Managers, clones and hiring

Have you ever experienced an interview where managers are looking at hiring candidates that are clones/replica of themselves? And then you get back from the discussion wondering if it was for a role that you didn’t fit into. Or, you got hired for a role that held much more promise than the one you eventually got.

It’s not an uncommon scenario. The easiest way for a manager to conquer the hiring heights is to look for candidates that match the job description 100% and yet would bring in a bit more competency to the table. It’s an ideal scenario that has, less ramp-up time, good fit and most importantly easy to manage. They’re easy to manage (or at least so it seems) because they already know what needs to be done. Zero conflict situation. Perfect.

Except that they are far too many issues that will crop up in due course of time. That’s when the ‘safe’ managers will take a hit. Imagine a situation where the product needs a new roadmap to be defined and everyone at the table thinks alike! Breaking news: The product just got killed.

What should you do if you are a manager stuck in this hiring situation? First and most importantly, don’t benchmark candidates against the last person in that role. Treat each candidate’s competency differently. Assess your current team’s strength and hire to fix gaps. Be prepared to accept new perspectives. Give the candidate some room to learn things in the role. Finally, be ready to take risks (at least the calculated ones) as a manager. If you can’t, then ask yourself if you are in the right role.

What should you do if you are a candidate stuck in this situation? You were promised a meatier role, but ended up in a role that’s identical to your last job. It’s time to communicate with your manager. Understand the duration of your current responsibilities in the role. If it’s for a fixed duration, then ask for a timeline to start taking on more/newer things. I’m quite sure there’s no manager (in their right senses) that would say ‘No’ to a team member asking to take on work. If the answer is no, the responsibilities will continue for an indefinite time, it’s a call you need to take. Are you willing to continue or move on?

Can I tag along for an interview?

I got this question at a discussion forum with friends.

Can I tag along for an interview?

Adding a little more context to the question; the person asking the question comes with a background of approx 5-6 years of work experience and has been on the look out for a another job for the last few months. He hasn’t yet received a call from any prospective employer. Another person in the forum got an interview call with a company for a job that matches the original poster’s profile. This wasn’t a walk-in interview. It was a scheduled one. Should he just tag along with his friend?

The short & quick answer is – No. Please don’t tag along with your friend for an interview.

Now, here’s a bit more explanation. There are at least three different sets of people involved in this situation. In order of priority: Your friend. Company/Firm. Yourself.

First, let’s take your friend’s situation. He’s might have known you long enough and doesn’t want to end up saying ‘No’ (which he ideally should say). Yet, you are putting him on the spot by asking to tag along. It’s his interview call and let him go for it. The best you can get from your friend would be the mail ID of either the recruiter or hiring manager to send your resume. Tagging along would put him and yourself in an awkward situation at the interview.

Second, let’s see the company perspective. Yes, they would love to talk to another candidate, but it’ll have to be on another day too. This just happened to be a ‘scheduled’ interview. It means that time and effort of the interview panel was planned. They definitely can’t accommodate another unplanned candidate into their schedule. They’ll ask you to send your updated resume to them for consideration. Save yourself and them the trouble and wait for your friend to get back from the interview.

Finally, from your perspective, this is a great opportunity. Agreed. But you’ll end up messing the opportunity it if you tag along. Typically, companies would like to review a candidate’s resume before they initiate a discussion. And possibly even have a telephonic discussion before meeting you in-person. That hasn’t happened in your case, they’ll have to say ‘No’ to you.

Prospective employer taking time to roll out job offer

From a reader:

I was interviewed for a middle management role with an MNC. Two rounds of management interviews went relatively fast, but the HR response came a bit slow. After couple of weeks, a junior HR rep called me with some queries and later asked me to fill up my details in an Employment Form. It’s been two weeks now and I have no confirmation/rejection reply from the company. I have been following up with the company and the responses are:

"It’s in the process of approval and is going positively"
"Our Head of Staffing will set up a call with you and then roll out the offer etc"

From your experience with HR, does it take so much of time (3 weeks) after I fill up the employment form before I get an offer or is something wrong here? I have couple of other offers but this is the most tempting one. So I was just wondering what to do as I am not getting any solid information from this company.

Thanks.

Well, I would relate back to my previous post for a couple of things.

First, there really isn’t a fixed time frame for a company to revert with an offer. Or even for that matter, to finish the interview process. It depends on the system that works best for them. I’ve known people who have got offers after four months of attending interviews! Really. It’s worked for them, since they weren’t really interested in a job change and had time on their hands. But, it doesn’t seem to be the same in your case, since you mention about a couple of other offers in your hands. About the time frame, yes, typically three weeks is considered a lot of time to make a decision. More so, if the role is of high criticality to their projects.

Another possibility could be that they are meeting other candidates before taking a final decision. Maybe the hiring manager wants to meet a few more candidates, before deciding on your candidature. Most hiring managers depend on data that indicates comparative degrees of competencies among candidates, to make a final decision.

About the responses, they could even be telling you the truth. Really. Most companies do have an approval process that involves people across various departments (business, HR, finance, etc.,) and geographies. This could be causing an unnecessary delay. But, their second response doesn’t seem right. If they indeed have the approvals and want to roll out the offer, they have a head of staffing who is really lazy and hasn’t sensed the urgency of the situation. It’s possible.

Here are a couple of things you could try now, to get more information:

1: You could check with the hiring manager directly. Most often, communication takes time to flow in the organization. The best way to get info is to go to the source of the information. Write him a mail asking for an update and also keep him informed about the discussion you’ve had with HR.

2: Did you get the other offers while you were interviewing with this MNC? If yes, have you told them that you already hold an offer? Not for anything, but to tell them you are really keen to work for them. In my experience, most companies expedite the offer process the moment they figure out the selected candidate has another offer. On the contrary, they’ll at least let you know that they need time. You can then make your decision.

Finally, I like to believe that you took up the other interviews since something about both those companies (role/compensation/benefits/perks/culture, etc.) interested you. Now, you need to answer for yourself, what is it about the MNC that makes the offer tempting? If there’s not much of a difference between them and the others, I would suggest you take up an offer in hand, rather than wait for an offer that might or might not happen.

Good luck!

Interviewed. Rejected. Called Again.

From a reader:

I had interviewed with a company a month back. According to my assessment, the interviews went fine and I was really keen to take up the role. After the interview, I was informed by the hiring manager that either he or the recruiter would schedule the final discussion. I didn't get any mail from either of them for a couple of weeks. However, at the beginning of the third week, I got a rejection mail from HR! It stated that they were keen to hire someone who fit the role better. I was really disappointed. I did not pursue the opportunity and planned to start interviewing with other companies. It’s been a month now and I got a call from the same recruiter asking if I was still keen to take up further discussions. I asked about the rejection mail and he did not have an explanation for it. I’m still keen with the role, but a bit apprehensive.

What should I do? Do I go ahead with the discussion?

Thanks.

Well, it’s not common. Yet, it does happen. There could be a few things that might have happened after they met you.

First, maybe the hiring manager met a more qualified candidate after he had met with you. He then decided to go with that candidate and asked the recruiter to send a rejection mail to you. They might have extended an offer to the candidate and he took time to decide, but eventually declined. If this happened, it’s left the hiring manager in a quandary. He’ll have to start the hunt for a new candidate, all over again. You were the next best candidate that came closest to meeting their requirements. It might explain why you were called again for the same role. The recruiter might not have much to say in this situation, it’s the hiring manager’s call.

Second, there’s a possibility that the hiring manager had a re-think on your candidature. The interview feedback might not have looked good initially, but later the manager decided to give it another shot. He might want to re-evaluate specific skill-sets, that they couldn't assess in the earlier rounds. Again, if this is the case, the recruiter is really just following instructions.

Third, the recruiter might have screwed-up. Really. It’s possible. He could have got a negative feedback from one of the interviewers you had met and he acted real quick. Later, the hiring manager asked him to schedule you for further rounds of discussion. Now, he has to salvage the situation, by getting you back for the next round of interview.

None of these are examples of a robust hiring process. Yet, these do happen and also brings out the flaws or gaps in communication between the hiring managers and the recruiters. Noticeably, the hiring manager has informed you that he/recruiter will schedule the final discussion! I really doubt if the hiring manager is the one making the final decision on hiring you. Clearly, someone higher-up in the chain is the key decision-maker.

I would suggest that you take up the discussion with the hiring manager. Ask him candidly about the rejection mail. You may also want to ask them one more thing; what made them reconsider your candidature? Your only chance to find that out is to have a discussion. Get the answers and you can then decide whether you want to pursue the opportunity or not. I would also suggest that you keep your options open, getting recalled for an interview doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to offer you the role.

Good luck!

Candidate Tip - Part 7

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here.

1. Don't act surprised when you get a 'scheduled' call from an interviewer. You were asked for a good time to be reached. No?
2. If you're sending your LinkedIn profile for a role, then take out your wedding picture on your profile! Doesn’t look professional.
3. Please wait for the interviewer to finish the question. Else, u might miss out on answering the actual question in its entirety.
4. It's critical for your new employer to know your start date. Don’t commit to a start date without thinking. Keep some buffer.
5. Interview questions are NOT always about 'Yes/No'. Some are asked to understand your approach in getting to the solution.
6. Use interviews to ask as many questions. Really. You don't get rejected for asking questions. If you do get rejected for that, you don’t want to work there.
7. Show discretion when you want to disagree with an interviewer.
8. It's ok to have an exploratory talk before you dive into interviews. But once you decide, stick to it. Reneges aren't liked!
9. Ask for a 'job description' before you take up an interview. It'll give you some context to the role & future discussions.
10. Keep in touch with your references. Sending them a mail one fine day doesn't work at all times. Result: Job offer's on hold!
11. Don't be the one to end an interview. Let the interviewer end it. You can end it you aren't keen on the role. Saves time.
12. Use the word 'expert' in your resume, with utmost discretion. Any 'expert' claim will get validated with more rigor.
13. If you're talking to the hiring manager, ask for an email ID. Might be of help later (interview feedback, thank you note, etc)

Candidate Tip - Part 6

Few months back, I started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ on this blog with an intention to answer recruitment related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies. I tweet these tips on my twitter account too, and #candidatetip for the tips.

If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to people searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? You can read them here.

1. You don't need to put your photograph on the resume, unless you're asked to put it. Looks very tacky and needless to say a good recruiter/hiring manager isn’t going to hire you for the looks, unless the role demands it.



2. It's ok to mail the recruiter/hiring manager, asking for an interview feedback. Moderation is the key. Don’t flood them with calls/mails every waking hour.



3. It’s fine that you are the kind who laughs a lot, but please answer the question. Laughing is not an answer. Yes or No, are the only two choices.



4. It's a phone interview. Didn't you know you shouldn’t talk when you have food in your mouth? Basic manners. Well, it’s a scheduled interview. You either eat or you talk.



5. If you reject a job offer, then I assume you've given it enough thought before deciding. Asking to reconsider might not always work.



6. You don’t need to put on a 'fake' accent in an interview! Why would you want to? Beats me. Talk slow. Listen well. Be precise.



7. Telling an interviewer that you got delayed because you went shopping before an interview, doesn’t really going down well. Retail therapy before an interview? Seriously!



8. I know music is soothing, but please switch off that radio in the b/ground. It's an interview! Not a music-fest.



9. On Skype video-discussion, make sure you keep your pet away from the screen. Yes, I understand he’s excited too, but this is an interview!



10. If you've given a secondary contact number, then please keep the owner of that number informed. An interview isn’t a spam call!



11. Attending an HR interview doesn’t mean you'll get an offer! Its part of the interview process and your callous attitude could cost you the job. It’s never over, until it’s over. Remember?



12. If you want to take the interview in a different language, then let the recruiter know your preference while scheduling the call. They either come prepared or send someone who understands the language or use an interpreter.

Can I record my job interview?

I’m looking for a job change and have been interviewing with select employers. I’ve noticed that most interview processes start with a phone-interview. The interviewer is either the hiring manager or a person from the technical panel. I want to know if I can record phone interviews. I’m interested in working on the questions asked in the interviews, since it will help me prepare for future interviews.

Thanks.

Well, must say, this is an interesting question. While you’ve got a valid reason to record phone interviews, to start with, you will need the consent of the interviewer.

Getting consent is very tricky since there are dependencies attached to it. First, the Company/interviewer will need to address the legalities involved in giving consent. Read: Potential lawsuits. Second, far too many interviewers aren’t trained at taking interviews and might end up saying or committing to things that aren’t in their control. They might fear you’ll hold them responsible for it at a later stage.

Let’s assume you do get consent, I suspect there’s a high possibility that the interviewer might show restraint in sharing information around confidential data, career growth, details around compensation, etc. On the other hand, nothing stops you from pressing the record button on the phone, as long as you are using it ONLY for your own purpose and you don’t hold the Company/interviewer responsible for anything committed in the discussion. I would suggest you don’t do that and instead take notes.

That prompts me to ask: What is stopping you from taking notes during an interview?

If you do take notes, you can write back to the interviewer, sharing your understanding of the role and responsibilities required for the job. If there really is a technical question that you need help with getting answers, here’s an approach that might work in your favor. Write down the question during the interview. Once you’re done with the interview, search for answers (online, books, peers, friends, etc.). Mail the interviewer with answers to the question that you weren’t to answer in the interview. In my experience, good interviewers for mighty impressed with candidates that follow this approach. It tells them three things. One, you are keen about the role. Two, you've demostrated your keenness by getting back to them with solutions. Three, you are receptive to feedback. It's a combination that interviewers look for and will help you stand out among many applicants.

Good luck!

What will get you rehired? Or not.

Your chances of getting rehired are blown away, if:

You’d sent your resignation via voicemail / text / fax.
As silly as it sounds, I’ve come across people who chose to send their resignation over phone! The only way to do it is in-person, unless you are working remotely.

You didn’t serve out the required notice period.
Yes, we know you got a better job offer elsewhere. That doesn’t give you the right to walk away without serving your notice period. Your unfinished work landed on your colleague’s plates, not that they don’t already have enough to do!

You left your team members high & dry in the middle of a critical project.
Again, we know you got yourself a great job, but your team members haven’t forgotten your act.

Performance was the primary reason for your exit.
The job still requires the same skills. Not many companies take it well even if you’ve been away from over a year.

You were fired for disciplinary action.
Remember that sexist comment you passed on your colleague…during work hours? Yep, people haven’t forgotten that. Nor have they forgotten that drunken incident on that fateful Friday. Drinks were on-the-house, so was your behavior!

On the contrary, you’re chances of getting rehired increases, when:

You left on a positive note. (Captain Obvious? Yes!)
Searching for a job can get one to do crazy things, like asking to get rehired after burning bridges with the previous employer. No, they aren’t interested.

Ready to start afresh.
That would mean salary, benefits, perks and insurance. Everything. Your ego too. Period.

Good rapport with the team members.
You might the manager’s pet, but nobody wants to work with a team member who doesn’t gel well.

Your team members want to refer you back.
Managers are employees too. Chances are that your previous manager has quit as well. That would leave your team members to refer you back. Would they?

What have you gained since the time you left?
Very important question that deserves a well thought out answer. Be honest.

You’re ready to undergo the interview grind, one more time.
Being in the role earlier doesn’t guarantee you a place in the team. Get yourself prepared for the interview grind.

Your previous Company wants you back!
This has to be the best case scenario for getting rehired.

In the end, opting to get rehired starts with answering a very basic question: Is this your ONLY option?

What would you do? Take a quick poll.

And then HR screws it up....

From the reader who sent the previous query:

Unfortunately, the company has offered someone from my hometown before I could negotiate with them and convey my decision!

Situation: When they had offered me, I’d mentioned that I would need a couple of days to decide on the offer. And exactly on the third day when I contacted them, I was astonished to hear that they had offered someone else and the position was closed! They had found someone who could accept the offer (without negotiating) and join immediately. However, nowhere in my interview had they mentioned about immediate joining. As per policy in most companies an employee needs to serve out a notice period. During my interview I’d clearly mentioned my notice period and also willingness to join the company as per their requirement by negotiating with my current employer on the release date.

This is something strange to experience. Especially since this tells me about the HR's behavior & attitude towards candidates. It’s absolute unprofessionalism. I decided of not pursuing the offer with them. I can't imagine working with such an organization.

Thanks again for your time in replying to my mail.

I’m sorry the offer didn’t work out. Understandably, it sucks to be in such a situation. While it might seem strange for a person experiencing this for the first time, such senseless practices do exist. Even extreme cases such as revoking an offer, changing components of the offer after the candidate has joined, are among other senseless practices that are prevailing in the market. Is it unprofessional? Off course it is. But it is unavoidable? Sadly, the answer is, No. The current job market isn’t helping either. There are far more number of highly qualified candidates, than the number of the jobs available.

Well, you at least have a couple of positive things going for you: a) you haven’t resigned upon receiving the offer; (b) you got away from working for such an employer. That tells me that you did give it sufficient thought before taking the next step. Excellent approach!

You also can take away some learning from this experience. You’ll know exactly what to ask in your future interviews. Maybe even spend more time in finding out details about the prospective employer (not that you already aren’t doing that) before you take up interviews with them.

Hope you land with a job that meets your criteria.

Good luck!

Job offer negotiation

From a reader:

I came across your blog while searching for some info. Really must appreciate your efforts in answering our queries.

I’m writing to you to seek your advice on a job offer.

I’ve been working for 4 years with an IT company that’s in another city. I‘ve been in search of a job opportunity in my hometown for over six months. Currently, I’ve got an offer from a company in my hometown. But I’m not that excited with the offer. Though I’m getting a very good role, responsibility and position (designation), the salary which they are offering is not that good. When I’d mentioned to them that I’m expecting a better hike, they countered that by saying I’m relocating to my hometown and as per my experience their offer is the best in the market. I’m not concerned about the fact that I am relocating to my hometown (it can wait a little longer if needed), my concern is that I’m pretty sure that I’ve not been given a fair offer considering both my experience and skills.

At times I feel like compromising on the salary front, thinking that I’ll prove my skills & experience while performing on the job. But when asked about appraisals, I was informed that I would be eligible for the next appraisal cycle (next year). That would mean that I would have to remain on the same salary for another year and I would be underpaid. This is another factor which is not attracting me to accept the offer.

I’m due for an appraisal in a month’s time with my current organization. Assuming, I get a decent hike post-appraisal, my salary would be way beyond what they are offering me. Is there a room to negotiate for a better salary? Please suggest.

Thanks.

Congratulations on the offer!

Well, there are many things that come to mind. First, are you moving from a tier-1 to a tier-2 city? The reason I’m asking is because offers vary depending on the geographic location/city. Many factors such as cost of living, talent pool, tax liabilities, legal compliance, etc, are taken into consideration while deciding the salary range. So effectively, an offer of $x in a tier-1 city might be seen as high in a tier-2 city. Now, this might or might not be true in your case. Especially since you mention that they cited your experience as being a major deciding factor in the offer. On the contrary, they are also referring to you relocating to your hometown and that their offer is the best in that market. So, it comes down to you answering my question.

Second, you’ve been trying since six months to move back to your hometown. I assume then that this must be your first job offer there. Does that tell you something about the job market in your hometown? Either way, the current situation has more candidates (and good ones at that) than the number of jobs available. Is the job movement from a generalist role to a specialization? That could complicate things too. If four years of your work exp is spread across various skills and you were interviewed for a specific skill, then your technical competency gets rated on that particular skill.

Third, have you made a list of things that are important to have for your relocation? Yes, there’s role, responsibilities, salary, etc. However, in this case since the salary is lower (than your expectations) there might be benefits that might be part of the job offer. Like, relocation benefits, flexi hours, telecommuting, vacations, insurance coverage, bonuses, stock options, etc, that add to the whole offer package. Did you explore those as well? I assume you did.

Next, you mention that you are pretty sure that the offer isn’t a fair one. Well, what’s the benchmark you are considering? If it’s based on objective data then it makes sense. If not, you may want to re-evaluate the offer.

Finally, let’s move to the upcoming appraisal. There isn’t any concrete data on the possible percentage of hike that you might expect, especially given the current market conditions. Expecting the next employer to compensate you with a hike for work that you’d done in your previous company, isn’t really the way to bargain for a hike. No? If that’s the case, then you might as well wait for the appraisal and then start interviewing. Given that your move to your hometown can wait a little longer, I suggest you don’t take up an offer that you are not satisfied with. Period. Cause it will catch up with you sooner than later.

Is there room to negotiate for a better salary? Yes, there is if you have decided on things that you are ok to let go and others which you must have. Off course, you can still go ahead and ask for a hike. The max that they’ll say is a ‘No’. But that discussion will have more weight if you went in with researched data. Negotiations are really about giving as much as getting. I see there’s a lot you can take away from this interviewing experience.

Hope you get the offer you are expecting. Good luck!

Candidate Tip - Part 4

Few months back, I had started the ‘Candidate Tip Series’ with the intention to answer hiring related questions from readers. The series was introduced in an attempt to avoid redundancy in replies.

Further, I tweet these tips on my twitter account too using #candidatetip. If you are a candidate, hope this helps. If not, you can help send this post to anyone searching for answers. I’ll continue to take questions and should you have one, you can send it to thehrstore@gmail.com

Looking for the earlier posts on candidate tips? Here’s part – 1, 2 and 3.

Here’s Part – 4:

Don't pick up the phone & start texting during an interview! If it's that important, keep the interviewer informed that you are expecting a text message that needs your reply. It’s obvious, you need to inform the interviewer before the start of the interview.

No, you can’t invite your wife for a luncheon that's specifically organized for you to get to know the team. Family day will come later.

Flying you down for an interview is an expensive deal. So missing a flight doesn’t show you in good light. It’s always better to be early at the airport. Plan well.

Nervousness while interviewing is ok. But don't ramble on when you don’t know the answer. It's ok to not know a few things.

When asked, "Do you have any questions?" in an interview. Ask. Don't wait for the offer letter to get to know the company. Might be late. You would have wasted everyone’s time. Especially your time.

You might have submitted your resume earlier, but it's ok to carry an updated one (if any) for the interview. However, keep the interviewer informed before the start of the interview.

No, you can't involve your spouse in the offer discussion! Red flag! Where did that come from? You were interviewed for the role. Did the interviewer miss catching something during the interview?

Cracking too many smarta$$ jokes / just laughing for no reason during an interview doesn't go in your favor. It question’s your very interest in the role. That might not even be true!

It's advisable to plan well & take the telephonic interview in a calm/silent place. That background noise might drown out our answer.

Increase in your personal expense isn't a 'valid' reason to ask for a hike! You don't need a hike, u need better money management. Think before you talk.

Recruiter mails offer letter to official email ID!

From a reader:

I had interviewed a couple of weeks back and got through after multiple rounds of interview. Prior to the start of the interview process I had filled out a ‘pre-interview’ form that was given to me by the recruiter. In the contact details part of the form, I had mentioned my personal email id and phone number as primary contact points. I was also asked to give my current official email id as part of the form filling exercise. I had clearly indicated that I was not to be reached or sent any communication about the interview process to my official email id, since the email is shared within the team. I made it through the interviews and the recruiter had called to discuss the offer with me before emailing it to me. He then sent the offer letter to my official email id. I think my manager and colleagues have read the mail. This might affect my exit and references. How do I manage this?

My reaction on reading this was…Arrgghhh, another recruiter blunder! The first one was here, but this one’s plain stupid.

Well, there are at least five different sets of people that are going to get affected by this mail. You. Your current manager. Colleagues. Prospective manager. Recruiter.

We’ll take it one at a time.

First, are you ok with the offer? If yes, it makes things a lot easier. There really isn’t much you can do now but start the exit discussion with your manager. You cannot rule out the possibility that this will affect your exit process. You can however come out clean and tell the manager that you had provided the email id as part of the form filling activity. Further, that you had clearly indicated (I hope this wasn’t just verbal) that the official id was not to be used for any sort of interview communication. It’s good to be truthful, cause then you have nothing to hide. He might buy that, but don’t bank on him accepting it right away. He’ll be wary of setting a precedent. If he goes easy on you, the other team members won’t take to it lightly. He’ll have to deal with discontented team members who know about the offer. On the other hand, if you aren’t ok with the offer, then I suggest you either bargain for a better offer or start updating your resume. Hope it’s the former that works out better.

I’ll give the benefit of doubt to your colleagues and assume they didn’t read the mail which was addressed to you. But then, curiosity can do strange things. If for example, the mail had a subject line: From xxxxx: Offer Letter. That would turn even the most disinterested reader into a curious reader. Your colleagues are going to be upset with you. Period. Not because you are leaving them (that’s more emotional), but because they now know your offer and are comparing that with their current job. Your manager’s not going to be happy with this situation. One person’s mail has caused an imbalance within the whole team!

Next up is the recruiter. Well, where do I start? I’m just going to say that if I was the recruiter’s manager, I would be having a candid discussion right this minute. The recruiter’s blunder is going to affect their chances of getting you across the line. Hope you have mailed the recruiter, making your displeasure known. This might not help your case, but he should know he messed up. The damage has been done and the worst part is that he is no longer in control of the consequences.

As for the prospective manager, if you are ok with the offer, I suggest you write to him and explain the situation. You may want to tell him about the possibility of not getting references from your present manager. However, do mention that you’ll try and work out things from your end. There’s only so much your future manager can do. He wasn’t the one sending out the mail. Hopefully, he’ll understand and give you some flexibility.

Finally, the person in the middle of the storm is you. Since the email id is shared, there’s a possibility that a log’s maintained for all mail transactions. Bring it up with the manager and request him to either delete it or allow you to delete it from the id. Again, it’s only damage control. It will only stop others (who haven’t already read the mail) from accessing the mail.

Good luck!

Should I hire external interviewers?

From a reader, based on a previous post here.

I have a question that’s in context to an earlier post on getting interviewed by a younger person. I’m the only HR person at a startup that has fourteen employees. We currently don’t have interviewers within the startup for specific skills. We are planning to hire external interviewers from agencies to take interviews for these skills. I’ve been assigned to find out the feasibility of going with this model. There is a possibility that we would have younger external interviewers taking interviews for senior roles. Would it impact the way candidates perceive the startup? If we choose to go with this model, what should we look out for?

Thanks.

Well, it’s an interesting thought. At the startups that I worked, we had used the services of external interviewers and must say that we had a so-so hit. But I did get to learn a lot from that experience and here’s my take on the model.

First, since your question is based on my previous post, I’ll repeat that as long as you have competent interviewers, the interview process should go on just fine. Don’t get confused with years of work experience and competency. Especially in a startup that most often relies heavily on the latter.

Well, coming back to your question. What deliverables are you expecting from the external interviewers? If you are hiring them to identify the best fit candidate from start to end, then you may want to rethink that strategy. Yes, it’s critical for the external interviewers to understand the job requirements before starting the interview process. However, the key to make this is work is to ensure that the external interviewers are to only assess specific skills. Their selection process should be very objective. That should be the very reason you would want to hire external interviewers. After they have done identifying the right fit candidate, you then continue with your normal interview process. The final decision or call on hiring a candidate should rest with the people running the startup. Period.

Would this impact the candidate’s perception? I don’t think so. Really. Every startup needs to be sold like an idea and that applies even to candidates. If that’s true, then candidates would have got enough information about the startup from you, before coming down for an interview. So, sparing the odd candidate, most of them wouldn’t really change their perception of the startup. Should you tell them about hiring external interviewers? Maybe, just maybe, you may not want to emphasize on that. As long as you have chosen a fair selection process and one that lets you make the final decision, it should work fine.

What to watch out for? Set the right expectations for their role in the hiring process. Never let them do the selling. Track deliverables regularly, but don’t micromanage their interviews. It’s quite obvious that they’ll charge you a fee for taking interviews, that shouldn’t force you to ask them to select candidate(s) in a hurry. Your $x dollars spent now will multiply 2x/3x times, which way would you want it to go? Spend it on firing a wrong fit candidate in 3 months or making money from a right fit candidate that can deliver the best for your startup’s product/service. The choice is simple. Isn’t it?

Good luck!

Interviewed by a younger person

I have been looking for a new job for the past few months and I’m in the final rounds of discussion with a couple of companies. At both places I was interviewed by people who were a lot junior to me in years of experience. Although I was hesitant at the beginning, I did go through the interview process. Is it normal practice for junior employees to take interviews for senior roles?

Well, it doesn’t qualify as normal practice, but I know for a fact that many companies are ok with this style of interviewing. Personally, I’ve interviewed people who came in with more number of years of work experience than me. The keyword is ‘years’ and gathering more years doesn’t necessarily guarantee gathering expertise. No?

I see many possibilities for such a situation to occur. First, it might just be that they don’t have any senior (by age/years of service) interviewers with enough skills to conduct interviews and hence they have placed their expectations on a junior employee with the required expertise. Second, it gives some indications that they are a result oriented company and don’t really place years of experience as a criteria to take interviews. It could purely be based on subject matter expertise in specific areas that they are hiring for. If someone with four years has shown enough maturity and expertise to take interviews, they find its ok for that person to interview someone with nine years work exp with lesser expertise.

Now, onto the other side of your question. If you are of the opinion that a certain number of years of experience define seniority, then I’ll have to strongly disagree. Yes, you need to be cognizant of the interviewer’s age. But that shouldn’t be a major factor in your decision making. On the contrary, it would work best for you if you do accept that many things have changed on the hiring front and try not to come off as condescending. The interviewer would also be assessing your comfort levels of working with people of all ages.

Good luck!

Post that might interest you: Less could be more!

Should I tell employers about the lay-off?

From a reader:

I read your blog regularly. I have a question for you, would be very thankful if you can answer it.

I lost my job 20 days back, was working for a reputed MNC. Now I want to start looking for a job in Jan. What do I mention in the future interviews? Since I didn’t lose my job because of performance reasons, our whole team was fired due to economical reasons. Is it fair to tell the truth in coming up interviews?

One more concern, is the job market better than what it was in past few months? I am very stressed out with the whole situation, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

There are a couple of things that you may want to do in this situation.

First, since you mention the lay-off was due to economical reasons rather than performance, it’s always best to stick to the facts in future interviews. I’m quite sure that prospective employers (recruiters and hiring managers) are aware of the current job market condition and should be able to understand your situation better. It’s a whole lot easier when you tell the truth in interviews. There are two instances I can think when this question might come up. One, when they ask, “Why are you looking for a job change?” Second, at the time of extending a job offer, they’ll first want to call your previous employer(s) as part of the reference check. Any mismatch in information provided by you in either of these instances, will end up hurting your chances even more. In fact, if you stick to the truth, you are in a better position to explain the reason for your job change.

Further, you can highlight that you were part of a larger team that was laid off. That should help the prospective employer understand that you weren’t singled out for the lay off. Don’t get defensive in your interview, that’s a common mistake that I’ve noticed in such interviews. You would do best if you treated this as another interview and highlight your strengths. If there’s a gap in finding the next job, then use that time to refresh your skills and speak about how you utilized that time to the best effect.

Second, you may want to make sure that your ex-employer (manager in particular) will give you a positive reference. Especially now since your performance wasn’t the reason for the lay-off. This post on asking for a balanced feedback from your references might be helpful.

As for the job market, I do see it improving. There are definitely jobs out. It’s time to contact folks on your social network and let them know you are looking for a job change. Mail me at thehrstore@gmail.com if you need any more help.

Good luck with your job search!

Do I send video resume to recruiters?

I’ve been looking for a job change for the last couple of months. I've sent a standard resume to recruiters, but haven’t received many interview calls. Would sending a video resume help in getting attention to my work, instead of the standard resume?

There are two parts to your question. First, you are using a standard resume, that you feel isn’t working. Second, will a video resume get a recruiter’s attention?

I’ll answer them one at a time. First, a standard resume does need customization before sending it out to recruiters. I’ll assume that you are using a common resume template for all the positions that you are applying. If yes, it’s not the best way to apply for jobs. You might be sending out customized cover letters. Why not a customized resume? Yes, it takes time and effort to understand and address each job opening. By doing so, you’ll increase your chances of getting an interview call. On the other hand, there could be a possibility that your resume is perfectly fine, but companies aren’t hiring as yet. So not getting interview calls needn’t be just because of your resume. However, since your resume is the only thing you’ll be able to control and manage while applying for a job, I would suggest that you try using your social network for applying to jobs. This could give you a better chance of receiving a feedback.

Second part of your question was about sending video resumes. Video-resumes are very innovative by nature. It takes a whole lot of effort to put together things that can never be told on paper or for conveying things that are extremely difficult to explain in words. The overall idea is great. But should you send it to recruiters instead of a standard resume? My answer is 'No'. Resumes get a max of 30 seconds! Recruiters and hiring managers are crunched for time when it comes to reviewing resumes. Given the current market condition, each open position gets plenty of resumes. Hence they wouldn’t be able to give extra time to review video resumes. By sending a video resume of 3-4 mins you might be holding up the queue and that’s the primary reason for recruiter’s to not give attention to video resumes. That much time isn’t available. There might even be a remote chance that the recruiter might spend time on your video-resume, since he has dedicated a certain percentage of his time per day for reviewing resumes. But the chances for a hiring manager to review it, is very slim. For a manager, hiring is just one of the many things that his role requires him to do. He would have allotted himself very limited time for reviewing resumes.

Video resumes will work only when it’s specifically asked for, by the employer. It’s not yet recognized as a substitute for a traditional resume.

Good luck with your job search!

Posts that might be of interest:
Things that make a resume work.
Your Resume's Got Only 30 Seconds! Make It Count.

Candidate Tip: Part 3

In case you are reading this for the first time and wondering how come it's Part 3 already! Then you can catch up by reading the earlier parts to this series here & here.

1. Put your phone on silent mode during an interview. There’s only one other person in the room. So acting like it’s not your phone ringing, is stupid!



2. Talking in low voice because you're not in a good place to take the call isn’t the interviewer's fault! It was scheduled. Plan better.



3. It's ok to say that you don't know the answer for an interview question. Answering vaguely doesn't help. But do ask the answer.



4. Speak only in the language that's chosen as medium for the interview. Bringing in native words sounds unprofessional. Avoid it.



5. Are you a manager? Then isn't 'Conflict Management' a critical part of a manager's role? What's your approach? Critical to know.



6. When you are offered coffee/tea & you sip it loud enough to be heard 10 cubicles away, it's just GROSS.



7. Swiveling in your chair during an interview looks very unprofessional. Stay put. Unless you don't want the job.



8. If you chose to send your LinkedIn profile before sending your detailed resume, then please update your LI profile.



9. Why use a pseudo-name on a resume?!? I'm stumped.

Email ID's on resumes: Big deal?

Here’s a question I posted on Twitter:

Is it right to read into email ID's of candidates on their resume?

I really didn’t expect it to cause such a stir! It set off quite a discussion. The real intent was to understand the impact on recruiters/hiring managers/readers when they review resumes that have mail ID’s such as iamsingle@ / devil-may-care@ / crazydudeinahurry@ mentioned in a candidate’s resume. Well, many of them were of the opinion that they definitely found it weird that the candidate even considered such an unprofessional mail ID for a resume. A few argued that it gave them insights into the candidate’s innovativeness! It really might be the case, you never know.

My intention was not to judge the use of a particular ID. It was all about questioning the impact on end users. Think about it for a second. You got a mail sitting in your Inbox from a sender who chose an ID owntheworldbytomorrow@ to send the mail. What would your first reaction be? Treat it as Spam? No? Another set of detail-oriented folks may get into the nitty-gritty by stating that one can chose a different Display Name for an ID. But what if the person just put the same email ID in the resume? You don’t get a display name there. Or would you? See, nitty-gritty can have mind-numbing effects!

Instead, how about creating a mail ID for the sole purpose of job searches? An ID that sounds professional. You really don’t even need to check it after you’ve got a job. It’s that simple. Not to mention the obvious, it’s FREE!

Your resume is doing a lot of marketing on your behalf. It’s talking to people even before you get to the table. Much before you even get to say a word in-person. If it’s doing so much work for you, would you want to take risks by showcasing yourself as someone who doesn’t take things seriously? Think about it for a second.

Before you ask, a crazy/weird mail ID doesn’t mean your resume will get rejected. It shouldn’t be. Or rather, will not be. Recruiters don’t want to shrink their talent pool on the basis of a mail ID on a resume! However, that doesn’t stop either the recruiter/hiring manager from showing hesitation while talking to such candidates, especially if the role demands a professional outlook.

Here’s my take though: Email ID(s) on a job application/resume has importance. Candidates should choose to display one that's appropriate for job searches.

What are your thoughts? Would love to hear them.

Start-up: Hiring challenges

From a recruiter:

Dear HR Store,

I’m a recruiter at a start-up that has started hiring. Seems like the market conditions are improving and big players in the market have started hiring too. Candidates are accepting our offer, but that hasn’t stopped them from talking to the big players. My question to you is: how many times can we call candidates after they have accepted our offer? What can we do to convince the candidates to join us?

Thanks.

First, welcome to the world of start-ups. I just love the thought of a start-up. Hmmm……Sorry, I digress. This question’s about you. Not me. I’ll proceed to answer your question in two parts.

How many times can we call candidates after they have accepted our offer? Well, I’m tempted to ask, what is the purpose for which you are calling the candidate? Are you calling daily/regularly with an intention to find out what the candidate’s been up to since accepting your offer? That’ll look like you are stalking the candidate or you’re unsure of your choice or might even tell the candidate that you are desperate to get him onboard. Yes, it might be all of that and more. But that’s not the impression you want to give the candidate. Right? So, ideally here’s what you could do. Start with a call a week. That should suffice if the candidate’s going to join you within two weeks. If the joining time is more than two weeks, you could call a couple of times a week after the first two weeks. Understandable that you want to give your interactions a personal touch, but an overdose of anything is harmful. You could even try mails on other days. Make your mails informative. That should help a lot. Try and avoid calling daily! That’ll end up hurting your cause a lot.

Your next question, what can we do to convince the candidate to join us? So, what do you talk about in those calls / mails? Do you have a unique story to tell the candidate? Why, when or what was the reason for the startup to take shape. Take the opportunity to use those calls as personal touch time to give the candidate as much information as possible. Ones that will help him take an informed decision. Talk about improvements in product line, new customer wins, new additions to senior management/other teams, re-emphasis his role in the team, growth plans for the start-up, financial plans etc, Hiring for a start-up can get challenging, but you can make life easier for yourself by getting as much information as possible. You are expecting a candidate to give up his regular job and take a chance with a start-up with hopes that it will payoff soon. Give him enough reasons for doing just that. It may have been covered in the earlier interviews, but the gravity of the situation would have sunk in only after he went back home, consulted with his family, friends and peers in the industry. Decisions change rapidly based on the inputs he gets from them. Highlight that the startup is an opportunity that is very rare and one where he will find enough challenges that would be of high interest. Involve the manager in your talks. In most startups there isn’t a manager! Get the boss to do some talking too. Helps a great deal.

Good luck!

Things that make a resume work...

I got some questions on resume writing and how to make a resume stand out. While there’s enough information that you can get by Googling, here’s a list that I would suggest. Yes, many things mentioned below are obvious. I might sound like a broken record, but when it comes to searching for jobs, candidates end up hurrying on the document which talks on their behalf.

Here are things that might help make your resume work:

• ZERO virus! You may wonder how that happens. But it does. Scan you resume.doc before you send it out.


• Your career objective. Even better if you can mention short-term and long-term. If you don’t have one I’ll assume you are OK with any role we have.


• Time periods for various positions. Previous held or currently holding. Both month & year. If there is an overlap or if you are working for different companies at the same time. Mention that.


• Your contribution/achievement to projects you’ve mentioned in each role. NOT your team’s contribution.


• Mention only those skills that you are confident with using / have used proficiently. Exposure to a certain skill doesn’t necessarily mean you know it in-depth! Right?


• Contact details (phone, emails, etc,). Absolute must. If you have a preferred time to take calls, mention that. Again, if don’t tell, means you’re ok to take the call at anytime.


• Don’t mention your blog. Please. Here’s why.


• Any gaps/breaks taken before completing your education or even between two jobs work? Such as a sabbatical, medical reasons, etc., Mention it. Else, if it comes up during later discussions, it will look like you were trying to hide something.


• Personalized cover letter. Please don’t send a mass mail with each recipient in the Bcc. It’s not a personal mail. It’s your career at stake!


• Anything beyond 3 pages will not be read. So don’t waste time mentioning each and every thing you did in the last 10 years. Read the job description and then apply.


• Read: Your resume’s got 30 seconds. Make it count.


• Your resume font is crucial. Choose one that looks professional. Comic Sans doesn’t look professional. Period.


• Typos. ‘Manger’ instead of ‘Manager’, ‘Martial Status’ instead of ‘Marital Status’, etc., Read thoroughly before submitting your resume.
  
• Finally, keep it real.

Agreed. You are currently doing all of this and yet you’re not getting that most-awaited-for call. That’s just the way it goes. You really aren’t in control of that. But you can and must control things that are in your grasp. Your resume definitely figures on top of that list in a job search. You’ll do yourself a big favor by making sure your resume is presentable. That it has things which the employer is looking for or stuff that would at least make them consider your resume.

Post that might be helpful too: Resume Writing

Good luck!