Greater Milwaukee Jobs

2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • April 17, 2014 Many job hunters are running interview marathons – and are tired of it. They're weary of hiring practices that drag out job interviews for weeks in a nerve- wracking and often financially hurtful process. Understandably, employers are wary of making hiring mistakes and have created extensive applicant filters to weed out the least acceptable candidates. Also understandably, it can be vital for several people to weigh in on candidates. Ideally, a series of back-to- back interviews can be set on a single day, especially for finalists visiting from out of town. Though stressful, that's a man- ageable interview marathon. More common and more frus- trating, though, are interview marathons that start with one or two phone screenings, usually with human resource officials, sometimes days apart. Then days, maybe weeks later, there's an ini- tial in-person interview with a potential manager, probably after routine background checks are made. If the front-line manager sig- nals "thumbs up," the candidate often is invited back for more interviews and maybe more skills or personality testing. There may be a meal or group meeting with future co-workers. Still getting favorable nods? Depending on the position, there are more interviews with higher ups in the company to gauge "fit"– often days, if not weeks, later, depending on their busy calendars. Meanwhile, motivated job can- didates are left hanging. They don't want to look desperate by asking if they're still in the run- ning. They're afraid to push for a timetable. They want to show continued interest without irritat- ing or offending. The bottom line for job candi- dates: Never pin all your hopes on one offer. Keep pursuing all options until you have the job. The takeaway for employers: Pursue candidates with alacrity. The good ones may not wait for your process to grind on. Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. Communication key to reassuring anxious employees By Liz Reyer Star Tribune (Minneapolis) & A Q Q. My firm is in a pretty stagnant stage of growth right now and employees seem to perceive us as "struggling." People are nervous and we on the management team don't seem to be doing a good job of reassuring them. What would you suggest? A. Be sure your communications are consistent in order to get your message across. THE INNER GAME: Figuring this out will take some focus, so set aside some time, get rid of distractions, and get centered. Now, think about what's really going on with your company. Start by considering the information that you have. Are you sure things are OK or is that a hope? Also think about your colleagues on the management team. If some of you are feeling confident and others are anxious, employees will pick up on this and lose faith in "think positive" messages. Analyze the actual communication that has taken place. Notice if the formal matches the informal, and if everyone is sending the same messages.Then assess the tone. If you're trying to deliver reassuring news but sound like Eeyore, you'll blur the message. Take a very hard look to identify any mixed messages that you and the team may be sending. Finally, assess whether you have a sufficiently robust communication plan. If everything is just ad hoc, it'll be worth becoming more intentional, an activity that must include your entire management team. THE OUTER GAME: Starting now, you and your colleagues all need to be sure you're on the same page, and be able to honestly reflect differences.Your goal is appropriate transparency with your employees. First, figure out what you want people to know. For example, you might have lost a sizable client.This could cause fear, but if your annual plan includes a certain amount of business loss, then it may not be a surprise or cause for concern.This is important information to share. If you have differences in points-of- view, get that all out on the table; this is no time to mask differences. Next, plan your communications. It's probably worth a formal "get your cards on the table" session. Talk about concerns employees may have, your perspectives on the future, and the plan for going forward. And consider bringing edibles to the meeting; it goes a long way to encouraging attendance and helping people relax.Then focus on staying "on message" in informal interactions so that people can feel confident in what you've said. Look at other behaviors that may be raising anxiety. If you're visibly watching every paper clip, people will be scared. And realistically, it won't make a difference if you're really in trouble. Also find ways to keep the atmosphere light. If things are stagnant, they may be a little slow. It's a good opportunity to have a fun but not extravagant event for your employees. And consider giving them a gift of time - an afternoon or day off goes a long way to building loyalty and keeping people happy. THE LAST WORD: Be straight with people – whatever they imagine will likely be worse than the truth. Job candidates decry interview marathons By Diane Stafford The Kansas City Star (MCT) many companies request prospective employees apply for job postings via the Inter- net. That process can be frus- trating, as even the most quali- fied applicants can easily get lost among the myriad of workers all applying for the same position. But as daunting as finding a new job may seem to those looking for work, there are ways to stand out among the masses. • Go the extra mile when sending your application. Many online job postings pro- vide a link or an email address where applicants can fill out an application or send their resumes. This is a necessary step, and applicants should follow the directions in the posting. But applicants who really want to get noticed can take the extra step of finding the contact information for the company's hiring manager and sending their resume directly to that person's email address. Include the title of the position you're applying for in the sub- ject line of your email, and cut and paste your cover letter into the body of the email. In addition to sending your email to the company's hiring man- ager, consider CC'ing the person who might be your boss if you were to get the position. • Tighten things up. Your resume should reflect your work experience, but you want to focus primarily on the expe- rience and skills that are rele- vant to the position. You can list past positions or intern- ships you've had, but keep the synopsis of those positions brief if they bear little rele- vance to the position for which you're applying. The main focus of your resume should be the things you have done in the past that make you the best candidate for this job. This might change as you apply for various positions, but tailor each resume to each specific position. • Make your resume down- load-friendly. Applying for positions but getting little response despite your qualifi- cations? Chances are your resume might not be down- load-friendly. Bullet points and boxes might look good to you, but if the hiring manager on the receiving end of your resume does not have the same version of the program you're using, that resume might look like a scrambled mess by the time the it's downloaded. In such instances your resume is almost certain to end up in the scrap heap, no matter how qualified you might be. When uploading your resume to a company Web site or emailing it to a hiring manager, choose a format they can easily down- load. A PDF, for example, is a format that's easy to download and unlikely to scramble. • Beware of hyperlinks. Adding hyperlinks to a resume can be hit or miss. When it's a hit, a hiring manager can click on a link in your resume and be taken directly to samples of your work. However, if you're asked to submit your resume via an online application instead of sending it directly to a hiring manager's email address, then those same hyperlinks might be relegating your application to the trash bin before it's ever seen. That's because the database may be programmed to associ- ate any documents with hyper- links as spam, in which case the hiring manager will never see your application or resume. Hyperlinks can be useful and help you stand out, but only when they're employed under the right cir- cumstances. • Include social media pro- files. More and more compa- nies want employees who are familiar with social media, which can work to an appli- cants' advantage or prove detrimental. If you have been responsible regarding your use of social media, conducting yourself in a professional matter and even benefitting your existing employer, by all means share these profiles with potential employers. But if you have traditionally used social media purely as a social tool and not in a professional manner, then it bears little rel- evance to your job search and likely won't help you stand out for the right reasons. Standing out in a crowded job is rarely easy. But savvy professionals can employ a few tricks of the trade to stand out as they search for their next jobs. Get noticed . . . from page1 A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262- 513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262/513-2698 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262/306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Donna Armstrong 262/513-2698 darmstrong@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dwayne Butler 262/513-2626 dbutler@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262/513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS To place an ad: Call us at 262-513-2698 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Volume 16 • Number 31 April 17, 2014

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