Open mouth, insert foot The Unemployment Line

by Cynthia Baxter

Have you ever said anything really stupid in a job interview and instantly wished you could take it back?

Though many people have told me I interview well and conduct myself very professionally, I recall some occasions when I said or did something I regretted.

While interviewing for a large religious organization, I responded to a question by stating I am very perceptive. When asked to elaborate, I proceeded to tell my four interviewers I could hear things that were unspoken. One gentleman said, “So you’re psychic?” I laughed and said, “No, that’s not what I meant.” I actually referred to my ability to pick up on body language and to know when someone wasn’t giving me the full story. I should have just said that in the first place.

In another situation, I sat at a conference table with seven interviewers discussing my qualifications for a leadership position in the public affairs department of a private college. I addressed one of my interviewers as “Mister,” then corrected myself by saying “Professor.” I was pretty embarrassed when another individual corrected me further, saying, “Actually, it’s ‘Doctor.’” That’s something I should have known.

As a public relations professional, I can recover from blunders quickly by immediately redirecting the interviewers’ attention to my areas of strength, essentially changing the subject — unless, of course, I flub beyond the point of safe return. I did that once when I interviewed with a law firm in downtown Indianapolis.

I’ve blocked most of the conversation from memory, but I do recall a couple of ugly details. One was my feeling utterly intimidated by my interviewers. Though I’m naturally a bit nervous before an interview, usually once it begins, I relax. Somehow the two women, who were obviously younger than I, made me feel as though I stood before a firing squad, or at least how I would imagine that to be. I forgot so many things I wanted say. Then, to top it all off, as I was leaving, I blurted out that I hoped my car hadn’t been towed since I parked at a meter that was out of order. I had to wonder whether I subconsciously sabotaged my own interview.

Another learning experience came years ago when I had an interview in Kansas City. I headed out in the rain, not expecting the weather to have such a debilitating effect on traffic. The extra time I allowed to ensure an early arrival quickly depleted. I would have been right on time, but then I missed my exit. I arrived 10 minutes late. In my defense, I was stuck in a lane with a semi to right of me. Still, I could have done things differently; I could have made a practice run to my destination or at least stayed safely in the right lane since I was unfamiliar with the highway.

The good news is I’ve had many more great interviews. The bad news? I’m still on the hunt.

Some people just don’t get it The Unemployment Line

by Cynthia Baxter

Since many of the jobs for which I’ve applied involve some form of marketing communications, wouldn’t it make sense that I would want to ensure my cover letter is written not only flawlessly but also strategically?

My husband thinks I spend entirely too much time customizing my cover letter and resume. I love him dearly, but I disagree. I realized last weekend that he had discussed the topic with a family friend. When our friend called and asked me to look up information online for him, I mentioned I was working on a resume. He kind of laughed and said something about my tweaking it to perfection.

OK, maybe I am a perfectionist. However, when I’ve been involved in the interviewing of job candidates, I definitely was turned off by those with typos in their cover letter or resume. I see the sloppy work as being indicative of their future job performance.

I’ve discovered my own typos after submitting a resume, and I felt absolutely ashamed. I understand the difficulty in having someone available to proofread every cover letter for every job application. I’ve had my mother or daughter review some for me, but I wouldn’t think of asking them to look at every single one. On the flipside, proofreading one’s own work is necessary but also difficult. So, maybe I should cut some slack when I’m reviewing an applicant’s resume. We’ll see. I need to find my own job first.

I appreciate my family and friends for wanting to help me in my quest. Another aspect that poses a challenge, though, is that not all of them understand what exactly I do. My skills are certainly broad but not always easy for them to comprehend. Many don’t understand that my marketing experience does not equate to hard-core sales experience. Or that having been an account executive in an ad agency doesn’t make me an expert in accounting. And I get the impression that some perceive public relations and customer service as being one in the same. I don’t doubt that I could do any of them, but with so many people out of work right now, I need to focus on the best possible match-ups.

I also have family members who think I should flood the market with my resume, sending it to anyone and everyone. I have a real problem with that. Why should I waste the employers’ time and my own when they don’t have positions for which my experience is suited? I know: Perhaps they’ll realize I’m the perfect candidate for a position they’ve yet to advertise.

On a couple of occasions, I have landed an interview for an unadvertised position as the result of my application for another. In fact, I’m actually in the process of wooing a prospective employer who’s in need of a “communications rock star,” a position that the organization has not yet created nor accounted for in its present budget. I love a challenge!

Keeping my brain busyThe Unemployment Line

by Cynthia Baxter

After I lost my job, I decided to allow myself the luxury of watching The Price is Right. I enjoy the show but not enough that I find it DVR-worthy, so I hadn’t tuned in for quite a while. I pretty quickly determined two things: 1) Drew Carey is no Bob Barker, and 2) Though I became skilled in some of the pricing games and pretty darn good at guesstimating in the showcase showdown, I needed to do something more challenging with my time.

I had done some freelance work, on occasion, for about a decade, but I determined I needed to step up my efforts. As a warm-up, I edited and crafted some of the language for an employee manual for my church. I serve on the committee responsible for developing the manual, so I volunteered my time. The task also served as a reminder that I was well-equipped to work from home, needing little more than my brain, my fingers and a laptop.

I made mention to some individuals — former coworkers and employers, even people with whom I’d interviewed — of my availability for writing, editing, proofreading and communications consulting. Since my ultimate mission was to find a full-time job, I didn’t hard-sell my services.

My first real writing assignment came to me in a roundabout way. I had applied for a position with a national service organization. Though I was not offered the job, the organization later invited me to interview for a temporary position that entailed filling in for a staff member who would be on maternity leave. I was overqualified for the position, which would have paid me little more than my meager unemployment benefit, but the interview led to a better opportunity. Within a week, the organization gave me a writing assignment: the cover story for its quarterly magazine.

I had published work already in some trade magazines while on the job, but the new assignment was my first as a freelancer. The communications and marketing director — the one who was hired for the position I originally sought — loved the article. And like a proud new mommy, I showed off my “baby” to everyone. Then I used it as a way to introduce myself and my services to some prospective clients.

In fact, in another roundabout way, the article led to my writing this very blog and the cover story I wrote for the April issue of Indianapolis Woman. I also picked up writing assignments in each issue of the service organization’s magazine after my initial article. And just last month, I designed a website: www.MasterfulCommunications.com. Other recent projects included revamping resumes for other job-seekers, preparing a mailing for a lobbyist and editing a lengthy “private placement memorandum” — as well as learning what one was.

I’m happy to keep my brain busy with something more meaningful than The Price is Right. But I’m also still job-hunting. Call me silly, but I’m rather fond of having coworkers, benefits and a steady paycheck.

The dreaded salary discussion The Unemployment Line

by Cynthia Baxter

I’d rather eat dirt than negotiate a salary.

I used to be a media buyer. I negotiated rates with TV and radio stations on a regular basis. And I was good. One might think I would enjoy the game of negotiating, but I don’t.

Preparing for salary discussions is something I take seriously, though. I’ve done online research, checked out library books – I’ve even queried an acquaintance who’s a technical recruiter.

I understand companies want the best possible employee for the lowest possible price. What I don’t understand is why so many of them insist on knowing my salary requirements upfront. I know: Budgets dictate. But I’m certain I could have positively impacted the bottom lines of many companies had they not ruled me out so quickly.

I know employers are just as likely to dismiss a candidate for requesting a salary that’s too low as they are one whose request is too high. Stating a broad salary range is the best bet. But the numbers can’t be random. Even with resources like Salary.com or Payscale.com, pinpointing a realistic salary is a challenge, particularly when companies use creative job titles, like “masterful communicator” or “software evangelist.”

I don’t ask for much: a fair market salary for the high-quality service I provide.

Months ago, when I applied for a position with a marketing firm, I decided not to dilly-dally when the topic of salary came up. I knew the going rate for the senior-level position, so I responded to the recruiter with a salary range that I knew would fly. And it did. I was quickly offered an interview with the company president. That interview led to another, preceded by lots of prep work, including personality testing and a lengthy job application. All went well, except for my stressing over the salary questions on the application.

Should I leave them blank? Should I inflate the numbers? I consulted with my husband who was just as stumped as I was, so I called my mom. She said, “Your previous salaries are none of their [blankety-blank] business.” However, part of the application also required that I agree any omissions would be “sufficient cause for cancellation of [the] application or immediate termination of employment.”
The technical recruiter I contacted suggested I inflate my past salaries a bit. But most of the information I found online indicated honesty was the best policy. So I responded honestly.

What really bites is that I didn’t get the job. The president decided to go with a candidate who would bring clients along. Since I hadn’t worked for an agency in over four years, I couldn’t compete with that. But in my mind, the real reason I didn’t get the job was because I would have made a considerable jump in salary, despite having the experience and skills to succeed in the position.

Whatever. I’m done obsessing about it. My next employer will realize my value – and we both will reap the rewards of a perfect partnership.

The Unemployment Line Looking for the perfect fit

by Cynthia Baxter

Overqualified? Underqualified? Aaaargh!

When business growth was high and unemployment rates low, the job-hunter had the upper hand. But those good old days are nowhere in sight.

The sad thing is I’m no more likely to be hired for an early-career position than I am for the role of CEO. With 17 years of experience, clearly, I’m overqualified for the former; and I’ll readily admit that I’m underqualified for the latter. Surely there’s a place for me somewhere in between — a position with a level of responsibility more suitable for my experience. But where the heck is it?

I have steadily sought work for a little more than a year now. I’m ready for a challenge and certainly eager to take the next step. On the days when I felt most optimistic, I submitted my resume for senior-level leadership positions, but never for anything I didn’t believe I could handle. I have applied for the roles of executive director, vice president, senior director and have landed interviews for some of them. But others have led to nothing — not even a return phone call when I attempt to follow up.

Then there are days when I am less hopeful. On those days, I feel blah and tend to apply for positions for which I know I’m overqualified. Of course, I’m no more likely to receive a return call in those instances. Even though the hiring process for most of the jobs for which I apply seems to be quite lengthy, I’ve seen some occasions when I was very quickly ruled out. I recall applying for a particular position last summer in response to an ad seeking someone with two to five years’ experience. I applied anyway. Not only did I receive a quick “No,” but the following day I saw that the ad had been revised to read, “… no more than 2-5 years’ experience.” Apparently, I wasn’t the only overqualified applicant.

Even some job postings appear to describe a position for which I am well qualified — or so I think — and still, nothing. So what if I’ve served several healthcare organizations in a professional-service setting? No direct clinical experience? No, thank you. So what if I’ve counseled automotive and motorsports dealers as their agency account executive? No “client-side” experience? No, thank you.

Why are so many employers “nitpicking”? Because they can. And I can’t say I blame them. In this employers’ market — or “buyer’s market,” according to one of my recent interviewers — businesses generally do not have to make concessions when seeking their ideal job candidates. When they are flooded with resumes and find themselves, in many instances, with several perfectly qualified applicants, they have no reason to settle.

I call myself a “marketing mutt” — a professional who’s built a diverse portfolio. Though some days I kick myself for not having highly specialized experience in specific fields, more often than not, I remain optimistic that some Indianapolis-area organization is looking for a mutt like me.