After years of being asked to join LinkedIn, I've finally done it. Any suggestions on how to get started? C. L.
Great question. As LinkedIn is a full service networking site, there are many ways to use it -- from making new professional connections through LinkedIn groups and Q &A discussions to finding jobs and requesting referrals.
If you're new to LinkedIn, the first thing you should do is make sure you've got an amazing profile that employers can find. Studies show that up to 86% of employers using social media to find candidates for jobs use LinkedIn so I recommend you have the best profile possible.
Bonus: LinkedIn is one of the 15 most accessed sites online as tracked by Alexa.com, so any information you post on the site and make public will help you be found by major search engines -- and prospective employers.
I'm a big fan of the A& E show Hoarders, a program that looks "inside the lives of people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis." If I sit down to watch it, I invariably stand up and beginning throwing things away--or start making a list of what can go.
This month's post for the Career Collective focuses on spring cleaning for job search--and letting go of things that no longer work for you.
My take today: One of the most powerful things you can let go of is the quest to be perfect. Most of us--myself included--aren't capable of doing everything well. There are some things we do really well, and there are some things that--try as we might--just aren't our forte. Sometimes, the things that are more difficult for us to do--and that we don't enjoy--are the things we should give up.
Here are two examples from people I've had the good fortune to work with:
A Teacher who got promoted to be an Assistant Principal but who discovered that office politics and paperwork weren't for her. She didn't like working in a different capacity with former colleagues. She had a good mentor, she just didn't want to move forward. She returned to teaching--and she's much happier.
A Marketing Professional who was on a track to become a Vice President of Creative Services at a Fortune 50 (a role 90% of her colleagues craved). She discovered she enjoyed executing on ideas more than she liked creating them--and switched tracks to focusing on Operations.
For these women, the pursuit of happiness meant taking the "road less traveled" professionally. It was a move "against the grain" for careers long set as goals, and yet--the decision not to pursue the path originally decided upon was ultimately more fulfilling.
The decision on what to give up doesn't always require one to forfeit a career path.
I once worked for an Engineering School Dean who believed on focusing your strengths--and spending very little time to correct weaknesses. His job required that he give multiple speeches a year to diverse constituencies. And so he developed one amazing talk which he adapted slightly to meet the needs of audiences. One talk for a Dean responsible for the leadership of an entire school. But the talk was so good that those of us who heard it--are unlikely to ever forget it. He was hired away to run a much larger university.
My mom started a new career at 50 when her work interests changed. She gave up a coveted job to start her own small business.
David Broder, who died today, and was frequently referred to as one of the greatest journalists of our time--gave up filing and throwing things away. A Washington Post tribute says that his desk was "so messy that at times there was barely enough room for him to slip through the door and sit in front of his computer." I've been reading his work since I was 20, and I'm glad he spent his time elsewhere.
What's in your way? And what will you throw out in order to keep moving forward?
This is the second in a three part series inspired by an e-book of career advice that prescribed answers to interviewing questions.
Here, I take a look at the Q & A given by the e-book's authors, and suggest an alternative response:
Question: What type of work environment do you prefer?
Suggested Answer: Always answer “I am flexible.”
My take: Only answer that you are flexible if YOU REALLY ARE. Because when you are hired, you will work 40+ hours a week in this environment, and if it isn’t a good environment for you—you shouldn’t do it.
Any interview is a two-way street: You pick the employer, and the employer picks you. The interview is your opportunity to find out more about the work environment and to see if it is a good fit for you.
You should know what type of work environment you work best in—do you prefer to work with just one or two colleagues, or with ten? Do you like it when others share your interests—or do you prefer to play a unique role in a team. Were you the coxswain as opposed to a rower on the crew team. Or a goalie on the soccer team instead of a forward?
Would you like to work in an environment in which the "only constant is change" or do you like to know what to expect on a Monday morning?
You should know what you offer first, and answer the question honestly--but in a way which also takes into account the needs of the employer.
Here’s a quick way to do this: Take the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) and study up on what others who fall into the same personality type (category) do—and don’t do. (You can even follow-up by checking out the book, Do What You Are, which goes into great detail on this.)
Then develop an answer in advance which is genuine. For example, if you thrive on scheduling and getting things done in advance you might say:
For example, "I can perform well under stress when called to do so, but my general M.O. is to plan so I don't have to. In my last job, my goal was to complete large assigned projects at least three business days in advance to allow time for error or things that come up. This strategy helped my team meet deadlines--and meant I never had to pull an "all-nighter."
That's my answer. What's your take: How would you answer this one?
Several weeks ago, I learned of a free new career e-book for new grads from a technical recruiting firm. I worked in university career offices for eight years before starting my business, so I couldn’t wait to see what they had to say.
Good advice on the need for a mentor. Check.
Proactive practices to scout for opportunities from social media to interviewing 101. Check.
Sound strategies on doing your homework before applying for a job. Check.
The Guide was filled with good advice, until I got to the section on going “Beyond Interviewing 101” which had prescribed answers for each question.
Over the next three days, I'll be sharing these Questions & Answers with you--the suggested advice along with my take. Here's the first:
Question: How do you handle stress and pressure?
Suggested Answer: The best answer would be saying “I actually work better under pressure” and giving an example.
My take:
This is the answer that the recruiting firm who wrote the e-book wants to hear from the candidates that they are trying to recruit. They are spoonfeeding it to you. So if you interview with them, this is the answer that they are looking for.
I don't recommend this approach.
I think the answer to this question should be balanced with candor: Talk about how flexible you are--or how you approach your work--within the context of what the employer needs.
1. How you REALLY handle stress and pressure and
2. How the employer NEEDS you to handle stress and pressure.
There are some jobs where you MUST work under pressure: Think live tv or videostreaming, stock trading, the ER, other positions that require you to perform “in the moment.”
But for many jobs employers NEED for the environment to be as stress-free as possible: Here are a few examples: therapeutic horseback riding facilities, spas, quality assurance for companies who cannot operate without FDA approval.
Most jobs are in between. Many employers don’t appreciate procrastination—or situations that lead to stress and pressure. Also something to consider.
How would you answer this question? And how would you assess what's important to the hiring organization?
One of the job seekers I know and think the world of applied for her dream job several months ago. Based on the job description and what she could learn of the organization, it wasn't only an ideal role from her perspective: She also had the skills and experience the employer requested. A perfect match--or so it seemed.
Only she never heard from them. Ever.
How did she feel? I don't even need to tell you.
She followed up with an e-mail. And she learned why they didn't contact her--and wouldn't be: The organization she applied to put the search on hold.
The reason she wasn't interviewed had nothing to do with her. It was outside her locus of control. And if she hadn't followed up with them, she would never have known it. She could have spent months with her head down thinking, "they're just not into me." Or days stuck inside her head thinking negative thoughts.
How often do you let the job search process go like that for you? And if you follow up with an e-mail and it doesn't break your way, what's your coping strategy? I'll share a suggestion or two in my next post.
One thing that's always, like, been a difference between, like, the performing arts, and being a painter, you know. A painter does a painting, and he paints it, and that's it, you know. He has the joy of creating it, it hangs on a wall, and somebody buys it, and maybe somebody buys it again, or maybe nobody buys it and it sits up in a loft somewhere until he dies. But he never, you know, nobody ever, nobody ever said to Van Gogh, 'Paint a Starry Night again, man!' You know? He painted it and that was it.
- Joni Mitchell, Miles of Aisles
Unlike painters, singer-songwriters, comedians, and many professionals share a common challenge: You get known for something you are good at, and then people want you to do it--everyday. But your interests change over time. And when your interests change not everyone accepts or supports what you want to do--especially if your desired change requires an investm ent in time, money, or reinvention. Or if your change requires patience and an open mind from others--who've grown to expect you to be "as seen before." Ever had this happen to you? It happened to Steve Martin in New York in December at the 92nd Street Y, during a program billed as "A Conversation with Steve Martin." Many audience members complained and got full refunds after expressing their disappointment with Martin's topic of conversation: His crime? He talked about his latest book, An Object of Beauty and art.
Over the course of his career, Martin has dazzled many with physical humor, wry wit, and knack for comedy. But on the side, he's written plays, a novella (Shopgirl), non-fiction essays for The New Yorker, and is an avid banjo player. As he once said of his own career, "Stand-up comedy was just an accident. I was figuring out a way to get on stage." He has always been a guy with diverse interests.
But the audience wanted to see this side of Steve Martin.
Those who were there--and close-captioned viewers--sent e-mails and notes to the hosts, asking for a change in tone. Martin was asked--before any q & a period--to switch the course of conversation to his career instead. The conversation flatlined.
Now let me try to answer the question you might be asking yourself at this point: was I boring? Yes, I might have been...I have no doubt that, in time, and with some cooperation from the audience, we would have achieved ignition. I have been performing a long time, and I can tell when the audience’s attention is straying. I do not need a note. My mind was already churning like a weather front; at that moment, if I could have sung my novel to a Broadway beat I would have.
But I can’t help wondering what we might have said if we hadn’t been stopped. Maybe we were just around the corner from something thrilling. Isn’t that the nature of a live conversation? It halts, it stutters, it doubles back, it soars. We might have found a small nugget, something off topic or unexpected, that wouldn’t have warranted the refund that was offered.
If the e-mailers could have lived with “I am unamused” for just a little longer, or had given us some understanding based on past performance, or even a little old-fashioned respect, something worthwhile, unusual or calamitous might have emerged. Who knows, maybe I would have ended up singing my novel.
Does anyone like being interrupted? Especially in pursuit of an interest? As Langston Hughes wrote "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Maybe it just sags with a heavy load..."
My wish for you in 2011: That you find the space and support you need to explore your interests and pursue your career goals--even and especially if they are different from what others want or expect.
May you find mentors to seek out for advice, trusted peers who can help you navigate transitions, and friends and family who can serve as your cheerleaders along the way. And if you don't need it for yourself, may you be able to provide it for someone else...
Cross-posted on Career Hub. Photo by Sebastiano Pitruzzello.
