Hey There!

Welcome to Issue #74 of Jobseeking is Hard!

This week we’re talking about:

• Stupid interview questions

• A jobseeking horror story about having an offer rescinded after you give notice

• How to focus your resume on what’s important to the recruiter when you have a lot of information to work with

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

• A scam involving fraudulent resume writers

• And a special offer for $100 off Coursera Plus in the Affiliates section!

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking some clickbait about a phrase you should avoid on your resume and LinkedIn profile

• Giving you advice on how to handle having an offer rescinded after you give notice

• And I'm answering a Premium subscriber's question about requesting recommendations on LinkedIn. Do they even matter? I'll give you 4 key points about requesting recommendations, explaining who you should ask and why...and who you shouldn't ask. I'm also giving you a low-pressure script to avoid awkwardness and keep your job search confidential.

Let’s get to it!

STUPID INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

"How would you feel if we switched the salary to commission only?"

I imagine this is how the interviewer looked when asking:

“If you won the lottery tonight, would you come into work tomorrow?”

“If you had a choice between being invisible or flying, which would you choose?”

This is a tough choice. As an introvert I’m going with invisibility. I can easily avoid small talk but still go where I want. Plus, think of the money you’ll save by not buying clothes.

Now I’m curious…

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

SPEAKING OF POLLS

Last week I asked you, “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” With 44% of the vote, “Yes, a delicious one” won. All of the variations of “Yes” won 61% of the vote in total.

Some of the best responses:

But my favorite was:

“Violently Against Weiners” sounds like a great band name or a fantasy football team.

COMMUNITY CATHARSIS

I applied for a Senior Manager of Software Development position with a large company. The next day, a recruiter reached out to set up a time to talk.

I had 3 rounds of interviews: the first with the recruiter, the next with the hiring manager, a Director, and the last with her boss, an "Executive."

They asked decent questions, and I asked great questions in each interview. We got along nicely and really hit it off.

6 days later, I received a verbal job offer for 6% more pay than my last role. I accepted the offer.

8 days later, my background check cleared, and I gave my 2-week notice to my current employer that I was leaving to pursue a new career.

5 days later, my new manager called me to discuss the equipment they were going to send me (laptop, monitor, etc.). It was a pleasant conversation.

2 days later, I got an automated email saying, "Thank you for your interest in the position with our Company. After consideration of your application, we are unable to move forward with you as a candidate."

After that last email, I was a little nervous. I sent the recruiter an email asking if we were still good to go for my start date. She replied that we were good to go.

My new boss's boss then connected with me on LinkedIn.

2 days later (NOTE - 2 days before my start date), the recruiter left me a voicemail indicating that the job had been rescinded.

We had a very contentious phone call later that day. I was in shock, to say the least. I received no formal communication in an email about the job being rescinded.

I emailed my current boss about my situation and asked if they'd consider keeping me on or extending me. They agreed to extend me for 3 more weeks, but they weren't sure if they could do anything else. The person who was to replace me wasn't due to start until what would have been 3 days after I left, so they wanted me to stick around to transition to him.

I asked my boss if she'd be willing to rescind the job offer to that guy they hired to replace me and keep me. She said that would be unethical and she wouldn't do that.

Good response, but I was disappointed.

The next day (the day before my start date), I emailed my hiring manager to ask her what the plan was for Monday. I was testing the waters to see if this was real or a mistake. I got no reply.

On the day that was to be my start date, I left a voicemail with my hiring manager asking her what the plan was for today.

I sent a LinkedIn message to my boss's boss indicating I was happy to connect with him, but given our circumstances, I asked him why he even wanted to connect with me. He never replied, and at some point, he has since unfriended me on LinkedIn.

I finally got a formal email from HR on my start date indicating the job has been rescinded. They also said they knew I called my manager and that I didn't need to do that.

So, I'm out of work as a result of this rescinded offer, and I'm deep into the job hunt again. I've heard of jobs being rescinded but never knew anyone it happened to. I would have never dreamed it would happen to me.

A lot of people say I dodged a bullet on this one. Maybe so.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. This is the #1 fear any working professional has when accepting a new role- having an offer rescinded after giving notice.

I know offer letters aren't binding, and most employment is at-will, but there should be some penalty or legal recourse for situations like this. You were professional and gave your employer notice. You did everything you were "supposed" to, and what do you have to show for it? Anxiety, panic, and no income. It really makes you rethink the whole concept of "giving notice." It leaves you in limbo, counting the days until you start your next role.

You absolutely dodged a bullet, but that's a minor consolation prize. Keep at it. I'm pulling for you!

**Premium Subscribers! Below, I'll give you advice for handling situations like this in your job search!**

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

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 it’ll help your resume be 100% better so you can get a great new job like this person 🤷‍♂️

How did I help this Premium Edit client? 3 words- 1) Focus 2) Focus 3) Focus

You can have the greatest background in the world, but if you don't get to the point, no one will take the time to figure it out. Getting interviews is tricky if someone isn't taking the time to read your resume. You can't bury the relevance amongst the entirety of your experience, including the irrelevant bullet points and unnecessary storytelling.

Look, I have no absolute rules when it comes to resumes. Anyone that does, like "Must be X pages!" or "Don't list hobbies!" either:

A) Doesn't understand the nuances involved in hiring.

or

B) Doesn't know what they don't know.

You can have a resume that's 2.5 or even (gasp!) 3 pages that WILL be read....as long as you get to the point. You want the focus of your resume to be relevant. A storytelling narrative takes too long to read, so setting the stage with impactful relevance early is critical. You want to utilize a structure that easily distinguishes duty, accomplishment, and leadership experiences that matter to the roles you're applying for.

"How do I know what matters? How do I know what the company is looking for?" You can look at the job posting to see what they are precisely looking for. Then, make sure your relevance shows. Does it take time? Yes. But there's also a higher return on investment when you send targeted resumes, so it's time well spent.

Not sure how to highlight relevance for the roles you're targeting? We can show you how a recruiter is evaluating you :)

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

I’d rather write a cover letter

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

JOB SCAMS!

“I've observed that you may be currently exploring new career opportunities. Am I correct in this assumption?”

How many of you have received messages like this on LinkedIn?

If you’re #OpenToWork, you probably get 10 messages like this daily from resume writers and career coaches, offering their services to help you “beat the ATS” and get you hired faster.

Side note: I’ve never understood the practice of resume writers and career coaches sliding into your DMs when you post/comment/like content about jobs on LinkedIn. It feels sleazy, like ambulance chasing. Plus, if they have that much time to chase down sales, they probably don’t have much of a workload…which is concerning. You want a busy resume writer/career coach. That means they’re getting referrals from satisfied clients.

This is actually the first time a resume writer has reached out to me to solicit their services, so I went to check out their profile. I wanted to know more about them and was curious exactly how bad they were at prospecting, which led them to me. 

You should look at these things when evaluating resume writers and career coaches. Let’s count the red flags:

1) Doesn’t have a verified account. I wouldn’t recommend giving money to anyone who doesn’t have a verified identity on LinkedIn.

2) Their account was created within the past month. Always look at the “About this profile” information.

3) Their profile photo was updated within the past month.

4) They are located in American Samoa, but they say they are the HR Director of a company located in Milan, Italy. Look, I’m all for remote work, but that seems…odd. So, I clicked on the company profile and looked at all the employees. They were all located in Italy, so it seems odd that their HR Director wasn’t,

5) Under the education, it stated they got a BBA in HR from Multiverse. Again, since I’m curious, I wanted to see what Multiverse was. It turns out they don’t offer BBAs or any HR coursework at all. Oh, and the profile said they got their degree in 2015. Multiverse wasn’t founded until 2016.

After seeing all of this, I sent them a message asking about these discrepancies. They blocked me.

Long story short, literally anyone can create a LinkedIn profile and list any qualifications they wish. If something feels off, don’t ignore it. Do your due diligence and check for red flags before you give anyone money or your personal information. 

And yes, I sent a message to the real HR Director and told her about the fraudulent profile. Don’t forget to report fake profiles to LinkedIn so they can shut them down!

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

I was watching a video with tips for getting noticed on LinkedIn. One tip was to have employees you’ve worked with give you a positive review on LinkedIn. But have it be from someone above your role. What would be the most courteous way to ask for one?

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 post about using "Fractional" to describe yourself if you are a consultant or own an LLC and work with several clients at once—you know, like a "Fractional CMO" or "Fractional CFO."

The post advised against using the phrase, arguing one definition of "fractional" means "little" or "insignificant," and by using it, you are devaluing yourself, like calling yourself an insignificant CFO.

This person fails to understand that words have multiple definitions and that "fractional" is an appropriate phrase to use in business.

Fractional professionals offer their services to organizations for a fraction of their time. You are providing services to multiple companies for less than FT each.

I guess sometimes you need to let people use their exclamation points and vent.

You do you.

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

How to handle having an offer rescinded after you give notice:

You absolutely want prospective employers to know that you are unemployed because you had an offer rescinded. Of all the hiring biases out there, one of the most prevalent is the “unemployment bias,” meaning hiring managers would prefer to hire a currently employed candidate. Why? Because if they were good, they wouldn’t be unemployed.

Short-sighted, right?

So, to avoid this, I would actually address this. Twice.

1) Add this information to your resume so it can’t be missed. In the past, I have discussed not listing why you left jobs on your resume, but this is a particular circumstance (See? No absolutes!). If it wasn’t for this company pulling the rug out from under you, you would still be employed (And, yes, I know the same goes for laid-off workers, but listing that leads to the “layoff bias” that good employees aren’t laid off.) I would list it as the first bullet point for the company:

NOTE - I was recruited to a new company, and after giving notice, the offer was rescinded due to no fault of my own.

It’s important to note “due to no fault of my own,” so anyone reading the resume doesn’t assume you failed a background check or got a bad reference.

2) I’d also add it to the end of a cover letter to reiterate why you are looking for a new role in this market. Explain that you were approached for a great role that convinced you to leave your current role, and if this never occurred, you’d still be working for your old employer. Then transition from a negative to a positive focus: Tell the reader why this opportunity is perfect for you.

PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

I was watching a video with tips for getting noticed on LinkedIn. One tip was to have employees you’ve worked with give you a positive review on LinkedIn. But have it be from someone above your role. What would be the most courteous way to ask for one?

I felt requesting from a former employee was safest, too.

Great point! Recommendations have lots of value in networking and recruiting. Yes, skills endorsements can be helpful (remember, recruiters can see your top skills based on the number of endorsements), but someone taking the time to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn for the public to see is really important.

A few key points:

1) I suggest getting recommendations from people you reported to. Recommendations from superiors are great social currency, impressing potential employers and recruiters with your work ethic and ability from a managerial POV.

2) But don’t leave out peers, people who reported to you, or people you unofficially supervised. Anyone whom you have supervised, trained, or mentored along the way would be great to include. They can attest to your leadership abilities or ability to overcome problems as a team.

3) If you're client-facing, remember to include some client contacts to demonstrate your ability to earn customer satisfaction.

4) When requesting recommendations, beware of asking colleagues who still work at your current company. You never want to raise suspicion that you're looking for a new role. Instead, consider asking those who have left the company.

And this is what I'd say:

Notice you aren’t explicitly stating you are looking for a new job. If you are currently employed, you want to keep the search confidential. Don’t trust anyone.

If you’re unemployed, feel free to mention how it’ll help your job search with Easy Apply and recruiter outreach.

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