Over the past 3 months, I’ve witnessed at least 4 people I personally know who quit without a job. What surprised me was their reason for leaving. Most, if not all of them had major problems with their mental health due to the need to handle toxic bosses and their around-the-clock sarcasm and micro-managing styles.
“I am actually a big picture person, but I have no choice but to micro-manage you this time” – horrible boss #1
Ever woke up in the middle of the night drenched in perspiration with your heart pumping with anxiety for the next working day? Familiar with walking out of the room thinking you will never work for this person again? Mental health is real, and an increasing concern at the workplace and culture of the organisations we are in plays a major role.
For candidates out there to say “I want to get a job” or ask “how to get a job” is not as easy as it seem. Whichever decision you’re making or made, here are some insights to the recruitment processes, tips about the core of what we do in human resource management with the hope to help some of you to put plans them into actions. In order to get hired, you need to know how to ace from start to finish.
In my book How to grow to 100 without a single HR, there is a suggested interview process tailored for startups, placed side-by-side with conventional interview processes below. Know what you are in for from the very beginning.
STAGE 1 - RESUME REVIEW
When someone tells me he/she applied for more than 30 jobs and none called back, gives me a big hint to look at their resumes. Resumes don't get you jobs, they grant you interviews. And if you don't even get calls for a first round of phone screen, there must be an issue with your resume.
“Resumes don’t get you jobs, they grant you interviews” – Aaron Lim
The picture below (more reading here from business insider) shows a heat map of recruiters' eye movements. The one on the right was looked at more thoroughly than the one of the left because of its clear and concise format. The truth is, people skim resumes. Time and money are valuable and in short supply. Your resumes may only get looked at for a few seconds, so the heat map below should give you a good idea WHERE to put critical information (such as your recent achievements) and WHAT to avoid (huge chunks of words that will totally disengage the recruiter looking at your resume).
After tidying up your resume, here are some quick tips for job applications:
1) Applying for every job you find isn’t always a good idea.
Focus your search on jobs that you’re qualified for and relevant to your experience. Don't embarrass yourself by applying for a software engineer role when you have construction engineer background. If your aim is to have a higher chance of immediate rejection, go ahead and send out random resumes to any job you see. It is just going to be a waste of time for both you and the recruiter. Before you start job seeking, take the time to consider what type of job you’re looking for. By the way, this also means not applying for more than one job in the same company. We know exactly who applies for what, and in the digital age today, all recruitment systems will flag out duplicate applications and this puts you automatically into recruiter's mental blacklist.
2) If you're leaving without a job, start applying yesterday.
Leaving your horrible boss might feel like a sweet victory. Be mindful not to land yourself in trouble by taking too much time to recover. Financial stress can catch up with you over time when you start to panic due to the lack of income to sustain your lifestyle. Start looking for something as soon as you have plans to leave. You might be able to remove problems at work when you leave, but after that you are on your own.
3) Don’t stop applying for jobs.
Don't just sit there and wait for feedback from potential employers after interviews. Most applicants are rejected (either from the beginning, or halfway through the process) by majority of the companies before landing a job. Learn from your mistakes and keep applying until you get it right. Worst case scenario, you’ll have multiple job offers, which is a very good problem.
4) Target your resume to the job.
Never mind the cover letters, none of us have the time to read it. Your resume should be edited and customised to match to the job as possible. Otherwise, it may not get picked up by the recruiter or the applicant tracking systems (ATS) we use to filter resumes.
5) Go for interviews even if you are not looking out.
This should be a no brainer. Interviewing skills needs to be mastered, and the best arena to train yourself are actual interviews conducted by hiring managers from other organisations. Instead of telling headhunters you're not looking out, try putting yourself out there to gain some experience and confidence taking questions. It doesn't matter if you did badly. You would have developed a bank of answers for difficult and tricky questions you faced. What is worse than being rusty at an interview for a dream job you are interviewing for?
STAGE 2 – INTERVIEWS (If you reach this stage, your resume is working!)
1) Dress for success.
Everybody knows how important first impressions are. But not everybody knows that there is only a seven second window upon first meeting someone. This means in an interview situation you need to act quickly in order to make a brilliant first impression on your interviewers. Maybe appearances shouldn’t matter so much, but they actually do. Be sure that you’re dressed appropriately for the type of job and company you’re interviewing for. For video/audio calls, I consider it worthwhile to plan how to greet and start the conversation with the interviewer to create a good impression.
2) Never say anything bad about a previous/current employer.
One of the most tempting interview mistakes is badmouthing your boss or colleagues. Yes we all know how bad bosses can be, but we do not want to give the interviewer a chance to think what you will say about their company when leave in future. Leave the judgement to others, focus on what you are good at and how your potential employer and help develop your career, with you contributing to them as well.
3) Pay attention to the details.
There are so much you need to pay attention to when you want to impress a potential employer. Increasingly, interviews are conducted digitally. If you’re using digital platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts or even WhatsApp, pls make sure that your profile is professional. This includes your profile picture, email address (cutieboi_1990 is not acceptable, by the way), and in the case of Skype or WhatsApp, your status displayed to avoid unnecessary judgement before your interview even start. If you're doing video interview with video on, choose an area with minimal noise at the background, including a decent backdrop. Your interviewer does not want to see piles of dirty laundry. You will be surprised at how much can be visible, so be sure to log on and check before the video call starts. Taking some time to prepare, will ensure that you have minimal interview distraction.
STAGE 3 - NEGOTIATING THE OFFER
Congratulations for landing an offer!
1) Consider the whole deal and don’t negotiate just to negotiate.
Sadly, to many people, “negotiating a job offer” and “negotiating a salary” are synonymous. Don’t get fixated on the salary, but instead focus on the value of the entire offer package. Responsibilities, location, travel opportunities, flexibility in work hours, opportunities for growth etc. You may decide to chart your career path that pays less now but put you in a stronger position later. Resist the temptation to prove that you are an awesome negotiator (even if you are). Don’t be petty over small little things. Fighting just a little more can lead people the wrong way. Worse of all, it can limit your ability to negotiate with the company later in your career, when it may matter more then.
2) Explain why you deserve what you’re requesting, ALL AT ONCE.
Don’t just state your desire such as a vague 15% higher salary than what was offered; explain precisely why it’s justified (the reasons you deserve more money. May be due to an upcoming promotion if you are staying?). If you have no justification for the hike, it may be unwise to make it. Keep in mind the thin line between being likable and explaining why you deserve more. Suggesting that you are valuable can make you sound arrogant if you communicate the message without much consideration. Don’t keep saying “and one more thing…,” the recruiter/hiring manager is unlikely to remain in a generous or understanding mode.
3) Avoid, ignore, or downplay ultimatums of any kind.
No one likes be given ultimatums. The "Do this or else" approach at some point could cancel the deal and with the company withdrawing the offer. Employers can do that much more easily especially when nothing written is put in place. Be very careful not to be too assertive to lose your one and only offer.
If I can't give you a job, hope the above will help you streamline your job search and behaviours during your hunt.
All the best!