No Call Back After An Interview?

There are any number of reasons you might not be getting a call back after an interview, and some of them have nothing to do with you or the person who interviewed you and if they want to hire you.

My spouse, who until recently was one of the long term unemployed, recently applied for a job at XYZ Company (OK, OK, so it wasn't really XYZ Company, but keeping it confidential). He'd found a hot lead, the interview went well, the company liked him...and he was REJECTED!

Why? For a reason you might never suspect. No one would provide a reference for him. I don't mean a specific person, I mean the companies he worked for.

His old companies were just not answering when the company he interviewed with called for references. They were just ignoring phone calls. Or it had been more than five years since he worked there and after that amount of time they'd archived their previous employee files and would not even verify that he'd been an employee at their company.

Wow! Who would have thought? I mean he knew they all had policies of not giving references other than dates of employment but to not answer when a potential employer of a former employee called for a reference? Call me naïve, but yes, I thought they'd at least verify dates of employment.

So take the time to find someone who will write you a personal letter of reference from your old company. Or if you know someone at the company who has knowledge of your former employers and can verify where you worked even if they can't verify exact dates, be sure to provide the employer with their name, address, and current phone number and email address. Have you taken the tech route and posted your prior employers on LinkedIn? Have people write a recommendation on LinkedIn. It will remain there where employers can view it.

Provide a list of personal contacts who can verify where you have worked. It's not optimal, but in a pinch it just might be enough for the potential employer.

So just in case it's been awhile since you were employed, and especially if you worked for a company that went out of business or was taken over by another company, be sure to have a backup for your references. And good luck!

(Oh yes, in case you are interested, he got the job! One of his personal references who also happened to work for the company verified his employment.) That was a close call!

It's Down To The Wire--No More Unemployment and Still Unemployed

I've spent the last nearly two years job hunting.  At 58 it isn't easy.  And I'm not a nurse, teacher or computer whiz.  No, I'm just me.  A sometime editor, researcher, and for the last nearly two years, a blogger when I'm not job hunting.  I still can't believe it's happening to ME.  Where have I heard that before? 

Unfortunately I'm not alone.  I hear it more and more often.  I overheard someone the other day deciding to be a phone sex operator.  In order to eat.  The choices this economy is forcing people into making are horrible.  And discouraging.  When even educated people can't get a job, what chance do people who are undereducated have?

It's a stressful holiday this year at my house.  I'm praying for a better New Year.  One that includes employment.  Gainful employment.   Maybe with benefits? 

Our government can bail out banks and automakers but it doesn't have work for me?  I mean I'm willing to work.  I'm just older.  Not ancient...just over fifty.  I never thought I'd be in this situation.   I've worked hard.  I've followed all the rules.  Just like thousands of other unemployed workers in the United States.

The last three jobs I've had I was thrilled because they were jobs I could have done forever.  I'm not one of those people who want to retire.  But they were jobs that were phased out.  No more work.  Laid off.  Departments closed. But now... now I'm in a bind.  I HAVE to have a job.  I have to pay my bills.  So if anyone out there is hiring...you know where to find me.  Monster.com, Career Builder, Craigslist...etc. etc. etc. or blogging when I'm too discouraged to job hunt anymore. 

But like most of us, I'll smile on Christmas Day, one day without job hunting eight hours a day.  There won't be many new jobs posted on Christmas anyway.  But the day after I'm back to the grind of hunting, emailing, attaching resumes and writing cover letters.  My husband wonders why I can't sleep at night?  I feel like a hamster in a wheel.  There's no end.  No way out.  Just round and round.  So I'm going to have a Merry, if reduced Christmas this year.  And next year I WILL HAVE A JOB! I have to keep thinking POSITIVE!

Selling Yourself - When You're A Vintage Product

Are you a salesperson? Even if that wasn't your former job position, when you're unemployed you DO have a job, it's selling yourself and finding a new job.  You are selling you.  This is the time when the phrase 'know your product' is critical in your job search.  And you ARE the product.  The good news is after 50 plus years you should 'know your product' very well.  But if you're from the boomer generation or older you need to create a need for a 'gently used' or 'vintage' product. 

If the terms 'gently used' and 'vintage' make you think 'shopping at Goodwill' it may NOT be what you're used to. So if those terms don't scare you, nothing will. 

How can you sell what's the equivalent of used or vintage products? Think about what makes these things valuable.  If you're selling a vintage dress, what makes it valuable? It's appeal to nostalgia, it's rarity? Maybe it's the appeal of the knowledge an older worker brings or the quality of their workmanship. Pride in workmanship is frequently a hard thing for employers to find in younger employees, but older workers tend to have been brought up with a different work ethic.

Evaluate your strengths and sell them during your interview.  Be sure to ask the potential employer what they are looking for in an employee and then tailor your answers to fit

Remember: whether you're at home, working for someone else or running you own business, you are a sales person. Make sure you know what you're selling, give to other people because "what goes around, comes around" and you never know if the next person you meet through someone in your network won't be you next big client or your partner in business or in life. Paying it forward never hurts.  Good luck with your job quest--follow your star and be one.  And it doesn't hurt if you have the ability to sell a bridge to someone who doesn't need one!