Facebook Strip Search

Having just successfully completed a job interviewing cycle, and having gone through more than my share of background checks for employers/clients (that required me to hand over my fingertips or a bottle of pale yellow liquid from time to time), I’m all for qualifying candidates.  I have often used “the Google”, Linked In or other tools on the “interwebs” during my hiring process (as have people that I have worked for – I know because they often have mentioned this blog during an interview).

Cutting to the chase, given the hue and cry in the news, I’m pretty sure I would think twice before giving my login credentials to my Facebook account during an interview. 

Let me be clear – I have nothing to hide on Facebook (which has mostly an open profile).  I assume that anything on my Facebook page is public – or may be  (“the web is forever”).   Therefore – sorry ladies – there’s no pictures of me shirtless on Facebook.  As my Facebook friends can tell you – my posts are mostly “tame” (and more often than not – much like this blog - obtuse and random).

The Right to Chose 

My pause to produce my Facebook passwords during an interview is based on – like the Bozo Interview Question – I don’t know why you care or what you intend to learn from my timeline?  Do you want me to dig up my high school yearbook so you can see what folks wrote in there (other than “stay gold”)?

How I look at it - unless I am applying for a job that requires top level clearance (TSA) or the job as your Social Media Director – it is likely not germane.  That being said – let that be a choice between me and the person interviewing me.  If you REALLY want to ask me for my password and I REALLY want the job – then you may get lucky and see pictures of my cats (who by the way – also have Facebook pages of their own).

Trying to write a law (Bill Would Put Facebook Off Limits To Employers) is silly and not needed. To quote my good friend Joe – “the marketplace is brutally efficient” and will take care of this hiring manager.  Companies will properly screen many candidates this way – which is to run away.

p.s. Max (the cat) said he’d also give his credentials to you for the right opportunity (such as Cat Food Quality Control Engineer).

Job Search: Matchmaking is not paper-based

I just go crazy when I read blog posts like Seven Reasons Why IT Recruiters Instantly Reject Resumes.  I’ve seen so many of these types of articles the past two years.   With a scolding tone up front in the mix, they are written by (what sounds like) weary recruiters complaining about how candidates resumes are making their life difficult and getting in the way of their payday.  

This latest post is littered with pandering prose:

If a company is going to pay a recruiter a significant retainer fee, they expect a perfect match…

If candidate is in medical software development and the job is in financial development - the recruiter will not be calling...

Any good recruiter can find a candidate with that current familiarity…

Companies are not paying recruiters to help candidates transfer their skills from one field to another…

Although these statements are based in truths (you never want to give anyone a reason to reject your resume) – it is just looking at the problem the wrong way and it diminishes the extreme value that top staffing professionals provide the customer and the candidates.  

Even in tighter job markets like today – talented talent-finders remain as busy as ever.

Analog solution in a digital world

It’s no all about the resume.  Here’s 7 of my own points on the subject.

1. Let’s get something straight up front: Companies are not paying a “significant retainer fee” to someone to sift through a pile of resumes.  For that skillset – they get an intern.  I can search Linked In, too.
2. The most successful recruiters I have employed are relationship based for the long-term.  They maintain these relationships from job-to-job (town to town, up down the dial) with people.  They get to know both the hiring manager and candidates very well.  It’s those relationships (and not a bullet in a resume) that allows them to make the perfect match. 
3. Recruiters know their market.  They know which companies are hiring for what kinds of skills and who and where people that can do it are (or want to be).   If I need a UEX maven with Dreamweaver experience  – I know who to call today that knows where one is.
4. Successful recruiters rarely have carpal tunnel.  More time at Starbucks and less time in their cube or on the “interwebs” is how they roll.  They are constantly networking with candidates and hiring mangers alike (attending user groups, professionals association meetings, or breakfast meetups).  It’s all about eye-balling people more than resumes.
5. Good recruiters are creative and do not stick to absolutes.  They often (with great success) match companies and candidates that may not seem a fit on paper to one another.  We know culture/team fit can be as (if not more) important than some industry/technical experience (obviously to a certain point).  Numerous times – I’ve interviewed and hired candidates based on the recruiters recommendation that I “must meet Jill – she’s a perfect fit for your team”.
6. As with any service business,  if you are focused solely on cost - and not value to all sides of the transaction - you’ve already lost.    Even when I have worked at companies that had internal recruiters and had policies against “agency fees”, I still have employed outside recruiters for key positions if needed.  I say it all the time to staffing pros I work with:  find me the right person, and I will make the case to get the fee.  Finding the right people fast is a such a competitive edge that the ROI is an easy sell.
7. Top recruiters value both candidates and companies.  Why?  Well today’s hiring manager is tomorrow’s candidate and visa-versa.  If my candidate experience with you feels shopping at Walmart, I’m probably not going to employ you to find candidates for me (and worse yet – your candidates will not refer future hiring managers and candidates your way). 

Stop Asking Bozo Interview Questions

Let’s start with an admission: I have asked stupid interview questions.  I’m not proud of it. But now – I’m in bozo recovery.

Before recovery, the bozo question I often asked (that I nicked from another bozo) was, “if you could be on a cover of a magazine, what cover would it be”?  That, of course was before the TMZ, broadcast yourself on social media era). 

After a year of asking that question, I got some good answers (PM Network) and some answers that I didn’t know quite what to do with (Dog Fancy) .  But then -  I just stopped. 

No - I don’t find salvation from some great epiphany (or reading a blog post from a bozo like this one), I stopped because I realized that whatever answer they gave me to that question – it had no bearing on whether I would hire them (there were no obvious screen out answers like I want to be on Hustler magazine).

Hey man, Jaws was never my scene and I don’t like Star Wars

I was reminiscing about those Bozo Questions of Interviews Past after reading the CareerBuilder post Star Wars or Star Trek? Questions you just might hear in the interview .  It was all about bozo interview questions – with one being “which do you like better, Star Wars or Star Trek”?

Really?

In addition to the bozo question of the title – it offered up a few more:

“I was once asked what I would bring if the department had a potluck.” - Amanda L.

“What color is your brain?” - Connie B.

“Which Winnie the Pooh character do you relate with the most and why?” - Celie H.

“If we asked you to wear a bumble bee costume, walk around and hand out candy to employees, would you do it?” - Lisa M.

Oh boy.

I’ll add one of my own (that I witnessed):

“If it was a dark alley at night, and I was a little girl, would you throw rocks at me”

Can I throw them now?

Incoming (Prepare for the bozo, not the question)

The CareerBuilder post went on to offer some more great examples and some good suggestions on preparing (like bolt if they ask you an illegal question).  But really, I don’t think you can prepare for a question a bozo may ask.  You just need to be prepared for the bozo on the other side of the desk. 

That preparation looks like:

1. Prepare for what you can Get your ducks in a row for the questions that are legit (and you are likely to get).  If you’re not sweating “why do you want to work here?”, you’ll have more time to side-step the bucket of confetti when it comes your way.
2. Breathe  When the bozo question hits you – just breathe.  Take a moment to formulate an answer.  Really – the answer shouldn’t matter and probably won’t.  If your job hinges on “I like Star Trek because Tribbles are cute” – it may be best to move on either way.  Answer calmly and as intelligently as you can (just don’t say you like the Cardassians – or heaven forbid that you like The Kardashians).
3. Don’t answer wrong  Don’t miss obvious wrong answers.  If you are asked, “What outdoor activity do you hate the most?” – don’t answer fishing if there is a large, taxidermied carp mounted on a board behind the hiring manager’s desk.  No reason to give a bad answer when other good answers (Lacrosse) are available in that spot.
4. May not be a bozo question Some questions may just appear to be bozo-filled but may be legitimate questions.  If I ask you how would you get out of a stuck elevator, for certain jobs, that type of thinking may be important to know (your McGyverness if you will).  Based on your prep work – you should be able to deduce what they are looking for.

Outgoing (If you have orange hair, a bright red nose, and big floppy shoes and are asking the questions)

For those of you still asking the bozo questions:

1. Stop it Right now.
2. Don’t Be a Shock Jock You have heard it before, right?  I ask off the wall questions to see how people handle stress in their job.  BS.  You ask them because you are a bozo.  That’s artificial stress that likely has no indication of how they will handle real stress, or the real stress in the particular job.  You’re not probing – your dangling people (like Michael Jackson did with Blanket).
3. Don’t Be Lazy Devise your interview question that get you the answer you need.  Using our stress example above, ask some probing questions about how they handled stress.  That looks like this: “talk about a stressful project were you had to resolve the problem…how did you resolve it, be specific…give me an example where a resolution did not go well, be specific….).   That should give you a better idea on how they think more than the “Boo!” approach.
4. You’re not Zappos  Zappos is a very unique, very successful, and has a well-defined company culture.  So when Zappos asks a candidate something like “On a scale of 1-10, how weird are you? Why did you choose that number?” – they can use that information to evaluate candidates (and after reading Tony’s book, I bet the second half of that question is the more important part).  At your company, how weird someone is more likely will determine the size of their cubicle.  That brings us to our next point…
5. Be genuine  If your inquiry is on the edge of a bozo question (but you think it is important in the evaluation) put the candidate at ease.  Loosen the jar (not the one with the pop out snakes) and let them know it is coming.  If you’re not a bozo in the delivery, they won’t freak out and will be able to give you a more telling answer. 
6. Stop it I mean it

Tell us (Shameless plug for Comments)

Have you asked a bozo question?  What made you stop?  What is the oddest question you were ever asked?  What is the weirdest answer you gave?

Please – leave a comment (share the bozoisty).

Joel Not on Software | Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

As he announced earlier this week, Joel Spolsky is retiring from blogging today – on the 10^th anniversary of his blog, Joel On Software. Joel was one of the pioneers of blogging (especially on the geek side of the world) and his content has been a welcome sight in my Google Reader over the years.

I’ve talked  about Joel often in the past decade (on this blog, other blogs and in countless emails and presentations). I share his views on the simple approach to the art of creating software, how to make the interface user-centric and how to create a start-up company the right way (hire Über-talented people and you’ll find a way to make a product people will buy).

Additionally, Joel gave the simplest advice to any hiring manager on what you look for in a candidate you are interviewing (which I nicked last year for my own post):  

1. Smart
2. Get Stuff Done

He later turned The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing into a book (a must for all IT hiring managers – but useful to anyone in the talent acquisition realm).

I love Vegas every moment (how long ‘ave I been on?)

My friend Angie loves to clown me to this day about the time she and I went to the Better Software Conference in 2006 (primarily to see Joel as the keynote speaker). Not only did we eschew the pool and slushy drinks to attend that session, but I was a like tweener at a Hannah Montana concert (or so so she tells me). Of course, we also joke about the $22 drinks at Mandalay Bay (but that’s a story for another day).

Jumping the Virtual Shark

It seems to be growing sentiment that blogging has jumped the shark.

Although it has served him well (he’s not cutting coupons), Joel talks about the failure and unfilled promise (and linkage back to the business success) of blogging in a piece this month in Inc Magazine (Let's Take This Offline):

The big-hit technology companies from the past 10 years tend to have pathetic blogs. Twitter’s blog, like Facebook’s and Google’s, is full of utterly boring press releases rewritten to sound a little bit less stuffy. Apple’s employees produce virtually no blogs, even though the company has introduced several game-changing new products in the past decade. Meanwhile, hundreds of Microsoft’s employees have amazing blogs, but these have done nothing to stave off that company’s slide into stodginess.

Don’t give up on it just yet.  Blogging has a relevant place in the mix. But like any content and brand-building channel, it is not the only content delivery system to use and you need to be speaking to your customer in the right places with the right messages (and where they are!).

So long and thanks for all the fish

Finally - good luck Joel on your new endeavors.  I look forward to following you in other mediums and make sure to line up more keynotes in Vegas (I’ll come – probably Angie will, too)

20 Job Search Answers You Need To Know | #2 Should I use a recruiter/headhunter?

Answer: Absolutely (part of our Malcolm X-esque by any means necessary approach to the hunt).

As I talked about in the last post – times (and the market) have changed significantly. With a few exceptions in the green and healthcare verticals (Great job openings, no candidates), most job seekers are not going to have staffing professionals beating down their door begging you to come interview.  Unfortunately in the current job market - demand is obliterating supply.  However, engaging with key staffing professionals can give you a boost, a partner in your hunt as well as preparing you should land an interview at one of your Glengarry (job) leads.

Here are a few observation and tips (that have rocked my world over the years) to get the most out of your relationship with a recruiter:

Build Relationships Make it a true partnership. Seek and find awesome recruiters in your industry and get to know them. These partners will not only broaden your contacts base – but if they get to know what makes you special (and you deliver for them), that increases the chances of them thinking of you when opportunities pop.

I’ll this in  nearly every posts on the job search topic: The secret of networking is not who you know – but who knows you.

Don’t forget you need to build and nurture your network before you need it. Make sure you are making (what we call in the CRM world) touches (good touches: calling, meeting for coffee, playing jarts) with folks not just when you need a job or something else (it can be considered rude – since it is).

That segues us to….

Love is a 2-way street  Like any healthy, valuable relationship, you want to ensure both parties get something out of the deal. Help them out however and whenever you can.

For a example, I make it a practice with all the professionals I work with (whether as a hiring manager or candidate) to see if there is something I can do for them (unrelated to my direct needs at the time). I end each phone call or meeting with (something like) “Is there an opening (for another client) you are having trouble filling that my network may be able to help you with”?Also let them know when you are not a fit (don’t waste everyone’s time).

Target Preferred Vendors/Corporate Recruiters Get to know the folks who do the recruiting for the companies you are targeting. This may be an internal HR professional or a third-party. Many companies have exclusive or preferred vendor agreements (so if you want in – that’s the only way). Do your research and find out who you need to be talking with to unlock the front door.

Get The Downlo Most top shelf recruiters will already do this – but make sure you pump them for every piece of information about the opportunity, the company and (most importantly) the personalities and wants of the hiring manager. As mentioned above, recruiters often have a long time relationship with the hiring manager and can give you insight into the intangibles of the position (which – as you should know – often swing the difference between candidates). Remember – the recruiter may work (directly or indirectly) for the company that is hiring – but you have a common goal: to present the hiring manager with the best (and best prepared) candidate. Work together with the recruiter to make that person you.

Rent To Own Often recruiters will be used in Contract- To-Hire opportunities (especially in soft markets like now – where FTEs give some hiring managers the willies). This is a great way to get into a company and show value (and make the company find a way to hire you). During the contract phase, often the recruiter will be good source of feedback from the client (to allow you to perfect your perfect fit).

 

Up next : Why do I need to network when I can find a job on Monster.com?

 

Disclaimer: As with all job search advice you receive (from here or elsewhere), results may vary – use at your own risk. You must be the captain of your own career. The last thing I say to all my career coach clients is “ignore what you want, use what make sense to you – and if something works for you – pass it on”.