Author Archives: Laura Machan

This week’s recurring theme was the “salary apology”. Time after time, I asked candidates about their salary objective and their responses went like this : “Um…well…I am paid pretty well and I just want you to know that I am pretty flexible. Money is not that important to me.”

Ack!!!

That is not the way to answer that question – especially when a recruiter asks. You know what we come away with? You are flexible and will take any old, low-ball salary.

You are paid what you are paid. You have done the work and now you earn that much money. The only reason to deviate from this is if you are looking to move to part time work or get into another occupation. That’s really the only time to drop your expectations.

You can certainly offer to be flexible but don’t lead with that. If you really love the sound of the role or if the commute is going to save you a ton of time or money or the company is offering a bunch of non-salary perks (like a car or a house) you can offer a salary range that gives some potential wiggle room.

If there is a big difference in what you are making and what the job is offering, chances are there are other things that will be misaligned as well. The company may be much larger or much smaller or the role might be much broader or much more narrow.

Then there is the perception a weak answer give to the hiring manager. If they hear you say you would take less money for their role and that is something they would never do, they will wonder what is wrong with a) you or b) your present situation.

Maybe the most important reason to be clear on your salary objectives is this: it is absolutely heart breaking to get through the interview process, learn that you are one that has been selected for the role and then get presented with an offer that is 20% lower that what you make now.

So be clear and honest about your compensation objectives. It’s for your own good.

Picture this: you are in an interview with two hiring managers.  One of them is looking at you, making notes and nodding often.   The other is looking at you and has asked a couple of question. Then it happens.  That second person yawns.

You are a bit taken aback but you keep rolling along.  You spend a bit more time looking at the interviewer who seems more engaged.  Then it happens again.  The yawn.  By the third yawn, you are questioning why you are even there.

On the way home, you are battling in your mind.  Was it a big deal or a small deal?  Tiny red flag or monumental deal killer?

Probably the latter.

According to Carol Blades, Master Facilitator at LHH Knightsbridge, this is a form of micro-aggression and it is definitely  a sign that things will not work out.

Even if one half of the hiring team loves you, the other half is just not into you.

You can surmise the same thing if that person cannot seem to remember your name or turns a shoulder to you instead of facing you.

Even if all the stars align and they make you an offer, you will have a long and uphill battle to win the yawner over.

The bottom line is that you need to take interviewing seriously.  You need to do your research on what the company is looking for and what YOU are looking for.  Be able to articulate with confidence on both.

In your post-interview assessment, pay attention to the little red flags and the big ones.  Decide carefully on if and how you want to proceed with the process.

Don’t ignore your gut on this – it’s too important.

It is Mental Health Week and the Canadian Mental Health Association is running a week long awareness campaign. We are being encouraged to #get loud – a trendy way of telling us to stop being embarrassed or callous and get on with learning about the issues.

Mental illness is difficult to understand.  If you have never suffered from depression, it is hard to understand that someone cannot just “snap out of it” or “get over it”.

It is so easy to joke about a colleague’s behaviour instead of taking the time to try to understand what they might be going through.

There are many resources available to help us with this.

http://www.mentalhealthworks.ca/employees/what-i-wish-i-knew

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/Pages/home.aspx

https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/

These sites offer free resources to employees, friends, colleagues, managers and HR Departments.  There is a lot of good stuff here to help you get familiar with different types of depression, anxiety and other forms of mental illness.

I am not saying you need to become a psychologist for your cube-mate. There are Employee Assistance programs for that. But you can be more empathetic and understanding towards people who are having difficulty. You would hold the door for the guy with the crutches, right?

You know what would be a good start?  If we took negative mental health references out of our everyday conversations. “That guy is crazy!”  “My client just went nuts.”  I think that would go a long way towards helping our friends and colleagues feel like there is more support and that they are not as alone.

So, read up and be nice. We are counting on you.

Picture this: your phone pings with a personal email.  You take a look.  It’s a recruiter asking to talk with you about a job.  You send a note back with a time and then sit back to try to figure out what you are going to say.

Before the Call

Read about the opportunity

Think about what would find appealing in a new role or a new manager or a new company.

Think about where you want to be for the call.  An enclave in your office will do but if you can be offsite, it would be better.  Your car is okay or a coffee shop as long as it’s not too loud.

Be ready to talk about your responsibilities and career path.

Make sure your phone is charged.

Have a list of questions ready to ask.

Take a few deep breaths and wait for the phone to ring.

During the Call

Wait for the full questions to be asked.  Resist the temptation to jump on the answer before you know  the question.

Speak as clearly as possible.  Slow down a little.

Keep your answers concise.

Make sure to ask about the next steps in the process so you can be prepared.

After the Call

Send a note acknowledging the conversation.

Write some notes about what you learned.

Think about what you want to do about the opportunity.

If you are not going to pursue it, maybe there is someone you know.  Passing on this sort of information to a friend or former colleague is always very appreciated.

You can turn a luke warm conversation into big pile of good karma.

Information interviews are pretty popular these days. They can be a great way to learn about different roles and different organizations.

These conversations, usually more casual than an actual interview, also provide a great platform for you to leave a lasting and positive impression.

But only if you are prepared.

So don’t blow it.

When someone grants you some of their valuable time, be respectful and use the time wisely.

Do some thinking and research before you go.

What specifically do you want to know?  What knowledge do you want to take away from the meeting?

• What was the most valuable part of their education?
• How do they deal with the challenges of their job?  You can show off your knowledge here by citing a particular challenge.
• Is this where they imagined they would be at this point in their career?
• What is the best piece of advice they ever got?

Notice that there are two questions that are not on the list. How do I get hired here and will you be my mentor are out of bounds for this type of conversation.  They should only come up if it is initiated by the person you are meeting.  The point of the meeting is to get information, not ask for a job. Respect that.

They are just some ideas to get you started. Powerful and interesting questions will allow you to make the most of your time together.

And if you are going to shower, shave and put on a suit, you want to be the best investment possible.

I have been reading a lot lately about the gamification of work. While I support making anything having to do with making work interesting and engaging, I am not in favor of people treating their careers like a game.

I can hear it now.  “Go ahead and try to fire me. I have infinite life and infinite money.”

Or how about this:  If I don’t like your proposal, I’ll get a few birds and a slingshot and show you how much I want to destroy it. (I’ve been practicing this one……)

Although, there are good parts of gaming too. Gamers have been using enterprise software and chat technology way longer than us corporate wonwks. This has created a generation of multi-taskers who can talk, make decisions and choose complex button combinations at the same time.

Also, gamers are always trying to get to the next level. That’s good in the workplace isn’t it?

And gamers have been collaborating since long before it became fashionable. I remember my son playing on the same team as his cousin and a guy from camp who both lived far away at the time. No silos there. True, they were trying to kill bad guys with automatic weapons but they were doing it together, as a team.

Perhaps it’s time for Electronic Arts or Ubisoft to start management consulting practices.  Maybe they could help organizations sort out which parts of gamification make sense for their work groups.

Until then….keep playing Minecraft and Candy Crush.  You never know when you might have blast apart someone’s proposal.

I am reading Michelle Obama’s new book, Becoming.  It’s really good.  I am not the only one who thinks so.  It’s been near the top of the New York Times bestseller list for 19 weeks.

She has had the chance to support, counsel and mentor many, many people.  One of the things she often asks is “what is your super power?”

I know it sounds trite but this is a really important concept when you are looking for your next role, especially when you are employed.

When you have to balance your day job and your outside-work responsibilities, finding time to look for another job is a huge challenge.  You want to make sure you are investing that precious time in the best way possible.

It is essential that you start by figuring out exactly what it is that you do.  I am not talking about your job title or your daily responsibilities but what you actually do.  I don’t mean something vague like “I solve operational problems”.  First of all,  who will understand what you really mean by that and second, doesn’t everyone do that?

I mean the real meat and potatoes of what you do.  Here are some examples.

• I create and implement policies in a complicated environment.
• I pull together subject matter experts to solve customer escalations.
• I hold people accountable in a fast paced environment.

You can add words to make it reflect your own specifics but you get the gist.

This exercise serves two purposes.  It sets you apart from the crowd and also allows people to get a handle on how you might fit into their organization.

Here is how this concept worked for me.  When I describe myself as a Recruiter, people just nod. Everyone knows  a recruiter.  (For better or for worse…..).  But if I say that I find people for strategic and demanding roles in manfuacturing and industrial environments, that usually gets a thoughtful eyebrow lift as they process what I have said.

It’s that stop-and-think-about-me thing that you want to create.  That’s how you get noticed and stand apart from the crowd.  And in the jobs game, that’s the secret sauce.