Staying Healthy Sells to a Potential
Employer
“I see here that you have been
unemployed for a while. What have you been doing with yourself?”
Sadly, since 2008, the global economy
has made questions like this a part of many job interviews. The way
that you respond can be critical to your success in the job
interview. Perhaps more importantly, the things that you do while
you are unemployed can truly impact your future success.
In a hiring setting, the goal of the
potential employer is usually something along the lines of 'hire the
best available talent with the least amount of risk'. Notice that I
did not say '...at the lowest possible salary'. To a hiring employer
a few thousand dollars in annual salary may be an important
consideration. However, that few thousand dollars pales when
compared to the cost of a bad hire. The Society for Human Resource
Management reports that the cost of a bad hire is up to five times
the annual salary.
Often, the job seeker focuses upon why
they are the best available talent, and overlooks the risk component
of the criteria upon which they are being evaluated. 'Fit' matters
to the potential employer.
How you have been managing yourself
while unemployed is an indicator of your current fitness, and the
amount of risk related to transitioning you into the company.
“What have you been doing with
yourself?” “Sitting forlornly in a dank apartment all day.
Smoking menthol cigarettes all day and nightwith the curtains drawn,
salaciously watching Maury reveal DNA testing results.” That would
be rather risky to an employer.
So what can you be doing? What would
reduce your risk to a potential employer, and show that you are
progressing in a healthy manner? Did you know that you can take FREE
courses online from Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley? Here one link.
There are many more resources -
http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses
See your local librarian for more leads. What a GREAT answer to the
“What have you been doing” question-I audited several on-line
courses in finance from Harvard and Yale. I had always been
fascinated by the topic of copyright law, so I took a class on the
topic from MIT.
Here are some other sample great
answers:
When
the company closed, I had an ill relative. I used my free time to
care for them. Happily (or sadly if they died), that situation is
resolved.
I
used the time to take a (hopefully job relevant) course at the
Library, Community College, etc. I hated not working, but I decided
to make the best of a bad situation.
One
of the worst things about being laid off could have been being forced
to stay in the house all the time. I volunteered with (some
organization) when I wasn't job searching.
I
started exercising and lost 20 pounds!
I
think the point is to show that you were involved, active, and not
damaged by the gap in employment. Maintaining and projecting a
positive, healthy attitude to potential employers is vital.
Good
Luck and Best Wishes,
Chris
Links to my
work, “Beyond a Career Crisis”:
Kindle Edition
Paperback Edition
