Needle, Meet Haystack

During the summer between my Junior and Senior years of high school, I decided to apply for a job at a local mega-store.  Up until that point, my only work experience had been working for my dad.  Somehow, this negated my potential candidacy for restocking shelves of blenders and toaster ovens, folding shirts, or ringing up DVD and CD purchases.  Why?  The manager himself told me: I was overqualified.

Now that companies have more options when it comes to hiring better employees and jobs are growing more scarce, highly qualified individuals find themselves scraping the bottom of the barrel just to get by.  They might take whatever they can get as they try to wait out the employment drought.  And they may find themselves blocked by the worst backhanded compliment of them all: overqualification.

It makes sense that a company would be concerned with hiring someone who is several rungs higher on the corporate ladder for a low-level job.  The most pervasive fear is that these employees will show little loyalty to the company, and will leave as soon as they find a better option.  Another fear is that these overqualified employees may not be so willing to adapt to a new way of doing things, preferring the methods they’ve used for years.  And then, there’s always the threat of the overqualified employee demanding more money and faster promotions than the company can handle.

In some cases, this may be true.  A person who knows that they’re overqualified may be more apt to use it to their advantage in the workplace.  But if the candidate wants the job for financial stability, professional growth, and all those other reasons that most people want jobs, they’re faced with the difficult task of convincing the employer to hire them.

Much in the same way that a new graduate can find the advantage in being hired over a more seasoned employee, an overqualified candidate can show the benefit of their employment over that of a regularly-qualified individual.

An overqualified employee has a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw from, which makes for less time spent training and micromanaging the employee in the early stages of their employment.  Additionally, they may have built up a large stable of industry contacts who can help the company grow and develop.  Not to mention that their advanced skill set means that they can be given more responsibilities and advanced projects to work on more quickly than a greener employee, increasing office productivity and output.

Still, the business may remain wary of hiring an overqualified employee.  The best that the candidate can do is push the advantages of their being hired over a “normally qualified” individual, and reassure the company that they will not jump ship at the first sign of a better offer.

And if someone does throw the term at you, take it as a compliment.  It means that you are more qualified than most to be doing the job – and isn’t that a good thing?

I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog talking about resumes and cover letters, but if you want to see a historical one from a famous and prominent inventor, you need look no further than this one from Leonardo da Vinci.

And of course, he got the job.

Actually, da Vinci’s resume is more of a resume-cover letter combo, but it is still a fine example on what to do.  Note how Leonardo lists everything in an easily readable format, describes things accurately without revealing too much, targets his potential employer specifically based on th competencies his audience is looking for, and shows the advantage of his employment.  So if you’re trying to find the inspiration to create an application that will have employers begging for you to work for them, look no further than the Renaissance Man himself.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Resume Explains Why He’s The Renaissance Man For the Job (via Gizmodo)

Earlier this week, I decided to go outside to check for mail.  There wasn’t any mail in the mailbox, so I came back in and walked down the hall to my desk.  After sitting down and resuming work, I started to hear a buzzing sound.  At first, I thought it was my computer.  But then I felt a tickle on my stomach.

Somehow, a bee had flown under my shirt.  This was one of the scarier moments of my life.

A quick bit of explanation: My dad, who is old enough to have collected Social Security for several years, has never in his life been stung by a stinging insect.  Somehow, he passed on whatever mutant gene/crazy pheromone/magical ward of +10 to stinging defense to me.  I’ve been near bees many times, but have never had the misfortune to have a bee attack me with its sharp butt, dig said appendage deep into my epidermis, then have the stinger ripped off, killing the insect and inconveniencing me.  But the real terror was the bee’s position: right over my bellybutton.

You see, I have an outie bellybutton.  So a bee sting there would be very strange and inconvenient, especially as the weather in Phoenix is warming up to swimming pool weather.  So I quickly formed a small 100% cotton cage around the bee with my apparel and crushed it like the Kids in the Hall.

After disposing of the bee’s lifeless exoskeleton, I realized that it had never tried to sting me.  I had preemptively attacked an insect for no other reason than what I thought it might do.  And in that moment of reflection, I realized something: I’m racist against bees.

Yeah, I’ll be getting stung soon.

I recently rediscovered my old travel blog from back when I lived in London (no, you don’t get a link, unless you ask me on Formspring), which has taught me two things: 1) I’m a lot different than I was back then, and 2) Blogger sure keeps defunct blogs up for a long while.

As I took the trip down memory lane, I found one post that actually seemed like something I might have written only a few days ago.  It was markedly different in voice and tone than many of the other posts.  And it seemed good enough to share.  So, I present to you,  in the words of the Andrew of late 2006, a time-traveling, not-quite guest post… a tale of the communal bathroom:

I woke up the other day and was getting ready for class as usual. Walking to the bathroom to take a shower, I opened the door to find the tub two-thirds full of red Kool-Aid. I decided to use the bathroom at the other end of the hall instead. I was tired and at the time thought that maybe it was just very watery blood.

I returned to the building twelve hours later and noticed a sign on the bathroom door. It said:

Whoever left the bathroom like this needs to clean it up. This is not acceptable behavior.
Do you honestly expect housekeeping to clean this up?
-The Building Managers

I opened up the door and noticed the red liquid still in the tub. Sighing, I pulled the plug from the drain of the tub. It was gone in about three minutes. Later, some people filled the tub with dish soap to better clean it out.

It’s funny that the building managers took the time to:

• Open the door
• Assess the situation
• Go down six floors
• Draft a letter
• Proof the letter
• Print the letter
• Go back up the six floors
• Tape the letter to the door

When all they had to do was have one person step inside, reach down, and pull out the plug. I’m pretty sure there’s a good metaphor in there somewhere.

Autonomy: it’s something that everyone says that they want in their job, but how many can deal with it?

Though some may be micromanaged and tasked to deal with bosses day in and day out, their desire for a more independent work environment may be based more in fantasy than in reality.

The truth is, having a boss inspires productivity, though many think that they destroy it.  But consider that not everyone is motivated to pull themselves by their own bootstraps, nor are they prepared to deal with self-management for a full work day.

So, as a location-independent worker who sees his boss about once a week, I’ve developed a tactic that helps me keep my manager up to speed, keeps me focused, and serves everyone’s best interests.  It’s called the Three Call Rule.

Basically, I can call, text and email my boss no more than three times (combined) in a day.

I will usually call or email him at least once to check in, but beyond that, I manage myself.  The two extra calls are in case I have exhausted all possible venues and need his help resolving an issue, or if his input is needed before something is finalized.  And it’s worked pretty well.

Instead of going to my boss with every little problem, I only contact him if the issue is one that I cannot solve on my own, which fulfills my need for autonomy.  And instead of becoming lazy and complacent through a lack of management and oversight, our communications serve to inspire me to be a more diligent worker.

So if you find yourself in a location-independent situation but are unsure of how to get the most out of it, try the Three Call Rule – it’s simple, effective, and lets you enjoy the advantages of a cubicle-free lifestyle.

Dear Readers,

As I mentioned this past Monday, there are some big changes coming to Needle, Meet Haystack – and you can be a part of them!  Just fill out this quick 10-question reader survey to help gather information that will be used to make this blog even better!

So go take the survey! And don’t worry – this isn’t today’s post.

Thanks in advance.

- Andrew

If you really want to get your foot in the door with a particular company, and have tried everything in the book, the shelf the book is on, the section the shelf is organized by, and the entire library that contains the section with the shelf with the book, you have one option left.  Instead of trying to squeeze your foot in between the door and the frame, this is the way to hurl yourself through the window.

WARNING: This method does not always work.

So what is this mystery method that can get you farther than any other method?

Calling the CEO or President of the company.  But preferably the CEO.

Really.

Although important people have important things to do, they also don’t receive as many calls and emails as one might think.  After all, there are division Presidents and VPs, layers of managers and employees, and gatekeepers at every step.  In fact, a truly effective CEO can have most of their business automated (as in, they don’t need to contribute much, especially for the day-to-day).  This means that it could be easier to get in touch with the CEO than with a random person in the human resources department.

The best time to call is when you won’t have to deal with any gatekeepers – around 8:00 AM (most employees will arrive at 9:00 AM) or after 5:00 PM.  However, this is risky, as your target may be out of the office.  So what can you do?

Call for them and act like you should be talking to them.  Don’t use any “Mr.” or “Ms.” [Name] requests – say you’re calling for the person by their full name (ie: “This is Joe Stevens calling for Mary Jones”) – a title implies a lack of familiarity, and using a first name can be risky and get you found out.

When you talk to the CEO, don’t ask for a job right out.  Instead, it can work to your advantage to ask them a few questions and establish a dialog – try to obtain this person as a mentor before you try to obtain them as a boss.  The reason for this is twofold: a personal relationship (however limited) is a better foundation for having an “in” at a company, and the CEO can provide you with valuable networking opportunities within their industry (and sometimes outside of it).

Having an experienced mentor in a position of power can help you get the job you want with less hassle, but it is incredibly risky – you can only try to do it once, and you will not always be successful in building this relationship, or even establishing contact.  But the rewards are huge.  So if you’ve exhausted your play book and still want to try for a touchdown, throw a hail Mary and call up the CEO.

Each generation defines itself not only by its politics, pop culture, fashions, slang and innovation.  From the white picket fences of the mid-50s to the McMansions of the early 2000s, the striving and successful created the ideal aspirations that served as the benchmarks of achievement for their eras.  So what is the American Dream for the Gen-Y/Millennial crowd?

The recession seems to have shifted the focus away from material possessions to personal fulfillment.  Where once a loft decked out in the latest desirables from the IKEA catalog (circa the beginning of Fight Club at the turn of the century) would have been a noble goal, Millennials have warmed to the idea of boomeranging back to Mom and Dad.  A new car may have been the symbol that one had arrived during the Dot Com Boom, but now it’s based around Facebook and Twitter friends.

The collapse of the housing market has made many wary of obtaining their own homes.  Soaring unemployment rates have made job whoring to pay the bills socially acceptable.  Digital communication has forever changed the way that people interact.  And the American Dream, once a tangible obsession with material things, has undergone a metamorphosis.

Millennials aren’t looking for solace in the same things that their parents, grandparents, and even older siblings had.  Instead of focusing on the external, the dream for Generation Y is internal.  Though it’s still developing, their American Dream, their hopes and aspirations, are more personal.  Concerns about keeping up with the Joneses are mitigated – it’s all about personal definitions.

And those definitions might lead this generation into a dream that no one has ever had before.

Hey Everyone,

I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that a bunch of stuff I’ve been working on has been taking off.  From new business to career opportunities and personal projects, things are lining up, and a lot’s going to be happening soon.  And yes, some of that stuff involves this very blog.

The bad news is that it’s going to be taking up more of my time than I had anticipated, and I’ve had to make some cuts.  One of those cuts is blog posts.

I know I’m the guy who wrote about how easy it is to blog every day less than a month ago, but with all this new stuff coming my way, my schedule will become a lot more jam-packed than it’s ever been before.  But this is a good thing.

So here’s the deal: starting next week and continuing on indefinitely, there will be new posts on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only.  There may be occasional stuff up on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but it won’t be a weekly thing.

So that’s it – NMH will be going from 7 days a week down to 4.  But there’ll be some cool stuff popping up soon that I think you’ll really like.

Thanks for all your support.

Hugs,

Andrew

PS: I’m counting this as today’s post.  If you’re upset, you can always relax with the comedic stylings of last week’s sadly underused SNL host in his terrific monologue:

Oh my gosh you guys, I LOVE CauseWorld.  I mean, if you’re talking CRM and charitable donation involvement being taken to the next level, THIS IS IT.

Basically, you go to their website and download the free iPhone/iTouch app or the Android app and then check in at places (a la 4square, only without the “letting everyone know where you are” element) to get “karma points.”   The karma points can be saved up and distributed to a large number of causes, including clean drinking water, Chilean earthquake relief efforts, third-world literacy programs, vaccine distribution, or even the feeding of malnourished chimpanzees.  You can collect badges and get “promotions” to show off to your friends on Facebook, if you’re into that sort of thing.

You all should know by now that I’m skeptical about charities, so finding one that actually WORKS well, and is interactive, fun, innovative AND helpful is something that’s pretty rare for me.  But you might be wondering, where does the money come from?

CauseWorld has been given a boatload of money from Kraft and Citi to distribute based on karma points given to each organization.  So essentially, the karmas equate to a monetary value which is then given to different charities based on public opinion.  It’s a great way to contribute, especially if you’re low on cash (smartphone fees can be killer).  So basically, you’re helping these corporations distribute charitable funds appropriately.  And you can even suggest new charities to add.

So if you have an Apple or Google touch screen product, add CauseWorld.  Because unlike many charities and nonprofits, they’re doing it right.

iPhone and Android apps (via CauseWorld)

This is an unsolicited and unpaid endorsement that is in no way affiliated with this product. The thoughts and opinions expressed are solely those of this blogger.