Explaining Your Leave of Absence
This one is from the mailbag:
Two years ago, I took a leave of absence and shortly thereafter
resigned from my job as an elementary principal after two years in
the position due to stress and a bad situation with a teacher that
was getting worse. One year earlier, I had had successful
surgery/treatment for a cancer (melanoma) . I had new serious
symptoms as a result of stress. My doctor suggested time off.
I have moved to a different area in the state and want to apply for
another elementary principalship. Prior to my two years at the
district from where I resigned, I had three years of successful
“principal” experience. How do I explain my leave of absence and
later resignation? How do I allay fears that I am a job hopper?
Thanks for your help!
My rules for explaining unplanned leave of absences (or departures from the workforce) are very simple:
Rule 1: Keep the reason short and simple. You have to think about the hiring manager’s fear here and how you prevent that fear from continuing. He or she wants to know that the reason you were away from work was legitimate. We are generally understanding that life situations come up. Personal health issues (that includes mental health), children get seriously ill, parents die, we understand all of this. So allay those fears as quickly (and as briefly as possible) because you can also get into way too much detail about it.
Rule 2: Move forward. If you can’t think of anything you did during that time to progress your career (things like continual education, networking, etc…), focus on how you are moving forward past the unexpected leave based on your past performance. And by the way, I would encourage people to continue to try to stay connected their field during a leave of absence but if you can’t, you can overcome it. You can point to your past experience and say “Look, this is what I’ve done before and I am extremely confident that I can do it again. That’s why I am re-entering the workforce right now.”
As to your other question, I don’t think their concern is going to be about job hopping. I think if it comes out that your last job stressed you out to the point where you needed to take a break, the question will be if you can handle it again (and you should be prepared for that). You can allay fears by talking about ways you’ve grown and improved and how this position is possibly different from your previous one.
In any case, good luck. It is always harder to get that first job after something like this.
Terrible Interview Advice
I enjoy Penelope Trunk’s blog but she is so incredibly and utterly wrong, I feel like it deserves some correction.
What she is right about:
- If you give a number lower than what they are willing to pay, you lose. Assuming you didn’t do your homework, you probably deserve it.
- The company has to give you an offer so even if the stalemate lasts, they will have to give you a number to start with. This assumes an offer is coming (100 applicants for a job, ten telephone interviewed, four interviewed in person, one getting the job…do the math).
What she is wrong about:
Everything else. And perhaps the worst are her examples of how to avoid answering the question. All of them are evasive and pathetic attempts to gain an upper hand. Any HR person worth their salt will see through these obnoxious answers and get to the heart of it very easily:
“What other information do you need to know to give me a salary range?”
If you are arguing about negotiation, I don’t know how you could miss this tie down. It is the easiest one to use. Basically, if they say “they want to know more about the job” you tell them to their satisfaction and then you’ve given them the information they said they needed. If they say they want more information on benefits, you describe it to them and give them a packet of information. If they balk at the question or continue to be evasive, you know their true intent is to never answer the question and you can move on.
Wait, hold on! Did I say “move on” as in “they don’t get the job”? Oh golly gee yes! Because the ultimate bargaining chip isn’t that “they have to get you a salary in the job offer” as that is assuming you will receive one. The ultimate bargaining chip that you may or may not get an offer. And if you’re playing salary games in the interview process, what’s to make me believe that you won’t play other games. Give me a reason I shouldn’t believe your entire persona is based on an ego that requires having the upper hand in order to play ball.
I never ever will understand career advice columnists that say you should be genuine and non-evasive during the interview process but then turn around and say that in one particular instance, you should be an evasive twerp. You’re doing a salary negotiation with someone who has done hundreds of them, you’re not going to turn it around on them and say “Haha, GOTCHA!” And I’m not saying I haven’t been tricked, just saying that it has been a while.
Ways to win at salary negotiation without being insufferable
While Penelope’s advice may be good in instances where an employer is begging for workers (and in areas with 2-4% unemployment, this may be the case). But let’s be fair in saying that businesses will likely suffer in 2008. Giving people advice that knocks them out of contention is fine when there are 15 other jobs out there ready for you. It doesn’t seem that is very likely right now. Here are ways to win:
- Come in with a high figure - That’s what negotiations are all about. I don’t know how you can lose here and I am confused about Penelope’s assertion. If you come in high and the employer says “You’re too high,” you already knew that. Now you can ask how out of range you are? All the while, you’re being honest. If you’re coming in on the high side, I am guessing that is more than your ideal salary. You want more and the employer knows you do. Now you can see how much the employer wants you (and can leverage that knowledge).
- Do your research - Not a single word about knowing what you’re worth. That’s tragic. And lazy. Know what you’re worth, research it and be prepared to argue it. If you want to show that you are a good negotiator, come in with full knowledge about the job market and what a person like you is worth. If they balk at your high number, you could say something along the lines of “Really? That’s what so and so is advertising for a position that is very similar to this one. What part of my experience doesn’t seem to warrant that kind of salary?”
- Sell yourself to close the deal - For someone who advocates personal branding, it seems weird that she would choose such a weak close (a.k.a. you decide). Sell your worth, minimize the price of your service and maximize the value you are bringing. “So it is a bit higher than you would like? What’s really important is the value you are getting out of the relationship. Here is what I am bringing to the table and I know I can easily add that increased value to your company’s bottom line.”
The best part about all of these is that they are all honest, straight-forward and strong stances.
Of course, people always dog on these sorts of articles for one of two reasons. Let me address those now:
“Companies have the upper hand in everything else, salary negotiation is an equalizer and your only chance to make them do something first.”
First of all, companies do have the upper hand (even in salary negotiation) so the best way of showing that you are strong is by demonstrating your ability to come out strong even in this scenario. Second of all, if you’re not giving a number, the company is going to start at the lowest number possible (why would they pay more if you’re vague about your requirements and we have all determined that all employers want to pay very little?). If you balk at it, you have two choices: go away or make a counter-offer. How are you getting an upper hand if you are making a counter instead of (as I suggest) a researched, high end initial offer?
“You are an HR person so you are going to advocate ways of lowering our potential offer.”
I am amazed at how often this argument comes up. I am not a finance guy so I don’t care how much you are getting paid unless it is affecting my ability to get a requisition closed. Also, I am evaluated on how well I can get requisitions filled so I want to see you get the job. I see negotiation attempts quite a bit so I know what works and what doesn’t. I am also a job seeker myself (or, I was) so I advocate techniques that work for me.
With that line of thinking, wouldn’t Penelope be advocating ways of keeping you in need of her services (i.e. keeping you searching for a job or ways to advance in your current position)? We could come up with ulterior motives for a long time, but it isn’t very helpful.
HR Wench was right
So on my last post, I got a response from HR Wench that made sense.
If a company doesn’t like you (it happens) and they are jerks about it (that happens too), then they have helped you out. Why you may ask?
YOU DON’T WANT TO WORK FOR JERKS*
At least, I don’t want to work for jerks. And if you are currently working for a jerk, you don’t want to continue to work for a jerk (even for more money, corner office). If you aren’t currently working for a jerk, why would you want to start (even for more money, etc)?
If you’ve read The No Asshole Rule, you understand why (both for your own sanity and for the good of your business).
So thank you for not wasting my time by rejecting me in a rude, lying fashion. I really do appreciate it.
* I realize that sometimes, there may be no choice. You take a job with the knowledge that you are going to be working for a jerk. You need to pay bills too. The best thing you can do is prepare for your next step and get yourself prepared for working for a non-jerk.
Your HR Guy doesn’t like liars
I don’t like lying so I don’t though I don’t know anyone who can claim that was true 100% of the time. Still, I don’t typically lie to job seekers because it is infuriating for them and it has the ability to burn some bridges. People, for the most part, understand that you aren’t interviewing one person. So when I say, “I interviewed another person and they are a strong candidate as well so we are going to do a second interview with them. I know it sucks for you to wait but we can’t make a decision until after that.” people typically understand. I know I certainly do.
One of the companies I interviewed with recently was less than honest with me and that was frustrating. There is no need to name names (that’s certainly not what this blog is about and would probably kill my hirability) but it reminded me about how important honesty is in this process and why so many people feel burned by job seeking.
I think about times that I’ve been tempted to hold back information to protect a person’s feelings. What would normally happen is that they would figure out what happened any way.
Of course, I don’t mean to intend this only happens on the HR side of things. Unfortunately job seekers can also be liars but HR almost always finds out (whether it is too late or not is another issue altogether).
In any case, the best way to tell your story is to tell it honestly. Less things to forget, less feeling to hurt and less BS make the job seeking process much easier.
The economy is falling
From the mailbag:
I was recently let go from a company for not disclosing some information from my background. The company has allowed me to use them as a future reference as this job was an internship and my cut off date was approaching. Since then, I have been job searching for approximately three weeks now. With the economy going in a bleeker and scarier downard spiral…what are the chances of me getting a good job? I am searching in the Finance sector in the Washington D.C area what advice do you have on getting on feet quickly…I have bills to pay and a family to feed.
I don’t know what information you failed to disclose but I would start by probably not doing that again. If you’re looking in the finance sector, I am hoping whatever it is that you are looking for won’t look at that and disregard you.
My rules for active job searching are follows:
50% of your time devoted to job hunting
50% of your time devoted to job building activities
The first one is pretty self-explanatory, the second one isn’t. What is a job building activity?
- Networking in your area
- Networking in your industry
- Building your knowledge and increasing your marketability
None of these things have anything directly to do with job seeking yet every single one of them can lead to work. And in a tougher market (like we might see if things get bad in this economy), making yourself better networked and better prepared than everyone else will help you get a jump.
If you need work now, not later, you probably need to start considering agencies in addition to all of the above (temp, contract, temp to hire, etc…). The staffing folks who read are going to probably kill me at the suggestion that agencies should be your last resort but I would say that you need to find a place where you can find stability and longevity and while I have found that happens more frequently with the above combination, you can also find that working through an agency (or maybe in your case, several agencies). If you do take a temp job, you will end up having two jobs (the temp one and the job seeking one). So it gets harder before it gets easier.
I have no specific experience in DC so I can’t give you specific advice there. There may be some people who can comment more on that in the comments section.
Good luck.
Why you hate your job…
You need to check out this post by Pinny Cohen about why people get burned out on their jobs.
An excerpt:
People are Special
One of the things that sets humans aside from other animals is our unrelenting interest in novelty, and learning. Indeed, one of the best ways to keep our brains sharp is by challenging it with crossword puzzles, “brain games”, and constantly demanding new solutions from our brain.
All you need to do is look at a job listing on Monster.com in order to get an idea of just how far job specialization has gone - 5-7 years of this, 3-5 years of that, and these aren’t basic requirements; rather they are for usage of specialized theoretical models and specialized software. No wonder every employer I speak with complains about how hard it is to fill positions, they are looking for something too specific, and too specialized.
I agree though I wonder what the solution is for the person that needs to do those mundane but business critical tasks in order to keep the world turning? Rotation? Gold stars? Cookies? Because, at this point, I think I am willing to try nearly anything.
New blog, different take
I got an comment from Dan at the Great Leadership blog pointing me to a post about the greatest HR bloggers of all time or something along those lines. It is good to be in such great company.
I have to say that anyone who is working full time with the leaders and managers of a large organization deserve our respect. Not because it is a sexy job but because there are a lot of bonehead managers that need a lot of development.
You should check out the rest of it. Different than what I talk about on this blog but different is good, right?
New blog, corporate version
There is a new blog out there in the staffing world. Manpower’s VP of … that’s a long title, Melanie Holmes has a blog on contemporary working issues. I am trying to decide what I enjoy the most about the blog:
- Her hatred of speakerphones. From someone who is on the phone a lot, I hate the speakerphone picker upper more than typos on resumes.
- The irony of being so sexism-aware at a company named “Manpower.”
- Her love of Celebrity Apprentice which is a show I could go without admitting that I enjoy secretly watching
Anyway, it is a good blog I got an e-mail about weeks ago so I thought I better post it. Thanks Zak.
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About
Your HR Guy is a Human Resources Generalist practicing in the field. But don't let that fool you, this isn't a boring blog. I seek relevance and humor in a place we will spend much of our lives. Everything from workplace issues, job seeking and terrible bosses. Read more...
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