A Letter from a Baffled Hiring Manager-Part 1

by Joshua Waldman on December 11, 2009

This guest letter was written by Mark Hannan

Dear Job Seeker,interrogation4

Given the current market conditions, it is no surprise that there is ample helpful advice and information for job seekers. So, I would like to share with you a hiring manager’s perspective and ask you a favor.

Please, step outside your individual perspective and step into the shoes of the recruiter or hiring manager for a moment.

As a hiring manager, my number one goal is retention. I am not simply looking to fill an empty slot.

I am not looking to provide a temporary pit stop on applicant’s road to the perfect job. The Company has a mission and a business plan. The hiring manager’s responsibility is to find people who can join in the effort to carry out that mission and to contribute to the Company’s success in the marketplace short and long term.

The job applicant can help the hiring manager achieve his/her goal by providing evidence, not just talk, that s/he is the best choice.

The application process is your first chance to show you are a team player and that you are a serious candidate, one concerned about your new employer as much as about yourself and your interests. You have an opportunity to show the Company that you can follow directions, are sincere and serious about doing a good job, and that you have the ability to use available resources for overcoming a challenge to achieve success.

In my experience, the percentage of applicants who provide thorough, complete and correct applications is low, so you do not have to do anything “eye-catching” or extra ordinary. A simple well-written cover letter and a well organized, standard resume will stand out from the rest, believe it or not.

It Doesn’t Take Much to Make Us Happy

We all make mistakes. But, the little things like grammar, spelling, complete information and appropriate tone, signal professionalism, period.

Errors which could have been corrected with readily available tools and information (spell-check, how to’s, the Company website, articles like this) show me how you will do your job.

Your livelihood depends on you getting a job.  That’s a big thing. So, if you don’t put your best foot forward for yourself and a task as important as finding a job, you won’t be able to convince the hiring manager that you will do so for the Company.

The Cover Letter

You’ve got about 60 seconds – Go!:

Use the two or three paragraphs, the 60 seconds you have to:

a) let me know you read the job description,

b) understand the duties and responsibilities,

c) know about the Company’s mission, and

d) convey a keen sense that you know what it takes to succeed.

Isn’t getting the job your first assignment for the Company? Show me that you are serious and that you can successfully complete the task.

Please do not regurgitate the job posting in your cover letter. I wrote it so I know what it says. A specific detail or very specific, short example of your past success that will directly apply to your future success with the Company will pique my interest and encourage me to read more about you.

Stock sentences, clichés, or worse, generic cover letters can prevent your resume from even being looked at by a hiring manager. This applies to entry-level positions as well as for senior management slots.

If you plucked content from a “How to Write Cover Letters” tutorial, at best, it says you know how to copy and paste. At worst, it’s plagiarism.  Recruiters and hiring managers are reading more applications than ever and can spot lack of originality and genuineness in seconds.

We really are looking for reasons to choose you in order to reach our goal. Don’t give us any reason to dismiss your application at the first pass.

Next time we’ll talk about Crossing into New Fields, Fit, and a simple mind shift that I expect to see in my winning candidates. Stay tuned and please comment below.

__________________________________________

Mark Hannan, MA, is a Personal Narrative Strategist specializing in Solution Focused Consultations. He is currently a hiring manager for a multi-state retail chain and is responsible for hiring for all levels of the organization. Connect with Mark at mlbh@gmx.com.

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  • Mark, nice input and always good to see feedback & discussions. Question: how much job seekers and hiring managers like the application process? Do you prefer wading through dozens to hundreds of applications, or would you rather hire someone you know and trust through a direct demonstration of their skills through an informal/professional contact aka networking meeting(s)? See, the interesting thing about being an applicant is that you are at the whim of HR (whose job it is to screen out what they presume to be unqualified candidates whom they have never met), or in your example a hiring manager that's in charge of their own hiring process having to discern who is a best fit for the job. The assumption is that the first step is an application or resume, which only allows for a 2-dimensional representation of your past (makes it a little harder to communicate your brand/value statement). So, have you ever seen a professionally written application, cover letter & resume that were not developed/delivered by the applicant but a professional service? This leaves the application process open to flaws and dissatisfaction for both the applicant & the hiring manager, which won't be uncovered until the person is interviewed or hired.

    It's interesting that you say retention is your #1 concern (is that because of your industry being high turnover?). That might be a little presumptuous in the era of at-will employment. This makes for an interesting conundrum. The candidate is required to stay and be retained, yet the company has no upfront commitment to keep, retain, train, or promote the candidate for their employable lifetime. Most employees will change jobs every 2-3 years, so the statistics say that even though a candidate might want to be retained, they probably will not be retained (either be laid off, promoted, or move on). It's probably better, as a job seeker, to find out the hot buttons of the hiring manager and develop a personal/professional relationship with them prior to having the position be posted. Treat the process like a salesperson, not a blind applicant. Rather than wade through hundreds of applications and waste their time, they could go with someone they already know and trust.

    On the topic of compensation, how does it hurt the company to disclose the range up front? It's this little cat and mouse game. By establishing a range upfront, when candidates apply, the hiring manager knows they have accepted the range & if both parties decide to deviate from the range, that ought to be part of a negotiation during the hiring process (wishful thinking I guess!) Also, there are many individuals that will work for a lesser wage because of their need for income to support their family. Isn't it really up to the hiring manager and the candidate agree on the compensation & terms of the hire? If the company would disclose the wage up front, then the candidate would have a choice to accept, or not, going for the position. Have you ever heard of a hiring manager that didn't have a range or budget for a hire? In David's case, might have been better to deflect the question than to flat reject it (ie only handle the objection that's preventing you from getting the interview). It would go something like this: "Mrs. Hiring manager, that's a valid concern (acknowledge the objection). Even my current employer asked me that question. What we found during the interview process is that the fit was so good between us that we worked out the compensation within the company range (feel-felt-found technique). What range has the company established for this position? (always end with a question that puts the ball back in their court).

    The frustration heard in David's post is that he's playing the role of applicant, which has a low probability of getting hired (1%). What do they call it when you do the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result?

    Just one mans opinion(s) on the matter(s).
  • David S
    Frequently when I'm filling out an application, I am required to fill out "employment history." Here's my issue: my employment history is already on my chronological resume. Sure, I could copy what is on my resume onto the application, but that seems to be an unfair waste of time. I've tried filling this space with "See attached resume." Some hiring managers probably view this as cutting corners. I view this as common sense, but am always instructed to go through the redundant process of filling out information that is already available.

    Another hiring manager refused to interview me because I wouldn't provide my salary at my current job. I politely informed her that I didn't see how my salary history determined if I was qualified for the job that I was applying for, at which point she became extremely rude and told me I was wasting her time.

    Does anyone else have examples of hiring managers having them jump through seemingly unneccesary hoops?
  • Mark
    David,

    The answer to your question about redundant information being requested on an application form can be answered in many ways because there are several variables to consider - from the Company's perspective. And this is the perspective I am encourageing job seekers to look at and consider when applying for a job. I hope my answer, frank as it is, provides some useful insight.

    Handwritten applications are commonplace. Accurate and complete information on a form give hints about an applicant - consistency, ability to follow directions, & neatness, to name a few. Also, the application is a legal document with your signature. A resume is not.

    The application is a behavioral test too. Most jobs entail following policies and procedures that appear to be redundant and inefficient. The applicant's response to the request says more about the applicant than the words on the form.

    Consider these two approaches an applicant can take and guess which one will have a more successful interview and chance at getting hired.

    a) The applicant is miffed that s/he has to provide duplicate information, has the attitude that 8-10 minutes is an "unfair waste of time." The applicant then comes into the interview with this negative attitude and that influences his or her demeanor and responses to the interviewer. S/he complains to the recruiter or hiring manager. Or the hiring manager notes that sections were glossed over, or left blank. What do you imagine is the first impression of this applicant? The perception is that this applicant will buck the processes in place, perhaps will be that employee that questions every directive and will often have ideas about "a better way" to do things - the "know-it-all." This may not be true about the applicant but more than likely this will be the perception.

    b) The job seeker sees the application form as an opportunity to show their attention to detail, their cooperative nature, and space to add additional information about themselves and their skills that may not already be included on the resume. This applicant sees this as a second go at conveying his or her personal brand story. The attitude they walk into the interview with is positive, enthused about having an opportunity to show off their talents, team spirit and can-do approach to assigned tasks. Chances are this applicant is smiling genuinely and the interviewer's first hit of this person is a warm, open and inviting one.

    So, bottom line, the handwritten form is part of the hiring process. That isn't going to change. You want a job? Then do what it takes to get the job. Show you have a positive can-do attitude.

    Re the salary issue: The hiring manager needs a sense of your expectations for compensation. They know the range and if the applicant's range is over that then there is no point in going forward. A less confrontational way to respond to the request could be "I am hopeful that I advance far along enough in the process when we can talk more specifically about salary. I can tell you that I am comfortable somewhere in the range of $xxx.xx - $xxx.xx a year. Does this position fall within that?" The hiring manager will appreciate the applicant's diplomacy skills and will be able to gauge if it is reasonable to move ahead with the process.

    There are a lot of things about work and life that we don't like doing, that we do see any sense to, that we don't have control over. What we do have control over is how we approach such challenges and frustrations.

    Remember, the human mind cannot hold two opposing thoughts at one time. So if you have a negative thought going on, there is no room for a positive thought to come in. Conversely, if you hold a positive thought you create a higher potential for continued positivity.

    I hope this has been helpful and useful for you, David.
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