anne hubben, creative career coach         anne@rubycreatives.com 917.834.0354

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letter to certain hiring managers

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
 

Dear Hiring Manager:

Many of you are great at interviewing candidates and believe me, it is appreciated.  In spite of your busy schedule, you remember what it’s like to look for work and take the opportunity to give good karma back to the world.

But, there are some that I’ve been hearing about lately that I write this letter to.  I know that you’re in a position of power when you interview a candidate for an open position on your team, but just like the interviewee, there are certain rules of etiquette that you really should follow.

Please don’t check your emails during the meeting. They can wait.  Same with phone calls. If you must answer the phone for an emergency such as your wife going in to labor, let your guest know of the possibility ahead of time. Ignore all other calls.

Please don’t talk the whole time.  Yes, you need to sell the role and the company to the candidate, especially if they’re someone you clearly want to hire, but watch your time. Make sure you ask the candidate questions, listen to their answers, look at their work and see how they present it.  Make sure you give them time to ask you questions too.

If it becomes clear that the candidate is not a fit, don’t lead them on them by acting like they’re hired and it’s a done deal.  Let them know that you’re interviewing other people + either you or the recruiter will get in touch with them about next steps.

I know that you’ve got your hands full and probably don’t have time to interview someone, but that is exactly why you need to be present in this meeting.  You need more hands on deck so here’s your chance to solve the problem.

Finally, remember that you’re representing your company in the interview. When you treat a candidate badly, word gets around.  Same with when you treat them well.  That also goes for the interview process itself.  Giving feedback quickly, following up appropriately, not putting people through endless rounds of interviews all make a good impression that people talk about whether they’re hired or not.

Thank you so much for your time and attention to this matter.



Posted in communication, interview skills | 1 Comment »

Q & A on talking salary

Monday, June 28th, 2010
 

Discussing salary in a job interview is something that most people dread. It’s also a topic of much debate.  Today I will put the questions that I most frequently get in a Q & A format:

What do I say when they ask me what salary I’m looking for?

Most people agree that when possible, you should not be the first person to give a number.  But, when you’re directly asked what you’re looking for, what do you say?   It depends on where you are in the process. If they ask you at the start of the interview, it’s very reasonable to say: “I’d like to hear more about the position before I give a number.”  Or you could turn the question around by saying, “Without knowing much about the position, it’s hard to say. What is the budget for this role?”

If this is the 3rd round of interviews + they ask you, then, again, turn it around  by saying: “Before I give you a number, could you tell me what range this role is paying?”

My present salary is much lower than it should be, so when they ask me what I’m making now, how do I handle that?

You could say something like this:  “I’m underpaid at my present job. Based on the research that I’ve done in the industry, my salary should be 60k”  Then they might ask why you’re underpaid and  just keep it simple with something like, “They’ve not been able to give anyone raises for the past year due to budget constraints, although I’ve always had good reviews.” Don’t talk about how lame the company is. Stay positive.

Do I have to write down my salary history?

In every place that I’ve worked, we always had an application that asked for salary history.  But when I research this question online, all advice says not to give your salary history. You don’t have to. In my experience, most people completed the salary history, but if they didn’t, that was fine.  I just asked them about it.  Sometimes, they would say that their past jobs didn’t pay well and they’d rather talk about what they’d like to make. No problem.  Or they’d get all nervous and shifty eyed and blurt something out like “I don’t have to tell you that.” That was just uncomfortable all around and generally didn’t work to their advantage.

The main thing is to give the discussion some thought ahead of time, speak with confidence and assume that they want to pay you what you’re worth. They might not want to, but assume it so that you’re giving off the right energy. I’ve interviewed some people who clearly thought I was trying to screw them and it made the conversation more awkward than it had to be.

There’s a difference between the body language of someone who is uncomfortable with discussing salary and someone who thinks you’re out to get them.  Be the first person if you can’t be confident and smooth. There’s nothing wrong with some hemming and hawing and saying that you’re not comfortable discussing salary. Otherwise, you risk being the nervous and shifty eyed person.  That person doesn’t generally do well with salary or getting a job for that matter.

If you’ve got some specific questions you’d like me to answer, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Posted in communication, interview skills, jobhunting tips, salary | 3 Comments »

5 thoughts on setting boundaries

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
 

Many people have a hard time setting clear boundaries. Whether it’s at work or with family or friends, it can be tough.  So, here are a few thoughts that I thought might help with this.

1 — In order to speak up, trust that the other person can handle what you have to say.

2 — if you don’t speak up, it’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

3 — Be impeccable with your word. (That’s from the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and the one that stayed with me).  When you say you’re finished with someone or something, be finished. Make sure you’re ready and you mean it before you speak up.

4 — Check your motives. Are you calling your former friend because you genuinely want to see her or because you don’t want to be disliked?

5 — Allow for the empty space that will at first surround you. When you cut ties with people who aren’t good for you, you may feel alone in the beginning. This may be hard, but it is an important time to get through because it will allow for new and hopefully healthier people to come in to the space that you’ve created.

Posted in communication, self development, solutions | No Comments »

ready to give twitter a chance?

Thursday, June 10th, 2010
 

My last post was directed to those in advertising who have been successful for years and suddenly find themselves without the skills everyone seems to want.  I suggested that before you spend money on a class in Flash or html, first embrace the internet so that you’re familiar with the technology that’s revolutionizing advertising.  Today I’ll walk you through giving Twitter a chance. Of course, it occurs to me that if you’re reading my blog, you’re probably pretty comfortable in these areas, but maybe you could send these links to someone who could use the help. I know they’re out there because I talk to them on the phone and I’m hearing frustration, overwhelm and confusion about what to do next.

First the Twitter pep talk:  In the beginning I thought it was weird, invasive and a little creepy. But then I got a new client who had heard of me on her friend’s twitter stream and I realized I had to check this out more seriously.

Of course, it’s not for everyone, but at least familiarize yourself with what it does and what’s possible so you know what’s going on.  If you go in to an interview and rant about how you don’t know why anyone wants to know what you had for lunch that day, there’s a good chance the hiring manager will write something in their notes like “doesn’t get it” or “old school.”

Okay, so now you understand why you need to spend your precious time on this, here are 8 simple steps to take:

1 – sign up for an account. It’s easy. If you don’t want to use your name, use an alias. If you don’t want to use a photo of yourself, use any image, but a photo is more personal.

2 – you can use the “protect my tweets” option and I did that for about 5 minutes, but it kind of misses the point unless you’ve got some top secret “if I tell you I’ll have to kill you” kind of information.

3 – find your friends or your favorite magazines or news or job sites (@nytimes, @PositivelyCleve, @smashingmag, @TED_TALKS, @Krop_jobs, @talentzoojobs) it’s endless, I’m telling you.  Or you can follow me @annehubben and see who I’m following.  Looking at someone’s followers is a great way to discover new people.  Better yet, look at the person’s lists on the right hand side. They will have people organized by topics like “advertising” or “yoga.”

4 – try out a few of your own tweets.  I started with quotes that inspired me. It felt safer.  Then if you like what someone says, you can “retweet it” there’s a button to do that now, or you can go old school and put RT followed by their name, so it would say:  RT@rubcreatives: great article in Rolling Stones today.

5 – if you’re starting to get overwhelmed by it all and your A.D.D. is taking off, create your own lists to organize things in topics.

6 – if, like me in the beginning, you have trouble remembering to go to Twitter, look in to a free program like Tweet Deck so you can get the tweets on your desktop or Hootesuite which is online, but you can schedule your tweets.  That way, you can space out your tweets or schedule them in the morning for different times during the day. But be careful with the timing so it doesn’t appear that you’re tweeting in a meeting with your boss.

7 – if you still need some more help with how to manage Twitter or get the most out of it, check out someone like Laura Roeder who writes posts and gives tutorials on using social media and specifically Twitter.

8 – get creative with what you tweet – check out @betsyaaron. She tweets a little slice of creative writing every day. It has become her writing practice.

If you’re trying it out and find yourself unable to leave Twitter because you don’t want to miss anything, don’t worry, it passes. The need to read every single tweet thankfully goes away and you get used to the whole process.

Finally, please let me know your experience with this. I would love to hear both successes and also obstacles that you have. We’re all different, so I’d love to hear what you think.  Tweet me, email me, post a comment here.  Let’s talk online with the tools that we have.

Posted in advertising, communication, twitter | 5 Comments »

googling yourself: not just for your ego anymore

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
 

I used to just google myself for the hell of it, after I’d exhausted old friends, ex-boyfriends, crushes, and oh yeah, all those professional things that you use google for like researching who you will be interviewing with.  But now it’s not just for your ego anymore.  It’s a very good idea to know what links come up under your name.  It’s even more important if you are in social networks or write online articles or blog posts.

First, do a search, check it out, then set up a Google Alert that can comb the internet for anything new.  For me, it’s mostly my name attached to Twitter from either my own feed or something I’ve said that has been retweeted.

But, once I did find an article that was attributed to me that I hadn’t written.  It was creepy. Especially since it was a political column and although it was pretty innocuous, I was struck by how easy it would be for anyone to write something with someone else’s name on it!   I had a few moments of panic as I blamed myself for putting myself out there like that. But, there are many people putting themselves way more out there than I am, so how could it happen to me?

Fortunately, I did some digging on the article and it turned out that it was a division of another company that I had written something for.  I wrote my contact at the organization and he very quickly took care of it.  It was an internal mix-up.  I was very relieved.

But, what I learned is that you really do have to stay on top of it.  If i hadn’t had the Google Alert set up, I never would have found that article. It also confirmed my belief that you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.

So, go ahead if you’d like, put yourself out there, make comments, write articles, blog, register for conferences, but google yourself from time to time.  This applies to you even if you’re not on Facebook or Twitter or even Linked In because if you’ve run a local race, or attended a benefit, your name is probably online.  The fact is that the line between our personal and professional lives gets more and more blurry, as we live more and more on the internet.  There’s not a whole lot we can do about it, but it doesn’t mean that we’re helpless.  It’s a matter of taking responsibility for your name,  your reputation and your “personal brand.”

Posted in be ready, communication, self promotion | 2 Comments »

are you dreading a conversation?

Monday, March 15th, 2010
 

i often help my clients prepare for conversations with various people such as a boss, direct report, interviewer or even just a person that they’re networking with. Everyone has varying degrees of trepidation about whatever conversation or meeting they are about to have.

My own experience has shown that most of the time what we imagine will happen is much worse than what actually happens. However, it’s important to be prepared.

Preparation is different in each case, but some possibilities might be:

1 — asking for a raise: be prepared to explain why you deserve one. Talk about problems you’ve solved, results you’ve produced, accounts you’ve won, etc.

2 — talking to a direct report who is having some performance issues: Think about the person’s personality and decide what will be the most effective way to communicate with them. Hopefully you’re already familiar and comfortable with this, but just think about it with specifics. Do you have an idea of some tools that could help this person change? Do you have a solution to share or help them arrive at on their own?

3 — if you’re going to an interview: Make sure you’ve researched the company and have some questions prepared. Make sure you can present your portfolio well, that you’re prepared to discuss salary and that you’re on time.

My point with these examples it to say that you can pay attention to things that are within your control, but you don’t know exactly how it will go and that’s okay. You might really click with the person or not. You might love the vibe in the office or not. There are so many variables that you have no control over that the best thing you can do to prepare is whatever it takes to calm your mind and detach from your expectations.

Be confident in the fact that you’re as prepared as you can be, you’re smart, capable and experienced and you can handle whatever comes your way. I had someone fall of her chair in the middle of our interview and we hired her. She was very experienced but clearly very nervous. It was okay. She did fine and it just made me like her more, but I’m a sucker for slapstick.

Posted in be ready, communication, networking, solutions, state of mind | No Comments »

the many fine lines of writing a cover letter

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
 

I’m working with a couple of people now on cover letters, and I get asked about them a lot, so I thought I’d write about them today.

The most common mistake that I see people make with cover letters is that they’re too stiff and formal, and the result is that it tells me nothing about the person which defeats the whole purpose.

Granted, in creative you can be a bit more casual, but that’s not even the point. Part of why a cover letter is requested is to see how you communicate, so here’s your chance to show this as a strength. When someone copies their letter out of a book on “how to write a cover letter” it’s obvious.

Also, there’s a fine line between being too casual and being yourself. There’s that same line between being professional and being too over-the-top ingratiating.

All these pointers can be paralyzing so what I often suggest to my clients is to write out a first draft of your cover letter as if you’re writing to a friend. Tell that friend clearly what your background is and what you want to do moving forward. Then, take a second pass at it and write as if you’re writing to someone that you want to date. You want to impress them but not sound too full of yourself. You tell them why they should go out with you. Again, it’s a fine line.

Then, if you’re writing to a specific company, you need to do your homework and add something about why you want to work there specifically. Nobody, not even large companies want to feel like they’re one of several people that are receiving the exact same cover letter. You also want to explain what you can offer them. Not in a cheesy “here’s what I’m going to do for you” way or “let’s make some money together” way (yes, I’ve received those letters). But more like “I bring experience in online recruiting in nontraditional ways such as yada, yada, yada”

Some things to watch out for:

1 — Using humor. Another fine line to navigate. Not everyone can pull this off, but in the creative industry, it can give you a leg up if you do it successfully. You’ll want to run this letter by someone you trust. My sister is someone that will tell me that I sound like a dork. She’s caught several of these moments on my blog, and I’m sure there are plenty more that she hasn’t caught in time.

2 — Writing too much. That doesn’t really need an explanation other than 2 or 3 paragraphs is probably enough depending on what you have to say (and the length of the paragraphs). If you’re explaining a career transition or a gap in your resume or you’re reaching higher than you’re qualified for, then you get an extra paragraph.

3 — Show rather than tell. Instead of saying “I’m an excellent communicator” just be one. Instead of saying “I’m a team player” point out a project that illustrates collaboration.

4 — Be genuine. Ask a friend who will tell you the truth if your cover letter sounds like you. If it doesn’t, ask for some direction as to why it doesn’t and then tweak.

What I often hear is that people hold off on applying for a job so that they can get their cover letter together. This is how we lose out on jobs, so it’s a good idea to have a basic one ready to go. One that you’ve shown someone else to screen for the above points or any others that you think of. Then when the perfect job presents itself, you just have to gear the cover letter more specifically for this job.

So take your Mom’s advice and be yourself, but be the best version of yourself.

Posted in communication, problem solving, self promotion, solutions | 2 Comments »

how to feed and water millennials

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
 
I just finished a book called Millennials Incorporated by Lisa Orrell and if the younger people (born between 1982 and 2002, years vary, but this is the most agreed upon range) that you’re managing or working alongside are a mystery to you, this is a great read. I picked it up because I heard about her more recent book, called Millennials Into Leadership. Since I hadn’t read the first book, i thought I’d start with that.
Admittedly, it has been hard to accept that I’m part of the older generation. I fall in between the Boomers and Gen X. While I read this book I found myself shaking my head saying “really? isn’t that coddling? don’t they need to suck it up like the rest of us?”
But Orrell focuses on the positive aspects and there are plenty of them. She tells us how to recruit, manage and retain this generation and the fact that she’s now written a Leadership book for them means it’s time to stop complaining about it, and recognize the strengths that this generation brings to the workplace.
Some things that struck me were (and I should point out that although the points below were made by the author, I do a lot of my own pontificating, so if you’re interested in this, read the book because there’s a lot more that I haven’t brought up):
Millennials are “pack animals.” They’re used to being around people and thrive in that kind of environment. They work well in open, collaborative spaces. They’re used to being connected all the time to friends, including friends all over the world.

Training and mentoring is critical for Millennials because they care about learning and want to grow. They do not appreciate a “hands off” approach in a job. They want to be paid attention to, and they want to make a difference so they’re looking to you to lead them.
Clear direction is important. This one made sense to me because (and here’s where I go on my own riff) I’ve heard from a few managers that they feel like they have to babysit junior people. What could be happening is that the manager isn’t giving clear direction. They think they are, but when they were starting out, they were told to “go figure it out” so “clear direction” to a Boomer is probably different than “clear direction” to a Millennial. If you believe you’ve been clear, but they’re not producing, then it wasn’t clear enough. Millennials aren’t lazy and they’re definitely not clueless. Ask questions. What isn’t clear? Not in an impatient, patronizing way, but in a curious way. Then listen to what their answer is. Don’t judge it, just listen.
Respect for a superior has to be earned for Millennials. I found this one interesting, and it makes sense if you look at all the people that have fallen from grace in the public eye over the last 20 years. They’re not intimidated by age. They want to respect their superiors, but if they’re not feeling it, they’re not going to pretend.
Millennials need constant praise. This is something that I hear all the time. Also, that they don’t take criticism well. Millennials have grown up being told that they’re wonderful and there are no winners or losers. Although this seems exhausting to Boomers and GenXers, it’s something that we’re going to have to accept.
I’m not sure how people can grow without getting truthful, direct feedback, but we have to find the right way to give the feedback, or it will not be heard, but instead build resentment. (okay, I’m pretty sure this is my riff again). Boomers and GenXers have always gotten quick feedback on the fly and you hear it and move on. Now, as the boss, you’re going to need to slow down, take the person aside to a private place and communicate well. It will feel awkward and slow you down at first, but you’ll get used to it and it will pay off.
There’s so much more I could write, but if you’re relating to any of this (or not, but need to), then get the book. It’s also got some great suggestions on recruiting techniques. Maybe I’ll write more as I continue to work with people on these issues. The bottom line is that as we continue to work with people in different generations, you can’t throw your arms up in disgust saying “these kids today!” It’s right out of the old fogie playbook. Instead, recognize the differences, accept them and chillax, it’s a team effort. We’ll figure it out together.

Posted in communication, problem solving, solutions, state of mind | No Comments »

looking for a change? be specific

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
 

My last post about tweaking your job search made me think about something else that I think is important and that’s being specific about what you want to do next. My sister refers to this in her guest post about networking and I often talk about it with my clients.

It could also be relevant if you like where you work now, but feel that you’d like to make a change. The change could be taking on more responsibilities or even creating a whole new role. It’s important to be specific about what your vision is, rather than expecting someone else to fill in the blanks. Your employer or potential employer wants to know how you can help them, not how they can help you.

Yes, it’s important to be open to opportunities, but if you’re open in the “I don’t know what I want to do, I just know I need a change” way, then nobody is going to know what to do with that. It’s better to do your research and soul searching before meeting with anyone. Save the wondering and thinking out loud for your friends, family or better yet, your coach.

When I refer to research, it’s not just looking things up, but asking yourself questions like: what do I want to do? Who do I want to work with? What type of environment do I want to work in? Do I like buttoned up or casual? What are my strengths? What motivates me? Do I want to manage people?

By asking these questions, you eventually formulate a statement about or vision of what you’d like to do. It’s important that it’s concise and clear.

You could start with:

“I’d like to be in a role where I facilitate communication between the creative and technology departments.”

Then ask yourself why?

“Because the last 3 major projects missed their deadline and I’ve tracked the cause to miscommunication between these 2 departments.”

Why are you the right person to do this job?

“Because I started out as a designer but am now working in technology, I understand the challenges that both groups have and can communicate effectively with them as well.”

Now you put that together to get: “We need someone to facilitate communication between the creative and technology departments, since I’ve been both a designer and technologist, I’d like to take on this role.”

Then if this is an actual meeting, you could go on to list what you would do to create better communication. Show that you’ve given it some thought and you have a plan or a proposal.

If you’re looking for work, it might be something more like “With my background in design and technology, I’m looking for a role where I can bridge the gap between these two disciplines and facilitate better communication.”

Okay, so it’s a very simplistic example, but hopefully you get the idea and can apply it to your own situation. This could be called your Personal Brand Statement or Elevator Pitch or your Spiel. Run it by a few people that you trust to see if it comes across in the way that you’ve intended. Practice saying it so that it flows and you’re confident with it.

Once you’ve done this part, then by all means, be open to opportunities.

Posted in change, communication, goals, self promotion, state of mind | No Comments »

how to convey your passion

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 


Today I’m going to post an excellent article on how to convey your passion in your job search by a good friend of mine, and an exceptional recruiter and career coach, Carin Nardone. We became friends when we worked together at Organic and have stayed connected ever since as friends and supporting each other in our respective careers.

This week I happened to start working with 2 different companies on their hiring needs. When I work with a new company, I ask them not only for the ‘hard’ skills that they’re looking for, but also spend a good amount of time getting a feel for those intangible qualities that are about the heart of a company, or company ‘culture’. It just so happened that both companies said the most important quality they were looking for is Passion. It struck me that many job seekers may not know how to demonstrate their passion to land the job or progress in their careers. It is one thing to say that you’re passionate, and another thing to know how to convey it through examples in your work experiences (on your resume) and during an interview. This is a huge topic with many facets to it. For now, I’m going to talk about how to start the process of tapping into your passion to enhance your job search efforts.

Passion is clearly one those traits that will give you the edge in your job search and help you stand out in the eyes of employers. But what are employers really looking for when they say they want someone to be ‘passionate’? Here is what they tell me:

-They want someone who cares about doing good work

-They want someone who goes the extra mile and has a reputation for doing what it takes the get the job done

-They want someone who has an opinion and is a thought leader

-They want someone who cares about cultivating their career

When I see passion in job seekers and the professionals I work with, what I am seeing is the fire inside that naturally motivates them to stay on top of their game. Employers now more than ever want to see and feel this quality.

Here are some ways to infuse passion into your job search strategy or career:

-Continuing Education – PMP certifications, Graduate School, and leadership positions in industry specific associations are great ways to demonstrate your passion. Various industry associations like the American Management Association or Direct Marketing Association offer programs and courses that won’t break the bank, but will demonstrate that you’re committed and passionate about a particular subject area and about growing in your career.

-Writing and Speaking Opportunities –Just recently I was working on a high level Digital Media position. One of the first things this company wanted to see were examples of what the person had written and spoken about – they wanted to get a sense of their opinions and see that they were a thought leader. Blogs, writing articles and speaking opportunities are a great way to become known as a thought leader.

-Focus your Attention and Interests: I mention this because it is important to keep your passions focused. If you happen to be passionate about a variety of things, be sure to target your passions appropriately for a specific job opportunity.

-Interacting with Job Search “Influencers”: You have a great opportunity to convey your passion when you network with people who can influence your career. If you stay focused and clear, you can showcase your passion for the topics and subject matters that excite you.

-Interviewing: To me, passion doesn’t necessarily mean leaping out of your seat with excitement or being over the top. In fact many of my successful job seekers have a quiet enthusiasm, yet I can pick up on their passion when I interview them. When you care about what you do and are passionate, the answers to interview questions come easily because you have an opinion about things, you have examples to share that you’re proud of and are clear on where you were successful in your career and why.

Passionate people care about their work, they care about their clients, and they care about cultivating their career. And that is something I like to see – and what my clients like to see when I present resumes to them.

Career and Staffing Expert to the Marketing and Advertising Industry, Carin Nardone advises professionals who want to experience success in their job search and career. To learn how to jump-start your job search and experience greater career fulfillment, register for free ongoing articles at www.cnc-search.com

Posted in communication, interview skills, self promotion | No Comments »

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