STOP Handing Out Resumes In Informational Interviews

STOP Handing Out Resumes In Informational Interviews As part of the Job Search Program I talk a lot about the rights and wrongs of informational interviews. A major mistake people make is giving out a resume at the end (or at any time) of an informational interview. Why is this a mistake? Arent you open to getting hired? Yes, of course! But in my version of an informational interview you are having a peer-to-peer, colleague-to-colleague conversation with the other person. The minute you become a job seeker you change the dynamics of the relationship. They are in a position to help, you are in a position of hurt. Im not saying its bad or shameful to be a job seeker. Nor am I saying you need to hide it. But for this 20 or 30 minutes I want you to remember who you are a professional project manager, or analyst, or whatever you are. NOT just an unemployed person. Even though you are not currently working you can still talk with expertise and authority about your field. You have expertise and experience and can have a great conversation. Dont forget that. Have a great conversation and then immediately hand them a resume and you go from expert and passionate to needy and desperate. Maybe you are needy and desperate but you dont need to wear that on your sleeve. So what do you do? Heres how you have your cake and eat it too: If they ask for your resume simply say oh yeah, Ill shoot that to you when I get back to my computer. This shows them that indeed you are there to have a really good conversation with them, not to use them and their position to try to get your resume in front of HR. If they dont ask for your resume, follow-up in an email about your meeting. I would NOT send a resume then but continue the conversation, following-up on referrals, and maybe send a link to an article relevant to our conversation. Can you talk about your job search? Sure. Can you ask about openings they know about? Sure. But dont push a resume to them right away. There will be a perfect time for that, and its not at the very beginning of your conversation. STOP Handing Out Resumes In Informational Interviews As part of the Job Search Program I talk a lot about the rights and wrongs of informational interviews. A major mistake people make is giving out a resume at the end (or at any time) of an informational interview. Why is this a mistake? Arent you open to getting hired? Yes, of course! But in my version of an informational interview you are having a peer-to-peer, colleague-to-colleague conversation with the other person. The minute you become a job seeker you change the dynamics of the relationship. They are in a position to help, you are in a position of hurt. Im not saying its bad or shameful to be a job seeker. Nor am I saying you need to hide it. But for this 20 or 30 minutes I want you to remember who you are a professional project manager, or analyst, or whatever you are. NOT just an unemployed person. Even though you are not currently working you can still talk with expertise and authority about your field. You have expertise and experience and can have a great conversation. Dont forget that. Have a great conversation and then immediately hand them a resume and you go from expert and passionate to needy and desperate. Maybe you are needy and desperate but you dont need to wear that on your sleeve. So what do you do? Heres how you have your cake and eat it too: If they ask for your resume simply say oh yeah, Ill shoot that to you when I get back to my computer. This shows them that indeed you are there to have a really good conversation with them, not to use them and their position to try to get your resume in front of HR. If they dont ask for your resume, follow-up in an email about your meeting. I would NOT send a resume then but continue the conversation, following-up on referrals, and maybe send a link to an article relevant to our conversation. Can you talk about your job search? Sure. Can you ask about openings they know about? Sure. But dont push a resume to them right away. There will be a perfect time for that, and its not at the very beginning of your conversation.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Was Rodney Dangerfield a Manager

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Was Rodney Dangerfield a Manager I saw a study that said a great majority (71 percent of 972 workers surveyed) would not like to be the boss, and not only did they not want to be in charge, they didnt think they could do a better job than the boss.That seems odd, considering the number of bad boss books on the market today. We have books saying that bosses are crazy, raised by wolves, micromanaging ogres and in short, the most horrible two-legged creatures on the face of the planet.OK, so maybe thats just used to sell books. The truth is that some bosses are good, and some are not so good. But before we claim they should be dropped into abandoned mines, lets consider what they do every day.They put up with employees who smell and look like they slept at the bottom of a laundry basket. They have to referee spats between co-workers arguing over who left the dirty dishes in the sink. They have workers who dont show up for work because, well, because its a nice day and they dont feel like working. They put in many hours at home after their families go to sleep because they cant get any work done in the office with all the constant interruptions from their staff.Their own bosses demand constant reports, insist that budgets be cut without affecting production and order that their lips be sealed regarding potential layoffs.They are, in other words, constantly between a rock and a hard place. Their loyalty and energy are constantly being divided between the employees they oversee and the senior managers. Little respect or consideration is offered from anyone for what they go through every day.Yeah, who wouldnt want that job?Thats why Wayne Turmel (a.k.a. The Cranky Middle Manager) speaks up for middle managers, offering them sound advice coupled with humor to help them keep going. He notes that while companies offer little or no training dollars to those in middle management, its not always a bad job.Hes right. Many managers talk about the sense of satisfaction they get from coaching employees, help ing them improve their skills and reach their goals. They like being the kind of leader that inspires; they even enjoy providing pizza on a Friday afternoon to recognize good work.So, the next time youre quick to dump on your manager, take a moment and consider what its like to stand in his shoes. Maybe its a job you dont want, but thats no reason to make it a job he doesnt want, either.If you are in management, a couple of places you might want to check out for further support and education include:www.marshallgoldsmith.comwww.crankymiddlemanager.comwww.leadershipnow.comwww.managementhelp.org/ldrship/ldrship.htm