Dubin & Lee Blog

Need a Little Resume Help?

Does your resume need a tune up? No need to do a full resume revamp if you don't have the time.

Here are 2 quick resume tips that will make a huge difference:

1. The easier to read the better.
2. Customize your resume for each submission.

Check out my 2 minute video that explains these 2 resume tips.

Check out our featured job opportunities this week.  If you don't have time to customize your resume, we can help you with that.

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

 

 

 

Business Jargon Used By Hiring Companies

Business jargon seems to be used more creatively and more often lately. When consulting with hiring companies and potential job candidates, I hear new ones every day.  Sometimes I have to look them up on The Office Life’s Business Jargon Dictionary. 

Here are my top 10 favorite Business Jargon terms.

10. Bag of snakes [n.]  A business situation with many unexpected problems.

9. CFO [n.]  Chief Finagle Officer. The person who's responsible for manipulating a company's finances to avoid legal penalties.

8. EPON [n.]  Endless Pit Of Need. A colleague who continually seeks support for their ongoing personal and professional problems.

7. HiPo [adj.]  High Potential. "Word on the street is that he went to Wharton... I'm thinking HiPo."

6. . Jump the couch [exp.] When unpredictable or strange behavior has a negative impact on one's reputation. Thanks for this one, Tom.

5. Multi-slacker [n.]  A person who can perform many unproductive things at the same time. These include phone conversations, instant messaging, and web surfing, often on company time.

4. On the air [adj.]  Reachable by email or phone via a mobile device. "I'm out of the office but I'll be on the air all afternoon."

3. Resume stain [n.]  A job (or company) that looks so terrible that you'd rather leave it off your resume.

2. Bloatation [v.] Filling non-essential positions instead of core staff. Usually occurs just before bankruptcy.

AND MY FAV!!!

1. Scooby Snacks [n.]  Token compensation. "The gift certificates they gave us instead of a Christmas bonus were total scooby snacks."

Business jargon is fun, entertaining and provides bonding within the office like twins that have their own language but it is best not to use it in the interview process. Also, double-check your resume for any use of jargon or industry specific language. During the job interview process, emphasize inclusion vs. exclusion.

If you have some favorite business jargon terms I have missed, please share.

For companies offering "way more" then "scooby snacks" check out our featured job opportunities this week!

Posted by:

 

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

6 Most Common Job Interview Traps

When interviewing for a job, have you ever felt like you were asked a trick question? You may have been.

The job interview process is one of the most grueling processes of eliminations you will ever be involved in, unless of course are in show business.

We don’t like to think of a potential employer as trying to trick us or lure us into a trap but given the steep competition for some opportunities and the nature of the process of elimination, they are sometimes forced to do so.

 

Here are the 6 Most Common Job Interview Traps

1. “Relax.” It is human nature for many people to try and make others feel as comfortable as possible but in a job interview there can be an ulterior motive. If they can get you to drop your “game face” the interviewer feels he or she will get closer to seeing how you will act on an everyday basis 6 months into the job.  Don’t be lured to falling into the trap of behaving as if you are hanging out with your college buddies on the weekend.  You might think you are just letting them see the “real you” but if you’re not careful, it can be seen as a lack of professional judgment.

2. The mole.  Spies are everywhere and never forget it. The classic mole is the receptionist.  I worked at a company where the receptionist had been there over 20 years and no one got hired without her approval. It makes perfect sense that if you are dismissive or rude once, you will be again.

3. Strengths? This one is not as hard as it sounds but so many fall into this trap.  Make sure you answer with your strengths that are in line with the company’s priority needs for the role.  Spending too much time talking about your fantastic skills that are not of much use to the company will cause them concern that you might not be fulfilled in the job.  To learn more on how to hit the company hot buttons, check out How to Sell the REAL You in a Job interview.

4. Weaknesses? This one is a little trickier.  Saying you do not have weaknesses translates as, “I have weaknesses but I’m not going to share them with you.” or “I think I’m infallible.” Neither of which will shine a very good light on you.  It is best to phrase a strength as a perceived weakness. Beware of sounding cliché by saying something like, “I work too hard.”  It needs to come from a sincere place.  Use a scenario where you identified a weakness, worked on it, and it is now a strength.

5. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? BEWARE!!! Trick question alert! If you say a salary figure, title or anything tangible it will more than likely be used against you. Stick with intangibles that align with the company’s hot buttons.

6. What are you looking to make? Sorry, there is no short answer to this. Check out my 2 minute video on how to answer this question. If you feel you are ever pushed into a corner, you can request the 8 minute follow up video for how to handle the situation.

 

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

How To Avoid Getting Pigeon-holed in Your Career

Gone are the days of old-fashioned job security where you could get into a “safe” industry or stay somewhere long enough that you would never have to worry about being laid-off, downsized or becoming obsolete. The only job security that exists anymore is to make sure you are consistently making yourself valuable and marketable in the job market.

The best way to keep increasing your marketability is to make you sure you never get “pigeon-holed.”  Getting “pigeon-holed” is a phrase used for becoming so specific in your expertise that it would be challenging to fit in anywhere else.  Sometimes people become so specialized that they can’t even get promoted or move to different roles within their current company.

So here are the top 3 ways to avoid getting “pigeon-holed” in your career.

1.  Use your subject matter expertise for leverage.  If you are the “go-to” guy/gal for a particular expertise, use that as leverage to get you in the meetings instead of just handing off your knowledge.  It might be a good idea to beef up your presentation skills.  When you are recognized for presentation and communication capabilities your upward options are almost limitless. This is also a good time to convey your ability to understand the business as a big picture and recommend solutions from the perspective of your expertise.  Being recognized as someone who can think at the “10,000 ft. level” will also prove to be extremely valuable to your upward mobility let alone job security.

2.  Find the right vehicle.  If you are not in a company that nurtures talent you might as well take a mo-ped down the interstate.  Make sure youscout your companies thoroughly as not all companies nurture top talent.  If your company does not place a priority on nurturing talent, then it is time to update the resume or you will be paying for it later if your job or company ever goes away.  We have seen too many examples of that in this last recession. 

3. Grow more branches than roots.  Yes, it is important to stay current on your expertise but pay attention to the other areas and disciplines that your subject matter affects and learn about them.  The more you know about how what you do affects others and how to solve their problems the more valuable you will be.  The more you learn about areas and businesses that are a direct effect of your expertise and reach out to people in that arena, the more likely you will be to NOT be the person left without a chair when the music stops.  As a matter of fact, you will be the one everyone wants to hire no matter the economic climate.

Not being “pigeon-holed” is not only about job security but it’s about making sure your career is exciting, challenging and changing everyday so you wake up and are excited about going to work despite what time the alarm rings.  When you feel this way about your career you can’t help but be a success.

 

Check out our featured opportunities with clients that we have hand-picked for their enthusiasm and track record for nurturing top talent in Accounting & Finance.

If you are not in Accounting & Finance but know someone who is, check out our iPad2 for a referral promotion that has been extended through January.

 

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President,

Dubin & Lee

2012’s Best Career New Year Resolution

Are you happy with the direction in which your career is headed?
What are your career goals for 2012?
Could your career path use some new direction?

These are the types of questions that we ask ourselves this time of year.  I took a look at the Best New Year Career Resolutions for 2011, and they are all very appropriate for 2012 with one big, new emphasis.

For 2012, most of what you are hoping to accomplish will have very distinct and detailed plans of attack, but the first step is usually the same for most objectives…

Reach out to my network!

Why?

• Hiring companies search their network first, so you should too!  Over the last 3 years, I have observed that close to 70% of active job seekers who accepted a new job which paid over 130k found the job through a contact.  Most of the time, a company will reach out to whom they know before they post the job or put the job out to a staffing agency.
• The process takes time.  Refreshing an old relationship or developing a new one is a delicate and time intensive process. If you make the process all about your agenda and your immediate need, you will not see much benefit and you will not have much of a relationship.  Nurturing a relationship built on trust and truly mutual benefit takes time; so that is why you need to get started now…before you are in dire need.

How?

• Reach out just to reach out. This is especially rewarding with old relationships or people you were close to at one time, but have lost touch with just due to getting caught up in your day to day lives.  When you reconnect and have a good conversation, you will be very happy you did and so will your long lost friend.  You might even hang up the phone or leave the coffee shop and kick yourself for letting so much time go by. Now, don’t let it happen again!
• Be open.  Be real and don’t try too hard to manage the impression.  Just be you.  Don’t be a negative whiner but openly talk about what type of things you are keeping your eyes peeled for as well as your goals. Do not be timid about asking your contact about what he or she would find beneficial.
• Help!  Walk away from each meeting with at least one action item in mind to help the other person with his or her needs or desires.  This works best if you don’t even mention it but just do it.  I find these tasks renew my energy and enthusiasm. It is amazing how good it feels to get out of our own head for a while and do something strictly for someone else.  This will naturally lead into follow up and staying in touch.

For the first time in 3 years, I took some time off in December to see family and friends that I have not been able to spend time with as my head has been buried in my business. Yes, I am kicking myself and my New Year’s Resolution is to keep these relationships alive as I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

I’m sure you are too!  Call them now!!!!

Help yourself and an Accounting /Finance professional and reach out all at the same time by making a referral with our “iPad for a Referral” promotion that has just been extended through January.

 

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

 

How to Choose the Best Job for Your Next Career Move

When deciding which job opportunity you should take, is it a science or a “gut feel?”

Both!

In the book “Blink”, by the author of “The Tipping Point,” Malcome Gladwell talks about the power of thinking without thinking.  He suggests that “gut feel” is actually based knowledge you are absorbing without subconsciously realizing it. 

So let’s break that down as it pertains to your next career move decision. 

Here is a 5 point check list to decide which job is the best career move for you.

1.  Write down what you want.  Make a list of what you would like to have with your next job including job content, work environment and career path.  Don’t worry about the logistics for now such as location and money.  The first step is just to visualize the feel of your new job.

2.  Ask yourself, “why?”  This is why so many people take the wrong job.  After I ask someone what they want in their next job and then I follow up with “why,” I realize that what they think they want might not get them what they really want. 

Here is an example:

Q: What do you want?

A: A large company

Q: Why?

A: Stability

As a headhunter, I have seen people take job opportunities at large companies for stability, only to be LIFO’d out at the first round of lay-offs.  Sometimes people are misled as to how to get what they want. 

3.  Interview the company.  As you interview, it is a priority to sell yourself every step of the way but it is imperative to interview the company simultaneously.  Take a look at 5 Things You Can Do To Figure Out the “Real Deal” Before You Take the Job and The Job Fit Check list.

4.  Compare your marketability with each opportunity.  Analyze what each opportunity will add to your marketability should you take that job and stay there for 1 year.  Increasing your marketability every year is the only job security that exists in the new economy.  You cannot predict what will happen based upon the size, industry or management of a company like we could years ago.  You just never know what the future holds so you have to create your own job security. Here is where it is a good idea to consult a professional Headhunter for your industry to find out what will maximize your marketability.

5.  Leave money out of the equation.  Make your decision based on the list you made in step 1 & 2 and your marketability.  DO NOT just take the highest offer. That is the single biggest mistake one can make in their career.  Rarely is the highest bidder the best long term career move.  The best opportunities don’t need to bribe talent.

For even more guideance, download The 3 Guidelines to Avoid Choosing the Job for the Wrong Reason.

Fit Happens! How to Recognize When it is the Ideal Job.

“Fit” is when you find a job that is perfect for you and the company feels that you are an ideal fit for the job.  In 25 years of recruiting and 12 years of Corporate Accounting & Finance Headhunting, “Fit” is THE MOST AMAZING PHENOMENON I have witnessed!

Here are 3 ways to recognize the best job fit:

1. Go See! Most of the time, you will not be able to pre-judge the job opportunity without going to the company and interviewing with the hiring manager.  A job description and company hearsay have little to do with the reasons a job candidate ends up really wanting the job.

Job hunting is like buying a house, the picture might be great and the description may be ideal but you don’t know if you can live there until you walk in the door.

2. You can be yourself! In the interview, you feel like you can be yourself, your(professional)self of course.  In other words, all the wonderful things you bring to the table seem to REALLY excite the hiring manager and the team you will work with.

3. Q&A is encouraged.  You are able to get questions answered with enthusiasm.  When you ask well thought out questions about the job content and the business, they are answered with excitement.  When the job is the right fit, the interviewer will be enthused that you even had the perspective to ask such an amazing question.  This excitement usually means that the hiring manager has long term plans for you.

There are only 3 things you control in the interview process.  Once you have focused all of your energy on the aspects you can control, it is time to let go. As long as you know you did the absolute best you could do, then it is easier to accept that if that job is right for you, they will choose you.  Sometimes we beat ourselves up about a job that we interviewed for but did not get only to realize, in retrospect, that it was not the right fit.

Do the best you can do at selling yourself every time and the when it is the right opportunity, the company will be thrilled to hire you!  At that point, when they make an offer, you can trust your gut.

Once a company wants you and you want them, you can negotiate.

I have put together 2 videos on “How to Answer the Money Question.”

Watch the 2 minute “short answer” and then download the 8 minute video for a more intense salary negotiation situation.

 

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

 

The Secret to Finding Your Dream Job

Have you ever set out looking for your dream job? Most of us have at least thought about it at one time or another.  I must admit, when I have painted this ideal day in my mind, it usually does not even sound like a job. 

As a Headhunter, I asked this question quite a bit to executives and many times, people are at a loss of words for a few seconds because the dream job concept has been pushed back to the far corners of their mind.

Would you know the ideal job if you saw it? Figuring it out can be most of the battle.  Sometimes we are not satisfied with our job but not sure why.  Is it the responsibilities (or lack thereof), the environment or a bad boss?

Don’t worry. You don’t have to know what your ideal job is to find it. 

You just have to do one thing….

the secret to finding your dream job is to keep an open mind!

Our mind is like a parachute, it only works when it’s open.

Real life situation

Several years ago, I met with a CFO to see what our firm could do to help her find a Controller to handle the day to day accounting and reporting. I could not help but have one particular woman, Jane, come to mind because of how well I felt she would connect with the CFO.  The role would be a step up for her but I knew she could handle it. Well, the job was in Boston and Jane did not want anything to do with working in town.  After doing my best to convince her that it was at least worth meeting with the CFO, I finally had to bribe her with lunch if she did not want the job.

Yes, she loved the job, got the offer at a 40% increase to her salary at the time and a step up. After Jane started, she said it was her IDEAL job and even liked taking the train into town.  A few years later, the CFO moved on to a bigger company and took Jane with her.

Sometimes we don’t know what we want until we see it. 

Here is how it works

1.  Clarify!  Really analyze the types of things that drive you and make your creativity run wild. Think about it as much as you can so it is constantly in the forefront of your mind.

2.  Do stuff!  Try and see as much as you can much as you can with NO prejudgment.

Where can you see it?

• Get involved with committees at work and in your community. Getting to know people in other departments at work can lead to many opportunities.
• Talk to people about what they do. Conduct Career Interviews for a more active career search.
• Take most any interview you get, view it as a networking opportunity!

3.  When opportunity knocks, open the door!  The best opportunities in life seem to present themselves when we are not planning for them.  I have witnessed that the only difference between those that are in their dream career and those that are not is those that are, just made the leap when they had the chance, not when it was convenient.

Life has wonderful surprises in store for us if we keep our mind and our eyes open to see them.

To find out how to conduct a "career interview" with those that are in a field of your interest, download the Career Interview Guidelines.  This will also include career research tips and resources.

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President,

Dubin & Lee

Top 3 Reasons to Not Use a Headhunter

You are thinking I must be out of my mind to tell you this since I am an Accounting Headhunter, but I’ll let the cat out of the bag. There are certainly instances when it is a complete waste of your time to use a Headhunter.

Here are 3 Reasons NOT to use a Headhunter

1. You are making a career change. If you are an Accountant looking to do something different or doing something different and looking to get into accounting, using a Headhunter is most likely NOT going to be fruitful.  Headhunters are always industry and/or discipline specific so they do “apples to apples” only.  Since I am a Recruiting Professional, I could not go to a Restaurant Headhunter and tell him or her that, because I am a seriously good cook, I would like to work as a Chef.  Well, I could but it would not make much sense.

2. You lack the credentials in demand in your industry.  Certainly there are some exceptions to this if you have been able to build some skills that are in demand in your industry.  The tougher the job market, the more companies reach out to Headhunters to help them find the credentials.  So, if you are an Accountant with a highly sought after CPA, you can and should utilize a Headhunter to help you find the best of the best opportunities.

3. Your resume is all over the place. If you are posted on the job boards and have not kept track of everywhere you have sent your resume, chances are, a Headhunter’s hands are tied. 

A Headhunter is not going to be able to present you to a company that you have submitted to prior.

A duplicate submission or being posted for the whole world to see will not be favorable to your reputation as a job seeker.  It will make you appear to be “low hanging fruit” aka desparate.  Perception is everything, so keep a spreadsheet of EVERY company that has received your resume with the date submitted and who submitted it.

Getting a job in all 3 of these scenarios is possible if you take the right steps on your own.  Getting hired on your own just requires specific strategies, which anyone can learn if they are willing to put in the time and effort. Searching for a job in the current job market is such a different process with different obstacles than it was even just a few years ago.  One of the main reasons I blog and facilitate workshops is to help everyone make the careers of their dreams a reality. 

Whether you want to use a Headhunter or not, we can help.  Inquire about hosting a Dubin & Lee career workshop or check out the opportunities with our hiring client companies.

 

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

Why You Did Not Get The Job Offer, Even If You Were Qualified

You went through the job interview process, you had all the required experience, you illustrated your capabilities and still, you did not get the job.  To make matters worse, you got no feedback.  If this has happened to you or someone you know, there might have not been a problem with the hard skills requirement but possibly with the intangibles. 

Because an addition to head count is not done frivolously these days, companies go the extra mile to screen for anything and everything that can make or break a new employee’s success.

Consulting firm LeadershipIQ monitored hiring effectiveness and employee engagement at 1,500 companies across many industries and tracked 20,000 new hires over a three-year period. Among the 46% of hirees who failed within their first 18 months, only 11% failed because of technical incompetence. The other 89% failed in attitudinal areas: coachability, emotional intelligence, motivation, and temperament.

Here are the top 5 soft skills that job interviewees lack which prevent them from receiving a job offer.

1. Communication skills:  So many people state they have excellent communications skills on their resume but so few actually do.  Fresh graduates have less developed verbal communication skills than any new graduates had in the past.
2. Coachability: This includes listening (really listening), taking constructive criticism and an enthusiasm to learn regardless if your boss or mentor is your favorite person in the world.
3. Self-starter: Yes, this is another overused phrase used on the resume and usually is not descriptive of the job applicant.  Being a self-starter means that you look for ways to add value even you will not be recognized.  You do it because you can’t help yourself.  Your purpose in life is to troubleshoot, solve problems, improve processes for efficiency, and no one needs to give you permission or ask you to do it.
4. Insecurity:  If you are not convinced of your capabilities then odds are you will not be able to convince anyone else.
5. Arrogance: From what I have observed, arrogance is just another manifestation of insecurity. Your job in an interview is to sell yourself, but if you don’t know how to do that without coming off arrogant, you really need some coaching.  No matter how qualified you are, unattractive personality traits like arrogance will destroy your chances at getting a job offer from any company that has a great employee reputation.

One of the ways employers judge a job applicant is by the quality of the questions that the applicant asks and by how well the candidate listens and responds to the answers.  If you have been fine tuning your communications skills (verbal and non-verbal), and you are ready to put them to use for going after that ideal job opportunity, download the Top 14 Questions to Ask an Interviewer.

Posted by:

Saundra Lee

President

Dubin & Lee

 

Special note:

Inspired by an article by

David McCann @DaveMcCFO

Sr. Editor, CFO Magazine