Author Archives: Laura Machan

Job opportunities seem to be flying thick and fast these days. Companies are making their “move forward” plans which often involve new leaders and differently skilled teams.

People, in general, seem to be reevaluating their work specifically or as part of their work-life continuum. Job postings on LinkedIn are getting lots of views and recruiters’ calls are being answered.

With all this action, you are bound to be presented with an opportunity that you actually want to explore. Something that sounds like a great next chapter – better boss, better mission, better growth – any of these things might grab your attention.

Moving to the next step almost always involves sending a resume. There might be a rare case where you are known to a company and you can secure a first interview without one but eventually, even when you are known in your industry, you are going to need to provide a resume.

When this happens, you want to have it close at hand. Last week, I ran into three people who were very interested in the job that I presented but it took them four days to get a resume to me and it was a crappy one at that. This was due to the fact that their resumes resided only on a home computer and it had crashed.

Making a resume on the fly is not good. You need time to consider what you want to include and not include, the best layout/format and of course, to have it spell checked by someone else. This takes several segments of your time.

When an opportunity has really grabbed your attention, you don’t want to have a sub-standard resume. You want to present a document that represents you with strength. Something you are proud of.

The lesson here is to a) keep your resume up to date and b) keep it accessible and secure. Almost everyone has access to some kind of free cloud based filing cabinet – Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive. Just don’t keep it on an old home PC or Tablet. That’s a recipe for stress and considering a new role is stressful enough.

There are standard questions that I suggest for every job interview but in today’s work situation, there are some new ones that you might want to slot into your agenda.

Where is the work? This is on everyone’s mind right now. In the office or remote? Or some of each?  Be clear on what will work for you and your family.  Maybe working from home was the best thing ever. Maybe you miss the energy and free coffee of the office.

What changed in the group over the last 18 months?  The answer will give you insight into how your potential new team handled the changes brought on by the pandemic.   If the answer focuses on Zoom and Teams and little else, that probably means they have held their own but not seen any new growth or innovation.  If the answer includes faster paced product releases or better ties with their customers/other teams, then you are looking at a more dynamic group.

What has the turnover been?  This answer will tell you a lot.  Did they have lay offs at the beginning?  Have people left recently?  Was it team members or leaders?  You will get insight into how the organization treated their people at the beginning and how people are reacting today. 

Where is the organization investing for the future?  This allows the hiring team to demonstrate to you how connected they are to the bigger picture.  The details they provide will help you establish what they want to do over the next few years and whether it aligns with what you want to do.

Compensation.  Talking about compensation is not new but it is more important than ever.  What does the package consist of?  Is there a bonus plan?  Is it tied to personal achievements or team/organizational achievements?  Is the pay different if you are remote or onsite? Is the company offering a salary that is way above what you earn now? If so, try to figure out why. Are you signing up for 7×24 response rates or a 60 hour work week?

There are way too many questions here to ask in the typical interview. Pick the main ones that you want to ask and then keep the others in mind (or in your notes) to make sure that you the information you need to make a solid decision about moving forward with the role.

No career advice or pithy networking comments today….I have stepped away from my computer this week. Time to recharge and refresh.

People offer to send me cover letters all the time.  I tell them not to bother.  My job is to provide notes to my client about each candidate so in effect, I am writing the cover letter for them.

But what about when you are applying to jobs directly?

It can be tricky to decide but whatever you do, cover letters need to be written individually.

You can have a standard paragraph in the middle but the rest of it needs to be customized every time.

If you are applying to a position online and there is no mention of a cover letter, then you can probably get away with just your resume.  Many application systems have questionnaires as part of the application process.  That is the company’s way of getting most of what would be in a cover letter.

If you see a posting that asks specifically for a cover letter, then pay attention to what it’s asking for.  A lot of times, an employer wants you to lay out your goals, achievements or maybe why you think you are right for them/the role.

Take a look at the tone of the ad and also look at their website.  Try to get a feel for the culture and use this to decide the tone and format of your note.  If the company is really creative or casual, use that style but if it seems corporate and formal, then go with that.

If you are referred by someone, you definitely need a cover letter that explains who referred you, their relationship with you and why the role matters to you.

Two points to remember:

Keep your cover letter short and to the point.  It is not your life story.  It should talk about who you are, what you are good at and how to get in touch.  All of the other details are in your resume.

Double and triple check the spelling – especially the name and title of the person you are addressing.  Nothing gets your letter in the trash faster than misspelling someone’s name.

You are beside yourself with glee.  You have just accepted an offer for a  fantastic new job.  It checks all the boxes: people, scope, location and money.  Yippee!

What to do next?

It is important to plan your next steps with care and respect.  How you leave a job can play a big role in managing your career and your reputation.

Think about how much notice you need to provide to your current employer.  Check your employment agreement.  Many stipulate two or three weeks.  You may want to be magnanimous by offering four weeks but in most cases, it is not necessary.

Then, write a letter of resignation.  Make it formal but friendly.  Thank your manager for providing such a great opportunity to learn and grow.  Lay out the details of your last day and offer to do what’s needed for a smooth transition.

Be prepared for anything and everything when you tell your manager and hand over/email the letter.  Managers do not like it when someone resigns.  It almost always catches them by surprise and then they look bad to their boss when they have to deliver then news.  That’s where counter offers often come in to play.

When faced with an unplanned gap in the team, suddenly there is more money to give you.  Maybe the leadership team really was thinking of promoting you but the fact is, they didn’t and now you have chosen to go somewhere else.

Be firm and resolute in your tone in that “I am leaving” conversation.  Think about (but don’t share) all the reasons you are going to a new and better place.

Once the initial shock wears off, they will figure out who will take over your tasks and life will go on.  That’s why a couple of weeks is almost always fine. It’s not like you can get involved in long term planning or that you will enjoy getting left out of conversations that might be proprietary.  It’s all part of the transition.

So you go.  Your colleagues and managers will wish you well and hopefully, some of them will take a few minutes on Zoom to raise a glass to your future success.

It’s been a year and a half and most of us have adapted to meeting people over a video platform rather than in person. It has been a struggle for some and an easy transition for others but we are mostly there.

Meeting a panel of interviewers over video is another story. When you have a panel interview in person, you know where to look. You can sort out who is talking even when two people are talking at the same time and you don’t have to deal with any kind of techno-lag.

All those things are harder over any video platform, even the most reliable. There can be connection problems, weird noises, people off camera and all manner of other things that can throw you off your game.

Here are some tips to get you through.

Find out the platform that will be used (Teams, Zoom) and make sure that it is set up on your device of choice. A computer is best because it is large and stable. If you are using a phone or tablet, make sure you use a stand. Nothing makes a panelist more nauseous then the image shifting as you hold it in your hand.

If talking on group video calls is not something you do everyday, pull together some friends or family and practice. Give them questions to ask you and get their feedback on how you look and sound.

In your practice rounds, log on and off the call a few times. Nothing is more agonizing than waiting for a video call to connect. It’s only a few seconds but it can seem like hours and in a pressure interview situation, it feels even worse. The more comfortable you are with that, the better you will present.

The big advantage to a video call is that you can have notes around you. Think about the important skills, stories and experiences that you want to get across to the panel and make some sticky notes or index cards. You can have them on part of your screen or you can tape them to the side of your monitor. It’s a great way to provide cues for yourself.

Prepare the same way you would for an in-person meeting. Do the research about the company, the challenges ahead and background about the panelists. Think about how your experience would benefit them. Remember, it is not really about why you want this role. The panel will ask you about that but it’s not the key. The key is what problems will you solve and how you will help the grow.

Finally, have a list of questions you want to ask the panel. Open ended questions are best. Ask why they chose the organization, what qualities do successful people have, what big projects are coming up. Getting them talking will give you real insight into who they are and whether they are your people or not.

So take a deep breath and click Connect. They can’t see you sweat on video.