The key is you can’t bring that baggage to your new interviews….BUT it can be very tough to leave it behind.  One thing that I think helps GREATLY is reprogramming yourself.  I have put 5 books together that I think will help to refocus your thinking….discard some of the baggage and get your mind right to go out and meet new companies.

1- Steve Jobs- by Walter Isaacson- It’s time to reprogram how you think and what better way than to look at the world through the eyes of someone who made the impossible possible. 

2-How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success in Selling by Frank Bettger-  I know…I know….you are NOT a salesmsan…you work construction.  BUT…this is more than that.  This book is about a pro baseball  player turned salesman with the WORST sales numbers in his company for 5 years straight…..he turned it around to become the best in the country.  It’s an inspiring read.

3-Fearless Interviewing by Marky Stein-  An excellent read with real insight into the psychology behind interviewing.  Great tips and excellent preparation for face to face interviews….you wouldn’t head into a boxing match without sparring first so this is an excellent preparation tool.

4- Abraham Lincoln by James McPherson-  Of all American Presidents Lincoln by far experienced the greatest obstacles on his road to greatness….it makes aceing a job interview seem pretty simple!

5-The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill-  This book I leave for last because honestly it’s like the nice cold slap in the face we all need sometime.  Look at yourself and identify your problems and then figure out how to move forward in a more positive way.  Reprogram your thinking.

So there you have it.  I can not stress the importance of changing your mindset when it comes to heading back out on interview….people can see your positivity or your negativity for that matter.  These books might just help you refresh your outlook on life and your job search!

On our Heavy Civil NYC side of things we have been plenty busy.  A couple of our best clients have just landed big projects and that has helped us put some great people to work.  The market seems to be pretty steady there and although it’s softer than it was a few years ago there are still positions out there for the best and the brightest.  It’s still taking linger than it should to get some of our best people back to work but I am happy to say that we put three excellent people into Heavy Civil companies last month. 

On our New York/Boston building side of things, it’s still been slow.  We definitely have seen an uptick in searches though which is a great thing and we are working hard to develop new relationships with up and coming companies.  We put our first young Assistant PM to work in Boston a few months ago….thats a sign of good things to come I believe.

In other great news Jim O’Malley joined the team as Vice President of Operations and started Full time in September.  Jim has over 6 years of recruiting experience and 5+ in the non-profit fundraising arena.  He has already helped us developing new relationships and I am ecstatic to have him on the team.

If you are considering making a change or want to hear more about what we are up to please contact info@strivesearch.com

It clearly makes no sense to spend a half hour with every recruiter who calls you.  BUT….I think it is beneficial to building a relationship with at least one if not two of the recruiters who contact you.  The good ones can really help you when you need it most.  We are dialed into the hiring market and understand the ebbs and flows of the industry.  While you are on one jobsite or at home recently laid off…we are out there actively networking and making connections.  The point is, I am far more likely to go above the call of duty for a candidate with whom I have a solid relationship. 

There are great candidates out there who I have placed 2 or 3 times…..not because they are better than everyone else but because we have a relationship.  There is trust there and I feel confident in our relationship.  Build one….you might need it someday.

In sales, I use metrics all the time.  It’s how I am able to measure our performance and it can indicate how we will do in the future based on past results.  Now, that’s not going to be how the job seeker uses numbers, BUT….holding yourself to a plan and a results oriented attack will lead to improved results.

I would advise something like this:

Goals-

5 Networking calls a day to ex-colleagues and people I know in the industry

3 calls per day to hiring managers(easy to find, search VP’s in your industry on Linkedin)

Send follow-up letter(snail mail with resume) and email with resume to each VP or Hiring Manager spoken to

Set up 2 face to face lunches with people you know in the industry or new leads networked through friends

Find every networking event in my niche and attend it
Now…..do you see where this is going?  Sending out resumes is great but ultimately it’s a losing proposition.  People get jobs most of the time because of contact with someone rather than an email.  You need to network and have live conversations with hiring managers….explain your worth and sell them on your abilities.

1- What do you want to do?- Ok, you’ve been with your company for 5 years and have moved up in position throughout that time.  The question is whether or not you are on the path to your ultimate career goal?  Does your company offer the challenges and room for growth to attain that career goal?  How are you perceived there? 

If you are not being stimulated/challenged or getting access to projects which you believe will best serve your career than that is an excellent reason to look at new options.  Also, if you feel that management is keeping you in a certain position for too long, that also can be a reason to look.  Will you be better served in the same position on larger projects where you can get access to new mentors and training programs?  If the answer is yes than there is VALUE in a new position that goes beyond the weekly paycheck.

2-How is your quality of life?- America is a country where working hard is engrained in our culture.  Working weekends, late nights and driving long hours to a job can take its toll on an employee.  So, are you driving over an hour to work?  Are you working extra hours regularly but not being compensated with time off/overtime pay?  In a recent study of how jobs relate to someone’s overall happiness it was found that long commutes are the number one KILLER for an employee’s overall morale.  So, if you are driving over an hour to work, or if your office is moving further from your house…their is great value in being closer to home.

3-Fringe benefits How does your company treat its employees when it comes to benefits?  Are you contributing heavily to your healthcare plan?  Does your company offer profit-sharing/401k match/tuition reimbursement?  You may be making $100k and not realizing that you’d be making 15k more overall even if you were making $90k plus excellent benefits at another company. Smaller companies are known for offering generous base salaries but skimpy benefits.  Check around to see what the competition offers.

These are just three ideas which may help you decide whether or not it is a good idea to look for a job and whether or not you will be benefiting your career.  Keep in mind that there is a lot of value in both the dollar you pull in and the unseen perks of working for a company that will both further your career and improve your quality of life.

1-Dress For Success-  Here’s my recommendation if you are actively seeking a new job…..invest in a great suit.  Notice I wrote “invest” and not “buy”.  Big difference in my opinion.  A nice suit, well-tailored with a fresh haircut sets a tone and sends a subliminal message to the interviewer.  It works….

2-Bring 4-  That’s right.  Bring 4 copies of your resume on heavy stock resume paper.  Even if you only meet with one person you will have been prepared.  Say something like, “I’ve brought a few extra resumes here in case I will be meeting with anyone else.”  It shows initiative and preparedness.

3-Reservoir Dogs-  In the movie Reservoir Dogs an undercover cop explains to another undercover cop about how to tell a story to gain credibility among thieves.  While we’re certainly not planning a jewel heist here, we are trying to SELL a company on why you would be an asset.  The point is…..pick two or three stories about how you saved a company money, skirted disaster on a job or helped a fellow employee and know that story inside and out.  Practice telling it to people BEFORE an interview.  One of the greatest skills an excellent communicator possesses is the ability to relay a story to someone.  It connects them and gives depth to your background.

4-Bring out the Big Guns- Have your best references READY for phone calls.  Better yet, see if they will call the hiring manager after you’ve interviewed to put in a good word.  Be proactive, not reactive.

5-THANK YOU!- Within 24 hours you should have written a nice thank you letter to your interviewer.  It’s a MUST.

Finally…..I think putting a top 5 together just made me more efficient!  I hope it does the same for you…..
Brendan

With news today that employment opportunities are on the rise it’s a great time for the job seeker who may be in hibernation to come out of the cave!  Get back in touch with your recruiters, resubmit your resume to companies of interest and get out and network!  Take old colleagues to lunch, send emails out reconnecting!!!! 

Things are starting to look up….get in touch with us!  We have great opportunities for Heavy Civil professionals in NYC and in Boston.

Thanks!

I talk to at least 10 prospective job seekers a week who say something like, “Well I was making $97,000 a year at xxx company and I am not prepared to take any less.”……WRONG ATTITUDE.

The best way to think about this is to think about selling your house.  If you sold your house in 2006 you may have gotten $450k…..but with the economy now  it may be worth $400k.  SAME with you.  Owners and companies are facing major financial stress these days.  The jobs aren’t falling out of the sky as they were 4 years ago. 

So, my advice to these people is this.  If you can get interviews with solid companies, allow THEM to tell you what you are worth.  Go out there and meet with people….focus on what you can bring to the table and then decide if the company and you are a match.  Most importantly…your pride and worth are NOT always connected to your paycheck!!!!

Be Good!!

Brendan

We are pleased at Strive Search Group to be extending our reach back into the Boston building market as we are currently working with a couple of excellent contractors who are looking add strong staff members to their team.  I spent 5 years working in the Boston market early in my career before transitioning into the New York and DC markets.  We’re working hard to become the go-to Recruiting firm for the entire East Coast…..I’m sure our competition will have something to say about that!

A couple of us from Strive headed out to the Mass Building Congress networking event at The Liberty Hotel in Boston last night and it was great to exchange ideas with other industry leaders.  Probably the most interesting person we met there isn’t even really in the industry but he blew me away.  This person we will call Jay as I don’t have permission to post his real name.  Well, Jay finished Wentworth in the Spring and like most grads he’s taken to something other than his career path in order to meet the bills.  Although he’s selling shoes right now….he’s doing everything in his power to get noticed.  He walked around the event and introduced himself to everyone there….in reality he got about 30 interviews in a night.  Unlike most people who are content to stay at home and throw their hands up after sending their resume out to 30 firms, this guy was out there putting a name with the face and passing out his OWN business card. 

I was blown away by this kid and it restored my confidence in the current job seeker.  I don’t know if this guy will be working in a week but I am super confident that he will be doing GREAT things 10 years from now.  Hopefully we’ll be working with him in some capacity because he really made an impression on me.

Companies are being inundated with resumes right now. They can’t even keep up with the amount coming in and chances are your resume is landing on a pile in front of an overworked HR representative.

Two major problems come to mind with this approach:

1- The HR representative “screening” the resumes generally has little to gain from really looking at your profile and getting you an interview. They are not running a project which may be losing money because the current Superintendent is not running his/her subs correctly. Unless your resume is STELLAR(track record, school, etc) I really do not recommend general submissions. I do recommend you network to find out who is the real decision maker.

2- There is no voice to your resume. There is no one there to tell your story and provide the intangible facts that will get you in the door. Working either through a recruiter or your own contacts, you can get your story told and give a company a REASON to see you(ie- strong references, stories recounting recent successes)

My advice is two-fold. First off, find one or two recruiters you feel comfortable with and sell yourself to them. Recruiters are also inundated with resumes right now, so it is best to provide them with references and find out where they may be able to present your resume. A good recruiter will work hard for candidates they believe in. Having a good recruiter working hard is a HUGE asset in your job search.

Also—be sure to keep track of everywhere your recruiter is sending your resume. You DO NOT want to work with someone who is just blasting your resume to every company they know…..you can do that on your own!

Be sure to ask the recruiters who they DON’T work with! Our goal at Strive Search Group is to get our network BACK TO WORK regardless of whether or not we place them. You want to know what companies are presently not working with your recruiters so that you can present your information to these companies in a strategic manner.

How do you do this? Find some VP’s or Exec’s on Linkedin that work for those companies and give them a call!! Seriously….this can work to your advantage. The whole key is to SEPARATE yourself from the other 100 people who have sent their information that week.

Find a decision maker’s email and then prior to sending a resume, leave them a voicemail. Something like, “Hello Mr. Lewis, this is Brendan Ahern calling. I wanted to leave you a quick message letting you know that I will be sending you over a copy of your resume. I have been with xxx contractors for 7 years and am currently very interested in your company. Please call me back at 617-797-8843 with any questions”.

That simple!! It will not work every time but this approach will greatly enhance your chances of getting an interview.

Also—network, network…NETWORK!!! Find old colleagues and get in touch with them. Ask them if their companies are hiring and submit directly through your contact. Work hard for yourself!!!

As you can see, we try to do things a little different at Strive Search Group. We want to give advice which allows our candidates to get the best chance of getting back to work. In today’s economic climate it is VERY tough to get a job in construction and we want to see our network out there in the workforce!!

Please feel free to call or email me with any questions!!

bahern@strivesearch.com
617-797-8843