Foremost Consulting

Ironically, the catchphrase “Question Authority”, came into vogue in the 1960s and early ‘70s. It was meant as an idealistic challenge to what the young generation of that period considered an inflexible and rigid societal status quo, which needed to be shaken loose. The ironic part is that these are the same people who now run the very system they once criticized and are more critical about dissent than their predecessors in power – or so it seems. I recognize that this is a blog about employment-related matters and not politics. However, in all aspects of our lives during the last few years, non-conformity, dissent or simple disagreement, questioning or challenging a process or a function increasingly evokes condemnation – and this trend also extends to the job market. Take the interview process, for example, sadly I encounter a lot of

It is easy to fall into the trap of negativity and complain how things are tough. Yeah, so it has gotten tougher, so what? You’re going to refuse to play anymore, you’ll take your ball and go home? Things are as tough as you choose to see or interpret the world around you. You can choose to listen primarily to those who morbidly thrive on bad news and seem content only when they see others suffering, or you can snap out of it and get yourself back on the right track, otherwise kindly stay away from me and take your cooties elsewhere. I’m not unrealistic, and I know of few individuals who are not somewhat concerned about the stability of their particular market sector, company, job and career. But we must all adapt to the changes happening around us and,

Last week I had a conversation with a woman who is searching for a new job. She shared with me that she is both contacting companies directly and responding to opportunities posted online. She asked, “How can I know if I am being considered or if my resume is being considered at all; how do I know if they’ve even received it?” Good question, and the answer is there is no way to know, considering the current accepted hiring practices of companies. Sure, you may receive a computer-generated message of receipt and a thank you, but it’s meaningless. All it shows is that a software program has acknowledged receipt, but there is no indication if or when an actual person will look at it, much less consider your qualifications; it’s on file but that’s not much consolation, is it? Then she

Any time the topic of resumes comes up, invariably the conversation turns to the appropriate length of a resume, too long with too many pages seems to be a concern. I suggest that if you have a lot of applicable experience, and if it requires more than a page or two, so be it. But there are ways to conserve space, measures you can use to determine the best way to get the most out of the document meant to open doors and give you a chance to then impress, in person. The fact is that many people have a lot of needless stuff on there, either because it is a part of the resume template or they think it is necessary. Let’s consider a few of them. OBJECTIVE This is an optional item, but if you think it is necessary, keep it

I say it until I am blue in the face -- why do people think emailing a resume represents activity? Where have they gotten the ridiculous notion that it demonstrates effort? Most people invest time to assemble a good resume and perhaps a cover letter, but after that they stop and expect the Internet to do the rest for them. Think about it, it is patently silly and makes no sense and yet they grumble because no one is rushing to hire them, their phone doesn’t ring and they anxiously check their inbox, disappointed that there’s very little to show for all their effort, if that’s what you want to call it. When you want to change the oil in your car, you can do it yourself, but most people have someone else do it. When you want to build a

This entry constitutes my 100th blog post and October 19 will mark a year since I began this effort. It is said that it takes about a year for a blog to gain momentum and, indeed, this one has, which is significant considering all the other stuff out there. It demonstrates there are growing numbers of individuals who recognize that the standard practices used to find work are increasingly ineffective, especially if you are a standout individual, a go-getter, to use a term. How can you get noticed if the current hiring regime has no interest in you, at least during the initial stages of most hiring processes? You’ve got to step off the well-worn path, tread upon by legions of others, who aimlessly shuffle along waiting for something or someone to do their thinking for them. Not so, for

So what do you do, you personally, when you search for a job? Most people wake up one day and they start reading online job postings at whatever website shows the most listings, as though that is going to matter. They spend time staring into their monitors or screens like Goldilocks looking for the one(s) that are just right for them and send resumes in the hopes of being noticed, contacted and told, “…you’re just what we’ve been looking for!” Hmm, how often does that happen? What about networking? Some people are big believers in networking and, indeed, it is a good way to go about a job search activity, but the whole trick to networking is that you already have a network of people with whom to interact, which means you were already a networking sort of person. The entire

For almost as long as I’ve been a headhunter, when I speak with someone I might represent, assist and coach, the first question I ask is why they are looking for a new job; what are the motivating factors? I want to learn about their priorities and if they are reasonable, realistic and can provide me a documented track record of success, I’ll often take on their cause and assist to varying degree. If money is their primary or only reason, I rarely take them seriously. I believe that if money is a higher priority than is the actual opportunity, they have their priorities bass ackwards. To be clear, what I am suggesting is about more than money, but if we are talking about money and tying it to priorities, we can use it to illustrate my point about priorities,

Often people fail to consider all that is involved when conducting a real job search. Don't fool yourself with the wide misperception suggesting that with thousands of jobs posted online you can spend a few minutes per day surfing the net, send resumes and voila - you can get a good job. A rather silly assumption, eh? A lucky few find good jobs that way but they are the exception and not the rule. Why would otherwise smart individuals rely on those long odds for success? Without being insulting, unless you have a plan you aren't serious. And relying on others or the Internet to get you a job is not a plan; and neither is the panacea of sending digitalized resumes all over the place. You're responsible for getting your own job, what are you actually doing for yourself? Do you

After posting my last blog, I was called out by a middle-senior manager working in an administrative capacity, who suggested I am being provocative, picking on and ridiculing companies and especially human resources with regard to their hiring practices. For the record I am not, quite the contrary although, what I am categorically against is the creeping fungus that is lethargy, apathy and especially atrophy as a consequence of expediency and supposed time-saving methods for hiring and evaluating job seekers. I am likewise admittedly critical of individuals who think they can obtain, much less deserve, a job by doing little more than sending a few, or a lot, of emailed resumes and assume they are deserving of a job more than others who actually make an effort. If we’re honest with each other, we have collectively gotten lazier for one