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#JobSearch : Good News-Bad News – Over Half A Million Jobs Were Created Last Month. Here’s The Catch. Great REad!

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There was great anticipation leading up to the July jobs report. For months, economists, Wall Street analysts and politicians debated whether or not the United States was heading into a recession and what this would mean for Americans.

Upon Friday’s report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, both sides of the aisle were amazed at the creation of 528,000 new jobs—more than doubling the 250,000 projected. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, reverting to its pre-Covid, 50-year low.

The good news felt like a much-needed relief for families to feel more confident in the U.S.’ economic recovery.

Job Growth Was Strong Across Almost All Sectors

Payrolls skyrocketed by 22 million over the past 27 months. The U.S. private sector saw growth with 629,000 positions above their pre-pandemic peak in February 2020. This means the labor market has recovered all the jobs lost in the pandemic.

The gains in employment were widespread. The July report showed that employers in leisure and hospitality are briskly hiring, along with restaurants and bars. There were payroll increases in healthcare, professional and business services, which include many white-collar jobs.

 

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Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

There Are Some Worrisome Issues In The Jobs Report

Unfortunately, if you dig deeper, all is not well. White-collar, full-time jobs were down by 71,000 over the month, while voluntary and involuntary part-time workers increased by 384,000.

The most significant contributions to job growth were front-line and part-time workers. Many of these folks preferred full-time roles; however, they were unable to obtain those positions. People were also pushed into part-time jobs because their hours were cut back.

Around 92,000 more Americans are working multiple jobs, 279,000 fewer people self-employed and there are 623,000 fewer people in the workforce compared with February 2020, as the workforce participation rate dropped.

The participation rate is a metric used to determine the percentage of Americans working or seeking a new job. The formula calculates the rate by taking the number of people aged 16 and older who are gainfully employed or actively seeking employment, then dividing it by the total working-age population.

The opting out of the labor force is attributed to Baby Boomers retiring, net immigration declining and concerns over Covid-19. All of these factors contributed to an estimated 2 million to 4 million Americans staying out of the market—bringing down the participation rate.

According to Layoffs.fyi, 65,962 employees were laid off in the tech startup space. LinkedIn reported that dozens of top companies across many sectors have enacted layoffs.

The Job Market Is Moving Toward Part-Time Work

It looks like the U.S. is heading into a different type of job market. More Americans are working part-time jobs, participating in the gig economy and needing to hold two or more roles to keep up with inflation.

This trend could foreshadow future problems as a large segment of the population is unable to earn sufficient funds to take care of their families as the costs of food, gas and rent are skyrocketing due to runaway inflation.

The Wage-Price Spiral

The July numbers are large enough to heighten concerns over a wage-price spiral. If this trend continues, it could be ruinous to the economy. Here’s what happens: workers demand more money due to the costs of inflation. In response, businesses need to raise their prices to compensate for the salary increases.

As costs spiral higher, workers notice that their paycheck doesn’t go as far anymore because the costs of goods and services have accelerated. Once again, the workers call for compensation increases to keep up with the rampant inflation rate. This could end up in a vicious upward spiral.

The Good News Is Bad News

The irony of a hot job market is that Fed Chair Jerome Powell views it as fanning the flames of inflation. Since his mandate is to lower inflation, Powell needs to substantially cool down the economy. This will be accomplished by raising interest rates. The intended consequence is that the companies will need to cut costs, which includes conducting layoffs and hiring freezes.

The good news is that there seems to continue to be an almost insatiable need for talent by companies across the board. This bodes well for job seekers. There should be plenty of jobs available until Powell aggressively ratches up interest rates. As inflation remains stubbornly high, it will continue to impact the lower-wage workers who will involuntarily need to take two or more part-time jobs to stay afloat.

What You Need To Do Now

Heed author Malcolm Gladwell’s advice and go into the office five days a week. It doesn’t have to be forever. While things are up in the air, you want to be seen and heard by managers and essential personnel. The proximity bias may save you when there is a call to cut jobs. A person who is always around will likely stand out compared to the dozens of small faces in a box on a weekly video call.

To fire-proof yourself, work toward being indispensable. Ingratiate yourself with the boss and key decision makers so that they wouldn’t want you to be on the layoff list. Become the go-to person that everyone counts on to get things accomplished.

If you currently have a job, hold tight. You don’t want to be the last one hired and the first one fired at the new company. Unless you have a phenomenal job offer, don’t switch jobs right now.

Although the job market looks buoyant right now, once Powell cranks up the interest rates, companies will cut costs, including layoffs. To be vigilant, get in touch with recruiters, seek out job leads from your network, go on informational interviews, update your LinkedIn profile and résumé and practice your elevator pitch and ways to answer tricky interview questions.

Forbes.com | August 9, 2022 | Jack Kelly 

#JobSearch : Will Your Resume Impress Employers? Take This Quiz To Find Out. Fact: Over 75% of Resumes Never Get Seen by Human Eyes. A MUst REad!

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Linda is a baby boomer who has spent her entire career working in the HR field. This Human Resources Manager currently works at a Fortune 500 company, and she asked for help writing her resume. Kathy said, “I look at resumes all the time. Thousands have passed through my hands, but when it comes to writing my own, I have difficulty doing it. I’m horrible at self-marketing. A resume is just a slick piece of advertising, but it is crucial to your success in getting hired.”

Human eyes never see many resumes. When you make it through the screening process, employers report that most resumes only get a 15-to-20-second glance. If you do not capture their attention quickly, they pass you by and call someone else in for an interview.

Writing a persuasive resume is challenging for most people. Yet, a top-quality resume that effectively sells your skills and accomplishments to an employer is essential to your success. Is yours impressive enough to grab a recruiter’s attention? Will your resume get through the employer’s Applicant Tracking System? There are mistakes you need to avoid in writing your resume. I have created this quiz based on dozens of hiring surveys, hundreds of employer interviews, and 30 years of resume writing experience. It does not matter what generation you are from. I’ve worked with people from every age group to create eye-catching resumes that land the new job.

Let’s put your resume under a “hiring magnifying glass.” First, look at your current resume and take the following quiz to see if your resume stands out.

Are you getting interviews?

This is a yes or no question. Maybe you haven’t tested the waters yet. But if you have, and no recruiters have sought you out, or you are not getting appropriate interviews, you may need professional intervention to learn why your resume is not working. Typically, it is not getting through the ATS or may be too generic without specific accomplishments. Then again, you may be applying for jobs for which you aren’t qualified. No interviews mean you must overhaul and edit it to stress your crucial work tasks, accomplishments, and related experience.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

Is your resume loaded with results?

These are the top criteria employers want to see. Accomplishments and results are what recruiters and hiring managers want to know about. They want proof that you will excel in the job based on the results you have achieved in previous positions you’ve worked at in the past. Outline what you have increased or decreased, how you saved money or time, made the organization money, created something new, solved a big problem, or how you improved employee productivity.

Does your resume use detailed job descriptions?

Vague, general resumes with wordy job descriptions often are ineffective. It is specifics that sell and capture attention. So, first, target the resume to the job you seek. Then, incorporate only the information pertinent to doing that specific job in the resume. This will alleviate the tendency to crowd your resumé with too much nonrelated information or too much detail on older positions that may not be relevant now.

Did you use keywords?

CNBC reported that over 75% of resumes never get seen by human eyes. An uploaded resume goes through scanning software called the applicant tracking system or ATS. To be found when the human recruiter or hiring manager searches, you need to add appropriate keywords. This does not mean copying every word from the job opening and putting them into your resume. Most employers seek your hard and pertinent soft skills determined by the work tasks you have done in the past. Try reviewing several job openings. You will see a pattern: employers want specific skills, knowledge, and experience. Then incorporate those work tasks and job functions in your resume.

Does your resume include a Summary of Qualifications section?

This four-to-six-sentence section includes your experience and top-selling points to do the job. This section is quite influential with employers, but most candidates neglect to include it. This part of the resume has an incredible impact since employers reported that this is the very first area they read. And it concisely demonstrates your solid ability to perform the advertised job.

Do you list competencies up near the top of the resume?

These are typically created in a table, and most employers’ Applicant Tracking Systems cannot read tables. So this section comes across as blank when the employer sees your submitted resume. Instead of a list, employers prefer to see the skills in a statement that shows how you have used that particular skill on the job. So, for example, instead of listing something like project management as a competency, write a bulleted statement under a position you have held to illustrate how you used that in a job.

Is your resume visually appealing?

The appearance of the resume cannot be overemphasized! Don’t get creative with your resume. Fancy fonts, tables, columns, text boxes, colored ink, graphics, charts, headers, and footers are often unable to be read by most of the Applicant Tracking Systems employers use. Instead, you get blanks or garbled, unreadable text. Use a standard format. Use italicizing, CAPITALS, underlining, bolding, indentations, and bullets to emphasize your essential points. Keep your font readable. Size 12 is best and only use standard fonts like Arial or Times Roman.

How do you start each sentence under professional experience?

Begin sentences with descriptive action verbs, such as established, analyzed, implemented, designed, or spearheaded. They add power to your sentences by demonstrating actions. For example, never use the word “I” in your resume. Instead, action verbs help you create powerful statements by listing the step you took and the results the action created.

Have you used acronyms and abbreviations?

Spell out names of schools, cities, work acronyms, and abbreviations completely. It is better to give complete information, as employers may not recognize abbreviations or acronyms. In addition, they often glance over the resume, and you do not want them to get tripped up or annoyed when you do not state the entire phrase.

How long is your resume?

Two pages are the current maximum employers want to see or are willing to read. Whether you are a 60-year-old executive or a professional with years of experience, being brief and concise works best. Be a skillful editor, deleting the portions which are not relevant or are least helpful to supporting the job title you currently seek. Employers look for experience at the current levels so emphasize your work done in the last seven-to-ten years.

Did you proofread it?

Employers notice and hate typos and mistakes. Be sure you proofread the resume a couple of times. Then ask another person to review it carefully too, so you eliminate any errors. Ensure your resume is perfect before you submit it.

 

Forbes.com Author:  Robin Ryan :   Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

 

Forbes.com | August 9, 2022

#JobSearch : Why It’s A Smart And Effective Strategy To Interview In August. Good News -Bad News. MUst REad!

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August is traditionally one of the slowest months for hiring. The slowdown is comparable to the December holiday season. The major reason for the usual lull in the hiring process is that August is the last chance to take a summer vacation. Most families take time off around Christmas, Hanukkah and during the summer months, especially August.

A new vibe sets in toward the unofficial last month of the summer. Three-day weekends, summer Fridays and mentally checking out of work are commonly accepted practices. It’s an unwritten rule that this is the prime time for families to take their long-awaited trips to Disney, visit family, fly to Europe, check out interesting destinations across America or relax on a sunny beach, reading a trashy novel or just being in a moment of peace and tranquility.

What To Anticipate When You’re Interviewing

If you are in search mode, be prepared for more than the usual ghosting, absence of communications and lack of feedback. Since it’s prime travel and sightseeing season, there will be a turnstile effect occurring at companies. One person after another will be out of the office.

An interview scheduled weeks in advance will get canceled the night before, as the human resources professional reported that they have a cold and need to reschedule. They most likely emailed the change from their summer home in the Hamptons or Catskills.

Upon miraculous recovery, the HR person is back to work, but now the hiring manager is off on a two-week vacation. No sooner than when the supervisor returns, there is a domino effect of all the other parties involved in the interview process saying they’ll be on vacation or away for a few days. You were probably receiving communications about the process and now the emails, texts and phone messages have subsided. This pattern will last throughout the rest of the month into the first couple of weeks of September.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

There Will Always Be Some Opportunities Available

Don’t give up hope and put your search on hold. You can’t generalize that everything grinds to a standstill. There will always be a small number of roles deemed by management to be essential and need to be filled immediately.

For the crucial open roles, you’ll have a big advantage if you are actively hunting for a job. Fewer candidates will compete for the same job, as they’re off vacation. Even if people don’t go away, they mentally check out.

A smart contrarian plan is to aggressively search for a job while there’s less competition. You’ll stand out that way. With fewer résumés submitted, yours will resonate with the hiring manager. Savvy HR professionals and long-time managers know that if they neglect hiring over the last part of the summer, they’ll be inundated with angry requests from managers yelling, “Why don’t I have any applicants for my job openings?”

The forward-thinking people involved with the hiring process recognize things may move slowly, but they’ll proactively build a solid pipeline of candidates willing and ready to interview once mid-September rolls in. They know that mid-September resembles that back-to-school mentality. It’s the feeling that summer and fun is over and it’s time to get serious and focused again.

The Behind The Scenes Reasons Why Businesses Will Hire Now

Smart hiring managers know from experience that they’ll be caught flat-footed in September and October if they don’t continue hiring now. If they wait until September to re-up the hiring cycle, the time frame may take three to six months to place job listings online, review the onslaught of pent-up demand résumés, retain recruiters to assist with the hard-to-find prospects, conduct interviews, run background checks and prepare an offer. The recipient of an offer would require two or three-plus weeks for their notice period. This would bring you into a start date in late November or early December, which triggers big issues.

White-collar professionals in sectors, such as Wall Street and tech, rely heavily upon their oversized bonuses. In a blazing hot market, companies would buy out bonuses to allure a person to join their organization. It’s not an insignificant amount of money. An investment banker or software engineer may expect high five-digit bonus figures.

A placement in August allows someone to qualify for a bonus if they switch jobs. The longer the time goes by, companies may not want to buy out or give a person a $50k bonus for only working a month or so at the new firm.

In this current economy and job market that is characterized by uncertainty, including runaway inflation, a recession, possible stagflation, layoffs, job-offer rescissions and hiring freezes, it’s more than likely that companies won’t want to shell out a significant bonus. They’ll instead pass on the candidate and wait for someone else who doesn’t require a large bonus reward.

Search For A Job, But Also Practice Self-Care

Understandably, folks don’t want to embark upon a lengthy job search in brutally hot weather. It’s not pleasant to go into the subway station in New York City when it’s 95 degrees and humid outside. The temperature uncomfortably rises as you’re waiting by the railroad tracks. After departing the crowded train car, squished between two sweaty people, you’ll need to walk about 10 blocks to the building for an in-person interview. By the time you arrive, you’re sweaty, your attire is wrinkled, your hair disheveled and you’re starting to get cranky and irritable. This isn’t the best way to shine in a first meeting.

Despite the challenges, you should still continue interviewing. After two-plus years of unrelenting stress and anxiety, taking time out for self-care is not unreasonable. You owe it to yourself to process the effects of the pandemic, try to comprehend what will happen with runaway inflation and a recession and question if the job cuts and hiring freezes are the new normal. With the slower pace at the office and the ability to sneak away while working remotely, it’s easy to just coast for a while and decompress.

What Companies Should Do

After all these years, you’d think executives would see the cycles and take action. It would make sense for business leaders to call for vacation schedules that would make it easier to streamline and fast-track the hiring process.

Businesses lose two or more months of interviewing and vetting candidates by not taking proactive measures. Once companies return to a normal schedule, there will be pent-up demand for hiring without sufficient applicants available. Feeling that they’ve been ghosted, some may have given up. Top talent will have already found jobs with more motivated candidate-friendly companies.

Management should embrace the summertime vibe. As 4 million Americans quit their jobs every month, if companies are missing out on hiring during August, the least they could do is stem the tide of attrition.

With the slower pace, team leaders should schedule time to talk with their staff. They could go to an offsite location and the worker could share their goals. The manager, in turn, can address their desires, ask for feedback, provide accolades for their accomplishments and share constructive criticism that would help them grow and flourish.

The Bottom Line

August is a great time to both enjoy a relaxing summer and search for a great new job, as there will be less competition and you can stand out.

 

Forbes.com | August 4, 2022 | Jack Kelly 

#ResumeWriting : What is an ATS? What is SEO? What are Keywords in Resumes? Think your Resume Got Read? Think Again!

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Job seekers and resume owners are often confused about the terms and definitions of ATS, SEO, and keywords.  Some clients think there is a certain set of standardized words you insert into the resume to get seen after they upload the resume into an online system.

Here is an easy breakdown of the terms and how these resume elements are used by recruiters in the job placement industry.

ATS is the acronym for Automatic Tracking System. The ATS is the software application (often cloud-based) that recruiters use to receive, house, sort, document applicants who apply to specific job requisitions.  Recruiters also perform a procedure called a Boolean search in the SQL database to find applicants with keywords or key phrases in their resumes.  The Boolean search is an automated, and faster method to reduce the number of actual resumes recruiters have to read by identifying the ‘more qualified candidates’ in the system by keyword inclusion.

SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Using an Internet browser (e.g., Google, Bing, Opera) to find information means implementing Boolean search using key words to find Search Engine Optimized pages or documents.  The search engine will look for websites with the keywords or phrases and the sites with the ‘most number’ of those keywords or phrases will show up in a result queue, with the most optimized websites at the top of the list.

Recruiters use the same Boolean search process in an ATS (resume database) as an Internet search.  Once the recruiter conducts the search either in the entire database or only within applicants to the specific job requisition, then resumes with the ‘most mentions’ of a key word or phrase will rise to the top of the result queue. Recruiters don’t have time to read 100, 200, 300 resumes, so rely on SEO keywords to find the ‘most qualified’ candidate based on the higher number of mentions of those keywords in the resume.  They will glance through the top 5-10 resumes in the results queue, and if these candidates fulfill the minimum qualifications, they will proceed to interview or push the resumes to hiring managers for decisions.  It is likely the remaining 90, 190, or 290 resumes will never be read and ‘marked’ en masse as ‘other candidates more qualified.’

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

Keywords are single words or phrases directly relevant to a job-seeker’s career, skills, experience, and/or education.  For instance, a computer programmer should mention all the programming languages s/he uses as keywords.  Logistics careerists should use the words supply chain, logistics, supply, warehousing, and inventory as keywords, with metrics, to describe their job tasks and achievements.  Salespersons should include keywords related to revenue, sales, marketing, advertising, and income streams.  Property managers should include metrics for units rented, the values of rental properties, descriptions of how they manage or provide maintenance of facilities and vendors contracting for repairs as keywords and phrases.

Executives (C-suite) should not mistake words like ‘leadership,’ ‘guiding,’ and ‘support’ as keywords – these are vague and subjective.  Corporate executives and/or financial directors should have action verbs as keywords and phrases, including development, research, accounting, finance, investments, mergers and acquisitions, supervision, management, director (of something), and/or project or program management.

The action verbs at the beginning of a bullet should be followed with a documentable, objectively written action with a result.  One example, loaded with metrics, would be, “Managed >$20M in contracts for services, current, and future deployment projects including aircraft support equipment, office supplies, and electronics; managed and monitored contracts valued at

~$2.14M for parts and required services, $3.02M in Aircraft Ground Support Equipment requirements, and >$10M in electronics and future deployment components.”

Knowing what these terms mean, and how to use the processes to your advantage, will assist in writing a more objectively-worded, keyword-loaded, and action-based descriptors of your career and experience.  The more keywords, phrases, objective language, documentable metrics, and easy to read bullets in the resume, the faster recruiters will be able to find you, consider your strengths, and pick up the phone to interview.

SEO Key Words for web post:  achievements, action verbs, applicants, ATS, Automatic Tracking System , Boolean search, career , cloud-based, definitions, descriptors, experience, hiring managers, Internet browser, Internet search, interview, job description, job placement, job requisitions, key phrases, keyword inclusion, keywords, metrics, objective language, online system, optimized websites, phrase, qualifications, recruiters, result queue, resume database, Resumes, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Optimized, SEO, skills, software application, SQL database, subjective, system, terms, websites. Examples below:

Key Word Hash-Tags (#):  #achievements, #actionverbs, #applicants, #ATS, #AutomaticTrackingSystem, #Booleansearch, #career, #cloud-based, #definitions, #descriptors, #experience, #hiringmanagers, #Internetbrowser, #Internetsearch, #interview, #jobdescription, #jobplacement, #jobrequisitions, #keyphrases, #keywordinclusion, #keywords, #metrics, #objectivelanguage, #onlinesystem, #optimizedwebsites, #phrase, #qualifications, #recruiters, #resultqueue, #resumedatabase, #Resumes, #SearchEngineOptimization, #SearchEngineOptimized, #SEO, #skills, #softwareapplication, #SQLdatabase, #subjective, #system, #terms, #websites

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., an Associate with First Sun, has a successful business and consulting firm in Norfolk, Richmond, Colonial Beach (Dahlgren), and Gloucester, VA.  Her background is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry.  She is the author of 940+ books on business, human resources research, career search practice, women’s studies, genealogy lineages, and has illustrated ~118 adult coloring books.  Her books are listed on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting, and an associate with First Sun Consulting, provides resume writing, editing, publishing, and print-on-demand consulting.  Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

 

                                                                                                                                          FSC Career Blog – July 31, 2022

 

 

 

#BestofFSCBlog : Over 12K Reads! Instead Of Worrying About A Recession/Job Loss, Do This Instead. Great REad!

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It doesn’t matter if the United States is in a recession or not. The Federal Reserve Bank chair Jerome Powell, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and President Joe Biden have all weighed in: America is not in a recession, and is headed for a more robust economy.

The current administration needs to make Americans feel confident that although the U.S. may be mired in a bad situation, the country is headed in a more positive direction. The longtime, standardly held definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of contracting growth. If the Fed, treasury secretary and president all offered a present and future of lower expectations, including continued high inflation, a recession and job losses, businesses would pick up on their lead and engage in massive cost-cutting initiatives to remain solvent.

The current climate is far different than past recessions. Usually, recessions have high unemployment rates. The U.S. is at full employment with a record-low unemployment rate of 3.6%. Businesses are begging for workers. There are over 11 million jobs open.

Also, consumers are spending despite the higher prices. In a recession, it’s reasonable to expect families to curtail their expenditures. Instead, restaurants, bars, airports, hotels and in-person events are packed.

Why It Doesn’t Matter

It’s the job of Wall Street experts, economists and politicians to prognosticate stubbornly high inflation, a possible recession and layoffs. Tune them out, as it doesn’t matter. You don’t have control over these global macro events. The one thing you have is the ability to manage and drive your own career.

It would be naive to think that the litany of woes, such as supply chain disruptions, inflation eating into your paycheck and savings, an endless war in Eastern Europe, constant political in-fighting and a steady flow of announced downsizing, won’t impact your job and career. Despite all the obstacles, you need to block out the noise and look out for yourself.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

What You Need To Do Now

Tune out the negative and take a good, hard look at your job, career and the company you work for. Research the financials of your organization. Search online for any developments that could negatively impact your company’s products and services. Request a meeting with your boss. Ask them to share what is going on with the organization. Delve into questions about the possibility of layoffs, hiring freezes and allowing attrition without replacements. You want to know the company’s financial shape and whether or not it can withstand the current challenging environment.

If you sense that your future within the company won’t be too rosy, take immediate action. Put together a résumé and complete your LinkedIn profile. If you’re not sure what to do, reach out to professional career coaches and résumé writers who can do it for you.

Get In Touch With Recruiters

Contact recruiters for assistance. Not all headhunters are the same. Some are contingent, meaning they only get paid by the company if they make a placement. Retained recruiters primarily focus on C-suite and top executives. Staffing firms generally deal with contract and gig workers. You need to know the differences, so you won’t get offended if a retained recruiter ignores your reach out. You’ll have a better outcome if you find a search professional who focuses on your specialization. The recruiter will intuitively understand what you do, without needing a lengthy explanation. Inquire if the search agent has long-standing contacts with hiring managers, human resources and internal, in-house talent acquisition professionals. Good recruiters will have insider knowledge about the people, corporate culture, the type of applicants they tend to hire, salary ranges, bonus expectations and future internal-growth potential. Experienced headhunters have negotiated salaries for years, and can relieve you of this unpleasant exchange.

Seek Out Job Leads Through Your Network

One of the best ways to find hidden jobs that aren’t posted online is through networking. The term “networking” tends to have a negative connotation for many people. Put this aside. You want to tap into the people you know and trust for job leads.

Make a list of friends, family, neighbors, folks from groups and organizations you’re involved with, colleagues, former co-workers, college alumni and others who could potentially help you. Let them know the type of job you desire, a target list of companies you want to work with and the approximate compensation and title you’re interested in.

Asking for a favor can be awkward. Depending upon the closeness of the relationship, make a phone or video call, invite the person for a coffee, drinks or dinner or simply just send an email. Be honest and direct about your intentions. Keep in mind that it’s less uncomfortable than being unemployed or stuck on a sinking ship without options.

Engage On Social Media To Gain Attention

Another act that requires you to get out of your comfort zone is getting involved with social media. Depending upon your job and career, seek out relevant social media platforms. LinkedIn is an excellent way to start if you are a mid to senior-level, white-collar professional. Send invitations to people who may have access to the jobs you desire. Respond to posts from leaders in your space to attract notice. Write your own content to stand out as an expert. For those in between jobs, it’s acceptable to place the #opentowork banner on your profile. However, this one act isn’t enough. Explain why you are seeking a new role and concisely share the responsibilities you held at your last couple of jobs. Be sure to indicate what you want to do next. By doing this, recruiters, HR and others can understand what you’ve done and what you are now looking for.

TikTok and Instagram are go-to sites if you are young and starting your career or work in a creative field. Twitter is a valuable medium to share your expertise and wisdom, attract an audience and let them know about your search efforts. Join job-seeking groups on Facebook. Let your connections know that you are embarking upon a job search and need their advice, guidance and access to leads.

Stay Positive And Manifest Your Bright New Future

The goal is not to let yourself get overwhelmed by all the dire events. It’s easy to succumb to the never-ending barrage of negative news. To combat the doom and gloom, make a practice of staying positive. It won’t be easy. Throughout the day, think of something that worked out well. Have gratitude for all the good things in your life. Beat back ruminations over past failures. Have several mantras to repeat internally when you need a pick-me-up. Try manifesting getting the job you want. On the more concrete side, enroll in online courses that could provide the knowledge, skills and credentials that may help you stand out against other job applicants.

Forbes.com Author: Jack Kelly – Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | July 29, 2022

#YourCareer : If You Can’t Get A Raise, Ask For This Instead. A Must Read!

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With inflation pushing up the costs of nearly everything, you may be thinking about asking for a raise.

With consumer prices spiking over 9%, your paycheck doesn’t go as far anymore. The average American household will have to spend an extra $5,200—$433 a month—just to consume the same goods and services as last year. Here’s the dilemma: It’s a reasonable request, but the economy, job market and sentiment of business leaders have shifted.

Why Inflation Will Hurt The Job Market

The job market is likely to soften as the Federal Reserve Bank and the Biden administration withdraw from quantitative easing and trillion-dollar stimulus packages. The goal of Fed Chair Jerome Powell is to crush the economy, in an effort to “whip inflation” (the term used back in the 1970s). In the process of battling inflation, companies will see less business and consequently cut staff.

Also, this time period won’t blow over anytime soon. The last major spike in inflation happened 40 years ago. It lasted roughly from 1965 to about 1982. Paul Volcker, the Fed chairman at that time, took dramatic actions to end the ruinous cycle of rising prices and wages by raising interest rates to 20%.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Your Boss Knows You Won’t Leave As The Job Market Weakens

Your boss and management are in a tough spot. They understand that your expenses are rising at a frightening pace. The supervisors see you as a valued employee who does a great job and they don’t want to lose you. However, their fear of you walking out in the Great Resignation has been lessened. The job market is still relatively strong, but that can all change, as layoffs and hiring freezes are announced daily.

The thought process of management is that if they give you a raise, they’ll have to do it for everyone. They’ll say it’s too expensive, especially as their business costs are rising too. The part that’s not said out loud is that they feel the job market will worsen and the odds are high that you won’t jump ship, as you’ll be the last one hired and first fired when things go south.

What You Can Ask For Instead Of Money

If you can’t get a pay increase, think of things to ask for that would improve your work life. These include a four-day workweek, shortened workdays, remote and digital nomad options, staggered hours, more vacation and personal time off, relocating to a lower cost location for the same amount of money, stock and stock options, a larger bonus (if the economy does turn around), a higher title and promotion or child-care assistance.

Decide the most critical factors for you, then push for them. If you don’t receive any of these or other benefits, it shows that your company takes you for granted. It’s almost as if they are daring you to leave.

Some companies prefer to make life uncomfortable for workers, so they depart of their own volition. With attrition, businesses won’t attract the headlines, touting the number of people laid off. They also may not have to pay severance packages.

If this is the case, start a covert job search. Be careful, as in challenging times, word may get back to your boss, and there could be a chance that you get fired. They’d rationalize the termination by contending that the company needed to rightsize, and since you’ve shown that you want to leave, they’ll gladly show you out the door.

Forbes.com Author:   Jack Kelly   Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | July 25, 2022

#JobSearch : Worried About Layoffs? 5 Tips For Job Seekers (And Job Seekers-To-Be) In A Slowing Economy. Study: Nearly 80% of Americans Worried about their Job.

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More workers are finding themselves out of a job (or becoming worried they might soon be) as a string of high-profile companies, mostly startups and in tech, have moved to freeze hiring or even to slash workers and rescind job offers.

New unemployment claims edged up to an eight-month high last week. Initial unemployment claims increased by 7,000 to 251,000 in the week ending July 16, making the four-week moving average rise by 4,500 to 240,500, according to the Department of Labor. Those numbers are still a marked improvement from last July, when the four-week average of unemployment claims hit more than 405,000. And the actual unemployment rate in June (the last month reported) is still a rock bottom 3.6%.

Still, fears of an impending recession have made nearly 80% of Americans worried about their job security, with almost a quarter of workers extremely concerned about their job security, a recent survey found. With more cuts expected in the near future, you might be wondering how to prepare in case of a layoff, or what to do if you do lose your job.

1. Maintain and expand your network

“Relationships can always expedite your success,” says Kimberly Brown, a career coach and author of Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning Into a Career You’ll Love. “I know someone who may be unemployed may not want to hear that…but they are literally the only thing that can expedite your success in that way because if someone’s able to put a word in when there’s 1000 applications, and you have a contact there, you can at least get an interview.”

Brown says she wishes that during her time working in college career development offices, she provided students a more structured approach to maintaining relationships.

“It doesn’t have to be a big thing to maintain a relationship,” she said. “I think people will think that you need to meet with folks once a quarter, you need to have a one hour conversation once a month. Maintaining a relationship doesn’t necessarily look like that, there’s so many different ways to keep top of mind, even something as simple as being active on LinkedIn.”

 

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

 

2. Reach out to past recruiters

Interviews with past job-and job offer-losers demonstrate that maintaining relationships with recruiters can be key.

For Patrice Ju, founder and lead coach at Carpe Diem Careers, the current wave of layoffs are reminiscent of the job cuts many, including herself, experienced during the Great Recession. “​​I was devastated and in shock. I didn’t think that that could happen to me,” Ju said of losing her first job out of college in 2008. But her first step of reaching back out to recruiters she had been in touch with during her initial job hunt proved advantageous.

“One of my tips is, if possible, to stay in touch with old recruiters, because you never know where you may land down the road,” Ju said. “So I reconnected with a recruiter, reconnected with my friends that were then working at Deloitte, and was able to get some interviews and then eventually got the job offer.”

Ju’s story is similar to that of Jenna Radwan, who previously told Forbes about her experience losing a job offer due to the economic downturn. Radwan was able to quickly land on her feet because she reached back out to previous recruiters she’d been working with during her job search — one of whom offered a position that she ultimately accepted.

3. Keep learning

Ju has offered career coaching for more than 400 individuals across all types of industries but one piece of her advice always remains the same: “keep your skills up to date” and always keep learning “​​so that if something does happen to your role or to your job, you can easily and quickly pivot and interview and then show a future employer that you are still very competitive in the current marketplace.”

Ju earned an industry-based certificate during her time between jobs, something economist Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, says can help job seekers stand out from a crowd of applicants. “It makes you look more like an experienced worker somehow.”

Earning a certificate is one way to stay competitive as a candidate and keep your skills up to date, but so could be going back to school or learning on your own. But make sure “whatever it is you’re doing will yield something,” says Brown. She suggests looking at job descriptions to “make sure you’re doing and gaining those skills, whether it’s public speaking, or coding, or writing, communications.” She adds: “Whatever it is, make sure it’s directly correlated to the job and is not just a nice-to-have skill [because] you can get the nice-to-have skills from having a really great mentor or a coach.”

Brown says that if you choose to go back to school — as many people did during the Great Recession — make sure it’s to a program that will help you land your next job, whether it’s through a robust career development office, alumni network or job placement program. Indeed, Carnevale says, many people view education as “a safe harbor from recessions and bad economic news” — and for good reason. Hiding from a recession in college “is not only safe, it improves your position when you come back into the labor market,’’ he says.

Zachary Herrmann, executive director of the Center for Professional Learning at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, says that he has found the networking that comes from participating in one of their programs to be “remarkably valuable.” In other words, it’s not just what you’ll learn in some professional or continuing education program. “So much of the value that comes from engaging in some of our professional learning programs, is the ability to form networks and relationships with other individuals in the field,” Herrmann says.

4. Hone your interviewing chops

“When people are getting laid off, it’s hard to not feel desperate,” Brown said. “And while you may be desperate, I think it’s really important that you don’t convey that in interviews and in conversations and still keep your conversation skill-based.”

Brown recommends the STAR (situation, task, action, and result) method when answering behavioral interview questions, meaning job applicants describe a specific situation, the goal they had, what steps they took to reach that goal, and what the outcome was. She stressed that answering questions with the STAR technique might not come naturally, so people should practice telling stories that showcase professional success.

“If you have not interviewed in many years, don’t think that you’re magically going to put those shoes back on and it’s going to be fine. It’s not going to be fine,” she said. “You don’t need to test it when the stakes are high. So you have to practice. Whether you’re practicing with a friend or just yourself, make sure you know what are the stories that showcase you being successful? What are the stories that showcase you being resilient and navigating through a problem? What are the core stories that really share who you are and what you’ll be able to do? The secret to interviewing is that most of the time, all these doggone questions are the same.”

5. Be open-minded

Brown recommends staying flexible during a recession, particularly for recent graduates. “We have to think a little bit more long term when there’s a recession [about] how can you build skills now or take a step now that will allow you to do exactly what you want to do later,” she said. For example, if you’re able to get your foot in the door of a company you want to work for, but maybe in a different field, be open to that, and “when things get better make that transition” to what you’d rather be doing.

In some instances, being laid off might provide the time to consider changing industries or doing something slightly different — in which case practicing interviewing and practicing “communicating your skills” and how they would benefit a different type of company are paramount, says Ju.

Herrmann echoed Ju’s advice, encouraging individuals who were laid off to reflect “on what it is that they’re passionate about, the impact that they want to make [and] the type of organization they want to work for.” He added: “If they do want to make a transition, that might require developing new skills, interacting with different types of people or different types of organization. It might require some work, but that work might ultimately prove to be important in the long run.”

 

Forbes.com | July 22, 2022 | Katherine Huggins

#JobSearch : It’s Time To Up Your Social Media Job-Search Game. Rule# 1 – Start with LinkedIn. A MUst REad for All!

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By now, you’ve seen the writing on the wall. Layoffs, hiring freezes and job offers being rescinded are the unfortunate new corporate trends. Businesses are in cost-cutting mode, fearful of the adverse effects of a possible global recession. Some companies, such as the Mom Project, are letting go of people in anticipation of “economic uncertainty” ahead—and not due to a current need. In the herd mentality of corporations, once one major organization downsizes, all the others follow suit.

                              Question: How do you stand out?

The traditional job-searching methods still hold true: seek out recruiters, tap into your network and respond to help-wanted ads online. Since there are continued waves of layoffs, you may want to take your job search to the next level by leveraging social media to get noticed.

Many people use social media to find news quickly, argue politics, troll others, see what Elon Musk is up to and watch cat videos. It’s also a great way to brand yourself and gain attention from prospective hiring managers, human resources professionals, recruiters and others who may be of assistance in finding you a new job. Using social media, you can also get a deep sense of a company’s culture and values through its online presence.

Start With LinkedIn

It may not be as sexy as Twitter or TikTok, but LinkedIn is the go-to platform for career-focused professionals and job hunters. With over 800 million members, the odds are in your favor that you can find the right people who could help place you in the perfect job.

Take a fresh look at your LinkedIn profile, as you most likely haven’t needed the site up until now, and your information may be woefully outdated. Tailor your profile and job responsibilities to relate to the roles you’re seeking specifically. Ensure that you include all of the relevant keywords, acronyms and corporate jargon that recruiters and HR would use in a search to find candidates for their open job requisitions.

Send out connection invitations to people who are in your field that look like possible decision-makers. These folks include internal corporate talent acquisition professionals, hiring managers for your desired roles and those who work in different companies within your field.

Start a marketing campaign to garner attention. If you notice a person posting an article or other type of content that’s relevant to your line of business, like and comment on it. As you get more comfortable, write your own content. It could be something about a new development within your area of expertise or sharing how your job search is going. If you are creative, make short videos. The key is to position yourself as a competent and experienced expert within your domain. It’s not a one-and-done. You must post regularly to stay on everyone’s radar. The only caveat is that if you are gainfully employed, you need to be more cautious and low-key in your marketing efforts.

Many newly laid-off workers opt for the #opentowork banner on their profile. The green banner alerts recruiters, HR and hiring managers to get in touch. The cold reality is that someone in between roles won’t need a two or three weeks’ notice period, and could start immediately. Along with the banner, you need to provide some context. No one will just reach out to you if they don’t know what you did or the type of work you’re looking for. Clearly set forth the information people need to easily see if you are fit for their open roles.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Continue Article……………

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook And Twitter

In addition to LinkedIn, depending upon your type of job and career, get active on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Each platform has a very different and distinct feel to it. If you are not an avid user of TikTok, for instance, before diving in head first, test the waters. Watch several videos to gain a vibe check.

Once you gain an understanding of the sites, tailor your photos, videos and written content to fit well within the platforms’ generally accepted practices. Similar to LinkedIn, the goal is still the same. You want to create a genuine and authentic feel that will make people comfortable reaching out to you.

Instagram offers a visual and video platform. With a professional account, the app would be a perfect vehicle to showcase your portfolio and burnish your brand if you are in a creative or marketing role.

You may not have noticed, but TikTok has moved away from just young Gen-Zs dancing. Elder Millennials, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers are all over the site. TikTok now boasts a substantial career-oriented section with creators offering résumé and career advice in a refreshingly upbeat and enthusiastic way.

It may feel weird for people who are of a certain age; however, if you have a little creativity and are open to taking a risk, start making TikTok videos. You can then download the short, one-minute or so video to LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media sites. The fresh feel of the videos will make you stand out compared to stodgy, clichéd content.

You can also gain some attention on Facebook with over one billion users. First, join groups that are relevant to your field; then, get active. For example, let people know that you’ve lost your job and would like some help with leads.

Put aside all the trash talking and trolling on Twitter and consider using it to your advantage. Look for your tribe on the site. Seek out trending topics that align with your skills and background. Then, weigh in with your comment, offering your unique perspective. If you stay active, people will start seeing you as an expert and you will get noticed by headhunters, HR and hiring managers.

Forbes.com Author:   Jack Kelly    – Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | July 21, 2022

#YourCareer : The Absolutely Biggest Career Time Waster And 3 Things To Do Instead. Great REad!

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These days, it’s hard not to worry, especially when it comes to your career.

A years-long global pandemic, shifting macroeconomic trends, and prolonged market uncertainty don’t do anything to mitigate the professional anxiety many feel right now.

As a result, you might find yourself in a vicious cycle of pondering negative what-ifs and worrying about things beyond your control. That fear-based thinking messes with your mental health, keeps you stuck in a victim mentality, and fuels procrastination, preventing your progress.

Worse, research shows that all worrying is a huge time suck that yields little return. A study by Penn State University showed that only about 8% of the things people worry about come true. In other words, less than 1 in 10 things you stress about is actually worth it.

That’s a lot of time wasted that could be spent more productively on your career.

The next time you find yourself in a career worry spiral, try doing these three things instead:

1. Focus on what you can control

Rather than ponder why something is or isn’t happening and lament circumstances affecting your career, remember to focus on what you can control: your mindset and how you respond to things.

When you let go of the things beyond your control, you automatically shift from passive victim to proactive and empowered mode. The good news is that the things that prevent your progress aren’t external; they’re internal. And those are the things completely within your ability to work on.

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Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

2. Embrace action as the antidote

Worrying about potential problems does nothing to solve them. But the one surefire antidote to combat career anxiety, doubt, and fear? Taking action.

Sad but true: There is no growth in the status quo. And staying in your current state is a recipe for more worry. Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. The same is true for your career. Action begets more action, so taking even small steps leads to big progress over time, helping you feel less anxious and more in control.

3. Reframe your perspective

Asking “What if?” tends to bring out extreme anxiety around career-related matters. Horrific nightmares of self-doubt plague nearly everyone at some point, especially when we genuinely care about the outcome. But remember, when answering the “What if?” question, you always have two choices: What if everything goes wrong/falls apart/the worst happens? or What if everything goes right/comes together/the best happens?

Remind yourself that perspective is everything and that you’ve overcome 100% of the challenges you’ve faced so far. You can choose the worst-case scenario and be consumed and paralyzed by fear or shift your mindset to the best-case scenario, allowing yourself to imagine the possibilities and become empowered by the potential.

One of my favorite quotes on the topic comes from Australian poet Erin Hanson, whose words are particularly poignant:

“What if I fail? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”

Forbes.com Author: Amy BlaschkaFollow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | July 13, 2022

#BestofFSCBlog : Over 6K Reads! Interviewing In A Recession Will Be Tougher—Here Are Questions To Prepare For And What You Should Ask. It Will be Harder to Get a New Job. A MUst REad!

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It will be harder to get a new job. Record-high inflation, interest rates and costs, a likely recession and other economic and geopolitical matters led many companies to lay off workers, enact hiring freezes and rescind job offers. In this environment, pace yourself, as you might be in for a drawn-out interview process. Hiring, for many businesses, will seem like a luxury.

This mindset will make human resources and hiring managers closely scrutinize each candidate and hold them up to the highest standards. You will need to prepare for tough questions designed to weed out people. Here are a few questions HR loves to ask and how to effectively answer them to help get you through the hiring process with flying colors.

Show Your Genuine And Authentic Self

A hiring manager wants someone who they like. This runs contrary to what everyone has told you in the past. It’s essential to have all the right skills and background required in the job description; however, it’s all for naught if the interviewer doesn’t warm up to you and can’t envision working with you every day. Establishing a great first impression is the key to winning over an interviewer. You want to exude confidence, enthusiasm, motivation and humility.

This sounds trite, but be yourself. Most job applicants put on a serious demeanor and answer questions robotically, trying to sound professional. They are stiff, conservative and lack any display of humanity. It’s a big mistake. Don’t change your personality because that’s what you think the manager wants.

Let the hiring manager see the real you. The secret to interviewing is that the supervisor wants a person who can do the job, be easy to work with, can form a mutually beneficial relationship and enjoy each other’s company.

 

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The ‘Could You Please Tell Me About Yourself?’ Question

Immediately, the interviewee starts talking about delivering newspapers as a kid, referencing some after-school jobs and meanders around talking about personal matters. That is the worst thing to do. The interviewer simply wants to find out about your relevant work experience. The cliché question is not well-structured.

The interviewer wants to be sold on how you can help them. They want an answer that makes them feel you have the right skills, talent, background, credentials and interpersonal and social skills to succeed in the position.

Consider the question: “Please tell me about your post-college work experiences, how it relates to the role and why you will succeed.” With this in mind, start with sharing your current job, responsibilities, daily tasks and share some examples of how you made an impact and added value. This is what they really want to know.

‘What Made You Want To Apply For This Specific Role?’ Question

Let’s be honest. Most job seekers have a “spray and pray” approach to their job search. They fire off résumés to hundreds of job listings, hoping that a few will stick. Human resources and experienced hiring managers are aware of this. Their antenna is raised to detect those who truly want to work for their company and have an affinity for the job at hand. They are not too happy about applicants who just want a job or are solely desirous of having a marquee brand-name company on their résumé.

The question is designed to flesh out the interviewee’s real reasons for applying to the job. We all know that sometimes people desperately need a job and are at the point that they’d accept anything to either get back into the job market, if they’re unemployed, or find a new role, if they hate where they are now and are feeling burned out.

When the job market tightens, getting approval to hire someone is not easy. Usually, there will be a need to get sign-offs from a number of higher-level executives who carefully scrutinize each headcount addition. In light of this scenario, you need to sell yourself as someone who loves the job and holds all the right criteria to do well at the new organization.

Revert to your elevator pitch. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, it’s derived from having the ability to pitch an idea or project to a person in the short time frame of riding together in an elevator for only a couple of minutes. If you haven’t practiced an elevator pitch, here’s what you need to do to address the question.

Provide a 30-second to roughly one-minute pitch of why you are perfect for the position. Presumably, you’ve already read the job listing and are aware of all the requirements. Offer your on-target skills, work history, responsibilities and other factors that address the job description’s demands. Hopefully, you’ve done due diligence on the firm, so you can add targeted reasons, in addition to your on-point background, why you are also attracted to the company and how your skills and interests are perfectly aligned with its corporate mission.

‘Do You Have Any Questions?’

This easy-sounding question gives job hunters a hard time. The question is typically standard in the hiring process. The interviewer is asking it to be polite and wants to ensure that you fully understand the role, its requirements and what to expect if the company decides to move forward with you.

Since most job seekers know this question will inevitably come up at the end of the conversation, they obsess about it throughout the entire interview. The candidate becomes more preoccupied with what to ask at the end of the meeting than being present in the moment and actively listening to the interviewer.

Here is an easy solution. Think of how you hold a conversation with family and friends. You don’t wait until the end to say something. You interject when you feel it’s appropriate. Don’t worry about waiting until the end of the discussion to ask your questions. Throughout the meeting, pose questions when you genuinely want to probe and learn more about what the just interviewer said.

The interviewer will appreciate that you are making inquiries. They’ll feel you are interested and desirous of learning more. By interjecting with questions, the hiring manager will gain a better sense of you as a person. What’s likely to happen is that the interview process will change from a robotic, question-and-answer format to a lively back-and-forth discussion, in which both parties will learn more about each other and start bonding.

At the end of the meeting, you no longer need to stress out. Feeling comfortable having engaged in a pleasant discussion, you could say, “Thank you! I appreciate all of your insights. You’ve done a great job addressing all my questions and concerns.” If unresolved issues are left, you can add, “I appreciated our conversation. I’m very excited about the opportunity. You’ve been so great in detailing what to expect if selected for the position. I just have one other question. Could you please elaborate on X? I’d really like to gain a better understanding of it.”

Uncomfortable Questions You Should Ask

In an environment characterized by layoffs and hiring freezes, it’s reasonable to feel concerned about switching jobs. You don’t want to be the person who is the last one hired and first one fired when things go awry. To protect yourself, while it will be awkward, you must ask tough questions of the interviewer and everyone else who is involved with the hiring process.

It’s only fair for you to dig into the organization’s financial situation. Does the company have plans for layoffs that were not yet publicly announced? Could the firm offer a contract that guarantees that you won’t be terminated, except if there is a transgression or violation of company rules?

You want to gain the temperature of the company. Is everyone feeling overworked and overwhelmed? It’s only fair to inquire about the safety of your base salary, bonus and stock options. The same holds true for the work style. You don’t want to accept a role only later to find out that the company is canceling the remote work option you signed up for, or enacting salary cuts and slashing bonuses and other benefits.

 

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Forbes.com | July 14, 2022