Posts Tagged ‘Right Management’

It’s happened to a banker in Providence, RI, a real estate investment adviser in Boise, ID, and scores of people who work in manufacturing in Midwestern states. If you’ve suffered the embarrassment of being laid off not once, but twice, relax — you are hardly alone. While the latest government statistics tracking people who’ve had two spells of unemployment won’t be out until December, hiring managers are increasingly aware that it is a common occurrence, and not necessarily a black eye.

In fields like marketing and information technology, being laid off may even classify as “normal,” says Lynn Hazan, a Chicago-based executive recruiter. Advertising agencies and marketing departments cut positions when they lose accounts; global companies trim their IT staffs to meet shifting needs. “Everyone knows how much ‘no-fault’ job loss there is, and that [he or she] may be just as vulnerable to it as you have been,” says John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement firm.

So come to a job interview confident that you can explain your double dose of unemployment. “Be candid and focus on the business reasons,” says Melvin Scales, vice president for global solutions, Right Management, a Philadelphia-based outplacement firm. Assuming your layoffs had nothing to do with performance, make that clear by explaining why your position — not you — became less relevant to your employer. If your manager has indicated a desire to hire you back when the economy improves or has written a glowing recommendation, mention that to bolster your case, Hazan advises.

You might even claim that suffering through double layoffs makes you a more attractive job candidate. “When people go through downsizing, typically they use the time to sharpen their skills,” either by working as a consultant or getting additional training, says Scales. Make sure that applies to you. In addition, stress your own understanding of the fact that rapid change is high on the list of challenges many companies face nowadays. Says Hazan: “State what you learned from those experiences and how that can be of help to the new employers.” While your job history may be clouded by double layoffs, clear it up by offering your own extra dose of industry insight.

The other day I was at an interview and one of the questions was, “What are your weaknesses?” I consider this a depressing, senseless question. How does one answer this? I said, “Chocolate.”

Dear Readers,

Interviewers generally ask three kinds of questions, says Charles Hays, vice president, Right Management Consultants, Inc., a career transition firm. The first category consists of positive questions in which they ask you about your accomplishments. The second aims to get at character traits, which is another chance to extol your strengths. These are questions like: “Tell me about yourself,” and “Where would you like to be in five years?”

The third category, negative questions, can be the toughest. While it’s probably okay to give an answer with some humor – like the “chocolate” retort – come prepared with a more serious response as well.

First deflect the question by rewording it, says Hays, who advises his clients to prepare two to three responses to this question before each job interview. You can do that by identifying an issue, followed quickly with an explanation of how you are addressing it. If you are in sales, for example, you might say: “I really wouldn’t call it a weakness. My bottom line is sales, and I don’t always focus on record keeping, so I need to keep my eye on that.” Your goal, says Hays, “is to downgrade the weakness and show what you’re doing to correct it.”

As important as what you say is how you say it. “It’s a psychological test,” Hays explains. “The interviewer wants to see how defensive you get, and what you’re willing to admit.” In other words: total denial will not serve you well, but a little honesty and a lot of preparation can win you the job.

JOB HUNT

ENERGY BOOSTERS

After several months without work, it can be hard to keep your spirits up. With rising unemployment, engaging in a job hunt can seem futile. How can you motivate yourself?

Dear Readers,

This question comes up often. Rather than go to “the experts,” who generally have little first-hand experience with being unemployed, I decided to ask Mark, a former manager in the manufacturing industry who has been out of work for several months. Does he get discouraged? How does he keep his spirits up? “I definitely have some experience with the emotional ups and downs of unemployment and sometimes total lack of motivation,” he replied. But he won’t give up. Among Mark’s strategies:

Put Yourself on the Clock. I find that I start feeling guilty if I’m not spending every waking moment working on my job search. So next week I will try something that I know I should have been doing the whole time. I am going to put myself on more of a strict schedule, and when I’m done for the day, I will try not to think about it much.

Get Out of the House. I work out and go for a run. At times it’s hard to get motivated to even do that. But I have yet to find a time when I regretted it. It’s also to helpful to go to the library or the bookstore. Being around people, even if you’re not interacting with them, helps to change your mood.

Meet Friends for Lunch. This is a great way to get some reinforcement and maybe even have a few laughs. Friends also may have some new ideas or connections.

Volunteer. Knowing you are helping others may also improve your feeling of self worth, which gets lost during unemployment. It is also a constructive way to network and possibly pick up some new skills.

Write Down Your Own Strategies. Writing down these thoughts seemed to help for some reason. I would suggest listing the things you find that make your days more enjoyable and productive during an extended job search. There are many ways to push yourself, and as each day or week goes by, your list should grow.