Bruce Hurwitz 8:00 am on March 29, 2024

Get Out of Your Head!

I truly believe that sometimes we are our own worst enemies. I see it all the time. A career counseling client, who finally starts getting interviews, is now panicking, not because they are not interviewing, but because they are.

They keep asking themselves, and me, “What do I say if they ask me about…?” The “about” is always something negative. They are so focused on these negatives that they ignore the positives, the reasons that they are being interviewed, and obsess about the negatives. Not a good mindset to have when interviewing for a job!

In such cases I ask a series of questions:

How will they know? If they don’t know, they can’t ask any questions about it. So, if you don’t tell them, they won’t know. If they do a Google search of your name will it come up?

Are you worried that one of your references will tell them? Yes. Well, that could be, but probably won’t. You consider it a big deal, but do they?

I also tell them that if they honestly believe it is likely the interviewers will learn about the incident, they should bring it up themselves. Use it to reply to a question where, “Let me tell you about a mistake I made/failure I had that informs your question.” I advise them not to focus on the incident but on what they learned from it. Now, since they raised it, it is no longer a big deal and, since they “framed” it as a learning experience, it is not a negative, but a positive.

And, yes, this works even if the “about” was being fired for doing something really stupid.

Best wishes to my subscribers and readers for a Happy Easter.

While we work with everyone, our mission is to promote the hiring of veterans and first responders. Please consider us for all your staffing, career counseling and professional writing needs.

I am delighted to be associated with SourceOwls. Have a challenging job to fill? Looking for a team of recruiters? Look no further. Click here!

ARE YOU AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD? THEN I INVITE YOU TO BE A GUEST ON MY INTERNATIONAL PODCAST, BRUCE HURWITZ PRESENTS: MEET THE EXPERTS. FOR COMPLETE DETAILS, TO APPLY AND TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW VISIT: https://hsstaffing.com/video-podcast

Future Articles:

The Thank-You Email
Sometimes it’s the Employer’s Fault
Think Like a Recruiter
Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity in Candidate Submissions
Optimizing Candidate Submissions
The Resume as a First Impression
Strategic Approaches to Job Selection and Avoidance
The Crucial Role of Interview Preparation in Candidate Placement
Thoughtful Debriefing with Candidates
Cultivating Advisor Relationships with Premier Candidates
Efficient Candidate Vetting
References
You Accept One Job and Another is Offered
LinkedIn’s SSI

Bruce Hurwitz 8:48 am on March 22, 2024

How to Debate at Work

It seems that everything today is a debate. In the workplace, if you want to try something new, or, for that matter, try to not change a thing, you can’t discuss it, you have to debate it. Few, especially younger workers, know how to debate since they were “educated” at “schools” with “safe spaces” where any disagreement, not to mention an “inappropriate” word, was a punishable offense. If there is a way to complain, these people will find it. And since all they know how to do is yell, volume is their preferred way to “win” an argument.

But there are ways to debate and bosses, sadly, have to teach them:

Authoritative. Guess what! (By the way, “guess what” is NOT a question!) The boss is the boss and therefore can settle any issue. A good boss will seek advice, explain why he decided what he decided (oops, I wrote “he” and now I’m going to be yelled at!) and that will end the matter. That’s the job of the boss – to make the hard decisions. So there really is no debate. The boss gathers information and based on that, she (now they won’t yell at me!) decides.

Emotional. In some cases, a topic can be emotional, and emotion works well to convince some people to support a project. I wanted to start a program to deal with victims of elder abuse. It was not going to be a revenue stream (although, with the grants I secured, it wasn’t going to be an expense). I won the powers-to-be over by telling them things I had discovered about elder abuse. (Don’t ask. You don’t want to know.)

Factual. If you want to convince me of something, you have to have facts to back it up. When someone argues with me online, my response is usually, “What are your sources?” They usually disappear. Another word for “factual” is “logical.” Logic convinces.

Socratic. My favorite way to debate is to take the Socratic approach. This means asking questions. It also means doing your homework and understanding the ramifications of what your “opponent” is trying to do. You have to know the answers to your questions because that is how you know that you will win the debate. If the person answers the questions correctly, you win. If they don’t have the answers, since you do, you win. They might be angry with you, but they will not be insulted. It’s not your fault they did not know the answers or understand the ramifications of their recommendation.

Ignoring. Ignorance may be bliss, but ignoring someone is ruthless. If someone proposes something, or says something, and you choose not to respond, it is infuriating to them. When I do it, and you may use this, I say it’s NWTS. (I’ll give you a minute.) Minute’s up. Not Worth The Saliva. In other words, what the person wants or says is simply not important and not worth my time. They become furious, are seen as being irrational, and, at least in my experience, look foolish while I look great. But beware: You do not want to make an enemy out of a colleague who may have a future at the company. So be certain the person has little chance of advancing anywhere other than out the door.

One final point, never insult. The minute you insult your “opponent” they win and you lose. It truly is “just business, not personal.” The bosses will take note about how you behave under stress, debating. Do well and you will go far. Do poorly and you’ll join the previously mentioned protagonist out the door!

While we work with everyone, our mission is to promote the hiring of veterans and first responders. Please consider us for all your staffing, career counseling and professional writing needs.

I am delighted to be associated with SourceOwls. Have a challenging job to fill? Looking for a team of recruiters? Look no further. Click here!

Future Articles:

Get Out of Your Head!
The Thank-You Email
Sometimes it’s the Employer’s Fault
Think Like a Recruiter
Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity in Candidate Submissions
Optimizing Candidate Submissions
The Resume as a First Impression
Strategic Approaches to Job Selection and Avoidance
The Crucial Role of Interview Preparation in Candidate Placement
Thoughtful Debriefing with Candidates
Cultivating Advisor Relationships with Premier Candidates
Efficient Candidate Vetting
References
You Accept One Job and Another is Offered
LinkedIn’s SSI

Bruce Hurwitz 4:27 pm on March 19, 2024

The Wealth Elevator (Real Estate Investing)

Bruce Hurwitz 3:29 am on March 15, 2024

Down Buying – Providing Added Value

We have all heard of “upselling.” For the uninitiated, that is when a salesperson (and we are all salespersons!) gets someone to buy additional products or services. For example, you go to the store to buy a computer and you leave with a computer and a printer. That’s upselling. Another example would be going into the store to buy a simple version of a product and leave with the most high-end version they have.

Instead of focusing on upselling, I want to propose that we all focus on “down buying” a term, according to Google, that only exists in the mortgage industry, so this is my contribution to the business lexicon. (I shall pause to allow you to give me a standing ovation.)

Instead of asking a client or customer to pay more for something they did not want, I propose asking clients to pay nothing more for added value. I’ll give you a few examples:

When I was called to give a deposition in a case where I had let a client know that I felt that a vendor to whom I had introduced them was cheating them, their attorney asked me why I got involved. I explained that I felt it my moral responsibility to let them know my concerns. She then asked if they had paid me extra. I told her that they most certainly had not and that it was a “value added service.”

I don’t know if she was being sarcastic, but she asked me what that was. So I gave her the following example. “Let’s say I come to you to handle a class action lawsuit. For whatever reason, during our conversations you ask me if I have a will. I tell you I don’t. You then offer to prepare one for me, no charge. That would be a ‘value added service’.”

For the record, she looked at me like I was crazy and moved on to another question.

To return to our computer store, an extended warranty would be an added value. Of course, it would be “hidden” in the actual cost, just not listed. So the salesperson would look generous, the customer would be happy, and everyone would have a good day until the customer’s friend would ask, “How much would they have charged you without the extended warranty?” Ooops!

My suggestion is to find product and service providers who look down, so to speak, as often as they look up! (Pardon the commercial but, as explained on my website, I don’t charge for writing cover letters.)

As for job seekers, the best example I have are paralegals. A company is looking for an executive assistant. They hire a paralegal who has the qualifications plus a legal background that can help the company save money on legal fees. In an interview, being able to say, “I cannot only do X, Y, and Z, but I can also do A, B, and C,” is an added value on which smart employers will not pass.

While we work with everyone, our mission is to promote the hiring of veterans and first responders. Please consider us for all your staffing, career counseling and professional writing needs.

I am delighted to be associated with SourceOwls. Have a challenging job to fill? Looking for a team of recruiters? Look no further. Click here!

Future Articles:

How to Debate
Get Out of Your Head!
The Thank-You Email
Sometimes it’s the Employer’s Fault
Think Like a Recruiter
Prioritizing Quality Over Quantity in Candidate Submissions
Optimizing Candidate Submissions
The Resume as a First Impression
Strategic Approaches to Job Selection and Avoidance
The Crucial Role of Interview Preparation in Candidate Placement
Thoughtful Debriefing with Candidates
Cultivating Advisor Relationships with Premier Candidates
Efficient Candidate Vetting
Recommendations

Bruce Hurwitz 3:32 pm on March 14, 2024

Visualizing and Communicating Data

Bruce Hurwitz 5:31 pm on March 7, 2024

Mentor vs Business Consultant

Everyone has things that bother them. They are annoying and every so often a person has something they want to “get off their chest.” As you may have guessed, I have something I want to get off my chest.

Occasionally, someone calls and asks if I will be their mentor. It is an honor. That said, I am rather selective because I do not want to waste my time or the prospective mentee’s. When I start to interview them, and they realize I may not agree to their request, they then make a fatal mistake: They offer to pay me. When I tell them that mentors are not paid, they tell me about friends who actually pay their “mentors” for their services. I will now tell you what I tell them.

Mentors do not get paid. They help a person because they want to help them advance in their career, not to fatten their own bank accounts. A mentor’s “payment” is the satisfaction of seeing their mentee succeed and advance.

Business consultants are paid. They too want their clients to succeed and advance, but they want to be paid for their advice. First and foremost, they are in it for themselves. There is nothing wrong with that. It is not immoral, indecent or illegal. It’s perfectly fine. It’s just not mentoring, it’s consulting.

If you want someone to advise you out of the goodness of their heart, someone who is only interested in your advancement, get a mentor. If you want your very own employee (after all, if you pay someone they work for you!) hire a business consultant.

While we work with everyone, our mission is to promote the hiring of veterans and first responders. Please consider us for all your staffing, career counseling and professional writing needs.

I am delighted to be associated with SourceOwls. Have a challenging job to fill? Looking for a team of recruiters? Look no further. Click here!