“Why did you leave your last position?”
This question strikes terror into the hearts of many job seekers. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
It is a legitimate question and you will be asked. If you anticipate the question and are ready to answer it you will be fine.
In the current economy there is an easy answer to give for this one. I interview folks for jobs fairly often and the one I hear most often today is “I was laid off”. Millions of people have been laid off in this country. There is nothing to be ashamed of in this. But I am still surprised at how many people apologize for it, or seem to think it is a reflection on their personal worth or ability. Many people see getting laid off as a failure on their part. It really isn’t. In reality some bad bankers made lots of very bad loans following some very poor regulations and oversight. Those actions brought our economy to its knees and you were caught in the middle. Unless you were an executive at AIG or Citigroup you really shouldn’t feel any responsibility for that. Right now this is probably the most common, and best answer you can give.
But what if you weren’t laid off? Things happen. You piss off your boss and you get fired. You have differences with your boss and you are asked to resign. A new boss comes in and wants to bring in their own people. What if you found out your boss was stealing from the company and she fired you in fear you would rat her out? What if your boss was a total jackass and you just couldn’t take it anymore? What if you boss was just this side of Adolf Hitler and you couldn’t bring yourself not to hit him or her with a shovel so you resigned to save their life. If you are contemplating driving a stake through the heart of the undead horror that is your boss, perhaps resignation is a good idea.
I’m exaggerating here, but the point is that almost everything that you can imagine happens and people get caught in the middle. You are usually asked this question in two places. The first is an application or other paperwork that the hiring company requires, and that one is easy. “Left to pursue other opportunities” is a perfectly valid response on an application and it doesn’t say anything bad about you or about the company you left. It doesn’t really answer anything but it is an accepted answer that shouldn’t be seen as a red flag. The whole goal of written materials is to help you get in the door and actually speak to someone, so this shouldn’t hurt you.
So now let’s assume you are being asked the question in person. Why did you leave your last job? Why did you leave that job in 1998? I have three rules around this question.
First, be honest. Don’t lie. If you start off a relationship with a lie I absolutely guarantee it will only go downhill. If you lie once, you will lie again and eventually it will come back to bite you. What goes around comes around. Being honest does not mean going into every dirty gory detail, but it does mean telling the truth.
Second, don’t trash your former boss or your former place of work. There is nothing that scares off a prospective employer faster than this. As a hiring manager I assume that if you think your last boss was a total jerk, or your last place of employ was horrible, then it’s you and you will think the same thing about me or about this job sooner or later. No one wants to work with someone who complains or is a back stabber and that’s just how it looks. I once scheduled a telephone interview for an Administrative Assistant position. I called her at the appointed time. When she answered the phone she sounded angry “who’s this?” was actually how she answered the phone. When I told her who I was she obviously remembered our appointment and became very happy. She apologized for how she answered the phone. I asked a few questions and drew out that those people she used to work with were terrible. They had been calling her and saying mean things. I told her I didn’t sense a good fit for the position, wished her luck, and terminated the call.
Finally, turn it into a positive. Employers only want to hire positive people. Worst case scenario you got fired for cause. Absolute worst case scenario is that the cause was something unethical or illegal you did. They are going to find out somehow so it’s better they find out from you. “I did a bad thing. I was younger then. I’ve learned from my mistakes and taken a new path in life.” Someone will eventually hear that and give you a chance. It will be tough but you have to deal with the consequence of what you did and this is part of it.
More commonly people were caught up in a bad situation. A new boss cleaned house. Things got political and you were sacrificed on the altar of someone’s career ambitions. Those things happen all the time. In most of these cases people are asked to resign. If this was the case for you then turn it into a positive. “I’m really committed to what I do. I’m good at it, and I take it seriously. I was uncomfortable with how things were going and after a lot of soul searching I decided it would be better for me to leave and concentrate on finding something I could be comfortable and happy with.” If you are pressed for more details you can invoke confidentiality. “When I left I agreed to hold confidential all the issues that I felt were a problem. I won’t compromise my integrity, so I’m just going to have to leave it at that.” A savvy hiring manager understands that you are being respectful, keeping confidentiality, and keeping your integrity. A savvy hiring manager who has been around understands that these things happen and will understand that you are speaking in code and leave it at that. If they are good they are going to really check you out anyway, so those discussions should tell them what they need to know. Everybody rubs someone wrong during their career and a savvy hiring manager wants to know if that is a pattern or just a one off situation. Their due diligence in checking you out will tell them the answer to that question. If they are not savvy and don’t understand these things, and don’t check you out independently of the interview, and try to make you say something you don’t want to say, then you are better off not working for him or her anyway.
Don’t be blind to a bad boss or a bad company in the desire to get a job. Stay true to yourself, be honest and positive, and eventually it will pay off.
Good luck and please send your questions to zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
And have a great holiday season!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Is a non-profit job really different from a job in the for-profit sector?
Well, yes and no.
The for-profit sector has one over-riding goal. That goal is profit. I don’t mean to imply that people in for-profit businesses aren’t good people doing good things, but the whole reason for the existence of the company they work for is profit. Profit is not a bad thing. Profit motivates people to work hard, try new ideas and innovate. For-profit companies come up with all sorts of idea that help people, families, and society in general. If a pharmaceutical company invents a vaccine for AIDS that will be a huge benefit to many individuals and society in general. The company will also make a lot of money from it. That profit does not take away from the fact that it is beneficial.
At the other end of the for-profit spectrum examples like Enron and AIG come to mind. These are examples where greed got the better of some people who could make decisions and they were purely interested in profit alone, at the expense of any possible benefit to individuals and society in general. Here there was no benefit to anyone, and actually a great deal of harm. Profit for profit’s sake led some people down the wrong path. Of course that can also happen with a non-profit as we saw with the United Way scandal, but I think it is much less likely.
I spent 15 years in for-profit and had a successful career there. I enjoyed my work, but as I moved up in the company it was more and more about profits, quarterly statements, capital and return on investments. That just didn’t excite me. I knew we did some things that benefited the world but most of it either didn’t benefit anyone or actually harmed some or at least had the potential for harm. The idea of working myself silly for the enrichment of stock holders just wasn’t exciting anymore.
That’s where the real difference is in non-profit. The mission. The actual work could be the same. An office manager, finance director, HR manager, etc., all pretty much do the same thing in non-profit companies as they do in for-profit companies. The different is that their work in a non-profit is not about making money for stock holders. It’s about the mission. It’s about cleaning up lakes and rivers. It’s about taking care of sick children. It’s about providing bed nets to African children to keep them from getting malaria. It’s about preserving ecosystems for a healthier future. It’s about providing vaccines to a mother who couldn’t otherwise afford to get her children vaccinated. It’s about providing a bed or a meal to a family in need.
So ask yourself, “If I got up every day and went to work knowing I was helping to fulfill one of those missions listed above, vs. making money for stock holders, would I feel differently about my job? Would I be happier to get up and go to work every day?” If the answer is yes, then for you a non-profit job probably would be different than a for-profit job.
One other difference that I can address is purely part of my experience. I cannot say that this applies across the board but it has been my reality. Non-profit companies, again in my experience, are just more humane. The non-profit places I’ve worked have been more sensitive to me as a person, to my need for a work/life balance, and all my other needs than the for-profit companies where I have worked. I think it’s just an artifact of the mission. If you really care about the world, it’s a little easier to treat people close to you better, and a little harder to treat them poorly. It just goes against the grain of why you are there in the first place. That does not imply that you won’t work hard in a non-profit because you will. Perhaps harder than you ever worked in a for-profit, but somehow it just feels better.
That is not to say that all is happiness and light in the non-profit sector. Unfortunately this sector has its share of jerks, a**holes, and just plain mean people. There are folks out there just worried about getting ahead and they will step on anyone in their way. But generally speaking that kind of behavior tends to be much less accepted in the non-profit workplace. Those folks tend to be “in the closet” so to speak. It’s only really bad when one of them becomes a boss, but unfortunately that can happen here just like anywhere else.
Finally, let me dispel a myth about the difference between the non-profit and for-profit work places. When I left for-profit some of my friends and co-workers implied that I would be disappointed in non-profit. Some told me that people went to non-profit when they couldn’t get a job in for-profit and that the work and general quality was just lower. In my experience that could not be further from the truth. The people I have worked with and come across in non-profit have been just as skilled, knowledgeable, thorough, meticulous, and hard working as anyone I’ve met in the for-profit world.
Please email me with your questions at zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
The for-profit sector has one over-riding goal. That goal is profit. I don’t mean to imply that people in for-profit businesses aren’t good people doing good things, but the whole reason for the existence of the company they work for is profit. Profit is not a bad thing. Profit motivates people to work hard, try new ideas and innovate. For-profit companies come up with all sorts of idea that help people, families, and society in general. If a pharmaceutical company invents a vaccine for AIDS that will be a huge benefit to many individuals and society in general. The company will also make a lot of money from it. That profit does not take away from the fact that it is beneficial.
At the other end of the for-profit spectrum examples like Enron and AIG come to mind. These are examples where greed got the better of some people who could make decisions and they were purely interested in profit alone, at the expense of any possible benefit to individuals and society in general. Here there was no benefit to anyone, and actually a great deal of harm. Profit for profit’s sake led some people down the wrong path. Of course that can also happen with a non-profit as we saw with the United Way scandal, but I think it is much less likely.
I spent 15 years in for-profit and had a successful career there. I enjoyed my work, but as I moved up in the company it was more and more about profits, quarterly statements, capital and return on investments. That just didn’t excite me. I knew we did some things that benefited the world but most of it either didn’t benefit anyone or actually harmed some or at least had the potential for harm. The idea of working myself silly for the enrichment of stock holders just wasn’t exciting anymore.
That’s where the real difference is in non-profit. The mission. The actual work could be the same. An office manager, finance director, HR manager, etc., all pretty much do the same thing in non-profit companies as they do in for-profit companies. The different is that their work in a non-profit is not about making money for stock holders. It’s about the mission. It’s about cleaning up lakes and rivers. It’s about taking care of sick children. It’s about providing bed nets to African children to keep them from getting malaria. It’s about preserving ecosystems for a healthier future. It’s about providing vaccines to a mother who couldn’t otherwise afford to get her children vaccinated. It’s about providing a bed or a meal to a family in need.
So ask yourself, “If I got up every day and went to work knowing I was helping to fulfill one of those missions listed above, vs. making money for stock holders, would I feel differently about my job? Would I be happier to get up and go to work every day?” If the answer is yes, then for you a non-profit job probably would be different than a for-profit job.
One other difference that I can address is purely part of my experience. I cannot say that this applies across the board but it has been my reality. Non-profit companies, again in my experience, are just more humane. The non-profit places I’ve worked have been more sensitive to me as a person, to my need for a work/life balance, and all my other needs than the for-profit companies where I have worked. I think it’s just an artifact of the mission. If you really care about the world, it’s a little easier to treat people close to you better, and a little harder to treat them poorly. It just goes against the grain of why you are there in the first place. That does not imply that you won’t work hard in a non-profit because you will. Perhaps harder than you ever worked in a for-profit, but somehow it just feels better.
That is not to say that all is happiness and light in the non-profit sector. Unfortunately this sector has its share of jerks, a**holes, and just plain mean people. There are folks out there just worried about getting ahead and they will step on anyone in their way. But generally speaking that kind of behavior tends to be much less accepted in the non-profit workplace. Those folks tend to be “in the closet” so to speak. It’s only really bad when one of them becomes a boss, but unfortunately that can happen here just like anywhere else.
Finally, let me dispel a myth about the difference between the non-profit and for-profit work places. When I left for-profit some of my friends and co-workers implied that I would be disappointed in non-profit. Some told me that people went to non-profit when they couldn’t get a job in for-profit and that the work and general quality was just lower. In my experience that could not be further from the truth. The people I have worked with and come across in non-profit have been just as skilled, knowledgeable, thorough, meticulous, and hard working as anyone I’ve met in the for-profit world.
Please email me with your questions at zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
Friday, November 20, 2009
Should I Take Just Any Job I Can Get?
I once had a boss who used to like to tell us all about these little sayings he made up. The only one that made sense to me was “It’s better to want what you don’t have than to have what you don’t want.” He would always pull that one out when we were hiring someone. It makes sense. A bad hire is worse than no hire at all.
In some sense this is true for jobs. A bad job can be worse than no job at all. But the “Should I take just any job I can get?” question is really one that no one else can answer for you. What is your situation? Do you have a family to support? Are you running out of money? Are your kids hungry? What’s the economy like? I’ve always said that I would work at McDonald’s slinging fries if that was what it took to feed my kids. Fortunately I have never been in that situation.
I would recommend carefully weighing the down side of taking a job you don’t really want. While it might make some sense to put some food on the table or pay the mortgage, you need to recognize that the time it takes to get good at a new job is time away from looking for the job you really want. It’s also true that the psychological drain of being in a job you really hate can take away from the emotional energy you need to look for a job. Looking for a job is hard work and if you already have one it’s going to use up a lot of your time and energy. It will be almost like doing two jobs if you do it right.
I am a strong believer in going with your gut. If you have a bad feeling about a job there is probably a good reason. If you’ve got that bad feeling I suggest you dig and dig and dig some more and totally satisfy yourself before saying yes. By dig I mean ask to speak to others at the company. Who supplies (information or anything else) to the group? Who do they get their raw materials (information, budgets, whatever they “need” to do their jobs) from? These are good places to ask questions. Basically go upstream and downstream of the group you will be working for to get a good feel for them. If you are wondering if you can get access to these groups, I think you should be able to. If a company has made you an offer they should be willing to allow you to talk with other employees to help you make your decision. If they are not willing to let you talk with other employees than my guess it’s because they have something to hide and I think you should stay away from them.
But in the end there is no one right answer to this question. I am convinced that good people get jobs. And good people eventually get good jobs. You have to decide what is right for you and your situation. I would just caution you not to go against you gut unless you really feel you have to. If you do decide to take a job you don’t really want, go into it with your eyes open and a plan in mind.
Email me with your questions. zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
In some sense this is true for jobs. A bad job can be worse than no job at all. But the “Should I take just any job I can get?” question is really one that no one else can answer for you. What is your situation? Do you have a family to support? Are you running out of money? Are your kids hungry? What’s the economy like? I’ve always said that I would work at McDonald’s slinging fries if that was what it took to feed my kids. Fortunately I have never been in that situation.
I would recommend carefully weighing the down side of taking a job you don’t really want. While it might make some sense to put some food on the table or pay the mortgage, you need to recognize that the time it takes to get good at a new job is time away from looking for the job you really want. It’s also true that the psychological drain of being in a job you really hate can take away from the emotional energy you need to look for a job. Looking for a job is hard work and if you already have one it’s going to use up a lot of your time and energy. It will be almost like doing two jobs if you do it right.
I am a strong believer in going with your gut. If you have a bad feeling about a job there is probably a good reason. If you’ve got that bad feeling I suggest you dig and dig and dig some more and totally satisfy yourself before saying yes. By dig I mean ask to speak to others at the company. Who supplies (information or anything else) to the group? Who do they get their raw materials (information, budgets, whatever they “need” to do their jobs) from? These are good places to ask questions. Basically go upstream and downstream of the group you will be working for to get a good feel for them. If you are wondering if you can get access to these groups, I think you should be able to. If a company has made you an offer they should be willing to allow you to talk with other employees to help you make your decision. If they are not willing to let you talk with other employees than my guess it’s because they have something to hide and I think you should stay away from them.
But in the end there is no one right answer to this question. I am convinced that good people get jobs. And good people eventually get good jobs. You have to decide what is right for you and your situation. I would just caution you not to go against you gut unless you really feel you have to. If you do decide to take a job you don’t really want, go into it with your eyes open and a plan in mind.
Email me with your questions. zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
OH NO! THEY SAID NO!
Whenever someone tells me they got a “no” on a job they wanted, I look them in the eye and say, “great news!”
Now I’m not being mean, and I’m not so naïve that I don’t know it’s tough to get a no, but guess what. If you are looking for a job, you are going to get a lot of “nos.” So think about it. If I have to get a lot of nos before I get a yes, then if I just got a no, I’m one closer to that yes.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s really how it works. Sales people really understand this. I’ve known sales people who really celebrated the nos. They knew that if they got a no they were just that much closer to a yes. Statistically speaking it’s just how it works.
I had a wise boss once who’s advice was always “fail faster.” He ran a medium size research facility. He didn’t want everything to fail, but he knew that in research there are just a lot of failures. So the idea was to get to the fail point as quickly a possible so as not to waste any more time than needed on a failure and move along to the next thing. In research there are probably 99 failures for every success. If it takes you a month to get to the failure point then you will have a success after 100 months – that’s over 8 years. If you can shorten the failure cycle to 1 day then your success comes just over 3 months. So failing faster can be a profitable idea. In my opinion it’s pretty much the same with finding a job.
Now, this advice needs to be taken with a healthy dose of common sense. It doesn’t mean you should fail or get a no on purpose. It also isn’t an excuse not to do your best or to apply for some job that makes no sense for you just to get a no. But if you get out there, work your program, do your best, and give it your all, then a no really isn’t a bad thing.
You’re just that much closer to that yes. Which ain’t a bad thing.
Remember to that if you have to get through a lot of nos then you better have lots of irons in the fire. I'll talk about volume and what I think of it, in a future post.
If you have a question email ZippyTheWonderbat at zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
Now I’m not being mean, and I’m not so naïve that I don’t know it’s tough to get a no, but guess what. If you are looking for a job, you are going to get a lot of “nos.” So think about it. If I have to get a lot of nos before I get a yes, then if I just got a no, I’m one closer to that yes.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s really how it works. Sales people really understand this. I’ve known sales people who really celebrated the nos. They knew that if they got a no they were just that much closer to a yes. Statistically speaking it’s just how it works.
I had a wise boss once who’s advice was always “fail faster.” He ran a medium size research facility. He didn’t want everything to fail, but he knew that in research there are just a lot of failures. So the idea was to get to the fail point as quickly a possible so as not to waste any more time than needed on a failure and move along to the next thing. In research there are probably 99 failures for every success. If it takes you a month to get to the failure point then you will have a success after 100 months – that’s over 8 years. If you can shorten the failure cycle to 1 day then your success comes just over 3 months. So failing faster can be a profitable idea. In my opinion it’s pretty much the same with finding a job.
Now, this advice needs to be taken with a healthy dose of common sense. It doesn’t mean you should fail or get a no on purpose. It also isn’t an excuse not to do your best or to apply for some job that makes no sense for you just to get a no. But if you get out there, work your program, do your best, and give it your all, then a no really isn’t a bad thing.
You’re just that much closer to that yes. Which ain’t a bad thing.
Remember to that if you have to get through a lot of nos then you better have lots of irons in the fire. I'll talk about volume and what I think of it, in a future post.
If you have a question email ZippyTheWonderbat at zippyjobadvice@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
What's the key
Hi Again:
I've been thinking about this question. What's the one key element to finding a job? Is it a great resume? Knowing someone? Networking? Persistence? Doggedness? A nice suit? The ability to lie through your teeth? Thinking fast on your feet? An amazing smile with dazzling white teeth?
Well most of those are useful or important (although I'd never lie, it's a bottomless trap). But none of them feel like the real key. What advice did I get that I stuck to that made my job hunts successful? What worked for me and what have I seen work for others?
After pondering long and hard I hit on the answer. Or at least the answer for me. It's being realistic and giving yourself a break. Every day get up in the morning and lay out what success for that day will be. It will be different on different days. Some days it might be "I'll apply for 10 jobs on line." Other days it might be "I'll sign up for unemployment today." or "I will find one job I want to apply for today.".
Note that those possibilities really move across a range. Guess what. Not having a job is tough. It's depressing. It's supposed to be depressing. It's hard. Find a job is hard work. It's a darn sight harder than actually having a job. Some days will be pretty good, and some days will absolutely suck. Some days you'll do all you can to get out of bed. Some days you may not even make it out of bed. That's what being unemployed and not having a job and looking for a job is like. That's the bad news.
The good news is that it's not impossible. It's damn tough, but it's not impossible. Others have done it. Frankly if I've done it, I bet you can too.
My point is to be realistic. "Today I'm going to find a job." is not a particularly realistic goal for the day. Define success that way and I don't think you are going to feel successful very often. Give yourself a break. Define success as something realistic and something within your control.
Once you've reached success for the day, allow yourself to celebrate a little bit. I don't mean blow all your money on the town. Pick a small reward. What works for you? Have a cookie. Watch a movie. Spend 45 minutes playing that on line game you like. Just reward yourself a little bit and don't feel guilty about it. But if you do, that's OK too.
You're not going to be Mr. or Ms. happy cheerful person all the time when you are out of work and looking for a job. That's OK. Cut yourself some slack. Anyone who tells you that you have to be cheerful positive and look at everything through rosy glasses all the time is not being realistic. And they are probably trying to sell you their "system" for finding a job.
So set your goals a little more modestly. Define success as something you can actually achieve. This should not be used as an excuse to do nothing and pretend you did something. You know yourself. Set a goal that's right for you today. Not too easy and not too hard. String together a few successful days and you might feel up to a slightly more challenging goal soon. Next thing you know you'll string together a bunch of success, start feeling good about yourself, and really get moving.
You'll have bad days. That's OK. Just keep plugging.
I know you're looking for a job, but you already have a job. Your job is to find a job. It's volunteer work, but it's worth it. It's for you. It's for any family that you may have. If you felt a little down one day, you wouldn't call in sick would you? No, you'd probably suck it up and go to work. Well, this is your work. Keep plugging at it and you'll eventually get what you are working for. You may not know it, but you're employed. Think of it that way and it will be easier to do.
ZippyTheWonderbat
I've been thinking about this question. What's the one key element to finding a job? Is it a great resume? Knowing someone? Networking? Persistence? Doggedness? A nice suit? The ability to lie through your teeth? Thinking fast on your feet? An amazing smile with dazzling white teeth?
Well most of those are useful or important (although I'd never lie, it's a bottomless trap). But none of them feel like the real key. What advice did I get that I stuck to that made my job hunts successful? What worked for me and what have I seen work for others?
After pondering long and hard I hit on the answer. Or at least the answer for me. It's being realistic and giving yourself a break. Every day get up in the morning and lay out what success for that day will be. It will be different on different days. Some days it might be "I'll apply for 10 jobs on line." Other days it might be "I'll sign up for unemployment today." or "I will find one job I want to apply for today.".
Note that those possibilities really move across a range. Guess what. Not having a job is tough. It's depressing. It's supposed to be depressing. It's hard. Find a job is hard work. It's a darn sight harder than actually having a job. Some days will be pretty good, and some days will absolutely suck. Some days you'll do all you can to get out of bed. Some days you may not even make it out of bed. That's what being unemployed and not having a job and looking for a job is like. That's the bad news.
The good news is that it's not impossible. It's damn tough, but it's not impossible. Others have done it. Frankly if I've done it, I bet you can too.
My point is to be realistic. "Today I'm going to find a job." is not a particularly realistic goal for the day. Define success that way and I don't think you are going to feel successful very often. Give yourself a break. Define success as something realistic and something within your control.
Once you've reached success for the day, allow yourself to celebrate a little bit. I don't mean blow all your money on the town. Pick a small reward. What works for you? Have a cookie. Watch a movie. Spend 45 minutes playing that on line game you like. Just reward yourself a little bit and don't feel guilty about it. But if you do, that's OK too.
You're not going to be Mr. or Ms. happy cheerful person all the time when you are out of work and looking for a job. That's OK. Cut yourself some slack. Anyone who tells you that you have to be cheerful positive and look at everything through rosy glasses all the time is not being realistic. And they are probably trying to sell you their "system" for finding a job.
So set your goals a little more modestly. Define success as something you can actually achieve. This should not be used as an excuse to do nothing and pretend you did something. You know yourself. Set a goal that's right for you today. Not too easy and not too hard. String together a few successful days and you might feel up to a slightly more challenging goal soon. Next thing you know you'll string together a bunch of success, start feeling good about yourself, and really get moving.
You'll have bad days. That's OK. Just keep plugging.
I know you're looking for a job, but you already have a job. Your job is to find a job. It's volunteer work, but it's worth it. It's for you. It's for any family that you may have. If you felt a little down one day, you wouldn't call in sick would you? No, you'd probably suck it up and go to work. Well, this is your work. Keep plugging at it and you'll eventually get what you are working for. You may not know it, but you're employed. Think of it that way and it will be easier to do.
ZippyTheWonderbat
Who is ZippyTheWonderbat and what does he know about getting a job?
Hello:
I'm ZippyTheWonderbat, a male in his late 40's living in the Southeast (although I'm not originally from here). I'm a regular guy from a blue collar family who got himself educated. I had a successful 15 year career in the for profit sector before I got laid off. I took that opportunity to re-evaluate what I wanted out of life and decided I wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to do something I could passionate about. I wanted to go to work every day and know that I was making the world a better place for my kids, and hopefully someday, grandkids. The idea of spending my blood, sweat, and tears enriching share holders was no longer appealing to me. I wanted to do something that was meaningful to me.
At that point I embarked on a non profit job search. After a few months I landed the job of my dreams. For 5 years it was the best job I ever had. When the time came to move on I embarked on another job search and found the next job of my dreams. For the last year I've been loving my current job.
Over the last year of so I've helped several of my friends find jobs. I've given advice on resumes and cover letters, networking, and nearly every other aspect of the job search process. I didn't set out to help people find jobs, I just wanted to do what I could to help my friends. Since then I've been told by many people that I should open a business giving job hunting advice. I've been told my help was critical and I've been called an inspiration. I love my current job so I have no interest in starting my own business right now, so instead I decided to start a blog.
The purpose of this blog is to help people looking for jobs. If no one reads it, that's fine, but if anyone is interested here it is. I think I have some good knowledge and I'm happy to share it. I certainly know some things that have worked for me and for others. The other purpose is to create a place for people to share things that have worked for them.
If you have a question, please post it. If you have a good idea, please post that as well. ZippyTheWonderbat is listening.
I'm ZippyTheWonderbat, a male in his late 40's living in the Southeast (although I'm not originally from here). I'm a regular guy from a blue collar family who got himself educated. I had a successful 15 year career in the for profit sector before I got laid off. I took that opportunity to re-evaluate what I wanted out of life and decided I wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to do something I could passionate about. I wanted to go to work every day and know that I was making the world a better place for my kids, and hopefully someday, grandkids. The idea of spending my blood, sweat, and tears enriching share holders was no longer appealing to me. I wanted to do something that was meaningful to me.
At that point I embarked on a non profit job search. After a few months I landed the job of my dreams. For 5 years it was the best job I ever had. When the time came to move on I embarked on another job search and found the next job of my dreams. For the last year I've been loving my current job.
Over the last year of so I've helped several of my friends find jobs. I've given advice on resumes and cover letters, networking, and nearly every other aspect of the job search process. I didn't set out to help people find jobs, I just wanted to do what I could to help my friends. Since then I've been told by many people that I should open a business giving job hunting advice. I've been told my help was critical and I've been called an inspiration. I love my current job so I have no interest in starting my own business right now, so instead I decided to start a blog.
The purpose of this blog is to help people looking for jobs. If no one reads it, that's fine, but if anyone is interested here it is. I think I have some good knowledge and I'm happy to share it. I certainly know some things that have worked for me and for others. The other purpose is to create a place for people to share things that have worked for them.
If you have a question, please post it. If you have a good idea, please post that as well. ZippyTheWonderbat is listening.
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