Inside The Edge
About
My
Four Cents
Jamie O’Neill’s “My Four Cents” articles offer a great change of pace from the typical literature you may find on a management consultant or leadership development web site. Most of the time, self-improvement is about assessing and amending your personal skills; however, every once in a while it is necessary to take a step back from it all and consider broader topics like your personal values and goals. “My Four Cents” forces you to do exactly that.
With her down-to-earth and practical perspectives, Jamie offers a view of the world that everyone can derive some value from. The articles in this section allow you to remove yourself from day to day trails and focus on what you consider to be truly important in your life. So take the time to read a few; we think they will really help… but hey, that’s just our four cents.
| Job Hunting 101 - It's Mrs. O'Neill, not Mr. |
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For the vast majority of us, at some point in our lives, we’ve had the pleasure of looking for a job. You know, spending countless hours surfing job sites, working our connections, flipping through newspapers, meeting with recruiters, knocking door to door just begging people to give us a chance. We all know that uncovering a job opportunity is just one step in the equation. The real struggle is finding ways to stand out from the crowd in today’s competitive marketplace. Last week I posted a job ad for an Administrative Assistant and wow, I was blown away not only by the number of responses we received, but by the sheer lack of attention to detail shown by many of the respondents. In the job posting we asked that those interested in the position to please e-mail your cover letter and resume to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . In the ad we also provided our corporate website address so that people could check us out. I was shocked to discover that over 50% of the people that applied to the position addressed their cover letter to Mr. O’Neill. I repeat, they addressed their cover letter to Mr. O’Neill (Mr. being the word of contention here). I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I have a unisex name, got it. But I will also be the first to point out that on our company website there is an entire section dedicated to the team, equipped with write-ups, and yes, wait for it, pictures! Finding a job is tough, but thank you to all those people that referred to me as Mr. O’Neill as you actually saved me hours of reading time. Although it is not explicitly stated in the dictionary, I believe that the position of Administrative Assistant comes with the understanding of needing to be good with the details, and calling me Mr. O’Neill tells me that you are not. Perhaps I am wrong to assume, but I would think that when people are looking for a new job that they are actually serious in looking for a new job. I assume that they not only read the job posting but that they also take the time to research the company they are applying to, to ensure that they would even be interested in working for this company. I also assume that when specific competencies are needed, that the person applying actually has those things. Bottom line, if you want me to consider you for the position, then you first need to show me that you are legitimately interested in the job and that I am not just 1 of 10 resumes you are sending out that day. As the old saying goes - you get back what you put in. I truly believe that. Whether you are looking for a new job, a spouse, or just to lose weight, your end results will reflect your actions. If you are looking for a new job, here is what I would suggest to do:
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Perhaps your applicants were more on the "live a little side" and people who are more apt to dive into a blind date and then decide if they want to know their date's name or if they like them at all :)