. He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you would like to subscribe to Headhunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman’s free job search ezine, go to http://www.sayhi.to/JeffAltman. While you’re there, you can read other job hunting or hiring advice, search available technical and non-technical positions and sign up to receive a daily digest of positions we’re recruiting for.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff or obtaining consultants, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, please include your resume).
Perceptual experts tell us we have 6 seconds to make a first impression. Those 6 seconds contain powerful imprints that become difficult to challenge or overcome the longer the interview goes on.
It may seem unnecessary to mention this, but heavily creased clothes, ear and nose hair, sweaty hands (or extremely cold hands in winter), mussed hair, loud or out-dated clothing, dirty fingernails and/or hands, dirty shoes and, the list could go on for a page, send an unpleasant message to most interviewers (I say most because, in some industries, a grungy look can be seen as a desirable and stylish).
In addition, the smile (or lack thereof), the good handshake (or lack thereof), the nature of the eye contact (or lack thereof), can also perceived in this culture as being an indication of confidence or lack thereof. And, in this culture, self-confident people almost always do better on interviews and in their careers than those who are perceived as being tentative or shy.
I do understand that in other cultures, such behavior can be seen as being respectful. Yet, for most US employers, how you dress when you arrive at the interview sends a signal as to your personality as does your handshake, eye contact, smile, etc..
My encouragement to you is to always conduct yourself in ways that are culturally appropriate. US-based behavior would not be successful for interviews in Japan, The Peoples Republic or areas of India and Pakistan. An American interview for a position there would need to adapt for that cultural milieu.
The reverse is also true.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm. He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you would like to subscribe to Headhunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman’s free job search ezine, go to http://www.sayhi.to/JeffAltman. While you’re there, you can read other job hunting or hiring advice, search available technical and non-technical positions and sign up to receive a daily digest of positions we’re recruiting for.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff or obtaining consultants, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, please include your resume).
Summer and Interviewing
Summer and Interviewing
Should You Bother?
Among the stories I hear is that it is a waste of time to interview during the summer. Managers aren’t there to interview. No one hires. No one is in the mood. Everyone is on vacation (Yes. Entire companies close their doors and go on vacation). It is a waste of time.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Summer is a terrific time for interviewing because employers have the same need but fewer people to choose from because everyone believes that it is a bad time to interview. So the demand still exists and, in some fields (technology comes to mind) the urgency increases to hire. It becomes so urgent that firms start taking on more consultants to satisfy their needs because they just don’t interview enough qualified candidates!
A few years ago, a poorly qualified computer programmer named Preeti came to me in February of that year and tried to change jobs. I listened to her discuss her experience. She was very junior, worked at a small company working on smaller scale projects with no particular “sizzle” in the marketplace. She had already been looking for work for several weeks.
After she asked for my help, I politely told her that I didn’t think I would be able to do so for several months. I explained that I spoke of several months was not because I was too busy, but because of how her experience would be perceived in the market and tat by Memorial Day, things would probably loosen up.
By late June, I had her starting a new job.
So, as a job hunter, if you want to take the summer off, you certainly can . . . but understand that you are missing a terrific opportunity to connect with your next job.
Jeff Altman
Should You Bother?
Among the stories I hear is that it is a waste of time to interview during the summer. Managers aren’t there to interview. No one hires. No one is in the mood. Everyone is on vacation (Yes. Entire companies close their doors and go on vacation). It is a waste of time.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Summer is a terrific time for interviewing because employers have the same need but fewer people to choose from because everyone believes that it is a bad time to interview. So the demand still exists and, in some fields (technology comes to mind) the urgency increases to hire. It becomes so urgent that firms start taking on more consultants to satisfy their needs because they just don’t interview enough qualified candidates!
A few years ago, a poorly qualified computer programmer named Preeti came to me in February of that year and tried to change jobs. I listened to her discuss her experience. She was very junior, worked at a small company working on smaller scale projects with no particular “sizzle” in the marketplace. She had already been looking for work for several weeks.
After she asked for my help, I politely told her that I didn’t think I would be able to do so for several months. I explained that I spoke of several months was not because I was too busy, but because of how her experience would be perceived in the market and tat by Memorial Day, things would probably loosen up.
By late June, I had her starting a new job.
So, as a job hunter, if you want to take the summer off, you certainly can . . . but understand that you are missing a terrific opportunity to connect with your next job.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm,. He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff since 1971. He is also a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you would like to subscribe to Headhunt Your Own Job, Jeff Altman’s free job search ezine, go to http://www.sayhi.to/JeffAltman. While you’re there, you can read other job hunting or hiring advice, search available technical and non-technical positions and sign up to receive a daily digest of positions we’re recruiting for.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff or obtaining consultants, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, please include your resume).
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