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#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.

 

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

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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 

#JobSearch :Why You Should Start Preparing For Rejection When Interviewing. With Both Stock Market Drop & Higher Inflation, the Job Market will Tighten Soon.

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The United States has been accustomed to a hot job market with plentiful jobs and an abundance of interviewing opportunities. Over the last year, the job market offered so many opportunities that there were months when 4 million Americans quit their jobs, feeling confident that they’d find a better opportunity.

Economic and geopolitical events will most likely change the job market landscape. Record-high levels of inflation, the Federal Reserve Bank stopping its policies that pushed vast sums of money into the economy, the Biden administration curtailing financial stimulus packages to families and other events will have a deleterious impact on both the consumer and companies.

As costs significantly increase, businesses need to pass it on to the customer. Tech companies have already initiated hiring freezes and job cuts to save money, hunker down and get through this new, more austere period. The spigot of venture capital funding will be tightened.

Fortunately, there are still more than 10 million jobs available. We need to keep a watchful eye out for the JOLTS report that provides the data on the number of roles available, as it may soon show fewer jobs open.

The result of all of this is that when you are interviewing, it’s likely to be harder, with more meetings that lead to nowhere. Since the future is cloudy, executives are not sure what to do, so they’ll slow-walk the process. It will be easy for businesses to dump the extra work on the current employees and wait to find the perfect candidate who will accept a lower compensation package.

 

Here is what you need to know while you are interviewing to keep your sanity.

Mentally Managing Rejection

No matter how successful a person is, there is always rejection in their journey. If you are once again turned down for a job, take some time to accept, process and grieve. After a short while, dust yourself off and start again.

There is nothing to be ashamed about. People get rejected all the time. An all-star athlete is traded to another team. A popular politician is voted out of office. Famous actors get rejected for roles all the time.

Try to learn how to be resilient. After feeling bad, you need to focus on bouncing back. To do this, avoid fixating on the loss. Be honest with yourself. Think of anything you did or didn’t do, which could later serve to improve your next interview performance.

The good news is that interviewing is a numbers game. The more interviews you go on, the higher the chances you have of finding a new job. This is why you need to brush yourself off and get started right away. As you attend more interviews, you’ll improve your performance. You’ll start anticipating commonly asked questions and be armed with great answers.

It’s helpful to cultivate a supportive network to share your feelings. You’ll likely hear the same stories from them too, as it’s not unique to get rejected. Try to keep a sense of humor and perspective. There will be other jobs. You may end up finding a job that is far superior to the one you lost out on. In hindsight, the rejection was the best thing that ever happened to you.

 

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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 …

Adjust Your Expectation

If a colleague interviewed and found a job three or six months ago, their experience will not be similar to what you will be going through. It will take longer, you’ll lack feedback and get ghosted. There is a good chance you won’t receive an offer. If you do, it may be substantially lower compared to what your coworker received.

On the positive side, you can take solace in the fact that it’s not just you that is experiencing this new change. Nearly everyone else will be in the same position. This may not make you happy, but at least you’ll know that it’s not your fault.

You Need To Remain Confident

When the job market swings dramatically from buoyant to somewhat challenging, it can be jarring. It’s easy to start feeling dejected after not obtaining invitations to interview or constantly coming in second or third place. After a while, it’s easy to start losing confidence. After taking so much time and energy to interview, not receiving offers can damage your self-esteem.

You need to practice positive self-talk. This entails continually reminding yourself of all of your great qualities. Keep in mind all of the times you triumphed over adversities. Think of your reasons for going after this new role. It could be because you’re trying to earn more money to provide a better life for your family. This powerful reason will help you power through the difficulties of interviewing and getting rejected.

Accept The Change

If you’ve been accustomed to easily finding jobs, it’s natural to become complacent. In a blazing hot job market, you don’t haveto try as hard, since hiring managers desperately need the help. Their standards will be lowered and expectations not too high. This is changing due to the new reality. You now must bring your A-game to the interview.

You need to study the job description and prepare an elevator pitch that shows you possess all of the requisite requirements. Search LinkedIn to learn all about the people who will be interviewing you. Use the profiles to consider mutual commonalities that will enable you to quickly bond with them. Ask your recruiter for all the insider information about the company, the hiring personnel, corporate culture, compensation ranges and what they are looking for in a candidate. See if you know anyone at the organization and ask them to put in a good word and recommend you.

Role-play interviewing with trusted friends and peers. Ask for constructive criticism. You may have been too casual, as the job market was hot. That attitude won’t work in a cost-cutting environment.

Think Of Interviewing Like A Marathon

Interviewing during tough times is hard. Getting rejected hurts your ego. It is easy to give up. Instead, frame the process as a marathon. It’s actually, at times, more akin to a Tough Mudder competition, along with a decathlon.

Just as top athletes need to be in peak condition to perform, you need to view interviewing similarly. Prepare and perfect your presentation. Make sure that you take care of yourself. Try meditation, affirmations, manifestations, yoga or whatever you like to do to get psyched up.

Rejection Stokes Passion And Great Achievements

Overcoming adversity can empower you to achieve great things. It is easy to let rejection get the best of you. The harder part is to learn from the experience.

The key is leveraging rejection in your favor. It could serve as the motivating factor to try again with greater vigor and passion. A Jedi-type mind trick is to feel that if you can rebound from a setback, still feel fine and have the people you love still care for you. You’ll be empowered and unafraid to take on new challenges. The lesson learned from rejection is that with the right mindset, it’s only temporary, but can build your inner strength, which can help lead you to achieve great things in the future.

Forbes.com Author:   Jack Kelly

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | May 25, 2022

 

#CareerAdvice : #InterviewingQuestions – How To Respond To Failure Questions In An #Interview .

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A scene from the NBC comedy series, The Office, parodies an interview question and answer perfectly.

America’s favorite clueless manager, Michael Scott, is interviewing for a corporate promotion with his CFO and is asked about his great strengths.

“Why don’t I tell you what my greatest weaknesses are? I work too hard, I care too much and sometimes, I can be too invested in my job.”

Puzzled by the answer, the CFO probes with, “OK. And your strengths?”

“Well, my weaknesses are actually my strengths.” Michael grins as if he just nailed the question while his CFO grimaces as if he just fell for a bad joke.

Doing the opposite of what Michael Scott does on this show is typically excellent career advice.  Any interviewer who has listened to a clever answer like this cringed when watching that scene.

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Continue of article:

Bad Advice Is Now Common Practice

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. When asked about your failures or weaknesses in an interview, use it as an opportunity to humble brag about a real strength.

This advice is terrible and comes across as painfully transparent to any experienced interviewer. Hoping to show off their work ethic or passion, candidates dodge, duck, dip and dive to avoid answering a question they fear.

In a survey of 570 early-career professionals, WayUp found that questions about weaknesses and failure were the second most feared query in interviews. Young professionals assume this is a trick question meant to weed out the weakest candidates.

This misunderstanding stems from the false view that those who dare to fail are weak. The opposite is more likely the truth. Those who rarely fail spend their careers playing it safe.

What Is The Interviewer Looking For?

Your interviewer got to their position by taking a risk. They took chances to move up in their organization and often failed along the way. They understand that real growth occurs when someone experiences a setback and changes behavior as a result.

Interviewers are looking for several hints in your answer:

1. Are you confident enough to share defeats? Top performers see failure as a necessary step along the path to greater success. Achievers can drown out their misfires with many more successes and are not intimidated to talk openly about foundering.

2. Are you humble enough to honestly assess your setbacks? Ego can be a limiting factor in one’s career, as you can’t grow if you can’t admit to your role in defeat. A study in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making found that people spent 25% more time working on a solution after focusing on their emotional response to an initial failure.

3. Do you grow from failure? Everyone gets knocked down, but the response is more important than the fall. Knowing that you will suffer setbacks if you accept the role, your interviewer is keenly interested in how much resilience you have.

Focus Your Answer On The Right Type Of Failures

Remember that you are not the only person who fails. The more success your interviewer has enjoyed, the longer the list of failures they have overcome. When asked this question, embrace it with some humor. I like to say something like, “How much time do we have?” This shows your interviewer that you embrace failure as a path to personal growth.

One failure that will hurt your chances is that which involves a lack of effort. This is one of the few variables we can control in life and is a transferable behavior in any function. If you failed on a project because you chose not to put in the time, your interviewer has no choice but to envision the same effort from you in the future. We have all come up short where effort was the culprit. These instances are not the ones to share in an interview.

There are several types of situation that best share what type of person you are.

1. The Knowledge Gap Failure: You took a run at a project that you are unequipped to handle and fell on your face. Perhaps, you accepted a sales role after working in operations. Your early months were humbling as hard work didn’t translate into results. You responded by studying top performers in the office, reading sales books, and listening to sales podcasts. After a challenging first year, you came back to finish in the top ten the following year.

2. The Poor Fit Failure: You always wanted to play for the varsity basketball team but just didn’t have the athletic ability. After being cut the first three years, you finally made the team your senior year. Though you didn’t play often, you were voted team captain by your teammates. You could find a similar setback in a business setting where you initially failed in a position that didn’t highlight your strengths and flourished when you changed positions.

3. The Approach Failure: You worked hard with poor results until a manager or mentor offered some direct feedback about your approach. Taking that feedback personally, you made sweeping changes and saw your results take off. This shows your future employer that you respond well to constructive criticism, a trait admired by any manager.

Before your interview, think through several examples. Many interviewers will probe for multiple answers to this simple question. Embrace your failure with confident, honest answers. Let the other candidates roll out the nauseating Michael Scott boilerplate response.

Author: Ian Mathews  Contributor : Connect with Ian on LinkedIn and visit 5on4 Group.

 

Forbes.com | May 21, 2019

 

 

#CareerAdvice : #JobInterviewing – This is How #Introverts Can Prepare for #JobInterviews . A GREAT Read!

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Job interviews are stressful for everyone, but this is especially true if you’re an introvert. Small talk and self-promotion can feel especially uncomfortable, but introverts also have characteristics that give them an edge–that is, if they know how to use them, says Jane Finkle, author of The Introvert’s Complete Career Guide: From Landing a Job to Surviving, Thriving, and Moving on Up.

“It’s a myth that introverts are handicapped when it comes to interviewing,” she says. “Introverts have an advantage in interviews because they are keen observers and listeners. This can work in their favor during an interview.”

INTROVERTS’ ADVANTAGES

Introverts have the ability for deep concentration, and they tend to give more thoughtful answers to questions, says Finkle.

“They are not apt to go way off on a tangent,” she says. “They also listen well to questions and think about them carefully. Their strength is that they’re more concise than extroverts, but they do have a challenge in making sure their answers are complete with enough support.”

Introverts are also good at observation and can pick up what’s going on in the interview. For example, if an interviewer looks at their watch, it can signal that they’re losing interest; an introvert might recognize that it’s time to try to interject something in the conversation that might generate more energy, says Finkle.

Introverts also tend to be diplomatic and are unlikely to insult someone–intentionally or unintentionally. “They’re more sensitive and empathetic,” she says. “If an interviewer is discussing challenges, they might be better at addressing them or providing support.”

Finally, introverts are good at digging deep into research, which can give them an advantage when discussing the potential employer. “They will likely research the employer with a quick Google check,” says Finkle. “They should also check the LinkedIn profile of the person they’re interviewing with. Also, see if they’ve written any articles about the industry or been acknowledged for a project or award.” Knowing this information can provide an advantage during the interview conversation.

 

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Continue of article:

HOW INTROVERTS SHOULD PREPARE

While everyone can benefit from preparation, it’s essential if you’re an introvert. “Being prepared will boost confidence, which introverts often need,” says Finkle.

Start by preparing answers to common interview questions. Employers often ask behavioral questions, such as, “Can you tell me about a time you failed at something?”

“Think about two or three problems you faced at work and how you resolved them,” says Finkle. “What did you do that was unique? How did you use your talent and skills? And what did you learn about yourself in terms of making decisions?”

When reflecting on answers to common questions, plan your delivery, suggests Finkle. “We live in a narrative culture,” she says. “It’s important to tell a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The end is the most important; it reflects the outcome or result of a project.”

Introverts can focus on a specific area of their career, says Finkle. For example, what accomplishment have you done where you made an impact? Did you introduce different innovations to solve a problem?

“This is what an employer is most interested in,” says Finkle. “And be able to use assertive language. For example, ‘I was successful because I did a lot of research on a new trend and introduced it to the team.’”

An introvert’s style tends to be quieter and not as dynamic as an extrovert, says Finkle. “While you don’t need to change who you are, find a way to show some excitement for the field,” she says. “You can do this by asking questions or by describing what it is about the industry that generates excitement for you.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Once they feel prepared, introverts need to practice and rehearse for the interview. This will help you become more comfortable with your answers and actions. It helps to ask a trusted friend or colleague to conduct a mock interview.

“Have the person throw out questions and then provide feedback on content and body language,” she says. “Introverts are often modest and tend to shrink into their chair and don’t maintain good eye contact. They need a witness and observer.”

If a mock interview with a friend isn’t available, videotape yourself and then play it back to observe how well you answer questions and how you hold your body while doing it. Preparation and practice will help an introvert put it all together.

On the day of the interview, build confidence through visualization, says Finkle.

“Close your eyes and visualize walking into the interview, shaking hands, and being able to handle questions with diplomacy and a sense of confidence,” she suggests. “It’s also great to exercise before an interview as it releases endorphins and tends to calm anxiety. We live in a mindfulness culture, so even deep breathing can help.”

The interview is the time to stand up and let employers see who you are. “Recognize that your introversion can be an asset,” says Finkle. “Embrace your nature and let your natural attributes shine.”

FastCompany.com | March 27, 2019 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA  4 MINUTE READ