Here you are -
HERE is YOUR Third section - Build Your Job Hunting Oz Factor
with proven lessons and exercises to build and win in the Job Hunt.
2A. The Oz Factor – The Employer’s Point of View
2B. A first Step – How to Define “Janitor”
2C. Nobody Buys the Nova
2D. The Difference Between Sizzle and Steak
2E. Impressing at the Teddy Bear Interview
2F. Getting Past the Bulldog
2G. Building Your Own Bull’s-eye
2H. Learning From A Lumberjack
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Employer’s Oz
Now that you have
learned of the OZ factor, we need to see it from the employer’s point of
view.
As you know from the
first section of the Tool Kit series, the Oz factor is based on the idea that
employers are looking for people with
•
The brains to learn how to do what the job requires with the
efficiency and speed that the job requires.
•
The heart to get along with the people you will interact with either
directly (customers/clients/co-workers) or indirectly (stockholders,
neighbors).
•
The courage to do the job without people questioning your honesty or
your commitment to doing the job right.
Most employers do
not assume that you will arrive on the first day knowing all you need to know
to do the job well… training and practice are
important parts
about learning the job. The question is
do you have the experience to learn it relatively quickly or the ability (the
brains) to learn it without bankrupting the company to teach you.
When it comes to heart,
employers like to know that you have the ability to get along well with the
people they HAVE to get along with – maybe you have similar experience or can
relate to the social demands you will face on the job.
Courage and your
conscientiousness is the hardest for the employer to gauge but ultimately one
of the most important qualities and one that most folks either have or they do
not.
The lesson is to
understand the Oz factor that employer will base her decision on when
considering your application.
Making It Work:
Write down your top
four prospective employers, listing underneath each one the words the
employer’s Oz factor. Beside each of
them, write the essential parts of
Brains (what is to be learned, taught, done on the job);
Heart (what kind of people will be served on your job, how you will
interact with co-workers or customers)
Courage (what are examples taking responsibility for your mistakes and
learning from them that the employer would find interesting?)
You may not be able
to make a full list the first time out on this exercise, so feel free to return
to this one as you get used to it and learn more about the employer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The “Janitor” Game
When I started in
the placement field I was asked to get a janitor for a specific employer. I had just the right person for the job, I
thought. He had talked of years he has
spent cleaning in places just like this
employer wanted. I placed this perfect
person knowing I had done the greatest of all placements in the history of
placements. Ooooops.
The employer called
me and through his laughing he insisted that I send him a real janitor. When he caught
his breath, he noted HIS definition of janitor included someone who knew how to
run a buffing machine. Apparently, the
first time people use a buffing machine it tosses them around the room – which
is what was happening to the poor person I sent in to that job.
I found through that
unforgettable time that it is the definition of the job from the employer’s
point of view (POV) - that is the only one that really matters. You may have some great skills but unless you
are speaking the employers language it is all for naught.
FREE HELP:
On-The Job Training
Program and/or Wage Subsidy incentives for employers give hiring managers
powerful tools in hiring someone and getting help paying their wages while you are
in training. Since you are most
expensive to an employer while you are learning the job, these incentives give
you the chance to get hired while you learn. Ask your “One Stop” center for
more information on this one.
Making It Work:
Use divergent
thinking and write a list of the jobs you have done like how your experience is
different from ‘Buddy’ (see JHTK Book I) a person who has never done anything
since leaving school. For example, if
you have worked extra hours when asked, completed training or helped others
with training them, ass that to your list.
Review the type of
work you have done as if the person you are describing it to has never done that work
before.
If you cared for
elderly patients, did you take vital signs?
What do you mean by helping with hygiene? Did you ever work with groups of people? Make this part of the list as extensive as
you can.
Once that list is completed, review it for
each employer you are hoping to work for.
Different employers will look at your experience differently, so mark up
the different aspects of your experiences keeping in mind their POV.
In the end it is
THAT POV that lands you the job.
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Nobody buys the Nova
Years ago, the Chevy Nova was selling
fast in the United States, but unable to sell well in Mexico.
Hey, this is the NOVA! It’s a great family car, looks good, runs
well ... even looks good standing still! But Novas were not selling in Mexico. The 'really-smart-people' who are paid lots
of money to solve problems like this tried all the usual methods of raising
sales but nothing worked.
Finally, Mexican consumers were asked 'why not
buy the Nova? Just look at it standing there in the showroom!”
Local folks explained that ”va” means go in Spanish and”no” means no or won't. Nobody wanted to buy the car that (in their language) was
the 'Won't Go'. The 'really-smart-people' then gave the same
car a new name and blamo, sales soared.
In a similar way, remember to speak the employer's language. Words that may be simple and easy for you to
comprehend may be considered differently by the employer.
Remember how once I placed a person in a job
as a janitor because he said he had
some related experience. (Hey, 'janitor'
seemed like an easy job title to fill). The
employer's definition (the one that really matters after all)
“janitor” meant someone with experience with buffing machines and the person I
sent to him did not.
Learning their different language has more
benefits. Your experience that may at first seem unrelated can be matched to their
language: Experience
as a waiter may indicate skills such as training others; working extra hours on short notice; working as a team
member; providing customized customer service or responsibility for handling
money.
Expand the range of what you say you have done
because a little title can mean big responsibilities in their language, but you
may need to practice describing it.
Making It Work:
Review your resumes for words you use to
describe work you have done. Just as
“janitor” has different meanings to different people, other job
titles/responsibilities you have had may not reflect the range of work you have
done.
Make a list and circle words you are currently using in your
resumes/applications/verbal descriptions about your skills and
responsibilities. Now on a separate page
write about your work in action verbs
(training, writing, selling, and supervising) and look for how you can add the
action verbs to your resume/application/descriptions with words particularly of
interest to the prospective employer. In
her language, eh?
Informational interviews with an employer,
just for asking what kind of characteristics she looks for in an employee, help
you appreciate her 'language'.
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The Difference Between
Sizzle and Steak
Version One:
“Mirage”
Hickey sits impatiently while people hover around her, smearing acrylates copolymers,
salicylic acid, octyl propenamide copolymers and alpha hydoxyl acids on her
face while others aim a machine that blows scalding
hot air at her head. She then walks to
her job where strangers shout and grab at her legs and hands.
Version Two:
Beautiful
Mariah Carey gets the royal treatment of top makeup artists and their colorful
wares, while stylists prepare her soft hair for the roaring crowds at her latest
sell-out concert.
I am
describing the same reality, Mariah getting prepared for a concert, but one is
the nitty gritty (the steak) and the other is
the excitement
you can related to (the sizzle).
In
describing your experience and
skills, make certain to talk of the sizzle
using words they can relate to and paint a word picture of how their life will
be easier with you as an employee:
** the
customers will be happier
** work
will get done without worry
** you
will be reliable and fun to work alongside
** the
employer's boss will be glad he hired such a gem.
You can
see how this goes- - you are sold on
the future all the time. Burgerworld does not focus on telling you how cows
are raised for their burgers, instead telling you how great
they taste and how you will love them once you give them a try. Even eating more fiber
(that tastes like cardboard) is good because it will make your body trimmer and
sexier. How do you sell your sizzle?
Making It Work:
Return
to your commercial and description of skills. Do you emphasize how you will do a great job
and make your employer's life better?
Think of examples how your brains, heart and courage will help you do
your job to make the customers better;
the company reach its objectives and employer's life easier. You have to see this future before you can
describe it and have the employer see it.
Use as
many sensory
images and as many examples as you can. Write the points you want to express
below.
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Teddy Bear Interview.
In preparing for meeting an employer, we are
working toward knowing what to say and finding the right way to say it. Now practice hearing the words which come out
of your own mouth. Just you, and your
teddy bear.
Yes, it is
best to practice in front of a mirror or with friends who will tell you the
truth (like 'sit up straighter' or 'you really sounded like a dweeb then') . But it is often best to find someone first
who will not criticize you too harshly (hey, he's made of fluffy stuffing after
all).
Here is an old friend who patiently listens without correcting you so you
can hear your inflections and uneasy silences as you prepare for the
interview. He will sit there looking at
you with soft eyes, soft ears... just soft all over.
I recommend the teddy bear method early on as
it allows you
to try & fail without criticism.
And after you gain confidence, it dawns on you that you are, well,
talking with a
stuffed animal. If you can do
that well, you are ready for practicing with live people and for the other
tools in the kit.
FREE
HELP:
Talking
to your teddy bear or the air gives you the valuable experience of hearing your
own answers to the questions of the practice interview. Be assured that when you are talking aloud
that you are not just “talking to the air”, but are connecting to a side of
yourself you may not have appreciated thus far.
Making It Work:
Practice your commercial and the 3 main
questions (Why should I hire you? Why
would you work for me? And tell me why you are the best candidate?) with a
stuffed animal.
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Beat The Bulldog
She stands there, guarding her turf. And you are going to get past HER? HAH! Many have tried & failed, slinking back home,
unable to get past her and to that goal of so many others before... to meet the employer.
Ahhh, she is very good at being a bulldog
guarding the employers time and to beat her (or him) you have to learn to think
like a bulldog. This dog knows two rules:
•
The boss doesn't want to be disturbed, so don't waste his time with
bad applicants.
•
Never forget rule number one.
A bulldog needs to know whoever gets past her must be worthy of the employers
time and attention and that FEW people meet those qualifications. If she lets the wrong person by, the boss will remember her mistake long after the boss has
forgotten the name of the bad applicant.
Every error she has made is like a scar embedded into the
bulldog's tough skin. The dog now
squints into horde of job hunters and vows “I won't
get fooled again.”
How will YOU get by? By out-thinking the code of bulldog-nicity.
1. Be politely insistent: Practice your cheeseburger voice & be
genuinely polite, respecting the valuable time of both bulldog and
employer. This can be a refreshing
change from the others busy trying to see the boss.
2. Practice saying “that's OK, I'll wait” to bulldog-isms like: “She's in
a meeting, a looong meeting” or “we are not hiring at the moment” or ”we close
for business in half an hour”. The dog
may not know if there is actually an opening at the present time, but
just using the line 'we're not hiring' to get you to leave. That's when your 'that's
OK, I just want to shake her hand' works well.
1. Get an
informational interview. Here you do not apply for a
specific job, you only want to hear the employer's opinion on what kind of
person he/she is looking for or info about the employer you can't get in the
traditional ways. Hey, it works because
as the saying goes, for many people there is no sound quite as sweet as the
sound of their own opinion!
Get creative: One candidate sent a shoe
shaped candy dish to the employer saying “now that I have my foot in the door,
let's talk...” One stated in a letter
that if I have not heard from you by Tuesday at 9 AM I will call then, and then
called saying the employer is expecting my call.
Make sure you show respect for their precious
time, for their position and that this agency is special to you.
Making It Work:
THIS is a skill you can best develop through
practice. Take the list you have of the
employers you hope to work for and note next to them the name of that company's bulldog.
With time, make some notes about how you were
able to get past the bulldog to finally meet the employer. Practice (and success) will help build your
skills.
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Building
Your Own Bull’s-eye
Wow! Days can be long
out there job hunting. Much of
the discouraging part is that things can seem All-or-nothing.
Friends and
relatives say “did
you get the job yet?” (Sounds
like finger nails on a chalkboard sometimes, doesn't it?) Or “did you get the
interview...yet?”
or that sarcastic neighbor Jack who twists his lip saying
“so you still aren't working yet, ehhh?”
You're putting in the hard work and hours
of making contacts, but still you have to face Jack –
Here is a way to know you are moving forward even
on days you don't land the job.
Right now you have a
tiny target that has only this itty-bitty bull’s-eye labeled “got the job”. Miss that target and you feel like a
failure. Folks, let's just make bigger bulls
eyes!
Landing a job is
really a series
of steps where you
progressively move toward that goal
of the job.
On to the
exercise...
Making It Work:
Make a big
bull’s-eye covering 1 piece of paper with the center ring saying: “Got the job”. Now
make several concentric rings around it,
labeling each a step closer to the “Got the Job’ goal.
Examples
include
** Listing potential employers
** finding name(s) of person(s) at the company who can offer job
** getting past the company 'bulldog'
** meeting or writing to the person(s)
** building a resume tailored to that job
** other steps, fill your ideas here
Now make a list of your top
employers, giving each its own one page bull’s-eye with concentric circles and succeeding
chores. Put an “x” (and date it) where you currently stand with each employer and write
below it what your next step will be to move closer to that bull’s-eye.
Make plans each day (written plans
are best) on moving toward the target center with your employers, noting your progress with new x's (with dates) put on the
targets as you move closer to the bull’s-eye.
And smile when
you see Jack, knowing even if you didn't hit the
bull’s-eye, you hit the target and are moving closer day by day.
My
Bulls-eye
Learning From A
Lumberjack
One of the most
frustrating chores that I have done is chopping firewood. Hey, it is exciting to swing an axe and to
eventually turn logs into something more useful in a fireplace.
While you are chopping,
you know that with all of the energy used most of the swings do not appear to
do anything.
You swing the axe
and maybe only chip off a little wood or sometimes nothing at all. It is frustrating, timing and aggravating
because on the outside all of that effort is going nowhere. And how about friends who stop by and ask “how is it going now, eh?” or watching the
time tick by and nothing is happening.
Sound
familiar? Job hunting is a lot
like that – lots of effort, different swings and still not much happens. And the frustration you feel by the comments
of others and the feeling that time is just ticking away.
The
good news for you now –
there
IS something happening with each swing.
Inside that slab of wood, things ARE happening-
bonds are breaking and what looks like something you will never crack is
gradually breaking free. On the outside,
the wood cutter is getting stronger, more determined and one swing closer to
your goal.
Again, it’s that way in the job hunt. Each
swing you make (interview, handshake, phone call) may not yield the visible
results you want but each loosens what you may not be able to see:
•
Another employer has heard about you.
•
You have had other experiences connecting your skills to another job
•
Another person knows
that you are out there and ready to work.
And things are also
moving on the outside:
•
You have practiced your stride, your “commercial” again
•
You
are picturing yourself working, making the image stronger with practice
•
You are one swing closer to your goal.
This all leads me to
the description of the law of big
numbers. Almost any goal attempted
often enough comes closer to coming true.
Remember the story of the football coach who told his underdog team that
yes, they may lose to that other team nine out of ten times… but who is to say that today isn’t that one in ten times that they would win?
Sales
representatives who are told that one in ten phone calls leads to a meeting and
one in five meetings ends in a sale are reminded that they get one sale for 50
calls – if they only call 49 they may miss that sale.
Making It Work:
Make a list of the
different chores in the job hunt… making a list of prospective employers,
finding the name of the hiring manager at each employer, using ways to contact that
person. Now make daily and weekly goals
and know that you are going to make them and move forward toward your dreams
even when you cannot directly see it.
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