You Can Mumble Your Way Right Out of Employment Consideration

Have you heard the new "Mathnasium" tutoring school radio commercials where students of various ages laud the school for helping them get better grades?

The first student sounds like a little 9 or 10 year old girl, who clearly and powerfully announces, "I LOVE coming to Mathnasium."

That's followed by two teenage girls, who also speak clearly and eloquently  about the reasons they attend Mathnasium.  "I want to be best in class," explains one.

Why they chose to include the last student, I can't figure.  Her valley-girl mumbling is almost indecipherable as she blurts out something about "My parents @#%@%@% ask me hey how'd you get an A on that test...?  I say I go to Ma#^#^##^#^."  Sounds like her parents really needed to send their daughter to Speaknasium, instead of Mathnasium.

Perhaps, this young mumbling student gets a pass for her age, but I have to tell you that mumbling is a chronic problem for many jobseekers in their twenties, thirties and beyond.  In fact, it is also quite apparent that leaving clear and understandable phone messages for and speaking properly with employers is a real problem for a lot of job applicants.

I can't tell you how many times job candidates call or leave me messages starting off with blurting out their names so fast and garbled that there is no way of me telling who is calling.  PLEASE, help yourselves by making sure you speak clearly and slowly into the telephone, especially when it comes to letting the person on the other end, who is calling; for what reason(s); and how you can be reached to return the call.

Furthermore, if you are calling a company recruiter to follow up on a resume you may have submitted (sometimes, many months ago) or even after a recent quick and casual meeting, please give some thought to that person possibly not remembering you, since he or she meets and speaks to dozens of job seekers each day.

Believe it or not, I get two or three phone calls daily that go something like this: "Hey Marc! This is Fr@#@%@% (no last name given) what did you think of my resume?"  Like his or hers was the only resume I received that day!?!  Sorry. At least, give me a hint as to who you are and for what position you are applying BEFORE you get into the "I'm your newest best friend" speech that inevitably follows.  I love meeting new people and care about and respect everyone I meet, but this "too familiar" stuff really makes it difficult to discuss possible employment in a professional way. Slow down when you speak and don't think you can "just add water" and a lifelong friendship will begin between recruiter and applicant that will lead to a immediate hire.  It can't and it won't.  Slow down. State your name and job interest clearly each time you call employers first time and every time.  And, don't try to act "too familiar." because you are clearly not - not yet.

Be aware that mumbling also sends the wrong message about you as a person.  It is accepted by most that mumbling is the talk of lazy people, who seem too tired to want to bother expressing themselves articulately and with a conviction of words.  "Blah, blah, blah" is more than just a way of talking, it is also a signal of lack of energy. It is also disrespectful to the listener, who struggles to find out who you are and what you seek from him or her.

Speak clearly and with authority if you want to be heard and seen as an impressive communicator and serious employment candidate.

What You Say is "Not My Job," May End Up Meaning You No Longer Have One!

A few years ago, I read an interesting article in Forbes magazine that talked about those employees, who refuse to do anything they consider not being part of their own job description.  The well-written and thoughtful piece left such a powerful impression on me that I went searching for it again, over the past weekend. I found it, re-read it and immediately realized that it offers some timeless advice.

The article was appropriately titled "When You Say It's Not My Job, You End Up Ruining Your Career." It was written by Vivian Giang for the September 20, 2012 issue of Forbes.


In her own contribution to Forbes, Giang quotes from another Forbes' contributor , Ericka Anderson. Giang paraphrases what Anderson wrote about, in her own words.  "Eventually, your career goals will diminish and all of your jobs will be just that — jobs".  What she was referring to is that if you do not expand within or to outside the "box" you work in your career will eventually whither and die.  Anderson's direct quote is as follows and offers some terrific advice for everyone:

"The folks who embrace challenge – say yes to taking on new responsibilities, take advantage of chances to improve their skills, volunteer for start-up projects – tend to build more viable careers. They’re seen as focusing on mutual benefit; on wanting to help the company while improving themselves. That’s the kind of employee that companies want to keep and groom for bigger things."  -- Ericka Anderson

There was a time when the expression "It's not my job" was a humorous expression.  Not anymore is it the least bit funny!  Not in the complex and highly competitive employment world of the early twenty-first century! In fact, by refusing to pitch in and help make for a stronger team effort, you are absolutely shortchanging yourself and your future career potential.  Someone else will undoubtedly jump in  -  unselfishly and without complaint - to join the effort and end up becoming better skilled and much more marketable; universally well-liked and appreciated; and much more valuable to the present and or future employers. Those sitting on the sidelines while others step up are generally considered as "prima donnas" and mediocre employees -  often something even worse.

Why jump in to an effort and step outside of your employment and job description "box?"

Seth Godin writes the following for Business Insider;

"The work you’re doing on project X right now is keeping you from pushing through the Dip on project Y. If you fire your worst clients, if you quit your deadest tactics, if you stop working with the people who return the least, then you free up an astounding number of resources. Direct those resources at a Dip worth conquering and your odds of success go way up." - Seth Godin

If you work within a box, you'll just end up being re-cycled along with the other useless cardboard.  If you are not a team player for your employer, you may very well be kicked off the team, entirely. Thrown to the side and discarded.

If you are not smart enough to discover the opportunity the lies outside the box you think you work in, you will never discover the true talents the lie inside you or the value others will eventually pay for it.

Note: My views on topics are my own based on personal experiences and are not reflective of any others.

Take off Your Resume and Stay Awhile

My father retired from Macy's in 1986.  He worked for the company for 36 years. He was THE model employee and largely responsible for my own solid work ethic.  Dad went to work in the heaviest of snows; stayed well past 10 pm during the holiday season; and almost never missed a day due to illness. More importantly, he never complained.  He made a decent living and never regretted sticking it out with a single employer for most of his adult life.  

OK.  36 years at a single employer may be an extreme example of job stability; but we might also think that individuals with two or three years each at five different employers over a ten year period might also represent an extreme. But, according to recent statistics, it does not.  Careers and resumes littered with numerous jobs over a relatively short period of years is more common - these days - than many of us may realize.

The average worker today stays at each of his or her jobs for 4.4 years, according to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014), but the expected tenure of the workforce's youngest employees is about half that.

Ninety-one percent of Millennials (born between 1977-1997) expect to stay in a job for less than three years, according to the Future Workplace “Multiple Generations @ Work” survey of 1,189 employees and 150 managers. That means they would have 15 – 20 jobs over the course of their working lives!

Is this really a good trend for employers, the economy, the employees or the children of employees looking for role models like my own dad?  I argue, no - it's not!

Our Work Behaviors Impacts Our Own Careers and The World Economy

First of all, be aware that recruiters screen out chronic job-hoppers, instead seeking prospective employees who seem to offer longevity. Most employers question such applicants’ motivation, skill level, engagement on the-job and ability to get along with other colleagues.

The cost of simply finding the right person to hire can be hefty, so employers try their best to avoid making bad hires. Not every new hire will demand the entire process, but even an $8/hour employee can end up costing a company around $3,500 in turnover costs, both direct and indirect.

Once on board most new hires require some degree of training. In a report from Training magazine in 2007, companies spent an average of over $1,200 annually per employee. In 2005, employees spent an average of 32 hours per year on training.

What is the actual cost of training new hires?  You must factor in the cost of both formal training (including training materials) and the time managers must dedicate as well as that of key coworkers to train the new employee to achieve 100% productivity.

According to Joe Hadzima, a columnist for the Boston Business Journal and lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management, the salary plus benefits usually totals "in the 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary range." Hence, the salary plus benefits package for a $50,000/year employee could equal $62,500 to $70,000. Hey job applicants - focusing solely on salary offers may be a mistake!

Wanna know why we are partially paying more and more for goods and services? Consider the cost of job-hopping and turnover to employers and the economy as part of the price tags for everything we buy.

Our Work Behaviors Effect Our Future Workforce - Our Children

Aside from the risk of being labeled a "job hopper" we may find ourselves potentially losing out on our dream jobs when jittery employers elect to pass on our resumes and on us.  In addition, the cost to employers and the economy of making bad hires is very high, And, there is also the negative effects  that "job hopping" parents can have on highly impressionable young children - our future work force.

Let's talk about our kids. One of the most powerful skills children possess is their ability to observe. Children want to model the behaviors of their parents - all parental behaviors. This places a major responsibility on parents to model themselves, wisely.

Work-family spillover is generally understood to describe the interface between work and family life, with experiences of paid work possibly spilling over in positive or negative ways to family life.  There have been studies that show that both positive and negative influences in the workforce are passed on to children by their working parents.  So, are patterns of career instability  - Job Hopping!

Overall, parents' and children's perceptions tended to align fairly closely. According to the results of a recent Australian study, when boys and girls said that their mother and or father liked their job a lot, around three-quarters of mothers and or fathers considered that their job was positive for and benefited their children. In contrast, fewer than 60% of mothers and or fathers thought their job was positive for or benefited their children when their children thought that their father did not like his job (or liked it very little).

Potential Conclusion

From this modeling behavior and alignment of perceptions, we might also assume that children of job hopping parents may also tend to emulate their parents behaviors later in life.  Think about it.  If parents do not reinforce the concept of job stability in their family lives, what is to be expected from future generations of employees and their impact on the workforce and overall economy?

Note: My views on topics are my own based on personal experiences and are not reflective of any others.