Alison Green - How To Get A Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager

table of contents

introduction

chapter 1: how to think about your job search

power dynamics and your job search

6 ways job-seekers sabotage themselves

chapter 2: the basics

your resume

your resume is a marketing document

the #1 way to market yourself with your resume

throw the one-page rule out the window

objectives: leave them off your resume

6 more things to leave off your resume

the phrase creative resume makes me nervous

can you use a different title that better describes your job?

listing volunteer work on your resume

listing temp work on your resume

should your resume include a job you left after a few months?

your cover letter

the point of a cover letter

how to customize your cover letter

so what does a good cover letter look like?

following up after submitting your application

phone interviews

surprise phone interviews

when a company calls you and then goes AWOL

the scheduled phone call that never rings

how to prepare for an interview

advice on nerves

interviews

the best interviews are a two-way conversation

common interview questions and how to handle them

weaknesses: why they care and why you should care

how to talk about a past firing

how to talk about a past lay-off

what to do if you have a bad interviewer

is that question legal?

questions to ask your interviewer

signs that your interview went well

yes, wear a suit

youve had your interview now what?

send a thank-you note

enthusiasm versus desperation

know their timeline

if you have your own time constraints, make sure they know

when you dont hear back after they said you would

when you still dont hear back, even when you call or email

references

who should your references be?

get permission

alert your references when they might get called

make it easy

references from your current boss

what to do about a bad reference

how to find out what kind of reference someone is giving you

when your company refuses to give references

if your references are being unresponsive

when your reference has left your old company

letters of reference: not worth your time

job offers

4 things to do when you get a job offer

how to juggle one job offer when youre waiting for another

reasons to turn down a job offer

how to turn down an offer

asking about pre-planned vacation time

giving notice at your old company

salary

requests for salary history

naming salary expectations

dont offer up salary info if its not requested

chapter 3: more things you need to know

what to do if youre overqualified

what to do if youre under-qualified

advice for recent grads

recovering from mistakes

what does it mean when a job is reposted?

what if the position is reposted after you were rejected? can you apply again?

applying for an internal job

how to apply for multiple positions at one company

job-searching long-distance

travel expenses

connections: how to use them and what to do if you dont have any

you might have them without realizing it

if youve ever held a job before, you have connections

how to use a connection when applying for a job

why you should volunteer

working with recruiters

gimmicks and the myth of standing out

chapter 4: how to read the company

how to find out if your prospective manager sucks or not

chapter 5: rejection

rejection is not a measure of your worth

does well keep your resume on file really mean anything?

2 ways to (potentially) turn a rejection into something positive

conclusion

introduction

If youre like many job-seekers, youre frustrated. And youve probably wished that you could see into the brain of a hiring manager to find out what on earth you need to do to get hired.

This book is that look into a hiring managers brain.

Now, obviously, hiring managers dont all share one pod brain. Different hiring managers do think differently. But the good ones have a very similar approach to what were going to talk about in here, and the good ones are the ones you want to end up working for. Speaking of which

Youre going to notice a theme running through this book, and its this: I want you to get the job thats right for you, not just any old job because life doesnt stop at the job offer it goes on after that, and if youre in a job that makes you miserable or that youre not good at, your quality of life will plummet.

Too many people approach job searching as if their only goal is to get a job offer, losing sight of the fact that this can land them in the wrong joba job they wont enjoy, a job theyll struggle in, or even a job they might get fired from. Your job search needs to be different than that, so that you get a job offer and good quality of life along with it.

So youll notice that throughout this book, Ill make a point of telling you about ways to self-select for the jobs youll be good at and enjoy, and to screen out the ones where you wont.

chapter 1:

how to think about

your job search

The hiring process is all about being judged, and thats nerve-wracking. A natural response is to want to measure up. But the wiser goal is to focus on learning whether you're a mutual match emphasis on mutual . Think of it like dating: If you approached every date determined to make your date fall for you, you'd miss important cues about whether or not you were right for each other.

This means giving the employer a glimpse of the real you, rather than trying to be someone youre not, so that they can make an informed decision about how well youd do in the job.

It also means interviewing the interviewer, asking questions to figure out things like: Is the work well aligned with your strengths your real ones, not ones you puffed up in your cover letter? Is the environment one youll thrive in or one that will drive you over the edge? Is the manager someone youd want to work with? Or is she flaky and disorganized? An unreasonable tyrant? A wimp who cant get things done?

If youre offered and accept the job, youre going to be doing this work with these people, all day, every day. Your goal is to find out if you can do it well and happilynot to get the job at all costs.

The fact that theres a power differential between job-seekers and employers can derail your job search and make you miserable, if you let it.

Employers have something you want, and that thing is hugely important: money and possible career happiness. Combine that with the fact that it can feel like employers wield their power arbitrarily, and many people respond by losing all assertiveness and feeling utterly helpless during the hiring process. They feel 100% at the mercy of employers, and when those employers act in ways that are confusing or inconsiderate, they feel helpless to change the situation.

Its a recipe not just for frustration, but for outright depression.

If you recognize yourself in the description above, you can and should change this.

How? Be your normal self, not your job-seeking self . Stop feeling like the employer is the source of all power in the world. Dont be deferential or suck up. Act like you are both businesspeople contemplating a relationship with each other, because you are.

Easier said than done, of course. But changing your mindset will make you feel a lot better. And I can promise you that it will not harm your chances of getting a job and it might actually help.

Here are some examples of what this means in practice: