Advice from my mom about job hunting
Here’s an email I got from my mom, who is an information technology manager at a Fortune 100 company:
Sweetie,
I was reading through a pile of resumes that human resources gave me, and there was one resume that was so good, but the guy was too high level for what I needed.
Then I thought to myself, he’ll definitely get a job soon, and I’d like to have HIS job, so I should send my resume to his company right now.
You should tell this to your readers.
Love,
Mom
Good advice from your mom. It’s important to think one step ahead when looking for opportunities. I’ll keep this one in mind. BTW…was she really on the Jeopardy show?? My mom is a pro at scrabble and crossward puzzles. She says it helps the mind.
if your playing scabble and corssword puzzles then, all evidence to the contrary.
Jeopardy. Yes. And she’s great at Scrabble and crossword puzzles, too. Maybe your mom should try out for Jeopardy.
Tip for all you Scrabble players: My mom says it’s all about the two-letter words.
There’s some good Visible Advice over at Brazen Careerist ( http://www.brazencareerist.com/2008/11/07/watch-for-what-no-one-else-sees ) that uses Scrabble as a metaphor for making your big move in your job.
“Before you can do something flashy, you need to take time to get a handle on where the openings are. Where can you do something unexpected? Where are the spots no one is taking? The trick in Scrabble is to put in a couple of letters in a corner that make four or five short words. The trick in your job is to watch for what no one else sees, and make your big move in that space.”
Thought is missing an “t” at the end.
very lovely…
I have swedish vanilla sugar at home and I absolutely love it. I put it on my oatmeal in the mornings and would use it more often, but I don't want to run through my smallish package so quickly. Odd how that happens, when we want to save something we really like, isn't it?
Perhaps I'll do my own taste test with the Swedish sugar and the homemade –
Iove it when my girlfriend poohs in my corn flakes in the morning…its a great way to start the day
This is terrible advice!! So what your mom (and you) are saying is that you have to already have a job, an HR-related job or upper-management job at that, in order to get the information about a potential job opening via a resume from someone – information no normal people have.
Agreed. I’m one of these “so good” applicants that HR moms everywhere have apparently been passing over for the last year and a half. Maybe mom would love to have my long-term unemployed status when I finally get a job, no resume required.
Oh yeah, I think my mistake was forgetting to be a HR professional. I would then be sure to have a similarly wonderful perspective on the job hunt.
this seems kind of dirty.
You could even accelerate his departure with telling his company that he is looking elsewhere.
I always love how HR idiots can make up the mind of the person appling for the job. Your mom says he’s overqualified yet he didn’t think so because he applied for the job.
At least you mother should interview him and see if he’ll be as bored as she thinks he would be doing the job.
The “HR idiots” know the salary range of the job, which more than likely wasn’t posted with the description he applied to, which means they probably wanted someone cheaper, which means “overqualified” more than likely means “too expensive” which is a 100% valid reason to pass on a resume.
Our point is that while you may know the salary range of the job, that doesn’t mean that is what they will ask for. They may not know the salary range of the job. You are assuming that the person will ask for too much or that they will be bored, what we are saying is how the hell could you possibly know that without talking to the guy/girl??!!
This doesn’t make me laugh, all it does it makes me sad. Yet another person turned down for being “overqualified” and his resume is being used as an opportunity for someone else. So sad to me. I am sorry that I am saying this since it is your mom but…just hurts my heart.
But this was written back in 2006, when “overqualified” meant the same thing as “too expensive” so you shouldn’t feel too sad.
You and your *mom* are both cutthroat ignorant bitches
Hear hear!!
Let’s not forget that some people apply to jobs knowing they are not a fit, but are just looking to get their foot in the door – it happens at all levels.
Even people that are too high level don’t get a job. That’s what I’m considered as and I’m still not hired. So she should of hired him anyway. That’s just not fair!
Great, this helps me out if I already have a job as an HR person…..wait…..if I already have a job, why am I looking for another? Giving up a job in this economy is financial suicide for most of us who do not have large stacks of cash to see us through, and who don’t have opportunities around every corner.
And “What happened with your last job?” “Oh I left to do X.” and then fill in the X????
Are you high? How does that help? That’s like saying, “Heres a helpful interview tip, when they ask you a question, answer it.” Gee thanx. What your supposed to tell me is WHAT X STANDS FOR GENIUS!!
Hi, though I am one for always taking mom’s advice. I think this one might be a bit off the mark. Just because the person has sent their resume in doesn’t mean that his current employer is aware that he is looking. So sending in resumes for his job may alter them and then they may preempt his leaving when he is ready to hiring someone else and letting him go which would then make him less valuable on the market.
I heard recently that this actually happened; headhunter got a resume from someone and they figured that they wanted to beat the competition and try to back-fill the job. The problem was that the person had not told their current company that they were looking and this cause a serious problem for the employee.
Ask the person if their current company is aware that they are looking before approaching the company. If not, then hands off until they leave, or at least have given notice.