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My Top 3: Indispensable Job Search Tools

5/23/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Job Search Challenges

When you're looking for a new role, there is a lot to do to help move your job search along. Getting your resume where you want it to be, tracking application progress, and scheduling meetings with others can take a lot of time and effort. Here are three excellent tools to help manage, streamline, and optimize your job search. 

​The tools mentioned here all have a robust set of features in the free version with the option to pay for additional functionality. I'll focus on currently available features included as a part of the free version. ​Links for each tool are included in the "Learn More" section. 

Teal: Tracking Applications and Customizing Your Resume

Teal is helpful in multiple aspects of my job search. Teal enables me to save jobs of interest, evaluate highlighted qualifications, and track my application progress with roles.

Here is how I use Teal in my job search:
​​
  • When I search for jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed, I use the Teal Chrome extension to bookmark roles of interest, which creates a record in Teal. 
  • Then, I read each job description, review keywords included in the listing, and prioritize jobs by rating them from one to five stars. 
  • Next, I use the keywords Teal highlights to customize my resume for the specific position. 
  • Then, after applying, I update my status in Teal to Applied and include any details in the notes. 
  • As I progress through the interview process, I update my job search status, add notes, and include details (like salary range and key people involved in the hiring process) to keep all information for each position in one place. 

Teal continues to evolve and add new features--and offers much more than I currently use. This is the cornerstone of how I track my current job-searching activities. 

Calendly: Managing Meeting Scheduling

Meeting with people during your job search can be very valuable. Whether you're meeting to learn more about a company, find out what tasks one does in a given line of work, or catch up with a former corworker, streamlining your scheduling process is a big timesaver. 

Enter Calendly. You can create a Calendly account, add your personal branding, and add language to describe yourself and what you want. You can also link Calendly with your Google Calendar and your webinar account (like Zoom or Google Meetup). Without paying an additional cost, you can select one free meeting type. I use the half-hour meeting, and I call mine "Virtual Coffee." It’s also helpful because our meeting can last as long as it needs to last (beyond that specified half hour) with no issues.

Within Calendly, you can set up your available days and times, choose how far out in the future people can schedule a meeting with you, and even decide how many meetings you are open to having on a given day. In addition, you can select the mode of the meeting (phone or online) and include a few questions to help clarify the goals of the meeting.

Here is how I use Calendly in my job search:
​
  • When one of my LinkedIn connections expresses interest in meeting, I send them a link to my Calendly calendar. This eliminates the 2-10 messages we would otherwise send back and forth to determine when to meet.
  • They select a time that works for them from the times I provide that I know work for me. They also let me know if they would prefer to meet via Zoom or Phone, provide their contact information, and answer a couple of questions on the purpose of our meeting. 
  • Calendly sends each of us a meeting invitation, including the details they specified. If we're having a webinar, Calendly includes webinar information in the meeting request. 
  • Calendly has features to enable either of us to cancel or reschedule the meeting as needed. 
  • I include my Calendly link on the top of my resume alongside my other contact information to make it easier for a possible hiring manager or recruiter to find a time for us to talk. 

​Calendly automates key components of scheduling. With a minor setup on the front end, I can spend less time finding a meeting time and more time on other valuable job searching and networking tasks.

Grammarly: Clarifying Your Communications

Your job search is all about communicating your value to hiring managers and recruiters. Ensuring your writing is clear and correct is essential to demonstrate your professional value and credibility. Enter my new best friend, Grammarly. This spelling and grammar checker goes above and beyond what you may already have in word processing or email platforms. I run any communication I will put in front of job-searching influencers through Grammarly.

Here is how I use Calendly in my job search:
​

  • Each time I write or customize an email, I run it through Grammarly. It catches the times when I update a sentence to make it more applicable to a specific employer but forget to include enough of the right words to make an actual sentence. 
  • Each time I update my resume, I do one last Grammarly check to ensure I'm using the correct word and that it hangs together. I also remind Grammarly in that case that my statements are written correctly.
  • Each time I make a social media post, especially if I'm thinking and commenting as I write, to ensure that my final product is in actual human-readable sentences. 

Even this English major appreciates having Grammarly as a second set of eyes (or, in this case, AI) to polish my writing. 

Learn More

  • Teal
  • Calendly
  • Grammarly
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Learning About Yourself To Tell Your Story: Saboteurs

5/16/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Learning About Yourself

Whether you’re considering making a career change, are currently in the midst of a job transition, or want to be more effective in your role, increasing your self-knowledge is a great place to start. 

A Good Starting Point: Values and Strengths

In other articles here on The Layoff Lady, I’ve outlined ideas for exploring your values and discovering your strengths. Knowing more about what you truly value and what you are good at will help you think about the why, what, and how of the type of work you are driven to do. Reflecting on your findings will also help you have better conversations about your skillset and what motivates you personally and professionally.

A Solid Next Step: Discovering Your Saboteurs 

 It’s incredible how our strengths and values also show up when we are in challenging situations—often in good ways, but sometimes in more destructive ways. Learning about how you can get in your own way is a valuable strategy for making better decisions when you’re mid-crisis.

Enter Shirzad Chamine. He is a professor, professional coach, and the author of the best-selling book Positive Intelligence. He introduces strategies for how to be mindful of what we know (IQ) our overall emotional intelligence (EQ), and how to leverage our positive intelligence (abbreviated as  PQ). The end result is learning to be more effective and increase our overall.

Nine Ways We Self Sabotage (According to Positive Intelligence)

Here arer the nine saboteurs outlind in Positive Intelligence listed in alphabetical order along with my brief description of each:
  1. Avoider: Nope. Not dealing with it. Hey—look over there!
  2. Controller: I’m scared and taking charge! I’m impatience and I will run over everyone else to fix this.
  3. Hyper-achiever: I will work day and night with no breaks to finish all the things by myself.
  4. Hyper-rational: I’m going to logic my way out of this no matter whose stupid feelings get hurt.
  5. Hyper-vigilant: I’m fighting any and all possible catastrophes non-stop. Sleep is for the weak.
  6. Pleaser: I’ll make these people like me even if I make myself sick doing it.
  7. Restless: That other thing looks cool. And that one. And that one. So many shiny things!
  8. Stickler: I’m going to get this all exactly right to the letter if it takes me all night and day.
  9. Victim: Fix my problems because I can’t (or won’t). I’ll be over her brooding and suffering.

Yikes. We're certanly not our best selves when we show up this way. Let's look at how you can identify your saboteurs and use that information to improve how you show up.

About The Assessment To Find Your Top Saboteurs 

Set aside time to take the 9 Ways We Self Sabatoge Assessment from Positive Intelligence. The assessment takes 5-10 minutes to complete. In addition, I suggest giving yourself 30-45 minutes to review your results and reflect. 

This assessment consists of 45 questions. Each question includes of a statement, and you'll rate your agreement with that statement on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The directions encourage you to answer each question relatively quickly and go with your initial response. 

The final 7 questions are about demographics and finding out where they will send your assessment results. 

Your Assessment Results

The results you receive include a ranking of your top sabateurs and your score for each. In addition, you will receive the following information about each of your saboteurs:
​
  • Basic Description
  • Characteristics
  • Thoughts
  • Feelings
  • Justification Lies
  • Impact On Self and Others
  • Original Survival Function

Reviewing Your Results

I find these types of assessments fascinating. As someone who is committed to ongoing professional development, I appreciate getting insights that might be hard for someone else to share. These insights are valuable, and also help me understand why I do what I’m doing as well as helping me to recognize those non-helpful patterns so I can adjust my approach going forward.

Not at all surprising to me, my top three saboteurs are as follows:

  1. Controller, 8.1
  2. Hyper-Achiever, 7.5
  3. Restless, 5.6

My Initial Reflections On My Results

Here were my initial thoughts as I saw my top three identified saboteurs: 
​
  • Controller: In other assessments, Bold and Driver have been my identified characteristics. I'm someone who tends to keep things to the point, hold people accountable, and help move projects forward. Consequently, under stress, that tendency to lead a project may become overly tight-fisted control. Not good.
​
  • Hyper-Achiever: Achiever is on my top CliftonStrengths, so it makes sense that I may have a tendency to overfocus on that strenght and work to personally achieve my way out of a situation. 
​
  • Restless: I'm always excited about learning new things, and my brain is always going a million miles an hour. On the flip side, this means I sometimes take on too many new things or even interrupt myself mid-flow to work on something else because of an idea I can not clearly articulate yet. ​

My Additional Reflections On My Results

Under Controller, here are a few statements resonated with me from the details included  within my report:
​
  • Characteristic: “Comes alive when doing the impossible and beating the odds.” Most definitely. I am SO the person who digs being able to solve the unsolvable problem. Never tell me the odds!
 
  • Thought: “If I work hard enough I can and should control the situation so it goes my way.” Whereas some people need to be motivated to do more to solve a problem, I needed to learn when to stop and either let someone else jump in or realize it might not be readily fixable. I appreciated the reminder.
 
  • Feeling: “Angry and intimidating when others don’t follow.” In my area of expertise, I get pushy and controlling when we’re up against the wire and something needs to get resolved. Earlier career, I never realized that my determination and confidence in getting something done was perceived as intimidating. However, after learning that a bunch of my daughter’s friends were scared to death of me when they were little, I realized I need to be mindful of how my determination comes off to others.  

Reflecting on Your Results

  • Which results resonated most with you? Why?
  • Which results were surprising to you?
  • Reflect on times you reacted in a way aligned with your results. How might you do that differently now?
  • What are ways that you can recognize a possible sabotuer and adjust to improve the impact of your reactions?

Learn More

  • Positive Intelligence book by Shirzad Chamine 
  • Positive Intelligence: 9 Ways We Self Sabotage Assessment 
  • The Layoff Lady: Learning  About Yourself To Tell Your Story – Values 
  • The Layoff Lady: Learning  About Yourself To Tell Your Story - Strengths 
  • Han Solo Never Tell Me The Odds Video Clip
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Prioritizing Job Applications

5/9/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

So Many Openings!

​Depending on your chosen field, and your desired work arrangements, there are a lot of jobs for which you could apply. While remote work availability gives us many more work options, figuring out how to prioritize open positions can be overwhelming.

Here is my process for evaluating open roles and prioritizing those which I will submit an application. 

Searching for Available Jobs

As of this article's original publication date, I just searched on Indeed.com for the job title Training Specialist. This search generated these results: 
  • 43 jobs listed within 25 miles of Omaha, NE.
  • 588 jobs categorized as remote. 
​
By any stretch of the imagination, I cannot apply for 631 jobs this week. 

Time to Apply and Available Time

Once I decide to apply for a given role, I take about 30 minutes to research the company, customize my resume, and complete my formal application. In a given week, there are 7 days, which is 168 hours. There are not enough hours in a week for me to apply for that many jobs.

Even if I somehow managed not to eat, sleep, or do even the most basic self-care, I could only apply for 336 jobs. 

Closer to the realm of feasibility, if I decided to dedicate a full 40 hours per week solely to applying for jobs, I could apply for 80 jobs—but definitely not well. There are also so many other valuable activities (meeting people and professional development being two of the most important) to be done during job searching that this is probably not the best way to spend 40 hours. Working this long and this hard can also put you on the fast track to burnout.

Even dedicating 20 hours solely to applying for jobs, possibly meaning you could apply for 40 jobs in a given week, is most likely overkill.

More Is Not Necessarily Better

​The more jobs I try to apply for in rapid succession, the less effective I am. While applying for jobs is in some respects, a numbers game, it’s not as easy as applying to all the jobs and knowing that one will work out. This strategy often causes people to waste time applying for roles where they are not very qualified.

A better strategy is to prioritize jobs that are the best match for your skills and what you want and focus on applying for those well. Instead of solely applying for jobs, spend time building your skills, making new connections, and planning for contingencies. 

In any given week, my goal is usually to apply for three jobs. However, if I see several great opportunities or have not searched for a job in a while, I may apply for as many as six. Beyond that, though, my application quality suffers. ​

Prioritizing Applications

​To apply for jobs well, you need to determine the best way to prioritize your applications. Instead of the “spray and pray” approach, think through what you want and apply with more purpose. This approach favors quality over quantity and will help you focus your efforts on where you can get better overall results for your time investment.

Step 1:  Know Key Characteristics of What You Want

Early in your job search, it’s essential to do at least a little soul-searching and be able to articulate what you want. This may include revisiting your values, identifying your strengths, and thinking about the work you want to do.
 
For example, earlier career Brenda would have a list something like this on what she wanted from a role:

  • Training specialist or related position.
  • Within 25 miles of home or 100% remote with up to 25% travel.
  • Full-time role with benefits and within my established salary range.
  • Opportunities for promotion and advancement.
  • Working in the software, finance, healthcare, or insurance industry.
  • I would rather focus on training design and delivery than only delivering training that other people have designed.
  • I would prefer not to have my main focus be compliance training, developing eLearning, LMS administration, resolving help desk tickets, writing technical documentation, dealing with customer complaints, or recordkeeping.

Having a stated list of preferences, and continuing to hone it as you learn more, is your first step in determining which jobs to target. 

Step 2: Narrowing Your Search

Let's go back to those 631 search results from my Training Specialist searches. By adding additional search parameters, we can narrow our results to jobs that  more specifically meet our specified criteria:

Starting with those 43 roles in Omaha: 
  • Specifying a full-time role takes me down to 37 jobs
  • Putting quotes around "Training Specialist" (to specify those actual words need to be in my results) takes me down to 19 jobs
  • Showing only jobs posted within the last two weeks takes me down to 12 jobs

Starting with those 588 remote jobs:
​
  • Specifying a full-time role takes me down to 391 jobs
  • Putting quotes around "Training Specialist" (to specify those actual words need to be in my results) takes me down to 102 jobs
  • Showing only jobs posted within the last two weeks takes me down to 45 jobs

Step 3: Quick Job Listing Review

Now that I have a more reasonable number of jobs to go through (12 and 45--57 total), I start to do a cursory review of the short descriptions of each role. 

No
  • I rule out these jobs because the job titles show the roles are outside of my area of focus: Cement Manufacturing Safety Training Coordinator, Auto Glass Repair Specialist (Paid Training), and Clinical Training Specialist (for a registered nurse).
  • I rule out one because it is a longer commute than I want, one requires a license I do not have (or want to pursue) and one in a field that doesn't interest me. 
  • I rule out a few because the stated salary is significantly outside of my target salary range. 

Yes
  • Those that appeal to me at a glance, I add to TealHQ. Teal is a free service to track jobs, note progress on applications, and make notes on interactions. One feature I especially like with Teal is that when you add a job, it notes keywords included in the job descriptions and any listed salary range.
  • I add jobs including Technical Training Specialist I-III (remote/Hybrid), Commercial Lines Training Specialist, and a few Training Specialist roles.
  • ​For now, I add jobs that interest me into TealHQ. However, I err on the side of adding something for further consideration.

I have now reduced the number of jobs that interest me to 31 roles.

Step 4: More Detailed Job Listing Review

Now that I have those 31 jobs in Teal, I look more closely at the following:
​
  • Identifying the work arrangements (onsite, hybrid, remote) and comments about these within the job description.
  • Ensuring I have the required and many top skills listed.
  • Assessing if the roles look like a good overall fit.
  • Noting any information about salary range.

I remove jobs where I am not eligible. This includes the following:

  • A required credential I don't currently possess or want to pursue.
  • A hybrid role in a state where I do not live. 
  • An organization who can not hire someone who lives in my current state of residence.

I remove jobs with anything that might be a dealbreaker for me. This includes the following:

  • A focus area that doesn't appeal to me.
  • A commute that I won't be happy with longer term. 
  • A job description that asks for a wide variety of skills with a low salary.

For the remaining jobs, I give them an initial rating of 1-5 stars and make notes on any areas I might want to explore further.

I now have 18 jobs in Teal. 

Step 5: A Little More Research

Next, I investigate a few things outside of the immediate job descriptions. 

  • I visit LinkedIn and see if I know anyone with a specific company who could give me additional information, put in a good word for me, or refer me for a role.
  • For a remote role that doesn't include a list of eligible states, I search LinkedIn to see if a remote company has people currently living in my state of residence. This may indicate if they can hire people in my state.
  • I follow the company on LinkedIn and follow anyone involved in the hiring process.
  • I click the apply link to ensure it works, the position is still open, and they are still accepting applications.
  • I do a quick Google News search on the organization to see if and how they show up in the news. 
​
Now, I have 13 jobs In Teal.

Step 6: Customize a Resume and Prepare to Apply

​From the 13 jobs I have listed, I will apply for the jobs I'm most excited about and continue to reassess other openings listed. I will also add, remove, reprioritize, and take notes on specific roles as needed. 

Learn More

  • The Layoff Lady: Career Planning - Figuring Out What You Want To Be Next 
  • TealHQ.com
  • The Layoff Lady: Job Listing Challenges - Remote, Hybrid, and Onsite Labels
  • The Layoff Lady: Let's Talk Money - Your Target Salary Range
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Let's Talk Money: Your Target Salary Range

5/2/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Your Salary Requirements

Most of us work so we can pay for our lives. When you are job searching, it’s important to determine your target salary range to make your job search more effective. 

​​Having this information will help you prioritize which jobs to apply for and help you have those early salary conversations. Let’s look at a few strategies for answering the question, “What are your salary requirements?”

Start With Your Target Roles

First, ensure you’ve done the requisite amount of soul-searching to determine what you want to be next in your career. Have a list of what you want to do, possible job titles, relevant skills, core responsibilities, daily activities, focus areas, types of companies, and industries. Having these details on your desired job will help as you start to do salary research. 

The Disclaimer

While I feel comfortable discussing various financial and insurance concepts, I do not currently hold a license or any certification that deems me inherently qualified to give financial advice. The information provided here is intended to be used for educational purposes only. 

Sometimes, the core challenge is knowing how a system generally works, the terms used to describe what you’re asking about, and where to go for additional help. My goal for this article is to share information to guide you as you navigate the murky waters of  job searching. I hope my personal experiences can help you cut a path through the wilderness as you try to figure out your next steps.

Feel free to take my recommendations or not. Whatever you do, double-check my facts--and everyone's purported facts, for that matter. This is your life, and you will care more about your financial and healthcare decisions than anyone else. Use this information as a starting point for further research as you ultimately decide what’s right for you.

Identify Your Priorities

Now that you understand your target job and what that looks like, think about what you value in a job. 

For example, some may prioritize having a specific job title, receiving tuition reimbursement money to earn their next credential, and opportunities for a promotion within the company. Another person may prioritize having interesting work while also having schedule flexibility, the ability to work remotely most days, and low health insurance premiums. Still another person may prioritize alongside colleagues in an office, having the opportunity to mentor new employees, and finding a job they can keep for the next 20 years. Think about what is the most important to you.

​In addition, think about what you value in an employer.  Working for a non-profit, government entity, start-up, family business, or Fortune 500 company will have salary, benefit, job security, and total compensation-related implications.

Overall, think about what matters to you, and be aware of the salaries that align with your overall job preferences.

Factors That Influence Your Target Salary Range

When considering your salary requirements, I suggest using a range instead of one specific number. Let’s look at strategies for determining your target salary range. 

​Here are numbers you might have in mind that could impact your range:

  • What you need to make to pay your core monthly bills
  • The absolute minimum salary you are willing to accept
  • What you need, based on your budget, savings plan, and financial goals
  • The minimum salary you would happily accept
  • What you’ve made previously
  • What colleagues make
  • What you’ve seen listed in current job postings
  • What you think you are worth
  • What would you like to make
  • What you’d be really excited about 
  • Your dream salary

I suggest the salary range you share with potential employers includes the lower number that is the minum salary you would happily accept and the maximum number is what you'd be really excited about. 

What Companies Are Paying

Knowing what companies are paying for what you do should also factor in to your target salary range. Here are a few strategies for finding out more:

Search For Open Positions in States With Pay Transparency Laws

Take these steps to find out what open positions are paying:
​
  1. Search for your target job title and details in a major city in a state with pay transparency laws. I often search for San Francisco, CA or Denver, CO. 
  2. Find positions that most closely match your target job and details.
  3. Make a note ofthe minimum and maximum salary range numbers, and any descriptors the company has on what qualifications would push a candidate towards the upper end of the salary range.
  4. As needed, use a Cost of Living calculator to adjust the minum and maximum numbers for each role. Make a note of these numbers. 
  5. Repeat this process a few times to identify trends. 

Research Your Job Title and Geographic Location

Many websites have salary information. Two that come highly recommended by recruiters are Salary.com and Payscale.com. In fact, Salary.com has a Know Your Worth calculator where you can add details like your job title, location, education level, and years of experience and see the impact each factor has on your potential market value. 

Ask Around

Find out from other job searchers, recruiters, and hiring managers what salaries companies are paying for specific roles. You can also inquire with professional development organizations to see if there are industry or job-specific studies available that include salary-related information. 

Confounding Factors

Here are a few factors that might make this process challenging:

  • Salaries vary by industry, geographic region, job title, and individual company.
  • Not all companies (even those that are legally required to do so) always publish salary information on job postings.
  • During the application or interview process, companies may ask you for your salary requiements before you know their target salary range.
  • Some companies adjust salaries by geographical area for the same role, while others do not.
  • Titles are not used consistently across organizations. Titles may have varying responsibilities as well as salary levels.
  • Company benefits can range from few and expensive to plentiful and low-cost. Benefit costs can impact your take home pay significantly.
  • Not all interesting jobs will pay what you want them to pay.
  • Some companies will pay sinificantly lower or higher than the salary information you find. 
  • Not all companies, even with your target job title, will have salary ranges that align with yours. 

Learn More

  • Payscale.com: Cost of Living Calculator
  • Salary.com: Know Your Worth Calculator
  • Nerd Wallet: What is Pay Transparency and Whiche States Require It?
  • The Layoff Lady: Let's Talk Money: Salary and Total Compensation
  • The Layoff Lady: Interview Preparation: The Initial Phone Screen
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? 
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Let's Talk Money: Salary and Total Compensation

4/25/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Contract vs Benefits Eligible Roles

When you're looking for work, it's important to know what salary range you have in mind. As you are initially searching for jobs, a key factor in deciding which jobs to pursue and which to pass on will be what you will earn.

​If you are looking at contract positions, the salary you will receive is the same as your base salary. Usually, you are paid a set amount for each hour worked with no additional benefits. Consequently, contract positions often have a higher hourly rate knowing that each contractor will have to cover their health insurance and other additional benefits that may be included in other job offers. 

However, If you are in a benefits-eligible role, you will receive additional value above and beyond your base salary rate. Let's consider what factors may be included in your total compensation package. 

A Disclaimer

While I feel comfortable discussing various financial and insurance concepts, I do not currently hold a license or any certification that deems me inherently qualified to give financial advice. The information provided here is intended to be used for educational purposes only. 

Sometimes, the core challenge is knowing how a system generally works, the terms used to describe what you’re asking about, and where to go for additional help. My goal for this article is to share information to guide you as you navigate the murky waters of  job searching. I hope my personal experiences can help you cut a path through the wilderness as you try to figure out your next steps.

Feel free to take my recommendations or not. Whatever you do, double-check my facts--and everyone's purported facts, for that matter. This is your life, and you will care more about your financial and healthcare decisions than anyone else. Use this information as a starting point for further research as you ultimately decide what’s right for you.

 Your Work Income

First, let’s look at a high-level, generalized overview of the money you may receive:
​
  • Base salary: Money you will earn for showing up and meeting basic employer expectations for your job. This is typically paid on a bi-weekly or bi-monthly basis. This is usually what recruiters are asking for when they inquire about your "salary requirements."
  • Bonus:  Additional money you may (or may not) receive based on the performance of you individually, your team, and/or the organization as a whole. Bonus payment depends on the organization and may be paid quarterly, annually, or on another schedule.
  • Commission: Additional money you may earn, typically based on what and how much you sell. Commissions are often a percentage of what you have sold. ​Bonus payment depends on the organization and may be paid monthly, quarterly, or on another schedule.
  • Signing Bonus: Additional money you may receive for agreeing to work for a given company outside of your agreed-upon salary. This is usually a one-time payment paid out as an incentive to accept a job offer.

Employer Money You May Recieve For A Specific Purpose

​​In addition to receiving money in the form of a check or payment payable to you, you may also receive money earmarked for a specific purpose. 

  • Retirement Account Contribution: Your employer may give you a matching contribution as a percentage of what you contribute to your retirement account (usually a company-sponsored 401(k) or 403(b) plan). Alternatively, you may receive a retirement contribution before you put any money in. This money is typically deposited into your retirement account and invested alongside your other retirement account money. 
  • A Post-Retirement Pension Payment: Upon retirement (and based upon requirements and guidelines set up by the employer), you may be promised a series of payments. The details of that pension will be set up on an employer-by-employer basis. (Pensions are not as common.)
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) Contribution: If your insurance is a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), your employer may contribute money to your Health Savings Account. This may be a one-time contribution given right away when you start your job, a monthly amount, or money awarded at another interval. This account is specifically designated to be used for qualifying healthcare expenses.
  • Tuition Reimbursement or Educational Assistance: If you want to pursue a college degree, some organizations may assist with that cost. Depending on the organization, they could pay the cost upfront or reimburse you after you successfully complete a course.
  • Professional Development: Some organizations will pay for memberships in professional organizations, certifications, or additional job-specific training. Depending on the organization, they could pay the cost upfront or reimburse you after you successfully complete a course.
  • Offsetting Specific Costs: You may receive a payment or stipend to offset your costs for various expenses. Here are a few examples: gym membership, home office setup, internet access, cell phone access, uniforms, passport, mileage, lunch, parking, travel, rent, and student loan payments. 

Insurance and Benefits, At Least Partially Employer Paid

In the United States, many people obtain different types of insurance through their employers. Employers often pay administration costs of the plan and help cover some of the costs.
​
  • Health Insurance: Employers may offer one or more health insurance plan options and usually cover administrative costs and part of the monthly premiums. Costs will vary widely. When reviewing benefit premium costs for recent jobs, I saw health insurance rates for my family of three range from $255.00 per month to $1,249.30 per month for the least expensive High Deductible Healthcare Plan options they had. 
  • Dental Insurance: Employers may offer one or more dental insurance plan options, usually covering administrative costs. They may cover a portion of the monthly premiums as well.
  • Life Insurance: Employers may pay for a life insurance plan. The coverage may be a set amount, like $50,000, or a multiple of the employee’s salary. 
  • Long-Term Disability: Employers may offer disability insurance plans and usually cover administrative costs. They may also cover some or all of the monthly premiums as well.
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Usually employers include EAP access to give their employees access to counseling services as needed, referrals, basic budgeting help, and basic legal assistance as needed.
  • Flexible Spending Account Access: On a related note, employers may pay administrative fees so employees can use flexible spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care, or transportation. These are typically employee-funded accounts. 

Access To Purchase Additional Benefits

Many employers offer the option for employees to purchase additional benefits. These can include vision insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, enhanced disability coverage, supplemental life insurance, spouse life insurance, child life insurance, accident insurance, condition-specific health insurance, a legal protection plan, or orthodontic benefits. 

Perks

Companies may also offer a variety of perks. These can include items you can purchase for a lower cost or resources you can take advantage of that you might otherwise pay for elsewhere. These could include an onsite gym, onsite daycare, free parking, entertainment discounts, stamps, bus passes, use of the company van, cell phone plan discounts, or reduced entry fees for area attractions.

​Perks can also be anything that makes work easier, more engaging, or more pleasant. These could include shift bidding, flexible work arrangements, remote work, work-from-home days, summer hours, four-day workweeks, onsite flu shots, overtime opportunities, or company events. 

Time Off

Employers also often pay you for specific hours when you do not work. Here are a few standard categorizations for different types of paid time off: paid time off (PTO), sick time, vacation time, paid holidays, floating holidays, volunteer time, bereavement leave, jury duty pay, or military leave.
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Instead of having a specific number of paid days available for sick or vacation time, some companies have unlimited time off policies. In most cases, instead of earning and then choosing to use paid time off, you work with your manager whenever you want to take off. In general, as long as you are performing your job to an acceptable level, you can take time off.   

The Salary Question: Revisited

Remember, when a recruiter asks about your salary range, there is a lot more going on than just your base salary. Overall, I suggest giving a salary range instead of a set number to account for possible differences in company-offered benefits. 

Learn More

  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
  • Nerd Wallet: What Are Your Employee Benefits Really Worth?
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Job Listing Challenges: Remote, Hybrid, and Onsite Labels

4/18/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Onsite, Remote, and Hybrid Work Implications

One challenge during my most recent job search has been the newly added focus on work location. Specifically, the following labels have become more standard on job listings: onsite, hybrid, and remote.

While there are, indeed, many remote jobs available, I discovered first-hand that companies and job search sites are not necessarily aligned on what remote, hybrid, and onsite work arrangements mean. Let's dig a little deeper.

Remote Job Clarifications

Overall, a "remote" job could mean one or more of the following are true:
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  • The candidate lives in the United States and can work from anywhere.
  • The candidate lives in the United States and must work from their home.
  • The candidate lives within a specific list of states where the potential employer is set up to conduct business.
  • The candidate lives within a specific time zone.
  • The candidate is willing to work hours in a specified time zone.
  • The candidate lives within a specified distance from one of the company's physical office locations.
  • The candidate lives in the metropolitan area of the company's headquarters.
  • The company is "remote first" with no physical office location.
  • The company is "remote-friendly," meaning there may be the option to work in an office location, a designated shared space, or fully remote.
  • The company is "open to remote" and may consider a candidate who does not work in their office location.

Onsite, Remote, and Hybrid Roles in Practice

Regardless of the label, jobs may work differently in practice. Here are a few of the many possible scenarios:

  • A company may label a job as remote, then later in the job description mention preferences for being onsite.
  • A company may label a job as hybrid when it could more accurately be described as remote with some travel to the corporate office.
  • A company may label a job as onsite or hybrid, and in the body of the job description, explain that they are also open to remote.
  • A company may label a job hybrid, expecting people to be onsite (in the office) anywhere from never to 4 days per week. 
  • A company may have an unstated preference for the location of employees.
  • A company may not be clear about their ongoing thoughts on having workers return to the office or the timeline for that change.
  • Many companies label roles as remote but do not clarify additional details about arrangements (which states, preferences for specific geographical locations).
  • Companies may decide on a case by case basis where they prefer employees to be located or if they will be remote, hybrid, or onsite.
  • Any of these designations may also include travel. 

Navigating Job Listings for Remote Roles

As a job seeker, knowing that companies may vary on how they list details in their job descriptions, here are a few strategies for navigating job listings:

  • Review posted job openings for additional details on work arrangements. For remote roles, read the main job description and skim the listing for additional location restrictions (time zones, states, and proximity to a physical office).
  • If you're on a job search site, find the job listing on the company's website. Sometimes they will include additional details on the specific states where they are able to hire and/or want to hire for a given position. 
  • If you’re not sure if a company can do business in your state, use LinkedIn to search for employees at that company who currently live in your state. This would indicate that the company is legally able to hire someone in your state.
  • Connect with and speak with someone at the organization and ask for additional clarification on work arrangements and remote work policies.
  • If it’s unclear, reach out to a company recruiter to clarify details (or, if time is of the essence, apply first, then ask questions later).

Remote Work Implications: Candidate Location,  Job Location, and Pay

There are also a few other implications of remote work to keep in mind:
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  • Salary ranges will be all over the board for the same role. For example, a title like "Training Manager" could have a salary of anywhere from $50,000 - $225,000 per year, depending on the location of the company's corporate office. 
  • In addition, some companies adjust their salary ranges based on the candidate's geographic area, while others do not. 
  • Even with pay transparency laws in some states, not all jobs list the salary range--even when they are now required to do so. 

Strategies for Remote Work Salary Conversations

Given these variations on how salaries work for remote roles, be sure to think through your financial requirements and how you will address questions about your desired salary:

  • Identify your desired salary range overall. Use this range as a starting point for all conversations.
  • Review posted salary ranges for the role. Make sure they at least meet your minimum salary.
  • During the interview process, when a recruiter or hiring manager asks you for your desired salary range, answer that question with the question, “what is the salary range for this position?” This assures that you’re not selling yourself short.

Learn More

  • The Layoff Lady: Interview Preparation: The Initial Phone Screen
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Asking for Help Using LinkedIn Messaging

4/11/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Messaging With Your Connections

One of the benefits of having connections on LinkedIn is that you are able to directly send them messages. This is also a feature that I've seen used poorly on several occasions. Let's look at how to use LinkedIn messaging effectively to continue to build professional relationships. Let's also look at some guidelines for how to use this feature well. 

The Value of Mutually Beneficial Relationships

To have successful professional networking relationships, make sure those relationships are mutually beneficial. Networking is about give and take. Make sure that you are adding value along the way. This includes sharing useful content, congratulating people on their accomplishments, and answering one-off questions when people are asking for advice. In short, be a good LinkedIn neighbor. If you give more than you take, your LinkedIn connections will be more likely to want to help you. This is the real secret to successful professional networking--make sure it's a two-way street. 

Messages That Add Value

When you contact people directly, be sure your messages are not all you asking others to do things for you. Here are a few types of messages you can send to your connections that add value to the relationship and give more than they take:

  • Wishing them a happy holiday
  • Congratulating them on a promotion, job, degree, personal milestone, or accomplishment
  • Thanking them for sharing useful content that helped you personally
  • Thanking them for helping people in general
  • Checking in on them to see how they are
  • ​Telling them it was nice seeing them at an in-person or online event
  • Following up on a previous topic of conversation
  • Offering help on one of your areas of expertise
  • Sharing a resource, article, or piece of information that would benefit them

Make sure you are not THAT PERSON who only reaches out when they need a favor. 

Direct Asks For Help: Worst Practices

Asking for help is an art. First, you need to be willing to ask for help. Next, you need to craft your ask in a way that you have a higher likelihood of getting that help.
Here are the most significant issues I’ve seen with how people ask for job search help:
  • Connect and pitch
  • Making a big ask early on
  • Making a vague ask
  • Making an ask that is disproportionate to how well you know someone
  • Making frequent asks
  • Being aggressive in asks
  • Re-asking too many times
  • Not being able to hear no
  • Being angry if they don’t get what you want

The Worst Asks 

Even though I am, by nature, a helper, here are the types of requests I receive via LinkedIn messages that will not get much of a response from me.

  • Can you get me a job at your company?
  • Can you introduce me to people?
  • If you hear of any openings, let me know.

​Why are these not good asks?  For one, these are big asks. These are also the types of requests that would require me to do a lot of investigation to be truly helpful.
  • I’m not going to magically get you a job at my company. Being hired isn't quite as simple as that.
  • I’m also not going to go through my list of professional contacts, prioritize who I think you should meet, and facilitate multiple introductions.
  • I will also not be your personal job searcher and send you roles—partly because there is no guarantee that my assumptions based on our past experience working together will align with your current job search goals.
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When you ask people to help you, put in your work first. Then, when they know you are committed to being successful, they are much more likely to help you clarify details.  

Direct Asks For Help: Better Practices

Here are a few better asks, but may only work with connections who you know very well and who you have helped in the past:
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  • Would you review my resume?
  • Would you review my LinkedIn profile?
  • Would you refer me for a position at your company?
  • Would you pass my resume on to your connection, the hiring manager?
  • Would you meet with me for 30 minutes to discuss [a professional topic]?

​These requests are specific, which is better, but each is still a sizeable request. The first two may be time intensive. The next two involve me putting my reputation on the line to recommend you for a role. The final one requires a block of my time on my calendar. Depending on our interactions prior to these requests, my response may vary from “of course!” to no response at all. 

Again, remember to make sure your asks are aligned with how well you know one another. 

Direct Asks for Help: Best Practices

Asks are better when they are more specific and less time intensive. It’s also helpful if there is context. Here are a few asks that are more likely to get responses. The requests earlier in this list are more likely to get a response than the ones later on:
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  • I just made a job search post on LinkedIn. Would you be willing to visit the post [link here] and like, comment on, or share this post to help me boost my signal?
  • I’m considering applying for the Associate Project Manager position with Super Cool Company. How do you like working there? Would you recommend it as a workplace?
  • I am working on a career transition from being a software trainer to a project manager. What do you like about your current role as a project manager? What skills would help me in that role?
  • I am working on a career transition from being a software trainer to a project manager. I see you’re connected to Alonzo Johnson, a project manager with Super Cool Company. Would you be willing to facilitate an introduction between us on LinkedIn?
  • I’m considering applying for the Associate Project Manager position with Super Cool Company. As I get my application materials together, I’d appreciate your insights on the company and how to position myself for success. Would you be willing to have a 15-minute phone call sometime over the next week to talk?
  • I’m considering applying for the Associate Project Manager position with Super Cool Company. As I get my application materials together, I’d appreciate your insights on the company and how to position myself for success. Would you be willing to have a 30-minute virtual coffee zoom meeting sometime over the next week?
  • I’m considering applying for the Associate Project Manager position with Super Cool Company. As I get my application materials together, I’d appreciate your insights on the company and how to position myself for success. Would you be willing to meet for a coffee at the local coffee shop of your choosing? The first cup is on me!

People Get To Say No

Remember, when you are asking for help, people will tell you no. More likely than telling you a direct no, they may just not respond. Ever. Keep in mind that job searching, like sales, means that you're going to hear a whole lot of no on the way to that one yes you need. When you need a specific thing, it's useful to ask multiple people for help to give you a better chance of getting a response. It's also not personal. We're each on LinkedIn using it to varying degrees and all trying to accomplish our own goals. 

Making sure that you are making the relationships mutually beneficial will make it much more likely that people will respond to you and want to lend you a hand when you need it. 

Learn More

  • The Layoff Lady: Growing Your Professional Network: Adding LinkedIn Connections
  • The Layoff Lady: Using 1:1 Networking Meetings for Job Searching
  • The Layoff Lady: Growing Your Professional Network: Attending Webinars
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Growing Your Professional Network: Adding LinkedIn Connections

3/28/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Your Professional Network

When I think about building my professional network, adding new LinkedIn connections is one of my markers of success. I use LinkedIn as a tool to create, build, and maintain my professional relationships. 

Turning People You've Met Into LinkedIn Connections

When I first started using LinkedIn, I connected with people I had met in person. At that time, my network mainly included the following people: 
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  • Family and friends
  • Current and former coworkers
  • Current and former business associates (vendor contacts, customers, contractors)
  • Colleagues from professional development groups
  • People I met in person or via phone/webinar in a business setting
  • People I met through introductions from my current professional connections

Creating New Professional Connections

When the pandemic hit, I realized I needed to shift my approach, or I would not meet anyone new. I also realized that since more companies were open to hiring remote people, I needed to broaden my network beyond the people I would encounter in person. In addition to the people I used to connect with, I now also started proactively sending connection requests to the following types of people:
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  • Other members of my LinkedIn groups
  • People in my geographical area
  • People in the field of learning and development
  • People who work for companies that interest me
  • Recruiters
  • People with common interests or experiences
  • People with mutual connections
  • People who presented at sessions I attended
  • People who attended online sessions that I also attended

Again, the more people I meet, and the more people I connect with who know about my professional value, the better I will be able to find a new role that meets my requirements more quickly.

Opportune Times To Connect

I often connect with people when there are specific reasons to connect that are noteworthy, including the following:
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  • People recently laid off:  I empathize with their job loss, mention job search-related resources, and invite them to connect.
  • People recently hired: I congratulate them on their new role, mention our commonality, and invite them to connect.
  • People who just completed a degree, certification, or other educational program: I congratulate them on their accomplishments, mention any commonality we have, and invite them to connect. 

Personalizing Connection Requests

In the vast majority of cases, I personalize a connection request when I send it. When connecting with people I’ve met in person, I always remind them of where we met, include details about our meeting, share helpful information, and invite them to connect.

Personalizing the request becomes even more critical if I send a connection request to someone I have not met before. I want to promote the possible value of that relationship.

I include the following components when personalizing a connection request:
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  • Greeting: Hi, [person’s first name spelled correctly].
  • Personal Note: Include details on how you met, compliment them on a previous post, share a helpful tip, comment on their situation, or point out something we have in common.
  • Invitation to Connect: I’d like to add you to my professional network. and/or Let’s connect!
  • Signature: [Your Name] 

Here are a few examples of what I might include as a personal note in my personalized connection requests.

  • I see that we both attended this morning’s ATD-Nebraska webinar. I’m new to Omaha, and I’m excited to connect with L&D professionals in the area.
  • Thanks for your recent post on tips for engagement in webinars. Personally, I get a lot of value from having people share answers to informal questions in the chat. Now, I have a few new techniques to try!
  • Sorry to hear about your recent layoff. I also have a background working in SaaS startups in the software space. Let me know if I can help you make connections during your job search. 
  • I’m also in the field of L&D focusing on technical training. Hearing how your team uses short-form videos to engage new employees was great.
  • I see you’re currently in Madison. I lived there for about ten years before I moved to Minneapolis. I have fond memories of biking around Lake Monona and Lake Mendota.

Learn More

  • The Layoff Lady: Using 1:1 Networking Meetings for Job Searching
  • The Layoff Lady: Growing Your Professional Network: Attending Webinars
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Career Planning: Figuring Out What You Want To Be Next

3/21/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

What Do You Want To Be Next?

We often ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As an adult who is in career transition, it’s time to ask yourself, “What do I want to be next?” Remember, you don’t have to do the same thing you were doing before, and now is the perfect time to think about what job is the right next step for you. ​

Shouldn't I Just Take What I Can Get?

As a job seeker, I understand the tendency to feel like you are in no position to be picky. However, when I talk with job searchers having difficulty landing a new role, not having a focus for their job search actually slows their progress considerably.

​Most of the time, employers are less likely to hire someone who wants what I would call “any old job.” Employers would rather find someone who genuinely wants to do a specific type of work, has the necessary skills, and is targeting an identified role. One of the best things you can do for the success of your job search is to figure out what you really want to do, then use your resume and LinkedIn profile to promote yourself as a match for your desired role. 

Take a Beat

When your job suddenly ends, I think the natural tendency is to think “I need to be reemployed as quickly as possible” or to skip thinking altogether and seek out exactly the same job you had before. It’s not that you can’t seek out the exactly same type and job title you had before—because you can! Just make sure to reconfirm with yourself that it is the job you want.

After my very first layoff, I took a moment for contemplation and thought to myself, “This is my chance to figure out what it is I want to do with my life! I can do anything?” Approximately 5 minutes later, I realized “For me, this is the right area.”
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Other times, when I fell in that “must get a job right now!” mindset, I just got a job with about the same title as my last job with about the same type of company. Was it a bad decision? Not necessarily. Whether you do the same things as before, or want to shift gears, make sure you’re actively deciding what is next for you. 
What do you want?

Learning About Yourself

The first step of job searching is figuring out what kind of a role you even want. Instead of jumping right into the exact job you did before, it's wise to take a little time for introspection. One good step in this process is finding out more about your strengths. Learning about what you are good at--and how to tell the story of your talents and successes--can help you position yourself well as you apply and interview for a new role. 

Reflect on Your Values

A good starting point is thinking about what you truly value in life, and how you express those values. 

Personally, I also find that it's awfully hard to think of the right words to articulate those high level ideas that matter to you.  I discovered the think2perform Online Values Exercise at a previous job when I was designing a retirement planning seminar. Since thinking about your money (or your work for that matter) starts with what you care about on a larger scale, this is a great starting point. Personally, I take this assessment on at least an annual basis because the process helps me revisit my values in general and helps me more thoughtfully talk about what I do and why I do it.

The assessment itself includes 51 named value cards and 4 rounds of reviewing the cards. The total time to complete this activity is about 15 minutes, and perhaps more depending on how much contemplation you do during the process. You also have the option to add your own values as needed. In the end, you'll have 5 value cards with descriptions that name and describe key areas that matter to you. 

After you identify your top 5 values, think about how you live those values in your life, and how you would like to express those values in your work. Use these as your guideposts as you move on to the next steps. 
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Identify Your Work Strengths

The CliftonStrengths Assessment (previously known as Clifton StrengthsFinder) is a wonderful tool for identifying what you are good at, how that manifests, and how your version of each strength shows up. It not only helps you identify your top strengths, but also gives you language to talk about skills you didn't even realize everyone else didn't have.

To access this assessment, you can purchase the StrengthsFinder 2.0 Book (which includes a code for the new CliftonStrengths Online Assessment) or you can directly pay for and access the CliftonStrengths Top 5 Assessment on Gallup.com. Either option should cost around $20 for the basic assessment and results, with the option to purchase additional assessments or training based on your level of interest. 
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The 30-minute online assessment includes 177 questions including paired statements. On a scale you select which of the statements is more like you. From there, you'll receive a report identifying your top five strengths along with a more detailed description of how those strengths are exhibited in how you interact with the world. Reading a report about yourself (one that is freakishly accurate, by the way) is downright life changing.

After taking the assessment, you'll be able to see your unique talents, and have language to explain how what you do sets you apart from others. Having a way to put your abilities into words can translate directly into your resume, and how you talk about who you are and what you bring to the table.

Reflect on Previous Roles and Identify What You Do and Don't Want

Think about your previous jobs and reflect on what you liked and didn't like. As yourself the following questions and write down your answers:
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  • What field or fields would you like to work in?
  • What job titles might be a good fit for you?
  • Are you interested in a full time, part time, contract, or freelance job?
  • How many hours do you want to work a week?
  • What size of a company or industry would you like to work for?
  • Would you like a manager role, individual contributor role, or player/coach role (doing both)?
  • What work hours and schedule would you prefer?
  • What salary would you like?
  • How much time off would you like?
  • Would you like to work in-person, part in-person and part remotely (hybrid), or all remote?
  • How many miles/lengths of time would you be comfortable commuting? How often would you want to commute?
  • Would you like to travel for work? If so, how often over what period of time? Driving or flying travel? What travel percentages is ideal for you?
  • What benefits are important to you? What would be nice to have?
  • What focus area(s) would you like to have?
  • What skills would you like to be able to use on a regular basis?
  • What day to day activities would you like to do?
  • What do you want the role of your work to be in your life?
  • What is on your “oh hell no” list?

Talk To People In Roles of Interest

One helpful way to find out more about possible career options is to talk to people who are currently in those roles.  By reaching out to individuals in your professional network, and asking them to put you in touch with people they know who could help, you can make new connections and find out about specific companies and roles. This will help you start to bridge the distance between your skills, and possible job titles and companies that might be a good fit for you. 

Learn More

  • The Layoff Lady: Learning About Yourself to Talk About Your Strengths
  • The Layoff Lady: Learning About Yourself to Tell Your Story: Values
  • The Layoff Lady: Using 1:1 Networking Meetings For Job Searching
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? 
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Job Application Follow-Up: Email Messages

3/7/2023

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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Eye on the Prize: Getting the Interview

There are a lot of opinions on how to interact with employers early in the hiring process. They include everything from sending a basic “I applied” email to off-the-wall rom-com level gesture like sending the hiring manager a cake with your resume attached to the inside of the box. In this article, we’ll focus on using email to follow up after you have formally applied for the job.
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Regardless of your approach (and my overall follow-up recommendations are closer to the email than the cake end of the spectrum), stay focused on what you’re trying to accomplish. Remember, your goal at this point in the process is to get your application into the “must interview” pile. 

What Follow-Up Email Messages Will and Won't Do

Let’s first set a few expectations on the impact sending a follow-up email message will have:

  • If you are not a generally qualified candidate for the job, you’re not going to “follow-up” your way into an interview.
  • If you follow-up badly, you may very well “follow-up” your way right into the “no” pile.
  • Following up with the wrong person won’t help your cause.
  • If you’re going to follow-up, contact either the hiring manager or the recruiter.
  • Sending a follow-up email may help the hiring team remember your name--which may help especially in remote roles with many, many applicants.
  • Even if you are a strong candidate, and following up with the right people, you may or may not get an interview.

Like with most of the hiring process, there is no guarantee that you will get an interview for any given role. However, doing the right things consistently gives you a better chance of having a positive outcome. 

My Hiring Manager Horror Story: Follow-Up Gone Awry

Once upon a time, I was the hiring manager for an instructional designer position. A person who I had never met, but who knew a colleague of mine, had a background in instructional design and was interested in the job. Through our shared colleague, that person (who I will now refer to as “the candidate”) ended up with my name and work contact information.

What followed was an example of the worst-case scenario of a how a candidate reaching out to a hiring manager can actually be detrimental. From mid-December through the end of the calendar year, over the course of 10 business days, the candidate (who—reminder—I had never before interacted with in any way) contacted me 16 times via phone and email about the open position.

I do not remember what all the candidate asked during each request (because blocking out awful memories is a real thing). I do remember one early request was asking how to apply for the job. Given that this role was with a technology company, and I needed someone who could work independently and solve problems, a candidate who wasn’t sure how to apply for the job through a pretty typical Careers webpage was not going to be a top candidate.

In addition, after they managed to apply, they then called and also emailed the recruiter multiple times, again in the spirit of follow-up.

The good news—we definitely knew the candidate’s name. The bad news (for them)—we knew for sure we were NOT going to interview them.

Worst Practices: Job Application Follow-Up

As a hiring manager, here are the issues I’ve seen when people follow up on job applications:
  • They reach out with no plan or point.
  • They reach out too many times.
  • They reach out many times with too small of a gap between messages.
  • They reach out to the wrong person.
  • They reach out with a large ask.
  • They are DEMANDING about what the hiring team should do for them.
  • They push too hard on next steps. 
  • They disregard specific directions in the job description regarding what follow-up is acceptable. 

Finding the Right People and Contact Information

Remember, typically the two people to follow up with regarding your job application are the recruiter and the hiring manager. The first challenge is figuring out who these people are, then getting their email addresses.

In some cases, the name of the recruiter may be included on the job posting. Through using LinkedIn or the company website, you may be able to find a professional email address to use for them. You can also potentially do some digging through LinkedIn and find out the name of the recruiter through their LinkedIn posts. It could be little to no effort to find their email address, or a genuine project, to find out that detail about the recruiter.

For hiring managers, some job listings will include the title of the hiring manager (who the position reports to), or even sometimes their name. Again, you may be able to use LinkedIn to find their contact information, or you may find the naming scheme a company uses (like firstname.lastname@companyname.com) to figure out their email address. You may also need to contact HR or a current employee to find out more, or there might be fee-based services you can use.

When it comes right down to it, it is important for you to determine how much time and money you want to dedicate to finding this information. You also need to decide if the time you spend on this quest is worth the value you will gain from sending a follow-up message. It's your call.

What To Include In Your Follow-Up Email

Once you’ve identified the person to contact, and have their email address, think about what you’ll say in your message. Here are my recommendations on details to include: 

  • Greet the person by name. 
  • Introduce yourself.
  • Mention that you’ve applied for the job and include the title of the job and the company name.
  • Share a brief summary (a sentence or two or a few short, bulleted points) on why you applied and the skills you bring to the role.
  • Include your contact information (email and phone) and invite them to contact you.
  • Thank them.
  • Your first and last name, email, phone, and LinkedIn URL

How a Follow-Up Message Might Look

Subject Line: Following Up on my Support Manager Application

Body of the Message: 

Hi, Annette. I’m Esme Whitlock, and I'm sending you a quick message to introduce myself, and let you know I just applied for the Support Manager role with Super Cool Company. Because I have a background working in tech support specialist and help desk supervisor jobs in manufacturing companies, I think I am a great match for this position.

As indicated in the job description, I have experience setting up a knowledge base using Super Cool Software and training new staff on using internal resources. I also enjoy hiring and training new associates and helping them grow their skillsets to meet performance goals. These skills, and my desire to grow in my career, drive my excitement for this role with Super Cool Company.

If you’re interested in talking to me directly about the Support Manager role and my qualifications, please contact me via text/phone at 555-555-5555 or via email at myemailaddress@myemail.com.

Thank you!

Esme Whitlock
555-555-5555
myemailaddress@myemail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylinkedin/ewhitlock

Follow-up Email Timing and Frequency

There are also various opinions on when to contact a potential employer and how many contacts to make.

I suggest emailing once sometime between the day you apply and a week after you apply to briefly introduce yourself and get your name in front of the hiring manager and/or recruiter. If you decide you want to do a second message, I suggest waiting until a week or two after the first message and modifying the message so it is not just a repeat of the first message you send.

Remember, you get to do whatever you want to do. Some hiring managers and recruiters may be very open to messages, and others might prefer to avoid being contacted. I believe reaching out one to two times with a few days in between contacts should show your interest without venturing into being way too much.

Learn More

  • How to Send an Awesome Follow Up Email After a Job Application 
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? 
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