Hey There!

Welcome to Issue #70 of Jobseeking is Hard!

First, thanks to everyone who checked out my new Instagram account that I launched last week! I'm getting great feedback and appreciate all the comments and DMs. More than a few of you have expressed thanks for moving to a platform where they can like/comment on my content without their company seeing it 😅

I’m using it to share all job search memes and bad job postings that everyone always sends me. If you find a job posting with a ridiculous requirement or a meme that makes you laugh/cry, send it along for me to post!

You can find it at www.instagram.com/adamkarpiak 

This week we’re talking about:

• A jobseeking horror story about some unsolicited feedback.

• Focusing your broad background into a targeted resume.

• A scam involving random LinkedIn messages and vague job openings.

• A job board for recruiters & HR professionals.

• And 8 additional job boards suggested by our subscribers!

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking a post about including references on your resume.

• Giving you a tip on keeping the lines of communication open with a company despite a bad interview (and why you should).

• Telling you some tricks to identify LinkedIn accounts that may have been hacked.

• Answering a Premium subscriber's question about how to organize key achievements for impact. I’ll explain the thought process behind choosing which achievements to highlight.

• And I’m explaining my “above the fold” theory on how to organize an impactful resume!

Let’s get to it! But first…

STUPID INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

"Why did you apply to this position if it’s clear that you’re overqualified?"

The only correct response to this is, “Why did you invite me for an interview if you think I’m overqualified?”

I know I make jokes about playing that Reverse Uno card and turning the question back on the interviewer, but this makes no sense. Did the interviewer have nothing better to do than interview someone they thought wasn’t right for the role? I wish I had that kind of free time.

And don’t get me started on the idea of being overqualified for a job. You’d think if someone who had skills/experience above and beyond what was needed would be a plus, not a negative. Just another example of how logical thinking has no place in the job search.

Speaking of Reverse Uno, here’s one of my favorites:

"What are your thoughts on communicating with Gen Z?"

How does one even answer that? Gen Z is not a monolith! I communicate with them like humans...because they are. And I'm not too far off from Gen Z myself...

Just imagine if the question was, "What are your thoughts on communicating with Boomers?" How ageist would that be??

Whatever you do, just don’t come across as passive-aggressive by using the thumbs up emoji. 

Besides, we all know that emojis aren’t professional. 

“Do you have any children?”

You’d be surprised (ok maybe not) how many people have told me they were asked if they had children in a job interview. Because, you know, it’s absolutely relevant to your ability to successfully do your job 👍 (sorry Gen Z).

Other examples include:

“Do you plan to have more kids in the future?"

“Fine, we’ll tolerate your existing kids, BUT THAT’S IT!”

I did have one interview with a guy who started out saying, “We like to start our interviews by sharing our personal stories with each other. I’ll go first.” He then told me about his wife, kids, hobbies, and life growing up. I felt like it was a sneaky way to ask the questions they shouldn’t.

Now I’m curious…

Want to share your stupid interview questions? Reply or email [email protected] 

SPEAKING OF POLLS

Last week I asked you, “If you hated your boss, would you admit it to them?” More than 61% of you answered “H*ll no,” and I don’t blame you. Protect that paycheck!

Some of the best responses:

But my favorite was:

Well played.

COMMUNITY CATHARSIS

I was lucky to land a series of interviews with a large corporation, but during my discussions with the VP, we both concluded that I was overqualified for the available role. However, the conversation was so positive that the VP did 2 things:

1) Share her screen to search for another role in the organization and

2) Brought the Recruiting Director into the call so she could help brainstorm how to get me in there. I couldn’t believe it, and I was really excited about the prospect of working for this company. The Recruiting Director immediately sent a recommendation to a different HR Director who was hiring for a position they thought I’d be a good fit for.

The second HR person responded quickly, and we scheduled a Zoom call for the following day. About 10 minutes into waiting for the call to begin, I emailed asking if we were still on and offering to reschedule. At 20 minutes, this person got on the call and promptly informed me that they had filled the role internally and it was no longer available. “Well, it’s good to know that your organization promotes from within,” was my glass-half-full response. I then asked if they wanted to chat about my background or if we could save it for when a role opened up since the person already seemed annoyed.

They replied, “Yes, I want to talk about your resume.” They then shared it onscreen, launching into a rant about how bad it was because:

A) It was too long (It was 2 pages for my 20+ yr career) and

B) Told me, “Nobody cares about your details.”

The flogging wasn’t over. Then they shared my LI profile and ripped that apart.

This 9th Circle of Hell lasted the better part of 20 minutes.

I thanked them for their input and released myself from Purgatory.

Can you imagine an annual review with this a-hole?

Well that certainly sounds…fun.

I’m really sorry that happened to you. That sounds like quite the roller coaster of emotions, feeling really good about a company and excited to discuss a role, only to have someone trash your resume and LinkedIn profile.

The same resume that, you know, got you an interview at the company (technically 2 interviews).

And this is an excellent reminder for everyone who wants to help jobseekers: Unsolicited advice isn’t always welcomed, regardless of your intent.

Always get permission first, otherwise it can be intrusive and upsetting.

(For the record, EVERYONE cares about details on resumes.)

**Premium Subscribers! Below I’ll tell you a tip for keeping the lines of communication open with a company despite a bad interview, and why you would want to.**

If there's a jobseeking horror story *you’d* like to share, reply or email [email protected] 

HR & RECRUITING JOBS!

Attention HR and Recruiting Jobseekers!

Here’s a job board from iCIMS with >2,000 available HR and Talent roles with their customers, including 300+ remote roles! You can find the list here:

https://hrjobs.icims.com/

MORE JOBS!

A few subscribers have been kind enough to share the job boards that *they* use for their job search, so here are a few more to consider!

Built In: https://builtin.com

Otta: https://otta.com

InHerSight: https://www.inhersight.com

Teamed: https://teamedforlearning.com/instructional-design-jobs/

Climatebase: https://climatebase.org/

Conservation Job Board: https://www.conservationjobboard.com/

Green Jobs Network: https://greenjobs.greenjobsearch.org/

Green Jobs Board: https://www.greenjobsboard.us/ 

SHAMELESS PLUG

If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.

Who knows…maybe you’ll actually look forward to working on your resume, like this person 🤷‍♂️

This person has AMAZING experience…but a broad background. They didn’t know to focus on the successes that matter. Their resume was based on their overall experience, not the roles they wanted to target.

Sure, you can apply for any job. But by focusing the resume on the aspects you enjoy doing, it’s easier for the company to see your relevance to the jobs you actually want.

You want to speak to the job posting, not your overall experience. Recruiters are looking for specialists that match job descriptions, not generalists that can do the job.

Not sure how to match up your experience to the jobs you’re targeting? We can show you how your resume is being evaluated for the roles you want :)

JOB SCAMS!

LinkedIn has a serious scam problem when it comes to spam messages. I get at least 10 scam messages in my LinkedIn inbox daily. The messaging varies, but they all center around their company's hiring. I'll copy and paste the messages precisely as I received them so you can notice the typos.

(Except for redacting names. Why? Because sometimes people get their profiles hacked.)

These 2, for example are super vague, trying to get you to interact:

Be particularly mindful about those that try to get you to connect OFF of LinkedIn, like these 2:

Be vigilant when receiving these messages. Look at the profile's details. Sometimes, the individual's name in the message doesn't match the profile's name. Sometimes, the company's name mentioned in the message doesn't match the employer in the profile.

Scrutinize other areas, such as "Does it make sense that this job title is contacting me regarding a job?" For example, a Purchasing Assistant won't contact you regarding an HR Director job. Sometimes, profiles are created with the intent of scamming. Other times, profiles are hacked…I am hearing more and more about recruiters and HR professionals being hacked and sending out messages.

Report these messages as spam AND block them. LinkedIn might not take action just from your report, but if multiple people report these accounts, they will be removed. They take note of profiles with multiple reports.

And if you aren't sure? Go with your gut. Even if you can't prove it, it's not worth the risk. Just ignore it and move on.

**Premium Subscribers! Below I’ll tell you some tricks to identify accounts that may have been hacked!**

If you come across a potential scam, send it to [email protected], and I’ll warn the community. And if you’ve been a victim of a job scam, the FTC has job scam reporting resources listed here.

PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

If an achievement is listed in the Key Achievement section at the top of a resume, should it be removed from the applicable work experience below? If we're focusing on what we did, not when we did it, my concern is that the work experience would negate that.

Check out the Premium Section below for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade

AFFILIATES

NOTE: As an affiliate to these services, we will receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

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Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

PREMIUM SECTION

Hey all! Thanks for being a premium member! I hope you find the additional info helpful as you navigate your job search.

DEBUNKING CAREER CLICKBAIT

Last week, I read a LinkedIn post by an external recruiter that said you should include references on your resume. They said it was beneficial to include references because it shows that people are willing to recommend you for a job and will help your resume stand out amongst the applications.

There’s a reason why external recruiters love references: Leads.

If they are peer references, recruiters will try to use the reference call to recruit them as candidates.

If they are supervisory references, recruiters will try to use the reference call to develop them as clients.

There’s another reason recruiters and hiring managers love references: Backdoor references.

Recruiters and hiring managers will perform unofficial references on you before even scheduling an interview.

If someone wants references, make them ask. Don’t give up valuable information without even having an interview! And don’t give your references “reference fatigue.” They don’t want to answer calls about you every other day. Politely tell companies you are happy to share references after you interview and decide there is mutual interest.

Watch or read a questionable piece of career content? Send it along and I’d love to debunk it! [email protected]

Some tricks to identify LinkedIn accounts that may have been hacked:

1) Pay attention to the profile photo. If you suspect an account has been hacked, typically the profile photo has been updated to match the persona being used to catfish you.

When on someone’s profile, click on “More” next to “Connect” and “Message.” Then click on “About this profile.” Typically hacked profiles will have a profile photo that was updated within the past month.

2) For those of you in the US, Canada, and Mexico, ensure that the profile that’s reaching out to you is verified. An identity verification on your profile means that you have a valid government-issued ID, and LinkedIn’s verification partner, CLEAR, verifies it. You can read more about this here:

https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1458457

And if you still aren’t sure, contact someone in HR at the company the profile claims to work for. The company will be more than happy to confirm or deny that the opportunity presented to you is legitimate.

A tip for keeping the lines of communication open with a company despite a bad interview, and why you might want to:

Have a bad interview with a company? Who cares! No, really.

I know the natural reaction would be to think, "Screw that company," and move on. But if you have a bad interview experience with a company, especially a bad one, you still want to keep the lines of communication open with those at the company with whom you DID have a good experience.

How can you do that? Email them, thank them for the opportunity, and express regret that it didn't work out. Remember to connect with them on LinkedIn.

But you also want to let them know about the experience from your POV.

Why?

Because you don't know what notes were entered about you internally in the company's hiring system. And just like everything else relating to jobseeking, you want to control your narrative. Don't let someone tell the definitive story about you and your candidacy because that can hurt your chances for future roles with the company.

Let your contacts know that you remain interested in the company for future roles despite your less-than-pleasant experience. They'll be curious as to what happened.

Not to mention, people get new jobs and leave companies! So if the jerk, ahem, challenging interviewer ever were to leave the company, you could have a fresh start.

Plus, the people at the company you DID get along with might also get new jobs at one point, and keeping the professional lines of communication open can help you get your foot into the door at different companies.

Keep your options open and ABN - Always Be Networking!

PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

Thanks for the explanation of each resume section in the newsletter. Extremely insightful!

If an achievement is listed in the Key Achievement section at the top of a resume, should it be removed from the applicable work experience below?

If we're focusing on what we did, not when we did it, my concern is that the work experience would negate that.

Appreciate your recruiter perspective!

Hi! I’m glad you appreciated the resume info in Issue #66.

For those of you who didn’t read the issue or need a refresher, the Premium section of Issue #66 discussed how to call attention to experience relevant to the job posting when it isn’t at your current/most recent job.

Regarding the Key Achievement section, I said:

To address the question, “Should it be removed from the applicable work experience below?” No, it shouldn’t. “My concern is that the work experience would negate that.” From a recruiter’s POV, it won’t be negated by “dating” it in the Experience section.

I discussed this with a client in a recent coaching session. People consistently tell me that they struggle to look at their own experience and understand what’s important to highlight or focus on. I feel this happens for 2 reasons:

1) The candidate doesn’t fully realize their own value and what they have to offer.

2) The candidate doesn’t understand how a recruiter or hiring manager is evaluating their experience.

The idea is to cherry-pick the most essential achievements throughout your career and list them at the top of your resume. You want your resume to be top-heavy with relevance…that’s achieved when you load up the top half of the resume’s first page with value.

Are you familiar with the “above the fold” concept? I might be dating myself here with a newspaper analogy, but it helps explain how a recruiter or hiring manager reviews a resume.

From Wikipedia:

So, when you craft a Summary that highlights the skills mentioned in the job posting and then reinforce those skills by demonstrating success (the Key Achievements), by the time the reader gets to the Experience section, the reader feels you are a match based on the narrative you’ve crafted in the first half of the resume.

Ideally, the impact has already been made, and reading the experience is more of a formality.

You also want to include the mentioned successes in their corresponding experiences. Why? Because you want to demonstrate continued success. While the recruiter might not be reading the experience in detail, they do pick up on successes, and you want your resume’s experience to read success after success after success.

You can’t go wrong with success!

I hope that helps! Good luck!

If you’re a Premium subscriber and have a question about your job search, email us at [email protected] and I’ll answer it in a future issue!

That's it for now, and send in those questions! Don't forget to put "Premium" in the subject line so I can stay organized!

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions for the premium membership? Let me know! The premium tier is a work in progress, and I want to create something of real value for subscribers.

Have a good one!

-Adam