Are You Looking for a Job? Be Respectful

When you are looking for a job, show respect. I can almost hear some of you reading this say DUH!. But there is more to showing respect than being polite and courteous.

First, show respect for yourself and for the company you are applying for employment by finding out something about them beyond their storefront. It shows an interest that can make or break the interview process. Find out their mission statement or philosophy then speak to it. This can move you along to the next interview and closer to getting the position. When you understand the company’s mission and philosophy you can answer questions easier and clearer.

A young man I know, a nurse who was looking to improve his chances of becoming a travel nurse by applying for a hospital position. He had a strong resume along with strong recommendations from colleagues and from people in a position to make an impact. His academics were strong with continuing education units to bolster his position and worth to the hospital. He did not get the position. The department he was looking at wanted a commitment of five years and while he was willing to do that, he spoke extensively about moving on to travel nursing. Their philosophy was commitment. He did not speak to the commitment, but to moving on to something else.

What you wear is as important as what you say. While it is great to express your individuality, dressing down, covering tattoos, turning your green hair to a more natural color is appropriate when job hunting and hoping for an interview. Wearing dress slacks and a long-sleeved dress shirt (man or woman) shows respect by taking the process seriously. And in return, you are taken seriously. I cannot count the number of times I spoke with hiring managers who took one look at an applicant and made the decision on the spot not to hire them because of what they were wearing or the garish display of tattoos, piercings and bright colored rainbow streaks in their hair. The consensus was, “Yeah, right, they’re looking for a job? They haven’t got a clue.”

For women, show some respect for yourself by getting hired on your abilities and not how short your skirt is. For you men out there, wearing tight pants to show off your assets or shirts that show your ripped abs and biceps is not likely to get you taken seriously. For anyone who gets hired based on their sex appeal, it will be hard to garner the respect or have your ability to do your job taken seriously. 

Don’t get me wrong. Maybe showing your ink is appropriate if you are applying at a tattoo parlor. Showing your long legs may be totally suitable for applying to exotic dancing. And the guy applying to be a bouncer might want to emphasize his muscle bulk. But even when applying to McDonald’s you cannot go wrong with nice slacks and a long-sleeved dress shirt…even without the tie. Rule of thumb, the more professional the position, the more professional your dress should be.

One last bit on respect – showing respect for yourself, showing respect for the company you are making application to. Stand straight, don’t slouch. Make sure your breath is fresh but ditch the gum and/or breath mint before you get to the interview. Trying to get words around a wad of gum or breath mint is tantamount to talking with your mouth full at the dinner table. Avoid using swear words or slang not part of the culture of the company you are applying to. This can cause misunderstanding and the loss of a job opportunity. 

And finally, never deride or make derogatory comments about previous employers no matter what the circumstances were that separated you from their employment.

Are You Looking for a Job? Be Confident

First off, this is not a job offer. Just the benefit of my knowledge gathered over the many, many years I have been employed. Whether you are looking for that first job or thinking of moving on to the next, everyone hits a point in their life where they are job hunting. So let me hit you with some tips that are true throughout the spectrum of careers and hasn't changed year to year, decade to decade, century to century. I have five key points to make to help you and to remind me just what it takes to get a job. I will post one point a week under the title Are You Looking for a Job?

Be Confident - easy to say,not always easy to do, but it can mean the difference between getting a job and not getting one. In 1989, we were looking to relocate to Portland, Oregon, the big city compared to the small town we lived in in Utah. My husband was in his mid 40's. I had just been laid off and he decided that Portland would be a good place for me to find a job in my chosen career, electronics engineering. So we packed the kids and came for a visit with my parents. My husband said he could find a job anywhere but Portland was the place for me. I had scoffed at his assertion that he would find a job within the short visit we were making. He had a job in two days working in his chosen profession, service management, making as much or more than he was making in Utah. We left the kids with my  folks, return to Utah where my husband gave his two weeks notice and he was at his new job, our house packed and ready for this new adventure in two weeks.

Sure, the job climate was a little different in 1989 compared to now, but this same lesson of confidence is being taught to new graduates looking for their first job. It is being taught to new job seekers, those who have been out of work because of the economy and taught to high school students looking to work at Dairy Queen.

No matter what age you are, you know what you can do. You know what your skills are. Learn to present yourself; not in the "I'm new at this and not sure of myself," attitude but in the "This is what I can do and this is how your company can benefit with me being an employee." New situations and new jobs can be scary but don't let the fear of change and the unknown keep you from one of the best job experiences of your life.

One of my first jobs after being laid off was doing research and development on kidney dialysis machines. I was to be a lab tech where I set up experiments according to engineer protocols and gathered data. I had never done any of that before. I had built cables and installed transducers for static testing of solid rocket boosters. I could read blueprints and circuit schematics. In the new job I would be working with hydraulic and pneumatic systems as well as simple electronic circuits.

When I went to the interview, I let them know what my strengths were, what my experience was and that I could follow any diagram. My experience with this company was one of the most rewarding and tremendously satisfying. I quickly realized after looking at hydraulic and pneumatic diagrams that they are much like electronic circuits with resistance, switches and directional movement. With my ability to communicate clearly with not only engineers in their own language but also with marketing and with the production floor. I became a bridge in a communication gap that helped to facilitate bringing into production a new dialysis machine.

It does not matter whether you are interviewing for a waitress job or a job as an account executive. Being confident is important. When I spoke to HR recruiters and department managers about what it is they look for in a candidate, confidence was high on their list.

"If a prospective employee is tentative, unsure of themselves during an interview or first contact, even with a glowing resume, it is a mark against them." 

Though not the only deciding factor, it is clear that when compared to another candidate with a similar resume and experience base, confidence is weighted in consideration.

"We want employees who can get in and start doing. We don't want to have to babysit or bolster them along. Confidence is a key factor in that."

Remember, it is not what you feel but what you present and how you present it that is seen and evaluated.