For Job Seekers

Tough Situations For Job Seekers: No References

In the latest installment of Tough Situations, we see a problem faced by job seekers fairly often, one that is frustrating pretty much because it seems like it shouldn't be a big deal ... but it is!

Mark is excited about a new job opportunity. He's interviewed, he knows he's a finalist, everything has gone exceedingly well. Until the subject of references comes up. He immediately recognizes that he's in trouble. His last employer no longer exists, and he doesn't have contact information for anyone who worked there. The previous employer has a strict policy that they only confirm employment dates. And the employer before that -- that was a long time ago, and Mark knows that everyone he worked with has moved in. In a nutshell, the only reference he is able to provide a name and phone number for is his current supervisor, who doesn't know Mark is looking for a new job. The employer Mark is talking to understands his predicament, but has made it clear that references are a critical part of their hiring process. Mark contacts a couple of respected career experts for advice...

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Jim Durbin is an employment blogger and a former recruiter. He blogs at:
http://stlrecruiting.com and http://brandstorming.com

The key to providing references is knowing what the employer is looking for. If Mark is in sales or has a lot of contact with clients outside the company, these names are often better references than direct supervisors. He should list the last contact info for the company that went out of business and the company who only confirms hire dates. Often times, references are outsourced to a third party who just checks off the box when it comes to references. For his current employer, he should not provide the name or number, and explicitly make it clear in writing that contacting his present employer is not authorized. In the future, Mark needs to do a better job of keeping up with references going back three jobs or seven years, whichever is shorter. When it comes to references, even those from a co-worker are better than nothing.

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Heather Mundell is a life and career coach who helps professionals decide on their next career move. Formerly a director of human resources, she now coaches individuals to discover and pursue careers that align with their vales, aspirations and desired way of life.
Dream Big Coaching Services
http://www.dreambigcoaching.com
206.276.7763
heather@dreambigcoaching.com
life@work, the blog about finding career happiness: http://dbcs.typepad.com

Since Mark's only option for a reference is his current supervisor, he needs to talk with the supervisor ASAP. But first Mark should find out from the prospective employer if references are the last hoops in the hiring process. Before he talks to his supervisor he should feel as confident as he can that an offer is at hand.

Mark should be positive with his supervisor about his experience at the company and explain why this new opportunity is a good fit for him. This would be a good time for them to discuss the timeline for departing. For instance if they're at a critical juncture in a project, Mark might offer to ask for a later start date if he is offered the job.

Mark could then potentially ask his supervisor's manager, his peers and his subordinates (if applicable) to serve as references as well.

Also, if Mark has made copies of his past (positive!) performance reviews at the company that no longer exists, offering these would be better than no information.

Tough Situations For Job Seekers: Flaky Or Flirtatious?

Ever been uncomfortable because someone flirted with you at work? Someone whose attentions weren't particularly welcome? Someone with the power to affect your career? In the latest installment of Tough Situations, we meet a job seeker who thinks she's facing this problem ... but she's not certain, and she's not even hired yet!

After several months of fruitless job hunting following graduation, Sarah finally finds herself interviewing for the company that she really wants to work for, in the field she wants to get into. The company is being quite thorough. A second round of interviews includes several with employees she’s told will be her peers. These meetings seem to be going great, until the last one of the day.  An older gentleman she meets with makes several comments that are just a little too friendly. She’s really not sure if the comments are innuendo, or just a little flaky.

Everything else has gone great. She likes the company, the woman she’d be working for, and all the other prospective coworkers. She’s pretty sure a job offer will be forthcoming. She discusses her concerns with friends. One says “welcome to corporate America.” Another tells her she’s crazy to even consider the job with this red flag already present. A third tells her she needs to contact the company’s HR department and lodge a formal complaint. Hoping for a clear answer, Sarah picks up the phone and calls you for advice.

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Yvonne LaRose, CAC - Organizational Development Consultant
(special emphases on diversity, women, accommodations, workplace abuse prevention and abatement, retention, business solutions)
and Career Development Coach
The Desk
Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

Red flag situations are definitely the time to start looking deeper, asking the hard questions, taking note of how the answers are delivered and whether there are any legitimately satisfying answers. Sarah would be wise to contact the person for whom she'll be working in order to get some clarification.

Direct questioning can be off-putting. Better to call with questions and requests for clarification about job functions, growth potential, and soft issues. Ease the matter of the older gentleman (OG) into the scope of a discussion of her interview interactions with her co-workers or her observations of them. She'll want to find out if working with the OG will be significant and frequent or not. If it is infrequent, there's no need to fret and worry. She can simply keep at a distance or send him an email in response to his requests. If the opposite is true, she will want to mention his overtures and express her concern about the comments. It is very appropriate to ask if any others have spoken of similar experiences with OG.

Armed with answers from the lead person, Sarah can make her decision.

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Barbara Safani
Barbara Safani has over ten years of experience in career management, recruiting, executive coaching, and organizational development. She partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to deliver targeted programs focusing on job search strategies, networking, interviewing, salary negotiation skills, and resume development.
Career Solvers
Finding The Path That's Right For You
470 Park Avenue South 10th Floor
New York, NY  10016
www.careersolvers.com
info@careersolvers.com
866-333-1800 - 212-579-7230
Visit our blog at http://careersolvers.blogspot.com/

My recommendation to Sarah would be to step back and look at the big picture. Make decisions about the quality of the job and the organization based on the corporate and department culture as a whole, not the inconsistency displayed by one person. If this person’s behavior is truly inappropriate or otherwise questionable, chances are that someone internal to the organization has already brought their concerns to the attention of the appropriate person. Better them than Sarah. If Sarah accepts the position, she needs to spend the first three months on the job getting a handle on the new culture and fitting in. Making a formal complaint prior to an employment offer or immediately afterwards is not a prudent strategy. If Sarah loves the company, the job, and the majority of her co-workers, she should continue to pursue the opportunity and do everything possible to get the offer.

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Phil Gerbyshak
Phil is a motivational speaker and self-improvement advocate and challenges you to "Stop having a nice day...and Make it Great!" Phil's website is updated regularly with thoughts about how you can take control of your life and stop letting life take control of you. Phil's new book 10 Ways To Make It Great! is now available for purchase at http://makeitgreatbook.com.

This situation is obviously of big concern to Sarah, and she needs to think about who she might know on the inside that she trusts to give her an unbiased answer. Ask a general question about the "Older Gentlemen" to these trustworthy folks in a generic, roundabout way. A comment like "OG seemed friendly," can often trigger responses that give clues as to how these people might feel about the OG, and see what they have to say. It could be a case of being on heightened alert because of the interview process. Flaky people are a part of any job. Frisky people are not.

It sounds like everything else is a fit, and it'd be a shame to lose a great opportunity over one comment, which might not have meant anything. Asking some insiders their opinion in a non-threatening way should allow Sarah to make the best decision for her!

Tough Situations For Job Seekers: A Bird In Hand

Our second installment of Tough Situations may be only too familiar to some job seekers. Is a bird in the hand really worth more than one in the bush? I put that question to three career experts. Here's the scenario, followed by their responses!

Having been unemployed for a couple of months, Jim recently accepted a new job. It's not the job he had hoped for, or the number one company on his list, but it's a solid executive opportunity with a respectable company.

He's slated to start next Monday. The preceding Thursday, Jim receives a voice mail from a company he had applied to over a month ago. He remembers this opportunity -- he was excited when he applied, because it seemed to be his "dream job," with a company he's long aspired to work for. After a long silence since he submitted his resume, the voice mail tells him that they have narrowed their list down to a few finalists, and he is one of them. They would like him to come in and interview. Ironically, they want him to come at the very same time he is supposed to start his new job: 9am on Monday.

To complicate things just a bit, Jim 1) can't afford to be unemployed much longer, and 2) has an acute conscience. Even if there were no ramifications, the idea of ditching his new job -- or even postponing it -- doesn't sit well. Besides, his new employer made it very clear that they are "counting on him" and they "can't wait for to get him started." He feels further obligated by the fact that they knew he was unemployed and he feels that they didn't try to use that to leverage a lower starting salary, etc.

Jim picks up the phone and gives you a call asking for your input...

Zoë Goldring and Gretchen Ledgard from JobSyntax

Unfortunately, while this is a difficult situation, it is not all that uncommon in the job seeker’s world.  If Jim were to call us, I think I would start off by asking him a couple of questions to help him put the situation into perspective.

First, Jim should consider why this new opportunity is his "dream job."  What does that mean to him?  Is it a once in a lifetime opportunity or will something similar (or better!) be available down the road?  If he made it to a finalist position this time, he can stay in touch with the proper people inside the company, even get some mentorship, and be groomed for a better role in the future. Companies rarely burn bridges with strong candidates and tend to foster relationships over long periods of time.

Secondly, he should consider if he wants to work for a company that wasn’t upfront with him during their selection process.  You can often judge a company, its culture, and its priorities by its recruiters and recruiting process... for better or worse.  In this case, the long silence and lack of regular updates seems to indicate deeper issues in terms of organization, decision making and potentially integrity.  In essence, they have violated my proposed candidate bill of rights :)

If Jim is still determined to work at the "dream" company (i.e. once in a lifetime opportunity, he loves the company etc) there are a few options he can consider.  However, he absolutely should not postpone his start date with the first company, just to interview with a new company.

He should first and foremost see if the dream employer can interview him through alternate methods and make him an offer by Friday.  If they are truly interested in him for an executive role, they will often pull all the stops to get him to interview sooner rather then later, especially if they are at risk of losing him.  While I absolutely hate presenting this as an option, if they can get him a decision by Friday, he could consider reneging on the offer with the other company.  I personally think that it is a terrible decision, but I have to bring it up as an option so that Jim can determine what he wants to do.  Unfortunately, reneges are a reality for which recruiters prepare, and if Jim can part ways with the company with professionalism and straightforwardness, the company may leave the door open for the future.  However, if this act will impact his integrity and future standing with the industry, it’s not worth it.

If the dream company can't make a decision by Friday, Jim should start in his new job and commit himself for a set amount of time while staying in touch with the other company.  It's one thing to renege for a dream job, but staying for a short period of time without accomplishing anything could hurt his career in the long run.  Once he is in a more stable employment situation, he could find that there are more internal opportunities available to him at his second choice company and be in a calmer state of mind to evaluate his future career options.

Deborah Wile Dib, CPBS, CCMC, CCM, NCRW, CPRW, CEIP, JCTC
America's Power Coach for Corporate Leaders: CEO/senior exec personal brand strategist, executive coach, resume expert, career accelerator

Jim, stay with the organization that hired you.

You need a job now, and you have one. Yet, if you choose to pursue the possible "dream job" opportunity you will burn bridges with a company that has already hired you and is eagerly awaiting your first day. Contrast that with the dream job-the company has made you wait a month to hear next steps for an opportunity-and you're just one of a number of candidates. Neither are good signs that the dream job's hiring cycle will be speedy.

If you are truly interested in the dream job, inform the dream company that you have already accepted a new position, thank them for the opportunity, and use your network to keep some internal intelligence on the company flowing in.

Start the job for which you were hired and hit the ground running to make a big impact in a short time. Stay with the current company for at least a year, while watching the dream company carefully. After that, if networking or job postings reveal a possible opportunity, contact the dream company with a confidential inquiry offering a cluster of value-based, dollarized reasons for why you'd be a good hire. Be sure to mention your earlier short-list stature and continued interest in the organization.

Jim, with this strategy, you do the right thing for your current company and career, and you pursue your dream job without selling out. And who knows, you might find that your new job becomes your dream job. 

Louise Fletcher, President, Blue Sky Resumes
Web: www.blueskyresumes.com
Blog: www.blueskyresumesblog.com

My first advice to Jim would be don't follow anyone else's advice because this is too important and you have to do what feels right to you. But I would give him the following input for consideration. If this were me, I would start the new job as scheduled but continue to explore the second opportunity. I would definitely ask for a different interview time though - perhaps at lunchtime, or before/after work - as asking to miss the first day of a new job is a bad way to start out on a new position.

This may seem unethical, but there are 2 reasons I think it's the right decision:

(1) This is a tough environment. Companies rarely have loyalty to their employees in the way they used to, and you can never know how things will turn out. I have known employers to change their minds after only a few days and fire a new employee. This is unlikely, but it does highlight that employees have to put themselves first when making career decisions.

(2) Jim is obviously not enthusiastic about his new job and is taking it because he needs to work. I can understand this - and it means he should not walk away from the opportunity on the off-chance that company #2 hires him - but there are reasons he isn't feeling great about his new job. In his gut he knows what they are. Since executives spend so much time at work, they need to LOVE it.

That said, I would close by telling Jim to explore his feelings about both opportunities carefully. Asking for input is a good thing, but he should never make a decision based on what's right for me or anyone else.

Tough Situations For Job Seekers: Employment Gap Or The Truth?

Our first installment of "Tough Situations" poses an uncomfortable but only-too-plausible scenario for a job seeker named Mary...

Mary had been with The Acme Company for about two years. Her relationship with her boss was becoming increasingly strained. "Paranoid" was the word she used when describing him to her friends, a label that proved to be prophetic. One day her boss called Mary into his office and accused her of theft of office supplies and equipment. Mary realized that he had crafted a compelling case, complete with damning evidence. He told her that she would either quit immediately or "things will get very ugly." She accepts the situation stoically and resigns. Now, as she prepares her resume and starts thinking about interviews, she wonders how to handle the last two years. Should she list the job and answer questions about it truthfully? Should she list it and decline to comment on it? Or should she leave it off her resume entirely?

Mary realizes that her guilt or innocence is, for all practical purposes, irrelevant. The real issue facing her is how to handle this part of her employment history.

I put this question to three career experts. Here are their answers.

From Gary Alstadt, Veteran Recruiter

Mary needs to be straightforward about this job, including it on her resume and acknowledging it if it comes up in interviews. But that doesn't mean she has to be detailed in her explanation. I'd suggest that if it comes up, she should reply along these lines:

I held a position for X months/years at The Acme Company, and it was not a pleasant experience. As time went on, the relationship between my boss and I grew increasingly strained. I'm not sure why as he refused to discuss the situation, but I suspect he considered me a threat to his position. Once he made it clear I was no longer welcomed, I felt it was best that I leave. I am not comfortable using him as a reference under these circumstances but I have several references from other previous employers that I'd be happy to give you, as well as some references from peers in my last job. Based on what you'd hear from those people, I feel strongly that you will find that my work history shows a record of strong performance.

Gary Altstadt, DPI Recruiting, http://www.dpirecruiting.com

Jason Alba, Founder Of JibberJobber.com

Mary should include this job on her resume, even though she doesn't want to talk about it. Just describe it is resume-speak, don't try and draw any attention to it. Accentuate only the skills that would be valuable to a future job. Alternately, Mary may even want to dumb down her accomplishments in this particular job so that no attention is drawn to this employer.

When it comes to references, include only contact information for people who would speak positively about you. This may draw attention away from trying to hunt down that past employer in question. Then, the hiring manager (or HR or whomever Mary is interviewing with) could quickly call on the people that Mary has provided phone numbers and e-mail addresses for, and not have to "dig deeper."

It is critical that Mary figure out how to respond to any tough questions about this situation or employer. I recommend that she get professional input from a career coach to help wordsmith some replies. This can then be used in an interview to still answer the question without incriminating herself. The coach would be able to help her develop an answer that would not bash her boss and still leave her in good light, and help her on the delivery."

Jason Alba founded JibberJobber, the first real toolset for job seekers and professionals to manage their careers and job transitions. Jason was laid off in January 2006 and designed JibberJobber for the regular person to have the same empowering tools as working professionals. JibberJobber will help you manage those important relationships during your entire career!"

Wendy Terwelp, Career Strategist

Some tips to Mary:

1) If you don't want to talk about your most recent job, get over it. You’ll have to talk about it and you’ll have to list it on a formal application (most employers require this in addition to a resume) because otherwise it is a 2-year gap and a lie. Employers do background checks and good interviewers will ask about the missing 2 years. Not only will they find the gap (previous employer) but it’s likely they’ll find you were fired for theft. And they’ll call you on it.

Be brief and objective in your description of the employment situation; tell a prospective employer what you have learned from the experience -- and that it won’t happen again. Rehearse your response extensively, so you can answer without sounding angry or resentful of the situation.

2) Get a written letter of reference from someone, perhaps a coworker or supervisor, at the place of employment so you have some form of reference in writing. There is still a chance you may have a friend or two who can provide you with a reference. If the boss is still angry, check badreferences.com to see what is being said about you. It's always good to have information, so you know how to handle it.

3) Apologize to your previous boss for the theft and offer restitution. Try to turn this situation around. And, on your next interview, mention how you tried to turn things around and how you offered restitution. Don’t forget to mention the lesson you learned from the situation and that it won’t happen again.

(Note from Wendy: I don’t have all the information here and I’m not an employment attorney. I’d recommend consulting an employment attorney about the situation before applying for new jobs!)

Wendy Terwelp, Career Strategist, is president of Opportunity Knocks™. She has more than 17 years experience helping people get hired faster and can be reached at www.knocks.com or consultant@knocks.com.

Coming Soon: "Tough Situations For Job Seekers"

Like most bloggers who write for for job seekers, I tend to gravitate towards best case scenarios and positive situations -- how to best leverage a solid resume, the finer points that make a good interview great, etc. Based on a recent inquiry from a job seeker. I've decided to roll out a new feature where I'll consider scenarios that aren't so rosy. "Tough Situations for Job Seekers." For each, I will ask a few guest experts to share their advice. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, if you have any scenarios you'd like me to consider for this feature, post them as a comment.