from our files: a real-life job-seeker's dilemma

(Here's a real-life interview dilemma. It's based on a CV and cover letter sent to us by a person looking for a job. Only the name is changed!)

Dear Jan,

You have given me an interesting situation to consider! Thank you for letting me assist you in your job search.

Here are some quick observations. Please remember that these are just my opinions, but they may have some validity, as I have been reading resumes and advising people in the job search for 27 years!

1. Your writing style is very good. It flows well, and is easy to understand without being overly simple.

2. You have a real challenge in this job ad because it is so non-specific:

Vacancy description

XXX company is looking for bright, energetic, positive and determined people to join our vibrant multicultural team!

Experience is not necessary, but we do require:

- Fluent Czech speaker
- Open minded
- Positive
- Flexible
- Driven to succeed

Nowhere can I see what kind of job they are offering. I wonder if this is just a "catch-all" ad to gather resumes and review them, at leaisure, to see who looks interesting. This makes your job much harder, as you don't quite know which skills to highlight.

3. Which brings me to your personal dilemma. Your cover letter and resume portray a highly-qualified person with extensive experence as a translator, writer, crafter, etc. But you don't know, because the ad is so general, what to stress.

4. Therefore I suggest the obvious! Send them a letter which mirrors their ad. Without being a parrot, use their language to write your letter. At the same time, severely edit your letter and resume, omitting anything that's not asked for. This is a counter-intuitive exercise, as most people feel obliged to state everything about their abilities. However, if you do, you may end up overwhelming the person who's screening resumes, and portraying yourself as someone who is a potential disturbance to the balance of the organization.

5. So, if you decide to go with point #4, you will end up with a shorter, snappier cover letter--about 3/4 page at most. It will mirror the job ad, but do so skillfully. It will also offer intriguing hints that you may have more to offer than what's being stated. Your resume will be one page, at most, with only relevant information, written in bullet points. At the bottom you can say "complete CV available upon request."

6. In all my experience, both in my own career and in helping 1000's of people in their career development, I have found four key truths:

• your resume will most often prevent you from being inteviewed, not help you, as it will always include something that the employer finds irritating or irrelevant. You can't avoid this.
• employers decide on whom to interview by factors that are unpredictable--usually something that's familiar or that reminds them of someone they like.
• since you can't control most of the factors of interviews, don't take rejection personally. Just keep looking. The best way to get a job is by hearing about it from a friend, or by chance, before it is advertised. Circulating socially in a variety of situations is the best way to get an interview.
• to get a job, you first need an interview (see above points). But people hire people, not resumes, so the interview is your chance to listen carefully, find out what the employer needs, and communicate to determine if you can help.

Czech and US unemployment numbers do a flip!

Since 2008, the year of the big financial crises on Wall Street, US unemployment has been a concern. One of the major campaign issues in the 2008 residential election was how to lower that rate, and get the US economy "moving again". So it's good news that, according to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has been falling in the USA since 2010:
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN THE USA:

• Jan 2012 rate of 8.3%;
• 2011 yearly rate of 8.9%;
• 2010 yearly rate of 9.6%
• 2009 yearly rate of 9.3%

By contrast, according to the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Czech unemployment rate has risen sharply just this year:

• January 2012 rate of 9.1%
• 2011 yearly rate of 6.8%

US ECONOMY REBOUNDS
For the US, the fear came from Wall Street's assessment that the failure of a few huge financial institutions in 2007--2008 would cause the entire economy to crash. As the past four years have passed without a crash, confidence has grown, and people are starting to want to invest their money, not hide it in a sock.

When money is put back into circulation for capital growth, housing starts and mortgages, and consumer spending, the economic data improves, and people gain even more confidence. Since all economies are based on confidence in the future and in reliable social cohesion, good numbers=a good economy. The unemployment rate falls as new jobs are created, and people are not afraid to change jobs or retire, creating openings. It's all good.
CZECH ECONOMY DRAGGED DOWN

According to Aktualne.cz,
"The data show that the Czech budget deficit has been growing faster this year than in 2010, while Czechs spent less in July 2011 compared to one year ago."

Yes, the deficit grew, in large part because the EU did not make the massive Euro grants that the Czechs have grown to depend on, not because Czech manufacturing was down or Czech government expenditures were up. The Greek, Italian, Irish and Spanish financial crises frightened the Europeans much as the Wall Street mess scared the Americans; the reaction of halting spending froze all the EU economies, as governments and people stopped spending.

What's peculiar about the Czech rise in unemployment is that the Czech economy itself is not in such bad shape, relative to the rest of the world. Actually, it's in good company. According to the most recent numbers in the CIA Factbook (cia.gov), here are some nations with significant deficits:

USA
revenues: $2.264 trillion
expenditures: $3.604 trillion

Czech Republic
revenues: $87.25 billion
expenditures: $97.03 billion (2011 est.) 

France
revenues: $1.383 trillion
expenditures: $1.547 trillion (2011 est.)
     

Germany
revenues: $1.582 trillion
expenditures: $1.643 trillion (2011 est.)      

China
revenues: $1.555 trillion
expenditures: $1.681 trillion (2011 est.)
      
In contrast, a few countries are not in debt, but run a surplus:

South Korean glamour

South Korea
revenues: $267.9 billion
expenditures: $242 billion





Switzerland
revenues: $222 billion
expenditures: $216.8 billion
Norway
revenues: $283.8 billion
expenditures: $219.3 billion (2011 est.)      
Lichtenstein
revenues: $943 million
expenditures: $820 million

Saudi Arabia
revenues: $293.1 billion
expenditures: $210.6 billion (2011 est.)           
    
So why, then, has the US economy regained its impetus to expand, while the Czech economy is stuttering to a halt? Both have deficits, but, as we can see from the numbers in the CIA factbook, deficits don't cause countries to stop being leaders in the world economy. And surpluses don't always lead directly to world economic domination.

Psychologists would, perhaps, say that national character, historic self-perceptions and social relations are as important to economic health (as defined by the unemployment rate) as are such tangibles as budget deficits and industrial stability. In other words, what a nation believes about itself is the key to economic growth and sustained employment prospects for its citizens. Perception is powerful.

Of course, these statistics are, in a sense, "just numbers," as they don't reflect the individual trials of a person looking for a job in a climate of fear and uncertainty, due to poor economic growth numbers. But looking at unemployment as a reflection of an entire nation's culture, rather than as a personal failing, may ease the pain of not having a job.

Entrepreneurial wisdom

Many people dream about starting their own business. No more inflexible working hours, or interfering boss! The chance to finally do things MY WAY!
Sara and I had this dream for 8 years, and we brought in into full-time reality in 1993, when we ran the Business Leadership Forum: USA (Executive Education Program for Central European Business Leaders) programs in Florida.

We loved running our own business, but found that there were some unexpected developments in being entrepreneurs!

1. We were our own bosses, true, but we now had dozens of other bosses as well--our customers, our partners and our volunteers. Their needs and wishes became our priority.
2. Instead of evaluating our work performance by checking off a concise list of tasks and responsibilities on a job description, we had to do it all. Whatever needed to be done, we did ourselves or found someone to do for us.
3. There was no paycheck coming in regularly. If we needed money, we had to find ways to bring it into our business--through customer payments, loans, savings, new products, lines of credit, grants and any other creative ways we could muster up.
4. Since we were marriage and business partners, we had no leisure. Every waking minute was spent talking about, thinking about, and working in our business. We tried to fence off times of recreation, but invariably, the pressures and commitments of our business intruded into our tiny "personal life" space.
5. We had a limited social life. Our family and friends didn't want to hear about our business all the time, and we were so absorbed in work that we had almost no other interests to share with them. Our time and money was so stretched that we could scarcely afford the kind of relaxed pace that family and friends expect in social activities. What time we could spend away from the business was spent in making new contacts, recruiting new customers and planning the next five years.

The lessons we learned in the 4 years we worked full-time (with no other jobs or income in our Institute were the most valuable lessons of a lifetime. We traded theory for facts in all areas of running a business: human resources, finance, logistics, marketing, customer relations, planning, public relations, etc. It was like getting an MBA, except for real--our case studies were not intellectual exercises, they were actual problems we had to solve to stay in business!

So when it comes to working for yourself, we could write a book! Hmm..our publishing house could publish and market it, maybe as an ebook...

Redirect your life and your career

You can find information on how to get a job just about anywhere. Employment offices, university career centers, your local bookstore, and the Internet are full of good advice on getting a job, especially your first job.
But what about your next job? If you've been working for awhile, and need to change jobs or even careers, where can you get help?

ILI had designed a new program, Redirect, just for people who need to redirect their lives. Maybe you are moving to a new city or country, or have reached the top of your current career field, or are about ready to retire, or need to find a new source of income, or simply feel that your life is stale. Whatever the reason, you need to think in a new way about your life and how to use the resources you've gathered in a different way.

Redirect offers a way to evaluate and move on in life. The next Redirect program begins on January 16, in Prague. Please send us an email at jbt@ili.cc for more details.

Looking Ahead, again

In January 2011, Sara and I hosted a small "Looking Ahead" program in our flat in Vinohrady. When we started the program, two of the participants had jobs they thought were secure. But within the next few months, both these people were looking for a new job.

Why do I tell this story? To illustrate that no one's career is 100% certain. Relying on your current job, no matter how much you like it or how secure you may feel in it, is not a good strategy in a competitive global economy, where everyone's jobs are tied together at some level.

To keep your job-search skills up-to-date, and to continue to learn how to meet your own career and life goals, we recommend a yearly "refresher" career development program. "Looking Ahead" is just four sessions, twice a week for 2 weeks. But in those 4 sessions, we can help you pinpoint your career dreams, understand your own motivation and purpose in life, and add some job-search skills to your portfolio.

Join us for this "Looking Ahead"! Each session is from 7-9 PM, at our flat in Vinohrady. Cost is 800 kc.

Here are the dates: Monday, Jan. 9; Thursday, Jan. 12; Monday, Jan. 16 and Thursday, Jan. 19.

Call me at 736-645-729 for more details.

Just too much trouble

Since 1978, we've been helping people find the right job, the job they can really enjoy and do best.

You'd think that, by now, we'd have an easy 45-minute method to help people get that job. But we don't, and we never will.

The hard fact is that there is no easy way to find the right job. There's a process that needs to be used, and it's a long, difficult process that requires energy, dedication and lots of time. The process starts with self-knowledge, calling for an honest look at what you have to offer, what you love to do, and what kind of life you want to live. The next step is doing serious research into the professions, businesses, and organizations that interest you, and finding out what kind of employees they need.

Making a solid match between your skills, interests, values, talents, goals and dreams and the needs of an employer is the hardest step. Job interviews tend to be like dates, where each party puts his or her best foot forward and glosses over potential problems and disharmonies. It's only when you actually have a job and work at it for a year or two that you can even know if it's right for you.

For most people, we've found, this process is just too much trouble. Often our clients start off with good intentions and enthusiasm, but get bogged down in the middle, when they begin to understand the complexities of finding a job you can really enjoy. It's tempting, at this point, to take whatever comes your way, with the idea that you can always quit.

Maybe. But as you get older, each failed job relationship becomes more bothersome. What you can walk away from at 20 is not so easy to shed at 40, or 50. At the same time, your choices become more limited--you're not young and fresh anymore, and you may not have the relevant experience to be considered for a job that's slightly different from what you've done in the past.

So I contend that it's not just too much trouble to approach the job search using a proven method that works, one that is rational and realistic. The "21st Century Jobs" seminars offer just such a method. They demand commitment and thought from our clients, but the time put into the job search always pays off in self-confidence that comes from having a reasonable perspective on what you offer an employer and what you need to be happy in your next job.

Boring, boring, boring...wham!

Looking for a job is, too often, like this:

boring, boring, boring...wham!

It is not usually fun to look for a job. It's exhausting and boring.

Exhausting because you must constantly engage your imagination to project yourself into a job in a place that you may or may not know well. You have to imagine your desk, your colleagues, the window in your office, the cafeteria, your boss, the Human Resources Department, the parking lot/public transportation, your salary, and what you will actually do each day.

Until you do all this brain work, you can't write an effective cover letter or resume, and you can't be part of a successful interview. It's an exhausting process.

It's also boring. All job seaches have long stretches where nothing much happens. You research companies, organizations and institutions. You pinpoint jobs. You think hard about what the job might look like.You tailor your written communications accordingly. Then you wait. That's boring.

In spite of the boredom, you keep at it. More research, more communications, and on and on, with very little feedback and no real end in sight.

Until...wham! A sign of interest! An email or text message, a job interview appointment, a job offer! When something finally happens, it often happens so quickly that you can hardly think straight. That's why you spent so much time in the imagination phase--to be mentally prepared for fast action when the time is right.

So looking for a job is always not exactly fun. It's a bit easier if you have a specific organization in mind, one that you already know something about or where a friend is working. These situations make it less exhausting and boring, thought you still have to wait for the wham to hit.

Sara had a very fortunate job seach experience a few months ago. She was asked to work as a consultant in a school for two months, giving her the chance to know and be known by the school. Then she got a job offer from the school; she skipped the exhausting and boring parts, and went straight for the wham.

You can do the same thing by volunteering or interning in an organization that interests you. It's a whole lot easier to imagine yourself somewhere when you actually know what that somewhere looks like!

Some success stories

We've offered out "21st Century Jobs" career seminars in Prague since last September, and there are some success stories for our participants:
1. "Honza" has taken a new sales job after some serious reconsideration of his life options.
2. "Radek" is happily unemployed and taking his time to choose a new job after leaving a job he was bored with and where he felt unfulfilled.
3. "Dana" has quit her job where she was not treated with honesty and found a fantastic new job on another continent.
4. "Iveta" still has the same job, but now feels prepared for whatever may happen as the firm she works for experiences some difficulties in getting new clients.
5. "Luisa" found a wonderful consulting assignment that has led to a job offer.
6. "Tomas" has come to understand his career options and his most valuable accomplishments.
7. "Mirek" has a new perspective on career possibilities in Prague and can better advise job seekers as to how to proceed in this job market.

Focusing on finding your place where you can excel

In recent years we have seen too many people struggling and unable to find suitable employment, being severely underemployed, or facing all kinds of prejudices in the hiring process. Such factors are typically preventing us from reaching our full potential.
After looking for a right solution to these pressing job-related problems for some time, we decided to focus on finding what it takes to find a job one likes and can do best. What does it really take to enable people to connect with employers who need their talents, skills and abilities in order to keep afloat in a sea of economic turbulence?
21st  Century Jobs , "YOUR NEXT JOB" seminars were developed just for this purpose--to help those who are seeking employment or trying to advance their careers, and to enable them to match their spectrum of skills, values, interests, accomplishments and potential with the vital needs of businesses, organizations and institutions both in the U.S. and world wide.

It's never too late to get the job you like and can do best

The next 21st century jobs seminar at Groebovka will equip you with timely personal job search essentials, combined with insights into the significant changes in the 21st-century job market. To find out more please contact me at jbt@ili.cc. Thanks.