Learn from past job decisions and own them
Dear J.T. & Dale: The past five years have been awful! I have over 30 years of experience in manufacturing. I am dedicated, quick to learn and hardworking, but none of my past several jobs have worked out, lasting from three months to 1½ years. In my defense, I “dummied down” for positions because I needed the income to pay my bills. I am so disappointed that at this stage in my life (50), I am unemployed and struggling. Advice? — Ron
DALE: Ron sent us lengthy explanations of what had gone wrong in each job, ranging from a promised promotion that didn’t happen to an owner with mental problems. His most recent job ended with an email sent at 9 p.m. telling Ron he was “not a good fit for company” and letting him go. So, Ron, we understand how you’d be discouraged.
J.T.: And we appreciate your honesty about taking jobs you felt were beneath your experience level in order to pay the bills. Now, going forward, if you could write a moral to the story of your past five years, what would it be? What have you learned from this experience and how would you do things differently? I think it’s really important to get clear on that so you can articulate it in interviews and build a strategy for connecting with the right types of employers. I’ve seen a lot of midcareer folks like yourself where desperation caused them to take roles that only made the situation worse. To break the cycle, you need to own your actions and be accountable for what choices you made. People in your network will appreciate the honesty and humility and be more willing to help you! DALE: As you network toward new job possibilities, you’ll need to turn financial pressure into energy for a better job search. It’s possible to be both desperate and picky. You do that by learning to rapidly research each prospective company and its owners and to use social media to find people who’ve left the company and can fill you in on what it’s like to work there. (Remember: Good companies want to hire people who do this type of research.) Then there’s another issue to consider: your belief that the jobs were beneath you. When you “dummied down,” did you also shrink your efforts and attitude? Here’s an important principle: Every job is a chance to earn a better job. That includes lousy ones. Your work should be better than the job — that’s how you get promoted, and that’s also how you earn the right to work for a great company.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve found that there are some companies that require various types of testing in the first round of interviewing. Could you give me some tips on how to prepare for them? — Larisa
J.T.: I can’t give you specific advice, because each type of test is different. Further, each company is looking for something different in the results. My best advice is to imagine that you own the company you are applying to. What kind of answers would you want to see? Mostly ones that show you would look out for the company and do your best to make it thrive. If you can think like an owner, your answers will be more in alignment with what they want. All that said, don’t make up answers you think they want to hear. The key is to be honest, and if you aren’t a match, then it’s likely not the right place for you!
DALE: You can, however, get in some test practice, especially if the company will describe to you the type of testing it employs. Even if they won’t, you can learn about testing and be better prepared to jump in and do well. I found a website done by a British company that has sample
questions and some good little educational videos — it’s at assessmentcentrehq.com. (Note the spelling of “centre.”) You can pay to become a member and get lots of practice tests, but the free stuff will get you mentally prepared to handle any surprise.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators’ Lab. Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Fl, New York, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2018 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.