I know it has been a long time since an installment of the retired guy came out from me. I really am not truly retired… I wanted to share some of the experiences that I have been gathering along the way.
I continue to do lots of volunteer work. Az4Education has helped me pick up some new skills in marketing and social media. I am enjoying helping out the organization. We have tripled our donations year over year. We have given out as much of our budget in scholarships as possible. Making me want to bring in triple the donations again, next year! I am also keeping my presentation skills sharp, with Big Brothers, Big Sisters – every month or so, I present to the new crop of “Bigs” their orientation material. I truly enjoy meeting new people! Each of these volunteer opportunities have added more interesting and wonderful folks to my network.
I started my own consulting business, which is slowly gaining some new clients. I am happy that I can get out and help organizations with training on leadership, process engineering and some basic IT knowledge. Again, the people that I have met along that journey has been outstanding.
To the point of the post. I still from time to time, look for permanent employment of my “second” career. I just don’t blast my resume out there for just any job. I have plenty to keep my busy. I want to do something that I feel will make my complete life complete. My experience in looking and applying for said jobs is the point of the post. Looking for the right job is difficult… When it comes up, you get totally excited and want nothing to do but get that position. I have seen a couple that I have applied for, that would be my dream “second” career. I applied and waited. I reached out to my network to see if I could nudge the process. With some success. I still am waiting to hear. I know that there are lots of people out there looking for work. It is a companies dream to have a huge supply of folks that you can pick from. The problem is – why not get back to those that applied? At the very least, let them know the job is filled by another candidate. Don’t leave people hanging. I have plenty of experiences to share! I am able to learn new things really quickly. I am passionate and when I am in, I am all in. You get everything your wanted and then some. I have a proven track record to back it up.
What do you think goes on with potential candidates when they are out networking with each other? They are talking about what is happening in the job market. People are talking! Your organization is being discussed and an evaluation is being shared. I don’t mean sour grapes if a person is passed over. I mean the initial evaluation of a company is right there, upfront in the hiring process. First impressions are lasting ones.
What impressions do you want to leave with the hiring process?
- Clean and easy to use application process. Communications with the applicants as to status. Dispositions every applicant.
- Difficult on-line application process to maneuver. Cyber black hole of communications. No follow-up or disposition of applicants.
Human beings are feeling beings. I know from experience that I have shared some awesome feedback on companies and organizations that have done a very good job of their first impressions. I may have not gotten the job, but that is not why I shared my feedback. They did an outstanding job compared to others. They have my vote for getting the best possible candidate as they are the best possible organization to work for. Their first impression was outstanding.
For organizations, please make sure that you are making the right first impression. As you may lose a potential outstanding candidate for you position from your experiences with others. You do that to the candidates!
Hi Steve! When I was a small business owner building a team, I had this same exact thought! I responded to every candidate that applied, and in those days, this was more work than wedding thanks you notes! I had a hundred resumes for one round of hiring. Unfortunately, not all candidates display the kind of maturity you do. I got a few responses full of four letter words asking if i really thought anyone cared about my @#&$% job anyway, but mostly I got an argument about how I was wrong to pass them up and a long explanation why. One person even threatened to sue me because be said I misinterpreted his job qualifications (he had a typo in his dates of employment history). I was advised by a recruiter friend at the time that my experience was typical and is the reason why only positive responses are sent out by their firm. It made me pretty sad at the time, and your post today has served to remind me about doing the right thing even if its not appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Jen! Thanks for leaving a comment. I’m glad that the post helped. When I was doing hiring for my corporate world, I used to get a few of those sort of replies. For me, those replies reinforced why I did not select them as the right person for the job. I get that people can take it personal, but being professional is important – they are going for a job! Thanks again.