Courting Your Career

A friend of mine is looking for a new job. And, like most of us, he listed his cell phone number on his resume. The good thing about listing your cell number is that it makes getting a hold of you a whole lot easier for employers. But that’s also the bad thing about listing your cell—the possibility of a company of interest catching you off guard.

And that’s just what happened to my friend.

He was pulling into a parking deck just as his phone started to ring. He glanced down and didn’t recognize the number. Instead of letting it go to voicemail he decided to take the call. On the other end was a company he had been anxiously (and I mean anxiously) waiting to hear from for the past few weeks. By not letting it go to voicemail, he didn’t have time to get his nerves in check and, as a result, ended up awkwardly fumbling his way through the call. To make matters worse, the signal strength from inside the deck was terrible and that caused him to drop the call. What a way to make a great first impression.

If you list your mobile phone number, be aware that you may receive a call when you are at a crowded restaurant or at some other inopportune time. To keep this from happening, let calls from numbers you don’t recognize or that appear on caller ID as unknown go to voice mail. That way, unlike my buddy, you can return them when you have time to gather your composure and adequately prepare.

Some students are still scrambling to find internships for the summer. Now that formalized recruiting at most of the big companies is all but over, they’re shifting their focus to small- to medium-sized companies. The only problem is, a lot of those companies haven’t hired interns before and, as a result, they seem a little skittish. To get their foot in the door, right out of the gate a lot of eager internship seekers mention they’d be willing to work for free. Fantastic! Or was it?

Most students think money is the biggest roadblock to getting their foot in the door but that’s not always the case. In my experience, the biggest obstacle is time. To bring you on as an intern, they’re going to have to come up with projects for you to work on and dedicate at least one person at the company to supervising you over the summer. And, every minute he or she spends with you is a minute they’ll be taken away from doing his or her day job. Before reaching out to companies of interest, spend some time thinking about the types of things they’re currently working on and how you might be able to assist them with a minimal amount of supervision or ramp up time. Doing so will not only give you some talking points to use when speaking with companies of interest, but you can also use that proposal to give an unstructured internship some structure. For many companies, this will also do some of the heavy lifting for them: if you present a project or two that you could work on, it may convince them the whole internship thing isn’t as hard as they thought.

Money might not be the biggest roadblock to hiring an intern, but it’s got to be a close second. Some companies, especially start ups, could be more worried about their survival than they are how much they can pay an intern. So you have to ask yourself whether it’s more important to get paid or get experience on your resume that will open doors during your full-time search. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to get paid top dollar for your summer internship but the experience is really what you’re after. Do your homework ahead of time. Calculate what it would cost for you to survive over the summer (apartment, food, transportation, etc.). If the company isn’t able to pay you the going rate, maybe they would be willing to cover your housing. Some companies also offer a “stipend.” It usually only translates to gas money (which actually could be a big deal this summer) but it’s something…

And finally, let’s not forget about space. Some companies just don’t have enough room. And, unfortunately, offering to work for free won’t help create another cubicle if they don’t have anywhere to put it. If space comes up, don’t be afraid to explore creative ways around it. For example, maybe they have someone on staff who only works a few days a week. In that case, you might be able to use his or her workspace on off days. It’s also possible to work remotely. Just make sure you build in enough structure around the internship that you don’t spend your entire summer watching The Hills. I know it might be great taking a little bit of a break and catching up on your favorite tv shows, but good luck trying to sell that to a company this fall.

Before offering to work for free, try to figure out if money is the real deal breaker or if it has more to do with time or physical space or a combination of all three. And, once you identify the roadblock, be prepared to suggest creative solutions to address whatever might be keeping them from brining you onboard this summer.

The more my personal and professional life goes up on the web, the more I find myself thinking about my virtual brand. Thanks to Facebook friend requests, LinkedIn connections and recommendations, and comments on blogs, we often become microcelebrities to people we might only have a loose connection to, if any connection at all, but who could end up hurting our brand.

One of the guys I went to high school with sent me a Facebook friend request but I didn’t accept it because his profile picture was, shall we say, totally inappropriate. I decided not to add him (sorry Todd). But what if someone in my group changes their profile picture or personal information tomorrow to something that could be offensive to people? Is that something I want to chance? If they’re a friend on Facebook or MySpace, am I giving them my implied endorsement? And if I am, how will the questionable things they do reflect on me? As it stands, I don’t spend a lot of time monitoring my virtual friends, but I do try to keep an eye on it.

I hate to admit it, but I actually had to ask a fellow blogger whether I should approve a comment on one of my recent blog posts. I’m still relatively new to blogging so maybe I’m just being a bit overly cautious. After all, the comment seemed innocent enough. Something like “I really liked your recent post.” Awwww. Did she really mean it? How can I tell? I checked out her blog and she had to be legitimate. I mean, she did have, as my friend put it, “A fancy GlamourShot” headshot. I’m smart enough to recognize and delete the blatant spam comments, but this one seemed like it could have been legitimate. After mulling it over with my blogging mentor (unofficial title of course) Eric of Boggs Blog fame, I decided to delete her comment. When linking to or approving comments from other blogs, it’s important to be selective. Click around. Get a feel for the entirety of their work. After all, you are sending people their way and they’re sending people to you.

When it comes to our online brand, more is definitely better–more friends, more recommendations, more groups, more photos, more everything. And with that, comes more exposure and risk. As you put yourself out there on the web, think about the people you associate with and recommend. After all, your online brand should be an extension of, and complement, your personal brand. That means no pictures of keg stands or hot tub parties, and no otherwise questionable content.

Dan Schawbel of Personal Branding Blog posted an interview with me today about my book, Courting Your Career. I appreciate his taking time to fit it in especially given the fact that he’s been knee deep with the launch of Personal Branding Magazine.

This is a post I wrote for Brazen Careerist…

Want to score with your dream company? So does everyone else. Getting past first base isn’t something that just happens—you have to outwork the competition so you’re more attractive than any other candidate they’re considering. Your appearance, professional presence, and what you say (or all too often don’t say), will determine whether you’re going to get that highly coveted offer or get rejected. To stand out from the crowd, you should do the following:

1. Turn heads. Attraction is what makes the dating world go round. And, like it or not, when it comes to the job search attraction can be just as important. From a professional looking résumé to a sharp looking suit, if you look the part, that will help you get the part.  
2. Fight first-date jitters. Think of a first-round interview like a first date. You’re typically anxious, and you have no idea what to expect. During a job interview, you’re trying to find out more about the potential employer, and the employer is trying to find out more about you. Like dating, where you focus on asking yourself questions such as “I wonder what he’s looking for” or “I wonder if she’ll like me,” during the interview process, don’t let your nerves get the best of you. Focus on making the connection between your skills and abilities and the job and why you think you’d be a good fit with the organization.  
3. Avoid tired pick-up lines. I’m sorry, but “I want to work for you because you’re a top company” is not going to cut it. Instead, you want to prove to the recruiter that you’re genuinely interested in the company, the position, and to convince him or her why you should be hired over all of the other candidates. Come ready to talk about your background, why you moved from one job to the next and how those choices landed you on the interviewer’s doorstep.  
4. Go for the goodnight kiss. The close of an interview is a lot like the end of a date. You’re nervous, often wondering whether the person you’re with wants to give you a romantic goodnight kiss, the “let’s be friends” hug, or the ever disappointing “don’t call me, I won’t call you” handshake. To seal the deal, reaffirm your interest in the position (the equivalent of “call me”) and ask about next steps in the interview process (the equivalent of “will I see you again?”).  
5. Don’t wait by the phone. Unlike the world of dating where you might play “hard to get,” when it comes to job interviews, prompt follow up is everything—send a thank-you email or note within 48 hours. Your thank-you note functions just like a text message or phone call within a day or so of a date that went well. No follow-up means you’re clearly not interested in pursuing a relationship. 

Whether you’re hoping for a second date or a second-round interview or job offer, you want them to feel that spark—that feeling that you’re “the one” for them. Don’t leave it to chance. Leverage your dating skills to score with your dream employer.

This is a post I wrote for Tom Ruff’s blog…

Great earnings potential, an opportunity to build your own business, autonomy–a few of the many factors that make a career in pharmaceutical sales highly desirable. And, with aging baby boomers and average life expectancy for people living in the U.S. continuing to climb, job seekers will continue to be drawn to the industry in droves. So how can you stand out from an ever increasing crowd of equally qualified candidates? Let’s take a look at five key tips that will help you do just that.

1. Know your type. A good friend of mine was attracted to pharmaceutical sales because of the autonomy, lack of structure, and chance to work out of a home office. But guess what? After a few short months, she realized she actually needed the supervision, structure, and interactions that come from working in a traditional office. Before you apply, do your homework–make sure you truly understand the role.

2. Play the field. You’re competing with hundreds of candidates for a limited number of positions. To increase your chances of success, reach out to friends of friends, alumni from your college or university, or others at the Pfizers, GlaxoSmithKlines, and Mercks of the world before you apply. Doing so will allow you to gather information about the company that you can reference during the interview in addition to sending a signal to the company that you “get it.”

3. Show genuine interest. It’s not enough to say you want to work for them because they’re a “top pharmaceutical company.” That’s like telling someone you’d like to ask out that they’re “hot.” It might be true, but so are thousands of other people. So what makes him or her special? Companies want to know that you “get them” and what makes them different from their competitors. If you want the job, let the interviewer know. Highlight the reasons why you’re interested in that particular position with that particular company and why you think you’re a great fit.

4. Exude subtle confidence. Often the most difficult to pull off without appearing overconfident, you want to approach the interview as though the job is yours for the taking. If you did your homework, that preparation will automatically build your confidence. Understand the industry and the job and come prepared to highlight examples from your previous work experience that relate to the opening.

5. Seal the deal. When interviewing for a pharmaceutical sales job, more so than most other functions, your ability to seal the deal could mean the difference between a call back and rejection. Don’t leave the interviewer wondering if you’re interested. Before you head for the door, ask for the job. And, if you’re not sure what to say, check out the sample closing script Tom included in his book, How to Break Into Pharmaceutical Sales.

When it comes to a career in pharmaceutical sales, it’s all about relationships. Your ability to establish connections and build rapport with people in the business will go a long way in determining your ultimate success.

I spoke with a group of soon-to-be college graduates and the topic of postponing the launch of their post-graduation “career” came up. And, although I’m sure many parents will disagree, there’s definitely nothing wrong with taking some time off after graduation to enjoy a few months of freedom before diving head first into your first real job. However, that’s not to say there isn’t a right and wrong way to go about it.

Productive avoidance—that was the phrase used by one of the job seekers during our discussion. And I thought it was perfect. If you’re going to avoid making a career decision, at least make sure you’re doing something productive in the interim. In her case, she wants to work for a year (or so) in human resources before plotting her next step. Even though she’s not exactly sure what she ultimately wants to do, the human resources experience is something that can translate to a number of career paths.

Many think grad school is a great way to prolong the career decision making process. In some cases, it is. If you have a pretty good idea of what you ultimately want to do and a graduate degree will help you get there, great. However, if you’re totally clueless and you’re thinking about a few more years of schooling just so you don’t have to decide on a career right now, that’s probably a bad idea. Why? For starters, there’s a pretty good chance you still won’t know what you want to do when you’re finished. That’s not to mention all of the additional student loans you’ll have to pay off. Plus, some companies might see you as an over glorified undergrad candidate—someone commanding a higher salary but with no real work experience.

If you’re going to put off a career decision, make sure you spend your time doing something that will give you options once you decide to launch your career. Look for opportunities and training that will give you transferrable skills that can be applied to a number of jobs—even if you’re not sure what those jobs are going to be.

This is a guest post by Eric Boggs.

Howdy.  I’m Eric - an MBA student at UNC Kenan-Flagler and owner and operator of EricBoggs.com, a blog comprised of the silliness that distracts me when I should be doing something more productive.

Shawn asked me to put together some thoughts regarding the job search and how a personal blog might help/hurt your efforts.  After endless nagging from Shawn, I finally got my act together and hereby present the 3 rules to follow while you’re blogging and job searching:

…

1.  Don’t be stupid.

OK - this one is pretty obvious…for most.  Case in point, one of my classmates recently updated his Facebook status with an overtly sexual and completely 4th grade statement regarding his…I’m not even going to say it.  See - I follow my own rules.

Unless you’ve taken steps to hide your identity, whatever you write on a blog or broadcast online through other means will be found by your future employers.  (If it isn’t, you should wonder why it wasn’t found and think twice about working for that company.)

So - keep it clean and keep it reasonable.  Prickly issues and inflammatory posts are fine - and encouraged! - as long as you recognize that the interviewer across the table will read it.

2.  Use your blog to get the gig.

I write about my professional interests - technology, Internet software, etc. - for 3 reasons:  1.)  To temporarily sate my lust for technology.

2.)  To practice communicating a thesis. and 3.)  To build a track record of illustrated interest and expertise.

For example - I had coffee with a potential employer in the fall.  Very quickly into the conversation, he said “I loved your blog post about blah blah blah…”  I had never met the guy, yet he found me online, found that we have very similar professional interests, and thus came to the conversation with a favorable impression that I had shaped through my writings.

3.  You are who you are

Provided you follow Rule #1, my personal philosophy regarding the job search and blogging is as follows:

“If someone doesn’t hire me because of my blog, then I probably didn’t want to work for them anyway.”

Think about that one for a minute.

…

Thanks for reading.

Eric

PS - Buy Shawn’s book.

Getting rejected can be devastating. When it happens, we’re hurt. And when we’re hurt, we sometimes want to do stupid things like giving our ex a piece of our mind, calling to say we’ve gathered up all of his or her belongings and put them out on the front porch in a cardboard box in the rain, or begging for our ex to take us back.

During your job search, rejection is practically inevitable. And when it happens, as hard as it may be, the last thing you want to do is beg for another chance or lash out and tell the recruiter he or she is making a big mistake. This strategy doesn’t work when you get dumped by someone you’re dating, and it definitely won’t work when you get rejected by an employer. All it will do is make you sound desperate and/or unstable and close the door on what little chance you might have of being reconsidered for the position now or in the future.

If you don’t get an offer, don’t take it personally. Any number of factors, including some that were within your control and some that weren’t, could have played into the company’s decision to pass you over in favor of somebody else.

Take some time while everything is still fresh in your mind to assess what went wrong and what went right. Correct the issues that are correctable while making sure to repeat the things you think you did well.

It’s also a good idea to follow up with the company. But when you do, don’t ask for feedback about why you weren’t selected for “that” position. Most recruiters will shy away from getting into specifics either because of company policies or a subconscious fear of a possible confrontation. Instead, ask them if they would be willing to share any “general” feedback that would help improve your candidacy. It’s still unlikely they’ll give you anything of substance, but you’ve got to ask if you’re going to improve.

When communicating with potential employers, location should generally take a backseat to your interest in the organization and the position you’re applying for. If you find the right employer and the right position, chances are the location won’t be the major factor in whether or not you accept the position.  

To look at it another way, say you looked for a potential mate purely based on how close to your house that person lived. Intellect, physical attraction, and other traits were all afterthoughts. Not only would this be a poor strategy, but think about the message this sends to the person who is lucky enough to be your date when he/she finds out you really weren’t interested in him/her as a person, but rather, you were more interested in the fact that he/she lived a block away.  I know gas prices are high, but come on. 

Companies have feelings too. They want to find candidates that are passionate about working for them because of who they are, not just because of where they’re located.  In most cases, location can be part of your story, just not your entire story.